Author: Game Infliction

Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Starfield, Solar Ash, and Lies of P

For those of you who have already started the epic journey into Starfield in early access I hope you’re having a blast, and for those of you joining on day one with Game Pass, your time starts very soon! I am so excited to finally add Starfield to our list of games “Coming Soon.” Space, feelings, souls-like – we have amazing games for you to explore (not to mention a reminder of some surprise shadow drops last week!). Let’s get to it!

Available Today

Gris (Cloud, Console, and PC)
Gris makes a return to the Game Pass library today! Gris is a hopeful young girl lost in her own world, dealing with a painful experience in her life. Her journey through sorrow is manifested in her dress, which grants new abilities to better navigate her faded reality.

Coming Soon

Starfield (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – September 6
Available on day one with Game Pass: Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery. To help get you started on your epic journey, the Xbox Wire team created Starfield Starters – a four-part guide covering the basics. Check out the first part here.

Starfield

Solar Ash (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 14
From the creators of the award-winning Hyper Light Drifter comes the high-speed and gravity-bending world of Solar Ash. Set amidst a surreal dreamscape filled with long-abandoned ruins of great civilizations past, you play as Rei, a Voidrunner determined to stop at nothing to save her planet from falling prey to the Ultravoid’s path of eternal hunger.

Solar Ash

Lies of P (Cloud, Console, and PC) – September 19

Available on day one with Game Pass: Lies of P is a thrilling soulslike that takes the story of Pinocchio, turns it on its head, and sets it against the darkly elegant backdrop of the Belle Epoque era. You must adapt yourself and your weapons to face untold horrors, untangle the unfathomable secrets of the city’s elites and choose whether to confront predicaments with the truth or weave lies to overcome them on the journey to find yourself.

Lies of P

In Case You Missed It

Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition (Cloud and Console) – Available now
For years you’ve battled armies and made history your story. Now it’s time to make history once more with a new breakthrough in strategy gaming – introducing Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition, now available on Xbox consoles. Includes native inputs for Xbox controller, console-specific user interface, and a new tutorial designed for first time players to help achieve easy setup and success.

Age of Empires IV

Call of the Wild: The Angler – Available now
Be free to fish where you choose in this unique and approachable open world fishing game. Explore the great outdoors on your own or with friends, engage in a variety of fishing activities, experiment with different baits and lures, and find the catch of a lifetime!

Humankind (Cloud and Console) – Available now
Humankind is a historical strategy game in which you’ll be combining cultures to create a civilization that’s as unique as you are. Re-craft the narrative of human history as you lead your people from the Ancient to the Modern age. How far will you push Humankind?

DLC / Game Updates

No Man’s Sky: Echoes Update – Available now
Meet a secret society of robotic aliens in update 4.4, Echoes! Furthering the narrative introduced in Interceptor, explore the mysteries of the Autophage, perform their rituals, learn their language, and assemble your own ceremonial staff. In deep space, confront huge outlaw dreadnoughts, sweep through their trenches and destroy vulnerable components in new tactical space combat – and much more. Learn more on Xbox Wire.

Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island – The Quest for Guybrush – Available now
The next chapter of Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island has arrived! A plan has been devised to rescue Guybrush from his prison, but to succeed you’ll need to conquer three Legendary Trials! Play the new Tall Tale now with Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Perks

Minecraft Realms Plus Subscription – September 5
Game Pass Ultimate members can get access to a 3-month subscription to Minecraft Realms Plus! Share your world, build with friends, and play across all of your devices with your own personal server. This Perk requires a payment instrument to redeem. Terms apply.  

Xbox Game Pass Quests

September Game Pass Quests launch today. Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass Console members can earn points by playing their favorite games.

  • Human Fall Flat (250 points – Ultimate only) – Climb 30 meters
  • Among Us (5 points) – Play
  • Earn an Achievement (50 Points – Daily) – Earn an achievement in any Game Pass game

Leaving September 15

The following games are leaving the library soon, so make sure to dive back in before they go! Remember to use your membership discount to save up to 20% to keep them in your library.

  • Amazing Cultivation Simulator (PC)
  • Aragami 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • DC League of Super-Pets: The Adventure of Krypto and Ace (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Fuga: Melodies of Steel (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Metal Hellsinger (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Tainted Grail: Conquest (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Train Sim World 3 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Thanks again for tuning in for the latest Game Pass updates. We’ll be back before long with more updates, more perks, and (most importantly) more games. Keep an eye for the latest on when games are playable on @XboxGamePass and @XboxGamePassPC or Instagram. Cheers!

