Hi there, been a while hasn't it? I've been looking for a reason to jump back on here but haven't found the right thing to jump on. I was planning on jumping back with E3 but nothing really grabbed me. Sure Starfield is a thing but so far it's an... well a short vid of a starfield. There was that kiss that got all the attention for the wrong reason (That's going to produce some heat, I sense a follow up). Microsoft announced they bought some studios and stealth announced a new generation.
So why come back today? Well, something that might actually be big, something that might shake things up a bit.
Windows Central has been shown leaked documents that outline "Xbox community content platform." Now I know that sounds like a bunch of PR approved words stacked together, because it is. This feature does have a more colloquial term (that I totally spoilt in the title CLICKS BE DAMNED) Modding.
Goku In GTA V
According to WC the documents say this would be a platform-wide feature (think achievements, Kinect) that only needs to be enabled by the developer, the devs will have control over parts of the game can be modded or apply any limitations they want. So, all in all, sounds very much like the modding system Bethesda started with Fallout 4 and Skyrim Special Edition, which also... inspired Cities: Skylines and one of those Farm Simulator game's console mods). There does seem to be one difference between this system and the Bethesda system, it appears as Microsoft themselves will be hosting the mod libraries, This should mean we shouldn't have to sign into secondary accounts
When could we see this feature? well the documents say "later this (northern hemisphere) summer"
Abe's Take
And back to the start, why this news story? Microsoft after years of stopping it decided to push for crossplay, we now have crossplay everywhere (well almost everywhere) Microsoft pushing mods as a feature of their platform should give Nintendo and Sony the kick to join in on the fun (not holding my breath on Sony.) Platform-wide modding, like Indie games before it, should cause the "big boys" to share the spotlight and in effect shake things up, even just a little bit.
So Sonic Forces has finally hit, well, basically every modern platform and its time to ask THE QUESTION
That question. Has the Blue-Blur finally ended his streak of sub-par games and kept the quality that Mania gave us? Well, judging from the critical reviews, that answer is probably not. However, since no one here at GK-UK has dared to grab a copy (honestly when we get that Sonic itch we just hop on Sonic Mania), we're reaching out to our fellow gamers and seeing how the good folk who paid for it found the game. Kind of like a blue canary down a coal mine situation.
So, without further ado: Did you play Sonic Forces? Was it everything you had hoped for or just another let down? Tell us what you think below.
What do you think of the new Sonic Team game - Sonic Forces?
Sonic Forces has been getting a lot of attention. After all, it is basically a sequel to Sonic Generations, one of the few modern Sonic games that showed the character still has worth.
There's been teasing for some time now that Classic and Modern Sonic will be joined by another hero. Now obviously 'Boom' Sonic was dismissed quickly and it seemed odd to have 1 version of any other of the franchise's heroes.
Well, rejoice fur fans! The hero joining Sonic is YOU! Well, we say you, we mean a custom animal character that you make. Your character's equipment and race/breed will affect your abilities. for example;
Bear -Blows away enemies with a homing attack
Bird - Flies high with double jump abilities
Cat - Keeps one ring after being hit
Dog - Restarts with five rings after the player dies
Hedgehog - Collects rings when getting damaged
Rabbit - Has longer invincible time after receiving damage
Wolf - Automatically draws in rings when near them
Check out the trailer now!
Abe's Take
I really don't want this, sure I buy WWE games basically just for the custom character aspect, and Xenoverse's custom character feature managed to cut through DBZ fatigue... FINE I'm probably going to get this day one!
Phantom Dust is a weird game for us at GKUK, as we hear about it often online but have no idea the game was even a thing when we had the original Xbox. So as you can imagine the hype of the announcement of a remake completely slipped us by as did the sense of loss when it was put on hold.
Turns out it was never released in PAL regions and as such we no longer feel like we stupidly missed out on something. Anyway, today Microsoft has announced the remaster of the original Xbox title will not only come out tomorrow, will be a play anywhere title (X1/Win10), and best of all will be utterly free.
Yes, FREE!
This remaster will use the original assets but will now be fully Xbox Live enabled, IGN reports they managed to confirm from their sources that the game will feature not only feature upgraded visuals (contradicting the official 'original assets') but also updates to the games single player designed to prevent players getting stuck.
I was going to post some videos of gameplay and what not. However, I decided if you're interested in the game you can just download it tomorrow for FREE!
Abe's Take
Well I was curious to see what the hype was about back when the remake, then remaster was announced but now its free, so why the hell not?
Coming from the makers of Lords of the Fallen (possibly the best non 'From Software' souls game) comes The Surge, basically a Sci-fi souls game. So instead of swords its chainsaws, instead of armour its exo-suits and instead of demons, its mechs and people. It's certainly shaping up well and is certainly on our watch list.
