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The finish line is finally in sight for Kinect Sports Rivals, after Microsoft announced the Xbox One game hits North America on April 8. Rare's collection of sporting mini-games comes to Australia and New Zealand on the same day, while Europe signs up on April 11.

Kinect Sports Rivals was an Xbox One launch game originally, but Microsoft delayed the motion-control showpiece to give Rare a little more time to spruce it up. In the meantime, a "preseason trial" has been available since launch, letting players take to the waves for free with the wake racing mini-game.

The full Rivals experience adds tennis, bowling, soccer, target shooting, and climbing, as showcased in a new trailer. Going by the video, there's something of a Hunger Games vibe to the whole thing, what with the rival teams and their fancy pants get-ups. True, it doesn't look as violent as Suzanne Collins' dystopian YA sensation, but you never know. [Image: Microsoft]

The Last of Us leads the way in this year's BAFTA Games awards thanks to a hefty ten nominations, and a good thing that is too. It's about time someone recognized Naughty Dog's under-appreciated work.

It's not the only one to dominate the British Academy's nominee list, with Grand Theft Auto 5 turning up in nine categories, and papercraft charmer Tearaway in eight. Both those games and The Last of Us are up for the Best Game gong, alongside competition from Assassin's Creed 4, Super Mario 3D World, and indie immigration-checker Papers Please.

You can scroll the full list of nominees here, but you'll have to wait until the awards show on March 12 to find out the winners. Spoiler: The Last of Us might be one of them. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]

Hideo Kojima has revealed Metal Gear Solid 5 was developed with a filter that would simulate 1980's visuals, but it had to be removed.

The NPD has released its report tracking all video game spending in the US over 2013 and boy y'all like buying some video games. A total of $15.39 billion was spent on games in the US last year.

New physical games earned $6.34 billion throughout 2013, and used game sales and rentals accounted for $1.83 billion. Full game downloads, add-on content, subscriptions, mobile and social network games generated the most cash last year, accounting for $7.22 billion of total video game sales, and compared to 2012's earnings, total video game sales saw a 1 percent increase in 2013. Hardware sales were boosted by the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One this past November, both of which helped hardware sales post a five percent increase year-over-year.

The NPD report concludes that 36 percent of players over the age of 13 played games acquired digitally, showing a rising prominence in digital-acquired games amongst all segments of players. [Image: Rockstar Games]

Not all models of headset will be compatible with the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter coming out in March. Tritton's Warhead and Primer models, as well as the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset and Xbox 360 Wireless Bluetooth Headset are incompatible, as is any headset with the type of dongle you see pictured above. Even if your headset is compatible, however, there are a couple caveats to keep in mind.

According to an Xbox One troubleshooting page, a 2.5mm-to-3.5mm adapter cable included with the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter will allow you to connect to the device for chat audio, but not game audio. For that, you'll need additional cables. If your headset uses an optical audio cable, plug one end into the headset or headset receiver, and the other into the Xbox One's optical audio output port. If your headset connects using RCA, you'll need RCA audio output ports or a 3.5-mm headphone jack output on your TV. If you've got the latter, you'll also want a 3.5mm mini-to-RCA adapter cable.

The upcoming Xbox One Stereo Headset uses a single 3.5mm jack for both game audio and chat audio, so using it is a simple matter of plug and play. Mostly. Before you use either the Xbox One Stereo Headset or the Stereo Headset Adapter, you'll need to update the firmware on your Xbox One controller. And how do you do that? You connect to Xbox Live, remove the controller batteries, plug in the adapter and headset of choice, install an update, and replace the batteries.

Respawn Entertainment will conduct a beta test for Titanfall and all are welcomed to sign up. You can toss your name in the hat by heading the official site here.

After signing up, EA will respond no later than 11:59 PM PST on Feb 17. A valid Origin account is required to join the beta on PC.

Titanfall, a fast-paced multiplayer first-person shooter with gigantic mechs, launches on Xbox One and PC on March 11; the Xbox 360 version drops on March 25. An update for Xbox One, planned for early March, will streamline the friends list interface interface and social features prior to Titanfall's launch on Xbox One. [Image: Respawn Entertainment]

If you want to try and get into the beta for Respawn's multiplayer shooter Titanfall, you're going to need to go here, type some stuff, pick a platform (PC or XB1) and hope for the best.Read more...