Related:
This Week’s Deals with Gold and Spotlight Sale
Starfield Starters: Space Combat 101
Starfield Starters: An Explorer’s Guide to Planet Hopping 

Charles Martinet on Being ‘Mario Ambassador’: ‘I Don’t Know What That Is Yet’

Charles Martinet, the now former voice of Mario, has discussed his new role as “Mario Ambassador” for Nintendo, saying: “I don’t know what that is yet.”

Last month Nintendo announced Martinet was “stepping back” from voicing Nintendo characters, and confirmed the much-loved voice actor, who has voiced Mario for 32 years, is not involved in upcoming Switch exclusive Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

Nintendo has yet to announce Martinet’s replacement, but did say he will assume the new role of “Mario Ambassador”.

But what does “Mario Ambassador” mean? It seems Martinet himself is unsure. Speaking during a Q&A panel at GalaxyCon Austin 2023, Martinet said: “I am now a Mario Ambassador. I don’t know what that is yet. I’m not retired as it were, but I’m an ambassador. As we step forward into the future, we’ll all learn exactly what that is.”

It sounds like Martinet is in the dark about his new role for Nintendo, but, as he stresses, he is not retiring. As for his replacement, during a recent interview with IGN, Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser said fans will have to wait until the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder on October 20 to find out, as the company will keep the new voice of Mario under wraps until the game’s credits are public.

“Charles has obviously been a voice actor with us for quite some time, and as we look for ways to keep Charles involved in Nintendo’s business, we thought this was a very nice transition for him,” Bowser said.

“And Charles is very excited about it. I’ll let Charles speak to it himself if he’d like to, but we look forward to having him continue to represent Nintendo and importantly the Mushroom Kingdom as we go forward. I think people have recognized this when they see Super Mario Bros. Wonder, they’ll hear a different voice and we’ll let that play out and that’ll be within the credits, and people will learn who the new person is at that point in time, but we don’t plan to make any announcement in advance of that.”

Image credit: Tales From The Collection: Autographs & Fan Mail YouTube channel / GalaxyCon Austin 2023

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

People are modding Armored Cores into Elden Ring, and now I want a Souls game where you play a giant

Among the feats a new player of FromSoftware’s Souls or Souls-adjacent fantasy games must perform is conquering your fear of giants. From the Stray Demons of Dark Souls through Bloodborne’s Cleric Beast to the dragons of Elden Ring, you must learn not to be awed by creatures who look they could kill you with a sneeze. You must learn to run towards that titanic knight with the enormous shield, rolling between its colossal ankles, using its stature against it. You must learn to see past the visual overkill of a swing that would surely fell a skyscraper, registering only the effects on your poise and health bar. It’s a learning curve, for sure, and that makes the modding of mechs from Armored Core 6: Fires Of Rubicon into Elden Ring a little more than the usual act of mischievous fanservice.

Read more

Missed A Tricolor Turf War Stage In Splatoon 3? They’re All Returning For The Next Splatfest

Marking one year of Splatoon 3.

Somehow, it has been almost a whole year since Splatoon 3 was released and Nintendo is gearing up to mark the occasion in the most appropriate fashion — with a Splatfest, of course. To make the upcoming event that bit more special, the weekend’s splatting will not take place in a unique location as usual, but will instead see all eight Tricolor stages from previous Splatfests make a return.

The news was shared in a post on the Nintendo Japan website, before being shared to the website formally known as Twitter in a translated form by @OatmealDome. The full lineup of eight different stages even includes the special Scorch Gorge variant used for the earlier Zelda Splatfest, so this will be the perfect time to see the sights if you missed out on getting to visit the locations previously.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The Starfield no-planets run: space pirate Mary Read is born

You may have seen that Alice Bee has started a “land on every planet” run of Bethesda’s Starfield. By total coincidence – I promise you it’s accidental, I was so pleased – I’ve been working on a “land on no planets” run of Starfield. The reasoning for this is as follows: people say that outer space is the worst part of the game, because it’s just an irritating interval between the maps where the majority of quests, loot, intrigues, etc are found. It’s a fast travel loading screen you can fly about in. But what if you double-down on the space stuff?

What if you never descend from orbit, not even to repair, modify or upgrade your ship and offload inventory? What if, rather than buying new ships or building them, you progress exclusively by boarding other captains and making off with ship and cargo? How well does Starfield scrub up as a thoroughbred space sim that leans towards bloodthirsty piracy? Here to answer these questions is Mary Read, my custom character and budding astral freebooter. She’s named for her distant ancestor, the legendary 18th century English buccaneer Mary Read. She’s had a crack at life on shore, setting foot most recently on Earth’s Moon, but from this point on, her fate and fortune lies amid the stars. Arrr!

