When Harmonix decided they were going to create a band specific version of Rockband, based on the most popular and influential bands ever, they knew they had to create more than a game... they had to create an experience.
Ubisoft has just announced Spartacus Legends, a Free-To-Play fighting game for Xbox Live Arcade. And just like the Starz TV series that inspired it, it’s violently gruesome. Avert your eyes, kids.
As Xbox One will reportedly need to check-in via the internet every 24 hours in order for games to be playable on the console, a common fear is that should the servers ever close, gamers’ libraries will become useless. Not so, says Major Nelson.
Despite its launch troubles, State of Decay is still the fastest selling original game on Xbox Live, and developer Undead Labs isn’t resting on its laurels. A new "pure survival" sandbox mode is in the works, and a follow-up game is under discussion.
Shortly after our review of State of Decay was submitted last week, Title Update 1 was released in order to address the game’s many bugs. We tested it and found that it only works with brand new gamesaves. Developer Undead Labs is working on a fix.
It doesn’t seem to get any easier for the western studios owned by Square Enix. The developer behind the Hitman franchise was cut down to half by the Japanese publisher, reportedly in order to refocus solely on a future "Triple-A" Hitman title.
Xbox One Killer Instinct purists who want to purchase the entire roster of fighters rather than pay for each one piecemeal can rest easy, as a Season Pass option will be available at launch. Either way, the game will be download only, though.
Of course, there might be other solutions to the Xbox One’s apparent PR struggles that don’t involve changing Microsoft’s proposed always-on strategy. Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter has his own solution...and naturally, it involves money.