Ubisoft has released its second batch of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag multiplayer DLC for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC platforms, expanding the game's online competitive component with a collection of three new characters.

The "Guild of Rogues" pack adds the Siren, Stowaway, and Shaman characters to Black Flag's playable roster, each boasting their own unique skills and abilities. The new content is available as a free download for Season Pass buyers, and is set to hit the PlayStation 3 and PS4 via the PlayStation Network tomorrow.

Ubisoft will follow up today's release with a pair of new multiplayer maps next week, introducing a Kingston-themed level alongside an upgraded version of the classic Assassin's Creed 3 Charleston map. Both new maps will be free to download for all players on February 17.

[Image: Ubisoft]

As promised, NBA Live 14 pumped out a very large patch today to address the many shortcomings, omissions or problems the title showed at launch. Straight away it includes something that should make the game a lot more understandable: A simple practice mode.Read more...

For those craving more moving pictures for Evolve after watching our video preview of the game, Turtle Rock Studios issued a new "Happy Hunting" cinematic trailer today. Unlike our preview, it doesn't offer anything truly informative about the four-versus-one monster shooter, instead showing four characters cautiously stepping through a jungle before encountering one of the game's massive beasts. Of course, one of Evolve's main draws is the option for players to assume control of the beast, waging war against the four-player team. Players can check out the competitive-meets-cooperative multiplayer game on PC, Xbox One and PS4 this fall. [Image: Turtle Rock Studios]

The second DLC pack for the beleaguered Battlefield 4 may be released on February 18, assuming you trust a screenshot captured in a German-language version of EA's digital distribution service, Origin.

Here's the admittedly tenuous situation: A Reddit user under the handle "OurRobOrRos" recently posted the image you see above. He or she claims that it was part of a screencap taken from the German version of Origin a short time ago. As you can see, the image indicates a February 18 release date for the PC version of Second Assault, a DLC pack that will bring four fan-favorite Battlefield 3 maps to Battlefield 4.

If this release date is accurate, it becomes simple to extrapolate the Second Assault release schedule based on EA's previously-announced DLC plans. Second Assault is slated to reach Battlefield 4 Premium members across all platforms first, about two weeks prior to the general public receiving the downloadable addition. Thus, Second Assault would reach Battlefield 4 Premium users on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 on February 18, then become available to the remainder of players in early March. Xbox One users received Second Assault as a timed-exclusive with the launch of their iteration of EA's shooter.

We contacted EA for a comment on this discovery, but were told that the company is currently unwilling to assign a release date to Second Assault. [Image: Reddit]

RPS’ D.I.C.E. Red Carpet Mean Pants Hard Question Corner returns! Honestly, I’ve been pushing for an interview with Microsoft about PC gaming for ages, but the titanic purveyor of Xs and bones has been less than receptive. Fortunately, the red carpet is nice in that there is, for roughly five minutes, NO ESCAPING. So Microsoft partner creative director Ken Lobb approached, and I lobbed every question about Microsoft’s latest (and five millionth) re-dedication to PC gaming I could think of. His responses were vaguely promising, but I’m obviously still skeptical. Here’s what happened. 

… [visit site to read more]

Microsoft is hiring software engineers to work on a new, interactive reading app from the Xbox-branded the Music, Video and Reading team, according to a job listing and confirmed by The Verge. The project is described as "a groundbreaking interactive reading app on Windows, which incorporates books, magazines, and comics." The MVR team has already shipped two Xbox-branded apps for Windows 8.

Microsoft's current Reader app for Windows 8 opens PDF, XPS and TIFF files, and allows users to search texts, take notes, fill out forms, print and share. In Microsoft's Kickstarter Week video released in November, one team shows off a magazine interface that may hint at the Xbox reader app's direction, as spotted by eConnected.

Trains are just unstoppable these days. Just think about Grand Theft Auto V, or in this case, Golmud Railway in Battlefield 4. You can line up anything in front of them, they won't do anything but break the laws of physics.Read more...

