somnambulance

Well, at least Gamepass hasn’t gotten a price hike.

Honestly, with the rate that prices are increasing in gaming, I think I may be done getting all three platforms. Might just stick with a Switch 2 for the next generation.

Something like xCloud may enable older hardware to be “next generation” as well, fyi. I play tons of “Series only” games on my Xbone via xCloud. Oblivion actually runs better this method than being natively installed on my Series S, weirdly enough.

Who would’ve thought that all they had to do was make great content and they’d see success? It’s a shame Xbox had some truly blank years at the beginning of this generation, but last year and this year so far have been a huge turnaround story.

I honestly haven’t been playing a lot of games this year. I’ve been bouncing off of most games I’ve played. Neither Avowed nor Kingdom Come 2 clicked with me. Assassin’s Creed Shadows… I dropped. The wife and I started Split Fiction, but we just haven’t had time to return to it. We will return to that one though. There’s a couple other games I played that I don’t remember off the top of my head, but they just weren’t vibing with me. I personally think 2025 has been just sort of ok to me as a gaming year so far. I know that’s a hot take, but it’s true for me.

And as for more hot takes, I’m tackling Clair Obscur, but is it just me or does the game feel like the story is going in a direction that is totally derivative of Xenoblade Chronicles 3? I like the game, but I feel like it’s almost certain that the game is going to go that direction just in a more melodramatic and less anime way. I’m trying to see what others see in it, but I just feel like… I’m waiting for that 10/10 moment that so many others see in the game.

For positives though, the Oblivion remaster is fun to just mess around with, and I’ve been dipping my toes in the water with it, but not playing it seriously. And Blue Prince is utterly fantastic. Best game so far this year for me.

Believe it or not, it’s been running fine on my Xbone via xCloud.

@Nighto4 Well, it’s been maybe a decade since I’ve played 13, but Clair Obscur plays as I would’ve wanted the next FF game to play that decade ago. It’s that high definition turn based vibe, I suppose. It just really reminds me of how I felt playing 13, which is a positive thing. I’ve got my nitpicks on that game, but overall, I do like it more than most, I believe.

It’s literally impossible for me to score the game so soon after release. I don’t know how anyone without a review copy could score a JRPG the week of its release! Lol.

That said, I’m liking it so far. The production values are insane. The music is very well done, as are the performances. The story is unique. The gameplay is a strange new refinement on Final Fantasy 13’s combat systems and world exploration, which isn’t something I’d ever say would be a real thing by this point.

I like it. Will I love it? I don’t know. I feel like 2025 has been a year of overhyped games (I’m sorry, but the hype train has practically said there’s a new masterpiece every two weeks this year, and I’m not sure there’s been one yet… though I’m playing Clair Obscur and will eventually get to Split Fiction), so I’m waiting to finish my drink to find out if I’ve drank the koolaid, you know what I mean? I can say that it’s very unique and I expect it to land as an 8/10 or 9/10 for me, based on my early impressions. But this is also a story based game, so where the story goes will lead to where my opinion goes. Based on what I’ve seen and read in reviews though, I don’t think it’ll drop below an 8/10 for me. But who knows? By the end of it, it could be a 10 too! When there’s 30+ hours yet of gameplay, anything is possible.

2025 is easily the year I’ve played Xbox most in over 10 years. Gamepass has been fantastic this year. First year I’ve played more Xbox than PS since the 360 era perhaps.

@VisitingComet1 Thank you! I hope so too. I’ll be back to work again tomorrow since I’m not longer contagious according to my doctor, but I’ve missed two days a week at this point, so I hope that’s not a thing again this week.

It’s a roguelike, but it’s not one for the genre’s warriors, if that makes sense. It has that framework for a new genre experience. It’s a puzzle game, ala The Witness, where you are building the rooms to a large estate with the intention of connecting to the mysterious 46th room. I’ll be honest, I have no idea how to get there yet, but I think I’m figuring it out.

