Rumour also claims that Microsoft has been forced to cancel multiple Xbox 720 projects.

A new report suggests Microsoft is up to six months behind on development of some of its next-generation titles, and that competitor Sony’s upcoming lineup is currently in a better position ahead of its launch later in 2013.

Anonymous sources speaking to Kotaku said Microsoft has had to cancel several of its internal projects, saying that the projects were not coming together as hoped. There is no indication as to what these projects were.

An earlier rumour has said the Xbox 720 will launch with a new Forza Motorsport and Crytek’s Ryse.

Kotaku’s report states that these internal development difficulties may have been a factor in Microsoft’s current desire to secure high-profile exclusive titles to the next-generation platform, starting with Respawn Entertainment’s currently unannounced FPS.

Respawn’s game is rumoured to be a sci-fi themed, predominantly multiplayer shooter which requires an always-on Internet connection.

Microsoft has said it will unveil its next-generation Xbox on May 21, and will follow that up by revealing its suite of software titles at E3 2013.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Read more here: Game Spot News

Netherlands-based Leiden University says video games enhance the brain’s working memory.

A team at the Netherlands-based Leiden University has published a research paper that says video games, specifically first-person shooters, enhance the memory capacity of players.

The results, published in the journal Psychological Research (via Science Daily), are based off a test comparing the working memory of those who played at least five hours of shooter games weekly to those who never played video games.

Working memory can be thought of as the brain’s short-term memory, according to the BBC. “Working memory can help us overcome a particular problem or perform a task, like mental arithmetic, using a phone number, or following a set of directions. However the amount of information we can hold is limited and the information itself is very unstable – a sudden distraction and the information is lost and you have to start again from scratch.”

Dr. Lorenza Colzato, who works at the Leiden University’s cognitive psychology unit, said that “we think that video game experience trains your brain to become more flexible in the updating and monitoring of new information, enhancing the memory capacity of the gamers.”

Colzato says FPS games “require players to develop a flexible mindset to rapidly react and monitor fast moving visual and auditory stimuli.”

“We believe that gaming is a fast and easy way to enhance your memory,” concluded Colzato.

[ Watch Video ]

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Read more here: Game Spot News

Starbreeze Studios, the developers behind The Darkness, the Chronicles of Riddick games, and the recent Syndicate reboot have announced that they’re working on a new co-op sci-fi FPS title.

And that’s pretty much all they’ve revealed about STORM so far. The game was announced via an update on their website and was accompanied by the image below and just three lines of text:

“Currently in development.

Co-op Sci Fi FPS.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here – Starbreeze Studios Announce Sci-Fi FPS – STORM – News

Source: gamrReview

Centerpiece of limited UK release is a chewed-up, bikini-clad torso

Whether you were a fan of the original Dead Island or not, the zombie FPS is getting a follow-up with Dead Island: Riptide, and the limited “Zombie Bait” edition is certainly a sight to behold. In addition to a steelbook case, collectible cards, and weapon mod DLC, the centerpiece of the set is, well, see for yourself after the jump.

Click Here to Read Entire Story!

Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine says first-person perspective “gets you so close to the detail of the world”; BioShock 1 and 2 composer Garry Schyman returning for Infinite.

BioShock Infinite would only work as a first-person shooter, Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine said in a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything session. The designer was asked if the first-person perspective is well suited for the BioShock universe and he explained that this perspective allows for a more intimate level of detail.

“I love first person because it gets you so close to the detail of the world,” Levine said. “[BioShock Infinite] wouldn’t work in any other perspective.”

Levine was also asked if there are any genres outside of first-person shooters that he would pursue in the future. He did not respond to this question.

Elsewhere in the AMA session, Levine revealed that original BioShock and BioShock 2 composer Garry Schyman is returning to create the music for BioShock Infinite. Levine teased that Schyman’s score this time around is “very different” from the first two games, but at the same time “very much guided by the same aesthetic principles.”

BioShock Infinite was delayed earlier this month and is now due March 26, 2013. For more, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli admits name for PC shooter is “strange,” but says it was chosen to mirror the game’s “personal” tone.

Some may think Crytek’s free-to-play PC shooter Warface has a silly or far-fetched name, but according to company CEO Cevat Yerli, the title could not be more appropriate.

“Because I think [Warface is] very personal. I think it’s a very social experience,” Yerli told Rock, Paper, Shotgun. “Yes, it’s a very strange word combination, but I wanted to express that it’s a truly social FPS game. It’s about war on a different scale–between corporate entities–but also, it’s a shooter between you and your friends. That implies so many new kinds of possibilities with the social technology that we’ve invested over the last five years to build. So that’s why we as a company keep going back to ‘face.’ It’s very personal.”

