Schlagwort: nextgen games

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!

Great New Games Spotlight has officially kicked off and we’re excited to bring you a ton of games every week for the next six weeks — more than 100+ new games will launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One between February 28 and April 10 – and if you spend $50 on eligible games and movies, you can receive 2,500 Microsoft Rewards points! Get more details here.

Deceive Inc. – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Go undercover as the world’s greatest secret agents in this multiplayer game of social stealth and subterfuge. Disguise yourself as anyone to blend into the crowd, deploy high-tech gadgets to gain the upper hand, and extract the package before the competition takes it for themselves! No trick is too dirty when you work for Deceive Inc.

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom – The Prince’s Edition – March 21
Game Pass
Once upon a time, there was a world torn by endless war. But then came a great king who would change this world forever. Join the young king Evan to establish a new kingdom in the Prince’s Edition, which includes all DLCs. Available on Cloud, Console, and PC.

Superfidos – March 21
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

A platforming game where you explore the vast world of Fluffington as a magical dog hero, traversing different levels in multiple interconnected areas, gathering power-ups, magic, and more. Put your best cape on and help these heroes show Lux they are not called Superfidos for nothing!

Island Farmer – March 22

Farms are set up on islands over calm and clear water in this tiny fantasy experience. Carefully observe the island, try to memorize it, then shuffle the blocks to reproduce the desired island and it will compose an archipelago.

The Settlers: New Allies – March 22

The Settlers: New Allies is a strategy game with an in-depth build-up experience and real-time strategic battles. Fully reimagined from the ground up, with stunning graphics and detailed animations. Choose among three factions: the Elari, the Maru, and the Jorn. Each has a unique look, playstyle, and background story.

Taurian Defense – March 22

Pilot the most advanced Taurian defense ships, each with their own special capabilities to help drive back the invading forces. Inspired by 1980s top-down arcade-style shooters, you must defend your bases from an enemy invasion.

Dragon Pinball – March 23
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Experience Dragon Pinball, surpass all the challenges, and defeat the dragon on this exciting pinball machine. Discover all the secrets, complete all the missions, and become number 1 in the world (or the best among your friends), posting your high score on online.

I dream of you and ice cream – March 23

A game about imperialism, the loss of identity, and personal sacrifice. I dream of you and ice cream is a point-and-click adventure game with an emphasis on puzzle solving — for every two puzzles solved, players are rewarded with a partial solution which can be used in another puzzle.

Not For Broadcast – March 23

A darkly comedic game of televised chaos that lets you pick what you want to see on TV, no matter what anybody else wants. Egotistical celebrities, dishonest politicians, and strange sponsors clash on the airwaves. You’re here to ensure that the show goes on uninterrupted.

Yello Adventures – March 23

Overcome challenging and dangerous platforms with a variety of different and challenging enemies and make sure you are prepared for the boss at the end of the level where you must demonstrate your expertise! Upgrade your weapon via the in-game store and become more effective in your fight against your enemies.

Lila’s Tale and the Hidden Forest – March 24

In this classical-inspired 2D game, players will explore challenging magical environments, team up with forest animals and defeat nasty enemies. Experience a wonderful adventure and save Solaria!

Overloop – March 24

A puzzle-platformer set in a dystopian world where the invention of a cloning device has messed things up, big time. Armed with a clone gun and a mighty fine mustache, the chore of saving the whole of civilization rests on your shoulders. Don’t blow it.

Resident Evil 4 – March 24
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City. Agent Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors of the incident, has been sent to rescue the president’s kidnapped daughter. He tracks her to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals. And the curtain rises on this story of daring rescue and grueling horror where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect. Featuring modernized gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics, Resident Evil 4 marks the rebirth of an industry juggernaut. Relive the nightmare that revolutionized survival horror.

Steel Defier – March 24

A malfunction in the defense system of a transport spaceship accidentally killed everyone aboard, except for one last survivor… You and your suspicious orange suit. Explore a maze-like environment, moving from room to room, collecting access cards and finding new upgrades for your suit. Use your skills to outmaneuver dozens of different hazard types, while also trying to find a way out.       

Witchcrafty – March 24

Witchcrafty is a platformer with small metroidvania elements that immerse you in a world of magic. Something strange is happening in the Kingdom — the forests are filled with predatory plants, their peace-loving peoples have taken up arms against each other, and goblins were noticed in the deep mines. The little witch must start her journey in search of truth and answers.

Now that Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is available with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Cloud, many of you may be diving into this epic turn-based strategy game for the first time, while others may be returning after some time away from their conquering days. Either way, we thought we’d lend a hand to give some starter tips to help get your civilizations established during your first 50 Turns or so.

Some Core Starting Tips

• Ocean Front Views: It’s helpful to establish your city near waterways or the coast. It opens more options (trade, food, etc.) for your civilization as you start out. For example, establishing a city on the coast immediately gives you a Sailing research bonus that can come in handy later as you embark upon the waves.
• Robots Are Your Friend: Use Automate Exploration on your Warriors/Scouts early on so you can concentrate on getting your core strategy in place. Their pathfinding ability is pretty good and can give you early insight into future desirable city state locations and Barbarian camps (more on that later).
• Set and Forget: Use the Queue system early and often in both research and unit creation. This too allows you to think about the rest of your layout and exploration while the Turns quickly roll by (and it will go by faster than you think!). Ideally, your first Units should be some combination of Scout, Warrior, Slinger/Archer, and Builder in whatever order you choose.

Pick a Route to Victory and Work Towards It

There are five Victory Conditions (Science, Culture, Religion, Domination, and Score – Diplomacy is available in the Gathering Storm DLC) and each Civilization Leader has a core strength that you should lean into and not away from. For example, Cleopatra (Egypt) gives you Gold and Food bonuses for trade routes, so look to establish those early to help your civilization grow to take advantage of this.

A lot of this information and strategy can be mapped out for you early on from the in-game Technology Tree. It will also give you a rough approximation of how many turns it will take for you to unlock some of these skills. You can even add numerous technologies to a build queue so you can “set and forget” as you work on other aspects of your world domination plan. Or, to make it even easier, if you have a victory condition in mind, simply scroll to the right and select that desired Technology and the game will map out the ideal tech to unlock to achieve it, automatically add it to your queue, and you’ll be on your way.

Seeing as how we’re trying to get up to speed in 50 Turns today, we’d recommend you unlock the “Core 3” as soon as you can which are Pottery, Animal Husbandry, and Mining. In less than 30 turns, all of those should be unlocked which opens several other paths for you to start progressing towards and making tiles available to extract resources from. They’re key to you finding early success in the game since they feed into just about everything.

Scout Early, Find Your Neighbors, Discover Resources

Knowledge is key to success and that comes in revealing the “fog of war” on the world map in Civilization VI. Sending Scouts into the world can yield resource locations, other civilizations, villages, and those pesky Barbarian Camps (more on those in a minute). Scouts can also stumble upon National Wonders which can give a boost to Astrology.

And while a Scout is the obvious unit to use here, Warriors can also be used as an alternate early on. Your odds of another civilization invading your just-established settlement are relatively low in the early game phase and sending them out as a “cheap Scout” can yield early round benefits before you can build a dedicated Scout (which takes about 5 turns). Once you do have your Scout in place, you should pull your Warrior back close to home because the Barbarians can put a serious wrinkle in your plans for early expansion. Speaking of…

Clear Out Barbarians ASAP

Despite your best laid plans, all of it can come quickly crushing down by just a couple of unwelcome raids via the local Barbarian population. It’s advisable you don’t ignore this thorn in your side and look to counter their raids by building some Warriors and Slingers/Archers to seek out their camps and wipe them out entirely.

Before that happens, you should start to plan this offensive. Your Warriors can gain XP by taking out Barbarian Scouts, who are relatively weak. If you can level them up, it will tilt these one-on-one battles more in your favor. Personally, we’ve found that a good combo of 2 Slinger/Archer units with 1 Warrior unit is the best approach during the early game phase. Once you can upgrade Slingers to Archers (by researching Archery after Animal Husbandry), their line of sight allows you to start picking off the Barbarian raiders much further away, allowing you to weaken them for your Warriors to clean up.

Taking care of these Barbarian encampments are key for your success early on so you can start to build ideal units that can bring your expansion plans to fruition, like Settlers, Builders, and Traders that are free from raiders.

Build Builders

By about Turn 30 you should be close to unlocking Pottery, Animal Husbandry, and Mining which will allow you to take advantage of the resources near your starting location (located on adjacent tiles). Builders will be your key unit at this next early phase of the game as you want to get your local economy up and running as fast as you can, which can then open Trading and feed into your expansion plans.

Builders can only be used three times before they’re expired, but they have the power to Build Improvements instantly – no waiting around for your Farm to take shape. So, if you happen to start out in a very feature rich area, it may be wise to queue two of them up during this phase of the game if you can afford it. They can also be used to repair damaged titles (for free!) that may get raided by Barbarians or other hostile civilizations.

The other unique thing about Builders in Civilization VI is that they can also Harvest Resources to yield a lump sum to the parent city if you’re in immediate need of resources, like food for example. Later, as you unlock bronze working, you can also use a Builder to remove land features to help with further expansions, like placements of campuses. Just be mindful you’re not stripping something that you intend to build later. For example, a Wonder such as Stonehenge needs to be built next to Stone.

We hope these starter tips help you in your quest for domination in Civilization VI. As you’ll no doubt discover (or become reacquainted with), there are dozens upon dozens of different ways to approach the game and much more in-depth strategies to consider as you get deeper into the game around Turns 100 though 200. For now, we hope you enjoy playing Sid Meier’s Civilization VI today with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Cloud. Happy conquering!

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

2K

☆☆☆☆☆ 413

★★★★★

$29.99 $23.99

Xbox One X Enhanced

Xbox Game Pass

Originally created by legendary game designer Sid Meier, Civilization is a turn-based strategy game in which you attempt to build an empire to stand the test of time. Explore a new land, research technology, conquer your enemies, and go head-to-head with history’s most renowned leaders as you attempt to build the greatest civilization the world has ever known. Civilization VI for Xbox One includes the latest game updates and improvements and four pieces of additional content which adds four new civilizations, leaders, and scenarios: •Vikings Scenario Pack
•Poland Civilization & Scenario Pack
•Australia Civilization & Scenario Pack
•Persia and Macedon Civilization & Scenario Pack Features: •PLAY YOUR WAY: The path to victory is the one you determine. Become the most scientifically advanced civilization, dominate through sheer military power, or become the foremost destination for the cultural arts. •THE WORLD’S GREATEST LEADERS: Play as one of 24 different leaders from various countries around the world and throughout history. Build an empire of lucrative trade routes with Cleopatra of Egypt, flex the military might of your legions with Trajan of Rome, or develop a powerhouse of culture with Hojo Tokimune of Japan. Each of the leaders can be played any way you prefer, with unique abilities, units, and infrastructure in their quest for victory. •EXPANSIVE EMPIRES: See the marvels of your empire spread across the map. Settle in uncharted lands, improve your surroundings, build new districts, and see your cities – and your civilization – prosper. •ACTIVE RESEARCH: Unlock boosts that speed your civilization’s progress through history. To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures. •DYNAMIC DIPLOMACY: Interactions with other civilizations change over the course of the game, from primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations. •EXCITING AND UNIQUE SCENARIOS: Civilization VI on Xbox One includes four playable scenarios, each with a different setting and style of gameplay inspired by history. Be part of the colonization of Australia in “Outback Tycoon,” defend Poland from invaders in “Jadwiga’s Legacy,” choose a Viking leader to conquer Europe in “Vikings, Raiders, and Traders!”, or conquer the known world in the “Conquests of Alexander.” •COOPERATIVE AND COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER: Up to 4 players can cooperate or compete for supremacy via online multiplayer.

Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI

2K

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

PC Game Pass

Civilization VI offers new ways to engage with your world: cities now physically expand across the map, active research in technology and culture unlocks new potential, and competing leaders will pursue their own agendas based on their historical traits as you race for one of five ways to achieve victory in the game. Key Features:
EXPANSIVE EMPIRES
• See the marvels of your empire spread across the map like never before. Each district, wonder, and improvement is built on its own hex, allowing you to customize your city to your heart’s content.
• From the Commercial Hub to the Spaceport, every district provides unique and powerful bonuses. Pick and choose which districts to build to fit your needs!
• Build better than your opponents, place yourself strategically for your allies, and become the best civilization ACTIVE RESEARCH
• Boost your civilization’s progress through history to unlock powerful bonuses before anyone else! To advance more quickly, use your units to actively explore, develop your environment, and discover new cultures.
• Research isn’t just limited to science. Explore the Civics tree to unlock powerful new governments and cultural policies
• Cultivate the civilization that fits your playstyle, or switch it up every time you play! DYNAMIC DIPLOMACY
• As the game progresses, so do your diplomatic relationships. From primitive first interactions where conflict is a fact of life, to late game alliances and negotiations.
• Carry influence with nearby city states to gain its diplomatic allegiance and earn game-changing city-state bonuses
• Enlist spies to gather crucial intel on rival civilizations, steal precious resources, and even topple governments.

Whether you are creating your own cities during the industrial age, kick flipping your way into the weekend, or autonomizing your own colony, you’ll have plenty to play during Free Play Days! Anno 1800, Session: Skate Sim, and Autonauts are available this weekend for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday, March 16 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, March 19 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. 

How to Start Playing

Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and enter the Gold member area to locate the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

Keep the Fun Going

Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and earned achievements during the event! Please note that discounts and percentages may vary by title and region.

Game Details

• Anno 1800 Console Edition
• Session: Skate Sim
• Autonauts

Anno 1800 Console Edition

The richest city-building franchise is coming to consoles for the first time ever – Anno 1800 Console Edition is available today for Xbox Series X|S. With this weekend’s Free Play Days, you can try leading the industrial revolution for free during the launch week of the game!

Playing Anno 1800 during Free Play Days will also grant you the “Early Adopter Offer” containing in-game bonus content and digital artbook as well as the beautiful digital soundtrack of the game! And your progression will carry over if you decide to upgrade to the full game. Welcome to the dawn of a new age!

Session: Skate Sim

Conquer Session: Skate Sim! A game created by skaters for skaters. Find all the sensations of skateboarding and live an ultra-realistic experience. Skate the most iconic spots in the biggest cities in the US and customize your skateboarder, board, and style. Session is on sale until March 27 with an exceptional 50% discount off.

Autonauts

In Autonauts you must build, create, and automate. Start by establishing a colony, crafting bots, and teaching them via Scratch-style programming to build an ever-evolving autonomous paradise of agriculture, industry, and enlightenment.

Don’t miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate member! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news. 

Season Nine of Sea of Thieves has arrived, packed to bursting with fresh features, prized plunder and many quality of life improvements to make the pirate life more approachable and enjoyable for all.

As players have come to expect, a new Season also brings 100 levels of progression to be climbed by living the pirate life and raising Renown, picking up a steady stream of rewards while rising through the ranks – while Season Nine’s optional Plunder Pass adds exclusive extra content to that treasure pile. Find out more about how Seasons work in our Seasons Explained and Plunder Pass Explained articles!

