I have the feeling video game adaptations are going to be the new trend in TV and cinema, sort of like superheroes were in the 2010s. The success of adaptations like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Fallout, Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and their ability to generate interest in the associated games anew, is going to make every sizeable publisher want adaptations of their work, and Hollywood will want to cash in on the new craze.
I eagerly await the revival of Gex once all major extant properties have been sufficiently milked.
@GuyinPA75 In this case, it's more like a Mexican restaurant selling two versions of the same meal: one that's more expensive but using better ingredients, and the other cheaper and using worse ingredients.
There is a market for people who want the best, of course, but most people grab the cheaper version because they can't really taste the difference anyway. Also, back when the meal was first introduced, it was easier to source ingredients for it, which was allowed the restaurant to serve any food at all.
Now, the cheaper food is what's keeping the restaurant's sales from collapsing, but you have people who claim the cheaper food was a mistake, even though that flies against basic common sense, given the facts of the scenario.
@RIghteousNixon Well, yes, there will be a media bias against companies that publish games in less favored genres for those who make games that Western critics are more likely to be wowed by. God of War is simply going to turn heads more than racers, flight sims, and the like.
Still doesn't mean there is a media bias against Xbox, which implies favoritism aside from quality and type of output.
All you're really saying is that publishers who push out more conventionally popular content will attract more positive attention, which seems like a patently obvious state of affairs.
@RIghteousNixon If it's a bias against certain kinds of games, then it follows that it's not a bias against certain companies, friend. Certain types of games sway critics more, and those aren't flight sims or racers. Mario Kart 9, whenever it comes out, could very well be an incredible game, but it would never snag GOTY.
Even putting aside genre preferentialism, though, Microsoft simply isn't developing games that deserve to be included in GOTY lists very often. Of the big three, they're easily the most prone to continually disappointing their base when it comes to big releases. So, yeah, a lack of presence during awards season should be expected.
@NEStalgia Pretty much everything that's not a mainline Mario or Zelda game. Nintendo publishes quite a number of games across a variety of genres, but the media largely ignores those releases beyond the forementioned games.
3D platformers and action-adventure games are two of the 'approved' genres. Once even a gigantic franchise like Super Mario ventures into foreign territory (strategy games; jrpgs; etc.), there's a lot less interest.
@NEStalgia Eh, no, the majority of Nintendo's releases score in the 80s on Metacritic. Even thoroughly incredible games like Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
There's no Nintendo or Sony bias. There's genre bias. Which is why stuff like Breath of the Wild, God of War, and The Last of Us enjoy so much attention, and why Microsoft's few good games struggle to attract similar attention.
The first game had some cool ideas, but I wouldn't even put it in my top ten for that year. Certainly not above Horizon Zero Dawn, let alone NieR: Automata, BotW, Persona 5, Mario Wonder, etc.
Users allege anti-Xbox bias, but we see game after game come out from Microsoft that ends up disappointing people in some way. Even Halo Infinite, which initially was met with a wave of fan enthusiasm, has been getting roasted the last year or two.
We're left with a scattered assortment of games in genres that don't typically wow critics. Is Forza Horizon excellent? Maybe, but it's a car game. Microsoft Flight Simulator is self-explanatory. Something like Hi-Fi Rush, as well-received as it was, isn't the sort of big release that garners GOTY accolades. Pentiment, Grounded, etc. are all tiny or niche.
Microsoft doesn't enjoy much attention during awards season because they're simply not publishing games that excel and excite the industry.
All that being said, TGA tends to like having big releases from the manufacturers in the final list, so if Hellblade 2 turns out well, it'll probably be on the shortlist. Especially seeing as how this is an off-year for Sony and Nintendo, so there won't be any fan favorite franchises from them on the list.
@NEStalgia Ehh, Sony needed new hardware. The PS4 was looking pretty wimpy by that point and sales were flatlining. I'm sure their market analysts saw this dip coming and rightly advised Sony that they needed a next-gen hardware launch by then.
The issue is one of expectations. The largest demographic purchasing consoles are millennial men in their 30s and 40s who watched the modern console market grow from its infancy, when every new hardware release meant a revelatory shift in what was possible in the medium. That's just not the case anymore, which is why I've argued you'll increasingly see manufacturers go sideways in their evolution. Granted, Nintendo was smart, lowered expectations for cutting-edge tech in their consoles since the Wii era, and went sideways with tech capable of running seventh-gen games, so they still have room to surprise people with how much better games look on the Switch 2.
