It’s been almost a decade since Rebel Galaxy ably picked up the sci-fi trading and exploration mantle handed down by Freelancer, but it looks like a successor to the serene galaxy-venturing vibes of both is finally upon us. Star Trucker is exactly what it sounds like, transplanting the chill A-to-Z courier journeys of Euro Truck Simulator to the interplanetary, uh, roads of space. It’s out this September, and it looks wonderful.
Amid multiple leaks and rumors, we had a decent idea of what was going to be at this year’s Xbox Games Showcase with seemingly plenty to get excited about. But when the Showcase finally aired, Microsoft did the near-impossible for any company in a fickle social media-fueled age: they exceeded expectations and drew almost universal acclaim. Eighty-four percent of the 10,000+ voters in my X poll graded it an ‘A’ on the academic scale. Ninety-five percent gave it an ‘A’ or ‘B’.
A home run like this would be welcome at any time, but it’s an especially fortuitous one now for both Xbox fans and, no doubt, Xbox employees alike. Confidence had been shaken in recent months, with dedicated fans rankled by Microsoft’s decision to bring some previously exclusive games to other platforms. Worse, Microsoft joined the tragically long list of gaming and tech companies to lay off thousands of employees early in the year and, more recently, shut down four development studios it acquired as part of a $7.5 billion deal just four years ago. Two of those were household names in core-gaming circles: Arkane Austin, who, their recent Redfall misfire aside, had an incredibly impressive track record; and the one that really stuck in the community’s craw, Tango Gameworks. They were not only Xbox’s lone Japanese developer, but they’d had an unquestionably good run, highlighted by their most recent and arguably best game, Hi-Fi Rush.
While Xbox’s best showcase ever can’t erase the human impact on the laid-off developers nor reignite the creative embers that have been snuffed out at the shut-down studios, it is the best way for fans who remain invested in the Xbox ecosystem to move forward with confidence and excitement for the future of the platform. And my goodness did that top-to-bottom brilliant showcase give me confidence and excitement for Xbox.
Call of Duty debuted on Xbox’s stage for the first time since the Xbox 360 era, with Black Ops 6 already looking like it could be one of the biggest and best releases for the series in a half-decade – since Infinity Ward’s excellent Modern Warfare reboot in 2019. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer could barely contain his excitement on stage in announcing Doom: The Dark Ages, a bold, more melee combat-intensive prequel in id Software’s brilliantly revived and historically iconic first-person shooter franchise.
And speaking of prequels, Xbox President Sarah Bond introduced the “one more thing” game for this Showcase: the long-anticipated new entry in the Gears series, which itself was not a surprise. What shocked everyone, though – which the trailer slowly made more apparent – was that we wouldn’t be picking up Kait’s story in Gears 6, but instead we’ll be going back to Emergence Day and the formation of Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago’s Delta Squad in a Gears of War prequel – complete with a most-welcome (by me, at least) restoration of the “of War” part of the name.
But the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase didn’t just start big with Black Ops 6 and Doom: The Dark Ages and end big with Gears of War: E-Day – it kept cooking for almost the entire runtime. A new gameplay trailer for Fable floored me, as not only was I not expecting to see any more of it after getting our first tiny glimpse at gameplay at last year’s Showcase, but we got to see quite a bit of Playground’s gorgeous new rendition of Albion. The cherry on top was Microsoft committing to a 2025 release window, which means we can already pencil in Doom: The Dark Ages and Fable for next year – my gut says the former will drop in the Spring, and the latter in the Fall.
Oh, but South of Midnight belongs on that 2025 list too! We got a proper gameplay trailer for Compulsion’s first game since joining the Xbox family after it was announced with a cinematic piece last year, and the art style is incredibly beautiful and wholly unique.
Meanwhile, it didn’t get a release year attached to it (meaning, assume 2026 for now), but the game that stole the fantastic show for me was Perfect Dark. The long-gestating reboot of the beloved Nintendo 64 classic (and decently liked Xbox 360 launch title) has reportedly endured a troubled development, but the co-developers at The Initiative and Crystal Dynamics blew me away by showing off a gameplay-packed trailer that showed off gadgets, first-person shooting, and parkour, leaving me optimistic that we might have a slick combination of Mirror’s Edge, Deus Ex, and the original Perfect Dark on our hands.
Even the inevitable mid-show lull that every showcase like this goes through yielded compelling reveals: the ‘90s-set adventure Mixtape feels like it was made for me specifically, Metal Gear Solid: Delta appears to be both a gorgeous and incredibly faithful remake of the classic Metal Gear Solid 3, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle only “disappointed” me with an otherwise A+ story trailer because we didn’t get a more specific release date than “2024.” But it does reaffirm that within six months I’ll be playing the next effort from MachineGames, a studio that has never missed.
In fact, Xbox’s 2024 Games Showcase was so spectacular and packed with huge first-party games that I didn’t even notice that two of their biggest pillars were missing: Halo and Forza. Granted, I wasn’t expecting anything from Halo, as we’re still only 2.5 years past Halo Infinite’s release. But Forza? Surely a new Forza Horizon – arguably Xbox’s most consistently brilliant franchise – is in the works! If you’re Microsoft, you know you’ve had a heck of a showcase when Halo and Forza can stay home and nobody seems to mind.
I suppose there was one rumored thing that ended up not being included: an Xbox handheld. Fortunately, I got a chance to ask Phil Spencer about that directly afterwards, and I’d say he came as close as he could to confirming its existence without formally announcing it.
If this stellar showcase reaffirmed anything for both Microsoft and Xbox fans alike, it’s that a powerful console is great, and Xbox Game Pass offers a nice value option, but a consistent diet of top-shelf games is what matters more than anything else. More of this please, Microsoft.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of both IGN’s weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
For me, sandbox games are never better when there’s an inherent chaos about to erupt at any given second. In a literal sandbox that might be anything from a kid burying a freshly-laid turd like a mischievous cat ready to be stepped on by an unsuspecting trespasser, gathering handfuls of grit to lob in a another kids’ eyes or swallowing a bunch of sand (hopefully turd-free) in pursuit of alchemising diamonds in their stomach. There don’t seem to be turds of any kind in upcoming sandbox RPG Streets of Fortuna, but that’s about the only thing that this ambitious “megasim” appears to be missing in its sprawling go-anywhere, do-anything open world.
16th-century Japan is ripe with fascinating historical context for an Assassin’s Creed game to thrive, which is one aspect that makes the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows so enticing. The way the series bends history for its fiction has me hyped to see its version of feudal Japan, but it’s also a setting that lends itself well to the kind of combat options that have been encompassed by the entire franchise.
In a hands-off preview demo of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I was able to see roughly 30 minutes of gameplay that showcased both Naoe and Yasuke – the two protagonists – and their combat styles in action. They represent both worlds of the series’ combat: Naoe, a stealthy shinobi wielding the iconic Hidden Blade, and Yasuke, a force of nature with pure power and masterful swordsmanship.
At the start of the demo, I saw Yasuke pulling up to a town where everyday people are squeezing out an existence under the boot of a corrupt shogunate that enforces a caste system. It’s a common dynamic in stories set in this era of Japan, but it’s also ripe for Yasuke to do right by the people who revere him. He has a commanding, respected presence, and the first combat encounter was against a group of samurai who were harassing a villager that shows off Yasuke’s swordsmanship. The challenge is to dodge or counter enemy attacks (indicated by blue and red glints on their blade) in traditional melee combat.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t hold back when it comes to the brutality of its combat. Yasuke has finishing moves where he either slices enemies’ heads off clean or stabs them in the gut before lifting them up just to slam them back down. These finishers are also highlighted with black-and-white frame cuts with blood splattering, giving it a bit of the samurai cinematic flair. What’s just as brutal is Yasuke’s spiked club, which is a heavy blunt-force weapon that pounds armored foes. Seeing them take a swing straight to the dome brought a little, “Oooooh!” out of me. The point being that Yasuke is purely focused on melee, so while he won’t be doing a lot of climbing rooftops and jumping between buildings, he’ll hold it down by taking all his enemies head on.
After this introductory combat encounter, a cutscene shows Naoe burst onto the scene to help Yasuke by leaping onto an enemy and executing them with her Hidden Blade. Naoe and Yasuke have this sort of chummy dynamic as they decide how to take on their next mission: assassinate the daimyo at Fukuchiyama Castle. From here, you have to choose to either control Naoe or Yasuke, and this will determine your playstyle and how you navigate the mission to kill your target.
Playing as Naoe, you then have access to scaling walls, hiding in foliage, and stealthy kills. She’s not solely working with a Hidden Blade either; she has throwable kunai for ranged kills and a set of short swords to get her hands dirty up close and personal, should things go loud. But my favorite weapon of hers is the chained blade she can swing around in a circle to chop down crowds of enemies, which even slices through environmental objects. So while she is more focused on being nimble and staying out of sight, she still has some viable options as backup.
But of course, slipping past guards to nab those satisfying stealth kills seems to be worth the effort. Being able to move through the environment with tools like a grappling hook to get up on higher ground in a jiffy and assassinate unsuspecting guards almost reminded me of Tenchu, since it’s more about smartly using tools than just hiding in grass and waiting for patrol patterns to play out. Naoe channels traditional Assassin’s Creed energy, and her options definitely lean into the Splinter Cell fantasy that hasn’t really been fulfilled in the years since we last saw Sam Fisher in action.
If you play this same mission as Yasuke, you literally bust down the front door and provoke all enemies into combat. Watching him tear through guards almost reminded me of For Honor, another Ubisoft game, for how methodical it all seemed to play, even though it isn’t quite that in depth of swordfighting. Since this is the era of Japanese history that first introduced firearms via Western import, Yasuke also wields a single-shot rifle, and it’s pretty wild to see a hulking samurai pull off headshots just before whipping out his katana to slice down the rest of the foes in front of him.
Whether you play as Naoe or Yasuke, the end result seems to be the same: you kill the daimyo and keep it moving. I’m not sure what the story implications will be depending on your choice, if any. But it’s nice to see two characters with fully realized playstyles with a number of weapons and tools so as to not get stuck into monotonous combat encounters. Granted, that will be determined by how quests are designed. Infiltrating Fukuchiyama Castle showed promise in this regard, but I would love to see if, or how, Shadows can mix and match the two protagonists in more natural ways.
I’m more curious now to get my own hands on Assassin’s Creed Shadows because I always appreciate how different weapons and gear create a distinct flow, especially for a series that’s recently been bouncing between different identities. For me, the most interesting aspects of this game will come from the creative freedom Ubisoft flexes when playing with its historical fiction. Yasuke is a fascinating figure in Japanese history and having a covert shinobi in Naoe contrast the ideals of highly regarded samurai sets my expectations quite high. At least now, I know I’ll be getting a more interesting gameplay dynamic than what I’ve seen from Assassin’s Creed’s recent past.
We’ll be able to see it all come together when Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on November 12 this year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
It’s been five years since Anno 1800, but we’ve finally seen what’s next for Ubisoft’s history-hopping city-building series. Anno 117: Pax Romana will be the earliest period for the franchise yet, travelling back to the time of a peaceful Ancient Rome. After the biggest gap between Anno games yet, we at least won’t have to wait too long for the newly revealed entry: it’s out next year.
We are thrilled to have unveiled FragPunk at the Xbox Summer Showcase 2024. FragPunk is a shooter that wants to carve its own space in the competitive FPS genre with its unique blend of fast-paced combat and dynamic rule changes. In FragPunk, every round brings a new challenge, thanks to its unique shard card system.
As part of an action-packed announcement trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase, FragPunk showcased its innovative power-up cards, a feature primed to shake up the Hero Shooter genre with a fresh, everchanging experience for players.
In this free-to-play game, players will be divided into two teams of 5 and will get to select gameplay modifying cards before entering each round. Their goal for each round will either be to plant a converter in the zones defended by the other team or to defend against oncoming attackers. To that end, players will be able to mix and match 10 heroes, 15 weapons, and over 70 cards on 4 different maps, ensuring that no two rounds are ever alike. More cards, heroes, weapons and maps are also on the way to keep the game fresh when it goes live!
The trailer offers a glimpse into the intense gunfights and counter-attacks enabled by shard cards. Featured cards include “Chain Reaction,” which releases chain lightning upon firing bullets. Meanwhile, “World Flip” turns the world upside down, demonstrating the game’s dynamic and exhilarating gameplay. These cards add an element of surprise and strategy to each match, encouraging players to adapt and evolve their tactics. The announcement trailer showcases the variety and unexpectedness that can be brought to the battlefield, hinting at even more cards to come, promising to further enhance the player experience.
With its unique blend of features, FragPunk has a whole lot to offer players alongside the game-changing Shard Card System. Here’s a broader look at some of FragPunk’s core details
“We wanted to create a game that breaks the mold and offers something truly unique to players,” says Xin, FragPunk producer. “With FragPunk, every match offers a new challenge, thanks to our innovative card-based gameplay mechanics. Whether you’re a seasoned FPS veteran or a newcomer to the genre, there’s something here for everyone.”
FragPunk is coming to Xbox in 2025, follow @PlayFragPunk on X (formerly Twitter) to keep up to date on development.
The post Introducing FragPunk: A Fast, Futuristic Hero Shooter That Bends All the Rules appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Obsidian Entertainment has posted a 30-minute deep dive for its upcoming fantasy action RPG Avowed, revealing an extended look at its gameplay in both first and third person.
This lengthy look at gameplay in the world of Eora comes directly from Xbox itself and goes into some of the magical tools players will have at their disposal when embarking on their adventure later this year. Game Director Carrie Patel touched on these details during the interview, but the feature that might have fans the most excited is the promise that you will have the option to play in both first and third person.
Other details touched on in the presentation include a few colorful conversations with NPCs like Yatzli and Kai. Patel also teases some of the ways the environment will change as Avowed goes from day to night, as well as the ways different NPCs will react to your character’s Godlike status.
Like other RPGs, Avowed has a selection of skills to allow players to choose how they approach encounters, and yes, you’ll be able to respec your trees if you eventually decide you don’t like the path you’ve set yourself on. We see one scenario that is handled two different ways: with combat and with stealth. Using combat to reach an important NPC could anger them, blocking the player off from certain dialogue options and potentially useful rewards. Trying stealth with the Shadowing Beyond ability, which essentially turns the player invisible, results in this same NPC allowing the player to leave with what they came for in peace.
Those who try stealth in Avowed should note that enemies have a “shout radius,” meaning you might be able to get away with dispatching a single enemy if they’re far enough away from their friends. Some of the enemies that players will be sneaking past or slashing through include tiny, blue-and-orange mushroom creatures. These odd beings come in different groups, with some able to attack from a distance while the other swarm with melee attacks.
Avowed’s deep-dive presentation follows its appearance at the Xbox Games Showcase yesterday, where Obsidian showed off additional gameplay, story details, and more from its vibrant fantasy world. It was a showing for the first- and third-person project that came and went without revealing a release date. However, just hours after the event concluded, Obsidian published – and then changed – a post announcing a release date of November 12, 2024. The date is now nowhere to be found, suggesting that Obsidian wasn’t quite ready to commit to that schedule just yet.
Avowed is officially only set to release before the end of 2024. Be sure to read up on everything else shown during the Xbox Games Showcase while we wait for Obsidian’s next RPG to launch on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X | S, and PC.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard won’t have a full gameplay showcase until tomorrow, but BioWare just released a tiny sneak peek at in-game footage — its first ever — in the meantime.
You can watch the 20 seconds of gameplay below. In it, we see Rook, the name for the playable protagonist in The Veilguard, with Dragon Age mainstay Varric. “She’s the best damn detective I’ve ever met,” Varric is heard saying in the footage. “If she says she’s got a lead on Solas, I believe her.”
Enjoy this sneak-peek at tomorrow’s Gameplay Reveal!
Rook and Varric arrive in the stunning – and seedy – city of Minrathous. Little do they know what dangers await. Tune in tomorrow to find out: https://t.co/UGVqA1ZiTE #DragonAge pic.twitter.com/LSJ3oBVoZo
— Dragon Age (@dragonage) June 10, 2024
Solas, as fans know, is the former companion of the protagonist in Dragon Age: Inquisition who’s actually the elven god Fen’Harel, or the Dread Wolf. As for who is it that might have a lead on him, we could already glean from yesterday’s cinematic trailer reveal that Varric may be talking about Neve, who’s referred to as “The Detective” in the showcase of companions. But if that wasn’t clear enough, the quest objective of “Find Neve Gallus” that pops up should erase any confusion.
Otherwise, it’s just a brief look at Rook and Varric descending into the city of Minrathous, complete with a moody, foreboding atmosphere. It’s quite the departure from the lively cinematic trailer that debuted yesterday during the Xbox Showcase, which had some fans worried that The Veilguard would veer too far away from the darker tone and art style of previous Dragon Age entries.
The response had some, including BioWare cinematic designer Derek Wilks, urging Dragon Age fans to wait for tomorrow’s gameplay reveal before casting judgment. The early reaction to the quick look at gameplay has largely been positive, with fans relieved that it does still indeed look like a Dragon Age game.
Tonally so different from that reveal trailer, seems genuinely dark and foreboding… this feels like dragon age.
Thank god 🙏
— Ameer (@SynthPotato) June 10, 2024
Information on the decade-in-the-making sequel has slowly been trickling out since yesterday’s trailer reveal, including the fact that The Veilguard will let you play as a human, elf, dwarf, or qunari. Fans will have to wait for tomorrow’s official gameplay showcase for more, though.
In the meantime, check out IGN’s exclusive interview with BioWare general manager Gary McKay where he explains, among other things, why they changed the name of the fourth Dragon Age game from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard. And for everything that was announced during yesterday’s Xbox Showcase, check out our roundup.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Let the discounts… BEGIN.
After Nintendo of America announced its ‘Mega Extreme Fun’ sale last week, we had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t be long before the European eShop was treated to one of its own. Well, here it is!
The ‘Summer Sale’ (a groundbreaking title if we’ve ever seen one) has begun on the European Switch eShop today (10th June) and will be offering discounts of up to 75% off select titles until 23rd June.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Hi future Expeditioners! We are Sandfall Interactive, a team of around 30 passionate developers based in Montpellier, France and we are thrilled to reveal our project to you today: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, coming to Xbox Series X|S next year and available day one with Xbox Game Pass. We poured our hearts and souls into creating the game of our dreams, so we sincerely hope you will enjoy our reveal trailer just below.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, or just Expedition 33, is a brand-new reactive turn-based RPG that will transport you to a beautiful, surrealist new world inspired by France’s La Belle Epoque — a period famous for its stunning and lavish contributions to the country’s world-renowned culture of art.
Expedition 33 opens in the city of Lumière, the last city of humanity, where everyone knows the age when they will die. Once a year, the Paintress wakes and paints a number on her Monolith. This number represents an age — the age of everyone who will soon be erased. Year by year, this number ticks down, more people die, and old age is not so old anymore.
Soon the Paintress will wake again and paints 33, condemning everyone of that age to a gentle death. But with only one year left to live, the members of Expedition 33 embark on a quest to destroy the Paintress.
You’ll play as Gustave and his fellow Expeditioners on their impossible quest to end the Paintress’ cycle of death. Your journey will take you through a vast and beautiful fantasy world, where you’ll battle deadly adversaries, befriend fabled creatures, and discover traces of the Expeditioners who came before you.
Along the way, you’ll grow your bond with your fellow Expeditioners and piece together their personal stories of heart and heartache. Together, you’ll strive to unravel the mystery of the Paintress – a desperate and seemingly hopeless undertaking that has eluded generations of Expeditioners.
At Sandfall, we’re huge fans of turn-based RPGs, action games, and Souls-likes. For Expedition 33 we wanted to create something unique that combines the depth of a turn-based game with the thrill of executing a dodge or a perfect parry. And so was born our unique reactive turn-based battle system.
Each member of the Expedition has a distinct playstyle with their own unique mechanic. You will be able to further customize each character’s stat growth, expansive skill tree, and gear alongside a wide range of learnable passive traits, offering endless opportunities to fine-tune your preferred strategies. We can’t wait to see what crazy builds you will come up with.
But strategy alone won’t suffice. To reach the Paintress you will also need to master the defense systems. During the enemy’s turn, you can dodge, parry, or jump above enemy attacks in real time, allowing you to land devastating counterattacks. Mastering enemy patterns will ensure your victory and who knows, maybe you’ll even finish the battle without taking any damage and earn additional experience?
Additionally, the free-aim system allows you to shoot at enemies’ weak points, offering you a substantial advantage against the hardest foes or flying enemies.
We believe that whether you are an action RPG fan or a turn-based fan (or both), you will enjoy the unique combination that Expedition 33 offers. We’ve focused on creating a challenging, rewarding combat system that will make every battle an enthralling encounter.
Expedition 33 has been developed using Unreal Engine 5 to bring incredible fidelity and beautiful graphics on Xbox Series X|S. You’ll explore an enchanting realm and wander through breathtaking landscapes. From the somber, Paris-inspired city of Lumière, to the stunning Island of Visages, and to the haunting Forgotten Battlefield discovering secrets and hidden quests along the way.
We can’t wait to show you more of our debut game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and we hope you’re excited to learn more about its world, characters, and gameplay. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will be released on Xbox Series X|S in 2025 and will be available day one with Xbox Game Pass – you can wishlist the game today on the Xbox Store. We’ll be revealing more details and updates over the next few months, so be sure to follow us at @Expedition33 to stay up to date.
The post Explore a World of Wonders in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 appeared first on Xbox Wire.
