Splitgate

Splitgate combines the high-octane first-person shooting of contemporaries like Halo with some ingenious portal mechanics that come together to create a markedly fresh experience. It’s a lot of fun to move around portals while spraying bullets at your opponents, and the map design provides many options for coming up with your own creative strategies. While Splitgate’s player count has dropped by quite a margin in recent times, it remains an enjoyable time nevertheless.

Double Barrel Shotgun – Quake

Quake’s Double Barrel Shotgun is a great example, annihilating foes with explosive-sounding shots that don’t outright overwhelm the player. They still feel powerful though and reinforce that feeling of being a nigh-unstoppable Ranger against the world.

In a new Xbox Wire post, Microsoft has announced 20 games from Bethesda Softworks that will be added to Xbox Game Pass today. With a few exceptions, many of these titles will be playable on Xbox consoles, PC and the cloud. Even though The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition is already available for console owners, subscribers on other platforms will be able to play it as well.

The full list is quite extensive and includes the following titles:

• Dishonored Definitive Edition
• Dishonored 2
• Doom (1993)
• Doom 2
• Doom 3
• Doom 64
• DOOM Eternal
• The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind
• The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (Console, PC)
• The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition
• The Elder Scrolls Online (Cloud, Console)
• The Evil Within
• Fallout 4
• Fallout 76
• Fallout: New Vegas (Console)
• Prey
• RAGE 2
• Wolfenstein: The New Order
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
• Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Prey and Fallout 4 will be returning to the service after exiting last year, though the latter is the base version and not the Game of the Year Edition. Dishonored Definitive Edition and The Evil Within are new entries while Dishonored 2 makes its return after leaving last September. It should be interesting to see if Dishonored: Death of the Outsider and The Evil Within 2 arrive on Game Pass at some point.

A roundtable discussion is currently on-going between Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda team members – find out more about that here. Microsoft has also confirmed that some future titles from Bethesda will be exclusive to Xbox and PC. Stay tuned for more details in the coming days on which ones.

As is the case with any new console generation, once PS5 and Xbox Series X / S have released many developers and publishers will be remastring and touching up many of their PS4 / Xbox One games to bring them over to the newer consoles. It seems some of them might already be on their way, in fact.

As spotted on ResetEra, ratings for Wolfenstein Alt History Collection and Dishonored and Prey The Arcane Collection have gone up on the ESRB’s official website (screencaps for which you can view below, in case the listings get taken down). Interestingly enough, both ratings mention Xbox Series (as in both Series X and Series S) as the release platform.

Of course, Wolfenstein Alt History Collection is already a thing that exists (it compiles Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, and Wolfenstein: Youngblood), while all Arkane games have also been previously compiled in the Arkane Anniversary Collection (which includes Dishonored: Definitive Edition, Dishonored 2, Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, and Prey). Perhaps those games are getting remastered and brought over in a next-gen compilation.

It would make sense, and the timing would be right, given Microsoft’s Bethesda acquisition. Of course, that also brings up the question of whether these games will release for the PS5 (the ESRB ratings don’t mention it).

The ESRB recently rated another game for the Xbox Series X / S that hasn’t yet been officially announced- Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.

Sony’s streaming service PlayStation Now continues to grow in terms of its games line-up. Last month saw Persona 5, Hollow Knight and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War join the roster – this month is about PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood and F1 2019. All three games are currently available for streaming.

The PlayStation Blog also revealed the top most played games on PlayStation Now in November. Unsurprisingly, Grand Theft Auto 5 and God of War lead the pack, followed by Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Middle-Earth: Shadow of War and Rocket League. What is noteworthy is that three of the top five games will only be available on the service till January 2nd 2020.

For the most part, it seems that Sony’s strategy is paying off. PlayStation Now boasts one million subscribers as of October 30th and currently offers over 800 games on PS2, PS3 and PS4. Subscriptions cost $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year with a free seven day trial available for PC and PS4.

Bethesda has done an incredible job with Switch support, bringing not just ports of older games to the platform, but also their high end current generation titles- from DOOM to Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, which launches on the Switch this Friday, less than a year after it launched on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

But would it not be a good move to also bring The New Order and The Old Blood, the original Wolfenstein reboot from 2014, as well as its standalone expansion released a year later, to the Switch as well? Wolfenstein is a story focused series, so getting the start of the narrative on the console would be a good idea. Plus The New Order was originally put out on PS3 and Xbox 360, in addition to PS4, Xbox One, and PC- so it would be an easier port, right?

