Author: Trafficblast

News of an all-digital Xbox One S leaked earlier this month, and Microsoft officially unveiled the new console Tuesday during an Inside Xbox stream. The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, which has no disc drive, will release on May 7, and you’ll be able to pick it up for $250 (£200) –about $50 cheaper than the standard Xbox One S at full price.

The digital Xbox One S comes pre-installed with three games developed by Microsoft–Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3, and Sea of Thieves. The new console is identical in functionality to the regular Xbox One S–the only difference is the lack of a disc drive, so there’s no ability to play game discs, DVDs, and other disc-based media. The digital Xbox One S will still be able to play 4K content from Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming sites.

If you’re excited to pick it up on Day 1, save yourself some time and pre-order the new console today. The following retailers have opened pre-orders for the new Xbox One S:

(US):

PRE-ORDER AT MICROSOFT STORE »

PRE-ORDER AT AMAZON »

PRE-ORDER AT WALMART »

PRE-ORDER AT BEST BUY »

(UK):

PRE-ORDER AT MICROSOFT STORE »

PRE-ORDER AT AMAZON »

The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition has been a long time coming; Microsoft has reportedly wanted to launch an all-digital console since 2013. Some gamers still prefer to own a physical disc–and the other Xbox One consoles still exist to serve this audience–but this new console is aimed at those who are ready to go completely digital and want a (slightly) cheaper option. “The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition was created for those who prefer to find and play their games digitally and are looking for the most affordable way to play Xbox games,” said Xbox executive Jeff Gattis.

Timed perfectly with the release of the digital Xbox One S is a promotion for Xbox Game Pass, the subscription service that grants unlimited access to more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 digital games. Microsoft is currently offering three months of Xbox Game Pass for just $1, and that deal will be available until May 13 at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET / 7 AM GMT / 5 PM AET.

Following Disney’s recent purchase of Fox’s entertainment assets, the future of the X-Men on the big screen remains unclear. But the current version of the mutant superhero team will get at least one more cinematic outing, with Dark Phoenix releasing in June. The final trailer has now been released.

The latest trailer lays out the story of the new movie. On a mission to rescue a stranded space shuttle, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is hit by some weird space matter, transforming her into a powerful villain that her former X-friends must stop. Check it out above.

Dark Phoenix sees the return of all the main characters from the past few X-Men movies, including Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Munn, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-Mcphee. It also features Jessica Chastain in a villainous role and is directed by Simon Kinberg, who will make his directing debut after years as a writer and producer on X-Men movies. It releases on June 7.

There is technically another X-Men movie to come, but it’s unknown when we might see it. New Mutants was shot back in early 2017, but has been delayed numerous times since. It’s currently scheduled for an August release, but last month star Maisie Williams revealed that planned reshoots were yet to take place and that she had no idea when the film was coming out. According to The Hollywood Reporter, The New Mutants could be released straight to the upcoming streaming service Disney+, but the studio has not commented on this.

The X-Men are now under the Disney banner, as are the Fantastic Four. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is now in control of these properties and it is thought that they will eventually be brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Netflix’s The Witcher series has been slated for 2019, but now the company has considerably narrowed its release window down to a few months. The company announced in a letter to investors that the show will premiere in the last three months of the year.

The show, adapted from the popular novels turned video game series, stars Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. It’s currently in production in Hungary. The setting lends itself to snowy landscapes, even to the point that Cavill had to trek through some powder to hit the gym while preparing for the role. The most recent game in the series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was often marketed with a distinctly snowy look as well, and so the now apparent winter launch for the series makes sense.

The show is also set to star Freya Allan (Into the Badlands) as Ciri and Anya Chalotra (Wanderlust) as Yennifer, two notable names from the series. The showrunner is Lauren S. Hissrich, known from the Netflix series Daredevil and the recently released Umbrella Academy.

Cavill’s first screen test footage showed him donning Geralt’s iconic silver mane. Hissrich has said the actor most known for his role as Superman in recent DC universe films was perfect for the role, because he understands Geralt on a deep level. He had spoken openly about his desire to play Geralt, apparently based on his love for The Witcher 3.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey already borrowed some mythical beasts and other iconography for the main campaign, but it’s preparing to double down with much more with the release of its second major story expansion. The Fate of Atlantis DLC will come in three parts, and the first one is set to drop on April 23. The second and third episodes, called Torment of Hades and Judgement of Atlantis respectively, are both due in mid-2019.

This first episode is titled Fields of Elysium, and will take place in the Greek afterlife. You’ll journey to Elysium itself, interact with Greek gods, and battle mythical beasts. The trailer even shows a glimpse of Cerberus. Notably, the advanced beings who have been steering major events in the Assassin’s Creed series have shared names with the Greek gods, so this could shed more light on the larger story running throughout the series. Plus, of course, you can get new pieces of legendary loot.

The Fate of Atlantis will also introduce new Ability enhancements, letting you modify your existing abilities for a more customized playstyle. This first episode will start with Ares Bull Charge, Might of Artemis, Kronos Time Warp, and Ares Madness–all abilities named after the pantheon of gods.

If you’ve already played the main game, you’ll need to have completed the Between New Worlds and the Heir of Memories quest lines, with a character at level 28 or above, to access the DLC. If you’d rather just skip straight to the new story, you can use a shortcut to Fate of Atlantis and start at level 52 with preset Abilities. But if you use that option, you won’t be able to carry your progress to the main game or obtain achievements.

This trilogy of episodes is the second large-scale expansion for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The first one, Legacy of the First Blade, caused some controversy, prompting an apology and some changes from Ubisoft. Alongside Assassin’s Creed 3 Remastered and Liberation Remastered, these two episodes compose the full season pass, which is available for $40. The Fate of Atlantis story arc by itself can be purchased for $25.

The expansive post-launch support for Odyssey is part of Ubisoft’s plan to make the series act more like its live games, with long tails and regularly updated events. That means no new Assassin’s Creed is planned for 2019, but the next game reportedly set during the Viking Age is likely aiming for 2020. That one is said to be code-named Assassin’s Creed Kingdom, which may not be the final title.

More details have emerged about the canceled Aliens RPG that was in development at Fallout: New Vegas studio Obsidian Entertainment. Writer Chris Avellone, who worked on the game, told VG247 that the game, Aliens: Crucible, was aiming to be “basically Mass Effect but more terrifying.”

It didn’t work out, in part due to various issues, Avellone said. “It would be like–this is going to be really rough comparison–basically Mass Effect but more terrifying. We wanted to make it. But by that point Sega, I think, was… the publisher/management relations had gotten to a point where they were just tired of dealing with [Obsidian].

“Everyone working on Aliens: Crucible was really excited about it. It was shaping up to be a really cool game. The prototype was really cool. But then Sega’s like, “Nope!'”

Avellone shared that one of the difficulties with Aliens: Crucible was to retain the element of fear in the midst of a conversation. “You can make conversations stressful and frightening. How do you do it so that an alien could be attacking you at any moment?” he said. “You can’t take shelter in a conversation with two talking heads while you try to figure out what to do.”

The Aliens game was announced in 2006 when Sega acquired the Aliens license. It was formally confirmed in 2008 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC before getting canceled a year later. You can see some footage of the canceled game in the video embedded above.

Game projects are changed or outright canceled often, but we don’t always hear about them, which makes Aliens: Crucible so interesting.

2014’s Alien: Isolation from UK studio Creative Assembly is the latest installment in the Alien video game series for console and PC. The game sold more than 2 million copies. Creative Assembly talked about ideas for a sequel, but it remains to be seen if that will ever happen. A spinoff called Alien: Blackout starring Amanda Ripley was released in January for iOS and Android devices.

A new Alien shooter game for PC and console is in development at the San Francisco-based Cold Iron Studios, which was established in 2015. Cold Iron is staffed by people who worked on titles such as Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, City of Heroes, BioShock Infinite, Borderlands, Doom, and Metroid Prime 3. The new Alien game will be Cold Iron’s first title.

As for Obsidian, the studio was acquired by Microsoft at the end of 2018. The studio is currently working on a sci-fi RPG called The Outer Worlds that will be published by Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead parent company Take-Two Interactive’s new indie label.

Avellone, meanwhile, is among the writers for Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order.

One of the biggest questions about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is if the sci-fi film will address Rey’s parentage. We still don’t know, but now director JJ Abrams has teased that there is “more to the story” than what we’ve seen so far as it related to who Rey’s parents are.

Abrams was asked directly by ABC News, “Are we going to find out who Rey’s parents are?” Abrams responded by saying he intends to have The Rise of Skywalker end in a satisfying manner, and that’s important given the film is the end of not only the new trilogy that began with 2015’s The Force Awakens, but also what’s known as the Skywalker Saga that began in 1977. He went on to say that The Rise of Skywalker will “honor” The Last Jedi, but it remains to be seen if viewers will find out who Rey’s parents actually are.

“I will say that we knew going into this, that this movie, it had to be a satisfying conclusion. And we were well aware that [the discussion surrounding Rey’s parents is] one of the things that’s been out there. I don’t want to say that what happens in Episode 8 [didn’t happen],” Abrams said (via IGN). “We have honored that. But I will say that there’s more to the story than you’ve seen.”

In The Last Jedi, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) told Rey (Daisy Ridley) that her parents were no one of significance; they were only “filthy junk traders,” according to Kylo Ren. Because it was Kylo Ren who told Rey this in the midst of an tense, emotional scene where he was trying to manipulate her, many have wondered and theorised that Kylo Ren might have been lying or obscuring the real truth about her parents.

The Rise of Skywalker comes to theatres in December, so we’ll find out soon enough. The movie is said to be the last one for some time, as Lucasfilm is putting the series on “hiatus.” You can check out the first teaser trailer for The Rise of Skywalker in the embed above.

Pokemon Go developer Niantic’s next big game, Harry Potter Wizards Unite, is beginning its global rollout with a soft-launch today in New Zealand. A beta for the game is now available in the country for iOS and Android, Niantic has announced. The purpose of the beta is to provide feedback that Niantic says will ultimately help the final release when it’s ready.

Those in New Zealand eager to play Wizards Unite should be aware that, because it’s only a beta, a number of features, design, supported languages, and the “overall appearance” are all subject to change. “The product might be buggy and unstable at times. We’re looking forward to your feedback so that we can improve the game experience,” Niantic said.

In Wizards Unite, you play as a member of Statute of Secrecy Task Force, and you are challenged with exploring the real world, locating Foundables (important people and items in the wizarding world), and dispelling the Confoundable magic that’s trapping them. While the basic premise of the game is similar to Pokemon Go, it also bears many similarities to a traditional RPG, with a stronger emphasis on story and RPG elements like skill trees and potion brewing.

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was originally scheduled to launch in 2018 before being delayed into this year. You can read more about the title in our hands-on impressions, and Android users can pre-register for it on Google Play. There is no word as of yet regarding when the final game will be available around the world.

While you may have to wait a while longer to play Wizards Unite, the other new Harry Potter mobile game, Hogwarts Mystery, is available around the world right now.