Games

[Evanvincent]

Games with Gold January 2020: Xbox countdown begins as PS Plus fans wait on PS4 games

Microsoft has confirmed that it will be launching its first Games with Gold January Xbox games this week, while PS4 gamers are still waiting to find out about the next PS Plus titles.

This will include two games from Xbox One and Xbox 360, followed by another two later in the month.

They will be available to download and play for free, providing you have an active Xbox Live Gold account.

And the good news is that we know exactly when this is happening and what free games are being released.

Revealed earlier this month, Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox gamers will be able to download and play Styx: Shards of Darkness on Wednesday, January 1, 2020.

Styx: Shards of Darkness is a stealth game first released back in 2017 on a number of different platforms.

“Alone or with a friend, sneak past your enemies and embark on a stealthy adventure as the goblin thief, Styx. Deceive your enemies, craft deadly traps and utilize unparalleled freedom of movement to accomplish the robbery of a lifetime.”

This will be accompanied by Tekken 6, which will remain available to claim until January 16, 2020.

The second free Xbox One game launching next month will be Batman: The Telltale Series, which includes all the episodic chapters.

This will go live on January 16 and will replace Jurrasic World: Evolution, which has been available for the past few weeks.

“Put on the cape and cowl and defend Gotham in Batman: The Telltale Series,” Microsoft adds.

“Featuring all 5 complete episodes, step into the fractured psyche of billionaire Bruce Wayne and his dark persona, the Batman.

[Evanvincent]

Ori and the Will of the Wisps - March 11

When Microsoft announced Ori and the Will of the Wisps at E3 2017, I don’t think I ever imagined it would take until 2020 to release. Here we are though, and at least it’s early 2020.

Regardless, the second Ori outing looks every bit as beautiful as the original. It’s got that same soft watercolor look, lots of dark blues specked with pink and green and red highlights. I’ll be curious how the sequel ups the challenge for veterans without making it unapproachable for newcomers—the original struck a tight balance. But either way, I can’t wait to play it finally. It’s more about the spectacle for me anyway.

[Evanvincent]

UK video game sales drop for the first time since 2012

The physical sales of video games in the UK dropped by 19.8% last year. 17.6 million boxed games were sold by retailers, according to GfK. In total, these games generated £602.5 million in revenue, which is a drop of 21.7% year-on-year.

Digital sales fared better, but growth was just 1.1% to £3.17 billion (IHS estimates). The data has been compiled together by the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA),Combined together, UK video game sales generated £3.77 billion in 2019, which is a drop of 3.4% over 2018. It is the first time that the UK games software market has seen a drop in revenue since 2012.

It's not completely surprising considering 2019 was the final full year of the console cycle, where sales tend to slowdown (just as it did in 2012 in the year before the PS4 and Xbox One arrived). 2019 was also notable for a lack of many major game releases -- out of the ten best-selling boxed games in 2019, only six were actually released last year. ERA CEO Kim Bayley said: "The key message from the games business in 2019 is we need those two new consoles from PlayStation and Xbox -- and soon."

The best-selling boxed game was FIFA 20, which sold 1.5 million copies -- a significant drop on the 1.9 million copies sold for FIFA 19 over the same period the year before. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare at No.2 fared better with 1.192 million games sold, a slight improvement over Black Ops 4's 1.172 million. It's worth noting that Black Ops 4 was on sale for longer in 2018 than Modern Warfare was in 2019. There was no other million-selling games. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe is at No.3 with 465,062 games sold. The 2017 Nintendo Switch game sold more in 2019 than it did in 2018 by 7,000 copies. EA Christmas action game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, is at No.4 with 438,465 games sold, which is better than last year's Battlefield V (which did 313,100 over the same period).

Meanwhile Red Dead Redemption 2 is at No.5. Take-Two's game was the No.2 best-selling game of 2018, and manages to hang around with 306,392 games sold during the last 12 months. However, the game would have been at No.6 if GfK combined the sales of Pokémon Sword and Shield, which would have just been narrowly behind Star Wars with just under 430,000 games sold. Instead, Pokémon Sword comes in at No.7 with 273,991 games sold.
The other notable performer is Grand Theft Auto V, which is still in the Top Ten six years after it was first released.

