Will be playing a lot of games on my newly purchased Series X, such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Cyberpunk 2077 and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. Gonna be a lovely time!
I'd honestly give it a D. It was overall rather disappointing. There were some good titles here and there, and my highlights were definitely Persona coming to Xbox and Starfield gameplay. But other than that, there was just too much padding. It should've been an hour at most.
@Mince I assume it's because the world Sora is in is the "real world", so the graphics are supposed to be realistic. But once he gets back to his own world they'll become cartoony again.
@Royalblues I really like Sudoku as well, but Picross just has much more depth to stay appealing even after hundreds of hours of playtime.
If you're looking for more Picross experiences, I highly recommend Murder by Numbers on the Switch eShop. It's basically a 15 hour ''Ace Attorney'-like visual novel mixed with Picross puzzles.
Man, all this talk has put me in the mood to play some Picross. Might make a change of plans and buy Sega Picross later today!
@Royalblues I absolutely love the Picross games. I've played through Picross S1-S3 on Switch and I'm looking forward to playing Sega Picross next. It's easily my favourite puzzle game of all time, I can get lost playing it for hours on end. It never gets old.
And if you like the regular Picross mode, wait until you try Colour Picross mode. It's much more comprehensive as you have to take into consideration both numbers and colours of the tiles.
I've become absolutely hooked by Assassin's Creed Origins, it's such a fun game. Coming from Odyssey, it feels a lot more like a traditional AC game. It has both its ups and downs but overall, it's a very refreshing experience.
Will also be playing Mario + Rabbids Donkey Kong Adventure DLC as I've finished the main game and I'm halfway through the DLC. It's fun so far and more varied than the main campaign. In terms of Game Pass, I'll be continuing my playthrough of Tunic as I'm more than halfway through the game and I'll be checking out some more of Guardians of the Galaxy, which is really good so far.
It hasn't even been a month since the The Initiative story broke out and already we have another one about one of the Xbox Game Studios. No wonder it's taken forever for their games to come out.
At this point can we all just agree that Microsoft needs to improve the management of its studios? It's getting a bit ridiculous now.
@Kezelpaso That would be cool but yeah, probably will be tough to convince all the publishers to get on board with it. I also think considering Game Pass is all about adding new games, Ubisoft+ would be a good fit as new Ubisoft titles get added on day one to that service. So that would be in line with what makes Game Pass so appealing compared to PS+.
@antstephenson That would be a great idea as well. I wonder if Microsoft will ever get rid of Xbox Live Gold and make online play free. That way we wouldn't even need Ultimate anymore and they can just add Xbox Cloud Gaming to the base tier. Either way, I do hope that some changes will come in the future to make Game Pass even more appealing.
I'm actually genuinely curious to see if Microsoft will add a third tier after seeing this. But if they do that, I don't think they'll add classic original Xbox and 360 games. I think they'll include e.g. Ubisoft+, which would be more appealing than a tier where you get to play old games.
Sony could be Microsoft's guinea pig as they observe how customers will react to a more expensive third tier.
@Blessed_Koz I stopped playing because I just wanted to try it out when I bought it on Switch. Open world games are rare on that system so I was curious to see how it ran and then it hooked me for ten hours lol. Didn't want to continue playing because I wanted to be in the right mood for it, but it's definitely a game right up my alley. I just love Ubisoft open worlds like Assassin's Creed and Immortals felt very similar to Odyssey in that regard.
New Immortals is very exciting! I haven't finished the first one yet but I played it for maybe 10 hours and it's so good, can't wait to delve back into it. Would love to see them expand upon the world more in the sequel so there's more exploration.
@Casco Exactly my thoughts. Shareholders will grow impatient after waiting 5+ years for this new game, more pressure will be put on the management and once again we'll get a rushed and broken game.
I'm four hours into Tunic and I wholeheartedly agree, it's a masterpiece. I haven't felt this sense of wonder with an indie game since Hollow Knight. Very appealing world to explore, lots of secrets to be found, the music is stellar, the combat is intense and satisfying, and it's so much fun collecting pages to an instruction booklet that resembles a manual of a retro video game. The latter makes the game so unique as it mostly gives you hints through pictures and have you come to the conclusions of what to do yourself.
I highly recommend that everyone plays this game. Definitely my GOTY of 2022.
Even if the reception has been mixed, the gameplay, the visuals and the setting look so unique and intriguing from what I've seen. I'd rather play a unique game like this than the many kinds of games we've already seen so much of time and time again.
Really want to get a month of Game Pass in order to catch up to all these great titles but sadly I have several other games I want to play. The primary game I'll be playing this weekend is Mario + Rabbids on Switch. Been craving a strategy game to play and it's so much fun thus far. I'll be also checking out the new Mario Kart DLC with friends.
I'm also considering starting up a new game this weekend and it's leaning a lot towards Resident Evil 4 on Wii. Haven't playing a Resi game or a horror game for that matter in quite some time now and I just need something with action now in order to strike a good balance with Mario + Rabbids.
@Medic_Alert It doesn't help either that games keep getting larger in general so they won't fit on physical media. In 10 years, games will be hundreds of GBs large and will most likely not see physical releases. Even downloads will be troublesome as you'd have to spend so much time downloading only one game. Cloud is the solution to all of this, which is why I'm so glad that Microsoft is ahead of the competition in this regard. We're simply headed to an online-only future with games whether people like it or not.
@mousieone I genuinely couldn't care less which studios work on passion projects. The point I was making is that Microsoft doesn't manage their studios well in general, so I picked some examples. If you don't like my examples, then feel free to ignore them.
@mousieone Doesn't matter which studios you remove, it's clear to me and a lot of people that Microsoft has a general problem with managing their studios. If they're being lenient with some studios, then I think it's fair to say that they're being lenient with other studios as well.
@Somebody What's the point in letting studios "realise their own visions" if they can't actually execute them? I've taken a course in project management while I was studying business economics and the thing I've learned from that is that ideas (i.e. visions) is only around 10% of the project, if even that. Then you have the other 90% where you need to actually implement the ideas and fulfill your vision. That's the hardest part of a project and this is where it's important to have good leaders and managers to help drive the project forward. Clearly this is the area that Microsoft is lacking in the most. They have to take notes from other studios and see how they are doing things. Could be a good time for them to learn from the ZeniMax studios, maybe have them share their expertise and culture with Xbox Game Studios.
It took over five years for 343 to release Halo Infinite and even then it had issues and lacked features. It's been five years since the latest Forza Motorsport game from Turn10 after having released them every other year. Hellblade II was announced in 2019 and we still don't have a release date from Ninja Theory. Rare doesn't even know what kind of game Everwilds is. Compulsion Games hasn't released a new game since 2018. And now The Initiative is facing issues with its development of Perfect Dark.
Microsoft needs to be more strict with Xbox Game Studios. You need to find a good balance between progression and freedom. They're way too lenient right now with their studios.
Wow I just started playing the first Zero Escape game, what a coincidence. You're basically getting two great visual novels/puzzle games in one package and they're made by the same developer that makes the Danganronpa games. So I highly recommend checking them out, I'm absolutely enjoying the first game so far as it has great characters and fun puzzles to solve, even if the localisation is a bit poor if you ask me.
