somnambulance

That’s a smart strategy. I feel like Xbox is going to keep investing into “This is an Xbox,” which translates to having to do less work as a hardware manufacturer while making more profit engineering software en masse. I know the Xbox fans don’t like it, but it makes more money and makes more sense longterm. If Xbox is the first to be integrated into TVs via a cloud platform and the cost of entry isn’t a box but a subscription, Xbox will have found a new way to capitalize on the gaming market that it doesn’t seem Sony or Nintendo are thinking of. Remember that Xbox sees Amazon and Netflix as more authentic competitors to their vision.

@Valhura I had screen tearing, frame rate issues, audio cutting out, enemies falling off screen, stuttering animations, times where the joysticks didn’t work on my controller, times when the button inputs would lag or outright wouldn’t work, and gave up on the game officially when the game crashed on me when I finally got to the open world portion. I almost preordered the game due to how much I liked the art work. Man, was I glad I played it on Gamepass instead! I’ve never played a game with so many technical issues at launch. It was jarring.

I’ve got a high tolerance for jank too. Pokémon ScarVi is one of my favorite Pokemon games. I laughed at the jank of Cyberpunk because it was comical (when Jackie’s gun got stuck in his forehead during my playthrough! It was the highlight of the game!). Just for reference, I can deal with jank if it’s not game breaking. Atomic Heart played outright broken on my Series S.

I didn’t like Redfall either, but I wouldn’t say it was particularly buggy for me, just boring and empty and seemed way lower budget than anyone would’ve expected.

Usually I watch it live… but this year I’ll be at Polish Fest in Milwaukee during the time of the show, so I’ll watch it when I get home. After pierogis!

Possibly the most broken game to release this generation, so I can’t say I’ll be looking forward to seeing what they cook

@ZuneTattooGuy Eh, everyone has different tastes. You could say that about any game. For me, Clair Obscur and KCD2 are both probably a 7/10 for various reasons, but for others they’re clearly GotY tier, but on the same token To a T is shaping up to be an 8 or 9/10 for me (and I fully expect some here may find me crazy for that because I know that’s an uncommon pov). From what I’ve played of Nightreign, it’s in a similar category to CO or KCD2 for scoring, but I’ve heard people talk about what they love about it and I believe they feel that way. Different strokes for different folks, you know? I’m sure some MAY be paid off, but I think there’s people that love what was made. It’s certainly unique, so I’ll give From that, even if I see some flaws for my enjoyment of it.

The beta was fine, but I sort of feel like I’ve hit Elden Ring saturation. At least Nightreign mixes up the genre and gameplay focus of the game rather than what Erdtree did, which was basically “hey, we heard you wanted to grind your already leveled up character again, huh?” The lack of crossplay though also means my Elden Ring squad would need to commit to the game and platform, which I don’t know if that’ll happen either. I have a feeling I’ll only get this one if it reviews in an insane degree and it excites my friend group.

I was hoping to read some reviews for this one on my lunch break, but it seems like that may not happen since there’s little buzz around this one, but, hey, I’m looking forward to playing it either way!

@Sindayl I agree with you completely.

While I’m also happy to see the game is having massive success, I’m also torn because I didn’t like it nearly as much as everyone else does and there’s a constant, looping hype cycle for the game, so I also can’t help but feel it’s completely overrated. My whole time playing it, I just felt like the plot was obvious, and the characters were sort of thin. It was just the most “this is just good, but not great” game I’ve played in a long while.

I hope there’s a new GotY contender soon because I’m ready for the hype cycle to jump to its next target, as it jumped from KCD2 once Clair Obscur released.

Nope. I’ll be getting a Switch 2 though.

To A T has the potential to briefly hold the top spot on my GotY list this year…

…until June at least…

This year’s been a bit muted for me so far in gaming, but I’m pretty happy about the upcoming schedule and To A T feels like the ultimate appetizer to me before a main course of Nintendo exclusives and Death Stranding 2.

