Brand is a new indie game that’s finally made its way to the Xbox Live Arcade. This innovative little title is available for just 240 Microsoft Points, which is a great price for the content you’ll pick up. The game is elegant, colorful, and full of action that is reminiscent of the type of indie games that are quite catchy in the eye of the gaming community at the present.

In Brand, it is up to you to take a meager sword and turn it into a weapon worthy of royalty. You’ll choose a character, which we’ve just learned that your own Xbox Avatar can be chosen, and guide them through various quests for the Smith. These quests will grant your sword with powers and abilities, changing it into a very deserving weapon. There are only a set number of abilities you can add to the weapon before it gets put to the test, so this creates a level of strategy that keeps the game interesting.

You can see Brand in its release trailer below. Though the controls look to be a bit laggy, the game still looks to perform adamantly. There is a vivid world to explore, tons of power-ups to obtain, and plenty of enemies upon which to test your new blade. Go ahead and grab Brand now and give it a try.

Some buzz has been making its way around the net concerning Microsoft and the possibility of seeing a new Xbox this coming year. Rumors have sprouted saying that a new console will have Kinect built-in, others say that it will finally be able to play Blu-Ray discs. Well, these rumors have continued their circulation, though now Microsoft France has stepped up to squash them all. According to this division of the company ,no new Xbox system will be coming in 2012, period.

Marketing Director Cedrick Delmas took the time to comment on the Xbox’s future in an interview with French site Lepoint.fr. “We’re an industry that talks a lot, that likes telling stories. I am not convinced that things will happen this year. The Xbox 360′s cycle is over at all. The proof is that we haven’t price cut this year. Afterward, what will happen at E3, it’s still too early to say. What’s certain is that there will be nothing new in 2012.”

Talk about a buzzkill, right? It looks like Microsoft France is taking up the role of speaker for the entire company, and assuring gamers that they should not be expecting anything new in the way of consoles this coming year. Delmas even went on to comment on the Wii U and Nintendo, claiming that Microsoft isn’t trying to counter Nintendo with a rival console. For now we’ll just need to look forward to E3 and see what comes of the event. For more of the interview, head on over to the post here.

According to rumor over at The Daily, Microsoft is testing the use of the Kinect on laptops, with Windows 8 as the OS. The Kinect sensors seem to be placed above the screen and below it are a set of LEDs.

Though nothing official has been said yet about what you could do with the Kinect on the laptop, it’s easy to imagine that there are tons of possibilities. One possibility brought up in the article is the ability to switch programs based on a wave of your hand. With this, I can almost see something out of Minority Report .

No new major advancements in interacting with computers have occurred since the mouse, and while most people have no problems using the device, it’s not always known to be friendly to people with disabilities. While I don’t think the mouse and keyboard are going away anytime soon, I can easily see the Kinect becoming a preferred way for some people to interact with their computer.

It looks like the internet is at it again, this time with a different type of site scam. From what it seems, there is a fake Halo 4 beta sign up site that is offering up false beta invites.

David Ellis, Content Editor for 343 Industries, made it aware on his Twitter that this site and any other like it are definitely not real. The URL (halo4beta dot com) is actually being used for a phishing scam that takes the information of those who signs up and uses it for scamming purposes. We don’t know who is behind the site, but Microsoft has picked up their lance and headed straight into battle against them.

Microsoft will need to prove that the site is being used for malicious intent before their complaint can make its way through, but we don’t think they’ll have much trouble. The bottom line? Don’t go to the site, and don’t fall for any other beta sign up sites for Halo 4. We assume a beta will come eventually, but for now both Microsoft and 343 are making it known that there’s nothing official set.

Concept Image by Joseph Dumary

According to a recent article by Kotaku, the next Xbox might not play used games. According to their source, Microsoft will be using some sort of anti-used game system for their next console. It’s not known how they would implement such a system, but the author of the article theorizes that the copy of the game is linked to the account. He then goes to say, though, that such a measure could be defeated by simply keeping the system offline.

I would guess that if Microsoft were to incorporate an anti-used gaming system for their console, they would probably just do what the PC industry has been doing for over a decade: CD keys. I could see the newest Xbox being the first system that would require an internet connection, so that the keys could be tied to the account.  This would ensure that even if the player were to get rid of the game, another person can’t just pick it up and start playing it without giving the publisher any extra money. EA has the Online Pass system, where all new copies of their games come with a free Online Pass, but if you were to get the game second-hand, you’d have to purchase an Online Pass in order to use the multiplayer options. This kind of a system could be adopted easily to work for whole games.

The question remains, though, is this right? Many games are bought used from locations like GameStop and EB Games, and the stores keep all the profits from these used game sales. It is understandable that the publishers want to see more of that money. But what about the people who can’t afford to pay out the 50 or 60 dollars for each new game, and instead trade and borrow amongst their friends? What will happen to the video game rental industry when a system like this is implemented? There are too many questions to be addressed, and I don’t know if Microsoft has thought out the ramifications of such a system. I will say this, though, it will be a sad day when a person has to jump through so many different hoops just to play their game at a friend’s house.

