Already mentioned at Gamefest 2007, Microsoft is planning to launch a Games For Windows variant of Xbox Live Arcade. The digital distribution service will naturally be aimed at the gamer who's more likely to be rearranging jewels on the desktop than snarling faces. A trusted source has furnished Joystiq with further details regarding the service, as well as a strange urge to refer to themselves in third person.

Internally labeled as "Vega" (possibly referring to the star and not the Street Fighter weirdo), the service is expected to launch in early November with 10-20 games. The portfolio of Live-enabled casual titles will match the taxonomy of Xbox Live Arcade and hopes to be bolstered by 2-4 new games every month following launch. Potential users will be funneled to the service from numerous Microsoft outlets, including MSN Games and the official Xbox website. Much like Live Anywhere, Vega contributes to Microsoft's goal of spreading the Live experiencing across multiple linked platforms -- and likewise aims to entice more and more people with Live subscriptions.

Developers, who will be responsible for costs associated with development, localization, rating and certification, will receive 60% of earned revenue, with Microsoft taking the remaining 40%. Game pricing will be similar to that of Xbox Live Arcade and can be set at either $5, $10, $15, $20 or $30. The 150MB size limit is also present, though developers will be allowed to exceed it when providing adequate justification.

The list of launch titles is currently unknown, a fact that will change once Microsoft's marketing machine lights up Vega come this November.

[Update: "We don't have any additional details to share at this time," said Microsoft, "but we are excited to be implementing this next phase of Games for Windows – LIVE. Please stay tuned!"]

During E3, Microsoft invited us to suffer through a 30-minute Xbox Live marketing spiel (we were lured by the promise of Xbox Live Arcade content -- there wasn't any), puffed with ridiculous figures like the 3 billion hours we've spent collectively on Xbox Live as a community that will soon surpass America's largest city, New York, in total population. Xbox Live general manager JJ Richards acted out these statistics with sweeping gestures and broad smiles, and an air of braggadocio. It was JJ's job to make sure we left that room knowing Microsoft commanded the leading online service for consoles. We did (though we knew it already, thank you).

JJ was there to demonstrate that Microsoft had fulfilled all of its goals and then some since the last E3, using terminology like "neighborhoods" and "districts" to imagine for us a bustling virtual metropolis catering to all types of consumers. He spoke of a "bridge" that had been erected across the ever-flowing void to Windows, connecting an untapped community of gamers to the Xbox Live vision. But further down the void, a second bridge, still under construction, has stalled. When we brought up the topic of Xbox Live for mobile, JJ became visibly peeved, as if we had just smudged the picturesque canvas he was painting aloud. He dodged the topic, firing off some jargon about "pacing" before getting back to the success story.

Microsoft has been busy expanding Xbox Live into Games for Windows Live and the apparently groundbreaking Video Marketplace. So it's not surprising that the mobile aspect, complicated by numerous variables, has been removed from the vision's foreground. But we're still curious. After all, back at that last E3, we had seen a working prototype of mobile Live Anywhere, through which PR man John Porcaro was able to browse our Gamertag profile using his phone. It's exciting technology that the community could use. No rush, but we'd appreciate an actual update. How about it, Microsoft?

Shacknews has a rather exhaustive preview of Valve's Team Fortress 2, coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as part of the Half-Life 2: Orange Box collection (also available via Steam, natch).

One interesting note at the end of the article states that the Valve offices, who are working on the Xbox 360 and PC versions (PS3 version is being done by EA UK), "regularly play cross-platform multiplayer games." However, the studio's Doug Lombardi said that the final game will not have cross-platform because it "introduces more problems than it is worth." He continued to say that if Valve were to implement cross-platform that it would be part of the initial game design.

Orange Box, which includes Half-Life 2, Episode One, Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2, is due out October 9.

Infinity Ward's studio head Grant Collier, who we reported yesterday was unhappy with the overuse of sandbox gameplay and destructible environments, told IGN in an interview that there was no interest in using Live Anywhere for PC and Xbox 360 cross-play.

The Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare developer put it bluntly: "We said no and they didn't call back." Clarifying, Collier said "[it's cool] if you're playing online poker, but who wants to be playing an RTS on a console and have some guy on a PC clicking and dragging all his troops, attacking your base while you're sitting there with your thumb sticks." The keyboard/mouse vs. gamepad argument is a long-standing battle, and clearly Collier feels that they cannot be equals for fast-paced strategy or first-person shooter titles.

Live Anywhere is currently in use by Halo 2 (update: nevermind), Shadowrun and the action-packed Uno.

In an interview with Infinity Ward's studio head Grant Collier, IGN discussed everything Call of Duty 4 and got the company's opinion on Microsoft's Live Anywhere initiative. Grant said that after Microsoft pitched the idea of incorporating Live Anywhere into their games they felt that it wouldn't work with their projects and simply said "no way". Collier says such a system is best suited for "card games or Tetris or something like that" and not the RTS or FPS genres. Microsoft didn't have a convincing argument to Infinity Ward's complaints and didn't respond to them.

Collier's take on Live Anywhere directly conflicts with Microsoft's view of bridging multiple gaming platforms like their latest gem Shadowrun, which is a FPS and incorporates the technology. So, maybe that's why phone calls weren't returned ... they hurt Microsoft's feelings. Big bullies.

Gamasutra was at the Online Game Developer's Conference in Seattle last week, writing up SCEA's Michael Shorrock's session on the components of the slightly amorphous PlayStation Network. Don't think it's just the PlayStation Store and online gaming functionality -- it will also include services like video-on-demand "delivering full-length movies, music, and TV programs direct to users via PS3 and PSP." And that's not all! There will also be wireless functionality for "gaming via PSP and mobile devices," in-game / network advertising to deliver ads straight into your eyeballs and, of course, the Home service.

Shorrock discussed Home's "pavilions" -- think islands in Second Life -- citing possibilities for third-party developed pavilions which could be distributed for free or as paid content. He used an example of casinos with mini-games, although he was unsure how developers would choose to monetize the service.

We'd be remiss if we didn't point out that the scale of this new and improved PlayStation Network sounds increasingly like Microsoft's multi-pronged Xbox Live service, which not only enjoys a burgeoning video marketplace, but has potential for in-game advertsing (Microsoft purchased Massive, an in-game advertising company), while Live Anywhere promises wireless cellphone gaming. But it's not a race, right? Let's just be happy that good ideas are getting the attention they deserve.

[Thanks for the larger pic, Evan]

Right on the heels of Halo 2's Games for Windows Live debut on May 22nd comes the announcement that Shadowrun, whose signature feature will be Live Anywhere support, will be pitting the keyboard / mouse combo against the gamepad this month when it hits North American retailers on May 29th. Shadowrun will be the first game to support cross-platform play between Windows Vista and the Xbox 360.

The Xbox 360 version will retail for $60 while the Vista version will retail for $50. Additionally, cross-platform Live Anywhere play requires an Xbox Live Gold account for both Xbox Live and G4W Live -- Shadowrun Vista users can still enjoy online multiplayer with a Silver account, but will not be able to participate in matchmaking or Live Anywhere play. Are you WASD or gamepad?

Shadowrun, the absolutely inspired first person shooter that combines contemporary weapons, magic and advanced technology has gone gold. The first cross platform PC-360 FPS will be hitting retailers on May 29th, just in time for a blogger's 22nd birthday two days prior. We can't wait to get our hands on title and play against the best keyboard and mouse has to offer. Or at least play the demo first. If you want to know what all the fuss is about, check out our above linked coverage on the game, or our most recent Fancast. Finally, should you make the right decision and pick up this game, take a look at the credits, you may be pleasantly surprised.

As the first game to support Live Anywhere, Shadowrun has erected a rickety bridge between the realms of the PC and the Xbox 360, allowing players to dash across and kill each other using their peripherals of choice. Perhaps it is in the interest of peace then, that id Software has ruled out the possibility of cross-platform multiplayer for their upcoming shooter, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.

"Console players will not play against PC players," says id co-owner and creative director, Kevin Cloud, in an interview with GameZone. "Consoles require a certain [adaptation], and that wasn't something that we wanted to take on." While there's no immediate framework to necessitate play between the PS3 and PC just yet, Live Anywhere promises to bring more convergence between Microsoft's Vista and 360 platforms -- but could the $50 Live entry fee for Xbox-PC multiplayer prove to be a turn-off for developers and gamers alike?



[Via CVG]

While the editors of Games for Windows' official magazine may not be ready to drink the Vista-flavored Kool-Aid just yet, Microsoft is ready to give Vista early adopters a handful of reasons to pick up the latest OS upgrade ... err, at least they're ready to announce a date when you may want to plan on doing the picking up: May 8th. Yup, in eight weeks, Microsoft's Games for Windows Live service (doesn't roll of the tongue as easily as Xbox Live, eh?) and its inaugural title, Halo 2, will be available for Vista users.

Don't care much for Halo 2? In "June" Shadowrun -- the first Live Anywhere title enabling cross-platform multiplayer -- hits the Xbox 360 and Vista with full Live integration. The final title they're eager to talk about is UNO, which will be released on Vista "later in 2007." We're not sure why a seemingly simple title like UNO isn't making the launch of the service (or even getting a date) but Microsoft assures us there will be more news around this decision later and that it will be apparent why we're not getting a release date now. They also said cross-platform licensing decisions for titles like UNO have not been worked out yet; we're betting this is gonna get tricky.

This post was written on Wednesday, when the previously announced Shadowrun trailer was briefly available from the Shadowrun website. Lucky for us, we managed to grab it before it was mysteriously pulled. Unfortunately, the uploaded trailer disagreed with YouTube. But, now the trailer is all over the place, so, without further ado, we present you with the latest Shadowrun trailer. The trailer is actually pretty slick. We like the fact that it emphasizes tactics over pure firepower or twitch reflexes. That's a message that Microsoft is going to have to make loud and clear if they want Shadowrun to appeal to more than just the hardcore audience. Then again, we pretty much represent the hardcore audience, so we'll be plenty happy as long as the game delivers the goods. You can watch the trailer after the break.

There's a canned Shadowrun Q&A floating around that details some of the game's lauded features. First of all, the question and answer session explains Live Anywhere and how it works on a PC. Essentially, it's exactly the same as it is on Xbox 360. Playing on Vista, players will have access to voice chat, friends lists, gamerscore, acheivements, and (eventually) Marketplace. The rest of the interview reads more or less like a laundry list to propagate the game's bullet points. For example, the controller vs. mouse debate is covered, with FASA studio manager, Mitch Gitelman, who notes that the game was designed for both from the ground up. Gitelman says that approximately half the testing team are Counter-Strike players and the other half are Halo players, and none complain about unfair advantages. While mouse players may have an aiming advantage, they can still be outclassed by players with a better grasp on magic and techniques. Finally, the game supports 16 players online and should ship with 8-10 maps. Hit the "read" link for the Q&A.

In related news, the official Shadowrun website should post a new trailer some time today. We'll keep you posted.

Shadowrun, in a way, is Microsoft's great white hope. Shadowrun is poised to launch Live Anywhere, the extension of Xbox Live that allows players on PC to share game space with players on the Xbox 360. Hell, even cell phones are being thrown into the mix. VelocityGirl is thrilled. Shadowrun, in particular, raises some questions. Scratch that. It raises one question: how will controller players fare against the deadly mouse and keyboard combo? According to Joystiq's recent play test, pretty damned well. That's right, Joystiq was getting the tobacco juice beaten out of them by one of the devs, Mitch Gitelman. Gitelman was using a PC, but much to the surprise of the Joystiq team, he was using an Xbox 360 controller. Granted, Shadowrun was built from the ground up to accommodate both controllers and the KB & mouse combo, but it's a surprising result nonetheless. Joystiq notes that neither setup proved overwhelmingly advantageous -- though the controller was significantly faster at navigating the radial menus at the beginning of each match.

Long story short, if Microsoft really wants to converge the Xbox 360 and its Games for Windows brand, Shadowrun just might be the game to do it. Hit the "read" link for the full story. Be sure to check out Joystiq's gallery of images while your at it.

Arkane Studios, developer of the upcoming PC game, The Crossing put out a notice on its site for a new job offer for a "Xbox 360 programmer". The job description explicitly states they'll be bringing The Crossing over to the 360 and need someone to help optimize it for the console. Given the way that this FPS blurs the line between single player and multiplayer, where enemy AI in the campaign can be replaced with human player, Xbox Live seems like a perfect fit. Moreover, if they can pull a Shadowrun and make it cross-platform compatible with Xbox 360 and PC it could be very promising. Have you been watching this title for PC, and do the possibilities with Xbox Live intrigue you?

[Via QJ.net, Thanks, gaetge]

Dean Takahashi of the Mercury News has posted his impressions of Shadowrun, the upcoming Live Anywhere launch title from FASA Studio. He takes some time to discuss the game's story and then gets down to the nitty-gritty. He briefly mentions many of the things we've covered before: magical powers, gliding, etc. In the end though, Takahashi seems less than impressed. He notes that the graphics "aren't anything special," adding that they are more or less on par with Halo 2. He also cites the game's multiplayer focus as a risky maneuver by Microsoft, as it may only appeal to the hardcore gamer set.

Our own impressions of the game (listen to our podcast for more) were much more favorable. Then again, we are the hardcore gamer set, so we may not be the best judges. What do you think? Based on what you've seen and read, are you looking forward to Shadowrun?

See Also:
Shadowrun: CTF with a magical twist (Video)