We can all have our views on gp worth, but that has little to do with the article or the point the ftc are making. In arguing for the aquisition, Microsoft made some commitments that they didnt keep. Microsoft lied. Its like saying the sun came up... they continually lie and have done so since the 80s.
For the record, I still see GP as the biggeset value in gaming for someone who consumes many games, like myself. Its pretty self evident. However, it has completely devalued new games and I firmly believe it is partially responsable for many studios closing due to poor sales - most xbox users when presented with a good new game say 'Ill wait for it to come to GP.' Cant say I blame them. However, as a personal choice, and as these lay offs affect many of my old freinds and colleagues, I chose to not renew my sub last september, and now I even buy gp games elsewhere rather than sub for a month..my choice.
All the above are the games I've had most enjoyment with that I would consider 'xbox' games. I was hoping Starfield or Forza MS might have joined that list, but both disappointed me and I've not enjoyed anything else on the system yet.
Of course there's plenty of 3rd party titles you can play on an Xbox that would be high on my list, but I don't consider them to be 'xbox games'.
I still feel there's a ton of such games being made and released all the time. They tend to be indies, there a lot on Game Pass, and there's plenty on PS plus extra if you go through the 600+ PS4 titles. They simply don't attract the marketing budget of the 'big hitters'.
I find I play more of these smaller titles than the AAA behemoths these days, as its easier to just have an afternoon of fun and then put it down
A ray of positive light on a pretty shady day for MS. I'm delighted there are more people now playing this game. Not because I like it (I don't), but because Rare and MS have worked hard to keep pushing out quality updates and content for it and supporting the community they have gained. Such dedication and support for their title is worthy of getting this huge lift for them - though I would love to see something else from Rare soon!
You could be right, but Sony and Nintendo are not exactly saints either - I don't trust any of them. I just think MS are the worst in terms of openly lying. If MS still had a suite of content like the early 360 days they could have sealed this gen, even in Europe. Lets face it, the bulk of customers don't even hear the lies, never mind recognise them!
"When asked about Xbox Game Pass in May in an interview with Bloomberg, president Sarah Bond said, “We know our core users love Game Pass. Game Pass is a gaming subscription where you get a whole portfolio of games. But importantly, you get every single one of our games, day one, on Xbox Game Pass.”
That was 2 months ago. Anyone want to still say MS execs don't lie and obfuscate?
My only surprise is that some people will still try and excuse their behaviour..
@themightyant yeah, in the context of all your other posts, it was not the main thrust of your reasoning, but it was a big part of your points on the individual post I read and immediately replied to!
Everyone has something different they are looking for of course, and its clear many people are happy to make that small compromise. Not me, im a tech junkie and ex dev who cant 'switch off' my noticing of any compromise, so Id always choose the most performant version of any design for myself.
Lets face it, sales are pretty poor anyway of xbox hardware, I think they would be an uncontested disaster if the series S had not offered a cheaper way into the system, so it looks like a good call to me. Is it a barrier to development? It is an issue, I know this from my own remaining dev colleagues, but as you suggest, scalability has to be designed into this software anyway to allow for the required PC releases, and that does represent an issue for some devs with some projects, buts its par for the course with most projects. Nice to see some sales in Japan, but its still not a lot for that territory. I wander if the new games coming will help shift more units in japan, or if MS studios are a bit western to have much impact? I'd love to see Blue Dragon 2 - that would shift some!
@themightyant. You know full well that switch gamers play on the move on a tiny handheld screen, so issues like resolution are far less noticeable and important. Thats not the case for series S, and you attempt to support a lower spec console with such a statement has to be the worst argument Ive ever seen you make. Ive no idea why, you are usually pursuasive and make good points, but that reeked of desperation. Theres plenty of arguments you can make supporting series S without resorting to obvious miscomparisons mate!
That the series s sells more in the land of miniturisation, where space is at a premium, is hardly a huge surprise? Its a cute little console - of course it is more desirable there than the featureless black monolith😊.
@NEStalgia I bottled it mate! The mate who kept threatening to bring it round hasnt done so, and I've not pressed him to do so. Every now and again he remembers and says he will, but given how ill I got before, im pretty happy hes not done so. Hes an old stoner, so Im relient on him not remembering. Its the one thing I know Im missing out on though... I know Id love it, I might just not recover for a while!
