Topic: General Xbox Series X|S Thread

@Yousef- I didn’t mind the N64 version of Banjo that I played on the Switch, my only issue was really the controls being somewhat weird on the Switch controller and some slight slowdowns. I still don’t think it really performed bad and there probably are other N64 games that do worse in the performance aspect, but yes, the Xbox version is the more preferable one. If I did play through Mario 64 and completed it, I probably would have had a better time completing Banjo, since I think Mario 64 is considered to be a very revolutionary platformer and is said to have set a standard for 3D platformer games.

@Pastellioli strangely enough, I think banjo and Mario are structured a lot differently, despite the clearly similar control schemes.

Mario 64 gives you specific tasks for all you stars. Kinda like ape escape? But banjo is more “to the point” collecatathon. Mario has the 100 coins missions but besides that, each star is a “mission”. Banjo does something similar, but it’s more like it just puts some of its collectibles in creative spots.

@Yousef- If I do recall, the stars in Mario 64 are sometimes obtained via a few challenges and the game gives hints to the locations of the stars and after collecting a star, you exit the world and re-enter to find the remaining stars.

In Banjo, the collectibles are earned similarly and sometimes through challenges, but like you said, are placed in creative spots that you sometimes have to figure out yourself, because some are hidden very well, like the jigsaw inside the boat in Rusty Bucket Bay, not to mention you stay in the world after collecting a collectible.

They do have some different structures and Banjo seemed to be more focused on collecting items than Mario 64, but I still find them very similar!

@Pastellioli the first paragraph is mostly correct, so you can collect the 100 coin star without needing to exit the level.

Yeah banjo is cool and I should mention the added benefit of being able to collect everything in (mostly) one setting.

They’re similar but I would describe banjo as more of a marathon compared to Mario 64, which is more like a series of courses.

So very glad to have grabbed Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice on the sale for 0.25 $. Feel very, very glad to own the game now.

That sounds hella cheap. Hope you enjoy

https://blog.activision.com/activision/2024/activision-announ...

Activision has formed an all-new internal studio, Elsewhere Entertainment. The new team, headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, with additional resources in the U.S., is exclusively focused on creating a new narrative-based and genre-defining AAA franchise.

Built from the ground up, Elsewhere Entertainment is a premier and standalone studio dedicated to establishing an environment that inspires bold and diverse ideas. The team’s underlying mission encourages everyone to explore and collaborate creatively to craft a franchise with an enduring legacy that resonates far beyond games.

The talented team at Elsewhere Entertainment consists of a collection of storytelling experts whose credits include The Last of Us, Uncharted, The Witcher, Cyberpunk, Destiny, Tom Clancy’s The Division, and Far Cry.

Maybe won't make up for the 'loss' of Tango, maybe it will prove to be more Fruitful too....

@BAMozzy Yeah the closure of Tango Gameworks was sad imo. They seemed to be such a good group of people. Its sad that it seems as we will not see or hear much more from them in a while at least

@oliverp Whilst it is sad, especially when you look back at games like Evil Within as well - but we really don't know the 'state' of that Studio. The creator of Evil Within and even the creators of Ghostwire all left Tango before Ghostwire released so you don't know if that Studio was capable of developing a AAA game that the Studio had been known for without a LOT of recruitment and investment - made more difficult logistically by being in Japan as Costs are rising. Without the creator of Evil Within, maybe won't get another...

Hi-Fi Rush could have been made by an indie sized team, all that's left of Tango and for MS, the 'cost' to rebuild Tango, get them back to making AAA games and delivering product to recoup that cost - in a 'high cost' region like Japan, maybe doesn't make financial sense when Activision can open a new Studio in Poland where costs are lower overall, logistically 'easier' to support having other European Studios/Devs and closer to US in distance and time-zones. If Tango needed help from the Coalition with UE5, that's logistically more difficult than a EU studio.

