Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 Releasing June 4th (Gameplay Trailer Released)

If you are a fan of hitman type sandbox games, then the long awaited Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 may be the game you have been waiting for. CI games announced today that the title will be released on June 4th on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4 and PC.

This game was made for any gamer that can’t resist the role of an elite sniper offering challenging targets over 1,000 meters away. The series of Sniper Ghost Warrior games is the best selling FPS sniping franchise of all time with 11 million+ copies sold worldwide.

Earlier iterations of the game include: Sniper: Art of Victory (2008), Sniper: Ghost Warrior (2010), Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 (2013), Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 (2017) and Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts (2019)

With a relatively small fan base, the franchise truly has improved with each iteration of the game by listening to gamers and the new version will be highly polished.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 Official Gameplay Trailer

Source: IGN YouTube

Pricing

  • Console Price: $39.99 USD
  • PC Price: $29.99

Pre-Order and Bonuses Include:

  • 2 Weapon Skins
  • Marcus Tactical: Light sniper with stability
  • FFF-45 ACP Luring Pistol

IGN released the official gameplay trailer on YouTube today and the game looks stunning.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 Game Features:

  • 1000m+ sniping
  • Single player campaign set in the modern day Middle East, with five sandbox maps featuring a variety of accessible, interactive areas players can explore
  • Realistic setting with authentic gadgets and weapons that are cutomized for different gameplay styles
  • Replayable missions with multiple ways to complete
  • More intelligent enemies with improved tactics
  • Next-gen features including enhanced visuals, native 4k resolution, improved loading times

Will it be worth playing?

Time will tell if Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 will be a bit hit or flop. The crowded FPS market makes it tough for games like this to rise through the fog with titles like Call of Duty Warzone, Fortnight, Overwatch, Counter-Strike, Rainbow Six Siege and dozens more dominating the genre.

How to Connect your Xbox Controller to your PC

Overview

If you are one of the many people thinking of getting playing on a PC, but you prefer using your Xbox controllers, either wireless or wired, we’ve got you covered. Some people prefer to play on PC for powerful graphics or additional customization in settings.

Maybe you are playing Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, or Overwatch, and you want to get better at these games. If you are more comfortable with your Xbox controller than a keyboard and mouse, here is how you can get set up.

Option 1 – Wireless

To connect wirelessly with an Xbox controller, you will need an Xbox Wireless Adapter. Some PCs have these built in, but if you are unsure, you likely don’t have one yet. The adapter looks like a USB drive and sells for about $20-$30. It can be found at any of your popular stores that have electronics such as Walmart, Microsoft, or BestBuy.

Here are the steps outlined by Microsoft with Windows 10 if you have the adapter:

  1. Turn on your PC and sign in.
  2. Plug the Xbox Wireless Adaptor for Windows into your PC. For more info, see: Set up the Xbox Wireless Adaptor for Windows
  3. Turn on your controller by pressing the Xbox button (the large X in the middle of the controll). When you turn on the controller, the Xbox button  will start flashing.
  4. Press and hold the Pair button on the Xbox Wireless Adapter. A small light will flash for several seconds.
  5. Press and hold the Pair button on the top of the controller (the raised button). The Xbox button  on the controller will flash more rapidly – this means your controller is searching for the Xbox Wireless Adapter. When connected, the Xbox button  on the controller will stay lit.

If you’re using built-in Xbox Wireless:

  1. Turn on your PC and sign in.
  2. Turn on your controller by pressing the Xbox button  for 3 seconds. When you turn on the controller, the Xbox button  will start flashing.
  3. Press and hold the Pair button on the top of the controller (the raised button). The Xbox button  on the controller will flash more rapidly—this means your controller is searching for a PC.
  4. On your PC, press the Start button , then select Settings > Devices.
  5. Choose Add Bluetooth or other device, then select Everything else.
  6. Choose Xbox Wireless Controller or Xbox Elite Wireless Controller from the list. When connected, the Xbox button  on the controller will stay lit.

Option 2 – Wired (USB)

If you want to go the wired route, you can connect up to 8 controllers to your PC at a time. Simply connect the micro USB to your Xbox controller and connect to your PC.

Xbox Wireless Controller connecting to PC via USB cable

Option 3 – Bluetooth

Many newer Xbox controllers are Bluetooth enabled. Check your controller to see if the Xbox logo is part of the controller portion, or the bumper portion. On older Xbox controller, the Xbox sign is on a completely different piece of the controller that is part of the bumpers, these do not have Bluetooth capabilities. You can see the difference in the image below. The first does not have Bluetooth capabilities, and the second one does.

