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The Xbox One X and Xbox One S both have a new bundle. It’s the same bundle for each console, packaging a copy of Forza Horizon 4 and its Lego Speed Championship DLC–it’s worth pointing out that Fortune Island, the game’s first expansion, is not included. You can pick up either bundle starting today.
Xbox One X and Xbox One S – Forza Horizon 4 bundles
The Xbox One X bundle costs $500, while the Xbox One S version of the bundle comes in at $300. Both bundles include one month of Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass, in addition to the prerequisite Xbox One controller.
Forza Horizon 4 received a 9/10 in GameSpot’s review. Our Edmond Tran praised the superb vehicle handling and visually stunning open world that’s overflowing with activities.
“There’s such a diverse range of activities stuffed into every corner of Horizon 4, and meaningful changes contribute to smart driving dynamics and a more consistent sense of achievement,” he said. “Everything you do in Horizon feels valuable, no matter how big or small … The charm of the Horizon series is as palpable as ever, a winning, all-inclusive recipe that celebrates the joy of driving above all else.”
During September 2019’s Inside Xbox, Xbox announced more titles are coming to Game Pass. Specifically, the PC version of the game-focused subscription service is getting new titles.
On PC, Dirt Rally 2.0, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected, Bad North, Cities: Skyline are all coming to Game Pass. Among the roster, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected is my personal favorite–pushing the ridiculous series to new heights as you jump into a Matrix-like simulation to battle an alien threat as the President of the United States.
Game Pass continues to be one of the best things to happen to Xbox, offering dozens of phenomenal titles for a fraction of their total retail cost on both Xbox One and PC. The past few months have seen several triple-A titles added to the service, including first-party games like Gears 5 and third-party ones like Jump Force. Lots of indie games have been added the day they release as well, such as Creature in the Well and Blair Witch.
Looking ahead, Game Pass is already scheduled to see more big-name titles added to the service. The Outer Worlds is probably the biggest name on the list, offering a space-focused variation of Fallout: New Vegas‘ formula that allows you to craft your own journey–even allowing you to become the villain of the campaign.
Microsoft’s Project xCloud is one of a number of exciting game streaming services coming soon. While the company has shown the Xbox service off in streams and at live events, it has so far only been available under controlled conditions.
However, during the latest Inside Xbox stream, the platform holder has said it will soon begin xCloud’s Public Preview phase, in which gamers can test the service for free. You can sign up for the testing period on the Xbox website, though note the trial is coming to the US, UK, and Korea only.
Microsoft says the test will start in October, but it will be a staggered launch, so if you don’t get an invite right away, you could still be involved later on. However, signing up does not guarantee you entry: “We anticipate that demand will exceed our capacity during the preview period and that we will be unable to accommodate all applicants,” Microsoft said in a statement. “However, it is our intention to accommodate as many eligible players as possible and we’ll continue to invite more gamers into the preview over time.”
Four games will be included from the outset–Gears 5, Halo 5: Guardians, Killer Instinct, and Sea of Thieves–but Microsoft says more will be added over time. You don’t need to own these games or even an Xbox console to participate, either, since they’re streamed directly from the cloud. You only need a phone or tablet running Android 6.0 and Bluetooth 4.0 and an Xbox One controller. Microsoft says the Preview will continue until “customers are consistently reporting a great, fun experience and the technology meets our internal quality standards.”
Finally, Microsoft said it was still working on its console streaming technology, which streams games directly from your own Xbox One to your mobile device. “It plays an important role in our all-up game streaming vision and we’re still on track to begin public trials this year,” a spokesperson told GameSpot.
Elsewhere in the Inside Xbox video, Microsoft announced more titles coming soon to Xbox Game Pass on Xbox One and PC.
Joker has earned some acclaim from critics and fans who saw it in early screenings and at recent film festivals, but there’s also some controversy concerning the film’s violence and its portrayal of the iconic Batman villain. Ahead of Joker’s October 4 release date, Warner Bros. has released a statement addressing that controversy head-on.
“Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies,” the studio wrote. “Our company has a long history of donating to victims of violence, including Aurora, and in recent weeks, our parent company joined other business leaders to call on policymakers to enact bi-partisan legislation to address this epidemic.”
However, the statement also makes it clear that Warner Bros. stands by the film:
“At the same time, Warner Bros. believes that one of the functions of storytelling is to provoke difficult conversations around complex issues. Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind. It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.”
Warner Bros.’ statement arrived in the wake of an open letter written by the families of several victims of the 2012 Aurora shooting that took place during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. The letter expressed concern about the movie’s treatment of the villain, according to Deadline. “We’re calling on [Warner Bros. CEO and chairperson Ann Sarnoff] to use your massive platform and influence to join us in our fight to build safer communities with fewer guns,” the letter said, additionally calling for WB to stop donating money to politicians who support the NRA, among other requests.
In GameSpot’s own Joker review, we noted that “Joker humanizes a murderer in a way that may make the kinds of disenfranchised real-world mass killers we now see regularly salivate–or, in the worst possible scenario, provide them inspiration.”
We also described Joker as a “populist antihero” who “inspires the downtrodden people of Gotham to rise up against Wall Street fat cats and the ‘fascists’ in City Hall.” The studio may officially disagree with that reading, but it’s one way to interpret the movie’s events.
In the new trailer for The Last of Us Part II, we finally saw the reveal of the game’s release date. Launching on February 20, 2020, the game brings the focus from Joel to the returning protagonist Ellie. Now older, and more weary by the state of the world, she’ll embark on a mission to get revenge on a rival group following a traumatic event. The trailer keeps things short, but we did finally get to see another appearance from Joel, who wishes to help Ellie on her vendetta.
For more on The Last of Us Part II, check back with GameSpot later this week for more info on Naughty Dog’s game.
Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor on Smallville and voiced the The Flash in the fan-favorite Justice League animated series, has been one of the most requested additions to Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover airing this December. But judging by a recent tweet, don’t expect Rosenbaum to be part of the epic crossover, no matter how much fans want it.
On Twitter, Rosenbaum wrote that while he was he was visiting his grandfather in a nursing home, Warner Bros. called his agents and made him an offer that he could refuse.
One of the exciting things FX’s Mayans MC does is continue to reveal new information about the history of the universe it’s set in, which began with Sons of Anarchy. While so much has been revealed about this world of outlaw motorcycle clubs between the two shows, there are always exciting new things to learn. Warning: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of Mayans MC.
In the fourth episode of the currently airing Mayans season, titled “Lahun Chan,” a rather massive hole in the Sons of Anarchy timeline was filled in, giving much more depth to the character of Happy (David LaBrava). When first introduced in the Sons of Anarchy series premiere, Happy is a member of the Tacoma chapter of the titular motorcycle club. He then leaves Tacoma to join the Nomad charter, which isn’t attached to any one town and essentially a member that acts independently within the organization.
That all changes in Season 3, when Happy is officially patched into SAMCRO, becoming a regular character on Sons of Anarchy. What we don’t learn, however, is what made Happy leave the Nomad charter to make a home in Charming with his fellow Sons. That much is revealed in this episode of Mayans MC, though.
It’s revealed that the death of EZ (JD Pardo) and Angel’s (Clayton Cardenas) mother is what led to him leaving the Nomad life and joining SAMCRO. He was hired to kill both Felipe (Edward James Olmos) and his wife, but failed in killing the family patriarch. “I f***ed up,” he admitted. “I was supposed to kill both of them.”
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While Happy was never sure who called for the hit, he assumed it was one of the cartels in Mexico–most likely Galindo, given the family’s connection to that organization. After failing to kill Felipe, Happy thought the cartel would come after him for not finishing the job. It all came to a head the night EZ chased him–leading to EZ’s arrest–as he believed the cartel had finally come for him.
“That night that you chased me, I thought that’s who you were, a cleanup guy for the cartel,” he admitted. “I got spooked, didn’t feel safe riding Nomad anymore. That’s when I went to Charming, patched into SAMCRO.”
From there, we know Happy’s story. He went on to help guide SAMCRO and currently serves as the club’s Sergeant at Arms. What happens from here is where things might get interesting. EZ and Angel threatened to kill him, meaning Happy and his cub would be well within their rights to end their lives. Instead, he’s working with the brothers to help them learn more about the death of their mother. “If someone killed my mom, I’d put a bullet between his eyes,” Happy reasoned.
With this new alliance between Happy and the Reyes brothers, we can’t wait to see where the story turns next. Mayans MC airs Tuesdays on FX.
This review contains spoilers for the series premiere of ABC’s Emergence. We won’t be reviewing every episode weekly, but let us know what you think of the series and whether you plan to keep watching!
A mysterious, government-controlled island, a crash-landed ship, and a young survivor with no injuries or memories. With Storm Area 51 making headlines last week, ABC’s new conspiracy thriller series Emergence debuts at an interesting and most fitting time.
The mystery of Emergence centers around Piper (Alexa Swinton), the only survivor of a Long Island beach plane crash: who is she, where does she come from, and perhaps most importantly, what is she? In interviews, show creators Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas said Emergence draws influence primarily from the works of Steven Spielberg, name-dropping Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.
The Xbox One launched in 2013, and it’s coming up on a new phase of its life with Microsoft’s next-generation console, Project Scarlett, scheduled for release in Holiday 2020. Looking back on the Xbox One generation, we know now what the console’s best-selling games are, including exclusives.
NPD analyst Mat Piscatella shared the Top 10 lists for All Games and Exclusives today in celebration of the Inside Xbox stream. The lists contain few, if any, surprises.
Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V is the overall best-selling game for Xbox One through August 2019, with Call of Duty titles and another Rockstar game, Red Dead Redemption II, rounding out the Top 5. In fact, Call of Duty games account for five of the top 10 best sellers. Also of note is that every title in the top 10 is a sequel of some kind and that no Microsoft-published exclusive is on the chart.
In terms of Xbox One exclusives, which includes PC, Halo topped the charts. Halo 5: Guardians is No. 1, with Halo: The Master Chief Collection sitting at No. 2. Sea of Thieves (No. 7) is the only new IP on the chart. Sunset Overdrive, which was released in 2014, did not make the chart.
You can have a peek at the charts below. Note, again, that these charts are US only and represent sales of physical and digital (in some cases) based on dollar sales instead of unit sales.
