@Banjo- I really don’t know, my friend. Even though they occupy entirely different realms of gaming, Indiana Jones showcased an elegant tapestry of interconnected systems that harmonized beautifully. In stark contrast, Starfield felt like a jumbled mess, with its myriad components haphazardly cobbled together into a puzzling experience that left me feeling unsatisfied. My enthusiasm waned dramatically when I touched down on a planet that had a lone, pathetic farm—aside from the usual trio of random locations found scattered across every other planet—which struck me as utterly ludicrous. I mean, in a universe like that, you would practically be begging to be ambushed by space pirates! It’s hard to believe how poorly they set the stage for adventure in a galaxy that should be teeming with life and peril!
I poured about five hours into Starfield, eagerly hoping to be swept away by its vast possibilities, but it soon dawned on me that it was a fruitless endeavor. While the game boasts a multitude of systems, the sheer complexity left me lost and bewildered, scrambling to figure out my objectives. At one point, I found myself aboard my spaceship with six strangers milling about, and to my utter confusion, I couldn't even recognize two of them. It was both chaotic and frustrating, a far cry from the adventure I had envisioned.
@Lup you play it after everyone who pays the additional money. It's not that hard to see.
It's not the absolute worst thing in the world. But it's still scummy. Gamepass subscribers get the game 'day 4' rather than Phil Spencers 'day 1' promise.
I wrote quite a lot on this perk when starfield opened the floodgates, and now multiple games are doing it. It can and probably will get worse in the future.
@FatGuyInLilCoat @AlwaysPlaying Brotato crew stand up! Amazing game, great shout. Great achievement list too.
I also enjoyed Tekken 8 which is now a paltry £20 to buy physical. No love for that almost anywhere and it's a solid edition to the series.
Tetris Forever, is a weird one. I wholeheartedly recommend the game for the documentary and the two special versions of Tetris on the collection. But it feels incomplete, with key versions of the game missing. Still I would recommend buying if it goes on sale.
@Fishmasterflex96 with all the major backlogs we all have going on. It's understandable if it hasn't been played by the gamers here. I loved Tekken and was gifted it by the wife on valentine's day (she's amazing) and it's easily in the top 10. Like a Dragon is a strange one for me. I was huge advocate for Yakuza zero and played Kiwami 1 and 2, more recently 6 and Ishin. I am so burned out on the game loop and although I know it's updated and fresh, with turn based combat. I'm happy to let it slide.
@PJOReilly Amazing write up. Your take on Indy is spot on. Is there any way you could convince the team to redo the game review for the site?
@Rodimusprime13 sorry bro. You aren't even fact checking what you are writing. The Xbox 360 launched a year before the PS3.
The instant game collection (igc for short) was rotated games on a monthly basis. They are one and the same.
However you did get this right;
'the thing was that all the claimed games were considered owned on the x360, so even after you didn't have a active gold membership any games claimed with gold could still be played.'
@Rodimusprime13 'True ps+ was available first but it didn't initially offer anything and only after xbox gold was offering free games did Sony offer the same thing.'
That statement is false. Sony launched the Instant game collection, an upgrade for ps plus in 2012. Games with Gold launched in 2013. I actually wrote that before you posted in comment number 28.
@__jamiie you can play all of their previous games with Rare Replay. And as someone with a significant amount of the extremely rare achievements from the collection. Their own games don't hold up. You can also see why, with a team of talented developers willing to fulfil multiple roles, as is documented within the collection. How they churned out a significant variety of games in the late 80s and early 90s. The had a professional pipeline with decent and well rounded staff. Arguably the best port team in the business.
Their home computer output was great, varied, even novel at times. But I don't think any of them play particularly well once you peel back the curtain. They feel slap dash, lacking the polish of big studios at the time. The games are usually superficially deep with ridiculous peaks in difficulty.
The End of the Snes era and throughout the N64 era, was better. However N64 owners have rose tinted spectacles.
Even their lauded games such as Goldeneye (1997) quickly became overshadowed when Medal of Honour and Unreal Tournament (1999) launched. It looked generations behind in comparison. The recent rerelease hype died faster than a May fly. It's obviously a classic but has aged badly.
This also applies to almost every other franchise they worked on. Once Xbox bought them they released Grabbed by the ghoulies, Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero which all underperformed and let's be honest, all suck.
Viva Pinata was so leftfield it continually dodged anyone's radar. With that series of games Kinect sports duty followed and they did as well as expected.
They attempted to bring back Battletoads and Killer Instinct but their own IP is weak. Better scrolling beat em ups and one v one fighters existed even then.
So that is why. A prolific port team and platform game specialist with a disciplined payroll were bought to develop their own IP, which have all failed. They still have the minerals to make games. But without the big IP, such as James Bond or Donkey Kong their cozy design philosophy and wafer thin game mechanics struggle to carry a new protagonist or concept. Their once ground breaking cgi in-game graphics and arcade boards have been eclipsed, replaced by industry wide game engines and standardised controls.
