Saturday, June 1, 2013

Breaking News: Conker's Return, Xbox One Debunk, and Future Titles.




Anyone remember the vulgar, drinking, red squirrel named Conker? Christopher Seavor, project leader of the Conker games, Conker's Bad Fur Day and the remake named Live & Reloaded, tweeted on May 25th about the need for a Wii U development kit for his studio. Christopher Seavor was not only the project leader, he voiced Conker and left Rare to start his now current studio, Gory Detail. It's possible that we could be seeing a return of the red squirrel sometime in the future for the Wii U.

Everyone has heard the shocking rumor that the Xbox One will be charging their players full retail price for any used game they happen to pick up. According to an article written by Brian Crecente of Polygon, the Xbox One wont require gamers to pay a fee to reactivate a used game, but it will require a regular online spot check to verify the authenticity of games being played. While this doesn't tell us much, Polygon's sources have also stated the company is also experimenting with special exemption codes that could be given to particular people without internet, such as active-duty soldiers serving in war zones.

Only to add to the confusion, during the week of Xbox One's unveiling, Microsoft officials gave conflicting answers about used games and online requirements. According to the official Q&A from Microsoft, the Xbox One does not have to be always connected, but does require a connection to the internet. Microsoft's Phil Harrison said that the console would require an internet check every 24 hours, only to be “debunked” later by Microsoft stating that is one potential scenario. It would seem that Microsoft has not settled on the time between checks, but there will still be some form of online check required to play games.

As far as used games go, according to Polygon's sources, the Xbox One will automatically authenticate a game using an encrypted code built into the disc when it's installed on the machine. That authentication is then verified regularly through an internet connection. When an Xbox One owner sells one of their games, or it is installed and played on another system, the game is then unauthenticated on the original machine until the disc is brought back and used to re-authenticate the installation. Polygon's sources also stated that there are no plans to charge gamers a fee to sell or reactivate a game. Microsoft's Larry Hryb released a blog, talking briefly, on the subject but did not state whether or not fees will be required. 

Monster Hunter 4 got its Japanese release date and trailer on May 31st, being set for a launch on September 14th along with two 3DS XLs that will come with the game. The trailer shows some terrifying monsters the player will come up against. Monster Hunter fans, be sure to check out the trailer below to see the new world and terrors that await you.



Nintendo's E3 2013 site is live, teasing which games you can expect to see from E3 Nintendo Direct on June 10th. Noted on the site as 10 days, now 9, remain until the conference which will include the latest news and announcements from Nintendo, starting with the presentation on June 11th. E3 coverage will continue with trailers, interviews, and more. A silhouette tease gave gamers a look into possible future titles, including Mario, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, and New Super Luigi U. Nintendo also previously announced that this Direct will replace the traditional E3 conference, confirmed to include Smash Bros., Mario and Mario Kart. After the presentation, there will be a Wii U software showcase at E3 where COO Reggie Fils-Aime and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto will speak.

Scrolls, a new game from Minecraft studio Mojang, is just on the horizon after having been revealed more than two years ago. Scrolls is the followup to the smash-hit Minecraft. Mojang announced that an open beta will begin on June 3rd and has also provided a mini guide that explains the basic mechanics. Scrolls offers opportunities to battle against the computer, but there will also be challenge and ranked matches against online opponents. Each player will build a custom deck from their library of scrolls and increase their abilities with items purchased with gold earned from online matches or in another currency called shards. While looking a lot like Magic: The Gathering, the presence of in-game currency suggests it will be a single purchase game. Check out the official site and the trailer below.



A lot of indie games have come to life with the help of Kickstarter. Double Fine has recently launched a new Kickstarter project to help fund Massive Chalice. Massive Chalice is described as a tactical strategy PC game on an epic fantasy time line, from the creators of Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, and Iron Brigade. Being launched only a few days ago, Double Fine has already acquired a large majority of the funds needed to back their project, currently at $635,036 out of $725,000. DoubleFine's Kickstarter project, check the site out to see more about Double Fine, an overview, and to donate money if you so wish.


That's it for this installment of Breaking News. This week there will be two reviews as well as a new weekly review starting Wednesday. Monday will be a review on Ni No Kuni, followed by another review on Tuesday and At My Limit on Thursday. Stay tuned, subscribe and comment to let us know what you think.

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