Lake (Xbox) First Impressions!

10 Most Anticipated Current Gen Only Multi-Format Games (October 2020)

 

In my last post I brought up my ten most anticipated multi-format games that will be on either Microsoft's and Sony's next gen systems, those games that will take advantage of the new consoles in some way. I did mention however that there are still a few games that I'm excited for which won't be on the new systems.

Now these will still be playable on PS5 or Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility but just won't have things like ray tracing or other next gen features.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX

Digimon Survive

 

The Good Life

 

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory

 

Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139...

 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake

 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game - Complete Edition

 

She Dreams Elsewhere

 

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster

 

Twin Mirror

 

Out this Week on Xbox One - Plague Tale - Rage 2 - Castlevania and more

 

14th A Plague Tale: Innocence

Xbox One X Enhanced - Follow the grim tale of Amicia and her little brother Hugo, in a heartrending journey through the darkest hours of history. Hunted by the Inquisition and surrounded by unstoppable swarms of rats, they will struggle to survive and fight to find purpose in this brutal, unforgiving world.

 

 

14th Rage 2

Xbox One X Enhanced - Dive headfirst into a dystopian world devoid of society, law, and order. Rage 2 brings together two studio powerhouses – Avalanche Studios, masters of open world insanity, and id Software, creators of the first-person shooter – to deliver a carnival of carnage where you can go anywhere, shoot anything, and explode everything.

 

14th Sniper Elite V2 Remastered

Xbox One X Enhanced / Xbox Play Anywhere - You are elite sniper Karl Fairburne, parachuted into Berlin amidst the Germans’ final stand. Your mission: prevent Nazi V2 rocket technology falling into the hands of the Red Army. With all DLC missions included, take the fate of the war into your own hands, and hunt the Führer himself.

 

14th Lost Orbit

Stranded after his ship is destroyed in deep space, Harrison, a lowly maintenance worker and our hero, must struggle to find his way home. Armed with an improvised set of equipment and a relentless spirit, Harrison will need to use the gravitational forces of planets to navigate and propel himself through space.

 

15th Devious Dungeon 2

Devious Dungeon 2 is a medieval focused action platformer title. The castles ever-shifting halls are filled with deadly monsters, treacherous traps, and treasure. It’s also the domain of The Summoner and he does not look kindly upon uninvited guests. Slay monsters, collect loot, level up, and upgrade your gear and pick one of three different playable heroes.

 

15th Feudal Alloy

Explore an unusual medieval world with a fish-controlled robot, Attu. Improve your combat techniques and skills by smashing many kinds of mechanical creatures in a beautiful hand-drawn world. Discover a huge interconnected world, filled with a wide range of enemies, bosses, skills, and equipment. Choose which paths you take and which enemies you face. Defeat evil and find your way back home.

 

15th Undead Horde

Xbox One X Enhanced - Become a necromancer and raise the dead in this action RPG/RTS wrapped in an undead package. Command, lead, raze, loot, and fight your way through the lands of the living with your horde and claim the kingdom for the Undead Horde!

 

16th Castlevania Anniversary Collection

This Konami Castlevania Collection is designed to be a compilation around the origins of the historic franchise. Included is a unique eBook that has details provided by developers, artists, and other inspired by the Castlevania legacy. Released as part of the Konami 50th Anniversary celebration, now’s the best time to relive these timeless classics that helped define the platformer genre.

 

17th Dragon’s Lair Trilogy

Play as the heroic Dirk the Daring, a valiant knight on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon, and then go to outer space as Ace, defender of justice, truth, and the planet Earth in the arcade classics Dragon's Lair, Space Ace, and Dragon's Lair 2: Time Warp.

 

17th Darkwood

A challenging survival horror game that doesn’t rely on jump scares. Craft weapons, prepare traps, fortify hideouts and explore the eerie forests of the Soviet Bloc by day, then hunker down in your hideout at night while nightmarish forces corrupt the woods as you wait and pray for the sun to come up the next morning.

 

17th Steel Rats

Wreck and ride in Steel Rats, a game that fuses destructive motorbike combat and death-defying stunt gameplay set in a visually stylized retro future world. Switch between four characters, each with unique abilities, as you wreak havoc fighting deadly Junkbots.

 

17th Molecats

A challenging, indirect-control puzzler. Play as the Molecats as you delve into nearby caves to retrieve delicious 'shrooms and shiny relics. It's your job to keep each of them on the safest, most direct path to goodies, avoiding traps, and monsters along the way!