Sea of Thieves was actually the best game they could have done after all that. Maybe it's been too long, they really needed a big IP to shine.
@Markatron84 @eduscxbox @GeeEssEff Games with Gold launched in late 2013 to compete with Sony's Instant game collection which launched as an upgraded playstation plus in 2012. If we are talking about subscription services with games included.
Xbox live was launched in 2002 for £50 a year. In the box you got a headset and launched with voice chat and friends lists.
Playstation Network launched in November 2006 and was free. The first iteration of playstation plus which was a paid upgrade in 2010, included access to Beta testing and demos and was again £50 per year. But rarely offered full games.
Xbox had the overwhelming upper hand with the online architecture, Sony's Instant game collection initially at least, had significantly better games as a bonus.
PS Now (arguably the precursor to Gamepass and similar sub services) was ok. But the streaming of PS3 games was weak, unplayable at times. The library was full of bargain bin and failed retail games. It's why it didn't work out imo.
Gamepass works due to the focus on quality games.
Also due to the article. Sega launched one of the very first online networks. Called the Sega Channel for the Megadrive / Genesis. Mindbogglingly forward thinking for the time. It came too soon.
The developers have smashed it. Everything works and secrets galore.
After playing it, the 6/10 review score seems ridiculous honestly. Bug free, the graphics are fantastic. The writing, direction and acting is top tier. The gameplay is fun. Twanging guitars over fascists can't possibly get old.
I think one of the reasons people moan about low scores is they bring the average score down. And in a world were the bang average Mario Galaxy and Zelda BOTW are sat at the top of metacritic. As hardly any reviewers voiced very obvious disapproval, where as better games get castigated, it doesn't sit right.
No voice acting in BOTW - pass Nonesensical worlds wrapped in a nothing story in Mario - Pass
Thousands of man hours poured into accuracy, atmosphere and intricacy for Indiana Jones - We need more guns!!!!
@GeeEssEff same. I was considering buying additional controllers for the game, so glad I didn't and held off. Complete joke for an important release. Microsoft haven't got a clue when I'm it comes to their big in house games. Every recent game has glaring issues.
And hardly any single player AAA games (which most of us here on this site are fans of) as the market has completely changed. It's all games as a service, designed for the lowest common denominator. Which Is mobile at worst and steam deck at best.
@jesse_dylan Mario 64 was 30fps. Zelda OOT is well known to have a paltry 20fps. They were also designed around those limitations. (Button inputs register as if the game was running at 60fps, it's why they are popular with speedrunning.)
Most modern games target 60-120 then scale back if it's proving difficult. That's in contrast to old Nintendo, squeezing everything out of that days hardware.
@90sGamer I've seen this kind of behaviour on pushsquare, nintendo life and here.
What exactly do you want from Gamepass? It houses 400 games to accommodate everyone's tastes. With 3 sim style games an RTS and a sports game this month, I kind of understand. I dont have the time to master sim games and just never got on with any RTS games. But Crash, Mafia, Doom 1+2 and loads of other games have just entered on GP, so play them instead, if the genres are not for you.
Otherwise it's really entitled. Aim your ire at paid early access, lootboxes and unfinished games and I will be right behind you. Having hundreds of pounds worth of NEW games joining the service, is a positive.
@DeanyBabyy the collision detection make it even more difficult than the original games. The original Crash used square hit boxes - the remake has pill shaped hit boxes, so you slip off ledges and miss enemies. It's soooo annoying 😑
This is actually a really tough question to answer. If I had to only play 3 games, finite games with a beginning, middle and end would ultimately become tiresome, even if they are as legendary as Mass Effect or Final Fantasy. You would have maybe 2 months of excitement tops. Replaying them every year or so. So it would have to be;
The Master Chief collection (I wish bots were a thing). Cities Skylines Minecraft
You get a certain level of agency and customisation to alter the games mechanics, so they could last some time.
@OldGamer999 Civics are great! Great pick. I'm in a 2 litre GR sport corolla. I'm due an upgrade early next year and was tempted to get an R Line next.
@OldGamer999 I work in used cars and these recent sub services are a nightmare. We used to be able to list cars festures 99% accurately. It's now a toss up for certain car makers as the services can and have been switched off.
Whilst everyone can. Find a cheapish 12 month code online. I've just bought 12 months for £100. Don't sit on your hands.
It's all nonsense. MS have continuously pushed the boundaries of customers good will. Payed early access, price increases and now taking day one games away. They are on the cusp of crossing the red line of price versus value. And the moniker 'best deal in gaming' doesn't hold much water.
@NEStalgia Some of that criticism is fair. As I mentioned the onboarding is tough. And early game I think you are much too weak. Levelling is slow and a slight boost would help. Maybe the earlier levels requiring 25% less souls than default.