@NEStalgia That's what this generation has been, though. PS4/XB1-tier games, but at higher framerates and resolutions. And I've heard endless griping from enthusiasts online about how this doesn't feel like a real console generation, it's just an extension of the last generation, everything that's on these consoles could have been on those consoles, nothing has really pushed the hardware, etc.
The side effect of those games 'not pushing the hardware' is that performance modes can be offered for them, allowing them to run more smoothly on modern hardware.
We're beginning to transition back to '30fps, but gosh these games sure are expensive looking' again. It just took longer than previous gens because modern AAA games take ungodly levels of dev time.
Microsoft Rewards was unironically what initially motivated me to look more into Game Pass. It was shockingly generous for a rewards program and rewarded consistent engagement. Not surprised it's getting nerfed.
As others have said, they had actual exclusives at the time. Real exclusives, but also the sort of timed exclusivity that Sony has managed to great effect as well. They worked with Japanese publishers and developers to get great games on their platform that probably wouldn't have existed otherwise, like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.
Games ran best on 360, generally.
They were ambitious with their promotion of unique indies, which weren't as much of a thing back then.
The console was cheaper at the start of the generation.
Just a great console all-around. They felt competitive, bold, and ambitious. and really ate into Sony's market share.
@ShadowofTwilight It was smart overall. Really helped to expand their pool of owners when it was also the go-to console for a bunch of big Japanese releases as well.
I don't understand why Microsoft isn't partnering more with third-parties like Nintendo and Sony are. I guess all the money they're pouring into the console division is going toward supporting and expanding Game Pass.
@ShadowofTwilight Really wish Microsoft would help fund exclusive Japanese releases for the system like they did during the 360 era. Games like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey were dope, and a big part of what made the 360 the more attractive console that generation.
@awp69 Considering we've seen neither hide nor hair of Remake on Xbox, I think it's realistic to expect this won't hit Xbox either. A PC port within the year is almost guaranteed, though.
@Phantasystar77 Admittedly, if I was some hardcore Xbox fanboy, I'd be pretty angry and disillusioned right now as well. Unhappy communities retreat into angry tribalist attitudes as a self-defense mechanism.
@Phantasystar77 Boxed sales are apparently 30% under Remake in the UK, but there's a lot of mitigating factors.
Digital software probably sells more in 2024 than it did in 2020.
PS4 had significantly more units on the market at that point.
Remake launched during the pandemic, when software sales were soaring across the board.
Certainly nothing to do with the game not launching on Xbox. Realistically, Xbox sales would barely even contribute to the boxed sales number. It's a primarily digitally-driven platform.
@NintendoByNature Oh, no worries, I don't get offended. I love talking to people. I just don't mince my words. By and large, I feel the same about you.
I've heard literally nothing about Democrats agitating to get Dr. Seuss books banned, and can find nothing on it, so unless you can provide me with a link, I'm going to assume you're mistaken. What I DID find was that the Seuss estate is going to stop circulating certain books that it considers offensive. Which is actually not a decision I care for either, but it has nothing to do with the Democratic Party.
Anyway, it's not just a few crazy soccer moms here and there. You have support from the top of the party for restricting access to books with themes they find offensive. So it still wouldn't be the same thing at all as random crazy online lefties screaming about the Harry Potter books because JK Rowling is problematic, or whatever.
Regarding Trump being removed from ballots, as I pointed out, the people suing Trump and getting him into these situations tend to be Republicans as well. Not sure what the political leaning of the judge is, but it's not the same thing as politicians attempting to restrict access to voting rights. And, as expected, the Supreme Court just ruled he can't be kicked off ballots anyway.
The data overwhelmingly supports the contention that keeping up with your boosters increases your likelihood of not suffering from severe disease if you catch covid. With that said, there have always been people who catch it and are asymptomatic, and that might very well be what happened with you. There WERE lies from the scientific community early on regarding covid (specifically, when medical masks were in short supply, the CDC lied to the public about their effectiveness to try and lower the number of people panic buying them, which has rightfully tarnished their credibility), but you not getting sick without boosters doesn't mean the data is a lie.
The same-sex marriage thing is funny, because most people, even Republicans, support it, but there's still a strong contingent of the party that wants it taken away as part of the party's Christian Nationalist push.
While I sympathize with the wider concerns that led to the BLM protests and riots, you won't find me defending most of what happened that year lol. Law and order need to be upheld. Hopefully, someday, we can actually address the very real issues with policing in the U.S. that led to such an upsurge in anger as well.
