Xbox
It only took me two weekends to get through the whole thing, and now that it's over. Wow! It resembles Slay the Spire, where you choose your path, and collect cards and powers, but the matches are more like puzzles. Your opponent creates scenarios and how you pay your cards determines if you move on or perish. Now a big reason why I loved this game is the weird shit that happens, and weird shit isn't fun when you know it's coming, so that's all I'm going to say about that. If you like puzzles or cards games or a story that makes you say WHAT THE FUCK?!? start downloading it now, it's free on Gamepass!
xboxera.com
>Presented amusingly by YouTuber ‘Dunkey’ of videogamedunkey fame, Animal Well is making the move over to Xbox, and in even better news, it’s available today for you to pick up and play. Animal Well was developed by Billy Basso and is published by Bigmode. In Animal Well, you’ll “explore a dense, interconnected labyrinth, and unravel …
www.trueachievements.com
>The spooky season is finally here, and to celebrate, Microsoft has slashed the prices of hundreds of Xbox games, DLC expansions, and more in the huge Xbox Shocktober Sale 2024. Microsoft has discounted some games by as much as 90%, so make sure you have a good look through everything on offer and pick up a bargain before the sale ends on October 31.
www.eurogamer.net
>For those looking forward to heading back into the rather surreal and twisted world of Alan Wake 2, you will soon be able to do just that, thanks to the imminent arrival of its Lake House DLC.
www.eurogamer.net
>Alan Wake and Control developer Remedy has revealed FBC: Firebreak, a three-player co-op multiplayer spin-off set in the same universe.
kotaku.com
>Microsoft’s determination to destroy the great reputation of Game Pass continues apace, with the news that the corporation has suddenly pulled its years-long offer of a two-week trial subscription for a dollar, just a week before it adds Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to the subscription. Dick move.
www.gamespot.com
>Check out the updates from the event!
www.purexbox.com
>It's been a very long wait for the arrival of Stalker 2 on Xbox Game Pass, but we're in the final stretch now, which is very exciting indeed. The open world shooter is about a month away from launching, and today, a bunch of early previews have dropped - with the game sounding like a real treat to play. >We'll round up a bunch of these early impressions down below, so you can get a flavour of what's being said about the upcoming Game Pass title ahead of its November 2024 launch.
www.theverge.com
cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/18064703
>Starship Troopers: Extermination combines frenetic squad-based gunplay with base-building and resource extraction against swarms of diverse arachnid foes. Choose from six distinct classes and work together to complete objectives, acquire resources, build and defend your base, and extract critical materials in intense battles to secure the future of the United Citizen Federation. Leave no inch of ground safe for the Arachnid enemy! >Starship Troopers: Extermination is available now on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, or the Epic Games Store Haven't seen any reviews yet. Hopefully it's good.
www.ign.com
>Secret Door, one of the two game developers under the umbrella of Dreamhaven, has revealed its first game — a new four-player co-op adventure called Sunderfolk. >Billed as a tactical turn-based RPG, Sunderfolk brings players together to complete missions on a top-down map. Secret Door calls it a "streamlined alternative to the traditional tabletop gaming experience" in its official release, saying that it requires "no elaborate setup, rulebooks, or materials," but will include six distinct heroes, deck building, and other familiar RPG elements. >To further increase accessibility, Sunderfolk will support phones or tablets to control the onscreen action, calling it as a "new spin on the classic game night experience." >“We have a bunch of dedicated board and tabletop game fanatics on the team at Secret Door — getting together for game night has been a regular highlight for many of us going back years and years,” said studio head Chris Sigaty. >“As developers we also like to look at what inspires us and think about how to make those types of experiences easier to get into, so that more people can enjoy them as much as we do. With Sunderfolk, we’re excited to offer players a game that’s easy to pick up and play, while still challenging to master, and we can’t wait to share it with the world." >We have a bunch of dedicated board and tabletop game fanatics on the team at Secret Door — getting together for game night has been a regular highlight for many of us going back years and years Like many others at Dreamhaven, Sigaty is a former Blizzard producer, having worked on StarCraft II and Warcraft III among other games. Dreamhaven was formed in 2020 by former Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime, with the company encompassing two studios in Secret Door and Moonshot. Last month, Dreamhaven announced that it was publishing Lynked: Banner of the Spark. In an interview with IGN published last month, Morhaime talked about the evolution of Dreamhaven while explaining why he thinks the game industry will continue to grow. >"The team at Secret Door, and really all of us at Dreamhaven, are all about bringing players together around fun experiences,” Morhaime said in the release announcing Sunderfolk. “Sunderfolk is a beautiful game, it’s full of personality and charm, and it also creates epic moments where everyone is engaging directly with each other to work out strategies or celebrate victories. There’s nothing quite like it, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what players think.” >Sunderfolk is under development PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch. It's slated to release in 2025. This looks kinda cool. Might actually be something I end up playing when the family comes over. Will save me from having to play monopoly for the millionth time.