You have to consolidate your wins by farming for easy kills to level up. Going into a main dungeon and losing all your experience/ souls is grim, but you shouldn't prioritise that in dungeons. You need to focus on finding a bonfire / save point.
Without the anxiety of loss, the game loses its shine.
@NEStalgia @dreadful You have to push through. The constant anxiety is a feature not a symptom.
It's popular because it's the most immersive game. Nothing comes close. You will always be vulnerable but a mix of levelling, better gear and increased health items makes the job which seems insurmountable at first, less intimidating.
I didn't enjoy dark souls or bloodborne, elden ring has similar onboarding, as in its bloody hard, but you have significantly better options when it comes to improving your character.
You both really should give it another go. The key is levelling up a lot. And running away when things go south. Don't focus on the dungeons, focus on discovering a relatively easy target to level up from. Don't listen to the Internet, over level whenever you can. The game is no joke. Use summons when they become available. Run round big bad things and take on smaller things.
I never ran round naked with a pot on my head. But I did finish the game 3 times massively levelled up hit trading with most bosses.
Personally one of the best games of all time. Strangely I bought the lego dlc last year when I had GP and I am just about to resubscribe to gamepass on Sunday. Will I still get a code?
Either way top top game. 👏 I know FH5 may have that little bit more colour and variety. But by golly, as an English gentleman who eats fish and chips out of newspaper and has a penchant for Melton Mowbray pork pies and wensleydale cheese. FH4 is pure quality, like the Queen walking round with her corgis, quaint yet striking.
@JokerBoy422 You can't choose your character in Metal Gear Solid. In fact MGS2 had one of the biggest (maybe one of the first) big outcrys when Raiden became the main protagonist.
I'm a bloke. Wife, kids and typical nuclear family role as the main breadwinner. I still pick female shepherd in Mass Effect as the voice acting performance is better, and she fills the role throughout the game flawlessly.
Diversity isn't important in games honestly but having a female lead isn't that big of a deal. It's a make believe World. Why does anyone care, as long as the game is good and the character suits the gameplay and environment?
@nomither6 Did you play the Astrobot VR game? It's the pinnacle of gaming. Anyone who has the time, space and is happy to be isolated away from the real world, would love it. Imo it's better than Half-life Alyx due to the sheer joy and colour.
But VR gaming in general is a bust as its so isolating.
Go the Halo Reach / ODST route. The ongoing Master Chief saga is an overly convoluted and conjealed universe of contradictory gobbledegook and lacklustre world building. They tried something with infinite. And from an immersion standpoint, flounders. The gameplay is there with the right backdrop and story hooks. But like most series after a certain point, it's beholden to lunatic fringe fans of the okay Halo 4 and catastrophic Halo 5. Can anybody here give me a rundown of exactly what's going on since Halo 3? It's like experiencing a bad hallucinogenic, and master chiefs gone from the space veteran of a world class genre defining series, to lasooing himself around Just Cause 4 with reskinned enemies.
Great update, showing how the service has altered.
Honestly, getting a fiver a month in xbox vouchers, over a month, isn't necessarily worth my time. However for playing games which I do anyway and clicking on some news articles, which I will talk about in work - is still better than nothing.
I really miss the monthly punchcards and streak bonuses for completing Weeklies. They gave you that big push of 1000-2000 reward score when they dropped, which gave added interest in the scheme when they approached. Without those big bonuses, its a crawl rather than a run to grab points.
Great list of games. I think Hades is a touch overrated and the Stanley parable is a decent experience but its massively over scored for what it is. Still worth picking up both though.
I'm currently at the back end of Elden Ring and dear lord this game is frustratingly tough offline. Worth it for those last second wins though! Goodbye commander Niall. I had used all my flasks, less than a third of my health and threw out a charged hail Mary attack and it landed, felt absolutely amazing 👏
I buy physical for the big games I want. Like Bombrush cyberfunk, MGS Master Collection, Sonic Frontiers and Street Fighter 6. If I finish it, I can then get money back in the secondhand market.
Seeing stores go out of business gives us all less options. I recently purchased Pillars of Eternity 2 brand new in Game for £7. So it's not all bad. They also occasionally have super random and weird offers on. I grabbed Creed champions new for a tenner a couple of years ago and loved it.
@clvr I'm going to be honest, and I've heard a lot of condemnation for Halo. Saying the level design is none existant on a gaming forum is actually ridiculous.
The games are years old. First person shooters have evolved arguably as much as any genre. Of course they have issues now in 2024. But the level design and open nature of the combat led to a multitude of differing battles and situations. The level design is fine.
A better argument are the copy and paste nature of certain locations or the story being a bit crap.
@clvr 'just goes to prove my point that they're not that well designed.'
This is complete bobbins. There have been lectures on the quality and level design of the first half of Halo CE.
I understand if you find them boring, not every game is for every person. However you did need to have the full original experience to understand what makes Halo 1-3 special.