I’m going to be playing the game of clearing out my basement this weekend, so my sister can move in.

On the gaming front, I’m sort of… not playing anything seriously. If I play anything, it’ll be a party game or Red Dead Redemption 2. RDR2 is just so fun to go back to. I had a patch of time where every game I played felt like “Meh, this is ok and overrated,” and RDR2 reminds me that games can be exceptional.

I was going to try the Splitgate 2 beta, but the servers haven’t been working for me, so glad they got all that money just to have the game’s servers be exactly like the first game.

I mostly feel like I’m waiting for Switch 2 and Death Stranding though. I’ll be playing To A T next week.

@Ricky-Spanish It WOULD look amazing!

…in a new game! Lol.

That said, I’m not totally opposed to remakes, just remakes of things that feel basically like the same game with better visuals and I feel like Bioshock would probably be in that boat. The Resident Evil Remakes and Final Fantasy VII Remakes are fine.

@Ricky-Spanish Lol. I’m burned out of nostalgia. I’ve beaten Bioshock 4 times already.

I’m 100% sure that, as much as I love the game, I’d have the same feeling I’d have playing Oblivion Remastered:

“Wow. This is cool.” 4 hours later. “Alright. Been there done that, I think I’m good on this. Let’s play something else.”

If I didn’t play so many games in my 36 years of life, I’d probably be ok with the remaster culture, but I played a lot, so that whole thing is boring to me.

That’s tremendously disappointing if true. I don’t want a Bioshock remake or remaster at all. As much as Bioshock is a better game that 95% of games that release now, I’d rather have new games than continue playing games with fresh coats of paint.

When I saw the Minecraft movie in theaters, every trailer was a remade movie. Let’s NOT do this to the gaming industry.

This is such a neat curio and I’m really glad it exists, even if some of the games are dumpy to play on a controller. It sure is nice to revisit Pitfall for me in particular. I don’t mind the format of the games, as it’s better for them to be on modern consoles rather than not playable at all. With older games such as many of these, they’ve been collecting dust for ages and I’m glad younger gamers can finally experience them. My son and I got a good hour of fun trying them out last night.

I understand that overcoming adversity is part of the point of Soulslikes, but having fun is the point of games. As Soulslikes have saturated the industry and grown increasingly divisive among gamers as a genre, I’m certain the developer is hoping to widen the interest with players that are disinterested in Soulslikes.

I suspect they’ve discovered that there is a large group that would be interested in the game, but will never purchase due to the difficulty. They’ve hit the ceiling of Souls fans, so to speak.

Of course the Souls fans are mad about this as they were with Elden Ring and how people chose to play it, but they need to understand that their preference in suffering is not shared by all. At least there are more than enough games these days that offer it, however.

Finally! What I wanted out of the acquisition is a reality!

Nintendo, Kojima, Final Fantasy, Remedy, Rockstar, that might be it.

Not sure if I’d consider it a franchise, but rather an excellent N64 title with a sequel that didn’t live up to expectations with a reboot incoming.

I’ll be honest: I’m not sure how much I’m expecting. Gears of War isn’t for me, nor is Blade, and I’m just not sure how many upcoming games in the first party docket are for me. I’m sort of expecting one that doesn’t hit as hard for me, though I expect an entertaining show nonetheless.

Fable is basically the only confirmed heavy hitter that speaks to me, though Perfect Dark and Everwild, I’m trying my best to be optimistic about them. Would be nice to see something concrete about State of Decay and Halo. Last year’s was maybe my favorite showcase across any platform last year.

