At E3, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer proudly declared 2015 as having the strongest lineup in Xbox history. With heavy hitters released such as Forza Motorsport 6 , Halo 5: Guardians , Rise of the Tomb Raider , and more, it's a claim that's hard to argue w
Ghost Recon: Wildlands is the tactical open world co-op shooter that fans have been dying to see. Getting to together with a group of four friends and taking out outposts with any number of approaches has been a dream promise, but it only seems like now that Ghost Recon: Wildlands can finally deliver. We will admit that Ubisoft’s track record with multiplayer games is a bit spotty, but our hands-on time with Wildlands left us eager to play m
"One of the things we’re very aware of is the need for the balancing to be right. After running some recent tests, we found that PC players were 4.5% more efficient at killing skeletons than Xbox players, and this feels close enough that it’s something we’ll continue to monitor. However, PvP between platforms, or more importantly device input, is the big focus point for us as a Design team, and already we’ve been working closely with the Game Experience team to change the way the guns work to be better balanced for cross play. We’ve put in a bunch of telemetry around this, and with the change to guns it’s made them feel tonally so much more fitting, as previously they felt more like laser weapons than ancient plundered-and-pillaged gunpowder-driven blunderbuss
The people behind hit games such as Alan Wake and Max Payne are set to release what is possibly their most ambitious project yet with Quantum Break . Quantum Break is looking to combine gaming and television in a big way, boasting a star-studded cast that includes Shawn Ashmore from X-Men , along with actors from shows such as Game of Thrones and The Wire . After a number of delays, Quantum Break is finally set to release for the Xbox One on April 5th, 2
Speaking to IGN , Rare's executive producer Joe Neate confirmed that the first major post-launch Sea Of Thieves Weapons of Thieves update will introduce microtransactions. This update is expected around three months after Sea of Thieves ' launch and "anything in this area will not impact power or progression, and you'll always know what you're getting - so that means no loot crates," says Neate. Given the ongoing controversy surrounding pay to win loot boxes and the debate on whether or not loot boxes are gambling , many will be glad to hear that Sea of Thieves won't feature that mecha
As the follow-up to one of our favorite games of 2012, Dishonored 2 had an easy road to winning us over. But even then the sequel doesn’t feel like a simple rehash or graphical upgrade. A new hero, a new locale, and lots of interesting new powers are just a few of the reasons we’re excited for Dishonored 2 later this year, and a demo ripe with intriguing twists served as the perfect appeti
Rare's Short Haul trailers are just one way the developer is continuing to communicate with its audience, whether they're excited for Sea of Thieves or not. There are several other short video series that are ongoing, like the Inn-side Stories series or one-offs created for special events, like Talk Like a Pirate Day. Perhaps this extensive amount of developer-to-player communication is another strategy to help bring players closer to the experience that Sea of Thieves will provide . Perhaps in knowing Rare, players will better know their ga
A strong candidate for Best of E3 last year, Horizon: Zero Dawn followed the prototypical formula. After showing a hands-off demo at E3 2015, the developers at Guerrilla Games put the controllers in the hands of E3 attendees and proved to them that the game is real. It was in that hands-on demo that Horizon really solidified as a special experience. Most of all, Horizon: Zero Dawn is exactly the type of game that some would argue E3 needs more of: original IPs that are not afraid to take chances. Hats off to Guerrilla for doing something differ
Naturally, then, gamers have been eager to find out exactly what the online component of Sea of Thieves ' multiplayer would entail. Unfortunately, those expecting that the title would be free-to-play once initially purchased are going to be sorely disappointed. Sea of Thieves design director Gregg Mayles shot down the idea of a free multiplayer experience in an interview with Eurogamer at E3 2016 yester
A recent datamine of the game's files uncovered lots more Sea of Thieves content, including new enemies and animals such as parrots, pigs, and seagulls. The leak also pointed to lots of character and ship customization , from tattoos and eyepatches to a variety of ship hulls. With the game's microtransactions still a few months away, Rare is still working on the finer details but these datamined options do sound like the sort of cosmetic items that could be unlocked via microtransacti
