Microsoft has released a Beta of XNA (XNA Game Studio Express is the fully featured name).
I’m interested. And not just because I’d secretly (not so) like to become a fully functional Game Dev.
We’ve been investigating the Microsoft mapping Api (Virtual Earth) .. and by all accounts (see ClarionX, Edit :: Actually, check it out on the post below, John put it up here), it’s pretty awesome. And it’s free, well .. sort of.
Anyway, the long and short of my point is this .. I think, and I’ve said this before, that we are seeing signs of Microsoft, the big bad Kinglomerate of the Hill, shifting foundations. They are certainly embracing a form of Open Source, even if it’s branded with a big red/white hot poker.
Personally I’m itching to get a look at XNA, maybe at christmas time or something.
In other news, Next Generation has put together the Top 100 PC Games,
.. released since January 2000, based wholly on unit sales. Revenues, aggregate review scores, commentary, franchise information and more are included.
It’s an interesting list. Blizzard’s three entries (where’s Starcraft?) are all in the top ten. That’s pretty special I would think. Rumors of the Sims durmise have been greatly exaggerated. It’s still Grand Maestor over all.
For the moment, ‘Nuff Said.