• Four new playable characters from the Ultraman universe.
• Patch 1.3 updates include a new Replay Mode (beta) and upgrades to cross-platform matchmaking for the base game.
• Battle with up to four players as one of eight new kaijus and heroes, or ten of our original characters.

Heroes, Unite! Villains, Rise!

The fate of our universe has intertwined with another once again! Join us as we welcome Ultraman, Ultraman Tiga, Alien Baltan and Camearra as they cross over into GigaBash as a character pack DLC!

That’s right, the GigaBash | Ultraman DLC adds four new playable characters from the Ultraman universe to the GigaBash roster. Each of them features unique movesets and iconic abilities as seen on screen! So, will you become an Ultra-Hero or join the galactic villains and destroy our world? Join us as we take a closer look at each new character.

Ultraman

As seen in the first-ever Ultraman series that debuted in 1966, he is the alien of justice from Nebula M78, who merged with SSSP member Shin Hayata to fight for the peace of mankind. As Ultraman, you are highly skilled in close-quarters combat. Grapple your foes and unleash devastating takedowns, or deliver a powerful drop kick to send enemies flying. You can also charge the Spacium energy stored in his body to fire his iconic Spacium Beam against enemies who threaten humanity.

Alien Baltan

As seen in the 1966 debut of the Ultraman series, it is an alien species of advanced intelligence. As Alien Baltan, you are equipped with various deceptive abilities such as Multi Shadow Cloning and teleportation. You can also fire a barrage of White Destructive Light Bullets with your clones to devastate your foes. Don’t forget to taunt your foes with its distinctive cry, “Fofofofofofo.”.

Ultraman Tiga

As seen in the Ultraman Tiga series, which debuted in 1996, he is the light that stands against the dark forces of the world and an Ultra who moves forward with humanity. As Ultraman Tiga, you can Type Change to change your speed, power, and even skillset to adapt to any situation. Change to power type to deal huge damage but slower speed; change to Sky Type to move and attack faster at the cost of power; or change to Multi Type for a balanced fighting style while unlocking the use of his Zeperion Beam.

Camearra

Hailing from Ultraman Tiga: The Final Odyssey, which debuted in 2000, she is the leader of the Giants of Darkness and the former lover of Ultraman Tiga. As Camearra, you wield a long-range whip that transforms into a close-range sword to defeat any who oppose her. You can also command swarms of Shibito-Zoigers to distract your foes, giving you space to set up your next deadly combo.

Beam Clash!

Wait, the hype doesn’t end there. Did you know if you fire any beam attack at another beam attack it increases?! That’s right, the faster you mash, the stronger your beam attack becomes, causing a massive explosion as a finale. Give it a try, this is one tug-of-war that’s sure to blow your enemies away!

Note: Due to regional restrictions and licensing agreements, Ultraman 4 Characters Pack DLC is not available in Japan and Mainland China.

Patch 1.3 Replay Mode (Beta) + Improved Crossplay

Replay Mode (Beta):

This new feature allows players to save and watch replays of their battles from within the game. With two Tokusatsu giant crossovers in the game, we hope this feature can enable fans to capture the Kaiju fantasy they always dreamed of.

Use the Free Camera Mode to move the camera down to a pedestrian’s point of view and feel the terrifying scale of destruction. Pause to catch quirky interactions between Kaijus and Heroes in the heat of battle. You can also apply various nostalgic camera filters or use the new News Channel filter for that extra cinematic twist.

This feature is still in beta and is only available in local play, but we’re working hard to get it running for online mode. It’s not perfect, but we’re excited to get everyone involved in its development as early as possible. So, share your feedback with us on our Discord as we continue to polish and improve this feature.

Cross-Platform Matchmaking & Online Mode updates

Assert your dominance online with this new update! All platforms now share the same public matchmaking pool via Public Match. That means Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Steam, and Epic players will be able to battle each other in the arena when they search for a Public Match. However, players will not be able to directly invite their friends from another platform via Private Match.

Patch 1.3 is a free update available to all players with the base game. So, hurry up and update your GigaBash to the latest version to enjoy these new features for free!

With two of the largest Tokusatsu franchises crossing over into GigaBash, along with improved crossplay and an epic Replay Mode (Beta), it’s never been a better time to play the game with friends and family! So, start gathering your Spacium energy towards both your arms because our Kaiju vs. Hero arena brawler is about to get real wild! Remember to follow us on our social media channels for the latest news and we’ll see you in the arena.

GigaBash

Passion Republic Games

☆☆☆☆☆
86

★★★★★

$24.49

Get it now

GigaBash combines the chaos and creativity of titles like Power Stone, Super Smash Bros Ultimate and War of Monsters with the jaw-dropping scale of the classic kaiju movies. Play as either a rampaging Titan or a Titan-hunting mecha; summon lightning from the heavens, use a radio tower as a baton, or roll a whole district (and your enemies) into a single massive snowball. Wreak enough havoc and you’ll evolve into your final form, the terrifyingly titanic S-Class.

The post GigaBash Ultraman DLC, Ultra-Heroes & Villains, Crosses over, and Patch 1.3 Updates appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Hi there, Xbox Insiders!

To Whom It May Concern

Fall has begun over here at HQ, and you can already feel its effects in the air. The leaves are turning, the faint smell of vaguely pumpkin flavored coffee permeates the office, and the night is dark and full of terrors. (That’s from when everyone still liked that show, right?)

Indeed, the winds of change blow heavily this year; our beloved program caught in the gale’s tempestuous grasp. So put on your favorite flannel, equip your thickest framed glasses, spin that classic blue (or green, or red, or white) record, and gather ‘round to hear all about the upcoming improvements, new initiatives, and much more coming to the Xbox Insider Program!

In Regards To Myself

My favorite game show host likes to say, “The only way to begin is by beginning,” and since I grew up in the South that means introductions are in order.

Hi! I’m Wynn; the newest member of the wonderful Xbox Insider team. I’ve been brought on to lead all things Comms and Community (or as I like to call it: Comm(s)unity) for the Xbox Insider Program, so you’ll be hearing from me more and more in the coming months. I’m super excited to be joining this team right now and I hope that my passion for both gaming and Xbox Insiders can help our 10th anniversary be a banner year for the program.

Some more about me? Well, I’m a huge Sci-Fi/Fantasy nerd, I wake up early on the weekends to watch Liverpool (YNWA), and I love achievement hunting. I’m also something of a writer myself (if using the word “tempestuous” in the opening section wasn’t a dead giveaway). But that’s enough self-indulgence, let’s talk about ~the future~.

Breathing In A New Mentality

From our social presence to new content being developed, from our releases to things we only dared dream of, there’s so many exciting projects we’re looking forward to sharing with everyone. We’re truly redoubling our efforts on having an “Xbox Insiders-first” mentality, and we hope everyone is as stoked by these changes as we are. Below you’ll see the first look at our Content Roadmap. It includes the return of old favorites, retiring (for now!) a few items, and a hint of new possibilities on the horizon!

Everyone Looks So Good From Here

My first week here, I scrolled back through all 205 pages (yes, all of them) of Xbox Wire articles we’ve posted. I wanted to understand the history of the program and what has changed over the years. One of the changes we discussed was a shift away from “people-content” and a move to “program-content”. Q&As, Community Spotlights, and deep dives had slowly faded from the limelight. Well no longer! A primary goal for this refresh is to demystify and de- “black box” things where we’re able to. This team is full of absolute rock stars. Some of whom have been here since the very beginning, and we want to share their stories with Xbox Insiders.

There’s also all the amazing Xbox Insiders themselves. Who can forget The Wee Bear’s dominance on the XP Leaderboards (or the way he always called it “Xbox Insiders Programme”)? Or when Beard got over 125K GamerScore in one month (which is about 6 games when adjusted for Xitilon/Ratalaika inflation)? We know our community is full of diverse and unique perspectives and we want to celebrate those stories, as well as highlight accomplishments and accolades within the program. Keep an eye out for these spotlights returning soon(tm).

The Created Void

I mentioned earlier that we want to demystify things where we can, which will sometimes mean acknowledging and owning our misses. The team spoke last week about being more cognizant around how we collected and delivered feedback from Xbox Insiders. One such item is Feature Fridays on the subreddit.