www.gamesradar.com
>Today, exactly 10 years after the release of the original, creative director Al Hope responds to fans' "distress calls," giving us that all-important announcement that work on a follow-up is underway. "On the 10th anniversary, it seems only fitting to let you know that we have heard your distress calls loud and clear," Hope begins. >"Today, I'm delighted to confirm, on behalf of the team, that a sequel to Alien: Isolation is in early development. We look forward to sharing more details with you when we're ready." >No indication has been given as to when we can expect the sequel to be released, or what platforms it'll land on, but it sounds like we might have quite a wait on our hands. Even so, it's certainly exciting news for horror fans, especially with Halloween approaching. >Hope says "it's been nothing short of incredible" to see fans' passion for Alien: Isolation over the years, and "see it reach so many players around the world." He says that there was one "guiding principle" for that initial release, which saw the devs focus on creating "a truly authentic experience that went back to the roots of the Alien franchise," bringing a new story with all the classic atmosphere fans of the original movie know and love to the table. >With a very positive Metascore of 79, it's safe to say that the team at Creative Assembly pulled that off – we gave it four and a half stars out of five in our Alien: Isolation review – which bodes well for whatever the team has cooking for this new follow-up.
www.ign.com
>In some major (and pretty surprising) news for Halo fans, Halo: Infinite is finally getting a third-person mode this November. >343 Industries announced the news on Friday during a Forge panel at the 2024 Halo World Championship. For those who aren't at the event, the announcement was also posted on X/Twitter, including a bit of work-in-progress footage of third-person mode in action: (go to article) >As fans will know, this marks the first time a third-person mode has ever been officially offered in a Halo game. Senior community manager John "Unyshek" Junyszek and Skybox Labs senior software engineer Colin Cove offered a bit more information at the Halo World Championship panel, saying they'll be starting with third-person Firefight mode in a future update, "but we also have the ability to do in PvP and control it in Forge," per Cove. >They clarified that third-person will be supported at the mode level and that, with Forge controls, modes can switch individual players (or all players) between first- and third-person perspective whenever desired. It's currently unclear if it will be available in campaign mode or restricted to multiplayer. >While this is the first time third-person mode has been available on an official level, a number of mods have added it to the game over the years and have been largely well-received by the community. >Halo Infinite first launched in 2021, receiving a number of new maps, modes, quality-of-life improvements, and other additions over the years. Some fans, however, had started to note a general lack of developer-made additional content for this year. With the Halo World Championship well underway, we wouldn't be surprised if more Halo-related announcements were made through the weekend. I haven't had the chance to play infinite yet with my backlog being larger than a whale. But 3rd person halo seems so wrong. The corner peek will be killer with that shotty aha.
www.purexbox.com
>Halloween is almost upon us, and Xbox is celebrating the occasion by giving away two movies for FREE as part of October 2024's Xbox Game Pass Perks! There's inevitably a catch though... they're only available in certain regions. >In fact, we have a feeling it's only Xbox users in the United States that can claim Saw and The Devil's Rejects right now, which is a shame but not something we're particularly surprised about!
I’ve been looking for ages for a mount for an Xbox controller big enough to hold an 11” iPad Pro, since I’m old and a phone screen isn’t big enough for me to play games on these days. There doesn’t seem to be anything that supports a screen that big, so inspired by a Reddit post from a couple of years ago, I bought two separate mounts and combined them. The key is to find a controller mount and iPad holder that both each have a ball socket connection so you can combine the two. It’s clearly heavier than a phone would be, but works really well. These are the two parts of the mount: [Gamer Gear Xbox Series X Controller Mobile Gaming 4 point Clamp, Xbox Controller Phone Mount Adjustable Phone Holder Clamp Compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Black](https://amzn.eu/d/694s7lP) [3Data Gooseneck Tablet Holder, Universal Tablet Stand : 360 Flexible Lazy Arm Holder Clamp Mount Bracket Bed for 4.7\~10.5" Pad Air Pro mini,Tablet, Phone, more Devices (White)](https://amzn.eu/d/cWB0C6D)  
www.purexbox.com
>"This is us. This is our story.". >We're now just a month away from the highly-anticipated release of Stalker 2 on Xbox Game Pass, and as we approach its November 20th release date, Xbox and GSC Game World have unveiled a feature-length documentary about it. >With the dev team being based in Ukraine, much has been said about the difficulties they've faced throughout Stalker 2's journey, and this new documentary is described as being "one of the most heart-wrenching 'making-of' films ever made"...
kotaku.com
>In 2024, when a new game is announced, you can usually count on it to be released on PC, PlayStation, and possibly Switch. But it’s become a bit less of a guarantee that new games or ports will land on Xbox consoles, and it seems Microsoft is aware of this and is asking devs why...
