Xbox News, Videos & Reviews

We Happy Few is about drugs and Nazis and whatever you want it to be

By Dave Tach at 12:30p 05.11.16

With a mixture of live-action and computer-generated footage, it introduces a hyper-stylized world reminiscent of 1960s Britain. Everybody in We Happy Few's seemingly idyllic town looks happy. They saunter down the streets, giggling, laughing. For some reason, though, everybody's wearing a mask. Also, they're on drugs. Lots and lots of psychedelic drugs. The player isn't high, everybody around him knows it, and nobody likes it. Especially the guy who beats him out of his house and onto the street with a frying pan. Also the guy who knocks him unconscious with a shovel isn't a fan, either. I didn't know what We Happy Few was about, exactly, but in less than 90 seconds, I knew I wanted to know more. A few months later, in a faraway setting accidentally tied to the...

Halo 5

Welcome back to Halogon

By James Elliott on Oct 23, 2015 10.23.15

Welcome back to Halogon, Polynauts This is Halogon, where... uh well, we play Halo! Whether you're a fan of co-op, Versus, Big Team Battle (BTB) or even weird Forge creations — we play it all. It's the first time since Halo 4 that we've organised a Halogon event, but you're going to love it. First of all you should join our Polygon-based, Halogon Spartan Company. You can do so by signing in to Halowaypoint.com with your Xbox Gamertag, and then after you send Halogon a request we'll approve it. Why join our company? Well besides being a part of our awesome group of soldiers, you get a free requisition pack sent to your inbox! You can read more information here on what Spartan Companies add to Halo 5. In anticipation for the release of Halo 5 this coming Tuesday we are going to...

Issue 18

May 2, 2016

Their future is Epic: The evolution of a gaming giant

By Brian Crecente

Find out how one of the industry’s biggest developers is changing its approach.

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour gets another new course and update to its career mode

By Owen S. Good at 10:30a 05.11.16

Another title update to Rory McIlroy PGA Tour adds a new course and brings in a long anticipated feature to the career mode: Major tournaments will now alternate their venues, instead of playing at the same course every season. First, the new course: Banff Springs (pictured), located in Canada's Rocky Mountains, joins the game for free with the new update and will be added as an event in the career mode. Banff was a mainstay of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series that preceded Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, which launched in July last year. Several dramatic elevation changes help make Banff an extraordinarily difficult course. It is the 14th real-world course in the game, the 16th available in the career mode, and 19th overall. As for major tournament rotations, the U.S. Open will swap between...

Dark Souls 3 enjoys the series' biggest launch

By Owen S. Good at 9:00a 05.11.16

Dark Souls 3 shipped 3 million copies, Bandai Namco announced today, making this the largest launch in series history. The figure is for units shipped to retailers, not actual copies sold, but it still appears Dark Souls 3 will end up the all time leader in that department. The first sold 1.2 million copies, the second only shipped 1.2 million copies, over roughly the same span after their launches. Dark Souls 3 launched March 24. The series has sold 13 million units lifetime, Bandai Namco said. The shipping breakdown for Dark Souls 3 is 1.5 million to North America, 1 million in Europe, and 500,000 in Asia. For more on Dark Souls 3, see Polygon's in-depth guide.

Star Wars Battlefront sequel coming in 2017

By Samit Sarkar on May 10, 2016 05.10.16

Electronic Arts plans to release a follow-up to last year's Star Wars Battlefront sometime in 2017, the publisher announced today during an investor call. The Star Wars Battlefront sequel wasn't listed on EA's slate of announced titles for its 2017 fiscal year, which suggests that the game will be released sometime from April to December 2017. (EA's 2017 fiscal year ends in March.) EA said in an earnings release today that it has shipped over 14 million copies of Star Wars Battlefront, which was released last November on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. "We'll most likely have one Star Wars title a year for the next three to four years," said Blake Jorgensen, EA's chief financial officer, during the call. The only Star Wars game that EA has announced for a 2016 release is a S...