If you'd like a dispassionate analysis of the economy under Biden vs Trump with data and sources, you can turn to this, for a start. Definitely seek out different sources that don't have an explicit ideological bias:
I don't respect beliefs founded in hatred, ignorance, and a yearning for authoritarian control, no. You shouldn't, either. There comes a point where things aren't simply matters of opinion. The modern GOP isn't getting this reaction from people because they disagree on tax policy.
@NintendoByNature Considering the modern GOP is FILLED with and CONTROLLED by people who want to burn books, make voting harder, keep people like me from being able to marry, oppress the trans community, spread lies about vaccines during a pandemic, continue supporting a candidate who attempted to orchestrate a coup, explicitly support fascist strongmen over democratic allies, reduce the tax burden on the already undertaxed mega-wealthy even more, and have public figures at major political events calling for the "end of democracy" and talking about starting a new Civil War, what political beliefs should I be looking to respect?
Sorry, but the 'enlightened centrism' attitude is one driven by nothing other than disinterest and ignorance of the facts at this point.
So, at least in the case of the Colorado ballet removal that kicked this off, the people who sued Trump in that situation were Republicans. In fact, most of the legal trouble Trump has been in has been due to other Republicans trying to hold him accountable. So "the side" you're referring to, I hope you realize, is Republicans.
How about the fact that the GOP is currently a cult that will turn on its own ideas the moment it politically benefits a Democrat? Healthcare reform, as it went through, was a plan based off explicitly conservative policies about healthcare reform at the time (and similar, if I recall, to Romneycare), but y'all like to pretend it's socialized medicine.
Republicans EXPLICITLY nuked a potential border deal because your Trump has EXPLICITLY said he doesn't want things to improve under Joe Biden.
The GOP didn't even have a platform drawn up in 2020 like they usually do, because literally the only priority of the party at that point was politically supporting Donald Trump.
It's hard to think of another political party at present worldwide that's MORE divorced from acceptance of the facts, or that is less principle-driven.
You LITERALLY had people at CPAC explicitly calling for the end of democracy. Following only a few years after the last Republican president attempted to orchestrate a coup.
The modern GOP is a stain on the Earth, and will lead this country to ruin unless it is stomped out utterly and rebuilt from the ground up. The party is a refuge for the absolute worst aspects of humanity.
I've been following (and chuckling at) the extended meltdowns some Xbox fanboys are having on Twitter since the start of the rumor-mongering about all this.
That said, I can understand why genuine Xbox loyalists would be frustrated by and hypersensitive to all this, given the continued perceived lack of success and humiliation of their preferred brand relative to the successes of Sony and Nintendo. At this point, applauding for the red carpet being rolled out for the release of Xbox Game Studios titles on opposing platforms probably strikes them as being somewhat emotionally akin to cuckoldry.
Even if the reactions themselves aren't rational, it's not good brand management to leave a fraction of your primary audience feeling like that. Then again, it also wasn't good brand management to let rumors about the Xbox brand going fully multiplatform mutate out of control for a week, and Microsoft allowed it to happen anyway.
@mousieone I mean, as I recall, Stories 2 released simultaneously on Switch and PC with little issue. People understood why some random 3DS game wasn't getting ported, since those often don't transition well to other platforms.
@Banjo- Just seems like they excluded ports that would require anything more than the bare minimum of dev time. You're not gonna convince me Hi-Fi Rush couldn't run well on a PS4. And Switch obviously enjoys ports of far more demanding games, although those also probably had a good deal of effort poured into their conversions.
I do wonder at this point why the Ori games still aren't on Playstation.
SMT V: Vengeance! People were wondering if this was more "Persona 5 Royal" (same game with some added stuff) or SMT IV: Apocalypse (brand new game), but honestly, it sounds like it's both. Improvements across the board, but with a second route roughly equal in length to the first. And SMT V itself was not a short JRPG by any means lol.
Not usually a fan of Switch losing exclusives, but this game always deserved to be on more powerful hardware.
The original game had some issues, but the monster-collecting, exploration, and sense of scale were dope. Hope it enjoys far more success as a multiplatform release.
I don't understand why Monster Hunter Stories 2 is still console-exclusive on Switch. The game is way more worthy of being played on modern-gen devices anyway than this upscaled 3DS port.
Regardless of what ends up happening with this situation, Microsoft is handling it so poorly. I can't believe they're just leaving it to spiral out of control like this.
So glad I chose not to reinvest in this ecosystem.