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I hate Microsoft Points. Why? Because no matter what I do, I always have some that I can’t spend. I’ll load up on them when I want to buy DLC, or download an XBLA game, but when I get done buying the things I want, there are still points left over. Yes, since they don’t expire, they’ll be there the next time I want something. But that’s not the point. When I want to make a purchase, I expect to pay the exact amount, and recieve my item. But that’s not the business model Microsoft wanted, because leftover points means you’re more likely to make another purchase, which you’ll have to buy another block of points to make. It’s like when you go to a carnival, and you have to use tickets to make purchases. No one likes that. So yeah, fuck you MS Points.

There is good news around the corner, if rumors are to be believed. Namely, Microsoft Points are on the way out. That’s right, you’ll be able to buy products with real currency, rather than a point system. The reason for this likely has nothing to do with the Xbox 360, but rather Microsoft’s mobile platform. You see, while you can buy apps for real money, some of the downloadable content within the apps requires MS Points. Talk about confusion.

According to rumor, the company plans on completely phasing out the Points system by the end of this year. This is the case across all platforms, including Xbox Live. For those who still have points during the switch, you’ll have those converted into your local currency. I don’t doubt that Microsoft will begin making retail cards available in the same way Sony does for PSN, for those who do not wish to add a credit/debit card to their account. We’ll keep you posted on this rumor as it develops.

When it comes to Kinect, it seems like there are three groups. First, you have the group that enjoys casual games like Kinectimals. Then, there is the group that has hacked it to work on the PC, and uses it for a variety of purposes. Finally, you have the people that just don’t care. Most people I know fall into the last category. Of course, that’s not going to stop Microsoft from putting all of their weight behind the product.

The company has recently announced that they will be making the Kinect available on the PC starting February 1st. If you’re a bit confused, don’t worry, you’re in good company. It’s already been proven time and again that the currently available hardware works just fine on a PC. So why the new branding? We’re not sure. At least it’ll be the same price, right?

In a strange move, Microsoft has announced that the Kinect for Windows will retail for a whopping $250. Yes, that’s $100 more than the Xbox version is currently selling for. What we don’t know is why it costs so much extra. But what I really want to know is who they expect to buy this. The people who care about using motion controls with their PC likely already have one, and you’re going to be hard-pressed to convince those that don’t to shell out an extra $100 for the “Windows” version. As of now, there has been no word on any hardware changes between the two models, so my only guess is that you’re paying a premium for software, which would simply be ridiculous.

This has been one great year for gaming. There were plenty of titles that arrived this year that made jaws drop, wallets empty, and hearts flutter all throughout the gaming community. There were so many, in fact, that it was difficult to keep up with them all.

Lucky for us, Youtuber MalcomWKlock has taken some time out of his busy schedule to help us remember just what 2011 has brought us. In a video that’s just under 2 minutes in length, we get to see a snippet of each title that’s graced us with its presence.

Not only is the video cool and educational, it’s set to some pretty sweet tunes. We see all of our favorites like Batman: Arkham City and L.A. Noire to Alice: Madness Returns and Rage. To muse on this past year in gaming, check out the video below. After watching it, what would you choose as your favorite games of the year?

Back a couple of months ago on September 20th, Epic Games released their ending entry into the shooter franchise they call their lovechild. Gears of War 3 launched into the widespread arms of fans across the globe, and with it came a closing door to a series that’s been around since the launch of the Xbox 360. The developer recently held a special holiday event for all players, showing that new content is ripe with the title. Though it’s far from dead, Gears of War 3 does have some surprising news attached to it today.

The game finally has an Xbox Live demo, arriving over two months out from the game’s launch date. It’s the same demo that was shown when Cliff Bleszinski played the game on Jimmy Fallon’s late night TV show, and it’s free for Gold Subscribers. Players jump right into the action and play as Marcus on the “Shipwreck” level.

It’s odd to me that the demo would appear now, this far out from the game’s release date. I can pretty much say that everyone who wanted to get the game has already purchased it, if not got it as a Christmas present. That being said, though, the demo does a great job of snatching those on-the-fence players, and it could potentially bring some new gamers in on the action. I’d like to see some Multiplayer or Horde Mode in the demo, but what am I saying? I already own the game. If you don’t, however, you should give the demo a test run. My bet’s that you’ll love it.

Coming this January, Xbox Live will be removing all of the guns from avatars for good. The news comes from the Epic Games’ community manager, and for good reason. The announcement was bundled with the service announcement that if Gears fans haven’t picked up the Lancer or Hammerburst props, they better get on it now.

The new policy, at its core, does away with the sale of “gun-like” items on the Xbox Live Marketplace. It doesn’t actually remove the purchased props from avatars that already purchased them, or ban equipping them. After the new year, however, you won’t be able to add anymore gun props to any of your avatars, so you’ll want to grab some Microsoft Points and do so while you can.

We don’t exactly know why Microsoft has made this decision, and we’re still waiting on their word. The props aren’t exactly offensive, and they add a little bit of flair to player avatars. They’re also a great way to show your pride for whatever game they’re from. The bottom line here, is to get strapped while you can.