somnambulance

I played for a dozen or so hours, but, like others have said, the format of an mmo sort of pushed me away. It’s odd how much I enjoyed of Elder Scrolls games in comparison, given it’s so similar. These gaming companies like to talk about player engagement with all their hokey, grindy strategies, but, man, back when Skyrim came out, I couldn’t get enough of it. For like half a year, I was putting countless hours into it.

He redeems himself by nuking his own camp.

@MrMagic I resent that. Alan Wake 2 is currently Game of the Generation for me.

However, I’d give Hellblade 1 a 6/10. I get what it’s doing and what the impact is that it’s trying to make. I appreciate that. I want that type of game to exist. I just didn’t enjoy the game, personally. I thought the gameplay was frustrating most of the time and the puzzles were boring. Good visuals and story and a unique take to sound design couldn’t make me like it more than I did.

I’m hoping Still Wakes the Deep is really solid. Depending on the showcase and how it reviews (though, let’s be honest, the team’s got a pedigree, so more like, depending on its price), I may just buy it rather than resub to Gamepass. I expect great things from the title.

Getting close to finishing Dave the Diver now and I’ve tapped the surface of Crow Country and Animal Well, so I’ll be playing the three of these games for sure in some capacity today after work and after I mow the grass and not on Mother’s Day. And you never know… Banishers might finally get played some. We shall see!

@Ver I’m sincerely down for this. I quit Gamepass earlier this year to save money since I was rarely using it and I’m totally ok with just buying the Xbox hits if I have to. I wasn’t going to double dip on Hi-Fi, but I’m seriously considering it now. And Halo is Halo. Xbox is dead to me as a platform when they truly drop exclusivity, based on how this generation has gone. I’m not a fan of how Sony does things either, but, I mean, if its a console or a PC for gaming, I’m taking the console with the most amount of options and whatever Nintendo does because I like most of what Nintendoes.

@Ricky-Spanish Why not?

I’ll buy Halo on PlayStation because it sort of feels like that’s going to happen. Shoot, I’d get it for Switch too. Why not?

Solid PS+ title, certainly better than anything that’s hit Gamepass this year. I expect they skipped Xbox for some reason. This one’s made by a solo dev, so I’m sure he’s got his reasons, but, like others have said, he’s likely got a deal with PS and it’s guaranteed to sell on Switch, given the type of game it is. I’m sure they’ll put it on Xbox if the Gamepass check is large enough.

@GuyinPA75 Hey, I like 8 bit style indies myself. I’ve got a Gato Roboto t-shirt, you know? Lol. But seriously I’m very well aware that my thoughts are clashing with some of the GP fans out there. I honestly think PS+ has delivered a better service so far this year, just by putting Dave the Diver on the service alone. I’m a bit tired of Xbox pretending old games that have been on other platforms for years are new games and big gets for GP. When DQ11 came to GP, I couldn’t believe how many people were hooked on the koolaid with it. Let’s not forget the promise of Day 1 exclusives when we had a drought of new games on the platform for a few years. Xbox users need to demand more from their platform to provide experiences and take care of those that make those experiences.

@Reaper_cet It happens all the time in the industry when things are being pitched for a year or so before things go into active development. That’s not out of the ordinary. Projects sometimes start too, misfire, and it’s back to the drawing board. I’ve seen other people say it, but Tango and Arkane Austin were cut because it’s likely they were the most convenient to cut because their projects were already released and they weren’t yet in active production. I’d say Ninja Theory may be in trouble, pending how Hellblade 2 does for the brand. I could see Xbox jettisoning them in July if the game doesn’t generate the buzz they want it to.

@Beckerjr I’m sure that’s part of the reason, but did they ask staff to come aboard those projects or have they been seeing if anyone would like a voluntary severance? Putting voluntary severance on the table for staff is not a positive sign. They might as well just melt the Xbox brand into Activision rather than the other way around.

CoD Box. The Xbox Series CoD.

