Microsoft before and after the Xbox (Shannon Loftis)

This week on Post Games: how did Xbox get here?

Former VP of Xbox Game Studios Shannon Loftis takes us on a guided tour of Microsoft's gaming ambitions, from the days before Windows 95 to Xbox's ambitious bet on the future of entertainment.

• Patreon bonus prologue: The case for having fun

• Act 1: Microsoft’s first tiny team of game makers

• Act 2: Xbox before the acquisitions

• Act 3: News of the week

Act 1: Microsoft’s first tiny team of game makers

• Microsoft completes Activision Blizzard acquisition, Call of Duty now part of Xbox (The Verge)

• Microsoft employees occupy headquarters in protest of Israel contracts (The Verge)

• The past, present, and future of Xbox, according to its head of publishing (The Verge)

• Midtown Madness (1999) Gameplay (FirstPlaysHD on YouTube)

• The History of Windows 95 (AbortRetryFail)

• Age of Empires Review, 1997 (Gamespot)

Act 2: Xbox before the acquisitions

• The story of the Duke, the Xbox pad that existed because it had to (Engadget)

• Fable II UK Review (IGN)

• E3 2009: Project Natal - Reveal Trailer 720p HD (AlphaProtocol360 on YouTube)

• Kinect isn’t dead: Microsoft has unannounced Kinect games in development (The Verge)

• E3 2015 signals the beginning of overdue change for big-budget games (The Verge)

• Microsoft to close Xbox Entertainment Studios, ending original programming plans (Polygon)

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition review, 2018 (Destructoid)

Act 3: News of the week

• Steam, Discord, and Twitch execs called to testify before Congress over 'radicalization' of users (Polygon)

• Florida Suing Porn Game Websites Over Alleged Age-Verification Violations (Aftermath)

• Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor review (PCGamer)

This week in video game links

• It’s 20 Years Since The Release Of One Of The Weirdest Games Of All Time (Kotaku)

• “New Gods, Old Enigmas” - Luis Aguasvivas on Mafia: The Old Country (Bullet Points)

• The Expressionist Games Manifesto (Jay Dragon)

• In the 16 years I've played this series, Borderlands 4 is the first entry that's made me want to do post-game grinding—Gearbox just needs to fix its dang Wildcard Missions first (PCGamer)

• Steam Shooter Keeps Dropping The Price The More People Wishlist It (Kotaku)

• The Garfield Kart 2 review (Werner Herzog's version) (Polygon)

• Round and Round, Like a Carousel – The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- Review (Gamesline)

• Mario Kart World's NPCs are secretly stealing cars in their own game of miniature GTA (Eurogamer)

• What's The Point Of Hard Games, Anyway? (Game Maker's Toolkit)

• The Dead Matrix MMO Makes No Sense (eurothug4000)

Free game of the week: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Demo

I feel like my decade-long love for the Sonic kart racing games is about to be rewarded. The Steam summary: "In the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds – Demo, try out 4 characters, 8 courses (3 main courses + 5 CrossWorlds), 12 different Machines, and customize playstyle with 20 Gadgets. Test out Grand Prix and Time Trial modes, and explore the Garage to personalize your vehicle."

What else I’m enjoying

• CyberWorld (2000) IMAX Trailer (4K Restoration) (Julia scans IMAX)

• Digital De-Aging Is Changing Movies (For The Worse) (Patrick H Willems)

• 30 years later, Hackers is still the perfect hit of ‘90s nostalgia (Polygon)