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Achievements Snap update rolls onto Xbox One in 'coming days'
Microsoft announced it's rolling out the July Xbox One update in the "coming days," which sounds a bit vague but the timing suggests it could begin this week. The update's biggest addition is Achievements Snap, allowing players to view their GamerScore progress on the right-hand window while they hunt down more Gs on the main side. The July update also introduces a Get Help web search option for individual Achievements, and the option to launch the Snap Center by double-tapping the Xbox button. Check out a fuller rundown of the update's new features here. [Image: Microsoft]
Chase Achievements with Xbox One's snappy July update
Most of us have fallen for the allure of Xbox Achievements at some point since their arrival with the Xbox 360. If you're still incessantly bumping your Gamerscore, the Xbox One July update's inclusion of Achievement Snap should be up your alley – rather than stopping your game to check progress, you'll soon be able to track real-time achievement progression with a quick glance to the right side of your screen. Conquering overly-vague achievement descriptions or challenging feats will also be a bit easier, thanks to a "Get Help" option that will be offered under whichever challenge a user has highlighted. Once clicked, the prompt searches the web for helpful links and videos. You can pin the Achievements they're focusing on at the top of the snapped app, too. The update will also allow you to launch Snap Center by double-tapping a button. Unfortunately, the Xbox Wire announcement doesn't specify which button that is, and only suggests to "double-tap the button on your controller." If you've already got an app attached, the same double tap will switch between controlling the app and whichever game you're playing. Language options for players in New Zealand, Ireland and Austria will be another addition, with players in those regions soon being able to use the English and German voice models from other countries if they better suit their style of speech. Users will also be able to "Like" Game DVR clips and posts in their SmartGlass activity feeds, but more interestingly, the update's description mentions support for future digital bundles and compilation discs. This is described as something to grant publishers "options for great digital bundle and disc compilation offerings," with the post suggesting that we'll see "more flexible combinations of game titles and game content" as the feature is tested. Sounds like something that could be used to bundle pieces of DLC or base games together, hopefully with the inclusion of a reasonable price tag. [Image: Microsoft]
EverQuest II's Qeynos revamp goes live July 24th
Say bye-bye to the Baubbleshire. Anyone wanting screenshots of his favorite EverQuest II boroughs will want to log in and get them quick because Sony Online Entertainment has announced the day that Qeynos will be reborn on the live servers. On July 24th, players will log into to find a city with more intrigue and conflict as the Queen and the Circle of Ten struggle for power. Familiar boroughs (such as the Baubbleshire and the Willow Wood) will be replaced by instanced zones accessible only via new racial and class quest chains. The remaining zones will be consolidated, and the entire city will receive a graphical facelift. The announcement also highlights other July plans for EQII, including a preview of the changes coming to PvP and the battlegrounds. There are also tidbits about the changes in class focus effects, notes about tweaks to the New Halas and Neriak starting areas, and a reminder that playing as your character in the dungeon maker should launch this month using the same level-agnostic gameplay as the battlegrounds. Complete details can be found in the official announcement. And for a more personal look at the revamp, check out The Tattered Notebook's tour on test.
Tribes Ascend's July update reinvents 'Stonehenge' map, invents 'Miasma'
Continuing its promise of monthly new content, Hi-Rez Studios unveiled its latest Tribes: Ascend update video this morning. The update is a biggun for both new players and vets, as two new maps are set to be deployed: a remake of Tribes 1's "Stonehenge" map, and the brand new "Miasma." Now all we need is something borrowed and something blue, and we'll be all set to wed this game.
Eden Eternal introduces new race and dungeons
Eden Eternal is quickly becoming known as "that llama game" around Massively -- and we mean that in the fondest possible way. Llamas project coolness the way some game conventioners project body odor; they don't answer to anyone, but if you're solid, they'll give you a lift. While Eden Eternal is still in the open beta period, that doesn't mean Aeria Games is holding content back for the post-launch period. On the contrary, the company has a meaty update planned for early July. The star of the update is the introduction of the playable Zumi race, who are small mousy creatures who like inventing stuff and selling stuff (this game's answer to Gnomes, perhaps?). The July update will also include additional high-level dungeons and a neat ranking reward system that hands out prizes to the top players and guilds on each server monthly. There's no word yet if there will be more llamas added to the patch. One can hope... one can hope.
Ninja to be enhanced with Final Fantasy XI's July update, paladin screams already heard
The rivalry between ninjas and pirates is nothing compared to the rivalry between paladins and ninjas in Final Fantasy XI. The two classes have been dueling for years over the space of "best party tank," and have regularly traded the position back and forth thanks to Square-Enix intervention.However, it seems that with the new July update, the tank position may once again veering towards the hands of the ninja thanks to the job enhancement spotlight falling on the assassins from the east. July will be adding the new job ability "Yonin," which will increase a Ninja's enmity (hate gain, for other MMO players), critical strike rating, ninjutsu tool use and evasion, but lower their accuracy. Sounds like a tanking ability to us! (Except for perhaps that accuracy down part, but we'll look past that for now.)
