Tag: games

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Xbox Game Pass (XGP) later this year

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Xbox Game Pass (XGP) later this year

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, fellow gamers, geeks, and Xbox fans!

Recently Team Xbox had its promised Developer_Direct video presentation which emphasized Xbox-exclusive games, a certain upcoming game from Square Enix (a special guest participant in the presentation) and a PC game.

One of the highlighted exclusive games was Indiana Jones and the Great Circle which is being made by MachineGames (a Bethesda game studio) for release on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows PC and Xbox Game Pass (XGP) in the later part of 2024. The final release date will be announced some time later.

For starters, watch the official gameplay reveal trailer of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle as well as the Developer_Direct presentation of the game by MachineGames below…

Now, you can read more information about the game straight from Bethesda.net with the selected excerpt below. Some parts in boldface…

Set between “Raiders of the Lost Ark™” and “The Last Crusade™”, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is a first-person, single-player adventure that will take you all over the world, uncovering clues and solving an ancient mystery. Become the adventurer in a race against sinister forces. Your journeys will take you from the hallowed halls of the Vatican and the arid deserts of Egypt to the lush and sunken temples of Sukhothai and the frigid peaks of the Himalayas.

“Our game is about putting you in the shoes of an iconic hero,” says Design Director Jens Andersson. “Since we are doing this mostly in first-person, you have the chance to truly become Indy. First-person makes you part of this world – allowing you to explore and experience things more intimately. What will you do when you’re dropped into this adventure with your wits and your whip? The world of Indiana Jones is a world with mysteries around every corner, where you’re racing against the clock and outsmarting your enemies as you hunt down artifacts.”

From their approach to crafting unique and believable stories and characters, to their over-the-top and unforgettable set pieces, MachineGames is the perfect studio to bring Indiana Jones to modern gaming.

“It’s like two pieces of a puzzle that just fit so well together,” says Senior Animator Rebecca Elfstrӧm Hidén. “We have big, sometimes crazy ideas that seem insane on paper, but they meshed really well with the franchise. You’ve got this amazing adventure that digs into the heart of the character and shines a light on all the things that made people fall in love with him in the first place, and then you’ve got these big, complex set pieces that just fit really well in there. Our DNA and the pillars of Indiana Jones just came together so naturally.”

Indiana Jones and his companion Gina travel to a new destination. MachineGames confirmed that there will be a variety of locations in the game set in different parts of the world.

The way I see it, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is clearly a major production that involves passionate work by the team of MachineGames. I am very glad that the developers decided to have the story set between the movies Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) to show a version of the iconic hero that stays away from the old Indy of the woke garbage Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).

I also like the fact that the developers implemented the likeness of Harrison Ford for Indiana Jones as well as that of the late actor Denholm Elliott as Marcus Brody. These visual presentations seem to show that MachineGames decided to move closer to the way George Lucas and Steven Spielberg presented the cinematic icon decades ago.

The first-person action scenes as well as puzzle solving are impressive to look at. We will find out soon enough how fun and immersive the first-person view experience will be.

As for the gameplay footage shown, I am very impressed seeing how playable the game is looking with the first-person view implemented within the concept of Indiana Jones adventuring. The whip action shown looks really creative and the game also allowed for stealth gameplay and puzzle solving with the immersive first-person view (which alternates with third-person view for sequences that allowed gamers to see Indiana Jones in full form). For the newcomers reading this, MachineGames is responsible for several Wolfenstein and Quake games over the years and this Indiana Jones game clearly compelled them to be creative with the first-person view and game functions.

Watch out for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows PC and Xbox Game Pass later this year.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 13

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 13

carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 The precise differences between Christianity and Islam, Lord Jesus and Muhammad, and the Holy Bible and the Quran explained – The YouTube channel HolyLandSite is a favorite of mine as it has published a lot of very credible and detailed explanatory videos about the Holy Land in Israel, Christianity, the Jews and how everything is connected with the Holy Bible (the Word of God). In the recent video they published recently, the precise differences between Christianity and Islam, between Lord Jesus and Muhammad, and between the Holy Bible and the Quran are explained in detail by Pastor Todd. I strongly recommend watching the video below…

#2 The deep hatred of the Palestinians towards Israel explained – There is no doubt that hatred, violence and murder are core values that the Palestinians have been oriented with while living under very evil leaders (murderer/terrorist Yasser Arafat is just one of them). To date, there are very few Palestinians who overcame their evil orientation and pushed back against their evil leaders to become good people. In the video below, YouTuber Oren explains in detail why so many Palestinians grew up with hate and live by hate towards Israel and its people. Lastly, I should state once again that the Palestinians are a displaced people, are NOT natives of the land of Israel and they caused trouble when they occupied Jordan and Kuwait.

