Thanks for your reply mate. I hear you on the news thing, though I'm English and so we're a decade behind you on polarisation currently, but we are getting there! My main concern on the MS one is that it takes 40 seconds for anything interesting to happen and most people these days have the attention span of a fruit fly - that wont hold attention. I'm sure they will edit some higher paced ones too. Of more concern is that it only shows 4 games and one is currently vapourware and the another is a multi-plat title. Strange choices.
I'm glad you are enjoying SpiderMan 2. I've not played it myself, as swinging in the previous titles made me a little motion sick (something I'm prone to). I've seen though, that you can choose to fly from quite early in the game, so maybe I'll try this one and see if I can stomach it! It certainly looks proper 'next gen' though in a way too few games have this gen
I can't tell you why Sony haven't road mapped their coming first party titles, other than they don't appear to need to to get record sales, but I can say with certainty that there is plenty coming. I'm not much of a networker and haven't kept that many industry contacts since I left the dev industry nearly 15 years ago, but even I am hearing there's some exciting titles coming next year. In the meantime, especially if you are multi format, there's more games than I can consume now so I'm content to wait and see. Have a good one!
I'm not too bothered by high system requirements, as long as it is performant on a high spec machine. I'm running an i9 10900K with a 3090 and 64Gb of ram. I don't expect it to stutter and TBH it should manage at least 1440P 60hz - surely? Looking forward to trying this - I loved the last one. I don't normally play a lot on PC, far prefer console gaming, but this type of title I feel really benefits from K/B and mouse input, so I'm happy to make an exception for this
Theres no point in the defence force discounting a 35% drop in sales compared to last year. I am personally delighted that sales increased on the back of the great Starfield release, but I'd like to see that momentum continue and hope the ABK news might help this increase to grow. More advertising from MS could help too. Im convinced that if more people genuinely realised the extreme value of game pass, then the momentum can grow, but it needs MS to put this under peoples noses so they finally get it. Putting our fingers in our ears will not help drive the growth the platform deserves. This is a good start, but surely we all want more?
@NeoRatt Each to their own mate. I've waited 3 years for Starfield and Motorsport only to find they are Ok. Just OK. That's disappointing. They are also both just iterations of game titles which were, IMO, better, so I don't understand the 'evolution' comment on Spidey when this applies to all the 'big hitters' here too?
Regardless, I like that Microsoft are stepping their game up with advertising. They have plenty to offer and I'm sure they would be selling more if they made sure more people understood and considered the huge value of Game Pass. Especially now that ABK are on board.
As a gamer with no affiliation and an interest in all platforms I want to see all companies doing well. That's great for the industry I love.
I hope you have a great day, we are just talking points of view here and as gamers I'm sure we have much more in common than not!
Fortunately all the other races feel like multiplayer anway as the ai spends the first lap doing its best to ram you off the track. Shame, as the actual driving is pretty spot on...
Three times. It was used lots n lots, but it was in an open place.. Very frustrating. At least the later hardware has been solid, not had any other issues..
As they are desperately trying to get players interested in Halo again, this is no surprise. Dumping all the old COD games on game pass guarantee's your halo audience will not give it a fair chance, so they will hang off doing that for a few months for sure.
Thanks for this review. It sounds good fun, and I'm always tempted by a sonic 2D game! Now if only we can extend the day to 40 hours so there's some hope of clearing my back log
Lip service because he's signed a 10 year contract to get the deal over the line. We all know he'd be saying completely differently if he were not legally obliged. Seeing as how he has to bring it anyway, why not try and pretend he would always be this magnanimous? It still amazes me that some people think this guy is on the level.... Still now that Bobby Kotick is a Microsoft executive, almost everybody else looks a saint in comparison. Phil may do CEO stuff (its his job after all), but I bet he has never threatened to have an employee killed....
@Deshalu I think your right, that he had some issues since the take over, but I doubt thats the main motivator. When I was a dev, I wanted the entire world to be able to see and experience what I helped create. I can understand if he had some frustration seeing a large group of previous players not getting a chance to enjoy the work. But as I approach my own retirement, I also recognise the desire to spend your twighlight years enoying the time you have left with those you care for the most, and I suspect this is his main reason.
@Hutchilawd " Used to love dungeon keeper 2 back in the day."
Really touched to hear you say that and I'm glad the game is still remembered. I've made many games, but Dungeon Keeper 2 is the game closest to my heart. As I sit here typing this, there's a plaque on the wall in front of me with the cover and the game disc and my name commemorating its release, and just off to one side is a shelf with a 10 inch tall Horned Reaper model, two horned reaper mugs with the Horned Reaper icon and my name on 'em, and even a set of Dungeon Keeper 2 playing cards! It was special game to make and maybe the peak of my 20 year career making such titles. Thanks for bringing back happy memories
Having been a windows user since its inception, I expect bugs and no rush to fix them. I get exactly what I expect.
