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Microsoft release some Xbox Series X details

Mick Doherty — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 09:38:04 +0000

In case you missed the announcement, there has been a load of new info released about the Xbox Series X. It contains some finer details you may have wanted to know since the consoles announcement. Enough of the small talk, let’s get into the details.

Next Gen Custom Processor

The Xbox Series X will be using their own custom designed processor, leveraging AMD’s Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures. Processing power will be getting a boost and will have four times that of the Xbox One. Developers will be able to make use of 12 TFLOPS of GPU performance, which comes in at double that of the Xbox One X.

Variable Rate Shading

The patented VRS for Xbox Series X will more efficiently utilise the capabilities of the console. This means that instead of the GPU concentrating on every pixel on screen, individual effects will be prioritised on specific characters and environmental objects. This aims to provide more stable frame rates and higher resolution.

DirectX Raytracing

Thanks to DirectX Raytracing, there will be more realistic environments. True to life lighting, accurate reflections and realistic acoustics in real time is what this aims to deliver.

SSD Storage

The next gen SSD will be a part of the Xbox Series X which means nearly everything should be faster. Game worlds will be larger and load instantly and things like fast travel will mean fast.

Quick Resume

The Quick Resume feature aims to let you continue multiple games from a suspended state almost immediately. In doing this you can pick up from where you left off without needing to sit though any loading screens.

Dynamic Latency Input (DLI)

The latency in the Xbox Wireless Controller has also been looked at. Using the consoles higher bandwidth means that latency between input and what happens on screen is more precise and responsive.

HDMI 2.1 Innovation

Microsoft has partnered with the HDMI forum and TV manufacturers to help with features like Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR).

This means that ALLM allows the Xbox One and Xbox Series X to automatically adjust the connected display to its lowest latency mode. VRR syncs the display’s refresh rate which means no tearing of the visuals.

120 fps support

Just as it sounds. The Xbox Series X supports up to 120 fps, allowing developers to go beyond the standard 60 fps.

Four Gens of gaming

Microsoft will continue with their commitment to compatibility. This means that existing Xbox One games, including backward compatible Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, will be available to play on the Xbox Series X. They will also look and play better on the Series X. Xbox Games Pass games will also be included. All games will have steadier framerates, faster loading times and improved resolution and visual fidelity.

Smart Delivery

Microsoft has also committed to using Smart Delivery on all exclusive Xbox Game Studios titles. The aim for Smart Delivery is that you’ll buy a game once and, whether you’re playing it on the Xbox One or Series X, you will be playing the right version of that game. The technology will be available to developers to use on games that release on Xbox One first, then make their way to the Series X.

Xbox Game Pass

Game Pass will still include games from past gens but will also include current gen games. First party games will continue to be included on Game Pass at launch, e.g. Halo Infinite.

Microsoft is intending on releasing more Xbox Series X info in the coming months. Presumably at the upcoming E3.

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Diablo 3’s sixteenth season kicks off TODAY

Nick Gillham — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 13:21:28 +0000

Blizzard’s continued support for Diablo 3 is admirable, and here marks the start of the game’s sixteenth season with a whole load of new content updates.

It seems that every game has seasonal content now, I guess this is a by-product of the always online, multiplayer gaming world we’re now part of, and Blizzard has always been good at ensuring its games continue to be relevant in a continuously evolving industry.

So, season sixteen of Diablo sees all players benefit from the power of the Ring of Royal Grandeur, a ring that grants 650 dexterity, increases attack speed by 7% and grants 11,975 life per hit. Unfortunately this doesn’t stack, so people who already own the ring will see no tangible benefit with having an extra one equipped.

The whole list of changes are over on the Blizzard blog, but on a basic level you’ll find new helm and shoulder slots for the Conqueror Set, as well as new cosmetic items for your character’s portrait. You’ll also find a series of journeys that you can undertake to increase your stash tabs up to four (if you don’t already have them).

There’s more, plus a load of quality of life and patch changes through the link.

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Breaking Point – The Impossible Game Xbox 360

Mikhail Madnani — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 06:43:49 +0000

Watch Mick play The Impossible Game.

For the newest Breaking Point, Mick goes back to this Xbox 360 game. Watch it below:

Breaking Point is a video series on our YouTube channel and you can check out more through the video above.

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5 Xbox 360 games I want via Backward Compatibility on Xbox One

Mikhail Madnani — Tue, 29 May 2018 12:00:01 +0000

Microsoft’s Xbox Backward Compatibility team is pretty damn amazing. They’ve been doing some fantastic work with not just the 360 and original Xbox emulators, but also Xbox One X patches for older games like Red Dead Redemption. While Microsoft adds titles to their ever growing library at a steady pace, there are some notable titles missing. While some developers like Rockstar Games are totally ok with Microsoft adding their titles to this category, others like Capcom are more than happy to just do their own ports and remasters and resell the games to more platforms. Some of the titles I want are likely never happening because of licensing but here are 5 Xbox 360 games I want Backward Compatible on Xbox One:

Tales of Vesperia

Tales of Vesperia is a very interesting Tales of game. The Tales of franchise has a lot of fun action RPGs with nice stories and music like the recent Tales of Berseria and also some real duds like Zestiria. Vesperia to this day is Xbox 360 exclusive in English. The PS3 port never made it outside Japan and the only way for a modern audience to play one of the nicer Tales of games is on an Xbox 360, or if Microsoft ever gets this Backward Compatible.

Final Fantasy XIII

I feel like the only reason this one hasn’t happened yet is that Square Enix wants to do a collection for Xbox One and PS4 by bundling the PC ports and hopefully fixing the various issues the PC ports of the XIII trilogy has. Final Fantasy XIII is a controversial game, but it is still worth playing and I like it a lot more than Final Fantasy XV. XIII also happens to have a sublime Hamauzu soundtrack.

NieR

With NieR: Automata being such a big success for Square Enix, I feel like the only reason this hasn’t happened is that they want to bring Automata to Xbox One or they are working on a full scale remaster for all platforms. The gameplay wasn’t really great, but the story and music for the original NieR are spectacular. The performance was also not great so having a nice emulated version on Xbox One X would do wonders for this. Everyone needs to experience this fantastic opening as well.

Lollipop Chainsaw

Grasshopper Manufacture’s Lollipop Chainsaw is a game that has you playing as a cheerleader who also fights horse zombies. When my friend lent me his copy to check out on Xbox 360, I wanted to play it just because the premise was pretty funny and I enjoyed my time with it. In fact I’ve enjoyed this more than every Dead Rising game I played combined. Lollipop Chainsaw is a whole lot of fun.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (MGS 2 and MGS 3)

Microsoft already managed making Peace Walker from the HD collection Backward Compatible on the Xbox One and while that game is worth playing for a lot of reasons (mostly just Heaven’s Divide), the real best MGS games are Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Bluepoint Games are masters of remasters and remakes and these versions are the definitive versions of the respective games. As of now, no current generation platform outside the PS Vita if you count it has access to MGS 2 and 3. Hopefully Konami and Microsoft manage adding it to the ever growing Backward Compatible title list on Xbox One.

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Xbox Adaptive Controller announced, out later this year

Mikhail Madnani — Thu, 17 May 2018 05:25:57 +0000

Microsoft just announced the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

This is a controller designed around accessibility. The control is perfect for gamers who have limited mobility. Microsoft has been at the forefront of accessibility with gaming and they even have a co-pilot control scheme that lets you control some aspects while someone else does others as a single player in a game. This announcement was leaked a few days ago but they have now officially announced it and have a detailed page with examples of use cases here. Watch the video below:

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Forza Horizon, The Witcher 2, and more are now Xbox One X Enhanced Xbox 360 Games

Mikhail Madnani — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 11:30:21 +0000

The Xbox One Backward Compatibility feature is amazing and it continues to get better.

Today Microsoft announces and released patches that make the following games Xbox One X enhanced:

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Forza Horizon

Fable Anniversary

Crackdown

Xbox One X owners can also now pick whether they want to experience Enhanced 360 games with enhanced graphics or in their original form. The enhanced graphics which is the default setting has higher resolution, 9X the pixel count, increased texture details, and more. Here’s how Halo 3 was when it got an Xbox One X patch:

This also marks the addition of Crackdown to the Backward Compatible ever growing list of games on the Xbox One family of systems.

