MaccaMUFC

“It looks like we'll be getting physical discs for Starfield after all — we certainly hope so, anyway”

But why? Physical discs are well on their way out, going the same way as DVDs and music CDs. Almost everyone is all for digital these days and seeing as the Series X will be the only system that will make use of physical copies of Starfield it won’t be enough to justify having a physical option at all.

Games like Alan Wake 2 have got the right idea of going digital only and reducing the launch price as they are saving on not having to pay to distribute physical copies, plus companies these days are boarding on the wagon of saving the planet and reducing carbon footprint, they will also be reducing costs and maximising profits. There’s no positives to having a physical copy these days seeing as it’s basically just a license that allows you play the game and there’s day one patches so your going to be online for it anyway even if it’s only once. You may argue that you can sell it second hand and get some cash back for it but I can’t wait for the day brick and mortar stores like CEX to close down when there are no more physical copies because that’s happening in the very near future, Alan Wake 2 is proof of that.

Can Farworld Pioneers really be described as an "open-world galactic sandbox"? It just looks like a retro 2D side scroller to me. I’d certainly understand describing Starfield as an "open-world galactic sandbox" though.

Dead Island 2 may not have made the list but I enjoyed it a lot more than any of the games in the top 10. It’s all a matter of opinion as I’m sure someone out there likes Redfall over the rest but imo it’s the worse game I’ve played this year so far.

My reaction upon reading the subheader. “Come again?” is probably a poor choice of words though 😂

Yes! Been waiting for this to be added to Game Pass. You’d think me being a footy fan that I’d buy Fifa every year but even I wouldn’t pay full price for small changes like shirts, commentary and pitch deformation when slide tackling. I’m excited to see what the new EA Sports FC is like.

I think it’s going to come down to the EU verdict. If it’s blocked then the deal is dead but if it’s approved then I think MS will fight hard against the FTC as they are more likely to win against them than the CMA. May 22nd is the day we will find out whether the deal is over or going through.

@UltimateOtaku91 I absolutely agree with your comment about there being no better time than now to own all 3 consoles this generation but despite Xbox going the way of cloud gaming, I do hope Microsoft keep making Xbox consoles in the future. It simply wouldn’t be the same just loading up a Game Pass app from a TV or any other device without the console but I’m not naive as it would save the company millions by not producing consoles which always sell at a loss.

I don’t see Microsoft doing away with consoles for at least of couple of generations yet as streaming is still way off for the masses who are yet to have decent enough internet for streaming.

I’ve just played this game for about 25 minutes and that was enough time for me to decide to quit and uninstall, it is such a mess of a game. Changing the camera settings for lower input lag is a decent solution for now but it’s nowhere near enough to make the game an improvement when it’s got a ton of other problems.

The graphics are terrible, it honestly looks like an early Xbox One game and the fact it has not got a 60fps mode at launch proves it’s just been rushed out. I’ll check back on the game when it’s received enough patches and added the 60fps mode, basically once it’s running as a current-gen game and not last gen.

If I was one of those who paid £70 for this monstrosity I’d be demanding a refund straight away as in it’s current state, it’s not even worth £20.

Wow I wouldn’t of expected that reaction from one of worlds biggest tech company. I hope Brad Smith is speaking for himself here and not on Microsoft’s behalf because I’d of expected MS to be a bit more classy and professional with its response to this.

If this is indeed MS’s reaction then they must know that the deal is never going to happen. They are appealing it and still seem confident of the deal passing but Brad Smith’s comments suggests otherwise.

I saw someone post either on here or on pushsquare quoting the CMA for their reasons for the block that it’ll prevent future companies in the Cloud space to compete with MS and the person who posted made a point saying that “If’s and but’s don’t apply to the law, only cold hard facts”. He/she was basically saying the CMA can’t speak for companies that don’t even exist. Plus Cloud gaming hasn’t even really took off yet.

