Author: Game Infliction

MLB The Show 23 is Bringing the Heat with Tons of New Updates and Features

Summary

  • Get a full breakdown from the MLB The Show team on all the new changes and features in store for this year’s game.
  • Xbox Game Pass members can play four days early with the Xbox Game Pass Early Access Bundle for MLB The Show 23.
  • MLB The Show 23 is available for pre-order today on the Xbox Store and will launch day one with Xbox Game Pass on March 28.

Following up from our previous coverage about the upcoming MLB The Show 23, including a detailed look at the new Storylines: Negro Leagues feature, we’re back with even more info about some of the exciting gameplay improvements and features that will be in store when MLB The Show 23 launches March 28 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and day one with Xbox Game Pass. Let’s dive in!

Defense

High fielding attribute matters more now than ever before. The disparity between players in-game with high vs low fielding attributes is more noticeable. Players with a lower Fielding attribute will react slower to contact made off the bat compared to players with a high Fielding attribute.

When it comes to our throwing interfaces, we have a couple to select from depending on your skill and engagement level. Our more approachable interfaces, Buttons and Analog, rely heavily on the Arm Accuracy attribute which has been tuned to be in line with MLB statistics. Or you can elevate your game with the Button Accuracy Meter where you are in complete control of your throws.

If using Button Accuracy throwing interface, consistent with last year’s game, the green portion of the meter (indicates a throw that will be accurate to the fielder), scales based on the Arm Accuracy attribute. However, the functionality of the meter has changed. Universally, the speed of the meter needle is slower than in years past. This is intended, as it will help to facilitate the upcoming changes.

In previous years of The Show, the meter was consistent, meaning the green spot was always in the middle. Repetition with this mechanic led to ease of use for many of you. Now, on difficult Infield plays and long outfield throws, the green portion of the meter will dynamically move. This change increases realism while also adding additional skill to defense.

On force throws to first base, you will experience a yellow portion of the meter. This section indicates the dirt ball region of the meter, leading to balls being thrown in the dirt. The frequency of the play being made is based on the first baseman’s Fielding attribute. Visit custom practice to experience and perfect the changes to fielding and throwing.

Two new quirks have been added/revamped on defense. These two quirks are Break Outlier and Pick Off Artist. A pitcher with Break Outlier loses break at a slower rate than those without the quirk. A pitcher with Pick Off Artist leads to 2x the chance of a successful pick-off.

Offense

The pitcher-batter dynamic is better than ever with the revamped competitive gameplay engine. And don’t worry Casual or Simulation fans, we have also tuned and balanced those gameplay styles as well.

One of the major attribute updates to MLB The Show 23 is we have redefined the Clutch attribute. With runners in scoring position, Clutch attribute directly replaces contact. This helps to facilitate more realism. The battle between a batter’s Contact attribute and a pitcher’s Hits per 9 innings (H/9) attribute is directly replaced with batter Clutch and Pitcher Clutch with Runners in scoring position (RISP).

Two new quirks have been added on offense. These are Bad Ball Hitter and Table Setter. A batter with Bad Ball Hitter will excel at hitting pitches outside of the Strike Zone. A batter with Table Setter excels with no runners on base.

Animations

We’ve added over 5,000 gameplay animations to MLB The Show 23! We have hundreds of new animations ranging from robbing foul balls, dives, hot shot variety at the corners, and as always animations for urgency and efficiency.

Gameplay Styles

Gameplay styles are meant to create unique experiences for all players out there. Gameplay style tuning for Casual and Simulation are continuously taking place. However, the biggest gameplay style change revolves around Competitive gameplay style.

Competitive gameplay style is the default for all Online Head-to-Head* games and all Diamond Dynasty* modes. Competitive Gameplay Style can also be accessed by visiting the gameplay settings and toggling the Gameplay Style setting under General Difficulty.

The goal of this gameplay style is to increase the consistency of good input for producing good results and bad input for producing bad results, without going too far from baseball strategy and basics. Players will notice more swings and misses, fewer popups and choppers, and the hits put into play are slightly better to make up for fewer being put into play.

Player Clarity, Visual Updates In-game, and Functionality Improvements

Updates to the in-game displays have been made. The largest focus for visual display updates revolved around increasing clarity amongst the player base.

