Right off of the heels of their recent progression video and release date, Rare’s Sea of Thieves will finally be sailing the rocky waters of the closed beta in anticipation for the games’ March 20th release date.

Players who enrolled in the Technical Alpha program before its closure back in December have been guaranteed a spot in the games’ closed beta, and so have customers who have pre-purchased the game on the Xbox or Windows store. The best part is that players of the beta have free reign for streaming the game! That’s right, no more NDA’s. Rare wants you to share your best pirate moments with the world now.

With March slowly looming over the horizon, Microsft and many people are hoping for Sea of Thieves to be a breakout hit for Microsoft, as they’ve sadly been lacking major 1st party titles in comparison to Sony’s monster PS4 line-up that’s been growing rapidly for the past 2 years. Here’s hoping Rare delivers an open world experience that no one will soon forget.

It’s been a busy 2 weeks for Rare and the crew making Sea of Thieves. Last week during The Game Awards, Rare revealed that the highly anticipate open word adventure will be hitting Xbox One and Windows 10 on March 20th, 2018. While the game hasn’t made a public appearance outside of E3 2017 and Comic Con 2016, Players have slowly been chipping away at the game’s technical alpha for the past year now consistently playing the game and giving their feedback directly to Rare themselves.  This week also seems to be big for Rare as they’ve detailed a bit more on what you can expect to see in the full game.

The short 7-minute progress video seems to give off a personal and warm vibe, similar to a Nintendo Direct. Design Director Mike Chapman takes fans through some of the meatier features of the game such as creating alliances with certain guilds and the variety of mission structures. Check out the full video below for more info, and also check out our 2016 SDCC interview with Executive Producer Joe Neate. Sea of Thieves will be releasing for Xbox One and Windows 10.

 

Ever since the infamous reveal of Phantom Dust back at Microsoft’s 2014 press conference, the series has stayed in this perpetual limbo.

While we continue to wait for new info on a new game for the series however, Microsoft has decided to apologize fans of the series with a special treat. This morning head of Xbox marketing Aaron Greenberg revealed that an HD update of Phantom Dust will be heading to Xbox One and Windows 10 as soon as tomorrow! The best part? The game will be FREE and support Xbox Play Anywhere! This is a great way to bring new fans into the fold and show them exactly why the original is so beloved by many people. It also helps re build enthusiasm for a potential sequel or reboot on the horizon. What do you think? Are you going to download Phantom Dust HD tomorrow? Tell us in the comments below!

After months and months of teasing, Rare is finally letting Sea of Thieves loose onto the world! (for a select few.)

If you’re part of the Sea of Thieves insider program, you have the chance of being randomly selected out of 1000 people to take part in this beginning alpha test. In this Alpha, players will be able to sail the sea looking for treasure. You’ll have to work together with your crew to chart out the island, make your way to it, find the treasure,and get back safely in order to cash it in. You’ll even be able to use weapons like your sword or blunderbuss!

If you’d like to join the insider program for the chance to get in the alpha, you can apply right here! Check out the video below for more details on what to expect. Sea of Thieves is expected to launch on Xbox One and Windows 10 in 2017. What are you looking forward to the most in Sea of Thieves? Tell us in the comments below!

Ever since they revealed the game a year ago at E3 2015, Rare has been non stop hard at work trying to polish off their newest creation, Sea of Thieves.

They’ve been pretty good with helping keep fans in the loop with their podcast, short haul videos, and inn side stories. One of the biggest things about the game that people want out of it is just to play the game itself so they can experience all the great stuff they’ve heard from E3 and Gamescom. Well, that time has finally come. Today, Rare launched the Sea of Thieves Insider Program Which will allow fans to sign up in order to help shape the game and even play early test builds.

The only catch to this is that you have to be 18 and have an XBL gamertag, but other than that you’re good! Check out the video below for more info, and sign up for the program right here. Sea of Thieves has no release date, but is planned on releasing for Xbox One and Windows 10.

It’s been an amazing year for fans of Rare and Rare esque games so far.

Not only are we getting the spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie that we’ve always wanted, but Rare themselves have also stepped up their game again with their open world pirate game Sea Of Thieves. And what’s better than those games? The merchandise for them of course! Right now, Playtonic Games has partnered up with Bryt Socks to bring fans an exclusive design based off the kickstarter duo. You can only obtain these socks by backing the Bryt 2.0 campaign though, so if you need some new socks, go check them out right here! (43 days left as of writing this.)

YL SocksIf socks aren’t enough to tickle your fancy, then perhaps the pirates life is for you. A couple of days after the Xbox press conference, Microsoft launched the Sea Of Thieves store where you can get your hands on a selection of piratey shirts, hoodies, and more! Sail on over to see more treasure! What do you think of this merch? What kind of future apparel would you like to see from these games? Tell us in the comments below!

Sot Merch

Last week, Microsoft held their annual E3 Press Conference, and with it, they finally rose the curtain a bit more on Rare’s anticipated pirate adventure game Sea Of Thieves.

The cinematic sheds a bit of backstory onto the game and hints at exciting features that you’ll be able to experience such as ship battles, treasure hunting, and of course, kraken battles. All this to the beautiful tune of a sorrow song very reminiscent of the sea chantey What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor? While the game has no solid release yet, studio head Craig Duncan has confirmed that they want to put the game into closed beta soon so that fans can finally experience it. Sea Of Thieves will launch for Xbox One and Windows 10 in the future.

Briefly: I’m really not sure how this one slipped past me, but as a huge fan of 2013’s open world zombie survival simulator, State of Decay, I’m damned excited for the sequel.

Microsoft debuted the first trailer for State of Decay 2 at this week’s E3 expo, and while the trailer reveals little in terms of actual details from the game, it clearly showcases just how important it’ll be to bring a few friends along for the ride.