Whilst im happy they are stating they will fix it, no kudos for doing so now when its been a bug for so long. At least its another annoyance that will hopefully go away! 👍
I want see a complete overhaul of employee relations and actions to stamp out the awful treatment of devs that these now MS employees have engaged in in the past. The starts with the awful Bobby Kotick being an MS employee for the least amount of time possible, but will also require root and branch retraining to many management teams, especially Blizzard's. Ive boycotted their games for years now based on their disgusting behaviour. It really troubles me that they are now part of xbox. If they are allowed to operate as they always have, I dont know that I could stay with Xbox any longer.
Apart from the above, Id like to see less teams being used to support cod, with cod maybe becoming biannual, and those teams given a chance to be more creative, either with older ips, but Id prefer new IPs. These are strong teams and I suspect they could create loads of great new IPs for game pass.
@Dusk_Actual Keep strong mate. I have copd from 35 years of smoking. I stopped after the diagnosis more than 5 years back and really wish Id stopped sooner. Hold strong mate and I promise you it gets easier.
@OldGamer999
Its not brilliant imho. A whole tour will be five or six series of races with a set car type. You choose the car from a choice of three stock vehicles and as you complete races get access to few more parts for them. Unfortunately this means that by the time you have enough parts unlocked to really tune the vehicle, you are moving on to the next series of races. You will often unlock parts for a car and not be able to use them at all in the next race due to race regulations. Progression from stock seems slow and unsatisfactory.
However, the actual feel of the car on the road is great, particularly in chase mode and props for making the controller option work as well as it does. The cockpit modes dont really work so well imo and whilst im sure the handling model is the same, it sure doent feel it to me. You have no defense in cockpit view from the stupid AI which will spend at least half the first lap trying to knock you off the track, in chase cam you might see enough to take avoiding action😁
Im determined to finish all the races despite how long it takes, but the whole package feels sterile and souless to me, even if I appreciate the good driving feel. My wife is often playing The crew motorfest on the other tv, and she's whooping it up and laughing in a way this game wont ever make me feel. Its biggest rival feels like a love letter to car culture with an obvious identity and feel, but this game doesnt establish its own identity for me. I suspect the most fun here will come from online multiplayer, a mode I traditionaly dont play, but will definitely try this time as they've been inventive in how they match make. Oops, didn't want to write a mini review, got carried away! Everyone should try it😊
I'm playing Motorsport, Ive put over 30 hours into it playing the career and im only just finishing the second tour. I'm also still playing Starfield. Its not gonna last me forever but I reckon I can squeeze another 100 hours 😊
@OldGamer999 "Pure Xbox is the best community now. I would say a year or so ago it maybe wasn’t."
Ive always felt that too. Its only a day like today when I doubt it, but theres not too many ABK days, so I guess some stupid comments to be expected 😁
The 'victim mentality' of xbox stalwarts is pretty daft.
If Microsoft dont want harsh judgements then they shouldnt provide misleading pre release footage and promises, and shouldnt beat their chest so much about how fantastic and 'game changing' their titles are. In that situation, people will judge harshly if you just deliver a 'good' game insead of a genre defining one.
What reditt says is irrelevant - you can find any opinion you are looking for there. But few pople see the big titles we have been waiting for as genre leaders. For me, both Starfield and Motorsport are decent 8/10 titles, fun to play for a while but I wont remember them at the end of this gen like Ill remember trully great titles like Elden Ring, Zelda Tears, or Baldurs Gate 3.
I think if MS stopped telling us how 'exceptional these titles will be before underdelivering, they wouldnt get quite the level of critiscm they do.
Personally I run in performance mode on series X for best sharpness and clarity on a 65 inch screen. Ive had no issues on PC and run on Ultra everything at 4k, never had stutter or anything less than 60fps, but its a powerfull pc, no need to fiddle with settings.
@BBB Thanks mate, appreciate your reply. Im 5 hours in and Ive enjoyed the built for sport races a little more, maybe because I picked a better car, and also because im choosing my own upgrades over just pressing x for auto tune. In my case the porche cayman Id choosen slides off the road quite easillly in stock, but as soon as I maxed tyre width Ive been able to take a few more liberties, which is more fun. My drivatars are only on level 4 atm with sport rules, but Im easilly managing 1st place starting for 12th. Im not one for quitting easilly, so Ill keep at it, but I cant help thinking some more race modes would help the game... I know what you mean about the whole 'dude bro thing', its been done to death. This one seems a little souless though, so maybe a halfway house would be good! Im determined to at least finish all the races which are here though, much to my wifes disdain! She can play motorfest or horizon all night, but wont touch this, which is great for me as we've only one series x and Ive not installed it on the PC! Have fun!
Why am I bored? Its pretty when the lighting is right. The handling has a tendancy to understeer even on cars it shouldnt, but feels pretty good and you can notice upgrade changes well. Sounds pretty decent too, if a little ott. I turned the ai to level 5, but it still seems inexplicably stupid and cars will crash into you early race almost without fail - gets better when they spread out. But the gameplay loop and upgrade path, just suck the fun from it. If you compare to FM7, theres so little to do in comparison? I'll grind the hell out of it and hope I get pulled in, but right now after 3 hours I just wanna switch on crew motorfest or starfield and have fun.. I didnt expect to feel this.. Have I missed some game modes guys? P. S. I know many people here I respect are having a fantastic time with this game. My initial thoughts and dissapointment are purely mine and are not intended to throw shade on anyone elses enjoyment and fun. I want to feel that joy too.
