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Microsoft’s support of indie games on Xbox One has been a mixed bag at best. The company initially shocked and surprised fans and developers when they said that the Xbox One wouldn’t support self publishing and that indies would need publisher backing to make it onto the console. They also explained that Xbox One retail units could be used as dev kits before Microsoft then warned against it. The ID@Xbox program didn’t get off to such a great start then and it was criticized by devs like Gone Home’s Steve Gaynor who said that the program’s ‘parity clause’ would drive indies to PS4....

For over a month now, Immortals Fenyx Rising has provided an overall well-received fix for fans of more lighthearted open-world adventures in the vein of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It will soon have even more to provide over the next few weeks and months as the game receives new DLC expansions, and in preparation, Ubisoft has released a new update. Today sees the arrival of Title Update 1....

It appears that Mortal Kombat’s Cyrax might be joining the Injustice 2 roster, if fan assumptions on NetherRealm’s latest tease is correct. Ed Boon, the creative director on Injustice 2, tweeted an image that seemingly shows a closeup of Cyrax from behind. Many fans came to this conclusion based on the yellow hue of the armor, along with the long, thin tube protruding from the back. For those who don’t know, Cyrax is one of the palette-swapping cybernetic ninjas from the Mortal Kombat series; along with Sektor and Smoke....

Gears of War developer The Coalition have announced its plan to cover information about Gears Tactics on PC and Gears 5 on Xbox Series X during the next Inside Unreal. The devs will also revisit some of the tech used for Gears’ fifth installment that will take place today at 2PM ET. As it was previously confirmed that Gears 5 would be gracing the anticipated next gen console the Xbox Series X, fans of the franchise are now hoping that the Unreal Engine event will show off some of the gameplay....

Microsoft Flight Simulator isn’t the only one making the leap to VR, as Hitman 3 is set to join in on the fun next year. IO is not only putting the player into the shoes of Agent 47, letting them stare through his eyes, but they are also letting players see the original 2 games’ levels through this fresh perspective. However, the team behind this port is relatively small, with only 10-12 developers....

A Grand Theft Auto 5 fan recreates one of pop-punk trio Blink 182’s classic music videos, casting Franklin, Michael, and Trevor as members of the band. Today, YouTube channel “icanteven” posted a Grand Theft Auto 5 homage to rock band Blink 182’s music video “What’s My Age Again?” Using the Rockstar Video Editor, the game’s main protagonists, Franklin, Michael, and Trevor go on a streaking rampage throughout Los Santos, affronting almost every other Grand Theft Auto 5 character they encounter with fisticuffs, and of course, nudity....

When GTA 5 is released on PS5 and Xbox Series X, it will have officially spanned three generations of consoles. During that time it has become the third best-selling game of all time, which is quite the accomplishment. It’s why the wait for GTA 6 will likely be a long one, and also why GTA 5 might well go down as the best game in the franchise — at least for most who have played it....

The second chapter of Guild Wars 2: The Icebrood Saga’s multi-part finale will arrive on January 19, according to a statement from ArenaNet. Titled “Power,” the expansion will bring new Dragon Response Missions, Faction recruitment, and plenty of new craft-able gear. “Fire and furious apocalypse arrive in Tyria, threatening to tear the land apart, and the Commander’s tenuous alliance with the icy whispers of Jormag will be tested like never before,” wrote ArenaNet....

The Halo universe is rich with side stories, factions, in-fights, and wars. Throughout the great mainline series, spin-off games, and countless books (as well as comics, anime, and the new Paramount Plus television series), the lore of this sci-fi shooter has been expanded in every direction. As any Star Wars fan will know, however, the more stories are told, the more likely it is that there will be some inconsistencies. Halo is no exception, and the Covenant — the primary antagonist in the first three games — is especially knotted....

Halo 5: Guardians’ first major post-launch update, Battle of Shadow and Light, has gone live and includes the Big Team Battle playlist as well as 48 new REQs. When 343 Industries revealed the first major post-launch update for Halo 5: Guardians six days ago, few thought it would be live within a week. Yet 343 delivered a wonderful surprise this morning, pushing the Battle of Shadow and Light update out to Xbox One consoles and reinvigorating the multiplayer community....

Despite earlier rumors, Microsoft will not be buying PC gaming chat client Discord for the low price of $10 billion. That’s according to a Wall Street Journal report that confirmed negotiations had “ended without a deal, though it is possible they could be rekindled in the future.” Although purchase negotiations might be off the table, it seems like Microsoft is still working closely with Discord for its video games. The most recent Halo Infinite blog post from 343 Industries confirms that Discord will be integrated into Halo Infinite’s PC multiplayer features, allowing players to invite friends to play online through Discord....

In the Harry Potter franchise, Hogwarts students are allowed to adopt a pet that they can take with them to school, and now Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery players have the opportunity to do the same. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery has officially added the ability to adopt pets. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery players have four different pets to choose from: a cat, a rat, an owl, or a toad. The selection lines up with established Harry Potter canon, and reflects the type of pets owned by main characters in the books....

A few weeks ago, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery developer Jam City started teasing the debut of the Patronus charm. One of the most famous charms from the Harry Potter series, Expecto Patronum allows magic users to summon unique corporeal spirits in the form of animals, mainly to protect them from Dementors. Now the Patronus charm is in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, and choices players make will directly impact the kind of Patronus they get in the game....

In the process it has found in a new entry point to the series’ earliest paranoia, and in its better moments during tonight’s “The Return,” it even evokes Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation, and that movie’s contagious fear of being watched, followed, and even targeted for assassination. If the rest of season 6 can maintain this momentum, it truly will be a return to form for a series long struggling to reinvent its voice....

Warning: contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 6: ‘The Princess and the Queen’ In ‘The Princess and the Queen’, House of the Dragon whipped through a great deal of information in a short space of time. There were new royal heirs and new dragons; new allies, new enemies and brand-new cast members to play them. We saw that Alicent and Rhaenyra’s friendship had not been repaired in the past decade at King’s Landing – far from it....

EA’s Apex Legends carries over the fast-paced and extremely polished mechanics from Respawn’s Titanfall games to create unique and addictive gameplay that hasn’t truly been replicated yet. It marries hero-based shooters with battle royale mechanics, but that’s not what’s the most special about it. Apart from refraining to implement pay-to-win microtransactions, Apex Legends has spread good around the industry and its community in a bunch of subtle-yet-effective ways. The biggest overlying theme in this regard is the Legends, which give due representation to all communities....

Video game movies have never really had it easy. Whether it’s the difficulty of translating interactive experiences into something that’s entertaining to sit through only watching, or be it down to the blandness and generic traits associated with several game protagonists, it’s safe to say game inspired movies typically fall short of their perceived potential and Assassin’s Creed was no different. With news that Netflix is developing a live action Assassin’s Creed series, there’s new hope that the network can match The Witcher’s positive impact, especially by sticking to a series format that would lend itself much better to the slow-paced progression games are written for....

In November 2019, Google made headlines when it launched Stadia to revolutionize the video game industry in favor of cloud streaming. While some players bought into the promise that Google offered, some were skeptical about whether Stadia could compete against the traditional way players consume their games. However, with stiff competition from other services such as Nvidia GeForce NOW, PlayStation Now, and Xbox Game Pass, did Google really had the chance to break into the video game streaming market?...

Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne has re-released as an HD Remaster for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC. SMT 3 Nocturne is notorious for being one of the more difficult titles in the series, however, Atlus has kindly added in a Merciful difficulty as free DLC for anyone wanting to simply enjoy the storyline. SMT 3 Nocturne takes place in a post-apocalyptic demonic Tokyo and has plenty of optional content for players to explore if they wish, with multiple endings on offer depending on your choices in the game....

In what was easily one of the biggest surprises at this year’s E3, CD Projekt RED revealed its upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 would star actor Keanu Reeves as a main character. While the reception upon Reeves’ reveal as well as his presentation on-stage during Xbox’s E3 press conference was astronomical, the process of keeping the actor’s appearance from being rumored or leaked proved to be just as impressive. It turns out the idea for Reeves to appear during the Cyberpunk 2077 segment of the conference was CD Projekt RED’s....