#3 Remembering the past video game company Working Designs – It has been almost twenty years since American game company Working Designs closed down and ended their business. For the newcomers reading this, Working Designs is best known for localizing several video games from different Japanese companies for the North American market and among their best known releases were Lunar: The Silver Star Story, Lunar: Eternal Blue, Dragon Force and Magic Knight Rayearth. Their business history is very interesting to examine and for your viewing pleasure, posted below is one video about Working Designs’ legacy and another video about their games released across different platforms.

#4 Man of Steel video reviews, analysis, trivia and reaction videos – The cinematic universe of DC Comics superheroes that started in 2013’s Man of Steel is officially over and the newest film Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom won’t match its predecessor’s massive commercial success. Unofficially referred to as the DCEU (DC Extended Universe), the past cinematic universe of Warner Bros. had a very inconsistent record of commercial and critical results. That being said, it is high time to go all the way back to the very beginning with Man of Steel (starring Henry Cavill as Superman) through a series of varied videos I found for you to watch.

#5 DeepStar Six videos – Believe it or not, way back in 1989 there was not one, not two, but three movies that had underwater settings. One of them was DeepStar Six which was directed by original Friday The 13th movie director Sean S. Cunningham and, for some reason, was released in cinemas here in the Philippines with the title “Alien from the Deep.” While it grossed less than Leviathan and was made for a fraction of the budget of James Cameron’s The Abyss, DeepStar Six still has a long-lasting following and different kinds of videos about it were made. You can watch what I found below…

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Sea of Stars is an enjoyable RPG and you should play it on Xbox now!

Sea of Stars is an enjoyable RPG and you should play it on Xbox now!

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, fellow gamers, geeks, role-playing games (RPGs) enthusiasts and fantasy lovers!

In recent times, I completed my first playthrough of Starfield on my Xbox Series X and it lasted me over 220 hours of fun, discoveries and intriguing moments. Having played it so long, I will replay Starfield with a new playthrough only after Bethesda implements the next series of patches/updates (to refine the game) and release the planned downloadable content (DLC).

That being said, I finally started playing the inspired Japanese-style role-playing game (RPG) Sea of Stars on my Xbox Series X. Having played some hours of it, I can say that I am really enjoying Sea of Stars and I intend to finish it. Oh yes, Sea of Stars is available on Xbox Game Pass (XGP) right now!

This is one of many great looking scenes composed of really fine 2D art style and pixel artistry in Sea of Stars.

Developed by Sabotage Studio, Sea of Stars is a turn-based RPG with a strong retro feel that will remind you of past Japanese RPGs (JRPGs) like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. The game follows the exploits of two Children of the Solstice who combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer. Along the way, the two Children of Solstice start a quest joined by their friend and together they travel to different places encountering different inhabitants and engage in situations that only they can solve.

Having played Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy VI and a lot of JRPGs from the so-called 16-bit era of console gaming, I can say that Sea of Stars is a very inspired game that has lots of elements common with the mentioned games (plus more) with regards to art style, gameplay, quests, music, character development and visual presentation. To put it short, the guys at Sabotage Studio took a lot of inspiration from the classic JRPGs to make something fun for this current console generation. I am having a lot of fun with the game which itself is available for Xbox Game Pass (XGP) subscribers to avail.

An important meeting about to happen in the game.
A boss battle early in the game.
This is just a part of the world map of Sea of Stars.

In my experience and recollections from the past, Sea of Stars has visual style that is best compared with Chrono Trigger. Sabotage Studio really created a lot of nice looking 2D artworks and highly detailed sprites that made the new game look lively. With regards to the storytelling , character development and character expressions, the game has a wholesome tone that never felt childish. The tone as well as the humor made Sea of Stars comparable with several Japanese RPGs from the 16-bit age of consoles.

You will encounter really interesting characters who will join your party as the game progresses.

