Schlagwort: Community

Play the new tank Ramattra and take the battle to Shambali Monastery. Fighting for a better future for all Omnics, Ramattra joins Overwatch 2 as its latest Hero. Ramattra can completely change forms as part of his core kit, the first for any Overwatch Tank hero, and makes every moment different with his abilities and playstyle.

Visit Zenyatta and Ramattra’s home at the Shambali Monastery, the newest Escort map. Ascend the winding path walked by countless Omnics who sought refuge and transcend opponents with masterful skills.

Hero Balance Updates

Within the new season for Overwatch 2, we addressed some feedback we received from the community to bring more hero balance to competitive play.

First up is adjusting the lethality of Sojourn’s Rail Gun. Players have found it challenging to reach the highest tiers of Competitive ranks if they do not have the same mechanical skills as Sojourn players. We will be encouraging players to make use of Sojourn’s high mobility for devastating close distance hits.

Another hero receiving some major changes is Doomfist. While the playstyle core will remain the same to his Hero identity, new updates will help Doomfist better support the team’s front line.

In addition, expect some changes across Ana, Bastion, Junker Queen, Kiriko, Mercy, and Symettra, which will be live as of today.

Classic, Fan Favorite Locales

Players can not only dive into the newest map, Shambali Monastery, but return to some past fan favorite maps and see other locations in a new light. Visit the picturesque town of Rialto or catch some fun rides at Blizzard World, the most epic place on earth. Oasis and Nepal now features different times of the day for players to battle in, while the Hollywood and Watchpoint: Gibraltar maps are rotated out.

New Greek Mythology Battle Pass and Battle for Olympus Mode

Gods and legends from Greek Mythology are the theme of Season 2. Play your way through the Battle Pass or upgrade to the Premium Battle Pass to get even more glorious mythological rewards such as the Legendary Poseidon Ramattra, Legendary Hades Pharah, and the all-new Mythic Zeus Junker Queen skin. This mythic skin includes new customizations, weapon models, voice lines, and special effects.

A variety of heroes will be instilled with god-like powers in our brand-new game mode, Battle for Olympus! Play the limited-time event starting from January 5 through January 19 and look out for new skins throughout the season that might give you an idea on what’s to come!

Limited-Time Events and Twitch Drops

Get ready for three limited-time events this season! On top of the Battle for Olympus, classic Winter Wonderland and Lunar New Year events will return with fan favorite modes with even more seasonal rewards to earn. You can earn new skins from each event just by playing the game and completing event challenges! Get the Epic Ice Queen Brigitte in Winter Wonderland, the Legendary Winged Victory Mercy in the Battle for Olympus, and the Legendary Kkachi Echo in Lunar New Year.  Winter Wonderland will take place from December 13 to Jan 4 and you can experience Lunar New Year from Jan 17 until February 1!

Get your hands on even more Season 2 rewards by watching Overwatch 2 streamers who have enabled drops on Twitch. Look out for a Legendary Ramttra skin and many more Twitch drops this season.

Hero Challenges

We have released a new feature of Hero Challenges that you can take on to unlock heroes you have not yet earned. By selecting the Challenge of the Hero you want to unlock, you will be placed in the Practice Range so you can learn how to play the hero and ultimately overcome challenges that require winning Overwatch games.

If you are looking for a faster way to unlock the hero without participating in Hero Challenges, you can purchase them in the in-game store to get immediate access. For all Overwatch 1 owners, you can receive the three new Overwatch 2 heroes Sojourn, Junker Queen, and Kiriko just by logging into the game! This Hero bonus will end by the start of Season 3 so make sure to login before then.

Overwatch® 2

Blizzard Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆1998

★★★★★

Xbox One X Enhanced

Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Team up with friends and dive into the reimagined PvP experience as a time-jumping freedom fighter, a beat-dropping battlefield DJ, or one of over 30 other unique heroes as you battle it out around the globe. 36 HEROES, 23 MAPS AND 6 GAME MODES Lead the charge, ambush your enemies, or aid your allies as one of 36 distinct heroes. Take them into battle across 23 futuristic maps inspired by real-world locations, and master six unique game modes. SEASON TWO IS NOW LIVE New heroes, maps, and game modes will be added in seasonal updates every nine weeks. Drop into Season Two to unlock the latest hero, Ramattra, and over 20 tiers of completely free rewards on the Battle Pass. Purchase the Premium Battle Pass to unlock even more cosmetic rewards including the all-new Mythic Zeus Junker Queen skin, legendary skins, sprays, voice lines, weapon charms, and more! A mobile phone number must be linked to your Battle.net Account to play Overwatch.

Overwatch® 2: Watchpoint Pack

Blizzard Entertainment Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆11852

★★★★★

Get a head start with the Overwatch® 2: Watchpoint Pack, the home base of your new gameplay experience. The pack features everything you need to get started on Day 1! The pack includes the following Overwatch® 2 in-game content: Season One Premium Battle Pass, 7 Legendary skins (including 2 all-new Space Raider skins), 5 Epic skins, 2000 Overwatch Coins and Overwatch® 2 Player Icon.* With the Season One Premium Battle Pass you can unlock over 80 tiers of rewards including Mythic Cyber Demon Genji, Legendary Hinotori Kiriko, and more. In addition, as a Season One Premium Battle Pass owner you will automatically receive access to Overwatch’s latest hero Kiriko!** Includes instant access to Overwatch Legendary Edition. *Items will be awarded to players that have purchased Overwatch® 2 Watchpoint Pack when Overwatch® 2 launches, actual date subject to change. **Season One Battle Pass applies to Season One only and will not award access to any future Battle Pass or seasonal/live content. Season One will launch alongside Overwatch® 2 in October 2022. For more information, please visit https://playoverwatch.com. A mobile phone number must be linked to your Battle.net Account to play Overwatch.

Rainbow Six Siege’s Operation Solar Raid, the biggest season of Year 7, is live now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. It brings many new features to the tactical shooter including a new Operator and map, crossplay and cross-progression, Ranked 2.0 and a completely revamped Battle Pass, NieR: Automata and NieR Replicant inspired crossover skins, and a free trial period ending December 8.

New Operator Solis is a Colombian Defender who is allied with Caveira’s Ghosteyes faction, a unit focused on stealth and secrecy. She wields the P90 Submachine gun or ITA 12L shotgun as her primary weapon, and the SMG-11 as her secondary, with a bulletproof camera or impact grenades to boot. Solis’ special gadget is the SPEC-IO Electro-Sensor, a headset which allows her to spot, identify, and tag the Attackers’ electronic devices. This includes a wide variety of unique and generic gadgets that Attackers use for everything from breaching to roamer-hunting to intel-gathering, and even includes not just the scouting drones that every Attacker has, but also the phones they use to control them.

You’re going to want her skills and gadgets on your side in the all-new Nighthaven Labs map. Set on the shoreline in Singapore, Nighthaven Labs is a high-tech facility with multiple interior stairwells to facilitate coordinated maneuvers, as well as a few breakable exterior walls that lead straight on to some bomb sites. Note that Operation Solar Raid is introducing a new map-related update: the new map will not be bannable at the start of the season, so get ready to get acquainted fast.

Operation Solar Raid also introduces the long-awaited crossplay and cross-progression features to Rainbow Six Siege. This means Xbox players can now opt in to squad up with their friends from other platforms through Ubisoft Connect, earning them one free Alpha Pack in the process. Their progress, currencies, and items will also be shared across all platforms after logging into Ubisoft Connect.

As you detect Attacker incursions with Solis and flank enemies across Nighthaven Labs, you’ll earn progress in the newly revamped Battle Pass. New branching pathways let you choose your own progression route. You can still unlock all the rewards, regardless of where you start, but the new system effectively lets you work towards the prizes you want to unlock first. But that’s not all that’s been upgraded – competitive players should note that with Ranked 2.0, their rank is determined by how many Rank Points they earn or lose after Ranked matches. Additionally, Operation Solar Raid is bringing the beta phase of the Reputation Score Display to Rainbow Six Siege. This means that players will be able to see their Reputation Standing (though they won’t receive any effects yet), and analyze how their gameplay and interactions are affecting their standing.

The Rainbow Six Siege team has also partnered with Square Enix to create a unique set of Elite skins for Iana and Maverick, inspired by 2B from NieR:Automata and Protagonist from NieR Replicant ver.122474487139, respectively. The team also added additional customization options to Operator devices and Observation Tools to improve the game’s accessibility. Other notable updates include all Operators having the same move speed while aiming down their sights, no more friendly fire in the preparation phase, and drone speed remaining constant while strafing diagonally.

For those wanting to try Rainbow Six Siege for the first time, you’re in luck: the game is hosting a free week until December 8 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Plus, Operation Solar Raid has two welcome packs available for purchase: the Buck Welcome Pack and the Signature Skin Welcome Pack. Jump into the Rainbow Six Siege action today in the tech-tastic Operation Solar Raid.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege Deluxe Edition

UBISOFT

☆☆☆☆☆1923

★★★★★

$39.99 $9.99

Xbox Game Pass

Upgrade to the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Siege Deluxe Edition! Includes the full game and 16 operators from Year 1 and Year 2. Dive into explosive 5v5 gameplay, high stakes competition, and thrilling PvP team battles. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege features an ever-expanding experience with limitless opportunities to perfect your strategy and help lead your team to victory. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is constantly evolving. Each new season brings brand-new content, game-changing operators and abilities, in-game events, weapons, and maps. The Deluxe Edition contains:
– The full game (all maps and modes)
– All 8 operators from Year 1 (Frost, Buck, Valkyrie, Blackbeard, Caveira, Capitão, Hibana, and Echo)
– All 8 operators from Year 2 (Jackal, Mira, Lesion, Ying, Ela, Zofia, Dokkaebi, and Vigil) Optimized for Xbox Series X|S (up to 4K and 120 fps). This game leverages Smart Delivery allowing access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X|S title.

ARKS defenders may be out of the frying pan, but they’ll be stepping into the fire today with the launch of the Stia Region in Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis. The region features hot springs, lava pools, and some of the biggest and baddest enemies seen yet. You’ll need to bring your A-game to battle so you don’t get burned. In addition to adding a new region and story content, this update also includes new class-specific abilities and skills, weapons and armor, interactable objects, Field Races, various system improvements and a whole lot more!

Reconnaissance Mission: Stia

Dotted with Ryuker Devices for easy transportation, the 4 main areas of Stia are filled with DOLLS, resources, and lava. In Stia Outskirts you’ll find the Stia Camp, which can take care of your immediate needs for replenishment, Class Skill tuning, Weapon/Armor Enhancement, Side Quests, and other gameplay necessities. Upon exiting Stia Camp, you’ll find enemies camped out, ready to prey on the unprepared. The Grainne Coast lines Stia Outskirts and this is where the lava is forced to yield to water – separating Kvaris, Aelio, and Retem from Stia. Stia Outskirts is also home to the Dreisen Plant entrance, which has been deemed an active Combat Sector due to increased activity and frequent aggression from DOLLS. You may encounter Scout Wasps, which serve as Surveillance Drones for the DOLLS, so be on your toes so as to silence any activated alarms. You may be lucky enough to encounter Invisible Boxes, which are specially hidden rare item containers that are only detectable by your Mag Device and subtle environmental effects.

The Number One Rule: Don’t Stand in the Fire

Lava is hot and too hot is bad. In the Stia Region, Lava Bombs rain pain from above and Lava Pools stand ready to burn those who don’t step carefully. If you have a chaotic and destructive streak, however, New Genesis is here for you; these elements can be used to your advantage by quickly collecting bombs and throwing them at spherical Lava Cores that form within pools during certain weather conditions. The explosion created by this series of actions is quite the sight, and sure to annihilate any enemies standing in close proximity.

New Adversaries = a Good Time

DOLLS have adapted to the harsh terrain and take various forms in Stia. Three of the strongest DOLLS you may encounter include Nils Stia, Engouku, and Doldoris. Nils Stia has an attack that can be turned against it with clever exploitation of an elemental weakness, Engouku shares fighting-style similarities with the lightning-fast Bujin, and Doldoris causes even the bravest defenders to fall back and take cover when it deploys its Gatling Gun. However, the strongest enemies will also have amassed the best treasure, and the enemies in Stia are no exception. The 8-star Effulgent Fire Elemental Weapon Series can be found throughout Stia, though may be most easily acquired in the Combat Sectors. These weapons have a Potential that increases Critical Hit Rate after a successful dodge or attack negation. Two new types of 7-star Rarity Armor can also be found in areas of active engagement.

No Gain Without Train…-ia

Tackling the new Trainia found in Stia will provide defenders with additional Skill Points, which are needed for the new active and passive Class Skills that are included in this content update. There are 3 Cocoons available starting at level 63 and 1 Tower available to those level 65 or above. After successful completion of a Trainia, the Skill Points are available for immediate use back at the Stia Camp or any other Class Counter. Every Class has new Class Skills to choose from, and these can be either defensive, offensive, or supportive, and may provide either a passive or active benefit. Many classes received new skills that make other class-appropriate weapon types more viable, and this may see some defenders switching their loadouts accordingly.

Easier Leveling with Battledia

In addition to Trainia, Stia is also home to new Battledia combat facilities. These facilities require Battle Triggers (dropped by certain enemies) and can be accessed through their respective Trigger Portals. Battledia: Yellow are perfect locations to gain a good amount of EXP, while Battledia: Purple are significantly more challenging and may require a team effort. In Stia Battledia: Purple, Stia Devastators, you’ll fight a series of Gigantix that will leave you little room for error without punishing your results. However, the glory and rewards from success are great, as another 8-star Rarity Weapon Series, the Gunblaze weapons, drop from the enemies found in Stia’s Purple Battledia.

New Field Races

Field Races are a new addition to Exploration Sectors in New Genesis, and many have been added over the last few months. Naturally Stia will also include a Field Race, accessed by using the Racing Console near the Ryuker Device on the Grainne Coast of Stia Outskirts. Challenge yourself by making split-second decisions while you determine the best path to beat the times and scores of other players. To do this, you’ll need to pass through checkpoints and collect as many Score Symbols as you can while avoiding craggy and volcanic terrain. For your efforts, you’ll receive various beneficial Augments, which can be used to Enhance your gear, as well as Gathering Materials that provide desirable buffs when used as Quick Food at a Ryuker Device.