Can MS take the CMA to court like with the FTC? Because I don’t think the CMA will have a leg to stand on when it comes to presenting evidence to make a case to block the merger.

@BAMozzy If the deal doesn’t go through ABK can’t point the blame at Sony as they are not the reason the deal has been blocked. Sony may have protested against the merger but they didn’t help block it. Plus even if ABK gave the marketing rights for CoD to Xbox and even put it on Game Pass day one, it will most likely not make a difference as many of the copies will be sold on PS even without all the marketing.

If the merger doesn’t happen at all then I really think MS should purchase Square Enix or Sega more for Japanese gamers to boost its Xbox brand over there and one or two big players like EA, Ubisoft or Take Two.

sign L.A. Noire is never going to go less than £17.49 is it? I’ve already finished it on Xbox 360 but it’s been that long I’ve totally forgot what happens in the game that it’ll be like playing through for the first time again.

I don’t think there isn’t anything else that’s coming out this year that I’ll be spending my rewards points on so L.A Noire it is.

I’m renting this and then will buy when it’s most likely in the Halloween sale, hopefully it’ll be £24.99.

I bought absolutely nothing at all. I’ve either rented or already bought the games I’m interested in. I was hoping LA Noire would be more than the usual 50% off but it’s not even in the sale.

@WBMusic I did the same with Cyberpunk 2077 back in December, I requested a refund after an hour of playing and received the refund then bought it again a few hours later to give it a proper chance as there was nothing else I wanted in the sale. I’m so glad I did as I really enjoyed it. It has improved massively since it’s release and I’m waiting for its next big update before getting back to it.

After the Redfall debacle I wouldn’t be surprised that Starfield is only 30fps but I think it will have an inconsistent 60fps performance mode that will require multiple patches.

I’ve just finished this weeks set this morning and my streak as been reinstated back from 1 to 115. I’m pretty sure I was at 160+ week streak before the reset with about 3 weeks to go before getting the 2,500 points but I’ll take 115 seeing as there’s no added bonus once we get 2,500 points every 10 weeks.

This is not acceptable, especially on Series X which the game is expected to have a 60fps option. I’d rather they delayed the game until the performance mode is available as I’d much rather 1440p 60fps than 4K 30fps in a game like this, a fast paced FPS.

@frosty360 @Widey85 I had my Rewards Weekly Set reset today too. I was at 250+ day streak so you can imagine I’m not just going to suddenly forget to do it one week as I finish the set asap. Is there something we should do like let Microsoft know it has affected us or do we just sit and wait for them to fix it?

I really enjoyed Jet Set Radio back in the day but I’d rather see Sega Rally remade. I remembered how I loved that every lap was different due to the track deformation, it was impressive at the time.

@BrilliantBill The Ubisoft Just for You deals that was on a couple of months ago was a nice surprise and I got many just for you deals but I actually only bought Far Cry 6 gold edition for £8.50. We need more sales like that.

Most of us who subscribe to GPU most likely won’t have to worry about paying a penny for a CoD game again so long as the ABK takeover goes through without serious concessions like keeping CoD off GPU.

Absolutely rubbish sale imo. As someone already said ‘same games same prices’. At least offer a deeper discount on the same games that are constantly in the sales throughout the year.

An end of an era. As we all know E3 has been on the decline for years but it was at its peak back in the early 2000’s, it was THE main gaming event back then but as others have said, times have changed and the internet has played a massive part in it.

Even though Geoff Keighley has his Summer Games Fest and other publishers have their own events to showcase their games, the internet can still be their undoing as leaks can undermine their events and anything they reveal will be considered old news and of no surprise.

The controller has Cordyceps! Burn it!

That’s fine I can wait a little while longer until it is added to Game Pass WHEN the deal goes through.

It should go without saying that there’s zero sense in buying any Activision/Blizzard games if you are a continuous Game Pass subscriber like I am.

