Xbox Introduces Cross-Network Play for the First Time
Microsoft has announced that games using Xbox Live will now support cross-network play - meaning players on Xbox can play online with those with the same game on PS4, for example. One of the first games to take advantage of that change will be Psyonix's Rocket League.
ID@Xbox director, Chris Charla announced the move in a statement on Xbox Wire, effectively extending the cross-platform play between Xbox One and PC that had already been announced. Not all games will necessarily allow for cross-network play - Charla made clear that "it’s up to game developers to support this feature". Xbox Live players will also have the option to play only with those also on Xbox Live.
Axiom Verge Coming to Wii U and Xbox One
Developer Tom Happ has announced that his Metroid-inspired game, Axiom Verge will be coming to Xbox One and Wii U later this year.
Axiom Verge is an action-platform-exploration game in a 16-bit style designed solely in Happ's spare time over the course of five years. Back in 2014, IGN said that it would be PlayStation's very own Metroid. Now, it's coming to other consoles too.
Axiom Verge is currently out on PS4 and PC, with a PS Vita version also coming.
King’s Quest Chapter 3 Coming Next Month
The third chapter of King's Quest, titled Once Upon a Climb, is due for release on April 26.
Coming out for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC, Once Upon a Climb will be a romantic comedy adventure featuring King Graham’s wife and Gwendolyn’s grandmother, Queen Valanice.
Longtime King's Quest fans will recognize the name and know the story of how Graham rescued Valanice from Hagatha's tower, but apparently the truth behind the fairy tale is more complicated than it appears.
King's Quest: The Complete Collection, which includes all five chapters and a bonus epilogue, along with the King's Quest Season Pass, which contains Chapters 2-5, are now available on the PS Store, the Xbox Store, and Steam.
Minecraft Is Now Being Played by AI
Microsoft has revealed that computer scientists in its research labs are now using Minecraft as a teaching tool for artificial intelligence, using the recently-announced Project AIX platform.
Clearly not content with 100 million registered players on PC alone, the platform puts an emphasis not on programming AI to perform tasks, but programming it to learn to perform tasks organically. In a Microsoft blog post about the project, the example given was that of an AI player learning to climb to the highest point on a Minecraft map in the same way an inexperienced human player would - by reading the world around it and finding out where it can and can't travel. Also, by dying in lava repeatedly.
Soulstorm – a New Oddworld Game – Has Been Announced
Oddworld Inhabitants has announced a new game, Oddworld: Soulstorm. A follow-up to 2014's Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty and a remake/reimagining of 1998's Abe's Exoddus, the new game will be released in the latter half of 2017.
Announced on the Oddworld website, Soulstorm will directly follow on from New 'n' Tasty, telling the story of hero Abe as he leads 300 Mudokons that he saved in the last game through the desert, before discovering the titular soft drink, which holds a very dark secret.
Soulstorm Brewery as it appeared in Abe's Exoddus
Fallout 4 Automatron DLC Release Date Announced
Bethesda released a new trailer and details about the first of Fallout 4's upcoming DLC, Automatron.
Automatron releases March 22 on all platforms. In it, players can hunt down and destroy evil robots and use their harvested parts to build their own custom companions for the game.
"The mysterious Mechanist has unleashed a horde of evil robots into the Commonwealth," and it's up to the Wanderer to stop them. Among the new robots is the "devious Robobrain."
Parts taken from defeated robots can be mixed and matched to create totally custom robotic companions for use in the game. "Choose from hundreds of mods; mixing limbs, armor, abilities, and weapons such as the all-new lightning chain gun," Bethesda said. Paint schemes and voices customization options are also available for players above level 15.
The Division Becomes Biggest Q1 Launch in UK History
Tom Clancy's The Division has broken an 11 year record to become the biggest first quarter video game launch in UK history.
According to GfK Chart-Track, The Division has beaten the record held by Gran Turismo 4 since 2005. In addition, last week Ubisoft revealed that The Division had the highest day-one sales in the company's history.
Ubisoft is enjoying success in the UK at the moment, with three titles in the UK's top 10 for this week. The Division knocked Far Cry Primal down to the number two spot, while Rainbow Six Siege is hanging on at number 10.
Do Not Get in Red-Kryptonite Supergirl’s Way
Tonight’s episode of Supergirl, titled “Falling,” will see Kara become infected with red Kryptonite. If you thought the green stuff was bad, just wait until you get a load of what this stuff can do.
“It just takes away her inhibitions, it makes you speak the truth, and sometimes that is not always delivered lightly. She becomes dangerous, and in a way red-Kryptonite Kara is the villain of the piece,” executive producer Ali Adler told us at PaleyFest LA 2016.
Red Kryptonite essentially turns Kryptonians into one of the bad guys. They’re full of hate and rage instead of the hope and light that makes them a hero. It also makes Kara really, really cruel to her loved ones.
The Walking Dead: Michonne Ep. 2 Release Date Announced
Telltale announced episode two of The Walking Dead: Michonne mini-series is coming out March 29.
In Episode 2, titled "Give No Shelter," Michonne, Pete and Sam escape from the floating colony of Monroe. Unfortunately for them, "the leaders of Monroe don't forgive and don't forget."
"With memories of her daughters bleeding ever further into Michonne's blurred reality, her world is becoming increasingly fractured," according to Telltale Games. Telltale released a spoiler-heavy trailer to illustrate the effects of choices made in episode 1.
Episode 1 of the miniseries released February 23. In our review of The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode 1, we said while the story wasn't enough to fully hold our attention, the character of Michonne is so well realized she carries the episode on her own.
LEGO Marvel’s Avengers Civil War Character Pack Out Now
A character pack for LEGO Marvel's Avengers based on the upcoming Captain America: Civil War is now available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
The Civil War character pack PlayStation exclusivity was announced at the beginning of January. Nine new characters are included in the free pack: Agent 13, Black Panther, Captain America, Crossbones, Falcon, Iron Man (Mark 46), Scarlet Witch, War Machine, and Winter Soldier.
Black Panther and Crossbones make their console-game debut with the character pack, which is available as a free download right now.