@BAMozzy well that's a fat lie mate. You helped me finish some of the Halo 4 team operations about 2 years ago.
Rating the best games, is way more difficult than movies, TV, toys or most appliances. If you played BG3 and Starfield, deep enough to offer a fair opinion, it leaves little time for everything else. As an Xbox fan site, it's obvious the big first parties are played moreso than leftfield games or Indie games. A lot of games fly under the radar. Starfield isn't a top tier game, it's great and playable though and that's really all that counts.
I love my xbox yet feel a bit of fomo coming on, looking at GoW, HZD and Spiderman 2. It feels a lot like the time I bought a gamecube instead of a PS2 or original xbox. Great console but the software just wasn't there. Come on xbox, give us something good and you may sell more units.
You can only play the Halo 3 and ODST campaigns co-op cross platform. I would like to play all of them with my son who has a PC. Why was that never implemented?
Otherwise a great collection of games. Arguably the best anthology.
@rustyduck I love GP. The selection of games is great. However, MS has been real unlucky with its gambles (paying for day 1 stuff) We've had a ton of new releases, almost on the upper scale; Cocoon, Hi-Fi Rush, cassette beasts and Sea of Stars. They have been overshadowed by games released elsewhere like BG3, Street Fighter 6, Dead Space remake, Resi 4, Diablo 4 etc. All great though!
We've also had some turds like Redfall and Forza which doesn't help rofl 🤣
Comments 187
Re: Starfield Has Possibly The Best Single-Player Narrative Of All Time, Says God Of War Director
@Banjo- I really don’t know, my friend. Even though they occupy entirely different realms of gaming, Indiana Jones showcased an elegant tapestry of interconnected systems that harmonized beautifully. In stark contrast, Starfield felt like a jumbled mess, with its myriad components haphazardly cobbled together into a puzzling experience that left me feeling unsatisfied. My enthusiasm waned dramatically when I touched down on a planet that had a lone, pathetic farm—aside from the usual trio of random locations found scattered across every other planet—which struck me as utterly ludicrous. I mean, in a universe like that, you would practically be begging to be ambushed by space pirates! It’s hard to believe how poorly they set the stage for adventure in a galaxy that should be teeming with life and peril!
Re: Starfield Has Possibly The Best Single-Player Narrative Of All Time, Says God Of War Director
I poured about five hours into Starfield, eagerly hoping to be swept away by its vast possibilities, but it soon dawned on me that it was a fruitless endeavor. While the game boasts a multitude of systems, the sheer complexity left me lost and bewildered, scrambling to figure out my objectives. At one point, I found myself aboard my spaceship with six strangers milling about, and to my utter confusion, I couldn't even recognize two of them. It was both chaotic and frustrating, a far cry from the adventure I had envisioned.
Re: Xbox Offering Special 'Upgrade' Deal For Early Access & DOOM Content In THPS 3+4
@Lup you play it after everyone who pays the additional money. It's not that hard to see.
It's not the absolute worst thing in the world. But it's still scummy. Gamepass subscribers get the game 'day 4' rather than Phil Spencers 'day 1' promise.
I wrote quite a lot on this perk when starfield opened the floodgates, and now multiple games are doing it. It can and probably will get worse in the future.
Re: Xbox Praised For Putting 'Lots Of Effort' Into Store Curation Compared To Sony & Nintendo
@Decimateh we got a one star review on Google from someone who couldn't find us, as they put the wrong postcode in.
Like, it's on all of our adverts and website. We are on an A-Road with our own slip road.
Strangely it kind of helped, as other reviews since have commented on that review in our defence.
Re: Award-Winning $3.99 Game 'The Exit 8' Has Just Shadow Dropped On Xbox
Why is everyone watching solution videos without buying the game? It's like buying wiper blades for a BMX bike.
Re: Talking Point: Which Xbox Games Deserved More Love In 2024?
@FatGuyInLilCoat @AlwaysPlaying Brotato crew stand up! Amazing game, great shout. Great achievement list too.
I also enjoyed Tekken 8 which is now a paltry £20 to buy physical. No love for that almost anywhere and it's a solid edition to the series.
Tetris Forever, is a weird one. I wholeheartedly recommend the game for the documentary and the two special versions of Tetris on the collection. But it feels incomplete, with key versions of the game missing. Still I would recommend buying if it goes on sale.
Re: Poll: How Many Xbox Games Have You Actually Bought In 2024?
Looking at my year in review I played 212 games and only 39 by Gamepass. I'm propping up the average purchase numbers for the likes of @redd214
Happy Christmas you filthy animals 💝🥳🎉
Re: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2024
@Fishmasterflex96 with all the major backlogs we all have going on. It's understandable if it hasn't been played by the gamers here. I loved Tekken and was gifted it by the wife on valentine's day (she's amazing) and it's easily in the top 10. Like a Dragon is a strange one for me. I was huge advocate for Yakuza zero and played Kiwami 1 and 2, more recently 6 and Ishin. I am so burned out on the game loop and although I know it's updated and fresh, with turn based combat. I'm happy to let it slide.
