!.07-Xbox Wire |
- A World of Wonder: Play the Balan Wonderworld Demo Today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One
- Getting Resourceful with Prison Architect: Going Green
- Free Play Days – Madden NFL 21, Terraria, and Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker
- Minecraft Releases Free Sustainability City Map Inspired by Microsoft’s Sustainability Report
- The Yakuza Remastered Collection Hits Xbox Today in Glorious HD
- Huge Fun and Huge Discounts Await in the THQ Nordic and Handy Games 2021 Xbox Store Sale
- Dead Cells: Fatal Falls DLC Available Now on Xbox One
- Inside Xbox Series X|S Optimized: Rogue Company
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 5 Now Live
| A World of Wonder: Play the Balan Wonderworld Demo Today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One Posted: 28 Jan 2021 09:00 AM PST 2020 was a year many of us will want to forget. With the arrival of 2021, what better way to launch headfirst into a new year than with the arrival of Balan Wonderworld, an exciting, brand new IP from Square Enix. Balan Wonderworld is an all action, all adventure 3D platformer where you can explore 12 amazing worlds, discover over 80 different costumes each with their own unique abilities and play alongside that special person in your life with 2 player co-op. But Balan Wonderworld has one other totally unique ingredient that makes it so special – it tackles head on all those real-world niggling worries and anxieties that we all have. From fear and loneliness to weakness or just feeling different, Balan Wonderworld incorporates these emotions into its gameplay and it's up to you to step into the mysterious Balan Theatre and help its inhabitants balance their emotions.  To celebrate the release of the Balan Wonderworld demo today on the Xbox Store, we caught up with Noriyoshi Fujimoto from Square Enix, the producer for this game for a Q & A about what makes the game so special. Hello, I'm Noriyoshi Fujimoto from Square Enix, and I'm the producer for this game. Thank you for playing the demo of Balan Wonderworld. This demo is just one bit of the game, but in it you can experience one of the main distinctive features of the game – switching between different costumes as you explore stages where all kind of mechanics await you. Balan Wonderworld is easy to play, regardless of whether or not you are good at action games, and you can also play cooperatively with two players. I hope that playing this game makes you feel happy!  Rob Lightbody: Where did the idea of using 'balancing emotions' come from as one of the games unique USPs? Noriyoshi Fujimoto: Since the early stages of working on the game's concept, "balance" has been a major keyword in the development of Balan Wonderworld. This idea led to the concepts of incorporating changes in the balance between positivity and negativity into the game's world; creating mechanics in the stages that rely on balance; and for each action from a costume to have a corresponding and opposite action. The names of two characters in the game, Balan and Lance, also come from the word balance.  When it comes to the idea of "balancing emotions", I think we all face little worries and problems in our daily lives. Anyone can feel negative at times. As we worked on the development of Balan Wonderworld, our hope was that playing the game and sharing the negative worries of the cast members in each chapter, and then sharing in how these problems are resolved and changed into something positive, would help players to feel positive themselves. Rob Lightbody: How did you decide on which emotions to pair with which characters. Do you have a favourite? Noriyoshi Fujimoto: We included a variety of themes that different people from all around the would be able to relate to and feel close to. My personal favourite is Chapter 10 with the story of "The Artist with Painter's block." It is a story about an artist who, as she become more famous, gradually draws less and less of what she really wants to draw and draws more of what would please the people around her. Then, she gradually starts to think about why she draws, and whether she's drawing the art that she truly wants to draw. This is a familiar story to creators, who tend to have this worry, and so it made me think about this situation again. At the same time, I also felt like it gave me a solution and a way to feel positive about it.  If this has you excited, then download the Balan Wonderworld demo now on the Xbox Store. And to add to the excitement, if you play the demo now you also obtain the bonus 'X Launcher' costume in the full game on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S if you have play data from the demo. We hope you enjoy playing the demo until the full game releases on March 26 for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S!   