Xbox Newsbeat 28 August
Get Ready to Jump Ahead with Xbox One Thanks to September’s Games with Gold
Spring into a new month of great games on Xbox
This month, we’re helping you get caught up with one of the most exciting, awesome series in video games as we bring you Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition on Xbox One. This complete version of one of 2013’s most acclaimed games will get you ready to Jump Ahead into November when Rise of the Tomb Raider, one of 2015’s most anticipated titles, comes out only on Xbox One and Xbox 360.
In addition, in September Xbox One Games with Gold members will get the exciting, indie sidescroller The Deer God, and Xbox 360 members will get Battlestations: Pacific, the comprehensive World War II tactical and action simulator, as well as the eye-popping gorgeous shooter Crysis 3.
Finally, in case you missed our exciting announcement at Gamescom 2015, when backward compatibility launches in November, all future Xbox 360 Games with Gold titles will be playable on Xbox One. That means Xbox Live Gold members will get even more free games to play each month on Xbox One.
As usual, all games are available only for a limited time, as part of the ongoing Games with Gold program and include the following:
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition combines almost all of the downloadable content and all updates from 2013’s Tomb Raider, along with high-resolution 1080p graphics, into a single, easy-to-download package. If you haven’t played it yet, this is one of the most exciting, engrossing adventures available. Shipwrecked on a mysterious Japanese island, Lara Croft must learn survival skills, and solve the hidden mysteries of the island – all while dodging its bloodthirsty inhabitants. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is your chance to experience Lara’s origin story, completely free, ahead of the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider in November. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition is available from September 16 all the way through mid-October on Xbox One, so don’t miss out!
- From September 1-30, Xbox One Gold members also get access to The Deer God for free. This beautiful, pixel-art-based platformer asks deep questions about reincarnation, karma, life, death, and what it means to survive in a state of nature. You play a hunter who is suddenly switched into the body of a deer – and vice versa. You must learn to survive, and eventually escape from the body of the deer that you now inhabit. Procedurally generated landscapes mean each playthrough is different, but the story will continue to challenge you philosophically every time, as well.
- Xbox 360 Games with Gold members can enjoy Battlestations: Pacific from September 1-15. Putting players in the midst of World War II’s great Pacific Theatre battles, Battlestations: Pacific gives players the chance to command fleets on either the American or Japanese sides, making strategic decisions to determine the outcomes, but also taking command of individual units from battleships to submarines to fighter planes and dive bombers, as they see fit. Influence the course of history as an admiral or as a single sailor in this grand strategy-simulation experience.
- At the end of September, Xbox 360 Games with Gold members get the epic Crysis 3. A first-person shooter at the technological bleeding edge, Crysis 3 places you inside a super-suit that’s both incredibly powerful and extremely customizable to your play style. Earning experience allows you to upgrade your suit’s stealth and agility abilities, or its armour and strength enhancements – so you can either take the fight directly to your foes’ faces, or choose a more subtle approach. Whichever way you go, you’ll find Crysis 3 to be a challenging, fast-paced affair, filled with excellent enemy A.I., mind-blowing graphics, and some pretty awesome weapons and innovative gadgetry.
As usual, Games with Gold helps you jump ahead with your friends featuring four free awesome games in September.
Check out the full details for our Games with Gold program and all the latest titles on the Xbox Wire.
Relive Emergence Day with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
The iconic game remastered
Nearly nine years after the landmark original redefined console shooters and set the bar for HD gaming on Xbox 360, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition reintroduces the iconic game on Xbox One in 1080p, with a campaign and multiplayer experience that has been completely and painstakingly rebuilt from the ground up. Every aspect of the game, including lighting, environments, characters, and cinematic scenes has been beautifully recreated.
The game also includes five exhilarating campaign missions never available before on console, along with 60 fps multiplayer, modernized controls, dedicated multiplayer servers, LAN support, three newly added multiplayer modes, all-new Achievements worth 1,250 Gamerscore and 19 classic maps remastered for Xbox One.
For gamers who’ll be experiencing the heart-pounding adventure for the first time, we’ve put together a short primer below on the story and what this Xbox One-enhanced version of the game brings to the table.
We’ll stay light on spoilers here, because the best way to experience Gears is to play through it yourself. When it comes to the story, however, two words reign supreme: Emergence Day. That’s the fateful moment when the ravenous Locust emerged from their subterranean home and killed a quarter of Sera’s population in a single day, ushering in a period of constant warfare. Oh, and this is all just six weeks after Sera’s two superpowers, the Coalition of Ordered Governments and the Union of Independent Republics, signed a peace treaty ending their own 79-year war. One year after Emergence Day, the COG used its own weapon of mass destruction, the Hammer of Dawn, on its own cities in an attempt to eradicate the Locust threat. The humans now had a fighting chance… but at a heavy cost.
