Welcome to our weekly ICYMI for Xbox news!
We'll still be posting major Xbox announcements in the main feed. However, I'll be collecting some of the more nuanced news, rumors and talking points into one handy post every weekend! You can also rely on this weekly column to keep up to date with all the latest game releases.
So without further ado, here's the latest edition of This Week in Xbox One News.
Backwards compatibility announcements delayed once more
Over a week ago now, Phil Spencer noted that we'd be getting some backwards compatibility announcements. Seems we've been hit with another delay.
..."I talked to the team, they aren't ready to talk yet. Sorry I set expectation so I'll want until I know they have their news ready."...
Microsoft is hard at work building a catalogue of playable Xbox 360 games for Xbox One, with hopes of more than 100 titles by this fall. I guess we'll be waiting just a little longer to see what heavy hitters from the requests list makes the cut.
Doors are open for Lawbreakers on Xbox One
Gears of War godfather Cliff Bleszinski is hard at work developing Lawbreakers, a free to play class-based FPS. You can check out the action-packed game trailer above. Lawbreakers is being developed for PC between BossKey Productions and their publisher Nexon. That doesn't mean LawBreakers won't be gracing Xbox down the line, though.
Phil Spencer recently praised LawBreaker's reveal, inferring Cliff Bleszinski's success with Gears of War.
..."Last time @therealcliffyb launched a new gaming franchise that one seem to turn out ok. Congrats to you and the team. #LawBreakers."...
Phil then followed up the tweet, stating that Blezskinski "is always welcome" on Xbox One.
Cliff Bleszinski has since posted a celebratory Vine of Microsoft staff playing LawBreakers at PAX. I think this is a done deal, folks.
Bioware announce a final DLC for Dragon Age Inquisition titled 'Tresspasser'
Bioware have announced Dragon Age Inquisition's final DLC, which is set to serve as the game's epilogue.
Dragon Age Inquisition is one of the biggest and boldest RPGs available for the Xbox One as of writing. The game boasts 100 of hours of gameplay across several huge open-world areas. In Inquisition, players are tasked with repairing a demon-spewing tear to the spirit realm known as The Fade, building up an army to do so.
The 'Trespasser' DLC will serve as Inquisition's epilogue, taking place two years after the events of the core game. To access Trespasser, you'll have to finish the base game first. Dragon Age head Mike Laidlaw described the DLC to Gamespot in this way:
..."It's something we haven't tried before. Trespasser tells an entirely new story, set two years after the main game. The story explores what it's like to be a world-saving organization when the world no longer needs saving."...
Laidlaw went on to state that Trespasser will "mark the end" of Bioware's time with Inquisition, and also tease the future of the franchise as well.
Trespasser will launch on September 8th across all versions of Dragon Age Inquisition.
ICYMI - Some of Windows Central's biggest Xbox articles of the week
- A quick look at Xbox streaming to YouTube Gaming with Elgato's Game Capture HD cards
- Xbox One Mini is not happening, says Phil Spencer
- Exclusive first look at Onigiri, the next MMO for Xbox One
- Forza 6 demo goes live on Xbox One September 1
- Here are some of the best current and upcoming Xbox One first-person shooters
- Take Dying Light for a spin on the Xbox One in the new demo
- Gigantic closed beta starts Friday, August 28 for Xbox One and Windows 10
- Rise of the Tomb Raider Collector's Edition includes a Lara Croft statue and more for $149
- The best racing games for Xbox One
- Xbox Preview program is at 'near capacity', so new invites will be cut back
New Xbox One game releases for the week ending Aug 30th, 2015
Whispering Willows - Action & Adventure / Puzzle - Abstraction Games
"In Whispering Willows, you take on the role of Elena, a determined young girl with the extraordinary ability to project her spirit outside of her body."
Blues and Bullets - Episode 1 - Action & Adventure - A Crowd of Monsters
"Eliot Ness, the former leader of the legendary Untouchables, wished only to spend the rest of his days working in his diner, not dwelling too much on the cesspit of corruption his city, Santa Esperanza, had degenerated into."
Nova-111 - Action & Adventure - Funktronic Labs
"Pilot your trusty vessel through mysterious and foreign planets in this original sci-fi adventure. Your mission: fix space-time and search out the scientists lost in the aftermath of the Universe's greatest experiment."
Magnetic: Cage Closed - Action & Adventure / Puzzler - Guru Games
"Magnetic is a first person puzzle game that lets you manipulate and master magnetic forces. The mechanics are focused around a single tool: The Magnet Gun. This device is the only thing that helps you navigate the vast and deadly prison-maze you've been cast into."
WATCH_DOGS™ Complete Edition - Action & Adventure - Ubisoft
"Experience Watch_Dogs - the phenomenon of 2014 - with the biggest edition ever! As Aiden Pearce, a brilliant hacker, turn Chicago into the ultimate weapon in your quest for revenge. In this Complete Edition, including the game + Season Pass, access a new game mode, weapons, outfits and missions and plays as T-Bone, the legendary hacker in a brand new campaign!"
Octodad: Dadliest Catch - Action & Adventure - Young Horses Inc.
"Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a game about destruction, deception, and fatherhood. The player controls Octodad, a dapper octopus masquerading as a human, as he goes about his life."
Goat Simulator: Mmore Goatz Edition - Action & Adventure / Simulator? - Double Elevent
"Mmore Goatz Edition brings exactly what you'd expect; more goats than ever previously thought possible in the biggest goat simulation experience of all time! Next-gen MMO simulation allows you to be a simulated goat in a simulated MMO. You no longer have to fantasize about being a simulated goat in a simulated MMO, your dreams have finally come true! !"
Yasai Ninja - Action & Adventure - Recotechnology S.L.
"Yasai Ninja presents Samurai Onion (Kaoru Tamanegi) and Broccoli Joe, the good guys in this new Hack & Slash adventure, with a high dose of action, a combat system designed for one or two players, puzzles, large quantities of humor, friendship, personal improvement, honor and collaborative spirit belong in this unique atmosphere, which puts our characters in their own universe."
Don't Starve: Giant Edition - Action & Adventure - Ubisoft
"Don't Starve: Giant Edition is an uncompromising wilderness survival game full of science and magic. You play as Wilson, an intrepid Gentleman Scientist who has been trapped by a demon and transported to a mysterious wilderness world. Wilson must learn to exploit his environment and its inhabitants if he ever hopes to escape and find his way back home."
And that's a wrap!
This week I've been reviewing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. As the game is so huge, I may have to spin out some early impressions tomorrow instead of the full review. Some of the larger sites were invited to MGSV "boot camps" by Konami, which made me wonder just how objective those 9s and 10s could be. I'm a colossal Metal Gear fan, but I've already got a small collection of gripes with MGSV. What have you guys been playing this week?
