Three years ago, the hit PC sandbox game Minecraft was launched for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console (the actual anniversary date is on Saturday, May 9). The game was a massive hit for its original developer Mojang and its console partner 4J Studios, and was part of the reason Microsoft eventually acquired Mojang and Minecraft.

Today, to celebrate the third anniversary of Minecraft's Xbox 360 release, Mojang and 4J Studios have released three free characters skins for the games. Only one of them is available for both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of Minecraft, and it features Mojang employees and others.

The other two new skin packs are just for the Xbox One edition and are the same packs that were released for the Xbox 360 version on the occasion of the first and second anniversaries of its launch. They include skins based on some Microsoft-based games like Halo. All of these packs will be free to download until May 17.

Source: Mojang

E3 is widely regarded as the crown jewel in terms of video games events, but Gamescom in Cologne, Germany is in-fact the largest. Certain days are open to the public, which last year saw well over 350,000 people in attendance. It also takes place in Cologne's Koelnmesse convention centre, which provides a gargantuan amount of floor space.

Last year's Gamescom saw Rise of the Tomb Raider's Xbox One exclusivity announced, and gave us the first trailer for the PS4 exclusive Bloodborne. Despite the rising prominence of the event, Sony yesterday announced that they will be pulling out completely. This decision has led some to wonder if Microsoft would do the same. Phil Spencer last night confirmed that this is not the case.

Responding to fan concerns, Xbox head Phil Spencer tweeted the following:

I've known for some time that the Xbox team will be in attendance at Gamescom 2015, and it's important that they do so. Xbox popularity in Europe, in particular, lags behind the PS4, due in no small part to the Xbox One's launch inability to support Europe's many languages.

Despite the foot-fall of Gamescom, Sony have decided to skip the event, opting for October's Paris Games Week instead:

"With the changes this year of E3 taking place a week later and Gamescom taking place earlier, we feel that both PlayStation and the wider industry would benefit from a major news milestone later in the year, during the most important period for gaming."

It strikes me as odd that Sony would choose October to make new announcements when many of us will be knee-deep in new games. Gamescom and E3 traditionally take place during Q2 / Q3, which sees fewer big releases and thus fewer distractions.

Last year, Microsoft had to cut over 90 minutes of content from its E3 presentation, and E3 2015 looks no different. Xbox fans can look forward to Scalebound, Crackdown, Quantum Break, Forza 6, Phantom Dust and Halo 5. In addition to vast amounts of unannounced IP and possibly more third-party partnerships, such as Rise of the Tomb Raider. Many of the bigger announcements could be shifted across to Gamescom, like last year.

By skipping GC 2015, Sony has given Microsoft an important chance to make up for some lost ground in Europe. But it remains to be seen whether it'll have any practical impact on sales in the region.

Do you think Sony are making a mistake by skipping Gamescom? Or is it more likely that the Japanese giant simply has little to show? Hit the comments!

Source: Gamespot

It's taken a bit longer than first announced, but Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners will soon be able to rob some virtual banks with their friends in just over a month. Developer Overkill Software and publisher 505 Games will release Payday 2: Crimewave Edition for both consoles on June 16 in the US, with Europeans getting it a few days earlier on June 12.

The original Payday 2 is already a big hit on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and the new Crimewave Edition for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will contain all of the content of the earlier versions, plus a ton of extra content and improvements:

"The new edition is loaded with over a year's worth of DLC packs and content updates including the popular Big Bank Heist, and even the addition of "Clover," the first female heister. Action filled crime sprees look better than ever on next-gen consoles with improved frame rate, better textures and 1080p resolution."

"PAYDAY 2: Crimewave Edition introduces new high-octane heists and new contacts The Dentist, voiced by actor Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), and The Butcher, voiced by Mira Furlan (Lost and Babylon 5). In addition to new jobs and multi-stage contracts, a wider range of weapons such as shotguns, sniper rifles and grenades deliver an explosive kick to the new enemy archetypes that players will face."

"New characters, more masks and brand new perk system bring a whole new level of customization to the experience along with a fifth skill tree for seriously stealthy players. The all-new preplanning stage has also been added, providing everything that perfectionist players need to pull off their dream crime spree."

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition will be sold for $49.99. Pre-orders for the game will be able to get even more exclusive content, including new mask and mask patterns and a bundle of in-game cash to spend.

Source: Gamasutra

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is riding high on the hype train in this latest bloody trailer.

CD Projekt RED have been hard at work on The Witcher 3 for several years, delaying the game numerous times to ensure the game has a chance to knock Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim from its WRPG throne.

The game closes the tale of the Witcher Geralt, whose super human abilities allow him to track and kill monsters which plague the game's gargantuan world - for cash of course. Geralt's unique abilities see him wrapped up in global politics and intrigue, leading him on quests that change the world.

This latest trailer showcases the game's gory combat, which shows off Geralt's ability to duel monsters, men and wield magic. We also get a look at some of Ciri, a playable female of elven blood.

As a bonus, check out this recent dev diary detailing how some of the game's dynamic monster hunting mechanics work:

The Witcher 3 is a vast expansion in scope over the previous games. The world is reportedly 20% larger than Skyrim, featuring unprecedented interaction between the player, NPCs and monsters, with 200+ hours of gameplay for completionists.

CD Projekt RED have noted that playing through the previous games isn't necessary to step in and enjoy The Witcher 3's dangerous world, as it features a contained plot surrounding the mysterious Wild Hunt, a cadre of evil riders that have appeared throughout The Witcher series to torment Geralt.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt launches on May 19th on PC, Xbox One and PS4.

• Pre-order The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on the Xbox One Store ($59.99)
• Pre-order The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Amazon US
• Pre-order The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Amazon UK

Gear Gauntlet is an upcoming action puzzle game from Drop Dead Interactive, launching under the ID@Xbox program.

I've been helping Drop Dead test the game ahead of its launch on Xbox One, and my brain is fried just typing about it (in a good way).

In Gear Gauntlet, your charge is to guide a spinning gear through narrow labyrinths, avoiding all sorts of hazards that wring the mind. The signature obstacles are colour-coded blocks that can only be passed by pressing the corresponding button on your Xbox controller. B for Red, X for Blue, Y for Yellow, you get the idea. The most pertinent comparison would be to Guitar Hero, except if you screw up in that, you merely hit a sour note - Gear Gauntlet is not so forgiving. Throughout each level, the screen itself chases you, eager to swallow your gear in its bezelled jaws of death.

The full game will consist of 40 levels and an infinite bonus mode, punishing players with a crescendo of increasing difficulty. Each gauntlet has divergent paths, some which may be easier, but choosing those will see you relinquish points and thus, a decent position on the leader boards. The boards factor in prominently at the end of every level, giving the game a competitive slant.