Celebrate the console launch that took Microsoft from being neck-and-neck with Sony at the top of the industry to permanently being third-place in the home console space? lol
Kinda sad to see how the tide turned so quickly against Starfield in terms of public opinion. I literally just talked to a random dude today about video games, and when I mentioned Starfield, he had some choice criticisms lol. I guess BGS has lost a lot of their luster in today's environment.
I've only played the Ninty games on the list. Mario Wonder is okay, but not GOTY-worthy, IMO. TotK... I dunno. It's incredibly impressive and creative in so many respects, but I just sort of sat it down and lost interest after 80 hours or so. Whereas I feverishly played BotW until I hit the credits. I think the sequel complicated the formula a bit too much for me.
I guess, for me, the smaller Nintendo releases were more fun. Pikmin 4, Fire Emblem Engage, those Advance Wars remakes, etc.
GoW-style? Absolutely not. Microsoft doesn't need to ape the cinematic action style Sony is primarily known for. They just need to find their own lane and excel at it.
Comments 606
Re: Fallout Continues To Dominate On Xbox As Bethesda Reveals Incredible Player Numbers
I have the feeling video game adaptations are going to be the new trend in TV and cinema, sort of like superheroes were in the 2010s. The success of adaptations like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Fallout, Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and their ability to generate interest in the associated games anew, is going to make every sizeable publisher want adaptations of their work, and Hollywood will want to cash in on the new craze.
I eagerly await the revival of Gex once all major extant properties have been sufficiently milked.
Re: New 3D Platformer 'Penny's Big Breakaway' Scores An Xbox Demo
@MetalGear_Yoshi I'm not surprised. It's a mascot platformer with a sub-par mascot (at least design-wise).
Re: Alone In The Dark Performance Impresses Digital Foundry, Despite 'Sacrifices' On Xbox Series S
@GuyinPA75 In this case, it's more like a Mexican restaurant selling two versions of the same meal: one that's more expensive but using better ingredients, and the other cheaper and using worse ingredients.
There is a market for people who want the best, of course, but most people grab the cheaper version because they can't really taste the difference anyway. Also, back when the meal was first introduced, it was easier to source ingredients for it, which was allowed the restaurant to serve any food at all.
Now, the cheaper food is what's keeping the restaurant's sales from collapsing, but you have people who claim the cheaper food was a mistake, even though that flies against basic common sense, given the facts of the scenario.
Re: Talking Point: Will Hellblade 2 Be A Genuine Game Of The Year Contender This Year?
@RIghteousNixon Well, yes, there will be a media bias against companies that publish games in less favored genres for those who make games that Western critics are more likely to be wowed by. God of War is simply going to turn heads more than racers, flight sims, and the like.
Still doesn't mean there is a media bias against Xbox, which implies favoritism aside from quality and type of output.
All you're really saying is that publishers who push out more conventionally popular content will attract more positive attention, which seems like a patently obvious state of affairs.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (April 13-14)
Finished up Maneater on PS4 this morning. Moving on to Yakuza Kiwami 2 on my Steam Deck.
Re: Talking Point: Will Hellblade 2 Be A Genuine Game Of The Year Contender This Year?
@RIghteousNixon If it's a bias against certain kinds of games, then it follows that it's not a bias against certain companies, friend. Certain types of games sway critics more, and those aren't flight sims or racers. Mario Kart 9, whenever it comes out, could very well be an incredible game, but it would never snag GOTY.
Even putting aside genre preferentialism, though, Microsoft simply isn't developing games that deserve to be included in GOTY lists very often. Of the big three, they're easily the most prone to continually disappointing their base when it comes to big releases. So, yeah, a lack of presence during awards season should be expected.
Re: Talking Point: Will Hellblade 2 Be A Genuine Game Of The Year Contender This Year?
@NEStalgia Pretty much everything that's not a mainline Mario or Zelda game. Nintendo publishes quite a number of games across a variety of genres, but the media largely ignores those releases beyond the forementioned games.
3D platformers and action-adventure games are two of the 'approved' genres. Once even a gigantic franchise like Super Mario ventures into foreign territory (strategy games; jrpgs; etc.), there's a lot less interest.
Re: Talking Point: Will Hellblade 2 Be A Genuine Game Of The Year Contender This Year?
@NEStalgia Eh, no, the majority of Nintendo's releases score in the 80s on Metacritic. Even thoroughly incredible games like Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
There's no Nintendo or Sony bias. There's genre bias. Which is why stuff like Breath of the Wild, God of War, and The Last of Us enjoy so much attention, and why Microsoft's few good games struggle to attract similar attention.