Farpoint is being billed as the PSVR's "first top quality" and "true" FPS playable with either the standard pad or with sony's new "aim controller" which surprisingly isn't just a plastic controller mount like the high days of the Wii. Whilst reports are very positive it's possible that PSVR's fate may lay with the success of this title.
A little something for the JRPG fans now. And Akiba's Beat certainly sounds like a treat (unintentional rhyming) for 'Persona' and 'Tale of' fans and just a little trippy.
Realtime battle system similar to the 'Tales of' series
Build a team of friends - all with unique skill-sets and enter the minds of the delusional
Imaginative dungeon worlds based on the delusions of other - from music fans to Idol obsessives
Customise your crew with clothes and accessories bough from stores in Akihabara
Explore Akihabara in a perfectly mapped 1:1 version of this legendary discrict
Incredible art and animation with characters brought to life using 2D Live
Here's an interesting indie title. Portal Knights infuse the Minecraft formula with some action RPG blood. Players will be able to select their class, level up, craft items, shape the world, explore more worlds, and stab/shoot/burn enemies with a seemingly fast-paced combat engine. This game features 2 player split screen and 4 player online co-op
In what is surely the start of a new series of remakes, Fire Emblem Echos takes us back to the 2nd ever Fire Emblem game but lovingly remade in the same engine that powers the excellent Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates.
Why should we care about this remake? Well first this game is going to harder (magic users take damage when casting) and at the time the series wasn't sure on its own identity and features "traditional" RPG features like dungeon crawling.
Here's our "big release" of the week. Injustice (oddly no subtitle) 2 builds on its predecessor in the usual ways, larger roster: 28 up from 13 (not including either's DLC), better graphics, more moves and so on. However, it also includes a new gears system (not that different from For Honor).
For those who don't know the Injustice games take place in an alternative world where Lois Lane is killed and Superman fueled by her loss refuses to let anyone else die and ends up A) killing plenty of his friends and B) becomes a dictator. The first game (X1 Backwards Compatible) chronicled how the Batman lead resistance toppled Superman's regime. Now in the sequel will see Superman's biggest enemy Brainiac invade the Earth, will Batman let the dictator out of his cage? (guessing from the cover, yes). Honestly this game should be an easy recomend for DC fans, fighting fans, or general comic fans should appricate the no holds bared narrative.
It has been confirmed that Platinum's dragon partnering, pseudo-sci-fantasy, headphone wearing, action RPG and Xbox exclusive has met it Dragonborn and been suddenly killed off.
The above is basically our expression here in the GK-UK base. As we were massively looking forward to this. Fighting alongside our own dragon buddy, exploring the strange new world, and some co-op dragon fighting. Here's the trailer that was shown just 6 months ago at E3.
Here's what Microsoft had to say about the cancellation. WARNING! is fairly standard PR response.
“After careful deliberation, Microsoft Studios has come to the decision to end production for Scalebound. We’re working hard to deliver an amazing lineup of games to our fans this year, including Halo Wars 2, Crackdown 3, State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves and other great experiences.”
Now there has been two responses bouncing around online to the news, The first can be surmised as Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes (1968) with fans digitally howling into cyberspace.
The other version is much like Old Yeller with MS taking Scalebound behind the woodshed unloading both barrels in the face.
Judging from Scalebound's delays and almost silent updates it sounds - as badly as it does - that the game was trapped in development limbo. We love the guys at Platinum but they have super busy with the small team handling exclusives for Nintendo (Wonderful 101, Bayonetta, Star Fox), Sony, and Microsoft but also Activision's (poorly received) licenced games such as Legend of Kora, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers Devastation
.Abe's Take
I am really bummed about not being able to play this. At the moment we can't even be sure who owns the IP. If MS owns the rights then we might see the concept return at some point but if Platinum owns the rights we might see it returns as a multiformat or even a "saviour" game where a publisher steps in to cover the costs (Bayonetta 2)
The Metro games are some of the tensest and atmospheric FPS on the market, being trapped on the toxic surface, wounded and heavily breathing into what remains of my gas mark as the last filter slowly fail. Nothing has topped that moment since. It seems we have now seen the most iron-clad leak of all time. Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of the Metro novels has released a Metro timeline alongside the English version and there is an curious addition for 2017: 'The next Metro video game' with the text "it all adds up to something, Where the books end their story, the game will pick it up. An era of great discoveries lie ahead."
Which is rather exciting as nothing has been announced for the 3rd Metro game. It would certainly be an interesting turn for the franchise as Metro 2035 sees the return of Artyom as the people of the Metro attempt to retake the surface world, it seems likely that Metro 3 could be a rather different experience.
Not played Metro? well get on it, the two games saw a bundle remaster release for current gen and unlike the other remasters the developers applied all the gameplay improvements.