Fortune Favors the Bold

Valuable Chests of Fortune have begun to surface across the Sea of Thieves, and will require strategy and skill to acquire, as a single Chest can only found within a conquered Fort of Fortune. Acquiring them can be quite the accomplishment, especially when other crews arrive to ‘help’ you empty the Vault’s contents…

But the effort is well worth it, as players who hand in Chests of Fortune will gradually earn the right to possess cosmetics from the prestigious Fates of Fortune set. This new range is ready to expand in future updates, and showing it off will let everyone know the kind of truly tenacious treasure hunter you really are.

Never ones to be outdone, The Reaper’s Bones have acquired their own Fates of Fortune pieces and are reserving these for pirates who bring them large numbers of Reaper’s Chests and Reaper’s Bounties. Since these blighted boxes now cast a shining beacon into the sky at all times, not just until they’re handled, this may prove easier said than done.

Smoother Sailing

Pirate Legends, meanwhile, can embark on several useful new Voyages guaranteed to uncover helpful, hard-to-find treasures. One of these is the new Skull of Destiny, a Ritual Skull filled with the flames necessary to instigate a Fort of the Damned Event – with no trips to the afterlife required.

Elsewhere, crews aboard Captained ships will find that their Captain’s Logbooks now contain a blow-by-blow account of their most recent exploits, detailing everything from islands visited and ships sighted to frenzied battles against aggravated sea monsters. If you have spoils from those encounters, the Sovereigns have struck up an agreement with The Hunter’s Call and will deliver fish and cooked meat on your behalf – although the Seaposts’ residents now offer more gold for a fresh, direct delivery.

It’s not just Captains and fearless Fort enthusiasts who’ll benefit from Season Nine, of course, thanks to a raft of improvements and enhancements across the game. Check out the release notes for more information on everything that’s been given a spit and polish.

Now We Are Five

All these additions and changes keep the game evolving and improving as Sea of Thieves approaches its fifth anniversary, and we’ve got an extravagant birthday bash all planned out. Naturally, you’re all invited, so be sure to check out the rundown of what’s in the diary and how you can join in the celebratory shenanigans. We look forward to seeing you on the seas!

If you’ve yet to dive into Sea of Thieves’ inviting waters but you’re keen to be part of the anniversary revelry, the newly released Deluxe Edition gives you another option to get involved. Containing all the permanent content added to the game since launch, it also includes a wide-ranging assortment of bonus content – cosmetics, emotes and Ancient Coins to spend in the Pirate Emporium – that ensures you’ll sail in style from the very start. If you’re a Steam gamer, there’s more good news as Sea of Thieves is now Steam Deck Verified too!

Emporium Endeavors

The tireless traders of the Pirate Emporium have prepared a wealth of new stock ready for the launch of Season Nine. Inspiration for their wares this month has been taken from the many creatures that can be found lurking below the waves. Purchase a Plunder Pass, build your Seasonal Renown, and you’ll be able to inspire some jellyfish jealousy with the Sting Tide ship set and evolving costume, the latter of which comes with three fluorescent flavors to unlock and a Blowing Bubbles Emote.

Alternatively, you may find the ferocity of the Emporium’s Sea Serpent ship and weapon sets suits your pirate to a tee, or you might prefer to preserve your sense of mystery entirely and make use of the Enigmatic Emote Bundle. Additionally, owners of Captained ships can spruce up their Ship’s Crest with the Lodestar variant, ensuring there’s always a star to sail by. And why sail alone when you could bring a Gold Curse Barbary along for the ride? Just remember not to try and sell it.

Find Out More

For more information on the Sea of Thieves Season Nine update, including full release notes, visit the Sea of Thieves website. The update is available for free to all Sea of Thieves players who have bought the game on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10/11 PC or via Steam, or players who have access to it with Xbox Game Pass. Simply download and install the latest Sea of Thieves update to get access.

New to Sea of Thieves? Find out about the latest free content updates on our What’s New page, get familiar with Who’s Who or pick up some gameplay tips from our Pirate Academy, which provides invaluable information on topics ranging from sailing to swordplay as you prepare for your maiden voyage. Learn more about Sea of Thieves here, or join the ongoing adventure at www.seaofthieves.com where you can embark on an epic journey with one of gaming’s most welcoming communities!

Sea of Thieves Deluxe Edition

Microsoft Studios

☆☆☆☆☆ 26

★★★★★

$49.99 $39.99

Xbox Live Gold membership required to play on Xbox One; sold separately. ========= Celebrate five years of Sea of Thieves with this special edition, which includes a copy of the game with all permanent content added since launch, plus a wide-ranging assortment of extra cosmetics and collector’s items. In addition to the 2023 Edition bonus content – Hunter Cutlass, Hunter Pistol, Hunter Compass, Hunter Hat, Hunter Jacket, Hunter Sails and 10,000 gold – this edition of the game comes with a further Deluxe Bundle containing the Black Phoenix Figurehead, Black Phoenix Sails, Crab Dab Emote, Deck Hide Emote and 550 Ancient Coins for use in the Pirate Emporium.

Sea of Thieves 2023 Edition

Microsoft Studios

☆☆☆☆☆ 954

★★★★★

$39.99 $31.99

Xbox One X Enhanced

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Xbox Live Gold membership required to play on Xbox One; sold separately. ========= 2023 Edition Out Now
Celebrate five years since Sea of Thieves‘ launch with this special edition of the game, which includes a copy of Sea of Thieves itself with all permanent content added since launch, plus a 10,000 gold bonus and a selection of Hunter cosmetics. The Hunter Cutlass, Pistol, Compass, Hat, Jacket and Sails will ensure you cut a formidable figure as you set sail for adventure!
About the Game Sea of Thieves offers the essential pirate experience, from sailing and fighting to exploring and looting – everything you need to live the pirate life and become a legend in your own right. With no set roles, you have complete freedom to approach the world, and other players, however you choose.
Whether you’re voyaging as a group or sailing solo, you’re bound to encounter other crews in this shared world adventure – but will they be friends or foes, and how will you respond? A Vast Open World
Explore a vast open world filled with unspoiled islands and underwater kingdoms. Take on quests to hunt for lost loot, forge a reputation with the Trading Companies and battle foes from Phantoms and Ocean Crawlers to Megalodons and the mighty Kraken. Try your hand at fishing, make maps to your own buried treasure or choose from hundreds of other optional goals and side-quests! Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life
Play the Tall Tales to experience Sea of Thieves’ unique narrative-driven campaigns, and join forces with Captain Jack Sparrow in Sea of Thieves: A Pirate’s Life, an acclaimed original story that brings Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean sailing into Sea of Thieves. These immersive and cinematic quests provide around 30 hours of the ultimate pirate adventure. A Game That’s Always Growing
With each Season bringing in new game features every three months alongside regular in-game Events and new narrative Adventures, Sea of Thieves is a service-based game that’s still growing and evolving. Check back regularly to see what free content has been newly added, and see how far you can climb through each Season’s 100 levels of Renown to earn special rewards. Become Legend
On your journey to become a Pirate Legend you’ll amass loot, build a reputation and define a unique personal style with your hard-earned rewards. Adventurer. Explorer. Conqueror. What will your legend be?

Anno 1800 Console Edition is now available on Xbox Series X|S, and you can play the award-winning city-building strategy game for free from now until March 23. If you have an Xbox Live Gold subscription or an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership, you can also access Anno 1800 Console Edition on your Xbox Series X|S through the Xbox Free Play Days event from now until March 24. During the Free Week, you can play all of Anno 1800’s main content, and if you want to continue building your empire after March 23, your progression will carry over if you buy the game.

Set during the Industrial Revolution, Anno 1800 lets you build large cities, establish logistical networks, charter expeditions around the world, and take on your opponents diplomatically, commercially, or militarily. Protect your cities, help your economy grow, and be ready to adapt to any situation that may occur. Explore the story in campaign mode; customize your opponents, victory conditions, and difficulty level in sandbox mode; and challenge friends or play co-op in online multiplayer.

Anno 1800 Console Edition is available in both Standard and Deluxe versions. The Standard version comes with the base game and all the free game updates released for the PC version, while the Deluxe version adds three cosmetic packs: the Amusements Pack lets you add amusement parks; the Pedestrian Zone Pack comes with a variety of ornamental trees and shrubs; and the Vibrant Cities Pack provides diversity among your common Old World city buildings. The PC version’s DLC and Season Passes are not planned for release on consoles, however nine Cosmetic Packs are already available for purchase and a few more are coming soon.

Take advantage of the Free Week in Anno 1800 from now until March 23 on Xbox Series X|S and get ready to build a new world and guide your cities to prosperity!

Anno 1800™ Console Edition – Deluxe

UBISOFT

☆☆☆☆☆ 10

★★★★★

Beautify your cities with the Deluxe Edition! Includes three Cosmetic Packs: Amusements Pack, Pedestrian Zone, and Vibrant Cities to enjoy a wide variety of ornaments and skins. A RICH EARLY ADOPTER OFFER: contains a digital art book, a digital game soundtrack*, the access to the Imperial Pack and the Console Founder Pack!
A complete package that will totally immerse you in the world of the Industrial Revolution of Anno 1800™. Welcome to the dawn of the Industrial Age in this city-building real-time strategy game. Experience one of the most exciting and fast-changing periods of all time as you discover new technologies, regions, and societies, implement your own strategy, and build a new world to your design. Play solo or use the online mode to play PvP or co-op modes: How the world remembers your name is up to you. THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA: Prove your skills as you create huge cities, plan logistic networks, settle lush new continents, send out expeditions around the globe, and dominate opponents by diplomacy, trade, or warfare.
BUILD YOUR OWN EMPIRE by constructing large metropolises, managing a thriving economy, and protecting your creations from others. To guide your cities to prosperity, you’ll need to learn to adapt to any situation that arises. A UNIQUE CITY-BUILDER EXPERIENCE: Includes a story-based campaign, customizable sandbox mode, and a multiplayer experience.
NEW FEATURES FOR A NEW AGE, through expeditions across the globe to seek fame and fortune and a new workforce feature that will make the management of your factories more demanding and realistic.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO PLAY: You decide what you want your game to be! Challenge yourself with a variety of AI characters or focus on building and beautifying a huge empire. *Access the digital artbook and soundtrack upon game release on the official Anno 1800 Console Page: https:\\www.annogame.com\console

Anno 1800™ Console Edition – Standard

UBISOFT

☆☆☆☆☆ 32

★★★★★

A RICH EARLY ADOPTER OFFER: contains a digital art book, a digital game soundtrack*, the access to the Imperial Pack and the Console Founder Pack!
A complete package that will totally immerse you in the world of the Industrial Revolution of Anno 1800™! Welcome to the dawn of the Industrial Age in this city-building real-time strategy game. Experience one of the most exciting and fast-changing periods of all time as you discover new technologies, regions, and societies, implement your own strategy, and build a new world to your design. Play solo or use the online mode to play PvP or co-op modes: How the world remembers your name is up to you. THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA: Prove your skills as you create huge cities, plan logistic networks, settle lush new continents, send out expeditions around the globe, and dominate opponents by diplomacy, trade, or warfare.
BUILD YOUR OWN EMPIRE by constructing large metropolises, managing a thriving economy, and protecting your creations from others. To guide your cities to prosperity, you’ll need to learn to adapt to any situation that arises. A UNIQUE CITY-BUILDER EXPERIENCE: Includes a story-based campaign, customizable sandbox mode, and a multiplayer experience.
NEW FEATURES FOR A NEW AGE, through expeditions across the globe to seek fame and fortune and a new workforce feature that will make the management of your factories more demanding and realistic than ever.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO PLAY: You decide what you want your game to be! Challenge yourself with a variety of AI characters or focus on building and beautifying a huge empire. *Access the digital artbook and soundtrack upon game release on the official Anno 1800 Console Page: https:\\www.annogame.com\console

As the seasons begin to usher in change, so too does the latest mid-season drop for Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Today, Season 2: Reloaded is now available bringing with it a new 6v6 Multiplayer map (Himmelmatt Expo), a camo challenge event, and tons of additional content for both Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0. You can get a full breakdown here on the official Call of Duty Blog.

Also, tomorrow kicks off a limited time Free Trial for Modern Warfare II allowing players to jump in and experience one of our favorite multiplayer games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S from March 16 through March 20, 2023. The Free Access period will feature a limited selection of Multiplayer and Special Ops encounters for non-game owners to experience with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Expect a wide variety of available Game Modes, from squad-based modes like Team Deathmatch and Domination, to a selection of modes that released with Season 02 and Season 02: Reloaded. You can get a full breakdown on the Free Access period here.

Also included with today’s update are three additional Party Modes with Drop Zone, All or Nothing, and One in the Chamber to compliment the already available Infected, Gun Game, and Grind. And now with so many players able to jump in this weekend, we thought it’d be great to offer a bit of a refresher on what these modes are like coupled with some tips to help give you a bit of an edge in your online showdowns.

Infected

If you wanted to get an idea on how well you’d fare during a zombie apocalypse, this one’s for you. Infected pits one player as the “infected” against the larger group of players in an attempt to infect all players on the map before the timer expires. If you’re taken out by an infected, you join the horde and go after the remaining defenders. Here’s a few key tips to keep in mind while playing:

• If you’re on defense, find a good spot to defend from (high ground is ideal) and utilize lethal equipment like mines, claymores, and C4 at chokepoints and doorways.
• Watch. Each. Others. Backs. Pick a spot to be responsible for and glue yourself to it and communicate with your team if you need assistance.
• Speed kills if you’re one of the infected. Use that to your advantage by attacking as a unified group by sprinting in and overwhelming the defender’s location.

Gun Game

Get out of your comfort zone by rotating through a variety of different weapons after you secure an elimination. In any given match, you’ll be navigating through pistols, assault rifles, rocket launchers, and more – the first player to score a kill using each weapon is the winner. It can be great fun; especially how hectic it can be towards the end as you must end the match with a Throwing Knife to secure victory. Here’s a few tips that have helped us get on top:

• Lean in. Make sure you lean into the strengths of each weapon as fast as possible so you can quickly rotate through your arsenal. (e.g., don’t treat a sniper rifle like a shotgun).
• Dots! Keep an eye on that mini-map. When shots are fired, they will appear as red dots giving you some idea on where other players might be located. Go there!
• Stay on the move! You need to get out there and find some targets to take out to keep rotating through your guns; this is not the mode to think about pitching a tent.  

Grind

You get a dog tag, and you get a dog tag, and you get a dog tag! Dog tags for everyone! Like Kill Confirmed, this mode requires you to not only secure the dog tag after taking out a player for it to count, but you must take your collection and “cash it in” for a point for your team at a designated location. But be careful if you happen to get knocked out on your way to make bank – you’ll drop every dog tag you’re carrying! Here’s some tips to help you win:

• Don’t get too greedy. If you’ve managed to secure a few kills, go cash them in and then get back there to collect some more.
• Don’t leave your teammates hanging. Make it a habit of covering your squad mates and collecting their dog tags should they have been taken out by enemy fire.
• Anticipate where the enemy team might be heading to cash in their dog tags and bottle up those chokepoints to steal their loot.

