ID@Xbox Twitch Showcase Roundup: All The Big News, Trailers, And Announcements

Microsoft’s second-ever ID@Xbox stream focusing on indie games was held today, and it showcased more than two dozen games from a variety of studios. The event brought new game announcements, interviews with developers, trailers, and details on games you can play right now.

One of the big surprise-launches was Sam & Max Save the World Remastered, which is out now on console. The game was developed by Skunkape Games and has the blessing of series creator Steve Purcell, according to Microsoft. The episodic game previously launched in December 2020 for PC and Nintendo Switch.

The broadcast also brought news that Project Moon’s Library of Ruina is also out today across console and the cloud through Xbox Game Pass. In this game you invite guests to a library and then do battle with them.

Another notable announcement from the event was that a demo for Aeon Drive from developer 2awesome Studios has arrived for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The demo lets players check out some of the cyberpunk environments and get a feel for the action-platformer that incorporates speedrunning elements, too. The full game is slated to release later this year.

The game Lab Rat from developer Chump Squad was also shown off during the event and given a 2022 release date on console and PC. This satirical adventure game has you playing as a lab rat, of sorts, throughout more than 100 “satisfying and genre-bending” puzzles. A beta for the game is available here.

The skateboarding game OlliOlli World was showcased during the broadcast, too, and reconfirmed for release later this year. Additionally, the game Spacelines From the Far Out from developer Coffenauts is headed to Xbox and PC this fall, but you can try a demo right now on Xbox. You play as the manager of an intergalactic travel company and must help your passengers arrive safely and with as little barf as possible.

The unique-looking game The Big Con from Mighty Yell Studios was on display as well. You play a teenage con artist in this ’90s-set game that has you choosing disguises, picking pockets, and otherwise being a nuisance. The game also got a release date for console and PC: August 31.

Microsoft’s broadcast also included the announcement that Stardew Valley will come to Xbox Game Pass at some point in the future.

The full list of games shown during the ID@Xbox broadcast is below. You can also see a roundup of the titles coming to Xbox Game Pass.

All The Games From ID@Xbox’s August 10 Showcase

  • Aeon Drive (2awesome studios)
  • Anvil (Action Square)
  • Aragami 2 (Lince Works) — Coming to Xbox Game Pass
  • Button City (Subliminal)
  • Evil Genius 2 (Rebellion Interactive) — Coming to Xbox Game Pass
  • Inked (Byte Dance)
  • Inkulinati (Yaza Games)
  • Lab Rat (Chump Squad)
  • Library of Ruina (Project Moon) — Coming to Xbox Game Pass
  • Lightyear Frontier (Frame Break)
  • Loot River (Straka Studio)
  • Mad Streets (Craftshop Arts)
  • OlliOlli World (Private Label)
  • Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous (Owlcat)
  • Planet of Lana (Wishfully)
  • Project Wingman (Meowza Games)
  • Pupparazzi (Kitfox Games) — Coming to Xbox Game Pass
  • RPG Time (Deskworks)
  • Sable (Shedworks)
  • Sam & Max Save the World Remastered (Skunkape Games)
  • She Dreams Elsewhere (Studio Zevere)
  • Solace State (Vivid Foundry)
  • Soup Pot (Chikon Club)
  • Spacelines From the Far Out (Coffenauts)
  • Stardew Valley (Concerned Ape) — Coming to Xbox Game Pass
  • The Big Con (Mighty Yell Studios)
  • The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (Falling Squirrel)
  • The Wandering Village (Stray Fawn)

Microsoft’s next big event is its Gamescom briefing on August 24 which promises in-depth updates on upcoming games and more.

Call Of Duty’s Season 5 Battle Pass Trailer Is Here, Featuring The Operator Kitsune

Call of Duty’s Season 5 is arriving on August 12, and a battle pass trailer has arrived to showcase some of the upcoming season’s unlockable cosmetics for Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.

Season 5 will add the new operator Kitsune for both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. Kitsune can be seen featured in the key art for Season 5, and she can be unlocked instantly by purchasing the Season 5 battle pass. An additional Ultra-rarity Kitsune operator skin is also unlocked at tier 100.

