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The best 'Battlefield' is finally playable on Xbox One
The pinnacle of the Battlefield series is at long last backward compatible on Xbox One. Of course, I'm talking about Battlefield Bad Company 2, which came out way back in 2010. There have been four games in the franchise since (Battlefield 3, 4, Hardline and last year's Battlefield 1), but the developers at DICE still haven't gone back to the Bad Company well.
Valve's Steam Controller interface now works with Xbox gamepads
Arguably, one of the best things about Valve's Steam Controller is its software component -- an interface that allows user to assign any button of their controller to a myriad of keyboard functions. Its a feature that lets gamers make any PC game playable by controller -- even if it was only designed to be used with a mouse and keyboard. The interface is so good, Valve enabled it for PlayStation 4 controllers earlier this year. Now they're enabling it for pretty much everything else: the latest version of Steam's beta channel will let you fully customize the Xbox 360 gamepad, the Xbox One controller and any other input device that uses the Xinput standard.
JRPG classic 'Lost Odyssey' is currently free on Xbox One
Here's an easy holiday gift for all the Xbox One owners itching to relive the nostalgic days of classic Xbox 360 titles: From now until December 31st, digital copies of Hironobu Sakaguchi and Mistwalker Studios' legendary Japanese RPG Lost Odyssey are free for download on Xbox One's backward compatibility.
The first season of Telltale's 'Batman' wraps next week
Just a year after it was announced, the first season of developer Telltale Games' Batman series is drawing to a close. Its final episode "City of Light" will makes its debut on December 13th on Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. And, based on how you played the penultimate installment, you'll start episode five in pretty different places, according to Telltale.
Revisit 'Burnout: Paradise' for free on Xbox next month
Xbox's Games With Gold subscription service has come a long way. At the start of the generation, Games With Gold offered very few AAA titles, its game lineups paling in comparison to Sony's PlayStation Plus counterpart. Over the last couple of years however, Microsoft's service has seen a very noticeable rise in quality.
The biggest 'Minecraft' console update of 2016 lands in December
The final Minecraft: Console Edition update of the year is also its largest. The Holiday Update will land in late December, bringing the Elytra (wings that allow players to glide), Amplified Terrain, End Cities, the Dragon's Breath potion ingredient and more features to PlayStation 4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Vita and Wii U. This means that the console versions will be nearly on par with the PC edition, Microsoft promises.
Microsoft Research helped 'Gears of War 4' sound so good
Popping in and out of cover has been a hallmark of the Gears of War franchise since the first game came out in 2006. It hasn't changed much because it didn't need to. What's always been an issue though is how thin the game sounds -- a shortcoming of the underlying tech, Unreal Engine, powering it. But Microsoft owns the series now and has far more money to throw at it than former owners/Unreal Engine creators Epic Games did. With help from Microsoft Research, Redmond's Gears of War factory The Coalition found a high tech way to fix that problem. It's called Triton. Two years ago Microsoft Research's Nikunj Raghuvanshi and John Snyder presented a paper (PDF) titled "Parametric Wave Field Coding for Precomputed Sound Propagation." The long and short of the research is that it detailed how to create realistic reverb effects based on objects in a video game's map, to hear it in action pop on a pair of headphones and watch the video below.
Next 'GTA Online' expansion will make a biker out of you
Motorcycle gangs aren't exactly new ground for Grand Theft Auto, sure, but GTA Online will play host to the one percenters in the future. The refreshingly conservatively named "Bikers" expansion will add eight-player gangs, "a massive slate of new competitive and co-op gameplay," new properties to buy and a bunch of new bikes, according to a post on Rockstar Newswire.
Progress from 'NBA 2K17' demo carries over to the full game
Game demos are awesome, but they're usually the intro section of any given game. More than that, once you actually have the retail version, you're stuck working through the same portion of the game over again before getting to the meat of the experience. Playing early is a double-edged sword. NBA 2K17 is doing something different come September 9th, though. With "The Prelude," you'll have early access to the basketball game's career mode and will be able to play college games, interact with coaches during the mini-narrative and affect how you'll start MyCareer when the game arrives.
Revisit 2005 by playing 'Call of Duty 2' on your Xbox One
Back before Call of Duty went full-on Michael Bay, the series focused on historical conflicts ignored by the then unstoppable Medal of Honor series. Xbox 360 launch title Call of Duty 2 was the last game in the series from original developer Infinity Ward to do such. And now, you have the chance to play through the Battle of Pointe du Hoc once again. How's that? The objective-based WWII shooter is now backward compatible on Xbox One. If nothing else, it's an interesting glimpse both at how much the franchise has changed and how FPS themselves have evolved over the past 11 years. Because, even in 2005, CoD 2 was considered a bit old-school in terms of design.