Sea of Stars is really fun to play and it is a great change of pace and style for me as I finished my Starfield playthrough which lasted more than 220 hours. This Sabotage Studio game will help ease my wait for the expected 2024 RPGs such as Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and the Xbox-exclusive Avowed. As much as I hope to see past JRPGs like Xenogears, Breath of Fire and Lunar get remastered and released for Xbox consoles (and XGP), I know such possibilities remain uncertain and Sabotage Studio’s game easily fills the void. If you are looking for a Japanese-style RPG that is fun, nostalgic and visually pleasing, you can’t go wrong with Sea of Stars. Go for the game on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Windows PC and Xbox Game Pass now!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 12

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 12

carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 The 6-minute explanatory gameplay trailer of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes – Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, the upcoming Japanese role-playing game (Japanese RPG) set for a global release on April 23, 2024, was in the spotlight recently as publisher 505 Games released a 6-minute trailer that showcases and explain to gamers what to expect in terms of game play and features. What long-time gamers enjoyed so much about Suikoden and Suikoden II can find them also in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Watch the whole trailer below…

#2 Lord Jesus lived as a Jewish man and NEVER was a Palestinian – There is so much chaos in this world and you can see that through the Palestinians (a displaced people whose leaders have long engaged in terrorism and hatred against Israel and the Jewish people) and their brainwashed supporters (the pro-Palestine freaks). In many parts of the world, a lot of pro-Palestinian believers (activists who are often rowdy, arrogant, violent and ignorant at the same time) kept shouting the big lie that Lord Jesus was a Palestinian (an overblown fantasy that spreads wickedness and deception). To push back against the lies of the pawns of the enemy (Satan), watch Israeli YouTuber Oren explain in detail the truth that Lord Jesus truly lived as a Jewish man, was born into an existing Jewish society and had Jewish people as His believers/followers (the early Christians).

#3 2023 Batman Returns reaction videos and more – For some time now, I’ve been watching varied movie reaction videos from YouTubers Ashleigh Burton, TBR Schmitt, Jen Murray and EOM Reacts. What I found very surprising was the fact that each of them published reaction videos of the 1992 superhero movie Batman Returns this year, and three of those videos were just weeks apart from each other. I posted those Batman Returns reaction videos below and I added two more related videos that should orient you about the movie.

#4 Get to know the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel – This past February, I visited Israel on a pilgrimage tour. It was indeed the greatest overseas travel experience in my entire life as it was blessed and anointed by the Lord who answered my prayers to visit Israel to deepen my faith in Him. I also visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem which is one of the most significant places to visit in the entire world. That being said, I posted below the Christian Broadcast Network’s Temple Mount special video and my personal video of my first-ever moments at the holy site.

#5 Pro-Palestine believer exposed as a LIAR! – The people who support the wicked causes of the Palestinians are clearly ignorant, misled, pretentious and dishonest. A lot of pro-Palestine people have posted videos on varied networks to spread lies and misinformation regarding history, and some of them are very young people (Generation Z) who clearly do NOT know all the details, who were fed lies by their Islamo-Leftists superiors and they are clearly not intelligent. The Palestinians are truly a displaced people and they were NEVER the indigenous people of the land of Israel! Watch the video below and enjoy.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Gameplay trailer of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a must-see!

Gameplay trailer of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a must-see!

carlocarrasco

Welcome back, fellow gamers, geeks, Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) enthusiasts and fantasy lovers! As many of you are already aware, the much-awaited JRPG Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is set for release on April 23, 2024 on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Windows PC and the Xbox Game Pass (XGP) subscription service.

Having enjoyed the 1990s JRPGs Suikoden and Suikoden II, I really am eager to play Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on my Xbox Series X as that new game’s developers include Suikoden creator Yoshitaka Murayama and other talents who also worked on the Suikoden series. Having played so many Japanese RPGs for decades, I can clearly say that there is no JRPG that has the fun and clever mix of gameplay and features of the early Suikoden games Murayama worked on and we can experience the creator’s RPG magic in Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

Recently, game publisher 505 Games published a new 6-minute gameplay trailer of Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes designed to orient gamers what they can expect in terms of characters, story, gameplay and other features. Watch the gameplay trailer below…

As you can see in the above trailer, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes has a lot in common with Suikoden and Suikoden II in terms of gameplay, art style and variety. There will be group battles, large-scale army battles, fantasy world exploration, mini-games, headquarters expansion, character recruitment (which build up your army and affect the expansion of your headquarters) and more. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is looking very much like a Suikoden game but just without the name (and without Konami).

This one strongly reminds me of the cooking contest in Suikoden II.
A high-stakes meeting about to take place within the game.
Some of the many characters you can recruit throughout Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

If Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes can achieve tremendous commercial success, it just might spark a revival of the heavy use of pixel art in role-playing games (RPGs) and influence the way other game developers implement mini-games and features (common with the early Suikoden RPGs) into their RPGs.

