Microsoft Rally Ball demo shows Windows Phone 7, Kinect, Xbox Live living in perfect harmony

Though it's billed strictly as a technology demo -- not something we'll necessarily see in any imminent over-the-air update -- Microsoft showed off a pretty cool demo of how Windows Phone 7's Xbox Live integration could take advantage of Kinect down the road at Steve Ballmer's MWC keynote today. How, you ask? Using the Rally Ball game, a Windows Phone user was shown tossing balls to an on-screen character that's controlled by someone else on an Xbox using a Kinect. Simple, yes -- but perhaps as interesting as the Kinect aspect is the viability of real-time cross-platform gaming that Microsoft seems to be throwing its support behind.




[Source: Engadget]

Crysis 2 Leaked Online, Creators ‘Deeply Disappointed’

Crysis 2 won't be released officially for another month, but a playable version of Crytek's ambitious PC shooter has already made its way online, much to the disappointment of its creators.

According to those who have played it—we first heard about the leak via the Facepunch forums—that leaked build of Crysis 2 comes complete with multiplayer and the master keys to the game's piracy protection. It is allegedly playable from start to finish, a seemingly near-complete beta version of its campaign.
We contacted EA and Crytek for comment. Here's what they had to say.
"Crytek has been alerted that an early incomplete, unfinished build of Crysis 2 has appeared on Torrent sites," reads EA's response to Kotaku on the matter. "Crytek and EA are deeply disappointed by the news. We encourage fans to support the game and the development team by waiting and purchasing the final, polished game on March 22."
"Crysis 2 is still in development and promises to be the ultimate action blockbuster as the series' signature Nanosuit lets you be the weapon as you defend NYC from an alien invasion. Piracy continues to damage the PC packaged goods market and the PC development community."
The game is scheduled to be released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on March 22 in North America.
[Source: Kotaku]

Here is a link to all the screenshots that have been posted so far.

Cave Story Being Remade for the 3DS

Cave Story, an indie PC game released over six years ago, is still winning new fans today following subsequent releases on the Wii and DS. Now it's being remade, in 3D, for Nintendo's newest handheld.
Cave Story 3D is a complete remake of the original platformer, with every character and every level transformed from its humble 2D, pixellated origins into "2.5D", which is a two-dimensional game giving the illusion of three dimensional space.

[Source: Kotaku]

Personally, I think a lot of the charm of the game came from the 2D graphics and changing it seems like more of a cash in. The creator of the game seems behind it though, so I guess it's what he wants.

Here's two screens showing the before and the proposed after:

On a final note, is there any games you think are a classic and should not be remade?