600°

Natal’s River Rush Screenshot Is Real-Time

Judging by the screenshot, the game looks really, really good compared to previous Natal game Ricochet. Turn 10 community manager, Che Chou, confirmed that the screenshot is indeed real-time and not CG, also informs that the game has really good graphics, especially the water effects. Expect a full information blow out tonight regarding Microsoft’s Project Natal.

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gamesthirst.com
Cajun Chicken5082d ago

And I should be surprised...because?

mrv3215082d ago

It's a Natal game that doesn't have a red ball... isn't that enough for you? Mind you that raft is red.

Not that good graphics, especially considering the genre, and yes the genre matter for example RTS's look bad, Racers have great graphics because you only have to load a track and not a level.

SOAD5082d ago

I think the screenshot looks great. I just don't understand how the player is going to use Natal to play the game.

jack_burt0n5082d ago

@SOAD

You and the other players have to move around the raft to steer it and keep it balanced, you all have to jump in unison to jump over branches and stuff.

Iamback5082d ago

Lol why would that be CG, its not like it looks THAT good ROFL

ColdFire5082d ago

RTS doesn't have to look bad, what are you basing that on?

Triella5082d ago

of this video are River Rush's gameplay, apparently you need to jump when necessary.

webeblazing5082d ago

triella imma have to keep that vid for when i need a laugh

D4RkNIKON5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

Gameplay of jumprope. confirmed.

mrv3215082d ago

RTS's look bad because your controlling a large amount of units on a large map that CANNOT be streamed. Here's my example

ANY FPS running on a PC.. so long as it's recent and not poorly coded VS any other RTS on the same PC.

I love RTS's don't get me wrong, great depth BUT they are large battles and the second you zoom in close you notice the animations which are to say the least lacking, then the detail also really low compared to other genres, not due to a developer but because that's what's needed. I'd rather a fluid and fun RTS like C&C:TS other a RTS with crysis engine running poorly.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 5082d ago
HolyOrangeCows5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

1) It's a small image.
2) The supposed claim by the Turn 10 community manager is lacking a source.

That's GamesThirst for ya.

EDIT: It got approved of anyway. Good job, guys. Pfft.

Nike5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

I don't know why they didn't include the GAF post as the source (it still would have been classified as a Rumour) in the actual news article. My only guess is that he was afraid we'd mark at as "Wrong Source" and report it. Next best thing: Hide it altogether and no one will be the wiser.

Which is funny because if he simply reported it as being from NeoGAF and put it under Rumours, he wouldn't have had so many reports. :P

@Gaystation 3: Wait, dev comments on forums still qualify as legitimate news posts (even if they're rumours). So this can still be reported as the wrong source.

Gaystation 35082d ago

It wasn't hard to find. I saw Che post this earlier today on NeoGAF http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

HolyOrangeCows5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

I trust Turn 10 staff as far as I can throw them. Did he have anything to do with the creation of this game or has he played it? (I'm asking)
EDIT: I just checked, he never answers anyone's questions about playing it.

But still, more importantly, it's a tiny image.
What can we really get out of it?

Gaystation 35082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

I think he's just played it. His comment did not reveal much, just that the screenshot was real and had very good water effects.

@Nike

I would suggest contacting Catastrophe and asking her to edit the story.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5082d ago
Godmars2905082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

The one they show before the dancing family. Why not just show - and release that?

Also, thought the question wasn't weather or not Natl games would deliver decent graphics, but weather or not they could deliver graphics on equal to high-end 360-only titles? That you'll even see hardcore games on it at all.

For which a rafting doesn't qualify.

air15082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

why do you always feel so threatened by natal?

what part of we will still have hardcore games dont you get? if fun family games dont interest you then fine i understand that you have to be 100% hardcore at all times, you will still have that choice. but why try so hard to ruin it for ppl that wouldnt mind giving it a shot?

and why does everything have to be some conspiracy theory with you? they dont want to show it cause they want to do it at E3, do you not get it?

