Xbox

•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."

Around 650 people are reportedly being laid off from Microsoft's gaming team, according to an email allegedly sent to staff by Xbox head Phil Spencer.

As reported by Game File, Spencer calls today "one of the challenging days" in his email, in which he says that the decision to cut staff was made as part of the company "aligning our post-acquisition team structure and managing our business," and to "organize our business for long term success."

The email reportedly states that the roles affected are "mostly corporate and supporting functions," and Game File adds that, according to a source familiar with the situation, this will mostly affect Activision Blizzard staff. In addition, it's reported that no business unit leaders at Xbox or any of its affiliated gaming-related teams will be affected.

Spencer allegedly goes on to say that no game studios are being closed as part of these latest layoffs, and no "games, devices or experiences are being canceled," even if "there are some impacts to other teams as they adapt to shifting priorities and manage the lifecycle and performance of games."

It's already been a challenging year for Microsoft Gaming employees. Back in January, it was announced that around 1,900 people from across the Activision Blizzard, Zenimax, and Xbox teams were being laid off. Later, it was announced that studios Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks were being closed, too (although the latter was later revived by Krafton).

In today's email, Spencer reportedly says the company is "deeply grateful for the contributions of our colleagues," noting that affected staff will be supported with "exit packages" that include "severance, extended healthcare, and outplacement services" in the US, and adds: "I know that going through more changes like this is hard, but even in the most trying times, this team has been able to come together and show one another care and kindness as we work to continue delivering for our players."

I get it's a business and they need to do business things. And I'm not sure if it's the new Microsoft head or Phil's been around long enough to see himself become the villain, but man is Xbox making some questionable decisions.

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.

Microsoft has launched a new Game Pass tier, Xbox Game Pass Standard, which includes access to hundreds of games and online multiplayer but no day one releases.

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced big changes to Xbox Game Pass, with a new tier called Xbox Game Pass Standard replacing Game Pass for Console for new subscribers. Xbox Game Pass Standard is available now, and there's quite a substantial difference in what the new tier offers in terms of features and the library of games compared to the previous.

Xbox Game Pass Standard launches with a library of 370 games and online multiplayer Xbox Game Pass Standard launches without Starfield, Hellblade 2, and more

Xbox Game Pass Standard is priced at $14.99/£10.99 and gives subscribers access to a library of 370 games and online multiplayer. However, with this tier, day one releases are not included, so you won't see games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle drop into Standard upon release. Microsoft has confirmed that it can take up to a year or more before day one releases join Xbox Game Pass Standard.

As for what games are currently included with Xbox Game Pass Standard, it appears that some major releases are missing. Compared to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which boasts 506 console games in its library (including EA Play titles), Xbox Game Pass Standard features 370 games and does not include big games such as Starfield, Hellblade 2, Forza Motorsport, Diablo IV, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. As per Vixolus on ResetEra, here is the full list of games not included with Xbox Game Pass Standard:

Games not currently included with Xbox Game Pass Standard

Age of Mythology: Retold Standard Edition

Another Crab's Treasure

Botany Manor

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III

Core Keeper

Creatures of Ava

Diablo IV

Dungeons Of Hinterberg

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn

Flock

Forza Motorsport

Galacticare

Go Mecha Ball

Harold Halibut

Hauntii

Humanity

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess

Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview)

Little Kitty, Big City

Magical Delicacy

MLB The Show 24 Xbox One

MLB The Show 24 Xbox Series X|S

Neon White

Octopath Traveler II

Open Roads

Payday 3

PlateUp!

Robin Hood - Sherwood Builders

Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends

Sea of Solitude

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II

Slime Rancher 2

SpiderHeck

Star Trucker

Starfield

Still Wakes the Deep

Tchia

The Case of the Golden Idol

The Rewinder

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank

Valorant

You Suck at Parking

While You Suck at Parking, SpiderHeck, Slime Rancher 2, and Payday 3 are obviously not included because they are leaving Xbox Game Pass in September, it's surprising to see the likes of Starfield and Forza Motorsport are not a part of Standard.

Embracer-owned studio Lost Boys Interactive is facing another round of layoffs.