Re: Talking Point: Will Hellblade 2 Be A Genuine Game Of The Year Contender This Year?
The first game had some cool ideas, but I wouldn't even put it in my top ten for that year. Certainly not above Horizon Zero Dawn, let alone NieR: Automata, BotW, Persona 5, Mario Wonder, etc.
Users allege anti-Xbox bias, but we see game after game come out from Microsoft that ends up disappointing people in some way. Even Halo Infinite, which initially was met with a wave of fan enthusiasm, has been getting roasted the last year or two.
We're left with a scattered assortment of games in genres that don't typically wow critics. Is Forza Horizon excellent? Maybe, but it's a car game. Microsoft Flight Simulator is self-explanatory. Something like Hi-Fi Rush, as well-received as it was, isn't the sort of big release that garners GOTY accolades. Pentiment, Grounded, etc. are all tiny or niche.
Microsoft doesn't enjoy much attention during awards season because they're simply not publishing games that excel and excite the industry.
All that being said, TGA tends to like having big releases from the manufacturers in the final list, so if Hellblade 2 turns out well, it'll probably be on the shortlist. Especially seeing as how this is an off-year for Sony and Nintendo, so there won't be any fan favorite franchises from them on the list.
Re: Xbox's Hellblade 2 Is 'On Another Level' Says Digital Foundry, Despite Series S Concerns
@NEStalgia Ehh, Sony needed new hardware. The PS4 was looking pretty wimpy by that point and sales were flatlining. I'm sure their market analysts saw this dip coming and rightly advised Sony that they needed a next-gen hardware launch by then.
The issue is one of expectations. The largest demographic purchasing consoles are millennial men in their 30s and 40s who watched the modern console market grow from its infancy, when every new hardware release meant a revelatory shift in what was possible in the medium. That's just not the case anymore, which is why I've argued you'll increasingly see manufacturers go sideways in their evolution. Granted, Nintendo was smart, lowered expectations for cutting-edge tech in their consoles since the Wii era, and went sideways with tech capable of running seventh-gen games, so they still have room to surprise people with how much better games look on the Switch 2.
Re: Xbox's Hellblade 2 Is 'On Another Level' Says Digital Foundry, Despite Series S Concerns
@NEStalgia That's what this generation has been, though. PS4/XB1-tier games, but at higher framerates and resolutions. And I've heard endless griping from enthusiasts online about how this doesn't feel like a real console generation, it's just an extension of the last generation, everything that's on these consoles could have been on those consoles, nothing has really pushed the hardware, etc.
The side effect of those games 'not pushing the hardware' is that performance modes can be offered for them, allowing them to run more smoothly on modern hardware.
We're beginning to transition back to '30fps, but gosh these games sure are expensive looking' again. It just took longer than previous gens because modern AAA games take ungodly levels of dev time.
Re: If Q1 Is Anything To Go By, 2024 Should Be Another Fantastic Year On Xbox
I can't wait for SMT V: Vengeance.
Hopefully JRPG fans on Xbox show it some love.
Re: Xbox's Hellblade 2 Is 'On Another Level' Says Digital Foundry, Despite Series S Concerns
Well, people wanted games that push next-gen hardware, so... here you are. In all of its lower-resolution, lower-framerate glory.
@ShadowofTwilight The original wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination.
It's not my sort of thing, but the original was well-crafted for what it was, and I expect the same will be true of this sequel.
Re: Xbox Announces Major Changes To Microsoft Rewards Going Forward
Microsoft Rewards was unironically what initially motivated me to look more into Game Pass. It was shockingly generous for a rewards program and rewarded consistent engagement. Not surprised it's getting nerfed.
Re: Talking Point: In Your Opinion, What Made The Xbox 360 Era So Incredible?
As others have said, they had actual exclusives at the time. Real exclusives, but also the sort of timed exclusivity that Sony has managed to great effect as well. They worked with Japanese publishers and developers to get great games on their platform that probably wouldn't have existed otherwise, like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.
Games ran best on 360, generally.
They were ambitious with their promotion of unique indies, which weren't as much of a thing back then.
The console was cheaper at the start of the generation.
Just a great console all-around. They felt competitive, bold, and ambitious. and really ate into Sony's market share.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade March's Xbox Partner Preview Showcase?
yay free Persona 3 DLC~
Re: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Producer Defends Lack Of Xbox Series X|S Release
@ShadowofTwilight It was smart overall. Really helped to expand their pool of owners when it was also the go-to console for a bunch of big Japanese releases as well.
