somnambulance

Dragon Age just couldn’t blast past the internet hate machine. I’ve said it all over the place lately, but the marketing was rough on it.

Never. I’m there for the Day 1 exclusives. When there’s not enough Day 1 games that interest me, I drop my sub.

He might just be replaying them because he likes them. December and January have been barren release months as well, so let the guy have some comfort food.

I’d like to watch it, but I have to work, so I won’t be able to. As I have an office job, I’m planning on maybe sneaking a peak during my lunch break if I can.

I have a 4 TB storage plugged into my Series S, but only Xbone and earlier games work on it, so it’s nice but sort of useless for dealing with current gen problems. My Series S hard drive is basically full and it just has CoD on it. I’ve still yet to try multiplayer too, so I’m not utilizing it properly. I play almost every game on the cloud at this point on Xbox.

I can honestly say that downloads and storage space are the two biggest issues with the Series S now that the first party line-up is starting to move in the right direction, but thankfully xCloud mitigates those issues. xCloud literally is the saving grace of Xbox this generation and I’m surprised fewer people sing it praises.

Honestly, I’ll probably play Skyrim at some point. I can’t believe I touched it for five minutes when my son discovered it on my Xbox 360 and now I’m mildly hungry for it… again… eight playthroughs over the years aren’t enough, I guess? It’s sort of amazing how well it holds up, but it also sort of makes me feel a little weird about current games because it just feels better than most of what I played last year.

I should play some more Indy. I’d like to beat it before the Xbox showcase in case there’s a shadow drop.

Friends of mine want me to play Hunt and Marvel Rivals, but plans just haven’t coincided for that. I’m sure that’ll eventually happen, but will it be this weekend?

Oh, and then there’s the ever present Balatro which is the only certain thing in gaming lately. I’ve played it on my phone every day since it’s released on mobile to some extent... and that’s after owning it on PS and Switch. I think I’ve got an addiction.

@GuyinPA75 Oh, I disagree. I want the dog and pony show. But I want it with release dates!

@Kezelpaso Truthfully, I understand that no one wants to compete with GTA, but honestly, for me, i want more games than just GTA this year… and I want to budget my gaming for Switch 2!

Hopefully those devs give us release dates soon then! The schedule still seems completely vague for what will land this year.

It’s a shocker, but when you have games to play, you use the hardware. I used my Xbox more this last quarter than I have since the month Halo Infinite came out, no joke.

If GTA6 is overpriced, it may very well be worth it, but I’ll be honest: I don’t know that I’d buy it out of principle. If prices hike, I will certainly purchase fewer games. After how many games I bought last year that didn’t click with me, I’m already planning on cutting my game spend this year… and if I’m contemplating between GTA6 and the Switch 2, I know I’m taking Nintendo’s likely budget friendly console over Rockstar doing something unsavory.

In the macro, i could see GTA6 raising prices causing the industry to crash as well, as consumers don’t have enough faith in new games to warrant the spend. While I understand games need to be profitable, I do think this approach would be directly ignoring the complaints of many in the space that are calling for shorter, cheaper games as an alternative to $70 games, as the increased price point this generation may already be hurting games in a time where consumer funds are at a low.

I hope these rumors are just rumors, nothing more.

I don’t expect it, given that Avowed is coming so soon after the Direct, but who knows? It sort of depends what the mystery game is, I suppose. If that’s a big game that’s already on other platforms, I’d expect it, but if it’s something new, I doubt it.

Not a fan of many of these games, but Ori alone made me return to games when I was feeling disinterested in the medium (or disinterested in new games since I was definitely still playing retro games), so, for that game alone, cheers to you, 2015!

If Ecco is the surprise announcement for the fourth game at the Developer Direct, surprise would be an understatement.

I hope it’s Megaman, but I’d be shocked if it was!