Watch out for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and Windows PC plus Xbox Game Pass on April 23, 2024. For more about the JRPG, visit https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/eiyuden-chronicle

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 11

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 11

carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 Xbox-related announcements at The Game Awards 2023 – The Game Awards 2023 edition took place recently and like many of its previous editions, it was a spectacle of video game awards as well as announcements of upcoming games. Team Xbox, which now has giant publishers Activision-Blizzard-King and Bethesda under its umbrella, came out with very notable video game announcements that not only includes Hideo Kojima’s Xbox project but also a brand new game (the licensed property of a very popular entertainment brand) which I never anticipated coming. I should also state that Square Enix’s announcement of Visions of Mana includes the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S for future release. Watch the videos (including one from a YouTuber) below…

#2 Godzilla Minus One makes impact in America – While its current theatrical distribution in America is not too great, the Japanese-made Godzilla Minus One movie managed to make an impact with moviegoers and critics there. In fact, Toho’s newest Godzilla film even topped the American box office on specific days during the week (click here and here) even though it came with English subtitles (with original Japanese voices throughout) that had to be read by moviegoers. Why is Godzilla Minus One making an impact in America? Watch the videos below…

#3 The evil of the Islamo-Left  – It is not surprising at all that Leftist elements continue to take sides with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas while opposing Israel’s war efforts in the Gaza strip (Israel’s response to Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attacks and abduction of hostages). If you do your research of history, you will realize that the unholy alliance between Islamic terrorists and Leftists actually go a long way back. That alliance is referred to as the Islamo-Left which is composed of Islamists and Leftists who are united by their hatred for Israel and their desire to commit genocide against the Jewish people. The Islamo-Left is the evil force that needs to be rejected and defeated. I also want to state again that the Palestinians are NOT the indigenous people of Israel, the Palestinians have no right to the land of Israel, and the Palestinians are still living under the wickedness of their leaders (Hamas and the Palestinian Authority). Learn more by watching the video below…

#4 Beware of charismatic criminals – In this divided world we live in, there are certain charismatic individuals who wield so much power, they managed to deceive people and commit crimes believing they could simply get away with it all. The charismatic criminals of recent times are specifically Elizabeth Holmes (convicted), Sam Bankman-Fried (convicted) and Charlie Javice. To find out who the charismatic crooks are, what happened to them and why you must never let them deceive you, watch the videos below…

#5 Unite with the Right to push back against the Satanic Left – Shifting to geopolitics, Sky News Australia published two videos that must be seen. The first one is about the political Right gaining significant ground in the Netherlands and Argentina (following the very inspired political shift related to Giorgia Meloni’s rise to power in Italy in 2022). The 2nd video shows why the Satanic Left often leads people to social, political and economic ruin as seen in Argentina. Let these two videos inspire you and members of your community to rise up against the Leftists and be united with the Right in future elections as well as with ongoing developments of the current government. Never let the Satanic Left take even the slightest space away from you. Communists, socialists, Marxists, liberals, diversity fanatics, inclusion fanatics, LGBT activists, the woke nuts, pro-Palestine zealots and all those other wicked Leftist elements are simply too chaotic to be given power.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Grand Theft Auto VI coming to Xbox Series X|S in 2025

Grand Theft Auto VI coming to Xbox Series X|S in 2025

carlocarrasco

It has been more than ten years since the day I first played Grand Theft Auto V (GTAV) on my Xbox 360 and that game was very in-depth and provided loads of fun gameplay. I replayed GTAV on Xbox One and most recently on my Xbox Series X console via Xbox Game Pass (XGP).

Recently, Rockstar Games released the official trailer of the much-awaited new game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTAVI or GTA6 for short) online ahead of schedule (note: someone shamelessly leaked the trailer which compelled the publisher to do an early launch) which attracted many millions of views from fans and gamers on varied platforms online. The new game will be released on Xbox Series X|S consoles sometime in the year 2025. To begin with, watch the official trailer below…

And below is a statement from Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser…

“Grand Theft Auto VI continues our efforts to push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We’re thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere.” (source – official press release)

A view of a beach and the buildings of Vice City. Clearly the city is inspired by Miami in real-life.

As expected, the GTA6 official trailer looks really impressive and I would not be surprised that the developers will make the gameplay experience more varied by means of implementing lots of features and play styles. The trailer even showed images of in-game social media which will most likely become a gameplay feature eventually as it will resonate with gamers who mostly spent a lot of years using social media accounts in real life.