My game consumption has increased if anything. Ive never had such a huge backlog. However, much to my bemusement, I turn 60 in a few weeks and its very clear to me that reactions are not what they were. I never used to struggle with more challenging titles, but more often than not Im turning down the difficulty if I can. So yeah, my consumption is high, buy my ability has slowed as Ive grown older...
I've not found a reason to switch it on since I dropped GP last september. Im afraid theres been nothing exclusive that attracts me so far, and my 3rd parties are consumed elsewhere (partially cause my wife wont touch an xbox controller unless she must).
Im pretty looking forward for Avowed though so Im more hopeful the big black box will get used later.
Nice as it was to see so many trailers in the last show, we are still waiting for most and this year is pretty dry up till now. Im still living on a promise, but with such a huge backlog on the other machines Im happy enough to wait and hope to see more!
I'm a little worried that we may see the end of Xbox branded hardware more quickly than any of us anticipated, and whilst its not my fave system, I would be pretty depressed to see that. We all need Xbox's to be competing with the other systems.
However, in terms of games publishing they are here for the long term, and have plenty to be excited about next year and beyond, so no worries on that front!
Forza Horizon 5 is probably the most fun I've had on Series X. I was on Game pass till late last year, but I'm afraid the titles just have not clicked with me. But both myself and my wife payed the hell out of FH5 and we will always have fond memories of it (even though I prefer 4) I'm hoping avowed later this year will get me back to switching the black box on!
Thanks Ben, I feel the same about this game, which I still play from time to time. I recently played them all again and its remarkable just how well those games, even the original, stand up to this day. But none of them shine brighter than no 4 for me..
I can only agree with the above comment, the new game will have lost the 'soul' of the original and is now just exploiting the IP. Maybe it will be a good game in own right, but when a team takes this long to deliver its usually cause theres something not right with the original concept and they go around in circles for years trying to make it work.. I hope that's not the case with this.
FH 4 is my favorite game in this great series. I think the Fortune Island DLC contained some of the best races in the series, really beautifully crafted courses that were great fun. Sad to see it get delisted as I still think it has much to offer today. I bought 4 and 5 on PC as I'm not often using the series X and my wife, who loves these games, can't use X box pads comfortably at all, so appreciates the choice of controller. I use forza controllers as they are fine for me!
Excellent news, 3rd person is my preferred playstyle and I'm really hopeful this game will deliver. Unlike some others here, I love these games all the more when there is a huge open world to explore - I often spend more time just exploring and seeing what happens than sticking to the story path. But I'll take the game they deliver and if its a solid enjoyable 30 hours, I'll be happy enough!
Whilst the videos of games coming next year and beyond were dead interesting, there no way you can evaluate how good they will be from the trailers played. So I'd have to pick something that might actually be delivered this year and that's Avowed for me. I have concerns over its brevity, but I hope it comes out OK! Decent mention to Doom too. A bit to quick for my sad old man reflexes these days, but it's clearly going to be a high quality release, and unlike almost everything else, was happy to show real gameplay. I'm sure it will be huge!
I havent played a game like it for over a decade, but I took a look at Anno 1800 a few days back and Ive have late nights since! Ive also got the latest WRC game (codemasters/EA) cheap in a sale, and Im really enjoying it - so much content!
I really enjoyed this trailer. I was not a big fan of the previous one last year, it just didnt feel like fable to me, but I got a bit more of the brit humour I was looking for in this one and generally felt it had much more of the feel I would want. Impossible to tell very much as we have so little insight into gameplay, its essentially still a concept advert, but I'm now looking forward to it. Good devs, being given plenty of time most likely equals a good game and I look forward to finding out more.
I'm excited to see all these games come to fruition. But its still a 'wait till next year scenario' for most and even further out for others.
It's tough for the format holders to get the balance right. If you only show games within a '6 month from expected releases scenario' like sony appear to be sticking to, then you have no games. If you share with people your plans for the next 18 months and beyond, as Xbox have done, then you are showing 'vapourware and ideas' rather than games. If there's no happy medium then I prefer Xbox's approach. It gives you titles to look forward too even if development goes wrong and the games gets canned or delayed further and creates a buzz even if its very light on details.