@Tasuki Im sure you will enjoy it if you already enjoy horizon games. Its full of excellent arcade racing and much to my surprise is at least the equal of fh5. Ive put quite a lot of time in when Im not in Starfield 😊
@Dround87 I kinda see what you mean. Im the kind of reader that ends up reading all the articles posted here, mainly cause Ive found it healthier to limit what I comsume on the net.. so it seems normal to me 😁 Maybe it IS weird and Im just weird, lol
@Dround87 I dont understand your confusion? People come to this site to read about and participate in discussions about, xbox gaming. This is latest big title on xbox and our favourite site is asking for our opinion. Why wouldnt you take a moment to pick how you feel? Your post is the only confusing thing I see here...
Starfield, just completed the crimson pirates missions and back to main quest. The crew motorfest when I want to mix it up, Ive been really enjoying it.
@GeeForce Thats a fair take given I didnt express myself fully. ,Though I would point out my first post was longer than your quote.
As a business, the aquition of ABK is undoubtably is huge deal, and another step towards their goals.
As a consumer who doesnt play cod, Im not seeing a huge benifit to myself, maybe the odd title on gp, but I cant think of much else.
But I care very deeply about abuse of devs, so Im concerned about some of the worst offenders joining xbox, a team I care about.
Im not sure that expressing my biggest concern is a weird take?
Its still a solid 8 game for me, but nowhere near as compelling as the bethusda titles of the past. Im only 70 hours in now, but it doesnt feel like there is much reason to explore anything. Some story lines are excellent, but far to many are simply 'busy work' running from one location to another watching loading screens and yet another door animation. It seems like phone communication is a thing of the past as you have to visit every single person in person to have a chat,- thats nuts.
I put 100s of hours into fallout 3, oblivion and skyrim, but Im pretty sure I'll not be playing this in another month or so. But its still got some bethusda magic inbetween the jank.
@BBB Thanks for the clarification dude, I was a little concerned at that. I am still a bit concerned about the upgrade path grind, as several outlets have stated how much of a grind it is but Ill get to see for myself soon enough. As long as the racing is fun, thats the main thing..
All it means at the moment is that Xbox will become the home of the worst most disgusting managers in gaming history - although looking at ubi news this week, they may have some competition.
I really hope that once the deal goes ahead, xbox makes sweeping changes and ensures that it staff are treated with respect and fairly. Bobby becoming an Xbox employee gives me the creeps.
Other than that there may be some old cr@p none really cares about releasing on GP, but I'm not expecting anything worthwhile for a year or two. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised!
@ZuneTattooGuy
I call BS on this. Played GT7 from release and not once have I ever been 'pestered for money'. Meanwhile Forza releases with a pack that gives you double money for ever - I'm being pestered for money before I've even played it.
Getting back to common sense, and the article - they are both fantastic looking games, though I'll conceded as I'm a Game Pass player I'm having to use videos to make comparisons.
I thought this would be a clear win for Forza as its next gen only, but in reality, its not that clear cut. I do prefer the pop of colours on GT7, but I also prefer the extra roadside details of forza.
What really matters though is the feeling of driving and with both games looking good, its going to be that driving experience that ultimately determines if the game is good or not. I have no doubts that Forza will deliver a great racing experience, and I enjoy the feel of GT7 too, so both are winners.
If your not a shill for one company over another, you are lucky to have two exceptional circuit racing games to enjoy.
@Kaloudz I hope thats the case! It will be great to see something new from this studio and Im very much looking foward to seeing the progress they are making.
@Maddie47 Thanks, I am vagely aware of that, but my backlog is huge so Ive put titles like that, which are yearly releases, further down my list of games to play. Now you've told me its a backwards step Im even less likely to play it soon - especially as im playing Crew Motorfest and very much looking forward to Motorsport as soon as its GP day. Appreciate the heads up though..
@Maddie47 guilty as charged. 2021 was the last one. Sad to hear its gone down hill since then... I tend to wait till I cen play them on a service like game pass or psplus. Ive seen Eaification first hand. Its sad its still happening.
@HonestHick You dont need to take my word for it, though im hounered you respect the viewpoint. DF did a pretty decent breakdown on release and im sure they would note it too. As for controllers its personal preference of course and there are many who feel dualsense is best in buisness, and people like my wife who simply dont want to use an xbox controller. In her case its because the raised left thumb stick means she has to rotate her hand to use it from the side and therefore her left and right movement is diagonal on xbox. I can use both for all day sessions, i just dont like the noisy clicky feel of one, and the lack of subtlety on rumble. Oh and the dpad. I cant use it acurately. Shame both units are not feature compatable so we could take our faves with us to all consoles eh? Sill, its time to jump back into starfield. Ive only put 60 hiurs in and thats just not right!