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10 Upcoming games to keep a eye on, that know one is talking about

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The First Tree Review

You may have seen my recent let's play of The First Tree after watching you might think this isn't much of a game.



Due to the fact when you're playing as the fox, you basically just walk forward towards The First Tree and you could even miss all the collectables along the way if you really wished.

You might also think the game looks very pretty in some parts such as a scene with a deer but even on the One X, foliage can appear out of nowhere and some other odd occurrences.

 

That you may be thinking this doesn't sound good at all, which is sort of a problem with this sort of game to review as if you do pick up the collectables you'll get a backstory which is fully narrated, I believe by the games creator and his wife.

Now, this is where the game shines and it's the emotions you'll feel along the way which will even mean you'll like the game or not. I don't want to go into the story too much which is based around one of the characters talking about his childhood.

It might just be me but he doesn't mention his mother once that I do believe he is talking about a single parent in his father. Now this hits home to me being raised by a single parent in my father, that the emotional notes of The First Tree may have reached me more than it would some.

 

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Two highly anticipated indie titles coming this December

With the year almost over and The Game Awards happening in a few hours, over the last day or so we've had some news on some upcoming titles.

 

First up Ashen has been spotted on the French Xbox store to be releasing Dec 7th and will be launching into Game Pass as well. From doing some research it seems this was meant to be announced at TGA with the devs sort of acknowledging the leak.

Then late last night Below was finally dated for Dec 14th after 5 years in development, with Winter of Arcade being announced at X018 with more details to come at TGA, I wouldn't be shocked if this is the marquee title of Winter of Arcade.

 

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The First Tree Complete Playthrough

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X018 Recap: Game Pass

This past Saturday was X018 and one of the big focuses was Game Pass where new 16 games were announced to be coming to the subscription service alongside Crackdown 3 which was dated for Febuary15th. 

Thief of Thieves is out now.
PUBG launching November 12th. 
Agents of Mayhem, MXGP3 and Thomas Was Alone are launching November 22nd.

Ori and the Blind Forest, Kingdom Two Crowns and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice are coming in December.

 

Aftercharge, Supermarket Shriek, Mutant Year Zero, Pathologic 2, The Good Life, Void Bastards, Secret Neighbor, Ori and the Will of the Wisps are all going to launch into Game Pass on the same day as release.

 

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Look for sailors this week on Xbox Aug 21st - 24th

 

21st: Brawlout

Xbox One X Enhanced - With online play and couch co-op support, as well as a large roster full of characters each with their own unique style of play, Brawlout looks to effectively blend platform and traditional fighting gameplay into a stylish, aerobatic game the whole family can enjoy, but is a deep enough challenge for veterans of the genre.

 

21st: Shenmue I & II

Two classics return in a classic tale of revenge and mystery with Shenmue I & II featuring an updated interface, control options, and Japanese audio – a first for a global audience. Become immersed in a fully interactive world of 1980s Japan and Hong Kong, China as you track down the man who killed Ryo Hazuki’s father.

 

21st: All-Star Fruit Racing

Drift through looping bends, soar over monumental jumps and defy gravity itself around tubular tracks in this colorful racer. Pick your favorite character and battle across a series of championships as you race nine other racers. Features online racing as well as support for up to four-player local split-screen action.

 

21st: Tyler: Model 005

Take on the role of Tyler, a spunky miniature robot who after many years of powering down has accidentally come back online in the midst of a thunderstorm – and to find his creator missing. Navigate your surroundings, collect objects, and solve puzzles along the way in this platforming adventure.

 

24th: Planet of the Apes: Last Frontier

In this narrative-focused adventure game, pick a side in the growing conflict between man and ape. Based on the recent films in this fabled sci-fi series, Last Frontier aims to deliver a tale of conquest, betrayal, and survival that will send you either towards establishing a fragile peace or a bloody war.

 

24th Spectrum

Spectrum describes itself as taking place in a stunning, abstract world where players can jump, dive, and flow through 80 levels of unique shapes and colors. Combined with an atmospheric soundtrack, Spectrum aims to create an immersive, zen-like platforming experience.

 

24th: F1 2018

Xbox One X Enhanced - Become immersed in the world of Formula 1 racing by building your reputation on and off the track as you navigate not only racing at lightning speed, but with time-pressured interviews that will influence your driver’s career path. Featuring more classic F1 cars than ever before, as well as the series most accurate simulation model to date.