BALAN WONDERWORLD DemoSQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. This game supports Smart Delivery, and can be played on both Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. ■Welcome to a wondrous all-action show, the likes of which has never been seen before! BALAN WONDERWORLD is a wondrous action platformer game themed around the Balan Theatre. Led by the enigmatic maestro named Balan, the stars of the show Emma and Leo will use special abilities from a multitude of characterful costumes as they adventure in the bizarre and imaginary land of Wonderworld. Here memories and vistas from the real world mix with the things that people hold dear. Twelve different tales await our stars in the Wonderworld, each with their own unique quirks. They will explore all corners of these labyrinthine stages, filled with a myriad of tricks and traps, to get to the heart of each story. ■Wonderworld exists in people's hearts and imagination The setting for this tale is the fantastic, bizarre land of Wonderworld; a place where people's happy and positive memories mix with their restless worries and negativity. Leo and Emma are led into Wonderworld by the mysterious clown Balan and set off on a journey to find what is important to them. Before they can return to the real world, they must first restore the lost balance in their hearts… ■Over 80 different costumes open up all the action you could want! The stars of the show can use powers from the inhabitants of Wonderworld by wearing their colourful costumes, with over 80 different ones to try on! Bash your enemies, walk in the air, freeze time or manipulate all kinds of objects… the possibilities are endless when you pick up a new costume. ■Two Legendary Creators Reunite! Come one, come all and enjoy the pinnacle of Square Enix storytelling in an all-action world of wonder created by the legendary Naka Yuji. For the first time in 20 years Naka Yuji and Oshima Naoto join forces forming the BALAN COMPANY team; founded around, bringing together action game development, video and music production professionals from both inside and outside of the company. Getting Resourceful with Prison Architect: Going Green The Yakuza Remastered Collection Hits Xbox Today in Glorious HD Huge Fun and Huge Discounts Await in the THQ Nordic and Handy Games 2021 Xbox Store Sale  |
| Getting Resourceful with Prison Architect: Going Green Posted: 28 Jan 2021 08:30 AM PST Hello, Architects! We're kicking off the new year with a fresh start (pun intended)! We've got three big pieces of news to share with you:
To celebrate, I want to give you an inside look at some of the content that's now available for Prison Architect on Xbox One! Going Green gives Wardens the tools to create more sustainable compounds. The introduction of farming allows Wardens to grow produce, including apples, wheat and potatoes. And with new gameplay mechanics, comes more thematic contraband to keep you alert.  Let's start at the heart of Going Green – farming. You can now grow fruits and vegetables, creating a more self-sustaining prison. In addition to seeds and dirt, you'll also need Farmers to tend to the crops. While farming is mostly fun and games, prisoners will sometimes plant some… non-regulation seeds to grow herbs. I'll let you fill in the blanks. Other prisoners will also swipe wheat and brew jailhouse Booze in their own cells. So stay vigilant – and watch out for any prisoners that seem a little too interested in the new Pantry and Farmer's Field.  We wouldn't be "going green" if we didn't also talk about Green Energy! Solar, Wind, and Solar/Wind hybrid power sources are available, making your compounds energy efficient. Energy can be sold back to the grid – so it's green in more ways than one! The Glasshouse is a free content update available for all players on Xbox One. We've been listening to our players and we know that the game's UX/UI is a bit… dated. The Glasshouse officially jumpstarts our mission to update the interface, making it more modern and intuitive.  We're starting by expanding the sorting methods for the objects menu, allowing players to further sort the items listed. With the Going Green expansion, a new info help system has also been added which provides info on the new features and mechanics. But there's more! The Glasshouse adds sustainable walls, flooring, and more, which you can use to customize your Green compounds. There's even a Recycling station because every little bit helps.  We'd be lying if we didn't say the real stars of The Glasshouse are the additional K9 Units. That's right, there's even more guard dog varieties in the game — imagine the Bowtie Bandit "paw-trolling" around. Just look at him! Well, there you have it Wardens! We're excited to welcome all our new players who are trying the game out for the first time with Xbox Game Pass and welcome back our veteran Wardens who want to check out the new content. Hope you're ready to get your hands dirty and earn your green thumb!  