@EvenStephen7 Love your description of spaghetti code! I worked on a version of the fifa engine for 'premiership all stars 2' for EA once they abandoned Dungeon Keeper 3, and that code sucked. It had code for the megadrive still in it, but it wouldn't work if you removed the megadrive specific code! I had to go through five exports just to get animation code working. Hideous.
I stole the best talent I could and went and formed a new studio rather than work on footie games...
@HonestHick Thanks mate. Its not just controller though, the updated version has better aliasing and image stability through using amsr 2. Its hardly night and day, but I spent 2 decades looking at game output quality and so im a little more sensitive to these things than most. Certainly not worth £40, but I'll pick it up once its on sale 👍
@HonestHick Thanks dude. I usually dont play 3rd parties on xbox for the same reasons you dont play them on ps5. In this case im tempted into the newer ps4 release by 60hz, so it would be pointless buying the original on xbox which is not 60hz. Once its on sale for £20, ill pick it up. I cant moan I have nothing to play in the meantime! 😁
@TheSimulator Why? The F1 games are excellent titles and safe in code masters hands. They are also available on all platforms, which is much better than being tied to a single platform... I've no love for EA, but I don't understand your wish at all...
I'm gonna have to buy this as soon as its cheaper now. I preferred this to the RDR2 (controversial I know), so I'm well up for playing this @60hz! No reason this wouldn't work on series consoles, so I expect to see it!
@BBB Thanks for that info mate, that's really heartening to hear and I'd have no issue with that level of grind at all, that seems pretty reasonable! I'll just have to wait and see
@themightyant Absolutely true mate. Except the split screen racing that was previously always available in this series - it looks like Series S means that feature will not come back. I just hope they rethink the upgrade path for your cars. There's no point in having 500 cars to own if it takes you 6 months to upgrade one fully!
@themightyant Exactly this. 8/10 games are fine, they are just not the game changing mega games that will move the genre forward. Given that this one still has room to grow, it can still easily become that type of title and be the preeminent circuit racer.
I know I'll get a good race out of this, I'm a little concerned that the GAS upgrade grind will make me turn away, but I've got a lot of patience so if it grips me maybe I'll persevere!
Comments 1,903
Re: Xbox's Latest Advertising Campaign Features Starfield, Hellblade 2 & Others
Thanks for your reply mate.
I hear you on the news thing, though I'm English and so we're a decade behind you on polarisation currently, but we are getting there!
My main concern on the MS one is that it takes 40 seconds for anything interesting to happen and most people these days have the attention span of a fruit fly - that wont hold attention. I'm sure they will edit some higher paced ones too. Of more concern is that it only shows 4 games and one is currently vapourware and the another is a multi-plat title. Strange choices.
I'm glad you are enjoying SpiderMan 2. I've not played it myself, as swinging in the previous titles made me a little motion sick (something I'm prone to). I've seen though, that you can choose to fly from quite early in the game, so maybe I'll try this one and see if I can stomach it! It certainly looks proper 'next gen' though in a way too few games have this gen
I can't tell you why Sony haven't road mapped their coming first party titles, other than they don't appear to need to to get record sales, but I can say with certainty that there is plenty coming. I'm not much of a networker and haven't kept that many industry contacts since I left the dev industry nearly 15 years ago, but even I am hearing there's some exciting titles coming next year. In the meantime, especially if you are multi format, there's more games than I can consume now so I'm content to wait and see. Have a good one!
Re: Cities: Skylines 2 Receives Good Reviews, But Dev Warns Of Performance Issues At Launch
I'm not too bothered by high system requirements, as long as it is performant on a high spec machine.
I'm running an i9 10900K with a 3090 and 64Gb of ram. I don't expect it to stutter and TBH it should manage at least 1440P 60hz - surely?
Looking forward to trying this - I loved the last one.
I don't normally play a lot on PC, far prefer console gaming, but this type of title I feel really benefits from K/B and mouse input, so I'm happy to make an exception for this
Re: Giant Animated 'XSphere' Showcases Xbox Games Lineup In Las Vegas
Now this is what we're talking about! Get that message out there and scream it loud! Fantastic and great to see
Re: Thanks To Starfield, UK Xbox Sales Enjoyed A Huge Increase In September
Theres no point in the defence force discounting a 35% drop in sales compared to last year.
I am personally delighted that sales increased on the back of the great Starfield release, but I'd like to see that momentum continue and hope the ABK news might help this increase to grow. More advertising from MS could help too.
Im convinced that if more people genuinely realised the extreme value of game pass, then the momentum can grow, but it needs MS to put this under peoples noses so they finally get it. Putting our fingers in our ears will not help drive the growth the platform deserves.
This is a good start, but surely we all want more?
Re: Xbox's Latest Advertising Campaign Features Starfield, Hellblade 2 & Others
@NeoRatt Each to their own mate. I've waited 3 years for Starfield and Motorsport only to find they are Ok. Just OK. That's disappointing. They are also both just iterations of game titles which were, IMO, better, so I don't understand the 'evolution' comment on Spidey when this applies to all the 'big hitters' here too?
