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10 great games from 2020 for your new Xbox - The Verge

Posted: 25 Dec 2020 07:00 AM PST

Whether you recently bought or soon plan to buy an Xbox Series X or an Xbox Series S, or are sticking with your Xbox One console, it's sure nice to have a stack of good games to play. And what better way to do that than to barely spend any money at all? Individual games, while sometimes worth the cost, can be pricey. Instead, you can get a ton of value out of a Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

For $14.99 per month ($1 for each of your first three months if you're a new subscriber), the all-in-one Game Pass Ultimate subscription gets you access to a growing number of games to download and exclusive discounts on popular games. You also get the ability to download games on consoles and Android devices.

If you only want to run games on a PC, you can subscribe to the base Game Pass for $9.99 a month ($1 for the first month if you're a new subscriber). With that, you also get to download a growing number of games.

With either subscription, you can access games from EA that were previously only available with a separate subscription. They also grant you the ability to play multiplayer games online with friends (where supported). Signing up will get you instant access to six of the 10 games below (and we've included the individual prices, just in case). The others listed here that are not included in a Game Pass are, however, worth purchasing by themselves.

We've rounded up our favorite and most-used games, apps, and entertainment. Check out our app picks for iPhones, Android phones, Windows PCs, and M1-equipped Macs; our favorite mobile games from Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass; and our top choices for gaming PCs, the PS5, Xbox One and Series X / S, Nintendo Switch, and VR. We've also listed our favorite streaming shows on Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, and Netflix; some great sci-fi books; and exciting new podcasts. (Note: pricing was accurate at the time of publishing but may change.)

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

The seventh Yakuza game in the series is a big departure from the rest. It's a turn-based roleplaying game (RPG) instead of being a straight beat-em-up that's laced with some RPG elements, like the rest of the games in the franchise have been. But Like a Dragon is definitely not your average RPG. You can freely roam around a fictionalized version of Japan's Yokohama district, meeting quirky people along the way and going on memorable quests.

While it's not on Game Pass, the game does support Smart Delivery, so you'll get improved performance by using the Xbox One version of the game on one of the newer Xbox consoles.

Cyberpunk 2077

The long-awaited open-world RPG from CD Projekt Red was worth the wait, according to Adi Robertson's review. If you want to dip into the world of Night City for an RPG that's vaster and deeper than most other games out there, check this one out.

This game is compatible with the Xbox One, as well as the Xbox Series X / S consoles, though a proper next-gen version of the game is still in the works and will come as a free update for people who bought the game.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 Remaster

My colleague Andrew Webster calls the remake of THPS 1 & 2 the "perfect remaster." If you have any affinity for these classic skateboarding titles from the heyday of the original PlayStation, you owe it to yourself to pick this up. It features most of the same music, and the skate parks and player models have all been remastered to today's graphical standards.

It's not available on Game Pass, but the Xbox One version of the game is compatible on the new Xbox consoles.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

The latest adventure featuring Ori is even better than the original. It offers similarly excellent platforming, but new to the series is some surprisingly good melee combat. The team responsible for the game crafted amazing vistas that will look especially good on a 4K television, and it all looks fantastic in motion.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is available for Xbox One via Game Pass, and there's now a version that's optimized to run on the Xbox Series X / S consoles that unlocks the frame rate for smoother gameplay.

Gears Tactics

There's nothing wrong with the traditional Gears games that have a third-person perspective, like the excellent Gears 5. But if you want to try something new, Gears Tactics takes the combat and turns it into a turn-based game where each move is a roll of the dice. You'll have to play a little smarter, making sure to support each of your characters so they don't get overwhelmed on the battlefield. Like the title implies, you need to be tactical.

This game is available on Game Pass, and owners of the Xbox Series X / S consoles can enjoy an updated version with enhanced performance.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

This list obviously wouldn't be complete without an appearance from Halo: The Master Chief Collection. In an alternate universe, Halo Infinite would probably be on this list, but alas, that game has been delayed until later in 2021. With or without it, the Master Chief Collection is essential for any first-person shooter fan. It contains the original Halo through the fourth iteration, along with Halo: ODST to complete the package.

It's available on Game Pass, and like Gears Tactics and Ori, it's been updated to look even better on the latest Xbox consoles.

Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is another semipermanent fixture on our "best of" lists because Bungie keeps updating it. The latest downloadable expansion, "Beyond Light," was recently released, adding to an already bustling list of things to do in the game. If you enjoy first-person shooters and want to dip a toe into what it feels like to play an MMO game without the monthly cost, check out Destiny 2.

The base game and the new Beyond Light expansion are available via Game Pass. Bungie recently patched Destiny 2 to look and perform better on the Xbox Series X / S consoles.

Forza Horizon 4

This game isn't particularly new, but it's a unique one for this list. Forza Horizon 4 is a racing sim that lets you go off-road in the UK, without the overly serious tone of games like Gran Turismo or even Forza Motorsport games. Whether or not you've had a history of enjoying racing games in the past, Horizon 4 is a well-designed game that's fun to jump into for a race or two, or just some mindless driving.

Forza Horizon 4 is available on Game Pass for all modern Xbox consoles, and it has received a patch for the Series X / S consoles to boost the performance.

