GameSploosh

So the Xbox Series X is revealing first party games on July 23rd. Many of these games from newly bought and long standing Microsoft Games Studios.

But what should we expect from all of these companies? Here’s my list of expectations/predictions for what we should expect from Microsoft.

Project Lockhart

So if the rumours are true, we can expect to see a cheaper, digital only version of the Series X. No official name has been announced for this cheaper Xbox, however.

If the rumours are true we already know it won’t be much different in power compared to the Series X, but will not have a disc drive.

If this console is revealed to be true the Sony may have to stare down a huge problem.

Halo Infinite

Now obviously we shall see Halo Infinite. This has already been confirmed by Microsoft and 343 themselves. They have also confirmed that we won’t be seeing any multiplayer gameplay, only story.

343 showing off gameplay will, hopefully, start to explain their recent Halo Infinite teaser which included The Banished transmission.

343 are renowned for their marketing, even if it doesn’t live up to expectation (*cough* Halo 5 *cough*) but with a little bit of luck Halo Infinite will live up to the well earned hype.

Fable

This is a rumour that has been circulating around for years. But you’d be mistaken if you thought this wasn’t happening.

Now obviously I can’t confirm what Microsoft is up too in regards to Fable. But I, for one, would put money on a new Fable game in the works.

I mean, think about it. Playground Games have been seen to have listed a job for a “new, ambitious, open world RPG” and only THIS year, Microsoft have renewed the license for Fable.

Now it’s hard to say specifically, but if you ask me, the groundwork has been layed, and it’s only a matter of time before we see a new Fable game.

The Initiative

This one is hard to say, and has been confirmed as to not showing something on July 23rd.

But after buying up a lot of talent in the industry, people and studios alike, Microsoft have opened this new Santa Monica based studio we can only hope they’ll have something to show us.

Now obviously game development takes a long time, but I would love to see what this new developer has been up too over the last year.

Other Games Expected to be seen

Psychonaughts 2 has been in development for a while and so wouldn’t be surprising if it was shown off.

InXile is working on Wasteland 3 for a near release date, but is also rumoured to be working on a bigger game that will most likely release on the Series X.

Ninja Theory are still working hard on Hellblade 2, so that will be nice to see.

And Rare might show off some new project we haven’t heard about yet.

So you may have heard that recently Pokémon Sword and Shield have had their first DLC release, The Isle of Armour. This expansion brings back 105 Pokémon from old generations and adds a whole new story.

A good thing about this expansion is the level scaling. I started a new game, on Pokémon Sword to try out the expansion at its lowest level. It doesn’t take long to reach, as you only need to get to the Wild Area for the first time. Then take the train to the new Isle of Armour.

Reaching the island for the first time I felt under levelled, my poor Sobble only a lowly level 10, and my newly acquired Galarian Slowpoke at level 12. The first Pokémon I encountered was a Rockruff at level 15, which would have been a struggle had I not picked the water typed starter.

Levelling out was fairly easy though, as some of the more dangerous Pokémon, such as Bouffalant, knew very little in damaging moves.

I spent my first hour exploring the quaint island, finding and building myself a new team. Then I chose to start the story.

After battling your new rival, in my case – Klara – you’re journey begins at the dojo. After a short cutscene and a quick battle with Mustard, you’re sent off on your very first of 3 trials.

The first two trials you face feel like odd jobs that introduce you to new mechanics, like Max Soup, and the third is a battle. These trails are easily completed and don’t take massively long, but they do help you explore and traverse the island, allowing you to see a lot of what it has to offer.

After the three trials is where the most challenging part of the DLC begins. After you acquire Kubfu you’re given the choice to tackle one of two towers, each allowing your Kubfu to ultimately evolve in one of two ways.

I chose the Tower of Darkness, and despite the games warnings of Kubfu being level 30 to make the challenge easier I tried my luck more or less straight away. I lost. Badly.

The challenge isn’t in beating the tower with only a Kubfu, but the process of grinding Kubfu to be able to fight the tower by its self. Once I hit level 30 the tower was relatively easy, each trainer only having one Pokémon of the towers type.

Once completing the tower, and evolving your Kubfu into Urshifu, you are left to wander the island as much as you wish.

The island does have plenty to explore, and plenty to see. But it also has another side challenge where you search for Alolan Digletts buried in the ground. The reward for this is Alolan versions of older Pokémon for every 5 or 10 Diglett you have found.

One feature from older games, and perhaps a peak in this expansion, is the return of Pokémon following you outside of their balls. This might only be a small feature, but you can’t help but appreciate the effort they’ve put in to allow every Pokémon follow you around.

Just like in generation 4’s Heartgold and Soulsilver, and later spin-offs Let’s Go: Pikachu and Eevee, fans will be happy to see their favourite monsters run around behind them. It’s a fun little addition that many players will appreciate, although for me, I especially enjoy seeing a Slowpoke dragging behind because it can’t keep up.

For a DLC to bring us a new Wild Area I was a little skeptical. But the Isle of Armour really does bring out a lot of character that the original Wild Are just doesn’t seem to have.

I was a little disappointed to see, from my experience, that only one new Galarian form was added to the game. I feel like we could have done with many more. But, after the Dexit fiasco, it’s nice to see more Pokémon return to the game, with or without a regional variant.

This expansion does have plenty to offer for new players and veterans alike. The level scaling is effective, and allows you to play at any time, no matter how far into the game you have reached.

