Stone Marshall's Blog, page 144

This limited edition Minecraft Xbox One S bundle looks like dirt (but in a good way)

Minecraft fans can already have a good time on Xbox One, but just in case they want something a bit blockier, there’s a special new console design on the way. The 1TB Xbox One S included in the Minecraft Limited Edition Bundle has a grassy dirt design on the front and a shiny redstone circuit on its semi-transparent backplate. Clever!

View product (US): Xbox One S Minecraft Limited Edition Bundle for $399 on Microsoft Store US

View product (UK): Xbox One S Minecraft Limited Edition Bundle for £399.99 on Microsoft Store UK 

Maybe if you attach some extra redstone repeaters you can power it up to an Xbox One X? Or at least turn it into a giant calculator. Anyway, the bundle includes codes for both Minecraft and the Redstone Pack, a month of Xbox Game Pass, and two weeks of Xbox Live Gold. Just in case you want to remember all your lovely creations being blown to bits every time you pick up your gamepad, the bundled-in controller has a special Creeper design with a blotchy green face staring out at you from between the thumbsticks.

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If you prefer the company of a friendly swine, you can grab a limited edition Minecraft pig controller. Bonus points for the little curly tail on the battery cover. Both the creeper and pig controller will go up for sale starting on September 12, and the Minecraft Xbox One S will be available as of October 2 in the UK and October 3 in the US.

Minecraft can keep you going for a long time, but you’ll get the hankering for extra games eventually; when you do, check out our list of the best Xbox One games and keep on playing.

This limited edition Minecraft Xbox One S bundle looks like dirt (but in a good way)

‘Kiefer Is Back’ in a new teaser promo for Designated Survivor Season 2

With Designated Survivor set to return next month, ABC has released a teaser promo for the upcoming second season of the political drama series which you can check out here…

Kiefer Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman, a lower-level cabinet member who is suddenly appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack on the US Capitol during the State of the Union. Kirkman will struggle to keep the country and his family from falling apart, while navigating the highly-volatile political arena and leading the search to find who is responsible for the attack. 

Designated Survivor season 2 is set to premiere on September 27th on ABC.

‘Kiefer Is Back’ in a new teaser promo for Designated Survivor Season 2

When Does ‘Designated Survivor’ Season 2 Premiere? The Drama Returns Soon With Some Behind-The-Scenes Changes

No man is more experienced at rescuing a troubled America than, of course, original 24 star and Canadian action hero Kiefer Sutherland, which is why ABC’s Designated Survivor has had such an entertaining first season. And since it’s coming up on the end of its first season, it’s time to think about whether Designated Survivor will return. Well, I have some good news: Designated Survivor was renewed for Season 2 just days before its Season 1 finale. So there’s no reason to be nervous that when the end of the season cliffhangers roll around, that you won’t get to know the answer. Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t mean that Designated Survivor Season 2 will be arriving soon. The series will likely premiere in September 2017 — it should once again be a fall premiere, and if its time slot doesn’t change from Wednesday nights, there shouldn’t be anything to delay the next premiere.

EARLIER: But once Designated Survivor does go off the air, what can fans expect from the upcoming second season? Obviously, knowing more won’t make the summer-long hiatus any shorter, but maybe it will be more bearable having some idea about where the series is going. And it may be heading in a slightly different direction, because in the second season, Designated Survivorwill have a new showrunner — for the fourth time in its short history, the show is changing hands. According to Deadline, Keith Eisner, formerly of The Good Wife, is taking over. According to Cinemablend, “creative differences” were allegedly behind some of the past showrunner changes, and Suthterland’s creative influence may have impacted the series, including orchestrating his reunion with former 24 bad guy and Designated Survivor confidante Mykelti Williamson.

But even a new showrunner won’t totally change the ongoing story of Designated Survivor. All season long, a conspiracy has been mounting: Who is behind the massive attack that took out the highest elected officials in the United States, making the lowly Secretary of Housing and Urban Development the President? Agent Wells has been the stealth hero of the series, investigating the attack and suspecting from the beginning that there could be another, subsequent one. Turns out, she was right, now she’s been kidnapped by the conspirators, there’s a traitor in the White House, and everything that Kirkman attempts winds up getting blocked by either normal political gridlock or some other aspect on the ongoing conspiracy.

Personally, I’m slightly nervous that Wells could be the first season’s last casualty, but it seems possible that someone else who lives in the White House could be the next target because of the mole — maybe even Kirkman’s family. Certainly, Designated Survivor is basically nothing like the real world or real politics. So, since the series takes such liberties with political institutions, it’s leading its upcoming second season in a very exciting new direction.

When Does ‘Designated Survivor’ Season 2 Premiere? The Drama Returns Soon With Some Behind-The-Scenes Changes

You can finally buy the most powerful Xbox ever made: The $500 Xbox One X

There are a few subtle differences in the pre-order version of the Xbox One X. “The Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition features a custom design with the words ‘Project Scorpio’ printed on the console and the controller, and we’ve incorporated a sophisticated and dynamic graphic pattern across the exterior,” corporate Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Xbox, Mike Nichols, said in a blog post about the console. And yes, the vertical stand is included.

To be clear, the Xbox One X isn’t the next version of the Xbox line of game consoles.

It’s considered part of the Xbox One platform, meaning that all games on the original Xbox One function on the Xbox One X (and vice versa). It’s a more powerful iteration of an existing game console: the Xbox One. So what makes it worth $500 when a standard Xbox One — brand new — costs just $250?

For starters, it makes most games look far prettier than they already do.

“Metro: Exodus” is gorgeous; it was showcased as a major Xbox One X 4K game during E3 2017, the game industry’s annual video game trade show. 4A Games

The Xbox One X is capable of powering so-called “4K” gaming — the next step up in graphical fidelity after HD — as well as 4K Blu-ray discs. It’s got “six teraflops” of processing power, which means it’s far more powerful than the current models of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 — even the new, more powerful PlayStation 4 Pro. It also takes advantage of HDR lighting, which makes visuals “pop”; colors are more vibrant and shadows are more detailed. You’ll need a 4K TV with HDR support to take full advantage of all that power.

The console is being touted as the most powerful game console ever made, and Microsoft says it’s also the smallest Xbox ever made.

Left: Xbox One X | Right: Xbox One S (the “S” model is the original Xbox One hardware in a smaller, more efficient box) Microsoft

Rather than launching the Xbox One X as a successor to the original Xbox One, the Xbox One X joins the slimmer iteration of the original Xbox One (known as the Xbox One “S” — are you confused yet?) seen above.

Though games and movies will look better than ever on the Xbox One X, Microsoft has a mandate that any games on the Xbox One X must be playable on all other Xbox One consoles as well. This is part of Microsoft’s ongoing push toward a unified gaming ecosystem across various Windows 10-powered devices; like millions of PCs around the world, the Xbox One and the Xbox One X are powered by Windows 10.

“Forza Motorsport 7” is an especially attractive highlight of the Xbox One X game catalog. Microsoft

Regardless of the “limited edition” console, there’s something else that’s important to remember here: When the console arrives this November, it’s likely to be in short supply.

Rather than fighting holiday crowds at your local retailer, you can pre-order the console starting today at all the usual places: Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and more.

You can finally buy the most powerful Xbox ever made: The $500 Xbox One X

Microsoft’s custom Minecraft Xbox One looks like it came out of the game

Microsoft appears to be about to unveil a special edition Xbox One S. While the software giant has previous bundled Minecraft with a white Xbox One S, a video posted to Facebook reveals that the company is introducing a limited edition console with Minecraft blocks etched into the device. It’s a mixture of the brown and green you’d expect to see on a Minecraft console, and even the controller is a blocky mix of green and black.

Minecraft fans will love it, and it’s an impressive limited edition if you like custom consoles. An Italian blog first spotted a video promo for the new console on an official Minecraft Facebook page, and Microsoft is expected to unveil it later today at the company’s Gamescom event in Germany. There’s no information on pricing or storage for the custom Minecraft console, but we’ll likely hear about both later today. Microsoft is also expected to unveil a Project Scorpio limited edition version of the new Xbox One X.

Microsoft’s custom Minecraft Xbox One looks like it came out of the game

This special-edition Xbox One is a beautiful love letter to ‘Minecraft’ superfans

“Minecraft” has been called ugly. We’d call it minimalist.

Whatever you think about how “Minecraft” looks, it’s hard to argue about this adorable, “Minecraft”-themed Xbox One S console:

Microsoft

Not bad, right? This new Xbox One S isn’t just a pretty face — it’s the perfect package for the “Minecraft” superfan in your life.

Here’s everything that comes in the box:

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The console itself is obviously distinct. The 8-bit style is intentionally reminiscent of the block-by-block nature of “Minecraft.”

Microsoft

In “Minecraft,” you literally build a world block-by-block. It’s a game about securing resources — from dirt to wood to stone to diamond, and much more — and then using those resources to survive. That means building houses, and weapons, and tools, and creating irrigation systems and the other staples of human life.

Thus, the “Minecraft” edition of the Xbox One S is a nod to the very nature of the game.

The reference goes far deeper when you flip the console over. This is what’s known as a “Redstone circuit.” It’s the electricity system within “Minecraft,” essentially.

Microsoft

The idea with this reference is that this the Redstone circuitry that’s powering the Xbox One S. It’s a relatively deep cut, and it’s one that you’ll only ever see when you look at the bottom of the console — a nice, very fan-servicey reference for folks who know. It’s also strong incentive to put the included vertical stand to use (it’s normally sold separately, unbelievably).

Beyond the console, the new “Minecraft” Xbox One S bundle comes with a fantastically creepy gamepad.

Microsoft

Do you see it? How could you not see it?

Yes, the gamepad is a face — and not just any face, but the face of the notorious Creeper. For those unfamiliar, the Creeper is a diabolical enemy in “Minecraft.” You’ll find him lurking in underground caverns, or sneaking up on you when you least expect it. Before you’ve been exploded by him, you’ll hear the quiet hiss of dynamite. And then: Whammo! Creepers explode, of course, thus killing you in one shot. They’re real jerks.

Which is why it’s hilariously satisfying to use their faces as gamepads! There’s even a little TNT box on the back of the gamepad — an allusion to the inner nature of Creepers.

These gamepads are also being sold separately, of course — they cost $74.99 and arrive on September 5.

But maybe that isn’t enough “Minecraft” stuff for you? There’s a pretty fantastic, extremely porky gamepad that’s also available — it’s sold separately for $74.99.

Microsoft

Yes, that is a curly tail on the rear of the gamepad. And yes, that is an amazingly pixelated pig face on the front. It’s sold separately, but also it’s perfect in every way. Whether you care about “Minecraft” or not, this gamepad is probably worth your money.

The Xbox One S in the bundle comes with a 1 TB storage drive, a vertical stand, and digital codes for “Minecraft” and the Redstone expansion.

Microsoft

You can pre-order the bundle right here through Microsoft — it costs $399.99 and is scheduled to arrive on October 3.

Check out a trailer — yes, a trailer for a console — right here:

Get the latest Microsoft stock price here.

This special-edition Xbox One is a beautiful love letter to ‘Minecraft’ superfans

All the trailers from Xbox’s Gamescom event

Microsoft’s Gamescom 2017 press conference was a more casual affair than its usual industry events, which makes sense — Gamescom is Europe’s largest gaming convention for fans, after all. But the company still brought seven exclusive trailers to its 90-minute livestream, all of which you can watch below.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

First up was a CGI look at the next Assassin’s Creed game. Origins takes the franchise way back to Ancient Egypt, something which the copious amounts of computer-generated sand wouldn’t let us forget.

Beyond all that desert gold, we got to see some classic assassin combat … and a poor snake get snatched up by an eagle. Assassin’s Creed Origins takes no prisoners. The game’s out on Oct. 27, like practically every other big-deal fall release this year.

Jurassic World Evolution

Jurassic World was a big deal back in 2015 … but that was 2015, and it’s 2017 now. Still, better late than never to spin the game off for consoles. Jurassic World Evolution is a theme park-sim style game where players can create their own Jurassic World.

Developed by Frontier (Elite: Dangerous), Jurassic World Evolution’s heading to Xbox One — and PlayStation 4 and Windows PC — in summer 2018. That should be just in time for the sequel to Jurassic World. Fitting.

ReCore Definitive Edition

ReCore didn’t light the world on fire when it launched last summer, but Microsoft and developer Comcept are trying again. The Definitive Edition release brings the game back to Xbox One with some additional content.

Although it’s a separate retail release, owners of the standard version of ReCore can download all of the new goods at no extra cost. When Definitive Edition launches on Aug. 29, all ReCore owners can check out a new quest and robot companion frame, plus the remastered graphics.

World of Tanks

An enhanced version of this multiplayer tank warfare game is in the works for Xbox One X. If you’ve ever played a World of Tanks game — including this one, available on Windows PC and Xbox One right now — you know what to expect. But if you’re a huge fan of tank warfare and 4K graphics, this update’s for you.

ID @ Xbox showcase

Microsoft is going all-in on indie games, something that it spoke extensively about during its E3 2017 conference. Here’s yet another showcase reel of some of those games, ranging from the already available (Tacoma) to the upcoming (Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds).

Xbox One S Minecraft limited edition console

The Minecraft aesthetic isn’t for everyone. Count me as a fan, though — I’m really into this special Xbox One S 1 TB bundle, which includes a special green controller and even Minecraft system sounds, too. Pre-orders are up now, if you want the pixelated console color scheme for your collection. (It even has a translucent case.)

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

This game is all about the monsters of Mordor. There are a lot of them — two minutes’ worth of them. Feel free to watch this trailer through your fingers if all of those creatures are a little too scary for you. At least there’s a friendly dragon to ride in Middle-earth: Shadow of War among all the unfriendly monsters. The game is out on Oct. 10.

Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition

Microsoft wants you to know that “this thing is a beast.” But it also wants you to know that it liked the Xbox One X’s original Project Scorpio codename as much as you did. The company is bringing that name back with a special edition of the upcoming high-powered console, which includes special detailing and a vertical stand. The words “Project Scorpio” are inscribed in green on the console and controller, which is a nice throwback touch to the Xbox’s early days.

The console is available for pre-order now and goes on sale Nov. 7.

All the trailers from Xbox’s Gamescom event

Death Note review: A lazy, meandering attempt that fails to entertain

Death Note suffers from an unsolvable identity crisis.

Director Adam Wingard is caught in a game of tug-of-war, pulled by his obligation to the source material and his desire to not make another simple adaptation. That uncontrollable tugging can be seen in the film’s most bizarre moments where the style of one scene juxtaposes the one before it. Death Note switches back and forth between two different movies without pause, creating a jarring effect that rips you from the film’s world.

Death Note is almost a solid B-movie, but considering that wasn’t Wingard or Netflix’s intention, it makes the entire presentation unfortunate. The cat-and-mouse mystery thriller riddled with enticing dialogue that Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s manga was celebrated for doesn’t exist in Wingard’s work. Almost every decision or clue is dumbed down for the audience, but that’s not its worst offense. The characters are nowhere near as intriguing, likable or compelling as Ohba and Obata’s conceptions. Death Note ignores its characters, choosing to put its emphasis on the physical horrors associated with the notebook-that-kills instead of the psychological drama that develops around it.

Death Note is turned into a run-of-the-mill American horror flick, and not a good one. It would be one thing if Death Note managed to accomplish its goal of taking another idea and morphed that into an interesting, aesthetic-driven horror, but that’s not what Death Note does.

Death Note is a lazy, unambitious, forgettable movie that lacks any imagination, heart or entertaining values.

James Dittiger/Netflix

The story follows teenager Light Turner (Nat Wolff) and his girlfriend Mia Sutton (Margaret Qualley) as they use a magical notebook gifted to Light by a death god named Ryuk (Willem Dafoe) to kill criminals around the world. Their vigilante escapade catches the attention of renowned detective L (Lakeith Stanfield), who travels to Seattle to help the local police department, led by Light’s father, crack the case.

It’s when Light and L are in the same city that Death Note loses its shape. Wingard tries to incorporate part of the cat-and-mouse game, but seems bored by the necessity to do so. Any time the mysterious aspects of their relationship are introduced, the focus is switched over to a more arresting visual.

Still, it’s the dialogue, the strength that made the original manga remarkable, that is Death Note’s weakest link. The actors cant’t sell their lines in any kind of convincing manner and everything seems rushed. The characters don’t get to develop because the conversations that need to exist simply don’t.

Another of Death Note’s most boggling facets is the absurd number of tropes that appear in the movie’s 90-minute runtime. From Light being the weird misfit who falls in love with the unhappy, misunderstood cheerleader and has to deal with an absentee, uncommunicative father, to the brilliant detective who’s just a little bit off, Death Note is a film full of clichés.

Netflix

It crams them into every nook, huffing and puffing to try and ensure none escape. It’s almost impressive just how many clichés Wingard is able to check off the list, all of which culminates with a winter formal dance held in a high school gym, but it’s just another example of the apathy Death Note is soaked in. Stringing together a series of lazy cliches gives the movie some kind of direction to continue moving in, allowing it to approach an untriumhpant and unfulfilling end.

Death Note isn’t just a mediocre movie, but it breaks the cardinal rule of being unentertaining. There are a few, sporadic moments where I found myself laughing, but it was out of second-hand embarrassment more than anything else. Light’s high-pitched scream the first time he encounters Ryuk is a good example. This isn’t a funny scene, but the awkwardness that surrounds Light is difficult to watch without letting a little giggle out.

I wish there was something to love about the movie, but even its best asset, Willem Dafoe’s Ryuk, isn’t used as well as he should be. Ryuk makes a strong appearance, but then is mostly ignored as the movie goes on. Without Ryuk, Light isn’t interesting enough in Wingard’s version of the story to keep everything on track. His relationship with Mia gets tedious and annoying quick, meaning Wingard can’t even rely on their chemistry to turn to if need be.

When Death Note was first announced, I was worried that not being able to watch it in a theater would hinder the experience. Death Note is a big story and, combined with what Wingard was trying to accomplish, seemed like it could have benefited from a big screen and powerful audio system. Instead, what hindered the movie was the film itself and unfortunately nothing can save Death Note from that.

Death Note review: A lazy, meandering attempt that fails to entertain

Xbox One X pre-orders are live

Months after the Xbox One X was officially announced, Microsoft’s new console is finally available to pre-order. Online retailers are now taking reservations for the $499.99 console, which launches this November.

Pre-ordering, Microsoft says, is the only way to get your hands on the limited Project Scorpio Edition Xbox One X hardware.

Here are links to some of the online retailers currently taking pre-orders:

Amazon: Xbox One X 1 TB Console
Best Buy: Xbox One X 1 TB Console
GameStop: Xbox One X 1 TB Console
Microsoft Store: Xbox One X 1 TB Console (coming soon)
Target: Xbox One X 1 TB Console
Walmart: Xbox One X 1 TB Console

Xbox One X comes with a 1 TB hard drive, a matching Xbox Wireless Controller, HDMI cable, power supply, a one-month free Xbox Game Pass subscription and a 14-day free Xbox Live Gold membership.

Microsoft has long boasted that the Xbox One X will be “the world’s most powerful console.” The console’s GPU boasts 40 Radeon compute units running at 1172 MHz (compared to the PS4 Pro’s 911 MHz and the Xbox One’s 853 MHz). On the CPU side, there are eight custom x86 cores at 2.3 GHz, 31 percent faster than the original Xbox One. The Xbox One X includes 12 GB of GDDR5 RAM — 8 GB of which is available to developers, and 4 GB of which is reserved for the system — with a total memory bandwidth of 326 GB/s.

Here’s a breakdown of the Xbox One X hardware compared to its closest rival, PlayStation 4 Pro, and its predecessors, Xbox One and Xbox One S.

Xbox One X hardware comparision



Hardware
Xbox One X
PlayStation 4 Pro
Xbox One





CPU
Eight custom x86 cores clocked at 2.3 GHz
Eight Jaguar cores clocked at 2.1 GHz
Eight custom Jaguar cores clocked at 1.75 GHz


GPU
40 customized compute units at 1172 MHz
36 improved GCN compute units at 911 MHz
12 GCN compute units at 853 MHz (Xbox One S: 914 MHz)


Memory
12 GB GDDR5
8 GB GDDR5
8 GB DDR3/32 MB ESRAM


Memory Bandwidth
326 GB/s
218 GB/s
DDR3: 68 GB/s, ESRAM at max 204 GB/s (Xbox One S: 219 GB/s)


Hard Drive
1 TB 2.5-inch
1 TB 2.5-inch
500 GB/1 TB/2 TB 2.5-inch


Optical Drive
4K UHD Blu-ray
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Xbox One S: 4K UHD)

Xbox One X — the console previously known as Project Scorpio — will be released Nov. 7, 2017.

Xbox One X pre-orders are live

Minecraft gets an Xbox One S bundle and themed controllers

The Xbox One S is getting a Minecraft-themed bundle, that we already knew, but for those who dig the look but aren’t looking for a new console, two Minecraft controllers will also be sold separately. The controllers are available Sept. 5, and the console bundle on Oct. 3.

The controllers come in a green Creeper theme (matching the console) and a pink Pig design. They are $74.99 each, compatible with the Xbox One as well as Windows 10 PCs.

The console, shown off at the Xbox Gamescom keynote, packs a Creeper controller with a 1 TB Xbox One S, a vertical stand, download codes for Minecraft and the Minecraft Redstone pack, and trial passes for Xbox Live and the Xbox Games Pass. That’s $399.

The designs are slick but that is a premium over what themed bundles are going for now. The newest Xbox One S 1 TB editions run $349.99, some for less, and a standard Xbox One controller is $59.99.

Microsoft’s biggest news out of Gamescom today was opening up preorders for the $499.99 Xbox One X “Project Scorpio Edition,” so it may seem strange why the console’s junior configuration would get a premium-priced bundle, too. However, the $499.99 Xbox One X is best paired with a 4K TV, which some may not have. And a new bundle design sends the message that the more affordable S is still worthwhile.

Microsoft just wrapped up its Gamescom 2017 keynote, announcing that more than 100 games will be enhanced for Xbox One X, alongside nine trailers for games on the console this fall.

Minecraft gets an Xbox One S bundle and themed controllers