I mean, I played it for like 4-5 hours and was sort of ok with that. It’s literally the same game as the original with improved visuals and sprint. I’ll fart around with it when I get the mood, but I don’t know if I ever need to beat the game again

Y’know, I was going to play Doom: The Dark Ages, and I still might. Given the reviews, I can almost predict exactly how I’ll feel about it, which feels nice to know, given I’ve largely gambled with games I’ve picked up this year and lost the dice roll, but then… I downloaded Red Dead Redemption 2 again because my son drew a western themed comic on his napkin while we were taking my wife out for Mother’s Day, and I booted it up and started a new save and it’s just so good. There hasn’t been a single XSX/PS5 era game that’s THIS good (though Death Stranding 2 is right around the corner and that’s got the potential). Man, is it good. I’ve beaten it, played it to death, but man, I can’t get over it. I suspect I may be playing it til I’m sitting outside a store on June 4th trying to acquire a Switch 2 the old fashioned way.

I’m hoping for one more big release to squeeze into the latter portion of the year. I think I’ll have plenty to play, but I just want one more. Lol.

@16BitHero Thanks, my friend! Appreciate the shout out! I try to maintain a positive mindset. My comments are typically a bit more negative on Pushsquare lately though, so don’t look! 😅

Happy to be worth reading though! Your message guarantees that I will be zeroing in more on your comments in the future now as well. The community across the Hookshot sites is truly great. Happy to be a part of it!

Yes, the Series S has been worth the money as a tertiary console used as a Gamepass machine. I wouldn’t say a Series S is worth it at the updated price though… unless it’s your only console. The first three years of the generation were a little rough for Gamepass too, but I’d say the last year or so has been a major improvement.

I feel like no one remembers the days back when Street Fighter and most other fighting games would basically re-release on a yearly basis for full price for the sake of adding four characters and minimal gameplay tweaks.

I will say though that MK1 had an egregious monetization system though and, even if the gameplay (outside the Kameo system, which felt totally unnecessary) and visuals were an improvement on MK11, it was the weakest total package of an MK game since MK vs DC. The made mistakes with the launch of MK11 and corrected them right away then doubled down on them with MK1 and ignored fan response. What do they expect? Respect your customers and they’ll respect your business. Plain and simple.

Honestly, Silksong’s the only one in that list for me and I’m buying that one…. Looks like I’m good to retire my sub again after Doom? I might come back for Outer Worlds.

I will if I can find one!

Probably just an assortment of vintage arcade games. Feels like I’m waiting for Doom with games right now.

@RegnumSolipsi See, the Ninja Gaiden game I’m interested in is Ragebound. Have never really enjoyed 3D Ninja Gaiden as much as I enjoy the 2D series. Hope that one comes to Gamepass too. Outer Worlds… I dunno. I liked the first one at launch, but it’s not exactly a game where I felt I needed a sequel from it. Avowed didn’t really click with me either, so I’m feeling sort of meh about it. As of right now, I feel like I’m putting 90% of my gaming eggs in the Nintendo Switch 2 basket after May. Hope I can find one!

Death Stranding 2, MGS Delta, and Ghost of Yotei (and potentially Silksong) are otherwise the only games I’m for sure playing if I can’t find a Switch 2 at the moment

I dunno about anyone else, but Fable moving out of 2025 makes the second half of 2025 look empty to me. Maybe the summer showcase has surprises up its sleeve

I have a feeling Starfield is next, but I’d rather have Halo. I’d purchase and replay any Halo game just for the sheer novelty of it being on another platform.

And honestly, I’d love Halo on Switch.

My Xbox playtime has been about 90% Gamepass, but that 10% is me using my 360. Gamepass has really taken away my need to purchase any games on Xbox, and that’s sort of ok.

So… when is PlayStation getting Halo?

1. Blue Prince
2. Oblivion
3. Clair Obscur
4. South of Midnight

Honestly best month in ages on Game Pass.

@Kaloudz My son is 8, so he’s totally in that age group I was when I started playing games that I’m sort of surprised my parents approved looking back… Doom, Mortal Kombat, etc. He largely sticks to platformers and Minecraft (though he does like Sea of Thieves too, since that’s been a topic in our discussion), and I know he doesn’t want to play Doom, but I know he wants to watch.