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Watch Danny Welbeck take on Big Shaq on FIFA 18 on PlayStation 4

Nick Gillham — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 14:41:32 +0000

If you like FIFA 18 and Big Shaq you can watch a video of the guy playing the game against an Arsenal striker.

Yep, you too can watch a video advertisement of two famous people playing a videogame on a PS4, where one beats the other and nothing important is ever achieved. Watch these two famous people play as the mighty powerhouses of Real Madrid and Real Madrid. Marvel as goals are scored, and wince as one person is unhappy at the result.

FIFA 18 is available for PS4, Xbox One, PC, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch. Adam reviewed the game(s) and gave the PS4, XB1 and PC versions a respectable 8/10, while the Switch version gets an ok 6/10

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Xbox Live Games with Gold for September includes Forza 5 and Oxenfree

Mikhail Madnani — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 15:15:03 +0000

September’s Games with Gold have been announced.

If you are a Gold Member (haha) on Xbox 360 or Xbox One, September’s free games have been announced. As with most months, Xbox has some really great stuff rewarding subscribers. September will see Oxenfree, Battlefield 3, Forza 5, and Hydro Thunder Hurricane go free. Check out the video for the month below:

Forza Motorsport 5 will be free all month. Oxenfree will be free from September 16 until October 15. For Xbox 360 and Xbox One via BC, Hydro Thunder Hurricane will be free until September 15 while Battlefield 3 will be free until the end of September.

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Cover star Luis Suarez gets his teeth into PES 2018

Nick Gillham — Thu, 13 Jul 2017 10:24:30 +0000

Barcelona Striker and overall bitey person Luis Suarez is the footballer chosen to grace the cover of Konami’s PES 2018.

The striker has made over 100 appearances for the club and scored over 100 goals for them, but then again his talent has never really been in doubt. Being given this gracious honour, Luis had to pay lip service to the stellar football series.

I’m a big fan of PES, so it’s a real honour for me to be on this year’s cover. Every year this game gets better and better and the work put into making PES 2018 really shows. I can’t believe how real, and lifelike I look in this year’s game. It’s simply amazing.

The player likenesses get better and better with every iteration of PES and this is no exception, Konami has put extra work in to ensure that the players in the game look and move just like their real life counterparts. But, I myself am looking forward to an improved user interface.

According to Senior Director of Brand and Business Development there’ll be a new build of the game for people to play at Gamescom this year:

Luis Suárez is to us the best and most complete striker in the world with a history that speaks for itself – we expect to see him break top scoring records in the upcoming season. We’re really excited to be working with him and have invested a lot of resources to properly recreate his skills and movements in PES 2018. We’re going to debut a new build of the game at this year’s Gamescom and can’t wait for gamers to get a chance to see a new benchmark of gameplay and the realism of Suarez!

The game releases on September 14 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

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Xbox Game Pass launches June 1, Xbox Gold members can try it today

Mikhail Madnani — Wed, 24 May 2017 14:38:36 +0000

Major Nelson just announced details about Xbox Game Pass including the launch date.

Xbox Game Pass will be launching on June 1. There will be a 14 day trial option for everyone. If you have Xbox Gold, you can get early access to it today and start your trial. Here’s a list of the games available at launch. If you’ve wanted a Netflix like service for games, this seems like a nice bet to try.

Xbox Game Pass will launch on June 1 and will cost £7.99 per month. It is only available on Xbox One. If you have Gold, try it today.

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Xbox Spring Sale begins April 11

Mikhail Madnani — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 17:34:20 +0000

Major Nelson just announced the Xbox Spring Sale.

This will be taking place from April 11 to April 17 and include discounts on over 350 titles. Discounts include games like Overwatch, Black Ops 2, Watch_Dogs 2, GTA V and more.

Spring Sale runs from 11-17 April and features over 350 titles with savings up to 67% off (Xbox Live Gold members save up to 10% more) pic.twitter.com/EWbJE2qHjk

— Larry Hryb

There will also be discounts on Play Anywhere games with up to 10% more off for Gold members. Here are some of the Play Anywhere games:

Gears of War 4 (Play Anywhere)
Recore (Play anywhere)
Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition (Play anywhere)
Astroneer (Play Anywhere)
Halo Wars 2 (Play Anywhere)
Forza Horizon 3 (Play Anywhere)

This sale will go on from April 11 to April 17 as the video suggests in Major Nelson’s Tweet.

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Ryse leads April’s Xbox Games with Gold lineup

Mikhail Madnani — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 15:35:36 +0000

Major Nelson just announced the lineup for April for Xbox Games with Gold.

Leading the lineup for April is Ryse: Son of Rome. There’s also The Walking Dead: Season 2 for Xbox One that will be available mid April. On the Xbox 360 side of things there are Assassin’s Creed Revelations and Darksiders. Here’s when all the four games will be available for free:

Ryse: Son of Rome ($19.99 ERP): Available April 1-30 on Xbox One
The Walking Dead: Season 2 ($24.99 ERP): Available April 16-May 15 on Xbox One
Darksiders ($19.99 ERP): Available April 1-15 on Xbox 360 & Xbox One
Assassin’s Creed Revelations ($19.99 ERP): Available April 16-30 on Xbox 360 & Xbox One

Xbox One can play the Xbox 360 games via Backward Compatibility making this essentially 4 games for Xbox One owners with an active Gold subscription.

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Arsenal midfield wizard Mesut Özil named as PES ambassador

Nick Gillham — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 16:10:58 +0000

Konami Digital Entertainment have announced that Mesut Özil is to be the official ambassador for PES.

The German attacking midfielder joins the PES team as they launch the PES League: Road to Cardiff eSport tournament. Which just so happens to be the official eSports football tournament of the UEFA Champions League. The contest kicks off today, players on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 can take part via the PES LEAGUE mode in both PES 2017 and the free-to-play PES 2017 Trial Edition.

You’ll need to go to www.pesleague.com to sign up, and the winner stands to walk away with a rather cool $200,000.

Mr Özil is very please to be with Konami and they embark on the 2016/2017 PES League:

KONAMI has perfected the recreation of football at its highest level, and it is a great feeling to have been chosen as an Ambassador for this incredible series. I have been following PES for years. The series has improved with each year and it has always been among my favourite console games. No other game mimics the individuality of playing styles as PES 2017 does, with players capable of changing a game with one remarkable piece of skill. It is fantastic to see myself playing in the game as I do for Arsenal and Germany, and I am extremely excited to be part of this fantastic football project.

PES 2017 is available for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and PC. Dan reviewed the game back in September giving it a frankly brilliant 10/10. We love a bit of PES here and it’s a truly exceptional game.

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Penultimate episode of Telltale’s Batman series launching soon.

Nicola Ardron — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 16:52:07 +0000

Telltale Games has announced that the fourth episode of BATMAN – The Telltale Series is launching soon.

In the episode, titled ‘Guardian of Gotham’, Penguin has taken control of Wayne Enterprises while Batman is held captive in Arkham Asylum. With Batman gone, Harvey Dent’s forces and the Children of Arkham are at war. To escape you must choose allies to aide in your escape.

The episode will be available for digital purchase starting Tuesday 22 November on PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 and PS3 as well as on Apple and Android.

You can watch the trailer for the episode below:

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A love letter to Gears of War

Nicola Ardron — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 09:56:55 +0000

Gears of War has a very special place in my heart, not only because I think it’s a great video game, but it’s the game that introduced me to a number of wonderful people that I still play with today. Gears of War was the reason I purchased an Xbox 360 console, and it was the game that got me into playing online multiplayer.

It’s pretty hard for me to believe that Gears of War celebrates its anniversary today, ten years since it first launched on the brand new Xbox 360 console. Frankly I can’t believe it has been ten years already, and it is things like this, as well as the speed with which my son is growing up that really stand out to me as example of how quickly the years are passing.