Swing Feedback

Swing feedback is a piece of art that appears in the bottom left corner of the screen after a swing attempt is made. This feedback displays Batter Attributes, Pitch Location, Pitch Type, Swing Timing, and Plate Coverage Indicator Placement. It is meant to help describe the outcome of the hit. Although it is difficult to achieve perfection through this art, strides were made to increase precision and accuracy of the art. Previous versions of MLBTS swing feedback displayed Swing Inputs on the left and displayed the outputs on the right. Now, the swing feedback is a story that can be read from left to right, top to bottom.

In Game D-pad functionality

Left on the Directional Buttons now display live, up to date, Statcast numbers. Right on the Directional Buttons now display important Pitcher/Batter matchups, attempting to present all factors that impact the At-Bat. This includes vital attributes that dynamically swap in and all active quirks. Up on the Directional Buttons remains relatively consistent to previous years of MLB The Show, with slight functionality updates, including the ability to bring in a pitcher that’s being warmed up without needing to navigate back into the bullpen.

Settings Updates

Settings terminology, organization, and descriptions have been updated to better inform players as for what each gameplay setting does. There are now two new settings that allow for increased customization of Pre-Pitch displays while on Offense and Defense. These new settings can be found under Display and aim to allow for increased control over what information is presented on screen prior to a pitch being thrown. These two settings are Pitch Select Displays and Batter Controls Display.

Additional Visual Updates

The runner windows displayed in the top right for a first base runner and top left for a third base runner no longer appear. This camera can now be seen in the top right baserunning diamond during pre-pitch. Logic is tied to which runner is shown in the camera, leading to the most viable runner displaying based on the bases currently occupied. Now that space has been created in the top left corner of the screen, important information can be displayed here such as Road to The Show base gains increase or decrease, moment tracking, and Dynamic Difficulty updates.

Custom Practice Updates

We’ve added some important functionality to Custom Practice. It now has a couple important additions. While Batting, players now can finetune specific pitch locations around the Strike Zone. This tool is very useful for improving your eye and improving at specific problem areas. In previous years, players could solely turn specific pitches Off or On. This functionality has been expanded upon, allowing players to choose the frequency of pitches thrown through a slider mechanism.

Attribute Descriptions

MLB The Show has a lot of attributes and if you’re new to the franchise you might not know what they all mean. Be sure to check out the handbook/strategy guide located in the pause menu in-game. The attribute descriptions can now also be found in the Diamond Dynasty Handbook. These descriptions provide insightful information as for how each attribute functions and interacts with gameplay. The goal here is to ensure all players have the information needed to make the best possible decision when forming a squad or making an important managerial decision in game.

Passive Quirks Changes

We’ve removed passive quirks from MLB The Show 23. Simplifying the quirk system seems to be the best approach here, as there was generally confusion as for what Active Quirks did vs Passive Quirks. Universally, we hope this change leads to more clarity since only the quirks that impact gameplay is displayed.

Updated Options Explorer

The options explorer audio and art has been updated. This is a great area for players to learn the mechanics offered within MLB The Show. The general rule of thumb for gameplay mechanics is that the more control a player has over the mechanic, the less ability the CPU must influence gameplay.

MLB Rule Changes

Changes to Extreme Left and Extreme Right shifts are now implemented into MLB The Show 23. These changes set a good baseline but will need tuning based on real life strategy seen throughout the MLB season.

Online H2H/Co-Op

Improvements to Online Stability are continuously being worked on to provide the best experience possible. For those Co-Op players, Play Now Co-Op now offers the ability to toggle the rotational patterns prior to loading into game. Rather than being locked into rotating roles per inning on defense and rotating per at-bat on offense, teams can now choose additional rotation patterns. (Online features require internet connection).

Xbox Game Pass Members Can Play Four Days Early with the Xbox Game Pass Early Access Bundle

We’re excited to announce the return of the Xbox Game Pass Early Access Bundle, allowing members to join in on the fun and play four days early! In addition to playing early, players will receive two Gold Choice Packs, 10 The Show Packs, one Ballplayer Pack, double daily rewards, and 10K Stubs. If you pre-order the Early Access Bundle for Xbox Game Pass, you will receive an additional Gold Choice Pack.

