Those seeking the DLC characters can pick up a bundle with the base game and Season Pass 1 for $60. The Ultimate Edition costs $80 and includes the game, all DLC characters and special colors for each. The next DLC character and stage in Season Pass 2 is scheduled to be revealed in early April and could be Bedman’s sister Delilah from the “Another Story” DLC.

Gameplay-wise, Guilty Gear Strive is somewhat of a clean slate for the series, streamlining several mechanics while adding Wall Breaks for added damage. It wraps up the story between Sol Badguy and Asuka R. Kreuz, the Gearmaker while featuring rollback netcode for online play. Head here for our review of the base game.

Available from February 3rd, 10 AM PT to February 6th, 4 PM PT, the test is a separate download from the main game. It includes 22 characters from the base game and Season Passes and modes like Tutorial, Mission, Survival, Training, VS COM and VS 2P. Testers can also play in Online Match modes like Player Match, Open Park and Rank Tower.

PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold aren’t necessary for playing online, though save data won’t carry over into the full game. The Combo Maker, Digital Figure and Gallery options will also be available.

For more details on Guilty Gear Strive, check out our review here. The next DLC character for Season 2 releases in March, so stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Guilty Gear Strive is the base version of the game without either of the Season Passes. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle Special Edition, however, is different. Along with the Version 2.0 update, which adds numerous improvements, it includes all of the previously released character DLC (including Blake and Yang from RWBY). You also get three Additional Color Sets.

Guilty Gear Strive is available for PS4, PS5, and PC, while BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle is playable on PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC. Check out our review for the former here and the latter here. Whether cross-platform play with Xbox will be available for Strive remains to be seen, so stay tuned for further details.

Piktiv and Fishlabs are in charge of porting the game to Microsoft Store and Xbox. Full crossplay support has also been promised for Xbox, Microsoft Store and Steam players. Currently available in Steam Early Access for PC, Valheim is an exploration and survival game rooted in Norse mythology. Players explore various biomes either alone or with up to nine other players.

As players explore the regions, they’ll gather new materials and resources, craft powerful armor and weapons, and eventually face off against numerous bosses. They’ll also create a base with the building system touted as one of the best in the genre. Valheim has sold over 10 million copies since launching in early access. Its next big update is Mistlands – check out new screenshots for the same here.

Its first hotfix is currently planned to release later this week, though this may be subject to change based on “numerous factors – some of which are out of our control.” These include verification from both the development team and external partners – failure to meet criteria will result in a delay. As such, the hotfix will address issues with multiplayer lobbies and DirectX 12 along with “hopeful” frame rate improvements for modern Intel CPU users.

A long-term schedule for hotfixes will be provided as the developer establishes a “solid timeline.” “When we have solid dates for the current, next, and next-next hotfixes, we’ll let you know so you can look forward to them.” It may also use Steam betas for specific changes, though these will be targeted as “more nuanced issues” experienced by certain players. Stay tuned for more details on the same in the future.

Total War: Warhammer 3 is currently available for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store. It’s also available via PC Game Pass.

Total War: Warhammer 3 offers seven races, each with their own unique units and perks, along with tried-and-true battles with hundreds of units. There are 10 Legendary Lords to control from the Grand Cathay’s Dragon to the Kislev’s Ice Queen. As for the Daemon Prince, they’re fully customizable and sport numerous different abilities.

Total War: Warhammer 3 is available on PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store. It’s also playable on PC Game Pass. It currently has a “Mixed” rating on Steam from 1,412 user reviews, with performance and optimization being cited as issues, so stay tuned for details on upcoming patches.

Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass users simply need to search for the game in the Store and click “Install” to begin the pre-load. Those on Steam that have pre-purchased the title can also simply find the game in their Library and install it. Unfortunately, the Epic Games Store won’t have any pre-load option.

According to its recently announced system requirements, Total War: Warhammer 3 needs a staggering 120 GB of installation space. This likely doesn’t include the day one patch so make space accordingly. It’s out on February 27th for PC and will be available at launch for Game Pass subscribers. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

The Touryst sees the player arriving on the Monument Islands as, well, a tourist. Part action-adventure, part isometric platformer with an interesting art-style, one has the freedom to go swimming, visit the arcade, shop, partake in beach parties and much more. There’s a deeper mystery surrounding the island’s monuments though and it’s up to the player to solve them.

The Touryst is also available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 and PS5, and is the first console title to run in 8K/60 FPS on PS5. PC players on Steam can expect 240 frames per second support with support for higher resolutions like 4K. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

https://twitter.com/ShinenGames/status/1462799652542160899

After launching exclusively for the Epic Games Store on PC last year, Piranha Games’ MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries will be releasing for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. The mech combat title is slated to arrive in Spring 2021 for Microsoft’s consoles. However, it will also become available on Steam, the Microsoft Store and GOG.

The studio also confirmed that the Heroes of the Inner Sphere DLC would be releasing in Spring 2021 instead of December 10th. “Along with the Xbox release, this delay will allow us some additional opportunities that will benefit the game, as well as the MechWarrior community at large. First and foremost, the combined release on Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store, and Xbox consoles will give us more exposure and a broader reach than we’ve ever had before.”

To that end, fans can expect quality of life improvements for the AI, art and user interface along with new career modes and some tweaks to the campaign. All this is made possible thanks to the studio’s recent acquisition by Enad Global 7 which allows for more resources. MechWarriors 5: Mercenaries received a mixed response due to a number of bugs and other issues plaguing the release. Hopefully, the additional time and resources allows for more polish.

For more details on the base game, check out our review here.

With next-gen consoles out in a few months, Microsoft has unveiled a revamp of its Microsoft Store on Xbox. As outlined by Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, Xbox Live’s director of programming, the experience is meant to be faster and more intuitive than before. Check out his presentation, with principal program manager joining in for an interview, below.

In terms of speed, the new storefront loads pages much faster than before and launches in less than two seconds. It’s more than twice as fast as the current iteration but should also be easier to navigate. Filtering out search results and adding games to the Wish List, along with checking out sales on wish-listed items, has been made a lot more seamless.

It’s also easier to add items to the shopping cart along with reviewing them before purchase. The new Microsoft Store on Xbox is currently available for Xbox Insiders to try out. Expect it to launch before the Xbox Series X arrives this holiday season. As always, stay tuned for more details and updates.