Drop Zone

It’s raining Killstreaks! The goal with Drop Zone is to hold and secure the designated area to earn your team points towards their victory total. Keep in mind that things can get hectic quickly because every 15 seconds that a Drop Zone is occupied, Care Packages drop nearby allowing you to secure a Killstreak that can give you a huge edge in taking down the other team. Here’s some tips to consider:

• Perk up! Utilize equipment that works best in defending objectives, like claymores and proximity mines, smoke grenades to mask your team position, and Field Upgrades like Trophy System and Anti-Armor Rounds to counteract some enemy Killstreaks.
• Secure position! When working as a team, if someone is already securing the Care Package, take up a defensive position and help fend off attackers; this rule also applies to watch your teammates back as they are deploying a Killstreak which leaves them vulnerable to attack.
• Don’t forget to breathe! This mode can quickly get out of hand as repeated Killstreaks dunk on your team. Take breath and try to retain your focus back on the objective of securing these Care Packages with your teammates.

All or Nothing

It’s a sprint to 20 eliminations in this fast-moving game mode where each Operator must take out their opponent by only using Throwing Knives. Taking out other players can also earn you some additional Perks to give you a tactical advantage, like silent running. If you’re jumping into this mode, here’s some tips to help:

• Turn up those headsets! You’ll hear footsteps from most of your opponents, giving you an extra split-second you may need to turn around for a chance to stab your would-be attacker.
• Stay nimble! There’s no harm in looking silly while jumping around or sliding all over the place while trying to dodge a knife throw; make yourself as hard a target to hit as possible.
• Check your corners! Swing your knife when entering doorways and coming around blind corners. You just might be able secure a surprise kill.

One in the Chamber

Don’t miss! In this mode you’ll drop into the match with a pistol with one bullet and three lives. It’s free for all as each player fights for themselves, and a single shot to any part of the body earns the elimination, granting the attacker one more bullet to keep going. Check out these tips to help:

• I see more dots! When shots are fired (like in Gun Game), they will appear on the mini-map giving you an idea where other players might be hanging out. Find them!
• Live unconventionally. Climb on rooftops, fire through car windows, get nestled behind a fruit stand. The element of surprise can be a key to success in mode given your limited ammunition and lives.
• Don’t forget your knife! If you’re spent your round(s), lean into going after your attacker with a melee attack.

If you’re looking for the full rundown of Free Access content, be sure to check out the Call of Duty Blog here to know more about all of the maps and modes available during this period. We’ll have more Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0 details to share in the weeks and months ahead, so keep it tuned here to Xbox Wire.

Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II – Vault Edition

Activision Publishing Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆ 3816

★★★★★

The Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II – Vault Edition includes the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game. Existing Modern Warfare® II Digital Cross-Gen Bundle owners can upgrade to the Vault Edition as part of a limited time offer. Includes: – Cross Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II
— Includes Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game
– Red Team 141 Operator Pack:
— 4 Operators: Ghost, Soap, Farah and Price
– FJX Cinder – First-Ever Weapon Vault*
– Battle Pass (1 Season) + 50 Tier Skips**
– 10 hours of 2XP and 10 hours of weapons 2XP Welcome to the new era of Call of Duty®. Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II drops players into an unprecedented global conflict that features the return of the iconic Operators of Task Force 141. Infinity Ward brings fans state-of-the-art gameplay, with all-new gun handling, advanced AI system, a new Gunsmith and a suite of other gameplay and graphical innovations that elevate the franchise to new heights. Modern Warfare® II launches with a globe-trotting single-player campaign, immersive Multiplayer combat and an evolved Special Ops game mode featuring tactical co-op gameplay. You also get access to Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0, the all-new Battle Royale experience. *Weapon Vault design limited to Weapon Vault contents at launch. **Battle Pass redemption applies to one Season of Modern Warfare® II Battle Pass only. For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com. © 2022-2023 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, MODERN WARFARE and CALL OF DUTY WARZONE are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. This product contains software technology licensed from Id Software (‚Id Technology‘). Id Technology © 1999-2023 Id Software, Inc.

Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II – Cross-Gen Bundle

Activision Publishing Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆ 2597

★★★★★

Includes: – Cross Gen Bundle of Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II
— Includes Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game Welcome to the new era of Call of Duty®. Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II drops players into an unprecedented global conflict that features the return of the iconic Operators of Task Force 141. Infinity Ward brings fans state-of-the-art gameplay, with all-new gun handling, advanced AI system, a new Gunsmith and a suite of other gameplay and graphical innovations that elevate the franchise to new heights. Modern Warfare® II launches with a globe-trotting single-player campaign, immersive Multiplayer combat and an evolved Special Ops game mode featuring tactical co-op gameplay. You also get access to Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0, the all-new Battle Royale experience. For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com. © 2022-2023 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, MODERN WARFARE and CALL OF DUTY WARZONE are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. This product contains software technology licensed from Id Software (‚Id Technology‘). Id Technology © 1999-2023 Id Software, Inc.

Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0

Activision Publishing Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆ 2392

★★★★★

Welcome to Warzone™ 2.0, the massive free-to-play combat arena which now features the brand-new map, Al Mazrah. Turn the Heat Up
Join forces with your friends and jump into a sprawling battleground in the metropolitan area and rural outskirts within the Republic of Adal. Loot For Rewards
Discover supply boxes and complete contracts to build your arsenal and gain a tactical advantage. Battle Across Epic Modes
Drop into the all-new sandbox objective-based mode to choose your own experience within the warzone and collecting gear to keep in your Call of Duty®: Warzone™ 2.0 inventory. Purchase the Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® II Vault Edition and get the Red Team 141 Operator Pack, FJX Cinder Weapon Vault*, 10 hours of 2XP, 10 hours of Weapons 2XP, Battle Pass and 50 Tier Skips** – also usable in Warzone™ 2.0. An Xbox Live Gold subscription is not required to play the Warzone™ 2.0 game mode. All other online modes still require Xbox Live Gold. *Weapon Vault design limited to Weapon Vault contents at launch. **Battle Pass redemption applies to one season of Modern Warfare® II Battle Pass only. For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com. © 2022-2023 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, MODERN WARFARE and CALL OF DUTY WARZONE are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. This product contains software technology licensed from Id Software (‚Id Technology‘). Id Technology © 1999-2023 Id Software, Inc.

Hello everyone, I’m Sabine Neuser, Narrative Designer at Deck13. Our game Atlas Fallen releases May 16, it’s a superpowered third-person action-RPG where you’ll play as a hero who rises against a tyrannical god! I’m here to introduce you to the oppressed society that awaits you to reclaim its freedom.

A Fallen World

You’ll find yourself in a timeless land named Atlas. The face of Atlas changed after a cataclysm that took place a long time ago, allowing a corrupted god to enforce a new order. This devastated, “fallen” world is now covered in sand and hosts the many ruins of time immemorial. The population was drastically diminished but a few settlements still exist.

It’s not an empty world but a desolate one, in which people desperately long for change… while others try to prevent it. With its vast landscape of dunes and scarce population, there’s a desert feel to Atlas, but your story will take you to many places where you will encounter various people and learn about their life and challenges.

Caste System

The Sun God, Thelos, reigns over the world of Atlas, having put a caste system in place for humanity. Under their order, priests worship them and act out their will. The priests can be seen as the highest caste of the system, and they assign workers their tasks and ensure that they’re performed. 

The order maintained by this system goes as far as denying the lowest class of workers their names, reducing them strictly to their function and referring to them simply as “the Unnamed”. Most of the population of Atlas belongs to this group. They pray to Thelos and obey them. Their workforce is essential for upholding the divine order, so they really are tools for the power in place.

The Unnamed have one main task: to mine sand imbued with Essence and transport it to the capital. The caravans used for transportation are under the surveillance of guards, accompanied by a few priests. Atlas’ society is a system that upholds itself, oppression is ordinary and power is closely guarded.

Against The Order

Of course, there is also opposition. By their place in society, the Unnamed have a very clear calling: to work following the will of Thelos, which they may be rewarded for in the afterlife. But it is not easy to stick to a role with no other meaning than being a pawn in the reign of a tyrannic god and never recognized as anything more than the work you do. While some of them adapt, others don’t.

The Unnamed are a homogeneous mass in the eyes of the rest of society, but they are very human and the mood within their group varies greatly. Some seem to have found the meaning of their life in service, some yearn for changes, some even try to organize themselves and resist, where they can. But their lives are disposable in the eyes of the system.

Outside of the caste system, a strong faction is in hiding: the Knights of Bastengar. Very little is known about them, their roots are far too ancient. Some even believe them dead, but they only use this to their advantage, waiting for their chance to challenge the status quo.

From Unnamed To Hero

Our hero’s journey takes him from being an Unnamed to becoming a hero with extraordinary powers that haven’t been seen on Atlas for decades. You will be interacting with many characters, talking and doing quests to gain rewards, or trading with different vendors. You will meet people from every rank in society, who will all show an interest in the powers of the hero’s artifact, for one purpose or another. Depending on how they stand towards the hero, they will act accordingly: some will stay truthful and offer their support on friendly terms, some will prove manipulative, and others will act downright hostile.

Over the course of the story, as your powers grow, you will gain access to new territories, and meet the inhabitants of the settlements scattered in the desert, as well as those who live in the capital. You will meet peasants, military, knights, priests and many more, whether they be a brief encounter or play a recurring role, trying to influence our hero’s quest one way or the other.

Atlas Fallen launches May 16 on Xbox Series X|S.

Atlas Fallen

Focus Entertainment

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Rise from the dust and liberate mankind from the oppression of corrupted gods. Glide the sands of a timeless land, filled with ancient dangers, mysteries and fragments of the past. Hunt legendary monsters, using powerful, shape-shifting weapons and devastating sand-powered abilities in spectacular, super-powered combat. Target and gather the essence of your enemies to shape your own custom playstyle, forging a new era for humanity in a fully cooperative or solo story campaign. Rise from the dust. Unleash the storm. • Master the sands to explore a unique fantasy world teeming with secrets, locales and dangers
• Hunt legendary creatures alone or with a friend in heroic, super-powered combat
• Unleash your power to create deadly shape-shifting weapons
• Rise as the ultimate champion with unique custom skills and abilities

In a flash, nearly every living human in Tokyo disappears as a menacing fog creeps in. As Akito, a lone survivor of this supernatural catastrophe, it’s up to you to team up with an unlikely ally: the spirit of a detective known only as “KK.” With the power to combat the otherworldly Visitors taking over the city, it’s up to just you two to save the world of the living in Ghostwire: Tokyo, coming soon to Xbox!

Available April 12 for Xbox Series X|S with Xbox Game Pass, and Windows 10/11 PC with PC Game Pass, Ghostwire: Tokyo will arrive with the free Spider’s Thread update, adding a multitude of enhancements to the single-player hit, including additional areas to explore, new story cutscenes, quality-of-life improvements, a bonus game mode and more!

Face The Unknown

As Tokyo is overrun by the hostile Visitors, it’s up to players to get to the bottom of the mysterious vanishing and stop Hannya, the elusive masked figure claiming responsibility for the incident. With a variety of skills and ability to hone their Ethereal Weaving, Akito & KK will have to work together and become a finely-tuned ghost hunter to save Tokyo from destruction.

Explore a Beautifully Haunted Tokyo

Lovingly rendered with next-gen technology by the team at Tango, Ghostwire: Tokyo features an authentic vision of modern-day Tokyo taken over by spirits. Walk, grapple and glide above the rainslicked streets and narrow alleys as you encounter paranormal creatures born out of Japanese folklore and urban myth.

Play the Spider’s Thread Update at Launch

Available as a free update, the Spider’s Thread update adds more to explore in haunted streets of Tokyo, including new content, improvements and an all-new game mode!

Take on the Spider’s Thread mode and test your skills as well as play new quests in the main game, capture a souvenir with an enhanced Photo Mode, explore the all-new Middle School area, pull out new combat moves like the Quick Dodge or Charge Rush attack, and so much more! With the Spider’s Thread update, players will get to have the definitive Ghostwire: Tokyo experience.

Prepare for a world of the supernatural when Ghostwire: Tokyo comes to Xbox Series X|S with Xbox Game Pass and Windows 10/11 PC with PC Game Pass on April 12. Learn more about Ghostwire: Tokyo on the official website.

The gates of hell are creaking open, and the Diablo IV Open Beta is almost upon us. Beginning this Friday, March 17 for those who have pre-ordered the game (and starting on March 24 for everyone else), the Beta will offer a huge amount to play ahead of the game’s launch of June 6 – and will even offer rewards for the final game to those who pass its many challenges.

Ahead of the Open Beta, we caught up with Game Director Joe Shely to learn about what’s in store – and his personal recommendations for what to do in your early visit to Sanctuary. After that, we’ve also got all the key details to help you prepare:

Xbox Wire: What do you recommend players aim to do within the scope of the Open Beta? Any recommended side quests?

Joe Shely: For the Open Beta we are providing a very thorough experience of the early game in Diablo IV. I would encourage players to go through the entire story campaign of Act 1 within the Fractured Peaks zone and to just explore the world to see what it has to offer. Go off the beaten path and try out the World Events, liberate a Stronghold, pick up all of the side quests, and delve into the dungeons scattered throughout the zone. You will also be able to play all five of our playable classes during the Open Beta weekend on March 24 and I hope everyone gets a chance to give them all a try and let us know what you think.

One of my favorite side quests that you will be able to experience in the Open Beta is ‘The Woodsman of Nevesk.’ I won’t go into spoilers, but it is a great example of how we are approaching storytelling in Diablo IV to highlight the struggles of the citizens of Sanctuary and how a seemingly simple task can evolve into a longer chain of quests dealing with some serious consequences of your actions.

XW: Are there any secrets included that you don’t expect all players to find? (No spoilers, of course!)

JS: There are definitely things within this Open Beta that I am very excited for players to discover. Sanctuary is full of surprises, and you will experience some of them while you are exploring Fractured Peaks.  Keep an eye out for ‘Altars of Lilith’ hidden around the world. Some will be tough to find but you’ll be rewarded with a boost to your character’s power, so be sure to explore your surroundings well. There might even be a few unexpected encounters that pop up from time to time that will test your mettle and reaction speed!

XW: What have you learned from previous public tests, and how has that altered what’s available in the Open Beta?

JS: We’ve done many internal and closed tests where we learned a lot and iterated on the game over the course of development. We received invaluable feedback and were able to improve on all aspects of the game including class skill trees, overall balance, and all of our end-game content. This will be our first open public test, so we are looking forward to the feedback and data we get from having such a massive amount of players be able to join and experience Diablo IV for the first time.

XW: What will the Open Beta help you learn before the release of the full game in June?

JS: We are holding our Open Beta far enough ahead of our official launch on June 6 in order to be able to act on as much of the feedback we get during these weekends. We expect a lot of great insight and feedback from players on things like balance, flagging bugs, gameplay features that could be tweaked to be more fun or more intuitive, and much more. Of course, one of the biggest things we will also be focusing on is testing our server infrastructure to make sure we are able to provide the best experience possible on launch day.

XW: If someone is totally new to Diablo, is there a class or playstyle you recommend they try to get to grips with the game?

JS: Diablo IV is all about player choice and we do not want to force any player, new or veteran, down a path they don’t want to go down. We designed all of our classes to have a very clear learning curve from the moment you create your character. As you level up and earn talent points, you will be able to choose a path in the talent tree and gain access to new abilities and passive skills one at a time. Whether you choose the in-your-face melee Barbarian or the ranged spell-casting Sorceress, you will slowly get introduced to their playstyles and have time to experiment and get to know your abilities. You will also be able to easily respec any of your talent points so you can experiment with different builds to find what you most resonate with.

