Game Xbox Wire |
- This Week on Xbox: May 7, 2021
- Open Country Coming to Xbox One on June 3
- Adventure Game The Wardrobe Arrives on Xbox One
- Super Animal Royale Is Clawing Its Way to Xbox Game Preview on June 1
- Celebrate National Space Day with a Closer Look at Curved Space
- Next Week on Xbox: May 10 to 14
| This Week on Xbox: May 7, 2021 Posted: 07 May 2021 03:00 PM PDT We know you're busy and might miss out on all the exciting things we're talking about on Xbox Wire every week. If you've got a few minutes, we can help remedy that. We've pared down the past week's news into one easy-to-digest article for all things Xbox! Or, if you'd rather watch than read, you can feast your eyes on our weekly video show above. Come back every Friday to find out what's happening This Week on Xbox!  Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass: Red Dead Online, Final Fantasy X/X-2, FIFA 21, and More Save up to 50% During the 505 Games Publisher Sale  Resident Evil Village Available Now for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S Join the War Effort in Second Extinction  Xbox Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Super Animal Royale Is Clawing Its Way to Xbox Game Preview on June 1  Xbox Spotlight: Mental Health Awareness Month Adventure Game The Wardrobe Arrives on Xbox One  FIFA 21 is Headed to The Play List on May 6 Celebrate National Space Day with a Closer Look at Curved Space  Designing the Felony System and Stealth Mechanics in Hood: Outlaws & Legends Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl Pre-Orders Are Now Live on the Xbox Games Store  The NASCAR Fan Pack Speeds into Rocket League Turning TV Episodes into Dark Nights with Poe and Munro  Free Play Days – Peaky Blinders: Mastermind and Hunting Simulator 2 Creating the First-Person Puzzle Game Summertime Madness  7 Tips for Building Your Dream Settlement in The Colonists The One-Off Audi AI:RACE Comes First to Project CARS 3  Watch Dogs: Legion New DLC and Title Update 4.0 Now Available Join Left 4 Dead's Bill Overbeck in Tome VII of the Dead by Daylight Archives  Next Week on Xbox: May 10 to 14 This Week on Xbox: April 30, 2021 This Week on Xbox: April 23, 2021 This Week on Xbox: April 9, 2021  |
| Open Country Coming to Xbox One on June 3 Posted: 07 May 2021 02:00 PM PDT Today we reveal a brand-new gameplay trailer for Open Country, an upcoming outdoor adventure and survival game coming to Xbox One on June 3, with all new info and brand-new reveals. Read on to learn more! Maps Open Country covers three massive wilderness maps at launch. Mellow Hills, Tumnus Valley, and Snowridge. Each map represents a different season with its own weather, animals and survival challenges. You'll need to equip the right gear and stick up your camp to make it to the next day. Survival / Tracking / Hunting Everyone needs to eat and there's no supermarket in Open Country. Tracking and hunting local game, such as elk or rabbit, is how you’ll get your next meal. Look around for recent tracks that will lead you to big game that have recently passed by and take your shot. Be careful! Any stray noise, or the scent of a hunter moving upwind, can be enough to scare them off and you'll go hungry. Explore the map and find the best hunting grounds. You may even decide to build a camp nearby to make return visits and food storage easier.  ATV – Snowmobile Getting around the massive maps of Open Country can take a while if you're traveling on foot. Luckily, we've added some other ways to get around. Grab an ATV or snowmobile and you'll cut travel time significantly. There is a cost, however. Riding a motorized vehicle though the wilderness will scare away most game. If you need to bag some big game, you'll need to make the final part of your trek on foot.  Fishing Today's video reveals a major part of the game that we have been looking forward to showing off… fishing! Head to the shore of a nearby lake or river, or hop into a fishing boat, and cast your line into the water. You'll choose from a variety of fishing rods and bait to best suit your location. There's a wide variety of fish to be caught, and each can supplement your meal choices. Character Creation and Co-Op Any adventure is better when you share it with a friend. Open Country launches with online two-player co-op modes. In co-op, two players work together to survive the wilderness and complete a hunt for big game. In versus mode, two players will compete to be the first to bag the trophy.  Dog While playing with a friend is fun, you'll be pleased to know that Open Country lets you play with your best friend… a dog! Your faithful companion will join on your adventure to help you track game or fetch smaller animals that you bag. Related:Save up to 50% During the 505 Games Publisher Sale Grab Your Katana Sword with the the Ghostrunner Pre-order on Xbox One Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Reaches Milestone and Roadmap Reveal  |
