@OldGamer999 I saw something about that (but haven't done that much research on it) and it makes things even more baffling that the PS5 continues to perform either equal to or better than (by a small margin) the Series X in most scenarios.
It feels like either Microsoft put too much emphasis on expecting that developers "code smarter", the split memory architecture is that much of a detriment, the more cores approach in the GPU vs higher clockspeeds isn't working as they thought, developers really only care about making performance "good enough" on Series X while focusing on PS5, or developers are focusing on Series S optimization so much that Series X isn't get as much attention.
@BacklogBrad I’m with you, I really don’t want this as a first-person game.
I actually think the Uncharted series pacing is great for an Indiana Jones game. What I mean is how well it blends story, exploration/puzzle solving, and action.
I don’t think it would really work as a shooter as Indy doesn’t really do that. He really only shoots when he absolutely has to and mostly dodges and hides and brawls and occasionally uses the whip for utility.
Still I expect some nail-biting chase sequences, religious/occult mysticism, and hopefully some puzzle solving.
Looks like there is another thing that Microsoft needs to look into.
I think the band-aid fix is to simply roll out an update that changes the default behavior to not auto-upload.
A longer-term fix should be to change the behavior of the online content to both allow people to share what they want, but also to shield minors from inappropriate content.
I thought it was only deleting captures that are 90 days old from your Network Storage, not the captures that are saved to your Xbox already (which the system does by default before uploading to network storage).
If that's the case, you don't have to setup a whole external just for captures.
@J_Mo_Money I agree, but it would be nice if we were provided the option to override it sometimes.
Like, in Elden Ring's case, on PlayStation, the PS4 Pro version ran pretty flawlessly at 60fps when played on PS5 - albeit at the expense of "dealing" with the last-gen version.
It would have been nice to have the option on Xbox as well.
The default behavior would be to automatically download the "correct" version but have a context menu option to "Install Legacy Version" for those that perhaps want to use the full horsepower of the Series X|S for X1/X1X versions instead.
Now, this wouldn't be a problem if developers actually focused on a locked 60fps, but here we are.
I bought this on a sale a while ago, glad to see it coming to Game Pass for those who don't own it.
On an off-topic note, did any notice how weird Leon's movement feels in Resident Evil 4?
Compared to RE2 (and RE3) there is almost a weightiness to his movement - like momentum affects changing directions and even the initial steadiness of aim coming from a full sprint to a dead stop. I hate to say Leon is "wobbly", but it sometimes feels that way.
It's kind of a neat addition, but feels almost too real compared to the snappiness of RE2/RE3 Remakes.
I love Double Fine. I like the types of games it produces. The humor in the games always lands with me. Plus, the company just seems like a fun studio to work for and - judging by some of the dev-diary stuff the company has put out - it seems to be well-managed.
I hope that whatever the studio puts out next still has that AA charm only with a AAA budget!
@shoeses Attaching to side quests I think is fine, chances are side quests good world building and have beneficial rewards. Having an achievement for beating the game at a higher difficulty is good as it gives a reason to challenge yourself. But I don't consider those as things to do for the sake of Achievement/Trophy it's more tying them to something in the game that "fits" the game.
Creating collect-a-thons where you have to find 300 baubles of X type and 100 baubles of Y type is terrible! Those are the gaming decisions that make my eyes roll because they feel completely out of place in the game and are clearly there to pad playtime.
@GuyinPA75 I personally feel like Achievements/Trophy stagnated gameplay design choices as developers now add "padding" for the sake of the Achievement/Trophy.
In other words, games are now designed around Trophy/Achievement hunting.
I know some people really like them, but Nintendo has done just fine without them. Nintendo designs everything around the fun of the game and not for the sake of creating a checklist to fill out.
That isn't to say games are dull because of Achievement/Trophies, I just feel like sometimes developers use them as a crutch. Just make the game fun: Achievements/Trophies be damned.
If you are spending that much time zooming in on a throwaway Twitter post to figure out if it's AI created or not and then express your "outrage" on the same platform, I think you should readjust your priorities.
@StonyKL I have no negativity towards PlayStation at all. I don't have a problem with third-person action games either.
I use "cinematic third-person action game" mostly to describe the games that Sony first-party seem to make these days - as well as the types of games that Sony put out when it partners with a third-party. Though maybe I should tack on "melee focused" as well as that narrows things down even further.
I try to generalize to not sound like I am losing interesting in PlayStation as a whole, just the kind of games Sony has been churning out lately.
I still get them and enjoy them, but those games aren't "Day 1" for me lately like some other titles have been.
Sony clearly takes a ton of its gameplay design around film - makes sense given Sony has its own movie studios: it's all about the "summer blockbuster" set pieces and cutscenes.
I'd say Nintendo got the most amount of my interest this year: Metroid Prime Remastered The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Super Mario Bros. Wonder Super Mario RPG
I played and completed God of War Ragnarök on PS5 at the beginning of the year.
On Xbox I played and finished: The Callisto Protocol Star Wars Jedi Survivor Alan Wake 2 Steamworld Build
I dabbled in Redfall, Hi-Fi Rush, and Starfield as well, but never finished any of them.
