Author: Trafficblast

While Sony is bowing out of E3 2020, Microsoft will be at the show to reveal more of Halo Infinite and share more of its plans in the lead-up to the Xbox Series X launch later in the year.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has now provided an update on how Microsoft’s E3 2020 planning is shaping up. He said on Twitter that Microsoft held the latest planning meeting on February 15, during which he and his team discussed some of the titles it might show off or announce during the company’s briefing. He teased there will be a “deep portfolio” of Xbox Game Studios titles scheduled to appear at E3, though he did not name any outright.

Spencer also mentioned how “console launch years are just special,” referring to the launch of the Xbox Series X later this year.

Spencer also mentioned that veteran Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg is leading the E3 planning team. Greenberg hasn’t shared any specific insight into the Xbox E3 2020 plan, but he did tease in his own tweet that Xbox may be partnering with Taco Bell for something. Microsoft partnered with Taco Bell before for a unique promotion involving tacos and Xbox consoles.

E3 2020 takes place in June. If history is any indication, Microsoft’s E3 2020 briefing should take place on the evening of Sunday, June 7. The company had a very strong E3 2019 briefing that was highlighted by a viral moment with Keanu Reeves and Cyberpunk 2077.

One game that is confirmed for Microsoft’s E3 2020 briefing is Halo Infinite, which is a launch title for Xbox Series X. At E3 2019, Halo Infinite boss Chris Lee said E3 2020 will be a “big moment” for Halo Infinite, and that developer 343 Industries would stay quiet until then.

Microsoft is also likely to discuss the Xbox Series X–and the other next-gen consoles it might be working on–during E3 2020. Many facets of the Xbox Series X remain a mystery, including its price and release date, as well as its launch lineup.

The Kingdom Hearts series made its debut on Xbox in 2019 with Kingdom Hearts III, but newcomers to the series can now go back and experience every title in the series. The HD releases of every previous game have, as predicted, made their way to Xbox now as two separate purchases.

If you live in a region where it is currently February 18, 2020 or later, then you’ll be able to buy the games right now.

The first bundle collects Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, which collect together four playable games (including Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II) and two cinematic “retellings” of portable games in the series.

Available for separate purchase is Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, which gathers together two more games (including a HD remake of 3DS game Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance) and another cinematic piece.

The series, which has spread across multiple systems in the past, is now available in its entirety on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Kingdom Hearts fans recently received a new final chapter for Kingdom Hearts III, called Re:Mind. In GameSpot’s review, Steven Petite was not a fan: “Re:Mind made me understand Kingdom Hearts 3’s story even less, which is a testament to how bonkers it really is.”

Are you ready to party like it’s 2008? Let’s hope so, because popular Steam hit Audiosurf has received its first patch in over five years.

The main improvements are twofold, according to developer Dylan Fitterer, with improved widescreen scaling that makes the game look much better on ultra-wide monitors. The track will also corkscrew more often now, to highlight big moments in individual songs.

Audiosurf emerged in the late aughts as one of the first rhythm games to use adaptive technology to play any music that the player chooses. A sequel, Audiosurf 2, followed in 2015. Many players have lobbied for the sequel to introduce support for music services such as Spotify, but there are currently no plans for their implementation.

In our review, Aaron Thomas called Audiosurf simple, but enthralling. “Audiosurf is a very good game that gives you an all-new way to enjoy your music,” he wrote. “Granted, Audiosurf does have some technical issues and the lack of alternate play modes is disappointing, but few other rhythm/music games can provide so much entertainment for such a low price.”

Over the years, Audiosurf has inspired a raft of similar PC rhythm games, such as Spin Rhythm, which combines similar “tracks” with DJ-style scratching.

One of the defining elements of Ubisoft’s team-based tactical shooter Rainbow Six Siege is that players have only one life per round. There is no respawning until the round is over.

Before the game’s release, and continuing to this day, there are people inside Ubisoft who wanted to add respawning to help the game appeal to a wider audience. But it’s not happening, and that’s because it would negatively impact the experience, developers say.

In a new video from Ubisoft, the game’s lead designer Jean-Baptiste Hall recalled that someone very high up at Ubisoft said they were certain respawning would be included in Siege, but the developer ultimately got its way.

“I know someone at Ubisoft who is in a very high creative position who said, ‘Oh, [no respawning] is the first thing that’s going to get cut.’ I’m really happy that he was wrong,” Halle said. “[No respawning] felt like something that would never pass the gate; it would never be validated.”

Halle said that in early playtests for Siege featuring no respawning, players moved, looked, and listened in new ways that heightened the tension. “Everything changed immediately. We could see that the relation we had with our character and our surrounding was completely different,” he said, comparing it to an earlier version that had respawning.

Game director Leroy Athanassoff is also featured in the video, and he echoed what Halle said about how no respawning increases the tension.

“If I knew that I was able to respawn, I would probably just sprint around, exploring the map, maybe I get shot but I don’t care, I can come back,” he said. “[But with no respawning] I have just one life. It instantly created the tension we were searching for.”

Athanassoff went on to say that, throughout Siege’s production, people have come in to tell him that adding respawning could help grow the game’s popularity. But Athanassoff has maintained that this is a bad idea, and it’s been shot down every time.

“Yes, clearly, and I won’t deny it: games with respawning are more accessible by nature. It’s maybe more appealing and less scary … but also, the taste and the experience you have is not with the same intensity,” he said.

Siege is doing very well for itself, as it’s attracted more than 50 million people so far. The game launched in a somewhat rocky state back in 2015, and its turnaround has been one of the biggest comeback stories in all of gaming in recent years.

In other news, Ubisoft has confirmed that the operator Tachanka is getting major overhaul with an upcoming update. Additionally, Ubisoft has said Siege should be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X at launch, featuring multiplayer cross-play with PS4 and Xbox One. On top of that, a new Lara Croft skin is coming to Siege for the character Ash.

The next Rainbow Six game is Rainbow Six: Quarantine, which is a three-player tactical co-op shooter that’s in development for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, in addition to current-generation consoles.

Lara Croft is coming to Rainbow Six Siege … well, sort of. Ubisoft has announced that it’s adding a Lara Croft skin for the operator Ash during the next season, Operation Void Edge.

It will be an elite skin, meaning it should cost some amount of R6 credits to purchase, though a specific price point was not divulged. The Ash Elite Set will also include a victory animation, multiple weapon skins, and a Lara Croft chibi charm.

You can check out the announcement video below. Note that the dual-wielding seen in the video may only be for Ash’s victory animation as an homage to Lara Croft’s signature look. Rainbow Six Siege does not support dual-wielding, though it is something that developer Ubisoft Montreal has experimented with.

This appears to be the first crossover skin from another publisher’s game. Given the immense popularity of Siege–it has more than 50 million registered accounts–it makes sense that other franchises might look to the game as another means of promotion.

Siege has crossed over with another franchise before, however, as the game launched a tie-in event for the Netflix series Money Heist back in 2019.

In other news, Ubisoft has confirmed that the operator Tachanka is getting major overhaul with an upcoming update. Additionally, Ubisoft has said Siege should be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X at launch, featuring multiplayer cross-play with PS4 and Xbox One.

The next Rainbow Six game is Rainbow Six: Quarantine, which is a three-player tactical co-op shooter that’s in development for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, in addition to current-generation consoles.

As for the Tomb Raider franchise, 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the latest entry and it was the final entry in the new trilogy that began in 2013. In other news, a new music album featuring remakes of several songs from Peter Connelly’s soundtracks for numerous Tomb Raider games, is available to stream now across several major music services.

Doom (2016) composer Mick Gordon has signed a vinyl copy of the game’s soundtrack for an upcoming auction being held by Bethesda Australia to support bush fire relief. Gordon was asked to provide his signature, but he ended up giving a little more.

In a tweet, Bethesda ANZ showed off the album that will go up for auction, showing that the Doom Slayer is now rocking out with a silver guitar on the cover.

Gordon also sketched a pentagram beneath his name, and faces have been drawn onto several of the demons.

We’re awaiting further details on when the auction will be held, and how you can bid on this special signed copy of the album. On February 15, Bethesda and 2K teamed up to stream each other’s games–with Bethesda employees streaming Borderlands 3 and 2K employees streaming Skyrim–to raise money for Australian Red Cross.

The bushfires in Australia ripped through more than 12 million hectares of land, destroying thousands of homes and killing animals across the country. Estimates say 33 people died as a result of the fires. As of February 13, all bush and grass fires in New South Wales are contained. For more on the Australian bushfire crisis, check out GameSpot sister site CNET’s extended breakdown of everything you need to know.

The sequel to Doom, Doom Eternal, releases on March 20, 2020. It’s shaping up to be a great sequel.