Diablo IV Open Beta: Key Details

When You Can Play

The journey begins with Early Access starting March 17 at 9 a.m. PDT and concludes March 20 at 12 p.m PDT. Those who have pre-ordered and received Early Access can begin their preparations with Early Download of the Diablo® IV starting today on the Xbox Store.

For those waiting to play until Open Beta weekend, your Early Download begins Wednesday, March 22 at 9am PT. Hell welcomes all to the Open Beta beginning March 24 at 9 a.m. PDT and ending on March 27 at 12 p.m. PDT. To the players who explore what Sanctuary has to offer in Early Access, you will not need to download again for Open Beta.

No Xbox Live subscriptions will be required to play Diablo IV during the Open Beta or Early Access weekends. Once Diablo IV launches, an Xbox Live Gold subscription will be required to access some of the game’s multiplayer features.

Rewards

Three Open Beta rewards are yours to earn in these next two weekends and will be awarded at the release of Diablo® IV. Make your way to Kyovashad to earn the Initial Casualty Title. Then, reach level 20 to earn the Early Voyager Title and the ferocious and furry Beta Wolf Pack cosmetic. Travel in packs to hasten the road to reward – you’ll gain 5% bonus experience for playing in the proximity of another adventurer and 10% bonus experience if they’re in your party—consisting of up to 4 players in online co-op or up to 2 players on couch co-op.

A sizeable loot drop also awaits those who stand together and successfully fight the larger-than-life world boss during the Open Beta. The ever-fearsome Ashava lurks in the shadows, awaiting the time to strike. When Ashava appears, you will have the opportunity to team up with fellow heroes of Sanctuary to combat this vicious demon. Ashava will be ready to put you to the test on March 18 and March 25 at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m., and 12:00 a.m. PDT. The only question that remains is… will you survive?

Available Classes

This Friday, begin your journey as the Barbarian, Rogue, or Sorcerer as you slay the demons that await in Early Access. Once Open Beta begins, two additional classes will be at your disposal to wreak havoc on those who stand in your path – the Necromancer and Druid. Progress carries over between weekends but will be wiped before the game launches on June 6, so use this opportunity to explore the classes, test your build theories, and experiment with the power that is now in your grasp.

If you have not already pre-ordered a copy of Diablo IV for Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S and want to get Early Access to the Open Beta, click here.

*Actual platform availability and launch date(s) of the Beta subject to change. Minimum Open Beta duration is 2 days. Limited time only. Internet connection required. Battle.net account required.  

Diablo® IV – Ultimate Edition

Blizzard Entertainment Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆ 125

★★★★★

Pre-order Diablo® IV – Ultimate Edition digitally and receive Early Access to the Open Beta, starting March 17th*, Light Bearer Mount in Diablo® IV and up to 4 days Early Access to Diablo® IV’s Launch**. Diablo® IV – Ultimate Edition also includes: – Diablo® IV for Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S
– Inarius Wings & Inarius Murloc Pet in Diablo® III***
– Amalgam of Rage Mount in World of Warcraft®****
– Umber Winged Darkness Cosmetics Set in Diablo Immortal™****
– Temptation Mount in Diablo® IV
– Hellborn Carapace Mount Armor in Diablo® IV
– Wings of the Creator Emote in Diablo® IV
– Accelerated Seasonal Battle Pass Unlock in Diablo® IV (includes a Premium Seasonal Battle Pass Unlock plus 20 Tier Skips and a cosmetic) Diablo® IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or go rogue through an expansive End Game and shared world where players will meet in towns to trade, team up to battle World Bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms. This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon. *Platform availability and dates subject to change. See Diablo.com for more details. Play time subject to possible outages and time zone differences. Minimum duration is 2 days. Limited time only. Internet connection and Battle.net account required. **Up to 4 days based on estimated access; actual play time subject to possible outages and applicable time zone differences. ***Downloaded separately. Available on Xbox One when Diablo® III: Season 28 launches. Diablo® III sold separately. ****Downloaded separately. Available at Diablo® IV launch. World of Warcraft® and Diablo Immortal™ sold / downloaded separately. Battle.net account required. Internet connection required. For more information, please visit Diablo.com. © 2023 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Diablo, Diablo Immortal, World of Warcraft, and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S and/or other countries. All rights reserved.

Diablo® IV – Digital Deluxe Edition

Blizzard Entertainment Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆ 115

★★★★★

Pre-order Diablo® IV – Digital Deluxe Edition and receive Early Access to the Open Beta, starting March 17th*, Light Bearer Mount in Diablo® IV and up to 4 days Early Access to Diablo® IV’s Launch**. Diablo® IV – Digital Deluxe Edition also includes: – Diablo® IV for Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S
– Inarius Wings & Inarius Murloc Pet in Diablo® III***
– Amalgam of Rage Mount in World of Warcraft®****
– Umber Winged Darkness Cosmetics Set in Diablo Immortal™****
– Temptation Mount in Diablo® IV
– Hellborn Carapace Mount Armor in Diablo® IV
– Seasonal Battle Pass Unlock in Diablo® IV Diablo® IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or go rogue through an expansive End Game and shared world where players will meet in towns to trade, team up to battle World Bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms. This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon. *Platform availability and dates subject to change. See Diablo.com for more details. Play time subject to possible outages and time zone differences. Minimum duration is 2 days. Limited time only. Internet connection and Battle.net account required. **Up to 4 days based on estimated access; actual play time subject to possible outages and applicable time zone differences. ***Downloaded separately. Available on Xbox One when Diablo® III: Season 28 launches. Diablo® III sold separately. ****Downloaded separately. Available at Diablo® IV launch. World of Warcraft® and Diablo Immortal™ sold / downloaded separately. Battle.net account required. Internet connection required. For more information, please visit Diablo.com. © 2023 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Diablo, Diablo Immortal, World of Warcraft, and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S and/or other countries. All rights reserved.

Diablo® IV – Standard Edition

Blizzard Entertainment Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆ 136

★★★★★

Pre-order Diablo® IV – Standard Edition digitally and receive Early Access to the Open Beta, starting March 17th* and Light Bearer Mount in Diablo® IV. Diablo® IV – Standard Edition also includes: – Diablo® IV for Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S
– Inarius Wings & Inarius Murloc Pet in Diablo® III**
– Amalgam of Rage Mount in World of Warcraft®***
– Umber Winged Darkness Cosmetics Set in Diablo Immortal™*** Diablo® IV is the next-gen action RPG experience with endless evil to slaughter, countless abilities to master, nightmarish Dungeons, and legendary loot. Embark on the campaign solo or with friends, meeting memorable characters through beautifully dark settings and a gripping story, or go rogue through an expansive End Game and shared world where players will meet in towns to trade, team up to battle World Bosses, or descend into PVP zones to test their skills against other players – no lobbies necessary – with cross-play and cross-progression on all available platforms. This is only the beginning for Diablo® IV, with new events, stories, seasons, rewards, and more looming on the horizon. *Platform availability and dates subject to change. See Diablo.com for more details. Play time subject to possible outages and time zone differences. Minimum duration is 2 days. Limited time only. Internet connection and Battle.net account required. **Downloaded separately. Available on Xbox One when Diablo® III: Season 28 launches. Diablo® III sold separately. ***Downloaded separately. Available at Diablo® IV launch. World of Warcraft® and Diablo Immortal™ sold / downloaded separately. Battle.net account required. Internet connection required. For more information, please visit Diablo.com. © 2023 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Diablo, Diablo Immortal, World of Warcraft, and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S and/or other countries. All rights reserved.

Hey Xbox Wire readers! I’m Yared from Whitethorn Games, and I’m here to share a little info about our latest release, The Forest Cathedral, which launched today on Xbox Series S|X!

While you may know us from the many cozy, heartwarming titles we’ve published, such as Calico and Lake, The Forest Cathedral takes a slightly darker direction. The game, while still adhering to tranquil, low-stress gameplay, evokes a more unsettling, eerie feeling that approaches the realm of horror. Players will embark on a mysterious, atmospheric psychological thriller based on the real-world ecological disasters caused by the pesticide DDT, or as developer Brian Wilson more accurately describes the genre: an environmental thriller. The game is played from the point of view of environmental scientist Rachel Carson, though the real star of the show is the haunting setting itself.

Methods of Research

The Forest Cathedral’s fully voiced, rich narrative is told through a combination of two gameplay styles. One is its first-person 3D exploration in which the player navigates Science Island, conducting research on its wildlife. Taking notes and utilizing a special scanner, the player investigates the remote island in search of answers to the mystery.

Along the way you can interact with computer terminals where The Forest Cathedral’s second gameplay style appears in the form of 2D platforming puzzles. On these terminals, the player controls a 2D character “Little Man,” traversing through the puzzles in order to operate mechanisms back in the 3D space. Both the 2D and 3D worlds interact with each other, unlocking new areas or progressing the story.

Art Imitates Life

The Forest Cathedral’s story is a dramatic reimagining of real-world scientist Rachel Carson’s environmental science book, Silent Spring, which documented her discovery of the harmful effects of DDT. Developer Brian Wilson drew inspiration from the attempted silencing of Carson and her findings to build his own artistic interpretation of events.

As Wilson explains, “the story of Rachel Carson is a David vs. Goliath story.” Throughout the game, you’ll become immersed in situations that evoke a feeling of struggling against overwhelming resistance. In this way, Wilson emulates what he believes Carson must have felt as she battled to share what was ultimately life-saving information that giant chemical companies did not want the public to know. The Forest Cathedral imparts the same uncertainty, fear, and confinement, leaving the player anxious to discover how the malicious plot develops.

The environment players will explore in The Forest Cathedral is based on Cook Forest State Park’s own Forest Cathedral, located in western Pennsylvania – near where both Wilson and Carson grew up. The vibrantly rendered surroundings paired with the atmospheric soundtrack – including several original pieces composed by Wilson – create a peaceful yet eerie setting for the story to unfold. From the dramatic height of the towering indigenous trees to the tranquil lake that hugs the shores of the island, intrigue surrounds you as you comb the island and unravel its mysteries. Though locally inspired, the game’s themes of social consciousness and our duty to our environment apply globally.

Ease of Access

Whitethorn Games wants to ensure that as many players as possible get the chance to enjoy our titles, and The Forest Cathedral implements many accessibility features with that goal in mind. A few of the adjustable settings include:

• Full keyboard and mouse or gamepad controller support
• Input rebinding for most actions
• High-contrast sans-serif text/subtitles and Open Dyslexic typeface options
• Visual effects toggles
• Frequent checkpoints
• “Turn Off Spikes” toggle, removing platforming section hazards
• “Float Mode” toggle, reducing platforming section fall speed
• Even more options, all available from the settings menu at any time

With these settings, players can customize their experience to best suit their playstyle and ability at any point in their playthrough.

We hope that you enjoy unearthing the mysteries of Science Island in The Forest Cathedral, available now in the Xbox store!

The Forest Cathedral

Whitethorn Games, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆ 1

★★★★★

The Forest Cathedral is a first-person environmental thriller set on a remote island. Playing as scientist Rachel Carson, players will figure out why the island won’t let her leave. The game tells the reimagined story of the attempted silence of Rachel Carson leading up to her discoveries on the harmful pesticide known as DDT. Slowly uncover the effects of DDT in this dramatic reimagining of the story of Rachel Carson. Use advanced environmental technology to solve 2D/3D connected puzzles.

Today, Citizen Sleeper studio Jump Over The Age announced Purge, the third and final narrative expansion to be added to the game on March 30th. This update brings an end to what creator Gareth Damian Martin calls a ‘half-sequel’ to the original release, but, as we found out in a discussion about Purge, this doesn’t seem to be the end of Citizen Sleeper’s universe as a whole.

For the uninitiated, Citizen Sleeper is a narrative RPG set on Erlin’s Eye, a ruined space station home to a community of interstellar misfits and outcasts desperately trying to build a life. You can read more about the base game over here, but for now, let’s focus on Episode 3, the last in a series of free updates that seek to bring a close to this era of Citizen Sleeper.

The previous two episodes, Flux and Refuge, both explored complex new tales featuring fresh and returning faces – Flux revolves a refugee flotilla that has arrived on Erlin’s Eye, and Refuge follows on from the events of Flux, allowing you to explore the refugee flotilla and encounter new characters. Although Martin is extremely cagey about what exactly will unfold in Purge (the pleasure of Citizen Sleeper is the story, after all) we do know that the expansion will bring this arc to a conclusion.

While Citizen Sleeper is a fully realised game with several branching narratives, it was merely a dip into the ocean of the universe that Damian Martin is aiming to create, and this trio of DLC instalments represents just the first step. We sat down with Damian Martin ahead of the launch of Episode 3 to look back on Citizen Sleeper as a whole, the choice to expand on certain story beats in DLC, and what’s next for this dynamic and captivating sci-fi universe they’ve created.

“I love universes that are big enough to contain different types of media, and it’s really exciting to be in this moment where I have this thing that people actually like,” they tell us. “There’s all these dangling teases and threads that I can pick up later, and a wealth of places that I can take the story. I’d love to see people two or three years down line going ‘oh, wait, these things are connected’.”

The plan to evolve Citizen Sleeper was always in motion, but Damian Martin used the ‘complete’ base game to essentially test drive the concept, and see how players found it:

“I wanted to make the most lightweight form of the game that could sell the idea and make sure people understood what I was trying to do, while being efficient with my time in case it didn’t work out,” Damian Martin tells us. “I was pleasantly surprised to find out how many people got on with it, because I thought it was a very niche game.”

Damian Martin explains that the plan to create this series of expansions stemmed from two things. One was to limit the scope of Citizen Sleeper in order to get people on board with the idea, and the other came from a strong, personal love of stories and worlds – like those in Mass Effect and Destiny 2 – that build even after the original story seems complete.

“After launch, I immediately greenlit the DLC in my head for two reasons — one, I love ongoing stories and serial narratives that allow the world to live with you for a bit. I wanted to see if I could bring this feeling of a story that progresses over time,” Damian Martin says.

“The second is that I wanted to give an indication that Citizen Sleeper is a long-term project. Some indie games, you play them for six or eight hours and they’re great, but that’s it, you never go back there. So these episodes felt like the best to keep momentum going, and see where we can go with it.”

Damian Martin tells us that this design choice is heavily inspired by tabletop games, which often allow players to branch off and explore different paths and uncover plots that pertain to a bigger overarching story.

“If you want anything to happen in a video game, you have to make a system for it. In tabletop games, you can improvise, characters you’ve invented suddenly become main characters, and I wanted to find a way to bring that energy and structure into a video game,” they tell us.

“What I love about tabletop RPG is that players can go to any place they want, and the [game master] has to comply to give them a story. I wanted to put that feeling in the game, so like, having a drink at Tyler’s bar stems into you building a relationship with Tyler, but it all stems from just going there for a drink.”

Citizen Sleeper is driven by the characters you meet and the conversations that take place, but Damian Martin says that making game-altering decisions in dialogue feels unusual to them. This is reflected in their experiences with tabletop RPGs — conversations are not huge focal points for players, but where to go, what to do, and who to do it with matters greatly.

“I think dialogue options are great as expressive choices, but the decisions I make that affect my life are usually about what I do with my time, what I turn up to do, the people that I help or respond to,” they explain. “So I was really interested in a system where decisions were almost made unconsciously by the player. There are lots of things available to you, but you have a limited amount of time. Players automatically prioritize in their head and make choices that feel natural to them, as opposed to contrived choices. I try to encourage players to just go with their gut and see where it puts them.”

