Game Recommendation, General - Written by: Grunt 4500 | Original Article[informedpixel.com]
First-Person Shooters have always been popular on the PC platform for a variety of reasons; largely being the graphical superior over consoles with genuine ease. Legend tells of a video game such an immense technical prowess so demanding that many PC gamers didn’t know if their rigs could even handle it; even with substantial upgrades. This is none other than the legendary FPS game known simply as Crysis.

Crysis was developed by Crytek & published by Electronic Arts (EA), and released 13 years ago on November 13th, 2007. Despite the game’s demanding hardware; it received an overwhelming critical acclaim, many Game of the Year awards and has been immortalised by the “can it run Crysis?” meme. While initially a PC exclusive (for good reason), an optimised version would eventually be ported to the Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 platforms in October 2011.

In Crysis, you play as a Rapter Team member known as Nomad; a highly trained U.S. soldier dawning the latest and greatest Nanosuit. Nomad and his team are tasked with liberating the fictitious Lingshan Islands from hostile North Korean forces; rescuing American archaeologists along the way. However what they find in the depths of the island is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

Luckily for you, you are equipped with the Nanosuit; an ultra-advanced exo-suit that enables you with enhanced strength, speed, armour, and cloaking abilities. The Nanosuit is what gives Crysis its unique and memorable gameplay that simply cannot be found anywhere else. With the ability so pick up and throw medium sized objects, knock down buildings and destroy vehicles; Crysis gives you many options to lay waste to your enemies.

While some textures show their age, Crysis as a whole still looks incredible for a 13 year old game; especially on modern PC hardware. When you really get into it, you may start to forget that this game is over a decade old as the lighting effects specially look outstanding; and explosions, gunfire and particle effects still holding up accordingly. While the same can’t quite be said console versions, especially with frame-rate issues; its incredible that they got the game running on such dated hardware in the first place.

Most impressively is how well the game still plays after all this time, its fun; very fun. The adrenaline of utilising different Nanosuit abilities in the midst of shooting enemies in combat while mixing in sandbox elements just never gets old. Mix in stealth elements, vehicle sections and an entire enemy swap out in the late game; and you have an extremely varied shooter on your hands.

This Game Recommendation is actually being cut a little bit short; but for a good reason. With Crysis Remastered releasing soon after this article is posted; a full reveal of the game in all of its remastered glory will be following soon! So have maximum patience, as a huge Crysis fan this is a review I’ve wanted to do for some time! Stay tuned for it, here at Informed Pixel.

The original Crysis is available on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Crysis Remastered releases on September 18th, 2020 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and the Epic Games store; and is already available for the Nintendo Switch! So… Can it run Crysis? These days, whatever you are playing on absolutely can! Some images here are captured on PC, others on the Xbox 360; can you tell which is which?

General, Mobile/Other, Xbox - Written by: Ashli Sykes | Original Article[informedpixel.com]
As if Xbox owners needed anymore reason to grab themselves an Xbox Game Pass Subscription, Xbox has now officially launched it’s Xbox Xcloud Program. Don’t worry. it’s not another lackluster streaming launch like other companies have suffered from in recent times. Xcloud boasts over 150+ games, with more to be added, and low latency.

All is included for FREE for Game Pass holders, adding more to the already incredible deal that Game Pass is. Microsoft once again proves that in 2020, they no longer believe in the console war and want to focus on gaming, experience, and the technology that goes into keeping loyal customers, and creating new ones.
https://youtu.be/DE3nXtnfVpU
At only $14.99 a month, Game Pass holders get access to a plethora of games, including some major AAA titles. Minecraft, the Gears of War and Halo franchises, and Rocket League just to name a few. The ability to play their library on PC (although still in beta) is a very welcomed touch.

