Category Archive: Microsoft

E3 2016: The Microsoft Press Conference

LobbycastGeoff | June 13, 2016 | COMMENTS:No Comments »

Xbox E3 2016

It’s official and it’s pretty! Welcome to the family, Xbox One S!

The system is 40% smaller than the standard console and feature 4K video playback and a new controller, which now has wi-fi and bluetooth and an extended range.

Microsoft is launching a new program, Xbox Play Anywhere, that allows you to buy once digitally on either Xbox One or PC and play it on both, keeping progress, achievements, etc.

Gears of War 4 will be a Play Anywhere title and will be cross-play across all co-op modes. Presumably, they are specifying co-op because they will keep VS servers separate.

MS is releasing a limited edition Gears of War 4 Elite Controller.

And Killer Instinct is adding General Raam as a playable character.

Next up, Forza Horizon 3. It’s gorgeous. It’s not like this series was all of a sudden going to lose it’s amazing visuals, right? It is now set in Australia and features a 4-player campaign co-op mode. Play Anywhere and Cross-Play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTSUgXkfooA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyXQ3sPqlhA

A new Re-Core trailer was shown today. This one shows a bit of gameplay and also introduces the cast of characters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnKT9ZCGgBE

Square-Enix is on stage with Final Fantasy 15. I’m not a fan of the series, but even so, this game would have to be more exciting to actually play than how it appears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sRNz1YJjow

The Division: Underground DLC, coming 6/28, looks to bring even more action to the game, with randomly generated missions and new underground areas.

Battlefield 1 is launching 10/21, but players who are @EAAccess and Xbox Live Gold members get access on Oct 13th. Nice! Love this trailer!

Microsoft launching more new features and services. Adding new local servers, enabling more cross-network play, background music, language region independence, Cortana, Clubs on Xbox Live (create your own communities), Looking for Group on Xbox live (find other players to group with) and Arena on Xbox Live (Discover and join tournaments, support with EA Sports Games).

Minecraft gets cross-play across all platforms via The Friendly Update. This update also introduces Realms, dedicated servers that your friends can come play in. Texture packs are also available and add-ons arrive this fall.

Microsoft brings you Xbox Design Lab, where you can customize an Xbox One controller to your color specifications. It costs more, of course, but still pretty awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGxxXkDqRS8

Indie game Inside, from the creators of Limbo, arrives 6/29. Limbo is free, starting today!

We Happy Few is available on Xbox Game Preview. It looks so cool!

Gwent, the card game from The Witcher, is now a stand-alone, cross-play title that will release in September.

Tekken 7! The game will ship in early 2017 and will feature a robust story mode. Tekken Tag Tournament available free this week to XBL Gold members

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwH8NAyO8os

Dead Rising 4 is back and the newest iteration ships holiday 2016.

New Scalebound footage. For whatever reason, this one still doesn’t grab me, but it’s also Play Anywhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ZVMU_KA-M

I’m very excited for Sea of Thieves, probably my most anticipated title. And gameplay footage after the trailer! If only i could get my knucklehead friends together to crew a ship! (Play Anywhere)

State of Decay 2 is also going to be exclusive and Play Anywhere. The trailer is pretty bloody!

Halo Wars 2 is Play Anywhere and is releasing 2/21/17 and has a beta launching today.

And, of course, the big news of the day is the official unveiling of Project Scorpio. Super sexy specs! Project Scorpio will be fully compatible with all Xbox One games and accessories.

Thanks for your time! We’ll have the Sony recap up in a bit!

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft

E3 2016: The Bethesda Softworks Press Conference

LobbycastGeoff | June 12, 2016 | COMMENTS:No Comments »

Bethesda E3 2016 Press Conference

Wow! Bethesda killed it today! They had some very impressive things to show and they did a great job delivering it.

They started off with Quake: Champions, a new arena shooter designed for competitive play.

This one will be PC only, but it’s great to see a new Quake title after all of these years. This reveal was a great way to start off their show.

Next up is The Elder Scrolls: Legends, a collectible card game coming to iOs, PC and Android later this year. The game is currently in public beta and announced that they will be inviting more people in soon, so sign up! https://legends.bethesda.net/?locale=en

Fallout 4 is definitely the game that has received most of my limited gaming time. I’m currently on a Survival playthrough and it is no joke. I was happy to see that more content is coming my way… and I haven’t even played Far Harbor yet!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLbXrwsAXvE

On top of that, you will find a little Fallout: Shelter update in there, including quests and the news that the game is coming to PC. How will the PC version handle the drug dealeresque nature of the mobile notifications?

While this next bit was heavily anticipated and rumored to be announced, it was still great to see the confirmation. Elder Scrolls Skyrim is coming to PS4 and XB1, complete with mod support and updated visuals.

Bethesda then announced a new? IP. I don’t believe that this has anything to do with the previous Prey titles. It looks interesting, but we’ll see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1C3Od8-Dmo

More Elder Scrolls news! Actually, it’s not so much news as just more about a known thing, but whatever. We’re always glad to see it.

They also announced One Tamriel, an addition to the current ESO that will allow players of any level or faction to play together.

This next bit has no video, but Doom and Fallout 4 are being shown off in VR at the show and those titles are coming to the HTC Vive platform next year.

And last, but certainly not least, is the big chunk of Dishonored 2 info. First is the trailer:

And then some gameplay footage!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJL3gCKeQCA

I wasn’t a fan of the original, but I know that it was an extremely popular title. I’m proud to know someone that got the achievement for beating the game without killing anyone. It may have been our very own Erin!

We’ll catch you tomorrow with news from Microsoft, Ubisoft and Sony!

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft, Sony

E3 2016: The EA Press Conference

LobbycastGeoff | | COMMENTS:No Comments »

EA at E3 2016

It’s that time again, folks! E3 2016 is almost underway. In the meantime, we will recap the major press conferences for those that aren’t able to watch live. I am live tweeting as many shows as I can at @LobbycastGeoff. Here is the recap for Electronic Arts:

The show contains a lot of good news for fans of EA games. The news about the Titanfall 2 single-player mode leaked early, but it’s worth mentioning again here. On of the major complaints about the first game was it’s lack of a dedicated single-player experience.

But wait, there’s more! Here is the multi-player trailer:

Everything looks great. It makes me miss the original game and all of the fun I had at it’s launch. Hopefully the sequel will have longer legs for me.

Next up, EA brings out some Madden 17. It looks gorgeous!

I’m not typically a player of their sports titles, but the juggernaut that is EA Sports is undeniable. The other sports game that they brought out was FIFA 17, the best-selling sports title worldwide.

This is for their “Journey” mode. I’m not a fan of the drama, but this mode isn’t made for me anyway. This next game is more my speed.

Mass Effect: Andromeda looks amazing. I’m a big fan of this series and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us. This bit of behind the scenes footage shows some in-game footage as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-erTzcggBk

EA also talked about their EA Originals program, which brings funding and security to Indie Game Developers. I like seeing these types of initiatives. I hope that they keep this up. The title that they featured today was Fe, an Indie adventure game.

Jade Raymond took the stage to talk Star Wars games. There are a couple of unnamed titles coming from Motive Studios and Visceral that are sure to do well with all of the new or renewed fans that The Force Awakens created.

The last of the show was filled with Battlefield 1. It is crazy impressive! The team is brought in dynamic weather that changes the way that you have to approach objectives, as well as access to large vehicles like the airship, a battleship and an armored train. They’ve ratcheted up the dynamic destruction as well, in order to make sure that “no two games will be the same.” I’m really looking forward to this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFa-qF0mX60

We will back later tonight with coverage of the Bethesda Softworks Press Conference. See you then!

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft, Sony

The ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ Beta Opens To Everyone On Xbox One, PS4 and PC Today

LobbycastGeoff | October 8, 2015 | COMMENTS:No Comments »

The ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ Beta Opens To Everyone On Xbox One, PS4 and PC Today http://ift.tt/1jenbnT

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft, Shared, Sony TAG: ,

Get road rash with RIDE for Xbox One and Xbox 360 (and PS3, PS4)

LobbycastGeoff | | COMMENTS:No Comments »

Get road rash with RIDE for Xbox One and Xbox 360

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft, Shared, Sony TAG: ,