Damian Martin describes some of the more visceral, personal experiences that inspired the narrative of Citizen Sleeper, like feeling out of place or exposed, and how they wanted to incorporate that into the characters and stories. You can tell that it’s these kinds of stories that will form a part of their thinking for the future of this nascent series.

“I really wanted to make a game that was about a lot of the things that I’ve been thinking about for the past 10 years, things that were really important to me, and things that I kind of intuited on some level, where important to people of my generation and our experiences,” Damian Martin explains.

“The idea of [rolling dice to choose actions], and randomness, and risk, and then the risk of precarity and existing in society in a minoritized position and trying to struggle to survive, those things kind of slipped together.”

While you can end up in some dicey (excuse the pun) situations in Citizen Sleeper due to low number rolls, the story still continues. Damian Martin stresses the importance of keeping the narrative rolling (sorry, that’s another pun) and avoiding ‘game over.’

“Something I learned as a game master is that you should never offer the player a choice where the bad outcome won’t be interesting or progress the story,” they explain. “I tried to set that rule for myself in Citizen Sleeper too. I wanted to feel like failing was still moving things forward, and in some cases, was more interesting than succeeding.”

Purge is the third and final instalment of post-launch DLC content heading to Citizen Sleeper, and it’ll be free to download for existing players. Flux and Refuge are also available for free, so be sure to get them squared away before heading into Purge and uncovering whatever mysterious ‘ending’ that Citizen Sleeper has in store.

However, if our conversation with Damian Martin unsheathed anything, it’s that their universe has many, many more stories to tell, this trilogy serving as a mini-sequel is just one tale unravelling in this complex, dystopian setting, and you may even be oblivious to some of the celestial breadcrumbs that your mischievous Game Master has left for you.

Purge is set to land on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows March 30th. Citizen Sleeper is available with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.

Citizen Sleeper

Fellow Traveller

☆☆☆☆☆ 186

★★★★★

$19.99 $15.99

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

CITIZEN SLEEPER EXPANDED
With the release of Episode PURGE on March 30th, Citizen Sleeper’s three episode post-launch DLC expansion is now complete and the game has even more to offer with a thrilling late game storyline that delivers an immersive new narrative arc introducing additional characters, lore and locations. Players returning to Erlin’s Eye might even find themselves running into some familiar faces! ROLEPLAYING IN THE RUINS OF INTERPLANETARY CAPITALISM
One of 2022’s most acclaimed indies, the Game Awards-nominated Citizen Sleeper is a Tabletop-inspired narrative RPG set on Erlin’s Eye, a ruined space station that is home to thousands of people trying to survive on the edges of an interstellar capitalist society. You are a sleeper, a digitised human consciousness in an artificial body, owned by a corporation that wants you back. Thrust amongst the unfamiliar and colourful inhabitants of the Eye, you need to build friendships, earn your keep, and navigate the factions of this strange metropolis, if you hope to survive to see the next cycle. ROLL THE DICE. DO THE WORK. GET PAID. SURVIVE.
Inspired by Tabletop Roleplaying games, Citizen Sleeper uses Dice, Clocks and Drives to create a player-led experience, where you choose your path in a rich and responsive world. Each cycle you use the dice you are dealt to choose what to do with your time. Make or break alliances, uncover truths and escape your hunters. Survive and ultimately thrive, one cycle at a time, and sometimes against the clock! TURN UP FOR YOUR FRIENDS
The station plays host to characters from all walks of life, trying to eke out an existence among the stars. Salvagers, engineers, hackers, bartenders, street-food vendors, each has a history which brought them here. You choose which of them you wish to help, and together you will shape your future. ACCESS THEIR SECRETS
Eventually, you will learn to use your dice to hack into the station’s cloud to access decades of digital data, uncover new areas and unlock secrets. This is your unique power, and with it you can change your future. Corporate secrets, rogue AIs and troves of lost data await those willing to dive into the depths of the station’s networks. YOU WERE MADE TO DIE
Essen-Arp: to them you are just property, one more asset in a portfolio that stretches across the stars. You are the product of an abusive system, in a universe where humanity’s expansion is marked by exploitation and extraction. Escape the makers of your decaying body, and chart your own path in a richly imagined, deeply relevant sci-fi world which explores ideas of precarity, personhood and freedom.

You may have already heard about Valheim, the Viking survival game that for the last few years has been sending PC gamers into a land of brutal combat, exotic exploration, and resource-scarce crafting adventures. Since hitting Windows PC with PC Game Pass a few months ago, its community has only been growing. Today, Valheim (Game Preview) comes to console for the first time with Xbox Game Pass, and we had the chance to speak to Iron Gate Studio Co-Founder Henrik Törnqvist about bringing their surprise mega-hit to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and why now may be the perfect time to sharpen that axe and journey to Valheim.

When a game, especially one as dynamic as Valheim, migrates from PC to console, one may normally expect variations and differences. That won’t be the case here as Törnqvist shares with us about its journey to this new platform.

“We strive to make all versions of Valheim as similar as possible to each other, and there should be no noticeable differences in the gameplay,” he explains. “We have added an additional controller layout that should be more suitable for console players.”

While overall gameplay between PC and Xbox remains consistent, the console version will also incorporate fidelity mode settings to allow players to select between quality and performance, or even a more balanced option planned for a future update.

“It’s been rather easy to port to Xbox,” states Törnqvist. “The biggest challenge has been to make sure the network backend works and finding the right balance of visual settings. On Xbox Series X|S there will be different fidelity modes. On release it will be Quality (aiming at high fidelity at 30 FPS) and Performance (aiming at 60 FPS). We also aim to add the Balanced mode in one of the upcoming patches (aiming at 40 FPS, but higher Fidelity than Performance).”

The world of Valheim is massive and fraught with danger featuring golems, trolls, and many other dastardly creatures. If that weren’t enough for you to want to keep your axe sharp, each biome is home to a rather nasty boss — thankfully you can bring along some friends to help bring it down if it’s proving to be too difficult. The choice is yours.

One of Valheim’s key features is the option to play alone or with up to 10 players (you and nine others) on player-hosted dedicated servers. Most of the engagements are Player vs. Environment (PvE) with enemies that scale in difficulty, but there is also a Player vs. Player (PvP) duel mode when the option is enabled and if the players consent to participate.

You may be wondering how Valheim addresses multiplayer across multiple platforms. The good news is the game supports cross-platform multiplayer and Xbox Cloud saves, meaning regardless of whether you play on Windows PC or console, you’ll have access to your saved game files, and you’ll be able to play with friends or random party members on whatever platform they are playing on.

“To join any community server, all you need is a password,” explains Törnqvist. “Joining friend servers is even easier; you can simply select them and join (unless your friend password-protected the server). Valheim fully supports cross-play between platforms, as well as dedicated servers (there’s a 10-person limit on each server), and World and Character saves will be automatically transferred between Xbox and Windows PC.”

Valheim has been available in early access on PC for a couple of years now, and in that time the player base has grown as the game continues to develop and evolve. It has received numerous awards including Best Indie Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Most Surprising Game, and more. It’s highly rated and has an active online community. Contributing to this growth was bringing the game to PC Game Pass a few months ago.

“We feel like we’ve gotten a very positive reception bringing Valheim to PC Game Pass…more ways to play is better for everyone!” Törnqvist says. “Probably the biggest benefit is the increase in player numbers and us gaining a better understanding of the network backend, especially regarding the cross-play feature, which is something we at Iron Gate have never done before. Microsoft deserves a shoutout for helping us out with the technical details and getting us the support we’ve needed throughout the development.”

With Valheim (Game Preview) launching on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S today, the team is now focused on completing development and preparing for the official launch, with Henrik Törnqvist sharing one last little bit of info on what that means for the future of the game.

“The overarching goal is of course to bring Valheim to its final version, which means we’ll be adding more biomes to the game. Next on the feature list is the Ashlands biome, so please look forward to scorching hot lava-lands and nasty fire demons (hopefully) later this year!”

Skol!

Valheim (Game Preview) is now available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC as well as with Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. To learn more about the game, visit the official website and follow @Valheimgame on Twitter.

Valheim (Game Preview)

Coffee Stain Publishing

☆☆☆☆☆ 316

★★★★★

$19.99 $15.99

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

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. Valheim is a brutal exploration and survival game for 1-10 players set in a procedurally-generated world inspired by Norse mythology. Craft powerful weapons, construct longhouses, and slay mighty foes to prove yourself to Odin! EXPLORE THE TENTH WORLD
Explore a world shrouded in mystery. Discover distinct environments with unique enemies to battle, resources to gather and secrets to uncover! Be a viking, sail the open seas in search of lands unknown, and fight bloodthirsty monsters. BUILD MIGHTY HALLS
Raise viking longhouses and build bases that offer reprieve from the dangers ahead. Customise buildings, both inside and out, with a detailed building system. Progress through building tiers to upgrade, expand and defend your base. GATHER, CRAFT AND SURVIVE
Struggle to survive as you gather materials and craft weapons, armor, tools, ships, and defenses. Decorate your hearths and sharpen your blades, grow crops and vegetables, prepare food, brew meads and potions, and progress as you defeat more difficult bosses and discover new recipes and blueprints. KEY FEATURES
-Massive procedurally-generated world where every biome is immersive and distinct, with unique enemies, resources and crafting recipes to discover.
– Play alone or with up to 10 players on player-hosted dedicated servers and experience unlimited world creation and enemies that scale in difficulty.
– Staminabased combat that rewards preparation and skill. Utilize weapon types with unique attacks, different blocking styles, ranged combat, dodges and parries to fight your enemies.
– Rewarding food system where you cannot starve and are not punished for not eating, instead you gain health, stamina and regeneration buffs depending on what foods you consume.
– Intuitive crafting where recipes are discovered as you explore the world, and pick up new resources and ingredients.
– Flexible building system that takes structural integrity and ventilation into account. Build a small shelter or an entire village, make outposts or claim abandoned buildings as your own. Then customize to your liking.
– Sail boats and ships to reach distant lands and explore the sea that offers riches to claim and monsters to fight.
– Epic boss fights that will test even the best prepared vikings and offer rewards that help you on your journey. Full details on the latest status of the game, how you can give feedback and report issues can be found at www.valheim.com.

John Cena is one of the WWE’s most beloved Superstars, and WWE 2K23’s Showcase mode is an endearing love letter to one of sports entertainment’s biggest stars.

In WWE 2K22, Visual Concepts took players back in time to relive and recreate some of Rey Mysterio’s greatest matches as the Master of the 619 himself. This year, WWE 2K23 flips the script by pitting players against Cena in the ring, rather than having them don his iconic jean shorts. With 14 Historical Matches to choose from, players will challenge Cena and many of his career-defining moments on some of the WWE’s biggest stages. Prior to 2K23’s launch, members of the Visual Concepts team answered a few questions about the mode and what it was like taking this trip down memory lane.

Q: John Cena’s accomplished a lot during his WWE career. What makes his legacy an excellent focal point of WWE 2K23’s Showcase mode?

John Cena is the face of an era. He is a historic figure, an easy member of WWE’s Mount Rushmore. From his debut in 2002 until today, he has done nearly everything you can imagine as a member of the WWE roster.

In his career, he’s competed against—and defeated—an absolute gauntlet of certified legends, and has earned the love and respect of his peers in the process.

His accomplishments are well-documented. We liked being able to take an essential part of John—”Never Give Up”—and to show how it’s not just something he says to everybody else, but that it’s something he uses daily himself.

Looking at John’s career in this manner also allows us to look back at 20 years of WWE history, including some of the biggest stars of the time. Showcase is where WWE’s Legends clash once more, and John Cena is the ultimate modern-day legend.

Q: What led to the decision to pit players against Cena in the ring, rather than playing as him?

For me, there were two things that led to the approach. First off, we definitely heard some of the feedback that playing as the same WWE Superstar for 10-15 matches, no matter who it was, started to feel a little repetitive. So we had been thinking of ideas that would allow for a more diverse roster for players to control for a while.

Then, with this being the second Showcase that’s had John as a focus, I wanted to cover his career in a different manner than past Showcases, too. Brainstorming ideas, we really liked playing into his “Never Give Up” mentality, and decided that by showing his losses, we could really emphasize that whole concept, certainly with more gravity compared to showing him winning these matches.

So, it became a question of “Do players play as Cena and just lose every match?” Even if it’s through a cutscene loss, that just seemed like too much. “Well, what if we just make it so they control Cena’s opponents? You have to beat John Cena every time, he’s like a recurring boss battle!” Then that led to “You Can’t Beat Me” and that’s when it all came together for us.

Q: With so many matches to choose from, how did the team decide which matches to include?

Once we’d decided on the “You Can’t Beat Me” idea, where the player would control Cena’s various opponents, we had a smaller pool of matches from which to choose. So, we looked through the various WWE Superstars that have defeated John Cena, and tried to choose who between them warranted a spot –the idea being that these are the very best among the group of people to own a win over John.

Some people have multiple wins over Cena, while some may only have one. You’ll see Edge and Randy Orton, two of Cena’s biggest rivals throughout his career, as well as Rob Van Dam, whose victory at ECW One Night Stand in 2006 remains one of the most memorable matches in the career of either man.

In the end, we hope each match either holds historical significance, represents a legendary rivalry, or brings you back to a forgotten classic.

Q: Will players experience the same era-specific filters and visuals that were in 2K22?

Yes, we always do our best to match the in-game presentation to the classic footage. This can be through the use of filters, as well as different uses of our lighting system to get the “old school” matches feeling right!

Q: Do players earn anything special for defeating Cena?

Players can expect to earn unlockable rewards throughout the Showcase mode! Similar to WWE 2K22, there are two types of rewards:

Match Rewards: These are earned by simply earning a win in the match, whether you complete 0 match objectives, or all of them! These are typically reserved for Arenas, Championship Belts, and unlocking the next match!

Objective Rewards: These are earned by completing 100% of the objectives in the match. These are typically reserved for Superstar models/attires.

Q: Is there a variation in match strategy?

Showcase tends to change the match strategy simply with the in-match objectives. One might tend to be a player who uses a lot of combos or running attacks. Showcase instead asks you to try things you may not do all the time – specific grapples, submissions, causing amounts of damage. It is possible to play your style of match and win without completing any objectives, but then you lose out on the bigger rewards. To truly “beat” Showcase, players have to be capable of completing the objectives while also fending off an opponent looking to win at all times.

On top of that, players will now be using a new Superstar in nearly every match, meaning the ability to memorize certain moves aren’t there. One minute you’re Kurt Angle, and the next you’re Batista, and then you’re Triple H. We try to cater the objectives to best mesh with the Superstar’s approach (as well as matching up to historical beats), so someone like RVD will probably see you attempting dives and extreme offense, while a Randy Orton is going to be more methodical with his grapples.

Throughout his career, Cena has frequently reminded and inspired fans to never give up, and that’ll be more important than ever if you hope to defeat him in WWE 2K23. You can finally relive some of Cena’s biggest battles and challenge the 16-time world champion on March 17. Pre-order your copy of the Deluxe or Icon Edition today to earn three-day early access and exclusive rewards!