Abe's Take
Well I'm going to through a rumour tag on this but it seems rather pointless but just in case, there it is. Well, think I know my plans for the new year now, time to reread and replay the series in order.
Yesterday was Bioware's annual N7 event, the celebration of the Mass Effect franchise and fanbase. Yesterday Bioware used that to reveal the first story trailer for the new entry Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Along with this trailer. details are finally starting to appear about the game.
Time and Space
We know now that Mass Effect Andromeda takes place 600 years after Mass Effect 3. During the events of Mass Effect 2, the council decides that the reapers are too much of a threat to rest the fate of one Spector (Shepard) and so builds great 4 ark ships, one for each council race. Sending them far away from the Reapers and their Mass Relays. The plan is to investigate the "golden worlds" of the Heleus cluster. However the human ark ship "Hyperion" wakes up to find itself of cause and out of contact with the other ships or the Nexus a central command ship sent ahead of the arks.
The set up here nicely sidesteps the "ending" issue of Mass Effect 3 and removes the need for a canon ending. Bioware states that whatever the results of you Mass Effect 1-3 playthrough that is you canon. Which implies we won't see anything else Mass Effect from the Milkyway set after Mass Effect 3.
The Ryders
Alec Ryder in his N7 armour
Leading this mission is the "Pathfinder" Alec Ryder (star of the E3 trailer), unlike previous Mass Effect games the players won't be choosing Ryder's gender like they did Shepard. Instead, players will be picking (and customizing) between his son Scott and daughter Sera. Whilst Bioware has confirmed both the siblings Ryder will survive and not pull a Nate/Nora or Bethany/Carter but things look less... joyful for Alec as his title will pass to your Ryder. Speaking of Nate/Nora Andromeda will allow players to customize not only their choice of Ryder but also the sibling and father.
Scott and Sera Ryder in their AI armour
Player Freedom
Andromeda seeks to set players free from some artificial constraints from the first series (and the genre) so the first thing to go is the Paragon/Renegade system (it is unsure if the epic interruptions return) making that invisible should free the player to make more natural choices (we found this true for Fallout 4). Instead of a visible ranking affecting your interactions with NPCs instead, it'll be your actions and "tones" used in conversations. the goal here is to give you a more diverse way of expressing yourself without worrying about or being locked into a simple binary blue/red system.
Next up is the class system, instead of offering players an starting class to build up ME:A will be flipping the system on its head and letting players build their characters freely. There are however bonuses for following "traditional" classes so for example, unlocking multiple biotic powers will net you a bonus to your biotic prowess.
FireFight
This new found freedom expands to combat whereas Mass Effect 3 had two "play styles" where you either played it like a Gears or "stop and go" using the power wheel. Andromeda is attempting to merge the two allowing for faster gameplay, this also involves removing the 'tactical' roll in favor for a jet pack dodge and leap, allowing you to avoid fire, get across gaps or to higher ground.
Bioware confirms this style of gameplay will transfer to ME:A's Co-op mode, which is expected to be similar to Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age Inquisition's. Which pleases us as we enjoyed both games attempt at multiplayer.
Hotrod
You know what? we missed the Mako, the hover tank was not the same.
The Mako is making its return to the franchise but altered to matched the feedback from Mass Effect 1. The new vehicle is called the Nomad and will allow people to explore the open terrain of the planets, which will apparently feature not only story missions but also side quests for the local populous. Bioware is making great pains to let fans know this isn't the same Mako it won't handle like the old ones, the sense of speed has been corrected and the camera will be a lot more compliant.
Aliens
Unlike the Shepard Trilogy humanity is the alien invaders in Andromeda, the Hyperon is the only source of pink meat bags in this galaxy and the locals are not happy about the new guys. the new race
Whilst the Hyperon is the human ark ship it appears there is at least one non-human on board as players will be joined by the Asari Peebee who as you saw in the trailer doesn't appear to be like other Asari like Liara or Samara. (there is some rumour that she might have a human "father")
Peebee, part human or an Asari Teen (50 years old)
The End?
Bioware isn't talking about where this game will end, if it will feature multiple endings or if its the start of a new trilogy. The goal with Mass Effect Andromeda was to tell a "complete" story. Which gives us a sigh of relief as an increasing number of games are expecting to get the trilogy treatment and as such, we don't often get a clear ending.
Whilst Bioware isn't giving us a date outside of "spring 2017" but Dark Horse's tie-in comic is still coming "the same day as the game March 21st". Regardless Mass Effect Andromeda is available to preorder on Amazon. Mass Effect Andromeda is also confirmed to be PS4 Pro compatible which will see the game boosted to "near" 4k.