Tetris Effect: Connected

Tetris Effect is a zen-like experience, marrying the stacking of Tetris with a rhythm-based game. Having the two together might not sound like much, but it's something you should try. The new, Xbox-exclusive (until summer 2021) Connected version of the game allows for local and online multiplayer that wasn't available in the original Tetris Effect.

Tetris Effect: Connected is available on Game Pass, so your subscription will let you jump right in. It's compatible with all modern Xbox consoles, including the One and the Series X / S.

Apex Legends

Respawn Entertainment is most famous for Titanfall and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, but its free-to-play FPS Apex Legends is a must-have for your new Xbox. Similar in design to other battle royale games, like Fortnite and PUBG, this game is a competitive shooter where you only get one chance to climb to the top. But what sets Apex Legends apart is its fluid gameplay, satisfying gun play, and character classes that you're guaranteed to have fun experimenting with.

This game recently received a next-gen patch that makes it perform better on the Series X / S consoles.

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Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Cyberpunk 2077 Publisher Lied and Misled Investors - Gizmodo

Posted: 24 Dec 2020 10:01 PM PST

Illustration for article titled Class Action Lawsuit Alleges Cyberpunk 2077 Publisher Lied and Misled Investors — Photo: Philip Fong / AFP (Getty Images)

After Cyberpunk 2077 debuted to the world and set off a trash fire of rage and disappointment, the clock starting ticking. Many wondered when that anger would manifest itself into a lawsuit to take the game's publisher, CD Projekt Red, to court. It happened on Christmas Eve.

On Thursday, the Rosen Law Firm filed a class action lawsuit in the central California district court on behalf of investor Andrew Trampe and others who bought CDPR securities—for example, stock—between Jan. 16 and Dec. 17 of this year. The company, joint CEO Adam Kicinski, CFO Piotr Nielubowicz, and vice president of business development Michał Nowakowski are all named as defendants. The firm alleges that the company either willfully omitted information and lied about the game's development or acted with "reckless disregard for the truth," which consequently inflated the market price of those securities.

These sorts of falsehoods all came to light when the game was finally launched on Dec. 10. Over the next few days, players began to realize that the game they had waited years for was basically unplayable, and the company's stock plunged. As of this week, CDPR shares had dropped by 42% since their close on Dec. 4, according to Barron's.

The unfolding of this disaster ultimately damaged CDPR's investors, the Rosen Law Firm argues.

"Had Plaintiff and the other members of the Class been aware that the market price [...] had been artificially and falsely inflated by the Company's and the Individual Defendants' misleading statements [...], they would not have purchased the Company's securities at the artificially inflated prices that they did, or at all," the firm wrote in its court filing.

G/O Media may get a commission

The lawsuit includes a long list of statements about the game's development and launch from the company, which knowing what we know now, look pretty bad. According to the suit, the lies began on Jan. 16, when CDPR released a statement announcing that Cyberpunk 2077 was "complete and playable." However, the release date would be moved from April 17 to Sept. 7 because the company "needed more time to finish playtesting, fixing and polishing."

This was the first of many delays announced by the company. On Sept. 4, the suit cites a conference call where Kicinski stated that the company was preparing for final certification and that it was "very close." On that call, Kicinski stated that the company was planning to launch the game on Nov. 19—another delay.

"[T]he current version, which will be released in November, will be playable from the beginning when next-gen consoles are released," Kicinski said, per the suit. "[Y]ou will be able to play the current-gen version on next-gen from day 1."

Again, he was wrong.

In hindsight, the craziest declarations probably came on a Nov. 25 call. Per the suit, with two weeks left to go until the game's release, Kicinski said that the company believed "the game is performing great on every platform." When asked about bugs, Kicinski acknowledged that there were some, but they were minimal enough not to get noticed by players.

As we all know, Kicinski would end up being wrong again—a point that was hammered home on a conference call in the days following Cyberpunk 2077's release where Kicinski said the current-generation console versions of the game were way below the company's expectations.

"After 3 delays, we as the Management Board were too focused on releasing the game. We underestimated the scale and complexity of the issues," Kicinski said, according to the suit. "It was the wrong approach and against our business philosophy."

The class action, which the suit states could have hundreds or thousands of affected parties, has not yet been certified, the Rosen Law Firm said in a press release. The firm is asking the court to approve the class action and is asking people who are interested in joining to contact it.

Gizmodo has reached out to CDPR and the Rosen Law Firm for a comment on the case. We'll make sure to update this post if we hear back.

Since its release, Cyberpunk 2077 and CDPR have been tumbling from grace. Sony pulled the game from its online store and is offering full refunds to anyone who bought it via its store. Microsoft is offering refunds of its own. To its credit, CDPR has apologized and also came out and said it will refund unhappy players. Ironically, CDPR is back to its old habits, promising quick fixes and improvements to its busted product by a particular date.

"[W]e will fix bugs and crashes, and improve the overall experience," the company said in a Twitter statement on Dec. 14. "The first round of updates has just been released and the next one is coming within the next 7 days. Expect more, as we will update frequently whenever new improvements are ready. After the holidays, we'll continue working—we'll release two large patches starting with Patch #1 in January. This will be followed by Patch #2 in February."

Since that statement, the company has been releasing fixes. Yet, there's still time left before the purported release of Patch #1 and Patch #2. We'll see if the company keeps its word this time.

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