Seven months after introducing new, more expensive tiers for Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft has announced it is cutting the price of Game Pass Ultimate for console and PC. Furthermore, new Call of Duty titles will no longer be included in the library at launch.
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced on X that “Game Pass Ultimate has become too expensive for too many players,” and that the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has dropped from $29.99 a month to $22.99. PC Game Pass, previously $16.49 a month, will now cost $13.99. Sharma states the price change takes effect today, and after checking ourselves, this is indeed the case.
“We’ll keep learning and evolving Game Pass to better match what matters to players,” Sharma says in her post.
The perks for Game Pass Ultimate will not change, as an Xbox Wire post states, “Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will continue to have access to hundreds of games on Xbox console and PC, including current Call of Duty titles, in-game benefits, online console multiplayer, and major day one releases.”
The other side of this coin is that starting this year, Call of Duty games will no longer join Game Pass at launch. Instead, new Call of Duty games will be added to Game Pass roughly a year later, during the next holiday season. Existing Call of Duty titles will remain available on Game Pass, however.
Although the cheaper Game Pass tiers, Essential and Premium, will remain at their current prices ($9.99 and $14.99 a month, respectively), this is welcome news for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers. Gaming has rapidly become more expensive over the past year, so it’s nice to hear something going down in price instead of the opposite for a change.
What do you think of these new Game Pass Ultimate and PC subscription prices? Let us know in the comments.
Platform:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Publisher:
Blizzard Entertainment
Developer:
Blizzard Entertainment
Release:
Rating:
Mature
Lord of Hatred offers a grim, emotional, and satisfying conclusion to the Age of Hatred saga that began in Diablo IV’s original campaign. A gripping narrative paves a perfect playground to explore the newly introduced Skovos region as the expansion’s entertaining new classes: Warlock and Paladin. Tack on new endgame systems designed to simplify and further incentivize post-story activities, and Diablo IV has another strong argument to dive back into Hell.
Picking up directly after Vessel of Hatred’s cliffhanger ending, Lord of Hatred wastes no time raising the stakes, often to heart-wrenching degrees. The race to prevent Mephisto, who takes the guise of a benevolent Jesus-like leader to corrupt the hearts of Skovos’ citizens, from plunging Sanctuary into an age of hatred is a dark and captivating adventure with some fun twists, namely the return of Lilith. Delving deeper into what makes the Daughter of Hatred tick is among my favorite parts of the narrative, and a strong supporting cast of familiar friends and new allies bolsters the adventure. If this is it for Diablo IV’s story, it sticks the landing well.
Whether you’re summoning hellspawn demons to sic at foes as a Warlock or shield-bashing them and unleashing divine fury as a Paladin, both classes are entertaining additions. Regardless of the class, though, the skill trees have been expanded with new unlockable perks that deepen an ability’s capabilities, such as reducing cooldown times, unleashing more projectiles, or inflicting a status effect. I like how these new options let me further tinker with unlocked abilities and provide even more room for experimentation.
Skovos offers a beautiful new region to explore, thanks to its scenic Mediterranean-inspired main city and seaside ports that feel distinct from the rest of Sanctuary. In addition to cutting down thousands of new demonic and human threats, you can complete a fresh batch of fun sidequests, explore new dungeons, and engage in the new but inconsequential fishing minigame. Those looking for meaningful progression, though, can equip new Talismans that allow for further specialization. Up to six of these charms can be worn (though slots must be unlocked), and range from small perks, like x-percent more healing or attack power, to multifaceted improvements, especially when matching sets are equipped. Though I can’t say I always noticed significant improvements in how my already-powerful characters performed while wearing Talismans, I like having a new factor to consider when tailoring my loadouts.
After rolling credits on Lord of Hatred’s story, War Plans provide a quick and enjoyable avenue to engage with the existing endgame content. War Plans essentially allows players to create a playlist of randomly selected activities, be it Nightmare Dungeons, Helltides, the Pit, Infernal Hordes, and more, to play one after another with no barrier to entry for increased rewards (on top of what you normally earn from the activity itself). Best of all, War Plans warp you to the queued activity, saving you from searching the large map to see where the specified activity is taking place. As a more casual player who only revisits Diablo IV when a big expansion drops, War Plans takes the hassle out of figuring out what activity to play and how to access it by spoon-feeding me this content without overwhelming me.