WWE 2K23 Icon Edition

2K

☆☆☆☆☆ 37

★★★★★

The WWE 2K23 Icon Edition, with cover art created by WWE artist-in-residence Rob Schamberger, gives you all of the bonus content from the Deluxe Edition PLUS throwback versions of some of WWE’s biggest Superstars from the Ruthless Aggression era! The Icon Edition* includes: • Pre-Order Bonus Pack
• Ruthless Aggression Pack: Includes throwback versions of John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, and Brock Lesnar, along with the WrestleMania 22 arena and the John Cena Legacy Championship
• Season Pass: Includes all 5 post-launch DLC character packs, the MyRISE Mega-Boost pack, with 200 additional Attribute Points, and the Supercharger pack which unlocks all base-game WWE Legends and throwback arenas. Release timing of the DLC contents will be revealed at a future date. • Deluxe Edition Bonus Pack: Includes a John Cena EVO card, Emerald-tier Bianca Belair, and Gold-tier Asuka and Edge cards, plus 3 Basic Day 1 MyFACTION card packs
• Icon Edition Bonus Pack: Includes a Paul Heyman Emerald tier Manager MyFACTION Card and 3 Deluxe Premium Launch MyFACTION Packs.
• 3-Day Early Access *Icon Edition not available in Belgium.

WWE 2K23 Deluxe Edition

2K

☆☆☆☆☆ 17

★★★★★

The value of WWE 2K23 is Even Stronger with the Deluxe Edition*! The Deluxe Edition includes: • Pre-Order Bonus Pack
• Season Pass: Includes all 5 post-launch DLC character packs, the MyRISE Mega-Boost pack, with 200 additional Attribute Points, and the Supercharger pack which unlocks all base-game WWE Legends and throwback arenas. Release timing of the DLC contents will be revealed at a future date. • Deluxe Edition Bonus Pack: Includes a John Cena EVO card, Emerald-tier Bianca Belair, and Gold-tier Asuka and Edge cards, plus 3 Basic Day 1 MyFACTION card packs
• 3-Day Early Access *Deluxe Edition not available in Belgium.

WWE 2K23 for Xbox Series X|S

2K

☆☆☆☆☆ 214

★★★★★

Expanded features, gorgeous graphics, and the ultimate WWE experience. Hit the ring with a deep roster of WWE Superstars and Legends including Roman Reigns, „American Nightmare“ Cody Rhodes, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, „Stone Cold“ Steve Austin and more! 2K SHOWCASE: INTERACTIVE SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Play through the key moments and toughest opponents of John Cena’s storied 20-year WWE career. And in a franchise-first, take on the role of each marquee opponent – some of WWE’s greatest of all time – as you aim to take down Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect. IT’S WARGAMES
The fan-favorite action-packed WarGames makes its debut in WWE 2K23 and delivers heart-pounding 3v3 and 4v4 multiplayer mayhem inside two side-by-side rings, surrounded by a double-steel cage! YOUR SHOW, YOUR CHOICES
With MyGM, take the reins of a weekly show and compete against rival general managers for brand supremacy. Now featuring more GMs to choose from, additional show options, multiple seasons, expanded match cards, and more match types for up to 4 players. YOU HOLD ALL THE CARDS
Collect and upgrade cards of WWE Superstars and Legends to build the ultimate faction and compete for global dominance in MyFACTION, now featuring online multiplayer! DEFINE YOUR FUTURE IN MyRISE
Walk through the curtains for your WWE debut and shape your career as a WWE Superstar with the decisions you make along the way through distinct storylines – The Lock and The Legacy. THE UNIVERSE IS ALL YOURS
WWE Universe Mode is the ultimate sandbox that puts you in charge of WWE, from Superstar rosters, feuds, champions, weekly shows, and more!

On behalf of Square Enix, we’re excited to announce a Square Enix Publisher Sale across our Xbox catalogue starting on March 14. We have Keyblades, Buster Swords, and even power washing tools for everyone. It’s time to Spring forward with Square Enix.

(Note: Discounts and availability are subject to change and may vary by region.)

Kingdom Hearts III (50% Discount): Xbox players have their best chance yet to play through the Dark Seeker Saga of Kingdom Hearts. Journey through your favorite Disney and Pixar worlds alongside Sora and his friends. Be sure to check out Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind to discover the power of friendship for yourself.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion – (20% Discount): With remastered HD graphics, an improved battle system, and a newly arranged soundtrack, Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion is the best way to experience Final Fantasy VII’s smash hit prequel. The tale of Zack’s dreams and honor – the legacy that connects him to Cloud – is revealed in full in this grand saga that has broken the limits of an HD remaster.

PowerWash Simulator – (20% Discount): Release the Pressure with PowerWash Simulator! The neighborhood is your canvas. Build your business in Career Mode or power wash and chill with friends in Online Co-Op! Stress gets to us all, so sit back, relax, and wash your worries down the drain.

NieR:Automata Become As Gods Edition – (50% Discount): It has been six years since NieR:Automata introduced the world to the YoRHa squad. This masterfully crafted adventure tells the story of androids 2B and 9S and their ferocious battle to reclaim a machine-driven dystopia. Highly-acclaimed and award winning, NieR:Automata is a fresh take on the action role-playing game genre that gracefully blends mesmerizing action with a captivating narrative.

Outriders Worldslayer – (50% Discount): Combining aggressive gunplay with violent powers and an arsenal of increasingly twisted customizable weaponry and gear-sets, Outriders Worldslayer offers countless hours of visceral gameplay from one of the finest shooter developers in the industry – People Can Fly.

These are just a few of our titles that will be on sale until March 20.  If you want to learn more about these games or others on sale, please tune into our livestream with the Xbox Plays team tomorrow, March 15, at 11:00am PST. We’re excited to play some games and talk about all things Square Enix on Xbox. You can watch the stream through either the Square Enix or Xbox Twitch accounts. No additional announcements will be made at that time.

We hope you Spring Forward and find a new favorite game within the Square Enix Publisher sale.

Please Note: Discounts and availability are subject to change and may vary by region. Content Type varies by title and some titles may have multiple types not listed. Check the title’s individual product page for specific details about the game.

Late February saw the highly anticipated release of Destiny 2: Lightfall, the new expansion that signals “the beginning of the end” to the Destiny’s Light and Darkness saga. The campaign takes Guardians to the hidden city of Neomuna, nestled inside Neptune and undisturbed until the forces of the Shadow Legion arrive. It’s up to you and Neomuna’s protectors, the Cloud Striders, to defend the city.

Our Guardians also discover a brand-new power: Strand. They learn to wield this suspicious, stringy substance throughout the Lightfall campaign, and it manifests itself into a whole new subclass for Destiny 2 players, the first to be introduced since Stasis in 2020.

We wanted to learn more about this new subclass, how Bungie arrived at its design and how all of its elements weave together, and to dig deeper in, we spoke to Gameplay Feature Lead Eric Smith to uncover how the new Darkness power came to be.

Like every subclass in Destiny 2, Strand gives each of the three player classes—Titan, Hunter and Warlock—different abilities and one powerful Super ability tailored to each class. Beefy Titans gain the Berserker ability, summoning two giant hand-blades to cut down enemies, the sleek Warlock sends wisps of Strand coursing through baddies that explode into fierce Threadling enemies, and slick Hunters can use the Silkstrike skill to summon a long rope dart and thwip through their foes.

A Helping Strand

Strand focuses on traversal in a way that has never been explored in Destiny 2. Every character gains a grapple, which allows you to latch onto a surface or area and swing through the air, perfect for getting around quickly or solving tricky jumping puzzles. Smith tells us that the grapple sits at the center of the Strand class, and that it was made possible by the team’s exploration of the skill.

“The theme of the Strand damage type is all ropes and strings, so it just felt like a natural fit to put a grappling hook in there,” Smith says. “We did a lot of exploration of how the grapple should work, did we want it to be a burst of acceleration, or zipping from point to point, and we ended up in this place where, as players learn Strand, it’ll read your mind a little bit.”

“You can zip to a certain point if you’re looking straight at it, but you can also swing under it, you can throttle left or right or swing around it. We ended up with a really dynamic grapple we’re all very proud of.”

The grapple ability replaces the grenade slot for players using Strand, so it also needed some sort of damage capability to make up for the loss of that slot. The result is, what if you are the grenade?

“As it takes that slot, we wanted to give it an offensive utility,” Smith explains. “One thing you can do is grapple punch, which does pretty big area-of-effect damage. You can use the grapple to get out of bad situations, but you can also use it like you would a grenade to clear multiple enemies. I think there’s a learning curve to Strand that I’m excited to see players master.”

Strand And Deliver

During combat, Strand users can create Tangles by defeating an enemy that has been debuffed by another Strand ability. For example, Hunters have the Ensnaring Slam ability, which allows them to suspend groups of enemies in the air by slamming the ground. Titans can also suspend enemies with the Drengr’s Lash skill.

This Tangle can then be shot to cause an explosion, picked up and thrown at another enemy, or into the air to be used as a grappling point. Smith tells us that the passive Tangle skill felt immediately at home in Strand’s roster.

“Once we got that system in there and we had different perks triggering the Tangles, it felt like we were doing something different than the other subclasses,” he says. “It happens passively, and once you create a Tangle, there’s a branching decision-making point where you can choose what to do with it.”

The Tangles are just one aspect of Strand that works to make it a more collaborative subclass for Guardians playing together. For example, because a Guardian’s grapple ability has no cooldown if it’s used on a grapple point, the Hunter can use their Widow’s Silk ability to create a grapple point that another teammate can use without expending their own grapple ability. Smith explains that as Strand develops, the team wants to create more opportunities for fireteam members to combine their unique skills.

“We wanted players to blaze a trail for their teammates, to help them with jumping puzzles, and that’s something we’re planning to double down on in the coming Seasons,” he says.

Release The Threadlings

The Strand subclasses introduce Threadlings—small creatures formed from Strand that will scurry off and attack whatever is in range. Smith tells us that this was one of the more difficult abilities to nail down, due to Destiny 2’s turbulent terrains and dynamic environments.

“The Threadlings are what we call ‘ground follows,’ because they’re restricted to crawling on the ground, and we have a lot of surfaces in Destiny 2 where it can be difficult for a player to use them effectively,” he explains. “They have a pretty long tracking range so they can follow an enemy and then stop and jump which gives them some verticality, but we’ll be tuning how they work as time goes on.”

The team also had to balance how much damage Threadlings can do and how often they’re active, not just in PvE modes like the campaign, but in online PvP, where the smallest amount of damage can dramatically change the game.

“Too many Threadlings in PvP would feel frustrating to play against, so it was a balancing act of letting players have maximum fun while not destabilizing PvP modes.”

This balancing act was also important during the design of the three main class Super abilities, and Smith details the level of work and the spread of disciplines that must be involved in the creation of one.

“Anytime we make a new Super, we come up with a list of possible designs, and we trim that down to what’s realistic,” he explains. “But there are a lot of decisions, it’s animation, it’s VFX, design, engineering, audio—so many things have to come together, and then you have to balance the Super itself across so many game modes.”

You can check out some of the unused Super ideas in the images below, but Smith did tell us that the Warlock Super ability almost ended up with tentacles that sprout up and lash out at enemies. The actual Warlock Super, Needlestorm, which lets players unleash a barrage of spikes onto enemies, is still equally as cool.

With Strand explored in detail, we were left with just one question: Why did the team choose green for the subclass color? Smith tells us that on the hunt for the perfect hex code, the team wanted to ensure every class is both immediately identifiable and aesthetically pleasing.

“We had a handful of options, but green felt the most distinct,” he tells us. “It just worked really well with the Strand theme. We kind of saw it as green ball of yarn, and wanted you to think of that every time you walk past yarn in a store.”

Lightfall players unlock Strand permanently at the end of the Lightfall campaign, and from there, can unlock Aspects and Fragments that allow them to really personalize the subclass to their playstyle, be it keeping distance or smashing straight into the action.

Last Friday also saw the release of Root of Nightmares, the brand-new raid packaged with Lightfall, so be sure to get swinging through Neomuna to unlock those Strand abilities and get equipped to confront the ancient threat growing at our doorstep.

Destiny 2: Lightfall is available now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.

Destiny 2: Lightfall

Bungie

☆☆☆☆☆42

★★★★★

Pre-order to instantly unlock a new Exotic Ghost and Legendary emblem. Includes Lightfall, the new raid, and a Season Pass for Season 20. Campaign In a Neptunian city under siege, find strength in your fellow Guardians as the end to all things approaches—the Witness is here. Arm yourself with new rewards and unlock new Dark powers to triumph in Lightfall’s unforgettable Legendary mode. Strand Harness Darkness and pluck at the threads of reality with this new subclass. Flow through the city with newfound speed as you grapple from building to building. Every class can tap into this new element, but it’s up to you to create the perfect build. New Destination Travel to Neptune and discover a neon metropolis unlike any you’ve explored in Destiny 2. Meet the Cloud Striders, join the fight against the Shadow Legion, and prevent devastation in the technologically advanced secret city of Neomuna. 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. © 2023 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.

Many of us have used a search engine at some point in our lives to find ways to get an edge in our favorite games. From trying to smite the first boss in Elden Ring, to finding all the Agility Orbs in classic games like Crackdown, or what the best Perks are for Modern Warfare II. But we’ve never had something quite as special as the new AI-powered Bing as our gaming co-pilot and its wealth of tips, trivia, and technical know-how. With the new Bing you get better search, more complete answers to your gaming questions, a new chat experience to explore deeper, and the ability to create content.

The new AI-powered Bing is designed to help you find the information you’re looking for by deciphering intricate questions, with clear answers, coupled with surprisingly in-depth responses. It also knows a hell of a lot about video games. So much so we wanted to really test its gaming knowledge with some hard-hitting questions to see what type of response we’d get. The results, as you can try out for yourself by signing up for the waitlist, were pretty dang impressive.

To help get you started interacting with this new and innovative tool, we’ve collected some effective ways for you to test out the new Bing to help you not only challenge its gaming credentials, but also find potential new ways for you to enjoy some of your favorite games. Remember to share your feedback so we can continue to improve the experience.

Useful Information to Get Started

• Don’t worry about trying to be hyper-specific with your question. The new Bing won’t hesitate to offer some follow-up questions to help home in on the answer you’re looking for.
• Related to that, don’t leave Bing hanging! It may have an ancillary topic related to the game you’re asking about.
• Bing will always show you where it’s getting its information from, so if you like some of the answers you’re getting and want more details, don’t forget to check out the sources that Bing is pulling from. Your next favorite website may be just a click away!
• See how creative you can get while talking about gaming with Bing — you may be surprised at some of the results!
• Sign up here on Bing to join the waitlist for access to the new Bing.

“Tell me about…”

There are so many unique games to experience on console and PC today. While there’s a lot of information available about which games are the best, sometimes our tastes and what we’re in the mood for might be a bit more specific. Bing can help you distill this down as well, either from the look of a game, who is featured in it, or how long it takes to finish. Here’s a few of the examples to try yourself:

• “Tell me about the best cyberpunk-style role-playing games on Xbox.”
• “Tell me about the best action games that are 10 hours or less to play.”
• “Tell me about the best games with a female protagonist on Xbox.”

“What’s the best ______ for me?”

Strategies come in all shapes and sizes for games, and it’s not hard to find opinions on what the best gear loadouts, characters, and skill tree selections are. But are they the best choices for you? You can start with a basic question, but it’s the follow up interaction which will allow Bing to guide you towards the best choices on how to spec out, or even which games to check out.