These are hardly new sku's they are simply tinkering with the initial console design, so I doubt they thought they would attract many current owners. I think the the entire line up is a little confusing for anyone who doesn't follow this stuff and they would have been better off investing in some genuine hardware updates such a new controller or a second expansion port. Hard to see why storage costs so much money when its so inexpensive on the rival platform. I certainly don't see these releases injecting much energy into the current hardware sales figures, there's not enough here to capture the general publics imagination.
Thanks for this interesting write up. Whilst I too thought the trailer looked disappointing, that could simply be a bad trailer. How others can argue against your 40 minute preview conclusions based on the trailer alone, is a testimony to how gloombots will not ever listen to anything that might conflict with their pre chosen initial judgement. I am not without reservations, but this piece has given me enough optimism to not write it off just yet and to give it a fair chance as I learn and see more. I certainly want to like it and hope it can win the skeptics (and myself), around.
That was very strong showing. Loads of great titles there and easily the best summer show.
You could point to a lot of 2025 release dates and a couple of titles much further off, but I prefer MS stratagey of letting you know whats coming in the future compared to the empty silence of Sony on their 2025 plans.
I honestly dont think the handheld market is the best vision for them, so Im releaved that appears to be conjecture only.
Im also really relieved to see the Fable trailer. I wasnt convinced by last years, but Im now a believer, sign me up.
This was the showing MS needed to reward the fans who've had to endure a lot of unanswered speculation all year. Bravo!
I enjoyed the show, though it was light on AAA bangers.
I liked that smaller devs had an opportunity to show their stuff.
I loved what the team behind 'Amoung Us' are doing to help promote other upcoming devs, shows there are people who still care about something other than money.
It was a little light on xbox stuff, but we are expecting a banger on Sunday, so that can be forgiven.
I enjoy lego games and I love horizon, so im up for the tie in, which is clever cross marketting.
I've been waiting for Black Wukong for ages, so to see a release date (day before my birthday, yey) was great news for me.
Im hoping the Alan Wake 2 dlc helps Remedy make some profit from that title, they deserve that incentive.
Much as I thought it was ok, I am hoping that the xbox show will have more impact. I think xbox have taken some self inflicted hits lately and Id like to see them rebalance this with a fatastic show.
Fingers crossed for Sunday!
I hope Tchia comes to the box. Its a slow grower and not going to appeal to everyone, but I really enjoyed it and would like to see more players have a chance to enjoy it.
Not bothered about the platform, but I really enjoyed the early games in the series and would be very happy to have a remastered version to entice me back for a replay. This seems positive to me.
Lots of good titles there - shows how strong the GP line up is. My fave of the bunch would be humanity. Inventive, interesting and well crafted, but you are spoilt for choice on GP.
Just get 343 well away from it. Give it to a talented new studio to inject some fresh ideas. Gameplay systems are pretty nailed, I refuse to believe a game with the rich history and lineage of Halo cannot produce more AAAA+ titles and I hope to god they don't sleep on it and let it fade away.
Im sure this will be technical 'tour de force' as ID are very competent devs and know how to push hardware. They will not fob us off with a 30fps only title, thats for sure!
It IS big news that this will be announced day and date for PS5. Given recent events, speculation and rumours, people are looking for tangible evidence of MS games release stratagey, and so this is important to many. As long as this is on GP, xbox players still have great reason to be happy, but it does make sense to me that this is released on the larger market of PS5 to bring in the £s the corp is looking for. I understand the disquite that some have as they expected the acquisitions to produce exclusives, but I think its clear that policy has changed. As long as title remain launching on GP, Xbox is still the clever place to consume these titles.
Doom is too fast paced for my old reflexes these days. But it's a stalwart of the game industry from fantastic devs, so Im very keen to see how they have evolved it...
Congratulations to the team - the tech work on this title is outstanding on both Visual fidelity and sound and the mocap work is sublime. I didnt enjoy the first game at all, so I've not played this and won't comment on the game, but I really appreciate what they have achieved technically and hope they go from strength to strength in the future.
Gears 6 would be great! I wasn't personally happy with the last Fable trailer, so a better look at that game to turn me into a believer would be very welcome
Fantastic looking game which shows what Unreal Engine 5 can do , and is encouraging for all systems which will use this engine. It's a shame its 'bordered' and has a limited frame rate, but when it can pop out visuals of this fidelity I'd take it!
I already know I won't enjoy the game, as I didnt enjoy the first one and by many accounts this is not any different, but as a show of the engine's and studio's technical prowess, I very much admire it and look forward to other studios pushing UE5 to its limits.
Technical prowess was all they talked about leading up to its release and its nice to see they have landed that. I was always concerned that gameplay seemed well down the list of objectives. PJ is a great reviewer and my feelings are often matched with how he sees a game, so I do expect that this would be a disappointing play. This is not the game Xbox needs right now and I fear for Ninja Theory in the current Xbox climate.
I always get all new games systems, so its a no brainer. The 360 days were great if I ignore rrod and made me optomistic for the future of the brand. Not so optimistic now and dont use my series x, but Ive kept it in case Avowed is everything we hope it will be.
You couldnt make this stuff up. Is their PR team the three stooges? Given the uncertain road ahead, you'd need to be desperate to apply and take the gamble. But there are a lot of desperate devs..
Immortals is actually OK, far better than its demise would lead you to believe. I tried it on PS plus and I'm glad to see it on Game Pass now as the devs clearly put a lot of work into it and deserve to see it get played. Its by no means perfect, but it's a good 7/10 game imo and perfect for trying on a sub service..
Comments 2,054
Re: FTC Calls Out Xbox's New 'Degraded' Game Pass Tier & Price Increases
We can all have our views on gp worth, but that has little to do with the article or the point the ftc are making. In arguing for the aquisition, Microsoft made some commitments that they didnt keep. Microsoft lied. Its like saying the sun came up... they continually lie and have done so since the 80s.
For the record, I still see GP as the biggeset value in gaming for someone who consumes many games, like myself. Its pretty self evident. However, it has completely devalued new games and I firmly believe it is partially responsable for many studios closing due to poor sales - most xbox users when presented with a good new game say 'Ill wait for it to come to GP.' Cant say I blame them.
However, as a personal choice, and as these lay offs affect many of my old freinds and colleagues, I chose to not renew my sub last september, and now I even buy gp games elsewhere rather than sub for a month..my choice.
Re: Talking Point: If You Had To Limit Yourself To Three Xbox Games, What Would They Be?
Forza 4, Forza 5, Halo 2.
All the above are the games I've had most enjoyment with that I would consider 'xbox' games. I was hoping Starfield or Forza MS might have joined that list, but both disappointed me and I've not enjoyed anything else on the system yet.
Of course there's plenty of 3rd party titles you can play on an Xbox that would be high on my list, but I don't consider them to be 'xbox games'.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 13-14)
Diablo 2 reloaded has its claws in me. Lots of endless creature bashing for me, what fun 😊
Whatever you are playing this weekend, I hope you have fun!
Re: Sea Of Thieves Justifies Multiplatform Release By Charting Again On PS5 In June
@Markatron84 Lol. I'm 60 next month. Lets hope I'm still here to see Everwild!
Re: Soapbox: I Miss The Type Of Pick-Up-And-Play Games We Got On Original Xbox
I still feel there's a ton of such games being made and released all the time. They tend to be indies, there a lot on Game Pass, and there's plenty on PS plus extra if you go through the 600+ PS4 titles. They simply don't attract the marketing budget of the 'big hitters'.
I find I play more of these smaller titles than the AAA behemoths these days, as its easier to just have an afternoon of fun and then put it down
Re: Sea Of Thieves Justifies Multiplatform Release By Charting Again On PS5 In June
A ray of positive light on a pretty shady day for MS.
I'm delighted there are more people now playing this game. Not because I like it (I don't), but because Rare and MS have worked hard to keep pushing out quality updates and content for it and supporting the community they have gained.
Such dedication and support for their title is worthy of getting this huge lift for them - though I would love to see something else from Rare soon!
Re: Microsoft Provides More Detail On Its New Xbox Game Pass Standard Tier
@PsBoxSwitchOwner
You could be right, but Sony and Nintendo are not exactly saints either - I don't trust any of them.
