Have you ever wanted a Minesweeper ugly holiday sweater? Probably not, right?
Thanks to the Xbox Gear Shop, what was likely never your dream is now a reality. The surprisingly detailed holiday sweater features a Minesweeper level shaped like a Christmas tree, with mines taking on the role of snowflakes and classic Windows minimize and expand buttons.
Of course, there’s also the classic Windows logo in the top left corner of the front of the sweater.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has released an ugly holiday-themed sweater either. For example, last, the company dropped a holiday sweater based on MS Paint.
In Canada, the ugly Minesweeper holiday sweater costs $97.95, though as of right now, it’s currently sold out in all sizes.
If you’ve used the Xbox app to share gameplay footage, you’ll be aware that the process isn’t very intuitive.
For example, in the iOS app, I need to download the clip to my iPhone 13 Pro first and then share it through social media. Thankfully, it looks like that will change.
According to a recent tweet from Microsoft’s Larry Hryb (Major Nelson), users will soon be able to create publically sharable links directly in the Xbox mobile app. These links will then be located in a new ‘trending content’ section that features other public links shared by players on your friends list. You can also take these public links and share them on a social media platform like Twitter or Facebook.
The feed itself will be very TikTok-like, allowing users to scroll through content and like, comment and share videos.
Trending content will be spotlighted in the Xbox app, where you will be able to watch, like, comment, and share posts of other users game clips pic.twitter.com/Y2Ivmuj4c7
These new features are currently being tested with a small number of users but will roll out to everyone soon, according to Hryb.
As someone who often shares Halo Infinite clips on Twitter, I’m hoping that the ability to share public links makes that process a little more seamless and intuitive.
If you’ve used the Xbox app to share gameplay footage, you’ll be aware that the process isn’t very intuitive.
For example, in the iOS app, I need to download the clip to my iPhone 13 Pro first and then share it through social media. Thankfully, it looks like that will change.
According to a recent tweet from Microsoft’s Larry Hryb (Major Nelson), users will soon be able to create publically sharable links directly in the Xbox mobile app. These links will then be located in a new ‘trending content’ section that features other public links shared by players on your friends list. You can also take these public links and share them on a social media platform like Twitter or Facebook.
The feed itself will be very TikTok-like, allowing users to scroll through content and like, comment and share videos.
Trending content will be spotlighted in the Xbox app, where you will be able to watch, like, comment, and share posts of other users game clips pic.twitter.com/Y2Ivmuj4c7
These new features are currently being tested with a small number of users but will roll out to everyone soon, according to Hryb.
As someone who often shares Halo Infinite clips on Twitter, I’m hoping that the ability to share public links makes that process a little more seamless and intuitive.
Every month, Xbox adds new games to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
Typically, new titles are rolled out in two waves and now, Xbox has unveiled November’s second batch of new Game Pass games:
ANVIL (Console and PC) — December 2nd
Archvale (Cloud, Console and PC) — December 2nd
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Console and PC) — December 2nd
Lawn Mowing Simulator (Cloud, Console and PC) –December 2nd
Rubber Bandits (Cloud, Console and PC) — December 2nd
Stardew Valley (Cloud, Console and PC) — December 2nd
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector (Cloud, Console and PC) — December 2nd
Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator (Cloud, Console and PC) — December 7th
Halo Infinite (Cloud, Console and PC) — December 8th
One Piece Pirate Warriors 4 (Cloud, Console and PC) – December 9th
Aliens: Fireteam Elite (Cloud, Console and PC) — December 14th
Among Us (Console) — December 14th
If you’ve been playing Halo Infinite‘s multiplayer since it launched on November 15th, it’s also worth keeping in mind that you can claim a ‘Pass Tense’ MA40 AR Bundle as a Game Pass Ultimate Perk. It includes the exclusive ‘Pass Tense’ MA40 Assault Rifle coating, as well as four 2XP Boosts and four Challenge Swaps.
Finally, here’s what’s leaving Game Pass on December 15th:
Beholder (Cloud and Console)
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (Console and PC)
Guacamelee! 2 (Cloud, Console and PC)
Wilmot’s Warehouse (Cloud, Console and PC)
Unto The End (Cloud, Console and PC)
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Cloud, Console and PC)
As always, members can purchase these or any other Game Pass titles with an exclusive 20 percent discount to keep playing them even after they exit the catalogue.
Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $16.99/month and is required for streaming (which Xbox refers to as ‘Cloud’). On top of that, this tier includes Game Pass for both Console and PC, as well as an Xbox Live Gold subscription and access to EA Play.
Find out what came to Xbox Game Pass in November here.
In celebration of the Xbox brand’s 20th anniversary, Microsoft has created a virtual Xbox metaverse museum that allows you to walk around and explore the history of the brand. This includes notable events in Xbox history like the dreaded red ring of death, its attempt to acquire Nintendo and big game releases like Gears of War and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
In this virtual Xbox museum, you’ll run into the people checking out digital exhibits and their legacy stats across the Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. This is the most interesting part of the clever Xbox metaverse since it allows you to look back at all of the games you’ve played on Microsoft’s gaming platform over the years.
For example, one of the first games I played on the original Xbox was Forza Motorsport and Forza Motorsport 5 was the first title I booted up on the Xbox One. Also, interestingly, from 2019 to 2021, my most played game was Apex Legends, and my top 5 most played games of all time are as follows, Apex Legends, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo: Reach and NHL 10 (I’m shocked Halo 2 isn’t on the top).
To check out the metaverse museum, follow this link.
Xbox 360 titles that are available with Games with Gold can be played on Xbox One and Series S/X. Additionally, the Series X/S can also play Xbox One titles.
In Canada, an Xbox Live Gold subscription costs $11.99 for one month, $29.99/three months and $44.99/six months.
As ‘Black Friday’ fast approaches, Microsoft is offering several Xbox-related sales, ranging from controllers to Game Pass.
In the games department, the company has pledged to list around 700 digital games on sale for up to 67 percent off, while some PC games and Xbox originals are up to 75 percent off.
On top of the regular game deals, you can subscribe to three months of Xbox Game Pass for $1, giving you access to a few hundred games (Game Pass Ultimate typically costs $16.99 per month).
In the accessory space, there are discounts on HyperX gaming headsets and Mice for PC users. Of course, there are other discounts on third-party controllers, gaming hard drives and more. For example, the very cool Razer Kishi mobile controller is on sale for $109.
If you want to dive into the accessory deals you can do so here. All of the game deals are here and the full page outlining every sale is here.
With Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One owners can stream supported ‘Cloud’ Game Pass titles to their consoles. Doing so offers a few unique benefits. Firstly, streaming means you don’t have to download or update the games, which frees up space, especially on the all-digital Series S. This even applies if you receive an update from a friend for a game you haven’t downloaded — you can just jump right in to join them.
What’s more, streaming allows Xbox One owners to play games that are otherwise only natively playable on the Series X/S. For now, this includes Recompile, The Medium, and The Riftbreaker, but other titles, like Microsoft Flight Simulator, will be supported in the future.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is also available on mobile and web browsers as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $16.99 CAD/month. This membership also provides access to Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC and EA Play.
The latest shooter from Dice and a number of EA support studios takes gamers to the future for some Battlefield hijinks. And that is exactly what you are getting here, signature BF fun, but fun that is marred by technical hiccups and an overall lack of substance.
Battlefield 2042 is a solid entry to the franchise, and feels like a direct sequel to the likes of Battlefield 3 and 4, with more of a focus on modern/futuristic combat, rather than the trips through history of the last few Battlefield games.
The biggest talking point that will get the attention of many is the lack of any real single-player content in 2042. Gone is any semblance of a campaign, leaving only multiplayer. The absence of a traditional solo adventure is not too big a deal here in 2021; however, it is noticeable in a package that feels a little light on content upon release.
Battlefield 2042 comes packed with three main verticals: ‘All-Out Warfare’ is your more traditional capture and defend Battlefield experience, ‘Hazard Zone’ plays like a battle royale (but instead of eliminating other squads, your goal is to retrieve valuable data and escape without dying), and ‘Battlefield Portal’ is a creative suite where players and creators can devise innovative new game modes with assets from Battlefield 2042 as well as past Battlefield titles.
Of these three, Battlefield Portal shines brightest. Playing through community-created game modes feels like the glory days of all-night Halo ‘Forge mode’ parties. Portal opens a Pandora’s Box of gameplay opportunities; it’s just a matter of finding the diamonds in the rough. If Dice can continue to curate the best of the best within Portal, then I can see myself spending many an evening playing through these fan-crafted modes and having fun with friends.
