Games With Gold: January 2015

Next year will kick off with D4, or Dark Dreams Don't Die, for Xbox One.

A time traveling detective has to solve his wife’s murder before he can prevent it. Use his supernatural ability to “dive” into the world of the living past by touching artifacts called “mementos” to find out the truth behind his wife’s death.

Get it free from January 1st 2015!

Game of the year: The community edition

The Xbox One subreddit have had extended version of game of the year, here are the results.

Best Shooter:

Titanfall

Best RPG:

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Best Action Adventure:

Sunset Overdrive

Best Soundtrack:

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Best Narrative:

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Best Stealth Game:

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Best Single-Player Campaign:

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Best Multiplayer:

Titanfall

Best Driving Game:

Forza Horizon 2

Best Platformer:

Sunset Overdrive

Best Family Game:

Minecraft: Xbox One Edition

Best Kinect Game:

Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved

Best Horror Game:

Alien: Isolation

The "Should Have Been Delayed" Award:

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Best Graphics:

Forza Horizon 2

Best Free Game With Gold:

Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition

Best System Update:

Custom Themes / Backgrounds

Best App:

EA Access

Most Hated Character:

The Word "Searching.." - Halo: The Master Chief Collection

The "Buyers Remorse" Award:

Destiny

Best Xbox Exclusive:

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Overall 2014 Game Of The Year:

Sunset Overdrive


There we have it! How the best exclusive can differ from the best game of the year when they're both exclusives are beyond me, but that's how this works. I voted for most of these titles, not the Best Soundtrack, where I voted for Child of Light. And buyers remorse where I voted for Shadow of Mordor, otherwise the list looks pretty much as I think this year have been.

Edit: Sunset Overdrive's Twitter thanked for the award in a tweet

Edit2: Removed a category from the list that where inappropriate 

More water on the VR-rumor mill

Mock up picture by Wareable.com

As I wrote a time ago, it seems that Microsoft is revealing a VR headset for Xbox One next year. More news about this circulated the internet last week as TechRadar wrote that some dev kits are already in the hands of some developers. They are, allegedly, to appear on E3 2015, but I think we will know a lot about them long before that.

VR goggles may be a bit gimmicky or they may be the next real big thing in gaming. Either way we can sure hope for a some great competition between Microsoft and Sony next year, which will certainly be beneficial for us users. 

Xbox One Christmas Sale

Black Friday wasn't enough, so Microsoft is throwing another sale, with special one day offers every day. This is the sale now, games marked with * are for gold members only. 

Magic 2015*	Xbox One Game	50%
Call of Duty Ghosts	Xbox One Game	50%
NBA Live 15	Xbox One Game	35%
Battlefield 4 Premium Edition	Xbox One Game	50%
PES 2015	Xbox One Game	33%
Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes	Xbox One Game	67%
Evil Within*	Xbox One Game	50%
Wolfenstein the New Order	Xbox One Game	50%
Thief*	Xbox One Game	67%
The Crew + ACU Bundle*	Xbox One Game	25%
The Crew + Far Cry 4 Bundle*	Xbox One Game	25%
Assassins Creed Unity	Xbox One Game	17%
How to Survive Storm Warning Ed	Xbox One Game	33%
Lords of the Fallen	Xbox One Game	40%
Killer Instinct Double Ultra Bundle	Xbox One Game	33%
Powerstar Golf Full Game Unlock	Xbox One Game	50%
Kinect Sports Rivals	Xbox One Game	50%

And today's deals are:

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor	Xbox One Game	33%
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor Season Pass	Add-On	33%
LEGO The Hobbit	Xbox One Game	50%

A sneak peek at the Xbox App for Windows 10

The first looks at the new OS's app for Xbox gaming is thought to be an extended version of today's Smartglass App, in which you can now launch apps such as Achievements, Activity Feed and the Store. Speculation has already started that this app will replace Smartglass with the release of Windows 10 for phones as well as PCs and Xbox Ones.

