At E3, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer proudly declared 2015 as having the strongest lineup in Xbox history. With heavy hitters released such as Forza Motorsport 6 , Halo 5: Guardians , Rise of the Tomb Raider , and more, it's a claim that's hard to argue w

Delivering sword combat for a network game, especially as part of a first person experience, is particularly challenging. We’re busy prototyping sword combat to get it into exactly the right place before we add it to a build that some lucky players in the Insider Programme will get a chance to play and provide feedback on. We’ve tried a few different approaches and we’re getting closer to a solution we feel happy with. We know where it needs it sit in terms of the overall approach to combat, but we’re still keen resolve some remaining issues before its ready for a larger audience. As always, there will be much more to share in the fut

Rare's Short Haul trailers are just one way the developer is continuing to communicate with its audience, whether they're excited for Sea of Thieves or not. There are several other short video series that are ongoing, like the Inn-side Stories series or one-offs created for special events, like Talk Like a Pirate Day. Perhaps this extensive amount of developer-to-player communication is another strategy to help bring players closer to the experience that Sea Of Thieves fort of the damned guide|https://seaofthievespedia.com/ of Thieves will provide . Perhaps in knowing Rare, players will better know their ga

Which Xbox One exclusives are you looking forward to next year? Are you interested in other games not listed here, such as Keiji Inafune's ReCore ? Are you looking forward to some of the console exclusive indie titles hitting Xbox One next year, like Below and Cuphead ? Sound off in the comments below and talk with us about all the exciting games coming to Xbox One in 2

For the above to work, we’ve embraced the concept of aiming down sights as a special state – if you want to fire at a target, you must hold the left trigger / right mouse button and aim down the physical barrel of the

The people behind hit games such as Alan Wake and Max Payne are set to release what is possibly their most ambitious project yet with Quantum Break . Quantum Break is looking to combine gaming and television in a big way, boasting a star-studded cast that includes Shawn Ashmore from X-Men , along with actors from shows such as Game of Thrones and The Wire . After a number of delays, Quantum Break is finally set to release for the Xbox One on April 5th, 2

Andreas goes on to describe how visual effects are all about bringing the entire experience together, a key facet of what will make Sea of Thieves more than a typical pirate game. As an online multiplayer game with a heavy reliance on character customization and progression, player investment in the character and world is an obvious priori

Ah yes, 2016 is here. We've finally gotten to the point in our planet's history where the current year almost sounds fictitious. Bad quips about how the number of years that have passed aside, 2016 is set to be a downright fascinating 366 days when it comes to video games (that's right, it's a leap year - here's to hoping you found this out from a gaming article). If there's one thing that there isn't enough of on the Internet every year, it's articles hoping for certain aspects of a new year to be wonderful. In honor of this, we're bringing you three wonderful wishes for each major gaming entity (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo and PC) over the next four days that, if true, might just make 2016 the best year for gaming yet. While the Xbox One is very much in second place, Microsoft's heavy consumer focus over the past year definitely has put the Xbox One in prime position to be a downright awesome console.

As is the case with Quantum Break , one of the biggest Xbox One exclusives coming next year is from a third-party studio. Platinum Games is developing a new action RPG called Scalebound , which will allow gamers to take the skies on the backs of dragons, and battle enemies with the help of friends in 4-player co-op. Scalebound 's Gamescom 2015 trailer impressed many, and hopefully Platinum Games can stick the landing when the game releases next y

It is extremely important for us that sword combat feels right for the Sea of Thieves world. We don’t want to use excessive UI elements, we want to maintain first person, and it needs work neatly alongside the numerous other game mechanics. It’s also critical for sword combat to work all kinds of emergent scenarios. it won’t always be 1v1, it might be 3v3 or 5v1,

Interestingly, Rare didn't have anything else to say about how Sea of Thieves would be monetised after its launch next year. All Mayles could offer in that regard was a broad design philosophy that hints towards a content release plan similar to that of Destiny or other long-term investments like The Divisi

There are definitely some major questions about Sea of Thieves, especially when you consider that Rare is not a studio that has ever put together an online game that feels truly cutting edge, but if everything hits, Microsoft's investment in this legendary studio could be totally worth it. The real goal here should be to find a way to make a charming, deep online version of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag , considering that may be the best pirate game we've ever received.