System: Optimized

As great as the above content sounds, that’s not the only thing that this update is bringing to the table on December 7. There’s also a large variety of system improvements that have been made. One long-desired change is the addition of new and departing item indicators on the Scratch Ticket Prize list, allowing players to easily identify new cosmetic items they want and items they should get before they’re gone. New or returning players will benefit from adjusted rewards for completing the Main Story Tasks in Chapters 2 and 3. Also, players who choose to create a new character can now dive right into the new story chapter, provided they have a character on their account who has already completed the previous chapters.

Feel the heat of the Stia Region now by visiting the Microsoft Store and downloading Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, for free, on PC, Xbox One, or Xbox Series X/S!

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis

SEGA Corporation

☆☆☆☆☆ 763

★★★★★

Xbox One X Enhanced

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, the latest chapter in the Phantasy Star Online 2 series, is here at last!
It’s time to jump into adventures beyond imagination! This new adventure takes place on a vast open field! Up to 32 people can enjoy the adventure in a new world with beautifully-evolved graphics! The simple and intuitive controls developed in the series up to now have also evolved! A new dimension of battle with a variety of powerful enemies awaits! The new actions Photon Dash and Photon Glide allow you to traverse across the vast open field with ease! Of course, the ultimate in character creation has also evolved. Create your own main character that will be unique throughout the world, and head out to a new adventure! ・The core game is Free-to-Play, but there is certain paid content that can be purchased. ・The Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis game that can be downloaded with this content is the same as that included in other editions. You do not have to download this if it is already installed. ・Proceeding with play in Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis will allow you to play Phantasy Star Online 2. ・Please log in with an administrator account to play this game.

Path of Titans, the dinosaur MMO survival game, launches the biggest update yet, just in time for the holidays! Discover yourself awakening in Gondwa, as the new pterosaur Thalassodromeus and plesiosaur Kaiwhekea in the fresh flagship island world, a mix of Mediterranean island landscapes on a diverse archipelago.  Get your first look at the new creatures in the gameplay trailer featuring conservationist Robert Irwin, of the Australia Zoo.

Dive through undersea canyons as the first aquatic plesiosaur Kaiwhekea, and catch thermal updrafts to carry you high into the skies as the first flyer, the Thalassodromeus pterosaur! Towering spires, ocean cliffs, canyons, hidden refuges and more await you on servers with up to 100 players.

Join your fellow dinosaurs, plesiosaurs and pterosaurs in the coastal habitats of this chain of islands, in an open-world sandbox MMO adventure with 30 playable dinosaur species included in the Founder’s Edition.

The world of Path of Titans has expanded in many ways, new underwater home caves and quests, new aquatic NPCs to hunt, and roosts and cliffs for Thalas to perch. Discover the hidden caves and burrows above and below the ocean blue, and interact with the many new denizens of the seas.

The team at Alderon Games wants to thank the Xbox Insider Hub community for the feedback and support through the development of Gondwa.  Months of optimizations will be apparent across the game, and several of the features of the new Unreal Engine 5 have been integrated into this update. The flight and swimming systems have been months in progress, and everything related to the new vertical gameplay elements have been tested in Xbox Insider Hub with a diverse group of gamers for months, many thanks to all who participated!

Important to mention are the improvements to Waystones, and transporting to friends in game. This has been requested often, and the team has made some changes to simplify the system, with some gameplay mechanics added to maintain balance and prevent exploits or abuses.

This update brings the total number of playable characters to 30, and launches the second official 8km x8km map Gondwa, to join the upland forest map Panjura. Fill out your roster of dinosaurs and customize and thrive through life cycle growth and 70+ abilities, and over 100,000 cosmetic variations of skins in game.

From first attempts at flight, learning to dive for fish, catching thermals, and mastering hunting large land prey, find your wings with the first available pterosaur in Path of Titans. Your long necked, needle toothed ‘Kai’ rules the waterways of Gondwa, guide your plesiosaur and master skills in the rivers, lagoons and inlets in competition with crocodilian Sarcosuchus and the hulking Spinosaurus. Discover even more with Community Mod creatures and maps available today. Modding is fully supported! Download free community creations such as creatures, maps, game modes, with more being created all the time!

Take to the air and the sea, and be among the first to chart the islands of Gondwa in the Founders’ First Flight in Path of Titans!

Path of Titans (Game Preview)

Alderon Games Pty Ltd

☆☆☆☆☆246

★★★★★

Xbox One X Enhanced

Free Trial

This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game. –
You’ve never experienced a dinosaur adventure like this before! Path of Titans is an open-world dinosaur sandbox MMO adventure with 25+ dinosaur species inhabiting the realms of the Titans. With amazing graphics including over 100,000 variations of cosmetic skins, unique traits and skills for each dinosaur subspecies, the newly revealed islands of Gondwa map and available to play today, get ready to be transported to endless adventures wherever your dinosaur imagination takes you. Explore your Jurassic Era dinosaurs as you level up species with your friends, and discover even more Community Mods‘ creatures and maps available today. Survive, explore, fight and thrive PvP and PvE while ranking up your skill slots, side questing, and customizing glorious cosmetic skins through the islands of Gondwa and highlands of Panjura! Baby dinosaurs start off your adventure, learn to explore, master combat, make friends, join a herd or survive solo, hunt, fish, graze, defend resources, say just one more side quest tonight, build a home cave, start your own dinosaur family with your new baby characters or your friends’ babies, and expand your skills, traits, ingame cosmetic skins while roaming the Earth of millions of years ago! Dinosaurs rule these lands, and now you can enter their world! With more Official dinosaurs and Community Mods on the way, the question today… which dinosaur will you take your first steps with on the Path of Titans? –
Full details on the latest status of the game, how you can give feedback and report issues can be found at https://pathoftitans.com

Three years ago, I began a soul-searching journey involving my own mental wellness. As Quality of Life Program Manager with 343 Industries, I have the privilege to engage in work coordinating the Halo team’s cultural and philanthropic efforts as well as working with Team Xbox and Microsoft to develop diversity and inclusion initiatives. As much as I love my job, at the end of busy days filled with meetings and thoughtful conversations, I can find myself worn down. Depleted. At first, I thought I was just peopled-out because I am an introverted person, but when I started talking to a therapist about it, I discovered that I experience clinical depression.

For the first time in my life, I finally had the words to describe the wet, heavy blanket I had been carrying all this time. With this awareness, I’m working on how to better care for myself. I talk with my therapist about what triggers my depression and how I can deal with my day-to-day life. Depression is not an end-level boss to beat; it is a part of me that I work to accept and manage. I take medication as part of my treatment, now, and I’ve never felt more balanced in my life! Initially, I had a lot of apprehension about taking medication, but it’s a change I’m glad I talked through and eventually made. With medication, my brain started doing something that it seemed everyone else was able to do. So, now I take medicine for heartburn and heartache, what’s the difference?

Gaming is one of the main ways that I feed my soul or my spirit. I love all kinds of gaming: board games, card games, and party games. But especially video games. I have been Cloud Strife taking on Shinra. I have been an adventurer and taken an arrow to the knee. I have lived a thousand lives over and over again through the stories of video games. When I am really in the depths of my depression, I often turn to Katamari Damacy. That game makes no sense at all, but it’s such a delight. You are tasked with rolling up all the things in the world into a ball, everything from fruit to furniture to buildings to people, and somehow…make new stars out of it? I have no idea. But, when the world doesn’t make sense, I can just roll up all the junk into a ball and keep going.

Gaming can be such a great source of release. And, while I love competition as much as the next gamer, the times when gaming has helped me the most is when I am using it to relax and explore. As a Black man, spaces where I feel that security can be hard to find. Moreover, I know that that’s not something out of the ordinary, which is why I’m adamant about playing games that bring me joy and encouraging others to do the same. I have Minecraft caves and Stardew Valley farms that I have enjoyed as much as some of my plasma-scorched battlefields. Ultimately, I just like seeing people, myself included, play what makes them happy (minus any toxicity)!

Gaming is fun and, honestly, I just want to say to other men out there, and especially to other Black men, it’s okay to have fun with gaming and not take it so seriously. It’s okay for it to not be a competition and just have a relaxing time planting crops in a cozy game. You do you.

Games also have the potential to be this transformative experience that can connect us with other people and experiences. Spiritfarer, which is a management simulator that tells a story about grief through relationships, straight-up made me cry as I connected with my own experiences of grief. I once attended an in-game funeral for a real person I have never met because I felt so connected to them through the relationship we developed over gaming. I think it’s mind-blowing that games have the power to connect us like that. Because, really, it’s not what we are going through that is so difficult, but that we often try to go through it alone.

Life is not a single-player game. To anyone out there feeling alone, just know this: someone cares. Someone, most likely someone you know and love, is willing to hear you out. Whether or not you have the privilege to seek out therapy right now, finding someone to talk to about what you are going through is always a great first step.

If you need some support and aren’t sure where to turn, start with one of the resources below. Join the Team Xbox community as we embrace the power of play as one of many tools to encourage mental wellness throughout the year.

Discover

Xbox Ambassadors Feature Stories about How Video Games Helped Them through Stress and Burn Out

To promote Mental Health Awareness, Xbox Ambassadors shared how video games have helped them through times of stress and burn out.

v Amarie v
She/Her. United States.

“The Elder Scrolls Online has my heart when it comes to stress relief. The biggest reason for this is the music that the game offers and the amazing landscapes. Tamriel is the most beautiful place to escape too, and I can spend hours exploring. I am so grateful to this game and the community has been amazing. In a very strange way Tamriel feels like a 2nd home to most [of] us who really immerse ourselves. I am truly, truly grateful.”

CutePixiestik
She/Her. United States.

“My gaming was placed on back burner when I became a parent. However, as my child grew up and financial stresses lessened, I got back into gaming with playing with my son and convincing my husband to try also. Gaming was there to give me a special time to share with my family and provide an outlet for stress and stiff fingers and eye-hand coordination. From playing Fortnite, Halo, Call of Duty and Asphalt 9, they all seem to give me an outlet to put the stresses of the day away and enjoy gaming with friends and family.”

Read more stories on the XA Community Blog.

Give

Gaming and Impact with Microsoft Rewards

Microsoft Rewards members can earn and donate points to organizations supporting mental wellness with Xbox. The organizations below will be featured on console:

• Crisis Text Line – Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, high-quality text-based mental health support and crisis intervention in English and Spanish by empowering a community of more than 55,000 trained volunteers to support people in their moments of need. Text PAUSE to 741741 to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor. (US)

• The Games and Online Harassment Hotline (Feminist Frequency) – The Games and Online Harassment Hotline is a free, text message-based, confidential emotional support hotline. This Hotline was created specifically for the gaming community. Whether you’re a player, a developer, a streamer, a competitor — any part of this community — they are here for you, whether that means offering emotional support or finding the referrals and resources that you need. (US)

• Take This – Take This is a mental health advocacy organization with a focus on the game industry and community. They provide resources, training, and support individuals and companies that help the gaming community improve its mental well-being and resilience. The organization addresses the underlying conditions that can create and perpetuate mental health challenges: stigma, harmful studio culture, harassment and toxicity, lack of diversity and accessibility, and problematic game and community design. Take This also runs the AFK Room Program at game conventions. (US)

• Lifeline – Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. They are committed to empowering Australians to be suicide-safe through connection, compassion and hope. (AUS) – Coming soon!

Xbox gamers can earn Microsoft Rewards points in various ways when they join, such as playing games and completing Game Pass Quests, completing offers in the Microsoft Rewards app on Xbox, and select purchases at the Microsoft Store (exclusions apply). Earn points and redeem them for real rewards. Join us today and donate through Xbox.

Play

Take a Break and Recharge Your Way with Games Curated by Staff at Microsoft

Games allow us to immerse ourselves in fantasy realms and experience different perspectives in a powerful way. In a world where we could all benefit from additional ways to rest and reset regularly, more games are being designed with the opportunity to recharge in mind. As a common tool for relaxation, comfort, and cultivating positive feelings, games can help us create supportive communities in which we can relate to each other’s experiences and share stories of how games have impacted our lives.

We want to highlight a collection of games that provide an escape from the trials of life, give us ways to connect to our unique identities, and share stories that explore the significance and strength of mental health awareness. We understand that people play games for a variety of reasons, ranging from wanting to relax to wanting to dive deep into emotional stories they can empathize with. As part of our ongoing work to create more inclusive gaming ecosystems and elevate content that resonates with communities, we are including a diverse set of games, allowing people to engage with content that appeals to their personal gaming needs. This collection is available on Xbox, Windows, Mobile, and the Cloud year-round.

A few highlights from the full Game Pass Collection on Xbox and the full Game Pass Collection on Windows include:

• Persona 5 Royal (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) — Persona 5 Royal steps up an already incredible story that navigates the cross-section of mental health and heroism by introducing the character Dr. Takuto Maruki. As the guidance counselor of Shujin Academy, Dr. Maruki supports the Phantom Thieves’ by listening to their traumatic pasts, validating their emotions, and providing them with empathy and encouragement. Not only does this game elegantly portray the complex feelings that come with common human struggles like grief, trauma, dissociation, and depression, but now it also provides a prime example of the positive impact that therapy can have on our lives. Content warning: suicide.

• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Available with Xbox Game Pass and Rated M) — Senua, a Celtic warrior, embarks on a haunting vision quest into Viking Hell to save the soul of her dead lover. Developer Ninja Theory collaborated closely with neuroscientists and people with lived experiences of psychosis to bring Senua’s story to life with authenticity.

• Disney Dreamlight Valley (Available with Xbox Game Pass) — In this unique hybrid of adventure games and life-simulators, Disney Dreamlight Valley allows players to be a hero in a Disney-themed universe of their own creation. Filled with iconic Disney and Pixar characters, storylines in the form of quests, and seemingly endless customization options, this game provides a calming atmosphere for open exploration, free from any form of combat, while engaging fans in a captivating story that they can complete at their leisure.

