Author: sick skills

Last month at gamescom, we unveiled pre-orders for the Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition, a limited edition console designed for our biggest fans. Thanks to you, we saw record-setting sellouts in the first five days, making Xbox One X the fastest-selling Xbox pre-order ever with more Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition consoles pre-ordered in the first five days than any Xbox ever.

We know you are anxious to get your hands on the world’s most powerful console and so today, I am excited to announce Xbox One X standard edition pre-orders begin today. Local retailers around the world, including Microsoft Store and Microsoft.com, are opening up more pre-orders for Xbox One X, so be sure to get yours today.

When it comes to games, we’re thrilled to announce that you’ll be able to enjoy more than 130 (and counting!) new and existing games enhanced for Xbox One X to take advantage of its full power, including Far Cry 5, L.A. Noire, Greedfall and Okami HD. We set out to make Xbox One X the best place to create and experience games, and hearing how our partners are excited and committed to Xbox One X confirms our vision. See below for what some of our partners had to say about their experiences with Xbox One X. And for more information explaining Xbox One X Enhanced program, visit our Xbox One X Enhanced titles list and check out this video with our very own Major Nelson and Head of Xbox Console Marketing, Albert Penello.

“It’s a crazy powerful box. [Shadow of War on Xbox One X] will be the prettiest possible version of the game [among consoles]. We have some dev kits which also load a lot faster. While in development it’s extra nice to load a giant world in a matter of seconds so we can iterate faster. But it will also have faster loading times for players.” – Bob Roberts, Middle-earth: Shadow of War Design Director, as quoted in GamesRadar+

“The experience of the game is the same across all of the different platforms. We try to make sure the game shines on every platform the best it can. Having said that, the Xbox One X version is absolutely the most beautiful version.” – Ashraf Ismail, Assassin’s Creed Origins Game Director, as quoted in WeWriteThings

“Bringing a PC game to Xbox, Microsoft makes it really easy…So it really just comes down to making the gameplay good. And especially on Xbox One X, two hours after we got the dev kit it was running at 4K, 60fps. That thing is very powerful. It was that easy. I think we were expecting it to take a little longer than that, but no, it was a cinch.” – Jonathan Rogers, Path of Exile Lead Programmer, as quoted in GamesRadar+

Xbox One X joins the Xbox One family of devices this holiday alongside Xbox One S and the recently-announced Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels bundle, Minecraft Limited Edition bundle, Shadow of War bundle and Madden NFL 18 bundle – all also available for purchase or pre-order now. And of course, all your existing Xbox One games and accessories are compatible across the Xbox One family of devices.

We’re grateful to you, our fans, for your continued enthusiasm and to our developers for all their excitement for supporting Xbox One X as we march toward launch.

Ghost Recon Wildlands shows that a four-person Ghost fireteam can accomplish just about anything, from stealth to assault to taking down a massive drug cartel. So what happens when two teams of formerly cooperative players draw down on each other? The upcoming Ghost War mode, available in a free update for Ghost Recon Wildlands later this Fall, will answer that question with tense 4v4 multiplayer battles, and Xbox Live Gold members will get an early chance to try it out with an open beta on Xbox One. Better still, you can jump into the beta even if you don’t own Ghost Recon Wildlands.

Beginning Thursday, September 21 at 3 a.m. PDT and running until Monday, September 25 at 3 a.m. PDT (with pre-loading starting at midnight PDT on September 19), the standalone Ghost War open beta introduces tactical team deathmatches for up to eight players. When the beta launches, players will have access to five of the eight distinct maps that will be available in the final Ghost War mode.

With new maps and mechanics tailored for stealth and team play, staying undetected is important, and shooting off a round can instantly give your position away via an on-screen noise marker. Downed teammates can still spectate, tag targets, and be revived at any time — although smart opponents might set up an ambush around your downed buddies. If you’re caught under enemy fire, you might find yourself temporarily suppressed, which partially blinds you and prevents you from fighting back, forcing you to retreat. Capturing a map’s Recon Tower, which turns on partway through each match, lets you temporarily tag the entire opposing team, and if you find yourself the last player on your team, you’ll get an Adrenaline Rush that briefly makes you immune to suppression, with regenerating health, infinite stamina, and a faster revive rate.

Instead of using your Ghosts from the game’s campaign, Ghost War features 12 distinct character classes, six of which are playable in the beta. If you like to creep in and deal damage at medium range, consider the Pointman, who can’t be suppressed by enemy fire, or the armored Tank, who packs extra health and a light machine gun. Playing as a beefy Enforcer gives you a scoped LMG and an Advanced Suppression perk to keep opponents running for cover, while a good Sniper can whittle down the other team’s ranks without ever being spotted. Finally, the Scout can use a drone to tag hostiles from a distance, while the Artillery class’s drone can rain down mortar fire on entrenched opponents.

The full version of Ghost War will arrive as a free update for all Ghost Recon Wildlands players later this Fall. To get an early look at Ghost War ahead of the open beta, tune in to twitch.tv/ubisoft at 9 a.m. PDT on September 19. A four-hour pre-show event with special guests will begin at 5 a.m. PDT, and a rebroadcast of the full program (pre-show included) is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PDT.

We’re excited to let everyone know that the official Forza Motorsport 7 demo for both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC is now available for download, with three unique racing experiences showcasing the depth and breadth of the experiences available in the game. You can read all about what to expect in our recent Xbox Wire post.

In addition to getting ready for the launch of Forza Motorsport 7 by immersing yourselves in the demos, check out our launch trailer for the most comprehensive, beautiful and authentic racing game ever made!

This stunning 4K video captured with all in-game footage gives you a glimpse of the thrill of real-world racing at the limit that you can experience in Forza Motorsport 7. Feel the adrenaline rush with HDR, authentic engine response and realistic audible and visual experiences. Also, for the first time ever, customize your racing style alongside your vehicle with a massive Driver Gear collection, taking your Drivatar to the next level.

With Forza Motorsport 7, everyone can experience the danger and beauty of competitive racing at their limit. Collect over 700 Forzavista cars, including the largest collection of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches available in any racing game. Master over 30 famous environments with dynamic conditions that change every time you race.

As part of today’s announcements, Forza is also revealing the “Voices of Motorsports” contributors that will be featured in Forza Motorsport 7. This year’s list includes past and current racing drivers, automotive industry designers, automotive journalists and automotive personalities, each bringing their own unique perspective to racing, driving and automotive passion. This year’s roaster of more than 15 people including:

• Charlie Turner – Editor-in-Chief of Top Gear Magazine
• Jonny Lieberman – Senior Features Editor at Motor Trend Magazine
• Josef Newgarden – Professional IndyCar Driver, (and newly minted 2017 Champion!) with Team Penske, also a Forza Ambassador
• Katherine Legge – Professional Driver with Michael Shank Racing, participating in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. IMSA driver, IndyCar driver
• Ken Block – Professional Rally Driver with Hoonigan Racing Division, participating in FIA World Rallycross Championship, also a Forza Ambassador
• Kim Wolfkill – Editor-in-Chief of Road & Track
• Lyn St. James – retired Professional Driver in IndyCar and ChampCar series, Speaker
• Magnus Walker – Porschephile, Author, Serial entrepreneur, fashion designer, and original “Urban Outlaw”
• Mark Roberts – Chief Designer McLaren Automotive
• Matt Farah – Automotive Journalist, Podcaster and Founder of The Smoking Tire
• Pat Devereux – Automotive Journalist
• Pat Long – Professional Sportscar Driver with Wright Motorsports, participating in Pirelli World Challenge also a Porsche Factory Driver and Porschephile
• Ralph Gilles – Head of Design for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)
• Rutledge Wood – NASCAR Commentator with NBC Sports, and TV Personality
• Shannon McIntosh – Professional Driver, Racing Instructor and ForzaRC host
• Tanner Foust – Professional Rally Driver with Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross (VARX), participating in Red Bull Global Rallycross, also a Professional Stunt Driver, TV Personality and Forza Ambassador

Forza Motorsport 7 will be available as an Xbox Play Anywhere title (Xbox One and Windows 10 PC versions included with single digital purchase at no additional cost) on Sept. 29 for Ultimate Edition owners and on Oct. 3 for Deluxe and Standard edition owners.