Godmars2905082d ago

I only asked why there's an article about a screen shot when there's video. Also why the same people into Halo and MW getting wet over a family game.

You'd think a Halo or MW type game using Natal would do that.

air15082d ago

we both know that you are stealth trolling, so lets not get all " but all i said was...." on me.... flip flopping will not work.

ppl are interested in the damn game, plain and simple. again, i can understand that you can not put your hardcorness to the side for a few, but why constantly try and ruin it for every one? dont make me post up your history with my last bubble. the images look great it looks good enough for a "fun family" game. just so you know i enjoyed many games over the years that didnt have the best graphics.

IdleLeeSiuLung5082d ago

"dont make me post up your history with my last bubble. the images look great it looks good enough for a "fun family" game. just so you know i enjoyed many games over the years that didnt have the best graphics."

Doesn't what you already said speak for itself? Just leave him alone to hate!

air15082d ago

yea, but someone had to sit him down... kid was on a rampage, lol...

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5082d ago
PoSTedUP5082d ago

jumping? now thats to much "gaming" for me lol i am a lazy sack, i hardly want to stand up for psMOVE let a lone jump up and rattle my weak wooden floors which is attached to my house (having more then one person jumping up at the same time would make too much rukkus and knock over china cabinets lol)

i was hoping i would only have to grab fruits off of the tree branches with my arms and maybe legs or something, that as far as i will go. this sounds like a console that is made to be played outdoors. good luck with that MS.

PCnPS3Gamer5082d ago

imo this game does look cool an the graphics are decent and if i was a casual id be all over this....but like seriously guys natal is so casual its not even funny. like the wii is even more hardcore....I'll always go back to my dual shock 3 but im not gunna lie its nice to play wii with your parents...tried getting my dad to play a game with ds3 and he couldnt figure out how to look around and walk at the same time with the joysticks....so if i got move i could bring it down with me and we could play golf and pool etc....you can hate on motion gaming all you want but it does have upsides...i dont prefer the move over natal or wii cause sony made it i prefer it cause it has buttons similar to the wii but way better. and i liked the wii, so im gunna love move. how many people with bad knees arent gunna be able to play natal i like to see a senior citizen jump for this raft game yeah right.

ms you should've took a hit when nintendo and sony past off on this tech 149 price tag say hi. also theres a reason sony didnt push the eyetoy as a new incredible innovation like what ms is doing cause they dont spread lies lol :p

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 5082d ago
DelbertGrady5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

Nice to see some confirmation that Natal games won't have to sacrifice the graphics at the expense of motion controls. The game is probably part of some kind of party pack that will come bundled with the console. Not my cup of tea so I'm hoping they show something more hardcore as well.

@Cajun Chicken - Because there's been lots of talk about Natal stealing processing power leading to an eventual compromise in the visual department. Now we at least know that pretty graphics like the ones in the screenshot will be possible.

Wow! 3 disagrees in 3 minutes. I bet you bubbled me down just for the sake of it also. :) *waves to stalkers*

edit: 5 disagrees in 6 minutes. New personal best lol. I don't see what's so offensive with my comment?

FangBlade5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

Because your wrong, baka.
How can you say something stupid like "Nice to see some confirmation that Natal games won't have to sacrifice the graphics at the expense of motion controls" when it's been confirmed by many that natal is going to use 10~30% of the Xbox 360's Xenon processor.

fail.

Bluemaster775082d ago

last i check the 360 has an competent GPU that handles all of its Graphics so that theoretical 10-30% you mentioned would be irrelevant

rob60215082d ago

I would be more worried about the budget developers will put into Natal games, considering the small user base. Cause turn 10 has a game that looks ok, doesn't mean everyone else does.

iliimaster5082d ago

whats a bubble down? serious question

candystop5082d ago

N4G works on a bubbles system. We are able to press the green button to help give a person more bubbles or press the red bubble to take away comment bubbles. SO basically if your losing bubbles it's because people want to silence you.