@NEStalgia exactly! We keep getting this negative messaging and it screams mismanagement and a deliberate attempt at misinforming customers to keep them on platform. Whether they’re trying to do it or not, Xbox is feeding into the narrative that they’re the platform of least users for a reason

@Reaper_cet Or did Shinji Mikami and key staff leave because they felt the writing on the wall? At the end of the day, the studio was pitching a sequel that we admittedly don’t know much about. Money pays wages, however, wages that enable people to make a living making games. This is a studio that has consistently delivered solid games while Xbox has shown tone deafness on several occasions this generation. People are upset for the consistency of tone deafness and double speak from Xbox, who publicly stated they’d be supporting these studios. This whole generation has been a downward slope for the brand.

The value of these services hasn’t gotten any better in the last two years. If anything, the cost has gone up and the quality of games has gone down. What do they expect?

After 2042, I’m likely never buying a Battlefield game at release again, but I’d love the series to actually be interesting again. Man, I’ve got so many good memories from playing the first couple games.

At least Toys For Bob went indie, so they’re safe as a studio. I expect a big drop of Activision titles in the showcase, so this one’s hardly a surprise.

@HonestHick No way was it him alone. I’m sure Matt Booty and maybe even Todd Howard were in on this and pulled the trigger. Regardless of who it is, the optics are so bad that most Xbox-based content creators are jumping ship harder than when the multiplatform push was leaked. When MS made over 22 billion dollars in profit in the last financial earnings report, it begs into question, are they doing this to make things better for us or the shareholders? I think we would all trust Xbox’s vision more if we hadn’t found out so many red flags the last two years, usually via leaks and then a belated press event. I seriously believe they did this now, as they know the gaming news cycle will lemming onto the next big thing as we enter showcase season. Only thing is that… Xbox has been so tone deaf with this that I don’t even know a winning showcase will change public opinion. I mean, “Feel the burn” was the tagline on the controller they released the day this news dropped

@HonestHick I think this is directly in his pay grade, honestly. He’s in charge of Xbox. Xbox is too rampant in double speak and poor optics. It needs to change. Phil is the fall guy, but he’s in charge of this…

@Reaper_cet Microsoft is certainly greedy in their intentions of this. Why would else would they shutter a studio that housed their most critically acclaimed title in ages? It all boils down to money, but even so, Microsoft has mismanaged their studios this whole generation. I’m not sure how you can justify a second round of layoffs and studio closures as a good thing to anyone outside executives lining their pocketbooks at the expense of their developers. It doesn’t take much digging to get to the double speak from Xbox brass.

Good human or not, he’s running Xbox into the ground.

@BaldBelper78 Honestly, quality has been far from the Xbox MO for quite a while now. The best games launched under the Xbox banner the last two generations were largely complete before Xbox (Psychonauts, Deathloop) or basically indie (Ori). Hi-Fi Rush was the exception and look how that turned out. I expected Xbox to make Activision better by acquiring them, not adopt their brand of game development. At least Sega didn’t burn bridges like this when they were struggling in the console space.

Can’t wait for Phil’s fart of a kumbaya tomorrow since I’m sure it’s coming.

Best game they’ve had in ages comes out last year, gets critical respect, and then they shutter the studio. Absolutely ridiculous. I’m sure it’s to make way for more existing IPs. That next Fallout game better be better than Starfield.

Another month passes and another highly negative move Xbox does. Hi-Fi Rush was the best thing to come out of Xbox since Ori. Absolutely gutted about this news.

All this bs about MS acquiring so many studios to make things happen too. It’s all been crock. Is Xbox going to anything right this generation?

Hugely bad news today. Xbox just can’t keep the air of positivity floating around, can they? Seriously, I’m not surprised they announce this a month before their showcase, so they can have time to plant roses on the corpses of these studios…

@RIghteousNixon I really hope so. I like a lot of the developers under the Microsoft banner, so I’m rooting for them to finally turn things around. I suspect we’ll get an Activision Gamepass dump with the showcase too. I don’t anticipate that’ll be anything too exciting for me (unless THPS Underground gets ported to modern consoles… I can dream), but my logic tells me that people will lap that up if it happens. Everything seems set up for a home run, but… Xbox has a way. Lol.

