E3 2013: Microsoft Media Briefing Recap

Quiet! Do you smell that? I believe that’s the smell of the Xbox One after the multiple burns Sony gave it last night.

Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have made their E3 presentations, and the dust has started to settle. So let’s breakdown what we saw over the past few days and try to make sense of it all, shall we?

Microsoft kicked off E3 with their morning media briefing. After their surprisingly entertainment-focused, lackluster Xbox One debut a few weeks ago, Big M was in damage control mode. Fans have been raging over things like DRM, used games, and game ownership, and it was up to Microsoft to calm the vocal gamers down. Too bad they didn’t.

Microsoft kicked off their presentation with a short section on the 360, reassuring us that there are still great games coming, including World of Tanks (which I guess is supposed to be a big deal, but I’ve never heard of it.) The coolest thing from this section is the announcement of “Games for Gold,” where Xbox Live Gold members will be getting two free games each month. We aren’t talking Xbox Live Arcade games either; we get full fledged fan favorites. It looks like Fable 3 is the first offering, and is actually available to download now.

But now onto the juicy stuff: the Xbox One. Microsoft actually kicked off the whole shebang with an amazing-looking gameplay preview of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Someone had the brilliant idea to combine combine Red Dead Redemption and Metal Gear Solid, and they are going to make a whole ton of money. The game is a sight for the eyes, and the stealth play looked mighty cool. The story is all sorts of batshit crazy, but its a Metal Gear game - what do you expect? Oh, and no David Hayter. Boo on that.

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New Trailer Takes You Inside 'Gears of War: Judgment'

Ahoy Fridge fans! Apologies for the silence in recent months. My best excuse is Halo 4's Spartan Ops. Blame them. Anyway! What better way to keep the frosty shelves filled than with a new look at one of my most anticipated games of 2013!

Gears of War: Judgment, the latest installment of Epic Games's hyper-violent TPS series that has occupied WAY too much of my time has a new trailer, featuring the star of the prequel (and personal favorite character of mine), Damon Baird. Returning to the role is prolific voice actor Fred Tatasciore, who is back with every ounce of snark that made Baird the loveable a-hole he is. Check out the new trailer, "The Guts of Judgment" which explores new campaign modes, weapons, and enemies!

"Declassified Mission" and "Smart Spawn System" (S3) look to be especially interesting. Anything to change up a game's campaign gets a thumbs up from me. Let's be honest, if you play a campaign enough, you know exactly what enemy comes around what corner at what time. S3 looks to be putting an end to such things and extending the replay value.  And then there's "Dynamic Defense Scenarios." Let's just call it what we all know it to be: Horde Mode, fortifications and all, only this time, it's integrated into the campaign. Yes, please!

GoW:J has the makings of a worthy addition to the Gears series. Intense action, wild weapons, and gut-wrenching executions just don't seem to get old, do they?

Gears of War: Judgment arrives on the Xbox 360 on March 19!

E3 2012: "Gears of War: Judgment" Extended Trailer

Not much was revealed about this game at the Microsoft keynote (other than it existed), but we have the extended trailer of Gears of War: Judgment!  From the folks that brought you Bulletstorm, Gears of War: Judgment follows Kilo Squad - a COG team by a younger, smarmier Lt. Baird.

Gears of War: Judgment is due out next year, exclusively for the Xbox 360.

E3 2012: Microsoft Announces Xbox SmartGlass

UPDATE: Screenshots added.

It seems that Microsoft has taken their commitment seriously to integrate their OSes across all of their devices.

Using Xbox SmartGlass, users can connect their tablet or smartphone to their Xboxes to enhance gameplay, media consumption, and to control Xbox navigation.

While not terribly exciting in and of itself (I mean, why would you want to distract yourself with a map of Game of Thrones, instead of just watching Game of Thrones?), but its gaming integration abilities are the most exciting part of SmartGlass.

Seemingly reading from the same playbook as Wii U, the integrated smart device will give gamers a secondary control screen to enhance your experience, for example, discreetly choosing your plays in sports games or showing Waypoint info in Halo. No doubt, many more options will reveal themselves as developers begin customizing SmartGlass for their games.

Xbox SmartGlass launches this fall.  While the demoed showed SmartGlass on Windows Phone and Windows 8 tablet devices, Microsoft announced it would work "with any device."  We'll find confirmation of this when it's available.  Update: Thankfully, this one's confirmed to work with iOS/Android phones and tablets in addition to its counterpart Windows versions.

As before, the conference is still on going as I type. We'll be sure to update this post with applicable images and videos once we can get our hands on them when the conference is over. Stay tuned!

E3 2012: Halo 4 Gameplay Demo

Opening their keynote with an anticipated bang, Microsoft showed the very first live gameplay demo of Halo 4.

Master Chief crash lands onto a lush green world, with the trusty Cortana at his virtual side. As the Chief investigates, he discovers Covenant forces, but the main opponent appears to be a hostile AI that bears no love for either Covenant or Spartans.

These new non-organic enemies are reminiscient of Metroid Prime's Space Pirates, with similar energy weapons and skills of their own. Thankfully, Master Chief can grab these new energy weapons off of the bodies of his fallen enemies as always to take on the new guys.

It also looks like Cortana will be taking a more serious role in this one, as the lovely computer mentioned she's past her "expiration date" and would start breaking down. She is also shown in the trailer as getting more emotional than we would have expected from the voice in our heads.