Releasing November 7th
xboxera.com
>Starfield: Shattered Space is coming on Monday, September 30th 2024. Here is The Starfield Shattered Space download size on Xbox consoles.starfield shattered space download sizeThe pre-load is 14.9gb total in size on Xbox consoles.
www.ign.com
>Blizzard is reportedly making a third attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, with former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022, leading the charge. >Hot on the heels of Microsoft’s announcement that StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection hit the Game Pass subscription service in November, it has emerged that Blizzard is also working on a StarCraft shooter. >Word comes from Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier while speaking to IGN’s Podcast Unlocked, below, about his new book, PLAY NICE: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Hay’s StarCraft shooter is mentioned in the book, and IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey asked Schreier if it’s likely to actually come out. >“If it’s not canceled!” Schreier replied. “This is Blizzard after all. Their history with StarCraft shooters is not good. >“Yes, that is a project that as far as I know is in development, or at least as of the time that I wrote this book was in development. They are working on a StarCraft shooter, StarCraft is not dead at Blizzard. >“The goal of the book isn’t to get a bunch of scoops about upcoming things. That wasn’t the purpose of this book at all, it was very much to tell a story and focus on stuff that had happened. But this felt like such an interesting and useful nugget to include because it really just shows you that Blizzard cannot quit StarCraft shooters.” >That’s a reference to Blizzard’s infamous attempt to release a StarCraft shooter in the past as part of a bid to expand the StarCraft franchise beyond its real-time strategy origins. StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, was going to be a tactical-action console game in which you played as a deadly Ghost operative in the employ of the Dominion, but it was canceled in 2006 after a series of delays. >A second attempt to make a StarCraft shooter, codenamed Ares, was canceled in 2019 so Blizzard could focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. Ares was reportedly “like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe,” but, like Ghost, fell by the wayside. >Now, it’s a case of third time lucky for Blizzard, with this new StarCraft shooter in development. We don’t have any details at this time, but perhaps Phil Spencer’s StarCraft t-shirt he wore during Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show 2024 broadcast was more than a simple reference to StarCraft hitting Game Pass. >As for Hay, he joined Ubisoft in 2011 to work on Far Cry 3, then became executive producer for the Far Cry brand, shipping Far Cry Blood Dragon, Far Cry 4 , and Far Cry Primal. Hay was creative director and executive producer on Far Cry 5, and executive director for Far Cry New Dawn and Far Cry 6, before joining Blizzard in 2022 as GM/VP.
www.eurogamer.net
>California will soon require storefronts to make clear that purchasing digital content, including games, movies and music, does not mean you actually own it.
xboxera.com
>Developer DevilishGames this week announced that their tower defence title ‘Insectum – Epic Battles of Bugs’ will launch on the Nintendo Switch (Americas/EU&AUS), PlayStation, and Xbox consoles on the 27th of September. A PC Steam release is set for the 24th of October. Players will immerse themselves in the epic battles of “Insectum” and unleash …
www.trueachievements.com
>Shortly after Microsoft and Square Enix confirmed the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series for Xbox Series X|S and PC, we picked up six Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Xbox achievement lists, one for each beloved RPG. >Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series arrives with six Xbox achievement lists. >Available now on the Xbox store, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster bundle includes all six games from Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy 6. Each of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters has been updated with enhanced visuals, a modernized UI, quality-of-life features, a rearranged soundtrack, and, of course, support for Xbox achievements. As you'll see below, each game has its own list of Xbox achievements worth a total of 1,000G. >The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster bundle is currently on sale for $59.99 / £51.99 /€59.99 on the Xbox store, and you can purchase each game separately
www.purexbox.com
>Including a bunch of new features. >Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 is off to a great start on Xbox and beyond right now, and it's about to get even better with the arrival of the first major update! It's titled "Patch 3.0", and it's available today on Series X and Series S. >The biggest new features in this update include a new Hub Sparring Arena in the Battle Barge where you can engage in friendly PvP with your squad members, along with private lobbies for Operations. That last one should prove popular! Man I wish I could afford this game, it looks fucking amazing!