I started Resident Evil 4 Remake as well as Dead Space Remake, but Alan Wake 2 took precedent and after finishing it, I went back to Control for a bit and then back to Alan Wake 2 when The Final Draft dropped.
Actually, pretty much since Alan Wake 2 came around, I have been sucked back into the Remedy games (even picked up Max Payne Bundle on Steam for like $5 just to round out my Remedy Collection).
I do have Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy XVI, and Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition on my Christmas list this year. I plan to get Final Fantasy VII Rebirth when it comes out.
I'm sure once I get done with that list it will be time to shift focus to some different types of games, again.
@MrList I prefer Xbox for these specific reasons:
Dolby Vision
Free Cloud Saves
Better Backwards Compatibility support
Auto HDR
FPS Boost
Smart Delivery
Quick Resume
Better VRR coverage - though, games with a 60fps target really shouldn't be hitting 48fps (PlayStation's lowest bounds), either!
Seamless Save and Achievement transition between platforms (PC, Xbox One, X|S, Cloud)
I find Dolby Atmos for Headphones works and sounds better than 3D Audio on Sony (despite having 3D Audio properly calibrated for my ear).
I like that Game Pass has games I would never think to play without the exposure (but I don't wait for games to hit Game Pass - I will buy games I want).
As far as "running better" - sure that's been the case many times but not by such a drastic margin that it trumps the other reasons I prefer the Xbox.
Plus, again, the better VRR range irons out those rare issues where VRR dips into the low - mid 40s.
I despise online play and couldn't care less about it.
@F1at8mot0 I feel you. My Christmas list is very PS5 heavy, but that's only because I got all the higher priority games I wanted while the cinematic third-person action titles Sony puts out took a backseat.
It's not that they are bad, just that diversity in my gaming portfolio took precedent - and since my Series X is my primary machine, that's where I played most of my games (except for the Switch exclusives I bought).
I don't find DualSense to be all that interesting and don't understand the hype. Astro's Playroom was a cool showcase, but after that, it just blends into the background like any other controller.
I couldn't see dealing with Adaptive Triggers constantly, though. I feel like that would eventually take a toll on my middle-aged hands if every game I played was on PS5 and used them.
I played Deathloop on both PS5 and Series X, and I never once thought "Man I miss the DualSense" when playing the Xbox version.
@Realist Fair enough. I mean, I do too, but I chose the Series X as my third-party machine.
My PS5 had 55 total hours of play time this whole year and it was all dedicated to God of War Ragnarok.
Only reason it hasn’t “collected dust” is because my house is dusted every other week. 😅
Hopefully, after Christmas and some releases in 2024, it will get a little more love from me! Third-party games (and a few Switch exclusives) took priority over PS5 exclusives this year.
It’s been an awesome year to be a multi-platform gamer, though! 👍
Almost half of the games on Nintendo Switch Top 10 of 2023 can't be played anywhere else. So, I guess Nintendo Switch "has more games"?!
@BaldBelper78 I ignore those comments as I generally read it as "Xbox doesn't have any cinematic third-person action games that only [the person typing the message] am interested in".
Probably about 90% of the games that release per year can be played on at least PS5/Series X/PC where the other 10% may skip a platform or 2.
It's just a stupid argument because, hypothetically speaking, Microsoft could release 10 games (on top of all the third-party releases) in one year and a competitor could release 3 and people would still say that Xbox has no games.
@InterceptorAlpha I’d even tack on that soundtrack for all these games needs to be spot-on!
All these games had something special in their soundtrack - probably as it was necessary to get attention in a crowded arcade room. It would be a shame if that aspect falls flat. I want all these games to make my speakers explode with awesome “arcade” tunes!
I wonder if SEGA will have the classic Offspring tune for Crazy Taxi. 🤔
@NarutosBiggestFan Not to get into a console war rant but:
Demon's Souls (Remake)
The Last of Us Part 1 (Remake)
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered (Re-release)
Spider-Man Remastered (Re-Release)
Death Stranding Directors Cut (Re-release)
Final Fantasy VII Intergrade (Re-release)
Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut (Re-release)
Uncharted Legacy of Thieves (Re-release)
Not to mention almost every single one of those games requires paying $10 more for PS5 version or will need to be bought outright. Final Fantasy VII was the only one with the free upgrade for the base version so you only had to pay for the DLC.
I'm not going to sit and convince you to like Xbox. You have your preference and that's fine. Yes, you will find more cinematic third-person games on Sony's machine (and does an incredible job with them, too). Perhaps Microsoft could make some games like that on top of the other stuff it does.
I do agree that Microsoft puts out a lot of first-person titles - perhaps a little too much.
But every game Microsoft has put out has a single player element to them and almost all have a multiplayer element as well. Whether you enjoy them or not is entire subjective (and clearly you've made the point you don't).
Even Baldur's Gate 3 has a multiplayer element (at least on Series X).
For me, it was the Mistwalker games: Blue Dragon, and more so Lost Odyssey!
