If you haven't heard by now, the Xbox brand turned 20 this year. With anniversary livestreams, controllers, and even a surprise Halo Infinite multiplayer release, we're not sure how you could have missed the news, but that's neither here nor there. The anniversary train hasn't stopped rolling yet, as Microsoft has launched a new virtual museum that takes us through the history of Xbox.
While at one point we may have thought the Xbox backward compatibility program was finished, we learned that wasn't the case during the Xbox 20th Anniversary event this week. Microsoft announced more than 70 new additions to the backward compatibility list during that event, making more Xbox 360 and original Xbox games playable on modern hardware. There are some fantastic gems in the latest lineup of backward compatible games, so Microsoft is definitely delivering the goods with these additions.
A pair of iconic Metal Gear Solid games are about to vanish from digital storefronts. Konami has announced that it will be delisting Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater from various digital stores beginning today, with several different versions disappearing. The good news is that these removals should only be temporary, as Konami plans to bring them back in the future.
We're living at a strange place in history, where companies that make video games are also teaming up with fashion brands to make clothing. Not just t-shirts with Mario on them, but fully-fitted custom sneakers, and high-end fashion pieces that cost massive amounts of cash. This week Microsoft announced their second set of special edition sneakers made with Adidas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their Xbox video game console.
Just as Sony has revealed the PlayStation Plus games for November, so too has Microsoft announced the next batch of titles that will be available through Xbox Games with Gold. As always, Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be getting four different games to download next month. Two of these games will be Xbox One titles, while the other two are Xbox 360 games playable through backward compatibility. All of the games offered through Games with Gold will be playable on Xbox Series X|S, even though none were made specifically for the platform.
On the same day we received a new look at Halo Infinite's campaign comes news that 343 Industries has decided on a new date for the shutdown of online services in Halo titles for the Xbox 360. Originally slated for December of this year, 343 Industries has decided to move the shutdown into 2022, giving Xbox 360 players a little longer before online services disappear.
These days, it isn't very often that the PS3 and Xbox 360 make their way into the news, but today both have because of Konami. The company announced today that it will be ending the online multiplayer service for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in the future. Thankfully, those who are affected have a long time before those online services are taken down entirely.
Assuming you saw the Dead Space remake news on EA Motive, you know that now is a great time to take a peek at those long-unused Dead Space games you have lying around. Or, if you've never played any Dead Space game before, now might be a great time to jump in on the whole series, courtesy of either EA Play or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. These subscription services are serving up a healthy dose of the most deadly off-world games this side of ALIEN.
It's very nearly July, and that means there's a new batch of Xbox Live Games with Gold right around the corner. Microsoft revealed what that next round of free games is today, and though there aren't any particularly big titles in the lineup, there is one game that's sure to please fans of a certain obscene, alcoholic squirrel.
It's almost hard to believe, but Grand Theft Auto Online for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is still going strong to this day. The times they are a-changin', though, with Rockstar today announcing that it will shut down the PS3 and Xbox One versions of GTA Online by the end of the year. In addition, online support is ending for two other Rockstar games on PS3 and Xbox One: LA Noire and Max Payne 3.
We're quickly closing in on May, and that means a new batch of Xbox Live Games with Gold are on the way. Today, Microsoft revealed the games it will offer for free next month to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. As always, there will be two games from the Xbox One era and two games from previous generations that are playable through backward compatibility.
April is nearly upon us, which means today Microsoft revealed a new batch of Xbox Live Games with Gold titles. While April doesn't seem like it's going to be some kind of bang-up month for the service, there will still be some interesting games up for grabs. At the very least, we can expect a pretty wide collection of genres on offer in April.