Sega has announced Total War: Rome Remastered, an updated version of the Creative Assembly-developed strategy classic from 2004. It will release on April 29. The remaster has been developed in collaboration with Feral Interactive, and is described as a "comprehensive remaster" that adds a suite of visual and gameplay improvements. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/25/total-war-rome-remastered-announce-trailer"] Total War: Rome Remastered will contain both the main game and its two expansions - Barbarian Invasion and Alexander - and this will all be presented with 4K visuals and native support for ultra-high-definition resolutions. Overhauled environment, battlefield, and character models will complete the refreshed look. As for gameplay, 16 previously unplayable factions have been added, and the 22 original factions return for this release. Additionally, there are also new Merchant agents that can be sent on missions to establish trade networks. Modern touches have been added to the campaign, including a tactical map for battles, and heat maps and icon overlays during campaign mode. The diplomacy system has been overhauled, the camera can now be rotated on the campaign map, and zoom levels on the camera are now wider. For those new to the game, an improved help system provides a redesigned tutorial, an in-game WIki, advice and tooltips, and improved support for colour-blind players. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=total-war-rome-remastered-screenshots&captions=true"] Multiplayer will be cross-platform across Windows, macOS, and Linux. The Remastered package will also provide access to the original Rome: Total War Collection, but this is only playable on Windows PCs. Total War: Rome Remastered can be pre-ordered from today, and those who own the original version on Steam can get the remaster at a 50% discount until June 1. This Rome remaster arrives just as Humankind has been delayed out of April, so there's at least some strategy goodness available on PC in the coming weeks. And while 2004 may be many years in the past now, Total War: Rome was a titan among strategy games, gaining a glowing review from us. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

The very first time I played a Story of Seasons game, the series was still called Harvest Moon. The game was A Wonderful Life, on the GameCube, and I was stuck playing, to my frustration, a boy farmer, because that was the only option available at the time. And in 2004, that meant I also meant I could only marry one of three women.

Oh, how the series has changed since then.

I was 12 when I played A Wonderful Life, and not terribly interested in dating just yet, so I also had no idea (and wouldn't for another decade-plus) that I was bisexual. Still, had I grown up in a different environment, I might have taken a clue at the time from the fact that I really, really liked all three of the game's marriage options and enjoyed the process of getting to know, date, marry, and build a life with Celia -- the charming young woman who worked at the ranch next door.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/23/story-of-seasons-pioneers-of-olive-town-review"]

When Another Wonderful Life released not long after, I was thrilled to be able to play as a girl, but deeply disappointed by the romance options. Put frankly: the boys stunk! I wasn't interested in Marlin, Rock, or Gustafa, and a part of me wished (though I never would have admitted it at that age) I could just be a girl and date a girl. A truly wild concept!

The Story of Seasons franchise, now divorced from its former name and publisher, began -- at last -- to incorporate same-sex marriage in 2020, beginning with the its remake of Friends of Mineral Town. When the game came out in Japan, it included a "Best Friends" system that was basically same-sex marriage under a watered-down name, possibly in part due to the fact that same-sex marriage is illegal in Japan (though this ban may be on its way to being dismantled soon!).

But when it came West, localizer XSEED wanted to fully cement this critical, progressive change. While localizers already have an extremely important role in making sure games are translated to other languages, as being culturally sensible and meaningful in other regions, we don't often hear of them being on the frontlines of major, series-shaking changes. But XSEED, with Marvelous' blessing, stepped up to meet the challenge of filling the hole in Story of Seasons' social responsibility up to that point.

"In our version [of Friends of Mineral Town], [the 'Best Friends system] will just be called 'marriage,' and the relationship between same-sex couples will be given identical treatment to opposite-sex couples," XSEED wrote at the time. "This has been a very long time coming in the Story of Seasons series, and the producer has been supportive of our decision from very early in development."

Thanks to the collaboration between XSEED and Marvelous, that support has continued into Pioneers of Olive Town, the latest Story of Seasons game. Speaking to IGN, game director Hikaru Nakano says that having the freedom to marry anyone regardless of gender "suited the Story of Seasons philosophy of letting players play however they want."