Additionally, War Plans add progression trees to each piece of endgame content; complete an activity enough times, and you’ll unlock modifiers that alter how that activity unfolds going forward. For example, you can change the type of rewards earned, add specific objectives, or spawn certain enemy types. Completing endgame stuff just for loot doesn’t always hold my interest for long. Adding progression meters to the activities themselves, however, is a compelling argument to keep playing just to see how many wacky stipulations I can unlock and add to them.
Echoing Hatred is another fun, if simple diversion that tasks players with surviving increasingly difficult and dense enemy waves for as long as possible. There’s not much to this challenge, but I’ll always enjoy slaughtering a bunch of monsters. However, Echoing Hatred is, by design, an exceedingly rare and difficult-to-access activity; I only got to play it once and only because of a press-exclusive shortcut. This is ultimately a smaller addition compared to the other new offerings, but one that still provides some fun.
Lord of Hatred accomplishes what a good expansion should. A strong story puts the likable cast through the wringer, and I was hooked to see it to its eventual conclusion. The new classes are fun, and a raised level cap (70), expanded skill trees, and more Torment Tiers (up to 12 now) provide more room for growth and replayability. War Plans provide a streamlined avenue to engaging with the already dense endgame content in a way I greatly appreciate. Lord of Hatred is an exceptional cherry on top of Diablo IV, further cementing the entire package as among the best action RPGs of the generation.
Last summer, Nintendo revealed a single-player spin-off of its popular multiplayer team shooter Splatoon called Splatoon Raiders. After nearly a year of relative silence, the game has a new trailer that reveals a July 23 launch date.
The Switch 2 exclusive adventure sees players controlling a customizable Inkling mechanic who travels to Spirhalite Islands alongside Deep Cut, the trio of musicians from Splatoon 3. The island is also inhabited by villainous Salmonids, whom the players must battle using the familiar paint guns and brushes. In addition to combat, the trailer shows the character gradually discovering more of what appears to be a large open world while finding treasure and crafting new custom weapons, like an axe and a paint turret.
Today’s trailer also revealed a new set of Amiibos of Deep Cut members Shiver, Big Man, and Frye. These figures will be available the same day Splatoon Raiders launches. Check them out below.
As fun as Splatoon’s main multiplayer modes are, I’ve always found its single-player modes to be very entertaining and somewhat underrated. I’m excited to see how this dedicated solo adventure pans out. Until then, be sure to check out our review of Splatoon 3.
Science fiction is often at its best when translating modern-day matters into futuristic allegories, heightening everyday issues into dramatic circumstances to reveal truths about humanity. Tides of Tomorrow executes this principle to great effect in both its narrative and mechanics, and I greatly enjoyed how its themes were so neatly communicated across each moment of gameplay. The unique way the story is conveyed is more impressive than the story itself, but it’s still a great time for fans of choice-driven games.
Tides of Tomorrow is a first-person, narrative-driven experience, and while it has some stealth, platforming, nautical combat, and puzzle challenges, the main mechanical hook is that you play the entire game on another player’s heels. Before each mission, you select the name of a player who’s already played that level (and can enter specific seed codes if you want to follow a friend or streamer), and the world will be altered as if they recently left the area. If the previous player angers someone powerful, the guards will be more hostile towards you, but if they were charming, people might revere you as a good omen. It’s not just a quick gimmick; this previous player becomes a significant character in your world, which I adored. It also makes the whole world feel very alive – you always show up in the middle of a problem, or right after a significant conflict.
You’re associated with this other player because you’re both Tidewalkers, a mysterious people with no memory of your early life, but the ability to see the recent memories of other Tidewalkers in the area. You can see their conversations with NPCs and learn how those characters got their current attitudes, but you can also see them solve puzzles and use their movements as a guideline. The game also has an emote system you can use to stamp strong emotions at almost any point in the world for your followers to see. You can celebrate after winning a race, make rude gestures at characters you don’t like, or point to a nearby secret. There are also special chests you can use to stow resources for later players, or recover spoils others have left for you.