Titanfall 2 drops this fall

By Samit Sarkar on May 10, 2016 05.10.16

Titanfall 2 is scheduled to be released this fall, publisher Electronic Arts announced today. In a slide presentation for its 2017 fiscal year, EA listed Titanfall 2 for a launch in its fiscal third quarter, which runs from October through December 2016. That means the publisher expects developer Respawn Entertainment to ship Titanfall 2 in the same window that EA DICE will launch another first-person shooter, Battlefield 1. EA announced Battlefield 1 last week with a release date of Oct. 21. During an investor call today, EA CEO Andrew Wilson downplayed any possibility that the two games will cannibalize each other, calling the first-person shooter genre "a giant category in our industry." Titanfall 2 is in development on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. Respawn and EA...

Next NBA Live console game coming out in early 2017 (update)

By Samit Sarkar on May 10, 2016 05.10.16

EA Sports won't release an NBA Live game this year — instead, the next entry in the simulation basketball franchise will arrive in early 2017, publisher Electronic Arts announced today. EA included a new NBA Live game for consoles in a slide presentation for its 2017 fiscal year, which runs from April 2016 through March 2017. But unlike the other EA Sports titles that are traditionally released in EA's fiscal second quarter, from August through September — namely, Madden NFL, NHL and FIFA Soccer — NBA Live is listed as a fourth-quarter project. The fourth quarter of EA's 2017 fiscal year runs from January through March 2017. This coincides with the NBA All-Star Game, which is held in early February. The most recent entry in the franchise was NBA Live 16, which was released in...

Review | More
Fallout 4
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Win
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
- Release Date: 2015-11-10
Review | More
Destiny: The Taken King
- Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, 360
- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: Bungie
- Release Date: 2015-09-15
Review | More
Super Mario Maker
- Platforms: Wii U
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Developer: Nintendo EAD Group No. 4
- Release Date: 2015-09-11
Review | More
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
- Platforms: PS3, 360, Xbox One, PS4, Win
- Publisher: Konami
- Developer: Kojima Productions
- Release Date: 2015-09-01

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The best version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is now playable on Xbox One

By Allegra Frank on May 10, 2016 05.10.16

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut is now backward compatible on Xbox One, Microsoft announced. Square Enix first released the game on Xbox 360 back in 2013, two years after the original version's launch. Director's Cut is a revised, improved edition of Human Revolution, adding a New Game+ mode and additional tweaks. It also includes the downloadable add-on The Missing Link and a bonus mission. The biggest change from the older game is revamped boss fights. Although Human Revolution received positive reviews in its initial release, critics complained of the boss fights and how they deviated from the stealth-driven action players got used to throughout the rest of the game. These parts of the games were outsourced to GRIP Entertainment, not developed by Eidos Montreal like the...

Mass Effect: Andromeda now set for early 2017 launch

By Samit Sarkar on May 10, 2016 05.10.16

The release of Mass Effect: Andromeda has been pushed back a bit — the game is now scheduled to be available in "early 2017," developer BioWare announced today. "As we've been playing the game at the studio recently, it's showing us that we're taking the game in the right direction," said Aaryn Flynn, general manager of BioWare, in a post on the Mass Effect website. "But we also know we need the right amount of time to make sure we deliver everything the game can be and should be — that's our commitment from all of us to all of you. Because of that, Mass Effect: Andromeda will now ship in early 2017." The statement confirms comments made by Blake Jorgensen, chief financial officer of Mass Effect publisher Electronic Arts, during a technology conference in early March. At the time,...

Need for Speed series won't return until 2017

By Samit Sarkar on May 10, 2016 05.10.16

Electronic Arts' Need for Speed series is taking the year off, and Sweden-based developer Ghost Games is planning to bring the franchise back with a new entry in 2017, the studio announced today. "We are now building upon the foundations that have been laid with Need for Speed and delivering our next game in 2017," Ghost Games said in a blog post today. EA appears to have turned Need for Speed into a biennial series; the publisher also gave the franchise a rest in 2014 after Need for Speed Rivals, which was a launch title for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2013. Need for Speed, a reboot of the franchise, debuted in November 2015 on PS4 and Xbox One and was released on Windows PC in mid-March 2016. Ghost Games has delivered new content to Need for Speed players in a number of...