MS has SoT dedicated for at least another 3-4 years from what I’ve seen and it’ll probably keep going past that. I don’t actually know anyone that plays the game a lot, but it seems like a lot of people play it for a little bit and then go back to it every couple months. It’s doing something right, I guess. Personally, I couldn’t get into it, but live service and survival style games just don’t really mesh with my tastes anymore… though if games like it existed back in the 360 era, I’d have certainly loved it. Rare must be doing something right, as the studio head got promoted to the MS org chart last year.

Pragmata is a multi-platform title that was announced in the original PS5 showcase years ago. It was scheduled for release in 2022 and then pushed back in 2021 to 2023 and now there’s no information about it at all. Capcom was making the game with the RE Engine and it looked pretty big budget and unique. I get surprised every time Capcom announces some other huge game and then doesn’t even shoot an update on this one. I have it wishlisted, so I don’t think it’s cancelled? Who knows?

@Matthewnh I also get the Watch Dogs vibe from this one. It just looks like a clone rather than the real thing to me, if that makes sense. I could be wrong, but everything I’ve seen looks like “6/10 game has some good ideas, but it’s unfortunately generic” written all over it. I get the same feeling I got watching updates about Immortals of Aveum.

To a T is my most anticipated Xbox title on the release schedule after Doom. Nothing else for me, but can’t wait for that one.

@Kaloudz We know nothing about Everwild other than it being by Rare and being the first game announced for this generation. It’s about time we get an update on it (since it’s apparently not cancelled as of rumors from last year). With Everwild and SoD 3, I feel like just getting an update would be nice. I know it’s not first party Xbox, but, man, it’s got me thinking… Pragmata… Will that one ever see the light of day? We don’t even have rumors or statements on that one anymore.

I agree. It feels like studios take such a long time on games right now, so it certainly does feel like every game is in a make it or break it situation for most studios. But… Obsidian sort of proves things don’t have to be that way.

I think Sea of Thieves honestly generates a lot of income for Microsoft, regardless of it being on PS5. From what I’ve read about it, it has a pretty dedicated fanbase and a decent amount of recurring players that exit and return on a regular basis, so I don’t think Rare is in a dangerous place because they’re got that live service that is actually working type of money, you know? From what I’ve read, I think SoT wasn’t crazy budget, so it’s remained profitable. I could be wrong though. That live service money might also be the issue with Everwild though too.

I’m hoping that new Doom feels like how the old Dooms felt in my mind. Reading that it’s slower, more deliberate, and more of a stand your ground experience intrigues me, as most FPSes are sort of athletic in their approach. The game looks absolutely crazy to me. I could definitely see it blowing the other current GotY candidates out of the water. I’d love if it has a bit of that survival horror edge too. The hardest part of the horror experience though will definitely be keeping my kids away from it. My son watched the Xbox summer showcase last year and he was like, “What is THAT?!” And to be honest, I was probably around his age when I played OG Doom, so I sort of get it! 😅

@Kaloudz Lol. I can’t stay up at night these days. I think I’m winded from working long hours, but I typically pass out an hour after my kids do! My wife’s a bit of a stickler when it comes to what the kids see, so I’m definitely going to playing Doom in a groggy fashion when that comes out! Sometimes I have to schedule for a dedicated gaming day if I get too backlogged!

State of Decay and Everwild (and Contraband) have all been hanging out for a really long time now. I don’t expect Contraband will be a huge holiday title since it doesn’t have that huge IP draw, but State of Decay and Everwild could? I dunno.

There’s a part of me that just misses Halo and wants something else Halo too. It’s been 4 years now. Remember when we used to get a new Halo game every year?

@Balta666 Truthfully, Clair Obscur reminds me a lot of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 minus the anime feel to it for me. There’s a sprinkling of Final Fantasy in there too and a bit of Dark Souls, but I totally agree that the whole thing feels sort of pointless in the end. At the end of Act 1, I had a guess for who people were and what was going on and i was sort of like, “Please don’t let this be the gist of the story.” Then, sure enough, I had guessed the big plot points.