Not going to lie, Lost Odyssey had me a little misty at times - especially the Thousand Years of Dreams writings. It was such an amazing game!
I was mostly a PC gamer at this generation, though. Most X360 games on the list I played on PC.
I played Mass Effect on PC as well as Gears of War on PC. Honestly, those weren't good ports.
I had a pretty beefy system back then, too - running dual Radeon 1900 via Crossfire and a pretty good AMD CPU as well - I don't remember how much RAM I was pushing at the time (been too long). But I also assumed everything could run at "Max settings". I have grown so much since then.
Bioshock fared much better and was amazing! Oblivion ran pretty decent, but I couldn't stand the Bethesda RPG formula and lost interest.
All Source games I played on PC as well.
Arkham Asylum I played on my ASUS ROG Gaming laptop (had a GeForce 660, I believe). It also supported PhysX for that game to really amp up the atmosphere.
I have been waiting for Golden Axe to return for a long time.
I really hope it's great and actual care is put into maintaining what made Golden Axe such a classic. The same can be said for the other games.
DotEmu seems to have that magic touch, though, so I hope that studio is involved in some way - even if it's just kind of acting in an advisory role in maintaining the "feel" by modern standards.
@NarutosBiggestFan [Looks at articles within the past few weeks]
Hmm, Alan Wake 2, Lies of P, Metal Gear Solid Collection, Starfield, Skull & Bones, The Finals, Minecraft, Valheim, Avatar, Blade, E3, Game Pass, SEGA Reboots, DOOM 30th Anniversary Celebration, Tekken 8, Hellblade II.
Yup, totally only talk about Halo and Forza here.
I'm not going to bash your preference for cinematic third-person action titles - you like what you like (and I like those games, too). But to say this place only talks about BG3, Halo, and racing games is just straight trolling.
Patch notes for one of the biggest games of the year - especially when there are save file size issues - are kind of an important thing to post.
There is barely any difference with Smooth On vs Off.
Why would anyone want to play in 16:9 Stretched rather than render an actual 16:9?
I hate to complain about a free lunch, but this collection should have been so much more.
I am shocked that M2 handled the Metal Gear Solid port and left it so barebones - especially when previous efforts it's done have been so highly regarded. I kind of wonder if it was Konami's decision to keep it so basic.
@themightyant I was going to say something similar about Arkane Austin and Arkane Lyon being different studios.
Ever since Arkane created the Void Engine, Arkane Lyon has only used it for its games (excluding when it helped MachineGames with development of Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Cyberpilot)
@HonestHick The problem is that Microsoft continues to discuss games too early.
I understand why - Microsoft wants to build hype where it can - but when it doesn't deliver those games in a timely manner, people lose interest.
That being said, I am looking forward to what's to come. I know people have hated on Fable, but I am very interested in that. I hope Hellblade II delivers. I want to see more of Perfect Dark. Clockwork Revolution has piqued my interest. I dug the vibe of South of Midnight. Can't wait to finally see Indiana Jones. I really hope Blade is Microsoft's "Spider-Man". Avowed will hopefully be something special (I have learned that Obsidian is a safe bet for quality).
Sadly, there is pattern emerging here: we know there are games, but we don't have them in hand or even a great idea when we will. Does Everwild even exist anymore?! I daresay we know more about what's to come from Microsoft than we do Sony, but I feel like if Sony does have stuff cooking, we will have those games in hand before the aforementioned list of games are released.
@HonestHick I'll be honest, the only reason I have an Xbox Series X is because I think it has the better feature set for third-party games and better backwards compatibility.
While I really enjoyed Redfall, the only first-party game I can say I loved was Gears series. Even Halo is just a "Meh" for me - and this is coming from someone who has played a few Halo Infinite matches with Phil Spencer.
Psychonauts 2 was fantastic, though.
So, yeah, I am kind of waiting for Microsoft to wow me too. The problem I am seeing with Sony, though, is that it had all the "heavy hitters" come out at the start of the system and it's looking like it's going to be kind of a lull for a while. Third-party exclusives are going to be carrying the console for a while (which is fine as long as they are good).
Game Pass has been great for me though as it has introduced me to smaller titles I may have never bothered to try. Plus, at least I can try first-party games without much risk.
@HonestHick You know what's sad. Microsoft created the GDK to help streaminline development between PC and Xbox.
The problem is, GDK for PC is only for Game Pass PC (where it's simply required for any game on Xbox).
Why do that?!
Perhaps more developers would use it if Game Pass PC wasn't the requirement. Probably also explains why many AAA games don't come to the Microsoft Store.
I mean, you would think that if developers could use a single set of APIs, libraries, and documentation for both PC/Xbox for every game they make, this whole idea of "Xbox not being worth the development effort" would go away as any PC game could be an Xbox game with some optimization passes.
@StonyKL I thought I saw an article somewhere that the Xbox sales were up like over 200% due to recent price drops...maybe I am mistaken - wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.
I wish there was at least a trial somehow. I want to see what the hype is all about, but I also have a love/hate relationship with CRPGs. $70 is too much for a crapshoot.
