| Microsoft to host press conference at Gamescom 2013 - Report Jul 4th 2013, 16:54 Microsoft reported to be planning a press conference at European trade show, with the company looking to reiterate the core message behind the Xbox One. 
Microsoft will host its own press conference this year at European trade show Gamescom, reports CVG. Certain developers have already been notified about the one-hour press conference, says CVG, but that neither the date nor the running order has been finalised. Sources have said that the proposed press conference would be for Microsoft to reiterate its core message behind the Xbox One, while also attempting to secure the console's footing in European territories. While the Xbox has traditionally been popular in the UK--with the Xbox 360 recently overtaking the Wii in total sales--it has seen less success than Sony's PlayStation in other European markets. If true, 2013 would mark the first time Microsoft has held a full-blown press conference during the European show. Both Sony and EA regularly hold their own press conferences at Gamescom. Microsoft had previously announced that it will be returning to Gamescom this year after skipping it in 2012. "We're excited to be back at Gamescom this year but we're not announcing any further details on our plans at this time. Please stay tuned for more details!" said a Microsoft spokesperson. Gamescom will run from August 21 through August 25 in Cologne, Germany. Microsoft will release the Xbox One this November for $499/£429/€499. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
|  | Final Fantasy VII released on Steam Jul 4th 2013, 14:17 Latest version of iconic RPG available for $11.99/£9.99. Contains 36 Steam Achievements, controller support, and cloud saves. 
The updated PC version of iconic PSOne RPG Final Fantasy VII is now available for purchase on Steam. This latest version of the game was released last year on PC by Square Enix, but was only sold through the publisher's own online store. The Steam release, which costs $11.99/£9.99, contains 36 Steam Achievements, cloud saves, and the character booster feature introduced to the game last year. The game requires approximately 3GB of hard drive space to install. Steam also rates the game as featuring partial controller support, which generally means owners can't install, launch, and then play the game without using a mouse at least once. Final Fantasy VII was originally released in 1997, and GameSpot awarded the game a 9.5 in its review at the time. Square Enix recently announced that customers who preorder Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII would be able to dress protagonist Lightning in Cloud's outfit. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Former Microsoft boss Mattrick set to earn over $40m at Zynga Jul 4th 2013, 10:43 A mix of salary, bonuses, and stock options means Mattrick could earn $19.3m in his first year at the social gaming company. 
Former Xbox One boss Don Mattrick, who left Microsoft to join social gaming company Zynga as its CEO this week, will be paid an annual salary of $1m at the company, but stands to earn tens of millions of dollars in bonuses and stock options over the next three years. Mattrick will receive a signing on bonus of $5m alongside another $2m as his 2013 bonus, giving the executive's bank account at least an $8m boost after his first year at the company. But the bulk of the newly minted CEO's potential profits come from 9 million stocks at the company, which are currently valued at over $30.5m, reports Reuters. Mattrick's stock will vest over the next three years, with the CEO able to cash in just over 45% of his 9 million shares at the end of his first year at the company. This means Mattrick is set to earn $19.3m dollars over the next year. The stock options are part of a package to compensate Mattrick for the stock he lost in leaving Microsoft. In all, Mattrick is expected to make approximately $14.3 million in his second year and around $8.4 million in his third. If the board of directors at Zynga is happy with his performance then he'll be in line for even more money. Zynga's stock has jumped 11 percent since new of Mattrick's arrival went public, but last month the company slashed 18 percent of its workforce. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is expected to announce a management reshuffle next week, and is said to be considering Windows chief Julie Larson-Green as the new boss of all Microsoft hardware, including the upcoming Xbox One. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Sunset Overdrive to utilize Xbox One cloud for constant content updates Jul 4th 2013, 09:39 Campaign mode for upcoming shooter will be playable offline; cloud used to gather player data. 
Developer Insomniac Games said on a Game Informer interview that it plans to use the Xbox One cloud technology to consistently update its upcoming shooter Sunset Overdrive. The company's CEO Ted Price also stated that the game's campaign will be playable offline. A month ago on a Twitch.tv video Q&A, Price said that the connectivity of next generation consoles would allow for a "two-way conversation" between the company and gamers by constantly doing content updates and tweaks based on player behavior and feedback. Price also added that the console's online cloud structure and horsepower would allow more "hardcore data collection, correlation and translation" that would be tough on current generation consoles. "We are going to be relying on heavy back-end services to churn through the data we get from players to understand what they're telling us and what they're doing in the game." Insomniac Games revealed its upcoming shooter Sunset Overdrive at E3 2013 last month. The game is exclusive for the Xbox One; no release date has been announced yet. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster to feature bonus 30-minute cutscene Jul 4th 2013, 09:37 New end credits scene scripted by original game's scenario writer Kazushige Nojima. 