A more extended version for the already great app that we have today would sure be awesome, we will see more of this soon, probably at their conference in Redmond 21st January.

Microsoft now accept your Bitcoins!

Today Microsoft announced that they now willingly accept your payment in Bitcoins. This is a huge deal for many, not only the ones who already uses the currency. Now, Microsoft isn't the first big company to accept the currency as a payment, Amazon, eBay and PayPal are some of the companies that already do this, but some over at Reddit argue that this time it's actually more important. Microsoft sell games, and they (sometimes) have a younger audience than the other companies that uses Bitcoin. They argue that this will result in a larger group of people who use the currency, and a currency being used a lot is a healthy one.

So, will Microsoft be the one big catalytic effect that will take Bitcoins even higher? Probably not, but it may result in Sony doing the exact same thing, competition being a major force in change and all. And if these two giant can change the mind of Valve CEO Gabe Newell, then I'm certain that Bitcoin usage will expand vastly, and fast!

Is it time to jump on the train and start using cryptocurrencies? Can you afford not to?

This week's deals with gold!

This week there are two games on discount in the Xbox Marketplace.

Plants versus Zombies: Garden Warfare:

Plantsvs. Zombies Garden Warfare digs into the trenches with an explosive new Co-op and Multiplayer action experience. Blast zombies and plants across a mine-blowing world that delivers the depth of a traditional online shooter blended with the refreshing humor of Plants vs. Zombies.  KEY FEATURES: 24-player multiplayer action: Choose your side, plants or zombies 4-player online co-op: Take on zombie waves and unique new bosses Customization: Personalize your favorite and new plants and zombies Two

Exclusive Modes for Xbox One -Split-screen co-op -SmartGlass and Kinect gameplay in Boss Mode

Peggle 2:

Peggle 2 is a magical game full of bouncing balls, magical pegs and bricks made of pure compressed joy! Test your luck and skill by clearing pegs, bashing bricks and timing your shots just right to achieve EXTREME FEVER! Discover 5 magical Peggle Masters and use their preposterous powers over 120 levels and trials to shatter expectations and acquire high scores beyond the realm of plausibility ! And then, once you've honed your talents, deploy them against others in 4-player Peg party mode, or against a single opponent in Duel mode.




The DLC for Worms Battlegrounds, Alien Invasion is also on discount.

Destiny - A guideline of how not to treat your fans

Bungie's, not really an MMO, FPS game Destiny have been around for some months now. And with a great number of players, the community have given the game hard critique from the very first beta. It turns out that Bungie had kicked their main writer for the game a year prior to release, and decided to still go with the set release date.

That was probably the first big, but not last of their mistakes in making of Destiny.

Kicking the person responsible for the plot may be the right thing to do, scrapping most parts of the story and the lore, only to make the lore occur in small texts that can be accessed via the app. Needless to say, this is why the story is so bland and that upset many fans.
Instead of fixing this, and adding more story elements to the game via DLCs, there are rumors about a sequel to the game, because you know... Money.

But who need lore in an FPS game with levels and numbers? And the story mode takes you to level 20 if, from there you had to grind a good deal before being able to get into the more fun and challenging content, because after level 20 you no longer got experience and instead have to get better gear to give you "light" which gives you level.

Some players found a fast way to grind gear, which still took a good few hours when it was optimized, Bungie saw to the issue of these players and killed the so called Loot Cave, for better or worse.

Just this week, their first DLC, The Dark Below, was released. And if you own a Xbox One, you will only get about 66% of it until fall next year. You still have to pay the same price of course, because money. This was Bungie's decision on partial exclusiveness to the PS4.

Now, you might think that you don't want to pay $20 for that that one new strike mission, a raid and three multiplayer maps. But if you don't, you also can't play the old strike missions, nor get any tokens needed to buy the best gear in the game. So if you don't have the DLC, don't play, or at least not until Bungie decide to fix this, which isn't very likely.

This week's Deals with Gold

This week you can buy Metro 2033 Redux, Metro Last Light Redux and Metro Redux Bundle at 33% off per piece!