You’d think so, but apparently there are no plans to do so at the moment. Speaking to GameSpot, Adam Creighton, studio head at developer Panic Button, the folks behind the port, said that for now, at least, all hands are on deck for The New Colossus.

“That’s a Bethesda discussion, honestly. It’s [up to] them and Nintendo as to what would work for the platform,” Creighton said. “I think it’ll be interesting to see how [The New Colossus is] received right after it launches at the end of the month and what Bethesda does from there.”

It certainly will be interesting to see how Bethesda proceeds with supporting the Switch from here on out- I have to assume that they would rather look at putting, say, YoungBlood on the Switch over The New Order, which, after all, is now a four year old game.

But id Tech 5, the engine powering The New Order, has been around since Rage’s release 2011. The engine was marketed on the basis of its texture streaming technology, namely Virtual Texturing, which allowed developers to stream texture into memory automatically. It also employed shadow maps to lend soft edges to shadows (the specific phenomenon known as “penumbra”), screen space reflections, soft particles and a number of graphical effects and post processing. With Wolfenstein: The New Order, id Tech 5 would often see resolution drops on PS4 and Xbox One in order to accommodate a constant 60 FPS frame rate.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood has released only on the PS4, Xbox One and PC though, skipping the previous gen entirely. How does it fare with its performance and has MachineGames managed to tap into the extra power of current gen hardware to bolster the resolution along with the constant frame rate?

On analyzing the PS4 and Xbox One versions, we noted a dynamic buffer being used for the horizontal resolution. This is the chief reason why the game enjoys a nearly stable 60 FPS frame rate, and results in dynamic resolution scaling for both consoles. Thankfully, the Xbox One version dynamically scales slightly more than the PS4, the latter sticking to its native 1080p resolution at most times. There’s still a fair amount of dynamic scaling in both versions and it’s not necessarily a new concept, especially for the Xbox One. Many games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and most recently, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt used dynamic resolution scaling to ensure a sold frame rate. This practice typically relies on the number of free resources the console has at a time. The key difference here is that even though The Witcher 3 was running at 30 FPS, it managed to stick to 1080p resolution on the Xbox One in cut scenes. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood sees dynamic scaling in its resolution for both gameplay and cut scenes.

It’s interesting to note the noisy grain filter used in The Old Blood. Like The New Order, it lent a historical feel to the game and brought the grittiness of the action all the more. However, it also served to mask some of the anti-aliasing issues and resolution shifts in The New Order. The Old Blood may have improved the resolution scaling somewhat but the anti-aliasing on consoles is still pretty limited. You’ll of course see more jaggies on the Xbox One but both versions suffer from the same. Shadow dithering also occurs at times but there’s less roughness to edges in the PS4 version.

The vaunted 60 frames per second performance holds up in the console versions at least. The PS4 version succeeds in maintaining its 60 FPS frame rate but the Xbox One version isn’t too different. As it stands, the differences in frames per second for gameplay are fairly insignificant across both versions. It’s also worth noting that alpha effects, volumetric effects, physics, particles and such are similar across both console versions.

As stated before though, id Tech 5’s main calling card is Virtual Texture which can support Mega Textures with resolutions up to 128,000 x 128,000. So even though all versions of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood suffer from Mega Texture streaming issues, there’s at least some means to remedy it i.e. to have a bigger HDD. That being said, we observed more problematic texture streaming on the Xbox One version compared to the PS4 with some textures loading slightly later and resulting in a dithered visual experience.

Moving on to the PC version, it’s capable of running at a constant 60 FPS with a 1080p resolution. Along with better anti-aliasing than the console versions (and much improved over The New Order), it also delivers better effects and transparency. MachineGames may not have messed around too much with its assets and visual design but it’s certainly offered a lot more graphical options for the PC version of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood.

The graphical options are indicated below:

• Graphics quality: Low; Medium; High; Ultra; Custom
• Anti-aliasing: Disabled; 2x; 4x; 8x; 16x; 32x
• Virtualtexture cache size: Low; Medium; High; Ultra
• Virtualtexture compression: Disabled; enabled
• Virtualtexture CUDA acceleration: Off; On; Smart
• Virtualtexture max PPF: 16; 32; 64
• Virtualtexture filtering: Bilinear; Trilinear
• Virtualtexture anisotropic: Low; Medium; High
• Virtualtexture LOD bias: Slider with distinct values
• Virtualtexture page fade: Disabled; Enabled
• Shadow resolution: 2048; 4096; 8192
• Character shadows: Disabled; Enabled
• Dynamic object shadow quality: Off; Low; Medium; High
• Character shadow quality: Low; Medium; High
• Depth of field: Medium; High
• Radial blur quality: Off; Low; High
• Screen-space reflections: Disabled; Medium; High
• Subsurface scattering: Disabled; Enabled
• Haze flare: Disabled; Enabled
• Ambient occlusion: Disabled; Enabled