As the original Gears of War unfolds, it’s been 14 years since E-Day, and we join bandana-clad Marcus Fenix and his band of COG brothers from Delta Squad as they attempt to drive back the unrelenting Locust. John DiMaggio, probably best known for his work as foul-mouthed jokester Bender on “Futurama,” showed his range by infusing the war-weary Marcus with a sense of humanity.
Every action hero needs a trusted wingman, and Dom Santiago is as loyal as they come. His story is perhaps the most tragic of anyone in Delta Squad, as he’s seen tremendous loss ever since E-Day. Dom’s actions actively set the story in motion, so he’s actually as integral to the plot as Marcus.
Damon Baird, meanwhile, plays the role of squad sceptic and cynic, and he has his own rivalry of sorts with Marcus. Baird is almost symbolic of the before-and-after nature of Gears’ narrative: He grew up wealthy, but all that money doesn’t matter, now that the Locust have overrun the planet.
Finally, Augustus “Cole Train” Cole adds a bit of swagger and bravado to Delta Squad – and with good reason, considering he was a star in the sport of thrashball (think a more violent version of American football) before the Locust had their way with Sera.
So, what’s new in Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and how will it draw in players both old and new? Well, you’ll find that The Coalition has remastered every art asset and completely reworked the cut-scenes with new motion-capture technology. While Marcus and Delta squad still look weather-beaten and weary from the horrors of combat, they’ve never looked better. Finally, The Coalition has brought over several late-game chapters that had previously been exclusive to the PC version of Gears.
You can see just how far Gears of War has come in Remastering Gears of War, an 8-part video series detailing how The Coalition re-Geared Delta Squad for a new generation. And today, a fan-favourite returns – also remastered: welcome back the Cole Train Rap.
And if you think you’ll be left in the dark as a series newcomer, don’t forget that if you purchase Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, you can unlock the entire Gears collection via Xbox One Backward Compatibility. Yep, that’s right: If you play Ultimate Edition on Xbox Live anytime between now and the end of 2015, you get the original Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, and Gears of War: Judgment at no extra cost. Even if you’ve never chainsawed a single Locust, there’s still plenty of time to get acquainted with the series and become an E-Day expert when Gears of War 4 finally hits Xbox One next year.
To learn more about the battle for Sera and experience the adventure that launched one of the most celebrated sagas in gaming, visit the Xbox Wire.
Xbox announces Partnership with V8 Supercars Australia to Bring Fans Closer to the Action in Forza Motorsport 6
Xbox Returns to The Mountain
If you’re looking to go full throttle, week nine of Forza Motorsport 6 car reveals has just what you need – ten of the top V8 Supercars from Australia. Xbox will continue its partnership with V8 Supercars that began in 2002, in addition to extending the existing partnership with DJR Team Penske that will see the Xbox-liveried V8 Supercar raced in the 2015 Championship Enduro Series by drivers Marcos Ambrose and Scott Pye in the lead-up to the Bathurst 1000 weekend on October 11-15. This week’s announcement is a continuation of the existing partnership between Xbox and V8 Supercars which began in 2002, bringing the real world of V8 racing to fans at home in the latest entry to the Forza Motorsport franchise. The debut of the Xbox wildcard in 2013 proved to be the fastest car and most successful wildcard in V8 history, and Xbox is hoping to continue that success in 2015.
The announcement includes at least one car from all five constructors represented in the Aussie V8 Supercar series. That means with the Forza Motorsport 6 livery editor, you can create any car from the 2015 season.
Rounding out the partnership, legendary V8 Supercar champion and 2014 Hall of Fame inductee, Mark Skaife, will be included as a voiceover in the game for the Mount Panorama circuit for the first time in gaming history. With 90 race wins, 88 podiums, six Bathurst 1000 titles and five V8 Supercar Championships to his name, Skaife is the perfect addition to the award winning Forza franchise.
“I’ve been involved with the Forza franchise for over a decade now and each year I’m amazed at the incredible realism the development team bring to their games. Being asked by the Turn 10 team to have my voice in the game is an honour and a privilege. I’m thrilled to be included in Forza Motorsport 6,” said Mark Skaife.
Don’t forget the laundry list of other awesome rides that will be ready to race in Forza Motorsport 6 on Sept. 15. It’s not too late to pre-order a copy of Forza Motorsport 6 Ultimate Edition through the Forza Hub app for Xbox One to ensure you can start playing as early as Sept. 10.
To see the full list of cars included and for all the latest Forza news in the lead up to launch, check out the Xbox Wire.
Forza Motorsport 6 Has Gone Gold! Demo Arrives Sept. 1
We’ve gone gold!
In two weeks, Forza Motorsport 6 will be available to play via early access for owners of the Ultimate Edition.
Five days later, Forza 6 will be unleashed to everyone! Before the full game launches, however, fans will have the chance to experience the thrills of Forza Motorsport 6 in the official free demo for the game, which launches on September 1.
The Forza Motorsport 6 demo will let players experience the most beautiful and comprehensive racing game of this generation, named “Best Racing Game” and “Best Simulation Game” of gamescom 2015. The demo features a selection of the 460 Forzavista cars available in the full version, all with working cockpits and full damage. You’ll experience highlights from the game’s 26 world-famous locales, including wet weather and night racing, all at a stunning 1080p resolution and 60 frames per second.
Everyone who plays the Forza Motorsport 6 demo will automatically get the new Ford GT delivered to their garage in Forza Motorsport 6 for no additional cost. In addition, the demo will include additional features that allow fans to get even deeper into the Forza Motorsport 6 experience. Look for more details on that when the demo launches on September 1!
We’re celebrating all of this Forza news with some new details on the game, including the announcement of a number of previously unannounced cars in Forza Motorsport 6, as well as full details on all the tracks in the game.
See below for more details on the cars released this week, and the full post on ForzaMotorsport.net for new screenshots and details on the tracks that will include night and wet racing options.
Brand New Cars
Led by the awesome power of the 2015 Mercedes-AMG GT S, these ten newly-announced cars bring the total car count to Forza Motorsport 6 to 460 cars, the largest number of cars ever seen at the launch of a Forza game!
The rest of the cars we’re revealing today include:
2015 Mercedes-AMG GT S
1979 BMW #6 BMW Motorsport M1 Procar
2015 Volvo S60 Polestar
2014 Audi #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports R8 LMS ultra
2014 BMW #5 Ebay Motors 125i M Sport
2014 Chevrolet #3 Corvette Racing Corvette C7.R
2015 Jaguar XKR-S GT
1976 Lotus #5 Team Lotus 77
1969 Lola #10 Simoniz Special T163
2014 Ferrari California T
For further information on these cars and to view media assets, please visit the Xbox Wire.
Getting Our Hands Dirty with Rise of the Tomb Raider
Full of adventure, climbing, gun fights, and most importantly – tombs
Earlier this month, we got to play through one of the first tombs in the new game, and witness heroine Lara Croft’s return to what made her one of our favourite heroes in all of gaming.
Our demo opened with Lara in Syria, looking for the fabled tomb of an ancient prophet. It’s a scene that takes place before the snowy adventures you may have seen in previous Rise of the Tomb Raider demos and trailers. After a brutal car crash, followed by an explosion, then a fall off a cliff, Lara found herself right near the entrance to the tomb. So, yeah – in case you thought Rise of the Tomb Raider was going to give Lara Croft a break this time… nope!
The bruised and bleeding Lara shook it off like a champ, and whipped out her father’s tape recorder to get some in-game exposition about where she was headed. The tape recorder is a nice device that keeps the game moving – while getting more story as you’re climbing up rocks and leaping chasms.
Tons of collectibles and artefacts are scattered throughout the game world, and Rise of the Tomb Raider rewards players for going off the beaten path. Lara can also examine murals and carvings around the tombs to level up her cryptography skills – and in turn, decipher clues to find hidden treasures.
Back to the tomb: The beginning of Lara’s descent into the dangerous crypt was a claustrophobic, fear-inducing scene. Surprise skeletons, massive scorpions, narrow crevices, and seeming dead-ends set the groundwork for a dangerous, trap-filled adventure. But scattered amongst all the danger and treasure was valuable information.
As Lara worked through the prophet’s tomb, she discovered scrolls and paintings that shed more light on who the prophet was, and how he relates to her quest for answers. It seems that the evil organisation Lara is fighting this time around has been around for a long time.
True to the series, the tombs Lara encounters are a mix of puzzles, traps, and action sequences. At one point, we had to use our pickaxe to break open a wall and let water flood the room, so that we could reach higher ground. Later, we narrowly avoided an impalement, and had to shoot down some spiky traps that blocked our way.
One particularly cool thing is that Lara can scan an area, and get a sense of where traps and interactive objects are located. This consistently proves useful not only for leaping over some loose flooring that could crumble send you to your death, but also for getting a sense of the bigger rooms – and what you need to do in order to progress.
All in all, the tomb that we saw in Rise of the Tomb Raider was bigger than anything we encountered in the previous game, and it was just one of many tombs that Lara Croft will get to explore in her journeys. If you’re a Tomb Raider fan, that’s got to be pretty exciting. You’ll be able to do all the crypt excavation you want on November 10, when Rise of the Tomb Raider launches exclusively on Xbox One
To learn more about the favourite hero in the lead up, check out the Xbox Wire.
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