Wuthering Waves is the latest open-world RPG gacha game to follow in the wake of the likes of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, but Kuro Games’ free-to-play offering has had to deal with a bit of a wobbly launch over the last couple of days, leading the studio to scramble to address login problems, detail additional upcoming improvements and offer players some in-game games as means of apology.
We’re off to ‘Frisco.
Nintendo has announced plans to open a second Official Store in the USA.
The company will be opening a brick-and-mortar shop in San Francisco, specifically in the iconic Union Square, deemed the “teeming commercial hub of the city”. Currently, the store is scheduled to open in 2025, with more details to be revealed in the future.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Hello, Xbox community!
I’m Ahmin Hafidi, game designer at Polylabo, a micro (emphasis on the micro) game studio based in Tokyo, Japan.
Today, I would like to introduce you to Polylabo’s first game, Grappin.
Grappin is a first-person adventure game focused on exploration, action and grappling hook action.
You wake up alone in your village, heavy rain and it’s dark. Your only way is forward and soon enough, you will stumble upon the Grip, a mysterious artifact that you also can use as a grapple hook. Very convenient, right?
Your goal is set: you need to bring back the Grip to the Grip Shrine, perched on top of the highest mountain. Easier said than done, believe me!
In Grappin, you’ll embark on an epic first-person adventure to reach the top of the mountain. A variety of biomes are waiting for you to explore, each with its own unique challenges. Start your journey in a wide valley at the base of the mountain, navigate through blazing hot lava caves and brave a dangerous icy ridge as you make your way to the summit. And more!
The core of Grappin‘s gameplay revolves around the versatile grappling hook called the Grip. The Grip has two distinct forms: the Normal Grip, which allows you to hookshot yourself to clay surfaces, and the Trace Grip, which also hook to clay surfaces but capable of covering very long distances at high speed, making it ideal for backtracking and exploration.
There are over 50 relics scattered throughout the world waiting to be discovered. The legend says that getting them all will uncover the mystery surrounding the mountain and the Grip itself, rewarding those who take the time to explore every nook and cranny. Exploration is key!
Me and Benoit, the game composer, have poured our hearts into the making of this game and we hope that you will enjoy your journey to the top of the mountain.
It has been a dream of mine of releasing my own independent title on consoles and I’m beyond happy to finally say this:
Grappin is now available for pre-orders on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC!
Launching on June 6!
Enough talk, now go on sharpening your grapple hook, put on your polar coat and scarf!
Are you ready for a gripping adventure?
POLYLABO
Experience the thrill of adventure and put to the test your climbing and platforming skills in GRAPPIN, the first-person adventure game that takes you to new heights.
EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN
After a mysterious awakening, you discover the Grip, an artifact that serves as your grappling hook. Your mission is clear: return the Grip to the Grip Shrine, located at the summit of the highest mountain.
CLIMB TO NEW HEIGHTS
Navigate through challenging environments and overcome obstacles as you journey to the top of the mountain. From blazing hot lava caves to treacherous ridges, you’ll need to master the use of your grappling hook to survive. As you explore, uncover more than 50 Relics to unravel the mystery surrounding the Grip and the mountain.
Are you ready for a gripping adventure?
The post Climb to New Heights with Grappin, Available for Preorder Now appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Last week we asked you to tap into mythology and legend, sharing creatures and characters found in games inspired by myth using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:
Tigas_VP shares Geralt gazing up at a griffin in The Witcher 3
call_me_xavii shares Aloy gazing up at a hologram of Poseidon, a remnant of Las Vegas in Horizon Forbidden West
reins62831 shares an enemy harpy from Dragon’s Dogma 2
CowboyDbop92 shares the Eikon Odin from Final Fantasy XVI
Defalt368 shares Nuna and Fox approaching a large spirit based on Iñupiat storytelling in Never Alone
ValkyrieQ8 shares a samurai in a kitsune spirit mask in Ghost of Tsushima
Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?
THEME: Leap
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on May 29, 2024
Next week, take a leap! Share thrilling moments with characters leaping or jumping into action from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.
In a year already stacking up plates of delicious indie game dishes so fast they’re toppling over and crashing onto the floor, spilling splattered food over the carpet to be hoovered up by waiting dogs/cats/raccoons/mice, Animal Well is one of the most generous helpings yet. The captivating, combat-free Metroidvania is rich with a delectable buffet of challenges, puzzles and secrets to find even once you’ve seen the credits roll. Still, players have chewed their way through its more-ish platforming and puzzle-solving much faster than its solo developer intended, it turns out. Luckily for us all, creator Billy Basso is already looking ahead to a new game set in the moody zoo-niverse – even if that’s not a complete sequel.
We’ve known for some time that Fallout was coming to Fortnite, we just weren’t entirely sure in what capacity. Well, now we know that this season’s wasteland offerings take the form of a sort of Mad Max meets Fallout meets Borderlands- battle royale affair. There’s a big emphasis on deserts and vehicles, basically, with highlights including: mechanical fists, turrets on cars, and the possibility of manning one of two War Buses that patrol the reworked map.
Calling it now: this is the least intriguing article you will read about 11 bit’s The Alters, a blend of Danny Boyle’s Sunshine and Duncan Jones’s Moon in which (deep breath) you are a marooned space engineer who must spawn different versions of himself by means of backstory-branching gadgetry in order to operate an enormous, rolling base and escape the apocalyptic rays of the local sun.
We’re not going to talk about any of that hoity-toity quantum wheeling-and-dealing in this piece, however. We’re going to talk about the fact that the opening stretch reminded me of Gears Of War and the many over-the-shoulder adventures it has influenced. I’m sorry. It’s been a complicated week involving minimal sleep, and I no longer have the grey cells for branching timelines, though they are certainly the more fascinating aspect of this game.
Pre-order, if you dare.
If you cast your mind back to earlier in the year, you might remember the horrors of the GameStop-exclusive Banjo-Kazooie Funko Pop. With its big head and soulless, staring eyes, the figure was… well, a Funko Pop, but it was also an acknowledgement that the Rare pair still exist, so we’ll take what we can get.
Now, Funko has revealed another Banjo-Kazooie Pop figure. Sure, all of the horrifying details are still present and correct — seriously, what horrors have those eyes seen? — but, again, it’s new Banjo merch!
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox! This weekly feature highlights all the games arriving soon on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Game Pass. Discover more about these forthcoming titles below and explore their profiles for additional information (note that release dates may be subject to change). Let’s dive in!
Daedalic Entertainment
Capes – May 29
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Capes is a turn-based superhero strategy game where you build a team of heroes and fight to take back the city. Played across a series of campaign and patrol missions, choose to push forward with the story or take the time to explore the side missions and unlock more heroes, earn skill points, and complete challenges, and learn more about your heroes’ lives.
Gaming Factory S.A.
Help Frank travel through history in this unique approach to the tower defense genre. Enter a bizarre daydream world in co-op or solo mode. Gather resources, build defense towers, and manage your minions. Take up the challenge and defeat the incoming enemies!
Sometimes You
Terminal 81 is an indie job simulation, mystery, and psychological horror game with retro visual aesthetics. The game takes place in 2008, in a fictitious neighborhood in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Explore Terminal 81, meet the characters, follow your moral compass, make decisions, and come to a conclusion.
Versus Evil, LLC
Astor: Blade of the Monolith – May 30
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Explore the vibrant planet of Gliese, once inhabited by an ancient race, and now home to their sentient creations – the Diokek. As the young Diokek warrior, Astor, journey across Gliese to solve the mysterious disappearance of his creators thousands of years ago, believing that they may have left behind the key to their salvation.
Enhance
Humanity – May 30
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
You are a Shiba Inu charged with commanding massive, marching crowds to jump, turn, push, float, shoot, and climb their way to salvation. Guide the masses through 90-plus stages filled with obstacles, enemies, puzzles, unlockable skills, and wild boss fights in the narrative campaign, or browse a wide array of user-made levels (or build your own!) crafted via the super easy-to-use in-game Stage Creator.
3D Realms Entertainment ApS
Phantom Fury – May 30
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison is back in this highly interactive mix of first-person action and road movie adventure. Embark on an adrenaline-fueled journey around the USA. Use an enormous arsenal of weapons and skills to battle treacherous soldiers and vile mutants, all while trying to save humanity.
INTI CREATES
Umbraclaw – May 30
Smart Delivery
Umbraclaw tells the story of Kuon, a house cat who has died in the mortal world, after she awakens in the Soulplane, a realm of the dead. She must challenge the perilous underworld to return home to her owner in this 2D action adventure.
Electronic Arts
F1 24 – May 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Be One of the 20 with EA Sports F1 24, the official video game of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship. Unleash your champion in pursuit of a legacy defining F1 Career, the mode’s first major update since 2016. Drive like the greatest and feel at one with the car through the all-new Dynamic Handling System and Ignite your Passion by connecting to your favorite teams and drivers while proving that you have what it takes across new modes and experiences. F1 24 Deluxe and Game Pass Ultimate members can start playing early on May 29.
Digital Cybercherries Limited
Hypercharge: Unboxed – May 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Hypercharge is a first and third-person shooter action figure game you’ve always dreamed of! Grab your friends, complete objectives, defend the Hypercore against waves of weaponized toys, and defeat Major Evil together in the story campaign!
8floor ltd
Restore your new lands and become a successful landowner in this time management game! Take on the role of a novice landowner, growing wheat and building mills and mines to restore your very own mansion. The deeper you delve into your new land, the more exciting your jobs will be.
Ternox
O-Void: Console Edition – May 31
Jump into the spinning circle of O-Void, a one-button arcade game. In this super minimal action runner, you’ll be jumping over obstacles with one button. But this is not a regular platformer! The entire level can change direction or flip upside down to throw you off. Are you skilled enough to survive every challenge?
Mindscape
Pool Party – May 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S
Gather your friends and battle it out in chaotic physics-based party games in Pool Party! Play solo or with up to four players in tons of sports & brawl games and fight to become king of the party. Customize your pool ball, choose your favorite color and design, and go head-to-head with your friends. Get ready to have a splashing good time!
Dolores Entertainment
Project 13 – May 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Embark on a surreal journey where reality blurs, and your decisions shape your destiny. Are you ready to unravel the mysteries of Project 13 and defy the odds stacked against you? The corridors await – enter if you dare.
Ratalaika Games S.L.
Skeler Boy – May 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Smart Delivery
Enter a dark and suspenseful world and embark on a journey of psychological horror. You’ll encounter hundreds of conversations, manipulate objects, solve puzzles, discover clues, and find many surprises.
Domynyo SRL
To The Sky – May 31
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S / Xbox Play Anywhere
An exciting action and adventure video game that catapults you into a breathtaking fantasy world. Your main objective is to reach the sky by overcoming obstacles, climbing imposing walls, and running through incredible scenarios.
The post Next Week on Xbox: New Games for May 27 to 31 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
XDefiant launched its pre-season this week and Ubisoft’s free-to-play first-person Call of Duty competitor appears to be going down well with competitive shooter fans hankering for an old-school experience. But there’s one issue with the game that sticks out more than any other: hit registration.
Hit registration is a video game’s ability to detect the impact of projectiles accuracy. Soon after XDefiant launched this week across PC via Ubisoft Connect, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, players took to social media, subreddits and Discord to say the game was doing a poor job of hit registration, letting characters avoid fire more than they’re used to in other similar games.
Redditor ChuckedBankForFbow called XDefiant’s hit registration “the worst I’ve seen in a long time.” “I’m surviving way longer running and jumping around bullets than I would in any other games cuz their shots just won’t connect lol,” they explained. “M16a4 feels like im shooting hopes and dreams at the enemies,” BlOoDy_PsYcHo666 added.
When XDefiant launched, Ubisoft asked the playerbase to keep in mind that the game is currently in preseason, and that Season 1 will likely provide a more robust playing experience. Now, in a tweet responding to more complaints about hit registration, XDefiant development chief Mark Rubin said “it’s something we are working on.”
You don’t need a petition. 🤣 It’s something we are working on.
— Mark Rubin (@PixelsofMark) May 24, 2024
XDefiant also launched with matchmaking issues, although those seem to be ironed out for the most part as the game heads into its first weekend. XDefiant is not available on Steam, so we do not have an idea of concurrent player numbers, but according to a report from Insider Gaming, XDefiant hit 1.5 million players within just a few hours of launch.
Of course, Ubisoft’s hope is XDefiant proves popular enough long-term to make its free-to-play live service a money-spinner throughout the rest of 2024 and beyond, with Activision reportedly preparing Call of Duty Black Ops 6 for release in late October.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