Writing on LinkedIn, the studio said it had "made the very difficult decision to reduce our overall headcount in accordance with local laws and consultation processes". It noted Lost Boys needed to "adapt to shifting market conditions" within the video game industry, which has seen multiple layoffs and studio closures in recent years.

Lost Boys said it is "committed to supporting our affected staff in finding new positions as quickly as possible". Additionally, Lost Boys will "collaborate with other studios and recruiters to help connect them with job opportunities" (thanks, VGC).

Again with these Embracer pricks.

I was excited to see this game get released on Game Pass, as I loved the original and SnowRunner. However, after putting several hours in, I get this weird sense that the physics have been changed somehow. It certainly doesn't feel the same as SnowRunner. Anyone else?

Join director Ryosuke Murai for a look at some of the features you can expect from Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, including various outfits from various Capcom games, skateboarding through the mall, a "Psychopath" boss fight, and a peek at the alternate game mode called "Infinity mode," where you try to survive for as long as possible in this remaster of the action game.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will be available on PS5 (PlayStation 5), Xbox Series X/S, and PC on September 19, 2024 (digital), and physical versions will be available on November 8, 2024.

With Dragon Age: The Veilguard's October release looming, BioWare is starting to discuss the finer details of its latest fantasy RPG. And its newest deep-dive provides a look at how progression will work for protagonist Rook and the companions they'll meet along the way.

Rook's progression systems won't, it has to be said, be much of a surprise to anyone that's had even the faintest brush with a video game in the last decade. Players do stuff, earn XP, gain a new Skill Point each level, then spend them to unlock new abilities on a skill tree.

BioWare's latest blog post does, however, go a little deeper into the minutiae of things - explaining, for instance, that the biggest experience boost comes from completing quests, although there's still XP to be earn from combat and exploration. Of more interest, though, are the particulars of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's skill tree.

Star Wars Outlaws is the first open-world Star Wars game ever, but it seems that this galactic low-life adventure isn't quite living up to sales expectations. 

Ubisoft's share price has fallen 12.6% since Outlaws released on August 27, and it now sits at the lowest level since 2015.

Ubisoft's sales target for Star Wars Outlaws is unclear--the company didn't announce a public number--but the market results indicate that it's not a hit. Per Reuters, JP Morgan analyst Daniel Kerven said that the game has "struggled to meet sales expectations despite positive critical reviews." The analyst lowered his sales expectations for the game from 7.5 million to 5.5 million through March 2025, noting that Outlaws' budget was at least 30% higher than last year's Assassin's Creed Mirage.

Outlaws isn't the only game weighing on Ubisoft's stock price. Initial interest in the company's free-to-play online shooter XDefiant has cooled off in recent months, which contributed to the slide. Ubisoft's next major release will come on November 15 with Assassin's Creed Shadows, the feudal-Japan-themed entry that fans have been asking for for years.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Microsoft has again confirmed the delay to the Xbox release of Black Myth: Wukong is not due to "platform limitations".

Game Science's action-RPG was released last month on PC and PS5, but the Xbox version was delayed for an unknown reason. Speculation grew the developer was struggling to run the game on the Series S console, while other rumours suggested the game was in fact a PlayStation console exclusive.

A representative from Microsoft has now confirmed to Forbes the game is still on the way, though it won't comment "on the deals made by our partners with other platform holders".

Read more

A huge remake of an RTS classic!

Welcome to another Xbox Game Pass update! Today, Microsoft is dropping a big first-party release in the form of Age of Mythology: Retold; the team's new remake of an RTS classic.

We recently posted our full review of this remake, so we'll drop a link to that down below, alongside a quick introduction to the title and what it has to offer on Xbox Game Pass.

Relevant part:

Unfortunately, at this time, we have to announce an indefinite delay of the Xbox version.

We understand how disappointing this news is to the Xbox community. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and the hard work of our dedicated team, we’ve encountered challenges that have delayed our release on the Xbox platform. We want to emphasize that this is not a decision we’ve made lightly.

We apologize for any disappointment this may cause and sincerely thank you for your understanding and patience. As a self-published indie studio, your support means everything to us, and we are dedicated to bringing Enotria to as many players as possible.

