pip_muzz

Was an absolutely superb game. One in which the more you invest (along with an interest in Japan) the greater the rewards are.

One of the questions asked today and put forward is if the CMA blocked the deal under the orders of the American FTC.
There's a chance this will spill out from beyond a gaming story into a full on national scandal if that turns out to be true.

Absolutely bang on reasoning from the EU there.

1) CoD being exclusive doesn't suddenly turn MS into the new market leader
2) Cod being exclusive cuts off a huge amount of sales from the 90+% EEA console owners.

It's the same reasoning that will have MS beat the FTC in the states.
Who knows what the CMA will do?! 😅 Reasoning doesn't really seem to be their thing.

Maybe the new Zelda game should have it's title edited.
Zelda: Tears of the United Kingdom
😅

@UltimateOtaku91 If the FTC can't be overruled then it's still effectively dead as MS need to be able to pass it in their "home country".
If the CMA is the only regulatory body saying no, then it is very reasonable to assume that MS will restructure it's UK business accordingly.
The UK really can't expect every other country in the world to say yes, they say no and expect to have that level of power.

@Kaloudz the first one's here already 😅

Wow!
Ok, deal on after all it seems!
More twists and turns with this buyout than an M Night Shyamalan film 😅

Loved it and agree it doesn't need a sequel. When people complain about Game Pass quality games and cite Redfall as a failure, it's games like Pentiment that are a counterpoint to that where the risk and artistry shines through.

I don't just play weekly but have every playlist completed 100% since launch as well. It's still such fun to play and nothing else quite like it out there.

They didn't stick to it last year either 😂

Have I tried it? No.
Will I try it? No
Is it massively overpriced as a service? Yes
Ubisoft+ in a nutshell!

If the EU approve it then the deal will go through. The FTC court case is a definite win for MS and that just leaves the UK on its own again globally. Even if they don't overturn the CMA, I can't see MS letting the UK alone dictate their US, EU and even global businesses.

Depends on the EU. The EU approve it then it's definitely going through, the EU block it then it's dead in the water.
It really does seem that simple to me.

Deathloop for me. Brilliant game, but I love Dishonored and Prey as well. Colour me one of those who thinks their games are superb!

Shall be giving Blazblue Cross Tag Battle a good go this weekend in between the Formula 1 and Formula E.
And of course some more Ghostwire: Tokyo Spirit collecting when I fancy some downtime.

Still playing it to get all the spirits. It's my go to "chill" game currently where just exploring Tokyo itself is fun after a long day's work. Haven't seen a game so unashamedly Japanese in a long time! Definitely a game where if you like it, you'll really like it.

In fairness 2023 has been good for Xbox up until Redfall. Hi Fi Rush is genuinely one of my fav games in years, Age of Empires 2 on console is a dream come true, as was the revival of GoldenEye (saving my ageing N64 its annual pilgrimage from the cellar). Ghostwire Tokyo's Spider Update School Level is also the most freaked out I've been in a game since Alien Isolation.
With Age of Empires 4, Forza and Starfield it's a great year all round even if Redfall is a blip (I wasn't overly impressed with Minecraft Legends either admittedly).
Onwards and upwards!
Ps, Dear Phil, if you know a game isn't amazing, don't charge £70 for it just because Sony charged £70 for Last of Us once again.

The thing is, MS themselves should have seen the state of the game and reduced expectations accordingly, not charged £70 etc...
The fact that MS took on a game in rough shape isn't the problem, it's what they did afterwards that's the issue here. Had Redfall shadow dropped on Game Pass instead of Hi Fi Rush and cost just £20 I doubt the blowback would be so high. This was marketed however as a title to offset their admittedly pretty empty 2022, and so I have to say, not good enough.

@Tomato_Goose Considering it was going to be a Microtransaction greed fest at one point they've made something more playable certainly. It does feel like this game was doomed from the start however due to certain design choices. But for this to be the first game MS are charging £70 is madness! Especially after they did so well with Hi Fi Rush at £25!