I played through GTA 3 on my 360 last year and it worked great. I'm planning to do the same with Vice City eventually, although there does seem to be more issues with that game. Regardless, I still have my original Xbox hooked up should I find that some games don't feel good to play at all on 360. But I'd rather play them on 360 in all honesty, I just prefer the 360 controller and it's more convenient to have a system for both original Xbox and 360 games.
Anyway, very good write-up! Really enjoy reading articles like this that look into older Xbox consoles. 360 in particular had a lot of interesting aspects that people have sadly forgotten about, such as backwards compatibility. Other things that I recently remembered from the 360 era are Game Room where you could buy classic Atari 2600, Intellivision etc. games and play them in a customised hub area, and also the developer Twisted Pixel who people seem to have forgotten about but as a I recall was a rather big developer for Microsoft with titles such as Splosion Man, Comic Jumper, The Maw and so on. Maybe you guys could write about these things in the future, would be a nice blast to the past!
I feel like Gran Turismo has always had poor graphics. I played a bit of Gran Turismo 5 on PS3 back in the day and the cars/tracks looked okay but the environment was terrible. People looked absolutely atrocious and the vegetation was like paper cutouts.
Played through Forza Motorsport 6 these past few weeks and it still looks gorgeous. Can't even imagine what the next Forza Motorsport is going to look like.
Great start to this month. Also worth pointing out that Flight Simulator will finally be available to play on Xbox One now through Cloud Gaming. Will definitely be checking it out!
Will be primarily playing Far Cry 4 on PS4 and Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One this weekend as I try to wrap up those games. I'm halfway through FC4 and it's been an absolute blast to play. With FM6, I only have three series left of the career before I'm done with it as well.
I might also throw in some Yo-Kai Watch 2 on 3DS whenever I feel like taking a break from these games.
Will be playing Far Cry 4 on PS4, Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One and No More Heroes on Wii U.
Finished Diablo 3 this week so I'm moving on to playing a new game on PS4. It's been almost a year since I finished Far Cry 3 and I've been in a mood to play another entry so I figured now would be a good time to start FC4 up.
If Cyberpunk comes out optimised on Series X/S today and gets added to Game Pass as well as Cloud Gaming, then I might resubscribe today. Would love to play the best version on my base Xbox One through Cloud Gaming.
@themightyant Yeah, it could happen that they change direction once they have financial security. I just feel like right now, PlatinumGames isn't the same company as they once were. They recently released Sol Cresta, a schmup (which is odd for a Platinum title since they usually make hack 'n' slash games) and it seems to be an incredibly mediocre game: https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/sol-cresta
They're also planning to release Babylon's Fall, which I initially got the impression that it was going to be a great original game from them. But no, it too looks like a generic game and in this case, it's a live service title: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB4-ftJk6vo
It's truly a shame how far they've fallen. Hopefully Bayonetta 3 turns out great though.
I honestly don't know how to feel about PlatinumGames potentially being acquired by Microsoft. On one hand, I love Platinum. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, NieR: Automata, Bayonetta etc. are all phenomenal titles with excellent combat. On the other hand, they've clearly stated that they want to focus more on live service titles in the future and if they want to be acquired by Microsoft simply to get financial aid and preserve their freedom in order to produce said live service titles, then I don't think they should be acquired.
It's obvious though that this is one developer with huge ambitions. Money has always been the primary factor that has hindered them from reaching their potential. The problem is that it feels a bit too late to help them now.
@uptownsoul Well I mean, they did remake the game back in 2010 for the Wii and it played pretty much like a Call of Duty game. It was also released on PS3 and 360 in 2011, but I don't recall many people caring about those versions at the time.
I'm personally more interested in the original experience and as some have pointed out, if it controls like the Perfect Dark remaster then I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Will be playing Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One, Diablo 3 on PS4 and No More Heroes on Wii U. Started recently playing FM6 and it's such a huge improvement over FM5. Really enjoying it so far!
@Somebody I think a lot of people, including me, were expecting that CoD wouldn't be a yearly release anymore after the acquisition is finalised because the Activision studios that work on CoD have so much talent and they're wasting it on Call of Duty. Since the idea of Game Pass is to have all kinds of games on the service in order to appeal to everyone, it would prove beneficial to free up these studios and have them work on other IPs. But that's looking even less likely now.
However, I do want to add that if this is the only way for Microsoft to appease regulators in order for them to continue making more acquisitions of companies that don't have cash cows, then I might be on board with this approach. For example, if Microsoft acquires Sega next, which have IPs that don't generate anywhere near the amount of revenue compared to franchises like CoD, and can fund their dormant IPs, then this could be a good strategy indeed.
This is absolutely because of them wanting to avoid pressure from regulators by confirming they'll release AB games on PlayStation and also Nintendo.
For Xbox gamers, this is not good news. More resources will now be allocated to these versions and it's even less likely that Activision studios will be freed up from only making CoD, because now they need more studios to make games for these platforms. Unless Microsoft is willing to create more studios to make these versions, expect less different and unique games from Activision. Or at least not as many compared to if they were only making games for Xbox and PC.
@RevGaming Because Microsoft didn't really care about making first-party games until they adapted Game Pass as a business model. They had like four first-party studios and relied mostly on third-party titles to keep Xbox going. They even shut down Fable's original developer Lionhead Studios because Fable Legends turned out to be a mess. If they had actually cared about first-party titles, they wouldn't have done that and some people from Microsoft actually stated in the recent Xbox documentary that they regret shutting down Lionhead now that they have Game Pass, which needs more exclusives.
Not to mention they wouldn't have had any studios to work on other games. 343 was making Halo, The Coalition was making Gears, Turn 10 was making Forza, Rare was making Kinect Sports and Lionhead was shut down. Who were going to make those aforementioned games, especially after the 2013 fiasco where barely anyone was buying an Xbox One? Microsoft acquired Playground because of Game Pass and built a new studio "organically" with The Initiative, also because of Game Pass.
At the end of the day, Microsoft wouldn't have bothered making games with different IPs if it weren't for Game Pass. In fact, Xbox probably wouldn't even be around today if it weren't for Game Pass.
@RevGaming Different games doesn't mean niche and average titles. It means games that appeal to different audiences. By appealing to different people, Microsoft will attract all kinds of consumers to their service. Games like Fable, Perfect Dark etc. wouldn't be in the works right now if it weren't for Game Pass making that possible. Now Game Pass will appeal to an audience who likes Fable, who likes Perfect Dark, and in the future to an audience who likes Crash, Spyro, Tony Hawk and/or Guitar Hero. All of those together will bring in a huge amount of subscribers in total. Individually, not as much, but collectively they will make a huge difference in the long run. Microsoft will also earn a lot of good will from fans for focusing on these franchises and that in turn means loyalty, which leads to people staying subscribed.
I mean, I would definitely stay subscribed to Game Pass if the release schedule looked something like this on an average year: Fable in January, Perfect Dark in February, Crash Bandicoot in March, Spyro in April, Hellblade II in May, Tony Hawk in June, Redfall in July, Gears 6 in August, Deathloop in September, Scorn in October, Starfield in November and Stalker 2 in December. It's obviously not going to look like that for the next few years, but if they keep acquiring more studios then it's looking more and more likely that an average year will look like that, maybe five years down the line or something.