Inside_out5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

Hey Soda...saw the vid the other day...while all the PS3 kids were making fun of the reporter and his family having good time with Ricochet, you could clearly see the river rafting game running in the background with outstanding graphics. Unreal engine 3 is powering many of the apps we will see. Expect alot more. I think arcade games like Trial HD will offer a glimpse of what we can expect on Natal...ENJOY...The power of the 360...love this trailer...

webeblazing5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

wait are you saying trail hd is 4 natal and that psn dont have good looking games

Corepred45082d ago

really. really? really! really? outstanding graphics? lol give it a break man. i wonder if your trolling or is this really how you feel about it. i really hope your not that blind because some of your comments i think would make even MS laugh at you.

candystop5082d ago

Wait a sec webeblazing! Who the heck said anything about PSN? Why are you bringing up PS in 360 news anyway? I want to see some good stuff from Sony Tuesday but I see no reason to bring it up here. Right now nobody cares about Playstation because this isn't the place for it! Get it? Got it? Good!

webeblazing5082d ago

hey im trying to figure out what he saying the graphic in the game looks like any other arcade game. and this is the first time i herd about trails hd gonna be for natal and he says its the power of 360 do you even read what people write

n4gno5082d ago

"the power of the 360"

lol, sure, it's better than wii.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5082d ago
Shaman5082d ago

@FangBlade
That mere 15% of xcpu is nothing,todays games are gpu bound,not cpu and since from cpu you can always get more performance with careful optimizing and proper planing same cant be applied on gpu,they have fixed functions.Anyway...IF MS wants Natal games to look something ala RE5 or Gears of War 2 they can make it with not much problems,only thing that remains is,is that needed for casuals?

TotalPS3Fanboy5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

it will be sacraficing gameplay. This game all on rail. You have no control at all. It's all QTE. You watch a video of your boat going down a river, and duck when there's a branch and jump when there's a rock. That's all.

That may be fun for the first 5 minutes. But it quickly wears off. To be successful, Natal needs to integrate into real games. Hardcore games that players will play for hours.

bobdog6265082d ago

But if Natal has Hand Gesture Controls like i think they do .Its a Rap ,Sonys Move won't stand a Chance against that.

jerethdagryphon5082d ago

precisly,

that said, natals technolagy as it is is not suited for fps or tps which is the priome market of the 360,

simply put unless it has a list of motions that are valid for control,

there wont be animations to support the wide variety of actions people will use in a shooter.

movement will have to be either walking in place or whatever but at any rate icant see someone doing arobic excercise for hours after work.

on rails or limited motions like racing yes even scaking ican see working but the main games no nochance.

in order for it to work on a hard core game there would have to be next to no animations for combat and use live mapping (aka mocap tracking) to handle any odd movements

meaning it has to be able to do anything, from a guy picking up 2 guns in a game meant for one to spary and praying over the top of a baracade, add into that a physix system capable of dealing with multiple collisions and it starts to get out of hand.

natal will be extremly difficult to implement for mainstream games,

only rickochet has shown the any motion stuff and thats just eye toy tech with deapth..

i will how ever wait to judge until a final product is released

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5082d ago
Nike5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

I checked the site, and even scoured the web looking for where the comm manager of Turn 10 said this. Came up with nothing. GamesThirst has no source on their site, no quotes, no videos, nothing to prove they spoke to him exclusively. For all you know they're just making this up to get hits, and it's sad because it looks like it'll hit front page anyway at this rate.

Hallmark Moment5082d ago (Edited 5082d ago )

It's a -alaa- article he just threw it together to get people to flame. His goal is what you see in the first 3 comments.

-alaa- is actually one of the biggest anti Natal members on this site he's sneaky about it. Looks kind of cool for a XBLA game.

EDIT Below

WTF?

Anyways you can tell it's about that time.

LtSkittles5082d ago

Alaa didn't do it unless Alaa is N4PS3G.

LtSkittles5082d ago

N4PS3G always submits crap from Fernando who is a writer on on GT

ThatCanadianGuy5082d ago

"Writer" is being a bit generous no? Fanboy blogger, at best.

jack_burt0n5082d ago

I am not posting the vid but there is already footage of the game available.

