It’s Friday so surely nothing else can make your day better. Well how about confirmation that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga has a release date? How about a release date that is only 2.5 months away.

That’s right LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is coming April 5!

About the Game

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga lets players experience battles like never before. This LEGO game has players can string different attacks together to form combo chains and fend off oncoming attacks. New blaster controls and mechanics allow players to aim with precision and take cover to plot their next move. That or you know… kick ass with a lightsaber or The Force.

Players can traverse space using the galaxy map to chart their course through the saga, progressively unlocking planets to explore. During space travel, players may engage in heroic dog fights against enemy ships. For something like this you will need legendary vehicles like the Millennium Falcon, TIE fighters, X-wings, and many more. Once at your destination, players can carry on through the story. That or explore and discover exciting quests and puzzles within the galaxy.

Exploration rewards players as they uncover Kyber Bricks which unlock new features and upgraded abilities across a range of character classes, including Jedi, Hero, Dark Side, Villain, Scavenger, Scoundrel, Bounty Hunter, Astromech Droid, and Protocol Droid. Play as iconic characters like Leia, Yoda, Boba Fett, Darth Maul, Poe and over three hundred more unlockable characters from across all nine films in free play mode to create fun, new adventures. From the idyllic grassy hills of Naboo to the desert dunes of Jakku, the LEGO Star Wars galaxy is available to discover and play in.

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I have become a broken record at this point. Xbox Game Pass has a hgue month. Xbox Game Pass has a huge month. Xbox Game Pass has a huge month.

But seriosuly Game Pass has another massive month. Danganfonps, Death’s Door, Hitman Trilogy and so much more awesome.

Available Today

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition (Console, and PC)
Investigate murders, search for clues, and talk to your classmates to prepare for trial. There, you’ll engage in deadly wordplay, going back and forth with suspects. Dissect their statements and fire their words back at them to expose their lies!

Nobody Saves the World (Console, and PC) ID@Xbox
Available on day one with Game Pass: When the ancient Calamity re-awakens, who can save the world? Nobody! (That’s you, you’re Nobody.) Master the art of transformation to become a Slug, Ghost, Dragon, and more. Combine your forms to create powerful hybrids and defeat the forces of evil. Join a friend for online co-op and save the world together! Plus, Ultimate members can play on mobile devices with touch controls with Xbox Cloud Gaming, no controller needed!

Death’s Door (Console, and PC) ID@Xbox 
Reaping souls of the dead and punching a clock might get monotonous, but it’s honest work for a Crow. The job gets lively when your assigned soul is stolen, and you must track down a desperate thief to a realm untouched by death – where creatures grow far past their expiry and overflow with greed and power. Ultimate members can play on mobile devices with Touch Controls with Xbox Cloud Gaming, no controller needed!

Pupperazzi (Console, and PC) ID@Xbox
Available on day one with Game Pass: This dog photography game puts your love for pups to the test. As you take better photos, you’ll unlock new breeds, camera lenses, chew toys, and accessories to dress up dogs with. Don’t just pet and play fetch – save your memories of those very good boys and girls on film.

Spelunky 2 (Cloud) ID@Xbox
This challenging roguelike platformer offers you immense freedom to carve your own path through its randomly-generated caves and ruins. Exercise your creativity and through your actions, tell a unique story each time you play. Uncover the secrets alone or with friends! Learn more about the game here.

The Anacrusis (Game Preview)(Cloud) ID@Xbox 
The Anacrusis is a four-player, cooperative first-person shooter set aboard a massive starship stranded at the edge of explored space. Team up with your friends in an infinitely-replayable fight against alien hordes to unlock perks, weapons, and new ways to play that you can share with your team! Learn more here.

Hitman Trilogy (Console, and PC) ID@Xbox 
Experience the World of Assassination trilogy and become Agent 47, a legendary assassin. Embark on a globetrotting adventure, where hyper-detailed missions are packed full of creative opportunities to take down your targets. Go loud with some serious firepower, steal a disguise, or play as a Silent Assassin. It’s all up to you.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction (Console, and PC)
Available on day one with Game Pass: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction is a tactical co-op FPS for 1-3 players, featuring beloved Operators from the Rainbow Six universe. With deep gear and ability progression, over 90 weapons and gadgets, 12 ever-evolving maps, unpredictable enemy mutations, and 13 dynamic mission types, no experience is ever the same.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege: Deluxe Edition (PC)
Available now on Console and Cloud and coming soon to PC Game Pass. Experience explosive 5v5 gameplay, high-stakes competition, and thrilling PVP team battles with over 70 million other players worldwide. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege features an ever-expanding roster of Operators with unique skills, environment destruction as a tactical tool, and limitless opportunities to perfect your strategy.