@PJOReilly Amazing write up. Your take on Indy is spot on. Is there any way you could convince the team to redo the game review for the site?
Re: SEGA Is Reportedly Considering Its Own Gaming Subscription Service
@Rodimusprime13 sorry bro. You aren't even fact checking what you are writing. The Xbox 360 launched a year before the PS3.
The instant game collection (igc for short) was rotated games on a monthly basis. They are one and the same.
However you did get this right;
'the thing was that all the claimed games were considered owned on the x360, so even after you didn't have a active gold membership any games claimed with gold could still be played.'
Which was fantastic!
Re: SEGA Is Reportedly Considering Its Own Gaming Subscription Service
@Rodimusprime13 'True ps+ was available first but it didn't initially offer anything and only after xbox gold was offering free games did Sony offer the same thing.'
That statement is false. Sony launched the Instant game collection, an upgrade for ps plus in 2012. Games with Gold launched in 2013. I actually wrote that before you posted in comment number 28.
Re: Xbox Game Studios: All Microsoft First-Party Developers & What They're Working On
@__jamiie you can play all of their previous games with Rare Replay. And as someone with a significant amount of the extremely rare achievements from the collection. Their own games don't hold up. You can also see why, with a team of talented developers willing to fulfil multiple roles, as is documented within the collection. How they churned out a significant variety of games in the late 80s and early 90s. The had a professional pipeline with decent and well rounded staff. Arguably the best port team in the business.
Their home computer output was great, varied, even novel at times. But I don't think any of them play particularly well once you peel back the curtain. They feel slap dash, lacking the polish of big studios at the time. The games are usually superficially deep with ridiculous peaks in difficulty.
The End of the Snes era and throughout the N64 era, was better. However N64 owners have rose tinted spectacles.
Even their lauded games such as Goldeneye (1997) quickly became overshadowed when Medal of Honour and Unreal Tournament (1999) launched. It looked generations behind in comparison. The recent rerelease hype died faster than a May fly. It's obviously a classic but has aged badly.
This also applies to almost every other franchise they worked on. Once Xbox bought them they released Grabbed by the ghoulies, Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero which all underperformed and let's be honest, all suck.
Viva Pinata was so leftfield it continually dodged anyone's radar. With that series of games Kinect sports duty followed and they did as well as expected.
They attempted to bring back Battletoads and Killer Instinct but their own IP is weak. Better scrolling beat em ups and one v one fighters existed even then.
So that is why. A prolific port team and platform game specialist with a disciplined payroll were bought to develop their own IP, which have all failed. They still have the minerals to make games. But without the big IP, such as James Bond or Donkey Kong their cozy design philosophy and wafer thin game mechanics struggle to carry a new protagonist or concept. Their once ground breaking cgi in-game graphics and arcade boards have been eclipsed, replaced by industry wide game engines and standardised controls.
Sea of Thieves was actually the best game they could have done after all that. Maybe it's been too long, they really needed a big IP to shine.
Re: SEGA Is Reportedly Considering Its Own Gaming Subscription Service
@Markatron84 @eduscxbox @GeeEssEff Games with Gold launched in late 2013 to compete with Sony's Instant game collection which launched as an upgraded playstation plus in 2012. If we are talking about subscription services with games included.
Xbox live was launched in 2002 for £50 a year. In the box you got a headset and launched with voice chat and friends lists.
Playstation Network launched in November 2006 and was free. The first iteration of playstation plus which was a paid upgrade in 2010, included access to Beta testing and demos and was again £50 per year. But rarely offered full games.
Xbox had the overwhelming upper hand with the online architecture, Sony's Instant game collection initially at least, had significantly better games as a bonus.
PS Now (arguably the precursor to Gamepass and similar sub services) was ok. But the streaming of PS3 games was weak, unplayable at times. The library was full of bargain bin and failed retail games. It's why it didn't work out imo.
Gamepass works due to the focus on quality games.
Also due to the article. Sega launched one of the very first online networks. Called the Sega Channel for the Megadrive / Genesis. Mindbogglingly forward thinking for the time. It came too soon.
Happy Christmas 🎄
Re: YouTuber Breaks Down Xbox's 'Almost Perfect' New Ad Campaign
The reason Xbox and Playstation have sold less consoles this generation is the console prices haven't reduced. In fact they went up.
No one wants a digital only console in the lower working classes as they tend to own fewer games and use CEX etc.
So rather than an Xbox or PS, they get gifted a switch, cheap mobile or tablet.
In that respect you can understand the strategy. But it all falls down as the experience is rubbish.
