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Tag: Microsoft Studios

  • ‘Max: The Curse of Brotherhood’ Out For Xbox One

    As far as console launch exclusives go, Microsoft’s Xbox One had a solid slate of titles. Missing among the violence of Ryse and Dead Rising 3, however, was an exclusive family title (like the PlayStation 4’s Knack, for instance) that younger gamers could enjoy.

    Microsoft today filled in that gap with the release of Max: The Curse of Brotherhood. The game is out now for Xbox One consoles and costs only $15.

    Max: The Curse of Brotherhood follows Max, a boy who gets exactly what he wishes for and must then journey through evil lands to save his brother. Max carries no weapons but does have a marker that players can use to manipulate Max’s surroundings, spawning vines and trees into existence.

    The game is a puzzle-platformer that emphasizes the puzzles, most often solved with market powers. The game’s developer, Press Play, describes the game as a reimagining of Max and the Magic Marker, a similar game that was released for Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, and mobile platforms back in 2010.

    The game’s launch trailer shows off a few of the enemies and locations Max will encounter, as well as a preview of the marker play mechanic. It also shows that Max: The Curse of Brotherhood just might be the best Xbox One exclusive yet released:

  • ‘Project Spark’ Beta Begins Today, Only on PC

    When Microsoft finally announced Xbox One games at E3, most of the announcements weren’t surprising. A new Halo game was teased, Microsoft had gotten Capcom to make Dead Rising 3 an exclusive, and the microtransaction-riddled launch trio of Forza 5, Ryse, and Crimson Dragon were all there, as well as a multitude of third-party titles. Along with these triple-a showpieces, though, was a title full of creativity and promise.

    Project Spark brought bright colors to Microsoft’s E3 conference and showed off what Microsoft Studios can do at its best. The game is being billed as a sandbox/creation game, where players can build worlds and populate them with creatures who follow set rules. Demonstrations of Project Spark have shown that players will be able to create a wide variety of gameplay scenarios with a specific visual flair.

    Beta sign-ups for Project Spark began in June, shortly after its announcement at E3. Today Microsoft has finally announced that the game’s beta test has begun.

    Unfortunately for new Xbox One owners, the Project Spark beta is exclusive to PC at this time – and only PCs running Windows 8.1. Beta participants who meet those requirements can begin playing today. Xbox One owners will have to wait until sometime “early next calendar year” to get their hands on the beta.

    The Project Spark beta includes several aspects of the full game. Players will be able to create game types, shape game world terrain, and create simple AI behaviors for characters. Sharing and co-op with other beta participants will also be enabled, allowing players to experience what others have created.

  • Xbox PC Marketplace Closing This Month

    Xbox PC Marketplace Closing This Month

    Microsoft today announced that it will be closing the Xbox.com PC Marketplace on August 22. The closure will come as part of the scheduled Xbox 360 system update that will retire Microsoft Points, converting the entire system over to real currency. Luckily for Dark Souls fans, gamers will still be able to play already-purchased PC games that use the much maligned Games for Windows Live client.

    According to a Microsoft support page update, Games for Windows Live games will cease to be for sale through Microsoft after the store closes. In fact, Games for Windows Live titles published by Microsoft will no longer be available in any online marketplace. Microsoft-published titles that use Games for Windows Live include Fable III, Gears of War, Halo 2, and Brad Muir‘s Iron Brigade. Other publishers may still offer their Games for Windows Live games through other stores, notably Steam.

    This news comes just one day after the news hit that a former Valve employee that was in charge of Steam has been hired on at Microsoft to improve its Games for Windows Live platform. Whatever is coming next for Microsoft Studios on PC, the end of the Xbox.com PC store demonstrates that the company has either given up on Games for Windows Live or is preparing for a major overhaul of the service.