I don't understand why Microsoft isn't partnering more with third-parties like Nintendo and Sony are. I guess all the money they're pouring into the console division is going toward supporting and expanding Game Pass.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Producer Defends Lack Of Xbox Series X|S Release
@ShadowofTwilight Really wish Microsoft would help fund exclusive Japanese releases for the system like they did during the 360 era. Games like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey were dope, and a big part of what made the 360 the more attractive console that generation.
Re: Roundup: Dragon's Dogma 2 Impresses In Final Previews Ahead Of Xbox Launch
@AlwaysPlaying Games can be fun, even with substandard performance. What's to be confused about?
Re: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Producer Defends Lack Of Xbox Series X|S Release
@awp69 Considering we've seen neither hide nor hair of Remake on Xbox, I think it's realistic to expect this won't hit Xbox either. A PC port within the year is almost guaranteed, though.
@Phantasystar77 Admittedly, if I was some hardcore Xbox fanboy, I'd be pretty angry and disillusioned right now as well. Unhappy communities retreat into angry tribalist attitudes as a self-defense mechanism.
Re: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Producer Defends Lack Of Xbox Series X|S Release
@Phantasystar77 Boxed sales are apparently 30% under Remake in the UK, but there's a lot of mitigating factors.
Certainly nothing to do with the game not launching on Xbox. Realistically, Xbox sales would barely even contribute to the boxed sales number. It's a primarily digitally-driven platform.
Re: Roundup: Dragon's Dogma 2 Impresses In Final Previews Ahead Of Xbox Launch
Curious to see what PC performance is like. Gonna laugh my ass off if it's running better on my Steam Deck OLED than on these current-gen consoles.
Re: Halo's Legendary Composer Marty O'Donnell Announces Political Career Switch
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Re: Halo's Legendary Composer Marty O'Donnell Announces Political Career Switch
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Re: Halo's Legendary Composer Marty O'Donnell Announces Political Career Switch
@NintendoByNature Oh, no worries, I don't get offended. I love talking to people. I just don't mince my words. By and large, I feel the same about you.
I've heard literally nothing about Democrats agitating to get Dr. Seuss books banned, and can find nothing on it, so unless you can provide me with a link, I'm going to assume you're mistaken. What I DID find was that the Seuss estate is going to stop circulating certain books that it considers offensive. Which is actually not a decision I care for either, but it has nothing to do with the Democratic Party.
Anyway, it's not just a few crazy soccer moms here and there. You have support from the top of the party for restricting access to books with themes they find offensive. So it still wouldn't be the same thing at all as random crazy online lefties screaming about the Harry Potter books because JK Rowling is problematic, or whatever.
Regarding Trump being removed from ballots, as I pointed out, the people suing Trump and getting him into these situations tend to be Republicans as well. Not sure what the political leaning of the judge is, but it's not the same thing as politicians attempting to restrict access to voting rights. And, as expected, the Supreme Court just ruled he can't be kicked off ballots anyway.
The data overwhelmingly supports the contention that keeping up with your boosters increases your likelihood of not suffering from severe disease if you catch covid. With that said, there have always been people who catch it and are asymptomatic, and that might very well be what happened with you. There WERE lies from the scientific community early on regarding covid (specifically, when medical masks were in short supply, the CDC lied to the public about their effectiveness to try and lower the number of people panic buying them, which has rightfully tarnished their credibility), but you not getting sick without boosters doesn't mean the data is a lie.
The same-sex marriage thing is funny, because most people, even Republicans, support it, but there's still a strong contingent of the party that wants it taken away as part of the party's Christian Nationalist push.
While I sympathize with the wider concerns that led to the BLM protests and riots, you won't find me defending most of what happened that year lol. Law and order need to be upheld. Hopefully, someday, we can actually address the very real issues with policing in the U.S. that led to such an upsurge in anger as well.
If you'd like a dispassionate analysis of the economy under Biden vs Trump with data and sources, you can turn to this, for a start. Definitely seek out different sources that don't have an explicit ideological bias:
https://www.politifact.com/article/2024/mar/02/Biden-Trump-economy-who-did-better/
I don't respect beliefs founded in hatred, ignorance, and a yearning for authoritarian control, no. You shouldn't, either. There comes a point where things aren't simply matters of opinion. The modern GOP isn't getting this reaction from people because they disagree on tax policy.