It’s a great mechanic that I frequently engaged with, partially because I appreciated the players I followed so much. It also ties into the game’s message about climate change and preserving the world for future generations. By donating to future players, I effectively threw away many important items – I would never get to use those resources and likely will never see other players use them, but because I knew someone would appreciate the gesture, it felt great. Games often give you opportunities to dominate or trick strangers online, but it’s nice to have one that lets you be nice for a change.
The aforementioned resources are scarce. Tides of Tomorrow takes place on a flooded Earth, populated only by a few hundred thousand humans, hearty sea creatures called mereids, and tons and tons of plastic waste. Plastic bobs in the ocean, floats through the air, and is even used to construct buildings and islands. I really loved the world-building and how quickly Digixart thrusts the player into it. Tides of Tomorrow doesn’t waste much time on exposition, which I always appreciate.
The prevalence of plastic has led to a disease called Plastemia, which turns one’s body into colorful plastic over time. Players are all afflicted with this illness, but the symptoms can be subdued by regularly consuming an inhalant called Ozen. Unfortunately, most of the world has the same sickness, so you often have to choose between giving Ozen to others or keeping it for yourself, making for a lot of tough choices. It is the only way for you to heal, and you will die if you don’t consume enough of it, but it’s also crucial for story moments. I enjoy that the game uses the health bar to force the player to stay invested in the world; it’s an effective way to blend story tension into the game mechanics.
The story itself is enjoyable, but unremarkable. I enjoyed the dialogue, and the major beats are entertaining, but Tides of Tomorrow is more impressive for its storytelling method than for the narrative itself. I had a blast twisting the plot with my choices, but I was never heavily emotionally invested. The same is true for the first-person gameplay. In addition to dialogue trees, you’ll engage with simple stealth mechanics, some chase sequences, and basic platforming and puzzle solving. You also pilot a boat (and engage in some light combat) as well as a submarine later on. Thanks to an overall structure keeping players from doing one thing for too long, I never got sick of any gameplay elements, but they were still nothing to write home about.
I am most impressed by how well Tides of Tomorrow focuses on its themes around conservationism. I see the value of preserving the land for those who come after me because I constantly see visions of my predecessors preserving the world for me. I value my resources because I can see how scarce they are; each bottle of Ozen I gift to a character or a future Tidewalker is one I won’t get to have for myself, and I came very close to dying because of that. The multiplayer element in particular is a clever take on consequences in narrative games, expanding their influence from one player to anyone who follows in their footsteps. Tides of Tomorrow reminds me why video games are so uniquely suited to tell stories. Like a Tidewalker leaving gifts for subsequent followers, the game makes me optimistic for future projects that might follow in its footsteps.
Ubisoft has announced a special livestream airing this week that will reveal the long-rumored remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Fans will get their first look at the rechristened Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on Thursday, April 23.
The presentation will air on YouTube at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET. Black Flag Resynced has been one of the worst-kept secrets in gaming, with hints of its existence unearthed by industry insiders and fans as far back as 2023. Ubisoft only recently confirmed the project in March, posting artwork bearing the game’s title/logo while stating “…some whispers have a little more wind in their sails. Keep your spyglass on the horizon.”
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was originally released in 2013 as a cross-generation title for the newly launched PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (as well as Wii U, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360). Set between 1715 and 1722 during the Golden Age of Piracy, the game stars Edward Kenway, a pirate who becomes caught up in the Assassin/Templar struggle. Kenway will meet several historical pirates along the way in an adventure that also serves as a prequel to Assassin’s Creed III. In addition to traditional Assassin’s Creed stealth and parkour gameplay, Black Flag is notable for its heavy emphasis on sailing open oceans and engaging in naval battles.
Black Flag is generally considered one of the most beloved entries in the franchise, and given that it’s now a 13-year-old game, a remake makes sense. We’re excited and curious to see what the scope of this facelift will be; is it merely a graphical upgrade, or a more substantial reworking to its mechanics, mission design, and story?
Until we learn more, you can read our original review of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag here. You can also read about Ubisoft’s broader plans for the Assassin’s Creed franchise here.
