Author: Trafficblast

Xbox Games Showcase: Extended – When It Starts and How to Watch

While E3 2021 may be over, Microsoft still has more exciting news to share with its Xbox Games Showcase: Extended on Thursday, July 17. Featuring conversations with Double Fine, Obsidian, Ninja Theory, Rare, and more, these behind-the-scenes discussions should be worth a look.

IGN is carrying the stream and, as usual, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know to watch the show, including when it starts, a list of places you can watch it with us, and what you can expect to see at the show.

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Xbox Games Showcase: Extended Start Time

The upcoming Xbox Games Showcase: Extended takes place on Thursday, June 17, and will start at 10am PT, 1pm ET, 6pm BST. If you’re tuning in from Australia, that translates to Friday, June 18 at 3am AEST.

Where to Watch the Xbox Games Showcase: Extended

If you’re interested in watching the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase: Extended, we’ll be hosting the stream here and across our many channels on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Here’s the full list of places you can watch the Xbox Games Showcase: Extended:

What to Expect From the Xbox Games Showcase: Extended

While Microsoft hasn’t officially named any specific games that will be a part of this showcase, which is being hosted by Kinda Funny Xcast and Gamertag Radio’s Parris Lilly, the studios mentioned provide exciting possibilities.

Starting from the top, Double Fine will most certainly be discussing Psychonauts 2, which is set to be released on August 25, 2021.

Obsidian revealed The Outer Worlds 2 at the Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 Showcase, and we may get a few more details about the development of the much-anticipated sequel. Obsidian’s Avowed may be a bit more of a longshot as nothing new was shown of the upcoming game, but we may get some behind-the-scenes details nonetheless.

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Ninja Theory will undoubtedly be talking about their progress on Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, which also wasn’t featured in the Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 Showcase. They’ve been sharing development updates every few months, and we may get something like those this Thursday.

Rare may discuss more of Sea of Thieves’ collaboration with Pirates of the Caribbean that it unveiled at Xbox’s showcase, but fans will surely also want to hear more of Everwild. Unfortunately, recent reports indicate that Everwild was rebooted and may not be ready until 2024.

It’s important to remember that Microsoft specifically mentions this will be focused on conversations with these developers, meaning there may not be big reveals. However, surprises may be in store!

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While E3 2021 is officially over, make sure to check out everything else we have planned for IGN’s Summer of Gaming.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Life Is Strange: True Colors New Powers And Environment Explained | Play For All 2021

Life Is Strange: True Colors in the next installment in the anthology narrative adventure series. GameSpot’s Kurt Indovina had the chance to sit down with Life Is Strange: True Colors’ narrative director Jon Zimmerman and pick his brain about the game’s new protagonist, her powers, and its new focus on exploration.

In the above video, Jon elaborates on Alex’s empath-like abilities, where she can absorb the emotions of people around her, sometimes resulting in overwhelming circumstances that the player must navigate carefully.

Unlike previous installments in the series, Alex’s powers have more emotional resonance with her personality–a contrast to the series’ past protagonists. In the first Life Is Strange, Max Caulfield has the power to temporarily rewind time; in Life Is Strange 2, Daniel Diaz’s powers are telepathic. Their powers had more extroverted effects, opposed to Alex’s, which are reflective of how she resonates with people around her, and can inform her about the characters that inhabit Haven Springs (the game’s central location) and influence the choices Alex will have to make.

Something else discussed in the video is the choice to focus on Alex Chen as a sole protagonist–another contrast for the series, which often relies on a duo (Max and Chloe, or Sean and Daniel). Jon explains that this choice was deliberate in order to allow Alex develop relationships with several characters in Haven Springs.

Learn about that, the importance of exploration, and more in the above video.

Life Is Strange: True Colors is expected to release September 10, 2021 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Stadia.

How Companions Work In Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood | Play For All 2021

GameSpot’s Kurt Indovina had the chance to sit down with Elder Scrolls Online creative director Rich Lambert and ZeniMax Online Studios studio director Matt Firor to talk about the MMORPG’s next chapter, Blackwood.

Part of the year-long Gates of Oblivion saga, which was first kicked off in the Flames of Ambition DLC, Blackwood puts Tamriel into dire circumstances as Mehrunes Dagon reigns terror across the land with the help of the Daedra.

In the above interview, Rich Lambert and Matt Firor detail Blackwood’s many new features, one of the most prominent being the addition of companions. Companions will give players the chance to venture with an NPC, allowing for a more traditional experience similar to single-player Bethesda classics like Skyrim or Oblivion. Additionally, Blackwood sees the return of areas that haven’t been explored in the Elder Scrolls series since its first installment, Arena.

Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood is available now for PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia.

Best Buy’s Big Xbox Game Sale Is Live Now

Best Buy is running a pretty great sale on Xbox games right now. You can snag some of the best Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S games for as low as $9.99. We’re talking Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Gears Tactics, Forza Horizon 4, and more, all for $19.99 or less.

The discounts apply to both the physical and digital versions of the games, though note that some of the digital versions cost more than the physical ones. Without further ado, here’s what’s on sale.

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It’s also worth noting that you can play nearly all of these games with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. You can pick up a three-month membership for $44.99. It grants you access to hundreds of Xbox games, including all the first-party Microsoft-published games for going back years. It’s really one of the best deals in all of gaming.

But if you just want one or two games to keep, you’re probably better off grabbing them from the list above while they’re on sale.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Animated Mortal Kombat Legends Sequel Announced for This Summer

Hot off of New Line’s latest film reboot of Mortal Kombat, it seems that fans of NetherRealm’s fighting game franchise will have another adaptation to look forward to this year. Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms, a follow-up to last year’s R-rated animated movie Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, is on the way, per The Hollywood Reporter. Although no exact release date has been set, the film is expected to become available later this summer.

The new film will feature the return of both Joel McHale and Jennifer Carpenter to their voice roles of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, respectively. While many cast members from Scorpion’s Revenge will reprise their voice roles for the sequel, Battle of the Realms will also feature new voice actors, including Matthew Mercer as Stryker and Smoke, Bayardo De Murguia as Sub-Zero/Kuai Liang, Matt Yang King as Kung Lao, Paul Nakauchi as Lin Kuei Grandmaster, Emily O’Brien as Jade, and Debra Wilson as D’Vorah.

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Core crew members from Scorpion’s Revenge are also returning for the sequel, including director Ethan Spaulding, screenwriter Jeremy Adams, producers Rick Morales and Jim Krieg, and executive producer Sam Register. Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon will also return as a creative consultant.

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In our review of Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, IGN gave the film a 6, saying that the sequel “does deliver when it comes to the basic franchise staples — gory martial arts action and a self-deprecating sense of humor — [but] it doesn’t offer much else.”

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J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.

Loki Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?

The next major Marvel TV series is Loki, and it has now begun streaming on Disney Plus. Like Wandavision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki is a big-budget Marvel TV show that finds actors from the MCU films reprising their roles as it moves the overall story forward. So far, two episodes of Loki are now available on Disney Plus and if you’re wondering when to expect the next one, check out our handy watch guide below.

How to Watch Loki

There’s only one way to watch Loki, and that’s by subscribing to Disney Plus.

Subscribe to Disney Plus to Watch Loki

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You can subscribe to Disney Plus for $7.99 per month, or you can opt for a bundle containing Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN+ for $13.99 per month.

What Time Does Episode 3 of Loki Come Out?

Since the premiere, new episodes of Loki arrive on Disney Plus at 12:01am PT / 3:01am ET every Wednesday and will continue to come out at that time throughout the rest of its current season.

Moving forward, viewers can expect future Disney Plus original series to release on Wednesdays instead of Fridays, thanks to the success of Loki.

How Many Episodes Are There In Loki Season One?

Season one of Loki is six episodes long. The premiere released on Disney Plus on Wednesday, June 9, and episodes will continue to come out every Wednesday until the season finale on Wednesday, July 14.

Loki Episode Release Schedule

Here is when you can expect new episodes of Loki:

  • Loki Episode 1: Wednesday, June 9 – Premiere
  • Loki Episode 2: Wednesday, June 16
  • Loki Episode 3: Wednesday, June 23
  • Loki Episode 4: Wednesday, June 30
  • Loki Episode 5: Wednesday, July 7
  • Loki Episode 6: Wednesday, July 14 – Season Finale

Loki Trailer

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What Is Loki?

Loki is an upcoming Marvel show based on Thor’s trickster brother Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. Now, you might be asking, “Didn’t Loki die in Avengers: Infinity War?” Indeed he did. However, this series is about an earlier version of Loki–a Loki variant, if you will–who stole the Tesseract during one of the time jumps in Avengers: Endgame.

Turns out that Loki messed some things up in the timeline of human events. That means he has run afoul of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an organization in charge of making sure things like that don’t happen. And if they do happen? They want those disturbances fixed.

The show will feature Owen Wilson as the TVA’s Mobius, as well as characters played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku, and Richard E. Grant. It will tie into the events of the upcoming movie Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. And although the first season has yet to air, we’ve already seen rumors that a second season of Loki is in the works.

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What Else Is on Disney Plus?

Loki isn’t the only thing you can watch on Disney Plus by a long shot. You’ll also find tons of other MCU movies and shows, as well as pretty much all things Star Wars, Pixar, The Simpsons, and, of course, Disney. There’s a ton to stream here, so you won’t likely run out of things to watch for a very long time. Sign up for Disney Plus here.

What’s With the Disney Plus Bundle?

The Disney Plus bundle includes Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN+. It costs $13.99 per month, and you can sign up for it here. If you’d prefer to have an ad-free Hulu experience, you can pick an ad-free version of the bundle that costs $19.99 per month.

Hulu has tons of past and current TV shows and movies, plus original series and original movies. ESPN+ offers a whole lot of sports content, and is required to watch UFC pay-per-views. The $13.99 monthly bundle of these three services is a seriously great deal, even if you only plan to dabble in one of the services.

Whether you go with a bundle or you just subscribe to Disney Plus, you’ll be able to watch Loki when it arrives.

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Still Available: Buy 12-Months of Nintendo Online Family Membership, Get 128GB microSD Card for Free

Nintendo’s latest E3 Direct is in the books, but the deals are just getting started. Besides the ongoing sale on dozens of Nintendo Switch games and accessories, you can also scoop up a great deal on a 12-Month family membership for Nintendo Switch Online while scoring a 128GB microSD card for free! Truly a killer deal that you won’t want to miss out on!

The Nintendo Switch Online Family Membership provides online access for up to eight family members (or friends, too) as well as access to a collection of NES and SNES games and limited-time games such as Pac-Man 99. Additionally, the included 128GB microSD card allows you to expand the Switch’s internal storage and store even more games, apps, captured videos, and screenshots.

Nintendo Switch Online 12-Month Family Membership w/Free 128GB microSD Card

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If you’re looking to catch up on all the big games and announcements from E3 2021, we’ve got you covered. Head over to our E3 2021 hub for everything you need to know.

Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner, running from June 21st to June 22nd this year, and we can likely expect even more great Prime Day video game deals. We don’t know what will be on sale, so if there’s something that catches your eye now, don’t wait!

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Matthew Adler is a Commerce, Features, News, Previews, Reviews, and Wikis writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.

Xbox App Adds Story Feature For Official Game Hubs

Microsoft wants to make the Xbox App a more social experience than before, as an update arriving today adds official game stories so you can see the best clips from your favorite titles.

Though not yet live when we checked on our own Xbox App, the feature will let a game post related stories similar to what you’d see on Instagram or Twitter. Pictures showcasing the game or prompts about the game will be available to followers, who can then share, like, or comment on the posts. Given the limited social interactivity available on the Xbox app, this should encourage people to use it more frequently.

It remains to be seen if a similar stories feature will be available for players to post their own content or if it will be limited to official game channels forever. Right now, players can share screenshots or clips to a variety of social networks or their feed, but it’s not as easy to spot them right away.

There are still some features missing from the overhauled Xbox app, which replaced a previous version that had been in place for years. You can no longer redeem codes or claim Games With Gold directly within the iOS app and you can’t even use it to buy games anymore. Achievements, which had been removed for several months, did eventually return, however.

For more on Xbox, check out the announcements from E3 2021 and stay tuned for tomorrow’s extended Xbox showcase.

Watch live streams, videos, and more from GameSpot’s summer event. Check it out

Pokemon Unite: MOBA Will Get Important Update Tomorrow

The Pokemon Company has announced that on Thursday, June 17, there will be news about Pokemon Unite, the Pokemon MOBA spin-off for Nintendo Switch and mobile. While the company provided no information about what the news will be, it described it as “important.”

Pokemon Unite is being developed by Tencent and Timi Studios, best known for developing Call of Duty Mobile and Arena of Valor. The MOBA was announced during a Pokemon Presents last June and news has been quiet since. The 5v5 multiplayer title has had limited regional betas in the past few months but has not received an official release date. Pokemon Unite was not present during the Pokemon Presents stream in February where Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokemon Legends: Arceus were announced.

The main gameplay that has been shown for Pokemon Unite showed a streamlined MOBA experience, with two teams battling to capture control points so they could score points. Pokemon level up and evolve over the course of the match but it doesn’t have any type advantages. The game also includes Pokemon from multiple generations, with Pikachu, Lucario, and Talonflame among the confirmed playable Pokemon.

Watch live streams, videos, and more from GameSpot’s summer event. Check it out