Grounded Is Now Available With Xbox Game Pass

Thanks for this article. Was wondering why I couldn't see it available when I checked this morning. Not long to wait now.
When it was first revealed I have to say I wasn't too interested, but now it's looking very fun and enjoyable. Can't wait to start later today.

Q) Will you be trying out Grounded with Xbox Game Pass later today?

A) With it's digital emphasis, Game Pass still has no interest for me so the answer is a nope.

I've been confused about the release date for a while, as no one has been mentioning a concrete or even rough release date for the finished version of the game. The Xbox Preview/Early Access release date has been thrown at times as if it was the game's proper release which is confusing.

Anyway, looking over the details mentioned, I feel I'm convinced not to get the game. I love it's style, setting and humour so much but the emphasis on base building and crafting is reminding me too much of boredom filled experience I'm currently suffering through with a Subnautica let's play (my insistence on finishing the games I play on my channel is coming back to bite me). I just don't feel confident in enjoying the gameplay, which is a shame, as the trailers always had a fun feel to it.

@Souldin Genuine Q: why the emphasis on physical releases on the Xbox One?

I could understand why you might want a collection of cartridges on the Switch because of the storage limitations but every disc you buy on the Xbox has to be installed and likely patched as well. You don't save any HDD space by buying a disc and the retail code might also have bugs in that are ironed out later on (See: AC Unity)

Microsoft are probably the best company for long-term support of digital purchases.

This isn't a 'why are you doing that, it's stupid' question, I'm just genuinely curious.

@Souldin I feel kinda bad for you. You’re acting like you don’t actually enjoy playing games but do it as a chore. And if it’s a certain type of games you don’t like, you spend time writing a multi paragraph comment in a website with the purpose of telling everyone why it looks boring and why you don’t like digital games, but contributing nothing to the details or experience of the game being discussed. Spending your time this way must be rough.

@PretendWorking more the “suffering through subnautica” but having to finish it for a channel and judging gameplay of a new game so negatively without ever playing it. I just feel bad for people that fee like they don’t actually enjoy games.

This is a pretty cool use for Game Pass. MS is really going after a lot of companies with the service.

@RadioHedgeFund First off, thank you for asking in a respectable manner. It's natural to be puzzled as to my physical focus given Microsoft's great deal. I suppose I could narrow my decision down to 3 reasons.

1) An enjoyment of physical items - From the feel of the disc to displaying the box on my shelves alongside my other games, there is a simple charm and joy to owning a game physically. An perhaps it's an old school mentality, but I always feel more of a sense of ownership with a physical item that I lack with a digital item.

2) Supporting Retail Stores - I appreciate my nearest GAME store and the retail industry in general (hoping to get a job in retail; perhaps something specific like a tea or stationary shop) and I always like to show my support by buying games physically in-store. I know how little they make from game sales (a £1 disc care earns them more than a £50 game sale) and I avoid both digital and online purchases wherever I can in all walks of life (commissioning artists being the exception).

3) I actually forgot 3... I might have added it into 1 as I covered a broad category with that. I suppose I could count memory as my other reason as I often forget I own games if I don't seem them on my shelves. I'm not all too good with user-faces (or, ironically, technology) and the like so it's quicker and more efficient to pull a game off my shelf and insert it into the system.

@PretendWorking Thanks for the supportive defence; it is appreciated. It's too true that we should each enjoy our games, whatever we play and on whatever platform we play on.

@xMightyMatt14x I shouldn't worry about feeling bad for me; I get plenty of enjoyment out of my games in my spare time and through recording. An even if a let's play for my channel ends up focusing on a game I don't enjoy, that can often be made up by the humorous banter I or my co-host made. I may not have enjoyed playing the likes of say... Mega Man 2 or Legend of Kay, but they did result in an entertaining series of videos to watch afterwards. Subnautica, a game chosen by raffle rather by myself, has also resulted in some hilarious jokes... as dull as playing the game itself is.

I suppose a debate or discussion could be made regarding my philosophy of prioritising purpose in order to justify fun but you seemed to disagree with the length of my previous comment and I feel it would get rather out of hand. For me, a multi paragraph comment is the norm. I rather dislike making short comments; it feels like I never had enough to say to justify a comment in the first place if it's a measly sentence.

What I do find strange is that you seem to take issue with me responding negatively towards the game, ignoring the positives I have mentioned and disregarding the fact that the likes of trailers, previews and news articles like this are meant to inform you on whether a game might be for you or not without having to spend a good £50 to try the game out. I commented because I was on the fence about this game but the reconfirmation of details such as 'crafting' and 'base building' turn me off, details of which this article has highlighted. An ultimately, my negatives are merely personal opinion. Based on what I have learnt, I do not think this game is for me, or at least worth the plunge to test whether it is. Whether the game is bad or not is not what I'm determining here, but whether I feel I would like it.

In effect, is not discussing how the style is likeable but certain elements pointed out in the article a deterrent for me part of contributing to the details or experience of the game being discussed? My experience for what was an unreleased game was a mixture of intrigue and enjoyment based on trailers that dropped off due to revealed elements and direction.

@Souldin

Are you, literally, asking yourself questions & then answering them? 😂

I saw you do this in another article too. Lol.

@xMightyMatt14x

I agree. Why is he/she even here? Lol.

@Souldin I get you man. I mean I understand. Base building and crafting may not be your thing that’s cool. It’s not so much that you didn’t mention positives it’s that I was confused that you did in fact mention a lot of positives and then turned around and immediately said it’s not worth your time to even try.

I probably took my impression of the subnautica comment too far. I apologize for that man. It initially came off to me like for you it was a chore. I get the funny moments thing with the channel. I’m personally not into the streaming world. I don’t stream or watch streaming. Kinda old school in that way. But I get ya now when I think about it.

Again I just in that moment got the impression that despite a lot of positives you listed you wrote it off quickly, which gave me the impression of pessimism towards games.

Probably doesn’t mean anything but I was also having a terrible day earlier as my car broke down and had issues with my kids so I got a little more snippy about it than I intended. So I apologize for that too man.

@KelticDevil thanks for seeing where I was coming from. But I do think I was too harsh here. Bad day lol always appreciate you though Keltic!

@xMightyMatt14x

No problem. 👍🏻

Played this for a couple of hours yesterday with 2 friends and absolutely loved it. Excited for the main release but looks like it will be more like minecraft where they slowly add features until it officially releases.

Definitely found it to be more enjoyable in multiplayer.

@xMightyMatt14x It's cool; no worries. I also may have gone a tad overboard with the length of my comment.

Given I have a minimum wage job and all, I kind of have to be picky about which games I choose. I wouldn't call my view pessimistic, it's more the case that their are so many good games available but I only have the time and money for a few each year (around 12), so it's a case of trying to pick the ones I feel I would most likely end up enjoying.

@KelticDevil Yeah, it's the question at the end of this very article. I like using them as a framing device for my comment and it's polite to answer a question you've been asked.

As for why I'm here, well the Xbox One has ended up becoming my primary system after the Wii U (I have a Switch but haven't been as invested with it; Kirby Star Allies was fantastic though) and I wanted to be involved with a site where I could get the latest news on the system. I found out the other day that Pure Xbox had returned and so booted up my old account. I also like the idea of being able to discuss Xbox games; be it ones I've enjoyed or are curious about.