Was sick last week and have been having a hard time shaking the illness, so I went in to the hospital on Thursday and I’ve been on bedrest since. I found out I had quite a severe case of strep. Had to cancel my family’s Easter plans as we’re all contaminated, unfortunately. On the plus side, I’m by far the most contaminated, so my family is much healthier than I! Hopefully my hearing returns on my right side soon enough. Had strep as a kid on a yearly basis, but it was never like this.

In my illness, I’ve gotten well acquainted with the Blue Price, which is certainly my favorite game so far this year by a significant margin. I don’t know if I’m doing it right, but each run feels like I’m doing… something. It’s a wonderful game.

To a T looks like it’ll be my favorite game of 2025 to date when it launches.

After not playing much of anything this year, I’ve finally found something that’s cracked the ice: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. I’ve been really sick lately, so the whole thing is perfect for the time balanced between fever dreams while the medicine takes time to kick in. I’m loving the game. I never got to it last year and just sort of forgot about it. When I was stuck at home sick, I wanted to play something for a bit in bed and dusted off the Switch to remember I’d never gotten to it. It was just hiding, waiting for the right moment, I suppose.

Outside that, my family’s started up the Blue Prince as well, which we’re enjoying a lot too.

I feel like I’ve been a bit upset with my gaming this year so far, so I’m glad to be feeling a bit better with what I’m playing now, in spite of my illness. Silver linings, you know?

Katana Zero DLC is actually real!? That made this whole thing worthwhile. Eternal Life looks good too

@RaZieLDaNtE I’m not sure what games I’d even want out of an Xbox Showcase beyond that Silksong release date. They’ve got so much cooking right now that it could indeed be a huge presentation. I wonder if we’ll finally see Everwild for a change. I expect if Halo gets announced for other consoles, it may be here as well. I know I’d buy MCC again on Switch 2 if it’s an option.

Well, the hour or so I’ve played of Split Fiction definitely has that one cemented in my top spot and it’s not even close. But playing that one with the wife has been hard to coordinate as of late, so I’m pretty far from completing it. The pig level was exceptional. My favorite segment of a game since that very special moment in the middle of Alan Wake 2. If you know, you know.

Momodora Reverie Under Moonlight and Donkey Kong Country Returns HD are my runners up and the only two games I’ve beaten this year.

Honestly, I’ve not really had much that has clicked with me this year though. KCD2 certainly didn’t, Avowed didn’t, Atomfall didn’t (and the sound glitches were odd), and I got bored with AC Shadows after 20+ hours into it. I couldn’t even get more than an hour into Lost Records and I’m a Life is Strange stan. I’m going to give South of Midnight and Blue Prince a go this weekend most likely, so perhaps one of those may hit.

Hopefully it brings Silksong.

By June, I’ll be in Nintendo Switch 2 land hopefully (and Death Stranding 2), so I’ll be a bit stuffed on games for a bit, but happy to see what is in store for the inevitable backlog on Gamepass.

Xbox has had a good year so far.

@Fiendish-Beaver Would you say it’s a game pass?

The last game I purchased on Xbox was Dragon Ball FighterZ at launch, so… no… Xbox is for Gamepass.

As of right now, if Sony makes that jump in price for games, I’m probably going to phase out on PS. I will be buying games on Switch 2 even if I don’t like the price.

@TheAppEffect I kept losing the sound too! So odd! I paused my time with the game due to the distraction of that. What an odd bug…

When I was in ninth grade, I was homeschooled. I played more RuneScape that year than I did school work. I finished school three months early to have more time for the game.

I want Pitfall. Just give me the vintages.

@Dalamar73 @themightyant I think Eurogamer picked a reviewer that would be more critical of KCD2, given the unilaterally positive pre-release press for the game. Does that denote bias? Maybe, but most journalistic entities do this to some capacity. The odds are always sort of stacked in the positive for FromSoft and Atlus games, for instance, because those games are typically reviewed by fans. But critics are just critics and the important thing is formulating your own opinion.

That said, I think it’s fine KCD2 got an iffy review from Eurogamer. As much as I can objectively understand how some would love the incredibly niche title, I don’t know anyone that actually liked it (in person, anyway). The Eurogamer review reminded me more of what my own personal friends said about the game.

