Hades, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and more coming to Xbox Game Pass

By Andrew Zucosky June 13, 2021

During the Xbox conference at E3 2021, it was announced that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be coming onto Xbox Game Pass today, along with the rest of the Yakuza games. Along with Like a Dragon, Age of Empires IV and Hades will be on the Xbox Game Pass on October 28 and August 13, respectively. Players who own the Xbox Game Pass subscription can download these games for no extra cost on their PCs and Xbox consoles.

During the conference, it was announced that Hades will be available on the Xbox Game Pass. Supergiant Games’ critically acclaimed hack-and-slash roguelike Greek fantasy takes you through the deepest parts of Hades all the way to the mortal realm. It will be released on Xbox Game Pass on August 13.

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Yakuza: Like a Dragon was released in early January of 2020 and was a huge departure for the game series. Instead of assaulting your enemies with a flurry of button-mashing blows, the gameplay slowed down to a strategic turn-based flow. Fortunately, the game kept its style and humor and even branched out into poking fun at classic turn-based RPGs.

The latest installment of the long-running RTS series Age of Empires IV got a new trailer along with a release date for the game. Age of Empires IV will be available on day one with Xbox Game Pass on October 28.

It would not have been a proper E3 without a Forza announcement. Forza Horizon 5 was announced during the Xbox conference, with a trailer showcasing many of the cars you will be driving, as well as a gorgeous rendering of Mexico, where the game will take place. Forza Horizon 5 is releasing on November 9 and will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one release.

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Gaming

Hi-Fi Rush director reveals the secret to making a great music game

Chai points a finger gun at a robot in Hi-Fi Rush.

I’ve never played a rhythm game that keeps me on beat as well as Hi-Fi Rush. While I’m a musically inclined person who fronts his own band, even I have trouble keeping time in music games. I’ll inevitably start to drag behind notes and then speed up too much to overcompensate. Sometimes I lose the music altogether and need to stop clicking entirely just to rediscover the beat. But in Hi-Fi Rush, I always feel like I’m completely locked in as I attack, dodge, and zip to the sound of early 2000s alt-rock.

That’s no accident. For Game Director John Johanas and a small development team within Tango Gameworks, “accessibility” was a keyword when embarking on the unique passion project. Johanas knew that rhythm isn’t something that comes naturally to every player, putting a natural barrier to entry over any game that requires precise beat-matching and button timing. If Hi-Fi Rush was going to be a fun and welcoming experience for a wider range of players, it would require a more flexible approach to design.

Gaming

Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft

Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimd the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

Gaming

MLB The Show 23 returns to Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch this March

Jazz Chisholm's cover art for MLB The Show 23.

Sony San Diego Studios announced MLB The Show 23 today, and confirmed that it will launch across all major PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo systems on March 28.
No new platforms were added this year, so PC players aren't getting in on the fun. Still, this announcement makes it clear that MLB The Show is a multiplatform series across PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms for the foreseeable future. Xbox's version of the trailer also confirms that MLB The Show 23 will be on Xbox Game Pass at launch, making this first-party Sony series a day-one Game Pass title three years in a row.
MLB The Show 23 - Cover Athlete Reveal
As is typically the case with sports games, MLB The Show 23's reveal was primarily focused on its cover athlete. We learned that Jazz Chisholm Jr., a second baseman for the Miami Marlins, will grace the cover of the game. Like last year, the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions of the game will cost $60, while players on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S without Xbox Game Pass will need to pay $70. So far, no new gameplay features have been teased, although a blog post confirms that cross-platform multiplayer, saves, and progression across all versions of the game will return this year.
So far, there's not a lot that actually seems new about MLB The Show 23, but this reveal concludes the genesis of a new era for the long-running baseball series. MLB The Show 23 will be released for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on March 28.