"I've made some of the worst game choice decisions".

During PAX West 2024, Xbox boss Phil Spencer hosted a 'Story Time' chat about the gaming industry, discussing many different aspects of the business - including some of Xbox's history. In that chat, Phil was asked about some of the biggest games that Microsoft 'missed out' on signing up, and the boss mentioned two popular series that went on to live for years to come.

When they were being conceptualised by their individual dev teams, Xbox was pitched to publish both Destiny and Guitar Hero. At the time, Destiny dev Bungie had only just split with Microsoft, so that one perhaps makes more sense - but the boss goes into a bit more detail on the team skipping over Guitar Hero.

Read the full article on purexbox.com

With a discount for owners of the Xbox One version.

You know the Xbox One version of the LEGO Harry Potter Collection? The one that was remastered for the console back in 2018 following the Xbox 360 versions? Yeah... it's getting another remaster for Xbox Series X|S this October.

This one is specifically called the Remastered LEGO Harry Potter Collection, and it features all the same content as the Xbox One release along with two DLC packs. The main attraction is definitely the 60FPS gameplay along with native 4K resolution (possibly including Series S as well?), along with haptic feedback and high-resolution shadow maps.

Voice acting legend Jennifer Hale, who's appeared in the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, and more, has commented on the ongoing video game strikes and the threat of artificial intelligence.

Hale told Variety that "AI is coming for us all" and is a key factor behind the current Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes, though something that makes things particularly difficult.

"The truth is, AI is just a tool like a hammer," she said. "If I take my hammer, I could build you a house. I can also take that same hammer and I can smash your skin and destroy who you are.”

Hale continued: "If you use something that originated in our body or our voices, can we please get paid?” Because now you’re using technology to take away our ability to feed our kids.

"What I wish everyone would do was keep asking the actual question, which is: 'There’s a lot of money being made here. Where is it going?’ And in the current setup, the way our system operates, and this whole idea of shareholder supremacy, it’s flowing to the 1%. If you flow so much money, you can’t even feed the people who made it possible."

Hale revealed in October 2023 she was paid just $1,200 for her role as Naomi Hunter in the original Metal Gear Solid, a game which eventually grossed $176 million for publisher Konami (and is still making the company money through myriad re-releases).

The disparity between Hale's alleged payment and the success of Metal Gear Solid is "indicative of what's happening in modern culture", she said, adding she hopes the standard for these payments changes.

Many voice actors have expressed how AI adds to this disparity, as companies can now generate voices and other work without having to pay anyone but the companies behind the AI itself, despite them pulling from real people like Hale.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt lead Doug Cockle similarly expressed caution and frustration at the growing presence of artificial intelligence within the video game industry, calling it "inevitable" but "dangerous".

Cissy Jones, a voice actor known for her roles in Disney's Owl House, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Shin Megami Tensei 5, and more, has started a company called Morpheme.ai to let voice actors embrace AI and gain control of their own voices going forward. Though the odds still appear stacked against them.

Voice actors have previously called out AI-generated explicit Skyrim mods, and Assassin's Creed Syndicate voice actress Victoria Atkin called AI-generated mods the “invisible enemy we're fighting right now” after discovering her voice was used by cloning software. Paul Eiding, the voice actor behind Colonel Campbell in the Metal Gear Solid series, also condemned its use.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers have answered the most urgently thirsty questions about the RPG fourquel, confirming that there will be a Baldur's gate 3-style toggle to turn nudity on and off during the game's more frisky scenes.

"There is a toggle for on/off nudity," game director Corinne Busche said in a recent Discord Q&A. "That is one of the settings we have - and we'll be going deeper into settings and accessibility as we get a little bit closer to launch."

Busche elaborates that the character creator will also let players customize Rook's underwear, or underclothes, to decide "whether that exposes your chest or your breasts." Dragon Age: The Veilguard's default option is to have nudity turned on, though, "but at any point, you can toggle the setting to be non-nudity and it will overwrite your undergarments."