We tested the PC version on a number of different GPUs with an Intel Core i7-5960X and 16 GB RAM with all settings maxed out. Frame rate performance is as follows:

• Nvidia Titan X: 60 frames per second
• Geforce GTX 980: 47 frames per second
• Radeon R9 290X: 49 frames per second
• Radeon R9 290: 45 frames per second
• Geforce GTX 960: 59 frames per second
• Geforce GTX 770: 36 frames per second

The PC version is clearly the victor here. Not only does it benefit from a wider range of graphical options and better performance but it also boasts better anti-aliasing, particle and alpha effects and a 1080p resolution that isn’t subject to dynamic scaling. The PS4 version does come in close at second place though since it manages better texture streaming, a more stable native 1080p resolution and near constant 60 FPS performance compared to the Xbox One version.

Performance analysis was carried by Bill Smith.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood was a very substantial expansion to last year’s excellent Wolfenstein: The New Blood. Perhaps publisher Bethesda realized how extensive it was too, because they made it available standalone, and they also released it at retail in Europe. In America, though, we only got that (standalone) digital release.

That changes next month, however, as Bethesda announced today that Wolfenstein: The Old Blood will be available at retail in North American territories starting next month, on July 21. It will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

While opinion of The Old Blood was decidedly more mixed than it was for The New Order, it still remains a worthwhile expansion to last year’s game, and is greatly recommended to all fans. Now, more will be able to pick up the game when they see it on store shelves.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more news, coverage and information.

The latest UK game sales data via Gfk Chart-Track is currently available and reveal a very peculiar first Namco Bandai’s Project CARS. Apparently, the Slightly Mad Studios-developed racer is the only game from the publisher to reign in the number one spot for two weeks in a row since Ridge Racer IV, which released in 1999.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood made its debut this week at second place and saw significantly higher sales on the PS4, with 67 percent, versus the Xbox One at 27 percent. Grand Theft Auto 5 has finally dropped to third place after spending weeks at the number 2 position followed by Mortal Kombat X. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster also debuted in the UK albeit at fifth place.

The remainder of the top ten looks fairly similar to the previous week’s with FIFA 15, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Dying Light, Destiny and Battlefield Hardline occupying the remaining top spots. Oddly enough, Minecraft on the Xbox and PlayStation has fallen out of the top ten.

Stay tuned for more information on future UK game sales especially with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt set to release this week.

It doesn’t fill in all the plot holes – such as exactly how the Nazis developed their super soldiers – but it does offer a fun, exhilarating and old-school shooting experience.

"The action in Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is so visceral and yet so satisfying. Stabbing an enemy through the neck with a rusty pipe has a different feeling from popping out their leg with a close quarter's shotgun blast. Thankfully, Machine Games added a few new weapons to further up the gore factor, including the Kampfpistol."

It’s 1946 and the Nazis are doing their thing. If that included fostering puppies and spreading the message of love and peace, it would be an entirely different matter. Instead, the Third Reich is intent on ruling the world and crushing those who oppose them, like the Allied Forces. OSA agent William Blazkowicz is tasked with infiltrating Castle Wolfenstein and recovering a folder that will lead to the location of General Deathshead, the antagonist of The New Order. Before you can find Deathshead, you’ll need to contend with maniacal archaeologist Helga Von Schabbs and her lieutenant Rudi Jäger.

The Old Blood is divided into two parts with four chapters a piece. Part one sees B.J. and Richard Wesley (aka Agent One) infiltrating the iconic castle as S.S. officers only to be exposed and the latter captured. From here, it’s up to B.J. to use any and every tool at his disposal to rescue Wesley, put down Jäger, find the folder and escape Castle Wolfenstein with his sanity intact. Though The Old Blood lacks much of the variety and scale that defined The New Order, the first part makes up for it with varying degrees of action and stealth.

B.J. will be tasked with outwitting super soldiers from the minute he escapes his cell and you’ll be traveling on boats, sneaking through corridors, manning turrents and eventually escaping to Paderborn village via a cable car. Personally, I found many more stand-out moments in The New Order and the set-pieces here just didn’t feel all memorable. They were still a blast to play through and if you’re used to motion trackers, radars and QTEs, then Wolfenstein: The Old Blood will kick you in the teeth until you man up, dual wield shotguns and massacre your enemies up close.