Show all comments (88)
290°

More Job Losses At Xbox, “There’s More To Come”: Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott in a recent episode commented on the on-going Microsoft fiasco hinting at more job losses and that "there's more to come".

Read Full Story >>
spieltimes.com
Sonic18811d 5h ago (Edited 1d 5h ago )

There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future . Xbox has to pay Microsoft back. It might take two decades to do that.

sagapo1d 2h ago (Edited 1d 2h ago )

I don’t understand what you’re saying. Xbox IS microsoft so there’s no “paying back “.
And MS gross profit in 2023 was over 140 billion dollars so forget your 2 decades.

Unless you mean the money MS invested in Xbox (acquisitions included) and the time it will take for xbox as a brand to gain that money back on it’s own, then yeah, that could take a while.

romulus2319h ago

The better term to use might be return on investment, xbox is simply a division of Microsoft one that MS can easily do away with if profit margins are not met. So in that regard he's right, if xbox isn't showing the expected return on investment the higher ups are expecting than it's unlikely Microsoft will acquire any other studios any time soon, especially if they are spending billions buying developers just to shut them down in the end.

MrBaskerville12h ago(Edited 12h ago)

Xbox is a division that they discussed shutting down but doubled down on after Gamepass was pitched.

It needs to make money at some point. Big money.

rokos10h ago

According to Statista the net income of Microsoft is about $72.4 billion dollars which is a bit lower than last year profit. That is almost as much as Activision's acquisition but I assume that would be a one off since it costs so much plus I see how their focus has been shifted to AI, thus any major future investments will probably be in that area.

Markusb339h ago

i think you are really missing the point

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 9h ago
SonyStyled1d 1h ago

“There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future”

No bro, there do be is for Microsoft not acquiring for what is now if not what it be is 😂

23h agoReplies(2)
ChasterMies13h ago

Xbox isn’t a separate company from Microsoft. It’s all Microsoft.

Abear217h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Let’s be real, this is the media spinning all the acquisitions and liquidations of said developers and spinning it to make M$ the villain.

This was bound to happen, a bigger slice of pie and cut costs, when the games come they stand to make more and that’s their agenda—it was the writing on the wall when the sales went through and legally all those who approved the sale and mergers knew this would happen.

Snowflakes need to realize business is ugly and you can cry all you want but this is how capitalism works. And it works.

That said, M$ needs to steer the narrative and grab hold of all this, make their plans known, hype the hell out of all those dead IP’s they plan to revive, and be honest about the timeline. This is likely to involve mobile and IP on other consoles, and most people realize that.

The problem is this company is incapable of being transparent and seems to often want to dissuade and confuse is customer base. The lack of E3 has hurt Microsoft and I don’t think they know how to properly or effectively market their brand anymore.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 7h ago
jwillj2k41d 5h ago

There really needs to be a class action lawsuit here. You buy these companies just to put people out of jobs. And it’s not like something happened to derail their plans this WAS the plan. Microsoft has no business in this space at all.

franwex1d 4h ago (Edited 1d 4h ago )

Microsoft has been doing this for years. They simply want the IPs. Look at Nokia. Look at Skype. This time it simply expanded to games. Gaming is not as important to Microsoft’s executives as it was to the founders too. Bill Gates was willing to sell the og Xbox at a loss. Steve Balmer approved the red ring of death fiasco. This CEO isn’t really a gamer.

-Foxtrot1d 3h ago

Maybe it's time though to put a stop to it and use a big giant like Microsoft as a huge example to the rest of these big companies.

There has to be a line drawn somewhere.

People like the FTC and the like went against Microsoft yet their Actvision deal was still allowed to go through yet look what's happened...it's not even Acitivisions studios aswell, it's Bethesdas.