In the press release, the fictional Vice City and the state of Leonida were explicitly mentioned. For the newcomers reading this, Vice City was the main setting in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) and the said city will be getting the modern game presentation and design similar to what happened to Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV, and Los Santos in GTAV. Vice City is clearly patterned after the real-life city of Miami in Florida and within the new game are lots of parties (lots of neon colors too), populated beaches, wildlife, desolate locations for exploring and groove-related activities.

We will find out soon enough how detailed a populated in-game beach like this will turn out on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Interacting with the wildlife in the game’s more isolated environments could resonate nicely with those who played Red Dead Redemption 2 extensively.

Expect Rockstar Games to make adjustments and refinements not only with the core gameplay but also with the way cops and criminals will react to each other. Lastly, it seems that the developers took inspiration from the real-life American crime couple Bonnie and Clyde for the in-game couple that was several times within the game trailer. That being said, the developers are not only staying away from the 3-protagonist formula of GTAV, they are also challenging themselves to create something new and even more compelling with the GTA6 couple for players to experience.

I am also interested to see how Rockstar will design the open-world environments this time. I have never been to Miami but I visited Orlando during my one and only trip to Florida. I noticed how different Florida’s physical surroundings were compared to other states in America I visited, and I noticed in the GTA6 trailer the more desolate locations filled with varied forms of vegetation were inspired by the said state. Oh yes, there were also images of alligators in the trailer which remind me of real-life Florida sightings of the creatures in populated places. I can only imagine how this will add variety to the gameplay and exploration in GTA6. Check out the news videos below…

Grand Theft Auto VI is still far from release and a lot could happen as the release date gets closer. Here is hoping that Rockstar Games will deliver a game that is not only great but also turn out to be truly worth the wait of over a decade. For the Xbox fans reading this, do you think the Xbox Series S version of GTA6 will turn out good? If you already have an Xbox Series S as well as extra money, would you be willing to upgrade by buying the Xbox Series X console for GTA6?

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 9

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 9

carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 Debunking the lies of the Palestinians and the Satanic Left – Israel has been all over the news for over a month now as the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas attacked them on October 7, 2023, and committed acts of murder, kidnapping and torture of many innocent people (including foreign nationals). Israel responded by going into war with Hamas and already they have several soldiers operating inside the Gaza strip searching for the terrorists while trying to rescue the hostages.

Around the world, anti-Semitism has intensified as a lot of public rallies or protests events supporting the Palestinians and condemning Israel continues to happen. Unsurprisingly, the Satanic Leftist elements in governments, mainstream news media outlets and social media all organized a major misinformation campaign highlighting the Palestinians as victims while portraying Israel as the antagonists. Collectively these Communists, socialists, Marxists, liberal, diversity advocates and other anti-Semitic elements have been spreading lies repeatedly to attack Israel while lifting up the Palestinians.

Fortunately, YouTuber Oren who handles the channel travelingisrael.com published in-depth videos that debunked the Arab-Palestine-Hamas-Leftist propaganda complete with details and facts that the liars did not even bother to check. I stand with Israel and the Holy Bible confirms that Israel is the land that God designated to the Jewish people (read Genesis 12:1-3 and Genesis 35:10-12), not the Arabs and certainly not the Palestinians. There really never was an ancient Palestine and the Palestinian identity as a people did not even exist before the 20th century (not even during the time when the Ottoman Empire had authority over the land of Israel). That being said, I strongly recommend you watch the videos below and pay close attention to the details…

#2 Trustworthy look at Israel – Still on Israel, I want to tell you all that you cannot trust the mainstream news media outlets as they have an anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agenda in connection with their Leftist worldviews. You cannot trust CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, BBC, Vox and others as they are laser-focused on smearing Israel and putting the lives of Jewish people in danger. Those abusers of media and information are spreading lies and hate! If you want a clearer and more credible look at Israel and the developments that happened, I recommend you follow CBN News (the news program of the Christian Broadcasting Network) and TBN Israel. Posted below are some of their YouTube videos for you to see…

#3 Macross nostalgia videos – And new we shift into the world of entertainment. When it comes to the world of anime, Macross is my favorite franchise. To be more specific, the Super Dimension Fortress Macross TV series, Macross: Do You Remember Love? (read my retro movie review by clicking here), Macross Plus and Macross Zero are the ones I enjoyed replaying and there were some video game adaptations released along the way (read my retro game review by clicking here). If you share my Macross passion or if you are simply interested with anime and related video games, I recommend you watch the videos below…