Re: Xbox User Insists Some Owned Games Are Being Hidden From Players' Libraries
I'm missing two games. One was an anti grav racer I bought about 18 months ago. It's completely disappeared.
Re: Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Is Now Available On Xbox Game Pass (December 9)
Incredible game.
The developers have smashed it. Everything works and secrets galore.
After playing it, the 6/10 review score seems ridiculous honestly. Bug free, the graphics are fantastic. The writing, direction and acting is top tier. The gameplay is fun. Twanging guitars over fascists can't possibly get old.
Re: Review: Indiana Jones And The Great Circle (Xbox) - A MachineGames Misfire
I think one of the reasons people moan about low scores is they bring the average score down. And in a world were the bang average Mario Galaxy and Zelda BOTW are sat at the top of metacritic. As hardly any reviewers voiced very obvious disapproval, where as better games get castigated, it doesn't sit right.
No voice acting in BOTW - pass
Nonesensical worlds wrapped in a nothing story in Mario - Pass
Thousands of man hours poured into accuracy, atmosphere and intricacy for Indiana Jones - We need more guns!!!!
Re: It's That Time Again! Your Xbox 'Year In Review' 2024 Is Now Available
Total time
1,334h
Games played
200
Preferred platform
Console
Achievements earned
+3,663
Gamerscore earned
+194,047
Busiest month
August
I may have gone a tad overboard this year.
Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Rolls Out Xbox Series X|S Update After Bumpy Takeoff
@GeeEssEff same. I was considering buying additional controllers for the game, so glad I didn't and held off. Complete joke for an important release. Microsoft haven't got a clue when I'm it comes to their big in house games. Every recent game has glaring issues.
Re: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 Is Shaping Up To Be An Xbox GOTY Contender
@Xbox_Dashboard if the game is offline, you miss the real world weather and data. The game also uses Bing maps to make the immediate area.
Normally I would agree that an offline mode is a must. In MSFS 2024, it wouldn't work.
Re: Rumour: Microsoft To Launch Next-Gen With Series X Successor & Handheld Xbox
Big, better, more power.....
And hardly any single player AAA games (which most of us here on this site are fans of) as the market has completely changed. It's all games as a service, designed for the lowest common denominator. Which Is mobile at worst and steam deck at best.
Re: Xbox Shares Roadmap For Various Upcoming 'Day One' Game Pass Titles
@jesse_dylan Mario 64 was 30fps. Zelda OOT is well known to have a paltry 20fps. They were also designed around those limitations. (Button inputs register as if the game was running at 60fps, it's why they are popular with speedrunning.)
Most modern games target 60-120 then scale back if it's proving difficult. That's in contrast to old Nintendo, squeezing everything out of that days hardware.
Re: These Five Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (September 3-17)
@90sGamer I've seen this kind of behaviour on pushsquare, nintendo life and here.
What exactly do you want from Gamepass? It houses 400 games to accommodate everyone's tastes. With 3 sim style games an RTS and a sports game this month, I kind of understand. I dont have the time to master sim games and just never got on with any RTS games. But Crash, Mafia, Doom 1+2 and loads of other games have just entered on GP, so play them instead, if the genres are not for you.
Otherwise it's really entitled. Aim your ire at paid early access, lootboxes and unfinished games and I will be right behind you. Having hundreds of pounds worth of NEW games joining the service, is a positive.
Re: Pure Xbox Game Club September 2024: Mafia & Banjo-Tooie
Yeah I play inverted like Yousef. It really hampers the experience when your camera control is all over the place.
I've never played banjo tooie, bit of an odd choice with all the games around. How about a bit of Forza 4 before it bites the dust?
Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of Crash Bandicoot On Xbox Game Pass?
@DeanyBabyy the collision detection make it even more difficult than the original games. The original Crash used square hit boxes - the remake has pill shaped hit boxes, so you slip off ledges and miss enemies. It's soooo annoying 😑
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Buying In The Xbox Summer Sale This Year?
@HelsonR thanks Helson. Great game though.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Buying In The Xbox Summer Sale This Year?
I picked up the hidden gem Samurai Shodown. The 2020 revamp.
What a fantastic fighter. It was only £8 in the sale. I may be wrong but that's the lowest I've ever seen it. Can't stop thinking about it!
Re: Talking Point: If You Had To Limit Yourself To Three Xbox Games, What Would They Be?
This is actually a really tough question to answer. If I had to only play 3 games, finite games with a beginning, middle and end would ultimately become tiresome, even if they are as legendary as Mass Effect or Final Fantasy. You would have maybe 2 months of excitement tops. Replaying them every year or so. So it would have to be;
The Master Chief collection (I wish bots were a thing).
Cities Skylines
Minecraft
You get a certain level of agency and customisation to alter the games mechanics, so they could last some time.
Re: Talking Point: Two Months On, Did Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Live Up To The Hype?
Now I've found out it's only 6 hours long, I will start it tomorrow!