[Evanvincent]

The best new things to do across the UK, from the Game of Thrones Studio Tour to Durham walking trails

Opening in time for summer, Bridgewater will be the first new RHS garden for 20 years, reinvigorating and reimagining the lost grounds of Salford’s Worsley New Hall. It will include a kitchen garden, paradise garden and community spaces for teaching and growing, all set within Weston Walled Garden. Opening in summer

[Evanvincent]

Babylon's Fall PS4, PC* 2020

The Elder Scrolls: Blades Switch 2020

XIII PS4, XO, Switch 2020

Carrion digital-only – PS4, XO, PC 2020

[Amelie Barrett]

Animal Crossing: New Horizons of 2020
Release date: March 20, 2020

Ah, Animal Crossing. Folks have been dreaming about a new entry in the adorably gentle little life sim since New Leaf floated onto the 3D. Thankfully Nintendo answered all our prayers when they finally announced a new adventure by the name of Animal Crossing: New Horizons that's set to make its way to the Switch in 2020. And it already looks amazing.

[Amelie Barrett]

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

If first-person shooters are your thing, then Call of Duty: Black Ops II is for you.

Developed by Treyarch and published by Activision, Call of Duty: Black Ops II has sold over 24 million copies since it was released in 2012.

The game is set in two different time periods, the 1980s and 2025, and switches between the two at different periods throughout the game.

In both time periods, your character is in constant pursuit of Raul Menendez, a Nicaraguan cartel leader, and it’s up to you to find him and get the job done.

[owenmarsden]

New Deathmatch Mode Is Coming To 'call Of Duty: Modern Warfare'


Infinity Ward is releasing a new game mode to 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' in the playlist update. Infinity Ward has recently released a couple of blog posts that revealed the upcoming content that will be added to "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare." The video game developer has communicated with the community through these blog posts, addressing some of the biggest issues with the game and talking about its future. Most recently, Infinity Ward has revealed a new game mode that will be added to the game with the playlist update. The video game developer has revealed the schedule it's operating on for the current installment of the video game."Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" players will be getting playlists updates on Tuesdays, while Thursdays will be days for developer diaries or behind the scenes blogs. Each Friday, players will get a community update blog. On Tuesday, January 28, we are getting another playlist update, and it is bringing Deathmatch Domination, a new game mode!

[owenmarsden]

Zombie Army 4: Dead War


Rebellion is bringing back the undead horde fest with the upcoming release of the Zombie Army 4: Dead War. Yes, the folks behind Sniper Elite are delivering another standalone shooter that sees you take on a zombified Hitler and his undead army. As a great co-op option for those who love a spot of a zombie shooting and humanity saving, the latest entry includes a new campaign, expanded horde mode, upgraded kill-cam, and enhanced melee combat. Once again set in an alternative, undead take on history, this will scratch your zombie-fighting itch and then some.

[rosiebaxter990]

Doom Eternal

A sequel to 2016's Doom reboot is happening. Not only was it a magical comeback for FPS veteran developer id Software, but the game's flippant approach to contemporary game design and indulgent storytelling was a breath of fresh air in a claustrophobic corridor of play-it-safe products. Doom Eternal will bring the horrors of Hell to the Terra Firma itself, and Doomguy is not happy about it. Ready your trigger fingers for another epic battle with the underworld's pantheon of demonic fiends and nasties.

[owenmarsden]

Ps5 Official Website Launches


Sony has announced the PlayStation 5 is launching this year, and now the company has opened PS5's official site. The dedicated landing page doesn't feature many details yet, but it does offer a sign-up for a newsletter and a brief promise of announcements to come. "We've begun to share some of the incredible features you can expect from PlayStation 5, but we're not quite ready to fully unveil the next generation of PlayStation," the page reads. "Sign up below to be among the first to receive updates as we announce them, including news on the PS5 release date, PS5 price and the upcoming roster of PS5 launch games." Most recently, Sony showed off the logo at the Consumer Electronics Show, after revealing its official name will follow the conventional PlayStation naming scheme. We've also received a number of technical details, including the inclusion of a solid-state drive. The hardware is said to support 4K and ray-tracing, and the new controller will use haptic feedback and "adaptive triggers" that will allow developers to adjust the tension for different in-game actions. We're not sure exactly when we might hear more about the PS5, but if it's anything like the PlayStation 4 roll out Sony will host a dedicated PlayStation Meeting event to unveil it. We already know that Sony is skipping E3 again, so it won't be debuted there. Sony also recently explained that it hasn't decided on a price point quite yet--and it's watching the competition.