As far as Atomfall goes, I’m hoping to try it over the weekend.

I’ll bet the DLC just got absorbed into the main game to expedite development.

South of Midnight’s my pick. I just love unique storytelling and settings in games. South of Midnight’s my most anticipated Xbox release this year full stop. Hope it delivers!

Blue Prince looks quite good too, and, of course, Clair Obscur, though for some reason I’ve got a weird feeling about that one.

I honestly wish they’d just get a release window out there because I’m sort of tired of hearing how many executives are scared of releasing near it.

I know some may disagree, but 2025’s release slate has a lot of releases, but also feels weirdly empty too, you know? It feels like the industry has gone dark while waiting for the release date bomb to drop. 2024 felt that way too. I’m just ready for publishers to feel confident about their release windows again.

I’m still trying to figure out what the deal is with the anti-Ubisoft movement. Ubisoft has been one of the more reliable gigantic publishers in the industry. Sure, they aren’t chugging out GotY tier titles and they never have been, but they also release a consistent stream of 7/10-8/10 experiences that are highly palatable and great value for players that may be strapped for cash. They’ve had a few flops recently, but they’ve not done anything as egregious as EA or Activision (or others) in the grand scheme of things. It just feels like there’s worse fish to fry and the frying for Ubisoft is set to high heat.

There’s such a divide from people that are enjoying the game and praising it and people that are dumping toxic on it.

@Dalamar73 Very true on all fronts. As of right now, I can’t figure out a plan Xbox has that would include consoles as a 10 year goal to continue unless technology dramatically slows down. I’m not sure how financially Xbox could justify two more generations without there being a dramatic shift, given how sales have been trending the last two generations.

I’m hoping to start Split Fiction or Assassin’s Creed Shadows this weekend

@Dalamar73 Might be a feature of a console/PC hybrid though. Depends on how PC the console would be.

@brettvsgodzilla I would highly recommend playing the first before playing the second. I think you could enjoy it, but there’s more context to the story if you play the first one first.

I haven’t used Steam in like 20 years because I play on console, but I’d happily replay the Half Life games and Deus Ex. Realistically anything new I’d want usually comes to consoles though!

That said, I’d love to play modded games like Fallout: London.

Alan Wake 2 is the best game on Xbox this generation for sure.

For first party games, I think I might pick Psychonauts 2 as the best one this generation so far for me. I probably would’ve said Hi-Fi Rush at a different point, but my son just loves Psychonauts 2 so much that I can’t not pick it as his enthusiasm is contagious.

I would 100% recommend this game. It’s got its flaws, sure, but it’s one of my favorite games this generation.

Yikes. This being so popular explains why I don’t understand some decisions the industry makes.

Hopefully if any IP is bought it will be used.

Ori and the Blind Forest brought me back into gaming after I had been dormant from it for a little while, maybe a year or two, so I can honestly say I’m glad I played it and I love the series.

Not sure. It depends on how things are next gen. I may just stick with Nintendo next generation, depending on games and cost. I’ll follow Kojima, Remedy, and Final Fantasy where they go too, but I’m not sold on a next gen Xbox or PlayStation currently.

Balatro was my #2 last year and honestly that’s only because I’m a Final Fantasy Stan. Lol. Impeccable game. Truly remarkable. I’d potentially put Balatro in my top 20 games of all time, depending how I’d format a list like that

If I get a chance to play it, absolutely Split Fiction with the wife. We keep putting playing Lost Records off too, just because there’s been a lot going on for us, but we may finally play that one too. We’ll have a good time with both of them when we get to them.

Outside that, I think I might finally put Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 on the back burner. I’m struggling to get into it. Maybe it’ll be something for me at a later point. I mean, it took me half a decade to finally appreciate The Witcher 3, so it can happen.

If I play something solo, it’ll probably be something arcade-y We Heart Katamari or Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 or Dig Dug.

