Stompy Bot Productions and Mektek Studios have launched their Kickstarter project for Heavy Gear Assault, the return of the mech combat game originally introduced by Dream Pod 9, with later games published by Activision.
The multiplayer e-sports-focused, Unreal Engine 4-powered game is in development for PC and will be free-to-play with premium subscriptions options available for players. The development team is seeking $800,000 by June 29, with a dozen stretch goals already planned for the funding project.
Matt Booty, general manager of Redmond Game Studios and Platforms, told the site that Microsoft will "continue to court developers in the ways that we have." He did add that the company will "explore new business models and new ways of surfacing content," but ultimately concluded that "Microsoft Studios is a publisher that works with a wide range of partners, as do a lot of other people, to bring digital content to the box."
Currently, the only way self-publish on the Xbox 360 is via Xbox Live Indie Games. While the niche channel has seen a few successful developers, most see greater success on other platforms like Steam and PSN. Furthermore, the XBLIG service is stagnating according to some developers, and its future remains unclear.

The Ultimate version of DoA 5 is confirmed to arrive in the west this fall, both at retail and on digital platforms.
As per the version released for consoles last year, Komplete Edition features all the game's DLC, with the expanded roster including a certain Freddy Kreuger (the regular creepy kind), Kenshi, Scarlet, and Rain. Conduit and Kinect Star Wars developer High Voltage Games, who've just released the "addictive" puzzler Zoombies for iOS, is handling the PC port.

The countdown also features the year 2013 in Roman numerals, perhaps pointing to the game being released this year for the new console. A blurb on the countdown reads, "Fight as a soldier. Lead as a general. Rise as a Legend," and the game is described as "controller-based gameplay enhanced by Kinect."
We'll have more details on Ryse for Xbox One as we learn them.
The new Kinect features a 1080P HD RGB camera, 30 FPS color, Time of Flight technology, and microphone arrays. It has a greater sense of depth and field of view compared to the original Kinect, and thanks to infrared tech it can see in the dark. Microsoft showed us how the sensor can track two player profiles, each tied to a controller, and also demonstrated how it can estimate players' heart rates.
Each Xbox One ships with the device. The console launches later this year.
The news was spilled on EA's The Beat blog by Labels President Frank Gibeau, who name-checked Battlefield 4, EA Sports games, and the Need for Speed franchise as part of the company's E3 showcase of next-gen games.
Around the time the post went up, Need for Speed's Facebook page uploaded a new screenshot (below the break) of what's very likely the next game in the racing series. The shot was tagged with the description "Have no rules, show no mercy."
The screenshot completely negates any possibility of it, but we're gonna call it anyway. At E3 next month, prepare to meet Need for Hyperspeed. You heard it here first.
There are a number of titles already announced for the Xbox One, but nothing using CryEngine 3 just yet. Don't weep, though; We're sure to hear about something soon.
"Xbox One was designed from the ground up with entirely new technology to deliver a new generation of experiences for both games and entertainment For example, the Wireless Controller will connect to the console using high speed data transfer to enable higher fidelity headset audio and future controller add-on experiences that are not possible with Xbox 360 wireless technology. Additionally, the all-new Kinect sensor's ability to locate the wireless controller is dependent on new technology. In order for Xbox One to deliver robust, meaningful gaming scenarios for all users across all experiences, only Xbox One controllers and accessories will work with the new console."Microsoft previously confirmed to Polygon and Engadget the Xbox One won't support the Xbox 360 controller or Xbox 360 Kinect respectively. Neither is surprising, given Microsoft's new system has a redesigned controller and a next-gen edition of the Kinect sensor.
However, while it isn't explicitly said, Microsoft's statement seems to indicate the Xbox One won't support any Xbox 360 accessories. When asked on Twitter if the new system supports Xbox 360 headsets, Xbox Support reiterated the statement we received, saying, "Only Xbox One accessories will work with Xbox One, which helps us deliver better headset audio and other benefits."
We've downloaded the update and can't see any obvious changes. Maybe the Wii U just wanted to make itself heard over the clamor of a certain other box.
He added that a Japanese company is handling the port. Furthermore, the game will be out "as soon as possible," and the recently crowd-funded DLC characters will be added in future updates.
Massively's Gavin Townsley recently attended a WildStar media event in San Francisco, at which he was treated to a hands-on look at the upcoming sci-fantasy MMORPG's Scientist path and Esper class. He also chatted with Carbine Studios executive producer Jeremy Gaffney, who pulls a Gaffney (I'm coining that) and can't resist leaking a bit of new info about tradeskills while filling Gavin in on how endgame will work, why we should play the Settler path, and whether talent trees are passé. If you think making 10 pairs of cotton space pants sounds boring, then yeah -- you're going to like what he's got to say.
Enjoy all three articles plus the brand-new path videos we've embedded past the cut!
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Hands-on with WildStar's Scientist path and Esper class There is something exciting about taking your first steps into the mysteries of a new planet. I was anxious to mingle with the locals, analyze artifacts, and even pick a few plants -- that is, until I saw a flower burst from the ground as a giant vine-like beast. |
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WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on the Settler path WildStar's Settlers don't just build bonfires for sappy Explorers to sing around; these titans of construction will save you time in dungeons, establish bigger outposts, and open up new realms of quests for everyone. |
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WildStar's Jeremy Gaffney on progression, tradeskills, and endgame Jeremy Gaffney divulges the beautiful details on essential parts of the game: character progression, tradeskills that don't suck, and life in the elder game. |
At one point, Slant Six Games was apparently working on a Medal of Honor game for PS Vita. Some concept art for the game showed up over on an artist's portfolio site, spotted by the @supererogatory Twitter account.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter was the latest entry in the Medal of Honor series, developed by EA's Danger Close studio. Following that game's poor reception, EA's Peter Moore announced the franchise is now "out of the rotation."
Slant Six Games' last release was the lackluster Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City for Capcom - a spin-off that takes place during the outbreak of Raccoon City, first seen in Resident Evil 2. In April, Slant Six Games issued temporary layoffs, a stopgap measure to help keep interim operating costs down in-between contract work. Slant Six issued similar layoffs in 2010 and after shipping RE: Operation Raccoon City last year.
Regardless, Dying clearly has a Saw vibe. It's story revolves around characters being trapped in foreboding environments, forcing them to solve strange puzzles and try to escape. The game will be released episodically with the first episode, "Last Hour," slated to arrive on May 25.
The Firaxis bundle headlines Amazon's Digital Mayhem promotion, with other discounts spanning Telltale's The Walking Dead, Battlefield 3, BioShock, Mark of the Ninja and many more. The sale ends on May 31, so feel free to take your time perusing the hundreds of eligible discounts.
PS Vita owners can opt for the budget-priced janitor sim Men's Room Mayhem or the Cross-Buy enabled tower defense game Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault, which includes a free copy of the PlayStation 3 version with purchase. Reminder: Ratchet: Deadlocked is available as a free download for players who purchased the retail PlayStation 3 version of Full Frontal Assault.
Pinball Arcade and Germinator headline this week's PlayStation Plus update, and subscribers also have access to discounts for ten DLC-bundled Ultimate Edition titles.
The full list of this week's store additions is available on the PlayStation Blog.
Microsoft also said that the Xbox One will require a separate cable box, specifying "at launch," so it's possible that the console maker has other plans to deliver television content. The Xbox One is set for release later on this year, and Microsoft has not yet revealed a price.
Ludwig and Alexander are in Redmond covering the full goings-on at the Xbox One announcement event, but the home crew of Xav, Dave, and Jess are here to recap all the currently known details. There are still plenty of questions surrounding the system, especially when it comes to software, but Microsoft did spill plenty of details regarding the hardware.
Facts, opinions, speculation – it's all here.
Listen to the Super Joystiq Podcast: Details about each segment are available after the break.