Read more

Sega & Atlus Airing Special Broadcast At The Tokyo Game Show This Month

Update: Here’s the games lineup for TGS 2023.

Update :

Sega and Atlus have now shared a lineup of the games they’ll be showing at TGS 2023. Here’s the full rundown (via Gematsu) which will feature playable demos, trailers, live stream spotlights and more. As a reminder, the special broadcast stream will take place later this month on 21st September.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Nintendo Doesn’t Plan To Announce Mario’s New Voice Actor Ahead Of Wonder’s Release

Doug Bowser reconfirms the reveal will “be within the credits”.

Nintendo has reconfirmed Mario’s new voice actor will be revealed in the credits of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and there won’t be any special announcements happening ahead of this release.

Speaking to IGN at Nintendo Live 2023, Nintendo of America’s president Doug Bowser reiterated how there wouldn’t be any name reveal until the game launched and also mentioned how there would be no formal announcement prior to this. Here’s exactly what he had to say:

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Fear Fest 2023’s Black Summer and Horror Game Awards: How to Watch and What to Expect

IGN is proud to partner with Feardemic for Fear Fest 2023, a two-day celebration of horror games that will not only showcase some of the biggest games in the scariest genre that are headed our way this year and next, but will also present the first-ever Horror Game Awards.

All things Fear Fest 2023 will be streamed exclusively on IGN’s YouTube, Twitch, and homepage, and this guide will provide you with everything you need to watch the events, including when they start and what you can expect from the frightful festivities.

Fear Fest 2023 Schedule

Fear Fest 2023 will kick off its two-day event with Black Summer, a showcase hosted by Feardemic and some of the most prolific horror content creators that will give fans a preview of the biggest spooky games headed their way in 2023 and 2024.

Fear Fest’s Black Summer 2023 will take place on Wednesday, September 6, at 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm BST. That translates to Thursday, September 7, at 4am AEST. The show is expected to last roughly five hours and feature approximately fifty games.

Day 2 will bring with it the first-ever Horror Game Awards. The event will celebrate the best games from July 2022 to July 2023 and the incredible developers who brought them to life. The show will be hosted by some of the most famous names in horror.

Fear Fest’s Horror Game Awards will take place on Thursday, September 7, at 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm BST. That translates to Friday, September 8, at 4am AEST. The show is expected to last around 1.5 hours.

Where to Watch Fear Fest 2023

If you’re interested in watching Fear Fest 2023’s Black Summer event and the Horror Game Awards, we’ll be hosting the stream here and on our YouTube and Twitch channels. Here’s the full list of places you can watch all the shows with us:

What to Expect at Fan Fest 2023

As we previously mentioned, Fear Fest 2023 will be headlined by its Black Summer event and the first-ever Horror Game Awards.

Fear Fest’s Black Summer will be a show filled with horror games that will be released in 2023 and 2024, and fans can expect to see about 50 exciting titles throughout the event. In addition to these world premiere trailers, the show will also feature interviews, special industry guests, and some of the most beloved horror content creators from all over the world.

The list of content creators include Sneevil, Walkrman, ItsPeepoHere, LuigiKid, Batkitto, John Wolfe, Otter Lady, 8BitRyan, JazzyGuns, Z0mbyte, Vallarys, MopGarden, and more.

While we don’t know all the games that will appear at Black Summer, Feardemic did tease that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Alan Wake 2, Alone in the Dark, and Slave Zero X will all be part of the show in some capacity.

Fear Fest’s Horror Game Awards will take place the next day and will honor the best games in the horror genre that were released between July 2022 and July 2023. There will be 14 categories that were previously voted on by fans, including Horror Game of the Year, Best Art Direction, Best Peformance, Lifetime Achievement Award, and more. Oh, and the winners will be presented with the prestigious golden bat trophy, and who wouldn’t want that?

As for which games will be competing for the ultimate prize at the Horror Game Awards, they include Amnesia: The Bunker, Bramble, Dead Space Remake, Dredge, Immortality, Faith: The Unholy Trinity, Resident Evil 4, Signalis, System Shock Remake, and The Callisto Protocol.

For more from the world of spooks and scares, check out our list of the 12 best horror games on PC and the winners of our best horror video game face-off.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.