And I’ll be keeping tabs on SXSW because Kojima. I can’t wait for Death Stranding 2. I’m at that point in my gaming life where I sort of know most things I buy will be a gamble if I like them, but there’s still a select few games that I can say, “When that comes out, I can basically guarantee it’ll probably be one of my favorite games I’ve ever played.” You know, that kid feeling of playing games. I get it with Mario, Zelda, (usually) Final Fantasy, (usually) Resident Evil, Remedy’s games now, you know? But, more than anything else, I feel that way for Kojima games. They just feel like they’re a different level of special. They’re games that feel like they talk directly to me, and I could not anticipate any game more.

I honestly hope it does well. I’m tired of the narrative around Ubisoft. Sure, they’ve made their mistakes, but they’re better than EA or Activision or Embracer, etc have been in the big picture. I’ve liked the last two AC games a lot and loved PoP, and I’d just honestly like to see Ubisoft have a home run. I preordered the game, as I usually do for AC, even with the highs and lows of the series.

They’re working on optimizing it for PS5 Pro and Switch 2 and hoping to salvage that launch with what they’re hoping is a Phantom Liberty tier DLC most likely. That’s what I’d guess.

Although I’d rather just have Elder Scrolls 6 and I’m hoping that feels like Elder Scrolls rather than Starfield.

That’s a nothing for me. Hopefully Atomfall is decent though. With South of Midnight, Atomfall, Clair Obscur, and Doom, I’ve got enough coming where theoretically I’m ok with the release slate.

@Nexozi Yeah, if the rumors are accurate, it sort of feels like Xbox is taking this generation as a loss and moving ahead from it. Certainly feels like they’re moving things around to bolster next year’s launch if that’s true. I suppose we’ll see Xbox’s vision soon enough if the rumors are accurate.

South of Midnight is honestly the best looking first party game to come to Xbox since Halo Infinite for me. I gave it a 9/10. I’m more excited for South of Midnight than I am for Doom and I’m really looking forward to Doom.

I’m hoping it plays a little bit like Kena, but with a better story.

That TechRadar snippet sounds like music to my ears.

@FraserG They absolutely are! There’s certainly surprises sometimes and this one’s a good surprise for me as I’d forgotten about the game! Hopefully we get some classic Castlevania-esque energy here.

Oh man, I totally had no idea Beyond the Ice Palace 2 had a release date. Definitely keeping my eye on that one.

Sort of surprising to me, but I think Xbox was wise to push Avowed back to the launch period it had, as it didn’t have much in the way of competition to keep it from hitting players. It was early enough that Monster Hunter didn’t hurt it and there was perhaps less overlap than expected with KCD2 players… and, yeah, there’s basically nothing else out there this year, so I do believe the “new games” crowd jumped on it whereas Indy released at an awkward timeframe and competed with a brand new Marvel Rivals. You could say it’s a different demographic, but is it? I know more people that were interested in Indy than Avowed for sure, but put it off because they were hooked on Rivals. Some even said that, even with the GP sub, they’re waiting for a PS release. I honestly think Indy’s going to be a bigger hit on PlayStation, whereas I don’t feel the same would be true for Avowed. Either way, happy to see success for the team. Personally, it hasn’t really struck a chord with me, but that’s ok. Not every game will. Happy others are finding an Xbox success.

The game is a a very pure 10/10. Best game in the roguelike genre, in my opinion. As someone that’s played it over a year now, I’d honestly say it’s one of my favorite games of all time.

I can’t use VR personally. I had an eye injury, so 3D films, VR, whatever in its current state does weird things to my eyes. I couldn’t even play my 3DS at launch way back when. It’s like my vision starts tearing or something at a certain point. At any rate, it does things it’s not supposed to do and I’ve only seen that happen at 3D movies and in VR. It takes longer to happen in VR though.

But besides that VR also makes me nauseous and gives me headaches and cold sweats too and that’s before the eye issues kick in. Flat media forever for me.

That said, if Half Life Alyx or Astro’s Rescue Mission aren’t the killer apps, I don’t think it’s going to happen as a gaming thing. I feel like VR is for non-gaming enthusiasts instead. I think VR is aiming for the wrong demographic.

I hope it’s Oblivion. THPS, Outer Worlds, Oblivion, and CoD is a decent line-up.