Microsoft has announced its slate of titles coming to Xbox Game Pass subscribers in June. Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky has already been confirmed and will also support cross-platform play. We also know that The Bard’s Tale ARPG: Remastered and Resnarkled will be available on June 18th for consoles and PC.

Tomorrow though, the entire back-catalog of Kingdom Hearts will be available for Xbox One players. These are packaged into Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 and 2.5 ReMix along with Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. If you’ve ever wanted the complete Kingdom Hearts experience on the console after finishing Kingdom Hearts 3, this is the way to go.

PC players can look forward to Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2, Battletech and Dungeon of the Endless (also coming to Xbox One) tomorrow. CD Projekt RED’s Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, a role-playing game focused on GWENT, will join the service on June 18th. Overall, it’s a pretty solid line-up for both console and PC players to enjoy.

Several games will also be leaving Xbox Game Pass on June 15th. These include:

• Book of Demons (PC)
• Everspace (Console & PC)
• Resident Evil Revelations (Console)
• Riptide GP: Renegade (Console & PC)
• Riverbond (Console & PC)
• Samorost 3 (PC)
• Superhot (Console & PC)
• Supermarket Shriek (Console & PC)
• The Last Door: Season 2 (PC)
• The Stillness of the Wind (PC)

Tindalos Interactive’s Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is getting a smattering of new content today. First, the Chaos Campaign expansion is launching soon, providing a new story that focuses on Malos Vrykan and his journey to burn the galaxy down. Check out the launch trailer below to see how grim things can get with the Chaos.

The base game will also receive a hefty update. All three of the original campaigns will have more secondary objectives. You can also customize every facet of the campaigns to allow for bigger fleets, varied difficulty, and whatnot. If you want to remove certain features and focus on the narrative, that can be done as well.

The Chaos Campaign is out on Steam today for $12.99 and promises dozens of hours of new content, along with new missions. As for the campaign update, it’s free for all players. If you’ve been holding off on Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 till now, then it might be worth jumping into now. Check out our review of the base game here.

The sequel to 2016’s space combat epic, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 has you piloting great warships through the stars and waging war against the forces of Chaos. You’ll be playing through the fall of Cadia in this journey. For fans of the Warhammer universe, you already know how important this moment is. For newcomers, just know that there were millions of warriors involved in this war and that means you’ll get to play as a lot of different races. Story is presented both through in-game cutscenes as well as through beautiful animated cutscenes. The story is pretty typical of the grimdark tone that Warhammer games go for, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less compelling. Seeing characters that you’ve grown attached to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their cause is affecting, if you’re willing to buy into the grandiose dialogue and writing of the story mode.

"The story is pretty typical of the grimdark tone that Warhammer games go for, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less compelling. Seeing characters that you’ve grown attached to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their cause is affecting, if you’re willing to buy into the grandiose dialogue and writing of the story mode."

Graphically, Battlefleet Gothic is pretty good. The ships are detailed and a lot of care was put into making sure the models in-game were consistent with the Warhammer lore. On the other hand, the Tyranid ships look appropriately organic and unsettling, their opens mouths hungering for other sentient life. This is all good stuff and aside from a few wonky particle effects here and there, the visuals are impressive.

Gameplay in Battlefleet Gothic consists of manoeuvring your ships around the play field while engaging in engaging with enemy ships. You can generally win in two ways: either through complete destruction of opposing forces or through capturing set points on the field and accumulating enough points. This opens itself up for multiple playstyles. You can bumrush the team as soon as the match starts and swarm over them, crushing them before they have the chance to get any points and potentially catching them far away from backup. But you also have the option of stalling the enemy with smaller attacks while you send other ships off to capture points. There’s a lot of creativity allowed by these win conditions and it really helps differentiate each battle.

Battles can also include more interesting twists, like meteor showers that will constantly have you relocating your fleet to avoid collision. You also have access to a stealth mechanic, letting you shut off your engines and lie in wait in a clouded area. There’s nothing more satisfying than hiding yourself right next to a point, waiting for your opponent to come by, then lunging out right as they start to make themselves comfortable.