Since Baldur's Gate 3 set players loose to seduce vampires, bears, and any other manner of vaguely sexy fantasy denizens, there's definitely been an uptick in interest over how romantic RPGs are now - to the point where Busche previously teased nudity in The Veilguard like it was a sparkly feature.

While we know that topless nudity is definitely a thing in this version of Thedas, confirming whether "bottom nudity" was also featured apparently veered too closely into spoilery territory, as the studio said it wants fans to discover that for themselves when the time comes.

In less thirsty news, BioWare recently revealed all of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's different editions for when it finally comes out on October 31. The Collector's Edition is a whopping $150, includes tons of fun merch, but not the game itself. Meanwhile, the Deluxe Edition got the EA special with 23-exclusive cosmetics, pre-order armor, and three art book editions.

After our first taste of Borderlands 4 with the Gamescom announcement trailer, the devs took to the stage at PAX to talk a little bit more about the upcoming loot shooter. They didn't reveal a whole lot of concrete details, but they did confirm that the new game will stick to series tradition with four new Vault Hunters, and provided a bit of insight into their design philosophy on the new characters.

"We will have four brand new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4," chief creative officer Randy Varnell confirmed, to the mock surprise of the developers gathered on the PAX stage. Every Borderlands game up to this point - even the Pre-Sequel - has introduced four new playable characters that essentially serve as player class selections, so the new game won't be a dramatic departure in that regard.

"When we look at the Vault Hunters, the first thing that we always try to look at is 'what are some fundamental promises and fantasies that players might have that we want to explore?'" creative director Graeme Timmins explained. "Some examples might be - starting way back on BL1 - like a soldier fantasy. Straightforward, FPS-style character, carried on to Axton. Another premise might be our Sirens. Our Sirens speak to a mage or sorcerer fantasy in our very sci-fi world."

Between each game, Timmins said, Gearbox aims to keep the core identity of these class archetypes while providing fresh twists on that formula. "Our Sirens have been very ranged in some of their abilities, but then in BL3, we wanted to flip that concept from what Maya was, to Amara - she went more physical and melee based. So even though we have some similar promises, we think it's important that we switch it up and not do just rote designs, game to game."

Timmins believes that managing approachability and complexity are very important for designing each set of Vault Hunters. "I think our RPG side of the game is so important," he said. "Just like our first-person side, where we're always looking to expand and add depth, we're doing that on the RPG side, but we don't want to do that at the cost of complexity. I always look at our characters and [try to] understand, between their action skills, how much management might be happening when you press the action skill button. Is it just fire and forget? That's great - it's a simple return on your investment. Or to get the most value out of this character, do you have to manage your action skill?"

We'll find out how this all plays out in practice when Borderlands 4 launches sometime in 2025.

Here's the latest list of Xbox Game Pass announcements for September 2024. We're expecting more games to be announced for September as the month rolls on.

September 3 - Star Trucker - Console, PC, TBD

September 4 - Age of Mythology: Retold - Console, PC, Cloud

September 5 - Expeditions: A MudRunner Game - Console, PC, TBD

September 11 - Riders Republic - Console, PC, TBD

September 17 - Train Sim World 5 - Console, PC, TBD

September 20 - Frostpunk 2 - PC

September 24 - Ara: History Untold - PC

Along with these, we'll be losing two batches of games from Xbox Game Pass in September 2024. Neither of these have been revealed as of yet, but we've made some predictions about what might leave

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19234122

Destiny had the same thing... If you could shoot from the Sparrow there'd be no reason to do anything else.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19006113

Rumors say the next Xbox will be a handheld. As while MS executives say it will be their most powerful system yet. Which is it? This video speculates on what this all could mean

It's been two years since Mafia developer Hangar 13 confirmed it was working on a new entry in its open-world crime series, and the time has finally come for it to be revealed to the world. It's called Mafia: The Old Country and is heading to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC next year.

While 2016's Mafia 3 shunted the series forward in time to the late 60s (the first two games spanned the 1930s, 40s, and 50s between them), The Old Country is going backward, presenting players with a "gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily."

"Fight to survive in this dangerous and unforgiving era," teases the scant bit of blurb accompanying today's teaser trailer, "with action brought to life by the authentic realism and rich storytelling that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for."