Abe's Take
I speak for most of us at GK-UK when I say "We can not wait to play this" as Bioware is building not only on the lessons learned from Mass Effect 1-3 but also Dragon Age Inquisition
The Monster Hunter franchise never really grabbed a foothold in Japan outside of the MMO -console community and the west just didn't like it, The segmented map and R stick for attacking just alienated console gamers. However releasing MH on the PSP turned the segmented map into an asset, removed the right stick and turned MH into a money printing franchise Japan. The franchise picked up more steam when the high costs of PS3 development and high Wii sales caused the franchise to switch banner, this lead to the inevitable nexus of Monster Hunter and 3DS. Now Monster Hunter is Capcom's biggest earning, spawning spin-offs and extended media, in a way that Street Fighter struggled to do.
So you can imagine our surprise when Capcom says it's unhappy. In the west handhelds only account for 10% of the market and is taking steps to "adjust" for the western market. Capcom predicts lifetime sales of Xbox One and PS4 as 50 million and 100million respectively. They believe Monster Hunter is limiting it's sales in the west by being handheld exclusive and that it must make games to "appeal to the foreign consumers"
So what does this mean? well, there was an old rumor that MH will see its main entries on PS4 and portable titles on 3DS but this to punish the core Monster Hunter audience in Japan. The Nintendo Switch seems a good fit as it fulfills both roles but its user base is going to start from scratch.
We think it's important (and worrying) that Capcom is only talking about systems sold and market share, they aren't saying the franchise is limited by the power of handhelds or handheld culture, only that there isn't enough of them over here. That creates a large shadow... there is a platform that has a huge install base and easily the ability to run a Monster Hunter game... mobile, last year 135 million iPhones was sold that one platform outsold the Capcom's predicted lifetime console sales of the PS4.
I guess we are just going have to wait to see what moves Capcom makes next.
Abe's Take
This is awfully worrying to me, this news as got the PS4 forums up in a frenzy about the "awesome" Monster Hunter game they are getting. According to them Monster Hunter on PS4 means no more segmented worlds, ditching the current gameplay for 'better' one and more welcoming to new players. Even suggesting things like XP driven level ups and life bars. Which to me and many other Monster Hunter fans doesn't sound like the game we love. Monster Hunter was some odd action game until it hit portable and everything just snapped into place,
For full disclosure: I've been playing Monster Hunter on PS2, PSP, Wii, Wii U and 3DS,
The Tomb Raider reboot series has managed to snag a good amount of classic the Tomb Raider series (such as our own Cori) and those who wasn't fans (such as me). Obviously with the 20th anniversary, the PS4 release and the DLC for Xbox Tomb Raider is on everyone's lips. Now picture this scene. You're late, your office is working on a big project with the guys in California and you're behind on your work, what do you do? Well, you jump on the train and do your work on the go, you focus on your work and get some solid work done. Sound like a win right?
Unfortunately, some chap called Tripleh280 snaps what you are working on and shares it with reddit. And suddenly you have exposed to the world the 100% unannounced-so-take-this-with-some-salt next entry in the rebooted Tomb Raider series
Okay it's a blurry picture but that reportedly says "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" The point of interest here is that the snap was taken in Montreal, which whilst is home to plenty of amazing game developers including the Edios Montreal the nifty Deus Ex reboot series it is not the home of Crystal Dynamics the masters of the rebooted Tomb Raider, that is in Califonia.
Could Edios Montreal be helping out? it's not unheard for studios to help the main one, typically multiplayer gets passed to a separate team and seeing as we rather enjoyed the multiplayer in Rise of the Tomb Raider's anniversary DLC this is preferred. However its also very possible that Edios is taking over entirely, unfortunately, we won't know till its actually announced.
Abe's Take.
We're big fans of the Tomb Raider reboot here, we've enjoyed the story, Lara's personal overhaul, and the gameplay has been fantastic. That being said we really hope the Crystal Dynamics are still taking the lead as it always takes at least one game for a new studio to "get" what the first studio's lead.
Okay, that's not the most exciting sounding title but it is something that will impact for us all going forward.
From now on Bethesda will not be providing review copies of their games anymore. Reviewers will receive their copy 1 day in advance. Here is Bethesda's statement
"At Bethesda, we value media reviews.
We read them. We watch them. We try to learn from them when they offer critique. And we understand their value to our players.
Earlier this year we released DOOM. We sent review copies to arrive the day before launch, which led to speculation about the quality of the game. Since then DOOM has emerged as a critical and commercial hit, and is now one of the highest-rated shooters of the past few years.
With the upcoming launches of Skyrim Special Edition and Dishonored 2, we will continue our policy of sending media review copies one day before release. While we will continue to work with media, streamers, and YouTubers to support their coverage – both before and after release – we want everyone, including those in the media, to experience our games at the same time.
We also understand that some of you want to read reviews before you make your decision, and if that’s the case we encourage you to wait for your favorite reviewers to share their thoughts.
Skyrim Special Edition releases globally on October 28 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Dishonored 2 releases globally on November 11 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC."