Joystiq's latest video preview walks you through Evolve, a new competitive and cooperative shooter from Turtle Rock Studios. We discuss the jetpacks and unique tools that make combat interesting, and how the developer's history with Left 4 Dead bubbles up in this chaotic chase through the jungle. We explain and show the four classes of gun-toting hunters, and cover their violent intersections with the fifth player, bound in the muscular monster on the verge of its next evolution.

Evolve is coming to PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One this fall. [Image: 2K Games]

In a lot of mainstream multiplayer video games, we dress up as a soldier and take on opposing teams of other, similar soldiers. What if there were a game about a team of soldiers taking on one GIANT opponent? Maybe a massive beast that breathes fire? That'd be cool.Read more...

Humanity has yet to invent plasma-based stabbing technology, but we still celebrate Man at Arms' recreation of the iconic Halo weapon, the Energy Sword. Metal isn't a bad substitute for plasma, except when it comes to plastic. Plasma would've done a better job destroying that bottle of Mountain Dew.

Remember that game about the spinning limo? It's called Roundabout and it's been confirmed for Xbox One today. Roundabout will be self-published by developer No Goblin through the ID@Xbox program.

Roundabout, also coming to PC, Mac and Linux, is a game in which players attempt to guide a spinning limousine past urban obstacles and through narrow streets. Roundabout is the product of Dan Teasdale's No Goblin, an indie outfit he started after stints at Harmonix and Twisted Pixel.

If you'd like to sample Roundabout ahead of its launch later this year, No Goblin will have a playable build on showcase at PAX East. This year's PAX East show takes place April 11 - 13 in downtown Boston, and will be held once again at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Unless you've already purchased your ticket, however, the odds of getting into PAX East are pretty much nonexistent. [Image: No Goblin]

Find out the beginning of Ellie's story this week with The Last of Us - Left Behind...

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Developer Respawn Entertainment has unveiled another Titanfall faction spotlight, this time focused on the IMC, or Interstellar Mining Corporation.

Originally known as Hammond Engineering, the group that would become the IMC was first formed to extract resources from various planets for use in industrial construction and fabrication projects. Once the hulking Titans hit the battlefield and demand for the bipedal weapons platforms increased, the IMC achieved stratospheric levels of wealth. Driven by shareholder demands, the IMC now seeks even greater riches, and has employed a well-funded military presence to ensure that nothing gets in its way.

More details on the IMC can be found on the Titanfall website, along with short biographies on three of the group's key members. Titanfall is slated to reach the Xbox One and PC on March 11, with an Xbox 360 version of the game arriving on March 25. [Image: Respawn Entertainment]

Adam Orth, one of last year's most notorious people on the Internet, was nervous last week as he was showing me his new creation: a beautiful, unusual game that he says was borne from his 2013 travails.Read more...

The senior producer of Sniper Elite 3 has discussed why it's currently harder to get the Xbox One to output at 1080p compared to the PS4, though he reckons this will change with time.

Watch Dogs is due out between April and June, during Ubisoft's Q1 2014 - 2015, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The Wii U version has been delayed, Ubisoft confirmed to Game Informer.

"We made the difficult decision to further delay the release of Watch Dogs on Wii U to focus the team's resources where they could have the broadest possible benefit for both our customers and Ubisoft," CEO Yves Guillemot said during Ubisoft's financial call.

Watch Dogs was intended to be a next-gen launch game, but was delayed to spring 2014 a month before the new console launches. At the time of the delay, Guillemot said, "In a world of mega-blockbusters, we have now come to the conclusion that the team needed additional time to realize the game's full potential."

It's a Zelda/Dark Souls/Darksiders mash-up. Yes, it looks as cool as it sounds.

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag has shipped 10 million units to the high seas, Ubisoft announced in its third quarter 2013 - 2014 report. The Just Dance franchise shipped 6 million units during the third quarter, "positioning it once again as the leading casual game brand for consoles," while Rocksmith had "lower-than-expected sales," with 1 million copies shipped.

Ubisoft's fourth quarter includes the launch of South Park: The Stick of Truth for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3; Rayman Legends on PS4 and Xbox One; and open PC betas for The Mighty Quest For Epic Loot and Might and Magic Heroes Online. Watch Dogs, originally pitched as a next-gen launch game, is due out in spring 2014.

