Xbox went down, The Epic store is going back up, The First Descendant launches everywhere, and Crazy Taxi is going open world for some reason. Just another week in gaming…
Epic store back on iPhones
The biggest news of the week, and the last story to drop is that Epic has finally had its Epic Games Store approved for inclusion in Apples app store. This means that Fornite is on its way back to i-devices. The news was revealed in a series of Tweets (X.com messages surely?) which laid out the arbitrary nature of rules that Apple deploys to stifle competition from its rivals.
Then in a late twist the decision by Apple was reversed and the submission by Epic was accepted. This is a significant step for consumers who can now enjoy more choice as to where they game, and use their devices how they want, and not how Apple decides they must. Whilst we understand the benefits of a restricted system (control, security, trust) surely it is not beyond the wit of man (or whoever works at Apple) to design a system where trusted publishers can submit their own app stores for publishing software with a high degree of certaintity it wont impact the broader Apple eco system? As ever this is probably about money and control rather than any technical limitation.
Xbox is down. Repeat Xbox is down
If you are an Xbox owner and wanted to settle in to some gaming time on Tuesday evening you were shit out of luck as the service which manages user log in failed for at least 6 hours meaning unless you were already signed in you couldnt actually get on line or even sign in to your console.
Not much of an issue. Ill just play a single player game instead…..except with the rise in online services being tied in to most modern games and drm and security features all being reliant on an active internet connection (at least when games launch) even those players with physical copies of games were caught out. This does raise questions on the longevity of physical releases. What happens to your games in 10 years time if you want to load it up but the servers have been turned off? A worrying trend for sure and one that signals the shift to “streaming” content is almost complete. You dont own the product any more. When you buy a game the publishers is telling you that for the price of the game you will receive that amount of value out of the game, not that you own it forever and can play it whenever you like.
This story was reported everywhere as you can imagine but I like the piece from Insider-Gaming. Go give it a read
The First Decendant releases
Unless youve been off line this week you cannot help but have noticed the release of a massive new looter shooter called The First Decendant. The publishers have wasted no time promoting the game everywhere and with its ahem, how shall we put this, eye catching character designs the game has garnered plenty of attention.
As reported by Insider-Gaming here. The game has received mixed reviews, with only 43% of Steam reviews being positive.Despite its popularity, players have identified several issues with the game:
- Hastily borrowed mechanics from other titles (Destiny and Warframe are getting plenty of comparisons)
- Presence of microtransactions (its not quite pay to win as you can grind for everything but the ability to vuy “success” is definitely there)
- Concerning data retention rules that players must agree to before playing.
The game features a third-person shooter gameplay with cooperative elements, focusing on intense boss battles and hero-like characters with various abilities. How well this game does over the long term is something we look forward to seeing play out but right now its sitting at No 5 on the Steam charts.
Are ABK games finally coming to Game Pass
As we reported here and Windows Central reported here Crash Bandicoot is coming to Game Pass.
Their report indicates that the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is expected to join Xbox Game Pass in August 2024. This information comes from a leaker on the eXputer forums and has been corroborated by Windows Central’s sources.
This addition to Xbox Game Pass will be the second Activision Blizzard King title to join the service since Microsoft’s acquisition of the company in October 2023. The first was Diablo 4, added in March. The upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is also scheduled to launch directly into Xbox Game Pass on October 25, 2024
Are we finally seeing the fruits of the ABK aquisition by Microsoft? If other rumours are to be believed Tony Hawks and Spiro games will also be joining the Xbox Game Pass stable sooner rather than later which makes sense if Microsoft are trying to fill out their more family friendly game offerings before launching an Xbox hand held later this year? Instead of competing with PlayStation this new device could be targeted at families, putting the new device squarly in competition with Nintendos Switch.
Crazy Taxi going Open World
As reported by IGN here Crazy Taxi is going Open World….for some reason.
Sega has announced ambitious plans for a Crazy Taxi reboot, describing it as an open-world, massively multiplayer AAA game. The original Crazy Taxi, a driving game series that debuted in arcades in 1999, gained popularity on consoles like the Dreamcast.The reboot is being developed as a large-scale, open-world, massively multiplayer driving game powered by Unreal Engine.
The original game had so much character and so much fun we cannot imagine how this will be benefitted by being a yet another open world game full of “content”. It sounds like a GTA knock off but where you cant get out of your car. We wait and see but colour us concerened about this one!
Halo Infinite launches a new operation
343 Industries have launched their latest operation (think mini season for those non Halo players). The update includes a new PvPvE, Big Team Battle variant called Sentry Defence, where players must fight across a map to destroy the opposing teams Sentinals.
Each team has 2,000 points. As damage is dealt to your sentries, the available score drops, and if you reach 0 it’s game over. Each map will have at least one Repair Field that spawns in a neutral location—in addition to providing health regeneration for your fellow Spartans and vehicles, it’ll also repair your sentries.
There are also updates to the armours you can earn with an Elites inspired armour set and variants for existing weapons like the Rocket launcher.
From July 2-30, Operation: Anvil will be active and you’ll be able to acquire the new Sangheili-themed ASSAILER armor, a new emblem, and additional Spartan Points to spend in The Exchange.
Secure the Premium Operation Pass for either 500 or 2000 credits and you will additionally acquire the Smash and Grab weapon model for the M41 SPNKr and the Rent Seeker weapon coating.
Game Pass Updates
Two more (or 3 and 1 future update) updates have dropped for Xbox and Game Pass.
Two new games are available on Xbox Game Pass as of July 3, 2024:
Sword Art Online: Last Recollection is an action RPG based on the popular anime series. It features a new original story and allows players to experience intense battles in the virtual world of Underworld.
Arcade Paradise is a retro arcade management simulation game. Players take on the role of a laundromat owner who secretly builds an arcade empire in the back room. The game offers over 35 playable arcade games to manage and enjoy
Changes to Xbox rewards
Microsoft Rewards on Xbox is set to receive two new features:
Rewards Notes: This feature will serve as a dedicated space on console, PC, and mobile where Xbox can share updates, information, and upcoming changes related to Microsoft Rewards. It aims to keep users more connected to the service and informed about changes that affect point earning and reward collection. This comes from a Reddit post you can see below.
Direct point claiming: Users will soon be able to claim points directly from their Rewards notifications, eliminating the need to open the Rewards Hub every time they want to claim points.
Battlefield 2042 updates
And finally Geoff Keighly has reported some screen shots for a cross over event for Battlefield 2042 and Dead Space. Interesting that this is a time limited event, perhaps because of licensing issue or because the publisher is trying to drive player count to the game.
Twice the bits 
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