I think we’ll have 7-8 first party games this year (if we count CoD) and that Xbox will pull a Nintendo and start to get things on a regular schedule from there on out where we usually hit 5-6 a year, the way it should be.

I’ll try it. I don’t like the color palette used on the game, but it’s Obsidian and Xbox has been on a roll lately, so I’m down for it. For the record, I did not like how the Outer Worlds looked either before launch. It reminded me of Borderlands, which I’m not a fan, to say the least, but I still preordered it because, “Obsidian.” I was glad I trusted them in spite of disliking how they advertised the game.

I honestly just play Balatro on my phone and Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic on my Switch at this point.

I’m fairly excited for all four games, honestly… well, the mystery of the fourth, at least. But of the ones we know, I’m planning on playing the three of them. They all look great to me! I think South by Midnight’s my favorite of the three right now.

I am praying we get something else in the Developer Direct. Xbox can announce this in a longer form showcase in a sizzle reel…

@beltmenot Watching him play it… the graphics have started to age and so has the enemy AI, but it’s still beyond most modern games in scope and world building and just the pure freedom of playing it. I mean, Fallout 4 and Starfield didn’t even come close to it.

I hate to say it, but showing him how to play it for a few minutes made me sort of want to play it again. Lol.

I’m down for Oblivion or a Fallout remaster for sure.

My son discovered Skyrim on my 360 yesterday. Lol. It blew his mind, basically. Sort of crazy such an old game feels like so much more to a little one than most current games, but so it is…

@Divide_and_Wander Jeez, if it’s Wukong or FF, that’d be a huge disappointment for me. I didn’t even think that Xbox would do another “We’re late to the party, but get excited” announcement. It’d be on brand this generation, but, man… Say it ain’t so! I’m really hoping this is the year Xbox stands out by finally delivering with their first party studios!

@Divide_and_Wander I would love it to be a Silksong shadow drop. I’m on vacation the week after the Direct and I would 100% be down for that.

For what I think it really is, I get the suspicion that it’s probably something to do with Halo, though does Combat Evolved really need another remake? It sort of feels like the Halo series has backed itself into a corner and may rely on a remake to reboot the series, so it may have success again. Honestly, I know Battle Royales are a bit passé now, but Halo is the series I wanted to try that.

I have a feeling it’s a first party title and something that Xbox deems to be exciting enough to be a bigger showstopper than Doom. There’s not many things that can compete with that one with the Xbox fanbase. Having it be in a surprise location though… Contraband springs to mind, though is that one a show stopper? It’s based in exotic locales. Who knows? Most Xbox Game Studios are located in a similar area across the West Coast of North America, outside Rare and Mojang (and Playground, but we know they’re working on Fable). Could finally be Everwild. Would be really wild to find out Mojang has been cooking up something of more substance than a continuous stream of Minecraft updates or spin-off games. I don’t think it will be Perfect Dark. It has to be something that has been off the radar for a while or unannounced. Would be bizarre, given the mystery, for it to be Gears or Fable, as much as those are games in the tier to close out a showcase. I do think a new Banjo game would light the internet on fire more than anything else in a positive way, but everyone at Xbox had basically said it wasn’t being made at this point. Would be a huge surprise if that was all a smokescreen and why Everwild has taken forever, as Rare is busy with multiple projects.

But imagine if it’s Fallout… Now I’m delirious, my bad!

Imagine if it’s finally the Activision drop… I’d be disappointed, but a lot of people would be excited.

Get this, go in blind, and enjoy an hour of the best walking sim gameplay in ages… get hungry for more and know the prequel Platform 8 is surely not far behind, repeat.

I love these games. I put Platform 8 in my top 10 for last year. That one hour of playing was more memorable than most larger games I played last year.

I’m torn on whether to get this game or not. Realistically I’m interested, but the lack of release dates for other future games leaves me on the fence for this one. If Yotei didn’t get announced for 2025, I’d probably take the risk of preordering this one, in spite of all the Ubisoft news of late.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Xbox and PS are basically digital boxes at this point, so I don’t feel either moves the needle for physical sales currently. Most people I know only buy physical Switch games and are digital across all other platforms, even when they have the disc drives to play games in the traditional way.