For context, back when Gears of War was released I didn’t play as many games as I do now. I have, though, always played games; as a child I spent many an hour playing classics like Manic Miner and Chuckie Egg with my dad, taking it in turns to see how far we could get into the various levels with the limited lives you were afforded back in those games. I have very strong and fond memories of spending all weekend sat with my dad keying in lines of code from a PC magazine into his handmade Nascom (Christ! I’m showing my age here!) computer to create a simple text based adventure game of our own, the joy being all the sweeter because we had “created” it ourselves.

Fast forward to my late teens and early twenties and I hardly gamed at all, too busy with studies, swimming and boys. It wasn’t until I suffered a bad case of sunburn on a holiday in Sicily that I re-discovered gaming again, as I was confined to being indoors to let my skin settle. My then (Italian) boyfriend and his brother had brought their PlayStation with them to the apartment their family owned; while they played out in the sun letting their already bronzed skin get even browner, my freckly, prone to burning skin had to stay inside, and I played Tomb Raider. I was hooked again.

Fast forward a few years more, I got married and had my son. During a trip to my husband’s father’s house I saw his two youngest brothers playing Gears of War on their shiny new Xbox 360. I was so amazed by what I saw watching them that I called my husband in to take a look. I’d honestly never seen anything like it, I was still playing games on our PlayStation 2 at that time, and the jump in the graphical fidelity and the way the characters moved was mind blowing for me. Later that afternoon we left the family gathering and went to GAME and immediately purchased a brand new Xbox 360 complete with Gears of War and Crackdown.

Over the course of the next few weeks, my husband and I played that campaign through four times, from Casual difficulty right through to Insane difficulty. There are a number of parts in the campaign where I fondly remember some spousal arguments over repeated deaths at certain parts: the ending of Act 2 where one drives the Junker and the other uses the torch to destroy the Kryll; fighting the Corpser in the Emulsion flooded depths of Sera; the scene battling the Berserker on the fast moving train, and let’s not forget the final boss fight against Raam. We’d not been married long at that point, just over three years and I strongly maintain that our ability to ride out the arguments from the frustration of playing a video game is why we are still married today! Maybe…

I was always more into playing games than my husband, and so when my young brothers- in- law tried to talk us into getting Xbox Live so that they could humiliate us on online, it was me that agreed to it. I used the month free code that I had received with the console purchase and set up my account. Choosing an online name proved to be a stressful experience, and one that I spent ages agonising over. Ten years down the line I still have the same Gamertag and all in all I am pretty pleased with it. It isn’t “L33TProSnipezz” or “360NoScopezz” or anything ‘cool’ like that, but I think it suits me.

As expected, my brothers-in- law thrashed me repeatedly online, but I was having a great time, so much so that when my free month ran out, I purchased a three month subscription. As I started to get a little better online I tried going into some of the social playlists on my own. On reflection, I was exceedingly lucky to stumble across a group of people one night who were similar ages to me and were interested in just having a good time playing a game and chatting. I still have a lot of those people that I met that night on my friends list now, and with every new iteration of Gears that is released I see my friends list come alight again with “xxx is playing Gears”. It makes me smile every time.

It’s happened again recently with the release of Gears of War 4. I have over 100 “friends” on my Xbox now, and whenever I log on at the moment I can see roughly 10-20 of those playing Gears. Some of those I met ten years ago, some later on with a different game, or most likely another iteration of Gears. One friend in particular that I met playing all those years ago is someone I regularly game with now – he is my “shooting fools” partner, and oldest Xbox Live friend. We are often found playing one shooting game or another bitching and moaning about “lag”, broken shotguns, and generally laughing about nonsense. I even met him for lunch once when I was attending a training course near his home town. That was weird, putting a face to a name you have known for ten years, but aside from the initial awkwardness of meeting someone you sort of know, it all felt quite natural. I still felt odd calling him by his proper name rather than his Gamertag though!

I fancy myself as someone who is pretty competent at shooting games, I’d even call myself a menace at a couple, but Gears seems to be a bit of an Achilles heel in my otherwise deadly shooting folk to the face skillset, but I do love it. I think in part that this is because I have such fond memories of the first game and my experiences online with it. That and the friends I have met playing it online. The Gears community is notoriously harsh with some unspoken rules and behaviours in game, but I count myself very fortunate that aside from a few instances of negative behaviour I have been given nothing but joy from this franchise. Happy Birthday Gears of War, and thanks for the memories.

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Xbox Games with Gold for November announced

Mikhail Madnani — Mon, 24 Oct 2016 14:44:02 +0000

Xbox Games with Gold for November have been announced.

As always, there will be two Xbox One games free and two Xbox 360 games free (360 games can be played on Xbox One via Backward Compatibility). November sees Super Dungeon Bros and Murdered: Soul Suspect free for Xbox One. On the 360 side of things, Monkey Island: SE and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon will be free. Here’s when the above games will be free:

Super Dungeon Bros ($19.99 ERP): Available from November 1-30 on Xbox One

Murdered: Soul Suspect ($19.99 ERP): Available from November 16- December 15 on Xbox One

Monkey Island: SE ($9.99 ERP): Available from November 1-15 on Xbox 360 & Xbox One

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon ($14.99 ERP): Available from November 16-30 on Xbox 360 & Xbox One

Xbox Games with Gold continues to be great value.

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Just why did the Xbox 360 underperform in Japan?

Ryan Esler — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 13:00:27 +0000

With the current generation now in full swing, Microsoft’s beloved console is once again under performing in Asia, and more specifically Japan. I have decided to look at where it could have all went wrong. Nothing is for certain, but in this article I aim to at least look at what barriers Microsoft faced with the Xbox 360. It’s not like they didn’t try, to say the least. In fact, they really pushed and invested a lot of resources in to breaking into a market that seemed to want nothing to do with them.

To understand just how poorly the Xbox 360 sold in Japan, it is important to look at the sales figures for the Xbox 360 worldwide and determine just how few of those sales were attributed to the Japanese market. It is safe to say that the Xbox 360 was a huge success worldwide, selling in excess of 84 million units as of late 2014. Although only 1.5 million units sold were attribute to Japan, as of 2011. It is hard to pinpoint any exact reason as to why the this equates to roughly 2 percent in sales. The population of Japan at the time would have been in the region of 127 million people, which is almost double the estimated 64 million residence of the UK at the same time. So why did the UK sell about 5 times as many units with half the population? It is not like gaming is unpopular in Japan. In fact, the PlayStation 3 sold 6.3 million units and Japan is well known for its lively arcade scene.

And there in lies the first potential reason as to why games consoles, as a whole and not just with the Xbox 360, don’t sell as well in Japan; they have a lively arcade scene. Unlike the rest of the world, with a few exceptions like The Heart of Gaming in London and Super Arcade in America, it is possible to game locally in the massive arcades that almost touch the sky. I was fortunate enough to visit Japan in 2012 and every arcade was packed with consumers playing everything from Street Fighter Third Strike to Project Diva. There are also claw machines and other skill games that allow you to win prizes for your money. All of these aspects build up to a reduction in consoles sold, be it the smokey arcades that house fighting game players or the pristine glass of the more friendly Sega arcades.

These arcade settings also reach beyond the appeal of social gaming aspects. When it comes to fighting game tournaments in the west, the Xbox360 was the preferred console for the big Capcom titles. Due to both Microsoft’s and Capcom’s early support of the Xbox 360 and the architecture of the console itself, the fighting games developed by Capcom ran better on the Xbox 360 – boasting less frame drops and more stable builds.

During the life span of the Xbox 360, we have seen Street Fighter 4 get released and also seen a resurgence in a dying scene, resulting in the largest and fastest growth in the market since Street Fighter 2 and Tekken 3. This timing resulted in fans – both old and new – all gravitating towards the Xbox 360 instead of the PlayStation 3. You would expect this to draw at least some of the Japanese audience (or you would assume so), but as it drew closer to the release of Street Fighter 4, the Japanese had access to the game half a year in advance through the arcades. This is a theme that would persist throughout the console’s cycle in regards to Street Fighter, firmly cementing that the arcade was the place to play fighting games just like back in the day.