Jon615868h ago

You do realize this happens in ALL industries? Or are you just saying this because it is Microsoft? In any case I feel for those that are being let go but the trch industry is suffering right now.

jwillj2k44h ago(Edited 3h ago)

This absolutely does NOT happen all the time. Let me know the last time 1 company with a terrible product track record spent 100 billion onto acquire MULTIPLE successful companies in under a year only to shut them down and stop making their products regardless of how successful they were. Not merge them, completely shut them down.

And you can’t use Microsoft in your example.

Notellin4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

Class action lawsuit? The law is on their side and protects them at all costs. There are no rules to protect the people at the bottom.

jwillj2k44h ago

Not true when it comes to mass layoff do your research.

RNTody1d 4h ago

Ninja Theory, Perfect Dark, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Wolfenstein 3, Dishonored, Prey, Doom, Quake... something tells me that bad things are going to happen to these entities under Microsoft.

MrDead17h ago

ID software, the makers of Doom and Wolfenstein that have been with us since 1991 could be gone and MS will keep the IPs.

I hope some of these studios can buy their freedom from MS otherwise this is going to be even more devastating for the industry and gamers.

Yui_Suzumiya15h ago(Edited 15h ago)

That's exactly what I'm worried about. I've been a fan of id since Wolfenstein 3D and I'm honestly afraid.

lodossrage11h ago

Toys for Bob saw the writing on the wall and bought themselves out.

Wouldn't be the first time a company did that under MS either. Bungie and Twisted Pixel did the same. Considering what just happened, I can see some other devs trying to buy themselves out too.

anast1d 3h ago

Good thing the bosses of all those small studios made their money.

glenn19791d 3h ago

they cant do it right now they will get burned

XiNatsuDragnel18h ago

Phil and his team need to be gone

lodossrage11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

Won't make a difference.

The whole structure needs to be overhauled. Anyone that replaces Phil will be no different than him, Mattrick, or anyone else.

Until the company changes how they go about business, nothing will change

glenn19798h ago

I just don't have any idea what they would do , they have done sooo much damage on their xbox brand, they have a show at July or June I think, but will it even matter even they show amazing games, idkn

lodossrage11h ago

True,

But they may as well get it over with. Whether it happens now or later, the burning is going to hit the same.

Reality is the ONE move that can alleviate a lot of this is the one move they can't make. Remove day 1 from gamepass.

Show all comments (64)
90°

Microsoft Opening Xbox Mobile Game Store in July

The Xbox brand is expanding, as an Xbox mobile game store is opening this coming July where Microsoft will brings its "first-party portfolio."

Jin_Sakai2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

“Bond adds that they will start on the web”

This will go nowhere.

Nice knowing you Xbox. This is what happens when the house never gets cleaned.

MrDead2d ago

The only this MS is expanding is the amount of feculence it sprays on everyone who just want to enjoy gaming and make games.

The best thing MS can do for the gaming industry is leave and never return.

XiNatsuDragnel2d ago

Good luck with this even it might not succeed.

Show all comments (7)
210°

Microsoft once tried to nab LittleBigPlanet from Sony after a few drinks

It turns out that many moons ago, Microsoft once had its eye on the Sony published LittleBigPlanet series.

Read Full Story >>
eurogamer.net
XiNatsuDragnel3d ago

Microsoft had a good idea but fumbled it again.

Cacabunga2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Project Spark idea was decent but they quickly gave up ..
LBP was wonderful

ApocalypseShadow3d ago

Microsoft in a nutshell. Always tried to poach Sony employees, games, 3rd party games and devices like the depth camera that was turned into Kinect but was running on PS2 before Xbox 360. Wouldn't be surprised they wanted LBP. Just like they worked behind the scenes pushing the MLB to bring Sony's baseball game to Xbox instead of making their own.
https://www.playstationlife...

They didn't spend years trying to develop their own baseball game. They wanted Sony's game.

They're scum.

Zachmo1822d ago

Microsoft didn't force MLB on Xbox. MLB gave Sony 2 options either go multiplat or risk losing the license.

Rynxie1d 19h ago

And why do you think MLB said that? I believe Ms approached MLB.

