The Xbox Games Showcase revealed three new models of Series X/S consoles coming this holiday. They include two all-digital models and a beefier Series X.
If you're all about digital gaming, the new All-Digital Series X and Series S boxes are for you. Both come in "robot white" and sport a 1TB SSD. The Series S is basically a white version of the black 1TB Series S revealed last year. The third console is a special edition "galaxy black" Series X that features a 2 TB SSD (and includes a disc drive) along with a green-accented controller.
Here are the prices:
All-Digital Xbox Series S (1TB) - $349.99
All-Digital Xbox Series X (1TB) - $449.99
Special Edition Xbox Series X (2TB) - $599.99
Today, we received an in-depth look at Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the latest entry in Treyarch's popular, long-running subseries to one of gaming's biggest franchises. As part of that, we learned the series is implementing a new movement system, bringing back round-based Zombies and Classic Prestige, and taking us to the year 1991 for its campaign. We also learned another key piece of information: when we'll be able to play it.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 arrives on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 25. Alongside that, players can expect a campaign that hopes to instill a sense of paranoia and intrigue with the Black Ops team going rogue in order to remove an entity that has infiltrated the highest levels of government, as well as a competitive multiplayer suite that includes 16 all-new maps. To learn more about the upcoming title, read our in-depth preview here.
The next expansion for Fallout 76 is called Skyline Valley and it launches next week. More specifically, Skyline Valley expands the game's map southward to the all-new Shenandoah region on June 12.
There, players will investigate the cause of an electrical storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63. In this mysterious vault, players will meet its dwellers and discover a new Ghoul type called The Lost, too.
Check it out for yourself in the Fallout 76: Skyline Valley trailer below:
As you can see from the trailer above, the Shenandoah region is not looking so great in post-apocalyptic America. Plus, the trailer also reveals that Fallout 76 players can play as Ghouls starting sometime next year.
Are you going to play Fallout 76's Skyline Valley expansion next week? Let us know in the comments below!
This month, Dragon Age: The Veilguard (you read that right – Dreadwolf is no more) graces the cover of Game Informer. After years developing Baldur's Gate and its sequel early in its history, BioWare struck out to create its own fantasy RPG. That series began with Dragon Age: Origins in 2009. It was followed up with Dragon Age II in 2011, and then Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014. While the Dragon Age series' history has its ups and downs, fans have been patiently waiting for BioWare to return to the franchise, and 2024 is finally the year.
We visited BioWare's Edmonton, Canada, office for an exclusive look at Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including a look at its character creator, its prologue and opening missions, and more. We also spoke to many of the game's leads about the name change, the series' shift to real-time action combat, the various companions (and the relationships you can forge with them), and The Veilguard's hub location. You can learn about the titular Veilguard, Solas' role in the game, and so much more in our 12-page cover story for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
But there are plenty of other excellent reads within this issue of Game Informer! Some of us flew to Los Angeles, California, to attend Summer Game Fest and the not-E3 weekend's various other events to check out new games, interview developers, and more. Our previews section is jam-packed with new details about upcoming releases we can't wait for.
Brian Shea flew to Warsaw, Poland, to check out two upcoming releases – Frostpunk 2 and The Alters – and he came away excited about both. Jon Woodey went hands-on with Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming Dawntrail expansion (and spoke to director Naoki Yoshida, too), and as someone with 8,000 hours in the game, his words are the ones you'll want to read.
On the freelance front, Charlie Wacholz writes about how last year's Dave The Diver is one of the best game representations of the rewards and struggles of working in the food and beverage industry, and Grant Stoner spoke with Sony and Microsoft about the development of process and history of the companies' Adaptive and Access controllers. And for a lil' terror this summer, Ashley Bardhan spoke to several horror game developers about why the alluring town known as Silent Hill is a crucial location to Konami's horror masterpiece.
As always, you'll find an editor's note from editor-in-chief Matt Miller, reviews from various freelancers and staff editors, a Top 5 list (hint hint: dragons), and more.