The short version is that it's much more likely we'll see different and unique games coming from Microsoft than from Sony and Nintendo in the future because of Microsoft's subscription model. Developers don't have to worry about games selling poorly anymore. As long as the subscriber count for Game Pass keeps rising, they can keep making all kinds of games for Game Pass. Just look at Playground Games who makes Forza Horizon, I would've never guessed that they'd be making a Fable game next. I didn't even think Microsoft cared about the Fable series anymore. Or how about The Initiative, who's making a new Perfect Dark game. When was the last time Microsoft actually cared about a Rare IP? And speaking of which, we got a new Battletoads game in 2020, which a lot of people seem to have forgotten about.
And that's only the beginning. Obviously, it's up to the studios to decide what they want to make and maybe not everyone wants to make something different. But the option is at least there. So it's absolutely not unreasonable to ask for IPs like Guitar Hero or Pitfall to be revived when that's part of Microsoft's strategy.
@RevGaming Let me ask you something: how come Microsoft aren't just making deals with all AAA studios to add their games on Game Pass instead of adding a bunch of indie titles as well? Surely if they have $70 billion to spend on a publisher, they have enough money to add basically all major AAA games on Game Pass and not have all these indie games on there.
The reason is simple: they need variety to appeal to all kinds of consumers. Some people like first-person shooters, some like JRPGs, others like indies. In order for Game Pass to succeed, Microsoft is going to need variety. You can't buy a publisher like Activision Blizzard and only utilise their Activision studios to create Call of Duty every year. Sure they'll get tons of new subscribers in the short run, but in the long run they're going to need all these different games in order to appeal to everyone, not just the CoD audience. Because that's Microsoft's goal, they want everyone to subscribe to Game Pass and not everyone plays Call of Duty.
@Shigurui Exactly. It's not any different than EA Play getting added to Game Pass Ultimate. With the addition of Activision Blizzard games, more people will subscribe to Game Pass but that doesn't necessarily mean that the amount of people who play indie games will go down. It just means that Game Pass will have more subscribers who specifically want games like Call of Duty and who were only going to play CoD anyway.
I do think Microsoft is going to find some way to buy a Japanese company if they really want to and if said company is willing to sell. After all, they want to add as many different games as possible to Game Pass and the major area they're severely lacking in is Japanese games. There's no doubt in my mind that they want to buy a Japanese studio or publisher right now in order to cover that area.
I've said this before, but Sega would definitely be a good fit for Microsoft. Tons of iconic IPs, lots of studios, most importantly ones that make Japanese games but also some PC developers like Relic Entertainment and Creative Assembly (who have worked with Microsoft in the past on Age of Empires IV and Halo Wars 2 respectively). On top of this, Sega isn't doing as well compared to other Japanese publishers like Square Enix and Capcom. Not to mention that they recently exited the arcade business and thus are losing a sizable revenue stream. Considering Microsoft has been acquiring publishers that have had some form of problems (ZeniMax with supposed financial issues; Activision Blizzard with recent scandals) it does make a lot of sense for Microsoft to acquire Sega.
Started playing Diablo 3 on PS4 about a week ago and so far it's been an absolute blast. It's my first time experiencing the series and I'm pleasantly surprised at how addicting it is. It's a very simple game but it has very in-depth progression and customisation systems that keeps you wanting to play more in order to get an awesome build. I highly recommend giving this game a go, especially now that it's fixed on Series X.
I feel like this is going to be a Sea of Thieves situation where the game launched with little content (and in the case of Halo, a poor online component) but over time gets more and more content (and fixes) added to it that it eventually becomes good. I mean, Sea of Thieves is doing very well now but how many people here remember how it started out? Lots of people played it at launch, then people complained about the lack of content among other things and dropped it shortly thereafter. Now I'm seeing tons of people playing it on Xbox and Steam.
Considering it's Halo, I'm sure it'll bounce back up. 343 should just focus on having the online portion as a live service and keep updating it because they still have a lot of work to do and they're clearly not up to the task of making both single-player and multiplayer components at the same time. Because the Halo Infinite campaign was great, but it's clear that multiplayer was more of an afterthought and didn't get as much development time as it needed. So for next Halo, they should make a new campaign but keep the same multiplayer from Infinite.
@themightyant "YOUR assumption is that ALL the games you want to play are included on Game Pass and the equivalents. What about games like Resident Evil Village, THPS 1&2 Assassins Cred, Far Cry etc. Many games don't come to these services."
Are we not talking about the future here? Or did I miss something? Because I'm pretty sure we're talking about how services will be like in the future and if consoles are going away, then where the hell would you be playing these games otherwise?
"Hard disagree. Maybe for enthusiast gamers like you or me that actually make use of the service and play a wide variety of games but the average player doesn't and will want to play a lot of games outside it."
We're talking from a comparative standpoint here. If one person only plays one game on one console today, then the equivalent would be one person playing one game on one service in the future. If I'm playing on Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation consoles today, then my equivalent would be Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation services in the future. Therefore, if I'm spending let's say €1000 this year on Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation games, then the future equivalent would be €10 per service per month, €30 for all three services per month and €360 in total per year. How's that not cheaper? Even if each service was €15 or €20, that would still be cheaper than paying for games the traditional way today (€540 and €720 respectively).
If one person bought a PS5 for a minimum of €500 today and one game per year, let's say FIFA, which is €70 for a PS5 game, that's €570 for the first year and €120 per year in terms of Game Pass. Next year they buy FIFA again for another €70, so the total becomes €640 for console plus games and €240 for Game Pass. Third year €710 and €360 respectively. Fourth year €780 and €480 respectively. Fifth year €850 and €600 respectively. Sixth year €920 and €720 respectively. Seventh year €990 and €840 respectively. Eighth year €1060 and €960 respectively. Ninth year €1130 and €1080 respectively. Tenth year €1200 and €1200 respectively. It will have taken a full decade before that person would reach break-even point. And guess what, 5-6 years after he bought a PS5, PS6 would've come out and that would've added another €500 to his total on top of the yearly fixed cost of €70 per game.
I've given you two examples, one where an enthusiast like us and one where a casual gamer are buying games and consoles today versus subscribing to a service in the future. So yes, it will be cheaper both in the short run and in the long run to pay for subscriptions than for consoles and games if you're looking at it from a comparative standpoint.
@themightyant "A console generation lasts around 7 years. That £450 console cost, while paid upfront, is spread over that time."
That's just your assumption though and not how everyone sees it. I paid €400 for my Xbox One in 2015 and I definitely wouldn't say that I got my return on investment. I barely used it after all, it wasn't until 2020 when I started using Game Pass on it when I finally felt that my purchase was worth it. But there are plenty of other people who spend €500 on a console and only play a few games throughout its life cycle. The advantage with a subscription service is that you're given a very cheap entry point into a gaming ecosystem and from there you can decide what to do next. Keep paying to use it, use another service or just stop subscribing altogether. It's a much more affordable and flexible option than what we have today.
Your comparison isn't exactly fair either. For starters, you're using the most expensive tier of Game Pass as an example instead of the cheapest one. Regular Game Pass is €10, €120 a year and €840 for 7 years.
Let's say that it costs €1200 in total for 10 years. How much have you spent on gaming for the past decade? I highly doubt you've spent only €1200 considering you're a Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation gamer, which means you've bought their systems and their games. Personally, I'd say for the past decade that I've probably spent over €10,000 on gaming, including video games, consoles and accessories. Basically, if I'd only been subscribed to Game Pass during these ten years, I would've only spent 10% of that amount.
"But i'd guess that you are an exception and most people DON'T drop their subscriptions month to month. Not least the business model starts to fail if everyone is doing this."