He adds that he feels the development team did an even better job with the feature this time, as well as with the game's avatar creation -- which allows players to customize their appearance independent of gender selection, which occurs later in the introduction. And bachelors and bachelorettes from several previous games are returning to Pioneers of Olive Town via DLC in the coming months, offering opportunities for same-sex relationships with characters that they haven't been offered with in the past.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=May%20our%20energies%20continue%20to%20resonate%20with%20the%20beauty%20of%20two%20women%20united%20as%20one."]

XSEED's localization team is pointedly trying to ensure that players who want to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual in-game don't just have that as another option thrown in, but feel like those options are given care and consideration. This started with Friends of Mineral Town, as assistant localization lead Lori Snyder explains:

"For the North American release of Friends of Mineral Town, the localization team for that title set an important precedent for localizing same-sex marriage: all of the bachelors and bachelorettes have special dialogue to acknowledge this," she says. "Your experience is going to be different if you’re playing as a girl farmer and you marry a bachelorette—there’s a unique line when you marry Jennifer as one of the female farmers, for example, where she’ll say, 'May our energies continue to resonate with the beauty of two women united as one.' Everyone has amazing lines like these! The localization team on FoMT wanted it to be validating for players, wherever they had the opportunity to do so."

The team has been similarly thoughtful about Pioneers of Olive Town. Despite the Japanese version of the game still leaning on "best friend ceremonies" (likely for the same reasons Friends of Mineral Town did, unfortunately), XSEED's localizers have been intentional in how they choose to represent gender and relationships as they brought the game West.

I've been playing Pioneers of Olive Town ahead of release for about a month now, and have really enjoyed experiencing the little touches Snyder outlined in the game’s localization blog -- particularly how an improved gender-tagging system allowed the team to offer a bit of nuance in how conversations would play out, depending on the selected gender of the player.

The example given in the blog is not a conversation with romantic interests, but with a group of ladies that gets together for cake and chatter regularly and welcomes you to join them. The tone of each conversation is subtly different, with men being welcomed to the conversation in a more general sense and women being welcomed with a tone more closely resembling an initiation into a local ladies' gossip circle. It's subtle, but tonally interesting.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Whenever%20we%20had%20the%20opportunity%20to%20make%20the%20dialogue%20more%20personalized%20or%20more%20validating%20to%20same-sex%20relationships%2C%20we%20took%20it."]

Snyder says that while it was always intended to keep same-sex relationships in Olive Town present and enjoyable, the freedom the team was given with gender tags further inspired the team to keep the celebratory precedent alive.

"I’ve played too many games that try to act coy about same-sex relationships or can only go so far as to imply them, but the writers don’t want to be open about it, for whatever reason," she said. "I obviously didn’t want that sort of thing to happen here. So whenever we had the opportunity to make the dialogue more personalized or more validating to same-sex relationships, we took it. Your partner will acknowledge that they love and care about you, that they’re happy and proud to be your husband or wife. And that’s something we’re really proud to be able to do."

Having played Pioneers of Olive Town, flirted with several of the bachelorettes, and wooed and married one (Bridget you're the best), it really is incredible how a change that seems so simple on the surface can make me feel so much more comfortable in a game's world. For years, one of my favorite game series wouldn't let me be fully myself, and I got by through compromises -- dating the men even if they didn't appeal as much, or playing a gender that didn't fully represent how I saw myself. It was never a dealbreaker in any one game, but it was a constant sticking point. For years!

In 2016, Stardew Valley was critical to my understanding of my own sexuality when, bored by most of the boys in the valley, I made the off-hand decision to try and date Abigail, just to see what it was like. You know, on a whim of sorts! As one does!

I adored her. I started thinking harder about my identity. I came out as bisexual two years later. And now, I finally see myself in the farming sim I've loved since I was a kid. Even though I knew about the changes to how Story of Seasons approached relationships going into Olive Town, it was still such a pleasant surprise when the bachelorette's conversations with me gradually turned from openly friendly to adorably flirtatious across a series of cutscenes. There was no big fanfare, but also no SapphoAndHerFriend-level "friendship ceremony." Just me, Bridget, our adorable kid, and a barn full of perfect round farm animals. A wonderful life, indeed. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

The very first time I played a Story of Seasons game, the series was still called Harvest Moon. The game was A Wonderful Life, on the GameCube, and I was stuck playing, to my frustration, a boy farmer, because that was the only option available at the time. And in 2004, that meant I also meant I could only marry one of three women.