Obviously, this has upset the larger outlets as they are used to having a large amount of time to play the game before release. (a good amount do it to give the game an unrushed review, others just to enjoy their free game) but this move means big things for smaller outlets but the real winners are the Streamers and Let's Play's, these can hit the web minutes after launch and allow buyers to see raw gameplay before their purchase.
Of cause, the gamers are the most at risk, as there won't be any "full reviews" for us to use before launch. Which with Bethesda they do serve a secondary function: bugs and performance. Historically Bethesda open worlds have plenty of bugs but more importantly the studio has had issues with the Playstation versions of their games and reviews give PS gamers a chance to see if it's worth jumping in. However, to Bethesda's credit, They are suggesting anyone whose uses reviews to gauge their purchases should wait for said reviews.
Bethesda has two upcoming games Skyrim: Special Edition and Dishonored 2. We don't expect this design to affect these games too much. 90% of the Skyrim reviews will be the same as original and GOTY release, with the improved graphics and console performance shouldn't take that long to ascertain. Dishonored 2, on the other hand, is all new but is a far smaller game than Fallout or Elder Scrolls.
UNHAPPY? Take action!
Of cause it's us gamers who have the power, If you are unhappy with the idea please contact Zenimax (here) and don't forget to make your feelings known on their Facebookand Twitter.
Abe's Take
Personally, as a gamer, I'm okay with Bethesda doing this, simply because Bethesda's games are games that I take great pleasure exploring and discovering myself. Fallout 4 was a wonderful enigma to a lot of gamers but on day 1 we were blasted by IGN and Gamespot with huge guides, "don't miss this" articles and constant videos. Also, the review copies tend to be the source of story leaks and spoilers, In my case, the Fallout 4 twist was spoilt the day before launch on FB.
So, it's been 20 years to the day that Tomb Raider has graced our consoles with its presence. It goes without saying that it has become iconic and a well-known part of the gaming circle of life, who hasn't seen or heard of it, let's be honest here.
[This new content is available on Xbox One via season pass and the Anniversary edition on PS4]
With the new content for 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' recently released for such an occasion, it seems fitting to review it under the same circumstance.
There'll be writing about the multiplayer first, and then throwing 'SPOILER WARNING' for Blood Ties, because I can't honestly write about it and not talk about what happened. It's just not in me. Also, if you haven't got the DLC yet, shame on you.
Looks like Rockstar has finally ended it light teasing and is at least telling us whats going on. Introducing....
Yep Red Dead Redemption 2, apprently the third entry (yes third) is real and is coming out Autumn/Fall 2017.
Acording to the annoucement Red Dead Redemption 2 will be...
An epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland, the game's vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.
which all sounds great luckily we'll be able to SEE IT on Thursday the 20th of October when Rockstar releases an trailer for the new game. Whats interesting (and concerning to PC fans) is that Rockstar have only confirmed RDR2 for X1/PS4 and not for PC, Lets hope that this follows GTA V's path of releasing a year later and not the path of RDR1 which never did launch on PC.
Here's hoping Red Dead Redemption 2 makes use of the PS4 Pro and Xbox - Scorpio.
Abe's Take
Sounds exciting and we cant wait to see it on Thursday, I must stress how excited I am for it. However I personally an worried about the "brand new online multiplayer experience" as GTA Online was sold as a "persistent city" and had previews of player races being interrupted by another players mission's cop chase. When the reality was the city was an unchanging lobby with some activities and everything else running in a separate instance. For reference Day Z, Rust, Ark and Minecraft have persistent worlds, GTA Online (and Destiny) had consistent worlds.
Of cause that being said they never stopped with the free content for GTA Online and the single player was great.
Well this is interesting. After two days of direct but wordless teasing Rockstar has registered a new domain name and it certainly connects to an new Red Dead title.
You may want to sit down for this but trust us don't panic right away. Right ready?
The domain is for Red Dead Online. Right stop right now and move your hand away from the pitch forks and torches. I know the rather good (and well updated) Online mode to GTA gets a lot of anger from fans who desperately want some single player DLC. However the RDR's multiplayer mode was fantastic and received an fair amount of DLC alongside the amazing Undead Nightmare.
Of cause we'll be the first inline with our flaming pitchforks if its the ONLY part of this series of teases. Now as an expansion to GTA Online that comes as part of an remaster or an follow up Red Dead Online could certainly be a worth while addition, though that might have something to do with the humorous idea of fleecing people of their micro-transaction bought cash via an "friendly" game of poker.
Abe's Take
With this simple teases its nice to have something a little more detailed even if its just a web address. Rumour has it we'll be seeing a younger John Marston this Friday in a reveal trailer.
Hmm another rumour about a reveal this week... interesting (we are not suggesting RDR will come to the NX because life is never that fair)
Today's first story is a sad one. The rather great United Front Games (Sleeping Dogs, ModNation Racers) has closed. Leaving us with out an Sleeping Dogs.