The biggest reveal from this weekend’s Dragon Ball Battle Hour event is that the mysterious game formerly codenamed Age 1000 is Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3. The third entry in the role-playing fighting game is coming next year.
It’s been 10 years since Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 was released, so the reveal of a third entry in the fighting/role-playing series has been a long time coming for fans. Xenoverse 3 takes place during Age 1000, with the reveal trailer showcasing a cheery protagonist (who may be a Saiyan) exploring a bustling yet futuristic city. This hero, sporting an outfit similar to Gohan’s childhood look, also transforms into a crime-fighting uniform reminiscent of the Great Saiyaman before meeting up with the white-haired youth from the original teaser video. The trailer also shows off Bulma, Gamma 2 from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and a glimpse of Piccolo.
There’s not much in the way of story or gameplay (though we do see what appears to be in-game footage at one point), so we only have Bandai Namco’s official synopsis: “Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 continues the series’ legacy with a completely new Dragon Ball experience, where players choose the hero they want to become in an unexplored Dragon Ball world brought to life by the original author, Akira Toriyama.”
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC in 2027. Until then, be sure to read our reviews for Dragon Ball Xenoverse and Xenoverse 2.
Back in May of last year, From Software, A24, and Bandai Namco announced its intentions for an Elden Ring movie which would be written and directed by Alex Garland. Garland is known for films like Ex Machina and most recently Civil War, but he is no stranger to the video game world having written Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and DmC: Devil May Cry for Ninja Theory.
Today we learned some new details about the movie with the reveal of its cast and release date, which is March 3, 2028. Production officially begins on the film in the coming months. The press release also confirms the film is being “Created under the guidance of FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki.”
You can check out the full cast list below, which leads with Kit Connor, who has been rumored to star in the movie for some time.
Kit Connor (Warfare, Heartstopper)
Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Paddington)
Cailee Spaeny (Alien: Romulus, Civil War)
Tom Burke (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Black Bag)
Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms)
Sonoya Mizuno (Ex Machina)
Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes)
Ruby Cruz (Willow, Bottoms)
Nick Offerman (The Last of Us)
John Hodgkinson
Jefferson Hall
Emma Laird
Peter Serafinowicz
Arguably the most interesting casting is the inclusion of Peter Serafinowicz. Serafinowicz is best known as the voice of Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and playing The Tick in Amazon’s live-action adaptation of the comic, but he is also a noted Dark Souls fan. Along with posting about the original Dark Souls so much that his followers accused him of being paid by Bandai Namco, he also used his clout to elbow his way into Dark Souls II where he played Pate. Of the announced cast so far, he is the only actor who has appeared in a From Software game.
In this week’s episode of The Game Informer Show, the fellas discuss Pragmata, Capcom’s inventive action game blending third-person shooting with a simultaneous hacking mechanic. Next, Alex chats about a new survival crafting game set in the age of piracy called Windrose. Lastly, we cover the news of an animated Bloodborne movie produced by popular YouTuber Jacksepticeye.
The Game Informer Show is a weekly podcast covering the video game industry. Join us every Friday for chats about video game reviews, news, and exclusive reveals alongside Game Informer staff and special guests from around the industry. Support the show by subscribing to our physical video game magazine!
But, I will offer you some great stories that appeared on the website this week, and we’ve got some recommendations for games you can play this weekend.
Capcom’s had a strong streak in recent months, and Pragmata continues the trend of quality releases. This new sci-fi franchise features some gorgeous sci-fi visuals and a heartwarming story that explores the dynamics of fatherhood. But for many players, the real draw is likely to be the slick dual-mechanic of combat, which mixes third-person shooting and a grid-based hacking system, both of which run simultaneously in real time as you battle squads of robotic foes. Pragmata hits a lot of marks well, and it’s great to see Capcom establish a new game concept in the sea of sequels we see from major publishers these days.
