Halo Infinite: Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscribers To Get Monthly Multiplayer Bonuses

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer has been out for a couple of weeks now, and besides some issues with battle pass progression, it’s been widely received as a great comeback for the series. Starting next week, it’s going to get even better for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. 

That’s because Microsoft has announced that Ultimate members will get monthly multiplayer bonuses. The first bundle will go live on December 8. 

Click here to watch embedded media

“It’s an awesome time for Perks because we’re excited to reveal that Ultimate members will be locked in to get monthly Halo Infinite multiplayer bonuses, starting with your first bundle on December 8,” an Xbox Wire blog post announcing this month’s upcoming Game Pass additions reads. “Don’t forget to claim this and more in the Perks gallery on your Xbox console, Xbox App on Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass mobile app.” 

This month’s bonus is the “Pass Tense” MA40 AR Bundle, and it comes with an exclusive “Pass Tense” MA40 Assault Rifle coating, as the bundle’s name would suggest, along with four 2XP Boosts and four Challenge Swaps. You can check out the bundle above, which includes a look at the new AR coating. 

While waiting for this bundle to go live next week, check out this post detailing everything available in the Halo Infinite multiplayer shop this week. Then read about how 343 Industries has updated multiplayer progression to give players increased XP in the first six matches of a given day. This new bundle goes live the same day Halo Infinite’s campaign launches, and to get prepared for that, check out this recently-released Halo Infinite campaign trailer.   

---

Are you excited about these monthly Halo Infinite multiplayer bundles for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers? Let us know in the comments below!

New Sons Of The Forest Trailer Is Terrifyingly Brutal, Spring 2022 Release Announced

I loved The Forest. My small team of survivors committed a little under forty hours building fortifications around the crash zone, scouring for food and rare weapons in sprawling underground caverns, and keeping cannibals and, later, grotesque mutants at bay. The sequel, Sons of the Forest, got two trailers earlier this year, highlighting a newfound emphasis on storytelling. An unnamed NPC – specifically, a nonvolatile mutant – is slated to be the player’s companion. But beyond montages and short action sequences, previous Sons of the Forest footage inspired more questions than answers.

A new trailer (seen below) continues that exciting, albeit frustrating, tradition of narrative vagueness. However, this time around, we finally got a release date set for Spring 2022. 

Click here to watch embedded media

As you can expect, Sons of the Forests’ mechanics build upon the survival horror systems from the first game. Collecting materials to craft makeshift shelters and hunting equipment has returned. The eating mechanic – most notable when the player character kills a turtle and eats its raw meat (damn!) – is back as well. And, of course, once you venture into dense forests or descend into pitch-black caves, horrifying enemies await. New variants of mutants with fleshy bristles and conjoined torsos will require new weapons to be bested – shotguns, stun batons, and more will aid you in the open world. 

Javy Gwaltney also enjoyed The Forest, awarding it a 9 in his Game Informer review and concluding with:

“Perhaps the highest praise I can give The Forest is just how natural the game ties together. A lot of emergent storytelling games often end up having a novelty that overstays its welcome by the end ... The Forest is a triumph, both for the survival genre as well as gruesome horror. It gives players just the right amount of freedom to enjoy the challenge of this hellish nightmare.”

Sons of the Forest launches on May 20, 2022, for PC. If you haven’t played the first game yet, I’d highly recommend it, and be sure to read Javy’s 30 Wacky And Gross Things You Can Do In The Forest piece while you’re at it!

Ghostrunner: Story-Driven Project_Hel DLC Announced, Launching January

Next year, a new story-driven DLC is coming to first-person cyberpunk action-platformer, Ghostrunner, and it’s called Project_Hel. 

IGN revealed the news yesterday after developer 505 Games teased the “Ultimate DLC” last week. It turns out that “Ultimate DLC” was Project_Hel, the upcoming story-driven DLC where players will control Hel, one of the bosses from the game. Project_Hel will go live in January, but before that, some players will have the chance to go hands-on with it during a private beta held sometime before the DLC’s launch. 

Hel will be a “combat-oriented character designed to appeal to ‘new players and veterans,’ and will feature her own ability progression system,” according to IGN. The story of Project_Hel will take place over six new missions that task Hel with descending from Dharma Tower, a locale heavily featured in the base game. Alongside new missions, Project_Hel will include new enemies, new bosses, and six new songs from Daniel Deluxe. 

505 Games told IGN that it was initially planned as a smaller DLC before becoming a “full-blown Ghostrunner experience.” It will hit PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Amazon Luna on January 27. It will cost $14.99.

The studio also revealed that a new Holiday Pack would hit the game on December 7, and it’s a free cosmetics pack that includes holiday swords with matching gloves and more. 