#4 Cloak & Dagger (1984) nostalgia – A few months ago, I published my retro review of the 1984 movie Cloak & Dagger which remains a very unique film by today’s standards. For one thing, the film was the 4th cinematic adaptation of the short story “The Boy Cried Murder” written by Cornell Woolrich. It also had Henry Thomas (the same kid in Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial) as the protagonist, a plot filled with strong elements of espionage, a video game as a key item in the story, and most notably, a very intense tone complete with shooting and killings. Cloak & Dagger, which is now available on 4K Blu-ray format, is the kind of movie that Hollywood does not make anymore. Of course, I do understand that Hollywood has so many Commies and SJWs (social justice warriors) among its screenwriters, actors and directors who could not understand Cloak & Dagger. To learn about the 1984 movie, watch the videos below…

#5 Friday The 13th Part 3 reaction and retro review videos – Some time ago I declared in my retro review that Friday The 13th Part 3 is the 2nd best film of its franchise (note: Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter is still #1). Sure, it was flawed and the filmmakers struggled to make the movie as they intended to film it with 3D cinema viewing in mind, but the way things turned out it marked a crucial turning point in Friday The 13th’s general formula on storytelling and the presentation with Jason Voorhees as the enduring antagonist. This is the very movie when Jason first got his hockey mask and the actor’s muscular build gave him a more intimidating look than in Part 2. That being said, it is no surprise that the 1982 movie became the subject of multiple movie reaction videos and retro reviews on YouTube and you can watch some of them (plus one trivia video by Minty Comedic Arts) below…

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Xbox-Activision-Blizzard-King is now a reality

Xbox-Activision-Blizzard-King is now a reality

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Ever since it was first announced, the stakeholders behind the Xbox-Activision-Blizzard-King deal worth almost $70 billion went through lots of hurdles that include opposition by Sony’s PlayStation division, a trial with America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and a rejection by the United Kingdom’s regulator Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The obstacles are over as the Xbox-Activision-Blizzard-King deal recently closed and already the Activision side of the business has officially started integrating into Microsoft. This deal is many times larger than the Xbox-Bethesda acquisition of a few years ago. Watch the related video by Team Xbox below…

Xbox chief Phil Spencer issued a statement related to the newly closed deal. To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from his statement published through Xbox.com. Some parts in boldface…

We love gaming. We play games, create games, and know first-hand how much gaming means to all of us as individuals and collectively, as a community. And today, we officially welcome Activision Blizzard and their teams to Xbox. They are the publishers of some of the most played and most beloved franchises in gaming history across console, PC and mobile. From Pitfall to Call of Duty, World of Warcraft to Overwatch, Candy Crush Saga to Farm Heroes Saga, their studios have pushed the boundaries of gaming for players around the world.

I’ve long admired the work of Activision, Blizzard, and King, and the impact they’ve had on gaming, entertainment, and pop culture. Whether it was late nights spent playing the Diablo IV campaign with friends from start to finish, gathering the entire family in the rec room for our weekly Guitar Hero night, or going on an epic streak in Candy Crush, some of my most memorable gaming moments came from experiences their studios have created. It is incredible to welcome such legendary teams to Xbox.

As one team, we’ll learn, innovate, and continue to deliver on our promise to bring the joy and community of gaming to more people. We’ll do this in a culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work, where all people are welcome, and is centered on our ongoing commitment of Gaming for Everyone. We are intentional about inclusion in everything we do at Xbox – from our team to the products we make and the stories we tell, to the way our players interact and engage as a wider gaming community.

Together, we’ll create new worlds and stories, bring your favorite games to more places so more players can join in, and we’ll engage with and delight players in new, innovative ways in the places they love to play including mobile, cloud streaming and more.

Players have always been at the center of everything we do. And as we grow, we’ll continue to keep players at the heart of it all. We’ll continue to listen to your feedback, build a community where you can be yourself, where developers can do their best work, and continue to make really fun games. As promised, we will also continue to make more games available in more places – and that begins now by enabling cloud streaming providers and players to stream Activision Blizzard games in the European Economic Area, a commitment made to the European Commission. Today we start the work to bring beloved Activision, Blizzard, and King franchises to Game Pass and other platforms. We’ll share more about when you can expect to play in the coming months. We know you’re excited – and we are too.

For the millions of fans who love Activision, Blizzard, and King games, we want you to know that today is a good day to play. You are the heart and soul of these franchises, and we are honored to have you as part of our community. Whether you play on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, PC or mobile, you are welcome here – and will remain welcome, even if Xbox isn’t where you play your favorite franchise. Because when everyone plays, we all win.