Prison Architect – Going GreenParadox Interactive $9.99 Prepare to get your hands dirty Wardens! Prison Architect: Going Green brings agriculture to your compound, introducing farming, produce exports, and a whole bunch of contraband. Key Features Fruits of Labor: Farming introduces a new type of Prison Labor, allowing prisons to grow potatoes, wheat, apples, and more. Produce can be exported or used as ingredients for inmate meals. Room to Grow: Three outdoor rooms facilitate farming: Fruit Orchard, Farm Field and Vegetable Allotment. But that's not all, players can recruit staff Farm Workers, build a Pantry to store produce, and construct a Shed to house farming-related items. Best Buds: Inmates who enjoy nature's beauty can grow flowers and other plants recreationally. Gardening affects inmates and gives them a positive recreation activity. Trouble is Brewing: With new crops comes new contraband. Prisoners can now secretly grow herbs in the fields and swipe kitchen ingredients to brew Booze. Fields can also become Gang Turf, so keep your guards on alert! A Greener New Deal: Prisons get an eco-friendly makeover with Solar, Wind, and Solar/Wind Hybrid power sources. Excess power created by these sustainable methods can be sold back to the grid using the Power Export Meter. A World of Wonder: Play the Balan Wonderworld Demo Today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One The Yakuza Remastered Collection Hits Xbox Today in Glorious HD Huge Fun and Huge Discounts Await in the THQ Nordic and Handy Games 2021 Xbox Store Sale  |
| Free Play Days – Madden NFL 21, Terraria, and Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker Posted: 28 Jan 2021 08:00 AM PST Hit the gridiron and celebrate the biggest game of the year; grab your sword and shovel to build, fight, and explore; battle as a team in the fan-favorite franchise, all in this weekend's Free Play Days. Madden NFL 21, Terraria, and Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker are all available for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday, January 28 at 12:01 a.m. PST until Sunday, January 31 at 11:59 p.m. PST. How to Start Playing Find and install the games here on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Live Gold membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and enter the Gold member area to locate the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One. Keep the Fun Going Purchase the games and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and earned achievements during the event! Please note that discount percentage may vary by region. Game Details
Madden NFL 21 Terraria Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker Don't miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news. Related:No Changes to Xbox Live Gold Pricing, Free-to-Play Games to be Unlocked [Update] New Games with Gold for February 2021 Featuring Gears 5 and More Free Play Days – Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and WWE 2K Battlegrounds  |
| Minecraft Releases Free Sustainability City Map Inspired by Microsoft’s Sustainability Report Posted: 28 Jan 2021 12:01 AM PST Mojang Studios is releasing a free Sustainability City map today that invites players to explore how some of the goals and themes in Microsoft's Annual Sustainability Report come to life in a Minecraft town. The Sustainable City map is available now as a free download in the Minecraft Marketplace "Education Collection" as well as within Minecraft: Education Edition where educators can download six new lessons designed to give students a sense of stewardship for the planet, from responsible forestry to waste management, learning about the components of a sustainable home, exploring alternative electricity, and more:
As part of its mission to build a better world through the power of play, Minecraft has a long history of supporting global environmental initiatives with partners including The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund. More than 100 million people play Minecraft every month and more than 35 million students and educators in 115 countries are licensed to use Minecraft: Education Edition in the classroom. Related:Minecraft Dungeons Chills and Thrills Event Starts Today Minecraft Dungeons Howling Peaks DLC Available Now Minecraft with Ray Tracing on Windows 10 Launches Today  |
| The Yakuza Remastered Collection Hits Xbox Today in Glorious HD Posted: 27 Jan 2021 04:10 PM PST The Yakuza Remastered Collection hits Xbox Game Pass today, bringing Sega classics Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 restored in glorious HD to Xbox Game Pass members! The first of three games in this collection, Yakuza 3, picks up from where the events of Yakuza Kiwami 2 left off (also available on Xbox Game Pass). But for those just swearing into the family, the games provide just the right amount of context recapping key events. If you've recently played Yakuza: Like a Dragon, this is your opportunity to experience Kamurocho through the eyes of the Dragon of Dojima.  The Yakuza titles in this collection are all brutal and flashy action brawler games. Master several martial arts, weapons, and savage Heat Actions that reward quick reactions with big damage and over-the-top moves! Resourceful fighters can weaponize their surroundings, swinging bicycles in the streets or luxury furniture when you storm a yakuza headquarters uninvited.  Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 (all available with Xbox Game Pass) follow individual stories within the saga of Kazuma Kiryu — a steely yakuza with an indomitable spirit and heart of gold — as he navigates the complex politics of the Japanese underworld and the action, betrayal, and tragedy that follow. From the Tojo Clan's home turf in Tokyo to the tropical retreat of Okinawa, Kiryu will travel all over Japan as conflict unfolds.  Here's what you're getting into:
 Of course, there’s more to yakuza life than fisticuffs. With Kiryu, you will explore real-world Japanese cities faithfully recreated in detail, play zany mini-games, and help citizens in sub stories, who in turn may help Kiryu in unexpected ways.  Ready to pledge your loyalty to the family? Head to your console's dashboard and download the Yakuza Remastered Collection today for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S! Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 are also available individually for Xbox Game Pass members. In addition, prequels Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 are also on Xbox Game Pass for those that want to start at the beginning. Let us know what you think on Twitter @RGGStudioand as always, stay tuned here to Xbox Wire for what's next for Yakuza and Xbox Game Pass.  The Yakuza Remastered CollectionSEGA of America, Inc. $39.99 Xbox Game Pass Celebrate Kazuma Kiryu's saga with the beautifully remastered Yakuza 3, 4, and 5. With restored content and updated localization in 1080p and 60fps, experiencing the Kamurocho nightlife never looked this good. A World of Wonder: Play the Balan Wonderworld Demo Today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One Getting Resourceful with Prison Architect: Going Green Huge Fun and Huge Discounts Await in the THQ Nordic and Handy Games 2021 Xbox Store Sale  |
| Huge Fun and Huge Discounts Await in the THQ Nordic and Handy Games 2021 Xbox Store Sale Posted: 27 Jan 2021 12:00 PM PST Wildly popular games like Destroy All Humans!, Kingdom of Amalur Re-Reckoning, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, Through the Darkest of Times, and many more will be available at discounts up to 80% off through February 1 during the THQ Nordic and Handy Games 2021 Xbox Store Sale! Here's some more details on just a few of the games including in this limited-time sale: Destroy All Humans! – 30% off! SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – 30% off! Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning – 40% off! Desperados III – 40% off! (Also available with Xbox Game Pass) Chicken Police – Paint it Red! – 20% off! Chronos, El Hijo, Through the Darkest of Times, Wreckfest, and many more hit titles will also be on sale from January 26 to February 1 on the Xbox Store. See the full list at Xbox.com. Related:A World of Wonder: Play the Balan Wonderworld Demo Today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One Getting Resourceful with Prison Architect: Going Green The Yakuza Remastered Collection Hits Xbox Today in Glorious HD  |
| Dead Cells: Fatal Falls DLC Available Now on Xbox One Posted: 27 Jan 2021 11:00 AM PST Hey everyone, We're back with our second paid DLC for Dead Cells and we're super proud of what we've pulled together! I wanted to talk a little bit about why we've chosen to continue with our "outdoorsy" theme and what you can expect to come up against in our latest installment. Back when we started work on our first paid DLC The Bad Seed we sat around the whiteboard and thought about what was missing from Dead Cells. Someone said something flippant like "fresh air" and we went from there.  Both that first DLC and Fatal Falls are designed to bring a bit of fresh air into the world that was previously mostly contained to claustrophobic dungeon-like levels. We've brought in more color, more verticality and more danger of falling to your death. Fatal Falls in particular focuses a lot on managing your positioning when you're moving through the levels. Should you really go and fight that huge statue monster where there are a bunch of kamikaze birds threatening to push you off the platform? Should you rush in to a complicated fight without a clear escape path free of traps? These are the questions that we hope you'll be asking yourself as you play through the new content.  Right now you can take on two new levels and a boss:
As you can see not only did we stay outdoors but we've tried to stay in line with our nature/water themes. There's some hidden logic to this, which hopefully will become clear as we continue to update the game.  At the end of the day it's also just an excuse for our artists to use a bunch of brighter colors that can be hard to use in underground levels, so that's also a lot of fun for them. Feel free to come by our official Xbox Club, Discord server, or social media channel and ask any questions you might have about what we're up to. We hope you enjoy the DLC and the new little animated trailer we've released, as usual this will keep us chugging away on all of the free updates that we've got planned for the game. Thanks for your support and have a good one!  Dead Cells: The Fatal Seed BundleMotion Twin $29.99 This bundle contains all of our three DLCs released yet: – Rise of the Giant – The Bad Seed – Fatal Falls Herein you will find the base game plus 6 new levels and 2 new bosses with their associated enemies and weapons. Check out the individual store pages for each DLC if you want to know exactly what's in each of them. If you've got any questions don't hesitate to hit us up. Have fun! Getting Resourceful with Prison Architect: Going Green Survival Horror Lives with the Outbreak Series on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One Superstar White Sox Shortstop Tim Anderson Graces the Cover of R.B.I. Baseball 21  |