I just think MS are the worst in terms of openly lying. If MS still had a suite of content like the early 360 days they could have sealed this gen, even in Europe. Lets face it, the bulk of customers don't even hear the lies, never mind recognise them!
Re: Microsoft Provides More Detail On Its New Xbox Game Pass Standard Tier
"When asked about Xbox Game Pass in May in an interview with Bloomberg, president Sarah Bond said, “We know our core users love Game Pass. Game Pass is a gaming subscription where you get a whole portfolio of games. But importantly, you get every single one of our games, day one, on Xbox Game Pass.”
That was 2 months ago. Anyone want to still say MS execs don't lie and obfuscate?
My only surprise is that some people will still try and excuse their behaviour..
Re: Xbox Game Pass Gets Price Increases And New 'Standard' Subscription Tier
Value or not, these clowns outright lie to their fans.
I'd already cancelled GP some time ago as there direction was clear to me.
Re: Random: Xbox Fan Accidentally Misses Out On Custom Prize Worth Over $600
Phew lucky miss! Seriously, that console offends my eyes, I'd have passed anyway
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (July 6-7)
Started Diablo 2 resurrection last night for some reason! I was enjoying myself, so I anticipate lots of that today inbetween the British GP.
Re: Xbox Series X|S Appears To Have Passed 600K Sales In Japan
@themightyant yeah, in the context of all your other posts, it was not the main thrust of your reasoning, but it was a big part of your points on the individual post I read and immediately replied to!
Everyone has something different they are looking for of course, and its clear many people are happy to make that small compromise. Not me, im a tech junkie and ex dev who cant 'switch off' my noticing of any compromise, so Id always choose the most performant version of any design for myself.
Lets face it, sales are pretty poor anyway of xbox hardware, I think they would be an uncontested disaster if the series S had not offered a cheaper way into the system, so it looks like a good call to me. Is it a barrier to development? It is an issue, I know this from my own remaining dev colleagues, but as you suggest, scalability has to be designed into this software anyway to allow for the required PC releases, and that does represent an issue for some devs with some projects, buts its par for the course with most projects.
Nice to see some sales in Japan, but its still not a lot for that territory. I wander if the new games coming will help shift more units in japan, or if MS studios are a bit western to have much impact? I'd love to see Blue Dragon 2 - that would shift some!
Re: Xbox Series X|S Appears To Have Passed 600K Sales In Japan
@themightyant.
You know full well that switch gamers play on the move on a tiny handheld screen, so issues like resolution are far less noticeable and important. Thats not the case for series S, and you attempt to support a lower spec console with such a statement has to be the worst argument Ive ever seen you make. Ive no idea why, you are usually pursuasive and make good points, but that reeked of desperation.
Theres plenty of arguments you can make supporting series S without resorting to obvious miscomparisons mate!
That the series s sells more in the land of miniturisation, where space is at a premium, is hardly a huge surprise? Its a cute little console - of course it is more desirable there than the featureless black monolith😊.
Re: Talking Point: Has Your Gaming Slowed Down As You've Got Older?
@NEStalgia I bottled it mate! The mate who kept threatening to bring it round hasnt done so, and I've not pressed him to do so.
Every now and again he remembers and says he will, but given how ill I got before, im pretty happy hes not done so. Hes an old stoner, so Im relient on him not remembering.
Its the one thing I know Im missing out on though... I know Id love it, I might just not recover for a while!
Re: Talking Point: Has Your Gaming Slowed Down As You've Got Older?
My game consumption has increased if anything. Ive never had such a huge backlog.
However, much to my bemusement, I turn 60 in a few weeks and its very clear to me that reactions are not what they were. I never used to struggle with more challenging titles, but more often than not Im turning down the difficulty if I can.
So yeah, my consumption is high, buy my ability has slowed as Ive grown older...
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About 2024 On Xbox So Far?
I've not found a reason to switch it on since I dropped GP last september. Im afraid theres been nothing exclusive that attracts me so far, and my 3rd parties are consumed elsewhere (partially cause my wife wont touch an xbox controller unless she must).
Im pretty looking forward for Avowed though so Im more hopeful the big black box will get used later.
