TanaDax

I wish they would stop this drip feed of titles. We know they know that we know that they are going to release the entire Xbox 1st party library to all other platforms going forward so just break the dam and let the flood of Microsoft IP’s flow out into the gaming landscape already.

Yep, Xbox console sales are falling through the floor and I’m not sure Xbox even want to sell their own consoles when you read stuff like this

https://wccftech.com/xbox-europe-marketing-lead-complains-theyre-getting-much-fewer-funds-compared-to-playstation/

It’s why when I hear about Xbox Prime I now roll my eyes, I don’t believe Microsoft has any enthusiasm for the console market going forward - it’s gamepass and becoming a powerful third party publisher that’s clearly the future to them.. and maybe they are right? Ahead of the curve? Who knows.

I will forever say the Series X is a great machine, and yes game pass a brilliant deal for the most part. I just wish the SX had been successful lol. Ah well at least in 2025 we finally seem to be getting a year of significant Microsoft studio releases, chin up and all that. Oh Fable… please don’t suck 😂🙏🏼

It’s a strange take on Civ, basically forcing you to play exactly the way they want, not how you might chose to play:

-You must change civs each era
-You must endure your empire being downgraded each new era start
-You must engage in colonisation in the exploration age and you must build treasure fleets every time or your civ happiness plummets (various reviews mention this). Like Pangea games? Too bad. Like any map that isn’t terra? Too bad. Like to turtle on your home continent and build Tall? Too bad.

I feel at launch it will make for some very repetitive gameplay after a few game sessions. No doubt expansions may change some of the above or give more options, so I guess I’ll wait and see before buying. On Civ6 I’ll remain for now - and still a handful of achievements to grind!

@SMJ

Think there will be a PS6 and perhaps one more pointless Xbox console, but after that yeah.. not sure there will be a PS7 post 2030 if Microsoft’s vision for future gaming goes to plan.

I’m real tired of hearing ‘this hurts no one’ - of course it doesn’t. Doesn’t mean I can’t be miffed at the change in direction from what Xbox promised in 2020 at the Series Launch.

They promised at that time a major first party title every 6 months. Never happened. They promised an awesome return to form for Halo, never happened. They teased Fable, State of decay 3 and more, only for them to start porting the Xbox library to PlayStation and Nintendo before these games Ive waited near 5 years for are even released and are going to be third party anyway.

It also feels at times of late that the Xbox consoles are the lowest thing on their priority. PC, Gamepass, PlayStation seem to be the focus. They don’t even advertise.

They can ship all their games to whoever they like, and I do hope new players on other platforms do enjoy them. I’m not annoyed by that, I’m only annoyed how Microsoft have treated the Series X as an afterthought these past few years.

Ugh rant over.

Master Chief, the face of Xbox especially in the 360 era soon on PlayStation and Nintendo.

Will be a very Sonic to Nintendo moment lol. At least Microsoft can really push Halo esport in an even bigger way now…

Have had some success steaming on my TV with the likes of spiritfarer and simpler slower games like that.

Oh dear Goodness… those poor PlayStation folk will have to endure the endless tales of Papa Fernando now. Turn off dialogue and save your sanity 👍🏻

Great game, hope the PlayStation audience enjoy it! 🇲🇽 🚘

YArr! Yakuza and Pirates - Let’s Go!! Loved the look of this one since it’s reveal trailer.

Avowed… waiting to see reviews.

Alas Series X, old friend, you were and are a fine machine, such a pity you sold so poorly compared to rival consoles.

On the upside Microsoft is making bank on going third party! And now my TV, phone and switch are Xboxes too!

Hmm.. why did I buy you again?

Fable targeting a 2025 release… YAAAAAS!!! LET’S GO!!!!

Clockwork Revolution has my interest, sadly I’m sensing 2026 for its release.
Also Fable.. please be this year..

Phil has never shown the Series X anywhere near the kind of gushing praise he has often bestowed upon the PS5 and Switch in various articles and tweets since 2021. The Series S has been fortunate to occasionally been given a good word by him.

