News regarding the upcoming Dragon Quest III HD-2DRemake has been rather thin on the ground, but judging from a short tease posted on X to mark ‘Dragon Quest Day’, it looks like we’ll be getting a lot more information very soon.
There’s not much to go on from the tease, as it showcases a very short animation of the franchise’s Mark of Erdrick, captioned with the short phrase “The legend of Erdrick draws near”. Crucially, however, we do get confirmation that the game will be heading to the Nintendo Switch in addition to Steam, Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke has admitted the Baldur’s Gate 3 team had “to crunch a bit” during development, meaning employees had to work overtime in order to finish the game on time.
As reported by Games Radar, Vincke said at the Digital Dragons conference that the amount of crunch required for Baldur’s Gate 3 was less than the studio’s previous games, however, and he thinks some overtime is always required to complete a game.
“Certainly less on Baldur’s Gate 3 than we did in the past,” Vincke said when asked if Larian employees had to crunch to finish development. “It would be a lie to say that we didn’t. We had things happen that we didn’t foresee.”
It would be a lie to say that we didn’t.
Vincke insisted employees, including himself, “didn’t overly crunch” but “did have to do a bit” to wrap up Baldur’s Gate 3. Employees would almost always leave by 8pm and worked at weekends “very, very, very rarely”, he added.
“I think, to be honest, you will always have a little bit when you’re trying to finish something, especially when there’s so much complexity that needs to be brought together,” Vincke said.
“With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur’s Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs,” we said.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
Xbox is one of the three console brands that are widely available in the market today. From its inception in 2001, Microsoft has delivered innovative consoles with unique features with every new console release. What was once an unknown brand is now a prominent household name, with expansion to TV, multimedia, and its Xbox Game Pass subscription. As we enter the halfway point of this console generation, now is a perfect time to dive into the storied history of Xbox consoles.
Looking to save on an Xbox or new titles for your system? Be sure to check out the best Xbox deals available today.
How Many Xbox Consoles Have There Been?
In total, there have been nine total Xbox consoles across four different generations. The first Xbox was released in 2001, and ever since, Microsoft has released new consoles featuring new hardware capabilities, new controllers, and more. This list counts console revisions, which were updated models with better cooling and faster speeds, among other features.
Every Xbox Console in Order of Release
Xbox – November 15, 2001
The Xbox debuted in November 2001 as a competitor to the Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2. This console was the first of its kind from Microsoft, which eventually kicked off the Xbox brand as we know it today. Halo: Combat Evolved served as the major launch title for Xbox, which ended up being the smash hit Xbox needed to take a portion of the console market. Today, both Halo and the Xbox have a legacy built upon for over 20 years. Some of the best original Xbox games are still well remembered alongside Halo to this day.
Xbox 360 – November 22, 2005
Xbox 360 was Microsoft’s second console, which launched as a known brand in the market. With this release, many were familiar with who and what Xbox was about, primarily with its focus on multiplayer titles. Xbox 360 brought many innovations from Microsoft, especially with accessories and peripherals. Notably, the company launched Kinect, which allowed for movement to be tracked in games. To date, this was the most successful Xbox console, with over 84 million units sold. Some of the best Xbox 360 games are still relevant today.
Xbox 360 S – June 18, 2010
The Xbox 360 S offered a slimmer design compared to the original model, with significant internal changes. As many may be familiar with, the Xbox 360 was notorious for overheating, often causing the “Red Ring of Death”. The Xbox 360 S aimed to fix that, with a revamped cooling system that was redesigned from the ground up. The new 360 S also featured more hard drive space, with up to 320GB available across the available models.
Xbox 360 E – June 10, 2013
The Xbox 360 E might just be the most unique Xbox release, as this system launched just months before the next generation Xbox One hit the market. The outside design of the Xbox 360 E was made to complement the Xbox One design, offering slimmer and less rounded edges. Additionally, this was the last Xbox to feature a disc drive that popped out, as all future models were laid inside the consoles.
Xbox One – November 22, 2013
Xbox One was the start of Microsoft’s third console generation. With more power and more applications, new possibilities were made for developers. The Kinect 2.0 launched alongside the system, featuring new ways to play and utilize the camera device. Additionally, the Xbox One Controller received a new redesign, with dozens of changes to allow for gamers to play more comfortably. To date, this design is still largely used, with minor modifications made for newer console generations.
Xbox One S – August 2, 2016
The Xbox One S was the first Xbox console to feature support for both 4K output and as a 4K Blu-ray player, which ultimately led to the One S operating as an entertainment system for many. Games on the console were upscaled to 4K, allowing for compatible displays to utilize a true 4K image. Alongside these features, the console itself was 40% smaller than the standard Xbox One, offering a slimmer design that is easier to fit into shelves or cabinets.
Xbox One X – November 7, 2017
Xbox One X marked the end of the Xbox One line, offering the first true 4K gameplay on an Xbox console. The GPU featured a 31% increase in performance over the standard Xbox One, with new cooling methods to offset an increase in heat. A major selling point of this console was improved performance on countless Xbox One titles, like Halo 5: Guardians, Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 4, and more.
Xbox Series X – November 10, 2020
Xbox Series X was revealed at The Game Awards 2019. The Series X is capable of 120 frames-per-second, Dolby Vision, and even the ability to boost frame rates and resolutions of older titles. One of the biggest software features Xbox elected to add to the console was Quick Resume, allowing players to transition between games simultaneously. As of now, the Series X is still Microsoft’s flagship console. You can check out some of our favorite Xbox Series X games on the modern console.
Xbox Series S – November 10, 2020
Xbox Series S launched alongside the Xbox Series X, offering a firm entry point to the Xbox ecosystem that was more approachable than the $499 price of Xbox’s flagship model. The Series S is a digital-only console, with no disc drive for Xbox Series X or Xbox One titles. At $299, the Series S features 512GB of storage with capabilities of up to 1440p. In 2023, Xbox released a 1TB model of the console, featuring more storage for players.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
Super Mario is one the most popular video game series of all time. With the Nintendo Switch, Mario has had new releases every year, with multiple entries often released. So far, Nintendo has released almost 20 Mario titles for Nintendo Switch, with almost every genre represented. Whether you’re looking for an RPG, a platformer, or even some fun with friends, Mario is the one series on Nintendo Switch where you can’t go wrong.
For Memorial Day weekend, many retailers have discounted some of the most popular Mario titles on Nintendo Switch. Most of these do not go on sale too often, so pick up a new Mario adventure this weekend while it’s on sale!
Save on Hit Mario Nintendo Switch Titles
Each of the titles on sale this weekend is a guaranteed good time. If you are looking for a new platformer, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an excellent choice. The hit 2023 title introduced a plethora of new ideas into the Super Mario series, with the Wonder Flower causing all sorts of mayhem in the middle of levels.
Another great choice is the remake of Super Mario RPG, which is a must-play for any Nintendo Switch owner. The game was originally released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a collaboration between Square and Nintendo, and it brought new characters, enemies, and worlds into the Mario universe. Yoko Shimomura, one of the most beloved video game composers of all time, returned to recreate and reimagine the soundtrack for this remake.
Lastly, both Mario Golf: Super Rush and Mario Tennis Aces are discounted to $39.99. Mario Sports titles are always a blast to play with friends, and these games are no exception. Mario Golf: Super Rush brought new modes to the series, with Speed Golf acting as a race to complete the course before your friends. Mario Tennis Aces offered a story mode for the first time in over a decade, where Mario squares off against an ancient tennis racket named Lucien.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium.
The digital showcase Indie Live Expo returned for its 10th outing and as part of this, it’s showcased more than 150 games – with plenty of them coming to the Nintendo Switch.
Some of these games have already been released, some are coming soon and the rest are arriving at a later date. So, in case you missed the show – here’s a round up of every wave, with all the Switch announcements:
Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week – our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! Of course, regular readers will know that ‘book’ was actually the name of the doctor, but that’s beside the point. This week, it’s Syphilisation and The Quiet Sleep developer and RPS contributor, Nikhil Murthy! Cheers Nikhil! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf?
Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, Jim is finally seeing the Hollow light…
Last year, I decided to take a break from Tears of the Kingdom and pick up a fun-looking, rarely discussed indie which was subject to a tasty little eShop discount at the time. The game was called ‘Hollow Knight‘, or something like that, and I put a decent amount of time into it before getting stuck, putting my controller down and never thinking about it again.
Hello folks, and welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl.
Before we get cracking, let’s see how things panned out last week, hm? We looked at Super Monkey Ball Adventure, one of several entries for the GameCube. As we’d expected, the busier, more vibrant box art from North America sealed the deal, winning a healthy 79% of the vote.
The Nintendo 64 emulation scene has come a long way and the latest recompilation project revolutionises native PC ports.
Our friends at Time Extension shared a post recently about N64Recomp – describing the tool as potentially transformative to the world of N64 emulation, as it streamlines the process of native ports and adds modern enhancements such as uncapped frame rates, ultrawide monitor support and even ray tracing.
The 3DS title Luigi’s Mansion 2 will make return next month on the Switch and ahead of the game’s launch, Nintendo has started to reveal more of the pre-order goodies that will be up for grabs.