I mean, I almost expect a solid showcase of cinematic trailers with 2024 as a release date tacked onto everything. Meanwhile, we’re all saying, “…but it’s June already! Where’s the release date!?” That’s how I felt about that Lost Records trailer at the ID showcase. Just slap a release date on there already!

Depends on what it is. I might not buy the next generation of Xbox consoles at all if this generation doesn’t change course soon.

@RIghteousNixon That is true. Theres still rumors of things we don’t know yet, however. Smaller scale projects from Sony, such as an AstroBot title. I expect Sony will have third party exclusives to flesh out their line-up.

It’s nice to see Xbox having the most potential for a strong holiday line-up. We know nothing about Nintendo’s plans (I mean, they did announce Mario Wonder three months before release, so anything is possible for them if they’re willing to drop something that huge with such little time), but I mean, if Xbox sticks the landing with Avowed and Indy alone, that’s a win, and Stalker 2 is certainly coming too. If Silksong finally has a date, even better. It’s rumored Clockwork Revolution and State of Decay 3 will get updates. Gears and CoD don’t do anything for me, but they’re essentially on lock too. This could be an absolutely massive showcase with something for everyone, but I’ve also said that before and felt that way before. Hopefully this is the one.

I’m glad they feel optimistic and confident and all that jazz, but that’s a line we’ve heard before. Hopefully Avowed and Indy hit 2024 and deliver as experiences and hopefully Xbox finally delivers a compelling line-up beyond that to demonstrate why we own Xboxes. If anything, Xbox has the strength of being able to say “we will release something this year.” Not sure PS or Switch can say that.

I’m honestly seriously considering biting the bullet and getting the FF16 DLC. I’ve been in a slump since I beat Rebirth and Balatro the same day about a month and a half ago. Feels like everything I’ve played since hasn’t hit the spot. I know I loved 16, so it might be nice to have some comfort food. Hopefully Indika launches on PS5 next week as I’ve been looking forward to that one quite a bit. I’ve still got Banishers hanging around in the backlog, but I just… don’t play it. I sort of feel like I’m going crazy here as I feel like Dragon’s Dogma 2, Helldivers 2, and Stellar Blade have all been… just fine… while the rest of the community is tossing praise. It’s just one of those weird years where I must just be at odds with the industry. I dunno. Prince of Persia, Tekken, Balatro, Rebirth was such a strong streak that maybe I’m still hungover from all that greatness so fast though.

Worst case scenario for me is, if I can’t get out of this funk with games currently available, at least Braid is back out in two weeks and I know that’ll snap me out of it if I need it to!

I honestly cannot wait for Indika.

@Lup This year, yes, it is! Little Kitty might get me to dust off my Xbox, personally.

As for me, I’m looking forward to watching Hellblade 2 the Movie on YouTube and… uh… maybe Little Kitty. I’ll resub to Gamepass if the game is worth it. If it isn’t, nothing on Xbox again this month for me, but I’ll buy Indika and Braid for sure, possibly the Pac-Man BR if it’s solid. I loved the one on Switch.

Not interested in Gears 6 in the slightest, but man I’m excited for Indy and Avowed. Given the state of the industry, it feels like Xbox might finally be set up to rebound.

This is potentially my most anticipated title for the rest of the year. I absolutely cannot wait for this one.

Didn’t get a chance to watch it, but I’ll edit my comment with my thoughts when I get a chance to watch a little bit later today. I hope it’s better than the Nintendo Indie presentation. That’s my only true hope on it. I’d like to finally buy some games this year.

Edit: I’d give it a C. The presentation was very IGN, so I didn’t quite enjoy that. I would say it beat Nintendo’s indie showcase. Lost Records was the only game I’m itching to preorder from the presentation, but it was a diverse and decent selection of titles.

That’s a shame because honestly, from what I’ve experienced, I do feel that Ori is perhaps the more unique of the two games.

Xbox has the money a developers to make things happen if they want to make things happen. Use some of those Activision teams to pad out Bethesda a bit on the technical side of things, you know?

