Xbox

50 Weeks Later, Major Update Improves Flawed Xbox Exclusive ReCore

It’s been a summer of major updates to disappointing games from last year. No Man’s Sky is finally delivering on its promises to PC and PlayStation players a year since it came out. Over on Xbox, ReCore has done penance for its flawed launch with a six gigabyte update that makes the game better, though…

Here’s September’s Xbox Live Games With Gold Lineup

If you like moody teenagers having mysterious adventures, you’ll be pretty excited by Oxenfree’s inclusion in Games with Gold this month. There’s also Forza 5 and Battlefield 3 if you’ve had enough of thinking about childhood. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Games with Gold subscription. September’s…

Microsoft Again Stretches Definition Of ‘Exclusive’

One of the most annoying trends in video games is the word “exclusive,” which perhaps once meant “limited” or “restricted” but now, thanks to Microsoft and Sony, means absolutely nothing. Today’s big exclusive is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Which probably isn’t an exclusive. At the Xbox showcase during E3 in June, Microsoft announced that the popular battle…

The Division’s Latest Updates Hint At How Interesting The Sequel Might Be

“More is more” must be the mantra of the makers of The Division, Ubisoft’s fun but flawed post-disaster shooter that has somehow not collapsed beneath the weight of the latest mound of content added to it. Less really would be more, and probably will be when Ubisoft gets around to releasing a sequel that starts…

The Best Start To An Assassin’s Creed Game

If I have one guilty pleasure series, it’s Assassin’s Creed. Normally, I’m not one to get excited about yearly releases, let alone broken games. But I’ve played and mostly enjoyed every game in the series. Recently, I returned to Assassin’s Creed II, and, much to my surprise, I realized just how much I’ve lowered my…

Microsoft is expanding their four-tier Xbox Insider program that lets users get early access to platform updates and software betas in exchange for testing features and offering feedback. New details from Microsoft explain how players can manually expand their access in the formerly invite-centric program. To join, download the “Xbox Insider Hub” app to the…

Battlefield 1 Is Bringing Back Specializations

Battlefield 1 will add a new feature to the game that grants characters perks and special abilities. These specializations are live for testing and look to change the game in a big way. ‘Specializations’ have been a long-standing tradition of the Battlefield games ever since 2006’s Battlefield 2142. In games like Battlefield 4, selecting certain…

Excellent stealth game Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun is now available on Xbox One and PS4. We liked it a lot on PC

Bayonetta, Slime Rancher Headline August’s Xbox Live Games With Gold

There’s a range of games available on Xbox Live Games with Gold this month. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Games with Gold subscription. August’s Games with Gold are: Xbox One Slime Rancher (August 1-31) Trials Fusion (August 16-September 15) Xbox 360 (compatible with Xbox One) Bayonetta…

What Remains Of Edith Finch is coming to the Xbox One on July 19th. The melancholic narrative game was previously only available on Playstation 4 and PC, and you know what, it’s pretty good

The Year’s Biggest-Selling Games And Hardware In Japan So Far

It’s July. We’re past the year’s halfway point, so now is a good time to take stock and see how things are doing in the Japanese game industry. Famitsu is reporting game and hardware sales data from December 26, 2016 to June 25, 2016. Here are the ten top-selling games for that period: 10. 1-2…

Assassin’s Creed Origins’ New Mission System Sounds Like A Much-Needed Change

At E3 in Los Angeles last month, there were several obvious points of distinction between Assassin’s Creed Origins and the 10 or so major Assassin’s Creed games before it. It’ll be the first AC in ancient Egypt. The first with stargazing puzzles and swimming hippos. One thing I heard about but didn’t see, however, seems…

We liked what we saw at E3 of zombie survival sim State of Decay II. The sequel still involves leveling up a group of survivors, still has permadeath. Adds online co-op (with permadeath!) and hundreds more character traits. Can a guilt-motivated groundskeeper co-exist with a fight choreographer who snores? Spring 2018 for PC, Xbox One.

Here’s July’s Xbox Live Games With Gold Lineup

There’s a range of games in July’s Xbox Live Games with Gold lineup, from the adorable Grow Up to the gritty Kane & Lynch 2. As ever, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live subscription. July’s Games with Gold are: Xbox One Grow Up (July 1-30) Runbow (July 16-August 15)…

The Six Biggest Announcements Of E3 2017

E3 is drawing to a close, and the rain of game announcements has abated. EA, Microsoft, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo all did their thing. It’s up to us to sort through the rubble. Among the dozens of hype reels, hardware breakdowns, marketing buzzwords and game announcements, a few things stood out. If you don’t…

The Xbox Has Brand New Avatars

Remember Microsoft’s Avatars, those wobbly caricatures that danced around the Xbox 360’s dashboard? They’ve been sidelined ever since the release of the Xbox One, but that doesn’t mean the company has given up on them. They’re being overhauled in the Fall, given not just a new look, but loads of new features as well, from…

The Crew 2 Now Has Our Attention, Because They’ve Added Airplanes

Cars? The Crew 1 had them. Trucks? Motorcycles? Been there. But The Crew 2, shown off for the first time at Ubisoft’s E3 press conference has added planes and boats. Watch a trailer… Watch gameplay… Just like the first game, The Crew 2 is set in an open-world version of the U.S., though now Ubi…

Four Generations of Xbox Can Be System-Linked Later This Year

Hey, do you still have your original Xbox? And an Xbox 360? And an Xbox One? And are you planning on buying an Xbox One X? Also, do you have four Ethernet cables and seven friends? Well, guess the hell what While we found out during Microsoft’s press briefing that games for the original 2001…

E3 Day One Podcast: Microsoft, EA, Xbox One X

Jason and I kick off our Kotaku Splitscreen E3 coverage with reactions to EA and Microsoft’s press conferences. Is Xbox One X a good name? Was Janina Gavankar enough to carry EA’s disappointing show? Are we more stoked about BioWare’s Anthem than Destiny 2? (The answers: No, no, hard to say.) Listen here: As always,…

Take A Look At The Xbox One X

There’sa new Xbox in town. There wasn’t that much of the actual hardware on show in the company’s E3 presser though, so here’s a better look at the Xbox One X’s design. As you can tell by the size of the controller there, this thing is pretty small! For an all-around look (including the back,…