Star Wars Outlaws this August

Ubisoft has released an official story trailer for Star Wars Outlaws.



The upcoming single-player open-world Star Wars video game from Massive Entertainment, set between Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, will be released on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC on 30th August.

As much as I'm excited about Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft's strategy of paywalling content behind season passes means I won't be playing on day one. As with the excellent Assassin's Creed Odyssey, I'll wait for a post-launch sale.

Pre-order Star Wars Outlaws from Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Star Wars Outlaws? What are your thoughts on the story trailer? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster

Christmas 1995, my first Mac, a Performa 5200, introduced me to the rich video game tapestries weaved by LucasArts at the peak of its powers. Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire and Star Wars: Dark Forces were the first CD-ROM-based games I owned for Apple's personal computer platform.

Star Wars: Dark Forces, the first Star Wars first-person shooter (FPS) video game, follows the adventures of Kyle Katarn as he steals the Death Star plans decades before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Nightdive Studios and Lucasfilm Games are bringing Dark Forces to a new generation of gamers.



“Kyle Katarn really can do just about everything,” Nightdive Studios’ Max Waine tells StarWars.com, “and while he's doing everything, he manages to generally stay very cool and calm. Stealing the plans for the Death Star? Yep. Defeating Boba Fett? Yep. Punching out kell dragons? Yep. He can do that. And that's just in Dark Forces.”

The game's titular Dark Troopers have appeared in live-action in The Mandalorian on Disney+.

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster is available now for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PC.

Are you playing Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection

On Wednesday, Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games announced the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection during a Nintendo Direct.



Featuring restored online play for up to 64 players, the classic bundle includes Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Battlefront II, originally developed by LucasArts, and will be available for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PC on 14th March.

Electronic Arts (EA) revived the Star Wars Battlefront franchise in 2015. However, it was marred by microtransaction controversy. Thanks to Aspyr, who recently released the excellent Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, gamers (myself included) can play these classic Star Wars video games unadulterated.

Will you be playing the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection? Let me know in the comments below.

LEGO Fortnite is live!

LEGO Fortnite has gone live! Drop into a world of unlimited imagination – and llamas – with the ultimate survival crafting game! What will you build?

Niels B. Christiansen, CEO of the LEGO Group, said: “Our partnership with Epic Games is focused on developing digital play experiences that are designed to be fun and safe, and have the potential to bridge the worlds of physical and digital play to inspire kids. Together with Epic Games, we are building digital worlds designed with kids in mind from the outset - we hope other creators and brands are inspired to do the same.”

This is the first play experience to come from the long-term partnership between Epic Games and the LEGO Group to develop fun and safe digital spaces for children and families.

Tim Sweeney, CEO & Founder, Epic Games said: “LEGO Fortnite offers players a new way to express themselves through worldbuilding and is an important step forward in the evolution of the Fortnite ecosystem. We look forward to continuing to partner with The LEGO Group to build immersive digital play spaces that are fun for kids and all types of players.”

The LEGO Fortnite journey is just beginning, with new world building, gameplay features, and more LEGO Style Outfits arriving in updates starting in early 2024.

Fortnite is available to play for free on PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC on Epic Games Store and cloud-based gaming streaming services.

Discover more and link your accounts on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

Will you be playing LEGO Fortnite? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars Outlaws at Xbox Showcase

On Sunday, Ubisoft exclusively announced Star Wars Outlaws during the Xbox Showcase.



“It’s a dream come true to be able to collaborate with the team at Lucasfilm Games to create Star Wars Outlaws, the first open-world Star Wars game," Julian Gerighty, creative director at Massive Entertainment, tells StarWars.com. "Our team at Massive Entertainment has a great deal of experience in open-world games backed by strong technology, and it’s the perfect time to tell an original scoundrel story that will resonate with fans. With the Galactic Empire on the heels of the Rebel Alliance, and the criminal underworld thriving, an outlaw like Kay Vess has a whole galaxy of opportunity in front of her."

Official gameplay walkthrough footage was shown during Ubisoft Forward.



The upcoming open-world Star Wars video game, set between Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, will be released on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC in 2024.

Are you looking forward to Star Wars Outlaws? What are your thoughts on the gameplay footage? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor at The Game Awards

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor gameplay will premiere at The Game Awards on 8th December.

This follows a leak on Steam suggesting the highly-anticipated sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will be released in March 2023.

Read the official synopsis:

"Star Wars Jedi: Survivor picks up five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Cal must stay one step ahead of the Empire’s constant pursuit as he continues to feel the weight of being one of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy."

Are you looking forward to Star Wars Jedi: Survivor? Let me know in the comments below.

Daisy Ridley stars in Twelve Minutes

5 years ago, I was with friends at Star Wars Celebration Europe, which will always be a treasured memory.

Whilst the Star Wars sequel trilogy may have ended, Daisy Ridley (Rey) is starring in Twelve Minutes, an upcoming video game releasing for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.



Read the synopsis:

“In Twelve Minutes, you keep living the same specific time period over and over again. While a man and his wife are sharing an evening in peace, a man comes in and claims to be a cop. He accuses the woman of murder. After this, the 12 minutes start repeating. You need to fully understand the situation and the underlying truth. You also need to find some clues and take a closer look at the details.”

Twelve Minutes, co-starring James McAvoy (X-Men) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man), will be available on Game Pass on 19th August.

It's a bug hunt in Aliens: Fireteam Elite

The Alien film franchise is no stranger to the video game medium with official tie-ins for the Atari VCS and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) to Fortnite.

Sega's Alien: Isolation distilled the claustrophobic horror of Sir Ridley Scott's original film to nerve-shredding effect in 2014. Aliens: Fireteam Elite, for Xbox, PlayStation and PC, sees Aliens' Colonial Marines back in action for a licensed co-op shooter.



About Aliens: Fireteam Elite:

"Set in the iconic Alien universe, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a cooperative third-person survival shooter that drops your fireteam of hardened marines into a desperate fight to contain the evolving Xenomorph threat.

Face off against waves of terrifying Xenomorph and Weyland-Yutani Synthetic foes alongside two players or AI teammates, as you and your fireteam desperately fight your way through four unique campaigns that introduce new storylines to the Alien universe. Create and customize your own Colonial Marine, choosing from an extensive variety of classes, weapons, gear and perks, battling overwhelming odds in this heart-pounding survival shooter experience."

Although the game's longevity remains to be seen, it looks fun and something I would play if it ever comes to Game Pass. Hopefully, it won't be any worse than Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance, which is included on Game Pass and was one of the first titles I tried out on my new Xbox Series S last week.

Will you be joining the fight against the deadly xenomorph threat this August? Let me know in the comments below.

Cyberpunk'd 2077

Following a delayed launch, the most hyped game of 2020 was released on 10th December for PC and last-gen consoles. It was meant to bring festive cheer during a torrid year.

Cyberpunk 2077, from developer CD Projekt Red, was announced in 2012. After 8 years of development - spanning 3 console generations - expectations were high, too high. More so given the success of The Witcher 3, and the seemingly consumer-friendly practises of the Polish studio with post-launch patches and free DLC in an era dominated by microtransactions and pay-to-win gameplay mechanics. Looking at you EA and Ubisoft.

This isn't a review of Cyberpunk 2077 as I'm only a few hours into the game, digitally, on PlayStation 5 (PS5) via backwards compatibility. Unlike many playing the game on last-gen consoles, my experience has been great aside from one crash to the PS5 dashboard.

Admittedly, as with the original Mass Effect trilogy and Skyrim, I restarted the game several times until I was happy with my character: Star Wars' Daisy Ridley in Westworld. If I discover any game-breaking bugs, things may go south.

It's 2020 and there's no ray tracing for consoles yet. The PS5 brute-forces 60fps and, by disabling film grain, HDR (if enabled) and motion blur, the graphics are sharper on my Samsung 4K UHD smart TV, which will suffice as a workaround until the release of a free next-gen patch in 2021. Hopefully.

But my opinion wouldn't be so positive on last-gen hardware and, whilst the developer would have strived for the best possible experience on all platforms, CD Projekt Red shouldn't get a free pass. Cyberpunk 2077 wasn't oven-ready.

This satirical YouTube clip distils last-gen console owners' frustrations with hilarious results. Not even Keanu Reeves, playing Johnny Silverhand, can save the inhabitants of potato planet.



Cyberpunk 2077 (affiliate link) is the immersive video game I’ve always wanted in a genre that captured my imagination in the pages of 2000 AD back in the summer of 1980. However, the controversy surrounding the title's launch has been well documented elsewhere and I'm interested in what you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars: Squadrons a new Rogue Leader?

When Star Wars: Squadrons was announced from EA Motive, I didn't know what to expect!

Microtransactions blighted Star Wars Battlefront II at launch, before a 180-degree u-turn under pressure from Lucasfilm's parent company Disney, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order triumphantly emerged from the dark side to top many Game of the Year (GotY) lists for 2019. Fans (myself included) are hoping for a sequel from Respawn Entertainment.

Was Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order a one-off return to form for a franchise with a storied gaming history from Atari coin-ops and 8-bit arcade clones such as 3D Starstrike for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum (you could imagine your Quickshot II Turbo joystick as the yoke of an X-wing fighter) to the founding of Lucasfilm Games in the early eighties? Could Star Wars: Squadrons be a Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for a new generation?

When Star Wars: Squadrons appeared as a 10-hour free trial for EA Play subscribers, I breathlessly donned a flight suit in search of a starfighter simulator worthy of classic LucasArts' X-wing and TIE Fighter. To my unalloyed joy, I discovered a first-person flight simulator that didn't induce motion sickness - always a plus - and managed to evoke cherished memories of playing Star Wars Arcade during student nights at SegaWorld, Bournemouth.

The prologue introduces a single-player (SP) campaign, set, like Star Wars Battlefront II, in the wake of the destruction of the second dreaded Death Star (Return of the Jedi), where you play as the New Republic and scattered Imperial forces. The opening mission is filled with fun Easter eggs and rich characterisation wrapped in spectacular visuals. Especially if you have PlayStation VR (PS VR).

Grahame Alexander Robertson, friend and fellow Star Wars fan, shared his firsthand experiences of PS VR: "By rights, it should be a PS VR system seller. Probably the best VR experience on PS4 by a long stretch. Sitting in the cockpit of iconic Star Wars ships, reading and responding to the controls, and flying them... isn't that the dream? The thrill of dogfighting over the bow of a Star Destroyer is visceral. The fact they've added genuinely fun and story-driven missions just adds to the experience. Best played with headphones to complete the experience of fellow pilots shouting instruction and encouragement..."

Grahame pointed out that The Mandalorian DLC adds new cosmetics including The Child AKA Baby Yoda from today. A timely addition with the second season premiering this Friday, directed by series showrunner Jon Favreau (Iron Man), exclusively on Disney+.

I'll continue to play the campaign once the full game is on EA Play (bundled with Game Pass Ultimate from 10th November). But, it's abundantly clear the single-player Force is strong with this one. In the meantime, as The Sims 4 is included with EA Play, I'm going to get Star Wars Journey to Batuu.

Classic LucasArts titles Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango will be available from Thursday. Following the news of Cyberpunk 2077's latest delay, these, along with Destiny 2: Beyond Light, will keep my busy this November on Game Pass Ultimate.

Are you playing Star Wars: Squadrons? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars: Squadrons gameplay at EA Play Live

Star Wars: Squadrons was teased on Monday and gameplay will be revealed during today's EA Play Live event.



The upcoming EA Motive title is set in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi and the destruction of the second dreaded Death Star. The single player campaign follows pilots from the Empire and New Republic.

A demo will be available for EA Access subscribers (myself included) when Star Wars: Squadrons is released for PS4, Xbox One and PC this October. EA has announced it will feature cross-play and virtual reality (VR) support for PS4 and PC.

Let's hope EA can build on the goodwill for Jedi: Fallen Order and put Battlefront II's infamous loot boxes behind it.

Star Wars: Squadrons is available for pre-order (affiliate link).

Pilots wanted for Star Wars: Squadrons

Lock S-foils in attack position! After the Microsoft Store prematurely leaked Star Wars: Squadrons, EA has officially confirmed the upcoming title, codenamed Project Maverick, ahead of EA Play on 18th June with a trailer dropping on Monday.



Squadrons is expected to be an aerial combat video game in the spirit of Rogue Squadron and seemingly overlaps with stablemate Star Wars Battlefront. It's the first new title from EA Motive and Criterion, who developed the space combat for Battlefront, doesn't appear to be involved.

EA has a chequered history with the storied franchise. However, Battlefront II has improved immeasurably since launching in 2017 and Respawn's Jedi: Fallen Order is one of the best spin-offs in years. Both are highly recommended.

Star Wars: Squadrons is available for pre-order (affiliate link).

Respawn announces Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Vince Zampella from Respawn, the studio behind the phenomenal Titanfall franchise, has announced a new Star Wars single player (SP) video game during EA Play.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. A dark time as the last of the Jedi are hunted down by Darth Vader.

Could this be the Star Wars video game fans deserve? The title suggests a rebooting of Star Wars Jedi Knight, and Respawn has a pedigree that could wipe the slate clean in the wake of the microtransaction and loot box controversy surrounding Star Wars Battlefront 2.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will be released during holiday 2019 to coincide with director JJ Abrams' as-yet-untitled Episode IX which completes the sequel trilogy at Disney.

Are you excited at the prospect of a single player Star Wars title that's not Battlefront? Let me know in the comments below.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider released this September

Today Square Enix announced the final chapter in the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy to coincide with the live-action reboot starring Alica Vikander as Lara Croft in cinemas.

The 2013 Tomb Raider reboot came out of left field and was a darling of the critics and gamers alike. The first sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider, marred at launch by an Xbox One timed exclusive controversy, built on that robust foundation in 2015 and expectations are high for the climactic instalment.

Camilla Luddington (Grey's Anatomy) provided the voice and motion capture reference for Lara Croft in the first two instalments. Hopefully, she's reprising the role for the third time.

A full reveal of Shadow of the Tomb Raider is scheduled for 27th April. In the meantime here's a teaser trailer.



Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be released on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on 14th September. Pre-order from Amazon.co.uk (affiliate link).

Janina Gavankar talks Star Wars Battlefront II

Janina Gavankar dropped by BUILD to discuss her role as Iden Versio in Star Wars Battlefront II. Ms Gavankar talks enthusiastically about all things Star Wars and her passion for video games, which began in 2007.



Whilst Star Wars Battlefront II has received a frosty reception from many fans due to the microtransactions fiasco. The single-player campaign is canon and I'll get around to playing it eventually. If only to experience a Star Wars game in 4K with Dolby Atmos surround sound on Xbox One X.

Microtransactions gone from Star Wars Battlefront II

Star Wars Battlefront II launches today and many fans (myself included) aren't picking it up day-one. However, following weeks of heated debate surrounding pay-to-win, publisher EA has dropped microtransactions from the controversial sequel. At least for now.

"Our goal has always been to create the best possible game for all of you – devoted Star Wars fans and game players alike. We’ve also had an ongoing commitment to constantly listen, tune and evolve the experience as it grows," a blogpost from Oskar Gabrielson, general manager at EA game developer DICE, read. "You’ve seen this with both the major adjustments, and polish, we have made over the past several weeks.

"But as we approach the worldwide launch, it’s clear that many of you feel there are still challenges in the design. We’ve heard the concerns about potentially giving players unfair advantages. And we’ve heard that this is overshadowing an otherwise great game. This was never our intention. Sorry we didn’t get this right.

"We hear you loud and clear, so we’re turning off all in-game purchases. We will now spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning. This means that the option to purchase crystals in the game is now offline, and all progression will be earned through gameplay. The ability to purchase crystals in-game will become available at a later date, only after we’ve made changes to the game. We’ll share more details as we work through this."

Publishers are in it for the money and not altruism! The majority of shareholders have zero interest in the fans. However, I suspect Disney was instrumental in EA’s decision to remove microtransactions until after The Last Jedi is in cinemas.

In the wake of this news, will you be buying Star Wars Battlefront II? Let me know in the comments below.

Social media outrage over Star Wars Battlefront II

As a lifelong Star Wars fan and avid video gamer since the Atari age, I was excited about Star Wars Battlefront II in the lead-up to the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

2015's franchise reboot was terrific fun and the notion of the sequel's single-player campaign from the perspective of the Empire, set in Return of the Jedi, was compelling.

However, the online controversy surrounding loot boxes and pay-to-win has extinguished that excitement to the point of cancelling a pre-order for Xbox One.

Whilst I own a PS4, I opted for the Xbox One version as it will be enhanced for Xbox One X. Space battles in 4K? Don't mind if I do. Well, actually I do mind if loot boxes and pay-to-win are involved. Star Wars Battlefront II purportedly costs £1,600 to unlock everything. The whole issue has left me yearning for the halcyon days of LucasArts...

Maybe I'll play the game on EA Access if I decide to resubscribe. This has not been a banner year for the publisher. Battlefront only adds salt to the wound in the wake of Mass Effect's hiatus.

Are you getting Star Wars Battlefront II? Let me know in the comments below.

EA shutters Visceral Games and pivots Star Wars title

Following BioWare Montreal's closure in the wake of Mass Effect: Andromeda. EA has shuttered Visceral Games (formerly EA Redwood Shores), perhaps best known for the Dead Space survival horror franchise.

Visceral Games was working on an untitled Star Wars game, with Uncharted's Amy Hennig as project lead, scheduled for release in 2019 to coincide with Star Wars: Episode IX directed by JJ Abrams.

The reason for the shift in the untitled Star Wars project's focus is that EA feels it has "become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design."

"We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life. Importantly, we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency, leaning into the capabilities of our Frostbite engine and reimagining central elements of the game to give players a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth to explore."

EA, like several AAA publishers, is seemingly moving towards monetised loot boxes at the expense of single-player storytelling. For example, the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront II forgoes a season pass in favour of paid-for loot, which has left a bitter taste in the video game community weeks from release.

As a Star Wars fan, I was really looking forward to Star Wars Battlefront II this November. However, I've cancelled my pre-order for the Xbox One X enhanced title for now.

Is a fixation on loot to the detriment of storytelling in modern video games? Let me know in the comments below.

Starfighter Assault mode from Star Wars Battlefront II

EA has released a new trailer for Star Wars Battlefront II. Starfighter Assault mode features cameos from Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Master Yoda and more.



It's filled with Easter Eggs including Kylo Ren's TIE Silencer from The Last Jedi. The space battles evoke the original trilogy and Rogue One. This is a good, very good, thing.

Star Wars Battlefront II is available for pre-order on PS4, Xbox One and PC. The game is released on 14th November. Stay tuned for further coverage.

Channel John Hammond in Jurassic World Evolution

During a pre-Gamescom briefing from Xbox, Jurassic World Evolution was announced from the developers of Elite Dangerous, which Rob Wainfur, founder of The Bearded Trio, reviewed previously.

Frontier Developments has based a sim around the 2015 blockbuster movie directed by Colin Trevorrow. Players will be able to unleash their inner John Hammond, played by the late Sir Richard Attenborough in Steven Spielberg's original Jurassic Park, and design a dinosaur theme park replete with reptilian perils for unsuspecting tourists.



Aside from this surprise. The Xbox pre-Gamescom conference was a rehash of E3 and underscored the lack of first-party titles! My hot take. It was nothing more than an extended Xbox One X pre-order announcement, which should have gone live during E3. However, I've pre-ordered the Project Scorpio Edition and am looking forward to improved fidelity in titles such as Rise of the Tomb Raider on a Samsung Curved SUHD 4K 3D LED TV.

Jurassic World Evolution will be released for PS4, Xbox One and PC in the summer of 2018 to coincide with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.