As for the montage adverts do you mean like this one from 8 months ago?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXwhpK4y-5Q
I think that one was pretty good and reminds me of some of the great montages of the past. Do you not agree?
However it was the single game advertising I was impressed with like this:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2023/10/marvels-spider-man-2-takes-over-the-world-on-ps5-launch-day#enlarge-10
Regardless, I like that Microsoft are stepping their game up with advertising. They have plenty to offer and I'm sure they would be selling more if they made sure more people understood and considered the huge value of Game Pass. Especially now that ABK are on board.
As a gamer with no affiliation and an interest in all platforms I want to see all companies doing well. That's great for the industry I love.
I hope you have a great day, we are just talking points of view here and as gamers I'm sure we have much more in common than not!
Re: Xbox's Latest Advertising Campaign Features Starfield, Hellblade 2 & Others
@NeoRatt You've obviously not see the advertising currently doing the rounds for 'spidey 2'. Its impressive. Very.
But good job on this video MS, I'd like to see more...
Re: Most Forza Motorsport Players Sticking To Single-Player, It Seems
Fortunately all the other races feel like multiplayer anway as the ai spends the first lap doing its best to ram you off the track. Shame, as the actual driving is pretty spot on...
Re: Talking Point: Did Your Xbox 360 Ever Get The 'Red Ring Of Death'?
Three times. It was used lots n lots, but it was in an open place..
Very frustrating. At least the later hardware has been solid, not had any other issues..
Re: Phil Spencer Explains Why ActiBlizz Titles Aren't Expected On Xbox Game Pass Just Yet
As they are desperately trying to get players interested in Halo again, this is no surprise.
Dumping all the old COD games on game pass guarantee's your halo audience will not give it a fair chance, so they will hang off doing that for a few months for sure.
Re: Review: Sonic Superstars - A Modern Take On Sonic's Classic 2D Games
Thanks for this review. It sounds good fun, and I'm always tempted by a sonic 2D game!
Now if only we can extend the day to 40 hours so there's some hope of clearing my back log
Re: Phil Spencer Welcomes PlayStation's Call Of Duty Fans, Confirms No Xbox Exclusive Content
Lip service because he's signed a 10 year contract to get the deal over the line. We all know he'd be saying completely differently if he were not legally obliged.
Seeing as how he has to bring it anyway, why not try and pretend he would always be this magnanimous? It still amazes me that some people think this guy is on the level....
Still now that Bobby Kotick is a Microsoft executive, almost everybody else looks a saint in comparison.
Phil may do CEO stuff (its his job after all), but I bet he has never threatened to have an employee killed....
Re: Talking Point: Which Activision Blizzard Series Do You Want To Play Most On Xbox Game Pass?
Diablo. That is all. Its also enough for me. 👍
Obviously those with a penchant for shooting will get plenty of cod!
Re: Bethesda's Longtime Publishing Head Pete Hines Is Leaving The Company
@Deshalu I think your right, that he had some issues since the take over, but I doubt thats the main motivator.
When I was a dev, I wanted the entire world to be able to see and experience what I helped create. I can understand if he had some frustration seeing a large group of previous players not getting a chance to enjoy the work. But as I approach my own retirement, I also recognise the desire to spend your twighlight years enoying the time you have left with those you care for the most, and I suspect this is his main reason.
Re: Bethesda's Longtime Publishing Head Pete Hines Is Leaving The Company
I hope he enjoys his retirement. He's earnt it and has helped shape some of my favourite titles in bethusdas earlier days.
Re: Six Games Are Confirmed For Xbox Game Pass In November So Far
@Hutchilawd " Used to love dungeon keeper 2 back in the day."
Really touched to hear you say that and I'm glad the game is still remembered. I've made many games, but Dungeon Keeper 2 is the game closest to my heart. As I sit here typing this, there's a plaque on the wall in front of me with the cover and the game disc and my name commemorating its release, and just off to one side is a shelf with a 10 inch tall Horned Reaper model, two horned reaper mugs with the Horned Reaper icon and my name on 'em, and even a set of Dungeon Keeper 2 playing cards! It was special game to make and maybe the peak of my 20 year career making such titles.
Thanks for bringing back happy memories
Re: Xbox Is Fixing An Annoying Issue Related To Microsoft Store Updates
Having been a windows user since its inception, I expect bugs and no rush to fix them. I get exactly what I expect.
Whilst im happy they are stating they will fix it, no kudos for doing so now when its been a bug for so long. At least its another annoyance that will hopefully go away! 👍
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want To See From Xbox & Activision Blizzard?
I want see a complete overhaul of employee relations and actions to stamp out the awful treatment of devs that these now MS employees have engaged in in the past. The starts with the awful Bobby Kotick being an MS employee for the least amount of time possible, but will also require root and branch retraining to many management teams, especially Blizzard's. Ive boycotted their games for years now based on their disgusting behaviour. It really troubles me that they are now part of xbox. If they are allowed to operate as they always have, I dont know that I could stay with Xbox any longer.
