Tech Culture

Recent rumors have suggested that the Xbox 360 version of Square Enix's wildly anticipated Final Fantasy XIV has been canceled.

It hasn't, according to the game's producer.

In an interview with video game publication VG247, Square Enix's Hiromichi Tanaka said that though the Xbox 360 version of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game hasn't been nixed, the company has decided to "pause" its development until some issues with Xbox Live are sorted out.

"We're still talking with Microsoft at the moment, so there is no update as to when we'll … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--After about a month of using a Windows Phone 7 device with no extra apps at all, it was fun to get my hands on some games.

On Tuesday I had a chance to play with a handful of the titles that Microsoft just announced would be coming to Windows Phone 7 when it launches later this year.

Though just a small sample, the quick look showed that Windows Phone 7 is quite a capable platform for games. That's important, because games in general--and the phone's Xbox Live tie-in specifically--will have to be a key selling point … Read more

I was already planning to spring for an Xbox 360 and Kinect add-on, when it comes out this holiday season. I've even been trying to figure out which messy room in my house is best suited to give me the space I need to move around.

I've been wanting something like Kinect since I played with an early precursor a few years ago and used GestureTek's setup early last year. I love sports and games, but am not much for having to map natural actions to a couple buttons on a controller. Traditional console gaming held little … Read more

When BioWare announced Tuesday at the Gamescom conference in Germany that its Mass Effect 2--arguably the best game to hit store shelves so far in 2010--was coming to the PlayStation 3 in January, many wondered how Microsoft would respond.

Prior to the announcement, the Mass Effect franchise was available exclusively to Xbox 360 and PC gamers.

Microsoft won't say whether it's disappointed to lose Mass Effect 2's exclusivity, but the company was quick to point out in an interview with IGN, that it believes its console is still the best place to play the venerable title.

"… Read more

One of the casualties of last year's layoffs at Microsoft was the Aces game studio responsible for the company's long-running Flight Simulator game.

At the time, Microsoft promised that the flight simulation franchise would continue in one form or another. This week, Redmond confirmed that it is indeed following through with a new title: Microsoft Flight.

The game is in its early development stages, with an alpha version nearly ready for internal testing, according to Kevin Unangst, a senior director in Microsoft's game unit.

The company is offering few details on Flight, but Unangst said that it … Read more

A doodle pad is noodling its way to the Wii.

Game developer THQ unveiled on Tuesday the uDraw GameTablet. The accessory, which is designed exclusively for the Wii, allows people to draw and color on a 4-inch by 6-inch surface with a detachable stylus. As the player draws on the tablet, the artwork will show up on your television screen. The tablet's uDraw Studio software, which comes with the tablet, is what allows players to draw and color.

A Wii version of Pictionary and a new title called Dood's Big Adventure will be sold separately.

THQ CEO Brian … Read more

Microsoft announced late Monday the first wave of Xbox Live games that will be made available for Windows Phone 7 when the first smartphones running the new operating system hit the market later this year.

Although games are just one part of Microsoft's app strategy when it comes to Windows Phone, Redmond is counting on games--and Xbox Live tie-in in particular, to be a key selling point for Windows Phone. The Windows Phone 7 devices will be the first products outside of a PC or the Xbox itself to connect to Xbox Live. Gamers will be able to see … Read more

The gaming industry's reliance on larger-than-life characters and science fiction stories could turn it into a niche market like the comic book space, Disney game developer Warren Spector warned at the Game Developers Conference Europe in Cologne, Germany, on Monday.

Speaking to a crowd of developers, Spector said the industry finds itself "in the center of a cultural firestorm." Because of that, the onus is on game developers to build better games that bring the industry into the mainstream, like film, rather than the niche, like comics.

"If we don't break out of the big … Read more

Game-streaming technology company InstantAction is launching its very own title on Monday that puts a Guitar Hero-like experience inside of Facebook, and soon on any other site.

Called "Instant Jam," the new title brings the same general gameplay as most music rhythm games, with users having to key in the notes from popular songs as they rush towards the screen against colorful, and animated backdrops.

It requires no special software downloads or hardware on the part of gamers. Instead, it uses the embedded game technology the company debuted early last year to stream visuals from its server farm.… Read more