I’m expecting we’ll get some news on Monday for May on the ID@Xbox event.

As it stands, I’d resub for Little Kitty if it’s solid. And I’ll try Hellblade if I do resub, though I’m more certain I’ll be watching the cutscenes on YouTube, given how I felt about the first one.

@endlessleep It’s still in development, I suppose, but I dunno… it irks me that Capcom announced and released SF6, RE4, Exoprimal, and Dragon’s Dpgma 2 before giving us the slightest of info on this one. At least there was a trailer at a Capcom showcase the year before last, but, man, the game WAS my most looked forward to game from those initial PS5/XSX reveals and I can’t believe 4 years later, we know more about RE9 than it.

I’m honestly not sure. I love Dave the Diver as a casual experience, but I feel like I’ve sort of hit a wall in it at the moment. I’m contemplating getting Stellar Blade or jumping on Fallout 4 again. Banishers remains a ghost haunting me from the backlog as well. The 45 minutes I put into it two weeks ago seemed solid.

Get me Pragmata first!

Seriously they need to give Bethesda the budget to hire more staff or something to keep these prominent IPs in the public consciousness. Fallout and Elder Scrolls have BEEN needing new games by now.

Lost Records has me sold. I’m down for this. Can’t wait for that one, honestly.

I wonder if Silksong… might… finally… nahhhhh…

I had a friend show it to me, and the art style is exquisite… just a shame the actual “game” part of it isn’t all that interesting. I gave it a 6/10. Was considering resubbing to Gamepass before trying it to experience the game, but I’m glad I didn’t. Until Silksong then…

Ever since completing Rebirth and Balatro, I’ve been in a weird place with gaming. Things just haven’t clicked. I sank a good lot of time in Dragon’s Dogma, but similar to my three attempts at playing through Baldur’s Gate 3, I felt like I was going through the motions and forcing myself to play rather than having fun with it, so I’m dropping it for a while. Maybe I’ll come back someday.

My wife and one of my children is sick now too, so there’s that. We were supposed to have an event today, but it looks unlikely we’ll attend now due to the illness. Given the circumstances, I’ll likely sink into something low stakes like Dave the Diver for a little bit. If my wife wants to, perhaps some Banishers together. Otherwise, it honestly sort of feels like a waiting time before something else comes out that clicks with me. Will it be Stellar Blade? Indika? …am I seriously waiting for Erdtree or beyond? It sort of feels like it right now. I don’t even have excitement for Erdtree at the moment, given how long it’s been since I played Elden Ring. The rust is real. Lol.

I might finally try Helldivers 2, though I’d be doing so solo as my friend group all purchased it, but no one else seemed interested in it. My social gaming group is considering trying Fallout 76 now, so maybe I’ll try that, even though last time I played it, I gave it a 3/10 review. I’ve still yet to start the Fallout show though. I feel like I’m behind on the entertainment stuff at the moment. I’d like to watch Fallout, that new Walking Dead series, and Sand Land asap, which I typically am not a tv show person, but here we are. Just feels like I’m in a funk. I do enjoy Dave the Diver though.

This one is a better game than the reviews would suggest, and, given the current landscape, I feel Xbox reviews may positively impact this game. It feels like a PS2 game with current gen window dressing. If BotW isn’t the Zelda you were looking for, it sort of checks that box. The narrative is nothing to write home about, but the visuals, gameplay, soundtrack, etc, it was all very solid in a way that made me nostalgic but also it stood out for representing the ethos of the PS2 era in a modern way.

If Little Kitty Big City reviews well enough, I’ll try it out on Gamepass.

Otherwise… man, I sort of feel like the only thing I’ll buy from the Showcase was probably Antonblast and The Exit 8.

Good for the developers. The first time I ever subbed to Gamepass, it was the first game I tried. I didn’t like it, but I was definitely curious before I tried it because, whether I enjoyed it personally or not, it’s a unique premise and I wish more developers were open to trying things like this.

Maybe I’ll resub if Still Wakes the Deep is solid and more expensive than the sub?