Oh, how the series has changed since then.

I was 12 when I played A Wonderful Life, and not terribly interested in dating just yet, so I also had no idea (and wouldn't for another decade-plus) that I was bisexual. Still, had I grown up in a different environment, I might have taken a clue at the time from the fact that I really, really liked all three of the game's marriage options and enjoyed the process of getting to know, date, marry, and build a life with Celia -- the charming young woman who worked at the ranch next door.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/23/story-of-seasons-pioneers-of-olive-town-review"]

When Another Wonderful Life released not long after, I was thrilled to be able to play as a girl, but deeply disappointed by the romance options. Put frankly: the boys stunk! I wasn't interested in Marlin, Rock, or Gustafa, and a part of me wished (though I never would have admitted it at that age) I could just be a girl and date a girl. A truly wild concept!

The Story of Seasons franchise, now divorced from its former name and publisher, began -- at last -- to incorporate same-sex marriage in 2020, beginning with the its remake of Friends of Mineral Town. When the game came out in Japan, it included a "Best Friends" system that was basically same-sex marriage under a watered-down name, possibly in part due to the fact that same-sex marriage is illegal in Japan (though this ban may be on its way to being dismantled soon!).

But when it came West, localizer XSEED wanted to fully cement this critical, progressive change. While localizers already have an extremely important role in making sure games are translated to other languages, as being culturally sensible and meaningful in other regions, we don't often hear of them being on the frontlines of major, series-shaking changes. But XSEED, with Marvelous' blessing, stepped up to meet the challenge of filling the hole in Story of Seasons' social responsibility up to that point.

"In our version [of Friends of Mineral Town], [the 'Best Friends system] will just be called 'marriage,' and the relationship between same-sex couples will be given identical treatment to opposite-sex couples," XSEED wrote at the time. "This has been a very long time coming in the Story of Seasons series, and the producer has been supportive of our decision from very early in development."

Thanks to the collaboration between XSEED and Marvelous, that support has continued into Pioneers of Olive Town, the latest Story of Seasons game. Speaking to IGN, game director Hikaru Nakano says that having the freedom to marry anyone regardless of gender "suited the Story of Seasons philosophy of letting players play however they want."

He adds that he feels the development team did an even better job with the feature this time, as well as with the game's avatar creation -- which allows players to customize their appearance independent of gender selection, which occurs later in the introduction. And bachelors and bachelorettes from several previous games are returning to Pioneers of Olive Town via DLC in the coming months, offering opportunities for same-sex relationships with characters that they haven't been offered with in the past.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=May%20our%20energies%20continue%20to%20resonate%20with%20the%20beauty%20of%20two%20women%20united%20as%20one."]

XSEED's localization team is pointedly trying to ensure that players who want to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual in-game don't just have that as another option thrown in, but feel like those options are given care and consideration. This started with Friends of Mineral Town, as assistant localization lead Lori Snyder explains:

"For the North American release of Friends of Mineral Town, the localization team for that title set an important precedent for localizing same-sex marriage: all of the bachelors and bachelorettes have special dialogue to acknowledge this," she says. "Your experience is going to be different if you’re playing as a girl farmer and you marry a bachelorette—there’s a unique line when you marry Jennifer as one of the female farmers, for example, where she’ll say, 'May our energies continue to resonate with the beauty of two women united as one.' Everyone has amazing lines like these! The localization team on FoMT wanted it to be validating for players, wherever they had the opportunity to do so."

The team has been similarly thoughtful about Pioneers of Olive Town. Despite the Japanese version of the game still leaning on "best friend ceremonies" (likely for the same reasons Friends of Mineral Town did, unfortunately), XSEED's localizers have been intentional in how they choose to represent gender and relationships as they brought the game West.

I've been playing Pioneers of Olive Town ahead of release for about a month now, and have really enjoyed experiencing the little touches Snyder outlined in the game’s localization blog -- particularly how an improved gender-tagging system allowed the team to offer a bit of nuance in how conversations would play out, depending on the selected gender of the player.