I actually preferred Doom 3 over the 2016 reboot and Eternal despite enjoying both games. Doom 3 was more story and horror focused, whereas the reboot and Eternal took out the horror element and just made it a fast paced shooter where you just cleared out an area of enemies before moving on.

What I love about games like Doom 3 is the beginning of the game, everything seems fine with everybody going about their business then suddenly the s*** hits the fan, throwing you into the chaos and nightmare. I’m actually looking forward to trying out both Doom games on the PSVR as those are the only ones I’ve not played in the series.

@Kaloudz My memory is very hit and miss tbh, sometimes I remember things from years ago but other times I forget stuff that was said or happened the day before 😂 anyway hope you enjoy your new (old to us lol) SoD dynamic background.

@GuyinPA75 Unfortunately the melee weapons in this game will degrade, I’m not a fan either of having to keep repairing and crafting new weapons but it’s not going to stop me playing the game as it looks great. I wouldn’t write the game off just because of that one negative thing.

@Kaloudz There sure is! It was back in October last year, you commented asking if there’s any zombies in the background as you couldn’t see any (there isn’t). I said I’d preferred the one in the thumbnail with the billboard as I have a thing for picturesque images with sunsets/sunrises, if that was available I’d of still had that background set to this day.

I’ve stopped buying games day one at full price a long time ago and as good as this looks I’m just going to rent it but I will most likely buy it in a sale if it’s as good as it looks. I’m really looking forward to it and hope it sells and reviews well.

@Kaloudz There is a State of Decay 2 dynamic background in which you’ve commented on but if you mean the original SoD then I don’t see that ever happening, maybe we will for the third one.

I prefer the Dead Space dynamic background, that’s my favourite right now. Not much goes on at all apart from stars glowing but it looks smart.

The only way I can see MS getting this deal over the line is by making a huge concession to not only keep CoD multi platform indefinitely but to also keep it off Game Pass indefinitely too.

Sales like these can bog off. See what I did there? BOGOF, bog off? Yeah Peter Kay’s got nothing on me 😌

I’ve got 15 “just for you” deals, quite a few of them are ultimate/complete editions which are massive savings but I’m hesitant to buy any incase Ubi+ joins Game Pass Ultimate which I’m always subscribed to every month all year round.

I’ve already mentioned this on PushSquare but I’m playing this on Series X and it looks absolutely terrible, looks more like an early Xbox One game. It has muddy low res textures and it just doesn’t look good at any point in the game even with performance mode off. I’ve seen remasters that look better than this “remake”. So glad I’m only renting it as I wouldn’t be happy paying money for it in it’s current state.

Any idea if The Last of Us will eventually release as a boxset in dvd format? I’d rather watch it that way as I don’t have Sky and don’t want to watch it on NOW TV. I also hope HBO don’t renew their deal with Sky in 2025 as that’s the reason why UK and Europe don’t have HBO Max but surely at $15.99 a month, HBO stand to make a lot more money in subscriptions if they released the HBO Max app in Europe?

The new price hikes, especially on first party Xbox games, just makes Game Pass Ultimate a much more attractive option. Even if GPU does receive a price hike of its own, which I think would go up to £15.99 from £10.99, it would still be amazing value.

@Hexamex-Tex TLoU can be a slow paced game for some but it’s all about the characters and story. I loved it and I’ve just recently finished part 2 which imo was even better but they are going to be nothing like The Day Before.

@InfamousOrange To be fair they did at least show some gameplay in that trailer but we do need more details.

It looks good but I’m not expecting it to have ray tracing on Series X, even if it did it would most likely be running at 30fps, I would rather 60fps without RT. I can see me buying this one day but you just know it’s going to be one of those games that needs at least a years worth of patches before it’s in a better state. Also we need more info like how big the open-world is, weapons, how many players can join you, do you need to eat and drink to stay alive (I hope not though).

