Xbox has so, so many things for us at Gamescom

Gamescom is on, which means over the next few days we’re gonna be flooded with content and the good folks over at Xbox have kicked it off not with a ‘here’s some games’ but instead by pulling out an Xbox shaped rocket launcher and firing the delicious Xbox content inside directly into our hearts.

Xbox Games Pass

Ah, the Xbox Games Pass, a delicious gift from Xbox that throws so many games at us for a subscription fee. What are the shiny new games announced, you might ask? Well, here’s a list for you to peruse and drool over (but please drool outside, I don’t take responsibility for ruined furniture/carpets/whatever).
August 19

  • Age of Empires: Definitive Edition(Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
  • Devil May Cry 5(Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
  • Stellaris(Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass for PC)

August 22

  • Ape Out (Xbox Game Pass PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)
  • Kingdom Come: Deliverance(Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)

August 27 

  • Bard’s Tale IV (Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)

 August 30

  • Blair Witch Project (Xbox Game Pass for Console, Xbox Game Pass for PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate)

Gears 5

Ah, Gears 5. Xbox’s killer app, the game we’re all on the edge of our seats, cheeks clenched for. The shiny new Horde Mode was revealed, which adds new features and Ultimate abilities, which each character having their own unique Ultimate ability to use and develop into your play style. This even includes the crossover characters like Sarah Connor from Terminator Dark Fate, and Kat and Emile from the shiny and newly announced Halo: Reach Character Pack, which you’ll be getting included with Gears 5!
What’s more, these kind folks are extending the promotion with AAPE, meaning that if you missed out on the E3 tease, you’ll get another chance August 30! What’s more, Gears 5 is available for pre-order right now on Steam! And it’ll launch on all platforms simultaneously! Oh boy!!
And if that isn’t enough Gears for you, Gears POP!, the delightfully cute and free-to-play mobile entry in the series, will be right into your sticky little hands on August 22nd for iOS, Android and Windows 10! Pre-registration is open right now, and fear not, because saves will be cross-platform so you can enjoy the multiplayer action no matter where and when you want to play!

X019

So, you might recall this celebration of all things Xbox announced back at E3. Well, we now have a confirmed date, with the event taking place in London from November 14-16 at the Copper Box Arena with a special, exclusive episode of Inside Xbox kicking it all off with all kinds of shiny news. And after that?  Xbox FanFest!
So what’s gonna be at this beautiful celebration? Playable demos! Developer panels! Xbox gear! And even more amazing stuff that Xbox has yet to announce to us! Tickets will be on sale from September 24th, with the pricing set to cost you £19 a pop. Which is roughly 34 Australian dollary-doos. And what’s better? All the proceeds are going to charity! Nice!

PUBG Season 4

Season 4 of PUBG is also upon us and brings with it a shiny new update to an old favourite map, Erangel! Revisit classic locations given that sweet, sweet upgraded touch! Also, the update will see balances to weapons and vehicles, as well as hidden clues for players to uncover the mystery of just what went down on Erangel island.
But that’s not all. PUBG is finally getting cross-platform play for consoles! Slaughter your friends, enemies, and people you don’t know! A test server should be up by late September, with the servers set to go live in October. There’s also the new Survivor Pass: Aftermath which allows players to unlock over 100 rewards (ooh, shiny!), as well as new co-op missions for the community to work together to unlock even more rewards!
Season 4 goes live on August 27.

More game news!

There’s so much more news they’re throwing at us and it would take me all day to sit here and write it out, so let’s go through a quick recap of what’s left:
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition finally has a release date. November 14th! It’s also available for preorder right now! Even better, it’ll be released on Steam and will allow cross-play between Steam and the Microsoft store!
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (this is a title that has so many words) got the reveal of the super intense, butt-clenching 4v4 PvP mode. The mode launches with the game on October 4 and has its own dedicated servers.
Wasteland 3 got a shiny new trailer full of shiny new gameplay, giving players a look at the world, characters, story and destruction they can cause in the game, including a new first-person mode to give players that extra tactical advantage in an already tactical game.
FPS Godfather John Romero revealed Empire of Sin with Romero Games and Paradox Interactive, throwing players headfirst into the gritty noir and criminal underworld of 1920s Chicago.
Metro Exodus got to show off its first major story expansion, The Two Colonels, which takes the game back to its spooky, tense roots with a journey through Novosibirsk (try saying that three times fast). The expansion will see you take control of two new protagonists (yes, they’re both colonels), and investigate their stories with the help of the fun new tool: the flamethrower!
Destiny 2 also showed off its newest and shiniest expansion which takes players to… THE MOOOOOON!!! Again. Shadowkeep will go live on October 1st.
There was also a bunch of new trailers for all kinds of games, like The Blair Witch Project, NBA 2K20 and The Surge 2!
Thank you, Xbox for all this delicious food.
Check out the official Xbox Gamescom recap here!
Haven’t scored yourself a new Xbox yet? Have a look at the new Xbox One S!