The example given in the blog is not a conversation with romantic interests, but with a group of ladies that gets together for cake and chatter regularly and welcomes you to join them. The tone of each conversation is subtly different, with men being welcomed to the conversation in a more general sense and women being welcomed with a tone more closely resembling an initiation into a local ladies' gossip circle. It's subtle, but tonally interesting.

[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=Whenever%20we%20had%20the%20opportunity%20to%20make%20the%20dialogue%20more%20personalized%20or%20more%20validating%20to%20same-sex%20relationships%2C%20we%20took%20it."]

Snyder says that while it was always intended to keep same-sex relationships in Olive Town present and enjoyable, the freedom the team was given with gender tags further inspired the team to keep the celebratory precedent alive.

"I’ve played too many games that try to act coy about same-sex relationships or can only go so far as to imply them, but the writers don’t want to be open about it, for whatever reason," she said. "I obviously didn’t want that sort of thing to happen here. So whenever we had the opportunity to make the dialogue more personalized or more validating to same-sex relationships, we took it. Your partner will acknowledge that they love and care about you, that they’re happy and proud to be your husband or wife. And that’s something we’re really proud to be able to do."

Having played Pioneers of Olive Town, flirted with several of the bachelorettes, and wooed and married one (Bridget you're the best), it really is incredible how a change that seems so simple on the surface can make me feel so much more comfortable in a game's world. For years, one of my favorite game series wouldn't let me be fully myself, and I got by through compromises -- dating the men even if they didn't appeal as much, or playing a gender that didn't fully represent how I saw myself. It was never a dealbreaker in any one game, but it was a constant sticking point. For years!

In 2016, Stardew Valley was critical to my understanding of my own sexuality when, bored by most of the boys in the valley, I made the off-hand decision to try and date Abigail, just to see what it was like. You know, on a whim of sorts! As one does!

I adored her. I started thinking harder about my identity. I came out as bisexual two years later. And now, I finally see myself in the farming sim I've loved since I was a kid. Even though I knew about the changes to how Story of Seasons approached relationships going into Olive Town, it was still such a pleasant surprise when the bachelorette's conversations with me gradually turned from openly friendly to adorably flirtatious across a series of cutscenes. There was no big fanfare, but also no SapphoAndHerFriend-level "friendship ceremony." Just me, Bridget, our adorable kid, and a barn full of perfect round farm animals. A wonderful life, indeed. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Sega and Amplitude has announced that Humankind, the historical 4X strategy game, has been delayed by a few months to next August. Originally set to release on PC on April 22, Humankind will now release on August 17. The delay will allow the development team at Amplitude to work on perfecting the pace, balancing, diplomacy, AI, and accessibility elements of the game, as well as other aspects. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/04/humankind-11-minute-gameplay-walkthrough"] As a 'thank you' to waiting players, pre-orders of Humankind will also now offer two extra avatar sets for Lucy and Edgar Allan Poe. "Players have always been at the heart of Amplitude's philosophy and releasing Humankind in August will allow us the extra time to keep working with the community and polishing the game for an amazing day one experience,” said Romain de Waubert de Genlis, chief creative office and studio head at Amplitude. When it does release in August, Humankind will be available from both Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as a Google Stadia release. For a closer look at the game's details, take a look at how Humankind's religion system will work. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Sega and Amplitude has announced that Humankind, the historical 4X strategy game, has been delayed by a few months to next August. Originally set to release on PC on April 22, Humankind will now release on August 17. The delay will allow the development team at Amplitude to work on perfecting the pace, balancing, diplomacy, AI, and accessibility elements of the game, as well as other aspects. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/04/humankind-11-minute-gameplay-walkthrough"] As a 'thank you' to waiting players, pre-orders of Humankind will also now offer two extra avatar sets for Lucy and Edgar Allan Poe. "Players have always been at the heart of Amplitude's philosophy and releasing Humankind in August will allow us the extra time to keep working with the community and polishing the game for an amazing day one experience,” said Romain de Waubert de Genlis, chief creative office and studio head at Amplitude. When it does release in August, Humankind will be available from both Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as a Google Stadia release. For a closer look at the game's details, take a look at how Humankind's religion system will work. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Microsoft has revealed two new official Xbox Series X/S controllers in striking colours. The peripherals were detailed in a post on the Xbox blog, which explains the designs behind the new Electric Volt and Daystrike Camo Xbox Wireless Controllers.