You do realise that people are subscribing and unsubscribing all the time, which means that those 100 million subscribed to e.g. Netflix this month aren't exactly the same 100 million from last month.
But okay, let's say that you subscribe to 2-3 different services at the same time. Or rather, let's say that you're subscribed to Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Game Pass and you're paying €10 a month to each of their services, i.e. €30 each month. That means you're paying €360 per year. How much do you spend on gaming per year? Because I can definitely tell you that I'm spending a lot more than €360 per year since I play on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo. In other words, it's much cheaper for me to be subscribed to the big three's services than constantly buying their consoles and games individually. Because that's the key difference, with subscription services, consumers will pay LESS and companies will earn MORE because the services will reach more people on multiple platforms instead of one single platform. That's the whole appeal of the subscription model for companies.
No matter how you twist and turn this argument, it's still much cheaper to subscribe to multiple services than paying for consoles and individual games, both in the short run and in the long run.
@themightyant You're referring to their All-access plan, which is one of the many options given to you on how you want to play on Xbox. If you already have a PC or any computer really, you don't need to buy more hardware. In fact, you can just pay €15 and play through your web browser. It's that simple.
I see your point, but at the same time there are tons of TV shows and movies available on numerous services. For example, The Walking Dead is available on HBO Max, Disney+, Netflix in some countries and probably other services as well. Also, if you're the type of person who subscribes to a service one month at a time, then you can easily subscribe to e.g. Netflix one month, then HBO Max the next month, then Disney+ the month after that and so on. All subscription services cost around the same amount anyway (€10) so why wouldn't you be able to just switch services from month to month if you really wanted to watch everything?
And that brings me back to my point about how gaming is more fragmented because if you want to play PlayStation games, you have to fork out at least €500 for the hardware. Then maybe you don't want to play on PS anymore and instead want to play on Nintendo. Then you'll have to cough up €400 just to play Switch games. It's literally cheaper and more convenient with subscription services because they're available on multiple platforms that you already own and they cost about the same each month anyway. Then you get to watch everything you want, that's literally what I'm doing right now. Last year I subscribed to HBO Max and watched through the entire Game of Thrones series. Then I subscribed to Disney+ and watched all the MCU movies. And now I'm subscribed to Netflix and catching up on shows like The Witcher. It's genuinely a great and flexible method to consume media. You have Disney, Marvel and Star Wars in one place; DC, Warner Bros etc. in one place and Netflix and their shows in one place. It can't get more convenient than that.
Regarding your third paragraph, you don't need to be subscribed to multiple services at the same time. One month could be spent on Xbox Game Pass, the next on PlayStation Game Pass and the one after on Nintendo Game Pass.
Regarding your fourth paragraph, I'm kinda confused now. Here you're saying that services share the same content, yet in your second paragraph you argue that there are so much exclusive content on each service. And that's kinda the point, there is enough exclusive content on each service that it makes sense to switch between them every month, even if they share a lot of the same content.
To your last point, do you not think about how much money we spend on video games today? €500 at a minimum for PS5/Series X and €400 for a Switch, almost €1000 for two consoles. Then factor in all the games you pay for individually, ranging from €10 to €60 each. We're spending so much money on video games when we could be paying €10 every month for access to hundreds of titles. €10 each month means that I get to play games for almost four years instead of having to buy a new console for that exact price (€500/€10 per month = 50 months = roughly 4 years). I'll happily subscribe to one of five services each month rather than having to buy multiple consoles and paying for each game individually. Like I said, it's cheaper and more convenient.
@themightyant I want to point out two things. First, the situation we have today in the gaming industry is much worse. The fact that you have to fork out €500 (and even more given scalpers) just to have access to Nintendo's or Sony's games is absurd. It makes much more sense if the big three offered subscription services on PC, mobile devices, smart TVs and so on so that you can avoid this huge upfront cost, not to mention how much you have to pay for each game individually. Gaming is a very expensive hobby, but it doesn't have to be.
Second, TV subscription services are just as fragmented as the gaming business. If you want to play Mario, you have to buy a Switch. If you want to play Uncharted, you have to buy a PlayStation. If you want to play Halo, you have to buy an Xbox or subscribe to Game Pass. Not to mention PC and smartphone exclusives. And the thing is, even if the big three decide to go all in with subscription services, the fragmentation will still remain. That's never going to change, if you want people to choose your product or service, you have to give them incentives. It just makes business sense because it increases the competition and ultimately gives us better products/services.
Yes, Netflix has increased their price and put out less shows. But guess what, I got a mail last year from HBO that they've lowered the price for HBO Max and are also adding more content. Now Netflix will have to do something to counteract that, otherwise they'll lose subscribers not only to HBO but to other companies as well. Houston, we got competition.
Considering they're releasing Babylon's Fall and Bayonetta 3 this year, that would free up resources to restart/resume the work on Scalebound. It definitely makes more sense for the project to be revived with the Microsoft we have today compared to if we still had the same Microsoft from five years ago, i.e. a company that focuses on the sales model rather than the subscription model. With Game Pass, Microsoft wants to get as many exclusives as they can on the service.
Comments 962
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 16-17)
Will be playing a lot of games on my newly purchased Series X, such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Cyberpunk 2077 and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. Gonna be a lovely time!
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Xbox Games Showcase 2022?
I'd honestly give it a D. It was overall rather disappointing. There were some good titles here and there, and my highlights were definitely Persona coming to Xbox and Starfield gameplay. But other than that, there was just too much padding. It should've been an hour at most.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 16-17)
Finished Assassin's Creed Origins last night so I will be playing through both expansions this weekend. Absolutely loving this game!
Will also be playing Picross Sega Edition on Switch whenever I want to just relax.
Re: Kingdom Hearts 4 Announced By Square Enix, Here's A First Look
@Mince I assume it's because the world Sora is in is the "real world", so the graphics are supposed to be realistic. But once he gets back to his own world they'll become cartoony again.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 2-3)
@Royalblues I really like Sudoku as well, but Picross just has much more depth to stay appealing even after hundreds of hours of playtime.
If you're looking for more Picross experiences, I highly recommend Murder by Numbers on the Switch eShop. It's basically a 15 hour ''Ace Attorney'-like visual novel mixed with Picross puzzles.
Man, all this talk has put me in the mood to play some Picross. Might make a change of plans and buy Sega Picross later today!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 2-3)
@Royalblues I absolutely love the Picross games. I've played through Picross S1-S3 on Switch and I'm looking forward to playing Sega Picross next. It's easily my favourite puzzle game of all time, I can get lost playing it for hours on end. It never gets old.
And if you like the regular Picross mode, wait until you try Colour Picross mode. It's much more comprehensive as you have to take into consideration both numbers and colours of the tiles.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 2-3)
I've become absolutely hooked by Assassin's Creed Origins, it's such a fun game. Coming from Odyssey, it feels a lot more like a traditional AC game. It has both its ups and downs but overall, it's a very refreshing experience.
Will also be playing Mario + Rabbids Donkey Kong Adventure DLC as I've finished the main game and I'm halfway through the DLC. It's fun so far and more varied than the main campaign. In terms of Game Pass, I'll be continuing my playthrough of Tunic as I'm more than halfway through the game and I'll be checking out some more of Guardians of the Galaxy, which is really good so far.