Note: This bundle is exclusively designed for Xbox Game Pass members to play MLB The Show 23 early. If you’re not an Xbox Game Pass member and you purchase this bundle, you will not be able to play MLB The Show 23. For those fans, we recommend the MLB The Show 23: Digital Deluxe Edition.

We could not be more excited for MLB The Show 23 coming out March 28 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and available day one with Xbox Game Pass! Look forward to new ways to play, a new class of legends and much more! Check TheShow.com and follow our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts for the latest updates about MLB The Show 23. For more detailed information on MLB The Show 23, read here.


MLB® The Show™ 23 Xbox Game Pass Early Access Bundle
Xbox Live

MLB® The Show™ 23 Xbox Game Pass Early Access Bundle

MLB

☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★


$49.99

$44.99
Pre-order

GAME NOT INCLUDED. For Xbox Game Pass subscribers interested in playing MLB The Show 23 during Early Access, this is for you.

Purchasers of the MLB® The Show™ 23 Xbox Game Pass Early Access Bundle will get access to MLB The Show 23 on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on March 24th 2023 – four days early – as well as the following additional items:
Four Days Early Access for Xbox Game Pass Users.
2 Gold Choice Pack.
10 Show Packs.
1 Ballplayer Pack.
Double Daily login rewards.
10k Stubs™.


MLB® The Show™ 23 Xbox One
Xbox Live

MLB® The Show™ 23 Xbox One

MLB

☆☆☆☆☆
6
★★★★★

$59.99
Pre-order

Pre-order to get the Gold Choice pack.

This edition includes:
• Full game.
• 5K Stubs™.

MLB® The Show™ 23 gets you closer than ever to living your Baseball dreams on the diamond. Shock The Game and Own The Show with your favorite players, your favorite rivalries, and all your favorite MLB moments.

Buy the MLB® The Show™ 23 digital version for Xbox One and when ready, upgrade to the MLB® The Show™ 23 digital version for Xbox Series X|S for an additional cost.


MLB® The Show™ 23 Xbox Series X|S
Xbox Live

MLB® The Show™ 23 Xbox Series X|S

MLB

☆☆☆☆☆
6
★★★★★

$69.99
Pre-order

Pre-order to get the Gold Choice pack.

This edition includes:
• Full game for Xbox Series X|S
• Full game for Xbox One
• Five The Show Packs.
• 10K Stubs™.

MLB® The Show™ 23 gets you closer than ever to living your Baseball dreams on the diamond. Shock The Game and Own The Show with your favorite players, your favorite rivalries, and all your favorite MLB moments.

Get the next-generation MLB The Show 23 experience when you play on Xbox Series X|S, including the return of Stadium Creator mode, and face your friends with cross-platform play* or continue your progress on other platforms with cross progression**.

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Microsoft Flight Simulator Introduces the World’s Heaviest Aircraft, the Antonov AN-225 Mriya

PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for March: Battlefield 2042, Minecraft Dungeons, Code Vein 

Today we’re happy to reveal the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for March. As announced at last week’s State of Play, the Monthly Games lineup of Battlefield 2042, Minecraft Dungeons and Code Vein will be available to PlayStation Plus members on Tuesday, March 7 until Monday April 3. 

Let’s take a closer look at each of the games in turn. 

Battlefield 2042 | PS4, PS5 

Battlefield 2042 is an exhilarating first-person shooter that marks the return of the iconic all-out warfare the franchise is well known for. Set in a near-future world transformed by disorder, you’ll have to adapt and overcome dynamic battlegrounds with the help of your squad and an arsenal of cutting-edge weapons and vehicles. With support for 128 players on PlayStation 5*, Battlefield 2042 brings unprecedented scale on vast battlegrounds across the globe. Participate in massive experiences, from updated multiplayer modes like Conquest and Breakthrough to the all-new Hazard Zone.

*Up to 64 players supported on PlayStation 4.

Minecraft Dungeons | PS4

Fight your way through an all-new action-adventure game, inspired by classic dungeon crawlers and set in the Minecraft universe. Brave the dungeons alone, or team up with friends. Up to four players can battle together through action-packed, treasure-stuffed, wildly varied levels – all in an epic quest to save the villagers and take down the evil Arch-Illager. Unlock dozens of unique items and weapon enchantments for devastating special attacks. Fight up-close with melee swings, hang back with ranged attacks, or tank your way through swarms of mobs, shielded by heavy armour!