Not only that, but EA recently announced it will join the lineup with their EA Access (now EA Play) being added to the Game Pass. This means even more games specifically from EA that will be added to the Library in the upcoming Holiday season. Again, at no extra cost. A full list of available games are listed here.[www.xbox.com]

What was already more than worth the price, Xcloud is just icing on the cake. The ability to Streamplay games on your Android phones or tablets. Xcloud is (sorta) available for IOS as well, but Microsoft themselves have stated that doing so is “a bad experience for gamers.” Most likely due to Apple’s anti-consumer policies and lack of real support for other companies ventures.

While specific specs of Xcloud remain to be seen, Microsoft is pretty confident in their Xcloud Program. Running through Microsoft’s Azure computing centres, situated all around the world, should provide a fairly decent image quality with low latency.
https://youtu.be/J4FF_mHhwqw
“We’re developing Project Xcloud not as a replacement for game consoles, but as a way to provide the same choice and versatility that lovers of music and video enjoy today. We’re adding more ways to play Xbox games." -Kareem Choudhry, corporate VP of cloud gaming at Microsoft.

General, Hardware, Xbox - Written by: Ryan Beattie | Original Article[informedpixel.com]
We all knew it was coming. The whispers turned into statements, the statements into leaks. If, at this point, you are still surprised by this announcement, good for you! At least someone has the ability to make the constant rumours and leaks redundant. But to the rest of us, the Xbox Series S was all but a forgone conclusion. Now, with a mere two months until the new consoles are said to release, Microsoft officially announced the Xbox Series S.
https://youtu.be/KHLfCFMKxPg
The Xbox Series S will be a discless version of the Xbox Series X. It will be slightly less powerful, but will keep many of the innovations Microsoft is touting for their new generation. For those tech-savvy consumers, the Series S will be about 60% smaller than the Series X; it will also include a high-speed 512 GB NVMe SSD, offering up to 1440p resolution at 120 FPS and 4K upscaling.

Beyond that, it will support DirectX ray tracing. So while it is certainly a step up from the Xbox One, it won’t feature top-of-the-line specs like the Xbox Series X. If you don’t have a 4K television, or don’t plan on buying one soon, this is probably the best version to get.

While Sony still hasn’t given a release date for either version of their console, we now know both of Microsoft’s. This was to be expected, as Sony probably wanted to ride the wave of good-will from last generation. But Microsoft, even going first, has made a ruckus.

The Xbox Series S will retail for $299 at release, making it easily the cheapest way to gain entry to the next console tier. The Xbox Series X will release for $499. Considering the state of many people’s finances this last 6 months, it’s a smart move. Better yet? Both consoles will release on November 10th, 2020.

The day draws near. If you intend to buy one, keep an eye out for pre-sales. There haven’t been rumours of any scarcity, created or natural (*ahem* Sony), so it shouldn’t be too hard. You should see pre-sales begin soon, now that Microsoft officially announced the Xbox Series S.

General, PC, PlayStation, Xbox - Written by: Guest Writer | Original Article[informedpixel.com]
Following months of leaks, rumours, and Activision themselves dropping in-game easter eggs, the California-based video game publishers have finally dropped details on the next game in the Call of Duty franchise.

Referred to as an “interquel”, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will feature events that happen in between Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. So far, we’ve already got a couple of exciting details. But before we get into it, make sure to reload on your PSN Gift Cards in preparation for the game’s release!

Now let’s go.

Black Ops is a sub-series of titles that’s part of the Call of Duty franchise. The first game was released in 2010 as a direct sequel to Call of Duty: World at War.

It will be the sixth installment in the Black Ops storyline and is set to be the 17th main release of the franchise.

Unlike the other Call of Duty titles, the Black Ops sub-series of games have been exclusively developed by Treyarch. However, for the latest title, Treyarch will be working closely together with Raven Software.

Reviving iconic characters seemed to have breathed a new life into the audience’s interests in the single-player campaigns of the Call of Duty franchise.

Reintroducing characters like Captain John Price to modern audiences and gamers who grew quite fond of him, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is aiming to do the same. It’ll reportedly revive central characters Alex Woods, Jason Hudson, and Frank Mason. All three were part of the original Call of Duty: Black Ops title released in 2010.