We’re excited to introduce not one, but two new Xbox Wireless Controllers: Electric Volt and Daystrike Camo Special Edition. Learn more: https://t.co/rUvbW2LkOb

— Xbox Wire (@XboxWire) March 25, 2021

Inspired by "the energy and vibrance often found in athletic apparel and sneaker design," the Electric Volt controller pairs a neon yellow front plate with a white back and black D-Pad detailing. The DayStrike Camo Special Edition controller pairs red with grey and black and features a special textured grip on its bumpers. The Electric Camo controller will launch on April 27 and retail at $64.99 and the Daystrike Camo controller will launch on May 4 and retail at $69.99. In some markets, they will also arrive alongside a 14-day trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft is also launching a merch range inspired by these two controllers and will be using "post-consumer recycled resins" in an effort to make production more sustainable. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-controller-review"] In other Xbox news, Microsoft Is cutting the Xbox Live Gold requirement for party chat and free-to-play multiplayer. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Microsoft has revealed two new official Xbox Series X/S controllers in striking colours. The peripherals were detailed in a post on the Xbox blog, which explains the designs behind the new Electric Volt and Daystrike Camo Xbox Wireless Controllers.

We’re excited to introduce not one, but two new Xbox Wireless Controllers: Electric Volt and Daystrike Camo Special Edition. Learn more: https://t.co/rUvbW2LkOb