Re: Damning Report Takes Aim At Xbox's State Of Decay 3 Studio
It hasn't even been a month since the The Initiative story broke out and already we have another one about one of the Xbox Game Studios. No wonder it's taken forever for their games to come out.
At this point can we all just agree that Microsoft needs to improve the management of its studios? It's getting a bit ridiculous now.
Re: Here's How PlayStation's New Services Compare To Xbox Game Pass
@Kezelpaso That would be cool but yeah, probably will be tough to convince all the publishers to get on board with it. I also think considering Game Pass is all about adding new games, Ubisoft+ would be a good fit as new Ubisoft titles get added on day one to that service. So that would be in line with what makes Game Pass so appealing compared to PS+.
@antstephenson That would be a great idea as well. I wonder if Microsoft will ever get rid of Xbox Live Gold and make online play free. That way we wouldn't even need Ultimate anymore and they can just add Xbox Cloud Gaming to the base tier. Either way, I do hope that some changes will come in the future to make Game Pass even more appealing.
Re: Here's How PlayStation's New Services Compare To Xbox Game Pass
I'm actually genuinely curious to see if Microsoft will add a third tier after seeing this. But if they do that, I don't think they'll add classic original Xbox and 360 games. I think they'll include e.g. Ubisoft+, which would be more appealing than a tier where you get to play old games.
Sony could be Microsoft's guinea pig as they observe how customers will react to a more expensive third tier.
Re: Deliver Us The Moon Sequel Is A 'Narrative-Rich Adventure' To Mars
Deliver Us The Moon was absolutely phenomenal and I can't wait to play the sequel!
Re: Multiple Unannounced Ubisoft Games Revealed In Huge New Report
@Blessed_Koz I stopped playing because I just wanted to try it out when I bought it on Switch. Open world games are rare on that system so I was curious to see how it ran and then it hooked me for ten hours lol. Didn't want to continue playing because I wanted to be in the right mood for it, but it's definitely a game right up my alley. I just love Ubisoft open worlds like Assassin's Creed and Immortals felt very similar to Odyssey in that regard.
Re: Multiple Unannounced Ubisoft Games Revealed In Huge New Report
New Immortals is very exciting! I haven't finished the first one yet but I played it for maybe 10 hours and it's so good, can't wait to delve back into it. Would love to see them expand upon the world more in the sequel so there's more exploration.
Re: The Witcher 4 Announced By CD Projekt Red
@Casco Exactly my thoughts. Shareholders will grow impatient after waiting 5+ years for this new game, more pressure will be put on the management and once again we'll get a rushed and broken game.
Re: Xbox Exec Describes Game Pass Hit Tunic As A 'Masterpiece'
I'm four hours into Tunic and I wholeheartedly agree, it's a masterpiece. I haven't felt this sense of wonder with an indie game since Hollow Knight. Very appealing world to explore, lots of secrets to be found, the music is stellar, the combat is intense and satisfying, and it's so much fun collecting pages to an instruction booklet that resembles a manual of a retro video game. The latter makes the game so unique as it mostly gives you hints through pictures and have you come to the conclusions of what to do yourself.
I highly recommend that everyone plays this game. Definitely my GOTY of 2022.
Re: Xbox Game Studios' Ghostwire Tokyo Is A Mixed Bag On PS5
Even if the reception has been mixed, the gameplay, the visuals and the setting look so unique and intriguing from what I've seen. I'd rather play a unique game like this than the many kinds of games we've already seen so much of time and time again.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (March 19-20)
Really want to get a month of Game Pass in order to catch up to all these great titles but sadly I have several other games I want to play. The primary game I'll be playing this weekend is Mario + Rabbids on Switch. Been craving a strategy game to play and it's so much fun thus far. I'll be also checking out the new Mario Kart DLC with friends.
I'm also considering starting up a new game this weekend and it's leaning a lot towards Resident Evil 4 on Wii. Haven't playing a Resi game or a horror game for that matter in quite some time now and I just need something with action now in order to strike a good balance with Mario + Rabbids.
Re: Gran Turismo 7 Drama Leads To 'Always-Online' Xbox And PlayStation Debate
@Medic_Alert It doesn't help either that games keep getting larger in general so they won't fit on physical media. In 10 years, games will be hundreds of GBs large and will most likely not see physical releases. Even downloads will be troublesome as you'd have to spend so much time downloading only one game. Cloud is the solution to all of this, which is why I'm so glad that Microsoft is ahead of the competition in this regard. We're simply headed to an online-only future with games whether people like it or not.
Re: Diablo II: Resurrected Gets Lengthy Free Trial On Xbox
I'd just wait until it gets added to Game Pass along with other Activision Blizzard games.
Re: Perfect Dark Developer The Initiative Is Reportedly Struggling With Staff
@mousieone Alright, I think we're done here. I'll be blocking you now.
Re: Perfect Dark Developer The Initiative Is Reportedly Struggling With Staff
@mousieone I genuinely couldn't care less which studios work on passion projects. The point I was making is that Microsoft doesn't manage their studios well in general, so I picked some examples. If you don't like my examples, then feel free to ignore them.
Re: Perfect Dark Developer The Initiative Is Reportedly Struggling With Staff
@mousieone Doesn't matter which studios you remove, it's clear to me and a lot of people that Microsoft has a general problem with managing their studios. If they're being lenient with some studios, then I think it's fair to say that they're being lenient with other studios as well.
Re: Perfect Dark Developer The Initiative Is Reportedly Struggling With Staff
@Somebody What's the point in letting studios "realise their own visions" if they can't actually execute them? I've taken a course in project management while I was studying business economics and the thing I've learned from that is that ideas (i.e. visions) is only around 10% of the project, if even that. Then you have the other 90% where you need to actually implement the ideas and fulfill your vision. That's the hardest part of a project and this is where it's important to have good leaders and managers to help drive the project forward. Clearly this is the area that Microsoft is lacking in the most. They have to take notes from other studios and see how they are doing things. Could be a good time for them to learn from the ZeniMax studios, maybe have them share their expertise and culture with Xbox Game Studios.
Re: Perfect Dark Developer The Initiative Is Reportedly Struggling With Staff
It took over five years for 343 to release Halo Infinite and even then it had issues and lacked features. It's been five years since the latest Forza Motorsport game from Turn10 after having released them every other year. Hellblade II was announced in 2019 and we still don't have a release date from Ninja Theory. Rare doesn't even know what kind of game Everwilds is. Compulsion Games hasn't released a new game since 2018. And now The Initiative is facing issues with its development of Perfect Dark.
Microsoft needs to be more strict with Xbox Game Studios. You need to find a good balance between progression and freedom. They're way too lenient right now with their studios.
Re: Rumour: These Nine Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (March 15-31)
Wow I just started playing the first Zero Escape game, what a coincidence. You're basically getting two great visual novels/puzzle games in one package and they're made by the same developer that makes the Danganronpa games. So I highly recommend checking them out, I'm absolutely enjoying the first game so far as it has great characters and fun puzzles to solve, even if the localisation is a bit poor if you ask me.
Re: Soapbox: Backwards Compatibility On Xbox 360 Isn't Perfect, But I Love It
I played through GTA 3 on my 360 last year and it worked great. I'm planning to do the same with Vice City eventually, although there does seem to be more issues with that game. Regardless, I still have my original Xbox hooked up should I find that some games don't feel good to play at all on 360. But I'd rather play them on 360 in all honesty, I just prefer the 360 controller and it's more convenient to have a system for both original Xbox and 360 games.