The story will revolve around the Cold War in the 1980s as the tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States rise. It will have players track down “Perseus”, a fictional character supposedly inspired by a potential Soviet Spy of the same code-name that was believed to have successfully infiltrated the United States government.

As always, the multiplayer component will play a huge part in Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War, and as confirmed by Activision, it will come with numerous changes. For starters, Activision has confirmed that the latest Black Ops title will support cross-play. This means that Xbox One players will be able to play with PS4 players, as well as those on the PC. However, what’s new to the title is that it will reportedly support cross-generation multiplayer as well.

What this means is that, upon release, gamers on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will also get a chance to play with those on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

That aside, Activision’s latest Call of Duty title will come with a seasonal battle pass, as is the case with today’s shooters. However, what makes it different is that it will reportedly share its progress with Warzone. Meanwhile, gamers can also expect to keep any Modern Warfare content that they may have earned, including operators and weapon blueprints, among others.

This is a huge departure from having to leave content after switching from one Call of Duty instalment to another. Another confirmed detail for Black Ops – Cold War is the return of the widely popular horde mode, Zombies.

First released by Treyarch for World at War way back in 2008, the return of Zombies mode will definitely be enough to get gamers to come and play Black Ops – Cold War in hordes (pun intended). Activision intends to do a full multiplayer reveal on September 9th.

Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play title and is Activision’s take on the Battle Royale formula. It borrows a lot of elements from other Battle Royale titles like Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. However, it adds plenty of its own flavour to it too. With that said, the release of a new Call of Duty title has many players concerned.

Naturally, Activision’s focus will be on Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and even though both titles have different developers, the cause for concern is valid. But, Activision has promised that they will continue to support Warzone. In fact, they plan on continuously adding more and more features to the free-to-play title.

Activision has also confirmed that they plan on incorporating new Call of Duty entries into Warfare in the future.

The confirmed release date for Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War is November 13th, 2020. The latest Black Ops title will have a simultaneous release on all the major gaming platforms: PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

It is currently unknown if it will be available at launch for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Sony and Microsoft’s next-generation consoles are booked for a “Holiday 2020” release, although both companies have yet to release the exact date for when their respective consoles will be released.

Right now, you can pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on consoles and PC. It is available on the PlayStation Store (PS4), Microsoft Store (Xbox One), and Battle.net (PC).

The Standard Edition will sell for US$59.99, with a cross-gen bundle (for current-gen and next-gen versions) available for just US$69.99. Meanwhile, an Ultimate Edition will sell for US$89.99. This will come with the cross-gen bundle, as well as a “Battle Pass Bundle” (comes with access to the first Battle Pass and 20 tier skips) and the “Land”, “Sea”, and “Air” pack that includes nine items.

Those who pre-order today will have access to the Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War beta. This will include the “Confrontation Weapons Pack” and a “Woods Operator Pack” available for both Warzone and Modern Warfare. That’s all we know for now! So, what are you most excited for with this release? Let us know in the comments below.

General, Highlight of the Week, Nintendo - Written by: Matt Scriver | Original Article[informedpixel.com]
This weeks news seems to be full of Nintendo and Mario games, with many titles being announced such as Super Mario Bros. 35, or even Super Mario 3D All Stars. The game featured in this weeks Highlight of the Week will be Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.

Nintendo is having a hay day with bringing back old Mario titles, and this one in particular will be a two-in-one package. You will be able to play Super Mario 3D World, a 4-player platforming Mario title, and it will be coming with Bowser’s Fury, a DLC for the game.

Pounce and climb through dozens of colourful stages. You can use power-ups like the Super Bell, which grants catlike abilities, like climbing and scratching. Work together locally or online with up to three other players to reach the goal and to see who can get a high score.

The Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury game features the same great co-op gameplay, creative levels and power-ups as the original game, but also so much more. Additional details about what fun things this game has to offer will be revealed soon.
https://youtu.be/OPAQA_P_RQY
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is up for pre-order on the Nintendo Switch for $59.99. It is slated to release February 12th 2021, so if you are looking to get this game be sure to set aside some funds for it.