For their part, Activision Blizzard issued its own statement related to the biggest deal in video gaming with Microsoft. They are looking forward to the future of gaming with Team Xbox. Posted below is an excerpt from their statement with some parts in boldface…

It’s a big day for us at Activision Blizzard. For more than four decades, our players have inspired us to push the boundaries of imagination with iconic universes including Call of Duty, Candy Crush Saga, Crash Bandicoot, Diablo, Overwatch, and Warcraft.

Today we begin a new chapter as we officially become a part of the Microsoft family, uniting with the amazing Xbox team and co-creating the future of gaming together.

In our earliest days we were a modest collective of designers who raided rivers, commanded choppers, and avoided pitfalls. Now as part of Xbox, we will continue our mission to deliver the world’s most epic interactive entertainment experiences to more people, more platforms, and across more worlds than ever before.

All of our history and success leading to this moment is because of you, our incredible gaming community.

Unsurprisingly, the approved Xbox-Activision-Blizzard-King deal made tremendous waves through social media and through YouTube. Watch and learn from the videos below starting with an interview with Activision Blizzard’s Bobby Kotick (note: pay close attention to his words)…

The Xbox-Activision-Blizzard-King deal is not just another multi-billion Dollar business breakthrough…it is a tremendous boost for the credibility of Xbox as a video gaming, PC gaming, cloud gaming and mobile gaming entity.

Not only will Team Xbox have access and control of Activision Blizzard’s multiple game franchises and properties, they will also inherit the many talents and game makers of ABK (Activision-Blizzard-King), inherit the proprietary technologies for making the games, and most notably inherit and do business with the hundreds of millions of Activision Blizzard King customers worldwide!

While it is made clear that Microsoft-controlled ABK will still release games on multiple platforms, the new owners can make the new and upcoming games Xbox-exclusive (meaning released only on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows PC plus cloud and mobile devices which collectively are more numerous than Nintendo and PlayStation consoles). For insights about potential Xbox-exclusive Activision Blizzard games, watch Colteastwood’s video below…

More on exclusivity that include games, DLC releases and other matters, it is clear that the pre-existing contracts between PlayStation and Activision will never be renewed (read: PlayStation is no longer the home of Call of Duty). PlayStation, whose leader Jim Ryan has been so arrogant and dishonest when opposing the Xbox-Activision-Blizzard-King deal, will have a lot to worry about on the gaming subscription side of business once Activision Blizzard games get added into the Xbox Game Pass (XGP) service some time in 2024. As much as Team Xbox and Microsoft are benefiting from this mega deal, gamers across different platforms will eventually benefit as well in various ways. Expect new customer-oriented choices to be made through the games under Xbox’s banner.

As of this writing, Xbox fans are rejoicing over the closed Xbox-Activision-Blizzard-King deal while PlayStation fanboys cannot help but agonize with anger and jealousy. All you have to do to see the PS fanboys’ anguish is search for them on social media over their collective negative reactions. The “Xbox has no games” zealots are looking and feeling bad nowadays. Indeed, things are working in Team Xbox’s favor and I personally cannot wait to see the benefits of the ABK deal get realized in my gaming experience. Also there is nothing like seeing ABK’s established franchises like Call of Duty, StarCraft, Warcraft and many others listed with Xbox’s own franchises such as Halo, Forza Motorsport, The Elder Scrolls, Starfield, Fallout and others.

Personally, I look forward to playing Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot (a game property that started on PlayStation) other Activision titles on my Xbox Series X console through my Xbox Game Pass subscription in the near future.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Starfield’s successful launch boosts Xbox Series X|S sales in the UK

Starfield’s successful launch boosts Xbox Series X|S sales in the UK

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Starfield, the epic sci-fi role-playing game (sci-fi RPG) from Bethesda Game Studios (Oblivion, Skyrim and Fallout 4), tremendously boosted the sales of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (including the newer version) in the United Kingdom (UK) shortly after its very strong launch there, according to a report published by GamesIndustry.biz. Also available on Windows PC and Windows PC plus Xbox Game Pass (XGP), it is not surprising to see many gamers making decisions to buy the game brand new which helped it top the UK software sales chart. 

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the GamesIndustry.biz report. Some parts in boldface…

The launch of Starfield and a new version of the Xbox Series S significantly boosted sales of Microsoft consoles.

GfK data reveals that Xbox Series S and X sales jumped 76% week-on-week for the seven days ending September 2nd.

GfK games boss Dorian Bloch says that the week is the biggest this year (so far) for Xbox Series S and X hardware sales in the UK. Meanwhile, the week ending September 9th is currently the second best week.