While waiting for Project_Hel to launch in January, read about how native PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Ghostrunner launched back in September. Then, check out this flashy neon pack that launched back in August alongside new assist options and a roguelike wave mode. Read about how 505 Games has already confirmed Ghostrunner 2 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC after that.  

[Source: IGN]

---

Are you excited about Ghostrunner’s Project_Hel DLC? Let us know in the comments below!

IGN 25: The Game, A Love Letter To Gaming And Entertainment History, Is Officially Here

It's IGN's 25th anniversary, and we've made a game to celebrate! Developed in partnership with the creators of the 2020 Game, IGN 25: The Game is a globetrotting journey through IGN and gaming history, and you can play it right now.

A love letter to video games and entertainment, IGN 25: The Game is a 2D platformer staring IGN's anthropomorphic d-pad, Iggy, in their very first video game appearance. Beginning in 1996, they will journey through the launch of the Imagine Games Network sites that started it all — N64.com, Saturnworld.com, and PSXPower.com — and continue through key moments in IGN's history.

You can play IGN 25: The Game here.

Alongside Iggy, you'll be able to see the site's first E3 (1997), the first San Diego Comic-Con Live (2013), the opening of IGN's offices across the world, and the launch of flagship shows including Game Scoop! and Daily Fix. You'll also relive the release of the many beloved video game consoles that have launched over the past 25 years.

Designed in the Unity engine over the course of nearly a year, and featuring a completely original score, IGN 25: The Game includes more than 35 unique achievements for players to unlock. Iggy features more than 35 animations and is able to assume 15 different "Alter Igos," from skateboarder to photographer to superhero to mythical warrior. Don't worry: IGN 25: The Game is totally free and features no microtransactions.

IGN 25: The Game is intended to be played more than once in order to appreciate all the small references and details packed within, and to aid in that, players will be able to jump to specific years and spend time in their favorite areas. The difficulty has been designed so that it can be enjoyed regardless of your level of experience.

Apart from the new game, we've been celebrating IGN's 25th anniversary with merch and special features. They include the 25 best N64 games ever, the birth of Sopranos and prestige TV, and much more.

IGN 25: The Game is available to play on browsers via both desktop and mobile. Please enjoy as we celebrate an amazing 25 years here at IGN!

source https://www.ign.com/articles/ign-25-the-game-release

Halo Infinite Dev Says It 'Anticipated' Cheaters, Is 'Committed' to Taking Action

343 has addressed the current state of cheating in Halo Infinite. In a thread of tweets, community manager John Junyszek explained that the developer had 'anticipated' the issue in the game and that it was 'committed' to taking action against offenders.

"Let's talk about cheating," says Junyszek in his original tweet. "Unfortunately, cheating is a natural part of supporting a F2P PC game and it's one we anticipated. It'll never go away entirely, but we're prepared and committed to releasing consistent improvements to our game’s systems and taking action on bad actors."

While the phrase "releasing consistent improvements to our game's systems," is rather vague, Junyszek was quick to address this in a follow-up explaining what appears to be a multifaceted approach to combating cheating in the game.

"Jumping in to clarify that the wording of "improvements to game's systems" includes not only our anti-cheat, but the rest of the game as well," says Junyszek. "It's worded this way because we don't take a "single feature" approach, but a game-wide approach to anti-cheat."

Reports of cheating in the game began to heavily crop up on social media across the weekend where videos of hackers using a range of cheats were posted by players frustrated at the game. However, the issues don't stop there. While 343 looks to combat those breaking the rules, the tactics deployed by those cheating are making it harder for players to provide evidence against them – with some fans on social media claiming that hackers are blocking Theater mode replays in order to stop video-based reports of cheating.

Currently, players on PC and console joining standard matches in the game are grouped together. While cheats can be found and implemented in FPS games by console players, they tend to be more prevalent on PC. Due to this factor, earlier this week there were calls from many frustrated Xbox fans on social media asking for 343 to introduce a crossplay toggle that would allow them more freedom over who they enter matches against.

While cheating in the game is certainly an issue that 343 will be looking to minimize as soon as possible, it currently isn't the only problem that the developer is looking to address. Earlier this week, the studio's Head of Design Jerry Hook explained to fans on Twitter that the team would be looking to further tweak the game's controversial progression system, and more changes went into effect yesterday. With a number of changes set to take place to the game, fans will likely be hoping to see some improvements before Infinite launches proper on December 8.

For more on Halo Infinite, make sure to check out this article detailing how the game's multiplayer mode will add more weapons over time.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

source https://www.ign.com/articles/halo-infinite-dev-cheaters-343-taking-action