Xbox Wireless Controllers: Bluetooth versus no Bluetooth
  1. Turn on your Xbox Wireless Controller by pressing the Xbox button .
  2. Press and hold the Pair button on your controller for three seconds (the Xbox button  will start flashing rapidly). The pair button is the small circular button somewhere between the two bumpers on the top of the controller.
  3. On your PC, press the Start button on your Windows taskbar, then choose Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices.
  4. Turn on Bluetooth.
  5. Select Add Bluetooth or other device > Bluetooth. Your PC will begin searching for your controller.
  6. Select Xbox Wireless Controller or Xbox Elite Wireless Controller > Done.

Call of Duty: Warzone Season 2 Is Here

Warzone Map Changes

With the arrival of season 2 in the on February 25th, the Call of Duty: Warzone map has some key changes you will want to know before dropping with your squads. Be sure to turn your Xbox on early to get ready for the whopping 18 GIG update. We’ll go over the key takeaways from the COD patch notes here.

  • Shipwreck – Some of you may have noticed a ship on its way in the water last week. Each day it seemed to inch closer, as lightning appeared above it. Finally, now on the southeast bottom of the map close to the prison, the shipped has arrived at land. Drop here to complete some zombie-related challenges over the next 2 weeks.
  • Subways – The subway system has been locked up and all access is closed. If you want to get around the map quickly, make sure you have a vehicle nearby. Don’t forget your trophy system!
  • Missile Silos – Various missile silos have opened up areas that were previously hidden. So far, there is no notable rare loot other than your average loot boxes. We will have to wait longer to find out what is in store for these.
Missile Silo with Rope

Battle Pass Changes

The new season has arrived with the latest Warzone patch and of course that means the battle pass has been reset again. There are many notable pieces of loot here to get your hands on. It is worth noting that if you to opt to get the battle pass, as long as you play enough, you usually are able to earn back any COD points you’ve spent on the pass itself. This means usually the battle pass will pay for itself as long as you have bought your first one.

Battle Pass Level Breakdown

  • 0 – The battle pass immediately unlocks the Operator Naga – Viper skin, and Survivor skin for Operator Park
  • 15 – FARA 83 Assault Rifle Golf unlock
  • 30 – LC10 Submachine Gun Golf unlock
  • 95 – Vulture Exo Ultra Blueprint for the FARA 83 looks badass (see below)
Unlocked at Battle Pass Level 95 – Vulture Exo Blueprint for the FARA 83

100 – Warlord skin for Operator Naga

Warlord Skin unlocked at battle pass 100
  • 100 – Poison Dart blueprint for the LC10 Submachine Gun
Poison Dart Blueprint unlocked at battle pass 100

Many other skins and unlocks are available along the way as well.

Warzone has been the subject of a lot of controversy lately due to the rampant hackers issues. Earlier this month Activision banned over 180,000 accounts. While many report running into less hackers in the last week, it is still a major issue.

Another major trend has been pro streamers exploiting the skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) system within Warzone to get themselves easier lobbies. We will have to stay tuned for any potential updates from the SBMM scene as well.

Forza Horizon 4 Coming to Steam on on March 9th

Forza Horizon 4 to Steam?

Microsoft, the owner of the Forza series, announced in a blog post today that Forza Horizon 4 will be coming to the steam store on March 9th, 2021. Forza Horizon 4 was released in 2018 initially on Microsoft Windows and Xbox One after the announcement at E3 in 2018.

Overall, critics have been very favortable of the game with Metacritic giving the title an 88/100 on PC and 92/100 on Xbox. The Xbox one version of the game turned out to be the highest ranked Forza Horizon title in the series tieing with Forza Motorsport and Motorsport 3. In 2018, there were several awards given most nobably winning the Best Racing Game of the year at the Game Critics awards.

Forza has also done relatively well in the streaming scene with the top 3 streamers being xboxinteractiveanz, xbox interactiveuk and DrUstaBaba. With the release of cross play, we can imagine that even more fans will flock and stream it.

Forza Horizon 4 is one of the most polished driving games ever made. The feeling, the amount of content, the spectacular open world and the unbelievable visuals are some pieces of this puzzle that match perfectly to form, all together, a true masterpiece that is perfect in almost every single aspect.

