I just bought Stalker 2 which should consume a month of free time.
I've got some b/c goodies KOTOR 1&2 and other SW games sitting in the cart. Only need 400 more Reward points and that 25 dollar gift card is mine and I can add MORE to the backlog of shame
@Banjo- "there will be negative previews and reviews, amongst other things because it's not published by Sony or Nintendo"- That line of thinking is remarkably, eye roll inducing , full on tinfoil absurd.
So when PC Gamer throws out a negative Nancy article (or seven), it's because it's not Playstation?????
@abe_hikura I think I reached my breaking point. I've resigned myself to making it a b/c console and 1st party on the cheap machine. It sucks as I really enjoy the interface compared to PS. 3rd party is always cheaper on PS to for physical
This is one of those games that I can't quite enjoy, I don't get it either. It's beyond brilliant, incredible dev magic and engineering but it just didn't hook me.
@Krazee5255 Where oh where do you people come up with such gibberish? Starfield had endless " it's the Sony fans that hate it' claims. I see more irrational Sony fan conspiracies then I do Sony fans screaming worst game ever because " Xbox"
I'm a Sony fan, but if this reviews even decently a I'm buying it right away, I'm stoked for this game
@clvr Also right there worth you on Halo, I was a little caught off guard with how " bland" the campaigns felt. MP isn't my thing anymore so can't touch on that much beloved part. Infinite was a ...wtf... moment. I've envied Xbox for 15 years for having Halo
FH has been a lot of fun I keep almost buying fable, but I'll just wait for the new game.
Excited for Gears E., I enjoyed 4 and I will NEVER forget the original Gears trailer, still perfect
I tried playing it shortly after release and it was a dumpster fire, embarrassing product. Bought it 1 week ago and it's gotten to a pretty stable state after the final patches, kind of fun. Not sure there was a great answer to the Studios going forward Seems like must failed LiveService studios get razed if they fail. Pretty harsh reality
@FarmDog08 Different tastes and all that, but don't sleep on Infinite Warfare, easily one of CODs best campaigns. I can't recommend it enough. Cold War is also pretty darn good. Definitely worth playing
Love my X, but the build quality is kind of x questionable.
Constant Wifi issues, controllers crapping, out after a year of normal use. Randomly doesn't read disc's, and weird issues of tiles not doing what they are supposed to, have to find different ways to open games or tiles.
I think we tend to forget just how small of a minority we are, those of us who frequent gaming sites as one of the regulars noted on PushSquare, we aren't going to really move the money needle Even behemoths like IGN aren't going to sway the casual market that much. Near perfect or not, it was a niche productmuch like Hi-Fi Rush. To top it off, we are absolutely bombarded with games, more choices than anyone can possibly get through
Always enjoyable to come to an article to read honest opinions, on games I don't follow because I'm curious what people thought...... Can't say the eye rolling slap fights are though, all of you doing it are ridiculous
@johndoe89 It really sucks, and as I'm not a dev, I have a hard time understanding why this has become so damn hard. Basically Every Single game is not going to be the same as Day 1 after 6 months. Sure maybe they fix a good portion of it, but most games don't seem to hit their final versions until a year after release.
By that time most of my interest has probably waned, and I might give them 15-20, 2 years later
With Concord there was mention of " positive toxicity culture", where despite some obvious issues no one in house was speaking up. I can't help but wonder if that's an issue at Bethesda right now. 🤔 I didn't hate the game at release, and had it downloaded again hoping this 1 year DLC would be a must play. I tried playing yesterday, and ran into the same POI I've seen on almost every planet, gods the exact same again 🙃
"Can Bethesda even make a good game anymore?" I realize this is only one game, but I think there are concerns, especially with the LENGTHY dev time this game had. There are some game mechanics, that I would factually consider the worst I've ever encountered, the Temples..... how does that make it into a core game design. To actually double down on years and years worth of atrocious UI that everyone and their uncle has complained about since at least Oblivion
I downloaded the game again, excited about them hitting that DLC goodness and....
