Knockout City coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate And EA Play

EA has confirmed that the upcoming dodgeball game Knockout City will be available via EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at launch in May.

in a post where EA celebrates the beta hitting one million downloads for the recent open beta weekend. They confirmed the game will be coming to EA Play and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier subscription, this also means it'll be available for players on PlayStation and PC via a standard EA Play membership as well.

I played the recent demo and I came away from it lukewarm, I enjoyed aspects of the game but I also found the matchmaking overly frustrating. Every match I played over the course of the beta weekend had one team with fewer players than the other which made it extremely one-sided.

Knockout City will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on May 21.

Additionally, the game will have access to cross-play across all platforms.

Xbox Games With Gold Games For May Announced

Microsoft has revealed the upcoming games Games with Gold lineup of games for May but they're just okay again.

The games go as followed:

Starting May 1st

Armello (Xbox One)

Lego Batman (Xbox 360)

Then on May 16

Dungeons 3 (Xbox One)

Tropico 4 (Xbox 360)

If you haven't redeemed the games from April, they'll still be available until April 30th but then will be replaced on the 1st with the May games.

Apex Legends introduces a new permanent mode called Arenas

Respawn has revealed their first permanent mode coming to Apex Legends since Duos and it looks amazing.

The new mode which is called Arenas will launch alongside season 9 (Legacy) and it will put two squads of 3 to battle against each other in smaller Arena maps.

Each round, players will select their characters and then a buy phase will commence, both teams will get to spend allocated crafting materials to buy weapons and equipment. Then the games will begin in a deathmatch-style mode with no respawns. The team to gain a two round lead will win the match.

The mode will launch with two Custom Maps called Party Crasher and Phase Runner but will also have adapted Arenas of parts of the Kings Canyon, World's Edge, and Olympus maps.

Apex Legends Season Nine: Legacy will drop on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC, and Nintendo Switch on May 4.

Respawn Entertainment Reveals it's working on a brand new IP

Respawn Entertainment has announced that it's working on a new IP according to a job listing that appeared online over the weekend.

studio head Vince Zampella went on to retweeted the job listing for an 'Incubation Team Software Engineer' and states that the studio is looking to add to a currently-five person team and join a "compact incubation team currently developing a new IP" with Zampella calling it an "exciting new opportunity."

Sadly there's not much more known about the new project but it’s exciting regardless. Respawn created some of the best games from the Xbox One and PS4 generation and I can't wait to see what they'll achieve in the near future.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 coming to Xbox Series X|S via Xbox Game Pass

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S according to a Microsoft Store listing.

The listing confirms that the Xbox version will come with all the DLC and will also be available via Xbox Game Pass on the console.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 launches for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One and will be available via Xbox Game Pass on May 4, 2021.

Square Enix Joins E3 2021

Square Enix has confirmed that it will be at E3 2021 in some capacity according to a recent interview.

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda said the following:

"We'll be announcing the rest of the line-up [later], and we're also planning to make an announcement at E3 in June, so please keep your eyes peeled,"

It's unclear if the company will be holding a full show or maybe something smaller but Square Enix is having a great year so far with the launch of Outriders and I'm sure they'll want to keep that going for as long as possible.

Next Batch Of Games Coming To Xbox Game Pass For April 2021

Microsoft has announced the final few games coming to Xbox Game Pass for April.

The Games Go As Followed:

April 22

Phogs! (PC)

April 28

Second Extinction (console, PC, cloud)

April 29

Destroy All Humans! (console, PC, cloud)

April 30

Fable III (cloud)

Fable Anniversary (cloud)

April has been a pretty fantastic month for the game pass with games like Outriders and MLB The Show 21 launching day and date, but also great Xbox Series X enhanced games like Judgement.

Xbox Game Pass has had a great few months and I hope Xbox can keep the train rolling into May.

Lego Super Mario Announces A New Adventures With Luigi set

After a recent leak, Lego and Nintendo have officially announced that Luigi will be joining the world of Lego Super Mario Adventures with Luigi Starter Course coming this August.

The set will include a Lego Luigi who'll be similar to Mario which includes an LCD screen and a speaker that plays sound effects, but Luigi will have his own responses and interactions with the blocks in the Lego Super Mario set.

The Starter Course will come with a ? Blocks, Pink Yosh, Boom Boom, and Bone Goomba features. If you already own the Lego Super Mario Starter Course, both Mario and Luigi will be able to interact with one another.

The Luigi Starter Course is available to preorder now with a release date of August 1 priced at £49.99.

Apex Legends Season 9 Legend Is Called Valkyrie

Apex Legends is mere weeks away from dropping season 9 to the game and Respawn entertainment is ramping to the release with the announcement of their next legend.

in a newly released episode of 'Stories from the Outlands' short, the developer introduced its next character Valkyrie, who has a strong connection to Titanfall.

Valkyrie is the daughter of Titanfall 2 character Viper, who's the pilot behind the NorthStar Titan. (Boss fight in Titanfall 2) In the short, titled 'Northstar' Valkyrie is out to take revenge against her father boss, and leader of the Apex Legends in the form of Kuban Blisk.