Re: Reaction: Microsoft's Constant Tweaking Of Xbox Game Pass Is Becoming Exhausting
@OldGamer999 Civics are great! Great pick. I'm in a 2 litre GR sport corolla. I'm due an upgrade early next year and was tempted to get an R Line next.
Re: Reaction: Microsoft's Constant Tweaking Of Xbox Game Pass Is Becoming Exhausting
@OldGamer999 I work in used cars and these recent sub services are a nightmare. We used to be able to list cars festures 99% accurately. It's now a toss up for certain car makers as the services can and have been switched off.
Re: Reaction: Microsoft's Constant Tweaking Of Xbox Game Pass Is Becoming Exhausting
Whilst everyone can. Find a cheapish 12 month code online. I've just bought 12 months for £100. Don't sit on your hands.
It's all nonsense. MS have continuously pushed the boundaries of customers good will. Payed early access, price increases and now taking day one games away. They are on the cusp of crossing the red line of price versus value. And the moniker 'best deal in gaming' doesn't hold much water.
Re: Here's A Final Look At The Xbox 360's Best-Selling 'Arcade' Games
Trials HD. People think it means high definition. It actually stand for hardly doable.
Such a beastly game. Dumps all over Joe danger.
Re: Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree Sells Silly Amount Of Copies In Just Three Days
@NEStalgia Some of that criticism is fair. As I mentioned the onboarding is tough. And early game I think you are much too weak. Levelling is slow and a slight boost would help. Maybe the earlier levels requiring 25% less souls than default.
You have to consolidate your wins by farming for easy kills to level up. Going into a main dungeon and losing all your experience/ souls is grim, but you shouldn't prioritise that in dungeons. You need to focus on finding a bonfire / save point.
Without the anxiety of loss, the game loses its shine.
Re: Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree Sells Silly Amount Of Copies In Just Three Days
@NEStalgia @dreadful You have to push through. The constant anxiety is a feature not a symptom.
It's popular because it's the most immersive game. Nothing comes close. You will always be vulnerable but a mix of levelling, better gear and increased health items makes the job which seems insurmountable at first, less intimidating.
I didn't enjoy dark souls or bloodborne, elden ring has similar onboarding, as in its bloody hard, but you have significantly better options when it comes to improving your character.
You both really should give it another go. The key is levelling up a lot. And running away when things go south. Don't focus on the dungeons, focus on discovering a relatively easy target to level up from. Don't listen to the Internet, over level whenever you can. The game is no joke. Use summons when they become available. Run round big bad things and take on smaller things.
I never ran round naked with a pot on my head. But I did finish the game 3 times massively levelled up hit trading with most bosses.
Re: Forza Horizon 4 Explodes In Popularity Ahead Of Big Xbox Sale Next Month
Personally one of the best games of all time. Strangely I bought the lego dlc last year when I had GP and I am just about to resubscribe to gamepass on Sunday. Will I still get a code?
Either way top top game. 👏 I know FH5 may have that little bit more colour and variety. But by golly, as an English gentleman who eats fish and chips out of newspaper and has a penchant for Melton Mowbray pork pies and wensleydale cheese. FH4 is pure quality, like the Queen walking round with her corgis, quaint yet striking.
Re: Talking Point: How Are You Feeling About Fable After The Xbox Games Showcase?
@JokerBoy422 You can't choose your character in Metal Gear Solid. In fact MGS2 had one of the biggest (maybe one of the first) big outcrys when Raiden became the main protagonist.
I'm a bloke. Wife, kids and typical nuclear family role as the main breadwinner. I still pick female shepherd in Mass Effect as the voice acting performance is better, and she fills the role throughout the game flawlessly.
Diversity isn't important in games honestly but having a female lead isn't that big of a deal. It's a make believe World. Why does anyone care, as long as the game is good and the character suits the gameplay and environment?
Re: Roundup: All The Xbox Reveals From May 2024's State Of Play Event
@nomither6 Did you play the Astrobot VR game? It's the pinnacle of gaming. Anyone who has the time, space and is happy to be isolated away from the real world, would love it. Imo it's better than Half-life Alyx due to the sheer joy and colour.
But VR gaming in general is a bust as its so isolating.
Re: Talking Point: If Halo Infinite Is Finished, Where Should The Franchise Go From Here?
Go the Halo Reach / ODST route. The ongoing Master Chief saga is an overly convoluted and conjealed universe of contradictory gobbledegook and lacklustre world building. They tried something with infinite. And from an immersion standpoint, flounders. The gameplay is there with the right backdrop and story hooks. But like most series after a certain point, it's beholden to lunatic fringe fans of the okay Halo 4 and catastrophic Halo 5. Can anybody here give me a rundown of exactly what's going on since Halo 3? It's like experiencing a bad hallucinogenic, and master chiefs gone from the space veteran of a world class genre defining series, to lasooing himself around Just Cause 4 with reskinned enemies.
