All Articles: Gears of War 4

Scorpio renamed Xbox One X and it’ll be available on November 7 for $499

Not surprisingly, Microsoft’s Project Scorpio was at the center of the consolemaker’s E3 Press Conference. As of now, we know the souped up system’s official name (the Xbox One X), as well as when it’ll be available (November 7), and how much it’ll cost ($499).

Boasting “40% more power than any other console,” the Xbox One X will deliver games in 4K resolution, as well as HDR support for gaming and video. All Xbox One games and accessories will be compatible with the Xbox One X, but free updates will provide a performance boost to games such as Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Minecraft, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Final Fantasy XV, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Rocket League, and dozens of others:

Games play better on Xbox One X. The world’s most powerful console begins rolling out to all Xbox One markets starting on November 7. With 40% more power than any other console, experience immersive true 4K gaming when paired with a 4K display. Xbox One X makes your existing library even better, with better textures, smoother frame rates, and faster load times, even on a 1080p TV. Xbox One X also offers the ultimate 4K entertainment package with 4K Ultra HD for Blu-ray X and streamed content, HDR support for gaming and video, and Dolby Atmos support. Xbox One X will join the Xbox One family of devices and coexist alongside Xbox One and Xbox One S, and all Xbox One games and accessories are compatible.

Every Xbox One X unit will come with a 1TB hard drive, a matching Xbox Wireless Controller, HDMI cable, power supply, a 1-month free Xbox Game Pass subscription, and a 14-day free Xbox Live Gold membership.

Now, let’s have a moment of silence for the poor retail employees who’ll have to deal with customers who won’t understand that the Xbox One X and the currently-available Xbox One S will be sold in different bundles with very different prices.

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Gears of War 4’s “Rise of the Horde” update adds new Skills, Achievements, Inconceivable difficulty, and more

Rise of the Horde, the biggest update yet for Gears of War 4, is now available to download for free. The update features a massive update to Horde Mode, along with new difficulty modes, maps, and Achievements. But before you jump in, the Xbox Wire has a complete rundown of what’s included in Rise of the Horde:

Horde is getting a massive shakeup with the arrival of Rise of the Horde, with 15 brand new Horde Skills (three per Class) to collect, Level 6 skills, Loot Drops, tuning changes and new difficulty levels!

Microsoft will also add an “Inconceivable” difficulty level to Horde Mode and the Campaign, as well as an Ironman option for players that want to complete Gears of War 4 without dying. Once again, Xbox Wire delivered the details:

In Horde, Inconceivable is a direct step up from Insane – you’ll be even weaker, and your enemies will be even stronger. Level up your skills to their new Level 6 peak and maximize the bonuses of your classes if you want to get through all 50 Waves of Inconceivable.

In Campaign, Inconceivable takes a more Survival based twist, giving you less health than Insane difficulty but also less health to your enemies. That’s because surviving on Inconceivable is all about effectiveness – weapons and crates drop significantly less ammunition, so you’ll have to make every shot count with whatever pickups you can find on the battlefield.

The Rise of the Horde update also includes remakes of two classic Gears maps (“Avalanche” from Gears of War 2 and “Rust Lung” from Gears of War 3), along with 30 new Achievements worth 500 Gamerscore.

Finally, if you haven’t had a chance to play Gears of War 4 yet, Microsoft also announced plans to offer a free demo of the game through the Xbox Games Store between June 9th and June 15th.

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Gears of War 4 February Update introduces new maps and much more

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and as a result, Gears of War 4 players will be treated to a slew of updates including new maps, Valentine’s Day-themed events, and general game improvements.

The Gears of War 4 Valentine’s Day event officially begins this Friday, February 10, and will last for over a week. The event will include Torque Bow Tag “with a cupid-style twist,” a new collectible Craftable Character, new Gear Packs, and daily bounties with a Valentine’s Day theme.