The short provides a great introduction to Valkyrie for players and adds some interesting lore and backstory to both Titanfall and Apex Legends. interestingly enough, the new season isn't numbered but instead is just called Legacy.

In regards to Valk abilities, it looks like she'll have some form of flight with the short showcasing Rampart taking apart NorthStar with a shadow engulfing Valkrie with the Jetpack wings of the titan.

Apex Legends Legacy (Season 9) will begin on May 4 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Additionally more details and announcements for the upcoming season will be available in the coming weeks.

Lego Super Mario could be getting a Luigi Pack soon

Luigi could be joining the world of Lego Super Mario soon according to a listing for a Luigi set being spotted on Amazon China.

The now-removed listing describes a new "Adventures with Luigi" set that will allow owners of the Lego Super Mario set to add more players to the fun.

Lego seemingly hinted at this in a recent firmware update for the Mario figure that had Mario now cried out for his brother.

There has been no official announcement from either Lego or Nintendo as of yet but the Amazon listing also claimed a release date for this summer.

I'm super excited to see these sets grow and add more characters to the world of Lego Super Mario, it might also mean that multiple people could participate in the fun together.

I'm calling dibs on Luigi in my household that's for sure unless Donkey Kong comes out. Then I'll be DK all-day

Xbox Cloud Gaming for PC and iOS begins limited beta testing for Some Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Members

Xbox has announced that it will be finally be holding a limited beta for Xbox Cloud Gaming on PC and Apple devices.

Announced via a post on the Xbox News Wire, a number of subscribers of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be invited to help test the service for Windows 10 PCs and Apple phones and tablets via web browsers. Those invited players will get access to a new website where they'll be able to play "over 100 Xbox Game Pass titles" through web browsers including Edge, Google Chrome, or Safari.

you'll need a Bluetooth or USB-connected controller to play a majority of games but some also have Custom Touch Controls enabled like Viva Pinata.

Additional invites will continue to be sent out as the test progresses, with players from across 22 supported countries invited to test and give feedback, which will be evaluated by Xbox to continue to improve the service.

Fortnite adds a Horizon Zero Dawn & Tomb Raider crossover event

Epic Games and PlayStation have announced that Horizon Zero Dawn protagonist Aloy will be coming to Fortnite.

Aloy will arrive on April 15 in a Horizon: Zero Dawn bundle that will include a Blaze Canister Back Bling, a Glinthawk Glider, and an Aloy's Spear Pickaxe. The pack also comes with a Heart-rizon emote, Focus effect, and Shield Weaver Wrap. Players on PlayStation 5 will get a bonus unlockable with the exclusive alternate Ice Hunter Aloy Style.

Lastly, they'll be adding two exclusive limited-time game modes and a PlayStation-exclusive Aloy Cup Duos tournament. on April 16 Aloy will be teaming up with Lara in a special Aloy and Lara Duos event where each team will be playing as the duo equipped with their signature weapons in the form of a bow for Aloy and dual pistols for Lara. This event will be running until April 18.

Temtem Is Adding A New Island In The Form Of The Cipanku Island

Temtem developer Crema has announced that temtem will be getting a brand new update tomorrow that'll bring an entirely new region to the game in the form of Cipanku Island.

the island is said to be Electric/Digital themed with digital Temtem that will be different to the main game Temtem by having a weakness to the same type but also are weak against Water and Electric. They'll be strong against Mental and Melee types and resistant to the Toxic type of Temtem's.

The update will also add Temtem's first Mythical Temtem, which only will be reachable through the new Lairs activity.

you'll all have to progress through your own paths, with all resources shared between your party. It's also recommended your team of Temtem themselves is leveled up to at least 50.

The Cipanku Island update drops on April 13 in Temtem which is available via Early Access on PC and PlayStation 5.

WWE 2K22 Announced At WrestleMania 37

2K Games has announced the next game in the WWE 2K universe at Wrestlemania 37 which will be called WWE 2K22, yup they're definitely mixed up the naming formula on this one.

The short trailer briefly showcased two wrestlers in the form of Rey Mysterio and Cesaro, who were doing some wrestling in a ring.

Look I don't really watch wrestling anymore except some clips on the AEW youtube channel, if you wondering who my favorites are, they're Darby Allin, Rey Fenix, Jon Moxley, and MJF.

That's pretty much all the information they've revealed on the game, seemingly the developer Visual Concepts is keeping quiet on all the details. The game does look graphically impressive so hopefully, this means it will be launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X but we'll have to wait to find out more details on the platforms and release date in the near future.

Sonic Colours Could Possibly Be Getting A Remaster

Over the course of the weekend, a couple of listings were put online for a possible remaster of Sonic Colours.

originally reported by Gematsu, a German voiceover studio iksample listed a "Sonic Colors Remastered" in its portfolio on its website, which at the time of writing has since gone into maintenance mode. However, this was then later

backed up by a listing on French retailer Sogamely, which confirmed the title to be coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2021.