I'm sorry, but you have to be absolutely irrational if you think an Xbox fan site is intentionally disparaging an Xbox branded game because Sony.
Most of the fan reviews I've seen that think it's brilliant have 350+ hours and adore Starfields base game. Or feel the same way as PJ and are devastated with how lazy it is
I'm just waiting for Xbox to get hacked, and Sony to get hacked for the 3rd or 4th time.
Nintendo is probably safe as there is probably not many alive that want to risk Nintendos lawyers
I don't often buy dlc so maybe I'm out of the loop. Do companies not usually give early access for DLC reviews?
I re-downloaded it so I could get the new rover stuck on top of a building in preparation, but I'm waiting to hear dlc impressions. I don't have much faith in Bethesda anymore
Look I'd like to see MS do really well as much as the next Xbox owner, but some of you really need to dial back expectations. Starfield and Bethesda was supposed to make Gamepass irresistible and it didn't really move the needle. A huge base of CODs fan base are just COD and Live2k/Madden folks who could care less about GP and pay just enough to get online services.
The next console cycle should be a gaming Nerds wonderland.
I'm kind of hopeful that both Sony and MS find a way to provide under the TV powerhouse consoles, deliver SteamDeck levels of " I can't believe how well this runs" in a handheld and further improve remote play. Graphics are already great, let's drive home the perfect gaming experience
I feel like Treyarch has lost their touch when it comes to MP, but if the campaign is as good as Cold War, I might use points to get Ultimate and sneak in Senua too
@KvallyX Well except for some of their skybox renderings name one thing that was exceptional. I can't think of a single example, but I can give you lots of " it was okay"
@AllAroundGamer I havn't purchased a single 3rd party game for Xbox in 2 years because I don't understand what they are doing over there. Stalker 2 might change that, we'll see.... Playstation has at least made an effort, even if they are price gouging every single thing they do. Raising controller prices was absolutely taking the piss
@NEStalgia They have definitely improved it through patches, really is at a great point, put crazy hours into my backlog finally, bright and clear visuals, no pacing issues, or I'm not picking up stutters and jumps. I've got Chiaki/Greenlight running in Deck, I don't have an Oled Deck so Portal screen is a good bit better. Love Greenlight though and that's why I'd love a dedicated handheld from Xbox with a bigger screen
@NEStalgia @HonestHick
??? Stream quality is near perfect on a Portal, it does take some tinkering though, plug and play is not entirely true.
I won't argue the the completely idiotic proprietary Bluetooth though, sheer stupidity ...... but you can always buy a dongle for cheap to make Bluetooth work for wireless
@jikflet If your upload speeds are robust at home, grab a deck or ally and Greenlight it, or buy the play anywhere versions of digital Xbox and download natively. Cherry on the cake is you also get Steam/GoG/Epic stores and can always get a dock to play on the big screen. So so worth it.
If your home upload speeds are above 25/30 mbps it workss really well for a lot of people.
Could also get a travel router for about 40 or 50 which solves a lot of public wifi whitelisting issues
@Banjo- Why not? The PS Portal has been an incredible option. I've got a SteamDeck, and Greenlight works incredible as well. The Portal is lightweight, nice big screen and great image quality. The Deck gets heavy, and can run a bit hot if playing natively, actually bought a Steam dock for it but still haven't used lol. Portal was also 400 less, a dedicated Xbox branded Portal would be freaking great@200 or less
Comments 295
Re: Review: Stalker 2 (Xbox) - GSC Game World's Long-Awaited Sequel Is A Mess
@Banjo- I grabbed a copy for 20 a couple weeks ago. I had a blast, it's in a much much much better place and it ran great.
Definitely recommend playing on a high difficulty, makes it a lot more tense
Edit: Deathloop was such a bizarre divide between reviews and players
Never played it
Re: Talking Point: What Have You Bought In The Xbox Black Friday Sale So Far?