You'll only get tomorrow's Xbox One firmware update if you manually choose to download it. But it will also enable all future console updates, including the Party-Chat-upgrade one in March, to be updated in the background if background updates are enabled, an Xbox rep told Kotaku. A good improvement!Read more...

Ultra Street Fighter 4 is one of six confirmed games for this year's Evolution Championship Series, but Super Smash Bros. Melee is a doubt. Event organizer Shoryuken revealed it's in "preliminary discussions" with Nintendo about featuring the GameCube brawler in the fighting game tournament, following the stir its inclusion caused last year.

Melee was the eighth game to be included in last year's line-up, after it won a fan vote that raised $225,724 for breast cancer research. However, a few months after Nintendo moved to claim revenue on Let's Play videos featuring its games, the company requested Melee be removed from the EVO 2013 streaming line-up. The move was received with an immediate backlash, and Nintendo swiftly reversed its decision.

The circumstances are different this time-around. For one, Melee is just another potential game in the line-up, not one voted for by fans with charity money behind it. Still, it'll be interesting to see which way Nintendo swings on approval this time, especially in the same year that a new Super Smash Bros. game is set to arrive on Wii U and 3DS.

As for the rest, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Killer Instinct, and Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma join Ultra Street Fighter 4 as newbies to the championships, while King of Fighters 13 and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 return from last year's selection. The event itself takes place on July 11-13 at the LVH Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, but if you can't make it to Nevada you can always tune in on Twitch. [Image: Shoryuken]

FIFA 14 succumbed to a revamped re-release last week, but it fended off Fable Anniversary to resume its rule over the UK. Proving the intrusion by Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition was just a blip, EA's sporting superstar notched its 10th week total as the country's No. 1 - it's only the 11th game to achieve that feat in Chart-Track's ten-year history.

As for Fable Anniversary, the Xbox 360 HD-ificiation debuted well at retail, taking third this week. It placed just behind perennial runner-up Call of Duty: Ghosts and just ahead of last week's chart leader, Tomb Raider DE.

While FIFA 14 will no doubt continue to sell gazillions as the World Cup approaches, next week should see its pegged back by the first of February's big-hitters: Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13. After that, the next two weeks brings us Thief, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2.

The Lego Movie Videogame, the toy-turned-film-turned-game adaptation from developer Traveller's Tales, is now available, and the kids in the above trailer couldn't be more thrilled; they're getting literally blown away. Okay, so maybe they're getting a gentle breeze in their face. Still. The game about a movie about a toy is available on just about every console: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, Vita and 3DS.

You may have noticed that the release date given in the trailer is February 14, which has not yet come to pass. That's because February 14 is the date for the game's European territory release. Or at least, that's what they want you to think. Notice how the controllers being held by the children in the trailer don't match any platform that the game is available on? We can only assume these people are time travelers. That or wizards. Yeah, wizards makes more sense.

The Lego Movie Videogame: out now in North America and February 14 in Europe, played by child-sorcerers.

Indie-developed mech battle game MAV wants to teach us a valuable lesson: that the best walking tank is the one you build yourself. Inspired by games like Chromehounds, MAV (short for "Modular Assault Vehicle") is a mech battle game about creating and customizing the best rompin', stompin' robot war machine you can.

MAV developer Chad Mauldin is currently asking for $20,000 on Kickstarter, though the game already has its big metal feet off the ground, so to speak. The $20,000 is to bring on an artist so that Mauldin can focus on coding. Mauldin has already released several builds of the game for PC, and those who contribute $20 or more to the campaign get access to these and all future builds starting March 5, 2014, when the Kickstarter ends.

The MAV Kickstarter page stresses that the game isn't about sniping or quick kills, but rather strategic and planned combat, where locational damage and taking advantage of an enemy's structural weaknesses are key. Every module that makes up an assault vehicle in MAV has its own health and armor rating, and the pieces interact with one another. When a piece of your mech is destroyed, it takes with it any pieces that relied on it. See that enemy with seven guns attached to one arm? Just take out the shoulder and he'll find himself unarmed (pun intended).

At the time of writing, Mauldin is more than halfway to his funding goal, with 24 days left. Though he doesn't list any stretch goals, he does note that he'd like to "eventually" bring the game to people not on PC, "whether it be on Mac and Linux, or even PS4 and Xbox One." [Image: Chad Mauldin]