Apart from the above, Id like to see less teams being used to support cod, with cod maybe becoming biannual, and those teams given a chance to be more creative, either with older ips, but Id prefer new IPs. These are strong teams and I suspect they could create loads of great new IPs for game pass.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 14-15)
@Dusk_Actual Keep strong mate. I have copd from 35 years of smoking. I stopped after the diagnosis more than 5 years back and really wish Id stopped sooner. Hold strong mate and I promise you it gets easier.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 14-15)
@OldGamer999
Its not brilliant imho. A whole tour will be five or six series of races with a set car type. You choose the car from a choice of three stock vehicles and as you complete races get access to few more parts for them. Unfortunately this means that by the time you have enough parts unlocked to really tune the vehicle, you are moving on to the next series of races. You will often unlock parts for a car and not be able to use them at all in the next race due to race regulations. Progression from stock seems slow and unsatisfactory.
However, the actual feel of the car on the road is great, particularly in chase mode and props for making the controller option work as well as it does. The cockpit modes dont really work so well imo and whilst im sure the handling model is the same, it sure doent feel it to me. You have no defense in cockpit view from the stupid AI which will spend at least half the first lap trying to knock you off the track, in chase cam you might see enough to take avoiding action😁
Im determined to finish all the races despite how long it takes, but the whole package feels sterile and souless to me, even if I appreciate the good driving feel. My wife is often playing The crew motorfest on the other tv, and she's whooping it up and laughing in a way this game wont ever make me feel. Its biggest rival feels like a love letter to car culture with an obvious identity and feel, but this game doesnt establish its own identity for me. I suspect the most fun here will come from online multiplayer, a mode I traditionaly dont play, but will definitely try this time as they've been inventive in how they match make. Oops, didn't want to write a mini review, got carried away! Everyone should try it😊
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 14-15)
I'm playing Motorsport, Ive put over 30 hours into it playing the career and im only just finishing the second tour.
I'm also still playing Starfield. Its not gonna last me forever but I reckon I can squeeze another 100 hours 😊
Re: Phil Spencer Comments On What It Means To Merge Activision Blizzard With Xbox First Party
@OldGamer999
"Pure Xbox is the best community now.
I would say a year or so ago it maybe wasn’t."
Ive always felt that too. Its only a day like today when I doubt it, but theres not too many ABK days, so I guess some stupid comments to be expected 😁
Re: Forza Motorsport Fan Bemoans The 'Non Stop Criticism' From The Game's Reddit Community
The 'victim mentality' of xbox stalwarts is pretty daft.
If Microsoft dont want harsh judgements then they shouldnt provide misleading pre release footage and promises, and shouldnt beat their chest so much about how fantastic and 'game changing' their titles are. In that situation, people will judge harshly if you just deliver a 'good' game insead of a genre defining one.
What reditt says is irrelevant - you can find any opinion you are looking for there. But few pople see the big titles we have been waiting for as genre leaders. For me, both Starfield and Motorsport are decent 8/10 titles, fun to play for a while but I wont remember them at the end of this gen like Ill remember trully great titles like Elden Ring, Zelda Tears, or Baldurs Gate 3.
I think if MS stopped telling us how 'exceptional these titles will be before underdelivering, they wouldnt get quite the level of critiscm they do.
Personally I run in performance mode on series X for best sharpness and clarity on a 65 inch screen. Ive had no issues on PC and run on Ultra everything at 4k, never had stutter or anything less than 60fps, but its a powerfull pc, no need to fiddle with settings.
Re: Forza Motorsport Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 10)
@BBB Thanks mate, appreciate your reply. Im 5 hours in and Ive enjoyed the built for sport races a little more, maybe because I picked a better car, and also because im choosing my own upgrades over just pressing x for auto tune. In my case the porche cayman Id choosen slides off the road quite easillly in stock, but as soon as I maxed tyre width Ive been able to take a few more liberties, which is more fun. My drivatars are only on level 4 atm with sport rules, but Im easilly managing 1st place starting for 12th. Im not one for quitting easilly, so Ill keep at it, but I cant help thinking some more race modes would help the game...
I know what you mean about the whole 'dude bro thing', its been done to death. This one seems a little souless though, so maybe a halfway house would be good! Im determined to at least finish all the races which are here though, much to my wifes disdain! She can play motorfest or horizon all night, but wont touch this, which is great for me as we've only one series x and Ive not installed it on the PC! Have fun!
Re: Forza Motorsport Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 10)
Why am I bored? Its pretty when the lighting is right. The handling has a tendancy to understeer even on cars it shouldnt, but feels pretty good and you can notice upgrade changes well. Sounds pretty decent too, if a little ott. I turned the ai to level 5, but it still seems inexplicably stupid and cars will crash into you early race almost without fail - gets better when they spread out.
But the gameplay loop and upgrade path, just suck the fun from it.
If you compare to FM7, theres so little to do in comparison?