2018 Review on Metacritic

It really is clear that the trend of increasing Xbox cross-platform play will continue in 2021. Now you can race your friends and foes across Xbox, Windows 10 PCs, and cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Untimate on android/mobile devices. This is all made possible with xCloud streaming.

What is Included in the bundles?

Standard Edition

  • Forza Horizon 4
  • Foruma Drift Car Pack

Deluxe Edition

  • Forza Horizon 4
  • Formula Drift Car Pack
  • Car Pass
  • Best of Bond Car Pack

Ultimate Edition Digital Bundle

  • Forza Horizon 4
  • Formula Drift Car Pack
  • Car Pass
  • Best of Bond Car Pack
  • Welcome Pack
  • VIP
  • Fortune Island
  • Lego Speed Champions

When Forza Horizon 4 officially comes to Steam on March 9th, 2021 it will be very interesting to see how much the popularity increases. Will you be playing? Shoot an email and let us know any other games we should be following.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake (DELAYED Indefinitely)

According to a tweet by the development team for prince of Persia from Ubisoft, The Sands of Time Remake, the much anticipated remake will be delayed indefinitely. At first, according to a Tweet on December 8th, 2020 the series was slated to be released on March 18th, 2021 after already being delayed. The main reason for the delay according to Ubisoft Pube who was in charge of developing the game said they need some extra development time. At the end of the day, this is not a bad thing because I think we all would rather have the best version of the remake come to fruition instead of a buggy, unpolished mess.

What is Prince of Persia the Sands of Time?

Fans will just have to continue to wait and hold their breath. The original Prince of Persia The Sands of time developed by Ubisoft and released in 2003 for Xbox, Game Boy Advance, PS2, Gamecube and Windows was a huge success for the franchise. In the game, you follow the story of an unamed prince whos dad destroys an ancient city.

The price recieves an artifat weapon called the Dagger of time. Throughout your platforming adventure, the player must use the Dagger to turn back time and fix mistakes that happen to advance to the storyline.

When 2003 was over, 2 million copies of the game were sold netting Ubisoft a huge profit. The reception was huge in Europe as well with over 1.1 million sales by February 2004. Fast forward to July of 2006 and the PS2 version sold over 700k copies in NA bringing in over $24 million to Ubisoft. Since 2014, Prince of Persia sold over 14 million copies worldwide.

There was even a movie made called Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time which was unfortunatly a flop according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Features Promised in the Remake

  • Full scale remake
  • New enemy character model and cinematic sequences
  • Enhanced voices, sounds, parkour animations and soundtrack
  • Modern controls, cameria and combat systems will be rebuilt and updated to meet today’s gameplay standards
  • Orginal or modern mapping
  • New graphical updates – see Persia like you never have seen it before
  • Unlock the orginal game from 1989 (1992 Mac version) and access any time from the menu
  • Pre order the digital version for $39.99 for Xbox Series X|S or Xbox One
  • Single Player
  • Xbox Live Achievements
  • Xbox Live Clubs
  • Xbox Live Cloud Saves
  • HDR10
  • 4K Ultra HD

Call of Duty Warzone Anti Cheat Update 2/2/2021 (180,000 Bans)

The Call of Duty Staff announced an updated to their anti cheat systems on the official blog this evening reinforcing that they have a zero tolerance policy for cheats on both call of Duty and Call of Duty Warzone.

COD has recently faced harsh criticism for the rampant amount of cheating going on and some big name streamers like Vikstar have even announced that they are leaving the game due to the amount of cheating going on. You can see his tweet and watch the video explaining the drama.

According to the post, Activision banned 60,000 accounts for verified usage of cheating software in Call of Duty which brings their total to over 300,000 permanent bans worldwide since the launch.

They also will bolster efforts to detect and swifty ban known cheats and go to the source of people who distribute 3rd party software.

Since COD has launched they have taken several actions such as:

  • Weekly backend updates of security systems
  • Improved in-game reporting systems
  • 2FA which has flagged over 180,000 suspect accounts
  • Eliminated unauthorized 3rd party software providers
  • Increased the size of dedicated teams for software dev, engineering, data science, legal and monitoring

Efforts are being expanded in the following areas:

  • Enhancements to anti-cheat software internally
  • Additional detection tech
  • New resources dedicated to monitoring and enforcement
  • 0 Tolerance policy
  • Consistent and quick bans

They end off the announcement with the following

Our ongoing security and enforcement efforts are franchise wide across Warzone, Modern Warfare® and Black Ops. For Warzone communications, the Warzone development team at Raven Software will take the lead on sharing updates going forward. We will provide monthly updates at a minimum, and when possible, weekly updates to the community. Please give them a follow here: @RavenSoftware. For the latest security and enforcement policy details, please visit: https://support.activision.com/warzonepolicy.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition New Trailer, Release Date and Specs (Xbox One)

The Mass Effect YouTube Channel owned by EA released the final trailer for the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition Reveal in stunning (4k) which will be releasing on May 14th, 2921 at 12:00 AM.