Warface is Crytek’s first free-to-play game. The game is in development at the company’s Kiev outfit and runs on CryEngine 3. Warface is a military shooter set in the near future, and Crytek claims it offers a cinematic experience with next-gen visuals, artificial intelligence, and physics. It is currently in beta.

For more on Warface, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

EA announced today that users of their Origin digital distribution service can now play Battlefield 1942, the first entry in the long-running military shooter franchise, for free. 

The announcement comes in the wake of Battlefield 3 Premium surpassing over 2 million users since its launch in June.

“When we launched Battlefield 1942 ten years ago, we had lofty ambitions to create a first-person shooter that would push the boundaries of innovation, creativity and design,” said DICE vice president Karl Magnus Troedsson. “We evolved the FPS gameplay formula by introducing the world to all-out warfare via land, air and sea.”

The promotion runs until March 1st, 2013. The Battlefield franchise, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last September, has sold over 50 million units worldwide. A new entry, tentatively title Battlefield 4, is scheduled for a fall 2013 release. 

[Source: Origin]

Read the full version here – http://www.gamrreview.com/news/89454/ea-offers-battlefield-1942-free-for-origin-users/

Upcoming military FPS shooter adopts free-to-play model; beta opening in North America and Europe.

Webzen has announced the North American and European open beta for the upcoming shooter Arctic Combat, known as Battle Territory (or Battery) in South Korea, will start on December 6.

Free-to-play military shooting action will be heading your way this December.

Players can obtain the download client on Webzen’s site to access the free-to-play game. The company has yet to announce on when the game will be fully released.

Arctic Combat features customizable weapons and skills, a trophy loot system, and in-game missions that allow players to gain extra experience points during a match. The game also contains modes like team deathmatch, free for all, and domination.

Webzen previously held its second closed beta session from October 10 to October 21. There is currently no word on whether the game will be released for the Southeast Asian regions. For more information, check out GameSpot’s coverage on the shooter.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Shigeru Miyamoto expresses interest in making FPS that allows players to fully explore 3D space, but says he doesn’t have enough time to pursue it.

The man who created cultural phenomenons like the Mario and Zelda franchises wants to make a first-person shooter. Speaking to Kotaku, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that while this genre is interesting to him, he is too busy with other projects to pursue it in earnest.

What kind of FPS might Miyamoto make?

“I actually do kind of want to make a first-person shooter, but I don’t have time,” he said.

Miyamoto explained to Kotaku that if he were to build a first-person shooter, it might be different in structure than typical FPS games, and perhaps not particularly violent. He said he was specifically enthused with the idea of a game that allows players to look around and fully explore a 3D space.

“Rather than necessarily the question of ‘What kind of weapon do I have?’ in a first-person shooter or ‘What kind of effect does that have on an enemy?’, I think that the structure of a first-person shooter is something that’s very interesting,” he said through a translator. “Having that 3D space that in theory you are in and being able to look around and explore that–particularly being able to do that in conjunction with another person–is very interesting.”

Miyamoto has dabbled in the first-person shooter space before. He served as a producer on Retro Studios’ 2002 GameCube title Metroid Prime, though he was not involved in the day-to-day creation of that game.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Free Radical founder says Call of Duty and Battlefield are only profitable shooters on market, publishers afraid to pursue projects that don’t follow established formula.

Call of Duty and Battlefield the only first-person shooter franchises making money, TimeSplitters developer and Free Radical founder Steve Ellis recently told Edge. As a result, the longtime developer believes publishers are wary to green-light projects that buck established trends.

Publishers won’t pursue a unique FPS, according to Ellis.

“I spent the whole of 2008 going round talking to publishers trying to sign up Timesplitters 4,” Ellis said. “There just isn’t the interest there in doing anything that tries to step away from the rules of the genre–no one wants to do something that’s quirky and different, because it’s too much of a risk. And a large part of that is the cost of doing it.”

Crytek UK (the name Free Radical took on when Crytek purchased the outfit) recently confirmed TimeSplitters 4 was not in development despite the game having been announced in 2007.

“Nobody really buys any FPSes unless they’re called Call of Duty,” he elaborated. “I guess Battlefield did OK, but aside from that, pretty much every FPS loses money. I mean, [look at] Crysis 2: great game, but there’s no way it came anywhere close to recouping its dev costs.”

Ellis left Crytek UK in February 2009 to start open a mobile game studio called Crash Lab. He explained that the FPS genre today has morphed considerably from what it once was.

“We’ve been through more than a couple of console generations and seen things grow and grow to a stage where it’s not really the business we got into,” he said. “It’s not really what we signed up for at the start.”

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot