New Xbox Experience Revamps UI, Launching With Xbox Series X
Microsoft has unveiled the New Xbox Experience, a complete revamp of the UI that will be launching with the Xbox Series X in November. It will also be available for Xbox One and Game Pass on PC along with Xbox mobile apps. The trailer below sees development team members, including Xbox head of research and design Chris Novak, talking about the update so check it out.
The New Xbox Experience will take advantage of Xbox Velocity Architecture and Quick Resume coming with the Xbox Series X. That means a Home screen that loads 50 percent faster. Even returning to the screen from a game is faster by 30 percent and the improvements take up 40 percent less memory than before.
Visual improvements include more readable text and on-screen elements like tile shapes, fonts and so on being easier to understand. Though the layout of console pages is familiar, Microsoft describes them as being "faster and more focused." Some other quality of life features include updates and game clips from one console being to the Xbox app on mobile, allowing them to share it online. Notifications on PC, mobiles and console are also being consolidated.
Stay tuned for more details on the New Xbox Experience in the coming months. The Xbox Series X launches this November.
DOOM Eternal Adds New Render Modes, Including Classic Visuals
The first expansion for DOOM Eternal, The Ancient Gods, may be a ways off from release. However, id Software continues to support the game with interesting new updates. Its latest adds a variety of Render Modes, which are essentially filters over the current graphics. Check out the trailer below to see what they're like.
Some of the Render Modes, like black and white, are pretty straightforward. Others eschew the hyper-detailed look of the game for a more classic, sprite-based look. You can even opt for Retro Handheld to make the game look like a Game Boy title.
DOOM Eternal is currently available for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Google Stadia. It's recently been confirmed for PS5 and Xbox Series X but the Nintendo Switch version has yet to see the light of day. Stay tuned for more details though, including a reveal for The Ancient Gods expansion in the coming days.
11 Things Xbox One Owners Don't Want In Xbox Series X
The Xbox One generation has been one of ups and downs for Microsoft. They definitely didn't start things off on the right note (to say the very least), and although they have been lagging behind their competitors in more ways than one for much of the generation, there's no denying that they've made significant strides as well. It's for that reason that things look much brighter for them in the coming years- but that's something that they're still going to have to work on, for which they're going to have to make sure that they don't repeat several of the mistakes they've made these last few years. And so, in this feature, we're going to take about a few pitfalls we hope the Xbox Series X avoids.
LACK OF GOOD EXCLUSIVES
A lack of compelling exclusives and first party content has been an issue with Xbox in general for a while, but with the Xbox One, it became almost unbearable. Sure, there were some games that stood out that proved to be the exception to this rule, such as Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Gears 5, Forza Horizon 4, and Sea of Thieves, but by and large this is an area Microsoft need to make significant improvements in. Thankfully, it's looking like that's exactly what they're doing. On top of their usual Halo/Gears/Forza output, they have so much more in the works, plenty of which they've shown already, and while we haven't really seen anything substantial from any of these upcoming games, we're still excited about the fact that for the first time in maybe forever, Microsoft's first party portfolio has a lot of stuff in the pipeline.
Bless Unleashed Interview – Upcoming Updates, Future Plans, and More
Bless Unleashed launched on the Xbox One earlier this year, after having been in beta for a while, and reception to the MMORPG has been generally positive. Developers Round 8 Studio are now ready to open the floodgates to bring in even more audiences. Later this year, Bless Unleashed will come to PS4, while next year, it launches on PC. With that to look forward to, and with a good few months under their belt to build future improvements on, the developers have certainly been keeping busy. To talk about all that and more, we recently reached out to them with some of our questions. You can read our conversation with Round 8 Studio development lead Koven Park below.
"Player feedback will continue to be a part of future updates and the development process."
Bless Unleashed has been available on Xbox One for some time now. How has the response from the community been?
Thankfully we received a good response when the game first launched, and are continuing to garner positive feedback. Of course, there will always be some negative feedback, but we have focused on resolving those player issues in our latest content updates. We are also proud to support promotions like perks for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, which awards Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members – with rewards such as a legendary mount and lumena.
We are always grateful and aim to continue receiving positive responses through future updates.
How has the launch and post-launch of Bless Unleashed differed – or not – from that of Bless Online? Did your experience with the former make things smoother with Bless Unleashed?
Our development team is a different team from the Bless Online development team. However as we were different development teams that belonged to the same company, we were able to observe the opening of Bless Online from the sidelines.
Launching a game on a console was not an easy task during the Bless Unleashed launch process. There were difficulties in coordination and optimization in many areas, but the development team was able to overcome it all because we were very enthusiastic about creating a console game. Of course, BNEA was a huge help in making this happen.
We hope users will continue to enjoy the game and will do our best to provide a longstanding game service.
Are there any significant upcoming updates or fixes that you're working on directly as a response to feedback from players?
As mentioned previously, Round 8 strongly believes that it is crucial to listen to and embrace feedback from users. We reviewed and incorporated user feedback received within the first month after launch such as strengthening the early parts of the game, parts regarding growth, PvP rules, convenience of controls etc. and greatly updated the game system.
The development team is satisfied with this update as it is generally positively received, and is contributing to the game's retention.
Player feedback will continue to be a part of future updates and the development process.
"We are planning a major update related to the community, PvE, and PvP."
What are your immediate plans for Bless Unleashed in terms of additional content? Do you have any major expansions lined up?
We are planning a major update related to the community, PvE, and PvP. An upcoming update will expand the goals of the field and dungeons with Abyssal Dungeons and a King Field Boss system, which will open up a wide range of item growth through the given rewards. In the future, there will also be an update to the attributes commonly referred to as a weakness system, and the evolution of PC characters will soon follow. This is just a tiny part of the huge updates to come, so I can confidently say that we are preparing much more content for the future.
For reference, we are also expanding our lifestyle content such as fishing and superior crafting. Please look forward to what's to come!
With Bless Unleashed PS4 and PC releases coming up, have there been any areas of the game you've been particularly focusing on during the process (other than optimizing for those consoles, of course)?
We are trying to avoid specialized content for each platform as much as possible. However, the rewards or products themselves for each platform may vary. This is the same as when the content of the game is the same, but the service is different.
Players will experience the same updates mentioned above regardless of what platform they choose. We are doing our best to provide a unified and smooth global service.
How important has it been to ensure that Bless Unleashed offers the same experience on every platform, especially given its online nature?
It is extremely important. Future game content needs to go beyond the platform and be approached from the perspective of sharing experiences. In particular for MMORPGs, we will be focusing on providing the same experience as much as possible because different user communities for different platforms may arise if there are contrasting experiences and specialized content on specific platforms.
Do you have any plans to launch on the Switch?
We currently do not have plans, but I think this may change depending on the needs of our users. However, I can say that we are reviewing next-gen platforms and cloud services.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Guide – 12 Beginners Tips and Tricks to Keep in Mind
[drop-capA][/drop-cap]sobo Studio have done something incredible with Microsoft Flight Simulator. The classic franchise's return has been a triumphant one, but at the same time, given how much granular control it offers in its authentic simulation and the staggering level of detail it displays, it's understandable that many – especially those not too familiar with the genre – might find the game a bit daunting, especially in the early goings. Don't worry though- here, we've compiled a list of fourteen basic tips and tricks that should make your early hours with the game much smoother.
TUTORIALS
This one should go without saying, especially given the sort of game Microsoft Flight Simulator is, but the tutorials here are not only very important, they're also very effective. Skipping tutorials is something we often do reflectively, but don't do that here. Collectively, they take about 30-40 minutes, but they go over some of the most fundamental things you will need to take care of, and do it really well. By the time you're done with the tutorials, you'll have a solid grasp of how you should be playing the game.
LANDMARKS
Exploring literally an entire planet with no restrictions is one of the biggest allures of Microsoft Flight Simulator. If you're going to use the game to get your fix of virtual tourism – as many probably will – you will, of course, want to fly over to various landmarks across the world. Thankfully, they're very easy to find. Rather than flying around and hoping you chance across one of them, you can simply search for them in the search bar in Free Flight mode, and chances are, you'll find a hit.
TRAVELLING TO LANDMARKS
When travelling to landmarks, it's important that you set them as your destinations, not your departure points. Why exactly, though? Well, if you set them at your departure points, your aircraft will spawn in the air right by them, and you'll fly past them within seconds, which means you'll barely get the chance to take in the scenery.
FINDING YOUR HOUSE
Microsoft Flight Simulator recreates the entire planet in impressive fashion- which means that if you get the urge to fly over to where your house should be in the game's virtual version of the world, you'll probably find it. Just head to the airport closest to your house's location, and make your way to your destination. You'll have to find it manually, of course, and there's a chance that it won't be too faithfully recreated or detailed, but there's a pretty good chance that you'll find what you're looking for.
LARGER PLANES
Microsoft Flight Simulator has a nice variety of aircraft that you can take control of, and while it might be tempting to jump straight into the cockpit of the biggest plane you see, it might be a better idea to hold off on that in the first couple of hours. For obvious reasons, the larger the plane, the harder it can be to control, especially during takeoffs and landings. As such, it's best to cut your teeth on the smaller aircraft in the game first, and once you get the hang of them, move on to the bigger stuff.
LONG DISTANCE FLIGHTS
Given the amount of real estate available in this game, it goes without saying that you'll often be going through long journeys. Long flights, of course, can often be the best part of the game, especially depending on things such as weather conditions, or whether or not you take scenic routes, but if you want to speed things along and get to your destination more quickly, consider using jets or airliners. These planes are the fastest of the bunch, and great for long distance flights.
TAKEOFFS
Given all that you have to keep track of, taking off and landing can both be pretty daunting tasks, especially for newcomers in the very early hours of the game. With assists, you can make things easier for yourself (more on this in a bit), but there are other, more direct ways to do so as well. For instance, taking off is much easier to handle when played in third person, since the UI is much easier to read and cleaner than the readouts you otherwise have to keep an eye on in cockpit view.
ASSISTS
Microsoft Flight Simulator has an impressive level of detail in its simulation toolset, and the level of fine control it can offer you is nothing short of staggering. However, if you're looking for a more relaxed experience, the game's assists do a great job of making that happen for you. From fuel level to crash damage to landings and takeoffs and so much more, Microsoft Flight Simulator's assists options can ease the pressure on you in several ways- so do yourself a favour, and check them out to see which ones you want to fiddle with to tailor them to your needs and wants.
CHALLENGES
Microsoft Flight Simulator has two dozen challenges that you can tackle, and while you might be tempted to just ignore all prescribed content and simply fly off aimlessly into the sunset, we do recommend trying out these challenges. For starters, most of them are a lot of fun, and test your skills in unique and interesting ways. On top of that, they also let you get familiar and acclimated with various aircraft, which, of course, is always a good thing.
ACTIVE PAUSE
Owing to its very nature, you'll be spending a lot of time in Microsoft Flight Simulator just taking in and enjoying its beautiful vistas and landscapes, or just taking a few seconds to catch your bearings to see where you need to be headed. The Active Pause function is great for both these functions. It essentially freezes your game in time without taking you to an actual pause screen, which means you can take your mind off flying your plane and just look around you for as long as you want.
AVATAR
Your character's avatar may not matter all that much (or at all) in Flight Simulator, given the fact that it is, well, a flight simulator, but the game does offer some customization options for it nonetheless. In the miscellaneous tab under the General section of the options menu, you can choose from a selection of two dozen different avatars for both your pilot and your co-pilot.
UI
Microsoft Flight Simulator's UI can get a little messy at times, which is understandable- there's a lot that you need to keep an eye on and be aware of during flights, which means there's always plenty of readouts and windows that you may want to keep on your screen at all times. If, however, you have a second monitor in your setup, you can simply move all of those windows to that and enjoy a UI-free view of your entire flight on your main screen.
New Batman Teaser Website Hints at Gotham Knights Title, Playable Batgirl
WB Games Montreal have made an art form out of teasing their next game, which almost everyone knows even in the absence of an official announcement is going to be a new Batman game, likely titled Gotham Knights. That announcement though, is finally coming soon on August 22, ahead of which a teaser website for the game (r3dakt3d.com) recently went live.
Recently on Reddit, a user figured out all the codes that are meant to tease more new content on the website in the days leading up to launch. These codes are 761, 941, 364, and 995. And of course, they have to mean something, right? They just might.
Over on Twitter, @ArkhamVideos managed to figure out that all four codes put together get the EAN number for issue 359 of Detective Comics, which is the issue that the Batgirl character made her debut in. This is significant not only because WB Games Montreal were the developers of Arkham Knight's Batgirl DLC, but also because leaks have mentioned multiple times that their upcoming Batman game will feature Batgirl and other members of the Batfamily as playable characters.
Additionally, the cover of the aforementioned issue also bears a striking resemblance to issue #43 of Batman: Gotham Knights. That, of course, is the WB Games Montreal's title's name, according to leaks. A lot of dots to connect, but it doesn't seem too far-fetched.
Meanwhile, recent leaks have also said that the game will feature a system similar to Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War's Nemesis system, as well as multiple factions. Read more on that through here.
The incessant teasing and leaks will finally (hopefully) come to an end soon, so stay tuned for any and all updates until then.
One of our Discord users, Gydra, noticed the cover is very similar to Batman: Gotham Knights #43.
Join the discussion at https://t.co/ATwyDphMKN pic.twitter.com/C4lqCIANde— Batman Arkham Videos (@ArkhamVideos) August 18, 2020
This week will end on a high note with the release of Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time. The game is based on the cult classic animated series about a time displaced samurai who seeks a return to the past for the final battle with the wicked demon, Aku. The game is looking to be quite the action title, and we've got a couple of videos that show Jack has some moves.
We've seen some action-packed gameplay in the past, and now we get a little breakdown of how combat can flow. Via the game's official Twitter, we have gotten a look at the various skills Jack has, as well as the weapons. Jack can switch between weapons, even crafting wicked combos between them if he can switch in time. You can also parry if you block at the right time, leaving enemies open for actions, as well as a counter that allows you hit hard if you block at the time. You can even cancel attacks into blocks with the right timing. Check all of that out, and more, below.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time will release August 21st for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC and Apple Arcade.
We broke down some early skills and abilities players will unlock towards the beginning of the game. pic.twitter.com/3BhYOmdI6W
— Samurai Jack (@SamuraiJackGame) August 8, 2020
Get your training swords out.
Take some notes.
Let's dive into the advanced gameplay techniques you'll need to defeat Aku. pic.twitter.com/kSns9sQdCQ
— Samurai Jack (@SamuraiJackGame) August 15, 2020
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Celebrates Series 25th Anniversary With New Update
It feels a little hard to believe, but for two and an half decades, Bandai Namco's arcade flight series, Ace Combat, has been conquering the skies. The franchise went on something of an extended hiatus before returning last year with Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. That game looked to be a big success last we heard, and now you can celebrate the franchise's milestone with a new, free update.
The update brings what you'd expect for something celebrating an anniversary for with new aircraft skins. The three skins come from the U.S. series and will bring three new skins from the Navy and Marine Corps. They are the Jolly Rogers Skin for F-14D Super Tomcat and F/A-18F Super Hornet, Patriot Skin for F-16C Fighting Falcon and F-15C Eagle, and the
Red Devils Skin for F/A-18F Super Hornet. You can check them out via the trailer below.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The 25th Anniversary Update will come to all versions of the game tomorrow, August 20th.
Rocksteady Accused of Harassment by Staff
The last month or so has seen reports emerging about sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviour, and misconduct all around in various studios and corners of the games industry, with allegations against many of Ubisoft's top executives having been highlighted by many. Now, a new report by The Guardian brings to light issues at British studio Rocksteady – the developers of the Batman: Arkham trilogy and the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
According to the report, in November of 2018, 10 of the 16 female employees employed at Rocksteady co-signed a letter to the studio's management in which they talked about sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour, mentioning "slurs regarding the transgendered community", "discussing a woman in a derogatory or sexual manner with other colleagues", and "unwanted advances, leering at parts of a woman's body, and inappropriate comments in the office."
The report goes on to state that following the letter, Rocksteady's response as to hold a single hour-long seminar, and the studio's inaction over these complaints has led to many of the staff who signed the aforementioned letter to leave Rocksteady. One of the letter's co-signatories shared the letter with The Guardian under conditions of anonymity.
She said: "I have heard everything from groping claims to incidents involving [senior staff], all of whom are men. Yet the only thing we had as a result was a company-wide seminar that lasted an hour. Everyone who attended was asked to sign a statement confirming that they'd received the training. It felt that it was a just way for them to cover their arses."
She also remarks that Rocksteady's dismissive attitude towards women in general has bled into the company's output of games and the way that represents women as well, citing examples such as the designs of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn in the Arkham series.
"Rocksteady doesn't have the best reputation for representing women," she says. "Sometimes you could see the surprise on their face when you said that's not how women dress."
Rocksteady have also responded, acknowledging the letter's existence, and saying that it has taken steps to ensure that a culture of inclusivity and diversity is promoted at the studio.
"From day one at Rocksteady Studios, we set out to create a place where people are looked after, a place fundamentally built on respect and inclusion," a Rocksteady spokesperson said. "In 2018 we received a letter from some of our female employees expressing concerns they had at that time, and we immediately took firm measures to address the matters that were raised. Over the subsequent two years we have carefully listened to and learned from our employees, working to ensure every person on the team feels supported. In 2020 we are more passionate than ever to continue to develop our inclusive culture, and we are determined to stand up for all of our staff."
In addition, Rocksteady reportedly also held a meeting following being contacted by The Guardian regarding the letter in which they discussed the letter for the first time, and promised initiatives to prevent further similar issues.
We will keep you updated as this situation develops, so stay tuned.
Observer: System Redux Gets Comparison Trailer For Upcoming PS5 And Xbox Series X Release
This holiday season, Bloober Team has already made quite the splash with the upcoming The Medium, a horror game coming to Xbox Series X and PC that promises a new and interesting dual screen experience. But it's not the only game they have coming to the new systems. They are revisiting their cyberpunk horror title, Observer, with a new remastered version. And today, we get to see the comparison, and it's quite something.
Via Gamespot, the developer released a new trailer with some sliding comparison shots. The new lighting and 4K textures give everything a much sharper look, and characters have been created from scratch to give more pronounced details to things like skin and implants. In general, there's just much more details, too. Combining this with the new reduced loading times that the new systems' SSD will provide, and it looks to be quite the definitive edition.
Observer: System Redux will release this holiday season for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. You can check out some of the new story content and more impressive visuals the game will have through here.