On top of a superior version of Street Fighter 4 over the PlayStation, Microsoft also brokered a deal with Capcom to have Dead Rising as an Xbox 360 exclusive. This could be argued as Microsoft’s first bid in terms of games to try and appeal to the Japanese market. With Keiji Inafune as a producer, you would expect Dead Rising to capture the imagination of the Japanese market. After all, Inafune has been behind games like Street Fighter 2 as graphic designer and produced both Mega Man (Rock Man in Japan) titles, and Onimusha prior to the Xbox 360. Alas Dead Rising failed to really break the market; back in 2007 1up.com reported that Dead Rising failed to reach 100,000 sales in JP. This wouldn’t be Microsoft’s final attempt at making more appealing games to an eastern market, however. They would return with many more titles.

Back when he was a front runner for Microsoft, Peter Moore stressed the importance of working with Japanese developers of whom he described as “the cradle of the games industry” in an interview with IGN just over 10 years ago. It was this approach that lead to some of the generation’s most beloved RPGs. It all started with the initial release of Enchanted Arms, a full year ahead of the release on PlayStation by, now media darlings, From Software. After a lukewarm reception, Enchanted Arms failed to hit the mark and Microsoft continued with their attempts to break into the market. This was closely followed by the release of Blue Dragon and Microsoft pulled out all the stops, including a special edition console that completely sold out all 200,000 consoles. Developed by the elite of Japanese big hitters like Nobuo Uematsu (composer of almost every Final Fantasy soundtrack released to that point in time), Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball author and Dragon Quest artist), and Hironobo Sakaguchi (writer for just about every famous SquareSoft RPG). You would expect this game to be off the charts.

Unfortunately, just like Enchanted Arms, Blue Dragon failed to hit the mark in spite of the initial high sales of the limited edition console. This did not deter Microsoft. In fact, they had plenty more deals in the pipeline to finally break into the Japanese market and complete their global saturation with Lost Odyssey. Lost Odyssey once again saw the cooperation of Nobuo Uematsu and Hironobo Sakaguchi, and was even developed by Mistwalker Studios again. Unlike Blue Dragon, the focus of Lost Odyssey was far more adult and realistic in its tone. It would appear that Lost Odyssey was a hit. Critical appraise was through the roof, and it was one of the most beloved JRPGs in years, but it still failed to impress a now disengaged Japanese audience. They already had their PlayStation 3s and there was very little hope of Microsoft ever succeeding. As the generation ticked over, Microsoft would still push for the market with The Last Remnant, a one-year exclusive deal for Star Ocean: The Last Hope, and even managed to secure Sega and Tri-Ace’s Resonance of Fate for a same date release as the PS3 version. Although it seemed that no matter what Microsoft tried to do, they just couldn’t find their footing in the Japanese market.

With all of these Japanese developers and games specifically aimed at the territory unable to really connect, could it be the console itself? The Xbox has always been so American, over the the top and boisterous, with it’s advertising that it didn’t quite match the aesthetic of Japanese culture. Keiji Inafune has even said it himself in an interview with IGN, much like the Americans, the Japanese gravitate to towards their own companies. The sleek and very reserved approach of Sony just appealed more to Japan as a whole. Could it really be that years of superior domestic gaming consoles has brought about a conviction that consumers will loyally stick to products created in their own country? A question I will probably never understand the answer to, being born in ’92 and never really experiencing the wonders of a well made British console.

It is nigh on impossible to truly know what happened with the Xbox 360 in Japan. There was obviously a great number of reasons that slowly pushed the console out of the limelight, in spite of Microsoft’s best efforts, and it would be safe to say that it completely failed. In fact, the Xbox 360 had done so poorly in Japan that when it came to the release of the Xbox One, the Japanese received the console a full year after the initial release. It’s a great loss for the consumer as I believe this drive to break the market brought about some of my favourite games on the Xbox 360, and there is a very slim chance of seeing that level of diversity in the Xbox One’s titles again.

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Lost Odyssey now available on Xbox One backwards compatibility

Nicola Ardron — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 16:36:50 +0000

Larry Hyrb ( tweeted:

) has announced that much requested Japanese RPG, Lost Odyssey is finally available on the Xbox One backwards compatibility function.

As well as Lost Odyssey two other titles are also available in the ever-growing library, these are Toy Story 3 and vertical scrolling shooter Guwange. These titles are available to play immediately providing you own a copy, or they can be purchased through the store.

For the full list of games that are available through the backwards compatibility function, head on over to Major Nelson’s blog.

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Racing games: back on track?

Gary Bailey — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 09:00:58 +0000

Racing games have enjoyed a lot of success over the years, from the likes of Gran Turismo and Ridge Racer on the original PlayStation, Sega Rally and Codemasters’ TOCA Touring Car Championship, and of course there’s the always fun Mario Kart. It’s a sporting genre that arguably has more variety than any other, but despite a large number of fantastic releases on PS3 and Xbox 360, the popularity of racing games started to decline.

That’s not to say that they didn’t sell, or even that they were bad, but something seemed to hold them back. Perhaps it was fatigue, with four Forza Motorsport games on 360 (plus Forizon), yearly F1 updates that varied in quality, Gran Turismo’s eventual fifth release being a disappointment, and more than a few Mario Kart clones. Anything a bit different tended to fail too, with the likes of Blur and Split/Second releasing too close to one another and neither getting the recognition they deserved as a result. One of my favourites of all time, Race Driver Grid, was at least released during that generation and sold quite well due to a release that landed right in the middle of a summer lull, but it took a full five years for a sequel to finally arrive and that was seen as a disappointment by many fans of the original.

No matter the reason, it was certainly a strange time for racing games. There were big successes, but only a few seemed to catch the eye of the mass market and the ones that did were usually forgotten as quickly as they had risen to fame.

So what has changed? With the release of the Xbox One and PS4, the racing genre seems to be on the up again, and the sales figures are decent as a result. Metacritic supports an increase in quality across the board as well, with only one or two receiving lower scores than their series’ previous outings, so developers are definitely doing something right.

Let’s use the Forza series as an example. Forza Motorsport 4 was released just two years before the Xbox One’s release, receiving high review scores and selling a little over 4.5 million copies on Xbox 360. This was six years into the lifespan of Microsoft’s console, at a time when its install base was reportedly north of 40 million. Forza Motorsport 6, released in 2015, has sold nearly 1.7 million copies to date and we’re only in the Xbox One’s third year, with an install base of around 22 million. Looking at it purely by numbers, Forza 4 was bought by around 10% of Xbox 360 owners from the console’s sixth year onwards, whereas Forza 6 has so far already been bought by nearly the same percentage of the Xbox One’s growing install base. This suggests that sales are likely to grow even further, at least for Microsoft’s flagship racer.

What about the multiformat options? That’s a little more difficult to calculate, but let’s give it a shot. Need For Speed Rivals, the last release of the series before EA moved away from the last gen consoles, sold a total of around 5.1 million units across five formats including the PS3 and 360, those alone boasting a combined install base of around 170 million. Conversely, Need For Speed (2015) has sold around 3 million copies to a total install base of a much smaller 65 million owners of PS4 and Xbox One. The F1 games have seen a boost in sales too, with the (admittedly poor) 2014 game releasing only on 360, PS3 and PC to sales of just 800k units. The 2015 game, itself another disappointment, eschewed the last generation and came out to sales of around 900k on a much smaller install base on PS4 and Xbox One.

However you look at it, sales are up. With a much smaller install base, the percentage of console owners buying racing games is higher than you may have expected. Even new IP are selling well, with games such as Project CARS selling over a million and DriveClub hitting the 2 million mark.

Again, I ask: what’s changed?

Obviously the visuals are much improved, which is unsurprising given the power of these new machines. Forza Motorsport 6 and DriveClub boast screenshots that can genuinely be mistaken for photos, and not because of ‘bullshots’ but via players’ own screengrabs. AI is probably the biggest improvement over the last generation, with the Forza games using Drivatar technology to give real players’ driving styles to AI opponents. Each racer has their own personality, making mistakes or driving aggressively, much like real drivers. Other games don’t have the luxury of Drivatars, but developers are using the processing power of the PS4 and Xbox One to give opponents a more realistic driving style, moving around the player and giving them racing room, instead of sticking rigidly to the racing line. Codemasters’ games have always displayed impressive AI, with last gen games such as Grid and its F1 games doing a good job, but F1 2016 easily bests them.

