STACK #201 Jul 2021

GAMING FEATURE

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FEATURE

The new partnership between Xbox and Bethesda hit this year’s virtual E3 with an impressive array of 30 games – some triple-A ones, some cool indies – for us to hanker after XBOX & BETHESDA

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Microsoft Flight Simulator 27/7/21 Deathloop 14/9/21 Age of Empires IV 28/10/21 Forza Horizon 5 9/11/21 Starfield 11/11/22

Chinese and Delhi Sultanate, plus two more civilisations were revealed in the Abbasid Dynasty and the French – including Joan of Arc! We can’t hide our love of racers at STACK , so the announcement of Forza Horizon 5 – before any more word on Forza Motorsport 8 – had us grinning like silly people. Deserving to be highlighted, find out more in our handy boxout below. There were plenty of other big titles worthy of mention, and special props go out to

over the next year or more. P roceedings kicked off with a look at the upcoming Xbox/PC exclusive – and new IP – from Bethesda, Starfield , which is currently slated for release in November 2022. Billed as a “next-generation RPG set amongst the stars”, it’s the first new universe from Bethesda in 25 years. That wasn’t the only new thing from Bethesda to get excited about, with official Head of Xbox Phil Spencer giving us a sneak peek at their new open world first-person shooter that’s in development, Redfall . It’s a wild-looking vampire slayer fest, and it’s due in our winter, 2022. Some news that we all hoped for was a date for Microsoft Flight Simulator on Xbox, and the Series X exclusive – it needs all of that machine’s oomph –- is arriving on the

27th of this month! There’ll also be a special – and free – Top Gun Maverick tie-in DLC later in the year. Originally planned as a new- gen launch title, Halo Infinite is still on its way. They don’t come much bigger than this,

the people at Obsidian for their brilliant – and very funny – trailer reveal of The Outer Worlds 2; it really is well worth checking out. Just Cause studio Avalanche also revealed – to the strains of Steely Dan – their next big co-op shooter, Contraband . Set in the 1970s, they’re billing it as a “smuggler’s paradise”. Then there was another look at the much-anticipated

and the game’s hot multiplayer action was shown off. We still don’t have a date beyond “Holiday 2021”, but no matter how you read

that, it isn’t too far away now! History – and strategy – buffs are in for a treat when Age

of Empires IV arrives in October. At launch it will feature a choice of the English, Mongols,

Psychonauts 2 from Double Fine, which

will finally be with us August 25. And rats! A sequel to A Plague Tale , Requiem , is due in 2022. Indies of note included a fine-looking

WE’RE OFF TO MEXICO WITH FORZA HORIZON!

interactive thriller entitled Twelve Minutes , boasting an impressive cast that includes James McAvoy, Daisy

Car lovers rejoice, for Forza Horizon 5 is on its way, and we’re heading south of the border to Mexico! The announce trailer was something special to behold, and ever-so- shiny with all of that beautiful Forzavista ray tracing. Forza Horizon 5 promises “the largest, most diverse open world ever in a Forza Horizon game”, complete with an ever-evolving landscape featuring deserts, jungles, historic cities, beaches, canyons and even the highest yet point that the series has seen, a snow-capped volcano! Unique weather events such as tropical and dust storms will also feature – don’t forget to pack your detailing kit – as well as, of course, more cars than you could poke a Top Gear presenter at, including the wild Mercedes-AMG Project ONE. We’re promised that all of this will look better than any previous Forza Horizon game – a big call – with all the tech of the new-gen pushed to the limit to deliver incredible detail and amazing HDR effects. November 9 is the day, racers!

Forza Horizon 5

Ridley and Willem Dafoe; sci-fi adventure Somerville ; the floppy fuzzy furry fury of 2022-bound multiplayer outing Party Animals ; and a sequel to cuter-shooter Slime Rancher , also due in ’22. One thing was certain when the curtains closed on the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase for 2021: we gamers have a whole lot of exciting titles to look forward to in the next year or so.

18 JULY 2021

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