Four new weapons are coming to Call of Duty as well, and the first two will be featured in the battle pass. The EM2 assault rifle is free for everyone to unlock in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone at tier 15 of the pass, and the TEC-9 submachine gun will be unlockable at tier 31.

The battle pass trailer also features a bonus Kitsune “Kyubi” limited-edition operator skin. This can be obtained by purchasing the battle pass bundle, and if purchased at the start of the season between August 11-26. The battle pass bundles are the pricey 2,400 COD Points version of the battle pass, which includes 20 tier skips and the bonus skin.

Here are all the highlights of what’s coming in Season 5, and details of the new Double Agent multiplayer mode coming to Black Ops Cold War.

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Diablo 2: Resurrected Public Open Beta Dates Announced

Diablo II: Resurrected will hold a closed beta starting Friday, August 13 for players who pre-ordered the game, and an open beta starting Friday, August 20.

Beta tests will be playable on all consoles and PC, except for Nintendo Switch, according to Blizzard.com. Xbox Live Gold is required for the pre-order beta on August 13 but is not required for the open beta on August 20. PlayStation Plus is not required for either beta test. Both Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus will be necessary for multiplayer features at the game’s launch.

  • From Friday, August 13 at 10:00 AM PDT to Tuesday, August 17 at 10:00 AM PDT, anybody who has pre-ordered Diablo II: Resurrected or the Diablo Prime Evil Collection will be able to take part in an Early Access beta. Players can preload the beta beginning August 11.
  • From Friday, August 20 at 10:00 AM PDT to Monday, August 23 at 10:00 AM PDT, the open beta begins without any pre-order necessary. Preloads for this beta begin for console players on Tuesday, August 17 and for PC players on Wednesday, August 18.

Progress will carry over between the two betas, but no progress will carry over from the beta held earlier this year. Cross-progression will be available during both beta periods, but a separate pre-order is necessary for each platform during the Early Access beta. There will be no level cap for this beta, and it’s unclear whether beta progress will carry over into the main game.

Similar to a previous beta test, only Act I and Act II will be playable. The Barbarian, Amazon, and Sorcereress classes from that beta will be playable once again, along with the Paladin and Druid classes which are new for this beta. The game will launch with two more classes, Assassin and Necromancer, but those two classes will not be available during the betas.

This news comes as Activision-Blizzard continues to face criticism from their employees and fans. The state of California sued the company on July 20 for discrimination and sexual harassment towards female employees. In a statement on Tuesday, one of Activision’s investors, SOC, expressed their dissatisfaction with Activison’s response to the lawsuit. SOC is calling for more diverstiy on the board, paycheck cutbacks to the executives who supported sexist behavior, and other changes.

The first game that Activision-Blizzard will release following their controversy is Diablo II: Resurrected on September 23. A Call of Duty game will also be released by the company this fall.

Activision will also take part in this year’s Gamescom. Be sure to check out the full Gamescom 2021 schedule.

Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN.

New Animal Crossing Seasonal Items Now Available

Two new seasonal items are now available in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In celebration of Japan’s Obon festival, you can now purchase an eggplant cow and cucumber horse from Nook Shopping.

The new items will be on sale until August 16 and cost 500 bells apiece. The two will rotate daily, so you’ll need to check back to get both. To order the items, open the Nook Shopping catalog either from your NookPhone or the NookStop terminal in your island’s Resident Services building, select Special Goods, and flip over to the Seasonal tab.

Eggplant cow
Eggplant cow

A few other seasonal items are also still available to order. You can purchase a Hikoboshi and Orihime outfit until August 14, while the rodeo-style springy ride-on will be available until August 15. The outfits each cost 2,500 bells, while the springy ride-on is 2,000 bells.

Orihime outfit
Orihime outfit

The new Obon items were added as part of the 1.11.0 update. That patch also introduced a few other new seasonal items to the game, including boba and cotton candy. Those treats can be won from Redd’s stall during August’s fireworks show, which takes place every Sunday evening this month. Moon cakes and other moon-viewing food items will also be available from Nook Shopping in September.

In addition to the new seasonal items, Nintendo has released a new 1.11.1 update for Animal Crossing. That patch primarily resolves a few issues that arose in the game following the aforementioned 1.11.0 update, including a bug that caused seasonal clouds to not appear as intended. Nintendo says that more Animal Crossing: New Horizons updates are coming later this year.

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Unmatched: Cobble & Fog Review

It’s an amusing irony that the genre-bending Unmatched series started life as the strict franchise tie-in Star Wars: Epic Duels. That had a great game engine but vanished when the license expired, only to be reborn as an anything-goes tactical battler that pitched two legendary characters from across cultures against each other.

Later boxes added characters from film, such as Jurassic Park, and TV such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And they’re all cross-compatible, so it’s quite possible to have Bruce Lee facing off against Bigfoot. Now classic Victorian literature has been added to the mix with the gothic stylings of Unmatched: Cobble & Fog.

Box and What’s Inside

If you like big, pretty game boards when you open a box, Unmatched: Cobble & Fog will, like all its peers, offer an initial disappointment. The board is small, a series of interconnected circles printed over some drab background art. It’s double-sided, though, convenient and functional. It in no way prepares you for what’s underneath.

Because beyond that, the components are great. There are four miniatures for the characters in this set: Dracula, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Jekyll and The Invisible Man. They’re reasonable sculpts, improved by being good, hard plastic and coming already ink washed to bring out the detail and depth.

One of the big draws of the Unmatched series is that it’s simple to get going.

Each character also has a health dial and a deck of cards. The latter are great, from the stylized card back icons that tie into their character’s lore, to the clear text and stylized comic-style art on the front. Once it’s all set out on the table, the good stuff easily compensates for the dull board, making it quite an eye-catching spectacle.

Rules and How to Play

One of the big draws of the Unmatched series is that it’s simple to get going. Both players choose a character. Then, they decide on which board to use — one of them in this set has a novel secret passage mechanic — set up the figures in prescribed spaces, draw five cards, and it’s game on. In theory the game also works with four, playing as two teams of two, but it’s at its best as a head to head.

On your turn you take two actions, which can either be to draw a card and move, or to play an attack or scheme card. Melee characters can only attack adjacent spaces, whereas ranged ones can attack any spaces the same color as that in which the attacker is located. That is one of the reasons for the lackluster board game, and it’s worth the trade off for the speed and clarity it brings to play.

If you’re attacked, you can play a defense card from your hand or not, as you choose, and you take the difference between the values in damage. That’s it. Last character standing wins. You now know how to play Unmatched. So: given the striking simplicity of the rules, how on earth does the series manage to leverage any kind of depth and variety?

The answer is in the cards. Each character has a unique deck and a special power. Some of them also have “sidekicks,” weaker fighters they can command alongside their main, such as Holmes’ dependable assistant Doctor Watson. The way each deck leverages those straightforward rules to give every character a unique play style is a thing of genius.

They’re all cross-compatible so it’s quite possible to have Bruce Lee facing off against Bigfoot.

Let’s stick with Holmes for an example. His special ability is that his card effects can’t be cancelled or blocked, a nod to his fearsome powers of planning. Many of his cards let him look at his opponent’s hand, giving a sense that Holmes is always one step ahead. Others let you use that knowledge to try and predict the values of your opponent’s cards, which feels like the process of deduction Holmes is famous for.

Between them, the duo don’t have many attack cards, but the ones they field are powerful. Again, this represents the way the characters are written: Holmes as a reluctant but skilled pugilist and Watson, who has ranged attacks, grudgingly using his army weapons if necessary. Between them, the cards in the deck bring the characters to life on the board as you play, without flavor text and with a bare minimum of exceptions and special rules.

All the decks in Unmatched: Cobble & Fog work the same extraordinary magic. Dr. Jekyll can choose to flip into the terrifying Mr. Hyde or back at the start of each turn. Only Jekyll can play the best defensive cards and only Hyde the best offensive ones, but moving as Hyde costs health. Dracula must coordinate with his three unholy progeny, all of them relatively fragile but with attacks that heal as they injure their targets. He also has cards that can lure and manipulate enemy figures.

At first, it seems the four are not well balanced. The Invisible Man, in particular, feels underpowered. He has three fog tokens on the board between which he can flit at will but he lacks big attack and defense plays. With practice however, things even up. His game is one of setting up and executing ambushes, then vanishing into the darkness.

Indeed, all four decks reveal hidden depths over repeat plays.

Indeed, all four decks reveal hidden depths over repeat plays. The basic rules alone offer some solid strategic hooks. Characters with sidekicks can try and box their enemies into undesirable board positions. With only two actions per turn, it’s hard to set up an attack without leaving yourself vulnerable to a counter. You’re also forced to strike a balance between drawing and playing cards while trying to keep a range of options in your hand.

When you add in the layers created by special powers and unique card decks, there are all sorts of strategic levers to work. It’s true that the game can be frustrating when you can’t quite draw the cards you need to move your game plan forward. But without that seed of randomness, the game would devolve into stale repetition instead of retaining some vibrancy over repeat plays.

That said, repetition remains the worst fault in Unmatched: Cobble & Fog. Again, like other games in the series, despite all the great work that’s gone into giving each character a distinct style, those simple mechanics can’t quite take all the weight. Individual matchups do begin to feel a little worn after several attempts. Fortunately, with four characters to choose from, you’ve got six distinct combinations to keep you going.

Where to Buy

The MSRP for Unmatched: Cobble & Fog is $39.99, but you can often find it on sale at the retailers below.

Cookie Clicker Is Getting More Than 500 Achievements For Its Steam Release

Cookie Clicker, the browser-based idle game first released on the web back in 2013 and played/banned in school computer labs around the world, is now officially being remastered for Steam.

The game all about clicking cookies, and then spending those cookies to make even more passive ways to generate cookies ad infinitum, has received hundreds of updates since its debut. The Steam version of Cookie Clicker will include all those updates and more, including cloud saves and achievements (more than 500 of them to be exact), when it releases on September 1. It will also sport new music from C418 of Minecraft fame and Steam Workshop support. Cookie Clicker has previously been released for mobile devices as a free download with ads.

Nowadays idle gaming is a popular genre, and you’ll find plenty of similar games on Steam. Cookie Clicker itself has spawned countless knockoffs and clones, so it’s nice to see one the original pioneer of the genre playable on Steam after all these years. It should be noted that while the Steam version of Cookie Clicker will cost $5, the game is still playable for free in your browser.

Developer Orteil says in a FAQ that the Steam version won’t officially support the importing of saves from the browser version, but that “it shouldn’t be too hard to swap files around if you really want to continue your browser save in Steam.” The free web-based version of the game will still receive updates first and remains the “master version” of Cookie Clicker, but those updates will eventually make their way to the Steam version as well.

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GTA 5 Runs At 4K/60FPS On PS5, Apparently

The PlayStation 5 edition of Rockstar’s celebrated and enduringly popular Grand Theft Auto V will run at 4K/60FPS on Sony’s next-gen console, apparently.

A post on the German PlayStation Blog specifically mentions 4K and 60fps, though developer Rockstar has yet to officially announce the technical capabilities of the new edition.

We have followed up with Rockstar in an attempt to get more details.

While we have to wait to know more about the resolution and frame rate for GTA V on PS5 (and Xbox Series X|S), Rockstar parent company Take-Two recently confirmed that “select vehicles” in GTA Online will be capable of reaching faster top speeds on the latest consoles thanks to their increased horsepower.

GTA 5 already looks great, but it could get better.
GTA 5 already looks great, but it could get better.

GTA V and GTA Online are scheduled for release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 11. The game originally debuted on PS3/Xbox 360 back in 2013 before it was later published on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Across all platforms, the game has sold 150 million copies, while its GTA Online multiplayer mode continues to be a big success in terms of players and revenue.

GTA Online will have a standalone release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it’ll be free on Sony’s console for three months as part of Rockstar’s exclusivity deal with Sony.

The new versions of GTA V and GTA Online for next-gen have “new features and more,” but Rockstar has yet to fully detail how the games take advantage of the hardware. Previously, Rockstar spoke at a high level about what the new editions of GTA V will deliver thanks to the horsepower of the new machines.

“The new generation versions of GTAV will feature a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements to take full advantage of the latest hardware, making the game more beautiful and more responsive than ever,” Rockstar said.

Fans will surely be hoping that load times for GTA V on PS5/Xbox Series X|S are improved as well, since this has been a major complaint among the community.