Also included in the February update are two new maps that veteran Gears of War fans are sure to appreciate! The first new map on the list is “Impact Dark,” an intense new spin on the original “Impact” map. “Impact Dark” takes close combat to thrilling new levels, putting heavy emphasis on visual impairment by implementing a permanently smoke-covered battlefield! Snipers, Torque/EMBAR, and Incendiaries are gone, now replaced with Boltoks, Dropshot, and Overkill respectively, forcing players to stay alert and take risks in order to stay in the game.

The second map provided in the update is “War Machine,” which veteran Gears of War players may remember for its desolate and decrepit atmosphere. The new take on the “War Machine” map brings players to a gorgeous and lively COG settlement in the once abandoned train station. However, aside from the new aesthetic, everything else about the map remains the same. Season Pass holders will be glad to know that they can play both maps today in the Developer Playlist.

The Coalition highlighted a few additional gameplay improvements from the February Update on the game’s official website:

  • Added a small delay before being able to fire when Wall Cancelling (now balanced with Wall Bounce firing delay)
  • New Guardian Spawn System: Players will now spawn closer to the Leader
  • Added IFF Lights onto Dizzy to bring visual readability of his model in-line with all other characters
  • Torque Bow now rotates with Sniper every round on Blood Drive
  • Resolved an issue that could cause the Kestral to be stuck out of sight on Blood Drive
  • Resolved minor geometry on Blood Drive that could block bullets
  • Improved messaging for Core/Competitive rejoin when trying to rejoin after rejoin window ends
  • Incendiary grenades now kill Down But Not Out players with Execution Rules On
  • Previous map high score will now display on end of round scoreboards in Horde
  • The Trick Shot ribbon is now correctly awarded in Horde
  • The Sniper Strike Horde Skill card no longer counts towards Headshot Bounties

Gears of War 4 is available to purchase now for the PC and Xbox One, and you can get a closer look at both new maps after the break. (more…)

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EA, 2K dominate October’s best-selling games list as Battlefield 1, Mafa III lead the way

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More games get released in October than any other month (though November is probably close), so it shouldn’t be surprising that megapublishers like Electronic Arts and 2K Games nearly ran the table with the NPD Group’s monthly best-sellers report.

EA’s Battlefield 1 took the top spot, and the publisher placed three other games in the top ten including FIFA 17 (#4), Titanfall 2 (#9), and Madden NFL 17 (#10). 2K Games had an equally strong month, thanks to Mafia III making gamers an offer they couldn’t refuse (and the #2 spot on the list). It was followed by NBA 2K17 (#5), WWE 2K17 (#7), and Civilization VI (#8).

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD’s Sam Naji said that overall industry revenues were up 6% in October 2016, though hardware and accessories aren’t selling as well as they did a year ago.

The full Top 10 from October 2016 can be found after the break. (more…)

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Run the Jewels Air Drop now available to download for Gears of War 4

Microsoft has announced that the Run the Jewels Air Drop is now available to download for Gears of War 4.

Run the Jewels, in case you’re unfamiliar, is a hip-hop duo consisting of Killer Mike and El-P. They’ve previously released two critically-acclaimed albums (2013’s Run the Jewels and 2014’s Run the Jewels 2), and now they’re coming to Gears of War 4 as playable characters. In addition to getting the chance to play as Killer Mike or El-P, purchasers of the Run the Jewels Air Drop will also receive 18 new Emblems, Bounties, and Weapon Skins… all themed with the colorful style of Run the Jewels.

The Run the Jewels Air Drop is priced at $19.99 on the PC or Xbox One, and don’t forget to check them out in action in the trailer embedded above.

The third album from Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 3, will be available before the end of year.

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Xbox Store Today: Duke Nukem 3D, WWE 2K17, Gears of War 4, more

Re-releases and remasters have been extremely popular over the last few years, but I have to admit, I never imagined Duke Nukem 3D would receive a new deluxe package from Gearbox Software. Yet, here we are, and Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour is now available to download for the Xbox One. In addition to the groundbreaking first person shooter from 1996, 20th Anniversary World Tour includes a new Episode from the original designers, new music from the game’s original composer, and new “Duke Talk” from the original voice of Duke Nukem.