For you who doesn't know metro, here's the game store info of the game:

In 2013 the world was devastated by an apocalyptic event, annihilating almost all mankind and turning the earth’s surface into a poisonous wasteland. A handful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground, and human civilization entered a new Dark Age. The year is 2033. An entire generation has been born and raised underground, and their besieged Metro Station-Cities struggle for survival, with each other, and the mutant horrors that await outside. You are Artyom, born in the last days before the fire, but raised underground. Having never ventured beyond the city limits, one fateful event sparks a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro system, to warn the remnants of mankind of a terrible impending threat. But will they even listen? Rather than stand united, the factions of the Metro are locked in a struggle for the ultimate power, a doomsday device from the military vaults of D6. A civil war is stirring that could wipe humanity from the face of the earth forever. Including the epic single-player campaigns of both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, Metro Redux takes you on a journey from the forgotten catacombs beneath the subway to the desolate wastelands above, where your actions will determine the fate of mankind.

• Immerse yourself in the Moscow Metro – witness one of the most atmospheric worlds in gaming brought to life with stunning next-gen visuals at 60FPS

• Brave the horrors of the Russian apocalypse – equip your gasmask and an arsenal of hand-made weaponry as you face the threat of deadly mutants, human foes, and the terrifying environment itself

• Two campaigns, and all downloadable content included – Metro Redux includes two complete campaigns that combine to create one epic solo adventure, plus a further 10 hours of bonus content

• Two unique Play Styles : ‘Spartan’ and ‘Survival’ – approach the campaign as a slow burn Survival Horror , or tackle it with the combat skills of a Spartan Ranger in these two unique modes

• The legendary Ranger Mode returns – dare you play the fearsome Ranger Mode? No HUD, UI, deadlier combat and limited resources combine to create the ultimate immersive experience

Review: Dragon Age: Inquisition

I'm so very late with this one, and there is a very good reason for that, I've been playing and enjoying the game.

Dragon Age: Inquisition throws you directly into the action, going with the trope that the main protagonist have lost his memory he or she now stands accused for killing everyone in the meeting between the templars and the rebelling mages. Being a captive as the lone survivor and having a strange magic bound to your hand, your sent of to close the gigantic fade rift that tore the sky apart and killed everyone at the meeting, everyone but you.

From there the game is pretty much open for you to explore, with overwhelming numbers of quests to do, people to talk to, requisitions to fill and monsters to kill. This game is the result Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age making a love child! 

The Good

I love the openness in this game! It's the best that BioWare have produced since... Ever! There's so much to explore, and I'm pretty sure that it's designed to be more than most players will care to do. A game where there's always something more to go back to and do is a really good game. 

I must admit that I was afraid of the combat system in this game, but the tactical view have a nice flow and it is easy to tell your party what to do (even if they don't always listen, more on that later), and you don't always have to use it either, for those easy quick fights, some fast paced action might be better suited.

The war table also is a fun feature, where you order your advisers to investigate plots, gather resources or scout new areas to open them for exploration. I can only hope that a high tech version of this will be in the next Mass Effect!

Companions also have a story, and so much character! You'll have to speak to them often, and my only concern is that I don't have time to invest in all the characters. You'll have to help them with missions and bring them on side quests, which ruins my perfect combos! The ones I talked to are great thought, and remember to talk to the advisers as well.  

The Bad

I started playing on Nightmare difficulty, where almost every foe is deadly and will kill you if you don't know what to do. This game mode forces you to learn how to handle your party. Sadly, I had to change the difficulty to get past a certain step in the story where you can't change the party, and the notorious AI keeps screwing up what I'm trying to do. The AI of your party members make this game harder than it has to be, and that is the games major flaw. They sometimes outright refuse to do what you told them to and keep attacking something instead of reviving a fallen team mate. This made made the game more frustrating than fun, and the constant micromanagement in every battle felt more tedious than challenging. If you consider playing on Nightmare, make sure you optimize your party, and absolutely make sure to be over leveled!