Hazard Zone was an unexpected joy for me. While I went into it thinking it would be some Call of Duty: Warzone rip-off, I came out pleasantly surprised. The conceit of fighting for and collecting data banks, then heading for a plane to take you to safety is a creative twist upon the Battle Royale genre. There were moments of pure adrenaline as my squad ripped across frozen tundra, headed for the exfil point, only to cross paths with others trying to do the same thing. At times it can feel like you and your teammates are starring in the latest Michael Bay action thriller, and it feels glorious.
“…these new massive maps and gargantuan 128 player counts can make it feel overwhelming at times, especially if you do not have access to an air or ground vehicle.”
Lastly, All-Out Warfare is your standard Battlefield fare of capturing objectives and eliminating the enemy team. ‘Conquest’ is classic BF where two teams compete to capture and defend five or six points on a map, whereas ‘Breakthrough’ offers two objectives at a time with the map opening up as an attacking team successfully takes those two points.
Breakthrough for me was where I has the most fun of these two. Having to push on attack or push back on defense makes for a constantly moving frontline, meaning that you are never far from the action. While Conquest is still as enjoyable as it ever has been, these new massive maps and gargantuan 128 player counts can make it feel overwhelming at times, especially if you do not have access to an air or ground vehicle.
All maps in 2042 (aside from the classic maps in Portal) feature massive dynamic events that happen throughout the course of a game. Whether it be a tornado ripping through and causing destruction, or a massive sandstorm whipping up blinding players, these ‘levelutions’ work on an unmatched scale and truly make you rethink your tactics mid-game. However, after the seventh or eighth time seeing a sandstorm ravage the battlefield, the luster can kind of wear off. These forces of nature turn what feels like a world-ending event into nothing more than a minor annoyance.
Gameplay-wise this 2042 is Battlefield through and through. It feels more tactical/measured than the pulse-pounding close combat of Call of Duty, mixing in air, land, and water vehicles. There are no major changes here, and the ones that do show up are mostly welcome. Two of the most impressive additions come in the form of ‘Specialists’ and the ‘Plus Menu.’
Specialists add even more variety to Battlefield. Instead of just filling roles (Assault, Medic, Engineer, and Sniper) like in previous games, there are a couple of Specialists within each. Want to play as a medic who has a healing pistol akin to Ana from Overwatch? You can. Or how about an Assault soldier equipped with a wingsuit or a grappling hook? You bet. This change allows for players to cater to their playstyle within a role, and when you find the Specialist perfect for you it’s magic.
As for the Plus Menu, when you see it you will know exactly what I’m talking about. This ingenious holographic form of gun customization can be pulled up at any time during battle, allowing the player to swap attachments in and out from their current loadout. At first, it feels a little gimmicky, but in practice its utility is invaluable. In one firefight I found myself trading blows at close range with a red dot sight, then spotted another foe a few yards down, switched over to a longer scope, and boom, I got the kill. It’s a great idea that I am honestly surprised we haven’t implemented in other games before.
The act of playing Battlefield 2042 isn’t where I have problems, it’s on the technical and presentation side of things where some pressure points seem to stick out. Visually, this game is beautiful — the guns sound and look stunning, and the various locales can be downright gorgeous — but at times this can feel a little like a beta test.
On multiple occasions, upon loading into a match, I was greeted with either a frozen deploy screen or a crash out to the main menu. When I did get into games, there were instances of glitching animations, players getting stuck on geometry, and hud elements that should disappear but wouldn’t. It’s moments like these that make you think this game was not 100 percent ready for prime time. Now, Battlefield games coming out in various states of unreadiness is nothing new, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay.
Another one of my biggest gripes comes in regards to the amount of content that is in the box on day one. Standard features like in-game voice chat are missing, with no indication of when they will come to the title. There is plenty of fun to be had here but after a few hours of playing Conquest, Hazard Zone, or Breakthrough on the same six or seven maps, the sparkle of a new game can start to wear off. EA and Dice have already promised that more content is coming to the game post-launch, but it feels like just two or three additional places to do battle would have been perfect to start off.
Overall, I am super conflicted on Battlefield 2042. While there are moments of greatness, I just can’t get over the state the title has launched in.
With things like the “only in Battlefield” moments found in standard multiplayer, the thrill of racing for the exit in Hazard Zone, or “Battlefield Portal’s creative potential, there is plenty to love about Battlefield 2042 at launch. But it’s hard not to think that this will be a much better, more refined experience four or five months down the line. With a game that is only going to improve as more people play it and continue to play it, let’s just hope the community sticks around long enough for it to reach its full potential.
Battlefield 2042 is now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Physical copies can be found at Best Buy, Amazon and more.
Image credit: Electronic Arts
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