There are exceptions of course, with the latest Need For Speed displaying some of the worst ‘rubber band’ AI I have ever seen. The recent Assetto Corsa, as pointed out in Dan Naylor’s review, is also a huge step backwards. Its AI is comparable to PS2 quality, rarely moving away from the racing line, even if you happen to be in the way. Luckily, Assetto Corsa’s handling model is one of the best around for driving simulators, but be warned: it is not easy. I’m by no means an expert, but I don’t use assists in simulation games and can beat them on harder difficulties, and I’m really struggling with Assetto Corsa.

But I digress. The quality of these games are higher than ever before, and sales are up in comparison to the previous generation, which seems to be enticing publishers into taking a chance on new racers. This generation’s focus on indie development is also giving developers more licence to experiment, and things like Kickstarter and Steam’s Early Access gives developers more control and more direct feedback to bring their own visions to life. Project CARS used its own crowdfunding platform to allow PC gamers to essentially test Slightly Mad Studios’ game throughout its production, which resulted in a more refined simulation. Bandai Namco took notice and eventually published the full release, bringing it to consoles and helping to sell nearly 1.5 million copies, showing that gamers do want these games. Assetto Corsa used Steam’s Early Access system to develop the handling and gameplay for a long time, before finally getting the attention of 505 Games and ensuring its recent console release.

Racing games are better than ever now, and the release schedule is more populated as a result. Since September 2015, we’ve seen the release of Forza Motorsport 6, Need For Speed, Trackmania Turbo, Dirt Rally, Valentino Rossi: The Game, F1 2016 and Assetto Corsa. I have sunk many hours into a few of these, and will continue to do so for a long time due to the inherent longevity of the genre – these games can last for years, with the right selection of circuits, or a good open world.

This leads me neatly to Forza Horizon 3, out now. Using a slightly tweaked version of the Forza Motorsport handling model, the Horizon series offers the same thrills but with the added caveat of an open environment to just drive around at your leisure. And with the right group of friends, driving around in Horizon 2 could rival the most fun online experiences out there.

DriveClub VR is coming in October too, alongside Sony’s new Playstation VR headset. Essentially a re-release of DriveClub but with new content (and the obvious VR integration), it could usher in a potential new era of VR racing. This has been in PC games for a while thanks to Oculus Rift, and is genuinely great fun, but the longevity of VR has yet to be determined. Especially on consoles, without the ability to mod in support, but if PSVR does well enough then we may see developers patching in support for their existing games on PS4. And who knows, maybe Polyphony Digital will add VR support to the recently delayed Gran Turismo Sport. Given that it now has at least an extra few months of development time, it would make sense for Sony’s flagship racer to include support for its newest peripheral.

With VR potentially adding an extra layer of realism to simulations (and exhilaration to other racers), and sales seemingly already up on the previous generation, racing games are certainly back on track. As long as the genre avoids oversaturation, the future could remain bright.

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PES 2017 roster update is live now

Nick Gillham — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 15:06:04 +0000

Want to ensure your copy of PES 2017 is up to date? Konami have released a download to update all the latest transfers across its teams.

The problem with developing football games is that you want to release them as close to the start of the football season as possible. What this means is that with strict development time it’s practically a given that players will move clubs before development has finished, and even after a title has gone gold. As a result, many rosters will be out of date by the time a game is released.

As a result, today sees Konami putting out a free download to bring its team line-ups up to date with the most recent comings and goings of the transfer season, so David Luiz is now at Chelsea, where he should be for instance.

Our own Mr Murphy reviewed PES 2017 and gave it 10/10, saying that ‘It may well be the greatest football game ever made.’ The game is out now, but if you’re on the fence, the demo is available to download and try.

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LEGO Dimensions enters its second year with new characters and a new portal

Nick Gillham — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 14:11:44 +0000

Hardly a secret now due to rumour and leaks, but the new packs making up LEGO Dimensions’ second year have been revealed, and, they’re quite something.

Starting on September 30 sixteen new packs will become available for the game starting with Harry Potter and Adventure Time level packs (characters, vehicle, item and level) and an A-TEAM fun pack (character, vehicle and item).

Additionally to this, the game will be getting a tie-in with the upcoming Ghostbusters movie reboot. This will feature a Chinese restaurant overlay for your portal along with Melissa McCarthy’s character Abby Yates and the new Ecto-1 vehicle. The pack is something entirely new for LEGO Dimensions in that it’s a Story pack, making it the game of the movie.

After this initial flurry we’ll see movie based packs on the LEGO Batman Movie and the upcoming Harry Potter follow up Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them. After that we can expect old skool favourites like The Goonies, Beetlejuice, Gremlins, Knight Rider and E.T. not to mention Cartoon Network’s Powerpuff Girls and Teen Titans GO!

But, possibly the biggest surprise is the inclusion of SEGA’s mascot, the cocky blue hedgehog Sonic, seen at the end of the above trailer stealing The One Ring away from Gollum.

If you thought they would stop there you’d be mistaken too. In a first for the LEGO games, you’ll be able to take part in 4 player split screen co-op with new battle arenas. The minifigures within the new toy packs will come with special golden tags that will unlock arenas based on the franchise they belong to. Each arena will come with a set of modes and hazards specific to their brand.

Phew, that was a lot to take in. There’s a lot to be excited about if you’re a LEGO Dimensions fan, and a lot of money to be spent.

I just hope my son doesn’t find out.

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Wrestling legend Goldberg is WWE 2K17’s pre-order bonus

Chris White — Tue, 31 May 2016 23:11:19 +0000

2K has announced that WCW and WWE legend Bill Goldberg will be WWE 2K17’s pre-order bonus. If you pre-order the game through certain retailers, you’ll be able to play two variations of Goldberg at launch from when he was in WCW and WWE. There will also be two arenas available with pre-orders: WCW Nitro and Halloween Havoc.

“After 12 years away from the business, I’m incredibly honoured to work with WWE and 2K while following in the footsteps of such greats as Ultimate Warrior, Sting and Arnold Schwarzenegger,” said Goldberg. “My son was a big part of this coming together, and I can’t wait for him to see his dad kicking ass in a WWE ring through the magic of video games.”

It’s quite an interesting move on WWE’s part, as Goldberg was a fan favourite in both companies, seeing a record 173 straight wins in his WCW days between 1997 and 1998. As you’ll see in the trailer, there’s a reflection on a street sign that reads ‘Suplex City’, a phrase synonymous with one of Goldberg’s biggest WWE rivals Brock Lesnar. You can watch the trailer for the reveal below:

WWE 2K17 is expected to release in October 2016 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Xbox 360.

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June’s Games with Gold announced, celebrating three years of freebies

Greg Hill — Tue, 24 May 2016 17:33:01 +0000

Xbox have revealed the games that Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to get their hands next month as the perk celebrates its third birthday.

Xbox One will be treated to Goat Simulator and The Crew, while Xbox 360 owners will receive XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Super Meat Boy. Those playing on Xbox One will have access to the previous-gen titles thanks to backwards compatibility.

Goat Simulator will be available to download from June 1 to 30. The Crew will be free from June 16 to June 30. On Xbox 360, Super Meat Boy will be free from June 1 to 15, while XCOM Enemy Unknown is free from June 16 to 30.

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More backwards compatible titles announced for Xbox One

Nicola Ardron — Wed, 11 May 2016 11:24:44 +0000

The list of 360 games now playable on your Xbox One has been extended with a further five titles, including the Director’s Cut of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

This is big news as the Director’s Cut was a two disc version and the announcement could lead to more details about titles such as the much requested Mass Effect 2 now being made available.

The news was announced on Twitter by tweeted:

along with other new titles: Frogger 2, Final Fight: Double Impact, Puzzlegeddon and Faery: Legends of Avalon.

For the full list of games now available via the Xbox One backwards compatibility feature visit Major Nelson’s blog.

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More Xbox One backwards compatible games announced

Nicola Ardron — Wed, 04 May 2016 11:25:57 +0000

Microsoft’s Major Nelson announced tweeted:

three more additions to the ever growing list Xbox 360 games now available for you to play on your Xbox One via the console’s backwards-compatibility function.

The three new games are Jet Set Radio, MX vs ATV Reflex, and Texas Hold ‘Em.