So far, apps listed include such staples as Netflix, Hulu Plus and HBOgo, in addition to slightly more esoteric offerings such as Crackle and The CW. Microsoft has yet to specifically name any of these apps during today's flurry of announcements, however, so we're keeping an ear to the ground for further confirmation and (hopefully) information on other streaming media apps launching with the system.

In a brief demonstration in one of its Kinect testing rooms, Microsoft showed press how the Kinect kept track of two player profiles, each tied to a controller in use. When Player 1 and Player 2 swap controllers, the Xbox One is able to recognize which profile is the new Player 1. The Kinect also monitors the position of players, meaning it can match portions of split-screen games to the side of the screen at which that player is looking. This may also translate to fighting games, which is good news if you're the sort to get confused when your spot in the couch isn't aligned with your character.
Microsoft also demonstrated a few more tricks made possible by the new Kinect's enhanced sense of depth, its greater field of view - which does make closer gaming in smaller apartments a more feasible – its ability to see in the dark via infrared, and its flattering scrutiny of facial features. By examining your face's skin color and transparency, the Kinect and Xbox One are able to estimate your current heart rate. Whether or not someone puts that information to good use in Kinect games or fitness programs is another matter, as we've learned from Nintendo's flatlined "vitality sensor."
Valve has experimented with biometric data in games too, adjusting game difficulty, objectives and timers in response to the player's physical state. With a Kinect shipping alongside every Xbox One, and assuming the camera is relatively accurate, biometric influence over gameplay may become less esoteric in the near future.
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Quotable
'You know what? We're Blacklist, let's try to build on it.'
— Splinter Cell: Blacklist Producer Sébastien Ebacher on evolving Spies vs. Mercs multiplayer.
The Joystiq Podcast
Super Joystiq Podcast Special: Xbox One revealed
Latest episode: Tuesday, May 21st, 2013

