Taking full advantage of Kinect for Xbox 360, Steel Battalion Heavy Armor is a first-person perspective action game that will put players in the cockpit of futuristic Vertical Tanks (VTs) starting June 19. Set in 2082, the game depicts a world devoid of semiconductors, where war is waged with rudimentary weapons as new superpowers struggle for dominance. In a twist of fate, the U.S. army has been forced to begin major landing operations on what was once its own soil. Playing as pilot Lt. Powers, players control one a VT as he embarks on a mission that will see the action shift from North America to battlefields and war-torn streets across the globe. The multiplayer mode of the game made its debut at Captivate 2012.  Capcom’s Antoine Molant was on hand to discuss this sequel in this exclusive interview.

When Minecraft was announced last year for Xbox 360, a lot of folks figured it wasn’t a surprise, since Microsoft is all about lining up exclusive fare for owners of its console.  But, still, isn’t it more at home on a PC?  Could the experience possibly be ported over to Xbox Live Arcade and keep its awesome resourcing system intact?  Well, after a long time in development, the game arrived this week on the Marketplace and answered that question with a well-deserved “yes”.

Halo 4 fans won’t have to wait until November 6th to explore the new Halo 4 universe. Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, will release the second novel in the Kilo-Five Trilogy”written by bestselling novelist and renowned game writer Karen Traviss earlier. HALO: THE THURSDAY WAR will ship in hardcover alongside a simultaneous audio edition on October 2, 2012, giving gamers a full month to explore the universe that Microsoft and 343 Industries is creating based on Bungie’s game franchise.

Throughout the history of video games, the oldest stereotype surrounding the industry has always been do violent video games affect player behavior and personality. It is a known fact that people who play games are exposed to more violence than the average consumer. From nuking entire civilization to obliterating players online, it’s has become more and more common now that games are more focus on squarely providing violent action. For this reason alone, parents have long held an underlining negative attitude towards the industry and those who stand by it, but is this criticism injustice or have developers gone to far? Should government step in?

Tower strategy games aren’t usually my thing.  There, I’ll say it.  I’m more of a hands-on sort of guy, taking command of a unit and delivering damage rather than issuing a command for someone to do it in a turn-based approach.  However, some people really get into this genre, so, for the sake of argument, I thought I’d give Anomaly: Warzone Earth from 11 Bit Studios a fair shot, especially considering the game fared rather well on the iOS market before transitioning to Xbox Live Arcade.  And you know what?  While my general feeling about the genre remains about the same, this game made me want to play longer than I anticipated.

Some games take a lot longer than others to finish.  There can be various reasons for this.  Funding runs out on the project; a new publisher takes over and requests subtle changes to the finished product; longer development time is needed to work out the “kinks”, such as bugs or glitches (yet games still ship with them, sigh); or various other reasons that act as hurdles before reaching the finish line.  And, to be quote honest, Phil Fish and his team at Polytron have seen a bunch of these with Fez.  First introduced around five years ago and seeing all sorts of development snafus and release hitches, it almost seemed like the game was never going to come out.  But today, it’s finally arrived – and it turned out to be worth the wait.

Capcom believes there’s a core audience of gamers who are willing to take the Kinect plunge. The Japanese publisher has enlisted developer From Software to create this sequel to the hit Xbox game, Steel Battalion. Working closely with Microsoft to take full advantage of Kinect, Steel Battalion Heavy Armor is an Xbox 360 exclusive first-person action game that promises to deliver a uniquely immersive experience and an evolution in warfare gaming.

With its release, fans are divided over Star War Kinect.  And it’s easy to see why.  The product offers a lot that ties in with the Star Wars universe, but goes so far off the deep end with certain sections, it could easily be considered one of the most hated things since, well, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.  But keep something in mind when you play it.  Microsoft didn’t build it for the hardcore fans who know within their hearts that Han Solo shot first.  They built it for the casual audience and the kids who would have fun for hours on end waving their arms to swing a lightsaber and steer a podracer.  And in that sense, Star Wars Kinect does what’s promised.

South Park games have been iffy over the past few years, mainly because Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators, didn’t really have any say in what was done to them.  As a result, Acclaim milked the franchise to death on earlier platforms, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of long-time fans.  Lately, the duo has been getting more involved in its digital affairs, teaming up with THQ and Obsidian for an epic action/RPG game coming later this year.  Before then, we have Other Ocean Interactive’s South Park: Tenorman’s Revenge, an elaborate multiplayer platformer that definitely rises above Acclaim’s stinky efforts.  Still, it could’ve been better.

Even though not every Kinect game is what I’d call “user friendly”, I do have to admit that Microsoft has done a great job reaching out to make games that are accessible for all ages.  Kinect Star Wars arrives next week, bringing plenty of racing action and Jedi-powered action with it; and Disneyland Kinect Adventures turned out to be much better than I gave it credit for, and a decent alternative to visiting the real park.  Sandwiched between the two is Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure, a game that features mini-games based on some of the team’s best films.  While slightly flimsier than what Disneyland had to offer, I can’t think of a kid who wouldn’t enjoy this effort.

Back in 2009 RedLynx released Trials HD during Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Packed with endless amount of content and thrills. It was the surprise hit that people are to this day. Even though it was great game no one, not even the developers imagined the game would be a smashing success. It has sold two million units to date and is regarded as one of the best XBLA games on the market. Now after three years, Red Lynx has returned to give you everything you liked in Trails HD, while introducing new features that make Trails Evolution a more complete game.