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The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine details revealed

By Colin Campbell on May 10, 2016 05.10.16

The fantasy, combat, role-playing trilogy, first launched in 2007, comes to an end with a new addendum to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, a slice of DLC called Blood and Wine, due out on May 31. It's the second expansion for The Witcher 3, following Hearts of Stone, released in October 2015. But while that addition ran for around 10 hours, this one has a bigger narrative element and a longer running time (between 20 and 30 hours) as well as some gameplay changes. Blood and Wine is recommended for anyone with a level 35 character, so if you finished the core game's main quest, you're pretty certain to be all good. A Colorful World It's set in the fictional region of Toussaint, modeled on the south of France and the Piedmont region of Italy. In contrast to Geralt's usual...

Fallout 4 gets mod support on Xbox with closed beta later this month

By Allegra Frank on May 09, 2016 05.09.16

Bethesda Game Studios announced that Fallout 4 on Xbox One will receive mod support following the release of Far Harbor this month. In a tweet, the company confirmed that mods will arrive on the console versions of Fallout 4 in a closed beta for a public release. Though still undated, the Creation Kit update is planned for consoles in May (on Xbox One first) and June (PlayStation 4). Far Harbor, the next Fallout 4 expansion, launches on Windows PC and both consoles May 19, so Xbox owners can expect the Creation Kit to arrive sometime thereafter. Fallout players on PC have had access to mod support for the past few weeks; the Creation Kit entered a closed beta in early April, followed by an open beta that same month. The update brings the ability to create their own mods, as well as...

Madden NFL 17 announced, launching Aug. 23

By Samit Sarkar on May 09, 2016 05.09.16

Madden NFL 17 is the 2016 installment in EA Sports' long-running Madden NFL franchise, and it will be released Aug. 23 — the series' usual fourth-Tuesday-in-August slot, publisher Electronic Arts announced today. Developed by EA Tiburon, Madden 17 will be available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The game will be playable early on Xbox One for EA Access subscribers. EA also announced today that it will debut a gameplay trailer for Madden 17 and reveal the game's cover athlete during the 6 p.m. ET edition of ESPN's SportsCenter on Thursday, May 12. EA had held a fan vote for the Madden box art annually for six years; this will be the first time since 2009's Madden NFL 10 that the publisher, not the fans, will choose the cover athlete. For more on the Madden...

Dead Island: Retro Revenge stars the angriest cat owner ever in new trailer

By Allegra Frank on May 09, 2016 05.09.16

Dead Island: Retro Revenge comes as a free bonus for those who pre-order Dead Island: Definitive Collection. In case you haven't made your mind up yet on whether it's a game worth putting money down on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One collection early, the trailer above boils it down for you. In short: Retro Revenge is all about saving your cat from, as per usual, the undead. Unlike the Dead Island affairs it comes packed in with, the game is a 16-bit endless runner. While Retro Revenge shares a universe with the original Dead Island (from 2011) and Riptide (2013), expect this game to be more about the humor than the survival horror Pubisher Deep Silver announced in March that Dead Island Definitive Collection will hit retail May 31; that's when Retro Revenge will also be available to...

Overwatch open beta extended by a day

By Owen S. Good on May 08, 2016 05.08.16

Overwatch's open beta, which got underway for everyone on Thursday, has been extended by a day and will now conclude Tuesday, May 10 at 10 am PT. The extension is good for all platforms. Blizzard announced the extension yesterday evening, couching the extension as a thank-you to the Overwatch community who have played the beta in great numbers. Overwatch, the class-based multiplayer shooter, will launch May 24 on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.

NBA Live 16 coming to EA Access in late May

By Samit Sarkar on May 06, 2016 05.06.16

NBA Live 16, the most recent basketball game from EA Sports, will be available to EA Access subscribers in The Vault starting May 25, according to the EA Access Twitter account. Developed by EA Tiburon, NBA Live 16 was originally released last September on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to a lukewarm reception. Its face scanning app, at least, was actually pretty good. The impending debut of NBA Live 16 on EA Access will mean that all of EA's 2015 sports games are available free to subscribers. EA's latest sports title is EA Sports UFC 2, which launched less than two months ago. EA Access, which is available exclusively on Xbox One, costs $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. NBA Live 16 will be the 21st game to be added to The Vault, following FIFA 16 last month and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour...