Skilled shooting and stealth are equally rewarded however. Unlike many games, The Old Blood’s perks don’t rely on “leveling up” per say. Instead, you complete various challenges to unlock perks. For instance, overcharge your health past 150 and you’ll increase your overall health regeneration. Kill enemies with the last bullet in an assault rifle magazine and you’ll unlock a perk to reload your weapon faster by mashing X. It’s an intriguing approach and one that encourages you to experiment with your kills.

"The throwing knife mechanics take some getting used to and some stealth kills came across as clunky. The absence of a radar means you'll be doing a fair amount of guess-timation as to the location of your enemies and it adds an unnecessary layer of difficulty."

The action in Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is so visceral and yet so satisfying. Stabbing an enemy through the neck with a rusty pipe has a different feeling from popping out their leg with a close quarter’s shotgun blast. Thankfully, Machine Games added a few new weapons to further up the gore factor, including the Kampfpistol. This flare gun-like single shot side-arm fires a grenade that has a chance to stick on, well, necrotic foes and provides plenty of impetus for casual demolition. While I miss the laser cutter of The New Order, the new rusty pipe is more appreciated in pacing terms. Rather than messing about with cutting holes through rusty grates, you’ll find yourself dislodging craniums and scaling walls with the pipe.

Sadly, the game isn’t without its issues, especially when it comes to stealth. The throwing knife mechanics take some getting used to and some stealth kills came across as clunky. The absence of a radar means you’ll be doing a fair amount of guess-timation as to the location of your enemies and it adds an unnecessary layer of difficulty. At times, especially when it comes to killing Commanders (who can radio for back-up until you terminate their signals), you’ll need to get the drop on enemies in order to stealthily dispatch them. And if you kill them from the front, you better be quick or you’ll be swarmed with foes.

Yes, it’s old-school and not meant to be forgiving. However, when all-out assault is an easier and more appealing option in all but one instance, it’s not very encouraging to pursue other play styles.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood also suffers from some odd glitches and story pacing issues. The former manifests in enemies’ guns hanging in the air upon killing them and some odd AI snafus (it’s amazing how a Commander can radio for help in a split second upon spotting you while a super soldier will see you meander five feet across and not care). These aren’t extremely prevalent but they are noticeable enough. As for pacing, players will easily have the most fun with part one.

Part two feels far more linear and repetitive – and this is keeping in mind that you can pilot a loader, battle Nazi zombies, make dire choices and take part in an interesting boss battle. The second part just feels like an excuse to allow players to blow away zombies with a double barreled shotgun more than anything else. I did enjoy firefights that would break out into a mess of Nazi soldiers and zombies with the living and undead collide together when they’re not trying to kill B.J.

"Even if you go in expecting set-pieces on the scale of The New Order, you won't be disappointed by what The Old Blood ultimately ends up delivering. Here's hoping for a fully fleshed out sequel in the coming years."

Amidst all these criticisms, it is important to note that Wolfenstein: The Old Blood has its own fully fleshed out story with cut scenes, notes, journal entries and much more adding levity to the events of The New Order. Aside from Blazkowicz, the characters are fairly average in their depth, coming across as likable enough to warrant rescue but unmemorable enough to really mourn their deaths. On the other hand, villains like Rudi Jäger are surprisingly competent in their role. He won’t be winning an Academy Award for his performance but it feels oh so satisfying to finally put Jäger out of his misery.

There isn’t much to say about the game’s visuals, SFX or music either. The voice acting, particularly of Blazkowicz, is still on-point while the rest of the cast does a decent job. Despite a current gen only release, The Old Blood’s visuals don’t look different from The New Order at all. On Xbox One, The Old Blood runs at 60 FPS and you’ll be hard-pressed to notice any drops even as the waters run red with Nazi blood.

Challenge maps unlock as you play through the campaign, adding a decent bit of replay value. Otherwise, the appeal of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood lies in replaying the campaign at higher difficulties, attempting different strategies for sections, earning different perks and collecting gold bars scattered through the game. You’re not going to rack up 800 hours playing it. In fact, the main campaign can be cleared in roughly 6 hours or so on “Bring ‘Em On” difficulty.

However, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood represents a nicely compact, heavily violent and fairly good looking first person shooter that you can revisit for a quick and dirty run-through. Even if you go in expecting set-pieces on the scale of The New Order, you won’t be disappointed by what The Old Blood ultimately ends up delivering. Here’s hoping for a fully fleshed out sequel in the coming years – Blazkowicz’s violent world warrants a more extensive revisit.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.