| Adventure Game The Wardrobe Arrives on Xbox One Posted: 07 May 2021 10:00 AM PDT Our passion for adventure games precedes everything. When we decided to develop The Wardrobe, we had the goal of making a video game that could draw inspiration from the masterpieces of the genre, such as Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max: Hit the Road, and so on, but making it modern, putting in some black humor. This is how The Wardrobe was born, talking about two friends that not even death can keep away. Our protagonist is Skinny, a boy who was killed by mistake from his best friend, Ronald. After the accident, Skinny’s body was brought back to life by some mysterious entity, forced to live forever in Ronald’s wardrobe. Like a skeleton in the closet. To save his best friend’s soul from eternal damnation, Skinny will be forced to reveal himself to Ronald and convince him to face his guilt.  It’s easy to understand, in short, that we wanted to create something very particular, with a story that allows us to work a lot with the dark humor mentioned above. But above all, we wanted to make The Wardrobe a game that makes quotations its strongest part: there are many references to pop culture and geeks, so as to make the generations of the 80s and 90s happy. We’re arriving on the Xbox consoles four years after The Wardrobe‘s first release, which took place on Steam and Switch. Initially, our development focused on PC and the Nintendo Switch, which was then ported the following year, because the adventure game genre has always been connected to a computer. In recent years we have realized that these categorizations no longer exist, and gamers want to try everything everywhere. The same adventure games have arrived on Xbox in recent years and with great success, so we said to ourselves, “Why not?”  We’re now committed to our next game, which we have been developing since 2019 and we would like to conclude in the coming months, so that we can enter the gold phase for the fall of this year. This will also be an adventure game, but with the addition of some competitive elements, which will allow us to create a completely new sort of sport, made up of power ups, skills, special abilities and characters to customize. It’s called Extra Coin and this time we will take care to make it arrive as soon as possible also on consoles, after the first release on Steam. This time the black humor will be put aside a bit, because the goal is to focus on a more emotional story, centered on abandonment and virtual worlds, poised between a second life and alienation from the real world.   The Wardrobe: Even Better EditionCINIC Games $19.99 The Wardrobe: Even Better Edition is a tribute to the awesome geekery that was born in the last four decades, and to the classic 2D point-and-click adventures from the '90s. Each dialogue, scene, background, or item in the game pays homage to the nerd and pop culture you grew up with; from the most evident reference to the most hidden ones. The game is a 2D point-and-click adventure inspired by pillars of the genre like "Monkey Island", "Day of the Tentacle" and "Sam & Max: Hit the Road". It is stuffed with dozens of funny characters and places, a crazy atmosphere, a pinch of dark humor, and lots of puzzles to solve. If you loved Guybrush or Manuel Calavera then you'll be happy to meet Skinny, the main character overflowing your adventures with sarcasm, cynicism and breakthroughs of the fourth wall. Skinny is a young boy who was accidentally killed by his best friend, Ronald. After the murder, Skinny's dead body is brought back to life by mystical forces, which bound him to live forever in Ronald's wardrobe—now, that's what I call a skeleton in the closet! To save his best friend's soul from eternal damnation, Skinny will need to reveal himself and convince Ronald to face his guilt. Join the War Effort in Second Extinction Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl Pre-Orders Are Now Live on the Xbox Games Store Turning TV Episodes into Dark Nights with Poe and Munro  |
| Super Animal Royale Is Clawing Its Way to Xbox Game Preview on June 1 Posted: 07 May 2021 09:00 AM PDT Super Animal Royale is making its console debut on June 1 via the Xbox Game Preview program on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S! Xbox Game Pass members can also get the Founder's Edition for free during its Game Preview release through the Xbox Game Pass Perks program.  Super Animal Royale is a 2D online multiplayer shooter with a zoological twist. Drop from a Giant Eagle among 64 genetically modified critters and fight for survival. Scavenge the remains of a safari theme park gone wrong and dispose of your enemies with a variety of weapons including rifles, shotguns, grenades, and, um…bananas!? Join a pack or fight as a lone wolf: Super Animal Royale features solos, duos, or squads of up to 4 players. Fight to the top of the food chain and see if you have what it takes to be an apex predator!  We're incredibly excited to bring Super Animal Royale to Xbox and welcome new players into the Super Animal kingdom. Since releasing in Early Access initially on PC and Mac, Super Animal Royale currently features over 300 delightfully vicious animal breeds to collect, which can be personalized with over 600 customizable items. For new and existing fans, we're happy to announce that Super Animal Royale will feature cross-save and cross-platform matchmaking on Day One in Game Preview. With the opportunity of having Super Animal Royale in Game Preview, we're thrilled to have players participate in shaping the game's future. The developers at Pixile Studios are incredibly passionate about delivering a constantly evolving experience with new content including battle passes, limited-time events, new cosmetics, new animal breeds, and more!  To kick off the action on Xbox, Super Animal Royale is releasing a brand-new Animal Pass (Battle Pass) season, an expansion to the Super Animal World map, and new animal breeds. We can't wait to share more details and teasers as we approach the Game Preview launch on June 1.  Want to know the latest on Super Animal Royale? Sign up for news at animalroyale.com, or follow the official Super Animal Royale Twitter account. Catch up on player clips and highlights with hosts Donk and Howl, in the YouTube animated series Super Animal Royale Tonight. Join the fight for furvival when Super Animal Royale releases on Xbox Game Preview for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on June 1, 2021.  Super Animal Royale (Game Preview)Modus Games This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game. It's fight for furvival! Super Animal Royale is a 64-player, frenetic, top-down 2D battle royale where murderous animals fight tooth, claw, and machine gun across an abandoned safari park. Collect and customize your favorite critters and weapons, then put them to work in solo matches or team up as a squad of up to four players! Key Features • Survival of the Fittest: Scavenge a variety of powerful weapons, armor and items to become the apex predator in intense 64-player online matches. • The Superest World: Explore a massive, beautifully illustrated 2D island and discover its hidden lore, by chatting with its inhabitants and scouring its rich environments for clues. • Different Stripes for Different Fights: Collect hundreds of animal breeds and customize them with thousands of cosmetic items, weapons, outfits, and even umbrellas! • Evolving Events & Updates: Enjoy an endless stampede of new content, including seasonal outfits, animals, and weapons to collect. • The Fast and the Furriest: Flatten your foes while rolling dirty in a Hamster Ball, or mount a Giant Emu and peck your way to the promised land. Second Extinction Coming to Xbox Game Preview Spring 2021 Grounded Continues to Grow: Join Over 5 Million Players Diving into the All-New Koi Pond Update Grounded – Optimized Features for Xbox Series X and Series S  |
| Celebrate National Space Day with a Closer Look at Curved Space Posted: 07 May 2021 08:00 AM PDT Summary
Curved Space is a nod to classic twin-stick arcade shooters that amps up the blasting experience with an epic synthwave soundtrack by FiXT Neon that fuels your mission set in the farthest reaches of space. You'll take on giant alien tripod spiders and humongous boss monsters across curved galactic landscapes while hunting for power-ups and upgrades, avoiding enemy onslaught, and annihilating interdimensional bugs. Simple to learn as you fight your way through the branching story-driven campaign, but tough to master as you chase high scores in survival mode. We sat down with Andrew Czarnietzki and Jen Laface of Only By Midnight, the husband-and-wife developer team behind Curved Space, to talk about how space and the unique soundtrack have helped shape and guide the development of the game. Maximum Games: What inspired you to set this reimagined take on classic arcade shooters amidst the furthest dimensions of space, and what were some of your inspirations for the landscapes? Only By Midnight: We love space and science fiction! There is something iconic about seeing the limb of a planet, and we really wanted to capture that feeling. Our first levels started turning into somewhat abstract space stations. While we liked where this was going, there was a problem: to withstand all the explosions and combat on their surface, the stations were feeling too dense and solid. Real life satellites and the I.S.S. (International Space Station) feel a lot more delicate. Gerry [Ricard, contributing 3D artist] who was assisting with environment art, said, "It doesn't feel like a space station; it feels like it's made of concrete." This immediately became canon; the stations are carved out of and or 3D-printed from asteroid concrete. This is also the inspiration for the level "Plug", where we show an asteroid in the process of being carved up.  Maximum Games: Can you explain how you used the space theme to influence the campaign? Only By Midnight: The Campaign is all about small islands of stability in the void of outer space—with the added complexity of some inter-dimensional shenanigans. This ties to our concept of a 2D game intersecting 3D space. I, (Andrew) personally, love that space is flexible and malleable, and we tried to play this up in both our game mechanics and story. Maximum Games: Did setting the game in space influence the type of music you wanted? Only By Midnight: Synthwave and Cyberpunk are synonymous with sci-fi. There is also a rich history of bold colors, particularly the yellow and magenta contrast, which we knew we'd have to show as either a black hole or an eclipse. Our "synthwave sky" is 100% inspired by the music! Maximum Games: What made you want galactic spiders to be the enemies? Only By Midnight: First, we both love the idea of cosmic horror—so, this unseen "spider dimension" is our nod to Lovecraft, Warhammer 40k, the film "Event Horizon," etc. Second, we wanted compelling enemies that were interesting to shoot. Spiders, especially alien tripods, are pretty neat to watch run around—they're so alien that they skitter right over the uncanny valley. I don't think I could pull off a convincing humanoid animation, but I can sure add personality to a bunch of crystalline tripod spiders. Lastly, we really wanted something that would be scary and seem to warrant cracking out the giant space flamethrower. Hordes of spider-monsters fit the bill perfectly.  Maximum Games: Can you talk about the gravity-defying mechanics of going over asteroids, planets, and all the types of space matter fields? Only By Midnight: Environment design was a really neat challenge for Curved Space. If levels are too concave, then you are always going uphill and can't see much. If levels are too convex, then you are always cresting a hill…and can't see much. There really needs to be a balance of ups and downs to truly feel those awesome gravity-defying moments. We started by experimenting with lots of crazy shapes to find ones that made sense from a gameplay perspective. Then, we worked to figure out what these shapes meant in our universe of energy harvesting. We came up with a whole series of technologies that relate to pulling in interdimensional energy, processing it, and directing it through space and portals. This technology led to some interesting secondary concepts—like a giant planetary defense railgun or a rogue comet. Maximum Games: Any behind the scenes or funny stories in the development of the game related to the space theme? Only By Midnight: One of my favorite and most alien levels is Horn. When experimenting with shapes, I tried an old dragon skull that I had in my library. It worked eerily well—the twisty horns were so much fun with the gravity-warping gameplay. If you look closely, the final level is very much a giant dragon skull split in half, but with the interior turned into a sci-fi dish and some big glowing canisters at the eye-socket. On the gameplay side, we needed some sort of obstacle that could block players and change the landscape. I experimented with a few options and settled on big spheres, which later became our dimensional Rifts. I tried to make something portal/wormhole/blackhole like but with a sinister edge. My friend Ian said, "That looks really cool and also a bit like an eye…"—I couldn't resist making them blink. Another interesting behind-the-scenes story is when I accidentally made the sky rotate smoothly towards the player. It felt very, very wrong to have the stars do that… but there was something creepy and cool about how the planet would always slide into the center of the view. Like a giant eye. This is where our "eyeball" vortex in the endgame came from.  Maximum Games: Why is the ship a grasshopper shape? Only By Midnight: Well, it started as a disc shape—basically an air-hockey puck with laser cannons. I rather liked the classic ship (and you can still unlock it in the game), but it wasn't quite as exciting as the rest of the art. We did some tests to see if we could really push the concept for this "hovercraft + starfighter", and we settled on the grasshopper concept with forward wings and big repulsion rings. As soon as I got the model in-game and flying around, it practically begged for motion—so, I experimented with making the rings and wings react to your movements on the surface. This gave it a great feel, almost like it was skating and pushing off the surface. We didn't set out to make a "grasshopper," but as soon as the ship was called that we leaned into it. Maximum Games: What is your best space pun or joke? Only By Midnight: I have to go with some "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams: "What do you mean you've never been to Alpha Centauri? Oh, for heaven's sake, mankind, it's only four light years away, you know. I'm sorry, but if you can't be bothered to take an interest in local affairs, that's your own lookout. Energize the demolition beams." If you are ready to explore the weirdest reaches of space, you can play a demo of Curved Space on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Curved Space releases on June 18.  Curved Space DemoMaximum Games Inspired by arcade classics, players will have to hunt for weapon power-ups and upgrades while dodging enemy fire, blasting interdimensional bugs, and wrangling some enormous boss monsters. Simple to learn as you fight your way through the branching story-driven campaign, but tough to master as you chase the glory of the leaderboards. Key Features Old School Shmup Reimagined: Enjoy the high-energy action of traditional 2D shoot 'em ups in a warped 3D space. Climb walls, flip over to the other side of your environment, and experience breathtaking vistas. Play Your Style & Top the Leaderboards: Experience your space pilot's harrowing journey in Campaign, take on new challenges, test your skills, and chase your place on the leaderboards in Daily Runs, Arena, Survival and Endless game modes. Ride the Synthwave: Get in the zone with a high-energy synthwave soundtrack in partnership with FiXT Neon, featuring artists like Scandroid, 3Force, and Fury Weekend. Upgrade & Take Them Down: Collect a plethora of ability and weapon upgrades. Weapons are varied (from lasers to flamethrowers to weed wackers!) and equipped with their own overdrive states! Modes Campaign: Take on the role of an energy harvester in the midst of a galactic spider invasion. Your choices will lead you to take on one of three potential versions of the game's protagonist to fight back the invasion on asteroids, space stations, and other intergalactic stages. Each unique version takes the story in a different direction. Arena: Take on over 60 randomized challenges from the game's campaign for a chance to get your name on the local leaderboard. Survival: Fight through waves of invaders with each wave presenting a new, more difficult challenge. Endless: Tackle waves of randomized challenges from the campaign as well as additional objectives as you adapt to what the game decides to throw your way. Daily Run: You get one shot each day to complete this daily run and achieve the highest score possible. Failed to make the leaderboard today? There's always a new challenge tomorrow. Cobra Kai Takes a Modern Eye to the Classic Beat 'em Up Genre Top Tips for Huntdown, the Action Comedy Arcade Shooter Launching Today on Xbox One Retro Block Adventure Pushy and Pully in Blockland Available Now on Xbox One  |
| Next Week on Xbox: May 10 to 14 Posted: 07 May 2021 07:00 AM PDT Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! Here we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 PC as well as upcoming Xbox Game Pass and soon-to-be released ID@Xbox titles! Get more details on the games below and click their profiles for pre-order details when available (release dates are subject to change). Let's jump in!  Death Crown is a minimalist real time strategy game in a 1-bit style, where you will be play Death herself, commanding her legions, and punishing humanity’s Kingdom for its overconfidence. Upgrade your troops, march through your foe’s lands, sowing death and destruction, behold the fall of the Humanity’s Kingdom in a breathtaking campaign. Rift Racoon – May 12 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery  Get ready for intense precision platforming as you take the role of a rascally racoon named Tucker who possesses a curious ability – teleportation! Tucker needs your help to find a way home and escape the mysterious robot that won't get off his tail. Use his claws to climb walls, leap over pitfalls and spikes, teleport through barriers and more across 50 handcrafted levels. Sure Footing – May 13 – Xbox One X Enhanced / Xbox Play Anywhere  A fast and frantic infinite runner about four friends saving their world from extinction. Play as one of our four heroes: Pixel Pete, Polly Polygon, Blip, and Plunk as they outrun Dave across the disk sectors of Computra: to warn their friends and find a way to stop Ramrafstar before their homeworld is destroyed.  In Exodemon you play as a scientist in the edge of the universe who was infected by an alien entity. The symbiotic force is trying to take control, but you may find a way to control the beast on the confederation laboratories. Resist the infection and blaze through various locations to reach the last escape pod before you lose what's left of your humanity.  Our hero's beloved has been abducted by evil spirits, and the only way to reunite them is to reincarnate himself as a dragon to defeat evil. But something has gone wrong, and his soul is reborn as a worm named Pip. Now Pip must overcome the challenges of a surreal world, solve mind bending puzzles, and save his love. Mass Effect Legendary Edition – May 14 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery  Experience an amazingly rich and detailed universe where your decisions have profound consequences on the action and the outcome. One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it's ever faced. Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, including promo weapons, armors, and packs remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD. Subnautica: Below Zero – May 14 – Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery  Dive into a freezing underwater adventure on an alien planet. Below Zero is set two years after the original Subnautica. Return to Planet 4546B to uncover the truth behind a deadly cover-up. Survive the harsh conditions by building habitats, crafting tools, and diving deeper into the world of Subnautica. Related:Next Week on Xbox: April 20 to 23 Next Week on Xbox: April 13 to 16 Next Week on Xbox: March 30 to April 2  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Xbox Wire. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
No comments:
Post a Comment