TanaDax

@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!

Given the development limbo many games are in at Xbox atm, I wouldn’t expect to see a ‘Microsoft Kotor’ actually out until maybe near a decade from now on the next Xbox (if there is one 😕).

Would prefer Xbox to focus on actually getting out the games they first announced Four years ago.

Very much enjoyed the four hours I’ve played so far. I’m taking it slowly, exploring every little nook and reading every letter found. Will likely give it 8 or 9 / 10 if it holds my interest all the way through.

@BaldBelper78

Now that you mention it, I can not recall the last time I saw any Xbox advertisement in my area (Glasgow), be it TV or even posters and billboards in the city. Nintendo ads are always on TV and PlayStation has had massive billboards for exclusives - heck there was a huge Kratos and son looming over Glasgow Central Station last year when GoW Ragnarok was being released.

Xbox needs to step it up.

Hi-Fi rush was an amazing 1st party title this year.

But as for the rest…

Starfield was ok but not the addictive and wondrous game I thought it would be.
Forza is a gutted barebones shameful release that lasted only fives days on my hard drive before I deleted it.
RedFall… disaster.

I give Xbox a C, and only because of the amazing third party lineup this year and Hi-Fi rush.

Where is the quality control at Xbox? Should I begin to fear for Avowed, Fable and the next big 1st party releases all being a bit Meh, a bit average or outright ‘Redfalls’?

Here’s hoping Hi-Fi rush gets something out of this. It really is well deserving of an award or two this year, a true gem on game pass and Xbox. 👍🏻

Never have enjoyed gaming as much as I did in the 360 era. Fable 2, Bioshock, Halo 3 and Assassins Creed 2 were my first games and gosh what a great first experience with Xbox with these games. Fable 2 especially was a favourite that gave me a lot of joy during an otherwise horrible point in my life.

So yeah, 360 gen gets my vote! 🙂

Playing some Anno 1800 via the free trial weekend thing. Really enjoying it and will be putting it on my Christmas list!

That’ll do Phil, that’ll do. 👍🏻

I sort of enjoyed it, but think I’m just done with Limbo style games atm. I agree with themightyant about the final third, heck the moment she got a certain item halfway through I became painfully aware of how she was probably going to ‘win’ in the end, and alas the ending was exactly that scenario.

Today..

• Lana devs happy at feedback, Yakuza Phil meme -

Me: 🙂 well this seems positive so far…

• XBOX confirms yet ANOTHER long wait for first party title, more development hell -

Me: And there it is. 😂

Xbox (and this site) both giveth and taketh away.

Think I’ll give Planet of Lana a try, been hearing good things about it from folks here.

For now… Yes all the way! Stacked to 2026!

As for after this, well who the heck knows what game pass will look like then. I’ll judge it on if all the first party stuff to come is actually good, if the pass is not majority stuffed with poor to average ‘filler’ titles by then and also see if the price rises further.

And I’m not thinking too far ahead, I remember being on this site in 2020 predicting the pass would be filled with tons of first party by mid ‘2022’, and here we are in mid 2023 still waiting for starfield. I was too optimistic then, not anymore.

Also time really does fly!

Oh so just in time for the ‘Next Gen’ consoles also coming in 5 years apparently. I really can’t believe how slow and laboured AAA development is becoming.

I’m just glad to finally hear some fighting talk from Phil against Sony and half the nonsense they pull against Xbox. The previous love bombing of all things PlayStation was getting just a tad worrying lol.