— Xbox Wire (@XboxWire) March 25, 2021

Inspired by "the energy and vibrance often found in athletic apparel and sneaker design," the Electric Volt controller pairs a neon yellow front plate with a white back and black D-Pad detailing. The DayStrike Camo Special Edition controller pairs red with grey and black and features a special textured grip on its bumpers. The Electric Camo controller will launch on April 27 and retail at $64.99 and the Daystrike Camo controller will launch on May 4 and retail at $69.99. In some markets, they will also arrive alongside a 14-day trial of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Microsoft is also launching a merch range inspired by these two controllers and will be using "post-consumer recycled resins" in an effort to make production more sustainable. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/xbox-series-x-controller-review"] In other Xbox news, Microsoft Is cutting the Xbox Live Gold requirement for party chat and free-to-play multiplayer. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman has discussed how Sharon Carter has evolved as a character since Captain America: Civil War. Speaking as a guest on The A.V. Club's Push The Envelope podcast, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's creator, showrunner, and head writer Spellman revealed that Emily VanCamp's character will have completely transformed by the time that we meet her in the MCU's latest series because she has significantly grown up in the period between Civil War and Falcon and Winter Soldier. "Emily [VanCamp] has such a baby face," Spellman explained. "She looks very sweet and innocent, but Sharon Carter is going to emerge as a badass. I'd have to use far more inappropriate language to describe how awesome she is. Let's just say this: Sharon Carter is all grown up now. I guess what made it so fun was we started getting to know Sharon in Captain America: Civil War, and you just factor in what would have naturally happened between Civil War and now and you get a whole different Sharon Carter showing up." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/14/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-timeline-so-far"] As the niece of SHIELD founder Peggy Carter, Sharon previously helped Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes when Bucky was framed for a terrorist bombing by Helmut Zemo — a character who will return to stir up some more drama in Falcon and Winter Soldier. Spellman says that past events will continue to be a driving force behind Zemo's motives in the MCU miniseries. "Zemo thinks that people who are endowed with abilities that are extraordinary—like law enforcement or in this case, heroes—are inherently going to abuse their power, and he has a damn good reason to think that," Spellman said. "They destroyed his country by using his city as a bomb and killed his entire family along with everyone he knew." Neither of these characters made an appearance in the first episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier but when they do eventually turn up we know that Sharon will be donning her Agent 13 uniform while Zemo will be wearing his comics-accurate purple mask after leaving his trademark comics costume hanging up in the wardrobe for Civil War. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-cast-and-characters&captions=true"] There may be practical reasons for Zemo donning a costume this time. For example, in the comics, the mask is shown to give him resistance to psychic attacks, similar to how Magneto's helmet safeguards against Professor X's powers. However, the real significance of the purple mask lies in its family history, with Helmut being the second character to use the Baron Zemo title, after his father Heinrich Zemo. We hope to find out more about the Marvel mythology as the show continues, with Episode 2 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier available to stream from Friday, March 26 on Disney Plus. IGN awarded the first episode of the series an 8, saying it was "packed with thoughtful character observations and themes that run deeper than many Marvel movies and shows." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman has discussed how Sharon Carter has evolved as a character since Captain America: Civil War. Speaking as a guest on The A.V. Club's Push The Envelope podcast, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's creator, showrunner, and head writer Spellman revealed that Emily VanCamp's character will have completely transformed by the time that we meet her in the MCU's latest series because she has significantly grown up in the period between Civil War and Falcon and Winter Soldier. "Emily [VanCamp] has such a baby face," Spellman explained. "She looks very sweet and innocent, but Sharon Carter is going to emerge as a badass. I'd have to use far more inappropriate language to describe how awesome she is. Let's just say this: Sharon Carter is all grown up now. I guess what made it so fun was we started getting to know Sharon in Captain America: Civil War, and you just factor in what would have naturally happened between Civil War and now and you get a whole different Sharon Carter showing up." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2021/03/14/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-timeline-so-far"] As the niece of SHIELD founder Peggy Carter, Sharon previously helped Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes when Bucky was framed for a terrorist bombing by Helmut Zemo — a character who will return to stir up some more drama in Falcon and Winter Soldier. Spellman says that past events will continue to be a driving force behind Zemo's motives in the MCU miniseries. "Zemo thinks that people who are endowed with abilities that are extraordinary—like law enforcement or in this case, heroes—are inherently going to abuse their power, and he has a damn good reason to think that," Spellman said. "They destroyed his country by using his city as a bomb and killed his entire family along with everyone he knew." Neither of these characters made an appearance in the first episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier but when they do eventually turn up we know that Sharon will be donning her Agent 13 uniform while Zemo will be wearing his comics-accurate purple mask after leaving his trademark comics costume hanging up in the wardrobe for Civil War. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-cast-and-characters&captions=true"] There may be practical reasons for Zemo donning a costume this time. For example, in the comics, the mask is shown to give him resistance to psychic attacks, similar to how Magneto's helmet safeguards against Professor X's powers. However, the real significance of the purple mask lies in its family history, with Helmut being the second character to use the Baron Zemo title, after his father Heinrich Zemo. We hope to find out more about the Marvel mythology as the show continues, with Episode 2 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier available to stream from Friday, March 26 on Disney Plus. IGN awarded the first episode of the series an 8, saying it was "packed with thoughtful character observations and themes that run deeper than many Marvel movies and shows." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

You will no longer need Xbox Live Gold to access Party Chat, Looking 4 Groups and Free-To-Play Multiplayer features on Xbox. The news was revealed by Xbox Preview Program developer Brad Rossetti on Twitter. "Multiplayer in Free-to-play games, Looking 4 Groups and Party Chat on Xbox no longer requires an Xbox Live Gold membership," Rossetti said. The changes are being debuted to Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip Ahead and Alpha programs at the moment "ahead of general availability."

Xbox Insiders in Alpha Skip Ahead & Alpha today we are flighting some new features. Multiplayer in Free-to-play games, Looking 4 Groups and Party Chat on Xbox no longer requires an Xbox Live Gold membership as we flight and test these service changes ahead of general availability

— Brad Rossetti (@WorkWombatman) March 24, 2021

This means that when the update comes to all Xbox users, players will no longer need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to create a party chat with their friends, look for a multiplayer group or play free-to-play multiplayer games on Xbox. It's not clear exactly how many games will be compatible with this change, but there are plenty of high-profile free-to-play titles on Xbox like Apex Legends and Destiny 2 that will benefit from this. The news arrives as Xbox has renamed Xbox Live to Xbox Network to "distinguish the underlying service from Xbox Live Gold memberships.” In other Microsoft news, the company is reportedly in talks to purchase Discord for over $10 Billion. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.