First, we want to give an enormous, heartfelt, “Thank you” to everyone that has participated in these threads over the last five years. Your contributions cannot be understated. We also realize this experience has let some of you down. As such, it’s our intent to retire the current Feedback Friday threads at the end of this year in preparation for launching a better, more transparent process. (Note: Plans can change! If we need more time to implement the new pipeline, we’ll make sure to keep everyone informed.)

To be perfectly, Hydaelyn-level, crystal clear, this does not mean we are abandoning our feature request pipeline. It’s an incredibly valuable tool not only for the Xbox Insider Team, but tons of other engineering and development teams within Xbox. The current vehicle isn’t working as intended, so we’re retuning the engine and giving it a fresh coat of paint. It’s still early days but our proverbial “North Star” is firmly set. Ensure that Xbox Insiders are given proper expectations and insight into what happens after a feature is requested. We’ll also be opening threads on the subreddit to gather feedback around this topic in the coming days. See y’all there!

The Changing Of Times

Looking even further down the line, you might notice things are a little less defined. Lots of teases on the roadmap, yet nothing quite solid. The planning stages for these projects have just begun and we don’t want to overpromise there. This is only the beginning. We’ll continue to send out these Community Update letters on a regular basis (aiming for the first Tuesday of every month) to discuss more about what the future holds. But maybe the roadmap itself holds more than meets the I?

There Could Be Nothing After This

I said, “could”, right? I know this is getting lengthy, so I just want to end by saying once again thank you so incredibly much to all the Xbox Insiders who continue to spend their time and effort delivering feedback, reporting problems, and engaging with the program. Without y’all, none of this would be possible.

Hope everyone enjoyed this inaugural Xbox Insider Program Community Update! If you haven’t already, drop us a follow @xboxinsider or head over to our official subreddit r/XboxInsiders. You can also join our [REDACTED] where we [REDACTED]! There’s also [REDACTED] and [MEGA REDACTED] for those of you who enjoy that.

Wynn/

The post Community Update November 2023 appeared first on Xbox Wire.

• With winter inbound, it’s time to head south!
• Welcome to Call of the Wild: The Angler’s latest reserve – Spain Reserve.
• Find new fish species, take on new reserve activities, and make new friends in unspoilt scenery.

With the cold weather setting in, everyone here at Expansive Worlds is excited to invite you to fish in the beautiful Spanish hills.

Our latest reserve, Aguas Claras, is located in Andalusia, Spain, and is full of opportunities to explore. We’ve added new fish, new landscapes, and new activities, which we hope you’ll enjoy as much as we do.

New Fish – Eel ‘em in!

Anglers can find 16 distinct species, 11 of them being entirely new discoveries, unique to this DLC. Whether you’re keen to test your skill and your gear against the Andalusian Barbel or the European Eel, we’re sure you’ll find the challenge you’re looking for, especially if you’re lucky enough to come across a Mirror Carp – a real treat for all aspiring anglers.      

On top of that, the free new Patch 1.4.0 that arrives alongside Spain Reserve introduces the Trophy Shot, a new feature in the reward screen that that allows you to frame your catch how you want, a Tune-up of the 4×4 vehicle, a Map Refresh to make each location more unique, and a Halloween Seasonal Event.

New environments

This fishing paradise has been separated from the outside world for some time, leaving you with an unspoiled landscape to explore. We’re especially keen to show you the unique biomes that the area around Aguas Claras has to offer. Check out the wild, untouched waterways, or their manmade equivalents, as well as caves and walkways. There’s a perfect fishing spot for everyone here.

New activities

Come for the fishing, stay for the friends!

Meet Daniel and Karim – the cheeky Shopkeeper and the vibrant Warden of Aguas Claras, who are ready to send you to exciting new areas, including an underground cave deep inside the mountains. We’ve lined up a main story consisting of three chapters, over 40 fishing missions, and over 20 gear challenges amongst other things like photo spots, hidden caches, and collectibles.

New Player?

If you’ve not played Call of the Wild: The Angler yet, then don’t worry. Now is the perfect time to join our amazing, supportive Xbox community by checking it out with Xbox Game Pass, and Game Pass for PC.

The Journey Continues

Our Xbox players have been nothing short of incredible in their support and passion for the game. We can’t wait to hear what you think about our little slice of paradise, so make sure to join the official      Discord. Thank you!

Call of the Wild: The Angler

Expansive Worlds

☆☆☆☆☆
239

★★★★★

$29.99

$23.99

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

From the creators of theHunter: Call of the Wild comes an open world fishing experience! Relax and unwind at your favorite spot or explore the beautiful great outdoors with friends as you embark on the journey to become a master angler.

Explore the great outdoors
Experience the freedom of fishing in a vast open world inspired by real-life locations. Travel through the varied and atmospheric environments by boat, off-road vehicle, or on foot, and discover hidden ponds, tranquil lakes, and local points of interest. Whatever you decide to do, every trip will have you coming back for more.

Fight and catch distinct fish species
Fishing in the open world is as fun as it is challenging. Each species has its own individual behaviors and traits, which influence what bait they’re attracted to, how they fight when hooked, and what actions they can perform to try to escape. Combined with a system that spawns fish relative to water depth, time of day, and temperature, every spot offers a unique challenge.

Become a master angler
Master different fishing techniques to land the most impressive catch. Purchase tackle and build custom fishing rigs using a wide selection of rods, reels, lures, hooks, floats, and jigheads. Create your angler and customize their look and attributes. Complete challenges to earn rewards and uncover the open world through meaningful story missions.

Play on your own or with friends
Relax at your favorite spot on your own or ride the open waters with friends in online co-op multiplayer for up to 12 players. Meet other anglers and create memories that will last a lifetime. You can also play offline for a peaceful solo experience.

A game that grows and evolves with you
The team will continue to work closely with the community to deliver engaging features, content and updates inspired directly by player feedback. Keep coming back for new and memorable fishing experiences!

The post The Angler Spain Reserve appeared first on Xbox Wire.

Hello Guardians!

I’m Elliot Yun from the RyseUp team, community manager and game designer for Roboquest and I’m here to give you our five beginner tips for a successful run!

Note that these tips have been validated by the Confrérie du Croissant here in France.

Let’s dive right in.

Tip #1 – Always Stay in Movement!

You have several movement options available right from the start and you will unlock more as you progress into the game. Make sure to use them all to stay ahead of the game. Enemies are merciless and numerous and evading their attacks will be a key part in your success and in getting further into the game. Master the movement, master your character (regardless of the class you’re playing as).

Tip #2 – Use your Primary Ability

FPS games and Roboquest in particular can be intense, so intense that you forget some of the gameplay possibilities offered to you. One of those possibilities in Roboquest is using the primary ability of your character. They are powerful, cooldown-based abilities that you can specialize into through your builds but that can always be relevant, even if you’re not necessarily spec’ing into it. And since it only has a cooldown as a cost, it won’t hurt to use it even if you’re not exploiting it to its full potential. Don’t have the “too good to use” syndrome and spam that key!

Tip #3 – Grab the Healing Cells

There are two ways to heal in Roboquest: using the Repair-o-bot that you will come across in safe rooms or picking the Healing Cells enemies are dropping upon death. The trick is that these cells quickly disappear. Being offensive enough to be able to retrieve them is important to maintain your health high. Usually, being offensive in Roboquest will pay off

(as long as you manage to do it while evading damage). Fear not and drive forward guardians!

Tip #4 – Help the Friendly Robots

While Roboquest is pretty fast-paced, there are also times where slowing down to try helping the friendly faces you come across while playing is a good thing. Those little (and big?) yet friendly robots will have things they need done for them. Helping them out will net you permanent rewards or access to additional places. But this will require you to pay extra attention to your environment and solve some specific and alternative situations. Help those guys and they will help you back, robot loyalty.

Tip #5 – Find the Data-Logs

Data-Logs are little pieces of lore and story scattered across the levels. While not mandatory to understand the story or for your progression as a whole, finding one will grant you several Wrenches. Wrenches are a currency you can use to upgrade your basecamp and unlock permanent upgrades that will help you dive further into the game each time you retry. If you find yourself struggling to unlock some of these upgrades a good way to boost your out-game economy would be to find those data-logs (if you feel like exploring, if not they aren’t mandatory anyway).

And that’s all for the five tips. Following those should have a positive impact on the success of your runs!

One last bit of tip I could give you would be to check out the different game settings. As weird as it may sound to advise you to do that, we actually spent a lot of time crafting and designing tons of quality-of-life and settings options to make yourself comfortable. FPS games are this type of game where everyone plays differently and we tried to take that into account while making the game (yes, those reverse-Y-axis, jump with scroll-wheel and flat pink-coloured crosshair players, I’m looking at you).

So that’s it  for real. Guardians, we hope you’re having fun with the 1.0 version of Roboquest and we wish you the best robot-smashing experience.

Roboquest

RyseUp Studios, Starbreeze Publishing

☆☆☆☆☆
247

★★★★★

$24.99

Get it now

PC Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass

Free Trial

Roboquest is a fast-paced FPS with Roguelite mechanics playable in singleplayer or 2 players co-op.
Shoot and run your way through randomly generated environments, pick-up upgrades along the way and blast the powerful big bad bosses you encounter.
Upgrade your basecamp and unlock persistent upgrades to customize your playstyle and dive further on each subsequent run.

The post Five Beginner Tips for a Successful Run in Roboquest appeared first on Xbox Wire.

I’ve been working as a Designer at NetherRealm Studios for over 10 years, and during that time, the team has had the opportunity to design truly special guest characters. We view this as a privilege but also as a serious mission to make these characters stand out in our games.

We were already huge fans of Omni-Man and the Invincible series, often referencing things he’d done in our office. Designers often communicate through references to explain ideas or concepts when coming up with Fatalities, Brutalities, and sometime even standard attacks. “Fist through the back, Omni-Man style,” as an example, communicates an idea perfectly.

For the most part, every special move we’ve created for Omni-Man in Mortal Kombat 1 relates to something we’ve seen from the show, even down to subtle nuances. During the design process, we compiled tons of references for motions, poses, FX, and sounds to be used as a basis to form a gameplay design. From there, we went into the motion capture studio where tremendous care was taken to capture performances that in some cases exactly match the references we had.

Something people might not notice right away is that even his cape moves similarly to how it does in the show. The chest bump special move is an example of an animation where we were looking to have the cape sway in a specific way based on a scene from the show.

One of the things I appreciate and respect the most are all the creative ways Omni-Man exacts his vengeance, something I think we have in common with the Skybound folks, in the sense that we’re constantly thinking about and coming up with creative Fatalities. When coming up with one of the Fatalities for Omni-Man, the choice was just too obvious, and I think it turned out to be one of the best we’ve ever done. While I don’t want to give it away for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, it is directly based on an iconic scene from the show. Fun fact: The Fatality set is also inspired by elements of an iconic Mortal Kombat 3 stage…

From the perspective of character abilities, we were inspired by Omni-Man’s speed, power, personality, and brutality. These were the keys to the overall design language of the character. Oftentimes, the actual ideas are the easy part of the design process, while the implementation part, including capturing the look, feel, and power through a compelling gameplay style is the challenge.

With Mortal Kombat 1 our design and workflow processes have taken a quantum leap forward from the past, mainly stemming from an engine change, thereby allowing us to do things with effects and animations that were previously not possible. We leverage these abilities all over to translate the overwhelming feeling of speed and power Omni-Man has from the show to the game.

Gameplay-wise, Omni-Man is a rushdown character that revolves around speed and power. One of his go-to special moves that I think embodies him the best is his Viltrumite stance. From the ground or air, Omni-Man goes into a confident pose where the player can execute four unique attacks each serving a specific purpose. This both serves a mind game for the player and a way for Omni-Man to surprise the opponent and secure significant damage as most of these attacks will allow him to follow up with more moves.

Passively, while in his Viltrumite stance, Omni-Man avoids projectiles, almost dismissing them in a nonchalant way, making him strong in matchups where opponents rely on projectiles. Moreover, the enhanced version of the Viltrumite stance allows Omni-Man to quickly dodge high and mid attacks up close. Lastly, the player can teleport out of the Viltrumite stance and end up behind the opponent effectively acting like a cancel.

As a design group, we’re so pleased with how he turned out and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the Skybound team on an awesome addition to Mortal Kombat 1.

Omni-Man will be available in Mortal Kombat 1 starting on Nov. 9 as part of the early access period for all Kombat Pack owners, followed by wide availability on Nov. 16.

The post How Mortal Kombat 1 Built Invincible’s Omni-Man By Using the Show Itself appeared first on Xbox Wire.