March 6th, 2012 - Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Release Date

The game with the quite possibly longest name in history, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is set to be released on March 6th, 2012, according to many outlets such as Gamefly, Walmart, Best buy and Futureshop. Even more recently, Ubisoft has OFFICIALLY announced the release date of the retailers to be correct. Way to ruin the surprise, retailers! I can't wait to use the weapon editor "Gunsmith" with the Kinect. 

The story will take place in a near future in Norway, the Middle East, and Asia where Russia went into war. The Ghosts will be fighting an ultra-nationalist force that took control of Russia and are invading neighboring countries on the deadliest missions behind enemy lines. The player will take control of a 4-man Ghost team consisting of a commando (Kozak), a sniper expert (Pepper), a reconnaissance expert (30k), and an engineer (Bones). The Wii and PSP versions have different storylines. 

The game is a third-person shooter for most of the game, except when aiming using sights, or when firing from cover, when the game switches to a first-person camera in order to facilitate more precise aiming. Cover can be partially destroyed, forcing the players to constantly seek other hiding spots. A new feature in the series is the "optical camouflage", a form of active camouflage which allows the Ghosts to become instantly invisible. According to the game designer Rafael Morado, the optical camo technology, however, is still a prototype and there are as many disadvantages as there are advantages and its use will initially be extremely limited. According to writer Gabrielle Shrager, it is also possible to control drones. During E3 2011 Ubisoft debuted the games weapon customizer. The system works with the Xbox Kinect and allows an unprecedented level of customization, down to the gas management parts of every gun. While customizing weapons, the player is also allowed to test their creations in a simulated environment. Voice control is also used in weapon creation, in addition to hand movements. Using Kinect, drawing a weapon is done by reaching a hand over your back, and pulling it back down, as if grabbing a gun from your back. Shooting is accomplished by opening the hand and closing it again.

Source: Ubisoft, Wikipedia

Kinect Bundle Includes Child Of Eden For Limited Time

MjolnirX - Child of Eden, Capcom and Q-Entertainment's Kinect-based "On-Rails Shooter/Music Game" appears to be bundled with the stand-alone Kinect for a limited time. More official news from Major Nelson below:

Today we have announced we’re updating the Kinect Sensor bundle to include both Kinect Adventures and a download code for a free copy of Child of Eden. This new bundle will be priced the same as the current sensor bundle and will start appearing in stores next week in all Xbox LIVE regions (except Japan since Child of Eden has not been released there.) This bundle will be available in limited quantities and while supplies last so be sure to look for the special packaging above to make sure you’re getting Child of Eden!

permalink: http://majornelson.com/2011/08/30/kinect-sensor-bundle-announced/

Wal-Mart Rollback For 4GB Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle An "Error"

MjolnirX - It seems Wal-Mart erroneously posted that the 4GB Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle had been "rolled back" to $249 (down from the standard $299). It is not a roll-back, but in fact just an error.

Wal-Mart has since released a notice stating:

We made a mistake in our advertising circular for Sunday, August 29 - Monday, September 5, 2011. On page 19, we advertised an Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect for $249. The price was mistakenly labeled as a rollback.

We will honor the $249 retail from Sunday, August 28 - Monday, September 5, 2011, while supplies last. We will not be able to offer rainchecks for this item.

We apologize for the error. We hate to cause you any confusion or inconvenience. We always appreciate your shopping with us and we look forward to saving you even more.  

Source: Joystiq

Wal-Mart Drops 4 GB Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle To $249

Castrum - Wal-Mart is dropping the price of their 4 GB Xbox 360 Kinect bundle to $249 for a limited amount of time. If you were waiting for a good deal to get a 360 for the kids/wife/yourself, this is the best you can hope for for the time being.

Source: Joystiq

Kinect Star Wars Delayed Indefinitely

MjolnirX - It appears that Kinect Star Wars has been suspended indefinitely. The troubled game has been put on hiatus due to the developer's dissatisfaction with the product thus far. Because the game has been put on the back burner, so too has the limited edition Star Wars themed Xbox 360.

Microsoft to Kotaku:
Microsoft and LucasArts have elected to move the launch of Kinect Star Wars beyond holiday 2011 to ensure the full potential of this title is realized. This move applies to both the Kinect Star Wars stand-alone game and the Kinect Star Wars Limited Edition Console. We will communicate additional timing information at a later date.

Nooooooooooooooo

Source: Kotaku

Fruit Ninja "Storm Season" DLC Out Today

MjolnirX - We know your arms are tired from powering your way through all those watermelons and apples, but we are cursed with the burden of telling you that new DLC is now available for your favorite fruit cutting game. Halfbrick has released its "Storm Season", out now for only 160 MP. The DLC adds 3 new achievements worth a total of 50 Gamerscore:

UNLEASH MOTHER NATURE'S WRATH WITH HALFBRICK'S ALL-NEW
FRUIT NINJA KINECT™ DLC PACK "STORM SEASON"


Over 100,000 Ninjas Now Playing Fruit Ninja Kinecton Xbox LIVE® Arcade


BRISBANE, Australia - August 24, 2011 - 'Storm Season' is now available for Fruit Ninja Kinect, Halfbrick today announced. This simple, precise motion-controlled gameplay has proved to be a huge hit for Halfbrick, with 100,000 sales of the game on Xbox LIVE® Arcade within the first week of its release on August 10.