• Unpacking (Available with Xbox Game Pass) — This zen puzzle game allows you to unweave the coming-of-age story of a queer woman moving through a variety of stages in life. Decorate and organize each new interior living space in a meditative way while contemplating what we hold on to and let go of through the sentimental meaning of our personal belongings.

• Stardew Valley (Available with Xbox Game Pass) — Winner of the Dr. Mark Award from Take This for excellent portrayal of mental health, healing, and hope, Stardew Valley is a calming game full of farming, building relationships, and task completion that provides a satisfying feeling of accomplishment. Complete with a relaxing soundtrack, this game is all about slowing down.

View this collection on the Microsoft Store on Xbox and the Microsoft Store on Windows in all Xbox regions. Visitors can find this collection at any time by searching within the Stores for “Mental Health” and related terms.

Find a Save Point

Perhaps you enjoy cozy games with cartoon graphics and chill play options? Or perhaps you prefer an RPG with retro graphics and an engaging story? Whatever way you choose to recharge, we wanted to share this beautiful nighttime camping scene, which is reminiscent of save points in many games which you can use as your profile theme or gamerpic as a reminder to take a pause, breathe, and rest on your journey.

Never Fight Alone with Gears of War

Gears of War has always told stories about belonging and brotherhood. The rapidly rising rates of suicide, depression, and loneliness concern us deeply and we believe in the opportunity to come together to reduce and prevent further suffering.

The Coalition has made a multi-year commitment to donate 1% of net revenue from all Gears of War games and merchandise to organizations working to prevent suicide and combat loneliness. This year, all proceeds benefit Crisis Text Line.

To show your support, you can purchase the 2022 Benefit Tee from the Xbox Gear Shop.

New Gamerpics, Profile Theme, and Avatar Items

In honor of mental health awareness, we’re introducing a new gamerpic, profile themes, and avatar items featuring Xbox logos inspired by relaxing, cozy games! We hope you will be inspired to take a break and relax in the world of your favorite cozy game, perhaps by crafting, decorating, building relationships, or enjoying the view of a star-filled sky. These gamerpics and profile themes will be available on console and the Xbox PC app. Get your avatar items here. Content is subject to availability by country.

Tune in

Xbox Plays Celebrates Mental Health Awareness

In December, the Xbox Plays team will feature some great guest streamers who will take over the Xbox Twitch channel and share their favorite feel-good games, stress relief tips, and more! Follow us on Xbox Twitch and don’t miss any of these cozy streams!

• Monday, December 5 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. PT – Phedran playing Minecraft

• Monday, December 5 from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. PT – sheilur playing Disney Dreamlight Valley

• Wednesday, December 14 from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. PT – emme playing Stardew Valley

Xbox Partners with Calm

The holidays can be a time of joy and connection, but for many, they can negatively affect mental health. One place people are turning to destress and re-energize is through gaming, according to a recent survey conducted in six countries by YouGov, and commissioned by Xbox. Of the survey respondents who play video games, 54% turn to video games to relieve stress.

Now, players everywhere will have a new tool to improve their general wellness, all within two video game universes. Calm, the #1 app for sleep, meditation and relaxation is partnering with Xbox to bring the first-ever video game-themed soundscapes to the platform. Officially available on December 7, players can immerse themselves and enjoy the meditative sounds of whirling waves and chattering birds from the ocean expanse of Sea of Thieves and the ambient alien sounds of Zeta Halo from Halo Infinite both available through Calm Premium. To ensure players can listen to the new soundscapes with ease, we’re also announcing a new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perk. Starting today, Ultimate members can receive three months of Calm Premium for free, and then 50% off their first year subscription, when they sign up (new Calm Premium members only). Calm also offers a 7-day free trial to Calm Premium subscription content via www.calm.com/freetrial.

The partnership with Calm is part of Xbox’s ongoing commitment to supporting players’ mental health and connecting them with resources to support their well-being. According to Calm, 81% of people who use Calm 5 or more times per week reported an improvement in their stress levels, as did 68% of people who engaged with the app only once or twice per week.

Check out the new Sea of Thieves and Halo Infinite soundscapes through Calm Premium by taking advantage of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perk today.

About Calm

Calm is the leading mental health brand, on a mission to support everyone on every step of their mental health journey. With the #1 app for sleep, meditation and relaxation, Calm’s transformational content supports users across seven languages in more than 190 countries. Calm Business, Calm’s enterprise-level solution, helps employees improve their mental health to stay productive in the workplace. Over 3,000 organizations around the world trust and choose Calm Business as their mental health partner. Calm Health, Calm’s mental health care solution for payers, providers and self-insured employers, connects mental and physical healthcare to drive positive patient outcomes through clinical, condition-specific mental health programs, caregiver communication tools and more. Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2020 and Time100’s Most Influential Companies of 2022. For more information, please visit www.calm.com.

Microsoft’s longest-running franchise commemorates community accomplishments.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is thrilled to mark another momentous milestone made possible by our tremendous community. Since the introduction 27 months ago of the latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, we have released 27 robust updates to simmers. All completely free!

On November 11, we celebrated our 40th Anniversary with the release of the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition. And, today we are excited to announce that more than 10 million pilots have enjoyed the beauty, awe, and wonder of the world available in Microsoft Flight Simulator across Windows/PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox console.

We would not have reached any of these milestones without the continued support of our amazing community and their ongoing engagement and contributions. Because it’s a day for celebrating numbers, we want to share a few more impressive accomplishments of our community:

• 500 million flights
• 40 billion miles flown
• Equivalent of 10 million trips around the Earth
• Equivalent of 200 round trips from the Earth to the Sun

And we’re just getting started! We have exciting plans for 2023 and beyond. Join the 10 million pilots in Microsoft Flight Simulator today! The sky is calling!

Microsoft Flight Simulator is available for Xbox Series X|S and PC with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, Windows, and Steam, and on Xbox One and supported mobile phones, tablets, and lower-spec PCs via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

For the latest information on Microsoft Flight Simulator, stay tuned to @MSFSOfficial on Twitter.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Premium Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆68

★★★★★

$119.99 $95.99

From light planes to wide body jets to gliders and helicopters, fly highly detailed and accurate aircraft in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition. The world is at your fingertips. The Premium Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition includes everything from the Deluxe Edition plus 5 additional highly accurate planes with unique flight models and 5 additional handcrafted international airports. Premium Deluxe Additional Aircraft
• Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner
• Cirrus Aircraft SR22
• Pipistrel Virus SW 121
• Textron Aviation Cessna Citation Longitude
• Zlin Aviation Shock Ultra Premium Deluxe Additional Airports
• Denver International Airport (USA)
• Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates)
• Frankfurt Airport (Germany)
• Heathrow Airport (United Kingdom)
• San Francisco International Airport (USA) Explore Your World
• Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with over 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.
• Living World – The Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which includes live traffic, real-time weather, and animals. Earn Your Wings
• Aircraft – Hone your pilot skills in a variety of aircraft from light planes to commercial jets with comprehensive flight models. Every aircraft includes highly detailed and accurate cockpits with realistic instrumentation.
• Checklist System – From pro to beginner, scale your level from full manual to full assist with interactive and highlighted instrument guidance and checklist. Test Your Skill
• Live Weather -The weather engine enables users to switch on the live weather mode to experience real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain and more.
• Day and Night Engine – Experience flight at any time of day or year allowing for night VFR, visual flight rules, navigation.
• Aerodynamic Modeling – A state-of-the-art physics engine with over 1000 control surfaces per plane allows for a truly realistic experience. Microsoft Flight Simulator has fulfilled the aspirations of aviators worldwide for 40 years. Celebrate the award-winning franchise with the 40th Anniversary Edition, loaded with all-new features, aircraft and content that span the history of aviation. The 40th Anniversary Edition update introduces:
• 1 true-to-life Airbus A310 Airliner
• 2 helicopters and 14 heliports
• 2 gliders and 15 glider airports
• 7 famous historical aircraft including the Hughes H-4 Hercules (aka the Spruce Goose)
• 4 classic commercial airports
• 24 classic missions from the franchise’s past

Microsoft Flight Simulator Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆41

★★★★★

$89.99 $71.99

From light planes to wide body jets to gliders and helicopters, fly highly detailed and accurate aircraft in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition. The world is at your fingertips. The Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition includes everything from the Standard Edition plus 5 additional highly accurate planes with unique flight models and 5 additional handcrafted international airports. Deluxe Additional Aircraft
• Diamond Aircraft DA40-TDI
• Diamond Aircraft DV20
• Textron Aviation Beechcraft Baron G58
• Textron Aviation Cessna 152 Aerobat
• Textron Aviation Cessna 172 Skyhawk Deluxe Additional Handcrafted Airports
• Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (Netherlands)
• Cairo International Airport (Egypt)
• Cape Town International Airport (South Africa)
• O’Hare International Airport (USA)
• Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (Spain) Explore Your World
• Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with over 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.
• Living World – The Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which includes live traffic, real-time weather, and animals. Earn Your Wings
• Aircraft – Hone your pilot skills in a variety of aircraft from light planes to commercial jets with comprehensive flight models. Every aircraft includes highly detailed and accurate cockpits with realistic instrumentation.
• Checklist System – From pro to beginner, scale your level from full manual to full assist with interactive and highlighted instrument guidance and checklist. Test Your Skill
• Live Weather -The weather engine enables users to switch on the live weather mode to experience real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain and more.
• Day and Night Engine – Experience flight at any time of day or year allowing for night VFR, visual flight rules, navigation.
• Aerodynamic Modeling – A state-of-the-art physics engine with over 1000 control surfaces per plane allows for a truly realistic experience. Microsoft Flight Simulator has fulfilled the aspirations of aviators worldwide for 40 years. Celebrate the award-winning franchise with the 40th Anniversary Edition, loaded with all-new features, aircraft and content that span the history of aviation. The 40th Anniversary Edition update introduces:
• 1 true-to-life Airbus A310 Airliner
• 2 helicopters and 14 heliports
• 2 gliders and 15 glider airports
• 7 famous historical aircraft including the Hughes H-4 Hercules (aka the Spruce Goose)
• 4 classic commercial airports
• 24 classic missions from the franchise’s past

Microsoft Flight Simulator Standard 40th Anniversary Edition

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆142

★★★★★

$59.99 $47.99

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

From light planes to wide body jets to gliders and helicopters, fly highly detailed and accurate aircraft in the Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition. The world is at your fingertips. Microsoft Flight Simulator 40th Anniversary Edition features 37 airplanes, gliders, and helicopters with unique flight models, 25 handcrafted airports, 4 classic commercial airports, 14 heliports and 15 glider airports. Explore Your World
• Vivid and Detailed Landscapes – Immerse yourself in the vast and beautiful world that is our planet with over 1.5 billion buildings, 2 trillion trees, mountains, roads, rivers and more.
• Living World – The Earth is vibrant and ever-changing and so is the world of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which includes live traffic, real-time weather, and animals. Earn Your Wings
• Aircraft – Hone your pilot skills in a variety of aircraft from light planes to commercial jets with comprehensive flight models. Every aircraft includes highly detailed and accurate cockpits with realistic instrumentation.
• Checklist System – From pro to beginner, scale your level from full manual to full assist with interactive and highlighted instrument guidance and checklist. Test Your Skill
• Live Weather -The weather engine enables users to switch on the live weather mode to experience real-time weather including accurate wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, rain and more.
• Day and Night Engine – Experience flight at any time of day or year allowing for night VFR, visual flight rules, navigation.
• Aerodynamic Modeling – A state-of-the-art physics engine with over 1000 control surfaces per plane allows for a truly realistic experience. Microsoft Flight Simulator has fulfilled the aspirations of aviators worldwide for 40 years. Celebrate the award-winning franchise with the 40th Anniversary Edition, loaded with all-new features, aircraft and content that span the history of aviation. The 40th Anniversary Edition update introduces:
• 1 true-to-life Airbus A310 Airliner
• 2 helicopters and 14 heliports
• 2 gliders and 15 glider airports
• 7 famous historical aircraft including the Hughes H-4 Hercules (aka the Spruce Goose)
• 4 classic commercial airports
• 24 classic missions from the franchise’s past

New battles await you, Tarnished. In this free update, the doors of the Colosseums have opened in Elden Ring and the Arenas located in the Lands Between call upon all worthy warriors. Will you fight for honor, or glory?

As you may have heard, the previously inaccessible Colosseums in the game have been opened with the latest free patch for Elden Ring! Many adventurers have passed by these structures with curiosity and wonder. Now, the wait is over and the highly requested Arena modes are all ready for you!

PvP Modes

You can find an Arena in each of the three Colosseums: Limgrave, Caelid, and Leyndell. Each Colosseum will have a room where players can walk up and interact with the effigy of Marika to access multiplayer modes.

Additionally, it will be possible to initiate combat via the effigy of Marika at Roundtable Hold, using the formats of Colosseums already visited. The rulesets will differ depending on the Arena you enter, so let’s dive a little deeper into what to expect once you past the doors of each Colosseum.

Limgrave Colosseum

Explore the path north of Warmaster’s Shack to arrive at the Limgrave Colosseum. The Arena here will feature two modes, United Combat and Combat Ordeal.

• United Combat: In this mode, you will be divided into two opposing teams. The objective is to collect points as a team, and the spoils go to the team with the most points after the time limit. Death does not stop a team member in this mode, for when a player dies, they will continue to respawn and can keep fighting until time is up.
• Combat Ordeal: In this mode, you will brawl individually until the warrior with the highest elimination points stands as the sole victor. Like United Combat, players can respawn when they are killed.

Players can use a group password to match with their friends for these two modes.

Royal Colosseum

Venture over to Leyndell to find the Colosseum near the West Capital Rampart Site of Grace. The Arena within will hold one mode, Duel.

Duel: Just as the name implies, this mode is a duel between two players. Two combatants will fight each other in a 1 versus 1 battle. Unlike United Combat and Combat Ordeal, the first one to slay their opponent is the victor. There will be no respawn, no second chances.