What he has championed for Xbox consistency is Gamepass, the drive to have Gamepass on other systems and now having all Xbox games eventually ported to rival systems.

I have severe doubts he really believes in Xbox hardware going forward.

So.. if most Xbox games are going to be on PC, Nintendo and PlayStation going forward, and yet no big PlayStation or Nintendo exclusives are coming to a future Xbox console in return, why the heck would I buy any Microsoft gaming console going forward?

I do enjoy many Xbox games, but if I can play the likes of Halo, Fable with Mariokart 9 and Zelda on one system alone…

@OldGamer999

Let’s just hope Switch 2 is no let down, I’m strongly considering the same move once my gamepass runs out in 2026.

Xbox could not give its remaining fans just one win could they lmao 😂 just had to give PlayStation fans the news as soon as possible.

Loved playing the Remaster Trilogy.. years ago..

It arriving on Game Pass really isn’t the big deal Microsoft thinks it is.

@DonkeyFantasy

The Activision purchase really does seem like a poison chalice more and more.

And just One day later Microsoft has announced you’ll no longer be able to use Microsoft points to purchase Game Pass Ultimate.

Must have seen this article and had a panic attack lol.

Seriously Microsoft, enough with the middle finger at your fans, I know we were stupid to believe in Xbox in the first place but c’mon!

‘Explore the catalog to redeem points for other prizes’

Yeah Microsoft, until you also nerf those said prizes or raise the points costs to ever higher levels, while making points ever harder to get.

So with this change we might go from zero UK marketing for Xbox to at least… something? Ooh.. that feeling of hope.. must suppress it!

Going to give Still Wakes the Deep a bash out of that lot. Let’s go!

Ok Xbox… that’s more like it 👍🏻

My humble verdict: A

Oh my heart be still, finally more Fable at last and Avowed looking rather fun. Just wish they could give some solid release dates.

C

Other than Civilization VII, I found it rather underwhelming considering the hype that went before it.

I could rant, but I’m tired of being so negative this last week. Will just say ‘Not my cup of Tea’.

Will try the sequel though, maybe it’s gameplay will be better, maybe it will make me give the first another shot, who knows.

Trying out some Star Trek Online, and hoping also to begin the Gears 5 Hivebusters expansion with my bro in law.

Nice review 👍🏻. I’ve been playing some of the more grim titles of late on Game Pass, so this looks like a nice break from all that. Will certainly give it a go.

@NEStalgia

Could not agree more. You may also jest about Jim Ryan , but I wouldn’t be surprised if he really did turn up with the ‘direction’ Xbox / Microsoft Gaming is now taking. It would complete the transformation perfectly lol.

@endlessleep

Heh, it only took them a day to prove you right about more closures. Sadly.

What is this insanity? What the frick is going on with Microsoft’s messaging? My head hurts.

@Kooky_Geezer

Phil also said how important Tango was as much needed Studio for Xbox in Japan.

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2021/03/phil_spencer_calls_the_acquisition_of_tango_gameworks_a_great_step_for_xboxs_japan_presence

Either Phil is a two face snake or… perhaps what others have said in related posts might be true. That Phil is no longer in the driving seat.

Feel the Burn indeed, they’re taking a damn flamethrower to everything… Studios, developers trust, public relations, gamer enthusiasm for the brand. What will rise from the ashes of the Xbox we once knew…?

Oh yeah, ‘Microsoft Gaming’.

Huh. Yeah… nothing to see here, just some extra fuel being poured on the dumpster fire that is Xbox PR.

So some think it’s ‘entitled’ to share opinions on sites designed for opinions to be shared? Well gosh, you learn something new every day for sure.

Yup let’s kill a fresh new, well received IP in its infancy, a studio that won critical acclaim for Xbox, and remove a much needed Japanese studio from the Xbox ‘family’.

Slow Clap

Now they can’t even do sales right! 😂

Oh Microsoft, what’s going on with you? You good? Need to tell us something?

So no chance for a Cyberpunk 2077 like redemption then. Oh well.