 

24th Distrust

Inspired by “The Thing,” a helicopter crash has left a group of explorers stranded near an arctic base. Not only do they need to find ways to survive but also find out how to combat a terrifying force that aims to suck the life from their bodies. It’s up to you to guide these survivors through a randomly-generated base and overcome the deadly climate and a mysterious force.

 

24th: Haunted: Halloween '86 (The Curse of Possum Hollow)

This side-scrolling, platforming, beat 'em up sequel to Haunted: Halloween '85 comes with a completely overhauled combat system with new attack, defensive, and evasive moves as well as improved graphics that feature split-screen side scrolling and animated backgrounds, aiming to be an incredibly faithful 8-bit gaming experience in 2018.

 

24th: Don’t Sink

Capture islands, sink ships, defend your towns, and discover an exciting world full of adventure in this sandbox adventure pirate RPG that lets you explore a massive world full of unique islands, colorful landscapes, and the open sea while keeping your crew alive (and your ship afloat).  

 

24th: Phantom Doctrine

A turn-based strategy game set during the Cold War, Phantom Doctrine looks to draw its inspiration from classic spy films and novels as you carry out secret missions, investigate classified intel, and interrogate your enemies in this spy vs spy thriller told across an epic 40-hour single-player campaign.

 

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Out this Week: August 14th - 17th

 

14th: The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – The Final Season, Episode 1

Xbox One X Enhanced - After years on the road facing threats both living and dead, a secluded school might finally be Clementine and AJ’s chance for a home. But protecting it will mean sacrifice. In this gripping, emotional final season, your choices define your relationships, shape your world, and determine how Clementine’s story ends.

 

14th: Fall of Light

Fall of Light is a story-driven action RPG set within a world consumed by darkness. You are Nyx, an old warrior who has embarked on a dangerous journey with his daughter, Aether, who radiates luminescence. Only together will they be strong enough to complete their quest: reach the last place on Earth still touched by sunlight.

 

15th: State of Mind

August 15, 2018

The world is on the brink. With a lack of resources, illnesses caused by polluted air and water, crime on the rise, and governments promise remedies through technological progress. As Richard Nolan, one of the few journalists openly criticizing this development, find that his family has vanished, you’ll experience an alarmingly realistic vision of the near future in this sci-fi thriller where dystopian reality and digital utopia are intertwined.

 

 

15th: Coffee Crisis

August 15, 2018

The alien Smurglian have come to Earth and they're not leaving until they steal our four most prized commodities: metal music, coffee, cat videos, and WiFi. In this arcade-style beat 'em up that pays homage to the 90s era of classic arcade & 16-bit brawlers, take control of Black Forge Coffeehouse baristas Nick and Ashley, two galaxy gladiators called to arms to stop this madness.

 

15thWailing Heights

Inspired by classic adventure games, you’ll find yourself lost in ghostly town of Wailing Heights where you’ll need to talk to the locals, collect lyrics to songs, listen to clues, and steal things from other songs. Add these ingredients to your musical possession wheel and sing your soul right into a monster’s body, gaining their supernatural abilities and moving one step closer to escaping Wailing Heights.

 

15th: Hero Defense

To destroy the world’s most powerful vampire, your team of slayers must impale, slash, tear and burn through legions of undead hell-bent on world domination. Take charge of five unique heroes that battle their way through various arenas to defeat Count Necrosis. Fans of RTS, RPGs, and Tower Defense games will find a lot to like here.

 

15th: Fernz Gate

After waking in unfamiliar woods, Alex, an ordinary high schooler living an ordinary life, learns he has somehow ended up in Fernland, a world dominated by conflict and destruction, he will have to travel to the other side of the world and beyond to find his way back home in this fantasy RPG full of monsters and colorful characters.

 

17th: Polygod

Describing itself as “blending a fast-paced, Quake-esque feel with the randomness, difficulty and power-up system of The Binding of Isaac,” Polygod is designed for speedrunners, inviting only the most skilled and strategic players to defeat the Trial of the Gods. As a one-armed, gun-wielding assassin of legend, the seven deities of Polygod will test your skill with randomly generated arenas of hostile minions.

 

17th: Treadnauts

Pilot your tank through competitive, gorgeous arenas to land a deadly shot on your opponents in Treadnauts. With a ton of useful tricks at your disposal, including treads that stick to any wall, boosters for midair hops, zero-friction slides, and rocket jumps for soaring into the sky, it's all about moving with style to come out on top across four playable zones, each with unique mechanics and physics objects.

 

17th: Drunk-Fu: Wasted Masters

Xbox One X Enhanced - Master physics-defying drunk-fu techniques by controlling your character’s stumbling direction and unleashing powerful attacks with each individual limb. Team up with your friends to beat AI controlled bullies in the swarm-like mode or challenge each other in free for all or last man standing modes to see who the true Wasted Master is.

 

17th: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Xbox One X Enhanced - In Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, one player is trapped in a room with a ticking time bomb they must defuse. The other players are the experts who must give the instructions to defuse the bomb by deciphering the information found in the Bomb Defusal Manual. But there’s a catch: the experts can’t see the bomb, so everyone will need to talk it out – fast! Test the limits of your communication skills and friendships in this co-op party game.

17th: Persian Nights: Sands of Wonders

In the absence of a mortally ill king, the Grand Vizier Zaved rules the kingdom with an iron fist, while a mysterious plague casts a dark shadow on the people of Persia. The young apothecary Tara decides to conduct her own investigation and discover the cause of the illness before it's too late in this puzzle game.

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New Game Pass Titles for August

Today marks a new month which can only mean one thing new Game Pass titles

Hitman Season 1 
Welcome to the World of Assassination. You are Agent 47, the world’s best assassin.
As an agent of the International Contract Agency (ICA), you are tasked with taking out hard-to-reach, high-profile targets in exotic locations all around the world. You’ll need to use your wits and creativity to find ways in eliminating your targets in densely detailed and intricate sandbox levels with complete freedom of approach. Where to go, when to strike, what to use, and how to kill is all up to you.

Ruiner
It‘s the brutal world of 2091. Ruiner immerses you in a cyberpunk dystopia, where you take on the role of a wired sociopath out to uncover the truth about the corrupt system and to retrieve his kidnapped brother. This brutal action shooter immerses you in Rengkok City, from its shady back-alleys to its towering corporate titans. Get ready to experience a game carved from the mould of the best cyberpunk anime.




Ryse: Son of Rome
Ave! Join the legions of ancient Rome as Marius Titus, a centurion on the rise. Sword-and-sandals meets action combat as you battle with the unique flow system, allowing you to seamlessly weave your battle between enemies. Prepare to immerse yourself in this alternate history, where the battles you fight will determine the fate of an empire.

Dead Rising 2
The sequel to the smash hit features Chuck Greene, a motorcycle stuntman truly racing against time as he fights through hordes of zombies to keep his daughter alive. With loads of customized and constructible weapons, 2-player co-op, 4-player gladiator battles, and all DLC costumes included, players can rip through the undead horde in gory-ous 1080p at 60fps.

Dandara
Dandara is an exciting evolution to the Metroidvania platformer genre. Take control of the mystical heroine Dandara as she leaps from the floor to walls to the ceiling, unhindered by gravity. Discover allies and mysteries hidden throughout as she fights to free the land of Salt from the oppression of the Eldarian Army.

The Escapists: The Walking Dead
8-bit pixels meet biting zombies in The Escapists: The Walking Dead. The pixel art style familiar to fans of The Escapists brings the world of “The Walking Dead” to glorious un-life as you take on the role of Rick Grimes as he fights an endless horde of walkers let loose upon the world. Lead characters to safety while avoiding (and destroying) the undead.

Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure
This Xbox 360 title, newly remastered for the Xbox One, now features controller support as well as support for the Kinect Sensor. Create your avatar and jump between the worlds of Pixar films like “Up,” “Cars,” “Ratatouille,” “Toy Story,” and “The Incredibles.” The remastered version features an all-new level based on “Finding Dory.” Unlock secret areas, new characters, and more as you master more than 15 fully-voice-acted levels!

Along with these new games a new tab makes Xbox Game Pass even more discoverable to new members and will members check out what’s new every time they turn on their console. It also up-levels popular titles in the catalogue, highlights newly-added games, spotlights the latest deals on games and DLC for members and recommends games based on your interests so that you can easily find your next favourite game.

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Out this Week: July 31st to August 3rd

 

8 to Glory

July 31, 2018

8 To Glory puts you in the boots of professional bull riders. Show your skills against the baddest bulls across three modes, unlock new bulls and riders, and gain points on your road to the championship and challenge friends to local head-to-head mode, where one player is the rider and the other is the bull.

 

Castaway Paradise

July 31, 2018

Instant vacation on your own tropical island. Decorate the island, play dress up, collect bugs, grow crops and help your new neighbors. In Castaway Paradise you can do whatever you like in this sandbox simulator inspired by classics like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing.

 

Forsaken Remastered

July 31, 2018

Xbox One X Enhanced - Based on the classic sci-fi game first released in 1998, Forsaken Remastered is an updated version of the cyberpunk classic featuring 360 combat. The game can be played in single-player as well as its exciting multiplayer modes. 

 

 

Gene Rain

July 31, 2018

Xbox One X Enhanced - Gene Rain is a 3D third-person shooter game that follows the story of New Humans. Employing a linear storytelling narrative and next-gen metal art style, it offers a visually stunning adventure into a never-before-seen world.

 

Maximum Football 2018

July 31, 2018

Achieve gridiron greatness in this football sim that brings fans everything they love about the fast-paced game. With multiple rules options – Canadian football, American football, and College football – play a full season, customize your team and players, and experience game weather that impacts gameplay.

Vigor

July 31, 2018

Xbox Game Preview / Console Launch Exclusive - 1991. The nuclear war is over. Central Europe is devastated, Norway has become the last stand. You start as a nameless outlander, but who will you become? No time for uncertainty. Turn a shelter into your home. Fight, run or hide. Take risks, claim rewards, and survive this cut-throat experience.

 

#WarGames

July 31, 2018

Xbox Play Anywhere - You shape the story as Kelly and her band of misfit hackers transform from pranksters to leaders of an international movement. As they take on the media, the military, and the powers that be, where you focus will shape the direction of the story and the actions the characters 

take.

 

 

The Z-Axis

July 31, 2018

Escape a bizarre world by rotating the universe. Use portals, physics, time, and clones as floors become walls, walls become ceilings, left becomes down, and right becomes up. Play the 2D puzzle platformer game inspired by Portal that has since blossomed into the 30-level reality-defying monstrosity it is today.

 

One More Dungeon

August 01, 2018

One More Dungeon is a first-person shooter roguelike with procedurally generated levels and pixel-art graphics. Being a nameless adventure seeker, your job is to reach the final level deep within the dungeon and destroy the obelisks that are used by forces of evil to invade the world.

 

Road to Ballhalla

August 01, 2018

Roll and be trolled on your journey to the legendary place called Ballhalla. Follow the beat to overcome deadly hazards in sync with the music. Style your balls and marble at awful puns in the roll playing game of the year.

 

State of Anarchy: Master of Mayhem

August 01, 2018

State of Anarchy: Master of Mayhem is a hilarious shooter that will put a smile on your face. You were an ordinary citizen in a small town… Now it’s on fire! Rioters are storming the houses and aliens rampage in the sky. Run as fast as you can, shoot anything that moves, and don’t take your foot off the gas pedal.

 

Armored Warfare

August 02, 2018

Take control of cutting-edge tanks and join your friends in completing co-op missions, compete with rival teams in PvP mode, or experience the real tank action in Global Operations, an explosive mix of competitive and cooperative play empowered by large maps with respawn zones, surveillance drones, AI support, airstrikes, and much more.

 

1979 Revolution: Black Friday

August 03, 2018

Based on true stories and historical events, 1979 Revolution: Black Friday is an interactive drama about choice, consequence, chaos, and order. You play a photojournalist who returns home to find his people protesting the ruling King, the Shah. Armed with your camera, you're soon pulled into a dangerous world of revolution and civil unrest.

 

Doughlings

August 03, 2018

Doughlings brings unique gameplay mechanics through its interesting characters while combining the best that Arkanoid games have to offer, polished with a modern look and design. Don't let Morpheus lose his ball and try to clear the screen with everything you got!

 

Jump Gunners

August 03, 2018

Jump Gunners describes itself as the definitive local multiplayer battle game for 1 to 4 players, matching fast-paced hilarious recoil jumping gunplay, with core gameplay that is easy to learn but hard to master. Become the champion among friends as you fight alone or team up together against your foes.

 

Super Dungeon Tactics

August 03, 2018

Call upon 15 heroes, each with unique abilities, to explore dungeons and battle hordes of monsters. React to the tides of battle with randomly rolled ability dice and boost core stats or unlock potent abilities. It’s up to you (and a little luck) to use them to their fullest potential. Choose wisely and craft the ultimate band of heroes to complete each adventure.

 

Zazmo Arcade Pack

August 03, 2018

The Zazmo Arcade Pack is a collection of co-op, single-player, and competitive games inspired by classic arcade games: Tank Wars, Mazard, Breakdown, Last Stand, and Rob’s Adventure. All games have a variety of play modes and tons of fun to share with a friend.

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