Smokin Shadowz

FROM GAMESPOT Creator Markus Persson reveals Xbox 360 version of open-world creation game goes triple platinum since launch in May, generating $60 million. If its record-breaking launch wasn't proof enough, Minecraft for the Xbox 360 is now a bonafide commercial success. Creator Markus Persson announced on Twitter today that the game has now sold 3 million copies on Xbox Live, generating $60 million since launch in early May. Minecraft for the Xbox 360 has dug out commercial success. "I got told Minecraft for XBLA passed three million sales today!" he wrote. Upon launch on May 9, Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition became profitable in just one hour, selling over 400,000 copies during its first 24 hours on sale, and breaking all previous Xbox Live arcade digital sales records. The game reached 1 million in sales in just five days, and recorded more unique users on Xbox Live than Call of Duty: Black Ops for the week of May 14. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition was developed by 4J Studios, the Scotland-based shop that built Xbox Live Arcade titles Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, and Banjo-Tooie. It retails for $20.

Industrial Light & Magic visual effects supervision Kim Libreri predicts graphics will advance to new levels over span of the coming decade. By the time 2022 rolls around, graphics will have advanced to a point at which they are "indistinguishable from reality," claims Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) visual effects supervisor Kim Libreri. ILM is working with LucasArts on upcoming third-person shooter Star Wars 1313, and in a new video interview with CVG (embedded below) Libreri said it will one day be nigh impossible to spot the differences between real-time rendering and live action. “It’s an interesting time because with modern computer graphics hardware, the way it's going, it’s gonna be pretty hard to tell the difference between something that is interactive and rendered in real time, and something that was done for an animated TV show, or even a live-action thing,” Libreri said. Libreri further explained that at present, real-time rendered graphics are able to match the quality of animated movies from seven or eight years ago. And in another decade, they will be "indistinguishable from reality." Libreri has been involved with computer graphics for a long time. Prior to attaining his current position at LucasArts, he served as vice president at visual effects and animation studio Digital Domain. Libreri is also credited as a visual effects supervisor for movies like Super 8 and The Matrix. If graphics do become on par with reality in the next decade, 2K boss Christoph Hartmann will have gotten his wish. Last week, the executive called for photorealism in games, saying such advanced capabilities are needed to help designers tackle emotions like love and sadness. Star Wars 1313 is a collaborative project across the Lucasfilm organization, which includes LucasArts, ILM, Lucasfilm Animation Ltd., and Skywalker Sound. In the game, players travel deep beneath the surface of city-world Coruscant to uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy. No release date or platforms for Star Wars 1313 have been announced. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ttR1VcDD4w&feature=player_embedded Information found at gamespot.com http://www.gamespot....ars-dev-6390719

While discussing new Outlook email service, Microsoft general manager Brian Hall namedrops "new Xbox" but does not share more. After significant speculation spread over the span of years, Microsoft has finally spoken on-record about its next Xbox. During an interview with The Verge focused on Microsoft's new Outlook email service (embedded below), general manager Brian Hall name-dropped a "new Xbox." “We’ve had Hotmail and operated Hotmail for about 16 years, we obviously have Exchange, and Outlook, that people use at work. We just decided it was time to do something new and bring the best from each of those and put them together and release it right in time for the new wave of products that we could have coming out with Windows 8, with the new version of Office with the new Windows phone and the new Xbox,” Hall said. Hall did not share further details on the next Xbox. Windows 8 will launch on October 26 alongside Microsoft's new Surface tablet line. [uPDATE] Following the publication of this story, Microsoft issued a statement to GameSpot on the matter. “Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend the console lifecycle by introducing controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships," reads a line from the statement. "We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention.” The analyst consensus is that the next Xbox, as well as the PlayStation 4, will be on store shelves for holiday 2013. A recent 56-page document supposedly originating from Microsoft said the next Xbox would launch in 2013 at $299 bundled with the second iteration of Kinect, among other updates. As for the PS4, PlayStation executive Andrew House said in June that Sony's new console would not be shown until a "significant leap" over the PlayStation 3 could be demonstrated. Information found at gamespot.com http://www.gamespot....ew-xbox-6390614