| Inside Xbox Series X|S Optimized: Rogue Company Posted: 27 Jan 2021 10:00 AM PST One of the biggest benefits of all the power in the Xbox Series X|S is giving developers the ability to make games that are Xbox Series X|S Optimized. This means that they've taken full advantage of the unique capabilities of Xbox Series X|S, both for new titles built natively using the Xbox Series X|S development environment as well as previously released titles that have been rebuilt specifically for the console. In our Inside Xbox Series X Optimized series, these creators will share the behind-the-scenes accounts of how they're optimizing their titles for Xbox Series X|S and what that means for the future of gaming. Today, we'll be chatting with Scott Lussier, Lead Designer, First Watch Games about optimizing Rogue Company for Xbox Series X|S. Q: What excites you most about developing and bringing Rogue Company to life on next-generation hardware? A: We are excited to bring 120 FPS gameplay, short loads, cross play and cross progression to Rogue Company players on Xbox Series X|S. The fast paced tactical-action combat of Rogue Company is best played on a lightning-fast next gen system like Xbox Series X|S. Q: In addition to benefiting from the power and performance of Xbox Series X|S for quicker load times etc. what Xbox Series X|S features were you most excited to explore leveraging in the development of Rogue Company? A: We love how Xbox Series X|S sets our players up to capture and share their top clips from Rogue Company. Q: How will these enhancements impact a player's experience with Rogue Company? A: Our goal, as a company whose main focus is cross play and cross progression, is equaling the playing field. 120 FPS in a shooter gives the Xbox player equal footing against PC players in combat. Q: Why did your development team choose to focus on improved graphics and frame rate modes as enhancement areas for Rogue Company? A: In a fast-paced action game like Rogue Company being able to clearly spot the competition is crucial to success. The improved graphics and frame rate modes help our players have the crispest visual experience to flex their skills. Q: How do you expect fans of Rogue Company will respond to playing it on Xbox Series X|S with these enhancements? A: So far, we have seen an outpouring of enthusiasm from our fans when playing Rogue Company on Xbox Series X|S. In my personal experience the 120 FPS and enhanced graphics make my gameplay sessions buttery smooth. I'm certain that it's me, not the hardware that is resulting in my losses. Q: What is it like developing on Xbox Series X|S? A: Developing Rogue Company natively for Xbox Series X|S has been a rewarding experience. Getting the opportunity to imagine Rogue Company at an even higher performance level and see it in action has been a real treat. The best part was taking the base code straight to the Xbox Series X|S dev kit and it is already running more performant without any code change. From there it was just a matter of tweaking the code base vs. a full rewrite. Q: Which enhancement were you most excited about to explore leveraging for Rogue Company on Xbox Series X|S? A: For an action-based shooter game being able to deliver an enhanced graphics experience AND 120FPS gameplay is an absolute dream. So often, shooter players have to choose between great looking games and high frame rates – we are excited to not have to compromise on the Xbox Series X|S. Q: What does Smart Delivery mean for your game and how you're bringing Rogue Company to fans? A: We love the fact that Smart Delivery ensures consumer get the right product for their hardware so it runs performantly regardless of where you are playing. Q: What does Xbox Series X|S development enable in current or future projects that you could not have achieved with the previous generation of consoles?" A: Gaming is about community and bringing everyone together regardless of the hardware they are playing on. As a multiplayer focused company we are excited to ensure that our console audience feels like they can compete at the same level as the highest end PCs which is why we are excited that Rogue Company is running at 4k resolution and 120 FPS. As we explore additional features in 2021 and beyond we hope to also bring RTRT (real time ray tracing) and other high end features to Xbox so all our users can experience the same amazing visual as well. Related:A World of Wonder: Play the Balan Wonderworld Demo Today on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One Getting Resourceful with Prison Architect: Going Green The Yakuza Remastered Collection Hits Xbox Today in Glorious HD  |
| Halo: The Master Chief Collection Season 5 Now Live Posted: 27 Jan 2021 09:54 AM PST |
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