Microsoft, it seems, could not let Sony hog all the negative PR this week with Helldivers…

And so we get this today.

The death of Tango Works - I’m in utter disbelief. What a fine reward for making Microsoft one its most highly rated, highly respected games in some time. What a waste of a corporate purchase, what a waste of a much needed Japanese studio.

It’s really been nothing but disappointment after disappointment for near two years solid from Xbox. Really poured all the good vibes they had in 20/21 down the drain. Very disappointing Generation indeed. In a weird place now, I’m still a big fan of my series X, but can’t say I’m really an Xbox fan anymore.

My heartfelt sympathy goes out to all those people who had their jobs and livelihoods removed by Microsoft today. I truly hope they can find new opportunities quickly.

I agree utterly with your end conclusions Pure Xbox, as in I would have definitely appreciated Microsoft just being honest in saying people were earning too many points for it to remain sustainable or something along those lines.

Instead we get continued secrecy about their intended real plans and one very generic statement about feedback, user satisfaction and excitement for programs future. Well I’m sorry, how on Earth can Microsoft be excited for the programs future when they have spent the last year slashing it to the bone? Also as InterceptorAlpha points out, the cost of rewards has gone up and up over time too.

Yes it may have been too generous once, but it also put Microsoft head and shoulders over any rivals reward schemes. Now however it’s not swinging to the middle ground but to the complete opposite side - tightfisted, stingy. They are seemingly killing the rewards program bit by bit yet they want us to believe they are excited for its future? yeah, great joke Microsoft, I really needed the laugh.

@Kang81

I feel your disappointment! I wanted my new Mario wonder Toad icon on an older background I own, but nope! How dare we show very minor creativity like that! Just Nintendo being Nintendo I guess.

An absolute deluge of Activision games on gamepass in time for Christmas! Let’s Go!

Oh for goodness sake Microsoft just get rid of it completely if you intend to nerf it into the ground like this, and while your at it just go the Nintendo route and allow our remaining points to buy some sexy Xbox avatars instead of anything useful. 😁👍🏻

Ok, petty rant over.

£70 you say… suddenly feel my gaming backlog calling.

It promised so much, but sadly the motion controls turned out very hit and miss most of the time. To me it was a needless addition to the 360, up there with the 32x on the mega drive.
I also tend to recall the Kinects arrival heralded a drop off in good Xbox exclusives at the tail end of the 360 gen. While PlayStation began smashing it with the Last of Us and Uncharted sequels, we got crap like Fable the Journey and other shovelware that, as I said, barely functioned at times with that damn sensor.

On very petty personal note, I hated that purple ‘better with kinetic’ banner slapped on so many of my late gen 360 game covers!

Yeah.. was not a fan.

@Cakefish

Indeed, and that’s what I was trying to point out in my earlier post. In 2013 so many people hated on Xbox and Microsoft for focusing so heavy on Call of Duty and sports games during the Xbox One reveal.

Yet here we are 10 years later in 2023, and what is dominating the above top 20 chart? That’s right, COD and sports games! Hence Microsoft knew its audience even if others wanted to hate on them for it.

Look how PlayStation fought tooth and nail to stop Microsoft making COD Xbox exclusive. People can hate all they want but COD really does remain one hell of an enduring and popular franchise, that actually does have some really great campaigns, even if some are on the shorter side.

That list gives me major 2013 Xbox One launch vibes. 😂

Call of Duty, Call of Duty, Call of Duty, Sports, Sports.. something something TV.. Call of Duty!

Guess Microsoft did know it’s audience after all.

Triangle Strategy on Switch, with some F Zero 99 on the side!

And the positive Xbox news just keeps on coming … ugh.

@Kienda

I’m with you on that, it’s the fact if you tolerate this ‘one little’ mid game ad then how long until it’s one every 4 hours of gameplay, then every 3 hours and so on. It’s a trash idea and needs to die at its inception.

Perhaps my favourite console ever, and with it my favourite generation of games ever.

Happy Anniversary old friend!