Microsoft just held their Inside Xbox: X018 Special, which was home to a wide variety of interesting announcements regarding upcoming lineup of games, DLC, and updates. That being said, six specific announcements stood out from the pack, so I wanted to highlight them here for those of you that may have missed this latest Inside Xbox Livestream:
Crackdown 3 Release Date and Multiplayer Mode Wrecking Zone Announced
After a long period of silence, Sumo Digital and Microsoft finally shared more information on Crackdown 3 and its multiplayer mode. We learned that the game will be launching on February 15, and like other first party games will be included with Xbox Game Pass at launch.
Crackdown 3 is also receiving a 5v5 multiplayer mode called Wrecking Zone that takes advantage of Microsoft's Azure technology for mass destruction across two maps at launch. After a tumultuous development process, it's great to finally see the game so close to finally shipping. The original Crackdown will also soon be available via Xbox Backwards Compatibility, so series fans should be satisfied over the next few months.
Devil May Cry 5's The Void Revealed and TGA Appearance Confirmed
If you remember, Devil May Cry 5 was announced during Microsoft's E3 Press Conference and appeared during their Gamescom show. It once again made an appearance at X018's Inside Xbox. A new video highlighted the developers for a bit before delving into some of the newest features of Devil May Cry 5. This included highlighting several different breakers, the special Mega Man weapon, and The Void.
The Void is a training mode like place where players can hone their skill, trying new moves and combos against a variety of enemies, so it seems like it will definitely satiate the hardcore community. Those of us who want to hear even more about the game will also get our wishes fulfilled next month, as it was confirmed that Devil May Cry 5 will be making an appearance at The Game Awards as well.
Three New Powerful Dragon Ball Characters are Coming to Jump Force
During this X018 presentation, Dragon Ball representatives Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku, Golden Freiza, and Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Vegeta were all unveiled as new fighters in Jump Force. While their base versions are also in the game, these overpowered forms of these popular characters will also be available for those looking for a power trip.
We saw a bit of them in action on the game's Paris stage as well, and they look as crazy as you'd think. Jump Force launches on February 15, though Bandai Namco Entertainment and Spike Chunsoft are still promising more character reveals leading up until launch.
Kingdom Hearts III's Hundred Acre Wood World Unveiled
During X018, we got a closer look at Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood world in. The game takes players to several different Disney franchises, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Hero 6, Frozen, and Tangled, so Winnie the Pooh's classic world only adds to an impressive lineup.
Like previous titles, the Hundred Acre Wood will be full of tons of minigames for players to try, including some more puzzle based ones, but players can now also walk around and interact with several Winnie the Pooh characters as well. This world reveal also came alongside the announcement that several Final Fantasy titles were coming to Xbox One as well, so JRPG fans will have a lot of classics to play on Microsoft's platform soon.
16 Titles are Hitting Xbox Game Pass this Holiday
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Void Bastards, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Thief of Thieves: Season One, Kingdom: Two Crowns, Aftercharge, Supermarket Shriek, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, Secret Neighbor, Pathologic 2, The Good Life, Agents of Mayhem, MXGP 3, and Thomas Was Alone are all coming to Xbox Game Pass this holiday.
Wow. While Xbox Game Pass may still be the third most popular gaming subscription service, in my opinion, it offers the strongest lineup of titles available without the need of streaming. The service is discounted for the time being and you'll soon be able to download games from your phone as well, so now seems like as good of a time as ever to jump on.
Microsoft Has Acquired Obsidian Entertainment and inXile Entertainment
Microsoft shocked everyone back at E3 2018 when they revealed that they had acquired Playground Games, Undead Labs, Ninja Theory, The Initiative, and Compulsion Games, but they were still able to add two more studios to that lineup today: inXile Entertainment and Obsidian Entertainment.
Both of those developer are notable within the RPG community - inXile Entertainment for The Bard's Tale IV and Obsidian for Fallout: New Vegas and the Pillars of Eternity series. Considering RPGs were a somewhat malnourished genre within Microsoft's previous first-party lineup, inXile Entertainment and Obsidian are really looking to shake things up with one new IP each for Microsoft.
If you want to watch the full livestream, you can check it out below. Crackdown 3, Kingdom Hearts III, Devil May Cry 5, and Jump Force will all arrive on Xbox One next year. If you want play all of those titles on Microsoft's consoles you can pick up the Xbox One S or Xbox One X on Amazon right now.