It really does feel like the whole ABK acquisition put Microsoft in a holding pattern when it comes to marketing and sales because ever since it's been finalized, commercials and sales have been happening.
Could just be a coincidence given the timing of when the acquisition finalized, but even last Holiday season I don't think much was happening on the marketing and sales front.
Not to sound conspiracy theorist, but it also starts to look like Microsoft purposefully held back in order to put itself in a worse position than it could have been just for the sake of using it to strengthen its argument for the acquisition.
I mean, since the sales have been happening, there has been a significant boost in console sales - not enough to overtake Sony, but enough to show that people are interested in the Microsoft ecosystem (for the right price).
Anyways, I hope those who get one enjoy it. I really love all the bells & whistles the console provides.
Maybe I am a “glass half full” kind person because I see these issues as a good thing - despite players being frustrated with it.
Clearly Microsoft has issues with large save files - perhaps it was on oversight, error, or just lack of hindsight to think save file sizes would get “too big” for the system to properly handle 100% of the time.
This game is showing Microsoft that things need to change - especially as games get more and more ambitious in scope. And given reports that Insiders have an update to help address these issues on the Xbox backend, it’s proving to already have a positive change!
Sure it sucks now as gamers are having to suffer for it; but this seems to be the kind of thing that may have only come to light when being played outside of a controlled environment.
Top Played Games:
Alan Wake 2
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
The Callisto Protocol - the fact that my save file got deleted about 4 - 6 hours into the game certainly helped boost this number higher as I had to replay the game.
Top 10% for Hours Played
Top 5% for Gamescore
Top 5% for Achievements Unlocked
Comments 2,062
Re: Poll: Which Games Will Get Release Dates At Xbox Developer Direct?
I think all but Indiana Jones will get a definitive release date.
I have a feeling Indy will shoot for holiday 2024, but has potential to slip into 2025.
Re: Bethesda's Indiana Jones Game Reportedly Set To Launch This Year
Wow, this is actually unexpected if true. I thought for sure this game was a couple years off.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Think Xbox Will Ever Stop Making Consoles?
@OldGamer999 I saw something about that (but haven't done that much research on it) and it makes things even more baffling that the PS5 continues to perform either equal to or better than (by a small margin) the Series X in most scenarios.
It feels like either Microsoft put too much emphasis on expecting that developers "code smarter", the split memory architecture is that much of a detriment, the more cores approach in the GPU vs higher clockspeeds isn't working as they thought, developers really only care about making performance "good enough" on Series X while focusing on PS5, or developers are focusing on Series S optimization so much that Series X isn't get as much attention.
Re: Xbox's New Developer Direct Will Feature First-Look Gameplay From Indiana Jones
@BacklogBrad I’m with you, I really don’t want this as a first-person game.
I actually think the Uncharted series pacing is great for an Indiana Jones game. What I mean is how well it blends story, exploration/puzzle solving, and action.
I don’t think it would really work as a shooter as Indy doesn’t really do that. He really only shoots when he absolutely has to and mostly dodges and hides and brawls and occasionally uses the whip for utility.
Still I expect some nail-biting chase sequences, religious/occult mysticism, and hopefully some puzzle solving.
Re: Xbox's New Developer Direct Will Feature First-Look Gameplay From Indiana Jones
Please be good.
Please be good.
Please be good.
Please be good.
I hope this Developer Direct starts off like the opening of an Indiana Jones film. That would make my day!
Re: Xbox Announces New 'Developer Direct' Event For Next Week
[Cue Indiana Jones theme]
My body is ready!
Re: Xbox Divides Opinion With Controversial Response To Baldur's Gate 3 Bans
Looks like there is another thing that Microsoft needs to look into.
I think the band-aid fix is to simply roll out an update that changes the default behavior to not auto-upload.
A longer-term fix should be to change the behavior of the online content to both allow people to share what they want, but also to shield minors from inappropriate content.
Re: PSA: Xbox Will Begin Deleting Your Uploaded Screenshots & Clips This Week
I thought it was only deleting captures that are 90 days old from your Network Storage, not the captures that are saved to your Xbox already (which the system does by default before uploading to network storage).
If that's the case, you don't have to setup a whole external just for captures.
Re: Final Fantasy 14 Prepares For Xbox Release As Game Surpasses 30 Million Players
Does Bradley Cooper know he's in a video game?! 😅
Re: Larian Studios: Microsoft Team 'Aware' Of Baldur's Gate 3 Xbox Bans
Seems odd that people are getting banned.
I have upload mature screenshots from Alan Wake 2 before and never got hit with any warning or anything.
I guess a dead fat naked man isn't considered obscene. 🤷♂️
Re: One Of The Best Games Of Last Generation Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass This Month
@J_Mo_Money I agree, but it would be nice if we were provided the option to override it sometimes.
Like, in Elden Ring's case, on PlayStation, the PS4 Pro version ran pretty flawlessly at 60fps when played on PS5 - albeit at the expense of "dealing" with the last-gen version.
It would have been nice to have the option on Xbox as well.