As with previous titles, if you already own these digitally they will show in your Ready to Download section of your My Games and Apps section of your Xbox One. You can then download and play as you would any other game. If you don’t own them, they should be available for you to buy and download in the Store.

There are now more than 150 games available via the backwards compatibility function. A full list of all the games available is on Major Nelson’s blog.

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Games with Gold for May revealed

Adam Cook — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 15:37:07 +0000

Microsoft has announced the four games that Xbox One and 360 owners will be getting this May, if they’re gold members that is.

After a stellar April, the folks at Xbox have come up with their next offering, which is:

Defense Grid 2 from May 1-31 on Xbox One
Costume Quest 2 from May 16-June15 on Xbox One
Peggle on 360, from May-15
GRID 2 on 360 from May 16-31

Some good stuff there. Not quite as good as April, but hey, Peggle is good!

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HBO Now app released for Xbox One and 360

David Hunter — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 20:52:46 +0000

HBO and Microsoft have today launched a HBO Now app on both Xbox One and Xbox 360, marking its first appearance on a gaming platform.

HBO Now is a streaming service, currently only available in the United States. which allows users to access a range of HBO programs on-demand, for a monthly fee, without a cable or satellite subscription. With the season premieres of Game of Thrones, Veep and Silicon Valley coming this weekend, a free trial of the service can be claimed on the HBO Now website or those with a paid TV subscription will get a free preview of both HBO and Cinemax between April 22 and 25.

HBO have also announced that the first episode of Game of Thrones season 6 will be free to all Xbox users after it airs this sunday night, until April 28, with no subscription required to watch it.

Thanks, Polygon.

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Microsoft discontinue their Xbox 360 console

Greg Hill — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 20:06:18 +0000

Microsoft have announced in a nostalgic blog post that they will be ceasing production of their Xbox 360 console.

The post, titled ‘Achievement Unlocked: 10 Years — Thank You Xbox 360’, Phil Spencer wrote:

“The Xbox 360 helped redefine an entire generation of gaming at Microsoft. I am incredibly proud of all of the work and dedication that went into development of the Xbox 360 hardware, services and games portfolio over the last decade. And I’m grateful to the fans for their continued passion and support.”

“Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft. And while we’ve had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us. Which is why we have made the decision to stop manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles. We will continue to sell existing inventory of Xbox 360 consoles, with availability varying by country.”

Spencer clarified that all Xbox 360’s will remain active and fully supported by Microsoft for the time being, with all players still on the last-gen console continuing to have full access to all Xbox Live Gold services, including Games with Gold. Players can continue to purchase from over 4,000 Xbox 360 games and a variety of accessories at retail stores and through the Xbox 360 store online, while supplies last. Microsoft will continue to offer support for technical issues, and Xbox One owners can still partake in backwards compatibility with the system.

Spencer closed the post with a heartfelt thank you:

“I want to personally thank the Xbox community – that includes the vast and diverse audience of gamers, developers and publishers who brought so much passion and creativity to the Xbox 360. You are the heart of what we do at TEAM XBOX, and you have been critical to the success of Xbox 360.”

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Destiny’s April update gives Guardians more to sink their teeth into

Nick Gillham — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 13:57:37 +0000

Over on Bungie.net, we’ve been informed of what Guardians can expect to be added to The Taken King in Destiny’s April Update.

It’s been a while since Destiny got updated with what many would consider to be real ‘new’ content. Holiday based events are one thing, but they don’t really compare to the nitty gritty of PvE scenarios.

So, in Destiny’s April update, Bungie will be bringing a host of new things to The Taken King, including an increased Light level (now up to 335), as well as new quests, a Taken area for the Prison of Elders and a new strike.

This was just what was revealed last night, next week’s (30/03/16) stream will show us some of the new gear being included in this update, which will be imperative for obtaining that new maximum Light level. The following week will then show us new live events that Bungie are planning to include.

So, if your love for Destiny has been waning somewhat, it’s highly possible that the April update might just rekindle that spark.

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Bodacious new TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan trailer released

Nick Gillham — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 11:51:34 +0000

Feast your eyes on this quite awesome new trailer for Platinum’s Transformers Devastation follow up.

It’s potentially a bit spoilery, but if you’re a fan of the Turtles then most of the appearances within the trailer will not come as much of a shock.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan will be released on April 27 for Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

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Marilyn Manson and Halestorm join Guitar Hero Live’s Premium content this week

Nick Gillham — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 12:52:04 +0000

Women that Rock and Rock the Ages: 2003, bring six new songs to Guitar Hero Live this week.

Taking to Guitar Hero Live’s TV channels is probably the best way to play Guitar Hero’s brand of button pushing rhythm action, and this week sees the following tracks added to the service:

Rock the Ages: 2003

Incubus – Megalomaniac
Chevelle – Send the Pain Below
Marilyn Manson – mOBSCENE

Women That Rock

Deap Vally – Gonna Make My Own Money
St. Vincent – Birth in Reverse
Halestorm – Apocalyptic

Women that Rock comes just as we’ve waved goodbye to International Women’s Day (which took place on Tuesday 8th).

As well as the aforementioned songs, the following 80s hits will be available for one more week:
Stadium Rock Anthems

Bon Jovi – Livin’ on a Prayer
Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me
KISS – Crazy Crazy Nights

We loved Guitar Hero Live, and think you just might too, it’s pretty cheap these days, with some places selling a copy, with guitar for around £30. So it’s worth a punt.

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Cloaked in Silence expansion coming to Metal Gear Online on March 15

Nick Gillham — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 12:40:09 +0000

Quiet will become a playable character in Metal Gear Online when the Cloaked in Silence DLC releases in two weeks on March 15th.

The new expansion will also include three new maps in Coral Complex (a Mother Base style location), Rust Palace (a bombed out palace in Afghanistan) and Azure Mountain (a lush, green mountain in Angola-Zaire).

In addition to this, a new mode will be added on April 7, SURVIVAL. In this players need to compete for the best win streak to gain greater rewards at the match end. People who don’t purchase the DLC will be able to try out the new maps within the SURVIVAL mode up to ten times per week, while those who do purchase the DLC will get unlimited usage of both the mode and maps.

Metal Gear Online is a free download that is accessed through Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain which our man Stubbsy gave 10/10. You might want to check it out.

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Here’s what’s coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility from today

Chris White — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 19:32:22 +0000

Xbox has announced a selection of new titles available for Xbox One Backward Compatibility from today, including Geralt of Rivia’s second adventure in Temeria, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners can also get this game now for free until 5th February so head over to Xbox.com right away to start your adventure.

The full list of titles available from today on Xbox One Backward Compatibility are as follows:

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Sam & Max Save the World
Aegis Wing
Counter-Strike: GO
Age of Booty
Space Giraffe
Soul Calibur
Skullgirls
Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad
Small Arms

It was also announced that any future titles available for Xbox One Backward Compatibility would go live as soon as they receive the engineering and publisher stamp of approval, as opposed to being set a monthly release date like before. For a full list of titles available on Xbox One Compatibility so far, check out MajorNelson.com.

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Microsoft Adding 16 New Xbox One Backwards Compatible Titles Today

Greg Hill — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 15:57:00 +0000

Microsoft have announced that they will be adding sixteen new titles to their backwards compatibility catalogue, all of which will be playable starting today. This takes the total of playable titles to 120.

Here is the list of new titles available today:

Braid
DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION
Doritos Crash Course
Fable III
Halo: Reach
Hydro Thunder
Iron Brigade
Kane & Lynch 2
Motocross Madness
MS.PAC-MAN
Peggle
Portal: Still Alive
Spelunky
Splosion Man
Ticket to Ride
Zuma’s Revenge!

To see the full list of compatible titles, see here.

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Microsoft “Working On” Making Xbox 360 Games Purchasable on Xbox One

Greg Hill — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 09:21:10 +0000

Microsoft have acknowledged a glaring problem with it’s backwards compatibility scheme which prevents Xbox One owners from buying Xbox 360 games directly from their next-gen console if they don’t have a credit card on file.