Unfortunately, no release date was given, but it looks like 343 Industries has risen to the occasion to fill the shoes left by Bungie in the series they made famous.

Halo 4, of course, launches exclusively on the Xbox 360 on November 6, 2012.

UPDATE: The full gameplay demo is here in all of its glory!

Stay tuned here as we get more details live from the Microsoft keynote at E3!

Xbox 360 Now Available for $99 (with a contract)

And it's official, folks!  As we reported earlier, the Xbox 360 is now available to take home for $99 with a two-year agreement.  Also as expected, an early termination fee ($250) applies if you break your contract prior to its maturation date, although, thankfully, that fee attenuates as the contract ages, starting at month 4.  (Full contract terms are here.)

So, to recap, for $99 and $14.99/month for two years nets you:

• 4GB Xbox 360
• Kinect for Xbox 360
• Xbox Live Gold Subscription

This deal is available only at Microsoft stores (store locator), and, unfortunately for those wanting to get in on the deal, there aren't many of those around.  But if you can find one and if you've been holding off from getting an Xbox because it was too much of a initial payment, this may convince you to take the plunge.  Although you may want to check our earlier post which compares the overall costs after two years...

The most interesting thing about this whole deal:  is Microsoft testing the waters for a new way to lock in a consumer base?  With the Xbox 360's successor rumored to be coming out in the couple of years, this subscription model may very well be a harbinger for the way consoles are sold to us in the future.

An Xbox on Contract? Microsoft Reportedly Selling $99 Xbox with a Two-Year Agreement

According to the tech news site The Verge, Microsoft is planning on getting into a game normally reserved for mobile phone carriers.

As early as next week, Microsoft stores in the US will reportedly offer a 4GB Xbox with Kinect for a mere $99 with a two-year agreement.  The contract will require a monthly payment of $15, but will include a Xbox Live Gold subscription and console warranty for the duration of the agreement.  An early termination fee, naturally, will apply if you break the contract prior to its maturation date.

Comparatively speaking, it's not a terrible deal.  The 4GB Xbox with Kinect bundle runs at an MSRP of $299.99, while an XBL Gold subscription costs $60/year.  Combined, that will run you $420, while the 2 year subscription at $15/month will cost $460.  Sure, it's a little more expensive, but the initial costs are mitigated.  (The differential gap becomes a little larger, though, when you figure that you can occasionally get your hands on the Xbox bundle with $50 gift card from some retailers and on $35 XBL Gold 12-month subscription cards.  So balance your finances wisely.)

Ultimately, until it's announced, this will stay purely in the "rumor" column, but if the sources for The Verge are right, then we may be getting confirmation soon.  We'll keep our eyes on this one.

Master Chief Returns in Halo 4 this November!

It was a bit of a surprise when Microsoft announced that Halo 4 was already well under development back at E3 last year, but we had few details on when we could expect the return of Master Chief.  Until today.

In a press release issued earlier today, Microsoft announced that the next installment of the massive franchise will be released simultaneously worldwide on November 6, 2012!

Set four years after the events in Halo 3, Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Naturally.

More details will be released, interestingly enough, via late night talk show host Conan O'Brien and his Team Coco crew later tonight (presumably on his show tonight at 11PM on TBS), as announced via Twitter by Microsoft's Major Nelson.

In any event, we're sure that there were plenty of people happy to see the armored Spartan awaken from his Odinsleep to take up arms again.  If you want a little more to whet your appetite, check out this developer preview to give you a small glimpse into the makings of Halo 4!

We'll see how well the game fares now that the torch has been passed from the hands of the now-independent Bungie to the capable hands of 343 Industries.  There's a lot riding on this to both reinvigorate the series, while keeping the hordes of Halo fans happy.  No pressure, guys.

"Transformers: Fall of Cybertron" Official Trailer

The war rages on...

Activision and High Moon Studios have released the new, official trailer for Transfomers: Fall of Cybertron, the highly-anticipated sequel to 2010's Transfomers: War for Cybertron.   Set to debut on PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles this summer, the sequel chronicles the final days of Cyberton, leading up to the exile of both the Autobots and Decepticons.  Will they finally reach Earth in this one?  Perhaps.  Check out the new trailer, courtesy of Gamespot, below!

As we saw in the announcement trailer in December, the game will feature Combiners and Dinobots, favorites among Transformers fans.  While we don't get to see much else along the lines of new game features, we do see that gameplay looks to be just as visceral and chaotic as it was in T:WfC.

Cybertron falls on August 28th.

Halo 4 Development Preview

"Wake me when you need me."

It's been about four and a half years since we were last told to "Finish the Fight" in Halo 3, but that hasn't stopped 343 Industries from waking Master Chief, bringing him back into the void to take on the baddies.

First announced at E3 2011, Halo 4 marks the first game into the main numbered series headed up solely by 343, after taking the reins from Bungie in 2011. In a new development trailer (courtesy Joystiq), we can finally get a look at the newest entry to the franchise that changed our perceptions of modern first person shooters and listen to the design ethos behind the game.

No doubt Halo 4 is already on the "Must Buy" list for many gamers out there.  What do you think?

Halo 4 is slated for release during the Holiday 2012 season for the Xbox 360.