Anyway, very good write-up! Really enjoy reading articles like this that look into older Xbox consoles. 360 in particular had a lot of interesting aspects that people have sadly forgotten about, such as backwards compatibility. Other things that I recently remembered from the 360 era are Game Room where you could buy classic Atari 2600, Intellivision etc. games and play them in a customised hub area, and also the developer Twisted Pixel who people seem to have forgotten about but as a I recall was a rather big developer for Microsoft with titles such as Splosion Man, Comic Jumper, The Maw and so on. Maybe you guys could write about these things in the future, would be a nice blast to the past!
Re: Forza Motorsport 7 Is Already Being Compared To Gran Turismo 7
I feel like Gran Turismo has always had poor graphics. I played a bit of Gran Turismo 5 on PS3 back in the day and the cars/tracks looked okay but the environment was terrible. People looked absolutely atrocious and the vegetation was like paper cutouts.
Played through Forza Motorsport 6 these past few weeks and it still looks gorgeous. Can't even imagine what the next Forza Motorsport is going to look like.
Re: These Seven Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (March 1-10)
Great start to this month. Also worth pointing out that Flight Simulator will finally be available to play on Xbox One now through Cloud Gaming. Will definitely be checking it out!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 26-27)
Will be primarily playing Far Cry 4 on PS4 and Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One this weekend as I try to wrap up those games. I'm halfway through FC4 and it's been an absolute blast to play. With FM6, I only have three series left of the career before I'm done with it as well.
I might also throw in some Yo-Kai Watch 2 on 3DS whenever I feel like taking a break from these games.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 19-20)
Will be playing Far Cry 4 on PS4, Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One and No More Heroes on Wii U.
Finished Diablo 3 this week so I'm moving on to playing a new game on PS4. It's been almost a year since I finished Far Cry 3 and I've been in a mood to play another entry so I figured now would be a good time to start FC4 up.
Re: Sit Tight, Cyberpunk 2077 Might Be Coming To Xbox Game Pass Today
If Cyberpunk comes out optimised on Series X/S today and gets added to Game Pass as well as Cloud Gaming, then I might resubscribe today. Would love to play the best version on my base Xbox One through Cloud Gaming.
Re: PlatinumGames Appears To Hint At Interest In Xbox Acquisition
@themightyant Yeah, it could happen that they change direction once they have financial security. I just feel like right now, PlatinumGames isn't the same company as they once were. They recently released Sol Cresta, a schmup (which is odd for a Platinum title since they usually make hack 'n' slash games) and it seems to be an incredibly mediocre game: https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/sol-cresta
They're also planning to release Babylon's Fall, which I initially got the impression that it was going to be a great original game from them. But no, it too looks like a generic game and in this case, it's a live service title: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB4-ftJk6vo
It's truly a shame how far they've fallen. Hopefully Bayonetta 3 turns out great though.
Re: PlatinumGames Appears To Hint At Interest In Xbox Acquisition
I honestly don't know how to feel about PlatinumGames potentially being acquired by Microsoft. On one hand, I love Platinum. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, NieR: Automata, Bayonetta etc. are all phenomenal titles with excellent combat. On the other hand, they've clearly stated that they want to focus more on live service titles in the future and if they want to be acquired by Microsoft simply to get financial aid and preserve their freedom in order to produce said live service titles, then I don't think they should be acquired.
It's obvious though that this is one developer with huge ambitions. Money has always been the primary factor that has hindered them from reaching their potential. The problem is that it feels a bit too late to help them now.
Re: Rumour: GoldenEye 007 Remaster For Xbox Set To Be Revealed Soon
@uptownsoul Well I mean, they did remake the game back in 2010 for the Wii and it played pretty much like a Call of Duty game. It was also released on PS3 and 360 in 2011, but I don't recall many people caring about those versions at the time.
I'm personally more interested in the original experience and as some have pointed out, if it controls like the Perfect Dark remaster then I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 12-13)
Will be playing Forza Motorsport 6 on Xbox One, Diablo 3 on PS4 and No More Heroes on Wii U. Started recently playing FM6 and it's such a huge improvement over FM5. Really enjoying it so far!
Re: Microsoft Wants To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo Switch
@Somebody I think a lot of people, including me, were expecting that CoD wouldn't be a yearly release anymore after the acquisition is finalised because the Activision studios that work on CoD have so much talent and they're wasting it on Call of Duty. Since the idea of Game Pass is to have all kinds of games on the service in order to appeal to everyone, it would prove beneficial to free up these studios and have them work on other IPs. But that's looking even less likely now.
However, I do want to add that if this is the only way for Microsoft to appease regulators in order for them to continue making more acquisitions of companies that don't have cash cows, then I might be on board with this approach. For example, if Microsoft acquires Sega next, which have IPs that don't generate anywhere near the amount of revenue compared to franchises like CoD, and can fund their dormant IPs, then this could be a good strategy indeed.
Re: Microsoft Wants To Bring Call Of Duty To Nintendo Switch
This is absolutely because of them wanting to avoid pressure from regulators by confirming they'll release AB games on PlayStation and also Nintendo.
For Xbox gamers, this is not good news. More resources will now be allocated to these versions and it's even less likely that Activision studios will be freed up from only making CoD, because now they need more studios to make games for these platforms. Unless Microsoft is willing to create more studios to make these versions, expect less different and unique games from Activision. Or at least not as many compared to if they were only making games for Xbox and PC.
Re: Indie Devs Worry About What The Activision Deal Means For Xbox Game Pass
@RevGaming Because Microsoft didn't really care about making first-party games until they adapted Game Pass as a business model. They had like four first-party studios and relied mostly on third-party titles to keep Xbox going. They even shut down Fable's original developer Lionhead Studios because Fable Legends turned out to be a mess. If they had actually cared about first-party titles, they wouldn't have done that and some people from Microsoft actually stated in the recent Xbox documentary that they regret shutting down Lionhead now that they have Game Pass, which needs more exclusives.
Not to mention they wouldn't have had any studios to work on other games. 343 was making Halo, The Coalition was making Gears, Turn 10 was making Forza, Rare was making Kinect Sports and Lionhead was shut down. Who were going to make those aforementioned games, especially after the 2013 fiasco where barely anyone was buying an Xbox One? Microsoft acquired Playground because of Game Pass and built a new studio "organically" with The Initiative, also because of Game Pass.
At the end of the day, Microsoft wouldn't have bothered making games with different IPs if it weren't for Game Pass. In fact, Xbox probably wouldn't even be around today if it weren't for Game Pass.
Re: Indie Devs Worry About What The Activision Deal Means For Xbox Game Pass
@RevGaming Different games doesn't mean niche and average titles. It means games that appeal to different audiences. By appealing to different people, Microsoft will attract all kinds of consumers to their service. Games like Fable, Perfect Dark etc. wouldn't be in the works right now if it weren't for Game Pass making that possible. Now Game Pass will appeal to an audience who likes Fable, who likes Perfect Dark, and in the future to an audience who likes Crash, Spyro, Tony Hawk and/or Guitar Hero. All of those together will bring in a huge amount of subscribers in total. Individually, not as much, but collectively they will make a huge difference in the long run. Microsoft will also earn a lot of good will from fans for focusing on these franchises and that in turn means loyalty, which leads to people staying subscribed.
