BioWare confirms development of new Mass Effect game, Tomb Raider Collector's Edition detailed, PlayStation Plus hits the Vita with new free games, and more.
Click through for the biggest stories of the week of November 12:
Kinect-powered destruction... free!
To celebrate 10 years of Xbox Live, Microsoft is offering members a freebie of their recently released title, Wreckateer. Using Kinect, Wreckateer encourages players to use their arsenal of special canon balls to destroy a set of medieval structures housing enemy goblins.
Microsoft is teaming up with Virgin Gaming later this year.
Virgin and Microsoft are joining forces to bring online gaming tournaments to Xbox Live. There will be a variety of different tournaments, Virgin promises, including both free-to-play and paid-entry tournaments, some of which will offer cash prizes.
Five new titles coming to Xbox Live.
Keeping with tradition, Microsoft has announced their titles for the Summer of Arcade promotion. Microsoft’s Phil Spencer gave a list of the five titles that will be hitting XBLA this summer.
Microsoft aims to integrate your handheld devices into the Xbox Experience.
During Microsoft’s media briefing this morning, they unveiled plans for a new service that will integrate tablet and phone connectivity with your Xbox 360. Xbox Smart Glass allows you to interact with your Xbox 360 via these devices and opens up a new array of media functions for your phone as well.
Joy Ride Turbo will not use Kinect and is coming to Xbox Live Arcade.
Kinect Joy Ride was a racing launch title for the Xbox 360's Kinect peripheral back in 2010. It received mixed reviews but managed to sell over one million units worldwide. About a year and a half later, the sequel Joy Ride Turbo has now been announced; however, this entry will not use motion control.
Major Nelson confirms the rumored changes.
Earlier today an anonymous source tipped off xbox360achievements.org that some changes are coming to the total number of Gamerscore points and achievements Xbox Live Arcade titles can have. Starting on April 1, each XBLA title can carry double the number of achievement points, going from 200 to 400, and 10 more total achievements, increasing from 20 to 30. Major Nelson has since confirmed this information, also revealing that starting in June, all XBLA games will mandatorily carry 400 Gamerscore points.
The inaugural title from the new studio is coming to PC and XBLIG.
Bidogames, a new studio comprised of two people, has announced plans to release its first independent game on PC and Xbox Live's Indie Games service. Titled, Nioki Adventure, the game will feature a Terraria-influenced experience.
The previously announced app is finally on its way.
Back when the new Xbox dashboard was revealed, a variety of apps were promised for the system, but not yet deliver. Among those was HBO and their HBO GO service. With February coming to a close, the app is still unavailable, but we now finally have an official release date.