The Evil Within protagonist makes do without 'extraordinary powers'

The Evil Within won't empower the player beyond "appropriate" weaponry and a delicate dearth of ammunition, claims Director Shinji Mikami.

"We're not giving the player really any extraordinary powers," he told IGN, "but we don't want to go in the opposite direction and not give them any means of fighting back – that would violate the rules of survival horror. So we're looking at appropriate types of weapons with a limited amount of ammunition in order to get them through ... if they're good."

The Evil Within follows a detective named Sebastian, an unfortunate soul summoned to a distorted, labyrinthine asylum crawling with creepy things. Mikami sees the premise as a source of proper scares, and frames it in an overtly cinematic way – right down to the survival-horror game's wider aspect ratio of 2.35:1. (As with some films, this means you'll see black bars above and below the image on HDTVs, which are typically in 16:9 ratio.)

Mikami's approach is reflected, arguably to a fault, in a live-action trailer forThe Evil Within. If you have trouble stomaching the more grotesque parts, just substitute the gore for gourmet foods. The gnarled corpse becomes chicken, and the final shot is spaghetti escaping confinement in a microwave.

Bloomberg: Next Xbox has X86 AMD chip

Microsoft will match Sony's example and use an X86 series processor from AMD in its next console, according to Bloomberg's anonymous sources. The still-unannounced console is said to use a "Jaguar" CPU with integrated GPU, abandoning the IBM PowerPC tech used in the Xbox 360.

That means, like the PS4, the new Xbox will have difficulty emulating its predecessor, since it will be built on different architecture. The good news, however, is that with both of those consoles (allegedly) using similar architecture, and PCs also similarly laid out, multiplatform game development will be much easier.

Except for the Wii U, of course.

The Verge reports that Microsoft is holding some kind of event on May 21, believed to be an Xbox event.

Sony's Xperia SP pairs with DualShock 3 controller, a nice merlot

Sony's Xperia SP smartphone will be able to sync with the PlayStation 3's DualShock 3 controller, allowing you to ditch the onscreen gamepad in compatible PlayStation Mobile games. The DualShock 3 connects to the Xperia SP via Bluetooth.

The DualShock 3 should work with any games that support a USB gamepad.Finally, an excuse to bring a smartphone and a full-size DualShock 3 on the bus.

[April Fool] Microsoft Skipping Next-Gen Console War; Will Focus on Game Publishing

2013 was long thought to be the year the next generation of video game consoles becomes a reality, and after Sony’s official unveiling of the PS4, that future has finally become all the more real. Sony’s reveal was only one part of the equation though, with the other being Microsoft’s new console.

Many believed that gamers might see a next-gen unveiling from Microsoft at this year’s E3, while a more recent rumor suggested the publisher was taking a page from its competitor’s book and staging its own April event. As it turns out, though, neither are true.

In a sudden turn of events, Microsoft today confirmed they will NOT be releasing an Xbox 360 successor, but will be sticking to software development and publishing for the foreseeable future. After seeing what the PS4 was capable of, and looking at their own in-development next-gen hardware, Microsoft realized there was no way they could compete in the necessary time frame. And so, they have followed the old adage of, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

Microsoft broke the news in a Press Release earlier today, which said the company was “very impressed” with what Sony had unveiled, and thought it best not to split the market for the next-gen:

“We looked at what Sony was doing, took a concerted look at our own console, and then decided it was in our best interests not to move forward with our next-gen console. Instead we plan to move into the development and publishing space, and have put into place the early phases of a partnership with Sony whereby all of our content would appear on the PS4.”

When asked what this would mean for in-development projects like the nextGears of War and Halo 5, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer wouldn’t say much, but hinted that gamers should keep their eyes peeled to Sony’s E3 press conference for more news.

This means that future iterations of Microsoft’s prized franchises are all headed to PC and most surprisingly, Sony’s console, crossing a boundary that has never before been crossed. More gamers than ever will be able to experience some of this past generation’s most successful franchises.

This unexpected revelation should put gamers in a tailspin as they no longer have to save up for multiple consoles. Additionally, the “console wars” that have been fought for over a decade has lost one of its key combatants. With Nintendo losing favor among the next-gen crowd, it’s now down to the PS4 and PC in the battle for next-gen supremacy.

What do you think about Microsoft skipping the next-gen and moving into games publishing exclusively? Is this a smart move on their part?

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Officially Revealed

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What is the fifth Metal Gear Solid? Why, it's the previously revealed Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain combined.

Series creator Hideo Kojima took to the stage at GDC 2013 to unveil the new installment, and he even showed off a five and a half minute gameplay demo. It also gives us our first full look at the much-vaunted Fox Engine.

The story starts after Snake awakens from a 9-year coma. He wakes up next to the figure of Ishmael, whose face was covered in bandages in The Phantom Pain. The demo shows off MGSV's tutorial level and as you can see, Snake has trouble with even simple coordination after 9 years on his back. But he soon regains his ability and at that point, I'm sure we're off on another memorable MGS adventure. The game is slated to hit the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 but we don't have an estimated release date; here's hoping it's ready for the holidays! The sooner the better with this one, right?

Unfortunately, long-time Snake actor David Hayter will not be reprising his starring role. As he recently Tweeted:

"Well look, at least I had a good run."

A fan wondered if Hayter was even asked to play Snake and his reply was simple- "Nope." That's really too bad, but we have to assume Kojima knows what he's doing, right?

Fez coming to Steam May 1

A Windows version of Polytron's infinite puzzle dimension portal, Fez, will be released on May 1, as revealed by the game's new Steam page. Like the XBLA version, it's listed as developed by Polytron and published by Trapdoor.

The Steam page does not show any new features, but at the very least it'll be easier to take screenshots of all the beautiful things you'll see, and, for the sake of your own sanity, the occasional screenshot of a glyph you hope to translate later. Patches should be easier too.

If you'd like to start the fun before the release of the game, you can ask creator Phil Fish anything on Reddit right now.

Phil Fish: Fez 'should be out on pretty much everything,' eventually

Fez has found its way to Steam, hitting PCs on May 1 – but that's not all developer Phil Fish has up his tiny, red hat. Fish hosted a Reddit AMA today, where he revealed Mac, Linux, Vita, Ouya and iOS versions of Fez are all in various stages of planning and development.

Mac and Ouya ports are definitely on the way, while Linux is part of some "vague plans, but plans nonetheless. Fez should eventually be out on pretty much everything," Fish said. For Vita and PSN, Fish said he's working with Sony "to figure something out." An iOS launch is "highly probable."

Fish also says "thanks for all the spreadsheet jokes." And you all thought you were so original.

Check out all of the Fez information you never knew you wanted right here, and make sure to see the Fez Fish Gaijin Games created for Runner 2 (Warning: It's a fish in tightie whities, and we do mean tight).