The Fruit Ninja Kinect 'Storm Season' DLC will feature all new content, including "The Storm Castle" background, "The Rain Man Shadow" player silhouette and the almighty "Lightening Bolt Blade." With three new Achievements for a total of 50 Gamerscore points, players can unleash their inner Zeus as they thunderbolt fruit from the heavens.


Fruit Ninja Kinect takes all the frenzied fruit-slicing action from the highly addictive hit mobile game and brings it full scale, allowing players to swing their arms and legs to attack fruit. With multiple local multiplayer modes, players can battle each other or team up to slice through an endless cascade of flying fruits while trying to avoid dangerous bombs.




'Storm Season' is now available for download for 160 Microsoft Points ($2). Fruit Ninja Kinect is rated "E for Everyone" by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and is now available for download through Xbox LIVE Arcade for 800 MSP ($10) for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system with Kinect™. All new items will be immediately available in the Sensei Swag menu upon download

Dance Central Sells 2.5 Million Copies, Kinect Sports 3 Million

Castrum - I am actually surprised Dance Central sold so much. Then again, I haven't paid attention to game news for half a year:

Kinect Sports and Dance Central have reached 3 million and 2.5 million unit sales, Microsoft's Michael Johnson, global marketing director for Kinect games, told us at Gamescom earlier today.Dance Central has performed stronger in North America, while Kinect Sports has found a larger audience in Europe.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/18/dance-central-sales-step-up-to-2-5m-kinect-sports-kickin-it-wi/

Kinectimals: Now With Bears! Launch Date Announced

MjolnirX - The new Kinectimals: Now With Bears! game from Microsoft Studios and Frontier Development has an official launch date: October 11th, 2011. The game is being released as both a stand-alone disc and a downloadable game: 

In Kinectimals, players can interact with virtual animals in a manner akin to pets. Gameplay includes activities such as teaching tricks to the animal, guiding the animal around an obstacle course, and free-form play.

Konami's Leedmees Walk Single File To XBLA On Sept. 7

MjolnirX - Konami's "full-body-puzzle-action", Lemmings-esque Leedmees is coming to Xbox Live Arcade on September 7th. The Kinect puzzler tasks you with using your body to help guide the Leedmees back home. You can also grab a friend who can help you make the little Leedmees' adventures even more fun and harrowing. More info after the break:

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Your body is the controller is in this whimsical and dreamlike game. Guide the Leedmees, a mysterious population of small and creatures, home, using your limbs and head as bridges and walkways. Lift them up, toss them about, and slip them past treacherous obstacles, but be careful and don't let them get hurt! Lose too many of them and the game will be over.

Features


- Enter a mystical world. Fantastical visuals, music and sound effects immerse you in a sweet and dreamlike world.


- Guide the Leedmees home! Use your body - even your head! - as platforms, lifts, and more to move the small walking creatures past tricky and novel obstacles to get home.


- Pull a friend into the frame! Team up for tricky two player puzzles to lead the happy little creatures to their goal.


- KINECT-enabled with 1:1 control. Unlike some other games that capture freeze frames, every move you make matters and is reflected by your on screen avatar.

Kinect: Fun Labs - Air Band Release Date And Price Announced

Pictured: Not your average gamers

MjolnirX - The wacky new "Kinect: Fun Labs - Air Band" has finally had its release date announced. Official date: August 22nd, 2011. The game will turn your beer-bottle-filled, poster-plastered room into a stage where you can play your neon-lighted instruments to your heart's content.

You and one friend can pick one different instrument each, your choice of which includes a guitar, a keyboard, or drums. With your new neon air-peripherals, you can choose from a number of genres of music to play. As with all other Kinect games, it will take embarrassing pictures of you in your boxers playing it like it's the first (or last) game you'll ever play.

The game will be available for 240MP which is a lot for something you can do for free any time, anywhere.

Microsoft Plans To Release Monthly Kinect Titles

MjolnirX - With Fruit Ninja: Kinect releasing in just a week, Microsoft has announced that they aim to release new Kinect exclusives on a monthly basis, according to an interview between Robin Burrowes and CVG. With a few great titles out already such as Kinect Sports and Child of Eden, plus some amazing games coming out such as (of course) Fruit Ninja: Kinect, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, the reboot of the Steel Battalion franchise titled "Heavy Armor", The Gun Stringer, Minecraft and even Mass Effect 3, there seems to be good reason for the 10 million Kinect owners, such as myself, to be excited.

"Obviously we have Xbox Live Arcade exclusives running through the Summer of Arcade programme, but yes, you can expect far more exclusives coming to the platform in future," Robin Burrowes, Xbox Live product marketing manager for EMEA [Europe, Middle East and Africa], told CVG."

Though he couldn't divulge the name of the titles he was referring to, he did mention that we should "trust the legacy of titles in the past". He also mentioned that they are working on games that will be released on Xbox Live Arcade, as well traditional core games which include sequels to successful titles already on the platform.