Also, Indiana Jones and CoD charted relatively well for physical releases for Xbox. Sony had the exclusivity for Rebirth, which ended up selling well enough, despite the usual press circus of Square saying it sold below expectations (as they all typically do). Helldivers was a smash hit and Astro Bot sold very well for its genre as well, with sales have a more positive trajectory than Rift Apart did at launch, which in itself was considered a successful game by Sony, and then went on to win a GotY ribbon from more than 100 publications. There were games on other platforms that made some dent on these platforms, but Switch is the physical console at this point and I think the console having a late generational year certainly shows in the decline of physical sales.

I hope all these predictions are wrong except the Starfield and Fable ones! I know the Gears one is likely though, even if I don’t like Gears. I hope we see Everwild in some capacity and honestly, if Phil leaves, he’ll be leaving with Xbox in a weird spot. It’d feel like continuing that sinking ship press spin even if next year otherwise has a good trajectory. Next year looks like the year the ship is steering into better waters, so I’d hope Phil at least leads to a better spot before being the scapegoat for the Xbox Dark Ages. It would be nice if Phil was there to see his vision finally succeed.

Basically, this is due to Nintendo having a tepid first party and exclusive line-up this year. Switch is the physical console. However, I know many people that didn’t buy anything on Switch this year at all. I myself only bought five physical games on Switch and that’s only because I’m a first party Stan. Lol. Sort of crazy that I even bought four of them because it doesn’t feel like I played my Switch much at all in 2024.

Anyway, the only game that I know anyone outside me bought on Switch is Mario Jamboree and Zelda. I also got Peach, DQ3, and Paper Mario myself (which I wasn’t going to buy, but I got it as a gift, and my son got Sonic x Shadows as a gift too, so maybe I can say I got six Switch physical games), but that’s it. The Switch either needs exclusives or more first party games to keep the physical market alive, sadly enough.

Is this going to be the Xbox Dreamcast? Seems too soon for a next gen leap.

@OldGamer999 Depends on what games are your preference, but I agree. The depth of Xbox releases as are currently announced are super solid. Avowed, Doom, Fable, South of Midnight, and Outer Worlds 2 are ALL games I will play, which is quite fantastic to know I’d probably be able to just rely on Gamepass for the year if I was on just one platform… even if Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Metroid Prime 4 are the biggest games for me this year. The Gamepass hits don’t stop there though. Silksong, Atomfall, Expedition 33, the list keeps going. 2025 is an insane year for Xbox. I’m quite happy that Xbox is finally hitting the type of year we used to get in the 360 era. I was planning on reducing my spend down to maybe 15 games this year and thanks to Gamepass, I think I’ll be able to resist the urge to over-purchase games and achieve that goal without feeling like I’m missing out on interesting games. In fact, I may be able to reduce that further, given that most games I’m anticipating this year are Gamepass… though the Switch 2 is the elephant in the room… and the lack of a concrete release schedule, of course.

No idea. Given the Gamepass current line-up, my Series S may actually compete against my PS5 for the first time and I’ve had them both since launch, but with Switch 2 looming, that may beat them both if it has a compelling launch line-up, and that’s an Xbox, right?

In 2024, my most played Xbox was my 360, weirdly enough though, in the year end stats.

I’d like to return to Indiana Jones on Xbox after a two weeks hiatus or so from it. I’d like to start Detective Pikachu 2 after just not playing it since launch… and I’m almost sure I’ll play Overcooked on PS5 as my wife randomly started to want to play this one, so we’ve been doing exactly that.

@ZuneTattooGuy Yessir. I’m on PS5, Switch, and Xbox.

Lost Records and Split Fiction are the only games with release dates I’m for sure buying this year in the current release slate with nary a release date for the vast majority of things. I suppose I’d do AC Shadows as well if it releases well.

It’s been five years since Death Stranding, so, man, am I praying DS2 is soon, and that OD won’t be far off in the years. Kojima’s games are my favorites and I can’t wait for them. I don’t tend to buy Xbox games anymore because of Gamepass, but I’ll preorder OD when I can.

Hopefully. I want to know what it actually is.

South of Midnight, but it’s the first year in a while that I can safely say all of them!

Banishers was unjustly snubbed from conversation this year when its script and characters and the performances are among the best gaming has ever seen.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure practically got zero exposure after critics were harsh on the game without understanding it. I’ve said it before, but we don’t have reviewers that dislike Souls games review Elden Ring, we don’t have reviewers that don’t like JRPGs review Persona, so why do we get that for Life is Strange?

And Nine Sols. While not technically underrated as it received a lot of praise, it’s just not being talked about, and that’s because it was sandwiched between other monster releases.

This was simultaneously the best and worst year Xbox has had. They finally had a solid line-up late this year with game releases after literal years of underdelivering, but they also laid off hundreds of people and closed good studios and then pivoted to basically saying they’re done with exclusives even though Indiana Jones proved that having a worthwhile exclusive can make a platform instantaneously more viable.

That said, I do think next year is finally the “Next year that Xbox will get it together.”

@RBRTMNZ It’s competitive between the two of them. They’re two of the best games this year. Xbox really pivoted into making Gamepass an excellent value right at the end of the year.

Thank Goodness You’re Here, Neva, and Trombone Champions for me.

@WildConcept6 Making good games with a classic IP is literally Nintendo’s entire strategy and it’s working wonderfully for them. In fact, they continue to make new IP like Splatoon that do the trick. Honestly, Xbox has the IP. If they utilize it properly, they’ve certainly got the ability to rebound out of third place.

@awp69 Fair enough, didn’t expect Nine Sols to qualify as a hidden gem this year

Nine Sols deserved better. How is it not even in the top 10 at all?

It’s almost like being a great game can mean making great sales. 🤔

Guitar Hero 3 is the only game I completed on Xbox this year. I’m 3/4ths through Nine Sols and probably halfway through Indy though. I’ll finish them both for sure. Beat a lot more games on PS5. I didn’t beat any game on Switch in 2024 though! Yikes!

It’s no shock that Indy won it, though how crazy is it to see CoD at #2 after years… no… decades now… of being a game for casuals. Back on Indy though, it just goes to show how patchy the year was before Indy that it dominated so thoroughly. This has been the most divisive year in gaming I think I’ve ever experienced. It sure doesn’t feel like much has united the gamer-base this year across the platforms. Indy was like a breath of fresh air for being a game everyone seemed to like on Xbox (Xbox’s Astro Bot, basically).

@UndyingInsurgent95 Loved Banishers. Best performances in a game this year and definitely a contender for best new story and script. Definitely the most underrated game released this year, even if the gameplay is a little repetitive.

Out of this list, I definitely agree with Death Stranding, though I would consider it a 2019 game. I reinstalled Dragon’s Dogma 2 yesterday. Figured I’d try it again after dropping it around 25 hours in earlier this year. For me, there were three 10/10s this year though, and Balatro is the one on Xbox. Don’t sleep on it!

1. Indy
2. Nine Sols
3. Kunitsugami
4. Hauntii
5. Metal Slug

Not sure I’ll be doing much gaming this weekend. My wife was in a car accident two days ago, so, while she’s physically fine, she’s feeling emotional shock. I had plans to play games with friends, but cancelled. I suppose I’ll be playing Santa Claus Simulator Real Edition, if that counts. I would like to maybe try that Slitterhead demo, but realistically, maybe I’ll do a round or so of Puyo Puyo Tetris with the wife to help get her mind off the stress.