Here’s what we asked:

• “What loadout should I use in Warzone 2.0 multiplayer?”
• “What is the best Overwatch 2 character for me?”
• “What are the best perks to use in Cyberpunk 2077?”
• “What Xbox Game Pass games might I enjoy?”

“Where can I find…?”

Bing can help you find a lot of things in your favorite games, like where every secret weapon location is in Fortnite, where the Tall Tales journals are in Sea of Thieves, and it can even help you find your car keys (sort of). But what if what you’re looking for isn’t immediately coming to mind. You know the type, like that one quest where there’s that guy who did that one thing with the fire sword that one time? To start drilling this down to help us find the right answer, we asked:

• “Where can I find the blue alien lady in Mass Effect 3?”
• “Where can I find a list of Fallout 3 quests that begin with the letter J?
• “Where can I find that one quest where there’s that guy who did that one thing with the fire sword that one time?” (your follow up responses will be crucial on something like this!)

“Give me a recap…”

On top of their incredible worlds, games can have complex and evolving storylines that may seem a little hard to follow while playing them. Not to mention that we must put that controller down at some point and return to the action another day. Sometimes that day turns into months, maybe even years. So, wouldn’t it be nice to get a recap of how far along you are in a game without having to start over? The new Bing is here to help. Here’s a few examples we pulled from:

• “Give me a recap of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch up to chapter 4.”
• “Give me a recap of Witcher 3 after 20 hours.”
• “Give me a recap of every campaign storyline in the Halo series.”

“How do I…?”

While Bing can certainly help us with learning how to defeat the baddest of bad guys in gaming (e.g. ‘How do I defeat Malenia in Elden Ring?’), we wanted to take this in a slightly different direction: What if it could help us learn how to create something tangible from our favorite games? Afterall, leaning how to do something new can be one of the most fun things to do in life, and if it comes from the world of our favorite games, even better! So, we took this to task with a few examples that you can try as well:

• “How do I make a cake like the one that appears in Portal?”
• “How do I make a toy sword based on a design found in Skyrim?”
• “How do I prepare a meal based on the ramen recipes found in Yakuza: Like a Dragon?”

We hope these broad examples help you kickstart your own questions and interactions with this amazing new tool for everyday use (especially gaming). Don’t be afraid to get weird: What games would Marcus Fenix enjoy? Bing has an answer. You can even ask for your own, personalized music festival-style 3-day lineup… but with games coming out this year in place of musical artists.

Just remember to click through to the source of the information so you can discover new and interesting websites that you may have never visited before. If you don’t already have access to the new Bing, join the waitlist here. Happy searching!

Earlier this year, we marked Resident Evil 4 as one of the most anticipated games to launch in 2023 – and for good reason! This remake is taking on the monumental challenge of not only following up on two stellar recent remakes, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3, but aiming to recapture everything the original survival horror classic delivered when it first launched in 2005.

Recently, we got a look at some pre-release gameplay footage of Resident Evil 4 in action, and we couldn’t help but notice that combat seemed to be a bit faster than we remember. Ducks, dodges, and quick melee counterattacks (and of course, roundhouse kicks), appeared to hit at a quicker pace. Of course, it has been a minute since we last played the original. To get a better sense of what combat is like in the upcoming game, we were delighted at the opportunity to talk with Resident Evil 4 Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi to learn more.

“First off, speeding up combat was not one of our aims — our overall goal was to remake the game while respecting the original’s tempo and contents,” explains Yoshiaki. “I think you’ll find that RE4‘s balance between horror and action — and elements which give you a short break from that — are all similar to the original.”

“Our overall goal was to remake the game while respecting the original’s tempo and contents.”

Yoshiaki mentioned that all these combat elements have been reconstructed, including the control scheme, to help make the remake feel more modern, akin to games created today. “Rather than faster, the combat is more flexible,” he says.

That flexibility in the remake’s movement is down to changes made to the controls. To preserve the game’s tempo, the development team adjusted the enemy behavior and environment level design to match. Being able to parry, for example, was a feature that was born from these adjustments through trial and error.

“We asked ourselves how we could recreate the Krauser knife fight to take place within actual gameplay,” he says. “From there, we realized the parry was a good fit for the game’s systems in general and implemented it throughout [the game] … You may find yourself in a situation where combat is heavily focused on using a knife, so if you have some mastery over the parry, it will be very useful, and the timing to pull off a parry successfully will vary depending on the difficulty level the game is set to.”

Not only can the knife in Resident Evil 4 be used to attack and parry, but it can also be used as follow-up attack to strike at downed enemies — and to perform a stealth kill if you can approach an enemy from behind without them noticing.

“Stealth, while not mandatory for the game, is an important element that expands the variety of strategies available to you. However, it is also just one of the possible options,” continues Yoshiaki. “I hope as you play the game you simply remember that it’s available to you, and that you use it when you feel it’s a good idea.”

“Stealth, while not mandatory for the game, is an important element that expands the variety of strategies available to you.“

Beyond the knife, there will also be some new weapons for Leon to wield this time around, including a Bolt Thrower (which launches bolts, obviously) that will have some similarities to the mine thrower from the original game. ”You can use the Bolt Thrower to attack without making noise, and if you retrieve the bolts you fire, you can use them again. Also, it’s possible to attach explosives to the bolts,” explains Yoshiaki.

The team also examined how enemies react and respond to Leon. For example, making it possible for Leon to move even when readying a weapon will now lead to more flexibility in how players can engage enemies. Speaking of, enemies too have been adjusted to respond to some of the new ways players can control Leon, utilizing their strength in numbers in more ways than in the original game.

One example we saw that illustrated this in action was at the point of the game when Leon is escorting Ashley. Cornered inside an ancient chapel, numerous zealots wielding medieval-looking scythes and flails came rushing in to quickly crowd and surround him. As he ducked and dodged (and ran) away from enemies, he was quickly reloading and firing his pistol – until it ran out of ammo. If it wasn’t for some swift roundhouse kicks and knife parries, Leon would have been done for.

We also got a look at some of the ways one can hamstring and slow down these foes. In one case, a zealot had captured Ashley and began to run away with her. With a quick shot to the back of its leg, it fell to its knees, dropped Ashley, and left it open for a suplex wrestling move (because why not?).

“Weak points on enemies played a large role in the original, and we have preserved that for the remake,” says Yoshiaki. “Defeating enemies from afar using long-range weapons such as firearms, and defeating enemies with close- range attacks after aiming for specific points, are both (still) possible.”

The development team did not radically adjust any of the animations in how enemies were dispatched, so all your favorite lumbering foes will crumble to the ground just as you remember. Instead, the focus has been on maintaining the variety and methods of attacks that could be used to take them down. As for a personal favorite? Yoshiaki was eager to share.

“Weak points on enemies played a large role in the original, and we have preserved that for the remake.“

“Personally, I like to use mainly the handgun to aim for enemy body parts regardless of how close the enemy is, and once they have been stunned follow up with a melee attack to dispatch them — I hope you find a playstyle that fits your preferences, and I hope you enjoy the modern controls, expanded strategies, and combat with even more formidable enemies!”

Best of all we can start trying new strategies out today before the release of Resident Evil 4 later this month, thanks to the new demo that’s now available for Xbox Series X|S players. You can pick that up here.

Look for Resident Evil 4 to come shambling to Xbox Series X|S on March 23, 2023. It’s available for pre-order today on the Xbox Store in either Standard or Deluxe Edition.

Resident Evil 4 Deluxe Edition

©CAPCOM CO., LTD.

☆☆☆☆☆167

★★★★★

Bonus content:
– Attaché Case: ‚Gold‘
– Attaché Case: ‚Classic‘
– Charm: ‚Handgun Ammo‘
– Charm: ‚Green Herb‘ The Deluxe Edition contains the main game and the Extra DLC Pack which includes the following items:
– Leon & Ashley Costumes: ‚Casual‘
– Leon & Ashley Costumes: ‚Romantic‘
– Leon Costume & Filter: ‚Hero‘
– Leon Costume & Filter: ‚Villain‘
– Leon Accessory: ‚Sunglasses (Sporty)‘
– Deluxe Weapon: ‚Sentinel Nine‘
– Deluxe Weapon: ‚Skull Shaker‘
– ‚Original Ver.‘ Soundtrack Swap
– Treasure Map: Expansion Survival is just the beginning. Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City.
Agent Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors of the incident, has been sent to rescue the president’s kidnapped daughter.
He tracks her to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals.
And the curtain rises on this story of daring rescue and grueling horror where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect. Featuring modernized gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics,
Resident Evil 4 marks the rebirth of an industry juggernaut. Relive the nightmare that revolutionized survival horror.

Resident Evil 4

CAPCOM CO., LTD.

☆☆☆☆☆299

★★★★★

Bonus content:
– Attaché Case: ‚Gold‘
– Charm: ‚Handgun Ammo‘ Note: This product is also available as part of a bundle. Please take care to avoid duplicate purchases. Survival is just the beginning. Six years have passed since the biological disaster in Raccoon City.
Agent Leon S. Kennedy, one of the survivors of the incident, has been sent to rescue the president’s kidnapped daughter.
He tracks her to a secluded European village, where there is something terribly wrong with the locals.
And the curtain rises on this story of daring rescue and grueling horror where life and death, terror and catharsis intersect. Featuring modernized gameplay, a reimagined storyline, and vividly detailed graphics,
Resident Evil 4 marks the rebirth of an industry juggernaut. Relive the nightmare that revolutionized survival horror.

Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Demo

CAPCOM CO., LTD.

☆☆☆☆☆251

★★★★★

Survival is just the beginning. Experience a taste of Resident Evil 4, a reimagining of the original game released in 2005. This demo consists of a specially tuned version of the game’s opening sequence and can be played repeatedly without time restrictions. With modernized gameplay, a reworked story, and vividly detailed graphics, you can relive the nightmare of survival horror.

Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! In this weekly feature we cover all the games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass! Get more details on these upcoming games below and click their profiles for further info (release dates subject to change). Let’s jump in!

Great New Games Spotlight has officially kicked off and we’re excited to bring you a ton of games every week for the next six weeks — more than 100+ new games will launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One between February 28 and April 10 – and if you spend $50 on eligible games and movies, you can receive 2,500 Microsoft Rewards points! Get more details here.

The Forest Cathedral – March 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

A first-person environmental thriller set on a remote island. Playing as scientist Rachel Carson, you must figure out why the island won’t let her leave. The game tells the reimagined story of the attempted silence of Rachel Carson leading up to her discoveries on the harmful pesticide known as DDT.

Valheim (Game Preview) – March 14
Xbox Game Pass

Now available on Xbox Series X|S! A brutal exploration and survival game for 1-10 players set in a procedurally generated world inspired by Norse mythology. Craft powerful weapons, construct longhouses, and slay mighty foes to prove yourself to Odin!

Vernal Edge – March 14

With the help of some abnormal martial prowess and an amnesiac automaton named Chervil, Vernal will need to make her way across a mysterious land if she wants to satisfy her need for revenge — and the truth – in this beautiful pixel art metroidvania.

The Wreck – March 14
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

At 36, Junon’s life is in pieces: her career has stalled, she’s emotionally numb, and her personal life is falling apart. Things come to a head when she’s called to the ER to find her estranged mother in a critical condition. This is the most important day of Junon’s life, and unless something changes, it might be her last. Relive the past, alter the present, and embrace the future in this 3D visual novel.

Anno 1800 Console Edition – March 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Welcome to the dawn of the Industrial Age in this city-building real-time strategy game. Experience one of the most exciting and fast-changing periods of all time as you discover new technologies, regions, and societies, implement your own strategy, and build a new world to your design. Play solo or use the online mode to play PvP or co-op modes: How the world remembers your name is up to you.

BigChick – March 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

The islands are sinking… Chickenfolk can’t swim and fox bandits won’t miss an opportunity to gobble up a bird or two even on the verge of apocalypse… What a disaster! Fortunately, Big Chick is here to save the day! Use poultry magic to summon new patches of land from the ocean depths and micromanagement skills to lead your people to the safety of the sacred Big Barn.

Kung Fury: Street Rage – Ultimate Edition – March 15

Get blown into another dimension as you experience the gut-busting fun with Kung Fury: Street Rage – Ultimate Edition. Beat up Nazis and stop the evil Kung Fuhrer and uphold the law the only way you know how: with your fists!

Tricky Thief – March 15
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Take the role of a slippery burglar as you hug the walls of each room and collect coins while outwitting the patrolling guards across dozens of top-down single-screen stages, presented in charmingly minimalistic 3D style as you navigate the brainteasing chambers of Tricky Thief!

Backbeat – March 16
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

Stephanie “Watts” Watson, an aspiring bassist, bounced from audition to audition, never finding music that really resonated with her, that is, until she discovered the magic of funk. Caught up in the groove, she recruits a group of hometown amateurs to take on art school darlings La Tormenta at the Battle of the Bands.

Defend the Rook – March 16

A roguelike tactics board combat combined with tower defense elements. Defeat the invading hordes to stay alive and save the land by deploying your heroes to outsmart the enemy. Enjoy more tactics than your average TD game, like being able to turn the tables on invaders with the aid of devastating spells. Can you overcome the odds and outsmart the enemy?

Peppa Pig: World Adventures – March 16
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery

New York City is calling and so are Paris, Australia, London, and a world tour of other fun places! You and your friend Peppa can make pizza in Italy, walk down Hollywood Boulevard, sail on a cruise ship together, and more. There are new characters to meet, exciting quests to try, and countless accessories to dress up with!

WWE 2K23 – March 16
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S

Expanded features, gorgeous graphics, and the ultimate WWE experience. Hit the ring with a deep roster of WWE Superstars and Legends including Roman Reigns, “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and more!

Editor’s Note (March 11): Updated the entry for Backbeat which incorrectly stated the title was coming to Xbox Game Pass.

Building on the rip-roaring success of 2021’s Xbox Game Studios derby which saw Rare face off against Playground Games, 2023 is super-sizing the soccer-based shenanigans in the name of SpecialEffect! This year, 24 teams from across UK game development studios will descend upon St. George’s Park in the heart of England on Wednesday, April 26, and play around-the-clock football to raise money for charity. 

This ambitious event has grown in size significantly since the heady days of 2020, when the first footballing face-off was a FIFA match between Rare and Playground. That graduated into a real-life football match in 2021, and has now evolved into a multi-studio, many-hour effort, with all proceeds going to gaming charity SpecialEffect. 

We know what you’re thinking: how does this work? How tired will their legs get? Who will score the worldies this year? Will it be available for your viewing entertainment? Well, don’t worry: we’ve got all the crucial information for you right here. 

From 6pm UTC on Wednesday, April 26, two of the 24 teams will kick the game off. All 24 teams taking part – including squads from Rare, Playground, EA and Sumo, to name a few – will be assigned a team colour: red or blue. Each team’s stint on the pitch will last the full 90 minutes, with all teams representing either the red or blue side. Every goal scored by each team will contribute to an epic battle between red and blue, with the final whistle – and scoreline – being settled at 6pm UTC on Thursday, April 27. 