www.gamespot.com
>Xbox has returned to Japan for the Tokyo Game Show, and this year, it's showing off a selection of games from third-party partners based primarily in Japan. With 2025 looking to be a big year for the company thanks to the arrival of games like Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and more, Xbox focused on the best of Japan. These games ranged from JRPGs to horror, fighting games based on beloved anime series, and interactive oddities that'll be coming to Xbox consoles and PC soon. >In case the livestream is took place at an hour that was way too early for you, you can check below for a recap of everything announced by Xbox. ______________________________________ >**Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater:** >The show kicked off with a fresh trailer for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, showing off the upgraded character models for The Boss, Revolver Ocelot, Colonel Volgin, and more. >**Starcraft Remastered and Starcraft 2:** >Strategy fans have another reason to smile, as Xbox boss Phil Spencer appeared to announce that Starcraft Remastered and Starcraft 2 will both be coming Game Pass. >**Overwatch 2 is getting My Hero Academia skins:** >My Hero Academia, a massively popular anime series about teenagers learning to be superheroes, is crossing over with Overwatch 2. Players of the hero-shooter can expect several skins from the anime series to appear in the game, based on characters like All Might, Uravity, Deku, and Himiko Toga. >**Age of Mythology Retold: Immortal Pillars:** >A new expansion for Age of Mythology, Immortal Pillars, was briefly announced, and like the main game, you can expect to see this launch day-one through Game Pass. >**Indiana Jones and the Great Circle"** >Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches in December, and in a new trailer, Xbox showed off the archeologist's wits, fists, and whips in action. This trailer also featured the Japanese dub of the game, which sounds really great. >**Tanuki: Pon's Summer:** >Moving over to a cute game reveal, Xbox showed off Tanuki Pon's Summer. This adorable game puts you in the fur of a tanuki mailman who has one month to save up enough funds to restore an ancient shrine. How do you get those funds? By hopping on a BMX, delivering packages, competing in sports, and making some sushi to please the local townsfolk. >**Threads of Time:** >We're living in a golden age of HD-2D RPG games, as we got a new trailer for the enchanting Threads of Time, showing off the lush 2.5D gameplay, anime cutscenes, and more. >**We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie:** >Roll up, roll up, and get ready to enjoy a few rounds of the wonderfully weird We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie. It's available starting today through Game Pass for PC and Xbox consoles. >**Metaphor ReFantazio:** >Get ready to say goodbye to dozens of hours of your life when Metaphor ReFantazio arrives next month, as this new Tokyo Game Show trailer was a blast of style and substance. In case you missed it, a Metaphor ReFantazio demo is now available and progress carries over to the full game. >**FragPunk:** >FragPunk, an upcoming 5v5 hero-shooter, is getting a closed beta, and sign-ups are now available for it. >**Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land:** >Ryza's story in the Atelier series may be over, but there are still a lot more stories to tell in this beloved JRPG series. The new Atelier Yumia gameplay trailer was a deep dive into what fans can expect from this game ahead of its March 21, 2025 release. >**Asurajang Rumble:** >A battle royale that packs a punch, Asurajang Rumble shined a spotlight on the game's varied cast of brawlers and their special combat skills in a new trailer. >**Fallout 76:** >In the best news to come out of the Wasteland since we found that old suit of functioning power armor, we can confirm that cats and dogs have survived the nuclear apocalypse and they haven't been horrifically mutated. This new Fallout 76 will let you adopt your own four-legged pals and it'll be added soon to the game. >**Synduality: Echo of Ada:** >PvPvE extraction shooter Synduality: Echoe of Ada has a release date locked in for January 2025, as well as a ton of different editions available to preorder. >**Bleach: Rebirth of Souls:** >Survival is nothing; winning is everything! The first new Bleach game in many years looks like a sharp experience featuring Ichigo Kurosaki and dozens of other characters from the hit manga and anime series. This new trailer saw Ichigo unleash his darker Hollow side in a Hueco Mundo battlefield. >**Suikoden 1 and 2 Remastered:** >Suikoden 1 and 2 Remastered has a release date of March 6, 2025, and in case you're wondering just how much of a difference several decades can make, a comparison trailer showed the glow-up between games. >**All You Need Is Help:** >We don't know how to describe All You Need Is Help, a multiplayer puzzle game that looks like Tetris mixed with goofy animals, so we're just going to move on to the next reveal. >**The Starbites: Taste of Desert:** >Mechs, anime-inspired visuals, and cool fashion that we wish we could add to our wardrobes. All that and more appeared in this video showing off more gameplay from The Starbites: Taste of Desert. >**Slitterhead:** >There's nothing more frightening than a well-executed horror game, and in a lengthy trailer, Slitterhead looks like it'll be the reason why we'll be sleeping with the lights on for a couple of years after we play it. >**Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake:** >It's not long to go before the Dragon Quest 3 GD Remake launches on November 14, and if you're not quite sold yet on this HD-2D JRPG, the very lengthy gameplay video for it did a great job in showing off new graphical enhancements, gameplay changes, and more. >**Trials of Mana and Legends of Mana:** >In case your hunger for JRPGs still hasn't been satiated, you can look forward to Trials of Mana and Legends of Mana on Game Pass, playable starting today. >**Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster:** >And for the final course, you can finish off your JRPG buffet with Final Fantasy 1-6 Pixel Remaster. This collection of NES and SNES-era games are now available for Xbox Series X|S and PC.
