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Xbox just surprise announced and released a stylish new Game Pass title

George Yang
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During today’s Xbox & Bethesda Developer_Direct presentation, Tango Gameworks announced Hi-Fi Rush, a rhythm-action game for Xbox Series X/S and PC. It launches later today and will be included on Xbox Game Pass.

Hi-Fi RUSH | Official Launch Trailer

The game follows a young man named Chai who fights with an electric guitar. An electrifying soundtrack plays in the background, and all of Chai’s attacks will add to the rhythm. Everything moves to the game’s beat, including enemy attacks, cutscenes, and dungeon traps. It also has a combat-grading system like in the Devil May Cry franchise. Chai isn’t alone in his fights; he has comrades such as his cat, 808.

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An evil corporation wants to get rid of Chai after it mistakenly fuses a music player with his heart. It also seems like the corporation’s top members have something more nefarious in store for Chai. As Chai fights his way through different departments, he’ll eventually come across bosses that are spectacular set pieces. The game is presented in a cel-shaded style similar to a comic book.

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This is Tango Gamework’s first project since Ghostwire: Tokyo last year. That game is currently a timed exclusive on PlayStation 5, but it’ll likely come to Xbox Series X sometime around March 2023 or later. With Hi-Fi Rush releasing so soon, Tango Gameworks didn’t provide any details on what its next project would be.

Hi-Fi Rush is definitely a departure from what the studio is typically known for, which are horror and creepy games like The Evil Within, The Evil Within 2, and Ghostwire: Tokyo. If you want to try it, the title should be live on Xbox Game Pass later today (though its not live at the time of writing).

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George Yang
George Yang
George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…
Baldur’s Gate 3 drops Series S splitscreen support to release on Xbox in 2023
Jaheira in Baldur's Gate 3.

Larian Studios promises to release Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Series X/S later this year after pushing the game back because of performance problems on Xbox Series S.
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Thankfully, it looks like Xbox players won't have to wait too much longer to play this excellent game, but it will be one of the first games to notably drop a major feature between the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions. This follows comments by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer where he said he doesn't believe Microsoft will drop support for Xbox Series S in the foreseeable future. "I want to make sure games are available on both, that's our job as a platform holder and we're committed to that with our partners," Spencer told Eurogamer. "And I think we're gonna get there with Larian. So I'm not overly worried about that, but we've learned some stuff through it. Having an entry-level price point for console, sub-$300, is a good thing for the industry."
 
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The Xbox logo.

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Frankly, I'm not as concerned that Microsoft is going to do it anytime soon. Microsoft has given no indication that it plans on abandoning Xbox Game Pass. It's a really successful subscription service heavily integrated into all of its current platforms, there are titles confirmed to launch day one on it into 2024 and beyond, and Xbox initiatives like Play Anywhere and Smart Delivery ensure that at least some version of most Xbox games are available on other platforms. While I expect it to be the primary part of Microsoft's gaming strategy over the next decade, as someone who mainly played Xbox 360 growing up and is now seeing its storefront and subscription service go away, I'm now thinking about what the end of the Game Pass era will look like.
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A player conversation in Baldur's Gate 3.

Baldur's Gate 3 just launched on PC on August 3 and comes to PlayStation 5 shortly on September 6. Unfortunately, an Xbox Series X/S version of the RPG does not have any concrete release date. Developer Larian Studios explained in a community post that this is because it doesn't "want to compromise on quality and feel it would be a shame to downscale to 30 [frames per second, aka fps] or make other compromises to hit an arbitrary date." Still, it's disappointing that Xbox players can't get in on the fun anytime soon. Thankfully, there isn't a shortage of alternatives on Microsoft's gaming platforms.
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Where Baldur's Gate 3 may be the pinnacle of fantasy RPG games inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, Fallout: New Vegas is that for postapocalyptic RPGs. This game from Obsidian Entertainment and Bethesda Softworks -- both of which are now owned by Microsoft -- first released in 2010. Despite some in-game glitches that still persist, the Xbox 360 version of Fallout: New Vegas on Xbox Game Pass is just as enthralling of a role-playing experience as it was nearly 13 years ago. The Xbox 360 version can even be played at 60 fps on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, thanks to the FPS Boost feature.
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