Caelid Colosseum

Make your way over to northern Caelid to find all three modes above (Duel, United Combat, Combat Ordeal) but with Spirit Ashes enabled.

Combatants can use whichever Spirit Ash they prefer. In United Combat and Combat Ordeal, if a combatant dies then the Spirit Ash will disappear with them. When the player respawns, the individual can summon again, or even choose another one to summon.

The max number of players in United Combat and Combat Ordeal is 6 players, with each of them having the ability to summon their own Spirit Ash.

The new 1.08 patch is available now for free in Elden Ring. Join your fellow Tarnished and battle for glory. Remember… if you fall, do not lose faith. Your rise to victory is in your hands.

ELDEN RING Deluxe Edition

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆15069

★★★★★

The Deluxe Edition includes:
• ELDEN RING (full game)
• Digital Artbook & Original Soundtrack
Allows players to enjoy viewing concept art and listening to in-game music of ELDEN RING exclusive to the Deluxe Edition. THE NEW FANTASY ACTION RPG.
Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between. • A Vast World Full of Excitement
A vast world where open fields with a variety of situations and huge dungeons with complex and three-dimensional designs are seamlessly connected. As you explore, the joy of discovering unknown and overwhelming threats await you, leading to a high sense of accomplishment. • Create your Own Character
In addition to customizing the appearance of your character, you can freely combine the weapons, armor, and magic that you equip. You can develop your character according to your play style, such as increasing your muscle strength to become a strong warrior, or mastering magic. • An Epic Drama Born from a Myth
A multilayered story told in fragments. An epic drama in which the various thoughts of the characters intersect in the Lands Between. • Unique Online Play that Loosely Connects You to Others
In addition to multiplayer, where you can directly connect with other players and travel together, the game supports a unique asynchronous online element that allows you to feel the presence of others.

ELDEN RING

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆1724

★★★★★

THE NEW FANTASY ACTION RPG.
Rise, Tarnished, and be guided by grace to brandish the power of the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord in the Lands Between. • A Vast World Full of Excitement
A vast world where open fields with a variety of situations and huge dungeons with complex and three-dimensional designs are seamlessly connected. As you explore, the joy of discovering unknown and overwhelming threats await you, leading to a high sense of accomplishment. • Create your Own Character
In addition to customizing the appearance of your character, you can freely combine the weapons, armor, and magic that you equip. You can develop your character according to your play style, such as increasing your muscle strength to become a strong warrior, or mastering magic. • An Epic Drama Born from a Myth
A multilayered story told in fragments. An epic drama in which the various thoughts of the characters intersect in the Lands Between. • Unique Online Play that Loosely Connects You to Others
In addition to multiplayer, where you can directly connect with other players and travel together, the game supports a unique asynchronous online element that allows you to feel the presence of others.

Hi Everyone, it’s Sandro, Game Designer at Digital Kingdom. Today I would love to take a little time to give you some insight into how we made our game Swordship and the things we’ve learned to take the concept of dodging to whole new level…buckle up!

Let’s start here, the initial idea for Swordship came from Ben, our artist. He wanted to create a game that feels like a chase scene in a James Bond movie. The player should feel the tension of being chased by enemies without the option to shoot back at them. Let’s make something so intense that it makes you hold your breath and you can feel the water on your face! Four years later we are proud to introduce you to Swordship, a rogue-like with no shooting and a lot of water. The game is all about using skill and precision to not only dodge enemy fire, but trick them into taking each other out.

To understand Swordship, think about Into The Breach mixed with Wipeout. You will find the tactical gameplay and the rogue-like structure of Into The Breach at the speed of Wipeout. We have designed the game so that each run presents a different challenge from the previous one. While the game might start off with simple enemies, as you increase your high scores, new features will unlock. This includes weather, active powers for your Swordship, new enemies attacking with fire and electricity and other surprises that will expand the range of possibilities.

One of the key features of Swordship is its delivery system. In the game you play as a Robin Hood of the future. You must steal containers from the rich to give them to the poor. What is important for us is to make the player feel that giving is losing something. At the end of each level, you will have to choose if you want to keep your containers to get extra lives and upgrades or give them away for points. Keep them for yourself and you increase your chances of completing the game. Give them away and you increase your chances of reaching the top of the leaderboards. What will you choose?

With Swordship we want to offer you a difficult but fair experience. Of course, the game will not do you any favors, but it will always reward you for your commitment.

We hope you will have as much pleasure playing the game as we had making it. See you on the leaderboards!

Swordship

Thunderful Publishing

☆☆☆☆☆1

★★★★★

Swordship is a futuristic lightning-fast dodge’em up which flips the script on the traditional arcade shooter. Turn both the tide of battle and enemies on themselves by dodging, weaving and diving your way through an onslaught of enemies hell-bent on tearing your Swordship apart. This addictive action-roguelike pushes you to make split-second decisions that will either bring you glorious victory against tyranny, injustice, and become a symbol of hope to The Banished, or see your unsung heroics sink to the bottom of the sea. With an adrenaline fuelled soon-to-be a modern classic soundtrack this game will transport you to a grim watery future. Features: Guns are cool but dodging is your best weapon: The Swordship’s manoeuvrability allows you to outwit the enemy by tactically positioning and dodging enemy fire Ship Abilities: Collect power-boosting components and experiment with different play styles in your runs Risk/Reward Upgrades: Choose between risking it all by banking stolen containers for massive score boosts or, play it safe for passive upgrades and extra ships that will fit your play style Weather: Learn to master the different weather conditions to get through the randomly generated levels Story: The world after global warming. Humanity has taken refuge in three gigantic underwater cities at the bottom of the ocean. Those who are expelled from the cities, for lack of space, barely survive on the burned lands. Meanwhile the megacities exchange millions of containers loaded with goods every day. At the commands of ultra-fast boats, a few inhabitants of the underwater cities started stealing these precious containers, in order to deliver them to the banished. Some are more successful than others.

Take your friends to the carnival, explore an all-new Fallout 76 Season, and more in Nuka-World on Tour.

When a hard day out in the wilds of post-nuclear Appalachia gets you parched, there’s only one beverage fit to slake your wasteland-sized thirst: Nuka-Cola! Earn prizes, play games with friends, and of course, grab yourself a refreshment in Nuka-World on Tour, the latest free update available now for all Fallout 76 players!

What is Nuka-World on Tour?

Before the world was turned to cinders, Nuka-World was the premier theme park created by the Nuka-Cola Corporation. Wanting to share their love of Nuka-Cola’s classic taste with post-nuclear Appalachia, Nuka-World took the show on the road with its travelling attraction: Nuka-World on Tour!

Settling down in the Ash Heap, players can visit Nuka-World on Tour to play carnival games, mingle with other guests at the trading post, and even partake in three new Public Events! Keep romance alive (while possibly dealing with some potential mood killers) in Tunnel of Love, test your luck in a bloody gauntlet during the Spin the Wheel event, or play out a dastardly robbery right out of an old Western in Most Wanted. Every Public Event poses a challenge but pays victorious guests handsomely with new weapons, clothing, C.A.M.P. decorations, and more.

Visitors to Nuka-World on Tour can also spend a few Caps at the Nukacade, competing in games for that oh-so-coveted high score and even earn prizes such as their own arcade games to enjoy in their C.A.M.P.s! Last, but certainly not least, is the Ultracite Titan lurking beneath the attraction’s fairgrounds. Awaken the beast for rewards and bragging rights but know that “Titan” isn’t a cute nickname – this hulking beast is the largest Region Boss yet encountered in the game!

A New Season, Free Cam Building, and More

Nuka-World on Tour doesn’t just include a new attraction to visit, it also kicks off a brand-new season full of rewards for players to unlock! Earn S.C.O.R.E. in Fallout 76 to boost your rankings and unlock Atoms, C.A.M.P items, cosmetics and more in Season 11: Nuka-World! Learn more about Fallout Seasons here.

And there’s more! This update includes an exciting quality-of-life feature for all you crafty C.A.M.P.ers out there – free camera controls for building! Just press the button in build mode to toggle to the all-new free cam, making it faster, easier and more fun to construct your dream C.A.M.P.

Finally, we’re offering an all-new feature for active members of Fallout 1^st. Available now, Fallout 1^st members can store unlimited ammunition in their very own Ammo Box. Similar to the existing Scrap Box feature currently available for Fallout 1^st members, the Ammo Box comes included with membership at no additional charge. Learn more about the premium features included in Fallout 1^st here.

Fallout 76 is available now for PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S systems – play free today with Fallout 76 on Xbox Game Pass. For more Fallout news, visit fallout.com and be sure to follow Fallout on Twitter and Facebook. Enjoy your stay in Appalachia and at Nuka-World on Tour!

Fallout 76

Bethesda Softworks

☆☆☆☆☆829

★★★★★

$39.99 $31.99

Xbox One X Enhanced

Xbox Game Pass

Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Immersive Questlines and Engaging Characters
Uncover the secrets of West Virginia by playing through an immersive main quest, starting from the moment you leave Vault 76. Befriend or betray new neighbors who have come to rebuild, and experience Appalachia through the eyes of its residents. Seasonal Scoreboard
Progress through a season with a completely free set of rewards like consumables, C.A.M.P. items and more, by completing limited-time challenges. Multiplayer Roleplaying
Create your character with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L system and forge your own path and reputation in a new and untamed wasteland with hundreds of locations. Whether you journey alone or with friends, a new and unique Fallout adventure awaits. Mountain Splendorland The story lives and breathes through the world of Fallout 76, which brings to life six distinct West Virginia regions. From the forests of Appalachia to the noxious crimson expanses of the Cranberry Bog, each area offers its own risks and rewards. A New American Dream
Use the all-new Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform (C.A.M.P.) to build and craft anywhere in the world. Your C.A.M.P. will provide much-needed shelter, supplies, and safety. You can even set up shop to trade goods with other survivors. Fallout Worlds
Play unique adventures in Appalachia with Fallout Worlds, which is an evolving set of features that give players the capability to play Fallout 76 in unique ways with customizable settings.

The Xbox Series X|S gets a visitor this holiday season, and he knows if you have been naughty or nice. Krampus Kills offers gamers a terrifying yet hilarious interpretation of the ancient Christmas myth. So, start a fire, turn off the lights, and jump into Krampus Kills!

 A Frozen Wonderland of Terror

Playing as a tween with an attitude, you embark on a quest to remove your name from the naughty list before Krampus and his army of demonic elves drag you to the belly of the underworld. The fictional town of Oakville, where the game takes place, in upstate New York is the primary setting of the game. Players can choose their path as they fight their way through the suburbs, hospital, and cemetery to reach the mythical CastleKrampus.

 The Dead Rise This Holiday Season

Krampus is not alone, he brings with him a large cast of minions. These include some creative enemies such as demonic elves, killer snowmen, and giant spider-like reindeer. Krampus himself pursues the player through the entire game, reminiscent of Mr.X from the Resident Evil franchise.

Unlockables and Replayability

Krampus Kills features four difficulty modes. Nice, Normal, Naughty, and an unlockable Nightmare mode, available once the story has been completed. Nightmare transforms the game from a slow horror game into an intense fast shooter where enemies come pouring over every wall and out of every sewer hole. It truly offers a difficult challenge for the most seasoned players and makes the game feel like a brand-new experience. Nightmare mode also features a new secret ending to the game.

Other unlockables include:

• Survival Mode. A horde-like mode where players survive and unlock
  achievements in an arena.

• Hide and Seek mode, where players are put in the woods by themselves and must hide from Krampus in a game of cat and mouse with no weapon.
• Cheats can be unlocked by collecting all in-game snowglobes.

Check out Krampus Kills today on the Xbox Series X|S and have a happy holiday!

Krampus Kills

DangerousBob Studio LLC

☆☆☆☆☆10

★★★★★

Not a creature was stirring, except for a disgusting monstrosity known as Krampus. You know the lore, now take charge! With nothing but a double-barrel boomstick stolen from Dad, young Finley must defend his home on Christmas Eve in this Doom-like horror shooter. Summary: Navigate a small town in search of a way to escape Krampus. Choose your path through numerous winter-themed demons and battle your way to freedom and get your name off the naughty list. Fight through the town frozen in time, through a parallel universe, to find your way to the underworld where CastleKrampus awaits. So many children have failed before you. Do you have the guts and the wits to defeat Krampus? Gameplay and features: A large cast of hideous monsters awaits you in Krampus Kills. The Christmas demon raises the dead on the night of his arrival. His demonic elves will run at you as cannon fodder, while snowmen rain down icy artillery from afar. Zombies lurk around every corner, ready to swarm. Finally, we have Krampus himself, who pursues the player in a Mr.X fashion through the sleepy town. Nightmare Mode: The game features a Nightmare difficulty that is unlocked once you beat the game. Nightmare mode allows players to challenge themselves with a version of the game that has completely new enemy spawns and a secret ending! Survival Mode: When you beat the game you can unlock the Survival Mode. Survival mode (also commonly referenced as horde) is a mode where you must survive as long as you can against endless waves of enemies! Test your skills and unlock the 15-minute survival achievement! Hide and Seek Mode: Hide and Seek is unlocked by default and features an open map where players must sneak around a giant forest unarmed with Krampus on the loose! Krampus has put a spell on you and you need to destroy 3 grandfather clocks to escape the forest. The game mode randomizes the locations of the clocks when you play and features an achievement when beaten.

We hope you’re in the Ridden-slaying spirit, because Back 4 Blood’s newest expansion, River of Blood, has arrived just in time for the holiday season. The third major expansion from Turtle Rock Studios features the addition of Act 6 to the campaign story, the arrival of a new Cleaner (along with an unlikely ally), new Ridden threats and much more.

The new story mission included in the River of Blood expansion appropriately puts the Cleaners in the precarious position of traveling upriver, stopping at different points along the way to collect supplies and face new enemies. The dangerous terrain will be spread across five different maps and players can expect surprises around each turn. Those bold enough to crank up the difficulty for a challenge can certainly do so, but just don’t cry me a river if it’s too hard.

With each new Back 4 Blood expansion comes new playable Cleaner(s), and River of Blood adds Tala, a former Cultist–now outcast, with a unique perk that will surprise even the most battle-tested players. Tala is a bow-wielding ass-kicker who has escaped control imposed by the Children of the Worm and seeks to return for her brother Derek, who was introduced in the last expansion. She also has a trick up her sleeve, a friendly Tallboy companion whose name is Jeff. Jeff can be summoned by using the whistle that can be found in-game as long as Tala is on the team. Anyone can pick it up and call for him to cause ultimate mayhem. It’s always a delight to experiment with how new characters complement each other and River of Blood gives players more customization options than ever. Also included in the expansion are eight exclusive character skins, 12 exclusive weapon skins, new weapons, accessories and cards.

Lastly, I’d be remiss to not mention today’s update also includes Trial of the Worm, a new cooperative PvE mode that is free for all Back 4 Blood owners. In this new mode, players go down a four-map path while earning Supply Points and can increase the earnable amount by adding Corruption Modifiers or choosing the more vigorous paths. Ramping up the difficulty levels also boosts scores for completed runs, and there is an online leaderboard where high scores will be tracked and top players will secure all the Back 4 Blood bragging rights.

The River of Blood content is accessible for all players as long as one player in the party has purchased the expansion. River of Blood follows the events of the Children of the Worm and Tunnels of Terror expansions, which are both included in the Back 4 Blood Annual Pass, Back 4 Blood: Deluxe Edition and Back 4 Blood: Ultimate Edition.

Back 4 Blood – Expansion 3: River of Blood is available now for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles.

We hope you have fun in Fort Hope!

Back 4 Blood – Expansion 3: River of Blood

Warner Bros. Games

☆☆☆☆☆8

★★★★★

River of Blood features a brand-new Act 6 story campaign. This enthralling five map mission has players traveling upriver, stopping at different points along the way to collect supplies and defeat new enemies. The expansion introduces “Tala,” a former Cultist Outcast now turned Cleaner. Accompanying her is her companion “Jeff,” a friendly Tallboy who is summoned when using the whistle which will spawn somewhere in the map when Tala is on the team and whistled for by Tala or other Cleaners. Jeff causes ultimate mayhem when called. River of Blood also includes eight exclusive character skins and 12 exclusive weapon skins, along with new weapons, accessories, and cards. Additionally, a brand-new Trial of the Worm mode has been added to River of Blood. Trial of the Worm is a new co-operative PvE mode free to all players, where players choose their path down a four map chain while earning points along the way. Players can add Corruption Modifiers and vote for their next map to boost points at the cost of increasing difficulty. Players have the challenge of completing all four maps to earn spots on leaderboards for glory.

Back 4 Blood

Warner Bros. Games

☆☆☆☆☆699

★★★★★

$59.99 $19.79

Xbox One X Enhanced

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Back 4 Blood is a thrilling cooperative first-person shooter from the creators of the critically acclaimed Left 4 Dead franchise. You are at the center of a war against the Ridden. These once-human hosts of a deadly parasite have turned into terrifying creatures bent on devouring what remains of civilization. With humanity’s extinction on the line, it’s up to you and your friends to take the fight to the enemy, eradicate the Ridden, and reclaim the world. Cooperative Campaign Fight your way through a dynamic, perilous world in a 4-player co-op story campaign where you must work together to survive increasingly challenging missions. Play with up to 3 of your friends online or go solo and lead your team in battle. Choose from 8 customizable Cleaners, one of the immune survivors, and a range of lethal weapons and items. Strategize against an ever-evolving enemy bent on your total destruction. Competitive Multiplayer Play with or against friends in PVP. Switch between playing as a Cleaner with special perks and the horrific Ridden. Both sides come with unique weapons, abilities, and specialties. Extreme Replayability A new „rogue-lite“ Card System creates different experiences each and every time, putting you in control to craft custom decks, roll different builds and undertake more demanding fights. The Game Director is constantly adjusting to player actions, ensuring exciting fights, extreme gameplay diversity, and tougher legions of Ridden – including mutated boss types up to 20 feet tall.

Get ready to explore the vast infiniteness of the universe! The entire Disney Dreamlight Valley team is happy to announce that today marks the release of the cosmically huge content update Missions from Uncharted Space. First revealed during the Disney and Marvel Games Showcase at D23 Expo this past fall, Missions from Uncharted Space invites players into the all-new Toy Story realm where they’ll be helping its iconic heroes, Buzz Lightyear and Woody, further unravel the mystery of The Forgetting as well as establish the very first Star Command outpost in Dreamlight Valley!

Buzz Lightyear and Woody, both having fled Dreamlight Valley when The Forgetting started, have returned home and need help. Help Woody discover the power of childhood memories and assist Buzz as he works to establish a Star Command outpost, with both characters receiving full story arcs and friendship rewards. In fact, as an extra bonus, players will also be able to complete special secret missions that may just attract a new resident to Dreamlight Valley who is literally out of this world. In total, this is the game’s biggest content update thus far and we can’t wait for players to discover its many secrets.

To celebrate the winter season, today also marks the release of the new Festive Star Path, filled to the brim with new and exclusive items to help you get cozy and warm in Dreamlight Valley. Besides new clothing, furniture, and accessories, the Festive Star Path also includes the all-new Dream Styles feature that allows you to dress both Mickey Mouse and Merlin in special festive holiday outfits. Build a snowman, explore the chilly peaks of Frosted Heights, or discover new festive recipes with all your Disney and Pixar friends as you celebrate the holidays together. The new Festive Star Path is now available, starting today!

Everyone on the team hopes that players around the world enjoy their first chance to make friends with Buzz and Woody and can’t wait to see what they all create during this new Festive Star Path season in Disney Dreamlight Valley on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.

Disney Dreamlight Valley — Ultimate Edition

Gameloft SE

☆☆☆☆☆982

★★★★★

$69.99 $55.99

This Founder’s Pack grants early access to the game and contains exclusive items. This pack contains: • Early Access to Disney Dreamlight Valley • All the exclusive cosmetic items from the Standard and Deluxe Founder’s Packs o From the Standard Founder’s Pack: 9 decorative items, 3 motifs & 2 wearable items o From the Deluxe Founder’s Pack: 1 animal companion, 10 decorative items, 3 motifs & 7 wearable items
• 20,000 Moonstones* (in-game currency) o These Moonstones can be used to activate the premium Star Path**, granting extra rewards for 7 seasons.
• Exclusive Ultimate Regal Fox animal companion • Exclusive Ultimate Clothing Set (2 wearable items) • Exclusive Ultimate Ears Headband and Jersey (2 wearable items)
• Exclusive Ultimate Furniture Set (13 decoration items) • Exclusive Ultimate Wall & Floor Coverings (2 decoration items & 2 color variants) • Exclusive Ultimate Design Motifs (3 motifs to use in the Touch of Magic tool***) *Moonstones are an in-game currency that can be collected for free by performing tasks in the game or be purchased using real money. They are used to unlock the premium track of the Star Path (a battle-pass-inspired system that grants in-game cosmetic items as a player completes various tasks and missions). Moonstones can also be used to accelerate progress in the Star Path. Additionally, Moonstones can be used to purchase cosmetic items from the in-game store that will be added later on as part of early access. **The Star Path is a season-based mission system inspired by the idea of a “Battle Pass” and used to reward players for completing various missions and tasks. The player has a full season to complete a set of duties to receive exclusive cosmetic items (clothing items, companions, furniture sets, etc.). The duration of a season will be determined during early access based on community feedback. The plan for now is to make each season last one month. ***The Touch of Magic is an in-game tool that allows the player to create custom T-shirts, backpacks, Mickey ears headbands, etc. Using a variety of colors, shapes and motifs, players will be able to create an infinite number of combinations and express themselves in unique ways! For more details on the Founder’s Pack and its contents, please visit https://gameloft.helpshift.com/hc/en/66-disney-dreamlight-valley/

Disney Dreamlight Valley — Deluxe Edition

Gameloft SE

☆☆☆☆☆594

★★★★★

$49.99 $39.99

This Founder’s Pack grants early access to the game and contains exclusive items. This pack contains: • Early Access to Disney Dreamlight Valley • All the exclusive cosmetic items from the Standard Founder’s Pack o 9 decorative items, 3 motifs & 2 wearable items
• 14,500 Moonstones* (in-game currency) o These Moonstones can be used to activate the premium Star Path**, granting extra rewards for 5 seasons.
• Exclusive Deluxe Celestial Sea Turtle animal companion • Exclusive Deluxe Clothing Set (5 wearable items) • Exclusive Deluxe Ears Headband & Jersey (2 wearable items)
• Exclusive Deluxe Furniture Set (8 decoration items) • Exclusive Deluxe Wall & Floor Coverings (2 decoration items) • Exclusive Deluxe Design Motifs (3 motifs to use in the Touch of Magic tool***) *Moonstones are an in-game currency that can be collected for free by performing tasks in the game or be purchased using real money. They are used to unlock the premium track of the Star Path (a battle-pass-inspired system that grants in-game cosmetic items as a player completes various tasks and missions). Moonstones can also be used to accelerate progress in the Star Path. Additionally, Moonstones can be used to purchase cosmetic items from the in-game store that will be added later on as part of early access. **The Star Path is a season-based mission system inspired by the idea of a “Battle Pass” and used to reward players for completing various missions and tasks. The player has a full season to complete a set of duties to receive exclusive cosmetic items (clothing items, companions, furniture sets, etc.). The duration of a season will be determined during early access based on community feedback. The plan for now is to make each season last one month. ***The Touch of Magic is an in-game tool that allows the player to create custom T-shirts, backpacks, Mickey ears headbands, etc. Using a variety of colors, shapes and motifs, players will be able to create an infinite number of combinations and express themselves in unique ways! For more details on the Founder’s Pack and its contents, please visit https://gameloft.helpshift.com/hc/en/66-disney-dreamlight-valley/

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Gameloft SE

☆☆☆☆☆153

★★★★★

$29.99 $23.99

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Welcome to Disney Dreamlight Valley’s early access! Show your love for Disney with exclusive outfits that celebrate the classic Disney Parks themes, along with beloved characters such as Mickey Mouse. This Founder’s Pack grants early access to the game and contains exclusive items. Disney Dreamlight Valley is a hybrid between a life-sim and an adventure game rich with quests, exploration, and engaging activities featuring Disney and Pixar friends, both old and new. Once an idyllic land, Dreamlight Valley was a place where Disney and Pixar characters lived in harmony—until the Forgetting. Night Thorns grew across the land and severed the wonderful memories tied to this magical place. With nowhere else to go, the hopeless inhabitants of Dreamlight Valley retreated behind locked doors in the Dream Castle. Now it’s up to you to discover the stories of this world and bring the magic back to Dreamlight Valley! Discover the Secrets of Dreamlight Valley
Free the Dream Castle from the insidious grip of the Forgetting, and unlock the unique Realms of well-loved Disney and Pixar characters. Each Realm has its own challenges, with puzzles to solve and friends to bring back to Dreamlight Valley. Free the Dream Castle from the Forgetting’s grasp and unlock the Realms of great queens and kings such as Anna and Simba. Each Realm contains unique challenges with puzzles to solve in the quest to bring friendship back to the Valley. You’ll start your adventure in the Valley, but your journey will take you to infinity… and beyond! Explore what lurks in the Forest of Valor and brave the deepest caverns as you take on challenges from iconic Disney and Pixar heroes and villains. Who knows who—or what—you might discover. Forge Friendships with Disney & Pixar Characters Garden with WALL•E, cook with Remy or kick back and fish with Goofy. What better way to collect, craft, and rebuild the Valley than with a friend! From beautiful princesses to nefarious villains, every Dreamlight Valley resident brings their own story arc, quests, and rewards. Meet up in daily hangouts and make friends with some of your favorite Disney and Pixar characters. Restore the Valley to Its Former Glory Free the Valley from the grip of the Forgetting and return Dreamlight Valley to its former greatness by making it your own. In Dreamlight Valley, you can build the perfect neighborhood that is just for you with a fully customizable layout, creative landscaping, and thousands of decorative items. Will you settle on the Beach next to Moana, or call Buzz Lightyear your next-door neighbor in the Plaza? Express Your Disney Style Bring out your inner princess, villain, or Disney bounder! Assemble unique outfits and decorate your home with thousands of fantastic items. Using the Touch of Magic tool, you can even create your own designs using Disney and Pixar decals! With the in-game Camera, get ready to snap a sunset selfie with Rapunzel, a culinary creation with Remy or simply cherish a moment. A Game in Constant Evolution New content means that there’s always something fresh to explore. Meet new characters in the Valley, check out the latest clothing and furniture collections in Scrooge’s Store, and complete challenging in-game events! Be sure to dream your way back to Dreamlight Valley regularly to discover new adventures!

‘Tis the season for fun! We’re excited to bring you 22 exciting game demos on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. Just like last year’s [email protected] Winter Game Demo Event, you can download and play these from the comfort of your home from now until December 12.

Starting today, these demos are available to play, and we encourage you to continue to check them out all week. Oh yeah, and don’t forget you can provide feedback to the developers, too! Keep in mind that most of these demos are an early look at gameplay and may not represent the full game at their release, including the availability in each country as developers continue to update and refine their title ahead of launch.

We’re also excited to share the six newly announced games below are coming to Xbox!

• Aaero2 (Mad Fellows)

Aaero2 is a sequel to the critically acclaimed musical rail shooter Aaero from two-man studio Mad Fellows (Paul and Dan’s previous work includes Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, and many more). Fly through stunning, stylized worlds tracing ribbons of light. All tied to an awesome licensed soundtrack by some of the biggest names in EDM courtesy of Monstercat.

• Dad’s Monster House (Cotton Game/E-Home Entertainment)

Dad’s Monster House is a hand-drawn puzzle game featuring horror and fantasy. Dad’s Monster House tells the story of Carlos’ journey after he receives a distress call from his father, pleading for him to return to his old home and rescue his dad. As he continues exploring the house, Carlos encounters many terrifying yet ‘cute’ monsters.

• Dead Pets Unleashed (Triple Topping)

Shape the future of struggling punk band, Dead Pets, before they decide to call it quits on their dream. Dead Pets Unleashed is a management-lite, minigame-heavy, slice-of-life, narrative story. Go to band practice, manage the band’s well-being and get ready to unleash your inner demon.

• King of the Hat (Hat Games)

A 2D party platformer where you fight with a hat! Throw your hat to attack, defend and bait opponents. But watch out! If someone jumps on your hat… you die!

• Let’s Cook Together 2 (Yellow Dot)

Let’s Cook Together 2 is a crazy cooking co-op game for 2-4 players, set in a dystopian future in which global warming has taken its toll on Earth. Cook dishes like your life depended on it. Experience fast-paced gameplay, with food flying around, ingredients crashing mid-air, and time running out.

• Trinity Fusion (Angry Mob Games)

Take control of your parallel selves on a mission to save the dying multiverse in this rogue-lite action platformer! Explore dark, sci-fi worlds and engage in fast-paced, smooth and precise combat.

Along with those titles, there’s a diverse list of games that will be available to try! Below are the games, and their developers, participating in the [email protected] Winter Game Demo event:

Head over to your Xbox and start enjoying these super rad game demos on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One! And yes, we’d love to hear what you think. Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, Twitch, and YouTube. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire to learn more about what Team Xbox has planned and of course, have an incredibly fun winter of gaming!

Remain vigilant, Guardian. Xivu Arath, the Hive God of War, has set her sights on Rasputin’s network of weaponized satellites. Whether you’re meeting her for the first time, or you’ve heard the tales of her malevolent machinations, we’ll need all the help we can get on this seemingly impossible mission.

Your mission during Season of the Seraph starts with a race against the clock to reclaim pieces of Rasputin’s fragmented consciousness before Xivu Arath’s forces wrap their claws around them. You won’t be all alone in these high-stakes heists. The Vanguard has authorized the use of Seraphs, highly trained and highly lethal Guardians who operate under Rasputin’s jurisdiction.

Heist Battlegrounds

Gather your fireteam and storm enemy forces in the all new three-player matchmade Heist Battlegrounds to restore Rasputin before he becomes a tool for destruction. You’ll make your way through hordes of enemies, bypassing their security, and using all new infiltrator abilities that can be upgraded for more firepower and new methods of infiltration. The first Heist Battleground is free for all players, so download Destiny 2 for free today.

Cue the spy music and help rebuild Rasputin.

Moments like this call for new artillery. On your missions, you’ll acquire a few new pieces of equipment that will elevate your espionage escapades.

• New Exotic SMG – Swoop in on unsuspecting enemies with The Manticore, the latest innovation from VEIST. Surprise your foes from above with Antigrav Repulsors that allow you to float above your enemies as you show off just how powerful your new tech is. You can acquire this by playing, or you can pick up the Season Pass to instantly unlock the bold new weapon.
• New Exotic mission – An orbital platform above the Last City holds a new Exotic Pulse Rifle, Revision Zero. Break through the security week by week and extract the powerful weapon before heading back in and acquiring the multiple catalysts available for the weapon.
• Seraph weapons – VEIST isn’t the Seraph’s choice of weapon foundry by accident. Their high-tech weaponry has helped Serpahs for ages. They’ve provided some new tools to help you on your mission against Xivu Arath. Get them through Seasonal activities and show your enemies what the latest and greatest really looks like.
• IKELOS weapons reprise – Fan favorite IKELOS weapons are returning, and we’ve deciphered the schematics so you can craft your perfect roll.
• New Seasonal weapons and armor – Special agents require special equipment. Whether you go in guns blazing or sneak silently into the shadows, equip new Seasonal weapons and armor modeled after the Seraphs who came before you.
• New universal ornaments – We get it. Classy, clever, and covert agents shouldn’t be caught wearing the same outfit more than once. Ensure you’ll never be burned on a mission with new universal ornaments fit for a Seraph.

When you’re not sneaking in the shadows to help restore Rasputin, train with other Guardians in the revamped competitive Crucible playlist, now known as Competitive Division.

Competitive Division will feature the same 3v3 gameplay that players know and love, but with a new ladder system. It works like this:

1. Play a few placement matches to determine which division you’ll be in.
2. Get promoted to the next division by winning!

There are plenty of other fierce Guardians standing in your way of reaching the highest division, so make sure you’re armed with your best weaponry and take in your most trustworthy fireteam for a chance of survival.

And for Guardians who are all about that loot, don’t worry. We have exclusive rewards that can only be obtained through playing Competitive Division, like the return of the classic Rose Hand Cannon with new random rolls and an updated perk pool that will make you the thorn in the side of your opponents.

Ascend above your competition and become legend. We believe in you, Guardian.

Even secret agents need a break. Chill out with Eva Levante as she brings her annual Dawning holiday celebration to the Tower from December 13 to January 3.

Leap into the Light

A good spy always has a few tricks up their sleeves. An assortment of disguises being one of them. On December 6, you can head on over to the Eververse store and cloak yourself in three armor ornament sets inspired by an iconic Ubisoft franchise: a Wolf-Kissed bundle for Titans inspired by Eivor, the Misthios bundle inspired by Kassandra for our Hunters, and the Eagle’s bundle inspired by Altaïr for our Warlocks. An Isu themed ship, Sparrow, Ghost, as well as the Up My Sleeve finisher will also be available for purchase.

Leap into the light and drop in on your enemies in style.

Moments of Triumph

From The Witch Queen to Season of the Seraph, a lot has happened in Year 5 of Destiny 2. Moments of Triumph is an annual moment of reflection to remind you of all your accomplishments. Complete Triumphs to unlock rewards in-game and in real life.

This year’s rewards include a snazzy Moments of Triumph T-shirt with space for extra patches and a shiny Moments of Triumph pin if you complete certain Triumphs. We also have some in-game goodness with two Moments of Triumph emblems, a Sparrow, a Ghost, and the fancy MMXXII Title.

Get in there, claim those Triumphs, and celebrate this amazing year in Destiny 2 with your fireteam.

Nobody said saving the solar system would be easy, but you continue to prove time and time again that it is worth it.

Download Destiny 2 and start playing for free, or grab the Season Pass and enjoy some of the extra activities. We hope you enjoy diving into the mindset of a secret agent as much as we do. If you choose to accept the mission of stopping Xivu Arath, I’ll be right there with you.

Good luck, Guardian.

Destiny 2

Bungie

☆☆☆☆☆1999

★★★★★

Xbox One X Enhanced

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rebuild the Warmind Rasputin. Pull off daring heists to steal pieces of Rasputin’s consciousness in a new matchmade activity. Grab your spy kit and infiltrate enemy battlegrounds for a cache of rewards including a new Exotic Submachine Gun and reprised weapons forged by Rasputin himself.  Dive into the world of Destiny 2 to explore the mysteries of the solar system and experience responsive first-person shooter combat. Unlock powerful elemental abilities and collect unique gear to customize your Guardian’s look and playstyle. Enjoy Destiny 2’s cinematic story, challenging co-op missions, and a variety of PvP modes alone or with friends. Download for free today and write your legend in the stars. AN IMMERSIVE STORY
You are a Guardian, defender of the Last City of humanity in a solar system under siege by infamous villains. Look to the stars and stand against the darkness. Your legend begins now. GUARDIAN CLASSES
Choose from the armored Titan, mystic Warlock, or swift Hunter.
• Disciplined and proud, Titans are capable of both aggressive assaults and stalwart defenses. Set your hammer ablaze, crack the sky with lightning, and go toe-to-toe with any opponent. Your team will stand tall behind the strength of your shield.
• Warlocks weaponize the mysteries of the universe to sustain themselves and destroy their foes. Rain devastation on the battlefield and clear hordes of enemies in the blink of an eye. Those who stand with you will know the true power of the Light.
• Agile and daring, Hunters are quick on their feet and quicker on the draw. Fan the hammer of your golden gun, flow through enemies like the wind, or strike from the darkness. Find the enemy, take aim, and end the fight before it starts. COOPERATIVE AND COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER
Play with or against your friends and other Guardians in various PvE and PvP game modes.
• Exciting co-op adventures teeming await with rare and powerful rewards. Dive into the story with missions, quests, and patrols. Put together a small fireteam and secure the chest at the end of a quick Strike. Or test your team’s skill with countless hours of raid progression – the ultimate challenge for any fireteam. You decide where your legend begins.
• Face off against other players in fast-paced free-for-all skirmishes, team arenas, and PvE/PvP hybrid competitions. Mark special competitions like Iron Banner on your calendar and collect limited-time rewards before they’re gone. EXOTIC WEAPONS AND ARMOR
Thousands of weapons, millions of options. Discover new gear combinations and define your own personal style. The hunt for the perfect arsenal begins. 105 GB hard drive storage space required as of November 10, 2020. Subject to change. Requires broadband internet. After November 10, 2020 see www.destinythegame.com/size-requirements for current requirements prior to purchase. Destiny 2 may contain flashing patterns and images that may produce adverse effects for a small percentage of people sensitive to them. Bungie, Inc. makes no guarantee regarding the availability of online play or features and may modify or discontinue online services with reasonable notice at any time. Using the software constitutes acceptance of the Destiny Software License Agreement available at www.bungie.net/sla. © 2021 Bungie, Inc. All rights reserved. Destiny, the Destiny Logo, Bungie and the Bungie Logo are trademarks of Bungie, Inc. Published and distributed by Bungie, Inc.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Bungie

☆☆☆☆☆207

★★★★★

The Definitive Destiny Campaign Delve into Savathûn’s Throne World to uncover the mystery of how she and her Lucent Hive stole the Light. Learn the secrets to crafting new weapons, the new Glaive, and survive the truth within her web of lies. New Destination A twisted wonderland of corruption and splendor, Savathûn’s Throne World plays host to a fragile balance of power. From her palace to the swamp, all that she hides can be found here. Weapon Crafting Create custom weaponry with unique mod, shader, and stat combinations. Master the new Glaive weapon type and unleash powerful melee combos, projectile attacks, and a deployable energy shield. 105 GB hard drive storage space required as of November 10, 2020. Subject to change. Requires broadband internet. After November 10, 2020 see www.destinythegame.com/size-requirements for current requirements prior to purchase. Destiny 2 may contain flashing patterns and images that may produce adverse effects for a small percentage of people sensitive to them. Bungie, Inc. makes no guarantee regarding the availability of online play or features and may modify or discontinue online services with reasonable notice at any time. Using the software constitutes acceptance of the Destiny Software License Agreement available at www.bungie.net/sla. © 2021 Bungie, Inc. All rights reserved. Destiny, the Destiny Logo, Bungie and the Bungie Logo are trademarks of Bungie, Inc. Published and distributed by Bungie, Inc.

Good news! It’s Game Awards season. Even better news! Game Pass members can play 16 of the nominees right now, with a 17^th — Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield — still to come next year. Taking place on Thursday, December 8, the Game Awards celebrate the very best of gaming in the last year, and there have been some incredible nominees included as part of Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass in 2022.

From beautiful experiments in interactive storytelling, to soundtracks perfect for emptying the ranks of Hell, and much, much more, make sure to check out our list of every single Game Awards nominee included in Game Pass:

As Dusk Falls
Nominated: Games for Impact, Innovation in Accessibility

While As Dusk Falls is nominated for its extensive accessibility features (full details here), few titles go to go so far to reach people who don’t normally play games at all. In our experience, agonizing over decisions with a friend or loved one who doesn’t identify as a gamer is a unique and memorable experience, made easier by the fact that players can bypass the controller in favor of an app on their phone. Going further, seamless Twitch integration allows a huge group of viewers to influence decisions in-game, an endlessly entertaining metagame. But even if your preferred way to play is solo, controller in hand, As Dusk Falls’ frequent, meaningful decision making elevates the narrative genre in thrilling, edge-of-your-seat fashion.

Citizen Sleeper
Nominated: Games for Impact

Citizen Sleeper gives you a lot to unpack during its narrative RPG journey, living out a life on the run as a digital consciousness in an imperfect artificial body. At its core, you’re trying to break free from your corporate owners who want their investment back – but you’re not the only one hiding out on remote space station, The Eye, from those eking out a living, to bounty hunters, to fellow refugees. Citizen Sleeper weaves a tale that’s both an allegory for capitalism gone awry and the persecution of the weak by those in power. Holding this game steady is an exceptionally told, deeply human core story, with a tangible world and compelling characters to befriend, betray, or simply exist beside. That story isn’t done being told just yet. Following the free DLC Flux and Refuge, the next piece of Citizen Sleeper’s story is set to arrive next year.

Dune: Spice Wars
Nominated: Best Sim/Strategy

It has been many years since we last set our real-time strategy feet on the planet of Arrakis in the classic Dune: 2000 (featuring the legendary John Rhys-Davies as the Atreides Mentat). The wait was worth it. Dune: Spice Wars is a true return to RTS form featuring a world full of giant sand worms, political intrigue, ruthless warlords, and the all-powerful spice that flows through everything — including your keyboard and mouse. It’s still in Game Preview, set for a full release in 2023, but what we’ve played so far has us excited for what’s to come from developer Shiro Games.

Immortality
Nominated: Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Performance (Manon Gage)

Nominated for three awards, it’s safe to say Immortality has been a winning experiment into how to use good ol’ fashioned Full Motion Video to create a thoroughly modern game. A story earned by you, not told to you, Immortality plays out across three time periods, and three different films, with startling performances from its actors, none more so than its lead, Manon Gage. The deeper you dig (using frames of the films themselves to discover new clips), the darker things become — until eventually you realize that this is by no means the mystery you went in assuming it was. Immortality earns its Mature rating and strays from the typical “choose your own adventure” style, becoming something you’ll never quite have played before, both in style and substance.

A Memoir Blue
Nominated: Games for Impact

A Memoir Blue tells the story of a star athlete and the bonds shared between a mother and daughter and is a tranquil option to some of the more tense, skill-based games you may have been playing — perfect for when you just want to relax and unwind. The game is an interactive narrative, steeped in symbolism, beautifully rendered with a variety of art styles, and featuring a splash of puzzle and point-and-click adventure elements. Its story of familial love, childhood reminiscence and musings on the nature of success have earned it a deserved spot in the Games for Impact category.

Metal: Hellsinger
Nominated: Best Score and Music

When you have a game featuring the vocal talents of Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Randy Blythe (Lamb of God), and Alissa White-Gluz (Arch Enemy), it’s easy to see how this excellent rhythm action game secured a nomination for Best Score and Music. While yes, the soundtrack does indeed kick ass, it’s when you’ve started to fire your rhythm-based attacks to the double-bass beat that the harmonious — and very metal — destruction takes shape, sending you tearing your way through hordes of demonic creatures, and seeking vengeance through the domain of Hell.

No Man’s Sky
Nominated: Best Community Support

No Man’s Sky served up yet another incredible year of content for its players, who have been able to experience four massive (and free) updates in the form of Sentinel, Outlaws, Endurance, and Waypoint. With that level of support, it’s easy to understand how it’s been nominated in this category. Hello Games’ galaxy-sized sci-fi sim remains one of the most unique and expansive gaming worlds that you can play in today, and only continues to grow, with community features to try out, tons of quality-of-life improvements, and even space whales.  It’s been said so often that it’s becoming a little clichéd, but there honestly hasn’t been a better time than now to play No Man’s Sky.

Norco
Nominated: Best Debut Indie

By turns maudlin and almost hilariously bizarre, Norco wears the skin of a ‘90s point-and-click adventure but implants a novelistic tale of the near future. The story of Kay, who returns home to her industry-ravaged hometown after the death of her mother, Norco weaves together climate change, the proliferation of AI, late-stage capitalism, and even folk-horror into the most singular gaming story of the year. Even among those heady concepts, it’s a deeply personal game, both for its characters and, you sense, its small team of first-time developers.

A Plague Tale: Requiem
Nominated: Game of the Year, Best Performance (Charlotte McBurney), Best Action/Adventure

Anything you’ve heard about A Plague Tale: Requiem likely started with the rats. While a playthrough of the story will have you encountering literally millions of the filthy little rascals, it’s the human cast of Amicia, Hugo, and some surprising new faces that truly stands out. The evolution of the main characters after the first game (brought to bear by some wonderful acting performances), and the towering scale of what they explore and endure has stayed with us weeks after completing the journey. A must play.

Return to Monkey Island
Nominated: Innovation in Accessibility

The unexpected and thrilling return of Guybrush Threepwood and the zombie pirate LeChuck was perhaps gaming’s most nostalgic new game this year. Fittingly, the newest installment of the iconic point ‘n’ click adventure series also saw the return of the iconic series’ creator Ron Gilbert, joined by co-writer Dave Grossman, bringing their sense of humor and singularly hilarious puzzles to a technicolor Caribbean that has seen considerably better days since we last saw it. Daring pirates will swash and, indeed, buckle with an evolution of classic adventure game controls, adding context-sensitive interactions, reactive dialog trees, and an easy-to-use inventory system to help make pirating a breeze. These features and more helped secure this nomination for Innovation in Accessibility.

Scorn
Nominated: Best Art Direction

Leading up to its release, we were looking to answer the question of what Scorn is. First-person adventure game? Shooter? A little of both? We explored that question with the game’s developer at launch, but it wasn’t until we started playing and diving into world that we understood quite how that the game wanted us to feel something more than fit neatly into a specific genre. A lot of that emotion while playing can be drawn from its outstanding visuals, pulling you into its nightmarish, bio-technological world almost immediately, and pitting you against bizarre creations and one (literally) puzzling encounter after another.

Starfield
Nominated: Most Anticipated Game

Saying that Starfield is a “Most Anticipated Game” is just scratching the surface of how excited we are to jump into this massive open-world universe. Most of us have spent a considerable amount of time in Bethesda’s other iconic open-world RPGs (looking at you Skyrim), so the chance at being able to explore a slew of worlds makes us incredibly excited about the experiences that are in store. We’ll have more to share in the coming months about Starfield – which will be available on day one with Game Pass — here on Xbox Wire.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Nominated: Best Action Game, Best Multiplayer

Grab your nearest controller and jump into this retro-inspired beat ‘em up that brings back memories of token-filled arcade machines, greasy pizza, and bizarre, oversized mouse mascots. TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge is some of the most fun we’ve had this year either online or via couch co-op, battling back Shredder’s goons and shouting “Cowabunga!” at the television. It’s arcade nostalgia at its finest, with an awesome soundtrack, beautiful pixel art, and tons of unlockables that round out a complete arcade experience in your home. It shouldn’t be missed.

Total War: Warhammer III
Nominated: Best Sim/Strategy

With a mix of both real-time and turn-based elements, along with the epic Warhammer Fantasy license on full display, Creative Assembly’s third and most accessible entry in its unique Total War series allows you to take control of a massive army of Chaos Gods, humans, Daemons, or other outlandish legions as you attempt to conquer the Realm of Chaos. Sure, there are diplomacy options should you wish to talk your way to victory, but we prefer negotiating with a massive army, one that can vanquish even the most powerful of gods and lay waste to the mightiest of militias [lets out guttural roar]. It’s a truly titanic end to a trilogy that’s helped redefine the grand strategy genre.

Two Point Campus
Nominated: Best Sim/Strategy

The follow-up to the warmly received Two Point Hospital has us looking back on our university experience thinking: did we have enough fun? Guiding college students to success in courses such as Gastronomy and “Funny Business” while ensuring they have facilities to eat, sleep, play, and poop may sound like a lot. Thankfully, the way Two Point Campus chunks objectives into bite-sized steps means it feels less like a weed-out course and more like a chill elective. Plus, you can plop a Crazy Taxi arcade machine right in your student’s dorm… why didn’t our school’s dean think of that?

Tunic
Nominated: Best Indie, Best Action/Adventure, Best Debut Indie

Don’t be fooled by Tunic’s cute little fox hero character and whimsical art style; this game’s soul-crushing difficulty may lead to controller-throwing fits of rage. Thankfully, the game has a few tricks to aid in your journey. If you manage to survive the first hour or so, you’ll be treated to an amazing experience, especially if you enjoy a challenge and figuring things out on your own. Its brilliant level design is sure to make you smile as you discover hidden paths and shortcuts, but the game’s real treasure is the creative in-game guide you compile along the way, simultaneously offering a never-before-seen approach to puzzle design and a gorgeously nostalgic look back to game manuals of yore.

Vampire Survivors
Nominated: Best Debut Indie

Sink your teeth into one of the year’s biggest surprises and a legit game of the year contender. This instantly gratifying, gothic rogue-lite (survivor-like?) will have you weaving through hundreds… nay… thousands of pixel skeletons, mummies, zombies, werewolves, and more as you strive to survive as long as you can. The unlockable levels, awesome power-ups, and unique heroes add to an already very strong replay dynamic that will keep you coming back for more – you haven’t seen anything until you get to the last couple of minutes of run, trust us.

Winter is a great time to keep warm indoors and catch up on that backlog, either by gathering with friends and family or taking some time to yourself. Speaking of backlog, we’ve got another super cool line-up of game demos ready for you! Partnering with Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards, we’re excited to share even more chill games that you can add to your Xbox Store wish list. Starting December 6 and running through December 12, you’ll be able to play over 20 demos of upcoming unreleased games for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One!

A few things to keep in mind:

• These demos will only be up on the Xbox Dashboard for a week. Some might be re-published to the Demo channel later, but many will simply disappear at the end of the week, so check them out while you can.
• The developers would love to hear what you think. Hit them up on social media or through their websites. If you like the game, tell them! If you have constructive criticism, they would love to hear that too.
• These “game demos” are not the norm. Typically, the demos you see in our Demo channel are created after the game is completed (or nearly completed) and represent an almost final to final version. Think of these akin to “show floor demos” and not necessarily indicative of the final product. You’ll get to experience these games early – some way early – which gives you the chance to provide your feedback! You should also note that these games will continue to evolve and become more polished as they near release.

We’ll announce the full list on December 6, but here are some games you’ll want to keep in mind:

Inkulinati – Yaza Games

Inkulinati is an ink-based strategy straight from medieval manuscripts, where a rabbit’s bum can be deadlier than a dog’s sword. Embark on an ever-changing journey and become a master of the Living Ink. Build your own bestiary, defeat medieval superstars, and collect perks to unleash hidden powers.

Rhythm Sprout – SURT/tinyBuild

Handcrafted rhythm action with original music and a wacky story mode. Fight charming bosses in rhythm battles. Run to the beat through juicy 3D environments. Remix the levels with modes for infinite challenge and replayability. The demo features 5 colorful tracks, refreshing game modes, and self-aware demo-exclusive story.

Thirsty Suitors – Outerloop Studios/Annapurna Interactive

Thirsty Suitors is a game about culture, relationships, family pressures, and expressing oneself. Can Jala handle her demanding parents, reconcile with her exes, and mend broken friendships in time for her sister’s wedding? Will she be ready for the impending visit of Paati, the family’s terrifying and judgmental matriarch? Through the game’s story, Jala will confront her exes in cinematic, turn-based battle sequences.

Tin Hearts – Rogue Sun/Wired Productions

Guide a troop of tin soldiers through a beautiful, toy-filled world full of magic and mystery. Solve increasingly elaborate puzzles, forge new paths for your toys to follow and discover a deeply emotional story, in Tin Hearts – an immersive puzzle adventure game from members of the team that brought you Fable.

There will be so many unique games to discover and enjoy! When you get the chance to check it out, we’d love to hear what you think. Connect with us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord, Twitch, and YouTube. Stay tuned to Xbox Wire to learn more about what Team Xbox has planned and as always, stay warm and toasty while you game on!

Today, we proudly share a sneak peek into the development of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition, and how we managed to bring the full transport tycoon experience to Xbox.

Transport Fever is a very popular and highly rated transportation tycoon franchise on PC. Its latest entry, Transport Fever 2, delivers a level of size and detail never before seen in the genre. The goal of the game is to build a successful transportation company by constructing railroads, streets, water and air lines. Starting in the 19th century, the player connects towns and industries to transport both passengers and cargo. In addition to a customizable free game mode, there is also a fully-fledged campaign mode with challenging missions set in real-world transportation history.

After the huge success of Transport Fever 2 on PC, it was only logical to bring the experience to consoles as well. Not only that, but no efforts were spared to give the console community the full experience that made the game great on PC. In order to achieve this, the engineers at Urban Games had to pull some rabbits out of their engineers’ hats.

Always providing the freshest layer of paint

One of the most cherished features of Transport Fever 2 are its highly detailed vehicles. The game comes with more than 200 lovingly hand-modeled trains, ships, and airplanes, each sporting multiple 4k textures and normal maps.

On PC, it is easily affordable to have all the models and textures in memory whenever needed, as a typical rig has 16 GB of RAM and a GPU with a dedicated extra memory. Consoles, however, are built differently. They have a unified architecture with an overall smaller amount but ultra-fast memory. The key to make it work on consoles is texture streaming, which allows to clear textures of models that are not in view anymore. Moreover, this technology is used in Transport Fever 2 to constantly load textures at the highest affordable resolution to present the stars of the show, like the classic Class A 3/5 steam locomotive, in their best coat of paint at all times.

Keeping the ground like a console pro

A trademark of Transport Fever 2 are its huge maps. During development of the game, it was always paramount to provide a real sense of scale. The engine should allow for maps where a high-speed train, such as the famous Japanese Shinkansen, can really make use of its superior speed. So, a lot of effort was put into designing a highly effective terrain rendering pipeline that can handle maps of more than 120 sq miles of size with a detail resolution of almost 1 yard. Central to this is a dynamic terrain tessellation algorithm on the CPU that, while costing a bit of extra memory, makes sure the engine can render these maps on a wide variety of PCs.

Now, enter the world of consoles with their incredibly well-designed GPUs and graphic APIs. Here, the hardware can be leveraged very well for terrain rendering by making use of the GPU tessellation feature. This feature generates the render mesh for the terrain fully on the graphics card, saving valuable processing time for the complex economy and city growth simulations. While generating more triangles, the hardware approach still costs less memory overall due to its efficiency. So vast maps can be viewed from a bird’s view high up in the sky and seamlessly zoomed in down to individual rocks on a riverbank.

Inspiring the inner architect

Finally, let’s talk about constructions, a central and defining part of the Transport Fever 2 experience. Constructions are large assemblies that consist of dozens of assets, street segments, ground decals and terrain modifications. Think of structures like airports, train stations, docks, highway crossings, and many more. Anything that is needed to build a vast transportation empire.

For a smooth construction experience, it is key that the player really feels that he has precise control over the building placement. On PC, constructions are typically built using the mouse. As the average PC user is very well adjusted to this method of input, it is sufficiently performant to calculate the entire construction each frame and place it under the cursor. However, on consoles, the best way of building constructions is to have them always kept in the center of the screen and move the camera along the map for placement. And moving the camera needs to be as smooth as silk.

So, for the console release of Transport Fever 2, the construction preview pipeline was overhauled. All dynamic calculations are now performed in the background while a static preview of the structure and its underlying ground plan are shown. Not only are constructions now completely stable in terms of FPS, but they also give feedback to the player on what environment features the construction would tear down when built.

Let’s get tycooning on console

We are very excited to bring the Transport Fever franchise to consoles for the first time ever with the release of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in February 2023, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we did developing it.

Discover the dark secrets of Black Iron Prison today in The Callisto Protocol on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

The day has finally arrived! It’s the launch of The Callisto Protocol on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S! We can’t wait for you to discover the dark secrets of Black Iron Prison in this all-new sci-fi survival horror game from Dead Space creator Glen Schofield and the team at Striking Distance Studios.

We can’t wait for you to discover the dark secrets of Black Iron Prison in this all-new sci-fi survival horror game from Dead Space creator Glen Schofield and the team at Striking Distance Studios.