I'll grind the hell out of it and hope I get pulled in, but right now after 3 hours I just wanna switch on crew motorfest or starfield and have fun.. I didnt expect to feel this.. Have I missed some game modes guys?
P. S. I know many people here I respect are having a fantastic time with this game. My initial thoughts and dissapointment are purely mine and are not intended to throw shade on anyone elses enjoyment and fun. I want to feel that joy too.
Re: The Crew Motorfest Is Getting A Lengthy Free Trial This Month, Alongside An Xbox Discount
@Tasuki Im sure you will enjoy it if you already enjoy horizon games. Its full of excellent arcade racing and much to my surprise is at least the equal of fh5. Ive put quite a lot of time in when Im not in Starfield 😊
Re: Talking Point: Early Access Players, What Do You Think Of Forza Motorsport So Far?
@Dround87 I kinda see what you mean. Im the kind of reader that ends up reading all the articles posted here, mainly cause Ive found it healthier to limit what I comsume on the net.. so it seems normal to me 😁 Maybe it IS weird and Im just weird, lol
Re: Talking Point: Early Access Players, What Do You Think Of Forza Motorsport So Far?
@Dround87 I dont understand your confusion? People come to this site to read about and participate in discussions about, xbox gaming.
This is latest big title on xbox and our favourite site is asking for our opinion. Why wouldnt you take a moment to pick how you feel?
Your post is the only confusing thing I see here...
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 7-8)
@ParsnipHero Get well dude, sorry you got covid.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 7-8)
Starfield, just completed the crimson pirates missions and back to main quest.
The crew motorfest when I want to mix it up, Ive been really enjoying it.
Re: After Almost Two Years, Next Week Could Be The Finale For Xbox's ActiBlizz Takeover
@GeeForce Thats a fair take given I didnt express myself fully. ,Though I would point out my first post was longer than your quote.
As a business, the aquition of ABK is undoubtably is huge deal, and another step towards their goals.
As a consumer who doesnt play cod, Im not seeing a huge benifit to myself, maybe the odd title on gp, but I cant think of much else.
But I care very deeply about abuse of devs, so Im concerned about some of the worst offenders joining xbox, a team I care about.
Im not sure that expressing my biggest concern is a weird take?
Re: Talking Point: One Month On From Launch, How Are You Feeling About Starfield?
Its still a solid 8 game for me, but nowhere near as compelling as the bethusda titles of the past. Im only 70 hours in now, but it doesnt feel like there is much reason to explore anything.
Some story lines are excellent, but far to many are simply 'busy work' running from one location to another watching loading screens and yet another door animation. It seems like phone communication is a thing of the past as you have to visit every single person in person to have a chat,- thats nuts.
I put 100s of hours into fallout 3, oblivion and skyrim, but Im pretty sure I'll not be playing this in another month or so. But its still got some bethusda magic inbetween the jank.
Re: After Almost Two Years, Next Week Could Be The Finale For Xbox's ActiBlizz Takeover
@Jaxx420 I so hope you are correct, Id hate it if he hangs around!
Re: Well, The Forza Motorsport Vs. Gran Turismo 7 Comparisons Are Already Rolling In
@BBB Thanks for the clarification dude, I was a little concerned at that.
I am still a bit concerned about the upgrade path grind, as several outlets have stated how much of a grind it is but Ill get to see for myself soon enough. As long as the racing is fun, thats the main thing..
Re: After Almost Two Years, Next Week Could Be The Finale For Xbox's ActiBlizz Takeover
@J_Mo_Money "Bungie is the one in the news these days."
Oh well, in that case all these guys become saints then! 🤣
But definitely a +1 for another costume quest, such great games!
Re: After Almost Two Years, Next Week Could Be The Finale For Xbox's ActiBlizz Takeover
All it means at the moment is that Xbox will become the home of the worst most disgusting managers in gaming history - although looking at ubi news this week, they may have some competition.
I really hope that once the deal goes ahead, xbox makes sweeping changes and ensures that it staff are treated with respect and fairly. Bobby becoming an Xbox employee gives me the creeps.
Other than that there may be some old cr@p none really cares about releasing on GP, but I'm not expecting anything worthwhile for a year or two. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised!
Re: Well, The Forza Motorsport Vs. Gran Turismo 7 Comparisons Are Already Rolling In
@ZuneTattooGuy
I call BS on this. Played GT7 from release and not once have I ever been 'pestered for money'. Meanwhile Forza releases with a pack that gives you double money for ever - I'm being pestered for money before I've even played it.
Getting back to common sense, and the article - they are both fantastic looking games, though I'll conceded as I'm a Game Pass player I'm having to use videos to make comparisons.
I thought this would be a clear win for Forza as its next gen only, but in reality, its not that clear cut. I do prefer the pop of colours on GT7, but I also prefer the extra roadside details of forza.
What really matters though is the feeling of driving and with both games looking good, its going to be that driving experience that ultimately determines if the game is good or not. I have no doubts that Forza will deliver a great racing experience, and I enjoy the feel of GT7 too, so both are winners.