@Nighto4 The game is self-aware for sure. And I don’t mind gloomy games. I like my sad Dad simulators. Death Stranding is my favorite game of all time, for instance. For me though, and I’m not sure how far you are, so I don’t want to spoil anything, but I felt that a lot of the world building went to waste in the third act, although the third act also explained why so few characters in the game had a detailed story arc.

@Nightcrawler71 Yeah, the combat is kinetic and fun, but at times it can be a bit of a grind, but hey that’s turn based combat for you! I can say that it’s probably my favorite turn based combat I’ve played in a while, outside of those Square 2DHD games.

@Kaloudz Fable would have a distinct shot at GotY if it came out this year, that’s for sure! I’m ok with a bit of a lighter second half of the year, personally, but I’d like to see like… Everwild or maybe that rumored new Spyro game. State of Decay 3 would be quite a surprise too, but I feel like that one and Perfect Dark are 2026 for some reason. Honestly, it may be a bit selfish, but I’m hoping for games I can play around my kids these days (or with them) right now. Oh, man, if only Banjo could make an appearance!

@Balta666 I’m not alone! Did you feel Claire Obscur was derivative in story toward other games as well?

I really want to get back to Split Fiction, which I was loving playing with the wife, but life just happened, she got busy, and then I got sick, and now I just want to play it again! Since we paused on it, I’ve played KCD2, South of Midnight, Blue Prince, and Clair Obscur, but I keep thinking how much I liked Split Fiction more than other games I’ve been playing. The game is just so unique, diverse in gameplay, and, most importantly, fun! It gives me those Astro Bot feelings. I’m going to beg the wife to play it with me this weekend.

That said, I’ve been deep in Clair Obscur, but I guess I’m a forever contrarian, as I just don’t like it as much as everyone else. It’s an 8/10 for me, and, yes, I will concur that there’s a lot of positives for it in its gameplay, which I love, and it’s production values, but the story is predictable and I just think the game lays itself out thick on the emotions and melodrama. I am frankly surprised I haven’t seen many others share these thoughts.

I just want Silksong…

For me, given the release schedule right now, I’m sort of expecting that I’ll be going full in on Switch 2… if I can find one. These summer showcases are going to be crazy though, I think.

@Kaloudz It feels like the industry is frozen, waiting on GTA6, in some ways. As of right now, after Doom (and To a T), I can’t think of anything on Xbox I’m looking forward to, so I hope the delay gives us some Xbox surprises for the second half of this year. Outer Worlds 2 surely can’t be the only thing balancing with the inevitable new CoD title at the end of the year. Wouldn’t it be cool if this delay gets the Fable team the confidence to release this year again?

I’m so curious what big games have been in hiding, waiting to maneuver around GTA. It seems like there has to be big releases that are in the shadows right now.

@Kaloudz I have a feeling Xbox and Sony will avoid releasing anything big anywhere near GTA, provided Rockstar is confident in its release date. I feel like the biggest games we’ll probably get outside GTA6 for the first half of the year will be those goofy mid-tier Nintendo titles like Tomodachi Life. You know, the stuff that doesn’t compete with GTA in any capacity. I don’t like that the industry is like this, but the second half of 2025 looks absolutely barren because publishers were expecting GTA and I think that may change now, but that just means the emptiness will get pushed back to the first half of next year now. I almost feel like Ghost of Yotei got a release date because Sony found out about GTA 6’s delay.

To a T is the biggest Xbox Gamepass release of 2025 for me.

@Kaloudz I expect Fable to be an autumn/holiday release in 2026. I think developers have been cagey about release dates for a while now. The game I’m wondering most about is probably Judas. Will that one “replace” where GTA6 was expected by Take Two?

I’m not bothered by the delay either way though. I do hope we get another Xbox title slated in the fall now though for this year though.

Can’t wait to finally see a deluge of 2025 release dates for other games incoming!