Code Vein | PS4

Team up with an AI partner or a friend in co-op multiplayer and venture out into a world of destruction in this story driven connected dungeon experience, using your combined strength to coordinate your approach and defend each other from surprise attacks or tackle overpowered enemies. Choose from various weapons such as bayonets, axes, spears, and more. Enhance your character’s abilities with powerful Blood Code enhancements, Acquire new gear, level up your character, and become more powerful to rise up against the Lost. 

Last chance to download February’s Monthly Games 

PlayStation Plus members have until Monday March 6 to add Evil Dead: The Game, OlliOlliWorld, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Mafia: Definitive Edition to their game library. 

PlayStation Plus Spotify Playlist 

Also, check out our PlayStation Plus monthly games-inspired playlist on Spotify, which will be refreshed with new songs every month.

“The narrative had to be baked into the corridors”: Marc Laidlaw on writing Half-Life

Half-Life writer Marc Laidlaw of his decision to publish the plot of Episode 3 as fanfiction. “I was living on an island, totally cut off from my friends and creative community of the last couple decades, I was completely out of touch and had nobody to talk me out of it. It just seemed like a fun thing to do… until I did it.”

Laidlaw first discovered that community in the mid 90s, in the office of Valve, where Gabe Newell and team were already hard at work on Half-Life. “I’d seen bits and pieces of the levels they were working on, but as soon as I heard the name, I just got this amazing buzz,” Laidlaw says. “I could see the whole world they were aiming at somehow, and I felt it was a collective vision. This is one reason it’s so weird to me when people try to attribute authorship to me that I’ve never felt. It was all there when I got there, in embryo.”

Read more

In Like a Dragon: Ishin Kazuma Kiryu Returns to His Samurai Roots

Like a Dragon: Ishin! takes Kazuma Kiryu back to the late Edo period as the imperial loyalist Sakamoto Ryōma. But the Dragon of Dojima has always been a samurai at heart.

The real-life yakuza make a show of their connection to the samurai’s feudal attitudes and bushido code as proof of their connection to Japan’s ancient warriors. But in truth, it’s Kiryu’s kindness and determination to protect the weak which set the Yakuza series apart since the very beginning. That makes him the true descendent of a long line of samurai kyōkyaku (which translates to ‘chivalrous commoner’) characters who fought oppression and injustice in Japanese cinema and drama for centuries.

With series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi’s background, that’s no accident – his illustrious SEGA career was a fallback after he failed to find work in movie production ­­­– and the emotional core of one of gaming’s most endearing characters has a lot in common with cinema’s Robin-Hood style figures.

Kazuma Kiryu, the Chivalrous Commoner

Sakamoto Ryōma was a low-ranked but formidable samurai who played an important role in toppling the Tokugawa Shogunate before his assassination aged 31. The figure was adapted on screen numerous times and had become so mythologized, anyone could see themselves in him, according to actor Masaharu Fukuyama who played Sakamoto in 2010. Ishin! plays out in a similar fashion, letting Kazuma Kiryu loose on a highly embellished retelling of Japanese history. But while they definitely share similarities, Kiryu would have been better cast as a kyōkyaku.

Kyōkyaku were popular heroes in the Jidaigeki period dramas set in the same Edo period as Ishin! These films, set in early-modern Japan, depicted the gambling criminals who preceded the yakuza as outcast samurai with strong moral codes, often based on real Edo criminals in films like A Diary of Chuji’s Travels (1927) or Jirocho Sangokushi (1965). Naoto Mori, a film critic from Kanagawa Prefecture who wrote the Japan Film Festival’s introduction to Yakuza movies, spoke to IGN about the samurai origins of kyōkyaku.

“The heroic samurai image is a classic in Japanese fiction. Even though he is a samurai, he does not belong to any organization, he is a wandering character who travels alone […] a kind-hearted outlaw full of loyalty and humanity, with the creed of destroying the strong and helping the weak.”