The developer had an uneven history the ModNation Racers series for example was realtively poor but Sleeping Dogs was an underappreciated gem that whilst short gave GTA a run for its money. The team even worked on the Xbox One version of Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
We loved Sleeping Dogs when we reviewed it and we loved it some more when we played the remaster. It even compelled our often silent partner Himaru to chime in (still waiting on that first article BTW). Its a shame the dev's tried experimenting with an multiplayer exclusive follow up, whilst I applaud the attempt at trying something new, we at GK-UK felt it was to early to try "mixing things up" with the franchise. United Front Games has pulled their latest early access title SMASH+GRAB from steam.
If you haven't played Sleeping Dogs we highly recommend picking it up, Its currently only £10.80 on Amazon
Abe's Take.
Its a damn shame. These guys had such potential. We at GKUK wish them all the luck in the world in their future endeavours and hope we hear from them soon
Well this is just getting mean Rockstar, yesterday you teases us with a basic red splash with a black logo and now this!
Yep that looks pretty Red Dead Redemption-like to me. Hopefully Rockstar releasing these teases so quickly means an announcement it soon... Tomorrow would be a good day for a teaser. HINT HINT!
Not really sure what to add here other than please let there be an co-op mode as well! Something along the lines of FarCry 4 where the side missions and world activities was available for two players whilst the story was kept strictly single player. I wounder if this game comes with Red Dead Online (like GTA Online) the first game's multiplayer mode was an stepping stone for GTA V's offering.
Abe's Take Finally an new Red Dead! (Don't make me a liar Rockstar)
Rockstar posted the above which is instantly recognisable as the very same style of Red Dead Redemption. Could Rockstar be teasing the long rumoured sequel to the multi award winning game? They better be!
Both Red Dead Redemption and its Zombie spin off easily hit Game Knights UK's top 5 games of all time and is certainly our favourite of all of Rockstar's excellent offerings.
Now if you haven't played Red Dead Redemption (whats wrong with you!) then it can currently be played on Xbox One via Backwards Compatibility (as of yet RDR is not on Sony's PSNow service).
So what could this tease mean? RDR sequel, a PC release, a remaster or even RDR content for GTA Online? (personally I'd bundle those last three together) hopefully the answer wont be to long of a wait.
Microsoft has finally announced September's Games With Gold and... its an odd bunch.
On the Xbox One front we are being treated to two download titles. First up is Earthlock: Festival of Magic, a title we actually backed on Kickstarter (the developers have since stated Xbox One backers can opt to save their code for the next chapter). Earthlock sells its self as a JRPG with a dash of Harvest Moon. Earthlock will be exclusive to Xbox One for one month
In Earthlock you grow the protagonist's ammo such as the deadly catshot.
Starting on the 15th gamers will be able to download Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China. This is the first entry in the Chronicles series and sees us taking on the role of the franchise's first playable female Assassin and Ezio's apprentice Shao Jun. Unlike the mainline entries the Chronicles series goes back to its ancient route (Prince of Persia) as an 2D platformer but filled with stealth kills.
Whilst on the 360 first we'll be getting the first Forza Horizon, the surprisingly great open world festival of racing spin off to the main series. It will be interesting how well the game holds up in light of Horizon 2 and 3's. Whilst the graphics will be lesser the franchise has always had pitch perfect gameplay.
On the 15th EA's cult classic Mirror's Edge. Whilst the Mirror's Edge gun play feels heavy (and very Battlefield-y) in comparison to the games melee, it more than makes up for it in its adrenaline fueled parkour.
Abe's TakeIt's a little distressing that this month's GwG doesn't feature a retail releases for X1 and once again another Indie title I was excited for on Wii U is getting an free release on X1. However as a backer who was delighted with all the work the team has done I am excited that so many people will be able to check it out.
So Microsoft recently released the rather lovely Xbox One S but obviously has some spare time before Project Scorpio launches next year, so what have they given their design team to do? Introducing the Xbox One...S...ie.
Yes this is actually a thing, well according to Xbox Australia Xbox Onesie's are a real thing.
So what dose the marvelous fashion statements do, aside from making you look like an Assassin Guinea Pig held by Abstergo? Well MS has nicely give out a spec-sheet for them
Enlarged pockets to fit your Xbox Controller and Media Remotes.
Arm pouch to offer quick and easy access to your mobile phone.
Roll-able legs and arms to cater for all temperatures and seasons.
Forearm grips to prevent slipping on those ‘edge of your seat’ moments.
Extra-large hood to accommodate headsets for the ultimate gaming sessions.
