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Top developers explain why they prefer the Xbox 360 to develop games on in this video from GDC 2008.  Unfortunately, there seems to be an audio echo through the whole video, but it’s still watchable. 

Game on!

Here is the teaser trailer for Gears of War 2, which was just shown at GDC.

(Best Viewed using Internet Explorer – the GT player seems to have trouble with Firefox). 

Game on!

It was confirmed today at GDC in San Francisco that the highly anticipated title, Ninja Gaiden 2, will be arriving on June 3, 2008.

The game was introduced by way of a playable demo shown live on stage.  The demo showed Ryu, the main character of Ninja Gaiden, running along legdes, fending off chainsaw attacks, pulling off insane moves, scaling pyraminds, etc.

The game will also feature the ability for gamers to upload video clips to Xbox Live, which can then be downloaded and viewed by others from the game’s leaderboards.

June is looking up.

Game on!

Just moments ago at GDC 08, Just as John Schappert was concluding his remarks, the auditorium went dark.

The next thing everyone there heard and saw was Marcus Fenix himself on screen, confirming Gears of War 2.  After the brief teaser video, Cliffy B. chainsawed his way onto the stage. 

“Gears of War one was a setup,” he said.  “Gears of War 2 will be much bigger and available exclusively on Xbox 360 in November 2008.”

Rev up those chainsaws people. Also, just in case you were wondering, Gears remains an Xbox 360 exclusive. 

Game on!

Moments ago during Microsoft’s GDC keynote, John Schappert announced a new open distrubution service for user-created games, using the XNA Game Studio tools. 

Starting now, user-created XNA games will be available via the Xbox Live Marketplace.  In fact, right now the first seven user-created titles are available (for free!) via the Marketplace.  You do NOT need the XNA development kit to play these games!

This is a big step for user-created content on Xbox Live.  360 Rant Rave will download these free titles ASAP & let you know what we think.

Here are the 7 free XNA-created titles available now:

JellyCar - Drive a squishy, jelly car through squishy, jelly worlds, trying to reach the exit.

Little Gamers - A 2D high-def action side-scroller based on the famous Web comic “Little Gamers” created by Loïc Dansart, a 24-year-old software developer from Belgium.

Dishwasher - An intense 2-D action platform game created by James Silva from the United States, “Dishwasher” has a unique, highly stylized look and fast and fluid action.

TriLinea - This puzzle game created by Edison S. Prata Jr., Renato Pelizzari da Silva and Davi da Silva Prata from Brazil mixes fast-paced action with strategy.

RocketBall - Created by Tyler Wanlass, Patrick Murty and Todd Barrons of the United States, this neighborhood game of dodgeball explodes onto the street with fast-paced multiplayer action.

ProximityHD - This game, created by Brian Cable from the United States, takes the essence of strategy games — battles for control of territory and armies — and distills it down to a simple, easy-to-understand set of rules for casual players.

Culture - Created by independent game development company Hidden Path Entertainment from the United States, “Culture” contains challenging games and puzzles based on beautiful flowers.

Game on!

As corporate vice president of LIVE, Software and Services for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp., John Schappert oversees all platform technologies and businesses, including console software, Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows.

He is giving today’s keynote address at GDC in San Francisco at 10:30AM Pacific Time. 

I haven’t had any luck finding a live feed for his keynote, but will post coverage of what he says as soon as it’s over. 

Game on!

BioWare announced today plans to expand its development teams for future video game projects. With studios in Edmonton, Canada, and Austin, Texas, this leading developer of electronic entertainment software is actively recruiting for a variety of positions across numerous disciplines. Since 1995, BioWare has enjoyed a steady growth of employees and projects across both its studios in Edmonton, Canada, and Austin, Texas.

From February 18-22, 2008, BioWare will be attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, where hopeful recruits will have the opportunity to learn more about BioWare and its games, as well as the positions available, which include 3D graphics programmers, technical artists, senior writers, and many others. Interested candidates are encouraged to visit the BioWare HR team at Booth #230 in the Career Pavilion at the GDC Expo area in the Moscone Center, or find out more information at the BioWare website: http://jobs.bioware.com.

With a legacy of best-selling hits including Jade Empire™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ and Neverwinter Nights™, BioWare released Mass Effect™ for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system to critical acclaim in November, 2007. This sci-fi action role-playing game has received numerous awards including 2007 Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, and Role-Playing Game of the Year. Other BioWare titles currently in development include the dark heroic fantasy Dragon Age™, and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood for the Nintendo DS™. Unannounced projects include a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, and an additional unannounced title for a next-generation system. BioWare recently became part of Electronic Arts, the world’s leading interactive entertainment company.

“We’re looking for people with a passion for excellence in video game development,” said Derek Sidebottom, BioWare’s Director of Human Resources. “Our core values are Quality in our Products and Quality in our Workplace, and these have been recognized by countless product-specific awards, as well as BioWare being named amongst Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 4 years and Financial Post’s 10 Best Companies to Work For.”

For a listing of available positions, visit the BioWare jobs website at http://jobs.bioware.com.

Game on!

GDC is two weeks away, and as it approaches the din of various rumors regarding what might be announced there has reached a deafening pitch.  Will we get a 2nd Gears of War?  Is there a new Halo title in the works (beyond Halo Wars, of course), will there be a new 360 SKU with an internal HD-DVD Drive, will MS unveil their ‘YouTube for games’? 

What about titles that have arleady been announced?  Will we be treated to new trailers or even perhaps a demo or two? 

According to 360 Rant Rave’s sources, here are a few things you’re likely to see at GDC this year:

-Alan Wake:
Will this highly anticipated title make it for 2008?  Hope is high but at the very least we can expect to see a trailer for the game shown at GDC this year. 

-Ureal Engine 3:
One of the most popular engines of this console gen, Unreal Engine 3 drives many of the games we all love.  Martin Sweitzer from Epic will be on hand at GDC, giving a lecture on an demonstrating the latest features of the Unreal Engine 3. 

-Schappert giving keynote:
With MS’ Live boss providing this year’s GDC keynote speech, can we expect a big announcement from Microsoft?  The buzz says he’ll be discussing new features of XNA and it’s integration with the Xbox 360 and Live. 

-Fable 2 – 3 Big Features Revealed:
Are you ready for Fable 2?  Peter Molyneux is determined to make it a landmark title, and some big features have been added to the game.  What are those features?  We’ll find out at GDC. 

-Spielberg and EA:
These two giants are supposed to be delivering a big announcement at GDC.  A licnesing partnership is in the works that will see Spielberg with with EA to bring some of Spielberg’s movie magic to our little corner of the world. 

GDC begins on February 18th.  Be sure to check back at 360RantRave.com for announcements and updates throughout the show.

 Game on!