Re: Microsoft Rewards & Xbox: How To Make 10,000 Points Per-Month
Great update, showing how the service has altered.
Honestly, getting a fiver a month in xbox vouchers, over a month, isn't necessarily worth my time. However for playing games which I do anyway and clicking on some news articles, which I will talk about in work - is still better than nothing.
I really miss the monthly punchcards and streak bonuses for completing Weeklies. They gave you that big push of 1000-2000 reward score when they dropped, which gave added interest in the scheme when they approached. Without those big bonuses, its a crawl rather than a run to grab points.
Re: Do You Agree With The 10 Highest-Rated Xbox Series X|S Games Of All Time?
Great list of games. I think Hades is a touch overrated and the Stanley parable is a decent experience but its massively over scored for what it is. Still worth picking up both though.
I'm currently at the back end of Elden Ring and dear lord this game is frustratingly tough offline. Worth it for those last second wins though! Goodbye commander Niall. I had used all my flasks, less than a third of my health and threw out a charged hail Mary attack and it landed, felt absolutely amazing 👏
Re: Talking Point: Would You Be Interested In A New 'Multi-Subscription' Tier On Xbox?
People are wising up to subs. Gym, TV, phone, printers???
It's become too much. Gaming after the initial outlay has always been relatively cheap. Let's keep it that way.
Re: UK's Biggest Video Game Retailer Reportedly Stopping Trade-Ins In 2024
I buy physical for the big games I want. Like Bombrush cyberfunk, MGS Master Collection, Sonic Frontiers and Street Fighter 6. If I finish it, I can then get money back in the secondhand market.
Seeing stores go out of business gives us all less options. I recently purchased Pillars of Eternity 2 brand new in Game for £7. So it's not all bad. They also occasionally have super random and weird offers on. I grabbed Creed champions new for a tenner a couple of years ago and loved it.
Re: Talking Point: 10 Years Later, What Do You Think Of 'The Master Chief Collection' In 2024?
@clvr I'm going to be honest, and I've heard a lot of condemnation for Halo. Saying the level design is none existant on a gaming forum is actually ridiculous.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XxuINZZYkF0&pp=ygURSGFsbyBsZXZlbCBkZXNpZ24%3D
The games are years old. First person shooters have evolved arguably as much as any genre. Of course they have issues now in 2024. But the level design and open nature of the combat led to a multitude of differing battles and situations. The level design is fine.
A better argument are the copy and paste nature of certain locations or the story being a bit crap.
@BAMozzy rofl 🤣 love you bro.
Re: Talking Point: 10 Years Later, What Do You Think Of 'The Master Chief Collection' In 2024?
@clvr 'just goes to prove my point that they're not that well designed.'
This is complete bobbins. There have been lectures on the quality and level design of the first half of Halo CE.
I understand if you find them boring, not every game is for every person. However you did need to have the full original experience to understand what makes Halo 1-3 special.
@BAMozzy well that's a fat lie mate. You helped me finish some of the Halo 4 team operations about 2 years ago.
Re: Xbox Divides Opinion With Controversial Response To Baldur's Gate 3 Bans
@Cikajovazmaj nipple isn't a swear word.
Re: Feature: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2023
Rating the best games, is way more difficult than movies, TV, toys or most appliances. If you played BG3 and Starfield, deep enough to offer a fair opinion, it leaves little time for everything else. As an Xbox fan site, it's obvious the big first parties are played moreso than leftfield games or Indie games. A lot of games fly under the radar. Starfield isn't a top tier game, it's great and playable though and that's really all that counts.
Re: Talking Point: What Was The Greatest Xbox 360 Game Of All Time?
Trials HD ftw.
Re: Report Claims Xbox Series X|S Sales Have Fallen By Around 15% In 2023
I love my xbox yet feel a bit of fomo coming on, looking at GoW, HZD and Spiderman 2. It feels a lot like the time I bought a gamecube instead of a PS2 or original xbox. Great console but the software just wasn't there. Come on xbox, give us something good and you may sell more units.
Re: 343 Industries 'Thank You Card' Causes Concern For The Future Of Halo: MCC
You can only play the Halo 3 and ODST campaigns co-op cross platform. I would like to play all of them with my son who has a PC. Why was that never implemented?
Otherwise a great collection of games. Arguably the best anthology.
Re: It's Finally Time! Baldur's Gate 3 Is Available Now For Xbox Series X|S
@rustyduck I love GP. The selection of games is great. However, MS has been real unlucky with its gambles (paying for day 1 stuff) We've had a ton of new releases, almost on the upper scale; Cocoon, Hi-Fi Rush, cassette beasts and Sea of Stars. They have been overshadowed by games released elsewhere like BG3, Street Fighter 6, Dead Space remake, Resi 4, Diablo 4 etc. All great though!
We've also had some turds like Redfall and Forza which doesn't help rofl 🤣