Here's a closer look at the cover:
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Print subscribers can expect their issues to arrive in the coming weeks. The digital edition launches June 18 for PC/Mac, iOS, and Google Play. Individual print copies will be available for purchase in the coming weeks at GameStop.
In a press release for the newly announced Winter Burrow, the game is described as a “cozy woodland survival game,” though we have some doubts about the cozy part, given that the tail end of the trailer features the protagonist’s friend being taken away to be eatern by a hungry owl.
With that said, much of the rest of the game does seem to match an expectation of crafting, baking, resource gathering, and many of the other features you’d expect out of a survival game, albeit with an adorable aesthetic of anthropomorphic mice as the visual style.
Publisher Noodlecake intends to release the game on Xbox consoles, and PC in early 2025.
Give a look to the trailer to get a better understanding of how the game plays.
South of Midnight, Compulsion Games' (We Happy Few, Contrast) next third-person adventure first revealed last year, received an extended look at gameplay during the Xbox Games Showcase. Set in a fantastical world inspired by the Louisiana Bayou, the game is expected to be released sometime next year.
The trailer's description describes South of Midnight's premise: "When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world where reality and fantasy are interwoven, and ancient creatures from folklore emerge." We see that as Hazel rides through the bayou-inspired swamp atop a giant, talking catfish. The beautiful art direction combined with the limited-frame animation (think the Spider-verse films) gives the game a distinct look, while a soul-infused soundtrack evokes the culture of the region. The action shows Hazel fighting off monsters with magic-infused daggers and soaring though the sky on an ethreal glider.
South of Midnight will launch on Game Pass for Xbox Series X/S and PC in 2025.
Beethoven & Dinosaur, the developer behind The Artful Escape, revealed its next game during the 2024 Xbox Showcase, and it's all about being a teenager, getting into trouble, listening to music, and apparently flying through the air (though it is likely a metaphor). The trailer, which features an impressive art style and character animation that drops frames à la Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, will feature music from bands like Devo, Roxy Music, Lush, and The Smashing Pumpkins, among others.
The game is being published by Annapurna Interactive and is coming some time in 2025.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was one of the brand-new reveals during today's Xbox Game Showcase. Developed by Sandfall Interactive (its debut title), the turn-based RPG unfolds in a fantastical world governed by a powerful figure who wipes out countless innocents every year via a mysterious number.
Clair Obscur's world is at the mercy of the Paintress, who awakens once a year to paint a cursed number on a monolith. That number causes every person of that age to instantly vanish in wisps of smoke. The citizens dealing with this recurring threat know that her next number is "33" and a brave collection of them have one day to mount an expedition to her island to stop her once and for all. However, these "Expeditioners" are merely the latest of dozens of failed attempts at killing the Paintress. Thus, this team will retrace the steps of every squad that came before them as they explore a dreamlike world filled with dangerous threats.
The game is powered by Unreal Engine 5 and sports slick-looking turn-based action. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is coming in 2025 to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S (including launching day one on Game Pass), and PC.
Xbox has revealed that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will launch this November. More specifically, it hits Xbox Series X/S and PC on November 19.
Developer Asobo Studio revealed this today during the Xbox Games Showcase with a new trailer that highlights some of the aviation careers players can take on in the game later this year. That includes aerial ambulances and advertisers, VIP charter captains, and more.
Check it out for yourself in the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 trailer below:
"[Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024] features the largest, most diverse and detailed fleet of aircraft, the most complete representation of airports and air traffic, and the most visually stunning rendition of Earth ever created," an Xbox Wire post reads. "This brand-new simulator is designed to take advantage of the latest technologies in simulation, cloud, machine learning, graphics, and gaming. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 goes beyond merely operating the aircraft; it will allow simmers to pursue their dream of an aviation career."
Careers include firefighting, search and rescue, commercial airline piloting, remote cargo ops, charter service, air racing, and more.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 hits Xbox Series X/S and PC on November 19, 2024. It will launch day one on Game Pass for Xbox, PC, and Cloud.
Are you going to check out Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 later this year? Let us know in the comments below!