Customised Gamertag embroidery
Availiable in white and black
Whether we'll actually get to be able to buy these is up for debate. Xbox AUS claims its serious about these gaming PJs however there is no link to buy, pre-order, or register interest. IF these are truly coming out in the land down under then I would imagine they would also launch elsewhere too. (if not I'm sure the craft folk will quickly create their own)
If you home life doesn't look like this join my in some light crying.
If it does look like this well done and get out! we dont need your mockery.
Abe's Take
I hate this. I mean look at them big pockets and big hoods, yay innovation worthy of the gods. I also hate myself because I think I might need the white one in my life. Lets face it you walk into a room wearing one of these and the others know your not going to do anything today. No point in asking you to move stuff or do the cleaning you are clearly on a gaming mission and are far to busy to be involed in that day to day "adulting" nonsense
Sorry for the delay, internet trouble delayed our articles. Microsoft had a solid e3 this year and there was a certain confidence in the presentation. lets break down the news.
Integration Everywhere
There was a defiantly different tone to this years E3, Microsoft trailing behind their rival seems to of made them look in and change things up. The first thing that hit us was there new initiative "play anywhere" which isn't game streaming, instead it's cross buy, cross play, and cross save initiative between Xbox One and Windows 10. It appears that all of Microsoft's upcoming exclusives will be part of the initiative. If you buy the digital version of any of these titles from either the Windows Store or Xbox Store you get it for the other store for free. Your saves and achievements freely flow between the two platforms. Even the new controller with the Xbox One S (more on that in a moment) features wireless and Bluetooth tech, which allows it to be used across devices.
Even Minecraft is enjoying an greater integration with all the mobile versions (Win 10, Android, iOS and Gear VR) are now enabled with cross play via Xbox Live, achievements and compatibility with Minecraft Realms (dedicated servers so your friends can access your world even if your offline).
This integration focus was an important set up to this next bit.
Hardware for All
First up was the Xbox One S, A slimmed down version of the Xbox One The 40% smaller size isn't the only change. First the S will feature 4k video support for those who have lovely 4k TVs, HDR game support which is basically bringing contrast and colours closer to the human eye. (More Details on HDR HERE), The new pad can be customised on their website (which isn't active yet) and as mentioned before isn't limited to the Xbox.
Some additional information that hit later, The S features an IR blaster (so your Xbox acts as a remote) because the S dose not have the Kinect port but the there will be a USB adapter for upgrading users.
The Xbox One S have a staggered launch of its three flavours 500GB - £249, 1TB £299 and 2TB £349 (for comparison fat Xbox One is £229 for the 500GB and £256 for 1TB on Amazon) with the 2TB launching in August. The others should filter in by Christmas.
The Xbox Scropio was their final announcement that we'll talk about early. As you can see third party devs are excited for the prospect of console this powerful featuring a 6 Teraflop GPU (I'll post a graph shortly for easy comparisons) and an 8 core CPU. In realistic terms you're looking at 5 to 6 time the power of an Xbox One.
As you can you see the Xbox Scorpio is an entire PS4's worth more powerful than the leaked specs, of cause there is nothing stopping Sony from pushing more power before either system launches next year.
In terms of features Microsoft wants the Scorpio to handle games at 4k without up-scaling and run VR without stripping down the graphics or functionality matching the PC VR experience. MS didn't reveal if they will be launching their own headset or will be stepping up their partnership with Oculus. There is an interesting counter point regarding VR, during the video Tod Howard mentions bringing Fallout VR to it but its currently being said that its Vive exclusive.
Bringing the first part of the article back again. Microsoft has confirmed the Xbox One, Xbox One S, And Xbox Scorpio will share the same game library and accessories. After the event confirmed that non-Scorpio optimised games will run on the new machine games should also benefit from the extra grunt especially games that use unlocked frame rates and/or dynamic resolution such as Witcher 3 and Halo 5, these games on Scorpio will run at their maximum FPS and/or resolution. [NOTE: Currently Sony is saying that games without a "Neo"mode will not run on their machine BUT this could easily change]
There are some concerns though. Obviously price comes screaming to mind the specs alone will push it in the £500- £700 bracket (£500 being an extremely generous estimation assume AMD Polaris tech) and that's assuming there isn't an VR (headset/motion control) component included in the box. I also worry about competitive play with original X1's and the S. 4k players would effectively have longer/clearer line of sight than their... lesser siblings. Lastly Microsoft's language suggests that there will be more "families" beyond the Xbox One suggesting they are shifting to a similar launch pattern as iPhone and Galaxy phones, hopefully they create clear cut off points for the systems.
