 | PAX Australia to be opened by Monkey Island series creator Feb 11th 2013, 22:02 First Australian Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) will be opened by creator of Monkey Island series, Ron Gilbert; other international guests include RoosterTeeth, The Protomen, and MC Frontalot. 
Australia’s first ever Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) will be opened by the creator of the Monkey Island adventure game series, Ron Gilbert. The renowned game designer will be making a keynote address (dubbed ’storytime’) on the first morning of the expo. The convention will make its Australian debut at Melbourne Showgrounds from July 19-21, marking the first time the event has been hosted internationally. Ron Gilbert is known for his work on adventure games Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island, as well as his work on the scripting language used in the games. Most recently, he has completed work on platform adventure game The Cave with Tim Schafer. Other international guests that will be in attendance include the RoosterTeeth team, and musical acts The Protomen and MC Frontalot. PAX Australia has the support of the Victorian government for its confirmed 2013 and 2014 run, assisting promotion in Melbourne via sponsorship and integration through gaming culture exhibitions. PAX is an expo dedicated to gaming culture, born of the team behind the Penny Arcade website. In the past, PAX events have been held on both coasts of the United States: PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington, and PAX East in Boston, Massachusetts. Three-day passes have been sold out, although Friday and Sunday passes are still available on the PAX Australia website. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Wild Man Kickstarter canceled Feb 11th 2013, 21:59 Gas Powered Games shuts down crowd-funding campaign for RTS/RPG hybrid to focus attention on ways to keep the company alive. 
Following a round of significant layoffs, Dungeon Siege and Age of Empires developer Gas Powered Games today announced it has canceled the Kickstarter campaign for a new RPG/RTS hybrid called Wild Man. In a video update , Gas Powered Games CEO Chris Taylor said he is currently working on new ways to keep the company afloat, though he would not go into specifics. "I've been working in the background to keep Gas Powered Games running," Taylor said. "The trouble is, when you start doing things like that, you can't update people on it. You can't share all that information. And if all goes well, which I think it will, I'll be able to give you all some great news in the weeks ahead." The Wild Man Kickstarter campaign asked for $1.1 million, but only attracted $504,120 from 9,235 backers. The effort was planned to end later this week. Failure was always a possibility, and in fact an outcome that could be "fantastic," Taylor said when the Kickstarter campaign launched last month. "Even if we fail, it's still fantastic. It's still a wonderful adventure to go on," he said at the time. "You look at people climbing the face of a rock cliff, and you say, 'Why the hell would they do that? They could fall.' And usually someone does and they die. But that's the thrill." Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Gearbox talks next Brothers in Arms Feb 11th 2013, 21:31 CEO Randy Pitchford pledges series will return sometime in the future; Furious 4 "winning on its own merits." 
The Brothers in Arms series will live to fight another day, though that day could be far in the future. Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford told IGN that he's "really excited" about the next entry in the series, but made clear the game is only in pre-production and is a ways off. "We love Brothers in Arms. The other pledge is that there will be an authentic Brothers in Arms game," Pitchford said. Again, we haven’t announced that yet, but I’m really excited about where that’s going too. We’ll announce these things in due course. There’s a lot of neat things we have going on." Pitchford said he will hold off on making an official announcement on the next Brothers in Arms game until the time is appropriate. "When you’re in pre-production and you're in these iterations, it’s kind of reckless. I don't want to get in a spot. I want to avoid a situation where, five years from now it’s 'wow, this game's been in development for five years.' That’s why I don’t announce things until we know what they are," he added. "It’s not fair to hold us accountable for a process that’s designed to get to a quality end that's good for the customer. We love Brothers in Arms and we’re committed to more time in that space. As we get to places where it makes sense to announce things in that regard, we’ll do that, too." Pitchford also opened up on the game formerly known as Brothers in Arms: Furious 4. This game was announced during the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo, but Gearbox later revealed it would be reimagined as an entirely new intellectual property. He said Gearbox started development on the game with the intention of making a Brothers in Arms game, but after it kept evolving, it became evident that it was not in fact a Brothers in Arms game.  "It was winning on its own merits, but it was not Brothers in Arms," Pitchford said. I said 'look, unhinge it from Brothers in Arms. Continue to drive and iterate even further. Focus on what is making that work and what ideals are leading you there.' It’s the same kind philosophy that allowed things like Borderlands to exist. Forget about Brothers in Arms. Ignore it. Don't worry about it. That doesn't exist to you guys anymore. Just iterate into your own world with the gameplay loops that are working, and then we will reattach story and style in a way that's meaningful and makes sense for the game design that’s winning." Pitchford also revealed that Gearbox and longtime Brothers in Arms publisher Ubisoft have not yet agreed to a publishing deal for the new entry, though the two remain on positive terms. He also said that Ubisoft "will not" publish the game Furious 4 has become, without citing a reason. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Apple testing iWatch - Report Feb 11th 2013, 20:42 Company reportedly exploring designs for watch-like device that would feature some smartphone functions. Apple's next device could be an iWatch. Sources have told The Wall Street Journal that the Cupertino technology giant is currently testing designs for a watch-like device that would be capable of performing certain smartphone functions. According to the report, Apple has been in talks with manufacturing partner Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (Foxconn) about the device. The discussions were reportedly part of a broader exploration into product categories outside of the smartphone and tablet markets. The sources added that Apple's exploration of this new market is nothing new. The report states Apple has hired new employees with backgrounds in "sensors and related technologies" in the past few years. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Xbox 720 requires Kinect? Feb 11th 2013, 19:56 Documents suggest future Microsoft platform will mandate motion sensing peripheral, game installs; will feature 500GB hard drive and allow multiple games to be played at once. 
