E3 2011: Head Tracking With Forza

By Mark

Let's kick Wednesday's posts off with an Inside Xbox video showcasing Forza Motorsport 4's head tracking Kinect feature.

It's a short affair only clocking in at 1:24 but shows Xbox's Major Nelson (Larry Hryb) playing the game alongside Turn 10 creative director Dan Greenawalt. Forza has been a regular at E3 recently so you can expect to see plenty more during the convention itself.

Western Release for The Last Story?

By Mark

It seems that The Last Story could finally see a western release after all, Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy creator and Mistwalker lead) has supposedly told the French games press that localisation on the Wii title will be done for Europe.

Aside from that nothing else has been reported, no word on a US release although one would expect it to happen as the localisation will have been done. There was also no dates given or any other relevant information so be sure to check in with us to see if anything else unfolds.

Source - GoNintendo

3DS: Square Enix Officially Reveals 'Heroes of Ruin'

By Mark

Heroes of Ruin has officially been revealed by Square Enix for the 3DS, the game will follow "four unlikely heroes brought together to form a fearsome alliance" and is set to feature seamless online play similarly to the companies other recent DS RPGs.


As well as the expected drop-in, drop-out co-op capabilities, it's said that the StreetPass feature of the 3DS will be used to enable a 'Traders Network' that allows players to buy and sell items that they have found in battle. Aside from that, SpotPass and Wi-Fi Hotspots will also be used to obtain unique items and challenges. 


We'll be sure to let you know of a solid release date and more information as and when it comes.

Free Brink DLC Detailed, Patch Released

By Mark

The first piece of DLC for Brink has been detailed by Splash Damage and Bethesda, the free offering is entitled 'Agents of Change' and comes with the usual additions including new maps, weapon attachments, outfits and abilities. Agents of Change will be releasing sometime in June.

The full rundown of additions are:

New Maps

• Founders' Tower - The revolution finally reaches the island's iconic spire and takes the battle for the Ark to dizzying heights.
• Labs - Venture into the depths of the Ark's original research and development laboratories, a submerged high-tech facility so far untouched by the civil war.

New Player Abilities

• UAV - This stealthy and lethal device allows Operatives to automatically mark nearby enemies on their radar. For more explosive fun, they can even take direct control of the UAV and detonate it near unsuspecting foes.
• Napalm Grenade - Soldiers can use this new grenade to cover an area in a sea of deadly flames.
• Pyro Mine - Engineers can plant these mines and leave enemies in the epicenter of a massive napalm explosion.
• Field Regen Unit - Medics can deploy these units to increase the health regeneration of any nearby teammates.
• Tactical Scanner - This universal ability allows players to reveal the active buffs of their opponents, allowing them to pick off enemies more strategically.

New Weapon Attachments

• Bayonets - Gain the edge in melee combat and cause extra damage with these deadly blades.
• Weapon Shields - Take cover from enemy fire and prevent headshot bonus damage behind riot-style shields.

New Character Outfits

• The Sad Punk - Add a touch of Steampunk to your Resistance character.
• The Limey - Bring order to the Ark with this outfit inspired by traditional European police.

Aside from this information reveal, Splash Damage has also released the patch that is aimed at fixing game stability and online play. 


Source - CVG

Dead Island Gameplay - A 20 Minute Medley of Zombie Melee

By Mark

Dead Island, currently in development at Call of Juarez studio Techland is undoubtedly one of the more anticipated titles that's on the way and being slated as a first person open ended zombie title why wouldn't it be? To show us what you can expect from the game when playing, a 20 minute video has been released that is solely focused on gameplay.

Aside from the obvious bashing loads of zombies with blunt instruments you get a real look at the vistas that the games tropical island setting has to offer as well a look at how vehicles play in the game among other features.

Dead Island is set to release this autumn and after watching this footage, has it raised or dashed your anticipation?

Homefront: Xbox 360 Update, Ability Pack and DLC Unveiled

By Mark

Kaos Studios have revealed that the first piece of DLC for Homefront is entitled 'Fire Sale' and will be bringing two new multiplayer maps for players to experience and that on the day of release, June 7th, the 870 Express Shotgun and a Homefront theme will be free to download.

The Xbox 360 update which is now available is targeted at the "overall game stability and network connectivity", among other features whereas the 'Ability Pack' that is also available now aims to spice up the gameplay.


The Ability Pack will bring:

• Ice Cold: Invisible on thermal views and airstrike sensors
• Situational Awareness: Enemy gamertag appears when shot
• EMP Tactician: Deal more damage vs EMP'd vehicles
• Short Fuse: Reduced cook time on frag grenades
• Bomb Suit: Take less damage from explosives

The title update fixes:

• Assist points for vehicle kills
• Rank Resets
• Game returns to MP menu instead of Main Menu after leaving a match
• Max ping limits for server connections (prevent connections to distant servers)
• Game freeze & hitching
• Joining Friends feature
• Beacon errors
• Party Connectivity
• Various other fixes

Source - Homefront

Don't Expect to see Metal Gear Solid 5 at E3

By Mark

If you had any hopes of seeing a Metal Gear Solid 5 at this years E3 then let them fade away, speaking in the latest Kojima Productions podcast the Metal Gear father has answered many questions in relation to this years show and about the franchise in general.

The folks over at Andriasang have translated some of the questions for those of us unable to speak Japanese and here they are: 

Will you appear at the Microsoft E3 press conference? <-- NO
 
Will you announce Metal Gear Solid 5? <-- NO
 
Will MGS 3D be released at the end of 2011? <-- YES
 
Is Doctor Lautrec the new title from the Metal Gear staff? <-- NO (with a laugh)

Did Kojima Productions Not Work on Metal Gear Arcade? <-- YES
 
Is Gray Fox the main character in MGS Rising? <-- NO
 
Will MGS Rising's multiplayer be shown? <-- NO
 
Is MGS Rising's release date November 1, 2011? <-- NO
 
Will MGS4 be ported to NGP? <-- NO
 
Are you planning something big for Metal Gear's 25th anniversary next year? <-- YES

So there it is, some kind of insight into what Hideo Kojima has planned and what you can expect (or rather can't expect) to see for now.