Xbox One owners looking for more new titles on the Xbox Games Store might also be interested in Gears of War 4, which is now available to download without all the “Ultimate Edition” extras. The standard version of the game will still include a brand new campaign starring JD Fenix and his friends, the Horde 3.0 cooperative multiplayer mode, and a free copy of the game for Windows 10 PCs.

If you’d rather wrestle with some human-sized behemoths, WWE 2K17 is now available to download for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 this week. The latest wrestling sim from 2K Games will feature “the most authentic WWE gameplay ever” and “the biggest roster of WWE and NXT Superstars and Legends to date.”

We started with an unlikely re-release, and we end with a pair of “Game of the Year” style collections. Square Enix will bundle together Rise of the Tomb Raider, all of its DLC, and some brand new content in a special 20 Year Celebration Edition. And Konami will relaunch Hideo Kojima’s final entry in the Metal Gear Solid saga as Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience, which will include Ground Zeroes, The Phantom Pain, and all the previously-released DLC in a new compilation.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

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New Retail Releases: PlayStation VR, Gears of War 4, Dragon Quest Builders, More

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The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive launched the “Great VR Arms Race” a few months ago, but virtual reality enthusiasts will get a much more affordable option this week with Sony’s release of PlayStation VR.

More than two dozen games will launch alongside the PS4’s VR headset, and there looks to be a little something for everybody including the superheroics of Batman: Arkham VR, the high octane racing of Driveclub VR, the robotic combat of RIGS Mechanized Combat League, and the gory stealth of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Square Enix will also bring Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration Edition to the PS4 this week, and the game’s PS4 debut will receive “Blood Ties,” a unique VR-compatible chapter.

Rather than shy away from Sony’s juggernaut, Microsoft is charging into the fray head-on with the launch of the “Standard Edition” of Gears of War 4 for the PC and Xbox One. While this version of the game doesn’t include the Season Pass, it does feature the same action-packed co-op campaign for JD Fenix and friends.

Square Enix will deliver a game that’s a bit more colorful than Gears of War 4… but no less post-apocalyptic… to store shelves this week with the PS4 launch of Dragon Quest Builders. Players will return to the time of the original Dragon Warrior and rebuild Alefgard (using a Minecraft-like crafting system) after the destruction caused by the Dragonlord’s monstrous allies.

Rather than dwelling on the cage match between Sony and Microsoft, we could turn our attention to WWE 2K17, which will be available this week for the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360. 2K’s latest wrestling sim stars Brock Lesnar, and it features a major focus on the popular NXT promotion.

Finally this week, Konami will package Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain together on the PS4 and Xbox One in Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience.

A full look at all of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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Xbox Store Today: Gears of War 4 Ultimate Edition, Mafia III, Rogue Stormers, more

Happy Friday everyone! Four new games were added to the Xbox Games Store today, and the quartet includes one particular title that Xbox fans have been waiting for for a long time.

Gears of War 4: Ultimate Edition is the first new game in the Gears of War franchise completely under Microsoft’s control and it is now available to download for the Xbox One. Taking place a generation after the war with the Locust, players will follow JD Fenix and his friends as the battle “a monstrous new enemy.” In addition to Gears of War 4, the Ultimate Edition will include the game’s Season Pass and other downloadable content. And everyone who downloads the game through the Xbox Games Store will also receive access to the game on Windows 10 PCs.

Monsters also exist in the world of Mafia III, and while they don’t have fangs or tentacles, they’re no less dangerous. Developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games, Mafia III is an Xbox One that stars Lincoln Clay, an orphan and Vietnam veteran who battles the organized crime families of New Bordeaux (a stand-in for New Orleans) in the late 60s.

Clay and his crew often employ a heavy arsenal of guns, just as the stars of Rogue Stormers do. Available to download now for the Xbox One, Rogue Stormers is a steampunk-styled side-scrolling shooter with roguelike elements from Black Forest Games, as players try to vanquish “the ultimate evil threatening Ravensdale.”

Finally this week, One Hundred Ways is puzzling game for the Xbox One where players have to guide a ball to its goal.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)

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