KeenGamer gaming news is a series of articles designed to bring you the hottest gaming and pop culture related news. Each news is presented in a bite-sized format and will lead you to the original source of the news if you want to find out more details.
Xbox Games Showcase was chock-full of awesome reveals
An open-world playground on a Halo ring
After Sony revealing most of its next-gen cards, it was finally time for Microsoft to do the same. Seeing as they botched their previous presentation, this time around, they promised to bring out the big guns in their full glory. Did they deliver? Yes, Xbox Games Showcase definitely delivered and left us excited for the things to come. When it comes to exclusives, we finally got to see Halo Infinite and its open world in action. Then there was the charming turn-based adventure Echo Generation, a new Obsidian RPG Avowed, a magical adventure Everwild and we even got a brief Fable tease. All in all, it was an eventful presentation with plenty more reveals, announcements, and a couple of surprises that you can check out in our original news coverage.
Several Xbox One exclusives are getting a Series X upgrade
Forza Horizon 4 will be a marvel in 4K
Besides announcements of new titles coming to Series X, Microsoft had a surprise announcement for some of the Xbox One existing titles. A couple of more recent games that still hold up in terms of the player base will be available on Xbox Series X, with graphical and performance upgrades. As you might imagine, the games that make the list are some of the most popular on the current-gen console like Forza Horizon 4, Gears 5, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Sea Of Thieves and Gears Tactics. The upgrades will be free to existing owners of the games and will mainly entail being able to play at a 4K resolution in 60 frames per second. For more information, check out our original news coverage.
We finally got that Mafia: Definitive Edition gameplay
The gameplay reveal did not disappoint
Hangar 13 finally revealed some gameplay for the much-awaited Mafia: Definitive Edition. In a 14-min video, the studio went into a deep-dive with the game, showing off how the team faithfully recreated 2002 classic and brought it to the world of modern gaming. The gameplay shown was actually from a couple of the later missions in the game. While massively improved in terms of visuals, the combat gameplay was highly reminiscent of Mafia 3. What sets it apart, however, is a high level of environmental destructibility and just the sheer level of detail that makes each frame look alive. It’s best you check the full gameplay for yourself in our original news coverage, where you can also get additional details on the game itself.
There’s actually a lot we know about Resident Evil: Village
Chris Redfield as an antagonist? That’s a first
Capcom obviously wants to have numbered sequels without actually having numbers in the title. The release of their next installment, Resident Evil: Village might be far away but we actually know a lot about it. First, it’s a direct sequel to Resident Evil 7: Biohazard with plenty of returning characters, most famous of which is the man himself – Chris Redfield. This time around, however, Chris is somewhat different than the heroic figure we previously knew him seeing as he’s now hunting the protagonist Ethan. The setting itself seems to be treated with much attention, being filled to the brim with mysteries, monsters, vampires, shamans, cults, and whatnot. We predict one hell of a trip there once the game drops on the next-gen hardware. For more details on everything we know about the game, check out our original coverage of the game.
Major updates for GTA and Red Dead Online are coming this year
Rockstar will support their games for a very long time
Not the ones to sit on their behinds while the competition steams ahead, Rockstar Games has announced major updates for Red Dead Online and GTA Online. Along with a new Outlaw Pass, the Red Dead Online update will come in the form of a new Frontier Pursuit which will “introduce players to the secrets of naturalism as part of an all-new Role”. GTA Online, on the other hand, will be receiving “diverse new content” and “heists in an entirely new location”. While all of that is pretty vague, it’s exciting news for the players who can rest assured knowing their favorite online experiences will keep receiving updates and stay relevant for the foreseeable future. For more information on the updates and what to expect from Red Dead and GTA Online, check out our original news coverage.
Ghost of Tsushima update adds a new, satisfying “lethal” difficulty
“Lethal” brings a much harder but also a much more satisfying experience
As the last big exclusive, playing Ghost of Tsushima is a great way of saying goodbye to a beloved console. Even though it’s already a super tight and enjoyable experience, Sucker Punch is looking to make it even better for the existing and players yet to get their hands on it. As such, they released a new update with a new difficulty level and some accessibility improvements. The “lethal” difficulty essentially makes either you or the enemies die in one katana hit. At the same time, enemies will detect you much faster so stealth will be an even more of high risk, high reward affair. For those who simply want to enjoy the story, they can lower the combat intensity which will make it easier to parry attacks and break enemy guard. All in all, much-appreciated options for both the players who want a challenge as well as those who want to have an easier time playing around in the Tsushima sandbox. For absolutely everything, the update brings to the table, make sure to check out our original news coverage.
