This week we talk about Apple home gaming, game ports, and the prospect of a hardcore Kinect game.

Current score

Gerry Pagan: +30

Andrew Passafiume: +395

Graham Russell: +384

Eric Schabel: +35

Shawn Vermette: +335

 

Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia trilogies coming to Xbox 360

Ubisoft recently released trilogy packs of Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia updated with HD graphics on the PlayStation 3. However, the ESRB has also rated these packs for the Xbox 360. Ubisoft refuses to comment on it, but did the ESRB let the cat out of the bag early yet again?

Gerry: It’d be of no surprise if the Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell trilogies also arrived on the 360, though it is a little curious given that only the PS3 has done the trilogy re-releases that have been gaining popularity as of late.50%

Andrew: It seems like whenever the ESRB rates something, it’s bound to be true. There’s no reason for Ubisoft not to release those HD collections on the 360. 95%

 

Graham: The ESRB is bad about letting things leak, but with re-releases like this, why the secrecy to begin with? Let people know you’re considering a release, and see how much interest it garners. It’s not like a big reveal at E3 or something would mean much with that kind of thing. Yes, they should be re-released, and soon, since we don’t know how much longer the 360 lifespan is.  86.75309%

Shawn: Considering the recent popularity of such compilation packs, I’d be very surprised if Microsoft didn’t try to get some of them released on the Xbox 360. Also taking into account the fact that both the Prince of Persia originals never appeared on the Xbox tells me this is a very likely rumor.  85%

Epic Games to announce Kinect-enabled Gears of War game by E3

Microsoft has said since the announcement of the Kinect that they would support hardcore gamers with titles that they would enjoy, not just the casual game crowd. What better way to do that than to release a Halo or Gears of War game for the Kinect? Some images have been leaked that purport to be from an on-rails Gears of War Kinect title. Could Microsoft be on the verge of finally announcing its first hardcore Kinect title?

Gerry: Not too sure on this one. Epic already has it’s team working on developing Gears 3, and with Kinect being a very… “different” type of hardware, I can’t imagine they would rush a Kinect-enabled game at Microsoft’s request. Maybe at some point, but by E3? Unlikely. 20%

 

Andrew: Microsoft has been touting the reveal/release of some “hardcore” Kinect titles sometime later this year. All of these rumors about a Kinect version of Gears of War seem to be springing up lately, despite the denial from Cliffy B himself about it not happening. I’m not sure how well it would work with the Kinect, if at all, but I could see it being one product that could draw in a lot of other 360 owners. 55%

Graham: Do I think Microsoft’s working on a Kinect title to appeal to the core? Yes. Could Epic be working on it? Certainly. But Gears of War just seems like it doesn’t line up, demographically. I could certainly see something like Infinity Blade get the Kinect treatment, but if it’s a shooter, I think they’d try to slap the Halo name on it instead. It’s a bit more mainstream. 20.175%

Shawn: I…really don’t know what to think of this rumor. On one hand, it’s definitely the type of title that would attract hardcore gamers to the Kinect. On the other hand, how in the world do you use your hands for aiming and shooting? I definitely see Microsoft pushing this through testing at least, though I don’t know if it will ever be officially announced. 40%

Games coming to Apple TV

Apple has obviously struck a gold mine of casual portable gaming with their iPad and iPhone, but they’ve repeatedly stayed away from any kind of console gaming, preferring to stay portable. However, if recent reports are true, Apple may finally be bringing gaming to the living room with Apple TV. According to Engadget, there are references in the iOS 4.3 beta firmware to “ATVGames and “ATVThunder”, which are theorized to be references to Apple TV games and a controller for those games. There are also references to a storefront, leaderboards, and game scheduling. Could Apple finally be ready to take on Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo on their home turf?

Gerry: Pretty high possibility of this happening as it’s not uncommon for companies to integrate games into other systems. Is Apple ready to take on the big three? We’ll have to wait and see. 60%

 

Andrew: If Apple ever does release “home” games, it’ll most likely be stuff you already see for the iPhone or the iPad. This could be a very distinct possibility, but I doubt Apple would actually look to take on Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony at the console market with this.  50%

Graham: As the site’s resident heavy Mac and iOS user, I can’t even get myself to care about this. Clearly, these games would be iPhone and iPad ports, and there’s just not a very big audience for talented developers to try something for just that system. Plus, a controller? If you’re not using the iPhone or iPad as a controller, you won’t have all their capabilities, and if you are, there’s no need to even have the Apple TV. They could do it. But I don’t think it will matter. 50%

Shawn: If Apple does this, they need to understand that in order for it to be as successful as their iPad and iPhone app stores, they really will need more substantial games than what you get on their portable devices. That said, I can see Apple doing this since they’ll make money on it regardless of how widespread it actually becomes. 90%

 

Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments!