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The next-generation disc format wars between the Sony-backed Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD-DVD format will officially see a joint front with the console wars opened this holiday season. Microsoft has announced that the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 will arrive in North America, UK, France, and Germany in mid-November, right around Sony's planned US launch of the Blu-ray-equipped PlayStation 3.
When it hits stores in North America, the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player should retail for $199.99. Gamers in the UK can expect the player to run them £129.99 ($245), while those in France and Germany can expect to pay 199.99 euros ($254) for the hardware. All these prices have been called "estimated retail prices" by Microsoft, which noted that the actual retail price may vary.
A movie-playing machine with no movies to play wouldn't make much sense, so Microsoft is also throwing in a copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong on HD-DVD, and an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote as well. That's the film version of the giant ape's adventure and not the Ubisoft game adaptation--Microsoft has previously said the HD-DVD will be used only for movies.
The Halo RTS.
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Earlier this month, Microsoft shut the door on Halogen, a real-time strategy game based on the Halo universe that was produced using a mod of Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour. At the time, gamers thought it was just another case of a big corporation keeping the modding community down.
It turns out the company had a good reason for closing the doors on Halogen--the RTS was a little too close to what Microsoft was already working on. Today at the X06 conference in Barcelona, Spain, the company announced that it has employed Ensemble Studios, the RTS gurus that created the Age of Empires franchise, is working on a real-time strategy game based on the Halo universe.
The game, named Halo Wars, will be exclusive to the Xbox 360, but has not yet been given a release date. Microsoft showed a trailer of the game during its press conference just moments ago.
In the opening, a fleet of Warthogs drive across a barren landscape, passing several Scorpion tanks along the way. Over a radio transmission, a space marine says his team is en route to a recon position. The view moves up ahead two marines screaming that they're under attack just before being taken down by plasma rifle fire. one ofthe corpses is picked up by a Covenant Elite, who is flanked by a dozen or so buddies who appear after uncloaking.
From there, all hell breaks loose as just about every vehicle from the Halo universe--Pelicans, Convenant dropships, Ghosts, Banshees--speed into action. As the battle begins, a Spartan soldier appears with his squad and says, "This is Spartan Group Omega. If they want war, we'll give them war."
Bioshock exclusive to 360.
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Microsoft kicked off its X06 event in Barcelona today with an array of big announcements at its media briefing, not the least of which was a pair of anticipated titles becoming exclusives for the Xbox 360 and PC.
First off, Microsoft snatched up exclusivity on Irrational Games' Bioshock. Chosen by GameSpot editors earlier this year as the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006 Game of the Show, Bioshock was previously slated to be released on the PC and "next-generation console systems." An Xbox 360 version was shown behind closed doors at the event.
Another big exclusivity announcement from the media briefing was that the next installment of Splinter Cell would be coming only for Microsoft's next-gen console and the PC. And by "next installment," Microsoft didn't mean Splinter Cell: Double Agent, which hits multiple platforms later this year and was shown off with a new trailer. It was referring to the Splinter Cell game after Double Agent, which came to light just last week when assets for a whole slate of Ubisoft titles, including Splinter Cell 5, accidentally hit the Web.
Bioshock is expected to release next spring, while the next installment of Splinter Cell has not been officially named or dated. For more news from the media briefing, check out GameSpot's live blog of the event.
Project Gotham 4.
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For the first time ever, Project Gotham Racing 4." Those were the words uttered by Peter Moore at Microsoft's press event at X06 today. While the fact that PGR4 was in the works wasn't a surprise, the fact that it was announced this soon was. Project Gotham Racing 3 was released for the Xbox 360's launch, less than a year ago last November.
There weren't any concrete details released on the game, but Microsoft did present PGR4's first trailer. The video showed a Ferrari tearing through an unidentified wire-frame city, causing distortion in its wake.
PGR3 wrench monkeys Bizarre Entertainment are currently working on the follow-up. No further details were released on Project Gotham Racing 4.
Grand Theft Auto 4.
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When Grand Theft Auto IV was announced for the Xbox 360 at E3 2006, gamers weren't too surprised. What was surprising, however, was the fact that the game was going to get some downloadable content for the game and that Sony's timed-exclusives on the game were history.
At Microsoft's X06 event currently taking place in Barcelona, Spain, Microsoft's corporate vice president of marketing Peter Moore gave gamers the latest on what's in store for the game on Xbox Live Marketplace. He announced that Rockstar Games is working on two downloadable packs for the game--to be made available within months of the game's release.
"We're not talking about an extra car or character here," Moore said when describing the "epic" episodic packs. He then joked about Rockstar keeping even him in the dark about the content packs, but emphasized that the packs would be lengthy.
A press release issued during the conference said only that the packs would add "hours of entirely new gameplay" to GTA4. No additional details on the downloadable packs were released, but industry sources have said they will be along the lines of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories in terms of length.
All quotes from Gamespot.
Im a big fan of RTS... I loved Halo 2, and one of the few FPS I liked... I cant wait for the Halo RTS....
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