I mean, I would definitely stay subscribed to Game Pass if the release schedule looked something like this on an average year: Fable in January, Perfect Dark in February, Crash Bandicoot in March, Spyro in April, Hellblade II in May, Tony Hawk in June, Redfall in July, Gears 6 in August, Deathloop in September, Scorn in October, Starfield in November and Stalker 2 in December. It's obviously not going to look like that for the next few years, but if they keep acquiring more studios then it's looking more and more likely that an average year will look like that, maybe five years down the line or something.
Re: Indie Devs Worry About What The Activision Deal Means For Xbox Game Pass
@RevGaming "It's like saying Sony will bring back Jak n daxter and Sly Cooper and Nintendo is bringing Star Fox and F-Zero."
It's not the same thing at all though because both Sony and Nintendo still heavily use the sales model while Microsoft is more focused on the subscription model, which opens up more possibilities for developers. This is actually something that I've been arguing about on the forums, here's a link if you wish to read my arguments in full and maybe even post a response: https://www.purexbox.com/forums/px_other_gaming/do_you_think_the_sales_model_and_rising_budgets_are_killing_creativity_in_the_gaming_industry
The short version is that it's much more likely we'll see different and unique games coming from Microsoft than from Sony and Nintendo in the future because of Microsoft's subscription model. Developers don't have to worry about games selling poorly anymore. As long as the subscriber count for Game Pass keeps rising, they can keep making all kinds of games for Game Pass. Just look at Playground Games who makes Forza Horizon, I would've never guessed that they'd be making a Fable game next. I didn't even think Microsoft cared about the Fable series anymore. Or how about The Initiative, who's making a new Perfect Dark game. When was the last time Microsoft actually cared about a Rare IP? And speaking of which, we got a new Battletoads game in 2020, which a lot of people seem to have forgotten about.
And that's only the beginning. Obviously, it's up to the studios to decide what they want to make and maybe not everyone wants to make something different. But the option is at least there. So it's absolutely not unreasonable to ask for IPs like Guitar Hero or Pitfall to be revived when that's part of Microsoft's strategy.
Re: Indie Devs Worry About What The Activision Deal Means For Xbox Game Pass
@RevGaming Let me ask you something: how come Microsoft aren't just making deals with all AAA studios to add their games on Game Pass instead of adding a bunch of indie titles as well? Surely if they have $70 billion to spend on a publisher, they have enough money to add basically all major AAA games on Game Pass and not have all these indie games on there.
The reason is simple: they need variety to appeal to all kinds of consumers. Some people like first-person shooters, some like JRPGs, others like indies. In order for Game Pass to succeed, Microsoft is going to need variety. You can't buy a publisher like Activision Blizzard and only utilise their Activision studios to create Call of Duty every year. Sure they'll get tons of new subscribers in the short run, but in the long run they're going to need all these different games in order to appeal to everyone, not just the CoD audience. Because that's Microsoft's goal, they want everyone to subscribe to Game Pass and not everyone plays Call of Duty.
Re: Indie Devs Worry About What The Activision Deal Means For Xbox Game Pass
@Shigurui Exactly. It's not any different than EA Play getting added to Game Pass Ultimate. With the addition of Activision Blizzard games, more people will subscribe to Game Pass but that doesn't necessarily mean that the amount of people who play indie games will go down. It just means that Game Pass will have more subscribers who specifically want games like Call of Duty and who were only going to play CoD anyway.
Re: Xbox 'Unlikely' To Buy Major Japanese Studios, Says Former Edge Mag Editor
I do think Microsoft is going to find some way to buy a Japanese company if they really want to and if said company is willing to sell. After all, they want to add as many different games as possible to Game Pass and the major area they're severely lacking in is Japanese games. There's no doubt in my mind that they want to buy a Japanese studio or publisher right now in order to cover that area.
I've said this before, but Sega would definitely be a good fit for Microsoft. Tons of iconic IPs, lots of studios, most importantly ones that make Japanese games but also some PC developers like Relic Entertainment and Creative Assembly (who have worked with Microsoft in the past on Age of Empires IV and Halo Wars 2 respectively). On top of this, Sega isn't doing as well compared to other Japanese publishers like Square Enix and Capcom. Not to mention that they recently exited the arcade business and thus are losing a sizable revenue stream. Considering Microsoft has been acquiring publishers that have had some form of problems (ZeniMax with supposed financial issues; Activision Blizzard with recent scandals) it does make a lot of sense for Microsoft to acquire Sega.
Re: Diablo 3 Is Finally Being 'Fixed' For Xbox Series X
Started playing Diablo 3 on PS4 about a week ago and so far it's been an absolute blast. It's my first time experiencing the series and I'm pleasantly surprised at how addicting it is. It's a very simple game but it has very in-depth progression and customisation systems that keeps you wanting to play more in order to get an awesome build. I highly recommend giving this game a go, especially now that it's fixed on Series X.
Re: Halo Infinite No Longer In Xbox Live's Top Five As Player Numbers Decline
I feel like this is going to be a Sea of Thieves situation where the game launched with little content (and in the case of Halo, a poor online component) but over time gets more and more content (and fixes) added to it that it eventually becomes good. I mean, Sea of Thieves is doing very well now but how many people here remember how it started out? Lots of people played it at launch, then people complained about the lack of content among other things and dropped it shortly thereafter. Now I'm seeing tons of people playing it on Xbox and Steam.
Considering it's Halo, I'm sure it'll bounce back up. 343 should just focus on having the online portion as a live service and keep updating it because they still have a lot of work to do and they're clearly not up to the task of making both single-player and multiplayer components at the same time. Because the Halo Infinite campaign was great, but it's clear that multiplayer was more of an afterthought and didn't get as much development time as it needed. So for next Halo, they should make a new campaign but keep the same multiplayer from Infinite.
Re: Xbox Is Trying To 'Undercut And Dominate' The Games Industry, Argues TV Host
@themightyant "YOUR assumption is that ALL the games you want to play are included on Game Pass and the equivalents. What about games like Resident Evil Village, THPS 1&2 Assassins Cred, Far Cry etc. Many games don't come to these services."
Are we not talking about the future here? Or did I miss something? Because I'm pretty sure we're talking about how services will be like in the future and if consoles are going away, then where the hell would you be playing these games otherwise?
"Hard disagree. Maybe for enthusiast gamers like you or me that actually make use of the service and play a wide variety of games but the average player doesn't and will want to play a lot of games outside it."
We're talking from a comparative standpoint here. If one person only plays one game on one console today, then the equivalent would be one person playing one game on one service in the future. If I'm playing on Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation consoles today, then my equivalent would be Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation services in the future. Therefore, if I'm spending let's say €1000 this year on Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation games, then the future equivalent would be €10 per service per month, €30 for all three services per month and €360 in total per year. How's that not cheaper? Even if each service was €15 or €20, that would still be cheaper than paying for games the traditional way today (€540 and €720 respectively).
If one person bought a PS5 for a minimum of €500 today and one game per year, let's say FIFA, which is €70 for a PS5 game, that's €570 for the first year and €120 per year in terms of Game Pass. Next year they buy FIFA again for another €70, so the total becomes €640 for console plus games and €240 for Game Pass. Third year €710 and €360 respectively. Fourth year €780 and €480 respectively. Fifth year €850 and €600 respectively. Sixth year €920 and €720 respectively. Seventh year €990 and €840 respectively. Eighth year €1060 and €960 respectively. Ninth year €1130 and €1080 respectively. Tenth year €1200 and €1200 respectively. It will have taken a full decade before that person would reach break-even point. And guess what, 5-6 years after he bought a PS5, PS6 would've come out and that would've added another €500 to his total on top of the yearly fixed cost of €70 per game.