Fans anticipating the HD remakes of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 will be getting an extra in a form of an additional ending cutscene. According to Square Enix (via Japanese magazine Shonen Jump), the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster collection will include a new 30-minute long ending scene that will play in the collection's end credits, presumably after gamers have finished both games. The scene will feature newly-recorded voices and will be written by series scenario writer Kazushige Nojima. Square Enix has yet to announce the release date for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster. The game will be out for the PS3 and PS Vita. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | New study finds no link between violent games and anti-social behaviour Jul 4th 2013, 08:22 Violent games have no impact on pro-social behaviour, according to a recent study by an Australian university. 
A newly-released study examining the relationship between video games and behaviour has found no link between violent content and anti-social actions. The report, conducted at the University of Queensland, found that administering a pro-social test after allowing subjects to play either a violent or non-violent video game yielded no decrease in desire to help unprompted in a social test. The study comprised three separate experiments, and asked a total of 160 undergraduate students--55 percent of whom were male--aged between 17 and 43 to play a randomly selected anti-social (Grand Theft Auto IV), violent (Call of Duty: Black Ops£ Zombie mode), non-violent (Portal 2), or pro-social (World of Zoo) game for 20 minutes. In a later phase of the experiment, this was further reduced to two games, either Portal 2, or Grand Theft Auto IV, and saw identical results. A third experiment used a smaller sample size, less contemporary games--Lemmings and its more violent clone, Lamers--and required only eight minutes of play, but returned similar outcomes. While participants believed answering a series of questions about their level of interest, frustration and arousal with the game consumed constituted their involvement in the test, it was actually their willingness to help pick up the examiner's "accidentally" dropped pens that determined whether their social behaviour had been altered as a result of the time spent playing. The experiment mirrored a study conducted in 2010 by Greitemeyer and Osswald that was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. This latest report concluded that, £Three experiments failed to find a detrimental effect of violent video games on pro-social behaviour, despite using contemporary and classic games, delayed and immediate test-phases, and short and long exposures." The report concedes that "While this study is not definitive evidence that violent video games have no detrimental effect on pro-social behaviour, it might be that previously raised concerns regarding the impact of violent games on pro-social behaviour may be mismatched or disproportionate,£ supporting industry claims of a lack of connection between mature-themed games and real-world violence. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Legendary Pictures unsure how to make a movie out of Warcraft Jul 4th 2013, 06:54 "We don't know how to make a movie out of Warcraft," Legendary Pictures CEO says. 
Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull has admitted to the challenges in adapting Blizzard's Warcraft franchise for the big screen. Speaking to Slashfilm, Thomas Tull identified the problem in the approach to making films with material sourced from video games. £A lot of times, what has happened in the past is, studios have said, £How many people play that game? OK, then that means they£ll probably all go out and buy tickets.£ That is an incredibly poor way to make a movie.£ He admitted that there was a lack of experience when it came to approaching the subject of adapting the franchise for the big screen, saying, "So for us, it£s that we don£t know how to make a movie out of Warcraft, the video game. It£s the incredible story, the war, and these races, and everything these guys at Blizzard have come up with." Blizzard's Warcraft franchise has been in the works for a film adaptation since its announcement at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2006. The film is expected to begin shooting early next year with Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) to direct the project following the controversial departure of Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Oz the Great and Powerful). The Warcraft film is believed to have a budget that exceeds $100 million, and is intended for release in cinemas in 2016. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
| | Klei Entertainment announces spy game, Incognita Jul 4th 2013, 05:06 Don£t Starve and Mark of the Ninja developer working on XCOM-inspired espionage game; launching late summer for the PC. 
Klei Entertainment, the studio responsible for survival game Don't Starve and 2D stealth game Mark of the Ninja is working on a spy-themed game, the developer has announced. The company£s next project, Incognita, is a turn-based, procedurally generated espionage game that takes cues from the XCOM series. The game will rely heavily on player positioning to succeed. £Well, we£re still keeping a lot under wraps right now, but I can say a little. Here£s the idea: if you play the new XCOM--which is a f****** amazing game--it£s 90 percent positioning. Ten percent information gathering and 90 percent positioning,£ Klei co-founder Jamie Cheng told Rock, Paper, Shotgun in an interview. The team is currently aiming for a late summer early launch while the game is still in development, and is targeting an initial PC release, followed by Mac, and, the developer hopes, a Linux version at a later stage. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot
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