"There’s nothing more satisfying than hiding yourself right next to a point, waiting for your opponent to come by, then lunging out right as they start to make themselves comfortable."

During the campaign mode, there will be three races you’ll play as that all fight for their own purposes and creeds: The Imperium, the Necron, and the Tyranid. These factions all have their own strengths and weaknesses and will force you to adapt to different playstyles. Although some are easier to get used to than others, they are all pretty fun in their own way.

In the campaign mode, you’ll be doing much of your tactical planning from the map screen. Here you’ll be in charge of a race as you set out to take over territory from adjacent races and build up an armada. You maneuver your ships around the map screen, launching into battle with other ships, creating more and laying down traps for invaders to fall into. This mode is really engaging and does a lot to highlight the differences between the races. While the Imperium follow the tried-and-true formula of expanding, building, and defending, the Necron use existing ships to explore enemy territory and unearth lost technology. And then there’s the Tyranid race, which opts out of strategy and instead chooses to consume conquered planets, grow more ships, then move onto the next conquest. All three races have their own flavor and it’s not a slog to go through each campaign due to their differences.

But let’s talk about the races really quick. First up is the Imperium. The Imperium is your standard class. They’re pretty well-rounded and it’s no surprise to know that they act as your introduction to space combat. Their ships are moderately fast, decently bulky, and have access to a good amount of artillery. Although they don’t specialize in anything, they’re an effective jack-of-all-trades race. You’ll have the skills to experiment with all kinds of play-styles with this race and see which one fits you. They act a good entry point into the combat of Battlefleet Gothic.

"During the campaign mode, there will be three races you’ll play as that all fight for their own purposes and creeds: The Imperium, the Necron, and the Tyranid. These factions all have their own strengths and weaknesses and will force you to adapt to different playstyles. Although some are easier to get used to than others, they are all pretty fun in their own way."

The Necron are a little bit different but still similar enough that the skills you learned as the Imperium won’t go to waste. You’ll have access to new abilities and although you can still deal good damage, they aren’t as offensively-focused as the Imperium. Necron ships are slow-moving but also have the ability to instantly teleport a short distance away. The cooldown on this teleportation ability is quicker than you would think, so any effective Necron force should be abusing it as much as possible. There’s also an ability to instantly recall any ships to the location of a central flagship which comes in incredibly handy.  Overall, the Necron are all about quick strikes and disorienting your opponent. Once you strike, your goal is to do good damage, then retreat somewhere else once your enemy gets their bearings.

And then we get to the Tyranid campaign. These organisms are the bane of the systems and you’ll come to understand why as you play through their campaign. Tyranids are all about overwhelming the opponents. These ships have the ability to quickly rush ahead and can lunge at any point. Tyranid ships always start out their turns in stealth mode and take no damage from flying right through asteroid belts or plasma storms. This means that there is almost no direction safe from a Tyranid attack. You’ll usually find yourself lying in wait for prey to happen by before you strike. You can send out a swarm to eat away at ships nearby or even launch your tongue out to catch opposing ships and bring them in closer to your forces. You’ll feel how gleeful it can be to have an opposing force on the ropes, trying to escape you. Tyranids are a lot of fun, is what I’m saying.

You won’t be limited to these three classes though. In the multiplayer aspect of the game, you can experiment with twelve races, each with their own sub-factions and perks. Each class brings something new to the table and it’s fun to experiment with the different playstyles they can provide. You can have a skirmish with another player or team up for some two-versus-two action. Multiplayer is set up like the campaign battles, with the win conditions either being through destruction or accumulation of points. This is where a lot of your playtime will be spent as you try out each race. Yet even this mode isn’t perfect as there are still balancing issues that were brought over from the first title. The Tau are still a force to be reckoned with in this game and Tyranids can easily overwhelm inexperienced players and steamroll through a fight. But aside from some wonky balancing, multiplayer is a worthwhile time and can easily suck you in for multiple hours.

"In the multiplayer aspect of the game, you can experiment with twelve races, each with their own sub-factions and perks. Each class brings something new to the table and it’s fun to experiment with the different playstyles they can provide."