The default behavior would be to automatically download the "correct" version but have a context menu option to "Install Legacy Version" for those that perhaps want to use the full horsepower of the Series X|S for X1/X1X versions instead.
Now, this wouldn't be a problem if developers actually focused on a locked 60fps, but here we are.
Re: One Of The Best Games Of Last Generation Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass Next Week
@trev666 It did. Smart Delivery takes care of which version is downloaded.
Re: One Of The Best Games Of Last Generation Is Coming To Xbox Game Pass Next Week
I bought this on a sale a while ago, glad to see it coming to Game Pass for those who don't own it.
On an off-topic note, did any notice how weird Leon's movement feels in Resident Evil 4?
Compared to RE2 (and RE3) there is almost a weightiness to his movement - like momentum affects changing directions and even the initial steadiness of aim coming from a full sprint to a dead stop. I hate to say Leon is "wobbly", but it sometimes feels that way.
It's kind of a neat addition, but feels almost too real compared to the snappiness of RE2/RE3 Remakes.
Re: Mysterious Xbox Project OD Is 'Just As Different' As Any Other Hideo Kojima Game
Looking forward to seeing more on this.
I like his games as at least he's trying to make the experience unique rather than fitting the mass-appeal mold.
I love a good spectacle like many others do, but sometimes a little arthouse is a nice changeup.
Re: Fallout Creator Says They're Helping Out With Xbox's The Outer Worlds 2
In Obsidian we trust!
I feel like they have been doing Bethesda better than Bethesda these days.
Re: Xbox Studio Double Fine Teases 'Cool Things In Store' Ahead Of 25th Anniversary
I love Double Fine. I like the types of games it produces. The humor in the games always lands with me. Plus, the company just seems like a fun studio to work for and - judging by some of the dev-diary stuff the company has put out - it seems to be well-managed.
I hope that whatever the studio puts out next still has that AA charm only with a AAA budget!
Re: 18 Xbox Games Suddenly Receive New Batch Of Easy 1,000G Achievements
@shoeses Attaching to side quests I think is fine, chances are side quests good world building and have beneficial rewards. Having an achievement for beating the game at a higher difficulty is good as it gives a reason to challenge yourself. But I don't consider those as things to do for the sake of Achievement/Trophy it's more tying them to something in the game that "fits" the game.
Creating collect-a-thons where you have to find 300 baubles of X type and 100 baubles of Y type is terrible! Those are the gaming decisions that make my eyes roll because they feel completely out of place in the game and are clearly there to pad playtime.
Re: 18 Xbox Games Suddenly Receive New Batch Of Easy 1,000G Achievements
@GuyinPA75 I personally feel like Achievements/Trophy stagnated gameplay design choices as developers now add "padding" for the sake of the Achievement/Trophy.
In other words, games are now designed around Trophy/Achievement hunting.
I know some people really like them, but Nintendo has done just fine without them. Nintendo designs everything around the fun of the game and not for the sake of creating a checklist to fill out.
That isn't to say games are dull because of Achievement/Trophies, I just feel like sometimes developers use them as a crutch. Just make the game fun: Achievements/Trophies be damned.
Re: Xbox Sparks Fury Over Using AI-Generated Art To Promote Indie Games
If you are spending that much time zooming in on a throwaway Twitter post to figure out if it's AI created or not and then express your "outrage" on the same platform, I think you should readjust your priorities.
Re: Here Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2023 According To Metacritic
@StonyKL I have no negativity towards PlayStation at all. I don't have a problem with third-person action games either.
I use "cinematic third-person action game" mostly to describe the games that Sony first-party seem to make these days - as well as the types of games that Sony put out when it partners with a third-party. Though maybe I should tack on "melee focused" as well as that narrows things down even further.
I try to generalize to not sound like I am losing interesting in PlayStation as a whole, just the kind of games Sony has been churning out lately.
I still get them and enjoy them, but those games aren't "Day 1" for me lately like some other titles have been.
Sony clearly takes a ton of its gameplay design around film - makes sense given Sony has its own movie studios: it's all about the "summer blockbuster" set pieces and cutscenes.
I'd say Nintendo got the most amount of my interest this year:
Metroid Prime Remastered
The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Super Mario RPG
I played and completed God of War Ragnarök on PS5 at the beginning of the year.
On Xbox I played and finished:
The Callisto Protocol
Star Wars Jedi Survivor
Alan Wake 2
Steamworld Build
I dabbled in Redfall, Hi-Fi Rush, and Starfield as well, but never finished any of them.
I started Resident Evil 4 Remake as well as Dead Space Remake, but Alan Wake 2 took precedent and after finishing it, I went back to Control for a bit and then back to Alan Wake 2 when The Final Draft dropped.
Actually, pretty much since Alan Wake 2 came around, I have been sucked back into the Remedy games (even picked up Max Payne Bundle on Steam for like $5 just to round out my Remedy Collection).
I do have Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy XVI, and Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition on my Christmas list this year. I plan to get Final Fantasy VII Rebirth when it comes out.
I'm sure once I get done with that list it will be time to shift focus to some different types of games, again.