I just bought Stalker 2 which should consume a month of free time.
I've got some b/c goodies KOTOR 1&2 and other SW games sitting in the cart. Only need 400 more Reward points and that 25 dollar gift card is mine and I can add MORE to the backlog of shame
Re: Avowed Third-Person Mode Looks Super Slick In New Xbox Preview Footage
I'm actually cautiously optimistic, except it's the NEW and IMPROVED!! MS and well.....
Re: Avowed Third-Person Mode Looks Super Slick In New Xbox Preview Footage
@Banjo- "there will be negative previews and reviews, amongst other things because it's not published by Sony or Nintendo"- That line of thinking is remarkably, eye roll inducing , full on tinfoil absurd.
So when PC Gamer throws out a negative Nancy article (or seven), it's because it's not Playstation?????
Re: Flight Simulator 2024 Developer Issues 'Sincere' Apology Following Turbulent Release
@16BitHero After this long, they are inept. There is no other explanation
So, so tired of it
Re: Flight Simulator 2024 Developer Issues 'Sincere' Apology Following Turbulent Release
Wow Xbox, just wow.
How in the actual ***** do they keep allowing ***** launches. Holy ***** their Xbox leadership teams are completely inept
Re: Site News: Where's Our Stalker 2 Review?
Damn it, so sick of this. At least GSC has an actual excuse I guess.
Was so excited for this, guess I'll just wait again
Re: Stalker 2: Release Date, Release Times & Download Size On Xbox Game Pass
@DoctorJohnDisco Ha, I did the same. I've got 7 days lined upand have not s started anything new.
I want this to be great so bad, the last minute review embargo has me a little worried though.
I'm burned out on disappointing Xbox heavy hitters showing up limp
Re: Phil Spencer Explains Why 'This Is An Xbox' Will Be Beneficial To Console Owners
@abe_hikura I think I reached my breaking point. I've resigned myself to making it a b/c console and 1st party on the cheap machine. It sucks as I really enjoy the interface compared to PS. 3rd party is always cheaper on PS to for physical
Re: PSA: Our Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Review Will Be Delayed At Launch
This is one of those games that I can't quite enjoy, I don't get it either.
It's beyond brilliant, incredible dev magic and engineering but it just didn't hook me.
Excited to see it in action though
Re: Talking Point: Stalker 2 Is Just Two Weeks Away, Are You Still Hyped For Its Xbox Release?
@Krazee5255 Where oh where do you people come up with such gibberish? Starfield had endless " it's the Sony fans that hate it' claims. I see more irrational Sony fan conspiracies then I do Sony fans screaming worst game ever because
" Xbox"
I'm a Sony fan, but if this reviews even decently a I'm buying it right away, I'm stoked for this game
Re: Xbox Has Two 'BOGOF' Promotions Running Right Now
These BOGO deals on the Xbox store are almost always terrible.
The peoplemust be buying though, because they keep doing it....
Re: Talking Point: Is There A Popular Xbox Franchise You've Struggled To Get Into?
@clvr Also right there worth you on Halo, I was a little caught off guard with how
" bland" the campaigns felt. MP isn't my thing anymore so can't touch on that much beloved part. Infinite was a ...wtf... moment. I've envied Xbox for 15 years for having Halo
FH has been a lot of fun
I keep almost buying fable, but I'll just wait for the new game.
Excited for Gears E., I enjoyed 4 and I will NEVER forget the original Gears trailer, still perfect
Re: Arkane Founder Says Xbox Shutting Austin Studio Was 'Stupid' And 'Not A Good Decision'
@Simplejohn PCGamer loves to whine from soapboxes, but they did call RedFall out during previews
🤷♂️
Re: Arkane Founder Says Xbox Shutting Austin Studio Was 'Stupid' And 'Not A Good Decision'
I tried playing it shortly after release and it was a dumpster fire, embarrassing product.