Even if the games are free (like they are with Games with Gold), a credit card is still required in order to complete the purchase. This means that many gamers who rely on gift cards to buy content from the Xbox Store are left unable to access the free Xbox 360 backwards-compatible titles available with Games with Gold.

However, Microsoft appear to be working on a solution, as reported by VG24/7. In a reply to a Twitter user querying the issue, Phil Spencer noted:

tweeted:

Of course there is no definite time when this fix will become available, but at least you can rest easy knowing that something is being done. There are currently 104 titles available for backwards compatibility on Xbox One, with each Xbox 360 title featured in Games with Gold addition being guaranteed to work.

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Sparrow Racing League Brings a new way to Play Destiny

Nick Gillham — Mon, 07 Dec 2015 10:08:10 +0000

Anyone who has zipped about Destiny’s locales on their Sparrow has wondered if we’ll ever get to race them, well, now we know.

Bungie are bringing the feature to The Taken King tomorrow, for a three week period only under the guise of the Sparrow Racing League.

You and your fellow Guardians will be able to take part in six man races through enemy filled territories on Mars and Venus. Zipped through obstacles and warp portals while dodging enemy fire.

The mode will be available across all platforms, but PlayStation players will have an exclusive timed quest and gear set.

Looks pretty swish, I hope it’s just a trial for a more feature rich permanent fixture next year. Check out the video doc below for more info.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Under Development at Platinum

Nick Gillham — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 10:00:12 +0000

After the great job Platinum did on Transformers Devastation it appears they’re after our 90s nostalgia again with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game.

If there’s a franchise that really would benefit from Platinum’s style and fighting systems it’s definitely the Turtles. And Mutants in Manhattan (that’s the subtitle by the way) will be coming to Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

The source comes from Brazilian and Australian Classification listings uncovered by Gematsu.

Considering how good Transformers Devastation was, this news has me very excited. As long as they build on that template and not the one set by Korra.

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The Games with Gold for December have been Revealed

Dan Murphy — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 17:12:54 +0000

With a December only a week away (what a horrible thought) Microsoft have revealed which games they’ll be giving away for absolutely free to Xbox Live Gold members throughout the festive season.

First of all, on the Xbox 360, you’ll be treated to three games all of which are all also playable on the Xbox One through backwards compatibility. They are: the highly rated tower defence from Zen Studios, Castlestorm, which will be available from December 1st-15th.

Then from the 16th-31st you’ll be able to play the hack and slash action game Sacred 3 and an edition into Codemaster’s long running FPS series Operation Flashpoint, with Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising.

Over on the Xbox One there will be two games available during December. From the 1st-15th, the action RPG which takes place in a gothic fantasy world, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, will be free to play.

Finally, from December 16th-January 15th, Square Enix’s reboot of the beloved stealth franchise Thief will be free for you to have a whirl at climbing up buildings and nicking shiny stuff – you degenerate.

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Destiny: Refer a Friend Trailer Shows you What Goodies you can get

Nick Gillham — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 09:39:04 +0000

The holiday season is nearly upon us, and Bungie wants you to give the gift of Destiny.

The refer a friend scheme is in full swing, and you and a buddy can earn some lovely exclusive gear if you convince a friend to become legend alongside you.

Check out the attached trailer, you’ll see that you can get your hands on an exclusive armour shader, emblem and sparrow. Not only that, but an exclusive legendary sword weapon as well.

Best of all however, are the duo emotes you can earn. For the first time you’ll be able to pop an emote that interacts with another person. These will allow you to hi-five each other, or dance together. Pretty cool, pointless, but cool.

So, if you have a friend who you’d like to play with, either convince them to buy it, or give them the gift of Destiny this holiday season. Get them to check out the trailer below, and show them our review. It might help you convince them.

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Destiny: More Revamped Year One Exotics Coming to The Taken King

Nick Gillham — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 09:29:09 +0000

At it’s core, Destiny is a game about getting gear, and as such Bungie are giving us more gear to get our hands on.

I mean, it’d make no sense to just stand still and keep things as they are, so Bungie continue to change things up just so that people always have new stuff to find.

Coming soon to a loot drop near you are upgraded versions of Year One exotics as well as some new items, and Bungie revealed a bunch of them yesterday:

MIDA Multi Tool (Scout Rifle)
The Armamentarium (Titan Chest)
Dragon’s Breath (Rocket launcher)
Plan C (Fusion Rifle)
Nothing Manacles (Warlock Gauntlets)
Super Good Advice (Machine Gun)
Apotheosis Veil (Warlock Helmet)
No Land Beyond (Sniper Rifle)
Peregrine Greaves (Titan Greaves)
Radiant Dance Machines (Hunter Greaves)
Achlyophage Symbiote (Hunter Helmet)
Hard Light (Auto Rifle)
Bones of Eao (Hunter Greaves)
ATS 8/Tarantella (Hunter Chest)
Twilight Garrison (Titan Chest)

There’s more to come too. I wonder if they’ll announce an upgraded Gjallarhorn just in time for Christmas?

Thanks VG247!

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OpenCritic Gets new Features

Nick Gillham — Tue, 17 Nov 2015 12:44:32 +0000

Games review aggregate site OpenCritic has been updated with a couple of new features today.

Chief among these is a new ranking graph system.

The purpose of this is to show inquisitive gamers just whereabouts a particular score falls amongst the other games ranked on the site. So you can see if the game’s aggregate score puts it in the top games around, or the worst.

Next up is a percentage recommended indicator. Essentially, this boils down to a marker that tells you how many outlets have scored the game above 80%, thus indicating a recommendation. Any non-scoring outlets that have branded a game as recommended or higher will also be included in this figure.

OpenCritic is really setting itself out to be the prime destination for your game score aggregative needs. Simple to use, and with a host of information for you to get your teeth into.

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Bungie Clarify the Content of Destiny’s November Update

Nick Gillham — Fri, 13 Nov 2015 11:06:48 +0000

Not ones to let Destiny sit and stagnate, Bungie are bringing forward many changes for Destiny this month.

Chief among these is the return of the Hunter’s Quiver perk for their Shadowbolts. Beforehand an issue was allowing Hunters to fire as many shots as they wanted, now the perk functions correctly, only allowing three shots to be fired.

Other changes now, well, the gunsmith, Banshee-44, will allow you to purchase weapon parts for glimmer. Meaning that you wont have to desperately break down weapons to be able to get that gun upgrade you’re so looking forward to getting.

Fancy owning all three elemental damage sword without having to earn them across all three character slots? Well, in the November update you can. Once you’ve acquired the Exotic sword from the sword questline you’ll be able to buy all the Legendary sword types from Lord Shaxx.

Sherpas are a prime part of Destiny these days. Guiding lower level or less experienced people through areas alien to them is a charitable task. With the arrival of the November update you’ll be rewarded for your benevolence.

Iron Banner will return next week, but with some changes. Clash will now be a game type within the banner, which should spice things up a bit. As well as that Bungie are implementing the below additions:

Iron Banner reputation from winning matches increased by 20%
Activity completion rewards increased at all ranks, with even more significant increases at Rank 2 and above
Packages from Lord Saladin upon reaching Rank 3 and Rank 5
Iron Banner Artifacts can be obtained from the Rank 3 package
Iron Banner Ghost Shells can be obtained from the Rank 5 package or activity completion rewards

Not only that, but the Gear Manager that has been in beta is now available to all. It is still in beta, but now everyone can try it and enjoy the benefits.

Phew, that’s quite a lot of stuff. Don’t forget that Xur is back today, he’s in the Tower Hangar. He doesn’t have a weapon. But he does have a gauntlet engram to grab as well as his class specific items.

Take care guardians.

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Watch Four YouTubers try to Survive Siberia Like Lara Croft

Nick Gillham — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 09:29:24 +0000

To celebrate the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider four YouTubers have been tasked to complete four challenges in the harsh wilderness of Siberia.

Project Syndicate, Oli White, Jade Jolie and Yammy xox, will have to complete tasks including from rock climbing and hiking in blizzard conditions.

In just over three hours you’ll be able to see the first challenge undertaken in the Escape from Siberia series of videos.

See the trailer below, then head over to Survival Billboard.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is out tomorrow for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, with a PC version to follow in January 2016. The PS4 version is due out in the holiday season of 2016.

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First Xbox One Backwards Compatible Games Announced

Greg Hill — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 14:56:41 +0000

Microsoft have today announced the first games that will be available for backwards compatibility, with the total clocking in at a handsome 104 titles.

In a blog post on the official Xbox website, Mike Ybarra listed the games which will be available as well as saying: “At Xbox, we believe that gaming is universal and should be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. Our philosophy since launching Xbox One two years ago has been to put gamers at the center of everything we do and create the best, most seamless gaming experience possible.”

Xbox One Backwards Compatibility has been a highly anticipated feature and will finally become available on November 12, as part of the new Xbox One Experience. As previously announced, all Xbox 360 games available through Games with Gold after November 12 will be playable on Xbox One. See the full list of titles below.

All titles listed below will be available from November 12:

A Kingdom for Keflings	Lode Runner
A World of Keflings	LUMINES LIVE!
Alien Hominid HD	Mass Effect
Assassin’s Creed II	Metal Slug 3
Asteroids & Deluxe	Metal Slug XX
Banjo Kazooie®: Nuts & Bolts	Might & Magic Clash of Heroes
Banjo-Kazooie®	Mirror’s Edge
Banjo-Tooie®	Missile Command
BattleBlock Theater	Monday Night Combat
Bejeweled 2	Monkey Island: Special Edition
Bellator: MMA Onslaught	Monkey Island 2: Special Edition
Beyond Good & Evil HD	Ms. Splosion Man
Blood of the Werewolf	Mutant Blobs Attack!!!
BloodRayne: Betrayal	N+
Borderlands	NBA JAM: On Fire Edition
Call of Juarez® Gunslinger	NiGHTS into dreams…
Castle Crashers	Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
CastleStorm	Pac-Man: Championship Edition
Centipede & Millipede	Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX+
Condemned: Criminal Origins	Perfect Dark
Crazy Taxi	Perfect Dark Zero
Deadliest Warrior: Legends	Phantom Breaker:Battle Grounds
Defense Grid: The Awakening	Pinball FX
DiRT 3	Plants vs. Zombies
DiRT Showdown	Prince of Persia
Discs of Tron	Putty Squad
Doom	Rayman 3 HD
Doom II	R-Type Dimensions
Dungeon Siege III	Sacred Citadel
Earthworm Jim HD	Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.
Fable II	Sega Vintage Collection: Golden Axe
Fallout 3	Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World
Feeding Frenzy	Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage
Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown	Shadow Complex
Gears of War	Sonic CD
Gears of War 2	Sonic The Hedgehog
Gears of War 3	Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Gears of War: Judgment	Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Golden Axe	Super Meat Boy
Halo: Spartan Assault	Supreme Commander 2
Hardwood Backgammon®	Tom Clancy’s RainbowSix Vegas
Hardwood Hearts®	Tom Clancy’s RainbowSix Vegas 2
Hardwood Spades®	South Park: The Stick of Truth
Heavy Weapon	Torchlight
Hexic HD	Toy Soldiers
Ikaruga	Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Jetpac Refuelled	Tron: Evolution
Joy Ride Turbo	Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon
Just Cause 2	Viva Piñata
Kameo: Elements of Power	Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game	Wolfenstein 3D
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga	Zuma

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Xur’s Catalogue: November 6 to November 7

Nick Gillham — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 09:31:22 +0000

Xur’s back with another weapon-less week.

And it’s still nothing but helms for Titans and Hunters

Titan:

Helm of Inmost Light – Helm – 13 Strange Coins

Hunter:

Celestial Nighthawk – Helm – 13 Strange Coins

Warlock:

The Impossible Machines – Gauntlets – 13 Strange Coins

Random Engram:

Helm – 19 Strange Coins

You’ll find him in Tower North, just across from the Speaker’s room.

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New Guitar Hero Live Content Available On Demand for Free This Weekend

Nick Gillham — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 15:36:53 +0000

Guitar Hero Live starts its new content rollout this weekend, expanding its play-along music channel with a host of new music.

What’s more, to celebrate this, Activision-Blizzard will make all content free on-demand all weekend.

Normally you need to spend credits to play songs on-demand, and you get credits by buying them with currency or earning them through playing sets. Not so this weekend, all Guitar Hero live channel content will be open to all for no cost.

Between now and the end of the year we can look forward to more than 70 new songs to make their way to the channels, but, for now, we’ll see music videos and concert footage in the new content coming our way.

·         Black Veil Brides Premium Show, which includes playable footage from the band’s live concert DVD “Alive and Burning,” will be live on Friday. The DVD chronicles the band’s first ever recorded live performance during their successful Black Mass Tour in November 2014 at the legendary Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Three of the songs from the DVD will be playable in GHTV, including“Heart of Fire (Live)”, “Fallen Angels (Live)” and “In the End (Live).”

·         Legendary Headliners Premium Show, including “Monster” by Paramore,“Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy and “First Date” by Blink-182 is live now.

·         Pop Goes GHTV Premium Show, featuring “Chocolate” by The 1975, “Believer” by American Authors and “Budapest” by George Ezra is live now.

After this, we can look forward to songs from the likes of Judas Priest, Iggy Pop, Biffy Clyro, Alice in Chains, System of a Down and many other bands.

Get your fingers dancing on those frets guys, but read our interview with the creative director on the game first.

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New Disney Infinity Figures and Power Discs Available Now

Nick Gillham — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 15:07:35 +0000

Disney Interactive’s Toys to life juggernaut has new figures out for your little ones to incessantly beg you to buy for them.

But, let’s face it, this is probably not news. For them to release new figures is as inevitable as a new day beginning. What is surprising however is the form the new figures are taking.

First up are two new figures from Avengers: Age of Ultron that sees Ultron himself invade your toybox, but he’ll have to contend with Iron Man in his Hulkbuster suit.

After that we have a Star Wars fan favourtie turning up. He’s from the maligned first film, but he’s probably many Star Wars fans’ favourite character (no, not Jar Jar, although this reddit thread is very interesting), it’s the one, the only Darth Maul!

And finally we see the arrival of Spot. Spot is the little boy from Disney Pixar’s upcoming film, The Good Dinosaur. Accompanying him will be a Power Disc pack containing four discs containing The Good Dinosaur themed mounts:

Arlo the Apatosaurus
Nash the T.Rex
Butch the T.Rex
Ramsey (also a T.Rex)

You can’t say that Disney do things by halfs, that’s for sure.

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Xur’s Exotic Catalogue: 30/10/15 to 31/10/15

Nick Gillham — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:11:24 +0000

Xur’s back, and it appears today is another day for a gun.

In fact, it’s a pretty good week all round for Xur purchasers. I hope you’ve been saving your coins guardians.

Titan:

The Taikonaut – Helm – 13 Strange Coins

Hunter:

Graviton Forfeit – Helm – 13 Strange Coins

Warlock:

Alchemist’s Rainment – Chest – 13 Strange Coins

Weapon:

Zhalo Supercell – Auto Rifle – 23 Strange Coins

He’s hanging around with the Crucible Quartermaster this week. Don’t spend too much now.

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Xur’s Catalogue: 23/10/15 to 24/10/15

Nick Gillham — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 09:10:41 +0000

Xur’s back, and this week is not really one to write home about.

No weapons this week, so, you might have some interest in year two versions of original exotics, or maybe one of Xur’s Curio items, other than that it’s a pretty disappointing week.

Titan:

Empyrean Bellicose – Helm – 13 Strange Coins

Hunter:

Mask of the Third Man – Helm – 13 Strange Coins

Warlock:

Skull of Dire Ahamkara – Helm – 13 Strange Coins

Random engram:

Chest – Sniper Rifle – 19 Strange Coins

You’ll find him in the Tower bar, which is through the hangar.

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Four Whole Minutes of Rise of the Tomb Raider Gameplay

Nick Gillham — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 13:58:52 +0000

Check out four minutes of Lara jumping, swinging, climbing and killing wildlife.

I bet you haven’t even bothered to look down from the video have you?

I could write anything here and no-one would care.

THE RAPTURE IS COMING! REPENT AND SEE GOD!

Meh, enjoy the trailer

*mumbles* ungrateful little……*grumble*

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