As much as it seems like the gaming community is being overly harsh on this game just because it's an MS one, it's also worth remembering that this game costs £70 currently and so it does deserve all the mockery it's currently receiving.

I'll be passing on this. Was an ok game but not one I'll be forking out on the DLC for.
Wo Long:Fallen Dynasty! Now that's the DLC I'm waiting for

@GADG3Tx87 The odds of the EU following suit and blocking as well are definitely high. Why I'm personally surprised MS are putting so much weight into the decision there. If the EU say no, MS don't just lose the deal but a huge amount of credibility as well.

@themightyant I don't think it's pressuring the EU so much as doubling down on the result they get from them. If the EU approve, they can appeal the CMA decision with added gusto, if EU block then MS should just stop trying altogether with the whole thing.
The EU isn't foolish enough to be blackmailed by the empty threat of MS investment, the statement from MS today is just them coming out fighting (which is what you'd expect considering the vast amount of time and money they've put into this deal to have it tank).

Edit - My comment about the EU is specifically the comments made about the process and transparency (as can be sourced from BBC & Guardian). MS is essentially saying that the CMA is unprofessional in comparison (somewhat ironic with their overblown statement as well)

It's interesting from the dialogue how MS is putting all its eggs in the EU basket by stating how open and easy the process has been with them the whole time in contrast to the CMA.
It means if the EU block the deal, then MS will be the ones looking very foolish. That said, if the EU approve it then the CMA ends up the fool looking like another isolated decision from a post Brexit Britain.
All of this is distracting from Redfall coming out in a few days anyhow. Would be a shame if the game is amazing and overshadowed by the ActiBlizz nonsense.

I'm not keen. I love games of all genres but this one just isn't doing it for me.
I'll finish it (as I do all games I start) but it seems to be a repetitive slog to play Single Player campaign and despite having no expectations on this game at all, it's still very disappointing. Lack of a Pause Button in 2023 is beyond a joke.

It's obviously Fallout 5! Considering it's not even entered active development yet, Elder Scrolls 6 is to follow Starfield (and it's presumable X2 DLC's) and only then will it be a new Fallout.

Having given this a go, it's worth pointing out to everyone that there is no pause button!
A menu pops up, but you'll still take damage and your Golems/Team will be without command and aimless in the background.
The narration is beyond irritating, the game mechanics themselves are decent enough but the voiceovers make it sound like a Disney Program for 5 year olds (which it clearly isn't)
Overall a rather large disappointment, although I wasn't expecting much to begin with.
If you're looking to play this as a single player game by yourself, I'd say it's an avoid. It gets very repetitive very quickly.

No issues here on Xbox but I made a plethora of settings changes upon starting the game based upon recommendations.
The fact I had to look up the optimal way to play it online however isn't really an ideal scenario.

Ghostwire Tokyo here. Absolutely great fun, combat is refreshingly different (if slightly samey) but the whole design and feel of the game is very unique. Enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would.

@Kaloudz Full Gamerscore! Congrats 🎉 Some of those 00 Timed Runs are brutal!

@Kaloudz That's Bunker 2 you're thinking of. Control (Level 16) is the one where you have to protect Natalya at the PC whilst the alarm goes off and all hell breaks loose in her direction. Not to mention the turret guns at the start of the level on the higher difficulties make the whole thing an extreme challenge.

Played it, completed it on all three difficulty settings (Control on 00 is a ****). Superb classic masterpiece. I'll be replaying it again at some point next year too. Much easier having it on Xbox than dusting off my N64 with wobbly controller sticks and explosion frame rate crawl.

£14.99!!! That's more than Game Pass Ultimate!
Ubisoft living in the clouds it seems.

The fact that 60FPS isn't happening at launch means the team is behind schedule. It's not just as simple as 30FPS now and add 60FPS later, it shows the team isn't delivering and so calls for a delay are to end up with a better game overall. At 60FPS AND 30FPS. It's clearly needs just a little more time in the oven

30FPS is fine for Starfield as it's the same standard to which their older games like Fallout and Skyrim have traditionally run at. As people have said, the bigger question is just how many Bethesda bugs will remain?
I'm much more patient with Starfield as the game does seem to have genuine scope, epicness and a push forward for Bethesda Studios.
Redfall on the other hand....