Re: Here Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2023 According To Metacritic
@MrList I prefer Xbox for these specific reasons:
Dolby Vision
Free Cloud Saves
Better Backwards Compatibility support
Auto HDR
FPS Boost
Smart Delivery
Quick Resume
Better VRR coverage - though, games with a 60fps target really shouldn't be hitting 48fps (PlayStation's lowest bounds), either!
Seamless Save and Achievement transition between platforms (PC, Xbox One, X|S, Cloud)
I find Dolby Atmos for Headphones works and sounds better than 3D Audio on Sony (despite having 3D Audio properly calibrated for my ear).
I like that Game Pass has games I would never think to play without the exposure (but I don't wait for games to hit Game Pass - I will buy games I want).
As far as "running better" - sure that's been the case many times but not by such a drastic margin that it trumps the other reasons I prefer the Xbox.
Plus, again, the better VRR range irons out those rare issues where VRR dips into the low - mid 40s.
I despise online play and couldn't care less about it.
Re: Here Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2023 According To Metacritic
@F1at8mot0 I feel you. My Christmas list is very PS5 heavy, but that's only because I got all the higher priority games I wanted while the cinematic third-person action titles Sony puts out took a backseat.
It's not that they are bad, just that diversity in my gaming portfolio took precedent - and since my Series X is my primary machine, that's where I played most of my games (except for the Switch exclusives I bought).
I don't find DualSense to be all that interesting and don't understand the hype. Astro's Playroom was a cool showcase, but after that, it just blends into the background like any other controller.
I couldn't see dealing with Adaptive Triggers constantly, though. I feel like that would eventually take a toll on my middle-aged hands if every game I played was on PS5 and used them.
I played Deathloop on both PS5 and Series X, and I never once thought "Man I miss the DualSense" when playing the Xbox version.
Re: Here Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2023 According To Metacritic
@Realist Fair enough. I mean, I do too, but I chose the Series X as my third-party machine.
My PS5 had 55 total hours of play time this whole year and it was all dedicated to God of War Ragnarok.
Only reason it hasn’t “collected dust” is because my house is dusted every other week. 😅
Hopefully, after Christmas and some releases in 2024, it will get a little more love from me! Third-party games (and a few Switch exclusives) took priority over PS5 exclusives this year.
It’s been an awesome year to be a multi-platform gamer, though! 👍
Re: Here Are The Top 10 Xbox Games Of 2023 According To Metacritic
@Realist Same can be said about the PS5 Top 10.
Almost half of the games on Nintendo Switch Top 10 of 2023 can't be played anywhere else. So, I guess Nintendo Switch "has more games"?!
@BaldBelper78 I ignore those comments as I generally read it as "Xbox doesn't have any cinematic third-person action games that only [the person typing the message] am interested in".
Probably about 90% of the games that release per year can be played on at least PS5/Series X/PC where the other 10% may skip a platform or 2.
It's just a stupid argument because, hypothetically speaking, Microsoft could release 10 games (on top of all the third-party releases) in one year and a competitor could release 3 and people would still say that Xbox has no games.
Re: Review: Baldur's Gate 3 - One The Greatest RPGs Of All Time Finally Lands On Xbox Consoles
I wish I had a better history with CRPG as I would jump on this pretty quickly.
I'm just too hesitant to waste $70 on something I might not enjoy.
Re: SEGA Reveals More Details On New Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio & Others
@InterceptorAlpha I’d even tack on that soundtrack for all these games needs to be spot-on!
All these games had something special in their soundtrack - probably as it was necessary to get attention in a crowded arcade room. It would be a shame if that aspect falls flat. I want all these games to make my speakers explode with awesome “arcade” tunes!
I wonder if SEGA will have the classic Offspring tune for Crazy Taxi. 🤔
Re: New Baldur's Gate 3 Update Now Live On Xbox, Here Are The Patch Notes
@NarutosBiggestFan Not to get into a console war rant but:
Demon's Souls (Remake)
The Last of Us Part 1 (Remake)
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered (Re-release)
Spider-Man Remastered (Re-Release)
Death Stranding Directors Cut (Re-release)
Final Fantasy VII Intergrade (Re-release)
Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut (Re-release)
Uncharted Legacy of Thieves (Re-release)
Not to mention almost every single one of those games requires paying $10 more for PS5 version or will need to be bought outright. Final Fantasy VII was the only one with the free upgrade for the base version so you only had to pay for the DLC.
I'm not going to sit and convince you to like Xbox. You have your preference and that's fine. Yes, you will find more cinematic third-person games on Sony's machine (and does an incredible job with them, too). Perhaps Microsoft could make some games like that on top of the other stuff it does.
I do agree that Microsoft puts out a lot of first-person titles - perhaps a little too much.
But every game Microsoft has put out has a single player element to them and almost all have a multiplayer element as well. Whether you enjoy them or not is entire subjective (and clearly you've made the point you don't).
Even Baldur's Gate 3 has a multiplayer element (at least on Series X).
Re: Talking Point: What Was The Greatest Xbox 360 Game Of All Time?
