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The Xbox One just received a huge helping of party games in the form of the Jackbox Party Pack. The pack contains a collection of five games, all of which can be played from the comfort of your phone or tablet. All players need to do is sign on to game’s website from any internet-capable device and enter the game’s room code, then they can play along with the action on the console. Most games support up to 8 players, expect Lie Swatter, which has a massive 100 player limit.

So what games are in the pack? First and foremost is You Don’t Know Jack 2015, the newest installment of the hit comedy-trivia series. Fibbage XL is a lying-based trivia game that builds on its predecessor, featuring everything from the original release plus over 50% more content. Drawful is a twist on classic drawing games, making good use of the game’s device capabilities by having players draw on their phone. Word Spud has players race to finish unfinished words, complete with adjustable levels of rudeness. Last but not least, Lie Swatter is a true or false trivia game filled with strange and unusual questions.

Jackbox Party Pack is available now for $24.99. Check out some screenshots and the launch trailer after the jump.

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One of my favorite features on the Xbox One has been the ability to pre-order and pre-download games. There is something truly satisfying knowing that your 60GB Halo Master Chief Collection download is ready and waiting for you when the clock strikes just past midnight (even if Matchmaking isn’t). We’ve been requesting this feature for ages (check out some old XBLA Fancasts), specifically with smaller digital titles that sometimes can be forgotten about. It looks like Microsoft is on the right track with this, as Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is now live for pre-order. To make the deal even sweeter, the bundle comes with an exclusive level: “Blood Count” on a Torus-shaped grid with exclusive background. The game will not be live until 7:01 PM EST on November 25, 2014.

Geometry Wars should need no introduction to XBLA Fans. The franchise has been huge for the platform. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved and RE2 ranked 13 on our best XBLA Games of all time. As such, there is obviously a bit of hype for the sequel with Lucid Games at the helm, a successor company to Bizarre Creations. With a ridiculously blatant pun title, Geo Wars 3 breaks away from previous games with the addition of a 3D grid playspace that will feature a few different shapes.

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Never Alone stands at a distinctive place for gaming. Built in partnership with the Alaska Native community, Never Alone attempts to introduce players to the unique culture of the Iñupiat …
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Pure Pool sneakily made onto the Xbox One over the weekend and is available now for $12.99. The beautiful-looking billiards game offers multiple game types and online live matches. …
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If these leaked screenshots are to be believed, we may very well have our first look at Telltale’s upcoming Game of Thrones series. The screens, first discovered by @lifelower, do have that certain Telltale style, so we’re inclined to believe they’re legit (or just really good fakes). While the game is going to focus on the little-known House Forrester, it appears that its members will cross paths with some familiar faces from the show.

Telltale recently revealed the first details of the series, which will span six episodes and follow five playable characters. Game of Thrones is coming later this year, but not before Telltale’s other upcoming series Tales from the Borderlands.

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Telltale Games has proven to be a master of storytelling with numerous successful adaptations of exciting intellectual properties, including two recently released on Xbox One: The Walking Dead Seasons 1 and 2 and The Wolf Among Us. Telltale now looks to expand upon the mythology behind Pandora, the setting for Gearbox Software’s highly successful Borderlands Series, with Tales from the Borderlands. The game will be released for multiple platforms including Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Episodes may be purchased for $4.99 each. After buying the first episode players will have the option of getting a season pass for an additional $14.99 (saving the price of one episode).

The first episode, Zer0 Sum, will be releasing soon. The series will feature some pretty recognizable voice actors: Troy Baker as Rhys, Laura Bailey as Fiona, Chris Hardwick as Vaughn, Erin Yvette as Sasha, Patrick Warburton as Vasquez and Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack. The series will take place after Borderlands 2 with some plot tie-ins to the recently released Borderlands the Pre-sequel.

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Project Totem, the puzzle-platformer from Press Play, has been renamed Kalimba and is coming to Xbox One on December 17, the developer has announced. A new trailer showing the formerly titular totems platforming across various color-coded stages was released alongside the announcement.

Kalimba, which features both single-player and a co-op modes, has players controlling living totems that are stacked on top of each other to form poles. Creative Director Asger Strandby calls the co-op mode a “friendship tester.” XBLA Fans can speak to that point; our preview recounts some of the difficulties the team had in coordinating with each other to overcome the game’s obstacles. Shouting at your co-op partner is an inevitability.

Each totem pole piece is a different color, which is more of a design choice than it is an aesthetic one. Each stage in Kalimba‘s three worlds is filled with colored barriers that can only be passed through by a totem of the same hue. To progress through the game, players need to stack and align their totems so that each one is set to pass through barriers with their corresponding colors. Check the trailer after the jump to see this mechanic in action.

Players start with a limited number of totem pieces, but they’re given more to work with as they move deeper into the game and come closer to rescuing the island of Kalimba from an evil shaman.

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Upload, Microsoft’s curated channel of community videos, can now be watched online at Xbox.com/upload and from the Upload 360 app for Xbox 360. Originally, Upload could be viewed only …
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We’re hiring. Come write (or stream) for us!
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A brand new system update for the Xbox One is rolling out now, packed with plenty of fan-requested features. This will be the last major update this year, following 10 consecutive updates that released throughout 2014. This may be the year’s final update, but more feature-rich updates are planned for 2015.

Customization is a big part of the new update. You’ll now be able to set your background image, using either unlocked achievement art or your own imported images. You’ll also be able to customize your profile, letting you edit and display your location and bio. The brand new showcase feature lets you pick your favorite achievements and game clips and attach them to your profile, letting you show off your accomplishments to the world. If game clips are your thing, you’ll now be able to share them through Twitter if you have an account linked to your Gamertag.

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