Nice as it was to see so many trailers in the last show, we are still waiting for most and this year is pretty dry up till now. Im still living on a promise, but with such a huge backlog on the other machines Im happy enough to wait and hope to see more!
Re: Talking Point: Xbox Fans, How Do You Feel About The Future Of The Brand In 2024?
I'm a little worried that we may see the end of Xbox branded hardware more quickly than any of us anticipated, and whilst its not my fave system, I would be pretty depressed to see that. We all need Xbox's to be competing with the other systems.
However, in terms of games publishing they are here for the long term, and have plenty to be excited about next year and beyond, so no worries on that front!
Re: Talking Point: What's Been The High Point Of The Xbox Series X|S Generation So Far?
Forza Horizon 5 is probably the most fun I've had on Series X.
I was on Game pass till late last year, but I'm afraid the titles just have not clicked with me. But both myself and my wife payed the hell out of FH5 and we will always have fond memories of it (even though I prefer 4)
I'm hoping avowed later this year will get me back to switching the black box on!
Re: Soapbox: Forza Horizon 4 Hosted The Best Racing In The Series, And I'll Be Sad To See It Go
Thanks Ben, I feel the same about this game, which I still play from time to time.
I recently played them all again and its remarkable just how well those games, even the original, stand up to this day. But none of them shine brighter than no 4 for me..
Re: Talking Point: Are You Still Interested In Beyond Good & Evil 2 From Ubisoft?
I can only agree with the above comment, the new game will have lost the 'soul' of the original and is now just exploiting the IP.
Maybe it will be a good game in own right, but when a team takes this long to deliver its usually cause theres something not right with the original concept and they go around in circles for years trying to make it work.. I hope that's not the case with this.
Re: Forza Horizon 4 To Be Delisted On Xbox And PC In December 2024
FH 4 is my favorite game in this great series.
I think the Fortune Island DLC contained some of the best races in the series, really beautifully crafted courses that were great fun.
Sad to see it get delisted as I still think it has much to offer today.
I bought 4 and 5 on PC as I'm not often using the series X and my wife, who loves these games, can't use X box pads comfortably at all, so appreciates the choice of controller. I use forza controllers as they are fine for me!
I'd love to see another in the series!
Re: Xbox's Avowed Is Fully Playable In Third-Person, Confirms Obsidian
Excellent news, 3rd person is my preferred playstyle and I'm really hopeful this game will deliver.
Unlike some others here, I love these games all the more when there is a huge open world to explore - I often spend more time just exploring and seeing what happens than sticking to the story path. But I'll take the game they deliver and if its a solid enjoyable 30 hours, I'll be happy enough!
Re: Pick One: Which Game From This Year's Xbox Showcase Are You Most Excited For?
Whilst the videos of games coming next year and beyond were dead interesting, there no way you can evaluate how good they will be from the trailers played.
So I'd have to pick something that might actually be delivered this year and that's Avowed for me. I have concerns over its brevity, but I hope it comes out OK!
Decent mention to Doom too. A bit to quick for my sad old man reflexes these days, but it's clearly going to be a high quality release, and unlike almost everything else, was happy to show real gameplay. I'm sure it will be huge!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 22-23)
@ZYDIO ouch.. Hope it improves man, that sounds horrid...
Re: Microsoft Makes Statement On The Xbox Delay For Black Myth: Wukong
@DreamlandGem Sorry! I normally just let it slide past and should have again..
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 22-23)
I havent played a game like it for over a decade, but I took a look at Anno 1800 a few days back and Ive have late nights since!
Ive also got the latest WRC game (codemasters/EA) cheap in a sale, and Im really enjoying it - so much content!
Whatever you are playing, have a great weekend...
Re: Microsoft Makes Statement On The Xbox Delay For Black Myth: Wukong
Removed
Re: Talking Point: How Are You Feeling About Fable After The Xbox Games Showcase?
I really enjoyed this trailer. I was not a big fan of the previous one last year, it just didnt feel like fable to me, but I got a bit more of the brit humour I was looking for in this one and generally felt it had much more of the feel I would want.
Impossible to tell very much as we have so little insight into gameplay, its essentially still a concept advert, but I'm now looking forward to it. Good devs, being given plenty of time most likely equals a good game and I look forward to finding out more.