ApocalypseShadow1d 18h ago (Edited 1d 18h ago )

Totally ridiculous comment.

The only exclusivity Sony had was to their own creation of The Show. Microsoft could have paid the MLB for the license just like Sony did and made their own baseball game.

Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox. They're worth 3 TRILLION dollars. You think that's not enough money to make their own baseball game? Don't be delusional.

Microsoft spun it like they always do and told the media that they had to trust Sony with their hardware. After they put Sony in that position of not having a choice. Either go multiplatform or stop making one of their successful games. That's a no win scenario.

And what did Microsoft do? They didn't try to sell the game to the Xbox community. They put it on game pass to hurt Sony. Pushing the idea of why buy games that are $70 when you can play them in their cheap service for $10. It was a dirty tactic.

You fell for the Kool aid drink Microsoft served you instead of spitting it out. Hope it tasted good because you were fooled by Phil and the gang.

1d 13h ago
Hereandthere1d 10h ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

Bond revealed that MLB The Show “always came up” in conversations between Microsoft and the Major League Baseball organization. “We always said, ‘We love this game. It would be a huge opportunity to bring it to Xbox.'” she recalled. However, when Microsoft’s efforts materialized, it put the company in an awkward situation where it had to send in pre-release consoles to a rival company.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1d 10h ago
Notellin1d 15h ago

"Microsoft instead, groomed MLB for years in trying to poach Sony's game and bring it to Xbox."

Take a nap, conspiracies are rotting your brain.

1d 13h ago
Hereandthere1d 10h ago

Xbox executive Sara Bond has told Axios that Microsoft spent a number of years trying to get MLB The Show onto Xbox consoles. And when it finally succeeded in breaking off PlayStation’s long-held exclusivity, the company had to “trust” Sony with pre-release Xbox Series X/S consoles.

ApocalypseShadow20h ago

Lying to yourself is unbecoming.

Article link tells you all you need to know in Sarah Bond's own words.

Hereandthere1d 10h ago

They were too cheap/inept/lazy to develop their own mlb game, so they port begged for years and bribed the mlb to make the show multiplatform. Like i said many times, xbox brought nothing to the table their 24 years, ZERO.

ApocalypseShadow20h ago

At least you and others get it. Note drank the Kool aid and asked for seconds thinking it was refreshing.

Most don't even know how it all played out but it's there in black and white for all to see. Microsoft brought it up for years until the MLB forced Sony's hand. It was a win win for Microsoft. Kill one reason to buy a PlayStation or kill the game by dropping it in a cheap service to kill Sony's sales numbers on PlayStation.

OtterX2d ago

"However, Healey said Media Molecule wouldn't have felt right doing that, adding it would have been "morally corrupt"."

Major kudos to Media Molecule for being an upright studio with principles.

Cockney15h ago

They chose well, Sony gave them the backing to pursue their dreams with no restrictions even tho their games especially dreams have very niche appeal. Media molecule and Sony deserve respect for this in an age of risk averse publishing.

RNTody2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Great, more stories like this please. Show the last of the zombies holding the line what we've been saying for years: Microsoft is anti competition, anti industry and has no interest in making games at all.

But hey, at least there's an Xbox Games Showcase to look forward to, right?

Inverno2d ago

Well considering SONY just killed the series, LBP would've been dead by now either way. Though MM probably wouldn't exist by now either, so I'm glad they stayed with SONY, hopefully they don't get shut down any time soon or ever honestly.

Inverno2d ago

They shut down the servers, that's millions of user created levels gone. That and dead are pretty much the same, it's also been years since 3 and they cancelled HUB soooo.

1d 13h ago
fsfsxii1d 15h ago

They shutdown the servers because no one was playing, no one in the community cared about the user created levels so why keep them up? Wtf you guys would never succeed in running a business.

Inverno1d 14h ago

Yea dood no one was playing so they shut off the servers. Cause people with enough common sense can't just Google why they were actually shut of, right?

Show all comments (29)