The day before we held TennoCon 2017, our second annual Warframe convention, in July, I worked late into the night. Of course I wasn’t the only one! Our team here at Digital Extremes burned the midnight oil polishing the Plains of Eidolon demo while trying to calm their nerves before presenting the biggest reveal we’ve ever done to our players; our Community team and I went over our panels, convention duties, and various interviews, and all of it was done to ensure that our players, community, and attendees would have an incredible Warframe-themed experience that took months of planning and organization.

On the day of the show, when we rolled TennoLive and Plains of Eidolon was revealed, people were blown away by the reveal of an Open Zone addition to the game. We hit a nerve and our community reacted with the surprise and thrill we had hoped for – and with a collective sigh of relief by our entire team, we absolutely shared in that thrill with them. For me personally, it was one of the most memorable moments working on Warframe so far!

In our 98^th Devstream, we’ll have delivered, by the time of this writing, the second major reveal on Plains of Eidolon — the introduction of new mini-games, more exploration in the town of Cetus along with new gameplay of the Eidolons. During the first reveal at TennoCon, we introduced spearfishing. Now we have shown how players can fish day or night, catching different kinds of fish that may require different types of spears and spearheads depending on the day cycle. Another mini-game added is mining. Mining operates as a resource extraction where the better players are at extracting resources, the better quality gems they’ll get! Players can place these deposits throughout the Plains so there’ll always be a point of interest in between exploring the rolling hills and engaging in combat. We also revealed how the town of Cetus will collectively react to players’ behavior. And, last but certainly not least, we showed the first part of the game’s most titanic new enemies, the Eidolons.

Technically, Eidolons aren’t new to Warframe, but players will never have faced them before. Ten stories high, emerging from the water only at night, oblivious to their surroundings, these behemoths march like massive golems hypnotically drawn to a target that you’ll have to uncover. It will take a collective effort from your squad of four to formulate a strategy to take them down, prepare the right weapons and armor, and then coordinate that attack as a team.  Even the most skilled players will need to have their best game on when facing their first Eidolon. And even if that first attack damages the Eidolon, that’s just the beginning. They don’t go down easy in round one, or maybe not even in round two… or three.

With Plains of Eidolon we hope to give new players who haven’t yet given Warframe a try a new reason to give us a look…after all, it’s free! And, for players who have stuck by us for four-plus years, we’re giving them something they haven’t experienced in Warframe before — a gameplay update that ties together the mysterious evolving story of the Origin System’s ancient battles with a colony town that’s tied inexplicably to you, Tenno — to your battles as a Warframe.

The citizens of Cetus revere the Warframes because they are the very people you and the Lotus (Spacemom) have tried to protect all these years. Their kids play “Warframes and Grineers” like kids used to play “cops and robbers.” The citizens of Cetus live off an ancient living structure that’s a relic of the old wars. If you saw the first 17-minute demo from TennoCon, you’ll have seen them hauling a giant slab of ‘something’ down and then carving it up into what we internally call “a meat mattress.” Their very existence is due to the efforts of your Warframe and others like it. You are in Cetus for a reason, and it’s up to you to find out why.

With your dedication to exploring the Open Zone, your experience haggling and conducting agreements and taking on jobs with the inhabitants, battling Grineer for resources and territory, facing the Eidolons, and making sense of Plains of Eidolon, your experience, be it day or night, will be a deeper dive into the ongoing story of the Tenno, and a cooperative one with friends. We’re working hard to make it a fulfilling one. Stay tuned for more as we get closer to the release of Plains of Eidolon.

Hey, Xbox gamers! The Tips & Tricks team is here with 5 tips for Agents of Mayhem! This is an open-world, over-the-top action game based in Seoul, South Korea. You play as a team of Super Agents who’ve been given the green light to do whatever they need to in order to grow the agency, and defeat the shadowy super-villain organization known as L.E.G.I.O.N.

These bad guys are building a world-altering device that’ll give them unrivaled power, so we’ve put together 5 tips to help you put an end to their diabolical plans and take back the world! One of our favorite tips covers how to utilize Gremlin Tech, which allows you to use some of the most fun, and most powerful attacks in the game. So if you’d like to see more tips on how to crush L.E.G.I.O.N., be sure to check out the video above!

For even more strategies and tactics on today’s hottest games, plus plenty of other gaming-related fun, tune in to Tips and Tricks live every Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT on Mixer.com/ChannelOne!