Re: Xbox Apparently Could Have Shown Much More At This Year's Showcase
I'm excited to see all these games come to fruition. But its still a 'wait till next year scenario' for most and even further out for others.
It's tough for the format holders to get the balance right. If you only show games within a '6 month from expected releases scenario' like sony appear to be sticking to, then you have no games. If you share with people your plans for the next 18 months and beyond, as Xbox have done, then you are showing 'vapourware and ideas' rather than games.
If there's no happy medium then I prefer Xbox's approach. It gives you titles to look forward too even if development goes wrong and the games gets canned or delayed further and creates a buzz even if its very light on details.
Re: Talking Point: Are You Interested In Any Of The New Xbox Series X|S Models?
These are hardly new sku's they are simply tinkering with the initial console design, so I doubt they thought they would attract many current owners.
I think the the entire line up is a little confusing for anyone who doesn't follow this stuff and they would have been better off investing in some genuine hardware updates such a new controller or a second expansion port. Hard to see why storage costs so much money when its so inexpensive on the rival platform.
I certainly don't see these releases injecting much energy into the current hardware sales figures, there's not enough here to capture the general publics imagination.
Re: Preview: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Is A Confident Return for BioWare
Thanks for this interesting write up.
Whilst I too thought the trailer looked disappointing, that could simply be a bad trailer.
How others can argue against your 40 minute preview conclusions based on the trailer alone, is a testimony to how gloombots will not ever listen to anything that might conflict with their pre chosen initial judgement.
I am not without reservations, but this piece has given me enough optimism to not write it off just yet and to give it a fair chance as I learn and see more. I certainly want to like it and hope it can win the skeptics (and myself), around.
Re: Here's Everything That Was Revealed At The Xbox Games Showcase 2024
That was very strong showing. Loads of great titles there and easily the best summer show.
You could point to a lot of 2025 release dates and a couple of titles much further off, but I prefer MS stratagey of letting you know whats coming in the future compared to the empty silence of Sony on their 2025 plans.
I honestly dont think the handheld market is the best vision for them, so Im releaved that appears to be conjecture only.
Im also really relieved to see the Fable trailer. I wasnt convinced by last years, but Im now a believer, sign me up.
This was the showing MS needed to reward the fans who've had to endure a lot of unanswered speculation all year. Bravo!
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Summer Game Fest 2024 Showcase?
I enjoyed the show, though it was light on AAA bangers.
I liked that smaller devs had an opportunity to show their stuff.
I loved what the team behind 'Amoung Us' are doing to help promote other upcoming devs, shows there are people who still care about something other than money.
It was a little light on xbox stuff, but we are expecting a banger on Sunday, so that can be forgiven.
I enjoy lego games and I love horizon, so im up for the tie in, which is clever cross marketting.
I've been waiting for Black Wukong for ages, so to see a release date (day before my birthday, yey) was great news for me.
Im hoping the Alan Wake 2 dlc helps Remedy make some profit from that title, they deserve that incentive.
Much as I thought it was ok, I am hoping that the xbox show will have more impact. I think xbox have taken some self inflicted hits lately and Id like to see them rebalance this with a fatastic show.
Fingers crossed for Sunday!
Re: Another Two Games Rumoured For Xbox Game Pass This Month, Including PS5's 'Tchia'
I hope Tchia comes to the box. Its a slow grower and not going to appeal to everyone, but I really enjoyed it and would like to see more players have a chance to enjoy it.
Re: Report: Xbox Is Working On A Halo Remaster, Also 'Considering' PS5 Release
Not bothered about the platform, but I really enjoyed the early games in the series and would be very happy to have a remastered version to entice me back for a replay. This seems positive to me.
Re: Xbox Games Showcase 2024: Date, Start Times, Rumours, Leaks & More
Im looking forward to the show!
Hoping for an 'Avowed' release date.
Re: Pick One: What Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Game In May 2024?
Lots of good titles there - shows how strong the GP line up is.
My fave of the bunch would be humanity. Inventive, interesting and well crafted, but you are spoilt for choice on GP.
Re: Review: Horizon Chase 2 (Xbox) - Gorgeous Graphics Turbocharge This Speedy Arcade Racer
Thanks for this review, this looks like fun for me, so I'm in!