Bought it 1 week ago and it's gotten to a pretty stable state after the final patches, kind of fun.
Not sure there was a great answer to the Studios going forward
Seems like must failed LiveService studios get razed if they fail. Pretty harsh reality
Re: Hands On: Indiana Jones And The Great Circle - An Xbox Adventure Worth Its Weight In Gold
The PC Gamer preview is not comforting, they also called out Redfall, and sadly were right.
I'm still not sure if this a game I'd enjoy....
Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 So Far?
@DEATH2SONY
That's some high end crazy nonsense you are spouting .😵💫
You might want to take a break from gaming, saying this as a .MH provider.
Step away for awhile
Re: Black Ops 6 Campaign Review (Xbox) - Supernatural Surprises Elevate This Year's Call Of Duty
@FarmDog08 Different tastes and all that, but don't sleep on Infinite Warfare, easily one of CODs best campaigns. I can't recommend it enough.
Cold War is also pretty darn good. Definitely worth playing
Re: Four Years Later, Xbox Series X Is Now Outselling Xbox Series S In The US
Love my X, but the build quality is kind of x questionable.
Constant Wifi issues, controllers crapping, out after a year of normal use. Randomly doesn't read disc's, and weird issues of tiles not doing what they are supposed to, have to find different ways to open games or tiles.
Re: Black Ops 6 'New Zealand Trick' Is Going Viral For This Week's Xbox Launch
@TheGiraffe I, I....... don't get it? Huh?
If this is sarcasm, I don't get it. If this is something faith based, I still don't get it....
Re: Ubisoft's Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Team Reportedly 'Disbanded'
I think we tend to forget just how small of a minority we are, those of us who frequent gaming sites as one of the regulars noted on PushSquare, we aren't going to really move the money needle
Even behemoths like IGN aren't going to sway the casual market that much.
Near perfect or not, it was a niche productmuch like Hi-Fi Rush.
To top it off, we are absolutely bombarded with games, more choices than anyone can possibly get through
Re: Poll: A Year Later, What Do You Think Of Alan Wake 2 Overall?
Always enjoyable to come to an article to read honest opinions, on games I don't follow because I'm curious what people thought......
Can't say the eye rolling slap fights are though, all of you doing it are ridiculous
Re: Stalker 2's Final Previews Are Here, And It Sounds Like An Xbox Game Pass Treat
I am so excited for this game, really looking forward to it.
If it reviews well with no major bugs In heading straight of out to grab it!
Re: Dragon Age: The Veilguard File Size Revealed As Preloads Go Live On Xbox
@johndoe89 It really sucks, and as I'm not a dev, I have a hard time understanding why this has become so damn hard.
Basically Every Single game is not going to be the same as Day 1 after 6 months.
Sure maybe they fix a good portion of it, but most games don't seem to hit their final versions until a year after release.
By that time most of my interest has probably waned, and I might give them 15-20, 2 years later
Just sick of it
Re: Rare Boss To Become New Head Of Xbox Game Studios
@Mrzoomer Absolutely well played😆🫡
Re: Starfield Design Director Defends Shattered Space DLC After Mixed Reviews
With Concord there was mention of
" positive toxicity culture", where despite some obvious issues no one in house was speaking up.
I can't help but wonder if that's an issue at Bethesda right now. 🤔
I didn't hate the game at release, and had it downloaded again hoping this 1 year DLC would be a must play.
I tried playing yesterday, and ran into the same POI I've seen on almost every planet, gods the exact same again 🙃
Re: This Xbox 1TB Expansion Card Is Now Cheaper Than Ever At Amazon
Man the price on these suck. I world really like one, but even with this I'm looking at 134 $. Got WD PS Branded 4TB for 280
Re: Review: Starfield Shattered Space (Xbox) - Bethesda Fumbles A Big Chance To Reignite Starfield's Thrusters
"Can Bethesda even make a good game anymore?"
I realize this is only one game, but I think there are concerns, especially with the LENGTHY dev time this game had.
There are some game mechanics, that I would factually consider the worst I've ever encountered, the Temples..... how does that make it into a core game design. To actually double down on years and years worth of atrocious UI that everyone and their uncle has complained about since at least Oblivion
I downloaded the game again, excited about them hitting that DLC goodness and....
What the hell are they doing.....
Re: Review: Starfield Shattered Space (Xbox) - Bethesda Fumbles A Big Chance To Reignite Starfield's Thrusters
@Syndrome
"No effort to dazzle or convert naysayers"
What? That's been the hope for a lot of DLC's, the whole redemption arc.
Starfield is extremely devisive, and with new, F76, Cyberpunk, NMS, the're were distinct points made to whether it made games worth revisiting.
I really don't get why people insist on living in Echo chambers..... people have differing opinions 🤐
Re: Review: Starfield Shattered Space (Xbox) - Bethesda Fumbles A Big Chance To Reignite Starfield's Thrusters
I'm sorry, but you have to be absolutely irrational if you think an Xbox fan site is intentionally disparaging an Xbox branded game because Sony.
Most of the fan reviews I've seen that think it's brilliant have 350+ hours and adore Starfields base game. Or feel the same way as PJ and are devastated with how lazy it is
Re: Xbox Suffers From Temporary Outage As Microsoft Confirms Server Issues
I'm just waiting for Xbox to get hacked, and Sony to get hacked for the 3rd or 4th time.
Nintendo is probably safe as there is probably not many alive that want to risk Nintendos lawyers
The hacking " seems endless"
Re: Here's What Players Are Saying About Starfield Shattered Space So Far
So far trying to get perspective from fan reviews has been pointless. It's either ,spectacular, or a monumental let down.
Emils truly horrific writing I guess it's a problem again and reskinned guns?
Weird to wait on reviewers for perspective
Re: Talking Point: What Is Your Download Speed On Xbox These Days?
@HonestHick Love my XSX, but the wifi issues were a bit ridiculous
Very regular drops, or needed to restart the X. I wasnt alone either I guess, a lot of complaints.
Crappiest part is remote play when it drops the wifi, so I just went wired. Need a long CAT cord though
Re: Starfield Shattered Space DLC: Release Date, Release Times, Price & Upgrade Details
I don't often buy dlc so maybe I'm out of the loop.
Do companies not usually give early access for DLC reviews?
I re-downloaded it so I could get the new rover stuck on top of a building in preparation, but I'm waiting to hear dlc impressions. I don't have much faith in Bethesda anymore
Re: October 2024's Xbox Game Pass List Is Looking Surprisingly Empty So Far
Look I'd like to see MS do really well as much as the next Xbox owner, but some of you really need to dial back expectations.
Starfield and Bethesda was supposed to make Gamepass irresistible and it didn't really move the needle. A huge base of CODs fan base are just COD and Live2k/Madden folks who could care less about GP and pay just enough to get online services.
Wonderful idea in theory, but I sadly doubt it
Re: Rumour: Blizzard Is Supposedly Working On A New StarCraft Shooter
It does have a glimmer of hope as Dan led some really good projects with Far cry
Re: Rumour: Microsoft To Launch Next-Gen With Series X Successor & Handheld Xbox
The next console cycle should be a gaming Nerds wonderland.
I'm kind of hopeful that both Sony and MS find a way to provide under the TV powerhouse consoles, deliver SteamDeck levels of " I can't believe how well this runs" in a handheld and further improve remote play. Graphics are already great, let's drive home the perfect gaming experience
Re: The Lord Of The Rings Is Getting A New 'Hobbit Life Sim' For Xbox
PC Gamer has a preview of this, and it sounds borderline terrible.
Re: Poll: How Excited Are You For Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 On Xbox Game Pass?
I feel like Treyarch has lost their touch when it comes to MP, but if the campaign is as good as Cold War, I might use points to get Ultimate and sneak in Senua too
Re: Xbox's Sarah Bond Initially 'Clashed' With Phil Spencer When Working Together
Astounding how badly run the Xbox side is......
Thank goodness for 3rd parties and bottomless MS pockets I guess?
Re: Bethesda Veteran Says It Will Be 'Almost Impossible' For ES6 To Meet Expectations
@KvallyX Well except for some of their skybox renderings name one thing that was exceptional.
I can't think of a single example, but I can give you lots of " it was okay"
Re: Bethesda Introduces Its 'Isolated, Handcrafted World' In New Starfield: Shattered Space Deep Dive
@AllAroundGamer I havn't purchased a single 3rd party game for Xbox in 2 years because I don't understand what they are doing over there. Stalker 2 might change that, we'll see....
Playstation has at least made an effort, even if they are price gouging every single thing they do. Raising controller prices was absolutely taking the piss
It's okay to love Xbox and be pissed at em too
Re: Talking Point: What's Your Favourite Xbox Game Of The Year So Far?
I know this won't count, but easily FH4. I've enjoyed the heck out of it.
Re: Xbox Has Begun Including Handhelds In Promotional Images
@NEStalgia They have definitely improved it through patches, really is at a great point, put crazy hours into my backlog finally, bright and clear visuals, no pacing issues, or I'm not picking up stutters and jumps.
I've got Chiaki/Greenlight running in Deck, I don't have an Oled Deck so Portal screen is a good bit better. Love Greenlight though and that's why I'd love a dedicated handheld from Xbox with a bigger screen
Re: Xbox Has Begun Including Handhelds In Promotional Images
@NEStalgia @HonestHick
??? Stream quality is near perfect on a Portal, it does take some tinkering though, plug and play is not entirely true.
I won't argue the the completely idiotic proprietary Bluetooth though, sheer stupidity ...... but you can always buy a dongle for cheap to make Bluetooth work for wireless
Re: Xbox Has Begun Including Handhelds In Promotional Images
@jikflet If your upload speeds are robust at home, grab a deck or ally and Greenlight it, or buy the play anywhere versions of digital Xbox and download natively. Cherry on the cake is you also get Steam/GoG/Epic stores and can always get a dock to play on the big screen. So so worth it.
If your home upload speeds are above 25/30 mbps it workss really well for a lot of people.
Could also get a travel router for about 40 or 50 which solves a lot of public wifi whitelisting issues
Re: Xbox Has Begun Including Handhelds In Promotional Images
@Banjo- Why not? The PS Portal has been an incredible option. I've got a SteamDeck, and Greenlight works incredible as well. The Portal is lightweight, nice big screen and great image quality. The Deck gets heavy, and can run a bit hot if playing natively, actually bought a Steam dock for it but still haven't used lol.
Portal was also 400 less, a dedicated Xbox branded Portal would be freaking great@200 or less
Re: Talking Point: Five Years Later, What Do You Think Of Gears 5 In 2024?
Gears 5 has been on sale a lot, pretty cheap to.
Every time I think about it, I'll take speak at reviews....... They are not kind....
I enjoyed 4s campaign, was fun. Seems like 5 is extremely divisive, hmmmm
Re: Minecraft Movie Gets First Teaser Trailer Ahead Of April 2025 Release
The movie industry is hilariously creatively bankrupt to a degree that's staggering.
Got to love the "creatives" that take a brilliant idea and " make it their own" to disastrous results...
Re: Avowed Gets Massive Uncut Gameplay Demo During Xbox's Final Gamescom Event For 2024
I shouldn't have watched that, it was really discouraging
The " burning spider web",....uh
Oh wow ......... That was massively underwhelming. It didn't look like it was holding 30fps the whole time either.
Why can't this run at 60? Nothing looks like it's resource heavy.
Textures are very average
Particles effects very ho hum
Low enemy numbers
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AT XBOX????.??....????????