Yearly Archives: 2018
Battletoads Revival Announced, Release Date Revealed
Microsoft revealed Battletoads is coming back in an all-new 2.5D game for Xbox One. The new Battletoads is scheduled to come out in March 2019.
Very little info was given during the E3 2018 Microsoft briefing, other than the acknowledgment of its existence and the release date.
Battletoads never really went away, appearing as playable characters in the Xbox One Killer Instinct as well as free Battletoads DLC in Shovel Knight.
The trailer hinted at hot new 2019 speeder bike action, but that may have just been a familiar hook upon which to hang the Battletoads news.
Dying Light 2 Announced, First Trailer Revealed
Microsoft announced Dying Light 2 at its E3 2018 press conferences.
The trailer for the new game from developer Techland promised, "Your choices, your world." That ties directly into a new feature unique to Dying Light 2, which was demoed by narrative designer, Chris Avellone.
"Dying Light 2 will be the first in its genre where your choices have genuine consequences in the game itself," Avellone said. "Everything in the game world can change based on your decisions."
"It allows you to carve out your own world," he added. "Each player's game experience will be unique."
The sequel to 2015's Dying Light will have a "fluid parkour system" and "tactical first-person melee combat." And of course, true to its name, Dying Light 2 will play into "terrifying nights when the infected emerge from the depths of the city to feed on anyone they can find."
Bandai Namco Reveals Jump Force
The Shonen Jump characters are coming back together once again in Jump Force, Bandai Namo revealed at Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference.
Jump Force is a Shonen Jump fighter that brings together characters from Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and Naruto. Light from Death Note was teased in the debut trailer as well. The game will be released on the Xbox Store in 2019,
A slew of Shonen Jump characters last came together on consoles in J-Stars Victory VS+, a fighting game developed by Spike Chunsoft.
Bandai Namco is publishing several other anime games this year including New Gundam Breaker, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, Black Clover: Quartet Knights, and My Hero: One's Justice.
Cuphead The Delicious Last Course Revealed
Cuphead The Delicious Last Course has been announced during Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference.
The new expansion introduces a third playable character in the form of Ms. Chalice, as well as a brand new isle, new bosses, and new weapon. It's coming in 2019.
Cuphead was originally revealed on Microsoft's stage back at E3 2015. It started off as a gorgeous, but simple series of boss fights. However, it was delayed several times, as the scope of the game expanded greatly. Cuphead eventually was released on September 29, 2017. We scored the game an 8.8, praising its beauty and difficulty, saying, "As tough as it is beautiful, Cuphead won't be to everyone's tastes, but there's absolutely no doubting its quality." It went on to win several of our game of the year 2017 awards, including Best Xbox One Game.
The Black Desert MMORPG Beta Gets New Xbox One Release
The Black Desert is finally making its way to Xbox One. Microsoft announced at its E3 2018 press conference that the beta begins in Fall 2018, with players available to register for the beta now.
Microsoft announced that Korean developer Pearl Abyss' MMORPG would be coming to Xbox One back at E3 2017, though it originally was slated for an early 2018 release. At the time, it was revealed that those who play the game on Xbox One X will have the added bonus of 4K support.
We saw 10 minutes of Black Desert's Xbox One build at PAX 2017, which you can watch below:
The MMORPG was released for PC back in March 2016 as Black Desert Online. IGN's review gave it a 7.0, saying it's "a unique and beautiful sandbox fantasy MMORPG, with little or no endgame to speak of."
Devil May Cry 5 Officially Revealed
Capcom has officially revealed Devil May Cry 5, coming Spring 2019. The news came during Microsoft's E3 press conference.
This news doesn't come as a huge surprise, as Capcom registered the “Devil May Cry 5” domain name earlier this week. Also, earlier this year, Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma director Hideaki Itsuno sharing that he was on the brink of revealing his new game.
Fallout 4, The Division Now Available on Xbox Game Pass
At Microsoft's E3 2018 press conference, Todd Howard announced that Fallout 4 is now available on Xbox Game Pass. Additionally, Tom Clancy’s The Division and The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited were added to the Xbox Game Pass library, available today (June 10).
Forza Horizon 4, Crackdown 3, Ashen, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Afterparty, and more upcoming titles will go into the Xbox Game Pass catalogue on the same day of release.
Microsoft is leaning into Xbox Game Pass's popularity by leveraging machine learning expertise “and
a way to start your games twice as fast." Called FastStart, it’s two times faster than before. FastStart will launch for select titles in the June update coming later this month.
The Division 2 Release Date Revealed
Ubisoft revealed the release date for The Division 2 during Microsoft's E3 2018 briefing.
At the end of an extended gameplay trailer, the March 15, 2019 release date was shown on screen briefly.
In May, during Ubisoft's quarterly earnings reports, it revealed The Division 2's release window, but didn't pin down a specific date until today.
Developing...
Tales of Vesperia Remaster Coming to Xbox Store in Winter 2018
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition will be coming to the Xbox Store this winter, Microsoft announced at its E3 2018 press conference.
The E3 2018 announcement trailer for Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition promised it will include "content and characters brought to the West for the first time."
This remaster gives a facelift to the 2008 RPG a decade after its release. Tales of Vesperia originally released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
IGN gave Tales of Vesperia an 8.2 on its original release, saying it's "a strong anime-style Japanese RPG with a wide- ranging story, compelling characters and an intense real-time battle system that keeps you on your toes."
PUBG Teases Snowy Map for Winter 2018
During today's Microsoft press conference a new snowy map for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds was teased.
According to the teaser trailer that was revealed during the showcase, the map will be released in winter 2018.
The Evangel and Miramar maps, both of which are available on PC, are also available for Xbox One. Additionally, the new Sanhok map will be released sometime this summer.
The popular battle royale shooter garnered over three million Xbox One players in less than a month after its launch in Xbox Game Preview this past December. By the end of January, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds reached 4 million players on Xbox One.