If your not a shill for one company over another, you are lucky to have two exceptional circuit racing games to enjoy.
Re: Sea Of Thieves Has A New Developer Working On Season Ten Cosmetics
@Kaloudz I hope thats the case! It will be great to see something new from this studio and Im very much looking foward to seeing the progress they are making.
Re: Review: Forza Motorsport - The Next Generation Of Racing Is Here
@Maddie47 Thanks, I am vagely aware of that, but my backlog is huge so Ive put titles like that, which are yearly releases, further down my list of games to play. Now you've told me its a backwards step Im even less likely to play it soon - especially as im playing Crew Motorfest and very much looking forward to Motorsport as soon as its GP day.
Appreciate the heads up though..
Re: Review: Forza Motorsport - The Next Generation Of Racing Is Here
@Maddie47 guilty as charged. 2021 was the last one. Sad to hear its gone down hill since then... I tend to wait till I cen play them on a service like game pass or psplus.
Ive seen Eaification first hand. Its sad its still happening.
Re: Red Dead Redemption Gets 60FPS Patch On PS5, Xbox Version Remains 30FPS
@HonestHick You dont need to take my word for it, though im hounered you respect the viewpoint. DF did a pretty decent breakdown on release and im sure they would note it too.
As for controllers its personal preference of course and there are many who feel dualsense is best in buisness, and people like my wife who simply dont want to use an xbox controller. In her case its because the raised left thumb stick means she has to rotate her hand to use it from the side and therefore her left and right movement is diagonal on xbox. I can use both for all day sessions, i just dont like the noisy clicky feel of one, and the lack of subtlety on rumble. Oh and the dpad. I cant use it acurately.
Shame both units are not feature compatable so we could take our faves with us to all consoles eh? Sill, its time to jump back into starfield. Ive only put 60 hiurs in and thats just not right!
Re: Red Dead Redemption Gets 60FPS Patch On PS5, Xbox Version Remains 30FPS
@EvenStephen7 Love your description of spaghetti code! I worked on a version of the fifa engine for 'premiership all stars 2' for EA once they abandoned Dungeon Keeper 3, and that code sucked. It had code for the megadrive still in it, but it wouldn't work if you removed the megadrive specific code! I had to go through five exports just to get animation code working. Hideous.
I stole the best talent I could and went and formed a new studio rather than work on footie games...
Re: Red Dead Redemption Gets 60FPS Patch On PS5, Xbox Version Remains 30FPS
@HonestHick Thanks mate. Its not just controller though, the updated version has better aliasing and image stability through using amsr 2. Its hardly night and day, but I spent 2 decades looking at game output quality and so im a little more sensitive to these things than most. Certainly not worth £40, but I'll pick it up once its on sale 👍
Re: Red Dead Redemption Gets 60FPS Patch On PS5, Xbox Version Remains 30FPS
@HonestHick Thanks dude. I usually dont play 3rd parties on xbox for the same reasons you dont play them on ps5. In this case im tempted into the newer ps4 release by 60hz, so it would be pointless buying the original on xbox which is not 60hz.
Once its on sale for £20, ill pick it up. I cant moan I have nothing to play in the meantime! 😁
Re: Warhammer 40K: Darktide Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (October 4)
Ive been looking forward to giving this a try. Yet another title on the 'to play' list! I cant resist downloading it and have a quick run....
Re: Review: Forza Motorsport - The Next Generation Of Racing Is Here
@TheSimulator Why? The F1 games are excellent titles and safe in code masters hands. They are also available on all platforms, which is much better than being tied to a single platform...
I've no love for EA, but I don't understand your wish at all...
Re: Red Dead Redemption Gets 60FPS Patch On PS5, Xbox Version Remains 30FPS
I'm gonna have to buy this as soon as its cheaper now. I preferred this to the RDR2 (controversial I know), so I'm well up for playing this @60hz!
No reason this wouldn't work on series consoles, so I expect to see it!
Re: Review: Forza Motorsport - The Next Generation Of Racing Is Here
@BBB Thanks for the update dude. That sounds fine to me!
Re: Review: Forza Motorsport - The Next Generation Of Racing Is Here
@BBB Thanks for that info mate, that's really heartening to hear and I'd have no issue with that level of grind at all, that seems pretty reasonable! I'll just have to wait and see
Re: Review: Forza Motorsport - The Next Generation Of Racing Is Here
@themightyant Absolutely true mate. Except the split screen racing that was previously always available in this series - it looks like Series S means that feature will not come back. I just hope they rethink the upgrade path for your cars. There's no point in having 500 cars to own if it takes you 6 months to upgrade one fully!
Re: Review: Forza Motorsport - The Next Generation Of Racing Is Here
@themightyant Exactly this. 8/10 games are fine, they are just not the game changing mega games that will move the genre forward. Given that this one still has room to grow, it can still easily become that type of title and be the preeminent circuit racer.
I know I'll get a good race out of this, I'm a little concerned that the GAS upgrade grind will make me turn away, but I've got a lot of patience so if it grips me maybe I'll persevere!