You don’t have to take our word that it’s happening, though – you’ll be able to tune into the match in all its glory live on Xbox’s Twitch channel. It’s set to be a feel-good, goal-packed, football-focused bonanza of an event, with a multitude of special guests – and no doubt a few surprises too. Gav Murphy will be reprising his role as lead commentator and will be joined by a few other familiar faces for commentary duties, so watch this space for more information on the pitch-side line-up. 

We’re genuinely thrilled to have had such incredible support from a multitude of studios across the UK, and we can’t wait for the teams to come together both on and off the pitch to raise money for such a brilliant cause. 

Rare Chief of Staff, Harriet Manson, said of the plans: “We’re really excited to be uniting keen footballers across the gaming industry for what promises to be an unforgettable 24 hours. Being able to bring teams together at St. George’s Park, the home of English football, will be a special moment for the industry to come together in aid of such a brilliant charity, SpecialEffect, who do such important work to bring the joy of gaming to people living with physical disabilities. This year, we’re particularly thrilled to be hosting the first ever women’s match under the One Big Game umbrella, welcoming to the pitch players from our Women of Xbox community and across the games industry. 

“Putting on an event of this stature wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment and enthusiasm of players, teams, commentators, and studios alike – we’re really grateful to all those who have had a hand in making our 24-hour, industry-wide One Big Game a reality.” 

SpecialEffect is a charity that focuses on helping people with physical disabilities to play video games. For many people, games are a vital form of recreation and games like Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5  have a particular role to play in connecting gamers with additional needs. SpecialEffect uses innovative technology to make gaming accessible to all. Solutions are tailored to each individual, taking into account their physical limitations and creating custom input devices, from modified controllers to eye control gadgets, to let them play with their friends and family. 

As Team Xbox, we couldn’t be prouder to support SpecialEffect’s mission to level the playing field for all gamers with disabilities. Make sure you tune in on Wednesday, April 26 for fun, fundraising, and a healthy dose of competition between the 24 participating studios. Rivalries will be born, heroes will be made, and friendships will be forged on the immaculate plastic turf of the Sir Alf Ramsey pitch at St. George’s Park. We can’t wait! 

For more information about One Big Game, or if you’re a studio who’d love to participate, please contact the crew at [email protected]. And of course, if you’d like to donate to the cause, head on over to the official JustGiving page to show your support and cheer on your chosen team! 

Today, the Capcom Spotlight livestream shone a light on some titles and updates heading our way in 2023, as well as trailers for previously announced games. Here’s a wrap-up of the Xbox new that was revealed earlier today.

Suit Up with Exoprimal on July 14

Firstly, we learned that upcoming action title Exoprimal has a release date. Players will soon be able to suit up and take down ferocious dinosaurs when the game launches on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Cloud, and day one with Xbox Game Pass on July 14.

A trailer shown gave us a new look at the ten exosuits featured in the game, as well as a glimpse at Exoprimal’s Season 1: Premium Tier. Players can access either the free or premium battle pass tier, which will unlock new character cosmetics, weapon skins, and more.

An open beta for Exoprimal is also on the way later this month, where you’ll be able to hop in and face off against the dino hordes ahead of launch. The beta will be available from March 16 to March 19. Pre-download will be available on the Xbox Store starting March 15 at 6pm PT. You can learn more about what’s in store with our latest Exoprimal preview here on Xbox Wire.

Try Resident Evil 4 Today with New Chainsaw Demo for Xbox Series X|S

Fans of Resident Evil, rejoice! The Chainsaw demo for the awaited remake of Resident Evil 4 launches today. Jump into the game’s opening moments as Leon S. Kennedy and get sucked into the horror ahead of the full release of the game.

Resident Evil 4 is heading to Xbox Series X|S on March 24. You can download the Resident Evil 4: Chainsaw Demo here on the Xbox Store.

Face Fearsome New Monsters Next Month in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak

A brand-new expansion is heading to Monster Hunter Rise. Gear up and get ready to head to Elgado Outpost in Sunbreak, heading to Xbox consoles next month.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak takes place after the events of the main game and will introduce fearsome new monsters to battle, including the western horror-inspired Three Lords. The expansion also introduces fresh new locales, new characters, and brand-new actions, such as the Switch Skill Swap which makes changing abilities a breeze.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak launches on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC on April 28. Monster Hunter Rise is available to play today with Game Pass.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Revived for Xbox

A Nintendo DS classic is heading to Xbox consoles in the summer. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, the supernatural puzzler from Ace Attorney director Shu Takumi, casts you as a ghost tasked with uncovering the mystery of your own death.

The game has been updated to include high-resolution graphics, an increased frame rate, language support and an upgraded user interface. It also includes new arrangements of all 37 music tracks featured in the original game, as well as a brand-new original soundtrack from original composer Masakazu Sugimori.

This shiny new version of a spooky classic will launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on June 30.

Final Street Fighter 6 Commentator Announced

Capcom revealed that Japanese actress Hikaru Takahashi is the final color commentator heading to Street Fighter 6’s Real Time Commentary feature.

The feature provides real-time narrative over your in-game fights, and Takahashi’s addition brings the roster of commentators up to eight, four play-by-play commentators and four color commentators.

Street Fighter 6 is set to launch on Xbox Series X|S on June 2.

And that’s all the Xbox news coming out of today’s Capcom Spotlight! Don’t forget to take advantage of some fantastic discounts on Capcom games right now on the Xbox Store during its publisher sale. Save big on titles like, Monster Hunter Rise, Capcom Fighting Bundle, Capcom Arcade 2^nd Stadium Bundle, and Resident Evil Raccoon City Edition, and more! Check out the Capcom Publisher Sale here on Xbox.com.

Greetings, Exofighters! Capcom’s newest IP Exoprimal is launching on July 14, 2023 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC. You’ll also be able enjoy this online team-based action game on day one with Xbox Game Pass for consoles, Windows, and Cloud. And that’s not all! The latest dinosaur forecast indicates a dinosaur outbreak will take place very soon. We’re hosting an Open Beta Test next week. Get ready to squad up and take down hordes of history’s most ferocious creatures with cutting-edge combat suits.

The Exoprimal Open Beta Test will allow you to sink your teeth into our main game mode, Dino Survival. In this mode, two teams of Exosuit pilots race to complete objectives while fighting off swarms of deadly dinosaurs that have mysteriously started popping up around the globe. Each match is different from the last, too, so stay on your toes! Some missions climax in direct confrontations with rival Exofighter teams, but in others you’ll need to forge an uneasy alliance and overcome a mutual enemy.

To survive the challenges ahead, Exofighters have a stockpile of advanced technology at their disposal. Each Exosuit comes equipped with its own unique arsenal of weapons and special powers. Exosuits can also be outfitted with a wide variety of rigs to tailor their combat abilities to fit your personal playstyle. Want to double down on offensive firepower? Go ahead, bolt a cannon onto that Assault-class Exosuit! You can also make up for weaknesses by, say, kitting your heavy damage dealer out with a healing rig. And if a particular situation requires a change in strategy – or if you just want to mix things up – you can always swap out your Exosuit at any time. After all, you need to adapt to survive!

In the Open Beta Test, you’ll have the chance to try all 10 Exosuits, including two we just revealed.

Krieger is a hulking Tank-type Exosuit that can protect the team by laying down formidable suppressive firepower. Meanwhile, Nimbus is a more mobile Support model that can rush into the fray to save injured teammates as a combat medic while cutting down dinosaur swarms with its twin pistols.

Speaking of dinosaurs… We revealed some new enemies today. Be on the lookout for Stegosaurus. They’re back and are a total blast from the past. It seems these armor-plated creatures have acquired some strange new abilities from their journey through spacetime. Make sure to keep a distance when they roar. Their cries can disable Exosuits and leave you vulnerable. You’ll also be able to encounter Sinornithosaurus in the Open Beta Test. Beware these winged beasts! They might be small but move in packs and can latch onto Exosuits to cause real problems. There are also some new mutant dinosaurs you may encounter. The Stealth Neosaur can turn invisible and slip through your defenses to sow chaos. And stay frosty around the Cryo Neosaur! These critters have chilling abilities that allow them to make ice clones to avoid being targeted while they launch frozen projectiles from long range.

Ready to go hands on and experience this battle of the ages for yourself? Well then, you’re in luck! The Open Beta Test kicks off on Thursday, March 16 at 5:00pm PDT and the wargames run until Sunday, March 19 at 4:59pm PDT. The Open Beta Test will also feature cross-platform matchmaking, enabling Exofighter squads from one system to compete against teams playing on other platforms. As a bonus, we’re also providing all Open Beta Test participants with the opportunity to receive an Aibius Medal charm to decorate your Exosuits when the full game launches this July. Check out our official website to learn more about the Open Beta Test and get this special cosmetic item. A Capcom ID is required to play Exoprimal, so if you don’t have one just yet, you can sign up right here.

Pre-orders for Exoprimal start today and include three Exosuit skins as a special bonus. In addition to the Standard Edition, a Deluxe Edition will also be available, which includes the Head Start Kit plus Survival Pass Season 1: Premium Tier as a limited-time bonus. The Head Start Kit features three more Exosuit skins – plus early unlock tickets for Nimbus, Vigilant, and Murasame. You can also unlock these Exosuits through gameplay with the Standard Edition. The Survival Pass will provide you with rewards for your in-game progress and it has both free and premium tiers. Check out the Season 1 Premium Tier to get 19 additional Exosuit skins, plus 10 weapons skins, 4 emotes, 3 decals, and more.

That’s all for now! We look forward to seeing you in action in next week’s Open Beta Test and on July 14 when Exoprimal launches for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and with Xbox Game Pass. In the meantime, check out Exoprimal on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest updates.

Exoprimal Deluxe Edition

CAPCOM CO., LTD.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Contains the following content: – Shark’s Mouth (Gray) exosuit skin for Deadeye
– Stone Golem exosuit skin for Roadblock
– Bush Camo exosuit skin for Witchdoctor Note: Skins are cosmetic items that change the appearance of an exosuit and have no other effect.
This special bonus is only available for those who pre-order the standard edition of Exoprimal or the Exoprimal Deluxe Edition.
This special bonus may be made available for purchase at a later date.
Visit the official website for more details. Exoprimal is an online, team-based action game that pits humanity’s cutting-edge exosuit technology against history’s most ferocious beasts – dinosaurs.​​ Exosuits are grouped into different roles, and players will pilot these exosuits to hold firm against overwhelming dinosaur swarms in online-only, team-based action game modes.
Dino Survival, the main game mode, sees two teams of five players compete in a variety of PvE and PvP missions.
Players will be transported to the scene of the latest dinosaur outbreak and follow Leviathan’s guidance to complete objectives. The team that completes the mission first will emerge victorious. Whether players are engaging the other team directly, or fighting alongside them against a common enemy, the aim is to accomplish objectives as quickly as possible. Missions vary depending on player skill and other factors, meaning no two matches will unfold the same way. Product Information
– Exoprimal
– Head Start Kit – Vigilant Early Unlock Ticket – Murasame Early Unlock Ticket – Nimbus Early Unlock Ticket – Paladin exosuit skin (Vigilant) – White Guardian exosuit skin (Murasame) – Wonderland exosuit skin (Nimbus) Limited Time Bonus
– Survival Pass Season 1: Premium Tier Note: Early Unlock Tickets can be purchased even if you have already unlocked the corresponding exosuit, or if you already satisfy its unlock conditions. Be careful not to purchase an Early Unlock Ticket for an exosuit you have unlocked.
Skins are cosmetic items that change the appearance of an exosuit and have no other effect.
Survival Pass rewards will change from season to season. Rewards cannot be obtained after a season has concluded.
Each season’s Premium Tier may be made available for purchase again at a later date.
The limited special bonus may be obtained by pre-ordering the Exoprimal Deluxe Edition or purchasing Exoprimal during season 1.
The Head Start Kit and the Survival Pass Season 1: Premium Tier may be purchased separately. Be careful not to purchase these products if you already own them.
Visit the official website for more details about the Head Start Kit and the Survival Pass Season 1: Premium Tier.

Exoprimal

CAPCOM CO., LTD.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Contains the following content: – Shark’s Mouth (Gray) exosuit skin for Deadeye
– Stone Golem exosuit skin for Roadblock
– Bush Camo exosuit skin for Witchdoctor Note: Skins are cosmetic items that change the appearance of an exosuit and have no other effect.
This special bonus is only available for those who pre-order the standard edition of Exoprimal or the Exoprimal Deluxe Edition.
This special bonus may be made available for purchase at a later date.
Visit the official website for more details. Exoprimal is an online, team-based action game that pits humanity’s cutting-edge exosuit technology against history’s most ferocious beasts – dinosaurs.​​ Exosuits are grouped into different roles, and players will pilot these exosuits to hold firm against overwhelming dinosaur swarms in online-only, team-based action game modes.
Dino Survival, the main game mode, sees two teams of five players compete in a variety of PvE and PvP missions.
Players will be transported to the scene of the latest dinosaur outbreak and follow Leviathan’s guidance to complete objectives. The team that completes the mission first will emerge victorious. Whether players are engaging the other team directly, or fighting alongside them against a common enemy, the aim is to accomplish objectives as quickly as possible. Missions vary depending on player skill and other factors, meaning no two matches will unfold the same way.

The latest part in the Zombie Derby series, Zombie Derby: Pixel Survival, is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows!

This is our first release of the game for Xbox. We approached it with great responsibility and were able to achieve stable gameplay at 4k and 120 fps on Xbox Series X|S, as well as implement various achievements and convenient gamepad controls.

The game combines simple controls with fun gameplay. The player has the ability to press the gas, shoot zombies, turn nitro to the maximum, and adjust the flight angle.

The player is invited to get behind the wheel of one of the available vehicles and go on a track full of various obstacles and a huge number of walking dead. While driving, the player must overcome hilly sections of tracks and crush the infected. The available transport includes cars and trucks, an armored personnel carrier, a school bus, and even a combine harvester. The distance the car travels depends on the driver’s decisions. The player has a machine gun with a limited amount of ammo, so it is important to save ammo and shoot only the most dangerous obstacles. There is a similar situation with nitro – the roads often have precipices and mined areas that can only be passed by using acceleration, so it is always necessary to have a small supply of nitro. In addition, the characteristics of the car itself are important.

The garage opens up another side of the game. To overcome all obstacles and get to the finish line, it is not enough to have the maximum life indicator. The road is set with traps that can be overcome with various abilities of your car. It is necessary to wisely install upgrades or purchase more powerful vehicles.

In addition to the single-player campaign, Zombie Derby: Pixel Survival also features a multiplayer mode where players can compete against each other in real-time races. The multiplayer mode features leaderboards and rankings, allowing players to compete for the top spot.

 Zombie Derby: Pixel Survival appeals to anyone who wants to relax their brains for a while, and enjoy pleasant gameplay, and beautiful pixel graphics. But don’t relax until the end, because there are zombies everywhere!

Get in the driver’s seat and step on the pedal!

Zombie Derby: Pixel Survival

Brinemedia

☆☆☆☆☆1

★★★★★

$4.99 $4.24

Get into the driver’s seat and put the pedal to the metal! The next part in the legendary Zombie Derby series is already here! Smash your way through hordes of zombies and countless obstacles in a rip-roaring racing arcade. Experience the zombie apocalypse like you’ve never seen it before. Eradicating zombies has never been so colorful, exciting, and engaging before. Don’t let any zombies snack on your brain!