My reaction speed is hopeless, but despite repeated deaths I found myself unable to put Gear Gauntlet down. Amidst all that demanding gameplay, Gear Gauntlet is addictive. Punching out blocks chirps satisfying sounds that remind me of cube smashing in the classic Mario games and rolling into power-ups and the mind-warping layout rotation blocks evokes memories of Sonic the Hedgehog. Improving your performance at even the smallest increments is satisfying, and performance stats and leaderboards add incentive.

There's a general old school sentiment about Gear Gauntlet; from the soundtrack, to the scrolling 2D backgrounds and familiar gameplay elements. When it's not driving you crazy, Gear Gauntlet has charm.

I spoke to Drop Dead Interactive's Jay Adeloye to discuss Gear Gauntlet, ID@Xbox, and whether or not I just suck at games.

Jez: What sorts of games helped inspire Gear Gauntlet?

Jay: Games that inspired me at the time included Guitar Hero (as evident from the colour mechanic) and Jetpack Joy Ride but I didn't want to make an endless runner. Other games that inspired the difficulty and the collection of goodies came from the Sega Mega Drive era, so Sonic and games like Altered Beast.

Jez: Am I just really bad at it, or were you guys going for something a little more on the challenging end of the spectrum?

Jay: Well with most things, practice makes you better. I found this true of Guitar Hero and games like Super Meat Boy. I won't pretend I'm a god at this game (unless in god mode), there are some days I die a lot. We have testers that are achieving better scores than me, so all things are possible.

Jez: How have you found working with the ID@Xbox program? In what ways does it differ from launching on Steam or other similar indie platforms?

Jay: Ah man, working with ID@Xbox has helped me take what I saw as a hobby and turned it into something of a dream come true - developing games where people actually take notice and want to learn more. For me personally, Steam Greenlight was a scary thought. I feel some people don't give you a fair chance, especially when you're developing the smaller 2D titles. I'll tell you one thing as well - Microsoft throw nice parties, so it's always nice being in a position where you can get an invite!

Jez: What sort of release window are you targeting?

Jay: We are currently looking at a release this summer, 2015. The process has been new to me, and I'll admit being a full-time Dad with a full-time job, working on Gear Gauntlet in my spare time does take its toll but interviews and interest like this keeps me going!

Jez: Although it plays best with an Xbox controller right now, have you considered retrofitting it for touch devices? Xbox for Windows 10 and phones perhaps?

Jay: Man, I'm stoked to get this game on Windows 10 so I can play it on Surface tablets, that would be amazing. We've had requests to put it on Playstation Vita, iPhone, Android, etc. I can't say it will come to touch as I don't know how best to translate the experience, but Windows 10 is definitely in my vision.

Jez: In closing, what sort of gamer should check out Gear Gauntlet this summer?

Jay: The good, the bad and the ugly, haha. I guess gamers who like a challenge and aren't scared off easily, gamers who like competitive fun. All fans of Phoenix Rage, Super Meat Boy, and N+.

I generally shun games that reveal how much of a scrub I am, but Gear Gauntlet is a difficult one to put down. Action puzzle fans who enjoy a challenge would be insane to pass this up when it hits this Summer, exclusively on Xbox One.

Stay tuned to Windows Central for more ID@Xbox features in the coming weeks!

Big thanks to Jay for taking the time to say hi!

If you are a paid subscriber to Xbox Live Gold, you know that you get at least one free Xbox One game every month, along with discounts for older games. Now those kinds of savings are extended to two newly launched ID@Xbox games, Slice Ninja for Kinect and Ultratron, with both discounts available until May 22.

Slice Ninja for Kinect does require that the Xbox One be hooked up to the now optional Kinect motion sensor. Developed by MADE GmbH, it's basically "Fruit Ninja with Zombies". It's normal price is $9.99 but Xbox Live Gold members can buy it for just $7.99 until May 22. Here's a quick summary:

"Well, so the zombie apocalypse is long over and there are still thousands of zombies left. So what do we do with them now? It's easy! Step in front of your Kinect and use your hands to cut, grab and shoot zombies into little pieces. Unlock funny zombie types like exploding zombies or time travelling zombies or Evil Zevel, a zombie equipped with a rocket pack flying across your TV. Slice coins to unlock new items, backgrounds and walking hands that come with powerful special abilities. - Cut and shoot zombie ragdolls into little pieces - Grab zombies with one hand and slice them with the other - Game progression with 21 levels and a built-in shop give you tons of replay value - Unlock all cool items like new ribbons, backgrounds and zombies - Awesome zombies like the time travelling zombie, Evil Zevel or the zombie bunny "

Get Slice Ninja for Kinect from the Xbox One Store

Developed by Carbon, Ultratron is a sci-fi arena shooter with an old school gameplay look and feel. It's regular price is $9.99 but Xbox Live Gold members save some money until May 22 and can get it for just $8.49. Here's its description:

"The last human in the universe has been slain by evil killer robots. As the last remaining humanoid battle droid, you'll be fighting through over 40 arcade levels to finally take on the four giant boss 'bots of the apocalypse. An arcade game on steroids, Ultratron combines risk-reward arena gameplay with an upgrade system, responsive difficulty, pet drones, special weapon abilities, online leaderboards and a two player drop-in co-op mode."

Get Ultratron from the Xbox One Store

Which of these games will you be buying to play this weekend?

Source: Major Nelson

Dragon Age Inquisition is pretty much the role-playing game to beat on new-gen and past-gen platforms like Xbox One, 360, and Windows PC. Well, until The Witcher 3 arrives on May 19. But Inquisition has one thing that Witcher 3 won't have, and that's online multiplayer. I love teaming up with friends and hunting for loot.

To keep Inquisition fresh on players' minds, Electronic Arts released two free DLC packs earlier this week: 'Dragonslayer' and 'The Black Emporium.' The latter brings new features to Inquisition's single-player campaign while 'Dragonslayer' adds dragons and a whole lot more to multiplayer. Neither costs a thing, making them must-downloads for RPG fans.

The Black Emporium

Although not a sizable expansion like the premium 'Jaws of Haakon,' The Black Emporium does add some cool new features to Dragon Age Inquisition's campaign:

• Four high-level stores that sell epic weapons, powerful accessories, new crafting materials, schematics, and more hard-to-find items
• Players can now change their Inquisitor's face with the Mirror of Transformation.

Accessible from the war table, The Black Emporium provides even more ways to customize your Inquisition.

• Get 'The Black Emporium' for Xbox One (free, 184 MB)
• Get 'The Black Emporium' for Xbox 360 (free, 49 MB)

Dragonslayer

Inquisition's multiplayer has been enjoyable but somewhat anemic since launch, with only three multiplayer maps (each with three selectable difficulty levels) available up until now. 'Dragonslayer,' along with a title update released at the same time, adds a fourth map, lots of new content, and a few tweaks to the multiplayer experience.

After manually downloading the 'Dragonslayer' DLC and entering Inquisition's Multiplayer mode, the first thing you'll want to do is head to the multiplayer Store. All players who download the update get a free Dragonslayer chest. Inside, you'll find several items including one of the three new playable characters:

• Skywatcher, an Avvar warrior from the Fallow Mire. Skywatcher appears in the Fallow Mire area in the main Inquisition campaign.
• Zither the Virtuoso. Originally teased as an April Fool's joke, Zither is a bard who plays a lute and plays songs that act like spells.
• Isabela the Raider Queen of the Eastern Seas. She first appeared in Dragon Age: Origins as an NPC, and later became a playable companion in Dragon Age II. Isabela is the first playable character from past Dragon Age games to appear in Inquisition multiplayer.

Improved crafting

If you don't get the new character you wanted, don't fret. You can still get that character (eventually) by crafting. None of Inquisition's multiplayer characters can be purchased outright, so you will have to craft whichever heroes you're interested in but don't have yet.

The way Inquisition multiplayer's loot system works is: as you play levels, you'll occasionally find new items as loot, but they're uncommon. Mostly your party will just receive gold for their rewards. This gold can then be spent on chests in the store. I highly recommend the large chests as they pay out the best.

Chests contain a random assortment of equipment and items, some of which you'll want to keep and some that you won't. The items that you don't want can be salvaged, turning them into crafting materials. The more stuff you salvage, the more materials you'll have to spend towards unlocking new characters and crafting other stuff.

This week's update slightly revises the crafting system, probably for the better. Before, players had to salvage each item individually. Now you simply mark items for salvage and then salvage them all in one step. The process goes slightly faster. It also makes gaining salvaged materials more exciting because you get the spoils in a big batch in a similar manner to opening a chest.

New things to craft

In addition to the three new characters and their alternate costumes, the 'Dragonslayer' update adds several more items to craft.

Most importantly, the Dragon's Call is a craftable "weapon" that allows players to summon a dragon to fight in the Fereldan Castle map. It's more of a key than a weapon, as you don't equip or attack enemies with it. Dragon's Calls are consumable, so you'll have to create one every time you wish to take on the magical beasts.

The update also adds respecializations ("respecs") to the weapon crafting pool. The game already offered a form of respects before – players could choose to "Prestige" a high-level character and start fresh with boosted stats. Now you can respect a character without prestiging him or her, allowing that hero's level to be maintained.

Entering Fereldan Castle and battling dragons

More characters and respect options are great, but what Inquisition's multiplayer has really needed all this time is new maps to keep players busy. The Fereldan Castle is the fourth multiplayer map and includes three selectable difficulty levels, just like previous maps. It differs from past maps in significant ways, however…

First off, the Fereldan Castle layout is not randomized like the other three maps. That sounds like a bad thing, but it's not. The new level shows a lot more care than the rest with a more interesting layout and more verticality to its design. You can even climb ladders, visiting the same location from above and below.

The level does have a random element of sorts, though: dragons! Three different high dragons can appear at Fereldan Castle: Frost, Inferno, or Storm. The party leader can select a specific dragon or leave the option on random. Whether or not you choose to use the Dragon's Call item, the selected dragon will assault your team as you play the level. It will zoom around firing projectiles and shaking things up as you attempt to explore the castle and wipe out the enemies within. Plus the dragon affects the level's appearance. For example, the ice dragon coats the entire area in frost and snow.

Upon reaching the fourth area of the castle, the team will encounter an ancient gong. If anyone possesses a Dragon's Call, the team can ring it to summon the dragon. Should you not ring the gong, you'll fight a non-dragon boss in the fifth section of the castle. Ring the gong and the dragon replaces that boss at the castle summit.

Dragons are unquestionably the best bosses to appear in Inquisition multiplayer to date. They are huge and beautifully rendered. When the dragon lands on the ground, the party can hack away at its head, legs, and tail. The beast's head and tail pose the most threat though it also spits elemental projectiles when enraged.

The high dragon doesn't stay on the ground for the whole fight, however. At times, it takes off into the air to rain down fire and other elemental attacks on our heroes. It can also summon smaller dragons to attack on the ground while it eludes the party. But eventually it will return to the summit floor and become open to attacks once more.

More reason to slay foes together

'Dragonslayer' adds a lot to the Dragon Age Inquisition multiplayer experience. Three new characters, a standout new level, and massive dragon bosses will certainly provide at least a weekend or two of fun to socially minded gamers.

I wish the update added multiplayer Achievements though, a feature that Inquisition has long lacked. And, of course, multiplayer mode still needs more levels! Let's hope EA keeps them coming throughout the year.

See our original Dragon Age multiplayer story for more impressions and tips!

• Get 'Dragonslayer' for Xbox One (free, 3.9 GB)
• Get 'Dragonslayer' for Xbox 360 (free, 206 MB)

Still need Dragon Age Inquisition?

• Dragon Age: Inquisition – Xbox One – 42 GB – $59.99 – Amazon– Xbox Store
• Dragon Age: Inquisition – Xbox 360 – 42 GB – $59.99 – Amazon
• Dragon Age: Inquisition – Windows – 42 GB – $59.99 – Amazon

One of the big exclusive features for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V is coming to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions as well. Publisher Rockstar Games has confirmed the Rockstar Editor will be added to both those versions of the open world crime action game sometime later this summer.

The Rockstar Editor allows PC owners of GTA V to record, edit and upload gameplay video, with a number of different options to choose from. In a post on the Rockstar website, the publisher said:

"The Rockstar Editor is an advanced tool requiring additional processing power so it would not be compatible with GTAV on the older systems, but we are currently working on a version tailored for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles – and we hope to release that sometime this summer, or as soon as it is ready."

There's some other good news: The Lab in-game radio station that's also an exclusive to the PC version will also be added to the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of the game in an upcoming update.

Source: Rockstar Games

Microsoft has released the first installment of This Week on Xbox, a new weekly video series that covers the past week's big announcements for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles, along with some extras.

The series is hosted by Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb, Microsoft's long-time Xbox Live programming head who has become the most well known face among the Xbox team to the general public. The plan is to post up a new episode every Friday with a look back at major game announcements, such as this week's reveal that Sullust will be one of the planets that will be seen in the upcoming game Star Wars Battlefront.

Hyrb will also mention the big new Xbox games released in the past week, like Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. He will also offer a quick and handy Xbox tip and there are plans to feature Xbox community members with their creations in future episodes.

While This Week on Xbox will be available on YouTube every Friday, it will also be shown on the Xbox One dashboard, and that version will include some interactive elements as well.

Source: Xbox (YouTube)

The hit pro soccer game from Electronic Arts, FIFA 15, has become the 11th and latest game to be included in the library of titles that Xbox One owners can play via the EA Access subscription service.

FIFA 15 was first released in September 2014 and the Xbox One version is currently priced at $54.99 on the digital Xbox Store. However, for the small monthly fee of $4.99 or a yearly fee of $29.99, you can play the full version of FIFA 15 along with NHL 15, EA Sports UFC, Battlefield 4, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, Need For Speed Rivals, Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, Peggle 2, NBA Live 15 and Madden NFL 15.

EA Access members also get a 10% discount when they purchase digital Xbox One games from EA, and that price cut also applies to FIFA Ultimate Team Points. In addition, members get early access to free trials of upcoming games.

Source: EA

The long-awaited open world fantasy RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is due for launch May 19, but late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien got a chance to play the game developed by CD Projekt RED ahead of its release on the Xbox One.

The video is just the latest installment of the popular Clueless Gamer segment of Conan. As usual, O'Brien, who isn't a fan of video games, is given some assistance by show staff member, and heavy gamer, Aaron Bleyaert. In this case, O'Brien definitely seems to be into The Witcher 3 more than most of the games that he has played, mainly because there's the promise of virtual sex with the NPC ladies.

There's some fighting with a few of the game's many monsters, but the bulk of the segment is all about O'Brien seeking sex and it's pretty amusing to see him try to achieve this goal. We won't spoil the ending here, but we will say that parts of this video are definitely NSFW (The Witcher 3 is a "M" rated game for a good reason).

Source: Team Coco (YouTube)

Every weekend, Windows Central streams an Xbox One game or two on Twitch for 1-2 hours and gives out free games to the cool people who join us during the stream. It's like a live podcast, only you also get to watch a game while chatting with our awesome readers and viewers!

Tonight at 8pm Central (9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific, 2am GMT), we'll be playing Terraria from 505 Games and Re-Logic. Terraria is a 2D platformer with creative and survival elements, much like Minecraft. To make things even better, we have a whopping 35 Terraria codes to give away for Xbox One, PlayStation, and Steam!

Just follow me on Twitch.tv/Eastxtwitch, enable email notifications , watch along, and participate in chat for your chance to win. After the stream ends, be sure to check back for the YouTube replay video and contest winners.

Watch live video from EastXTwitch on www.twitch.tv

Tip: If watching the stream in another window, close this one to avoid audio echoes.

Terraria

Do the blocky 3D worlds of Minecraft rub you the wrong way? Then try Terraria, the 2D platforming survival game. At the start, you'll create your own male or female custom character. Then it's time to generate a new world or load up a saved one.

Terraria has many familiar mechanics like exploration, mining and building things. The building works a bit differently in 2D, but players can still create impressive structures. Don't mistake this for Minecraft, however. Terraria has a much greater emphasis on combat and platforming. Find the right gear and you can even gain unique abilities like super jumps and turning into a werewolf.

Naturally, games of this type are more fun with friends. Terraria supports 8-players online or 4-player split-screen on Xbox One.

Tune in tonight to watch me play online multiplayer and maybe win a copy of your own!

• Terraria – Xbox One – MB – $19.99 – Xbox Link
• Terraria – Xbox 360 – MB – $14.99 – Xbox Link
• Terraria – Windows PC – $9.99 – Steam Link
• Terraria – Windows Phone – 80 MB – $4.99 – Store Link

The Contest

We'll be streaming Terraria for 90 minutes tonight, starting at 8pm Central (9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific, 2am GMT). During that time, we'll be giving out a total of 35 game codes:

• 15 for Xbox One
• 10 for PlayStation 4 (North American accounts only)
• 5 for PlayStation Vita (North American accounts only
• 5 for Steam

To enter, just follow me at Twitch.tv/Eastxtwitch (making sure to enable email notifications!) and tune in during the stream. You can watch the stream right here in this post, but you need to actually participate in the stream chat to have a chance at winning. We'll deliver codes to the winners via Twitch message (PM) during the stream. No code begging!

If you enjoy the stream, be sure to check our schedule and come back for more!

How to watch Twitch live streams

What's the best way to experience Twitch? The Twitch website on your PC or Mac web browser. If you don't have or prefer not to use a computer, you can get the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, or Xbox 360 Twitch apps and watch from the comfort of your couch. Android and iOS both have official and unofficial Twitch apps to choose from as well.

On Windows Phone, you'll have to grab an unofficial app. There are several to choose from, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Only one app lets you search directly for our channel, however. If you use the others, you'll have to find and follow us from a web browser first. Read the roundup to learn more!

Next week's stream

Want to know what's next for Windows Central's Twitch programming? Here's next weekend's contest stream. The stream always starts at the same time: 8pm Central (9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific, 2am GMT).

• Stealth Inc 2 from Curve Digital

We hope you'll tune in as often as you can! Set a recurring alarm on your phone, so you'll always know when it's time for the stream to start.

Winners

Come back here after the show to see the list of winners.

Xbox One

PlayStation 4

PlayStation Vita

Steam

Thanks to 505 Games for providing tonight's prizes. Thanks also to our Twitch stream moderators for keeping the peace and giving away the prizes!

Threes! is a popular puzzle game from Sirvo that took the mobile world by storm when it launched on iOS last year. The goal is simple – combine duplicate numbers to create greater numbers while trying to avoid running out of moves. Anybody can learn to play Threes is seconds, but the game has a complexity so great that even reverse-engineered solving programs have a tough time achieving the highest score.

Not long ago, Threes! finally arrived on Windows Phone. Better late than never! This release prompted us to stream the Xbox One version of Threes! (developed by Hidden Variable) on Twitch. Now that I've played Threes on both the big screen and large, I'm here to tell you how both versions stack up to each other. But can I answer the elusive question of Threes' nearly universal appeal?

A game of numbers

Threes might look complex at a glance, but it's very simple. The field consists of sixteen tiles. These tiles have numbers on them, ranging from 1 all the way to some big numbers that give me headaches just thinking about them.

Swipe vertically or horizontally on the analog stick or screen to try to move all of the tiles on the screen in that direction. If the number on a tile can be combined with the tile, it would be sliding into, the two will combine to form a larger number.

For instance, one and two can be combined to make the magic number three. Every other number after that must be added to the same number. Two threes make six, two sixes make twelve, a pair of twelves makes 24, and so on.

Harder than you'd think

Matching the same numbers sounds easy enough, but Threes! does become challenging after a few moves. Every time you swipe, one new number tile enters the grid. The new number seems random, but it's governed by a complex set of rules and can be predicted by people (much smarter than me) who learn those rules. The game at least tells you the color of the next tile that will enter the board, but that only helps people who research the algorithms and not the average player.

Different numbers (other than one and two) can't be combined. Smart moves will keep the number of tiles on the board down, whereas poorly planned moves (the kind I make) result in more and more numbers piling up on the field. If you end up with too many incompatible numbers in play, you'll run out of moves to make. And once that happens, it's game over.

Scores of scores

Having run out of moves, the game will then calculate your score. Higher numbered tiles like 48 and 96 are worth more than lower numbered tiles, of course. The scores and filled-up boards from previous games are stored locally for your analysis.

The Xbox One version has a significant advantage over the phone version thanks to online leaderboards. As with virtually every Xbox One game, you can view global high scores or your friends' high scores. This adds a fun competitive element that you just don't get from the Windows Phone version. Do you think you can beat my high score of 624? Haha, it seems like everybody can but me!

Style and swagger

Threes! has been cloned numerous times ever since its creation. In fact, its largest competitor 2048 came along just a month after Threes! debuted on iOS. Some games like 2048 tweak the mechanics a bit to differentiate themselves. For example, swipes in 2048 will move tiles more than one space if the tiles have room for the move.

Still, few of those clones can match Threes' secret weapon: its personality. The tiles in this game aren't just numbers; they're characters. Each one has a distinctive face, voice, and personality. They say cute little things as you play like "I'm the best around!" that keep the experience from feeling lonely. You can even read cute little in-game descriptions of each number.

Besides the cheerful tiles, the actual graphics are fairly minimalistic. You can switch between regular colors and "night colors," which inverts the background color from white to black and darkens the white tiles to a blue-gray color.

That looks quite classy on the Windows Phone version, played in portrait orientation. On Xbox One, the game retains the portrait layout without filling out the blank space you naturally get from a widescreen display. Optional borders would have been nice.

Snap to it

On Windows Phone, you can bust out Threes! anytime you have a few minutes to kill. The Xbox One version doesn't have that luxury. I have a hard time imagining many Xbox players choosing to play this ultra-hard puzzler exclusively over more console oriented offerings. But the Xbox One version does have an ace up its sleeve.

You see, Threes! can be played while snapped to the side of the screen. You can watch Daredevil on Netflix while playing this game on the side of the screen, which somewhat approximates the experience of playing on your phone while watching a show.

No other Xbox One game to date offers the play-while-snapped feature. The only other snappable game to date, Nutjitsu, can't actually be played while snapped. Talk about pointless! On the other hand, the snappability does prevent Threes! (and Nutjitsu) from supporting the Xbox One's in0game DVR and screenshot features.

Achievements

The Windows Phone version of Threes! is not Xbox Live-enabled, so it has no Achievements. On Xbox One, we get 16 Achievements worth a total of 1,000 Gamerscore. Given the console game's relatively low price, you might expect it to be an inexpensive source of Achievements. I hate to burst your bubble…

Threes! breaks the unwritten rule of Achievements in that its Gamerscore values don't end in multiples of five. Instead, each one's Gamerscore ends in a multiple of three. Obsessive compulsives might find that annoying.

Also, I wouldn't expect to get most of the game's Achievements. They're super hard, with several relying on chance rather than skill. You can cheat and use the online Threes solver to get the Achievements for creating higher numbered tiles, but the solver can't create tiles higher than 768 without failing. Even just using the solver will take hours, so watch out!

An issue or two

The Windows Phone version of Threes! currently suffers from some crashing issues. After closing the app, I couldn't get it to reopen while crashing. Store reviews show that crashes plague other users as well, so Sirvo definitely needs to work on stability.

The Xbox One version runs great, but it does lack one obvious feature: manual saves! As mentioned before, it will take hours of continuous play to reach several Achievements. Not everybody wants to sit and do all that in one session. The game autosaves your board when you quit, but (reportedly) sometimes it fails to save the most recent tile arrangement. Why not let us save multiple in-progress games? I think the Xbox One can handle the strain.

Windows Phone version

Overall Impression

Threes! is one of those super popular mobile games whose appeal might cause traditional gamers some befuddlement. I have to admit, this game is not for me at all. But you guys and my Twitch co-host Tyler love it, and I can almost see why. The charming visuals, simple controls, and steep challenge all make for a game that's easy to learn but tough to master.

Whether you love Threes! enough to plop down seven bucks on the Xbox One version is up to you. The leaderboards and snapping feature rock, but some of the Achievements are nearly impossible. Still, $7 is cheap for a console title – even one that makes more sense to play on the go.

If you rock a Windows Phone, you'll definitely want to give the mobile version a try. No Achievements or leaderboards, but it really is well-suited for quick play sessions throughout the day.

• Threes! – Xbox One – 331 MB – $6.99 – Xbox Link
• Download Threes! for Windows Phone (free)

Welcome to our weekly ICYMI for Xbox news!

This week, we're looking at Fallout 4 rumours, a possible 1TB Xbox One SKU, Killer Instinct's final season 2 character, Gears of War remake and more!

We'll still be posting major Xbox announcements in the main feed, but I'll be collecting some of the more nuanced news, rumours and talking points into one handy post every weekend!

So without further ado, here's our latest edition of This Week in Xbox One News.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition passes through Brazilian classification board

I'd take this as confirmation that Gears of War is indeed preparing an Xbox One outing. The Brazilian classification board has revealed the game, dubbed Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.

The listing touts Microsoft Studios as the publisher and Splash Damage as the developer. Splash Damage has a big "Unannounced Project" on their games page, and has been hiring for a "triple A" franchise for some time.

Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is widely expected just to feature the first game, but if successful there's no reason Splash Damage can't move on to Gears 2 and 3 (leave Judgement out though, please).

Fallout 4 will be at E3 claims an 'insider', with a 30-minute gameplay reveal

Take this rumour with a pinch of salt. I find that 'insider' leaks tend just to be best guesses, but from what we know about Bethesda's E3 conference so far this one could turn out to be true. The German site PCGames has reported that Bethesda will be showcasing 20-30 minutes of Fallout 4 footage

For Bethesda to commit to their own conference at E3 (which carries an expense) must indicate they have something big to show off. Only a new Elder Scrolls or Fallout fits the bill in my mind and like many fans of the internet, my bottle caps are on Fallout.

Keen fans noticed that the recent Wolfenstein: The Old Blood has vending machines serving Fallout branded beverages pictured above (via GamingBolt). Are those sly dogs at Bethesda teasing us with hints of things to come? We'll find out the truth in just over a month.

Killer Instinct's season 2 closes with ARIA, the cybernetic CEO of Ultratech

Season 2 of Killer Instinct has seen Iron Galaxy go above and beyond to diversify the roster. We've had Aganos and his unique rock resource mechanic, Hisako and her extended capacity for counters, in addition to the return of classics like Cinder.

Season 2 will close featuring ARIA, the robotic CEO of Ultratech. ARIA was originally an AI designed to seek out and eliminate humanities biggest problems, such as disease, famine, poverty, etc. After her creator died, his will included instructions to allow ARIA to continue her runtime unabated. To find out what happened next, KI fans will need to go hands on with Season 2's story mode, which will arrive with ARIA this June.

As you can see in the concept art, ARIA is composed of 3 parts which are transferable during a match. Each drone you assume control of will provide ARIA with unique punch specials and other additional properties. The official KI forums offered some detail:

• Booster Drone builds a body capable of incredible air manoeuvrability and has an air / ground rush attack move. You can see Booster Body in the teaser, as this Drone looks like wings and uses prototype sonic technology to help ARIA hover.
• Blade Drone builds a body with a sword arm that uses prototype sonic vibration tech. It is capable of rushing slashes, an invulnerable uppercut, a grounded overhead, chip damage normals, and increased poke range.
• Bass Drone builds a body with a prototype sonic cannon in the chest and can deliver high, low, and anti-air multi-hit projectiles that travel at sonic speeds.

The drones not being controlled float freely behind ARIA, and are available for take over via certain combo enders, idle commands and even when downed. They can also be used for assists, which is rather insane. At least it would be insane, if ARIA's hp wasn't divided between them. Players using ARIA will have to protect the drone cores, and be wary when it comes to their use. Each core has a third of a total player's health bar, and do not recover as easily. Additionally, you cannot 'down' ARIA, you must simply destroy all of her drones to win. Once killed, a drone doesn't recover for the remainder of the fight.

For more detail be sure to check out the Ultra Combo forums here. I am looking forward to that story mode!

Metal Gear Solid V still exists, Konami US employee speaks out

If you follow the constant drama encircling Konami like a whirlwind you'd be forgiven for worrying about Metal Gear Solid V. Konami has killed Silent Hills, Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro's take on the iconic horror franchise; the publisher is reportedly axing Kojima's contract once MGSV is out of the door and there's all sorts of weird rumours about mistreatment of Kojima Productions staff at the hands of Konami.

That said, a Konami game developer recently penned a couple of tweets that may reassure fans. The tweets emphasise that Kojima is still hands on at the studio, and that the studio is doubling down working extra hours to ensure MGSV hits its September launch date.

In addition, Tora Shiro who works at Konami US recently took to NeoGAF to reassure fans that the company is listening, but considering a lot of the drama is taking place between the suits at Konami HQ in Japan, I wouldn't be particularly optimistic about this one.

"...Totally fine, I take no offense and always encourage fans to let us know where we are royally screwing up as to find out where we should be improving..."

It seems unlikely to me that any amount of bad blood between Kojima and whoever else could stem the tide of millions of dollars worth of Metal Gear. We'll just have to continue to be patient.

1TB Xbox One SKU on the way?

Spanish outlet LameeSoftware has listed a new 1 terabyte Xbox One SKU, apparently set to arrive on June 23rd. It seems likely that something like this could be on the way, especially considering 1TB Xbox One's already exist in limited edition form.

The limited storage available in the base SKU has many of us running external hard drives, and the problem will only get worse as time goes on. The Witcher 3 sports a whopping 50GB installation cost on both Xbox One and PS4, and I dread to think how much a potential Fallout 4 could swallow.

Xbox 360 gamers ready to make the plunge on next-gen might find this future-proof solution more attractive, but considering external HDDs can often boost load speeds with faster RPM and USB 3.0, they might in theory be worse off. Time will tell.

Oculus Rift for Xbox One?

We all know about HoloLens, Microsoft's augmented reality headset, but what about VR gaming? Gamespot has reported that Oculus vice president Nate Mitchell has spoken to both Sony and Microsoft on supporting Oculus Rift for their respective consoles.

"...There's a lot of people right now interested in the VR space. And we've said many times that we're interested in bringing the Rift to as many consoles or platforms as possible. Ultimately, we haven't announced any sort of partnerships to date. But it's something we're always exploring..."

Considering the rumour that Sony's Project Morpheus will share a launch window with the Oculus Rift, and that HoloLens doesn't compete directly with the stereoscopic VR offered by Oculus, it seems that an Xbox partnership could be a good fit for the device.

ICYMI - Some of Windows Central's biggest Xbox articles of the week

• Conan O'Brien gives into his primal urges while playing The Witcher 3 [NSFW]
• Dragon Age Inquisition's 'Dragonslayer' DLC is its best multiplayer content yet
• ID@Xbox Spotlight: Gear Gauntlet wants to grind your sanity
• Check out the new 'Rage & Steel' Witcher 3 trailer, ahead of its May 19 launch
• Phil Spencer commits to an Xbox presentation at Gamescom 2015, as Sony pulls out
• Top 10 most anticipated Xbox One E3 2015 announcements
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5 to grind its way onto the Xbox One and Xbox 360 later this year
• EA's new Need For Speed game due this fall, new Mirror's Edge coming in 2016
• Xbox One to add TV DVR features sometime in 2015, claims new rumor

New Xbox One game releases for the week ending May 3rd, 2015

Slice Zombies - Kinect Slasher - MADE GmbH

"Slice Zombies for Kinect is the ultimate Kinect experience for your Xbox One. Well, so the zombie apocalypse is long over and there are still thousands of zombies left. So what do we do with them now? It's easy! Step in front of your Kinect and use your hands to cut, grab and shoot zombies into little pieces."

Ultratron - Twin Stick Shooter - Carbon

"Experience the addictive gameplay of old-school arcade favourites, updated for the 21st century, with unique upgrades, player responsive difficulty, and a subtle system of tactics combined with classic gameplay."

Shadow of Mordor: GOTY Edition - Action Adventure - Monolith

"Winner of over 50 "Best of 2014" Awards including Game of the Year, Best Action Game and Most Innovative Game. Experience the definitive version of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor which includes The Lord of the Hunt and The Bright Lord story missions, the Trials of War challenge series plus additional Warband Missions, Runes, & Skins."

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood - FPS - Machine Games

"Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a standalone prequel to the critically acclaimed first-person action-adventure shooter, Wolfenstein: The New Order. The adventure, which spans eight chapters and two interconnected stories, features the hallmarks of MachineGames – thrilling action, immersive story and intense first-person combat."

And that's a wrap!

What have you guys been playing this week? I've been crafting some mines and blastin' some Nazis in Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. I think it'd be quite cool if the Wolfenstein reboot took place in the same universe as Fallout... hmm. Any Fallout buffs around here? Would it conflict with any existing lore? Hit the comments!

There's been tons of rumors that publisher Bethesda Softworks will reveal the long-awaited post-apocalypse RPG sequel Fallout 4 at E3 2015. Now, there's even more evidence that an announcement could be coming soon, via the online resume for a contract 3D artist who claims to have helped create a cinematic trailer for the game.

The LinkedIn profile for the artist has since been made private but Videogamer.com got a screen grab from the page, showing that the artist worked from December 2014 to March 2015 on the Fallout 4 trailer. He worked at Mirada Studios on that trailer, which also happens to be owned by famed movie director Guillermo del Toro.

Bethesda Softworks is scheduled to hold a press conference on Sunday, June 14 in Los Angeles, two days before E3 2015 officially begins in that city. It's more than possible that Fallout 4 will be revealed as part of the event, and that it will be released for the Xbox One, PC and other platforms. We will be attending E3 this year so stand by for some first-hand reports from the show.

Source: Videogamer.com

Microsoft's May software update for all Xbox One consoles is now live and rolling out to its users. This update finally brings a much requested feature, voice messages, to the Xbox One. It's been in testing for some time to members of the Xbox One preview program.

Basically, Xbox One users will be able to send and receive voice messages via their headset or their Kinect add-on to both Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles once they download and install the update. It also adds a way to turn the console on and off remotely via the Xbox SmartGlass app.

The May update also brings the previously announced changes to the Xbox One initial setup. This will give owners a choice of using the "Instant-on" power mode, which keeps the console on so it can receive updates automatically, or "Energy-saving" mode, which makes the user turn the Xbox One on manually.

Finally, there's been some additions to party chat. Microsoft says:

"Back in March, we enabled dedicated chat relay servers for Xbox One preview members to solve NAT traversal issues that prevented some people from being able to use party chat. Over the coming weeks, we will start to expand the availability of the party chat relay services beyond preview members to a broader audience as we continue to fine tune the feature and scale out the servers needed to support party chat relay services."

Let us know what you think of the May Xbox One system update in the comments.

Source: Xbox Wire

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has finally broken cover on Xbox One, following an odd reluctance from CD Projekt RED to show it off for our favourite console. Practically all footage of the game up until the below video was captured on either PS4 or PC, leaving many to wonder what exactly were they hiding?

Turns out they weren't hiding anything, as it looks gorgeous.

For pixel counters out there, The Witcher 3 does indeed run at 900p on the Xbox One. Despite that fact (and YouTube's shocking compression) it seems as though The Witcher 3 may be the best looking Xbox One game yet. The draw distance, the volume of flora and crisp dynamic lighting are a testament to the talents on hand at CD Projekt RED.

It remains to be seen how The Witcher 3 will actually play, but all signs look positive thus far.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt launches on May 19th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Mortal Kombat is a legendary fighting game series that rose to prominence in the good old 90s.

What affixed Mortal Kombat in the gamer psyche was not unique fighting mechanics or impeccable story, but insane violence, which claws new heights in Mortal Kombat X.

Are the gimmicks enough to stand up against the might of Killer Instinct and the upcoming Street Fight V? Let's have a look.

On Presentation

Blood and Guts

It's hard to talk about Mortal Kombat without mentioning its signature hyper-violence. Mortal Kombat's approach to gore is comedic and completely beyond the realms of reality, enabling it to pass under the radar of even the most moralist media outlets.

MKX follows from MK9, offering us intrusive x-ray specials that show kombatant's gruesomely detailed giblets being splattered real-time. The victims of these attacks get right on up afterward, even if a blade has travelled through their skulls. NetherRealms saw fit to give every fragment of shattered rib a cross section of bone marrow, every torn tendon snaps with anatomical authenticity. As someone who no longer feels the need to rebel against his parents, it all feels a bit unnecessary, but if you like gorenography it really doesn't get better than this.

Putting innards aside, MKX is a pretty game. The characters are beautifully rendered, and their MKX designs compliment new gen hardware well. The game sports cinematic qualities that aren't present in Killer Instinct or Street Fighter, as challengers often address their opponents by name and offer contextual taunts, often during battle as well.

Combat stages are incredibly detailed; some stages sink far off into the distance, adding life and context to Mortal Kombat's setting. Khotal Khan's stage shows us life in Outworld under his rule, slaves shuffle to build monuments in his honour, great alien beasts toil, and bystanders react to the ensuing duel taking place in front of them.

Despite all the detail the NetherRealm Studios has poured into MKX's presentation, certain aspects fall short. Projectile attacks are flat and uninspiring - a far cry from Killer Instinct's detailed particle physics. Certain special effects are laughably cartoony and present themselves at total odds with the gritty realism enjoyed by MKX's character designs and stages. Scorpion's fireball looks like a garden firework when compared to Jago's from Killer Instinct for example. This lack of realism is certainly an area the team should focus on for improvement in the inevitable MK11.

Overall MKX is bloody gorgeous, with emphasis on bloody. The stages are vibrant, and the character designs are exemplary and there isn't a single instance of slowdown, jagged models or screen tearing. Mortal Kombat continues to be iconic, and the design team should be proud of themselves overall.

On Gameplay

Alien worlds, alien ideas

I'm certainly not a hardcore fighting game player. Before the advent of online play, button mashing with friends across Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, Tekken and Bloody Roar was about as far as I ever got. Killer Instinct holds a lot of nostalgia for me and like many others, I was hyped when Microsoft revived it for Xbox One. I haven't played a Mortal Kombat since the 3D sprites of Mortal Kombat Trilogy on the PS1, so if you're looking for commentary from a super technical point of view, I can't offer it. I'll be writing from a newcomer's perspective, whose recent fighting game experience comes purely from the fairly accessible Killer Instinct.

Story Mode

Perhaps the greatest aspect of MKX is its story mode, which is boldly ambitious and miles ahead of other fighting games. Each fight features lengthy cut-scenes in between, which tell the tale of Shinnok's attempt to take over both Earth and Outworld. Throughout, you take control of separate MKX fighters from all sides in an intersecting plot that also features frequent flashbacks. The story is genuinely entertaining and decent in length, albeit with b-movie leanings and a side of cheese.

The story also tries to pass the torch, so to speak, introducing the sons and daughters of various Mortal Kombat staples. Many of these characters lack individuality at first glance but come into their own when shown off in the context of the story. I can't see Jacqui Briggs ever being more popular than her augmented father, Jaxx, but at least Netherrealm are considering the franchise's long-term future.

Sadly, Mortal Kombat X's story mode falls afoul of my most hated design trope, the forever dull quick time event.

Sadly, Mortal Kombat X's story mode falls afoul of my most hated design trope, the forever dull quick time event. I'm not sure if devs introduce QTEs to ensure you're still paying attention or make you feel like you're doing something within the highly choreographed cut-scenes. They're bloody annoying either way. Please stop doing this, developers.

When the story mode isn't annoying you with intrusive quick time events, it's confounding you with numerous and sharp jumps in time. I understand that the developer wanted to introduce as many characters as possible, back stories included, but there's probably scope for NetherRealm to have handled this with a little more finesse.

Overall though, the story mode is great and hits home that Mortal Kombat has a rich and fairly organised lore since its reboot.

Kombat

The general sentiment from around the net is that Street Fighter is the fighter to beat, as it is widely regarded as the king of tournament play. I'm by no means the kind of person who will spend hours studying the amount of animation frames in every attack, but if you are, Mortal Kombat X has stepped up its game.

Like NetheRealms'Injustice before it, Mortal Kombat X's move lists offer more data than ever before, such as block damage, frame data, etc, and NetherRealms has improved the combat over earlier versions as well. Combos are still canned, (kanned?), as opposed to Killer Instinct's dynamic create-a-combo system, which means you have to pretty much trawl for hours through move sets, committing combos and specials to muscle memory. As someone who doesn't have a lot of free time, I find Killer Instinct's dynamic system much more appealing. It provides you with a baseline ability to play most characters (besides combo/character traits and some of the unique characters). I found MKX was far less accessible on this basis, but some will welcome the variety.

You block by holding the right trigger, meaning your character auto blocks attacks from any direction. As such, MKX features a lot of teleportation moves, which some may find spammy and annoying. While we're talking about spam, there's already some rumblings in the community about spammable attacks. The DLC character Jason Vorhees features a punishing combo that can lock you into losing 30% damage with fairly little effort. There are combo breakers, which use a third of your special meter. But considering both Jacqui Briggs and Kenshi also possess some controversial abilities, it makes me wonder how much attention NetherRealms has committed when it comes to balance.

The first time you see an x-ray attack it might seem pretty cool, but after the 20th some will find it gets tedious.

Speaking of abilities, MKX has a special meter that can be used in various ways. One of them is for combo breakers, as mentioned earlier. Another provides more advanced techniques, like adding additional properties to special attacks or the ability to cancel out of grabs so you can buffer up a potentially more damaging combo. Some of these advanced techniques may require a lot of effort to learn, but the 3-bar x-ray attacks ask only that you hit both the right and left trigger, and carry devastating effects. Each x-ray attack does around 30% damage, and each essentially amounts to being a really long unskippable grab sequence. The first time you see an x-ray attack it might seem pretty cool, but after the 20th some will find it gets tedious.

The net code isn't particularly great either. When connecting to people close by with fully open NAT, all ports open, dedicated IP etc., latency became an issue at times. Coming in from Killer Instinct made me appreciate the efforts Double Helix and Iron Galaxy and have gone to in this regard.

Stage interactions have made their way across from Injustice, adding another dimension to gameplay. You can lift objects from the arena to slam into your opponents face, or leapfrog over them by utilizing objects in a close vicinity. It's a nice addition that brings the stages themselves into the battle, rather than them being just a necessary backdrop.

MKX is a great fighting game, which seems to have a theme of abrupt interruptions. The x-ray specials are by far the most annoying aspect of fighting in NetherRealm's maturing franchise, but they hardly ruin the experience. The hundreds, maybe thousands of button combinations to memorise will keep staunch fighting fans on their toes for many moons but may leave some of us with time constraints out in the kold.

Final Konclusion

Finish Him?

From the hammy dialogue to the intentionally misspelled c-words and gallons of gore sequences, MKX is like a rebellious teenager demanding attention in an increasingly competitive space. With Street Fighter V and Killer Instinct's platform exclusivity, the multi-platform space is left wide open for Tekken, SoulCalibur and Mortal Kombat. Like it or not, MKX probably has the strongest identity of the three.

The combat is solid overall, and the presentation is among the best in any genre. MKX's abundance of features outstrips Killer Instinct by a landslide, but unless you have a lot of free time on your hands, be wary of MKX's accessibility. You will be spending a lot of time on those move-lists, which isn't necessarily a bad thing for those looking for something they can really get their teeth into. As a more casual fighting fan, I find the systems of Killer Instinct far more welcoming.

The crown jewels of Mortal Kombat X are its various modes and story, which squashes the competition into a bloody paste like one of its infamous fatalities. If you enjoy intentionally ridiculous horror and action movies, MKX combines the best of both and knows it well. Jason Vorhees and Predator are on the cards as DLC (in addition to the ability to pay to do easy fatalities, ahem), which says to me that Netherrealm knows who it caters for. Gore fans will delight at MKXs high-def hyper- violence, but I'm not sure if the gimmicks will keep anyone who no longer strives to rebel against their parents invested for too long.

Mortal Kombat X is available now on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4 and PC.

Buy Mortal Kombat X on Amazon UK

Buy Mortal Kombat X on Amazon US

Buy Mortal Kombat X on the Xbox Store

To see some elements of this review please visit m.windowscentral.com in the browser on your mobile device.

We've been waiting a long time for a really good first person action game with dinosaurs in it, and today, there's word that one may finally be in the works. New game developer Studio Wildcard has revealed its plans for ARK: Survival Evolved, an open-world survival game that's set in a land filled with the giant dinosaurs for the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms.

ARK: Survival Evolved already has an impressive looking announcement trailer, showing off some great looking dinosaurs that were created by the dev team using Unreal Engine 4. Here's what players can expect:

"As a man or woman stranded naked, freezing and starving on the shores of a mysterious island called ARK, you must hunt, harvest resources, craft items, grow crops, research technologies, and build shelters to withstand the elements. Use your cunning and resources to kill or tame the leviathan dinosaurs and other primeval creatures roaming the land, and team up with or prey on hundreds of other players to survive, dominate... and escape! "

PC gamers who want to get an early look at ARK: Survival Evolved can apply to check out the closed alpha test at the game's official website. It will launch to the general public, via Steam Early Access, on June 2. A full release of the game is planned for the summer of 2016.

Source: Playark.com

One of my favorite features on the Xbox One is voice command. I love saying "Xbox on" or "Xbox, turn off" to power on or off the console. This isn't possible without a Kinect and it's not available in all regions. There's another way to power up the Xbox One in addition to pressing the power button on the Xbox One console or controller. You can use the Xbox One SmartGlass app on Windows Phone. This is very handy because our phones are usually already in our pockets.

How to power on and off Xbox One with Xbox One SmartGlass Beta

At the time of publishing this article, the regular version of the Xbox One SmartGlass app for Windows Phone is not able to power on or off the Xbox One. You need the public beta. Your phone and Xbox One must also be connected to the same network. For example, my Xbox One is connected to the router with an Ethernet cable, while my gold Lumia 930 is connected to the same router via Wi-Fi.

1. When you open the SmartGlass app, tap the Xbox icon at the top center or the screen.
2. The name of the Xbox with a moon and cloud next to it shows up in the list of consoles on your network.
3. Tap the name of your Xbox One and tap the Turn On button.

When you want to power off the Xbox One:

1. Tap the Xbox One icon at the top center of the screen
2. Tap the name of your Xbox One in green
3. Tap the Turn Off button

That's it! Microsoft has mentioned in the May System Update that the Xbox One SmartGlass app for Windows, Windows Phone, iOS and Android are being updated to add this feature. You can try it now on the SmartGlass Beta app for Windows Phone and Android.

Will you be powering the Xbox One with your phone from now on? Let us know in the comments!

• Download Xbox One SmartGlass Beta for Windows Phone (Free)