Re: Talking Point: If Halo Infinite Is Finished, Where Should The Franchise Go From Here?
Just get 343 well away from it. Give it to a talented new studio to inject some fresh ideas.
Gameplay systems are pretty nailed, I refuse to believe a game with the rich history and lineage of Halo cannot produce more AAAA+ titles and I hope to god they don't sleep on it and let it fade away.
Re: Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Is Teasing 'A Major Announcement' For This Week
Feels like Ive been awaiting this title for ever... Im really looking forward to it.
Re: Talking Point: Which Has Been The Most Reliable Xbox Console For You?
I had a few rrod back in the day, but the series x has been glitch free and I hope it stays that way. 😊
Re: DOOM: The Dark Ages To Be Announced At Xbox's Showcase, Claims New 'Exclusive'
Im sure this will be technical 'tour de force' as ID are very competent devs and know how to push hardware. They will not fob us off with a 30fps only title, thats for sure!
It IS big news that this will be announced day and date for PS5. Given recent events, speculation and rumours, people are looking for tangible evidence of MS games release stratagey, and so this is important to many. As long as this is on GP, xbox players still have great reason to be happy, but it does make sense to me that this is released on the larger market of PS5 to bring in the £s the corp is looking for.
I understand the disquite that some have as they expected the acquisitions to produce exclusives, but I think its clear that policy has changed. As long as title remain launching on GP, Xbox is still the clever place to consume these titles.
Doom is too fast paced for my old reflexes these days. But it's a stalwart of the game industry from fantastic devs, so Im very keen to see how they have evolved it...
Re: Hellblade 2 Developer Ninja Theory Thanks Fans For 'Incredible Response'
Congratulations to the team - the tech work on this title is outstanding on both Visual fidelity and sound and the mocap work is sublime.
I didnt enjoy the first game at all, so I've not played this and won't comment on the game, but I really appreciate what they have achieved technically and hope they go from strength to strength in the future.
Re: Talking Point: What Dream Reveal Would You Like To See At The Xbox Games Showcase 2024?
Gears 6 would be great!
I wasn't personally happy with the last Fable trailer, so a better look at that game to turn me into a believer would be very welcome
Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of The Graphics In Hellblade 2 For Xbox Series X|S?
Fantastic looking game which shows what Unreal Engine 5 can do , and is encouraging for all systems which will use this engine.
It's a shame its 'bordered' and has a limited frame rate, but when it can pop out visuals of this fidelity I'd take it!
I already know I won't enjoy the game, as I didnt enjoy the first one and by many accounts this is not any different, but as a show of the engine's and studio's technical prowess, I very much admire it and look forward to other studios pushing UE5 to its limits.
Re: Treyarch Posts First Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 Teaser Ahead Of Xbox Direct
Im not a cod player, but Im always interested in the tech they are using etc. Will be interesting to see any benifit if its current gen only...
Re: Review: Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Xbox): An Incredible Spectacle That Lacks An Essential Hook
Technical prowess was all they talked about leading up to its release and its nice to see they have landed that. I was always concerned that gameplay seemed well down the list of objectives.
PJ is a great reviewer and my feelings are often matched with how he sees a game, so I do expect that this would be a disappointing play. This is not the game Xbox needs right now and I fear for Ninja Theory in the current Xbox climate.
Re: Talking Point: What Convinced You To Pick Xbox In The First Place?
I always get all new games systems, so its a no brainer. The 360 days were great if I ignore rrod and made me optomistic for the future of the brand.
Not so optimistic now and dont use my series x, but Ive kept it in case Avowed is everything we hope it will be.
Re: Activision Is Opening A New Studio To Build 'Genre-Defining' Games At Microsoft
You couldnt make this stuff up. Is their PR team the three stooges?
Given the uncertain road ahead, you'd need to be desperate to apply and take the gamble. But there are a lot of desperate devs..
Re: Two New EA Play Additions Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (May 16)
Immortals is actually OK, far better than its demise would lead you to believe.
I tried it on PS plus and I'm glad to see it on Game Pass now as the devs clearly put a lot of work into it and deserve to see it get played. Its by no means perfect, but it's a good 7/10 game imo and perfect for trying on a sub service..