It does feel a little steep for £25, but when you consider the expansion pass also includes The Crown Tundra. It all feels worth while for the effort that Gamefreak have put into this expansion and the level of effort we can come to expect for the next.

With plenty to offer and a story to follow, even for a rather short one, this expansion is definitely one to check out if you’re a fan of the series.

Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed for a second time, this time to November 19th. This comes after an official statement on the Cyberpunk Twitter.

CD Projekt Red have been clear from the start that Cyberpunk will be ‘ready when it’s done.’

In the statement, Head of Studio – Adam Badowski – and Co-founder – Marcin Iwinski – stated that the delay was to iron out the bugs and make gameplay balances.

They also say that the game is fully playable and is being sent out to journalists this month.

Check out the tweet below.

So it’s finally here! Pokémon Sword and Shield have dropped their first DLC: The Isle of Armour. I’ve spent an hour playing the new expansion and I must say, they’ve really hit the nail on the head.

The Isle of Armour presents the first time in the history of the franchise that Gamefreak have added DLC to one of its Pokémon games without a third ‘expanded’ version.

I bought the Sword expansion pass and spent an hour exploring the island, getting to see new locations and the many Pokémon that have been added to the game.

The island is a beautiful landscape, in which you could spend hours just walking around, discovering new locations and encountering the 105 returning Pokémon re-established into the game.

I spent this hour doing just that. Thanks to the level scaling in the expansion, you can join at any time and start this new adventure. I, for one, started my game fresh to catch and use some of the returning Pokémon in my team.

Each area on the island feels fresh and unique, which keeps old players coming back, and new players get their teeth stuck in on an expanding new region.

As a whole the island feels like it’s own smaller region, but displayed as a whole new wild area.

Meeting your rival, Klara, for the first time on the island is refreshing. It’s mostly nice to see a new rival who doesn’t constantly mention Leon. He is mentioned in the first bit of dialogue, however.

Stay tuned for a full review after I have completed the new story.

So, let’s talk about the PlayStation 5 reveal stream – or more specifically, one game. Sony revealed a huge amount of titles for the PlayStation 5, but the one that took my eye the most was Rachet and Clank: Rift Apart.

As someone in my mid 20’s, Rachet and Clank hold a special place in my heart. A lot of fond memories waking up early on a Saturday morning, switching on my PlayStation 2 and playing Rachet and Clank for endless hours. So I wanted to reminisce about some of my favourite childhood games that need to make a comeback after Rachet and Clank: Rift Apart.

5. Blinx the Time Sweeper

A cat, that travels to different times and dimensions, creating and maintaining the flow of time? What’s not to love!

This game, and it’s sequel, were created by Artoon Studios, published by Microsoft Game Studios for the original Xbox.

Unfortunately, Artoon closed its doors in 2010 so unless Microsoft (the current IP owners) decide to revitalise a nearly 20 year old franchise it’s not looking likely we’ll see a new Blinx game any time soon. Get it?

4. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger

Ty does make for an interesting one, with it being released in 2002 and it even got a remaster in 2016. Not to mention it’s also available on Nintendo Switch, with a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One release still to come.

But given all that, I think now is the perfect time to bring back a fan favourite character.

The last time we heard from Ty, was for the 4th installment in 2015, a 2D title released for Windows and tablets.

This is the time for Krome Studios, and EA, to give us another Ty game set for mainstream release.

3. Sly Cooper

Sly Cooper and his band of thieves were some of my favourite characters as a kid, and it’s always left me with wanting more to play.

The most recent game in its library, Thieves in Time, was released in 2013. So given a 7 year break, it’s high time this tricky thief came back.

The franchise was owned by Sucker Punch Studios up until 2010 when it was taken over by Sanzaru Games. They have a CGI film based on the original game in the works but no official release date as of yet.

Now would be the perfect time to bring the franchise back, and let us older fans, and newer fans alike enjoy more of Sly Cooper’s racoon mischief.

2. Conker

Rare had a very special IP on its hands with this one. A cute, little squirrel, with a foul mouth. This cult hit has so many people (myself included) screaming for a remake, remaster or a new release.

Rare were planning on a sequel to the game, but we’re bought out by Microsoft who had no interest in the idea, but did re-release the game as Conker: Live & Reloaded for the original Xbox.

The game faced a fair bit of controversy, due to its graphic violence, alcohol and tobacco use and it’s extremely vulgar humour.

But all of this left fans wanting more. Now would be the perfect time to bring Conker back, either in a Crash/Spyro remake, or a sequel after all these years.

Microsoft, make it happen.

1. Jak and Daxter

Jak and Daxter are two of, if not the most iconic duo of the PlayStation 2’s era. Sporting three mainstream titles, a PSP title, a racing spin off, and Daxter’s own spin off game on the PSP.

While the was a collection edition released on PlayStation 4 in 2017, Jak and Daxter must make a return on the PlayStation 5.

Jak and Daxter developers, Naughty Dog, may have their hands full with newer titles, but with nostalgia at an all time high, this proves to be the perfect time to work on and release a new game set in the Jak universe.

With the return of Rachet and Clank, what better franchise is there to bring back, to rival it on sales, and remain an exclusive to the PlayStation. It’s a win-win for Sony, and releasing a new Jak and Daxter game alongside, or shortly after Rachet and Clank would cement fans decision to buy the new console.