Anyway on to the games
Gears 4
Gears showed of some campaign co-op on stage, the level in question show cased some pretty extreme weather that makes us question why people ever settled on that world. Microsoft confirmed that PC and Xbox players will be be able to play co-op modes together including the all new Horde 3.0, sadly we did not see horde in action. Microsoft also announced Gears 4 will support HDR on Xbox One S and showed off a bloody Gears edition of the Elite pad. It's since been confirmed pre-ordering Gears 4 nets you the 4 360 games
Sea of Thieves
Easily my highlight of the show, Rares first "real" game since Nutz 'n' Boltz impressed us no end. The games highly stylized graphics defy the tutorial free multiplayer. Its shaping up to be an fantstic multiplayer experience. Honestly its hard to discus it with out showing you, so check out the gameplay footage below.
Scalebound
Scalebound also impressed with a co-op (yes the game features 4 player dragon rider co-op) boss fight featuring Platinum games largest ever boss fight, which will certain make Bayonetta 2 fans pay attention. It's till unclear how much of the game is actually co-op, it appears to be limited to boss fights but that seems awkward to set up if everyone is doing something else in game.
Interestingly Scalebound was previously confirmed as Xbox exclusive is coming to the Play Anywhere imitative. Now it's possible that the game could come to Steam but I suspect it will be exclusive to the Windows Store.
Forza Horizon 3
Forza made its traditional appearance, however it wasn't the usual show and tell. Microsoft used Forza Horizon 3 to show case the Play Anywhere imitative. You had four players each playing FH3 on a different set up; Xbox One, Xbox One S, a mid-range PC (using an X1S pad) and a top of the range 4k PC with a steering wheel. Each player was doing their own stuff in their own worlds before the X1 player sent out an invite for the game's co-op enabled campaign. The invite was answered by the other three stage players. It was pretty cool to see them all play together.
FH3 is set in Australia and looks absolutely glorious even on the old rickety Xbox One (I jest), they seem to be using the setting to its fullest with players racing through cities, deserts and jungles. Which combined with co-op gave us all at GK-UK Top Gear flashes.
Dead Rising 4
Dead Rising 4 is a true sequel and not a remake as previously rumoured, though both Dead Rising 1's star (the surprisingly young looking 54 year old) Frank West and and setting Willamette do return. This new entry sees Frank "I've covered wars you know" West return to Willamette mall in a fresh outbreak around Black Friday (hey that's familiar) so there is plenty of Christmas zombie joy to be had. The new game world isn't just the old one jazzed up, DR4's world is described as 60% mall and 40% city. DR4 will feature even more crazy weapons (including an exosuit) but to counter this there are more zombie types, well 3. The Horde: The classic Dead Rising shambling corpses. The fresh: these are only recently turned zombies and as such they are faster and can follow Frank up and over obstacles. Finally the EVO: which appear to be human/zombie hybrids which are being likened to Jurassic Park's Raptors, with them being able to work together and with the horde, letting the masses wear you down and strike when your weakened. Another addition is Frank's ability to take selfies which according to the press at E3 is an hilarious edition. Dead Rising 4 will launch this year... at Christmas ins't that lucky!
State of Decay
State of Decay was one of my favourite games on X1, you may remember us mentioning it.... several times. Microsoft treated us with a trailer for the sequel with the tagline: Nobody survives alone. Which got our hopes up for co-op the only clearing omission from the original game.
Undead Labs quickly confirmed SoD 2 will feature 4 player co-op, with "guests" playing as survivors from their own game saves and get to take a share of the rewards back. I can't explain how much I am want to play this game, to share the inky viscus dread with three others will be the best bounding/torment.
Halo Wars 2
Creative Assembly (Total War) and 343i's follow up is shaping up pretty well, MS is saying that fan demand is the main reason for the spin off's resurrection. There is a public beta live right now and the game will launch properly February 21st (FYI Feb '17 is going be crazy busy)
Its being reported that those who pre-order will get Halo Wars: Definitive Edition for Xbox One and PC suggesting that this isn't a bundled 360 game but an remaster.
Xbox Live Update
MS announced a trio of new features coming to Xbox Live: Clubs: kinda like Facebook groups, used as an area for you to find like minded Gamer., Looking for Group: seems to exist as an dig at Destiny's lack of Raid matchmaking. You'll be able to post "adverts" saying exactly what your looking for in a group and people can "sign up" if they feel they meet your requirements. Finally there is Arena which is fairly self explanatory Tournament system but importantly these wont be limited to just publishers as Gamers themselves can set up and run their own tournaments
Assorted other stuff
Here we are at the end of our round up and heres a splattering of stuff not covered above
Tekken 7 IS coming to X1 in 2017, Tekken Tag 2 is currently free for Gold members.
Playdead's new game Inside will launch June 29th, Their first game Limbo is free on Xbox One
Witcher's Gwent is getting it's own game!
Final Fantasy XV has a gameplay footage to show off the games new combat... it went badly.
Recore will launch this September and looks... good but slightly indie.
Whilst Phantom Dust reboot is dead Microsoft is remastering the orginal for Xbox One
And thats about it really, here lets end on the new controller's multiple looks