Kiryu constantly meddles in strangers’ lives for the better in hundreds of colorful side quests the series has become fondly known for. As much the Angel of Kamarucho as he is Dragon of Dojima, he’s a gruff, sensitive but ultimately willing friend to those in need, never passing a moment without bailing out film directors, overthrowing cults and helping countless relationships to blossom — all while navigating the simmering yakuza clan tensions and the day-to-day drama of running an orphanage.

It’s clear to Mori that Kiryu Kazuma shares a common, selfless heritage with kyōkyaku heroes. “The character Kazuma Kiryu is a modern, yet classic, ‘heroic yakuza’ descendant. As an ally of the socially vulnerable and orphans he is exactly in line with the tradition of heroic icons in period dramas and yakuza movies.”

The popularity of these figures on the side of the common people rose in times of drastic change, so it’s no surprise it spiked in Ishin’s setting. In this period — known as the Bakumatsu, when both the Tokugawa shogunate and 265 years of Japan’s isolation policy approach their end — disruptive behavior was celebrated for sticking it to the oppressive shogunate.

Even though he is a samurai, he does not belong to any organization, he is a wandering character who travels alone […] a kind-hearted outlaw full of loyalty and humanity, with the creed of destroying the strong and helping the weak.”

And the kyōkyaku was destined to return in another time of seismic change, namely post-war Japan. Internationally, Toei may be known for franchises like One Piece and Dragon Ball Z, but they made their name modernizing the kyōkyaku to play the starring role in a conveyor belt of ninkyo, or chilvalrous, movies.

Mori tells us how the ninkyo genre, including American influenced films like A Gambler’s Life (1963) about honorable outlaws, fused traditional and modern values. “Ninkyo is the spirit of self-sacrifice, which is directed to defeat the strong and help the weak. […] The origins of “Ninkyo Eiga” is from the Meiji era to the early Showa era (late 19th century to early 20th century)… In other words, it is modern Japan before the war, where new and old values collide. He is a yakuza who inherited both the spirit of “toseinin” [gamblers linked to the underworld] and “kyōkyaku” from the age of samurai.”

It’s an influence which feels alive as ever when you see Ryōma Sakamoto in Ishin! fighting for notions of equality and industrialism with his katana and pistol in hand. The Ninkyo films converted the American lone gunman for Japanese audiences. Despite their 1900s setting, these characters usually resolved disputes with exhilarating katana duels. In Brutal Tales of Chivalry (1965), Ken Takakura struggles to uphold a pacifist oath against rival gangs threatening market traders in the ruins of post-war Kanto — culminating in a sword versus pistol duel.

Hiroyuki Sakamoto on Kiryu, Samurai and Sakamoto Ryōma

We asked Hiroyuki Sakamoto, Chief Producer of Like a Dragon: Ishin! and RGG Studio, if samurai fiction fed into the creation of Kazuma Kiryu. After all, over the years he’s proven to be no stranger to a katana or even wearing a hakama on occasion. According to Sakamoto, there was no deliberate influence but he definitely sees a connection through Kiryu’s moral conviction. “We didn’t exactly look to samurai when creating Kazuma Kiryu, but the strong belief of not succumbing to anyone is, in a way, a common trait with the samurai spirit.”

Sakamoto has worked on the series since Yakuza 2 in 2006, and the exhaustive depth of Yakuza media he’s explored in that time makes it difficult to identify a primary influence. “I think I’ve seen pretty much all pieces, classic or contemporary, major or minor, among Japanese, Hong Kong, Korean and Hollywood films that are based on the yakuza or the mafia, so it’s hard to mention names.” However he is conscious of how the genre developed over the years. “Films about yakuza or mafia evolve their storytelling methods and presentations with time, I am continuously inspired by them,” he said.

Hiroyuki Sakamoto added that they made full use of Sakamoto Ryōma’s changing personality across adaptations — even if RGG Studio flourishes like squeezing oranges into bandit’s eyes definitely go several steps further than most. “There are many novels, dramas and films based on Sakamoto Ryōma in Japan, and his character differs in all of them. We thought, if we were to use Sakamoto Ryōma, we wanted to tell a story where someone with strong beliefs like Kazuma Kiryu would strive to change Japan. I think this is why he was a good match.”