Soon enough, you will be able to relive the story of the legendary Commander Shepard in this labor of love made by EA. The trailer looks incredibly polished and fans are excited to dive back in. Mass Effect Legendary edition really both a remake and a remaster at the same time With a gigantic redesign of several user interfaces, combat, exploring, camera angle and AI being affected.

Fans are very excited to jump back into arguably one of the greatest sci-fi universe triologies ever created for console gaming over a decade ago. If you are in an even luckier position if you have never played the game and can experience it for the first time.

The series has always been recieved well selling more then 1.5 million copies of the original game by January 2008. Video game critics praised the combination of cinematic design with interactively storytelling. Initially the game had issues with combat that was not balanced and poor AI design but later versions of the game improved on these issues.

Looking at comments on YouTube, you can really see the emotional reaction by fans who gone through some much playing the series through various phases of their lives.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition New Trailer reaction

You can Pre-Order the Game over on the Microsoft store for $59.99 or the reduced price of $53.99 with EA Play.

The Legendary Edition Includes:

  • Single-Player Base Content
  • 40+ DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3
  • Promotional Weapons, Armors and Packs
  • Remastered and Optimized for 4K Ultra HD
  • Bring Down the Sky
  • Genesis
  • Zaeed – The Price of Revenge
  • Kasumi
  • Stolen Memory
  • Lair of the Shadow Broker
  • Firewalker Pack
  • Overlord
  • Normandy Crash Site
  • Arrival
  • Genesis 2
  • From Ashes
  • Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut
  • Leviathan
  • Omega
  • Citadel
  • Equalizer Pack
  • Aegis Pack
  • Firepower Pack
  • Cerberus Weapons and Armor
  • Arc Projector
  • ME2 Alternate Appearance Pack 1
  • ME2 Alternate Appearance Pack 2
  • ME3 Alternate Appearance Pack 1
  • Firefight Pack
  • Groundside Resistance Pack
  • Recon Operations Pack
  • Collector’s Weapon and Armor
  • Terminus Weapon and Armor
  • M-21 Incisor
  • Blood Dragon Armor
  • Inferno Armor
  • Recon Hood
  • Sentry Interface
  • Umbra Visor
  • N7 Warfare Gear
  • AT-12 Raider
  • Chakram Launcher
  • M-55 Argus
  • M-90 Indra
  • Reckoner Knight Armor
  • N7 Collector’s Edition Pack

Games Coming and Going List for Xbox Game Pass: February 2021

In a blog post by Megan Spurr, the Community Lead for Xbox Game Pass, major titles were announced to be coming to Xbox Game Pass as well as leaving in February. Xbox releases this information twice a month to the community to generate excitement for whats coming to game pass and give a heads up on what is leaving. Check out the games and let us know what you are most excited to see coming to Xbox Game Pass in February.

Coming soon

Coming February 4th

Ghost of a Tale (PC) ID@Xbox – February 4th

This game is an action Role Playing game having you play as a mouse named Tilo. You will be thrown into a medieval world that only has animals and you will have to explore to progress.

Project Winter (Android, Console and PC) ID@Xbox – February 4th

If you like 8 player multiplayer game then this is the one for you. You will need to communicate and decieve to ultimately brave the wilderness and escape.

The Falconeer (Android, Console and PC) – February 4th

Fly through the skys in a fantasy land on a mythical warbird. There are multiple classes with weapons, stats and upgrades that are unlocked as you progress.

Coming February 11th

Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age (Console and PC) – February 11th

Published by the legendary Square Enix, this is the 12th intallment of Final fantasy remastered. We don’t want to ruin the story, but it’s worth checking out.

Jurassic World Evolution (Android and Console) – February 11th

For any Jurassic Park fan, this is a must play. Immerse yourself in a world a dinosaurs and create your own compound to understand these legendary creatures.

Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones (Android and Console) – February 11th

You play as a close trying to escape a high tech testing facility. Both your reflexes and mind will be tested in 60+ levels that are linked together. It’s easy to die in this game but don’t worry, death is never permanent for a clone.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood (Android) – February 11th

This is the first co-open Wolfenstein game in the modern age created by bethesda. Work with you friend or take the challenge on alone in this first person shooter.

Leaving Soon

Leaving February 15

De Blob (Console) – February 1th

This platform puzzle game released in 2008 challenges the player to explore and liberate an alien society from an evil corporation. Rated 9/10 on Steam and 72% on Metacritic, it’s worth giving a shot.

Ninja Gaiden II (Console) – February 15th

The classic hack and slash video game is the sequal to the original Ninja Gaiden released in 2004. You can’t go wrong with this one and will be entertained for hours.

World of Horror (PC) – February 15th

Rogue Lite’s have become very popular in 2021 and World of Horror is great choice for any player looking for a challenge. You must survive a scary gauntlet of fights and challenges in this retro style game.

Leaving February 16

Shadows of the Damned (EA Play/Console) – February 16th

This action horror game puts you in the role as a demon hinter traveling through hell to save your true love. The game has many features including brutally twisted boss battles, a heart-wrenching storlyline, the power of light and an incredibly deep soundtrack among other well throught out systems.

We look forward to seeing the global response to the game pass announcement and following the story closely.

MLB The Show 21 is Releasing on Xbox One and Series X|S on This Date

According to a post today on Xbox News Wire, MLB The Show 21 will be releasing on Xbox One and X/S on April 20th, 2021. If you are a fan of the critically acclaimed baseball series, before you know it you will be loading up your console and hitting home runs across your favorite fields. It was quite an odd year for all professional sports, but players and fans did what they needed to do to move baseball forward. In 2019, Sony, who own the franchise announced that there was a multi platform partnership in the works.

This game has always been a long term Playstation exclusive according to a post by Eurogamer and it’s a huge deal that it will be coming to Xbox, where many fans choose to play their games.

MLB The Show 21 – Announcement YouTube Video -Fernando Tatis Jr:

According to the Xbox website, you can Pre-Order The Show 21 for $69.99 which will include:

  • MLB™ The Show 21™ (XBOX Series X|S™).
  • 10 The Show packs. 5K Stubs™.
  • OWN THE SHOW – Experience faster, deeper and more intense action on the field, with several of game modes for all you rookie players and returning seasoned vets. 

Key Features:

  • Cross Platform Play and Progression
  • Earn and spend content on any platform exclusing purchased stubs
  • Feature Premiere streaming on Twitch, YouTube and Facebook Live
  • 6 Feature Premieres planned
  • Collector’s Editional will be Revealed on February 3rd, 2021

Statement from Xbox News:

“We’re also excited to share that, with our announced extension with MLB and MLB Players, MLB The Show 21 will be available — for the first time ever — on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. This is a very exciting moment for all of us as the storied franchise will be accessible to more gamers than ever before. We would like to thank everyone at PlayStation, Xbox, Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association, and the San Diego Studio for working diligently to bring MLB The Show to more players.”

Xbox.com

Twitter reacted and there is excitement in the air. Fernando Tatis Junior who is only 22 years old will be the youngest player ever selected for the cover of an MLB game.

Reminder: The Medium comes out tomorrow

Out of all the games that are Xbox Series X/S optimized right now, The Medium will have the most eyes on it. Why is that, you ask? Because The Medium is a Series X/S title only. It will not come out on the Xbox One. There will be no past-gen experience available for this game. It is fully tailored to take advantage of the new Xbox hardware, and that alone is worth setting time aside for it.

I’ll be playing through most of the game (if not all of it) tomorrow. I’m certainly not the type of guy who enjoys scary games. In fact, I tend to quit most of them as soon as something scary starts chasing after me. But for this one, I am going to tough it out. I will journey through The Medium from start to finish, and knowing me, I will keep all the lights on while doing so.

The sites I spend the most time working for now, SVG and Looper, will have plenty of coverage for the game over the next few days. I personally will be writing some of the content about The Medium, so be sure to head over there and check those articles out.

By the looks of it, reviews for The Medium are looking pretty promising. Make a note for yourself to start playing this one when it goes live tomorrow. In the meantime, if you’re an Xbox Game Pass subscriber or if you’ve pre-ordered the game, you can download it in advance. That’ll let you get started as soon as possible.