This game has been nothing but trouble lately. Online only requirements, discs with no content on them, no 60FPS and only the boring "Quality" mode...
I'm lowering my expectations waaaaaaay down for this one. Hell, sounds like I'm better off not playing it at launch and waiting till it's fixed as it should be by the late summer.

I voted Pixel Remaster collection. If only to play Final Fantasy 6 again which is my favourite of the series.

As for those criticising the site chasing fanboy clicks, it's worth remembering that most of the comments and posts on exclusivity articles are migratory Sony fanboys who like to stir up the pot.

This article is simply a pleasant, what would you like, article. Not everything has to be tribal idiots with an undercurrent as to which is console is better. Speaks volumes about the readers who take it that way...

F1, Codemasters games, Star Wars, NFS & Battlefield make it an easy EA vote for me. Played AC:Origins on Game Pass and enjoyed it, but Far Cry 5, AC Odyssey, Watch Dogs 2, it's the same game each time with different clothes on. I'm not the biggest EA supporter but I definitely back them over Ubisoft these days personally.

Good to know it's coming back again at some point. Nice update there

No disagreements with the list at all, just minor changes due to preference. I'd have the original RE2 over the Remake and CV & 0 higher than 5 but it's pretty much what I'd have done.

Definitely feels like a Rally Game for the masses. Pace notes are incredibly simplified and there's no multi-stage events either.
They do need to patch out the helicopter dust as well. Having the "co-driver" fly in front of you kicking up dust blocking your view was such a poor decision.
The positives! The map is genuinely amazing and varied, very fun to drive with technical corners containing camber. New cars are great and the new Radio Station has fantastic music.

So far so good. Minor gripes in the Festival Playlist requiring you to mostly fully complete the Rally Expansion in order to do the weekly challenge for 100%. Would have been nice if they didn't rush us.
The pace notes for the Rally Events themselves are awful too, with them not being clear enough, accurate enough or sometimes just plain wrong.
But all in all it's a solid expansion. The aforementioned map is super! With every event having a race and rally there's a lot of content here too.
I personally feel original FH Rally expansion is still the better rally Horizon experience, but this is as solid an 8/10 as it gets in my view.

Fantastic game. Superb writing, a very clever story. Deserves the award without question.

@UltimateOtaku91 I use the term "interactive movie" a lot. When I use it, it's not a slur on the game itself. With Sony in particular, it's because the story is often the main focus of the "game". It's not that the interactivity is poor, far from it, but that the "gameplay" only ever is in service of the "story" and that's why I personally use the term. Last of us has very good gameplay, not bad at all, but it always feels like the gameplay is just a means to connect the story and hence in my eyes it's an "interactive movie". It's certainly very very interactive but a movie nevertheless

As much as I like Xbox it's fair play here, 2022 was a write off for them. I love Pentiment, but in balance other companies most definitely deserve the higher slots ahead of them.
2023.... I think MS will be in a top 3 position however

Shadows of the Damned is my favourite non No More Heroes grasshopper game. Absolutely fantastic. Rather than playing the Resident Evil 4 remake do yourself a favour and play this instead if you've not already.
Syndicate was also great. Starbreeze at their best with Wolfenstein New Order vibes in the gunplay during the game.

@Novs Hi-Fi Rush was superb in fairness! As is Wo Long. It's not all doom and gloom, but no matter how high a quality these remakes are, there's a different original game that could have been made instead which will never see the light of day.

I managed to finish that Sub Mission "Tigers Loyal Subjects" before this patch. Genuinely the most difficult thing I've done in a game in a decade. I'm not surprised at all it's been given a tweak.

I'm going to be the party pooper, but the fact that games like Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 are the highest rated games of 2023 shows just how poor, boring and unoriginal the state of gaming is at the moment.

@Moonglow try right now/this week especially. The new BTB map Oasis is the main featured playlist game for the week. I've played a few games already and had no issues finding one so far.