www.eurogamer.net
>StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection are heading to Xbox's PC Game Pass subscription on 5th November.
www.purexbox.com
>•**Paladin’s Passage** (September 17): "Embark on an epic journey in this challenging 2.5D precision platformer with over 100 hand-crafted dungeons filled with monsters." >•**Star Wars Jedi: Survivor** for Xbox One (September 17): "The story of Cal Kestis continues in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor™, a third person galaxy-spanning action-adventure game from Respawn Entertainment, developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games." >•**The Plucky Squire** (September 17): "The Plucky Squire follows the magical adventures of Jot and his friends – storybook characters who discover a three-dimensional world outside the pages of their book." >•**Train Sim World 5"** (September 17): "The Rails are Yours in Train Sim World 5! Take on new challenges and new roles as you master the tracks and trains of iconic cities across 3 new routes." >•**World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing 24** (September 17): "iRacing presents the Official Game of The World of Outlaws, featuring the World of Outlaws Sprint Car, Late Models and Super DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, as well as 8 additional series including the all-new Micro Sprints, and many others." >•**A Night on the Farm** (September 18): "A Night on the Farm is an atmospheric retro-inspired horror adventure with unpredictable plot twists and deep lore to discover." >•**Cozy Designer** (September 18): "Position furniture and objects however you prefer and decorate 60 incredibly cozy environments. Without right or wrong, the only limit is your imagination." >•**Dark Elven Legacy** (September 18): "You are Elynar, the strongest archer in the Kingdom, who must face terrible creatures in the Great Dark Forest. Shoot with your bow, use a special power, or obtain power-ups during the game to fight various types of enemies." >•**Elasto Mania II** (September 18): "The long-awaited sequel is still a 2D enduro simulator with a nostalgic feel, but it’s also about giving you more bang for your buck than ever, with more challenges, extra collectibles, updated physics and new graphics." >•**Hidden Cats in Berlin** (September 18): "Take a little pleasant trip through a big and lovely illustration! Start with monochrome scenery and fill it with color! Kick back, relax, and find all the cats to reveal the final, colorful landscape." >•**Keylocker** (September 18): "Keylocker is a Cyberpunk turn-based rhythm JRPG. Play as the singer and songwriter, B0B0. Fuel your moves with the electric power of music on this unforgiving planet by using real-time execution of moves in rhythm game style!" >•**The Last Shot** (September 18): "The Last Shot is a platforming adventure game set in a war-ravaged diesel-punk world. Militaristic cities fight endlessly with massive weaponry, all striving to be the last one standing." >•**Andromeda Survivors**(September 19): "Prepare yourself for an epic journey in Andromeda Survivors, a casual game with rogue-lite elements that will challenge your skills and strategy!" >•**Atama** (September 19): "Use psychic powers in Atama to see through the eyes of your pursuers to avoid detection as you investigate a cursed rural Japanese village." >•**Between Horizons** (September 19): "Between Horizons is a modern 2.5D pixel art adventure that brings a branching narrative into a semi-open world." >•**Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - Reforged** (September 19): "Step out onto the streets of Paris in “Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars: Reforged”, a substantially enhanced version of the multi-award winning, all-time classic adventure." >•**Byte the Bullet** (September 19): "Get into my infected computer and restore every virus-ridden system by recovering game attributes like color or save functions." >•**Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster** (September 19): "More than just a remaster, this Deluxe Remaster is a full graphical overhaul of the first game in zombie-slaughtering action game series "Dead Rising." >•**DROS** (September 19): "DROS is a dark fantasy adventure where you’ll swap between a small gooey creature and her human bounty hunter shell." >•**pureya** (September 19): "Simple arcade games are great, but they can get boring quickly. What if they changed every 10 seconds? Pureya is a collection of arcade minigames that play with just 2 buttons." >•**The House of Da Vinci 3** (September 19): "The grand finale to The House of Da Vinci trilogy is here! Solve numerous new puzzles and mind benders and explore new mystifying locations of ravishing beauty." >•**EA SPORTS FC™ 25 Ultimate Edition** (September 20): "Pre-Order EA SPORTS FC™ 25 Ultimate Edition by 26 Sept to receive: Up to 7 Days Early Access, start playing on 20 Sept. >•**Home Safety Hotline** (September 20): "Home Safety Hotline is an analog horror inspired telephone operator simulator where you answer incoming callers' questions about what's inside their home." >•**Matchbox™ Driving Adventures** (September 20): "Ready to get behind the wheel for the thrill of a lifetime? Then gear up for Matchbox™ Driving Adventures! The Chief of the Matchbox Adventure Squad heard you’re the best driver around, and now they need your help taking on epic missions." >•**MindSeize** (September 20): "Transfer your mind into a MAG and set out to an epic