@InterceptorAlpha It is a shame that Mistwalker shifted to mobile games because I really enjoyed all the main console games it released.
As far as I remember, all of the console games it put out were well received by critics and players, but not necessarily commercial success stories.
Re: Talking Point: What Was The Greatest Xbox 360 Game Of All Time?
@CharlieChooChoo Those sequences were written by a famous contemporary Japanese author: Kiyoshi Shigematsu.
Re: Talking Point: What Was The Greatest Xbox 360 Game Of All Time?
@FarmDog08 I'd say it still holds up pretty well when playing it via Backwards Compatibility.
Blue Dragon especially fares a lot better - all the frame issues and screen tear are gone!
AutoHDR adds a nice touch, too.
Re: Talking Point: What Was The Greatest Xbox 360 Game Of All Time?
For me, it was the Mistwalker games: Blue Dragon, and more so Lost Odyssey!
Not going to lie, Lost Odyssey had me a little misty at times - especially the Thousand Years of Dreams writings. It was such an amazing game!
I was mostly a PC gamer at this generation, though. Most X360 games on the list I played on PC.
I played Mass Effect on PC as well as Gears of War on PC. Honestly, those weren't good ports.
I had a pretty beefy system back then, too - running dual Radeon 1900 via Crossfire and a pretty good AMD CPU as well - I don't remember how much RAM I was pushing at the time (been too long). But I also assumed everything could run at "Max settings". I have grown so much since then.
Bioshock fared much better and was amazing! Oblivion ran pretty decent, but I couldn't stand the Bethesda RPG formula and lost interest.
All Source games I played on PC as well.
Arkham Asylum I played on my ASUS ROG Gaming laptop (had a GeForce 660, I believe). It also supported PhysX for that game to really amp up the atmosphere.
Re: SEGA Reveals More Details On New Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio & Others
I have been waiting for Golden Axe to return for a long time.
I really hope it's great and actual care is put into maintaining what made Golden Axe such a classic. The same can be said for the other games.
DotEmu seems to have that magic touch, though, so I hope that studio is involved in some way - even if it's just kind of acting in an advisory role in maintaining the "feel" by modern standards.
Re: New Baldur's Gate 3 Update Now Live On Xbox, Here Are The Patch Notes
@NarutosBiggestFan [Looks at articles within the past few weeks]
Hmm, Alan Wake 2, Lies of P, Metal Gear Solid Collection, Starfield, Skull & Bones, The Finals, Minecraft, Valheim, Avatar, Blade, E3, Game Pass, SEGA Reboots, DOOM 30th Anniversary Celebration, Tekken 8, Hellblade II.
Yup, totally only talk about Halo and Forza here.
I'm not going to bash your preference for cinematic third-person action titles - you like what you like (and I like those games, too). But to say this place only talks about BG3, Halo, and racing games is just straight trolling.
Patch notes for one of the biggest games of the year - especially when there are save file size issues - are kind of an important thing to post.
Re: New Baldur's Gate 3 Update Now Live On Xbox, Here Are The Patch Notes
"Fixed an issue related to lava bubbles near the Sentient Amulet in Grymforge causing savegames to become very large."
One could say it caused the system to...erupt. 😎
....
I'll show myself out.
Re: Metal Gear Solid Collection Update 1.4.0 Is Bringing New Features To Xbox Series X|S
Uhm...okay.
There is barely any difference with Smooth On vs Off.
Why would anyone want to play in 16:9 Stretched rather than render an actual 16:9?
I hate to complain about a free lunch, but this collection should have been so much more.
I am shocked that M2 handled the Metal Gear Solid port and left it so barebones - especially when previous efforts it's done have been so highly regarded. I kind of wonder if it was Konami's decision to keep it so basic.
Re: Fallout 76 Will Continue To Thrive In 2024 As Game Reaches 17 Million Players
Shenandoah isn't too far from me (then, again, neither is Bethesda).
Re: After Redfall, Bethesda Appears To Be Switching Engines Again For Marvel's Blade
@themightyant I was going to say something similar about Arkane Austin and Arkane Lyon being different studios.
Ever since Arkane created the Void Engine, Arkane Lyon has only used it for its games (excluding when it helped MachineGames with development of Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Cyberpilot)
Re: Former Xbox Dev Insomniac Suffers Devastating Leak From Hackers
This is why we can't have nice things!
Re: James McCaffrey, The Voice Of Max Payne, Has Passed Away
WHAT?! Man, not the news I expected to read today.
RIP.
Re: Poll: Three Years On, What Do You Think Of Quick Resume For Xbox Series X|S?
I have gotten so used to not trusting it (had a few lost progress moments in the past) that I forgot it was even a feature.
I still save and close down all my games when I am done playing for the current session. More just a habit than anything at this point.
Re: It's The UK's Turn! Xbox Series X Reduced By Over £100 For Christmas 2023
@HonestHick The problem is that Microsoft continues to discuss games too early.
I understand why - Microsoft wants to build hype where it can - but when it doesn't deliver those games in a timely manner, people lose interest.