We recently released the game’s launch trailer, giving you a taste of what to expect after you crash land on Callisto. And while you can expect the game to feature an oppressive atmosphere, unrelenting tension, and unspeakable brutality, there’s a few details that you may have missed. So, we’ve gathered up five details we think you may want to pay attention to the next time you watch our launch trailer:

• That song … what is it? The song on the launch trailer is an original track from Kings Elliot called “Lost Again.” She wrote the song specifically for the game while she was on the road with Imagine Dragons this summer. She was watching cuts of the trailer and sending the team vocal takes from backstage while on the road. It’s a haunting track that we think has an awesome cinematic feel.

• Is that a city? Karen Fukuhara (“The Boys”) plays Dani Nakamura, the leader of a resistance force called the Outer Way. The trailer provides a few clues at Dani’s mysterious backstory and sets the stage for even more surprises in the game’s story.

• Who gives Jacob the shiv? Josh Duhamel plays Jacob Lee in the game, and there’s no way he’s getting out of Black Iron Prison without a little help. Here we meet Elias (played by Zeke Alton), a fellow inmate who will prove to be instrumental in Jacob’s struggle to survive the chaos that has enveloped Callisto.

• Is that Sam Witwer? Yes! The trailer gives players their first glimpse of Sam Witwer as Leon Ferris, the captain of Black Iron’s guard. Leon rules over the prison with an iron fist and this will certainly not be the last time he encounters Jacob in the game.

• What’s that creature at the end? There’s a host of nightmarish creatures prowling the halls of Black Iron, but one of the most fearsome monsters has got to be this two-headed monstrosity. Bigger, stronger, and more brutal than the grunts that Jacob encounters throughout the game, this horrifying creature will not stop, even if you split him in two. You’ve been warned. We hope you enjoyed the launch trailer for the game. Now it’s time for Xbox players to get their hands on The Callisto Protocol and explore the halls of Black Iron Prison for themselves. You can pick up the game today on the Xbox Store for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

We hope you enjoyed the launch trailer for the game. Now it’s time for Xbox players to get their hands on The Callisto Protocol and explore the halls of Black Iron Prison for themselves. You can pick up the game today on the Xbox Store for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

The Callisto Protocol™ for Xbox Series X|S – Digital Deluxe Edition

KRAFTON, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆116

★★★★★

In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon. HORROR ENGINEERING
The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror from the mind of Glen Schofield. Blending atmosphere, tension, and brutality with terrifying moments of helplessness and humanity, The Callisto Protocol immerses players in a pulse-pounding story where unspeakable horrors lurk around every corner. UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNITED JUPITER COMPANY
Set on Jupiter’s dead moon Callisto in the year 2320, The Callisto Protocol casts players as Jacob Lee, an inmate in Black Iron Prison. When a mysterious outbreak throws the moon into chaos, Jacob must face his darkest fears to defeat the bloodthirsty creatures that stalk him as he unravels the dark mysteries at the heart of the powerful United Jupiter Company. MASTER BRUTAL, STRATEGIC COMBAT
The Callisto Protocol challenges players to master a thrilling blend of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, including a unique gravity weapon once used by Black Iron guards to control the prison population. Players will be forced to get up close and personal with their grotesque opponents, hacking off limbs, blasting off legs, and getting creative with whatever is at their disposal to survive each life-or-death encounter. EXPERIENCE THE ISOLATION OF JUPITER’S DEAD MOON
One of the most hostile, isolated environments in the universe, Callisto looms large over Jacob’s desperate struggle to survive. Players must not only contend with the horrors of Black Iron Prison, but also the centuries-old secrets that plague Jupiter’s long-dead moon, both above and below the surface. Pre-order now to get the following digital content:
– Retro Prisoner Character & Weapons Skin
– Season Pass The Season Pass includes: Outer Way Skin Collection: Bear the armor of the Outer Way, an underground insurgency pitted against the UJC, as you fight to survive the horrors of Callisto. Contagion Bundle: Discover the ultimate survival horror experience with a new mode, Contagion. With reduced ammo and health drops, a customized difficulty and permadeath – there are no second chances to escape Black Iron Prison or the horrors lurking beneath the surface of Callisto. The Contagion Bundle also includes thirteen new Jacob death animations and the Watchtower Skin Collection. Riot Bundle: Venture into a previously undiscovered area of Black Iron Prison and battle through waves of brutal enemies. Gather credits to upgrade your weapons, or forge new ones, and survive the onslaught as long as you can in Riot, an all-new mode. The Riot Bundle also includes twelve new enemy death animations and the Engineer Skin Collection. Story DLC: Dig deeper into the horrifying secrets of The Callisto Protocol.

The Callisto Protocol™ for Xbox One – Digital Deluxe Edition

KRAFTON, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆28

★★★★★

In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon. HORROR ENGINEERING
The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror from the mind of Glen Schofield. Blending atmosphere, tension, and brutality with terrifying moments of helplessness and humanity, The Callisto Protocol immerses players in a pulse-pounding story where unspeakable horrors lurk around every corner. UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNITED JUPITER COMPANY
Set on Jupiter’s dead moon Callisto in the year 2320, The Callisto Protocol casts players as Jacob Lee, an inmate in Black Iron Prison. When a mysterious outbreak throws the moon into chaos, Jacob must face his darkest fears to defeat the bloodthirsty creatures that stalk him as he unravels the dark mysteries at the heart of the powerful United Jupiter Company. MASTER BRUTAL, STRATEGIC COMBAT
The Callisto Protocol challenges players to master a thrilling blend of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, including a unique gravity weapon once used by Black Iron guards to control the prison population. Players will be forced to get up close and personal with their grotesque opponents, hacking off limbs, blasting off legs, and getting creative with whatever is at their disposal to survive each life-or-death encounter. EXPERIENCE THE ISOLATION OF JUPITER’S DEAD MOON
One of the most hostile, isolated environments in the universe, Callisto looms large over Jacob’s desperate struggle to survive. Players must not only contend with the horrors of Black Iron Prison, but also the centuries-old secrets that plague Jupiter’s long-dead moon, both above and below the surface. Pre-order now to get the following digital content:
– Retro Prisoner Character & Weapons Skin
– Season Pass

The Callisto Protocol™ for Xbox Series X|S – Day One Edition

KRAFTON, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆297

★★★★★

In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon. HORROR ENGINEERING
The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror from the mind of Glen Schofield. Blending atmosphere, tension, and brutality with terrifying moments of helplessness and humanity, The Callisto Protocol immerses players in a pulse-pounding story where unspeakable horrors lurk around every corner. UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNITED JUPITER COMPANY
Set on Jupiter’s dead moon Callisto in the year 2320, The Callisto Protocol casts players as Jacob Lee, an inmate in Black Iron Prison. When a mysterious outbreak throws the moon into chaos, Jacob must face his darkest fears to defeat the bloodthirsty creatures that stalk him as he unravels the dark mysteries at the heart of the powerful United Jupiter Company. MASTER BRUTAL, STRATEGIC COMBAT
The Callisto Protocol challenges players to master a thrilling blend of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, including a unique gravity weapon once used by Black Iron guards to control the prison population. Players will be forced to get up close and personal with their grotesque opponents, hacking off limbs, blasting off legs, and getting creative with whatever is at their disposal to survive each life-or-death encounter. EXPERIENCE THE ISOLATION OF JUPITER’S DEAD MOON
One of the most hostile, isolated environments in the universe, Callisto looms large over Jacob’s desperate struggle to survive. Players must not only contend with the horrors of Black Iron Prison, but also the centuries-old secrets that plague Jupiter’s long-dead moon, both above and below the surface. Pre-order now to get the following digital content:
– Retro Prisoner Character & Weapons Skin

The Callisto Protocol™ for Xbox One – Day One Edition

KRAFTON, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆29

★★★★★

In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter’s moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter’s Dead Moon. HORROR ENGINEERING
The Callisto Protocol is a next-generation take on survival horror from the mind of Glen Schofield. Blending atmosphere, tension, and brutality with terrifying moments of helplessness and humanity, The Callisto Protocol immerses players in a pulse-pounding story where unspeakable horrors lurk around every corner. UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNITED JUPITER COMPANY
Set on Jupiter’s dead moon Callisto in the year 2320, The Callisto Protocol casts players as Jacob Lee, an inmate in Black Iron Prison. When a mysterious outbreak throws the moon into chaos, Jacob must face his darkest fears to defeat the bloodthirsty creatures that stalk him as he unravels the dark mysteries at the heart of the powerful United Jupiter Company. MASTER BRUTAL, STRATEGIC COMBAT
The Callisto Protocol challenges players to master a thrilling blend of hand-to-hand and ranged combat, including a unique gravity weapon once used by Black Iron guards to control the prison population. Players will be forced to get up close and personal with their grotesque opponents, hacking off limbs, blasting off legs, and getting creative with whatever is at their disposal to survive each life-or-death encounter. EXPERIENCE THE ISOLATION OF JUPITER’S DEAD MOON
One of the most hostile, isolated environments in the universe, Callisto looms large over Jacob’s desperate struggle to survive. Players must not only contend with the horrors of Black Iron Prison, but also the centuries-old secrets that plague Jupiter’s long-dead moon, both above and below the surface. Pre-order now to get the following digital content:
– Retro Prisoner Character & Weapons Skin

Gundam Evolution Gameplay Director Ryota Hogaki shares some behind-the-scenes insights for this exciting new free-to-play hero shooter.

Gundam Evolution is a free-to-play, 6v6 hero shooter that focuses on fast-paced, objective-based action – and it’s available to play today for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S!

You will pilot a variety of mecha or “Mobile Suits” from all over the Mobile Suit Gundam universe and shoot it out to become the winning team. Taking place in locations across Earth and space, pilots will take objectives, plant explosives, and use their extensive arsenal to achieve victory.

To learn more about the creation of the game, we sat down with Gameplay Director of Gundam Evolution Ryota Hogaki for insights on its development, the inspirations behind its Boost System, and more.

Hero shooters introduce many concepts, such as the G-maneuver, that isn’t defined in the anime. What were some of the challenges in designing a Mobile Suit’s abilities for a hero shooter?

The game features a variety of unique Mobile Suits, including those with shields, those with flight capabilities, those with single high-intensity shots, snipers, and such. In FPS games, there are basics to balancing, such as making it difficult for snipers to target highly maneuverable Mobile Suits. This is a “natural” balance in FPS games, and it has been maintained in this title as well.

This is because we have designed the game so that people who are not familiar with Gundam can easily play it if they like this genre, and people who have never played this genre before but want to try it because they like Gundam can play it without issue. We want to recreate scenes that fans of the original story would like to see, but we also want to include things that are necessary, interesting, and well-balanced in an FPS game. We are always thinking about the balance between the two.

The Boost System makes Gundam Evolution unique in the genre. What was the inspiration for the Boost System?

Under the catchphrase, “Move Beyond Your Limits,” the game is developed under the themes of “speedy and immersive Mobile Suit team battles” and “defeating enemies by making full use of the various Mobile Suits’ characteristics, abilities, and boosts.” We spent a lot of time on the boost system and repeated prototyping. We tried to convey the feeling of piloting massive Mobile Suits, but we also wanted to create a game that would be widely played in the FPS genre, so we needed a certain level of comfort, while not disappointing those who were expecting the experience of the original Mobile Suit pilots.

The unique feature of Gundam Evolution is the speedy and immersive intuitive control experience provided by the boost system. The ability to successfully use different steps and dashes for each unit is an important factor to improve your progress and skill. If you feel that your movements are slow and your controls are sluggish, you should try to use the steps, dashes, and boosts in different ways. The ease of use varies from unit to unit, so until you become proficient, it is important to choose a Mobile Suit that is easy to use.

Can you please tell us about the newest Mobile Suit added to the roster?

Yes, the “Nu Gundam” [shown in the gallery above] will be implemented starting in the new season. Needless to say, this is the last Mobile Suit that Amuro piloted, and it features fin funnels. It is so popular that a life-size Nu Gundam was constructed in Fukuoka, Japan this year.

Can you please tell us the design process behind Nu Gundam and the vision of its role on a team?

It is a specialized shooter that excels at medium range. Its main weapon, the beam rifle, has a high damage capacity, and by using its Fin Funnel and New Hyper Bazooka as follow-up attacks, it has the power to defeat its enemies. But to balance this, it has been set up as a Mobile Suit that is somewhat difficult to use against melee opponents or against enemies with shields.

Please also tell us about the new map. What is the unique challenge for players in this map?

The new map, Colony Trading Post, is set in a space colony, a characteristic setting in the Gundam works. It is a destruction match map set in an urban colony, with many diverse gimmicks such as vertical obstacles and conveyor belts. These dynamic obstacles change the line of fire and make it possible to be attacked from unexpected locations.

Gundam Evolution has many options that let you customize your Mobile Suit, player profile, and more. What additional customization features can we look forward to in the future?

We will of course add items based on the original works, as expected by fans, and we will also implement some customization items that have not been included in previous Gundam games, in order to introduce the Gundam to a wider audience.

Q: Lastly, do you have advice for players joining the Gundam Evolution community?

A: The game is designed to be easy to play for those who like Gundam as well as for those who are not familiar with it but have an interest in team shooters. In addition, because there are not many role restrictions, it is easy to use the Mobile Suits which you like and want to use. We also have Mobile Suits that are easy to use even for those who are new to FPS games, so please feel free to play with us!

Gundam Evolution is available to play today for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. You can download it for free today here on the Xbox Store.

GUNDAM EVOLUTION

Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆191

★★★★★

In the new Season MOBIUS, the popular Nu Gundam and more are added! Make full use of the Fin Funnel like Amuro and aim for team victory! Many fan-favorite items related to Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack are also available. In addition, a new MAP Colony CargoBay has been added and new elements have been implemented to make GUNDAM EVOLUTION even more powerful, so experience it now! GUNDAM EVOLUTION is an online FPS title in which players take control of mobile suits from the hit Gundam anime and fight other online players in six-versus-six battles. Features fast-paced action and immersive controls. Switch between mobile suits with their own unique characteristics and cooperate with teammates to win matches.