The rest is minor flaws, things such as when you use your mount, your other party members disappear, only to reappear when you dismount. I'm guessing this has to do with pathing and the mounts being larger than characters etc. But it had been nice to have your whole party mounted and trotting around.

Bottom line

This is the best game I played this year, and it's the best in the Dragon Age series. It's not perfect, and I consider the AI a major flaw, but that's also the only major flaw there is. I hope that BioWare use this game as a foundation to build the next Mass Effect game upon. The only thing you have to consider before buying this is that your social life will probably take a huge hit from this. The hours spent in game go real fast, and there's always that "one thing left" to do.

Rumors of fitness and VR in 2015

Two new gadgets for Xbox One have been rumored to be revealed next year. The first one is a new smart watch, similar to Microsoft Band but much more closely connected to Xbox One. It is rumored to get fitness games with achievements for being active. Microsoft care about their gamers, and their health apparently. What the changes from the Band, more than maybe some changes in the OS, is still unknown. Hopefully not much will change as Band have some great features and sensors. This will probably be revealed at it's latest at E3.

The other rumor may be more interesting, a rumored pair of VR-goggles, supposedly named Project: Fortaleza is in the works. This isn't any huge news, as Sony's rumored to work on Project Morpheus, their own set of goggles for PlayStation. As VR seems to be the next big thing in gaming, it's understandable how both Microsoft and Sony want a grab of the money.

Neither of these would be anything wild for Microsoft, and therefor I think we can safely say that both those gadgets are probably in the pipeline for release. However, if they will see the market is not as safe.

Games With Gold December 2014

This December Gold members will get Worms Battlegrounds for free!

As Xbox.com seems to have trouble showing this game from some countries, here's the game description:

"Game description: Worms™ Battlegrounds Worms™ Battlegrounds brings friends and families together in the noble pursuit of self‐improvement, world domination and exploding sheep. Worms™ Battlegrounds is the biggest and best Worms™ game to date - more worms, larger landscapes, more dynamic water, more weapons and more customisation items than ever before. It features beautiful high definition 3D visuals (but still retains the classic 2D gameplay) with new lighting effects, new features to help users interact socially, exciting additions to improve the single player experience, and more of everything a Worms fan could want. Form Clans, Take On The World Join together with friends and other Worms™ Battlegrounds players to form a fearsome team; name your clan, design your own emblem, promote other players to act as leaders and officers. Enter your clan into the league and fight together to make your mark on the leaderboards. Nobody wants an empty trophy cabinet! Slick Single Player Gameplay Too Story Mode’ adds a ton of variety by introducing physics based contraptions for the first time ever. A plethora of interesting machinery spices up the gameplay, and makes solo Worms™ much more fun! The single‐player game isn’t only about dealing death and destruction, it’s also about negotiating tricky swinging rope bridges and rescuing friendlies from death defying traps! The player spends much more time playing, and much less time waiting for their A.I. opponent to take a shot. Worms™ Battlegrounds is the most fully featured version of Worms™ yet! • Using the Game DVR have some of your greatest moments captured and stored for other to see or simply for you to relive the epic carnage you’ve caused.
• Clan Support
• Multiplayer Clan Leagues
• Clan Emblem Editor
• Companion website
• Day to Night Lighting Transitions
• Physics Based ‘Contraptions’
• Landscape Editor
• Over 200 individual customisation items for the worms
• 65 Weapons and Utilities including 10 outrageous new items: Mega Mortar, Gravedigger, Winged Monkey, Oxygen, Worm Charm, Bovine Blitz, Whoopsie Cushion, Teleport Raygun, Aqua Pack and The Equiliser
• 4 Improved Worm Classes including new special abilities
• 5 Environments: Inca, Viking, Feudal Japan, Industrial Revolution and Prehistoric • Multiplayer Deathmatch and Fort modes
• 25 Single Player story missions
• 10 ‘Worm‐Ops’ time attack missions
• The fastest times set on Worm Ops’ missions are recorded and can be viewed from the leaderboards
• 30% Larger Landscapes"

Get it at: Xbox Store starting at 1st Dec

Black Friday Deals and rumors

Many, including myself, found the 12 games included in the Xbox One digital Black Friday somewhat lackluster. While the prices are at a good discount, the games them self aren't that impressive. The most exciting titles are Diablo 3 and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.

Rayman is also a nice game, especially if you have someone to play it with.

In the midst of all negativity, a rumor appeared that this isn't all the deals they are releasing and that Microsoft are holding back on some deals to the real Black Friday.

A screen shot of the supposedly deals, that is rumored to had been up on the Canadian Xbox site to be brought down and replaced with the other deals just before they launched them.

These are the rumored deals that hopefully will appear. While it's still not a steam sale in numbers of titles, which is okay given the console only been around for a year, it's considerably better than the first set of deals.

In about 24 hours we will know if it's true or false. Major Nelson tweeted to look at the store this weekend, which starts tomorrow. For now, we can just wait and see.

How to optimize your Xbox One shopping

Being a consumer today isn't just to press 'purchase', it's never been like that. If you now how to use the market you can save a lot of money, which in my case is about 50% of the price, which means 50% more games!  Walk that extra mile to get these benefits, it's worth it! 

Go Digital 

Do you have to have all your games on display in that bookshelf? If not this is the time to stop giving your money to the game store and go fully digital, you have to install every game even if you buy it on it on disc today, and with digital you can always pre-load the game and have it ready when the game launches. Also, a digital game is harder to lose. Sure, you can't sell the games, but you can lend them out, sort of, I'll get to that.  Another benefit for going digital is the Xbox Rewards program, which give you money back on your account, up to 10% of the costs, and other ways to get some extra money to buy even more games. 

Console Region 

Okay, a game in the US costs $60, In Sweden it costs about $100, luckily for us, you can change region on your Xbox One, Microsoft kindly tells you how here. There is a catch, which is easy to circumvent, and that is that you'll need a credit card that has an address in the US. Fear not, the nice people over at EntroPay have this fixed for you. All this is accepted for by Microsoft for the time being. Remember, with the 10% money back you effectively pay $54 USD for each game. 

Look around 

Still not convinced? Maybe you want to resell the game after you're done with it, then be sure to get the best deal. The best site I've found is XboxPriceChecker which works both for EU and US players, never spend more than necessary!  Also, if you're looking for a game that's more than a month old, consider buying a used copy, go to eBay and search for the game, you'll be surprised how fast the prices drops on the big titles.   

Don't subscribe! 

Get Xbox Live gold, just don't subscribe to it. You can easily find a 12 months code to Xbox Live for $40 over at CDKeys.com. Also, with that low price, consider buying Xbox Live Gold even if multiplayer isn't your main interest in games. You'll get at least one new game in that subscription every month, check MajorNelson's blog (Or mine...) at the beginning of each month to see what games are free that month. Just remember to "buy" those free games, either on the console, the web or via SmartGlass app  before the month ends to secure them in your collection. 

  

Talking about subscriptions, check out EA Access, which has a lot of player value. You get access to all the games in the vault, and 10% off any EA game or DLC not in the vault. You also get trials on unreleased games five days before launch, all for $30 per year. My recommendation is that if you're looking to buy one of the games in the vault, buy a years subscription instead. 

Get a best buddy 

Buddies are great, everyone should have someone to hang out with, on Xbox One this becomes even more so. You can put any console as your home console, and everyone playing on your home console have access to your games and even Xbox Live Gold if you want. You don't even have to sign in to share! 

 So, get a friend of yours to make your console their "home" and you'll do the same at their console, and you might want to make sure to lock the account so they can't buy anything more. You can now play each others digital games, another reason to go digital, and you can even play them at the same time, in the same match! 

This means, that if you and your friend have the same taste in games, you'll pay $27 for a brand new game after discounts and splitting the price. Think games are too expensive? Think again.