I've given you two examples, one where an enthusiast like us and one where a casual gamer are buying games and consoles today versus subscribing to a service in the future. So yes, it will be cheaper both in the short run and in the long run to pay for subscriptions than for consoles and games if you're looking at it from a comparative standpoint.
Re: Xbox Is Trying To 'Undercut And Dominate' The Games Industry, Argues TV Host
@themightyant "A console generation lasts around 7 years. That £450 console cost, while paid upfront, is spread over that time."
That's just your assumption though and not how everyone sees it. I paid €400 for my Xbox One in 2015 and I definitely wouldn't say that I got my return on investment. I barely used it after all, it wasn't until 2020 when I started using Game Pass on it when I finally felt that my purchase was worth it. But there are plenty of other people who spend €500 on a console and only play a few games throughout its life cycle. The advantage with a subscription service is that you're given a very cheap entry point into a gaming ecosystem and from there you can decide what to do next. Keep paying to use it, use another service or just stop subscribing altogether. It's a much more affordable and flexible option than what we have today.
Your comparison isn't exactly fair either. For starters, you're using the most expensive tier of Game Pass as an example instead of the cheapest one. Regular Game Pass is €10, €120 a year and €840 for 7 years.
Let's say that it costs €1200 in total for 10 years. How much have you spent on gaming for the past decade? I highly doubt you've spent only €1200 considering you're a Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation gamer, which means you've bought their systems and their games. Personally, I'd say for the past decade that I've probably spent over €10,000 on gaming, including video games, consoles and accessories. Basically, if I'd only been subscribed to Game Pass during these ten years, I would've only spent 10% of that amount.
"But i'd guess that you are an exception and most people DON'T drop their subscriptions month to month. Not least the business model starts to fail if everyone is doing this."
You do realise that people are subscribing and unsubscribing all the time, which means that those 100 million subscribed to e.g. Netflix this month aren't exactly the same 100 million from last month.
But okay, let's say that you subscribe to 2-3 different services at the same time. Or rather, let's say that you're subscribed to Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Game Pass and you're paying €10 a month to each of their services, i.e. €30 each month. That means you're paying €360 per year. How much do you spend on gaming per year? Because I can definitely tell you that I'm spending a lot more than €360 per year since I play on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo. In other words, it's much cheaper for me to be subscribed to the big three's services than constantly buying their consoles and games individually. Because that's the key difference, with subscription services, consumers will pay LESS and companies will earn MORE because the services will reach more people on multiple platforms instead of one single platform. That's the whole appeal of the subscription model for companies.
No matter how you twist and turn this argument, it's still much cheaper to subscribe to multiple services than paying for consoles and individual games, both in the short run and in the long run.
Re: Xbox Is Trying To 'Undercut And Dominate' The Games Industry, Argues TV Host
@themightyant You're referring to their All-access plan, which is one of the many options given to you on how you want to play on Xbox. If you already have a PC or any computer really, you don't need to buy more hardware. In fact, you can just pay €15 and play through your web browser. It's that simple.
I see your point, but at the same time there are tons of TV shows and movies available on numerous services. For example, The Walking Dead is available on HBO Max, Disney+, Netflix in some countries and probably other services as well. Also, if you're the type of person who subscribes to a service one month at a time, then you can easily subscribe to e.g. Netflix one month, then HBO Max the next month, then Disney+ the month after that and so on. All subscription services cost around the same amount anyway (€10) so why wouldn't you be able to just switch services from month to month if you really wanted to watch everything?
And that brings me back to my point about how gaming is more fragmented because if you want to play PlayStation games, you have to fork out at least €500 for the hardware. Then maybe you don't want to play on PS anymore and instead want to play on Nintendo. Then you'll have to cough up €400 just to play Switch games. It's literally cheaper and more convenient with subscription services because they're available on multiple platforms that you already own and they cost about the same each month anyway. Then you get to watch everything you want, that's literally what I'm doing right now. Last year I subscribed to HBO Max and watched through the entire Game of Thrones series. Then I subscribed to Disney+ and watched all the MCU movies. And now I'm subscribed to Netflix and catching up on shows like The Witcher. It's genuinely a great and flexible method to consume media. You have Disney, Marvel and Star Wars in one place; DC, Warner Bros etc. in one place and Netflix and their shows in one place. It can't get more convenient than that.
Regarding your third paragraph, you don't need to be subscribed to multiple services at the same time. One month could be spent on Xbox Game Pass, the next on PlayStation Game Pass and the one after on Nintendo Game Pass.
Regarding your fourth paragraph, I'm kinda confused now. Here you're saying that services share the same content, yet in your second paragraph you argue that there are so much exclusive content on each service. And that's kinda the point, there is enough exclusive content on each service that it makes sense to switch between them every month, even if they share a lot of the same content.
To your last point, do you not think about how much money we spend on video games today? €500 at a minimum for PS5/Series X and €400 for a Switch, almost €1000 for two consoles. Then factor in all the games you pay for individually, ranging from €10 to €60 each. We're spending so much money on video games when we could be paying €10 every month for access to hundreds of titles. €10 each month means that I get to play games for almost four years instead of having to buy a new console for that exact price (€500/€10 per month = 50 months = roughly 4 years). I'll happily subscribe to one of five services each month rather than having to buy multiple consoles and paying for each game individually. Like I said, it's cheaper and more convenient.
Re: Xbox Is Trying To 'Undercut And Dominate' The Games Industry, Argues TV Host
@themightyant I want to point out two things. First, the situation we have today in the gaming industry is much worse. The fact that you have to fork out €500 (and even more given scalpers) just to have access to Nintendo's or Sony's games is absurd. It makes much more sense if the big three offered subscription services on PC, mobile devices, smart TVs and so on so that you can avoid this huge upfront cost, not to mention how much you have to pay for each game individually. Gaming is a very expensive hobby, but it doesn't have to be.
Second, TV subscription services are just as fragmented as the gaming business. If you want to play Mario, you have to buy a Switch. If you want to play Uncharted, you have to buy a PlayStation. If you want to play Halo, you have to buy an Xbox or subscribe to Game Pass. Not to mention PC and smartphone exclusives. And the thing is, even if the big three decide to go all in with subscription services, the fragmentation will still remain. That's never going to change, if you want people to choose your product or service, you have to give them incentives. It just makes business sense because it increases the competition and ultimately gives us better products/services.
Yes, Netflix has increased their price and put out less shows. But guess what, I got a mail last year from HBO that they've lowered the price for HBO Max and are also adding more content. Now Netflix will have to do something to counteract that, otherwise they'll lose subscribers not only to HBO but to other companies as well. Houston, we got competition.
Re: PlatinumGames' Hideki Kamiya Is Still Keen To Team Up With Xbox
Considering they're releasing Babylon's Fall and Bayonetta 3 this year, that would free up resources to restart/resume the work on Scalebound. It definitely makes more sense for the project to be revived with the Microsoft we have today compared to if we still had the same Microsoft from five years ago, i.e. a company that focuses on the sales model rather than the subscription model. With Game Pass, Microsoft wants to get as many exclusives as they can on the service.