Microsoft notes that “The next installment in the critically acclaimed “State of Decay” franchise immerses you in an all-new, multiplayer zombie survival fantasy. Build a lasting community, working with other players or solo to overcome challenges while exploring your own unique story in a world that remembers the choices you make.”

You can take a look at the trailer for the title below, and be sure to let us know what you think! State of Decay 2 will hit Xbox One and Windows 10 sometime in 2017!

One of the major focuses at Microsoft’s E3 2016 presentation was its implementation of the Xbox Play Anywhere program, an ecosystem between the Xbox One and Windows 10 where game saves, progress, achievements and even purchases are shared between both versions, including digital copies of the full games. Announcing that Gears Of War 4 would be the first release to be included as part of this program, that might be enough reason for some to consider picking up the fourth game in what is considered one of the Xbox’s premiere exclusives. But then we saw the trailer, and realized it didn’t need it, because it’s clear how good this fourth game is starting to shape up.

Playing as a new squad years after the conclusion of Gears of War 3, the team takes on a new threat called The Swarm. Showing off a variety of enemies in their ranks, it wasn’t always enough to shoot through their grunts to progress. In what was the most welcomed improvement that I could make out throughout the footage shown, you’ll have to rely on wit as much as firepower to overcome your new foes. Using pieces of the environment like a catapult to wipe out an enemy blockade or shooting beams that get blown into unsuspecting soldiers adds a new layer to the familiar formula. New weapons like a buzz saw launcher continues to show positive steps forward, all while the co-op campaign, impressive visuals and realistic weather effects round out what’s looking like a game worthy of the hype. It doesn’t help when you’re greeted by old man Marcus Fenix after a job well done either!

Well, that’s Gears of War 4! And I have to say, what we’ve seen so far looks very promising. What do you think about the Xbox Play Anywhere program, and is the next Gears game on your radar as the October 11 release date draws closer? Comment below and share your thoughts, and be sure to check back throughout the week for our hands-on impressions of the game.

Dampening the surprise a little bit thanks to a previous announcement, most of us knew Halo Wars 2 was on its way. What we didn’t know was that we would get a chance to play it a lot sooner than we thought.

Starting today through June 20, Xbox One gamers will be able to participate in a Halo Wars 2 beta, giving them limited access to the game’s core features about eight months prior to its February 21 release date. The team at 343 Industries did a great job of hooking us right before the big announcement, since the teaser trailer, (which can be viewed below,) did a great job of introducing its new characters while setting the stage for such a massive conflict.

For those who are unfamiliar, Halo Wars was an attempt to bring Real Time Strategy games that have been popularized on the PC to consoles, featuring the popular characters and units from the main Halo franchise. Receiving a certain level of acclaim in its own right, it wasn’t enough to keep Ensemble Studios, the talented team behind the popular Age of Empires franchise, from being shut down. Because of this, many thought we would never see a Halo Wars sequel until 343 and Creative Assembly took the reigns.

After what we’ve seen so far, let’s just say we’re happy that this revival is happening. Eventual Xbox Play Anywhere support will allow cross play and cross save support between console and Windows 10, allowing us to keep the fight alive no matter where we are. What say you, gamer? What are your thoughts on Halo Wars 2, and will you be online this week throughout the game’s beta period? Sound off below!

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day everyone!

This year, Rare has decided to go all out by trying to make their new game Sea of Thieves as authentic as possible. This includes them hiring real life pirates as consultants for the game. The end results pretty much turns out how you expect it to, but it’s still fun to watch.

As of right now, Sea of Thieves does not have a release date, but is presumed to launch in 2016 for Xbox One and Windows 10.

Any game that allows four player couch co-op is always welcome. Say what you will about online gaming, but there’s nothing like being able to settle in with your bros, (and bro-ettes?), grab a bunch of controllers, and go crazy. With local team ups becoming more and more rare, it’s always exciting to see a game get the full, team up treatment. In Super Dungeon Bros., both online and local “bro-op” are supported, allowing four players to rock out in this rock-and-roll inspired hack and slash. We sat down with the game at E3 to check in on how the game is coming along so far.

Super Dungeon Bros E3 Screen 1

Tasked as choosing between Axl, Lars, Ozzie or Freddie, four knights with distinct personalities to match with their bright colored armor, game play relies less on who you choose, and more on what you choose! Each bro can choose a variety of weapons, including swords, bows and hammers. Aside from the typical differences between attacks, such as speed, damage and range, each one also has their own, unique abilities that help the team clear enemies from each room. For example, the sword unlocks what’s called the “Bronado,” where its user activates a prolonged spin attack, while stacking the partners he makes contact with on top of him, resulting in a spinning tower of pain for their enemies.

On that subject, stacking is important when progressing through the dungeons. A co-op game in every sense of the word, progression often requires partners to team up. Whether that means stacking and throwing bros over gaps, activating multi person switches, or opening distant doors for the rest of the team to go through, working together is key to advancing. With that in mind, the team has to make sure to be on the same page, since taking too long results in larger waves of enemies respawning. Taking too long to enjoy the scenery can result in a tougher dungeon, so you’ll always want to be moving. Then again, don’t move TOO much, since dodge rolling consecutively leads to your bro getting dizzy. It’s all a balance, you see.

Super Dungeon Bros E3 Screen 2

Like a Call Of Duty E3 presentation, Super Dungeon Bros is bro from head to toe. Including plenty of co-op abilities, four player local and online modes, awesome music, unique abilities and characters with their own sets of wisecracks, and a fast paced play style, and you get what’s shaping up to be a very enjoyable multiplayer experience. With cross play between the Xbox One and Windows 10, or PS4 to PC, you’ll have plenty of ways to team up with your friends and rock out when the game is released late this year.