Month: May 2020

As part of the Inside Xbox briefing, Microsoft confirmed that EA’s upcoming NFL game, Madden NFL 21, is coming to Xbox Series X. While we didn’t get to see much in the way of gameplay, the stream did reiterate that the game will support Xbox Series X’s Smart Delivery feature, so if you get it on Xbox One, you’ll automatically be entitled to the Series X version.

During the Madden 21 segment, Patrick Mahomes, cover star of last year’s entry, teased that more details about the game will be revealed “soon.” We didn’t get much more information beyond that, but Mahomes said this year’s installment will “focus on feel on the field.”

Madden NFL 21 will release for Xbox Series X following its initial launch on Xbox One, as well as PS4 and PC. The series typically debuts in early August, ahead of the start of the new NFL season.

Madden NFL 21 features Baltimore Ravens standout QB Lamar Jackson on its cover, a fact he seemingly leaked during a recent interview. The game will be joined by FIFA 21 and NHL 21 in coming to the Xbox Series X (and PlayStation 5) later this year.

As promised, Microsoft showcased a variety of Xbox Series X games during its latest Inside Xbox stream. One of the more intriguing titles highlighted during the presentation is The Medium, a new psychological horror game from Blair Witch and Observer developer Bloober Team.

The Medium is set in Poland in the late ’80s. The game casts players in the role of Marianne, a medium who is haunted by visions of a child’s murder. To unravel the truth behind this tragedy, she travels to an abandoned hotel and searches for answers. The trailer showed a woman, presumably Marianne, having horrifying visions.

According to Bloober Team, the theme of The Medium is “duality.” Marianne can see two worlds, the real one and the spirit one, and players will need to navigate both to discover the truth. Further reinforcing the theme, the game’s soundtrack is a collaboration between Blooper Team’s Arkadiusz Reikowski and Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka.

The Inside Xbox stream gave us a look at a number of other third-party games coming to Xbox Series X, including the first gameplay for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Microsoft will showcase even more next-gen titles in the lead up to Xbox Series X’s launch. The company will air monthly 20/20 streams, with July’s focusing on first-party games.

Between Cyberpunk 2077, Cloudpunk, and Ghostrunner, 2020 is set to be a rather cyberpunk-heavy year isn’t it? Microsoft added another to the list with the reveal of The Ascent during the May 2020 Inside Xbox livestream.

Developed by Neon Giant and published by Curve Digital, The Ascent will support Smart Delivery. So whether you buy the game on Xbox One or Xbox Series X, you’ll be able to play the cyberpunk RPG on both consoles. You can see the game in action in the trailer embedded below.

“The Ascent is a solo and co-op action RPG set in a cyberpunk world,” Microsoft said of the game. “The mega corporation that owns you and everyone, The Ascent Group, has just collapsed. Confusion and chaos ensue, security and order are in disarray, and without protection, everyone is left to fend for themselves. Stop gangs and hostile corporations from taking over and discover what really happened in this explosive sci-fi shooter.”

The rest of the livestream looked at other games on the near horizon for Xbox, some AAA and others indie. The highlight of the show was a gameplay reveal for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which will also support Smart Delivery.

Microsoft showcased a ton of third-party Xbox Series X games during its latest Inside Xbox stream, many of which take advantage of the console’s Smart Delivery feature. Another game we can add to that list is the upcoming Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2.

During the Inside Xbox presentation, Microsoft confirmed that Bloodlines 2 will support Smart Delivery. That means if you purchase the game on Xbox One, you’ll automatically receive the Series X version as well.

A trailer showed all sorts of horrific sights, like a man dancing in a room full of suspended corpses, a first-person vampire bite, and supernatural vampiric powers.

Although it’s been confirmed that Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 will be out on Xbox Series X, a release date for the game has still not been announced. It was originally slated to launch in the first quarter of this year, but publisher Paradox Interactive recently announced the title would have to be delayed to “late 2020.”

“There’s the responsibility to avoid some of the issues that plagued the first game, which was famously launched too early,” developers Andy Kipling and Brian Mitsoda wrote in a blog post explaining the delay. “Over the last few months, it became clear that to stick to our original date would risk repeating that mistake. We won’t do that. In the end, everyone working on this game wants to offer you the best Bloodlines 2 we can.”

We got to see a number of other Xbox Series X games during the Inside Xbox stream, including the first gameplay of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Microsoft will reveal more Series X details and titles leading up to the console’s launch in its monthly 20/20 streams, with July’s focusing on first-party games.

Microsoft revealed a new trailer and details for Scorn, an upcoming first-person horror adventure game, during its May 2020 Inside Xbox livestream. The trailer for the game, which is coming to Xbox Series X, is embedded below.

In the trailer, we see ominous statues covered in blood and gore, all of which seems located in a tomb of some sort. It’s quite the grotesque scene. If you’re intrigued, you’ll be able to pick up Scorn for no extra charge with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

Developer Ebb designed Scorn around the idea of “being thrown into the world.” In the game, you find yourself in a dream-like world that’s made up of several interconnected regions that you can explore in any order you want as each one has its own self-contained story and theme that contributes to the overall narrative.

As you explore, you’ll unlock additional skills, weapons, and items that allow you to explore further and discover new areas. Of course, this being a horror game, your journey won’t be without a few frights and dangerous-looking threats.

Scorn wasn’t the only game revealed during May 2020’s Inside Xbox livestream–Microsoft provided first looks at several different AAA and indie games, including a gameplay reveal for Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Some of the games on display will be available for Xbox Series X when the console launches during Holiday 2020.

During May 2020’s Inside Xbox livestream, Microsoft revealed a trailer for Chorus, an upcoming single-player space combat shooter. The trailer is embedded below.

The trailer features a narrator singing the praises of the hero, set against shots of space flight and exploring futuristic spacecraft.

“Discover Chorus, an immersive single-player experience that tells a mature and dark tale of redemption,” Microsoft writes in a press release. “Take control of Nara, an ace pilot with a haunted past and Forsaken, her sentient starfighter, as they embark on a personal, redemptive journey to challenge a relentless foe and take down the dark cult that made her.”

Honestly, the game looks like a sci-fi variation of the fantasy-driven Kino’s Journey, seeing as the main character has a mysterious past and they pilot a sentient vehicle. Chorus probably won’t be as introspective though.

During the livestream, Microsoft announced that Chorus will support Smart Delivery. So if you buy the game for Xbox, you only have to purchase it once. Buying it for Xbox One will allow you to play it on Xbox Series X and purchasing it for Xbox Series X will allow you to play it on Xbox One.

The May 2020 Inside Xbox livestream was used to showcase both AAA and indie games that will be available for Xbox Series X when the next-gen console launches in Holiday 2020. The highlight of the stream was a gameplay debut of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which is scheduled to release in Holiday 2020.

To kick off its Inside Xbox presentation showcasing third-party Xbox Series X games, Microsoft showed the debut trailer for Bright Memory Infinite, a sci-fi shooter from the indie studio FYQD.

Bright Memory Infinite is set in the year 2036, when a strange phenomenon in the skies prompts the Supernatural Scientific Research Organization (SRO) to dispatch agents to investigate. The agents quickly discover that the events are tied to an ancient mystery.

The trailer showed a first-person perspective shooting segment in the rain, followed by a brief driving sequence that didn’t end well for the driver. Microsoft’s head of global portfolio Damon Baker promised faster load times and raytracing on Xbox Series X. It will make use of Microsoft’s Smart Delivery feature.

This Inside Xbox stream was dedicated to several third-party games running on Microsoft’s next-gen hardware, the Xbox Series X. Microsoft is planning monthly 20/20 streams for the rest of the year, including one announced presentation that will focus on first-party Xbox Game Studios games in July.

Bandai Namco showed off its next game during Microsoft’s Inside Xbox stream. It’s called Scarlet Nexus, and it was one of several games shown running on Xbox Series X during the presentation.

Scarlet Nexus puts you in the role of Yuito Sumeragi, a psycho-kinetic trainee hoping to become an elite warrior. Inspired by one such elite who saved him as a child, he gets caught up in a mystery in the future-city of New Himuka.

The trailer alludes to enemies who have arrived in New Himuka that initially seem unstoppable. These creatures–amalgamations of monsters and bright floral arrangements–are only challenged by Sumeragi and the OSF, a team of similarly psycho-kinetic fighters. The gameplay looks heavily inspired by the likes of Devil May Cry or numerous Platinum Games titles, with fast and frenetic action. Your psycho-kinetic powers allow you to lift enemies, fling them around combat arenas, and more.

Though this presentation was focused squarely on the next-generation Xbox Series X, Scarlet Nexus was also one of several announced as a Smart Delivery game. That means buying the Xbox One version will entitle you to a free upgrade to the Series X version when you buy the system.