That being said, I am looking forward to what's to come. I know people have hated on Fable, but I am very interested in that. I hope Hellblade II delivers. I want to see more of Perfect Dark. Clockwork Revolution has piqued my interest. I dug the vibe of South of Midnight. Can't wait to finally see Indiana Jones. I really hope Blade is Microsoft's "Spider-Man". Avowed will hopefully be something special (I have learned that Obsidian is a safe bet for quality).
Sadly, there is pattern emerging here: we know there are games, but we don't have them in hand or even a great idea when we will. Does Everwild even exist anymore?! I daresay we know more about what's to come from Microsoft than we do Sony, but I feel like if Sony does have stuff cooking, we will have those games in hand before the aforementioned list of games are released.
Re: It's The UK's Turn! Xbox Series X Reduced By Over £100 For Christmas 2023
@HonestHick I'll be honest, the only reason I have an Xbox Series X is because I think it has the better feature set for third-party games and better backwards compatibility.
While I really enjoyed Redfall, the only first-party game I can say I loved was Gears series. Even Halo is just a "Meh" for me - and this is coming from someone who has played a few Halo Infinite matches with Phil Spencer.
Psychonauts 2 was fantastic, though.
So, yeah, I am kind of waiting for Microsoft to wow me too. The problem I am seeing with Sony, though, is that it had all the "heavy hitters" come out at the start of the system and it's looking like it's going to be kind of a lull for a while. Third-party exclusives are going to be carrying the console for a while (which is fine as long as they are good).
Game Pass has been great for me though as it has introduced me to smaller titles I may have never bothered to try. Plus, at least I can try first-party games without much risk.
Re: It's The UK's Turn! Xbox Series X Reduced By Over £100 For Christmas 2023
@HonestHick You know what's sad. Microsoft created the GDK to help streaminline development between PC and Xbox.
The problem is, GDK for PC is only for Game Pass PC (where it's simply required for any game on Xbox).
Why do that?!
Perhaps more developers would use it if Game Pass PC wasn't the requirement. Probably also explains why many AAA games don't come to the Microsoft Store.
I mean, you would think that if developers could use a single set of APIs, libraries, and documentation for both PC/Xbox for every game they make, this whole idea of "Xbox not being worth the development effort" would go away as any PC game could be an Xbox game with some optimization passes.
Re: It's The UK's Turn! Xbox Series X Reduced By Over £100 For Christmas 2023
@StonyKL I thought I saw an article somewhere that the Xbox sales were up like over 200% due to recent price drops...maybe I am mistaken - wouldn't be the first time and won't be the last.
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Dev Says Its New-To-Xbox RPG 'Isn't Going To Be On Game Pass'
...and there is nothing wrong with that at all!
I wish there was at least a trial somehow. I want to see what the hype is all about, but I also have a love/hate relationship with CRPGs. $70 is too much for a crapshoot.
Re: It's The UK's Turn! Xbox Series X Reduced By Over £100 For Christmas 2023
It really does feel like the whole ABK acquisition put Microsoft in a holding pattern when it comes to marketing and sales because ever since it's been finalized, commercials and sales have been happening.
Could just be a coincidence given the timing of when the acquisition finalized, but even last Holiday season I don't think much was happening on the marketing and sales front.
Not to sound conspiracy theorist, but it also starts to look like Microsoft purposefully held back in order to put itself in a worse position than it could have been just for the sake of using it to strengthen its argument for the acquisition.
I mean, since the sales have been happening, there has been a significant boost in console sales - not enough to overtake Sony, but enough to show that people are interested in the Microsoft ecosystem (for the right price).
Anyways, I hope those who get one enjoy it. I really love all the bells & whistles the console provides.
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Update Includes New Xbox Fixes, But Deleted Saves Persist
Maybe I am a “glass half full” kind person because I see these issues as a good thing - despite players being frustrated with it.
Clearly Microsoft has issues with large save files - perhaps it was on oversight, error, or just lack of hindsight to think save file sizes would get “too big” for the system to properly handle 100% of the time.
This game is showing Microsoft that things need to change - especially as games get more and more ambitious in scope. And given reports that Insiders have an update to help address these issues on the Xbox backend, it’s proving to already have a positive change!
Sure it sucks now as gamers are having to suffer for it; but this seems to be the kind of thing that may have only come to light when being played outside of a controlled environment.
Re: Redfall Fans Show Off Their 100+ Hour Playtimes On Xbox In 2023
I always thought it was a great game!
Glad it's starting to get more well-received.
Re: 'Noir-Fueled FPS' Mouse Continues To Impress In Latest Gameplay Footage
This looks amazing! Can't wait!
Re: It's That Time Again! Your Xbox 'Year In Review' 2023 Is Now Available
451 Hours
106 Total Games
507 Total Achievements
Top Played Games:
Alan Wake 2
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
The Callisto Protocol - the fact that my save file got deleted about 4 - 6 hours into the game certainly helped boost this number higher as I had to replay the game.
Top 10% for Hours Played
Top 5% for Gamescore
Top 5% for Achievements Unlocked