Re: Halo's Legendary Composer Marty O'Donnell Announces Political Career Switch
@NintendoByNature Considering the modern GOP is FILLED with and CONTROLLED by people who want to burn books, make voting harder, keep people like me from being able to marry, oppress the trans community, spread lies about vaccines during a pandemic, continue supporting a candidate who attempted to orchestrate a coup, explicitly support fascist strongmen over democratic allies, reduce the tax burden on the already undertaxed mega-wealthy even more, and have public figures at major political events calling for the "end of democracy" and talking about starting a new Civil War, what political beliefs should I be looking to respect?
Sorry, but the 'enlightened centrism' attitude is one driven by nothing other than disinterest and ignorance of the facts at this point.
Re: Halo's Legendary Composer Marty O'Donnell Announces Political Career Switch
@Trmn8r So many words buzzwords in one post.
"Principles and facts" lol
Okay.
Let's establish some facts.
So, at least in the case of the Colorado ballet removal that kicked this off, the people who sued Trump in that situation were Republicans. In fact, most of the legal trouble Trump has been in has been due to other Republicans trying to hold him accountable. So "the side" you're referring to, I hope you realize, is Republicans.
How about the fact that the GOP is currently a cult that will turn on its own ideas the moment it politically benefits a Democrat? Healthcare reform, as it went through, was a plan based off explicitly conservative policies about healthcare reform at the time (and similar, if I recall, to Romneycare), but y'all like to pretend it's socialized medicine.
Republicans EXPLICITLY nuked a potential border deal because your Trump has EXPLICITLY said he doesn't want things to improve under Joe Biden.
The GOP didn't even have a platform drawn up in 2020 like they usually do, because literally the only priority of the party at that point was politically supporting Donald Trump.
It's hard to think of another political party at present worldwide that's MORE divorced from acceptance of the facts, or that is less principle-driven.
You LITERALLY had people at CPAC explicitly calling for the end of democracy. Following only a few years after the last Republican president attempted to orchestrate a coup.
The modern GOP is a stain on the Earth, and will lead this country to ruin unless it is stomped out utterly and rebuilt from the ground up. The party is a refuge for the absolute worst aspects of humanity.
Re: Obsidian Blasted By Xbox Fans For 'Prioritising' PS5 & Switch Versions Of Pentiment
I've been following (and chuckling at) the extended meltdowns some Xbox fanboys are having on Twitter since the start of the rumor-mongering about all this.
That said, I can understand why genuine Xbox loyalists would be frustrated by and hypersensitive to all this, given the continued perceived lack of success and humiliation of their preferred brand relative to the successes of Sony and Nintendo. At this point, applauding for the red carpet being rolled out for the release of Xbox Game Studios titles on opposing platforms probably strikes them as being somewhat emotionally akin to cuckoldry.
Even if the reactions themselves aren't rational, it's not good brand management to leave a fraction of your primary audience feeling like that. Then again, it also wasn't good brand management to let rumors about the Xbox brand going fully multiplatform mutate out of control for a week, and Microsoft allowed it to happen anyway.
Re: Xbox Fans Share Their Disappointment As Two New Games Skip The Platform
@mousieone I mean, as I recall, Stories 2 released simultaneously on Switch and PC with little issue. People understood why some random 3DS game wasn't getting ported, since those often don't transition well to other platforms.
Re: Poll: Will You Be Playing Any Of Xbox's New Multiplatform Games On Other Consoles?
@Banjo- Just seems like they excluded ports that would require anything more than the bare minimum of dev time. You're not gonna convince me Hi-Fi Rush couldn't run well on a PS4. And Switch obviously enjoys ports of far more demanding games, although those also probably had a good deal of effort poured into their conversions.
I do wonder at this point why the Ori games still aren't on Playstation.
Re: Multiple Games Announced For Xbox Following February 2024's Nintendo Direct
SMT V: Vengeance! People were wondering if this was more "Persona 5 Royal" (same game with some added stuff) or SMT IV: Apocalypse (brand new game), but honestly, it sounds like it's both. Improvements across the board, but with a second route roughly equal in length to the first. And SMT V itself was not a short JRPG by any means lol.
Not usually a fan of Switch losing exclusives, but this game always deserved to be on more powerful hardware.
The original game had some issues, but the monster-collecting, exploration, and sense of scale were dope. Hope it enjoys far more success as a multiplatform release.
Re: Xbox Fans Share Their Disappointment As Two New Games Skip The Platform
I don't understand why Monster Hunter Stories 2 is still console-exclusive on Switch. The game is way more worthy of being played on modern-gen devices anyway than this upscaled 3DS port.
Re: Poll: Will You Be Playing Any Of Xbox's New Multiplatform Games On Other Consoles?