This was partially due to the launch of the new Xbox Series S 1TB edition, which accounted for 24% of all Xbox consoles sold during that week. The new version of Xbox Series S is roughly £50 more expensive than the standard Series S model.

Starfield is filled with a lot of quests, activities, exploration and sci-fi action that really engaged millions of people worldwide as I write this. The scope of the game is very immense.

But the jump in Xbox console sales was also due to the launch of Starfield. The Bethesda game officially launched on September 6th, but it was available on September 1st to those who were willing to pay for the Premium Edition. As a result, the standard Xbox Series X console posted a 46% increase in sales for the week ending September 2nd in the UK.

“It is currently the best week this year for Series X,” Bloch says. “And the following week [ending September 9th] is the fourth best for X. In-between is week one and week six, which were early year blips.”

Bloch says that the Xbox consoles overall had a decent showing for the week ending September 9th, with the new Series S 1TB model accounting for 20% of sales.

As mentioned earlier, Starfield is also a software sales success in the UK which GamesIndustry.biz also reported separately. Check out the excerpt below…

Starfield has topped the UK physical charts this week. GfK’s report showed that the space-action RPG sold more physical copies on Xbox than it did on PC.

Sarah Morgan is one of the key characters in Starfield. Interacting with her added a lot to the gameplay and engagement. Take note that Morgan is just one of the Constellation characters you will interact with.

Starfield’s premium upgrade (a box with a code that provided early access to the digital version) has fallen to No.34 after debuting at No.7 last week. This version experienced a 71% decrease in sales due to the game’s wider release on September 6.

The Xbox exclusive reached over six million players in two days, making it Bethesda’s biggest launch of all time.

As confirmed by the news above, the Xbox-exclusive Starfield succeeded big-time at retail in the UK and as Bethesda’s biggest launch of all-time (on a worldwide scale). Think deeply about those huge achievements that were realized without PlayStation at all. While lots of gamers in the UK spent a lot of money on the sci-fi RPG and Xbox Series consoles, there are also many Starfield players enjoying it on Xbox Game Pass. In fact, a lot of XGP subscribers paid for the early access to the game and that only showed how heavily anticipated Starfield really is as Bethesda’s newest intellectual property (IP). Apart from that, there is still a long way to go before the month of September 2023 ends.

The way the Xbox-exclusive game is succeeding as I write this, it is very likely that Starfield will grow into a franchise of in-depth RPGs in the years to come. Like Halo and the Forza Motorsport, Starfield will be an Xbox-exclusive franchise of games that fans and RPG-loving gamers can look forward to.

Even without PlayStation, Starfield became a massive success at launch in terms of software sales, Xbox Game Pass subscriptions and Xbox hardware sales.

On my part, I have been playing Starfield on my Xbox Series X for more than a week now and the more I played it, the more enjoyable and even intriguing the gameplay experience turned out to be. There is just so much to have fun with this sci-fi RPG and by now, I have gotten myself more oriented with the user interface and the functions laid out.

With regards to the shooting (specifically with on-foot activities), the precision and response here are comparable with those in Fallout 4. Flying spaceships and using the controls for flight and weapons are really good and responsive enough.

While I won’t be spoiling plot details here, I can say that the gameplay experience has been pretty varied when I do the main quests, side quests, activities and when I freely explore the many in-game environments from one planet to another across different star systems. Check out the images and their descriptions below…

There is nothing like spotting Ecliptic mercenaries marching together in the middle of nowhere followed by my character and companion taking them out by surprise. If you encounter a random situation like this, engage with it.
I love the high-level of visual details as well as the impressive physics Bethesda prepared for space battles.
After defeating several armed bad guys and some dangerous turrets at a very discreet location, I got myself a brand new space ship! I now have four space ships as of this writing!
There is nothing like being able to board an enemy space ship, defeating all the bad guys and taking the valuables (including the opportunity to claim the ship as your own if your pilot skill is high enough). Starfield allows such opportunities to happen during space ship battles. Don’t just focus on destroying the enemy ship entirely as you will miss out on the opportunity to board it.

Starfield is very enjoyable and I believe that it still has a lot more to offer. I finished several side quests and activities, and still there is a lot more to discover and engage with! Of all the Xbox-exclusive games released in this current console generation, Starfield is already the most engaging one I have been playing, even more so than Halo Infinite.

If you are eager to acquire a digital copy of Starfield, head on to https://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/starfield. By the way, an update is now available. In ending this, posted below are Starfield-related videos for your enjoyment.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco