Gamer83

Not my kind of game but I'm not a fan of how Sony and MS have doubled down on censorship and it's only Japanese games. At this point I'd like to see devs such as Vanillaware, a studio that makes games I do enjoy, and others that make niche titles shift focus to Switch. Considering what things were like when I was a kid, it's crazy that Nintendo is nowthe least strict when it comes to censorship.

Haven't played a ton of Xbox games this year, but of the ones I did I'd put Streets of Rage 4 at the top. Despite the 26-year wait it delivered exactly what I wanted.

Hope everybody has a fun and safe holiday.

Halo 3 is the best all-around game of these entries though campaign wise I'd say it's second after Reach. Big fan of all the Bungie-made Halo games, ODST included.

Nope, as others have already wrote, the thanks goes to the staff for bringing this website back. I game on systems from all the big 3 and have long been a fan of Nintendo Life and PushSquare and also loved this website going back to when it was known as Kinectaku. It didn't seem right not having an Xbox site in this group as well for a few years.

@LtSarge
Well, to get more on topic than I did with my last comment, I did like Control, especially its story, so I'm interested to see what this lady does with Fable. By the time the game comes out I will no doubt have an Xbox Series X.

@LtSarge
God of War (2018) is in my top 5 favorite PS4 games but the originals were held in way higher regard than Fable ever was that I don't think this is an apt comparison. God War 1, 2 and 3 had review averages of 94, 93 and 92 respectively. The first two sold over 4 million copies, the third over 5 mil. The 2018 game is the most successful with a 94 review average and 12 mil+ sales but this series was always a big hit for Sony. Even the out-sourced God of War: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta received high critical praise (91 and 86) did nearly 4.5 mil combined sales. This was considered among the top character-action series for its time, right there with Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden. As much as I like the 2018 game, I do miss the over-the-top style of the older games.

As for the older Fable games, I actually like them quite a bit, the second being my favorite, but with Bioware and Bethesda being at the top of their games around that time, it was difficult for WRPGs from other companies to compete.

@JayJ
Xbox has handled backwards compatibility one trillion times better than Sony but just to put it out there, I haven't had any problems with Cyberpunk on PS5, in fact on that console it's a mostly smooth running, very enjoyable game and since the patch I've seen people say it's now fun and playable on PS4 Pro. I don't know from personal experience how it plays on Xbox One X so maybe I shouldn't comment on it but what I saw initially was a lot of people not enjoying the PS4 and Xbox One experiences. Maybe 'held back' is the wrong term but I feel CDPR bit off more than it could chew.

End of the day, I'm just disappointed because it's a great game on machines that can handle it and can't help but wonder if being made with PC, PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S consoles in mind would've been better.

@Gaming365247
Yes it does, if Cyberpunk deserves to be pulled. But looking at some tweets I missed earlier it seems it may not have been Sony's decision so who knows what's going on. I deleted my previous comment since my speculation of it being mostly on Sony may be way off.

Always appreciate extra single player campaign content and I love this series, definite buy.

@JayJ
Way to turn it into PlayStation vs. Xbox garbage. The game was clearly held back by 2013 consoles, this is about wanting a better product.

@Tasuki
Perfectly stated and sums up my thoughts on SoR 4. Definitely my Game of the Year on Xbox.

I'm playing the game on PS5 and really like it but there's no question from the videos I've seen it's a disaster on the base last-gen consoles especially. The PS4 and X1 versions should've been cancelled. Would've caused a lot of anger in the short term but the long term damage what be where it's headed now.

@KelticDevil
Yeah, Uncharted 2 is still, undeniably, Naughty Dog's best game.

Love the first game, love Naughty Dog as a studio but honestly didn't think TLoU Part II was Game of the Year. To be fair, in a lot of areas it is an easy 10/10. The shooting mechanics are much improved over Part I and there are some outstanding shootout segments, melee and stealth are excellent, the sound design is terrific, the world building for the expanded lore is tremendous and Naughty Dog absolutely deserves to be applauded for all the accessibility options it offered. The main story, however, has some severe issues that hamper the overall experience because this is such a story-heavy game. Joel acts way out of character for a survivor (people can say what they want, you don't get by in a world like that and then just suddenly go stupid as you get older) and the last handful of chapters suck. The game itself was indicative of Naughty Dog last generation. Flashes of its old brilliance but the studio was at the top of its game in the PS3 era where as PS4 only got three games and the best of them was the spinoff Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

Been playing the game on PS5 and enjoying it but it's clear the smart thing would've been to bite the bullet, cancel the PS4 and Xbox One versions and focus on PC and the now current-gen machines. People would've been ticked off but also would've gotten over it. Now you have, especially on the base PS4 and Xbox One, a game that will be forever ridiculed, which is a shame because it actually is good on the more machines, especially PC.

I like when companies snipe back and forth but at the end of the day, it's just about great gaming experiences. This is an exciting week for the industry and with all the challenges brought this year to get to this point, it's good to see everybody celebrating.

@BlueOcean
343 and Rare have been mismanaged, beyond that I'd say MS isn't as terrible as people act. And hell some independent companies like Bungie and Bioware did their best work either as part of MS, in the case of Bungie, or with MS serving as publisher as was the case for several big Bioware releases.

@abe_hikura
I'd be jumping off the Naughty Dog ship too, and this is from a big PlayStation guy. Isn't the same company.

Nah. Controller S all the way.

More great savings it looks like. Will have to turn on the Xbox later and check this out. MS is doing an awesome job with these lately. The summer sale was insane and I was able to get some real good deals there also.

2 original Xboxes (first one I bought had a disc drive problem so had to be replaced), launch week Xbox 360 Pro, Xbox 360 250GB S, Xbox One. Will get a Series X at some point after launch.

Xbox has done more with Banjo-Kazooie on Nintendo systems than it has with the franchise on its own consoles. Hoping that will change at some point. If Ratchet & Clank PS4 and Crash Bandicoot 4 proves anything it's that there's still life in the 3d platformer genre beyond just Mario.

Great game. I'm only 4 or so hours in but really enjoying it. On track to be my favorite Crash Bandicoot game and at the moment it's on par with Ratchet & Clank 2016 and Super Mario Odyssey as my favorite recent platformers. I really appreciate the QoL changes that cut down on the frustration the original trilogy could cause.

2 is my favorite and I have no problem admitting nostalgia is some of that. It was a huge step up from the first game (which I also love, it was my favorite racer that gen) and it was also one of the first games of this current gen that made me feel like we were finally making that leap from the 360 days. It was the main reason I bought an Xbox One and it lived up to my expectations in every way. I remember playing the demo on the X1 I had bought about 2 weeks prior and being blown away. There's no doubt, FH 3 and 4 are both better games, but the memories I have of 2 are ones I'll never forget.
Rankings:
1. Forza Horizon 2
2. FH 4
3. FH 3
4. FH
All phenomenal games.

Back in 2012 in the last 3 weeks leading up to Vita's launch, I spent around $50 in Taco Bell lunches (which I didn't eat) trying to win the system. Stupid waste of money and I will never do that again.

@KelticDevil
Yeah, that's possible. It took Sony over a decade to convince Ted Price to allow them to acquire Insomniac.

@mousieone
Most of my friends went with PlayStation as well. I went back over to Nintendo until Sept. 9, 1999.

I didn't put in a pre-order, going to wait until Gears 6 or Forza Horizon 5 before getting a Series X, but I did ask around just to see what the situation was and just as with PS5 it seems supply is stupidly low. Congrats to everyone who did manage to lock their pre-order in, and good luck to those who are going to chance it on launch day, hope you get whichever model of the console you want.

@mousieone
I'm guessing you mean the Genesis Mini, which is very cool. Use it a lot more than I expected also. I play Streets of Rage 2, Street Fighter 2 and Contra almost every day. A Dreamcast retro release would be a day one buy, I'd also be down for a 'Sega Saturn Mini.'

I'd prefer Sega keep its independence and just keep signing off the odd exclusive release here and there. It has strong ties with all 3 companies and I don't think MS needs to own everything. Also, even if it's a pipe dream I still hope one day Sega takes another stab at hardware... 'Crazier things have happened.'

@KelticDevil
Yeah, I'm very concerned about Google and Amazon. As bad as people think MS is, and I've also seen people complain about Sony and Nintendo (I've complained about all 3 about different stuff so I'm not innocent in this), they are nothing compared to Google or Amazon and those two companies could easily force their way in. There's also Tencent to be worried about. All that is why I've been saying MS, Sony and even Nintendo which doesn't make a ton of purchases, should lock up close partners if they have them. Sony can't buy entire publishers but Bluepoint and Housemarque? Get 'em now. Nintendo should for sure purchase Next Level Games, who've done a great job on Nintendo IP like Punch-Out!! and Luigi's Mansion, and should aslo consider Mistwalker or Grasshopper or, if possible, go big and get Platinum.

DOOM is the only Bethesda franchise I care about but that's the beauty of this deal for MS. Some people like all the games, some will just like Elder Scrolls, or Fallout or DOOM or Evil Within but regardless, especially if you're an RPG fan, there's something here for you. Huge W for MS.

Seriously, this is an imbecile. I'm convinced at this point all the success PlayStation has had in Europe over the years is in spite of him not because he's some great business person.

I love all of the ones I've played, even Judgment, but I'll go with the first as my favorite. More specifically Ultimate Edition, which cleaned up some technical aspects and added the extra campaign content that wasn't in the original 360 release. I just had my favorite levels and stories and the team building between Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird was great.

How I'd rank the games:
1. Gears of War/GoW: Ultimate Edition
2. Gears of War 3
3. Gears 5
4. Gears of War 4
5. Gears of War 2
6. Gears of War: Judgment

Easily one of my favorite series in modern gaming and I'm very hyped for the next entry. If I don't buy Series S this Holiday season I'll get one the day Gears 6 launches.

As much as I want to hold out for the Series X, I may cave and go this route. That $300 price tag is tantalizing and makes getting in on both next-gen consoles at launch very plausible. In addition, despite preferring physical media, most of my Xbox library has shifted over to digital in large part due to Game Pass.

Getting it on Switch but regardless where anybody plays it, looks like this is going to be one of 2021's best.

@KelticDevil
You hit on the most important aspect here. Despite PS4's massive success, Sony as a whole is not in great shape and certainly is not comparable to MS in terms of what it can take on in $ losses before it makes a gain. If we don't get a PlayStation equivalent to Game Pass it won't be because 'it's not sustainable' it'll be because Sony simply can't afford to take on the financial risk should it not work out.

But $70 and potentially $80 games, even on the digital side, will be sustainable? This guy is a moron and as a hardcore PlayStation fan who wants to see the brand continue to succeed, I have absolutely no clue why Sony thought it was a good idea to turn the entire PlayStation division over to him. He's trashed backwards compatibility, cross-play, cross-generational games, said the company believes in exclusives and has had to back track on all of it. I won't even get started on the ridiculous anti-Japanese dev censorship policy that this idiot put in place. Now he's trashing Game Pass. I guess the good news is, aside from the censorship policy, he's had to reverse course on everything else, so the chances of a PlayStation Game Pass are pretty high.

Based on what was shown... Would've been better off investing money in Housemarque or some other good indie studio. Can't imagine this was a cheap deal and the game looked very meh. Don't see it having as big an impact as Sony hopes, won't do what FF VII did for PS1, especially if it doesn't launch until 2024 or 2025.

Lucked out and got a pre-order in for PS5 at the local game store. But I'm going to do what I do every gen and own multiple consoles. Will add a Series X once Forza Horizon 5 or Gears 6 hits, whichever is first.

If I get the Series X at launch, I'm not sure as nothing really jumps out to me. If I don't get it at launch then either Forza Horizon 5 or Gears 6, whichever comes out first that will be the game I buy the console for.

Still my favorite of all the Halo single player campaigns. I replay it fairly often even to this day.

Immortals, but I'm not overly hyped for any of these games.

@KelticDevil
Agree, it is way, way, WAY past the time for a new Splinter Cell game. At this point, if Ubisoft is done with the series, I wish it'd just say so.

@KelticDevil
Which is why I'm hoping Sony announces the official release date and gives prices and lays out its pre-order plans on this week's show. I want to get in a pre-order for either a PS5 or Series X. I already know MS' plan, if Sony continues to play a game of chicken, I'm going with Xbox first this gen by default.

The Halo Reach Remaster that was released as part of the Master Chief Collection. Hadn't fired that game up in a while but Reach has my favorite of all the campaigns so it was fun to go through that again (and get some more achievements). On Switch I've been playing Streets of Rage 4 pretty much nonstop. Love having that game available to me anywhere I go.

@Bobobiwan
As stupid as Sony has been the last couple years especially, I don't see the company ever doing anything as idiotic as pricing a console at $600 again. I could be wrong but I really don't think this has changed things that much other than maybe Sony decides to bite the bullet an charge $349 rather than $399 for the all-digital PS5. And even if it's only a slight difference $50 is still $50, for just a little more that's 6 months of Game Pass or a brand new game to go along with a Series S for potential new customers.

I've long since stopped trying to assess Ubisoft's shows because I mostly find them meh, but when the games release I usually end up getting 3 or 4. Watch Dogs: Legion is probably the one I'm most interested in. Disappointed by the continued lack of a new Splinter Cell game.

Since Halo has faltered Gears has moved up to become my favorite Xbox series. That alone has me interested in this game but at the same time I have a very love-hate relationship with turn-based games. I've really enjoyed some like the Advance Wars series, Lara Croft Go, Dragon Quest XI but that's about where the list ends.

Series X. I don't have a 4K tv so I was tempted by Series S when I first saw the price, but digital only is a no go for me.