Wow, Hi-Fi Rush is skipping Switch? Seems like a wasted opportunity, but whatever.
If I play any of these at all, it'll be on my Steam Deck.
Re: Xbox Indie Developer Shares His Concerns Following This Week's Rumours
@mousieone It's genuinely baffling that Microsoft doesn't seem interested in heading off the colossal amount of PR damage this is doing.
Re: Xbox Indie Developer Shares His Concerns Following This Week's Rumours
@EvilSilentFrame I disagree. Rumors about the viability of the brand are spiraling. This is some of the worst PR they've ever had.
This demands an immediate reaction, not "see you in a week!"
Re: Xbox Indie Developer Shares His Concerns Following This Week's Rumours
Regardless of what ends up happening with this situation, Microsoft is handling it so poorly. I can't believe they're just leaving it to spiral out of control like this.
So glad I chose not to reinvest in this ecosystem.
Re: Xbox's Phil Spencer Knows How Much We Want A New Banjo-Kazooie Game
The original was truly an awful experience.
That said, the IP itself could be done well in the hands of another developer. I'd be game if it was done right.
Re: Talking Point: How Many Microsoft Rewards Points Do You Have Right Now?
19,000 or so. Debating whether I want to spend them on PC GamePass or just another Amazon gift card.
Re: 10 Years Since Its Release, Let's Celebrate The Biggest Turnaround In Xbox History
Celebrate the console launch that took Microsoft from being neck-and-neck with Sony at the top of the industry to permanently being third-place in the home console space? lol
Re: Xbox Might Be Losing Its Microsoft Rewards App (And Weekly Streaks)
Microsoft Rewards always struck me as being a little overly generous, so I'm not surprised they're reducing benefits.
Still, it was one of the few draws to the Xbox brand/ecosystem, and now they're torching it.
Re: Xbox Fans Repulsed By Mid-Game Ubisoft Advert For Assassin's Creed
The instant advertisers find a way to beam ads into our brains, we'll be swamped with them every night when we go to sleep.
But yeah, this is incredibly gross.
Re: Xbox Fans Call On Microsoft To 'Pick Up' Troubled Star Wars: KOTOR Remake
That would be EXTREMELY funny.
Re: Review: Persona 5 Tactica - A Successful Switch To Slick Tactical Action For Joker & Company
This is an incredible addition to GP. Really adding proper value to the service.
Re: Starfield Fails To Make Shortlist For 'Game Of The Year' At The Game Awards 2023
Kinda sad to see how the tide turned so quickly against Starfield in terms of public opinion. I literally just talked to a random dude today about video games, and when I mentioned Starfield, he had some choice criticisms lol. I guess BGS has lost a lot of their luster in today's environment.
I've only played the Ninty games on the list. Mario Wonder is okay, but not GOTY-worthy, IMO. TotK... I dunno. It's incredibly impressive and creative in so many respects, but I just sort of sat it down and lost interest after 80 hours or so. Whereas I feverishly played BotW until I hit the credits. I think the sequel complicated the formula a bit too much for me.
I guess, for me, the smaller Nintendo releases were more fun. Pikmin 4, Fire Emblem Engage, those Advance Wars remakes, etc.
Re: Xbox Users Left Disappointed As Microsoft Rewards Suffers Another Big Setback
I'm not surprised they're cracking down. Microsoft Rewards was a shockingly generous program.
Re: Elon Musk Is Getting Involved With Xbox & PlayStation's Twitter Troubles
Sucks. I use Twitter when sharing screenshots on PS4.
@senote Let's be candid: he's always been like this. He just used to be less mask off about it to the public.
Re: Some Xbox Fans Aren't Happy About 'Intrusive' Call Of Duty: MW3 Ads
Ugh. Awful.
Never been happier to have my spartan Switch homescreen with its beautiful little game tiles and nothing else.
Re: Metacritic Data Suggests 2023 Has Been The Best Year In Gaming For 20 Years
Four of Nintendo's first party releases this year scored in the 90s.
Christ.
Re: Gears Of War Needs A 'God Of War-Like Reboot', Says Original Lead Designer
A reboot, yes.
GoW-style? Absolutely not. Microsoft doesn't need to ape the cinematic action style Sony is primarily known for. They just need to find their own lane and excel at it.
Re: Sony Exec Describes Game Pass And PS Plus As 'Very Different' Offerings
Even with Microsoft's issues, Game Pass is just such a better service.
Sony really jumped the shark with its pricing.