Why DICE chose World War I for the new Battlefield

By Colin Campbell on May 06, 2016 05.06.16

Electronic Arts and DICE today unveiled Battlefield 1, a combat simulation set in the First World War, due to be released worldwide Oct. 21. A trailer showed during a livestream depicted combat making use of ground, troops, airplanes, battleships, Zeppelins, horses and snipers. At a press event, an EA spokesperson stressed that the game is about "variety, and not just shooting from a muddy trench." Weapons on display included bayonets and hand maces, rifles, machine guns, gas attacks and sniper rifles. Battlefield 1 also allows players to take control of tanks and biplanes. Dedicated vehicle classes are being introduced, such as tank captain and pilot. Some vehicles can be used by two players, such as a pilot and gunner. "There's a common misconception that this was an era of...

Battlefield 1 announced, watch the first trailer for the WWI shooter

By Michael McWhertor on May 06, 2016 05.06.16

Electronic Arts and DICE made it official today: The next Battlefield game is called Battlefield 1 and is going back in time to World War I. DICE's new Battlefield will focus on WWI-era battles that include horses, tanks, motorcycles and biplanes, as well as boots-on-the-ground infantry warfare. Battlefield 1 will feature era-appropriate weapons, including early-20th-century guns, grenades, poisonous gases, flamethrowers and a variety of melee weapons such as shovels and maces. Must Read Why DICE chose WWI for the new Battlefield DICE promises 64-player multiplayer battles and locations that range from the Alps to the deserts of Arabia. Players will experience "global conflict through the eyes of several different characters all united by this first...

New Battlefield art leaks, appears to confirm World War I setting (update)

By Michael McWhertor on May 06, 2016 05.06.16

Details on Electronic Arts and DICE's new Battlefield game appear to have leaked a bit early, thanks to the Xbox Store. An image from Battlefield 5 — or Battlefield 1, as another leak seems to confirm — seems to confirm long-standing rumors that DICE's shooter will take place during the First World War, or an alternate-history version of that conflict. Artwork apparently from the new Battlefield shows a soldier armed with an early 20th century pistol, a rifle and a spiked trench club. He also appears to be standing in front of a zeppelin, an airship that was used during World War I. If accurate, Battlefield 5's time period would stand in stark contrast to rival Call of Duty, which is venturing far into the future and deep space with this year's Infinite Warfare. We'll find out more,...

Epic Games: 'We would have died three times' without Unreal Engine

By Owen S. Good on May 06, 2016 05.06.16

When Epic Games began giving away its Unreal Engine last year to anyone who wanted it, it seemed like a bad idea to many casual observers of the video games industry. Epic hadn't published anything on consoles since 2013, didn't have any full releases planned for more than a year, and the engine seemed like its only sellable product. It was, in fact, a very good idea, co-founder Tim Sweeney told Polygon. "Last year was our best engine year ever," Sweeney said. "By a significant margin." Unreal switched to a subscription based model in 2014 when Unreal Engine 4 launched, and then dropped the monthly fees altogether in March of last year, in favor of standard royalties for most projects and then customized licensing agreements for large-scale endeavors. Giving Unreal out and then...

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's debut trailer gets savaged on YouTube, Activision responds

By Michael McWhertor on May 05, 2016 05.05.16

The first trailer for this year's Call of Duty game, Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, debuted on YouTube on Monday and has since racked up more than 8 million views. But many viewers — hundreds of thousands of them — have expressed their displeasure with the futuristic Call of Duty by giving the video a thumbs-down. With 370,000 dislikes (and growing), the overwhelmingly negative response has made Infinite Warfare's trailer one of the most disliked videos on YouTube. Many of the complaints from YouTube commenters center on the futuristic sci-fi bent Infinity Ward is taking with this year's entry. Infinite Warfare features space travel and battles on distant planets, and many viewers have been making unkind comparisons to franchises like Halo and Star Wars, saying they'd...

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