Windjammers 2 (Console, and PC) ID@Xbox
Available on day one with Game Pass: The best flying disc game of all time is back! With amazing hand-drawn graphics, crazy new moves, gameplay mechanics and awesome new characters and stages, Windjammers 2 is the sequel you’ve been dreaming of. 

Coming Soon

Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master (Console and PC) – January 27
Available on day one with Game Pass: Drum out high scores by playing along with Don and Ka in Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master! Choose from over 70 songs and play with friends in local multiplayer mode and online ranked matches. Light your drumming spirit on fire!

Leaving January 31

The following games will be leaving the Game Pass soon. If you want to play them, jump on it now!

• Cyber Shadow (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Nowhere Prophet (Cloud, Console, and PC)
• Prison Architect (PC)
• Xeno Crisis (Cloud, Console, and PC)

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Good news Game Pass gamers. Diablo, StarCraft and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater should be coming to the service soon. This is thanks to Microsoft’s announced upcoming aquisition of Activision Blizzard.

The studios will fall under the tutelage of Phil Spencer as part of the Windows Gaming division.

After some bad situations over there at Activision Blizzard hopefully Phil Spencer can steer the teams right.

Either way more games on Game Pass is a win.

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Holy hell! What a month for Game Pass!

Do you need a big budget adventure to sink hundreds of hours into? Well Mass Effect has you sorted.

How about a bunch of awesome looking smaller games? Gorogoa, Olija, and The Pedestrian have you sorted?

What about the excellent looking Outer Wilds? Well you can go for it now.

What a month!

Available Today

Gorogoa (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox

Winner of Debut Game at the BAFTA Games Awards, Gorogoa is an elegant evolution of the puzzle genre, told through a beautifully hand-drawn story designed and illustrated by Jason Roberts.

Olija (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox

Olija is a game about Faraday’s quest, a man shipwrecked then trapped in the mysterious country of Terraphage. Armed with a legendary harpoon, he and other castaways try to leave this hostile country to return to their homelands.

The Pedestrian (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox

The Pedestrian is a 2.5D side-scrolling puzzle platformer set in a dynamic world with stunning graphics and challenging puzzles, where you will rearrange and reconnect public signs to explore and advance through each engaging environment.

Embr (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox 
Fight fires with friends for profit in this unpredictable and frantic multiplayer game. Team up with friends, take on daily challenges and climb to the top of the corporate firefighting ladder. More than one way to become a hero!

Mass Effect Legendary Edition (Console and PC) EA Play
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is coming to PC Game Pass and Ultimate with EA Play! The Legendary Edition includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from the highly acclaimed Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors, and packs – remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD.

Outer Wilds (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox

Explore for the sake of your curiosity with a hand-crafted solar system filled with secrets to discover and perils to avoid while exploring space. Players are given a variety of tools to aid in space-backpacking, including their own spaceship and jetpack; a surveyor probe for scouting and taking pictures; and a signalscope to track down audio signals and view landmarks from afar.

Coming Soon

Spelunky 2 (Console and PC) ID@Xbox – January 13

This challenging roguelike platformer offers you immense freedom to carve your own path through its randomly-generated caves and ruins. Exercise your creativity and through your actions, tell a unique story each time you play. Uncover the secrets alone or with friends!

The Anacrusis (Game Preview)(Console and PC) ID@Xbox – January 13
Available on day one with Xbox Game Pass: The Anacrusis is a four-player, cooperative first-person shooter set aboard a massive starship stranded at the edge of explored space. Team up with your friends in an infinitely-replayable fight against alien hordes to unlock perks, weapons, and new ways to play that you can share with your team!

Leaving this month!

Of course as all good things come, some must go. Smash these games while you still can before the 15th!

Desperados III (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Ghost of a Tale (PC)

Kingdom Hearts III (Console)

Mount & Blade: Warband (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Pandemic (Console and PC)

Yiik: A Postmodern RPG (PC)

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Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed® Valhalla’s next major expansion, Dawn of Ragnarök, will be releasing March 10.

Dawn of Ragnarök will be available as a separate purchase for $59.95 by all owners of the main game.

With development led by Ubisoft Sofia, Dawn of Ragnarök is the next major expansion fpor the game. It continues Year 2 of post-launch support for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

In this expansion, Eivor must embrace their destiny as Odin, the Norse god of Battle and Wisdom. The dwarven kingdom of Svartalfheim is crumbling, and amid the chaos, Odin’s beloved son, Baldr, has been taken prisoner by the unkillable fire giant, Surtr. In Dawn of Ragnarök, players will be able to unleash new divine powers as they continue their legendary Viking saga. They will by embarking on a desperate rescue quest through a mythological world of contrasts.

All players purchasing Dawn of Ragnarök between now and April 9, 2022 will receive the Twilight Pack and will have immediate access to the main game

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Oppo is the latest phone maker to get in on the folding market. They revealed the Find N during their ‘Inno Day’ event.

This beauty of a phone goes on sale in China this week, but there isn’t a global release date just yet.

We already know that Oppo is extrodinarily inportanti n NZ. We have consistently been blown away by the devices in our reviews. Well According to StatCounter, Oppo is the fourth most popular mobile brand in New Zealand. This is with a 4.7 percent stake in the Aotearoa devices market.

Also they sponsor the Wellington Phoenix, so they are extraordinarily important to NZ.

So foldy

“New form factors are ushering in an exciting new time in smartphone technology,” said Pete Lau, chief product officer at Oppo.

“With the Find N, we aim to change people’s perceptions about what a smartphone can offer and begin making foldable devices more accessible to an even larger audience.”

The Find N will rock a 5.49-inch outer display. Opening up this comes to 7.1-inch inner display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Of course there is the dual speaker Dolby Atmos speaker system.

The Find N is going to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chip for all that power. It will also have up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB storage. 

The 4500 mAh battery should offer all-day battery life, with fast charging meaning it’ll charge fully in around 70 minutes. It’s also able to be wirelessly charged and offers 10W reverse wireless charging so it can help charge other devices.

The Find N has 3 cameras. These include a 50MP Sony IMX 766 main sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide lens and a 13MP telephoto lens.

There are also selfie cameras on both the inner and outer displays so you can selfie with you phone open or closed.

The main outer display can be used to preview selfies while hand gestures will be able to trigger a photograph to be taken so users don’t have to press the shutter button.

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Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Crossover Stories featuring Eivor and Kassandra are available now.

Both stories are available for free for owners of the respective base games. One story features Eivor and Kassandra available in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The other features Kassandra or Alexios available in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Assassin’s Creed Crossover Stories is the first cross-game project on the franchise. The content aims at answering the question “What happens when two Assassin’s Creed heroes meet?”. This allows fans to explore the ties between the heroes of the two games. It also features new environments to explore as well as a rich storyline.

Check out the Dev Diary here for more info:

For the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla crossover story, A Fated Encounter, players must have reached Settlement Level 4 and completed the quest “A Wise Friend,” where Eivor helps Valka establish herself in Ravensthorpe.

For the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey crossover story, Those Who Are Treasured, players will need to have completed Chapter 1 and reached Megaris to access the content, but it’s recommended that players finish the main game’s three story arcs (Family, Cult of Kosmos and Mythology) to avoid spoilers.

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Christmas is 7 days away. Yes you read that right, it is scary soon. And I know it has been another year of chaos and so you can’t be blamed for letting your Christmas shopping slide.

Well that window for not being blamed is about to close in … 7 days so get on it.

Maybe we can give you some great ideas to show your loved one you care through materialism. Yay capitalism.

To be fair this stuff is pretty cool though!

Bluetooth Speakers for those Christmas jams

Sony XG500 Portable Wireless Speaker 

Blair checked out the Sony XG500 Portable Wireless Speaker and was blown away. Given the compact size it belted out excellent quality sound at some terrifying volumes.

Portable, comfortable to carry, and will fit in anywhere. The perfect addition for Christmas, then every day after.

JBL Partybox 110 

Maybe your fam needs a speaker that makes more of a statement. A statement that says “I am here, I make music sound good, and I show lights good”.

Well the JBL Partybox 110 says all that and more. Blair certainly enjoyed testing out his neighbors patience with it anyway.

A new tablet to ignore your fam on Chritmas

Surface Go 3

Blair checked out the Surface Go 3 and you can read his thoughts here. Depending on what you are after, the Surface Go 3 could be the exact tablet your fam needs so they can write docs or read comics on the go. Or maybe pretend they are writing docs while they read comics.

Hey it’s their Christmas present, who are we to judge?

Mouse and Keyboards for that Christmas efficiency

Logitech POP Keys And POP Mouse

Bronwyn found the Logitech POP Keys And POP Mouse were fire in her review. A nice compact mouse and keyboard equipped with Emoji keys. What more could you ask for?

Oh maybe some unique colour choices so you can get the right feel for your fam. This set has it!

Logitech G915 TKL Keyboard And PRO Superlight Mouse

Brian checked out the Logitech G915 TKL Keyboard And PRO Superlight Mouse in his review and found them to be extraordinary bits of gaming kit.

The keyboard has a lot of the benefits of a mechanical keyboard without some of the drawbacks. and the pair are a lightweight power combo.

It comes with a price, but how can you measure the joy of your fam opening this on Christmas day?

A smart watch for the fam that needs to run off that Christmas ham

Fitbit Charge 5

The Fibit Charge 5 was reviewed and deemed to be a lot of value for $299. A lot of premium features are crammed in given the small form factor.

Slick, tidy, and reasonably priced. perfect for an automated way to remind your fam relax. Or maybe run off the calories earned through ham.

Fitbit Luxe

On the flip side if your fam is a little classier then the Luxe might be for them.

Hannah reviewed it and found that while it doesn’t have all the tech and gadgets, it is a great fitness tracker that looks amazing too.

A new phone for you 5G in 2022

Brian reviewed the Oppo Find X3 Lite and determined “Overall, the Oppo Find X3 Lite is a $1200 phone in a $799 package”.

If $800 isn’t too steep for Christmas and your fam needs a new phone then we have an answer. This glorious beast.

Or maybe you should buy yourself a Christmas present. Come on, you earned it.

Games because… you know… games are awesome!

Do you know what is awesome? That’s right, games are!

Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy

Got a nerd in your life that loves games and Marvel stuff? I mean, who doesn’t love both of these things. Well Blair definitely seemed to when he reviewed Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

FarCry 6

Maybe your loved one wants to go take down a dictatorship the old fashioned way. You know, some shooty shootyness. Well Brian seemed to think FarCry 6 was worth playing in his review.

FarCry 6 is available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

Kena: Bridge Of Spirits 

Does your loved one have a PS5 but nothing to play on it? Well maybe Kena: Bridge OF Spirits is that gem they need in their life. Blair seemed to think it was pretty damn good anyway!

Kena: Bridge Of Spirits is available on PS5.

Xbox Game Pass

Maybe you are a Xbox household and for some reason doesn’t have Game Pass, then this is a no brainer. An absurd number of games available to play on the fly with titles changing on the regular.

And if he is just a PC gamer you can pick up Xbox Game Pass for PC. Or Game Pass Ultimate covers him on both machines.

The post The last minute Christmas Gift Guide for lovers of games and tech appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

The excellent FINAL FANTASY VII Remake Integrade is coming to PC this week via Epic Games Store.

If you haven’t been following along, Final Fantasy VII Remake it the first part of the new version of the old game. Then the new chapter was released called Episode INTERmission. This one brought Yuffie into the story and was an absolutely excellent addition to the story. Final Fantasy Remake Integrade is the enhanced version of the base game, and buying it new comes with the DLC.

We thought the game was pretty great and the new chapter with Integrade was excellent.

In FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE on PC, players will follow the story of ex-SOLDIER operative turned mercenary Cloud Strife, who descends on the mako-powered city of Midgar as he lends his aid to an underground resistance group calling themselves Avalanche in their fight against Shinra Electric Power Company, a shadowy corporation. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE also includes the new story arc, FF7R EPISODE INTERmission. This brings us the ninja Yuffie Kisaragi as she infiltrates Midgar during the events of the base game.

With improved textures, lighting, background environments, a fully customizable “Photo Mode,” and more, FINAL FANTASY VII INTERGRADE for PC also features 4K support, HDR support, XInput and DirectInput compliant controller support, keyboard and mouse support, plus the highest spec PCs could see a performance of up to 120 frames per second.

A full list of contents for FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE on the Epic Games Store can be found below:

• FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE and FF7R EPISODE INTERmission DLC
• The FF7R EPISODE INTERmission-exclusive weapon, Cacstar
• Armor: Midgar Bangle, Shinra Bangle and Corneo Armlet
• Accessories: Superstar Belt, Mako Crystal and Seraphic Earrings
• Summon materia: Carbuncle, Chocobo Chick and Cactuar

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If you had been itching for m\ore info about Forspoken like I have been, then great news. Not only do we have a new trailer, but also we only have to wait 6 months to play it.

Forspoken has a worldwide release date of May 24, 2022.

The new trailer was unleashed at the Game Awards. It was introduced by Forspoken star Ella Balinska, who plays protagonist Frey Holland, and actor Pollyanna McIntosh (The Walking Dead series), who has joined the cast as the ruthless Tanta Prav.

Forspoken will harness the full power of the PS5. It will demonstrate Luminous Productions’ philosophy to provide a gaming experience like never before. This will be done by fusing together the latest technology with creativity. 

Forspoken will launch on the PS5 and PC (via STEAM, Epic Games Store or Microsoft Store) on May 24, 2022.

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