PixlBit

Sometimes there are news stories that aren't too important to report on. Sometimes some stories take priority over others. That's why I welcome you to the inaugural edition of Back Page News. This will be a weekly blog compiling stories from the past week that were less than big news. Without further ado, let's get to it!

Back in January of 2011, Epic Games trademarked the name Gears of War: Exile, along with a logo. The game was rumored to be an on-rails Kinect game for the series. Other than that, not much was known about the game. Turns out we'll never know what was to be of that game as its been canceled. There were rumors that Gears of War 3 would have Kinect support but Epic constantly refuted those rumors. Seems that they were just going to make it a separate game. Oh well, good riddance! We don't need a Gears of War Kinect game. Frat houses playing that will probably end up kissing each other.

Nintendo posted a video this week featuring Community and The Soup star Joel McHale promoting the Nintendo 3DS. Funny viral ad or obvious vie for attention? I'm a big fan of McHale's work on Community (best show on TV, according to Hulu and me) but I personally wasn't entertained by this. But don't take my word for it! Check it out yourself!

Sony announced this week that its PlayStation Qore online magazine is kaput. The April 2012 issue will be the last. This is probably a response to the losses that Sony announced along with the 10,000 jobs that are set to be cut. I've never seen an issue of the magazine but as a writer for PixlBit, it's sad to see video game publications of any form go the way of the dodo. Be sure to check out Qore's final issue, available now on the PlayStation Network.

The PlayStation Vita has been updated to version 1.67. This is the third update in two weeks. Seems Sony's habit of updating the PS3 constantly will continue with the Vita. Whoopee.

Do you like Resident Evil? Do you really like Resident Evil? Do you REALLY REALLY like Resident Evil? Why don't you buy the Platinum Edition of Resident Evil 6 that retail for over $1,000? It comes with five phone cases and a replica leather jacket. So far it's only available in Japan and you'll get it when the game releases in October but only if you really like the survival horror series. And leather.

Nintendo will be a no show at Gamescom. The big N will instead use the time to prepare for E3 and the following months. Gamescom would've been the first time anyone got their hands on the Wii U. Instead, we'll all have to wait a bit longer. This is probably a smart move as the initial response to the Wii U has been mixed at best. They better come prepared when we finally get to see it in action.

GameStop is now going to start telling / warning customers of "online fees." This includes DLC and online passes. This is due to a lawsuit in California filed in 2010. James Collins, who filed the lawsuit, bought Dragon Age: Origins used for $55, $5 less than the new copy and then realized there were more fees for content that would've been included with a new copy of the game. The warnings will be implemented in California for the time being. I personally am in favor of the indication for those who are unaware but how is it that this was done due to a lawsuit? Not helping California's reputation...

Bethesda is releasing a patch to the Xbox 360 version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim that will include Kinect support. Over 200 voice commands will be implemented. Aside from the inevitable fun that is shouting "Fus Ro Dah" at your TV until your voice is gone, this doesn't seem to be terribly necessary. Kinect being implemented into everything is getting annoying. Then again, you were shouting at your TV while playing Skyrim anyway so at least now it'll actually do something.

Peter Molyneux has revealed when he decided that he needed to leave Microsoft and Lionhead to form his own independent company, 22 cans. A woman adjusted his office chair. No really. A woman from Microsoft in charge of chair adjustments (that's a job?) came to his space while he was brainstorming with headphones on and corrected the chair so it would be posture perfect. This apparently made Molyneux realized that he was too safe working in a big company. He couldn't even screw up his posture there. There were no risks and this didn't promote risky ideas. So he decided to leave. I like Peter Molyneux. I think he has creative ideas, even if they don't pan out sometimes. I even get what he's saying but out loud, that just sounds silly. Still, I hope he finds the creative juices need to create something great over at his new company.

Shigeru Miyamoto told Edge Magazine about his admiration for Angry Birds. Quote, “What I like about Angry Birds is that it has a traditional videogame [feel] to it, but also a very creative side. And you can really feel that they’re having fun developing the game. That’s what I like about it.” Something like this makes perfect sense since Miyamoto, for all his epic Zelda games, has always made his greatest games around a simple idea. One could only imagine what Miyamoto could do on a smaller scale. Perhaps with a 3DS e-shop title.

That's all the minor news for this week. Comment and share this blog with your friends. Enough responses will keep the weekly entries going. Be sure to check on PixlBit everyday for all the big news as well as reviews, previews and features.