Acclaimed platformer 'Inside' is coming to PlayStation 4
Limbo developer Playdead has revealed it will be releasing its latest acclaimed platformer, Inside, for PlayStation 4 on August 23rd. The date was announced via a new trailer which shows the game's main character falling into an abyss.
'Darksiders' rides again on PS4, Xbox One and Wii U
Aside from the next Legend of Zelda Wii U owners don't have much to look forward to in terms of forthcoming games. Breath of the Wild is the lone glimmer of hope in the console's twilight years, but there could be another -- perhaps even before that new Zelda makes its debut next spring. If those folks are hankering for something similar, albeit with a post-apocalyptic take, maybe Darksiders: Warmastered Edition will fit the bill.
'Destiny' splits off from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 today
If you're still playing Destiny on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, today's update is the last you'll see. That's aside from any emergency fixes, according to a post on Bungie.net. The patch also addresses a number of minor glitches involving loot, gear and quest items. From today forward, though, your progress won't be shared between last-gen hardware, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This patch also marks the cut-off for weekly events like Trials of Osiris and the Iron Banner on older hardware, and expansions like this fall's "Rise of Iron."
'Destiny' distances itself from PS3 and Xbox 360 in August
It was bound to happen, the question was just a matter of when. The "it" I'm referring to, of course, is developer Bungie cutting off support for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Destiny. In a post on Bungie.net, the company says that starting in August, progression won't be shared among last-gen hardware and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. "Characters progress separately on two parallel paths," an infographic reads. Importing your character from last-gen hardware to a PS4 or Xbox One and then going back to your old system to play a strike or two with friends means that the experience points and gear earned will no longer carry over.
'Portal 2' and 'Left 4 Dead' are now playable on Xbox One
The list of Xbox 360 games backwards compatible with the Xbox One has now reached 200 titles with the addition of fan favorites Portal 2 and Left 4 Dead. Additionally, support was also added for Flashback, Brain Challenge and Babel Rising. Microsoft announced the backwards compatibility feature during last year's E3, and rolled it out over the holiday season.
Here's everything we saw at EA's E3 'Play' event
Today, video game juggernaut Electronic Arts kicked off this year's Electronics Entertainment Expo with a show all its own. If you weren't a member of the press or one of the lucky few fans that were let into the event to experience it firsthand, don't worry: We've collected all the trailers that made their debut on The Novo theater's stage and put them in one handy spot for you. Want a look at the new multiplayer trailer for October's Titanfall 2? Look no further. How about FIFA 17's intriguing single-player story mode? We've got your back there as well, with a few other bits like a new glimpse at Battlefield 1's World War I action. Join us below, won't you?
'Destiny' Rise of Iron expansion hits PS4, Xbox One in September
Destiny's next expansion, Rise of Iron, hits PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 20th complete with a new raid, strike, weapons, gear, missions and competitive multiplayer mode. This is the first Destiny expansion to hit current-generation consoles only -- there's no word on Xbox 360 or PS3 releases. Rise of Iron brings back the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher, a weapon that was over-powered in the game's early days but fell off once Destiny entered Year Two. For those who pre-order the new content, the Gjallarhorn comes in an "Iron Black" color, fitting the whole ferrous theme. Rise of Iron also introduces a new social space called The Plaguelands Zone. The expansion costs $30 and requires players own the Destiny base game plus The Taken King.
Play Xbox online for free this weekend
Microsoft has offered its Free Multiplayer Weekends before, but at the end of this week, the promotion will be available to both Xbox One and Xbox 360 together for the first time. In fact, it's the first time the free trial has been available on Microsoft's current-gen console. This means that from Thursday to Sunday (June 9-12), you'll be able to play with your pals online free of charge if you don't have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription. During that same period, Rocket League for Xbox One will also be free to play, so we hope you didn't already have plans.
'Skylanders Imaginators' lets you create your own heroes
Just because Disney is calling it quits on Infinity doesn't mean that the era of collectible-driven video games is over. Activision has unveiled Skylanders Imaginators, and its centerpiece is the ability to create your own hero using a wide array of body parts and gear. At last, you're no longer limited to whatever the developers can dream up. You won't get a real-world figurine that matches your exact character, unfortunately, but there will be "Creation Crystals" you can buy to bring your champion to other consoles.
'Resident Evil 5' comes to PS4 and Xbox One on June 28th
Capcom's Resident Evil series set the standard for a generation of horror video games -- so it's no surprise that the company is celebrating the franchise's 20th anniversary by selling some of its greatest hits again. In reverse order. Starting with Resident Evil 6 back in March, Capcom has been counting backwards to the game that redefined the series: Resident Evil 4. That coveted release is still awhile out, but if you need a zombie fix right now, there are options. At the end of June, Resident Evil 5 will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.