As fun as the game is though, it’s not without its bugs. During my time, I ran into a few hiccups and a few crashes. There were a few points during play where my cursor would stop working, forcing me to toggle full-screen and windowed mode until it worked again. During the campaign, scripted events would also end up not loading, preventing me from progressing further and forcing me to quit to the main menu. There were also smaller issues, like sound clips not playing or ships refusing to move occasionally. The team at Tindalos Interactive are aware of a few issues and are working to fix them, but I can understand if the lack of polish is a turn-off for players.

Overall, Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is a great game for fans of the franchise. And for those sitting on the fence, if the concept of guiding a fleet of warships across space, slowly taking out the opposition and building up stronger and stronger forces appeals to you, then this game may just be the one for you. Although the gameplay of Battlefleet Gothic won’t appeal to everyone, those that it does resonate with will find a unique experience from other space combat titles on the market.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Tindalos Interactive is taking a fairly large-scale approach with the space battles in Battlefleet: Gothic Armada 2. The first part of its Battle Overview series offers a look at how combat plays out and what each faction is capable of. Check it out below.

With 12 different factions to choose from, each with their own different ships and traits, there’s quite a lot of variety to be had. So despite similarities between factions like the Tau Protectorate Fleet and Merchant Fleet, they still have their own differences. Players will be able to customize fleets, assign admiral skills, and choose their armaments to turn the tide.

Battlefleet: Gothic Armada 2 will have two beta phases for those who pre-order. The first takes place from December 5th to 12th with access to all factions, custom games, versus AI mode, and multiplayer PvP modes. Players will also have access to the full multiplayer progression. The game itself releases on January 24th 2019 for PC.

Tindalos Interactive’s Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 generated some decent hype when it was announced earlier this year, but the developer later delayed it to 2019. Now we have a new release date – January 24th 2019 – and some more information on the upcoming betas. Consumers who pre-order the sequel will have access to two beta phases, the first in December and the second in January 2019.

What can you expect in the beta? The December phase will feature all 12 factions, custom games, 2v2 and 1v1 modes, versus AI mode, and the full multiplayer progression system. Players can even create their own custom fleets with different types of ships. The main focus will be on multiplayer and overall balance, so make sure to send in any feedback during this time.

The January phase will last up till the game’s release. Along with the first beta’s content (with any patches developed in between), there will be “hours of single-player campaign content”. The Campaign Prologue and initial sectors for the two campaigns will be available to try out. As a whole, this should give you an idea of what the game’s narrative content will be like.

Pre-ordering Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 will also provide a 10 percent discount. However, those who own the original will receive a 25 percent discount. For more information on the first game, check our review here.

Though it was originally meant to launch this year, Focus Home Interactive has confirmed that Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 has been delayed to next year. Fans of the Warhammer 40K-based real-time strategy title won’t have to wait too long though. The sequel is now set to land in January 2019.

The publisher noted that the extra time would be used for developer Tindalos Interactive to “polish the game and bring all their ambitions to life after the great success met by the first game.” Thankfully, fans can also look forward to cooperative multiplayer being added, which will be supported in all of the new campaigns. Those who pre-order will also have access to two closed betas for co-op later.

Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is looking to expand on the original game in numerous ways. Along with featuring all 12 of the tabletop game’s factions, there will be three dynamic campaigns (Tyranids, Necrons and Imperium). Veterans of the first game can still look forward to large space battles, new ship customization options and improvements to the multiplayer modes. Check out the new “Faction” trailer below in the meantime.

Tindalos Interactive has announced that Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 is in development and will be coming to PC later this year. As a sequel to the ambitious but flawed real-time strategy game based on the tabletop experience, the developer promises a number of improvements. Check out the announcement trailer below.

The story this time around is set during the 13th Black Crusade and the Gathering Storm. Along with larger scale battles, you can expect multiple campaigns to play and more balance in the multiplayer. Ships and fleets will also have improved customization with other quality of life changes for the game planned.

Perhaps the biggest new feature is that all 12 factions from the tabletop title and its expansion will be available to play. This means that Space Marines, Necrons, Orks, Tyranids, Aeldari Corsairs, Chaos, Imperial Navy, Adeptus Mechanicus and so on will be at your beck and call. The Rogue Traders won’t be included though.