[Amelie Barrett]

Bubble Shooter Classic

Bubble Shooter has become one of the world’s most popular online arcade games. If you’ve never tried it, you’ll discover why it’s so beloved once you start playing Bubble Shooter Classic.

The original Bubble Shooter debuted in the 1990s. Since then, it’s helped inspire many other bubble shooter games that feature everything from balloons to cookies. This version includes a challenging feature.

[rosiebaxter990]

Persona 5 Royal

Platform(s): PS4
Release Date: March 31, 2020

The Phantom Thieves are coming back in full swing for another round of Persona goodness with what is kind of like an enhanced edition of Persona 5, with plenty of extra content. Royal introduces an entire new semester, a new area, new characters and an additional story arc. If you held off from tucking into the excellent adventure the first time around, Royal is the perfect excuse to dive in. It's also a good reason to have your heart stolen by the Phantom Thieves all over again.

[owenmarsden]

Fortnite: Birds of Prey crossover adds Harley Quinn skin

The character of Harley Quinn now features in Fortnite, as part of a promotional crossover event between the popular battle royale game and the Birds of Prey cinema release. Developer Epic Games has made the new Harley Quinn skin, designed in the likeness of the DC comics villain, available in its in-game shop. In Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn is played by Margot Robbie. Robbie also played the role to some acclaim in 2016’s critically panned Suicide Squad. The character skin arrives as part of a bundle, which also includes cosmetics like a pickaxe. It also comes with a set of in-game challenges that unlock an alternative outfit, called “Always Fantabulous Harley”. After days of people speculating that a Birds of Prey event was about to drop, Epic finally confirmed the news in a tweet: Fortnite is known for its high-profile crossover events. Previous properties to feature in the game have included Batman, Star Wars, and John Wick.

[rosiebaxter990]

Half-Life: Alyx

Platform(s): PC (potentially console)
Release Date: March 2020

Yes, that's right. A new Half-Life game is coming out in 2020. This time around Valve is taking Half-Life into the world of VR. Set between the events of the Half-Life and Half-Life 2, you'll be playing as Alyx Vance who just so happens to have the fate of humanity resting on their shoulders… no pressure. As part of growing resistance, you have to try and take on an alien race known as the Combine and keep humanity alive. Valve has revealed it will involve "puzzle-solving, deep environmental interactions, and visceral combat."

[rosiebaxter990]

Resident Evil 3 Remake


Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Release Date: April 3, 2020

Yes, it's official: Capcom is releasing a remake of Resident Evil 3 and will reunite us with Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveria. Oh, and the horrific villain Nemesis. The Resident Evil 2 Remake was one of the best recent releases, and if it's anything to go by, the return of 3 will take us on another updated zombie-infested fright fest. It'll be great to see the new take on the original 1999 release. When it was revealed at a recent State of Play, it was announced that 3 will also include the multiplayer spin-off Project Resistance to boot.

[Amelie Barrett]

Top games popular in all over the world
God of War
Kratos is father-of- the-year in another phenomenal first-party PlayStation 4 offering
Resident Evil 2Much more than a remake, Resident Evil 2 is the series' best entry yet
Smash Bros. Ultimate

Great for beginners and veterans alike, Smash is well and truly back, and it’s bigger and better than ever before
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Dark Souls' DNA gets a timely reworking in this epic Far Eastern action-adventure – but the legendary difficulty hasn't gone anywhere

[rosiebaxter990]

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Platform(s): PS4 (Timed exclusive)
Release Date: April 10, 2020

You've wanted it so badly, and eventually, you're going to get it. Fans had been pining for the seminal RPG Final Fantasy 7 to be remade with slick modern visuals, and at E3 2015, Square-Enix finally obliged with a glorious glimpse at Cloud Strife's big comeback. We've since learned plenty about Final Fantasy 7 Remake, like the fact that it's planned to be split up along full-game-sized episodes, and features action-heavy real-time combat in the same vein as Final Fantasy 15.

[Amelie Barrett]

Number 1 game in the world
Minecraft.
In first place, taking the title of the most popular video game right now is Minecraft. This sandbox video game was created by Markus Persson and released to the public in 2011 by Mojang.

[tracym]

THE Xbox Games with Gold January countdown has begun, with PS Plus subscribers still waiting to find out what's coming to PS4 next month.