Action-Adventure with Sci-Fi setting! Aiming to save your daughter, an even bigger threat emerges..." >•**Paper Plane Arena - Lost Places** (September 20): "Paper Plane Arena is an interactive game experience that is designed to ease your mind and have fun popping innocent balloons." >•**Poppy Playtime: Chapter 2** (September 20): "After a run in with Huggy Wuggy and freeing Poppy, you must descend deeper into the Playtime Co. toy factory. Challenging puzzles and horrific toys await. Grapple, swing, and power your way to safety." >•**Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3** (September 20): "A decrepit orphanage known as Playcare sits beneath the once magical toy factory. You must make your way through this haunted place, solving new puzzles and avoiding the nightmares that lurk within the dark." >•**The Karate Kid: Street Rumble** (September 20): "Sweeping across iconic locations of the first three classic The Karate Kid movies from the 1980s, you’ll step out of the dojo and into the streets of the West Valley and Okinawa as you battle waves of enemies in this pixel art, side-scrolling, beat ‘em up adventure." >•**They Came From the Sky 2** (September 20): "They Came From the Sky 2 is a fast paced arcade game wherein you take the role of one of the giant alien robot. The game offers infinite replayability, over 20 types of enemies, and 50 hidden artifacts to discover." >•**Welcome to Empyreum** (September 20): "This exciting cooperative party game for up to 4 players immerses you in the fascinating and wild universe of Hotel Empyreum."
www.trueachievements.com
>When the Xbox One launched, Microsoft switched up the console's friending features to mimic a social media-style experience, allowing players to follow each other. Now it looks like Microsoft is rolling back the changes a bit, and while followers will be staying, Xbox Insiders can now trial a new Xbox friend request feature. >As announced on Xbox Wire, Alpha Skip-Ahead Insiders are now testing new social features, namely friend requests. Xbox says you can still follow other players, but becoming friends is now a "Two-way, invite-approved relationship, giving you more control and flexibility." >With this new update, you'll be able to manage friend requests from within the "People tab" on Xbox consoles, PC, and the Xbox app on mobile, where you'll be able to send, accept, and delete requests. New privacy and notification settings give you control over who can send you friend requests or follow your account, as well as the notifications you receive from those actions. >The feature has only just rolled out to Alpha Skip-Ahead Xbox Insiders, so there's no telling when we'll see it arrive for all players. Last month's Xbox update added installation improvements, new controller customization options, and more.
www.ign.com
>It’s been ten long years since Dragon Age: Inquisition and the expectations for the next game in the series, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, seem impossible. A full decade, a bevy of behind-the-scenes changes, cuts at BioWare, and a somewhat divisive start when its unveiling began in earnest in June made me a little worried for my most highly anticipated game of the year. But one of my biggest concerns was my impression, based on early previews, that it was headed in the direction of being a linear action game rather than its more open-world predecessor. While Dragon Age is known for changing its style with each installment, I hoped dearly that it wouldn’t lose too much of the DA DNA I fell in love with. >After hours of hands-on time spread across two days, I’m pleased to say I walked away with excitement and curiosity, but mostly, relief to wave many of my concerns goodbye. My time with The Veilguard covered a wide smattering of things: the incredibly expansive character creator (more on that later), the introductory quests, a faction mission, and a companion quest a little deeper into the game. But I was mostly pleased with my ability to just explore Northern Thedas in all its gorgeously designed glory, experiencing a setting in Dragon Age lore that we’ve really only heard about. >To be clear, The Veilguard isn’t the open-world playground that Inquisition was – as game director Corinne Busche has previously stated, it’s more “mission-based.” But what impressed me after the first few hours was how much exploration can still be done in the various regions, as well as the impact the player character, Rook, can have on those regions. Consider it something of a mix of Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition – the more streamlined approach of the former with the rich, geographically and sociopolitically diverse world of the latter. >Of course, some of the bigger artstyle, combat, and gameplay changes will be subject to personal taste. But after my time with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, I left feeling like these ten long years just might’ve been worth the wait. >Getting Acquainted As fans have already seen from the first gameplay trailer, players are dropped right into the city of Minrathous in the middle of the action as Solas prepares a ritual that will devastate Thedas. Luckily, our old friend Varric has recruited you to help, and it barely takes a couple of minutes for the game to put the focus on Rook. After a surprisingly effective and succinct story recap from Varric, there are a number of aspects The Veilguard starts easing you into. >For one: the combat. Gone are the days of Dragon Age: Origins’ more CRPG-inspired tactical system, offering a style that’s a mix of quick action and a mechanic where you can pause and pull up your radial menu. While this absolutely does take some getting used to, and it’ll be a gradual process to create what could be a highly customized build while learning all your companions’ different abilities, it didn’t take me long to actually start having fun with it. >I largely played mage and rogue builds during my hands-on time, and also quickly started to lean on certain companions’ abilities. For one, the mage healing ability was essential – for one particularly difficult Remnant, I basically established a pattern where I was only using Bellara’s mana to heal me, dodging and playing it safe when it got too risky. Neve’s ability to slow time was also one I kept returning to, offering a bit more control on the battlefield when the situation got fast-paced. As for glass cannon builds, you’ll want to have a warrior around to taunt your enemies out of your way. >Different companions have different combo options together, and there are certainly opportunities to build team synergy. >Like a whole lot in The Veilguard, combat revolves around your companions, even though you can’t fully take control of them like in previous Dragon Age games. Different companions have different combo options together, and there are certainly opportunities to build team synergy. Oh, and you’ll want to listen to your companions in combat too, as they’ll occasionally drop some useful hints. >But combat aside, your dialogue choices, your Rook’s background (tied to one of six factions you can choose), and the consistent decisions you make are immediately important, which shouldn’t be too surprising for fans of BioWare games. The dialogue wheel is back, of course, as is the approval/disapproval system, but I was surprised to see that The Veilguard actually explains the consequences of some of your dialogue choices in very clear terms. It’s a variation of the “so and so will remember that” system, but more specific. >Take, for example, my first confrontation with Solas, aka Fen'harel aka the Dread Wolf. I chose a more sarcastic, humorous approach with him, and at the end of our confrontation, text on the side of the screen informed me that I have “traded verbal jabs with Solas.” It was far from the only occurrence of this sort of text, and it leaves me curious as to how your relationships with various characters will build and branch out over time based on your attitude. >Speaking of consequences, it quickly became clear to me that there would consistently be tons of choices in The Veilguard that’ll have lasting results. It probably seems like I’m stating the obvious here, but I got the sense that even more of these kinds of choices might be peppered throughout than the usual BioWare game. Right at the beginning, for instance, I made a decision that led to Harding getting injured, and she remained bruised-up for the remainder of the next couple of hours. I felt like a real jerk about it, and that was probably the point; Dragon Age: The Veilguard seemed to be telling me, right from the start, that I’m going to feel like a jerk a lot. Without spoiling too much, you’ll be able to see some of your progression and choices in the environment around you as well. >But, once introductions were out of the way, it was time to explore the wide world of Thedas and see its past and present collide. >(Veil)Jumping Into the World As mentioned earlier, one of my biggest worries was that The Veilguard could end up being more linear in its approach, trading branching gameplay for a straight line. And sure, the opening hours – essentially, the tutorial zone – are a little railroad-y, save for a couple of key decisions you have to make. But once you’re past that and more established within Act 1, you’re much more free to tackle quests as you please as you unlock more and more regions. >You do this via The Crossroads. For those who aren’t brushed up on their Dragon Age lore, that’s a nexus between the waking world of Thedas and the metaphysical realm of The Fade through which the ancient elves would travel through magical mirrors called Eluvians. You now use the Eluvians for that same purpose, and to unlock new regions, you have to fight through certain areas of The Crossroads before you can start fast-traveling to them. >Unlocking said regions opens up a vast network of areas and, not unlike past Dragon Age games, they’re dramatically different from one another. Take, for example, the Arlathan Forest, a gorgeous, colorful region whose aesthetics mix greenery with elven magic. You can see nugs burrow into the grass, magical artifacts abound, and there’s a vast array of nature to simply just admire. You’re hit with a massive tone shift, however, when you head to Hossberg; currently under siege by the Blight, here is where you’ll see some of the more horror-inspired aesthetics and, frankly, just some of the grosser aspects of the Blight. While The Veilguard’s tone certainly leans more high fantasy in places like The Crossroads, don’t worry; those who miss the gore and dark fantasy of Origins will find that too in places where the Blight has spread. >But I couldn’t help but spend a lot of my time just running about in Treviso, the bustling city that’s home to the Antivan Crows faction. For one thing, a lively city feels like a novelty in Dragon Age. But there was simply so much to explore that I kept getting sidetracked – a merchant with unique items here, a new quest to