No official confirmation has come from SEGA as of writing but it would make sense since the 30th anniversary of Sonic is this year.

Xbox Game Pass First Batch Of Games Coming In April

Microsoft has revealed a ton of upcoming games coming to Xbox Game Pass with some games making a return to the service.

Here's the list of games coming soon:

April 8

Grand Theft Auto V (Cloud and Console)

Zombie Army 4: Dead War (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Disneyland Adventures (Cloud)

Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure

April 12

NHL 21 (Console) EA Play

April 15

Rain on Your Parade (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Pathway (PC) ID@Xbox

April 20

MLB The Show 21

April is looking like a pretty great month if your an Xbox Game Pass subscriber with new games like Outriders, MLB The Show 21, and Judgement joining the service. May hasn't had any big reveals as of yet but hopefully, they'll have some exciting announcements for next month soon.

E3 2021 Announced To Begin On June 12

The ESA has officially announced its plans for a virtual E3 this year, confirming that the event will take place between June 12 and June 15 of this year.

Revealed In a press release, the ESA confirmed that multiple publishers will show up show which includes Xbox, Nintendo, Capcom, Ubisoft, Konami, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games, Koch Media. They also went on to say that there will be "more to come" who will be "showcasing their latest news and games directly to fans" with the group promising the event's content will be available for free. Lastly, they confirmed that more details such as how viewers will be able to watch the event at a late date.

There are a few notable publishers that seemingly won't be participating in this year's E3 that include Sony, EA, Sega, and Square Enix. Sony hasn't held a show at E3 since 2018 so that isn't too surprising and a similar situation follows with EA focusing on their EA Play event. I am hopeful that SEGA or Square Enix could show up in some fashion at one of the main conferences for Xbox or Nintendo.

Either way, I'm super excited to see E3 return after the garbage fire that was the 2020 gaming announcement shows. Hopefully, this means it won't be spread out over the course of multiple months and is more condensed. I can't go another year of watching 12 different showcases over the course of three months.

Bethesda Officially joins Team Xbox

Xbox has announced that the Bethesda acquisition is completed, and confirmed some additional details on the partnership.

a statement from both parties was posted on the Xbox News Wire blog, with Xbox's Phil Spencer kicking things off by saying "Now that everything is official, we can begin working together to deliver more great games to everyone. At every step building toward this moment, I’ve been inspired and motivated by the creativity, insight, and community-first approach of the talented people at Bethesda. Our goal is to give these teams the best foundation for doing their greatest work and to learn from them as we continue to build Xbox into an inclusive platform for all players."

Spencer also reiterated his previous statements on the deal, saying that "Xbox consoles, PC and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games" and continued by saying "Some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players" but sadly did not confirm any exact games that these could possibly be.

on Bethesda's side, Pete Hines' posted his own statement on Bethesda's website saying "First, let me say that we’re not making any landmark announcements or changes right now. As we’ve all shared, the expectation is that Bethesda Softworks and our studios will continue as we have in the past, just with more support and resources than we’ve ever had before. Obviously, Game Pass has been an important initiative for Xbox, and we’ll be working on putting even more of our games into Game Pass than ever before. Beyond that? Stay tuned, we’re just getting started together."

Lastly, Spencer went on to say "We are bringing addition Bethesda games into Xbox Game Pass this week" and to "Stay tuned for more details"

Watch Dogs: Legion Delays Some Online Modes And Features On Console And PC

Ubisoft has seemingly run into some technical problems with the Watch Dogs: Legion's online modes, as it has announced it will be delaying some of them ahead of their launch.

As announced by the official Twitter account, they confirmed that one of the modes known as Tactical Op is described as a collection of difficult missions to be played in co-op. The mode is apparently causing the game to crash and is no being delayed to launch on Xbox, PlayStation, and Stadia on March 23.

It's even more grim news for the PC side of things, where a similar issue is causing the game to crash due to an issue with "certain GPUs". The team is apparently working on a fix but due to the severity of the issue, Ubisoft has postponed the online modes with no release window given. They did however say "we will communicate the new launch date as soon as possible."

Lastly, a bug for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners is causing some problems in regards to in-game text chat, so that will be available in a limited capacity at launch with a fix coming on March 23rd.

Microsoft & Bethesda deal Approved By The EU Commission

Microsoft's $7.5 billion USD deal of Bethesda parent Zenimax is looking to be close to the finish line, as the EU Commission has finally cleared the deal with no concessions following a preliminary review process.

the agreement between the two companies has officially been approved as it "does not raise serious doubts as to its compatibility with the common market".

a similar ruling has recently come from the US Securities & Exchange Commission in which they published their own 'Note of Effectiveness' which assures both parties and investors that they've looked through the details of the deal, and have found no reason to say the acquisition cannot proceed.

It's looking like the deal is set in stone and hopefully, we'll hear more on it in the near future, fingers crossed that's sooner rather than later.