Xbox Live Indie Developer Believes Microsoft Should Scout Service

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Xbox Live Indie Games helped give Zeboyd Games an introduction to the world, but they recently announced that the Steam release of Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII sold more on Steam on its launch that it did on 18 months on the other platform. Robert Boyd, co-founder of Zeboyd, is clearly frustrated with XBLIG as they are offered right now.

“XBLIG is a great solution for new developers. It’s cheap, easy to learn, and has a great community of people that are willing to help each other, said Boyd. “However, from a perspective of actually making good money, I do not believe it is a viable platform. The greatest strength and greatest weakness of the service is that it’s the most open platform we’ve ever seen on any home console. Just about anyone can release an XBLIG title, and just about anyone does. As a result, the service has got a reputation for being full of garbage.

I believe Microsoft always intended for XBLIG to be a stepping stone for new developers: prove yourself on XBLIG and then find real success on XBLA. The problem is that right now it is more of a stepping stone to finding success on other platforms like the PC and mobile markets, and not on the Xbox 360 itself. Microsoft should be doing more towards making Indie Games a scouting ground for future talent, he added. “I believe that starting out with XBLIG was the correct choice for us. Without the experience and positive reputation that we gained from making XBLIG titles I believe it would have been much more difficult to get approved for Steam. The PC has definitely become a priority for us I would not be surprised if we ended up as a PC-only developer at some point in the future.”

Source: Edge

Dmitry Medvedev Shown As Captain Russia

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A subversive artist has put up a poster of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev depicted as “Captain Russia: The First Ruler” in a send up of Captain America: The First Avenger. The Kremlin is calling this “some sort of stupidity” though this is the latest in a series of images using the Russian president and used in an advertising street name to promote the iPad.

“Am I afraid of the authorities’ reaction No. I am not a terrorist, I am an artist,” said the artist responsible for the poster. “There’s nothing aggressive about my work. I hope the powers that be realize that.”

Source: AFP

 

Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition Pictured

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Infinity Ward creative strategist Robert Bowling has revealed that a Hardened Edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is in the works. The details of its contents will come out at the Call of Duty XP conference in September.

“First look at the #MW3 Hardened Edition,” Bowling wrote on Twitter, posting a picture of the box. “Literally on the factory line.”

Source: yfrog.com

Google Outlines Google+ Account Suspensions

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Google has issued a public statement about various Google+ account suspensions. They cite section 13 of the company s User Content and Conduct Policy that forbids users to make fake profiles under their common name policy.

To help fight spam and prevent fake profiles, use the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you, says the policy. For example, if your full legal name is Charles Jones Jr. but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, either of those would be acceptable.

Google recently started enforcing the policy, deleting not only several fake profiles but also hitting some real profiles that used odd names. Google said they will give more warning next time, and will better support nicknames, maiden names and pseudonyms in the future.

We ve noticed that many violations of the Google+ common name policy were in fact well-intentioned and inadvertent and for these users our process can be frustrating and disappointing, said Google VP of Product Bradley Horowitz in his Google+ post. So we re currently making a number of improvements to this process, specifically regarding how we notify these users that they re not in compliance with Google+ policies and how we communicate the remedies available to them.

When an account is suspended for violating the Google+ common name standards, access to Gmail or other products that don t require a Google+ profile are not removed, he clarified.

Source: Mashable

Lost Gets Animated

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Advertising artist Michael Myers has done a mock up of what Lost: The Animated Series might look like and it’s quite impressive. Though such a thing would almost surely never happen, it’s hard not to like what’s been done with the characters.

Smoke Monster

Locke

Jack

Ensemble cast

Source: AdWeek

Anarchy Reigns Over Story

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Anarchy Reigns has been previous confirmed to have a story mode focusing on Jack from MadWorld and newcomer Leo. All of that is hinted at here, though the larger context is difficult to grasp right now.

Starhawk’s New West Story

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Starhawk has a large multiplayer component, but its single-player will have a story detailed in movies like the one below. Powerhouse Animation has done an excellent job giving the video a sort of animated wanted poster look.

 

Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Purity First

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Various trailers of Deus Ex: Human Revolution have shown the benefits for the augmentations offered by Sarif Industries. This trailer, however, details the dangers of losing your humanity, as anarchist group Purity First sees it.