A new trailer for Summer Stars 2012, the Kinect title set to debut June 1st, has recently been posted from developers Deep Silver and 49Games. As previously reported, the game encompasses full-motion play of 18 different disciplines, from Mountain Biking and Sprinting to Diving and Swimming, over a variety of famously renown arenas and venues all over the globe. Among some of the gameplay settings, the game touts multiplayer capabilities with up to three people on split screen and the ability to adjust controls to meet the desires of gamers looking for more strenuous or less strenuous play. Check out the trailer below for a quick glimpse into the world of home console Olympians.
Skyrim fiends and Kinect enthusiasts rejoice! Kinect support for the beloved Bethesda game is now live, and it should toggle to the screen upon starting up the game. As written on Major Nelson’s blog:
Adding a new dimension to Skyrim’s gameplay, the Kinect for Xbox 360 integration offers Voice Commands throughout the game including Dragon Shouts, Hotkey Equipping, Follower Commands, and all Menus (Items, Magic, Map, Barter, Container, Favorites, and Skills). With Voice Commands, quickly create and load saves during gameplay and access menus and inventories. Skyrim’s Kinect for Xbox 360 Support also adds new functionality including special map functions, additional hotkey options, and the ability to sort inventory items by name, weight, and value.
A PDF list of all the commands (in English) can be found by clicking HERE to go through to bethsoft.com.
Source: Major Nelson
For those worried that Adidas’ training/fitness title miCoach was forever lost into the endless void of gaming limbo, concerns should be alleviated now that publisher 505 Games has picked up the title. Slated for a worldwide release some time this Summer, miCoach aims to use the Kinect to its fullest, whipping gamers into tip-top athletic shape.
Comprised of over 400 different exercises and hosted by 18 famous Adidas athletes across 6 different sport disciplines, the personal training system is accessible to people of all ages, gender and skill levels. The goal of miCoach is to unleash a game that is engaging but also conducive to improving the fitness and athleticism of its players. Anyone wishing to play can jump on board and customize a personal training system that works for him or her, and with the Olympic Games beginning this year, 505 and Adidas wish to release the title just in time for that fitness fervor.
Source: Kinectaku
For decades, the gaming world has been trying to capture the city-smashing fantasies of children and older monster die hards raised with classic giant creature flicks. A blend of gargantuan beast brawls and the leveling of world-renown cities, there have been a few successes that hit well with the intended audiences. Unfortunately, these games, good or bad, were always relegated to a controller, never quite ensnaring the physical feel of wreaking havoc. It still felt like watching a fantasy play out through a small window. Building a city out of blocks and crumbling it in costume seemed the more accurate approach, but acting out these fantasies in the yard or any other setting where people were present was a quick ticket to the asylum.
Decades flew by while monster aficionados lived their fantasies through their thumbs, mashing buttons to feel some sort of kinetic energy of destruction. Then, in 2012, a little mode in Kinect Star Wars broke the barrier. Rancor destruction mode brought with it the sensations of terrorizing cities. People flung like old toys. Buildings crumbled. The symphony of chaos blended majestically with the full-motion action gamers took to their own urban renovation projects. Harmony was handed to the mind of the monster-lover.
Yet, the door has barely been opened. Now that the wall has been breached by Kinect Star Wars, isn’t it time we reawaken the king of the monsters? Isn’t it time the acolytes of Toho films are given their due to assume control of one of the most recognizable icons of cinema history?
From April 19th through April 23rd, gamers and owners of Xbox will be able to try out Xbox Live Gold membership functions free of charge. Through this promotion, users will be able to tap into entertainment applications like Crackle, Syfy, TODAY, TMZ, VEVO and a whole slew of others. The full listing is displayed at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/entertainment-unlocked.
For those services like Netflix or Hulu Plus that require a membership, free trials will be on hand during this period to new customers only. Those who have used a free trial previously won’t be able to double dip.
Unfortunately, those looking for a free multiplayer experience this time around will be sorely disappointed. This trial period is for entertainment applications only as part of a promotion to generate interest in music, television and movie services on Xbox.
As a nod to the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, Activision Blizzard announced a new title, 007: Legends, to hit shelves later this year. Slated for a Fall release, 007: Legends is a different kind of James Bond game, tying together six different films into one fluid storyline. While details about how this will work have not been revealed, it has been stated that the upcoming Daniel Craig Bond film, Skyfall, will be one of the six. It should also be noted that Eurocom, developers of GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, are behind production of this entry.
As of yet, no word has been given as to what consoles this title will land on. However, Amazon has posted a listing that certainly makes one wonder. With a title reading James Bond 007 Legends Kinect, this begs to ask the question if it’s a full-out Kinect title or just slapped with a “Better With Kinect” label? Will we be able to demand aloud our drinks shaken, not stirred?
Orange TV, a subsidiary of France Telecom, has announced that it will launch on Xbox 360 April 17th. Using the Kinect’s full-motion capabilities and vocal recognition for channel surfing, Orange TV has expressed desire to enhance its television viewing experience, citing the social capabilities Xbox Live delivers as being incorporated into this release as well. An Xbox Live Gold membership is required along with a membership to Orange TV.
As written on Rapid TV News:
At first, Orange TV will offer a selected bunch of 30 TV channels as well as some from bouquet Extra, Sport and Orange Cinema Series. The line-up will be progressively enriched with new channels, on-demand TV and VOD. Enriched and social TV functionality will also be added such as EPG, personalised alerts, Xbox parental control, using an avatar, accessing Xbox Live friends listings, and staying in touch with friends while watching TV.
Unfortunately, this application seems only to be available in France for its initial launch. However, with enough interest and desire, it could potentially be made available in other regions.
Source: Rapid TV News
In line with the upcoming Arcade NEXT launching on Xbox Live on April 18th, an announcement was made concerning one of the launch titles, Fable Heroes. Though it is not a Kinect title, gold collected in Fable Heroes will be transferable to the upcoming Fable: The Journey, giving players of the Xbox Live Arcade title a head start in the subsequent Kinect release.
For more information on the co-op hack and slash adventure Fable Heroes, due May 2nd, visit XBLA Fans. For Fable: The Journey news, there have been a plethora of articles on this site concerning gameplay, previews and classic Peter Molyneux interviews, some of which can be found HERE and HERE.
For those a little behind on Forza Motorsport 4 DLC, a sale on Xbox Live this week will help put gamers back on the fast track. Both the American Muscle Car Pack and December IGN Pack are 43% off from March 27th through April 2nd. This puts the price at 320 Microsoft Points. The November Speed Pack and January Jalopnik Pack are 29% off, which puts the price of those add-ons at 400 Microsoft Points. The full listing, including other deals, can be seen by visiting Major Nelson’s blog.
With the continuing release of more and more entertainment options for Xbox Live, such as Comcast and HBO Go applications recently added, Microsoft has unveiled some interesting statistics in support of these moves (not that they needed support). As reported on The Verge:
Xbox Live Gold members in the US are now spending an average of 84 hours per month on Xbox Live, with entertainment app usage more than doubled year on year. Globally, this has led to a 30 percent increase in the total hours spent on Xbox Live around the world.
While there are no numbers available to show how much time users spend playing multiplayer games, Microsoft has stated further that Xbox Live users in the US are spending more time exploring movie options, television and music than diving into head-to-head matches. These simple statistics alone suggest that more is most likely on the way, as Microsoft probably wouldn’t want to rest while the uses for the company’s gaming console are being revolutionized into more of a broad-based entertainment device.
Source: The Verge