Yakuza’s Cinematic Inspirations

Yakuza cinema didn’t end after the 1960s ninkyo, but it did change significantly. The cinematic influence of the genre’s evolution on the Yakuza games couldn’t be plainer, Kiryu’s often quite literally wearing those influences on his sleeve through his outfits. His trademark gray suit and plum shirt combo is a perfect match for Shozo Hirono’s outfit in 1974’s New Battles Without Honor and Humanity, the series which marked a transition from idealistic ninkyo films to a gritty, true crime style. If Kiryu is a kyōkyaku hero straight out of Toei’s ninkyo films, the world surrounding him has more in common with what came after.

The 90s straight to video boom gave filmmakers like Takashi Miike and Takeshi Kitano their start, and the broader Yakuza setting owes a huge debt to their outrageous sensibilities, one partly repaid by Miike directing the Yakuza adaptation and Takeshi Kitano’s Yakuza 6 cameo. Sonatine isn’t just the source of Kiryu’s beachwear outfit, Yakuza’s goofy “guys being dudes” approach to character moments may well have been born from Kitano’s relaxed yet eccentric scenes of bored criminals staging wrestling matches and catching frisbees on the beach while hiding out on sandy Okinawa beaches.

It’s a fascinating blend of influences. Yakuza places a ninkyo hero in a VHS world. The series’ charismatically eccentric figures like Goro Majima or Ryuji Goda owe a debt to the VHS era’s exaggerated characters; Kiryu’s memorable sewer fight against Daisaku Kuze in Yakuza 0 calls back to yakuza biker Sato in Ridley Scott’s Black Rain. In a strange way, the games show an alternative path to that taken by contemporary yakuza cinema since the 2000s.

“Films about yakuza or mafia evolve their storytelling methods and presentations with time, I am continuously inspired by them.”

Dishonorable Outlaws

Many of the latest yakuza films don’t show gangs openly strolling the streets and operating the district’s most prominent landmark as they do in the Yakuza series. The reason why is the 1991 Anti-Boryokudan Act. This was a huge moment which completely changed how yakuza were seen and treated by society, subjecting them to sweeping reforms that gave them a new pariah status — the honorable outlaws of the 1960s were honorable no more.

By 2016, the documentary Yakuza and Constitution argued the ever-shrinking Yakuza were in fact victims of a grave human rights violation deserving the public’s sympathy. Under The Open Sky (2020) continues in the same vein, featuring a middle-aged yakuza freed after serving a murder sentence. Unlike Kiryu, whose story began the same way (as many of these films do), he doesn’t end up joyfully running hostess bars and reluctantly stumbling into Clan leadership. Instead, Masao Mikami’s story is that of the painful reunion of a deeply fractured family, and the challenges of reintegration into regular society.

Mori notes that this shift could mean glamourized depictions of the yakuza do better abroad than in his home country. “I think it’s true that a movie with a yakuza as the main character is morally difficult to portray in Japan today.” However, he places it as a healthy exchange of cultural fantasies — as established between the spaghetti western and the Jidaigeki — and believes the genre still has a place in the hearts of many devoted fans in Japan. “Just as Japanese people enjoy and consume American and Italian gangster movies as a kind of fantasy, Western audiences may enjoy yakuza movies as pure entertainment.”

The Yakuza games and films like The Blood of Wolves (2018) proves there’s still demand for new films and games in the genre behaving like the 90s reforms never happened. These honorable gangsters have endured for centuries across Noh plays, novels, cinema and now games. With Ichiban following in Kiryu’s footsteps as a new version of the “classic, but modern” yakuza hero, even if the kyōkyaku feels out of step with modern times, their virtuous appeal guarantees these gruff but virtuous heroes will be fighting injustice on-screen for a long time to come.

Francisco Dominguez is a freelance writer for IGN.

No Man’s Sky Receives New Update Today, Here Are The Full Patch Notes

Squishing bugs.

Last week saw the launch of the Fractal update in No Man’s Sky which brought additions such as new ships, expeditions and even gyro controls to the Switch. Now, Hello Games has released the follow-up patch to solve any issues with the new content.

The ver. 4.12 update is mainly focussed on sorting out bugs that arose with the latest additions to the game. Many of these were focussed on consoles outside of the Switch, though the Nintendo version will see some of the fixes come its way.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Xbox and Lucasfilm launch ‘The Mandalorian’-themed gaming gear for Season 3

The Mandalorian and Grogu are back in action. From exploring new worlds to battling fantastical creatures, Xbox and ‘The Mandalorian’ fans share a love of epic stories based in galaxies far, far away. In celebration of today’s highly anticipated release of Season 3 of the hit Star Wars series, Xbox and Lucasfilm are teaming up to give lucky gamers the chance to win their very own Mandalorian-inspired Xbox gear. Coinciding with the launch of Season 3, fans can enter a sweepstakes for a limited-edition, Mandalorian-inspired Xbox Series S & X bundle featuring a custom Grogu Xbox Controller and Hoodie with a simple retweet of the official Xbox Twitter account. The sweepstakes will run from March 1 through May 11, and is open to fans globally* 

New episodes of ‘The Mandalorian’ follow Grogu as he reunites with Din Djardin for more planet-trotting quests — and this exclusive gear is ready for the adventure. And once you’re ready to make the jump to hyperspace, the color-coordinated controller and hoodie is the perfect accessory for wherever your mission takes you.   

Just like a Jedi’s lightsaber or a Mandalorian’s Beskar suit, Grogu has his own iconic gear: the armored floating pram. That’s why, in addition to the custom controller and accompanying hoodies, we are also offering gamers a fully immersive experience in their very own Pram XL. Fans in the US can enter with Microsoft Rewards for the chance to win a full entertainment package that bundles a Grogu-themed Series S console and custom Grogu Xbox Controller and Hoodie with a human-sized pram replica — while it may not be able to hover, it is a fully operational gaming station where you can both game and stream the new season of ‘The Mandalorian’, now streaming on Disney+. Featuring massaging cushions, cupholders, LED lights, and holders for your controllers and headphones, it’s the greatest gaming seat in any galaxy.  The Pram XL sweepstakes runs from March 16 through May 11, to enter and for Official Rules (including free entry method), visit Microsoft Rewards.** 

Experience Star Wars with Xbox Game Pass – enjoy playable adventures across fan-favorite titles like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order via EA Play. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members can save 10% on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launching April 28th, 2023. 

About Disney Studios’ ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 3 

In the third season of ‘The Mandalorian’, the journeys of the Mandalorian through the Star Wars galaxy continue. Once a lone bounty hunter, Din Djarin has reunited with Grogu. Meanwhile, the New Republic struggles to lead the galaxy away from its dark history. The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together. The series stars Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, Amy Sedaris, Emily Swallow and Giancarlo Esposito. The directors for this season include Rick Famuyiwa, Rachel Morrison, Lee Isaac Chung, Carl Weathers, Peter Ramsey and Bryce Dallas Howard. Jon Favreau is the showrunner and is executive producing along with Dave Filoni, Rick Famuyiwa, Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson. Karen Gilchrist and Carrie Beck serve as co-executive producers. 

*Retweet to Win Sweepstakes Rules:  No purchase necessary, ends at 8:00pm on May 11, 2023. Open only to Xbox supported regions. Must be 18+ to enter. See official rules for full details.

**Microsoft Rewards Sweepstakes Rules:  No purchase necessary.  Ends May 11, 2023.  To enter and for Official Rules (including free entry method), visit Microsoft Rewards. 

Related:
Scars Above: How Classic Sci-Fi and Modern Storytelling Combined for a New Narrative Adventure
Destiny 2: Lightfall and Season of Defiance Are Here
PC Game Pass Preview is Available for Insiders in 40 New Countries

Players’ Choice: Vote for February 2023’s best new game

February has come and gone, and with it came some spectacular new games, including new PS VR2 releases. Which new game will take the Players’ Choice crown? The polls are open now, place your vote below to help decide! 

How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation.Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. Soon thereafter, we’ll close the polls, tally your votes, and announce the winner at PlayStation.Blog. PlayStation Store will also showcase some top Players’ Choice winners throughout the year.

What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? In keeping with our long tradition in the Game of the Year Awards, remastered or re-released games won’t qualify. Ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds and remakes like Demon’s Souls and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will.

How are nominees decided? The PlayStation.Blog and PlayStation Store editorial teams will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. Write-in votes will be accepted.