pick up over there, a random combat encounter here. And that’s just when I wasn’t looking around for a cat or dog to pet (because yes, you can pet the cats and dogs). >Those who miss the gore and dark fantasy of Origins will find that in places where the Blight has spread. Outside of the cats and dogs, there are some unique ways to interact with the environment too. Each companion has an environmental ability, some of which came in quite handy for me. In my time in the Arlathan Forest, I frequently called upon Bellara, whose environmental ability allows her to tinker with magical artifacts. In a nice quality-of-life addition, your companions don’t even need to be in your party in order for you to use these abilities. (As an aside, another one of my favorite quality of life additions is the fact that party banter pauses and picks up again later if you trigger combat, a cutscene, or anything else that would interrupt their dialogue. That’s right – no more awkward standing around in order to hear the complete conversation). >If you’re feeling overwhelmed, the difficulty and accessibility options do allow for about just as much or as little hand-holding as you need. For example, with one Antivan Crows quest I was doing, I could turn the navigation on and simply follow the game’s guidance, or turn it off and look for clues in the environment to follow – in this case, The Crows’ purple symbol, painted on certain walls. I also just happened to be playing an Antivan Crow Rook while completing this quest, which led to some fun dialogue options. >Once I was in the thick of things, I could clearly see the “okay okay, we heard the complaints” features in The Veilguard. Specifically, addressing the infamous Hinterlands Problem, a reference to the first open-world area players visit in Inquisition. The zone was packed with more than 50 sidequests, many of which boiled down to mere fetch quests, and left many players drowning in a bevy of checklists that felt inconsequential to the story. The Veilguard has boiled this down quite a lot – you’re still free to explore, but the scope isn’t nearly as dizzying, and the quests point back to the main story, a region or faction, or a companion. >Another clear reaction to criticisms of Inquisition are our villains in The Veilguard, Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain. The two elven gods feel much more present throughout the events of the early game than Corypheus, the frankly lackluster baddie of Inquisition. >While there’s a whole lot more Thedas to see and talk about, I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring it back home to The Lighthouse. >The Base of Operations The Lighthouse will likely be the most important location of The Veilguard, serving as the hub for you and your companions. Each one of your companions has their own room, and conveniently, a light shines outside of their door when they have a cutscene available. Once you get further into Act 1, it certainly starts to feel more lived-in, and you can discover some pretty charming character quirks. For example, I found that Manfred, Emmrich’s skeletal assistant, enjoys spending time on the balcony, and I even got a few games of Rock, Paper, Scissors in with him. >It’s also, obviously, where you’re able to do some housekeeping, especially when it comes to The Caretaker. This wildly helpful spirit is always standing by to help you enchant and upgrade armor for you and your companions. >A lot’s changed in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but there was so much I was relieved to see stay. But I found The Lighthouse somewhat symbolic of one of the biggest challenges this game is facing: bringing in new players while honoring the now incredibly vast lore that Dragon Age has built across the games, comic books, short stories, and more. Basically, if you were worried that the name change from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf would mean less Solas, think again – his history, along with the history of the Evanuris, are baked into The Lighthouse, and you learn more and more about the threat you face as you unlock Solas’ murals with various wolf statues. You even get to see some of his memories firsthand. >As a lore nerd, I very much appreciated this, as well as the various other callbacks to series history. The Origins fans will likely love the Grey Warden-heavy quests, and we already know the Inquisitor (the protagonist from Dragon Age: Inquisition) will be involved in some way, as you can recreate them and select your world states in the character creator. But I do wonder if it’ll overwhelm new players, which BioWare seems to be courting with its action-heavy combat system. >That’s why it helps, at least, to have something of an outsider like Rook to take the helm of The Veilguard. Plus, the scrappiness of Rook reminded me a bit of playing as Hawke in Dragon Age 2, rather than the more “chosen one”-esque protagonists of the Warden in Origins and the Inquisitor in Inquisition. >In short, a lot’s changed in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, but there was so much I was relieved to see stay: the focus on companions and romance, the rich lore, and a gorgeous world to explore. Needless to say, there’s still a ton of The Veilguard that I haven’t seen, especially if it’s as big as Origins and Inquisition (and it certainly seems like it). But after finishing my preview, I found myself even more eager to dive into it – and much more hopeful that this could be the hit BioWare needs.