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agt22FFKdE8&feature=g-u-u

Info Found by: SykoWolf Thanks to Waypoint User Noble Squash for pointing this out. If you look at the 2:15 mark in the recent behind the scenes video, towards the bottom left you will see an unidentified creature. This creature looks very similar to a crawler, but is slimmer and much more dog like. This can also be seen in the E3 trailer, but I didn’t think much of it back then. Now compare this with the original crawler and the more heavily armored crawler spotted in Spartan Ops. Some believe that the wolf-like promethean is just another class of crawler which varies in its strength and tactics from other crawlers. Perhaps it is the fastest/weakest type of crawler, because instead of having a fully armored pincer head, it has an exposed smaller head. Just a thought, either way I think it looks awesome.

Sales of EA Sports' gridiron sim up 7 percent year-over-year, setting new record for current-gen; online first-day usage jumps 28 percent. From: http://www.gamespot.com EA Sports' Madden NFL 13 has gotten off to a hot start. Electronic Arts announced today that the newest gridiron football simulator, which launched Tuesday, sold 900,000 copies during its first 24 hours for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. This marks a 7 percent rise over last year's iteration, and represents the most successful Madden launch this console generation. Madden NFL 13 launched to nearly 1 million in sales. Sales figures for the Wii and PlayStation Vita versions of Madden NFL 13 were not announced. Madden NFL 13 also set a day-one online usage record, with peak simultaneous users jumping 28 percent over last year's first-day figures. GameSpot's review of the game found it to be a competent yearly update, with old issues returning and little significant innovation over last year's iteration. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owaLebnRsx4&feature=player_embedded

US gamers set on grabbing a copy of the superb-looking Borderlands 2 can get themselves the 'Creature Slaughter Dome' download if they go with GameStop. From: www.computerandvideogames.com/ By: Mike Jackson The video below was release by retailer's showing off the exclusive DLC, which plonks players in a arena with a switch that sets loose all manner of hostile beasts. You simply fight to survive while earning XP and sweeping up a load of loot that you keep. Pre-orders in general will also get you the Mechromancer character class download as son as it available...which they believe it will be in November. The current video below shows off the pre-order content. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkVq4zwKyQQ&feature=player_embedded

The enhanced-for-PC Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition version will arrive on console on October 26, Namco Bandai has confirmed. The digital PC edition, which is out now via Styeam, features new content set 100 years before Dark Souls. Mysterious passages open in Darkroot Basin, and these lead to brand new areas, tougher enemies, new NPC's, fresh weapons and gigantic bosses to fight. You'll have to progress up to a certain point to access them, a bit like Mass Effect's downloadable missions. If you already own the regular game on consoles, you'll be able to just grab the new content via a rebranded 'Artorias of the Abyss' download pack for $14.99. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeHdpZt2Tuk&feature=player_embedded (Source: CVG)

While discussing new Outlook email service, Microsoft general manager Brian Hall namedrops "New Xbox" but does not share more. After significant speculation spread over the span of years, Microsoft has finally spoken on-record about its next Xbox. During an interview with The Verge focused on Microsoft's new Outlook email service (embedded below), general manager Brian Hall name-dropped a "new Xbox." “We’ve had Hotmail and operated Hotmail for about 16 years, we obviously have Exchange, and Outlook, that people use at work. We just decided it was time to do something new and bring the best from each of those and put them together and release it right in time for the new wave of products that we could have coming out with Windows 8, with the new version of Office with the new Windows phone and the new Xbox,” Hall said. Hall did not share further details on the next Xbox. Windows 8 will launch on October 26 alongside Microsoft's new Surface tablet line. [uPDATE] Following the publication of this story, Microsoft issued a statement to GameSpot on the matter. “Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend the console lifecycle by introducing controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships," reads a line from the statement. "We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention.” The analyst consensus is that the next Xbox, as well as the PlayStation 4, will be on store shelves for holiday 2013. A recent 56-page document supposedly originating from Microsoft said the next Xbox would launch in 2013 at $299 bundled with the second iteration of Kinect, among other updates. As for the PS4, PlayStation executive Andrew House said in June that Sony's new console would not be shown until a "significant leap" over the PlayStation 3 could be demonstrated."