Month: May 2019

From time to time, the Xbox Game Pass library loses titles based on deals Microsoft had in place with publishers, and that’s happening again this month. Six titles are leaving Xbox Game Pass on May 15, including two Xbox One games and four backwards-compatible Xbox 360 titles, according to True Achievements.

Starting with Xbox One games, the Mega Man Legacy Collection and MotoGP 17 are leaving the Xbox Game Pass library on May 15. The Xbox 360 titles being removed on May 15 include Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Ms. Splosion Man, and Comic Jumper.

The official Xbox Game Pass FAQ page states that removed games will become unplayable (but not deleted from your hard drive) so if you’re in the middle of any of the titles scheduled for removal, you may want to finish them now.

You can buy any of the expiring Xbox Game Pass titles outright for 20 percent off (or more), so that’s also something to consider if you’re eager to keep playing.

While six games are leaving Xbox Game Pass this month, nine are being added, for a net positive of +3 for May. Some of May’s additions include Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, The Surge, Lego Batman 3, and Tacoma. Here is the full list of Xbox Game Pass titles for May.

Xbox Game Pass Titles Scheduled For Removal On May 15

Xbox One

• Mega Man Legacy Collection
• MotoGP 17

Xbox 360

• Comic Jumper
• Mrs. Splosion Man
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Bethesda’s Rage 2 is out this week, and the long-awaited title’s release is just the beginning. Bethesda has released new details on the post-apocalyptic sequel’s content calendar for 2019, and there’s a lot of extra content coming.

As the graphic explains, all World Events are free, as is the Day 30 update, some weapon skins, cheat codes, Wasteland challenges, and the One Wheeler vehicle. The rest of the content is paid. The two biggest pieces of content seem to be Expansion 1: Rise of the Ghosts, and the untitled Expansion 2, which are set to launch in August and later in the Fall respectively. The two expansions add a variety of newness like new story content, more weapons, vehicles, and locations. You can check out the full content calendar below to see what’s coming.

You can get Rage 2 and all the extra DLC in the Rage 2: Deluxe Edition, which costs $80 USD £70 / $130 AUD.

Rage 2 is developed by Avalanche Studios in Sweden. Id Software, the developer of the original Rage, is also assisting in the game’s development. The game launches on May 14 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Rage 2 is set 30 years after the events of the first Rage, which was released in 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The Earth has started to recover after being ravaged by a global catastrophe, and plant and animal life have begun springing up around the planet, making it more colourful.

One of Microsoft’s newest internal development studios, The Initiative, continues to add to its already impressive lineup of talent. The company recently hired former Naughty Dog developer Robert Ryan as a senior systems designer for the studio’s new, unannounced game.

Ryan worked at Naughty Dog from 2011 through 2017 where he was a game designer for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, The Last of Us, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and the upcoming The Last of Us: Part II. He moved to EA’s Motive Studios where he worked on an unannounced title before coming to The Initiative.

WindowsCentral first reported Ryan’s move to The Initiative, working off changes made to his public LinkedIn profile.

Ryan joins a team at The Initiative that is already stacked with talent. God of War veteran Brian Westergaard is the director of production, Drew Murray (Sunset Overdrive, Resistance 3) is a lead designer, William Archbell (343 Industries) is the technical director, and Blake Fischer (Xbox) is director of world and narrative. Daniel Neuburger, who worked on Rise of the Tomb Raider, is The Initiative’s game director. The Initiative also hired Rockstar Games veteran Tom Shepherd, while among the other high-profile hirings include Red Dead Redemption 1 writer/designer Christian Cantamessa.

The studio aims to stay “small,” but the company’s ambition is to “push boundaries,” “challenge convention,” and take risks as they make something “spectacular and unique.”

The Initiative is just one of seven studios that Microsoft either set up or acquired in the past year. At E3 2018, Microsoft announced that it acquired Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Ninja Theory (Hellblade), and Undead Labs (State of Decay). At Microsoft’s X018 event in Mexico City, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas) and inXile Entertainment (Wasteland 3).

The acquisition of these studios and the formation of The Initiative came after Microsoft was criticized for not having enough exclusive content.

The latest box office report is in, and Pokemon and Avengers dominated. Pokemon: Detective Pikachu opened to a massive $58 million in the US and Canada this weekend, according to a box office report from Entertainment Weekly.

That is a tremendous result, and it’s the biggest opening for a Pokemon movie of all time not adjusted for inflation. It was enormously successful, but it wasn’t enough to take down Avengers: Endgame. The Marvel team-up pulled in $63 million in the US and Canada to stay at No. 1 for a third week running.

Endgame has now made $723.5 million domestically, which is only behind Avatar ($760.5 million) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.6 million). Worldwide, Endgame has now made $2.485.5 billion, which brings it even closer to reaching Avatar’s all-time record of $2.78 billion.

The new movie about Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien also opened this weekend, and it landed at No. 9 with $2.2 million. As EW notes, the film did “modestly well” considering that it only screened at 1,495 locations in the US and Canada. Other new releases this weekend included the Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson comedy The Hustle (No. 3, $13.5 million), and the Diane Keaton movie Poms, which made $5.1 million to come in sixth place this weekend.

You can see the full box office report for May 10-12 below, as compiled by EW.

May 10-12 US/Canada Box Office:

1. Avengers: Endgame — $63 million
2. Pokemon Detective Pikachu — $58 million
3. The Hustle — $13.5 million
4. The Intruder — $6.6 million
5. Long Shot — $6.1 million
6. Poms — $5.1 million
7. Uglydolls — $3.9 million
8. Breakthrough — $2.5 million
9. Tolkien — $2.2 million
10. Captain Marvel — $1.8 million

This week in May is a real roller coaster, from the bombastic, gun-toting Rage 2 to the slower, puzzle-filled A Plague Tale: Innocence. It’s also a bit eerie thanks to the Castlevania Anniversary Collection and console ports of Darkwood. If that’s all too heavy for you, you can always just go for a run and blow off some steam with Bubsy: Paws on Fire.

Rage 2 — May 14

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

The world of Rage 2 is overrun with mutants and ruled by a group known as the Authority. As Walker, you can lay waste to both of these factions with guns and powerful Nanotrite abilities. You can also drive any vehicle you see in the open world, opening up plenty of roadkill opportunities.

More Coverage:

A Plague Tale: Innocence — May 14

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

A Plague Tale is set during the Black Death, and you’ll spend the game trying not to catch it. Siblings Amicia and Hugo have to avoid infected rats and evil knights, and that’s accomplished by solving puzzles and slinging stones. Luckily, Amicia can craft custom ammo for her sling.

More Coverage:

Darkwood — May 14 (PS4) / May 16 (Switch) / May 17 (Xbox One)

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, Switch

Making its console debut this week is Darkwood, a top-down survival horror game. During the day, you’ll spend your time gathering resources and crafting items. When night falls, you’ll have to use everything you collected to defend your base from monsters. You’ll get different endings depending on how you interact with NPCs too.

More Coverage:

Castlevania Anniversary Collection — May 16

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

The Castlevania Anniversary Collection is loaded: the $20 bundle includes Castlevania, Simon’s Quest, Dracula’s Curse, Super Castlevania IV, The Adventure, Belmont’s Revenge,Bloodlines, and Kid Dracula–and this is the first time Kid Dracula has come to the West. The collection also includes an ebook full of artwork from all eight games.

Bubsy: Paws On Fire! — May 16

Available on: PS4, PC

Paws on Fire takes is an endless runner spinoff of the Bubsy series, brought to you by the team behind the Bit.Trip Runner games. You can dash through the levels as Bubsy or three of his pals, each of which has their own distinct play style. No matter whom you choose, you’ll be gunning for a high score across the game’s goofy levels–you’ll just have to wait until summer for the Nintendo Switch version.

There are still a bunch of games coming in May. Next week, New Releases will take a look at the Switch ports of Resident Evil HD, Resident Evil 0, and Resident Evil 4.