The Xbox 720 rumor floodgates are pouring over. A source speaking to Kotaku and going by the name of SuperDaE has reportedly obtained two Xbox 720 development kits as well as system overview documents, which detail the specifications of Microsoft's still-unannounced next-generation platform. The first bit of information from the source claims the Xbox 720 will require Kinect to function. According to the source, an updated and improved version of Kinect will ship with every unit sold and will not be an optional accessory, as the motion-sensing device currently is for Xbox 360. For the Xbox 720, gamers will need to have the new Kinect plugged in and calibrated for the console to function at all, the source said. This mandatory Kinect implementation for the Xbox 720 will reportedly be a benefit for developers. Because every system is guaranteed to have a Kinect unit, studios can program their games with the technology in mind, the source said. As for specifications, the new version of Kinect is reportedly able to track up to six individuals in the same room at all times. In addition, the peripheral's camera will be able to independently track thumbs, allowing it to know whether a player's hand is open or closed. The camera can also read facial expressions, the documents said, meaning it can tell if a player is angry, sad, or excited. Another reportedly mandatory feature for the Xbox 720 will be game installs. On Xbox 360, players have the choice of whether or not they wish to install a game to their hard drives. Sometimes doing so yields various benefits. To accommodate the heavy and numerous downloads, all Xbox 720 systems will ship with a 500GB hard drive, the documents said. In addition, games can reportedly be installed in the background. In addition, the Xbox 720 will reportedly be able to simultaneously run more than one game or application. This is nothing new for smartphones or PCs, but would be a first for any console. The documents reportedly state Xbox 720 games can be put into "suspend" and "constrained" modes, which allow players to pause a game, switch to another title, then return to the first without losing any save information. Concerning the Xbox 720's controller, Microsoft is reportedly readying a "natural evolution" of the Xbox 360 input, according to the source's information. Xbox 360 controllers will reportedly not work with the next platform, due to Microsoft's "new wireless technology." As for Xbox 720 specifications, the machine will reportedly run on a custom hardware architecture that features an 8-core, 64-bit CPU running at 1.6GHz. The system also supposedly boasts an 800mhz Direct X 11.x GPU, 8GB of DDR3 memory, and a 50GB optical disc drive. The platform will also reportedly feature built-in Wi-Fi (though it will also sport an ethernet port), as well as support for stereo 3D content in 1080p. Audio will be handled by either HDMI or optical connections and can support up to 7.1 channels, the source said. Today's report did not mention at all the speculation that the Xbox 720 could block, or in some way prohibit, gamers from playing second-hand titles. Analysts collectively do not believe this is likely. Additionally, GameStop last week said gamers are unlikely to purchase a future platform that blocks used games or restricts gameplay in another way. Additionally, no mention was made today of whether or not the Xbox 720 would require a constant Internet connection, as was previously rumored. The Xbox 720 has not been announced and the above information is, of course, not confirmed. A Microsoft representative told GameSpot, "We do not comment on rumors or speculation. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform, but we don’t have anything further to share at this time." Microsoft may break its silence soon, as the company is believed to officially announce the Xbox 720 during an Apple-style media briefing in March, perhaps in conjunction with the 2013 Game Developers Conference. Competitor Sony is believed to beat Microsoft to the punch and will announce the PlayStation 4 during a New York City "PlayStation Meeting" briefing on February 20. Microsoft has sold sold 75.9 million Xbox 360 units worldwide to date. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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