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PS5 HD Camera Drops To $40 For First Time (Save $20)

Amazon is slashing prices on a ton of PlayStation-exclusive games this week, but PS5 game deals aren’t the only thing up for grabs right now: One of Sony’s first-party PS5 accessories is seeing its first major discount as well. Normally sold for $60, the PlayStation HD Camera has dropped to $40 at Amazon, marking its lowest price ever. We’ve seen the camera hover around $50 a few times in the past, but this is by far the cheapest it’s been. It’s also the only PS5 accessory seeing discounts at all–the DualSense, Pulse 3D Headset, and other accessories have largely remained at list price since launch, aside from refurbished sales.

With dual wide-angle lenses, the PlayStation HD Camera allows you to capture PS5 gameplay in 1080p. For streamers, you can broadcast yourself and your gameplay with picture-in-picture mode, with the ability to crop your background or lose it entirely if you have a green screen. This works with the DualSense’s create button–all you have to do is press it and then select “Broadcast.” The PlayStation HD Camera has a built-in adjustable stand that lets you prop it up on your TV, monitor, or any level surface. Note that you can’t use this with PSVR; you still need to use the PS4 VR Camera for that.

Though its use cases are somewhat niche, the PlayStation HD Camera is worth picking up (especially at this price) for those who want to capture or stream themselves playing Returnal, Demon’s Souls, or any other game on PS5. And speaking of PS5 games, you can check out the great deals available right now below. DualShock 4 owners can also snag that controller’s back-button attachment for just $15 right now.

PlayStation game deals at Amazon and PS Direct

Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Mod Adds Ray-Tracing And It Looks Ridiculously Good

Of the various technological innovations in gaming over the last decade, ray-tracing has definitely been one of the most mind-blowing. Although we’re probably a long way away from Nintendo officially supporting ray-tracing, one modder has found a way to get it running on an emulated version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild–and the results are unbelievable.

As reported by Kotaku, German modder Digital Dreams created a ray-tracing preset with Reshade for the PC-emulated version of the game. They also bumped up draw distances and improved depth of field. As you can see in the embed below, Breath of the Wild running at 8K resolution with all these bells and whistles looks gorgeous. If you have a 4K (or better) monitor, we highly recommend putting this video in full screen, bumping up the resolution, and immersing yourself.

Digital Dreams has found a niche in giving a new, ray-traced coat of paint to all sorts of games, from Crysis 3 to Just Cause 3. There’s just something different about ray-tracing on a game that’ll almost certainly never be officially released on a platform that natively supports the feature, though. Of course, it’s worth saying that this PC version of the game is illegal, so user beware.

Meanwhile, Nintendo is still at work on a Breath of the Wild sequel, which is coming sometime in 2022. Most recently, Nintendo unveiled a new trailer for the game at E3 2021. You can check out a roundup of everything we know about the Breath of the Wild sequel here.

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Tales Of Arise Demo Coming To Xbox And PlayStation On August 18

Bandai Namco has confirmed that it will release a demo for Tales of Arise on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on August 18. Set in a world where the nation of Dahna was conquered by the technologically superior country of Rena and split into five realms, players will experience the story through the protagonists Iron Mask and Shionne.

While Iron Mask is a Dahna slave who is unable to feel pain, Shionne is his polar opposite as a citizen of Rena cursed to zap anyone who comes into physical contact with her using magical lightning. Together, the two form an odd couple alliance as they strengthen their bonds in a brutal land ruled by tyrants.

Now Playing: Tales Of Arise Preview

One of the bigger departures from previous games in the Tales series is a more action-orientated direction that’s similar to Monster Hunter: World. Players are able to chain attacks and juggle enemies to deliver extra damage, as well as conservatively spend Care Points to overcome various obstacles and enemies. Some of the developers previously worked on Bandai Namco’s Scarlet Nexus, with the influence from that action-RPG being seen in some of the gameplay footage above as well as the mixed-media approach to storytelling.

Arise’s producer Yusuke Tomizawa explained earlier this year that the choice to focus on faster combat resulted in “speedy battles where you can see through the enemy’s attacks and follow up with a counterattack.”

“As a person who holds Tales of Symphonia, Vesperia, and Xillia very dearly, Bandai Namco’s Tales of Arise seems like a return to form and a refreshing evolution since its consistent format was set back in 1995,” critic Max Blumenthal said in his Tales of Arise preview.

Tales of Arise releases worldwide on September 10 for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC via Steam.

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