Inside Xbox

New Inside Xbox Show Takes a Page From Nintendo’s Book

Xbox has a new monthly showcase that aims to give fans a combination of news, sneak peeks, developer interviews, community engagement and more. The new show is co-hosted by Major Nelson, Graeme Boyd, Jeff Rubenstein, Alex Hebert and Lydia Ellery, and it premiered on March 10th with a two-hour first episode. You can watch the show in its entirety in the player below.

I feel like Xbox is taking a page out of Nintendo’s book here, and I like it. When Nintendo wanted to change the narrative the games media had created for them in 2011, they started taking control of their own story with Nintendo Direct. That series has proven extremely successful for Nintendo, and I see no reason why it won’t for Xbox as well. The narrative on Xbox is that it’s hopelessly behind the PS4 now, and lacks the exclusives of both the PS4 and the Switch. The recent announcement that Xbox Game pass would include exclusive games was well-received, and Xbox clearly wants to build on that momentum.

What do you think of the new Inside Xbox show? Will you be tuning in monthly?

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Games We’re Excited About: March 2018

March is pretty packed month for game releases, with a great mix of sequels, new exclusives and long-awaited remasters. Here’s what we’re looking forward to this month:

 

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Kirby Star Allies (Switch) – March 16
Who doesn’t love Kirby?! No seriously, this game is actually about Kirby turning enemies into allies. I feel like Kirby is one of the most underrated franchises of all time, and I am stoked he’s coming to the Switch this month.

 

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Burnout Paradise Remastered (PS4, Xbox One) – March 16
Easily my favorite racing game of the modern console era, Burnout paradise is back this month! Not only does the game look amazing, but its fantastic soundtrack is completely intact for this updated version.

 

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Sea of Thieves (Xbox One, PC) – March 20
Rare’s multiplayer pirate adventure finally arrives this month, and I can’t wait to roucnd up the Co-Op crew and hit the high seas. I am also super tempted to get that exclusive Sea of Thieves Xbox One controller, as it is flat-out gorgeous.

 

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Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4, PC) – March 23
I had Ni No Kuni for the PS3 and put around 20 hours or so into it before falling off. The sequel looks great, and I haven’t sunk my teeth into a good JRPG in a while, so I’m hoping this one really hooks me.

 

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Far Cry 5 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – March 27
Gotta be honest–I’m not the biggest Far cry fan. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is by far the most fun I’ve had with the franchise, but I’ve been following the development of Far Cry 5 with interest. This isn’t a day one purchase for me, but I’ll be p[aying cliose attention to how it’s being received, and I’m thinking it might be a summer game for me.

 

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MLB The Show 18 (PS4) – March 27
While MLB’s RBI Baseball gets incrementally better each year, it’s not even in the same ballpark (see what I did there) as The Show. Sony’s exclusive franchise continues to set the bar, and this year’s entry will be no different. And since my San Diego Padres are looking like they’ll be competitive this year, I’m even more excited to get my hand on this one.

That’s our list for March–what games are you excited about?

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Games We’re Excited About: September 2017

Summer is over, but the season of games is just getting started. As we get ready to turn the page on August and head into the first big release month of the fall, we’ve got our first megaton release of the season in Destiny 2, as well as Metroid and the long-anticipated release of Cuphead. Without further ado:

 

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Pokkén Tournament Deluxe (Switch) – September 22
I’ll be honest, I’m not even really that into Pokemon, but I am so in love with the Nintendo Switch, that the idea of a Pokemon fighting game on the Switch definitely interests me. The game features over 20 fighters, and the controls will be simple enough that you can play on an individual Joy-Con, so it seems like this could be a fantastic multiplayer game for the Switch.

 

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Destiny 2 (PS4, Xbox One)–September 6

I played the heck out of the original Destiny when it first came out, but by the time the second expansion came along, I had completely lost interest. The story was so fragmented and thin that I didn’t care, and as soon as I fell behind my friends in levels, the group aspect of the game was gone for me. That said, Destiny 2 provides me a clean slate and a new chance to recapture that co-op magic with my friends, so I am definitely in.

 

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Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)–September 15
This was one of the biggest announcements of E3 in my humble opinion, and it may well be one the last great 3DS games we get. Not just a remaster of the 1991 Game Boy classic, Samus Returns features updated maps, gear and abilities, as well as additional content that can be unlocked with Amiibos. I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t rather have it on the switch, though.

 

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Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – September 19
Despite the lack of X-Men characters, I still think MvC: I is looking good. As expected, the Marvel side of the roster is pretty much all MCU characters, from mainstays like Iron Man to newcomers like Captain Marvel. Of the MArvel characters revealed so far, I’m most excited about captain Marvel and Spider-Man (I really was hoping for Shuma-Gorath, though). On the Capcom side, I’m all about Arthur, Haggar and Frank West. I recently bought a fight stick for my PS4, so that’s where I’ll be picking this one up.

 

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Cuphead (Xbox One, PC)– September 29
I will believe it when I see it, but Cuphead is fianlly set to release this month. When this 1930s cartoon-inspired shoot ’em up first showed up on the scene at E3 2014, I was immediately sold. And then it fell into the abyss for the apst few years. But it seems like we will finally, finally get our hands on this game this month. Can it even come close to living up to the hype? We’ll see.

Those are the games we’re most excited about for the month of September. What’s on your list of “must-have” games?

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Win a FREE copy of Elder Scrolls Online for Xbox One or PS4

We’re giving away a copy of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited to one lucky winner! All you have to do to enter is follow us on Twitter, tweet about the contest, and Subscribe to our YouTube channel (click the subscribe button in the sidebar). You can come back and tweet about the contest once a day to continue earning more entries! Follow the instructions in the contest widget below to enter.

The winner will be announced at the on June 2nd. To be considered, you must be currently subscribed to our YouTube channel and following us on Twitter. Winner will choose between a copy of Elder Scrolls Online for Xbox One or PS4.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LEGO

LEGO DIMENSIONS is Going to Completely Redefine the “Toys to Life” Genre

Today Warner Brothers and LEGO and TT Games unveiled their next big thing–LEGO Dimensions, a “toys to life” game like Skylanders and Disney Infinity, where players will be able to play through all of the different licensed LEGO worlds using a portal, toys and figures they assemble themselves. Here’s the reveal trailer:

Now you might be thinking that since the addition of Nintendo’s Amiibo, the toys to life genre is a bit over-saturated right now. And that might be true, but LEGO is about to completely transform this genre, because they are adding an element that the other have not and cannot (at least to the same degree).

Building.

As you see in the trailer, Joel McHale actually builds the portal that is then used to activate figures and vehicles. He also uses pieces of the Batmobile to create an entirely new type of vehicle. And while we really don’t see much in the way of gameplay in this trailer, I believe those things are shown for a reason. With that in mind, imagine an expansion set for the game where you’re building the vehicles, weapons and structures yourself, and then porting them into the game. I’m sure there will be limitations as to what you can actually do, but even just building the Batmobile and porting it in is pretty darn sweet.

I have an eight year old son, and I can tell you he is going to lose his mind over this. We already have Skylanders and Disney Infinity, which we both play together. He is also a huge LEGO fan, as evidenced by the thousands of LEGOs we have and his LEGO Club membership. This game will be a day one purchase for us.

The potential of LEGO Dimensions is endless. And I’m sure everyone has their ideas of what sets they want to see in the future, so allow me to make a suggestion. If Microsoft is smart, they will find a way to make a LEGO Minecraft XBox exclusive set happen. Not only would it make the Xbox One the lead platform for LEGO Dimensions, it would sell gangbusters. I cannot wait to get my hands on this game.

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The Xbox Ultimate Game Sale Has Some Ridiculous Deals

We here at Co-Op Critics only have so much money to spend on games every month, so there’s a lot we either miss, or come back to much later on. The one nice thing about not being able to play everything at launch is the likelihood that you’ll get some nice discounts down the road.

This week is a great week for grabbing previously released games, as Xbox just launched their Ultimate Game Sale, featuring huge discounts for both Xbox 360 and Xbox One games. You can find the entire list of discounts here, but below are a few of our picks for Xbox One:



NBA Live 15 ($9)

Yes, it got mediocre reviews, and we know it can’t hold a candle to the 2K series, but for nine bucks, we’ll take some next-gen basketball action.





Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris ($8)

We loved Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. And a four-player co-op game for eight bucks? Sold.



Sniper Elite III ($10)

With all of the twitch-based shooters on the market, sometimes a change of pace is nice. We’ll take our time with this one.

There’s plenty of other great discounts on the list as well, featuring some big names like Destiny, Forza 5, Shadow of Mordor and Alien Isolation. So if you missed any of those, now’s your chance to grab them for 30-50% off.

So, what are you planning on grabbing this week?

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How Amazon Could Re-Create the Wii’s Success

So, rumors were flying around the internet this week that Amazon is currently developing an Android-based gaming console, which will be released before Black Friday this holiday shopping season.

Now, most avid gamers will scoff at this potential news, for a few reasons. First, the recently-released Ouya Android gaming console has received mixed reviews at best, and while we haven’t seen actual sales numbers, the console does not appear to be selling briskly.

Second, we have the Xbox One and Playstation 4 coming this holiday season, and most avid gamers that are looking for new hardware will be investing in one or both of those consoles.

Finally, many avid gamers associate Android (and iOS for that matter) games with phones and tablets, and tend to look at those games as inferior experiences to console and dedicated handheld gaming.

Here’s the thing, though–avid gamers looked at another gaming console as providing inferior experiences to more casual audiences. That console was Nintendo’s Wii, and it recently crossed the 100 million-sold mark since it’s 2006 release. Unfortunately for Nintendo, when they developed the WiiU, they got away from what made them so successful last generation created an expensive console that left more casual gamers behind.

Amazon has a golden opportunity here to fill a missing spot in this upcoming console generation. For that matter, Apple does as well, but seems uninterested in taking gaming further than it currently is on iOS devices. Both Amazon and Apple already have app-based ecosystems full of games. Unlike the Ouya, they also both have brand recognition and a built in consumer base. So, if Amazon decided to put together an inexpensive gaming console that featured a controller and played all the games on their app store and then some? A lot of parents would be seriously considering that console for their kids this holiday season.

It makes sense that the Amazon console would be able to take advantage of other apps as well, like the Amazon Prime Video library, Netflix, and other streaming media apps.

So, imagine an Amazon gaming console and controller combo releases this holiday season for $99. It plays hundreds of games from the Amazon App Store, and a new app or game can be downloaded for free each day. The console also features Netlfix, Prime Instant Video, Audible, and more. Maybe it even allows you to use your Kindle Fire HD as a touch-based controller or a second screen.

Anyway, you get the picture. If Amazon plays their cards right, they could deal a substantial blow to both Apple and Nintendo, and offer the less expensive gaming experience to families that the Wii did in the last console generation.

I am very excited to see what happens with this, and I hope the rumors don’t turn out to be unfounded. There is definitely a part of the gaming market to be filled here, and someone will eventually take advantage of the opportunity. It’s only a matter of time before Apple comes to its senses, so Amazon should strike while the iron is hot.