Five years since its release, Returnal remains a haunting and intense third-person shooter, and one of the high water marks for shooter roguelites. Whether you played it at launch or never got around to it, this weekend would be an excellent time to pick the celebrated game back up, ahead of the much-anticipated release of Saros at the end of the month. While Housemarque’s new game isn’t a true sequel, the two share many of the same gameplay structures, as well as a thematic focus that is interested in exploring disquieting aspects of the human psyche. For what it’s worth, Returnal is also on an impressive sale on PSN right now if you plan to play on PS5.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream
Charles Harte
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a sequel years in the making. Its cult following of fans has been creating towns of wacky Miis for years, and since Living the Dream dropped this week, they’re finally able to take a new crack at it on the Switch. While it’s certainly wacky, our reviewer Brian Shea admits that there’s not much else to it, and while it’s fun to see what hijinks your townsfolk will get up to, the lack of social features really holds the game back. Here’s an excerpt from his review:
“Everyone will approach Tomodachi Life differently, and that is what makes it such a unique experiment. However, if you don’t have the time or creativity to imagine and engineer unique dynamics between tens of Miis, Living the Dream’s removal of the social features cannot serve as a safety net as it did with the 3DS release. And sadly, outside of the daily dose of comedy, there isn’t much more to buoy this release.”
After years of teasers and delays, Mouse: P.I. For Hire finally launched yesterday, and according to our freelance reviewer Billy Givens, it was worth the wait. Combining a noir story with classic rubber hose animation (think Steamboat Willie) and the mechanics of a boomer shooter (think Doom), Mouse’s unique style really stands out. But how does it play? Here’s an excerpt from Billy’s review:
“With its black-and-white rubber hose animation, lively jazz soundtrack, and gripping detective noir setting, Mouse: P.I. For Hire serves up a refreshing 1930s-inspired experience in the seedy city of Mouseburg – a name that makes perfect sense given its population of anthropomorphic mice. Here, players control a gumshoe named Jack Pepper (voiced by Troy Baker), as he unravels an increasingly complex missing persons case sporting all the usual suspects from crooked cops and slippery politicians to charming socialites and tenacious reporters. This tale’s smart, humorous writing and enigmatic characters play into hardboiled fiction cliches in amusing ways that kept me hooked throughout the dozen or so hours it took to reach its high-stakes finale.”
NetEase’s hero shooter remains a juggernaut, drawing in both multiplayer fans and dedicated Marvel enthusiasts. Part of the appeal is the consistent pace of new events, characters, and seasons. Case in point: Today sees the release of season 7.5, which notably introduces the new playable character of Black Cat. After just a few matches, it’s clear that learning her kit may be a significant challenge, as the character continues the trend we’ve seen recently of more mechanically complex setups. Stacked alongside new balance changes, a new event to earn rewards, and new costumes, there’s reason to set aside some weekend time to try out the fresh content.
If you haven’t watched NoClip’s excellent two-part documentary about Digital Extremes’ sci-fi MMO shooter, Warframe, I highly recommend doing so. For the purpose of this story, that documentary is a great primer for the struggles the studio endured leading up to the launch of Warframe. But now, more than a decade and some change later, Warframe is still kicking, breaking its own playercount records as recently as last year.
The secret to that success, and the success Digital Extremes has found thus far with Soulframe, is keeping the amount of public scrutiny as high as possible, according to Digital Extremes CEO Steve Sinclair, who is also highly involved in the development of both MMOs.
“I think you guys probably have seen, even this year, really big table stake things coming out without necessarily facing sustained criticism, sustained engagement, and then imploding quickly,” Sinclair tells me. Highguard shut down the same week I visited Digital Extremes for this Game Informer cover story. “And the table stakes are so high, the investment, the dollars are so eye-wateringly large, they can’t, they don’t have enough runway to try and fix the problems.”
Sinclair says that because Warframe was made in a year under the threat of impending layoffs, lost contracts with publishers, and ultimately, the possibility of Digital Extremes’ closure, it was designed for a specific audience. That paid off, as Warframe remains a success today. “And when we were starting Soulframe, I think there was a large degree of skepticism that you can even do that anymore, but I would argue that you can’t afford not to,” Sinclair says. “You can’t afford to have a server bash one weekend and then the next week, it will go out, and if it doesn’t work in one week, we can’t afford the servers, so we’re dead and we’re done.
“And so everything that we’ve done is to try to keep the team as small as possible, to keep the amount of public scrutiny as high as possible, and to keep going through that cycle to test our theories against how our audience is going to react.”