And IO thought it was a great idea to release this news just after the Hitman 3 sale ended on Xbox? Wow. PlayStation owners still have the Deluxe Edition on sale for £26.24 so lucky them. I already own Hitman 1 & 2 but would of liked to own Hitman 3 one day, I didn’t want to buy it in the sale it was just in because I’ve already completed it when it first came out when I rented it and also I wanted to keep my money/reward points for new games that are coming out this year. Hope this World of Assassination will be around £20 in the sale one day.

@Trmn8r Hellblade 2 is definitely coming to Game Pass day one. I’m sure Fraser will correct it. I’d like to know if Pragmata is coming to Game Pass though?

I only buy games these days that are in a sale or digital only and if both are not on Game Pass. It has also definitely changed my buying habits even further since I’ve been using Boomerang Rentals, so GP actually acts as my second rental service, PS Plus Extra will be my third tomorrow!

You’ve got to wonder though, if so many people subscribe to the likes of Game Pass and PS Plus thus them buying even less games then what does that mean for the future if a lot less people are buying them because of these subscription services? Sales are going to go right down so less money to fund a sequel or new IPs.

@trev666 It depends on which type of ray tracing features are being used, in a game like Cyberpunk 2077 which just uses ray traced local shadows, it’s not worth sacrificing 60fps for imo. The Witcher 3 though uses ray traced ambient occlusion and global illumination which are the best ray tracing features as it makes a massive difference to the visuals and surroundings in-game. I’d still choose performance mode because even though it looks great it still tanks the performance and I’ve been spoiled with 60fps since the Xbox One X.

@FraserG I did try out the trial as soon as it became available and I really enjoyed it, I could see the improvements over 22 and it does seem a lot more realistic, I appreciate the little things like when slide tackling it leaves a mark on the pitch. I think EA should add dynamic weather in EA Sports FC which can affect the gameplay as the match goes on.

I only dabble in Online Seasons for a few matches a day hence why I asked is it worth it. Me doubting myself is already telling. If I played UT and Career then I think it’s a no brainer but I may just get Cyberpunk 2077 and save the rest of my MS reward points for Hogwarts Legacy.

@FraserG This trick worked for me on Series X, thanks for sharing the tip. I’m currently playing Fifa 22 on Game Pass and I only play the Online Seasons, I don’t touch Ultimate Team, Career mode etc so do you think this is still worth it for that alone or am I better off waiting for FIFA 23 to be added to Game Pass around June next year?

I downloaded this latest patch last night and I’ve still got issues like audio cutting out, subtitles sometimes not appearing and the gun not talking when I interact with something/somebody. I’m having these issues on Series X. I’m hoping the next patch will solve these before I go back to it.

It’s clear from the review that the reviewer is just not into this kind of game, which begs the question, why would they review this game if they know it’s just not going to click with them? Just try it on Game Pass for yourself to see that this is in no way a 4/10 game. Sick of the gun talking? You can actually turn it off or choose for it to talk less frequently. If your into Rick & Morty then your going to love this.

I’m so glad I only played the opening a few years ago so I can play through the game properly for the first time while looking and running it’s absolute best on Series X.

Which graphic modes are people going to play through with? I’d love to play it in 30fps ray tracing mode but I’ve been so accustomed to 60fps that I just find it hard to play games in 30fps these days. I’m even struggling to get through A Plague Tale Requiem that’s forcing me to play through at 30fps.

I’ve never liked Souls-like games and I definitely couldn’t get on with Elden Ring but surprisingly I have been enjoying Demon’s Souls on PS5 which shocked me considering it’s not my kind of game usually.

All the more reason to sub to Game Pass when these first party exclusives hit the service day and date, I’m expecting Game Pass to increase from £10.99 to £15.99 a month and I’m fine with that given the amount of games on the way in 2023 and beyond.

Makes sense, who is even playing Medal of Honor these days? I loved them back in the day with Frontline being my favourite.

I bought this when it came out. It’s a great game but very tactical and hardcore, one bullet is all it takes to bring you or an enemy down. Think Hell Let Loose but set in Middle East with modern weapons and equipment/vechicles without the huge open maps.