With Tango having just released HiFi Rush, I can understand why people are upset. But the staff that were left may not have had any 'plans' or other projects in development, didn't have any 'future' they could offer MS to keep them open. People talked about Ninja Theory being 'at risk' if Hellblade 2 doesn't hit whatever Target MS dictates - but NT have other Projects in Development, a plan for their future releases. You don't 'kill' a Studio whilst they have Projects in development you can 'sell', you close them down after they have released 'product' and haven't started on their next 'product'.

I think both Arkane Austin (which could be used to boost their other Austin Studios by moving some staff) and Tango were likely a 'shell' of their former selves with many of the creative talent leaving - Arkane because they weren't happy to be forced to make a Live Service game for example and didn't have the Staff, Projects in development etc, They may have required so much investment over the next 5yrs plus before they release a game - money that could be better invested in ensuring those games in development come out on time and at a consistent cadence, ensure that the other Studios get the support they need to ensure those games release at the quality we expect, not need a year or more of patches etc.

And like I said, MS has opened 2 'new' Studios - Infinity Ward Austin and Elsewhere Studios in Poland...

@BAmozzy Oh thanks for your very good and cool ansluts man. Hm had no idea that Tango Gameworks had transformed in the way you described. Although we are not there yet I have liked always thought that it would be cool if studios in the game industry was a bit more open and transparent with things. Communicating more with the fans of the respective of the franschses hehe 😉. Until that is the case I guess we need to keep guessing.

@oliverp yeah Shinji Mikami, the person who formed Tango and the creator of RE and Evil Within left and Ikumi Nakamura, Creative Director of Ghostwire left before that game released for example. That may have left the Studio without their Creators, their own creative identity. A 'small' team, maybe all that's left at Tango, could have made Hifi Rush and 'support' it post launch, but also costing a LOT to keep open, require a LOT of additional cost to build up and unlikely to recoup costs for 'years'.

I'm not saying that is the case. Other than the fact some high profile people left Tango, the rest is 'speculation' and MS aren't going to turn round and say that Zenimax forced Arcane to make something they weren't comfortable or experienced enough to make causing many Staff to leave so became a very different Studio to the one that made Prey, no longer have the 'talent' behind Resi Evil/Evil Within that made Tango Games etc so had to 'close'.

MS mentioned trying to relocate staff in those closures too and Arkane, being based in Austin, had options with MS - including the newly opened Infinity Ward Austin. Roundhouse, who were Supporting Zenimax Online were merged into Zenimax Online. But Tango, in Japan with High Costs (inc Rates, Wages etc) feels more of a Loss because it was MS's foot in the Japanese Door. They can't relocate or merge, Logistically 'difficult' as their only Japanese Studio (very difficult to co-ordinate, communicate and/or support when half way around the world in very different time-zones. Poland on the other hand is much cheaper and has a much larger pool of Developers to staff it, logistically better as MS can combine visits with visiting their other studios and partners, etc.

As they had just finished HiFi Rush, unless they had their 'next' game in at least pre-production with something they could present to MS, you have to factor that in as well. HR could have led to a sequel but as well received as it was 'Critically', it also seemed 'niche'. It's not a game you hear sold well on PS5. No point making a sequel for the sake of it - and unless they had something 'else', you could be looking at another 5 or 6 yrs before Tango released another game. That could be too much 'cost', for not enough 'return' too.

We are unlikely to really know the truth - even if Tango was in need of a LOT of investment to recruit and/or build up that Studio to delivering the 'games' we as MS gamers expect, they'll be people saying MS should use their 'vast' resources to keep it open regardless of cost, regardless of whether it loses MS money, regardless of whether that money would be better invested in 'more' product for us coming sooner and at the quality expected. They'll always be someone who'd rather have HiFi Rush 2 than Hellblade 2 or Avowed, would rather see 343 closed for their handling of Halo so no rationale will appease...

@Yousef- Some Super Mario 64 courses perfectly describe what you mean, depending on the chosen star, there are different courses in each course, with a start and an ending. Think of Rainbow Ride.

I completed Super Mario 64 many times with 120 stars because it was my first N64 cartridge and as I kid I wasn't given many games. I can't say it's overrated because it's revolutionary, but Banjo-Kazooie is much more enjoyable. It's more about free exploration and collecting, like you said, but also it has much more charm, it is more beautiful and has a better soundtrack. Moreover, it's like a traditional European story and that is invaluable.

@Banjo- Yeah, aside from the gameplay, I think it was the settings and characters that made me lean more towards Banjo than Mario 64, not saying Mario is bad, I love it a lot and it’s pretty much been apart of my childhood, but I think Banjo-Kazooie having a focus on making its cast of characters fun and memorable as you play is what made me like it a lot and why it was the first game I immediately started playing the second I got access to the Expansion Pack on the Switch years ago.

Rare always liked to give their characters some sort of personality and charm in their games, and Banjo shows it quickly with its opening music sequence featuring its main characters. I think that plays a factor into why I can’t stop thinking about the games even after completing them.

@Pastellioli Yep, Rare's games are more than games, so they stick with you. Probably, because they are a reflection of a deeper involvement by the developers. Remember Cranky in the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Banjo, Kazooie, Conker... Super Mario 64 as a game got a lot of things right and even better than modern games, like mapping walking and running to the analogue stick, instead of requiring an additional button to run like some stupid modern controls.

@Banjo- I think I just love older games from the 1990s a lot because of the vibe they give off, usually with its memorable characters, settings, and music, not to mention a lot of them were very revolutionary in gaming and liked to add twists to its gameplay and subvert common tropes, which I feel Rare’s games did a lot, especially in the Banjo-Kazooie games and Conker’s Bad Fur Day, which I find to be one of the best deconstructions and subversions of the platformer genre.

I feel like the vibes a lot of N64 games gave off are really hard to find in modern titles, which probably is why a couple of modern games don’t stick with me a lot.

@Banjo- oh damn hello there. I got confused because I thought the site bugged and was taking me to an old ping. I really gotta better learn how to read dates Lmaoo. Anyways why hello there, good too see you : )

Yeah I relate to getting all 120 stars over and over. These days I don’t consider a replay of SM64 or Banjo to be “proper” ‘less I get everything.

Mario’s mission structure is something I was happy to see in bowser’s fury upon my first playthrough of it just a day ago.

I would probably consider ape escape to be incredibly close, almost a distant cousin of Mario 64. Because you can’t finish a level without catching a specified number of apes and each one is a unique quest on its own with satisfying controls to beat!

My next banjo (and subsequently, most other Rare titles such as donkey Kong 64) are gonna be on the RAP64 emulator. A 64 emulator with achievement support. I’m actually a huge achievement freak so replaying the games like this is a complete MUST for me. RA username is in forum signature.

I can understand the setting point actually. It’s why I do gravitate towards Kirby more than Mario and subsequently Rare stuff too.

The Big Bad Kong will always be a Rate hero in my eyes!!

If you ever find the time, friend, I think you would love the Ratchet and Clank trilogy : )

@Yousef- First of all, I need to beat Kao the Kangaroo on Xbox that I already started. I've played Ratchet & Clank on PS4, but it was mostly shooting. It was fine, but nothing special. I also played Knack 2 that I enjoyed somehow. Why do you like about Kirby so much? I'm curious. I've played Kirby 64, Kirby Super Star and I have a few more downloaded for 3DS, but I've never been a fan. Cranky is so funny 🤣.

@Banjo- oooohhhh, that last part was directed at @Pastellioli because he said he’s interested in older platformers and R&C felt exactly up his alley because of edgy and adult themes in the ps2 trilogy similar to how Conker is xDDD
But I’ll reply to your comment regardless, I do think the ps4 game is pretty lackluster. I wholeheartedly agree with you there. Hence why I specified the ps2 trilogy, it’s what most fans like me recommend. Has so many iconic moments, including this gem https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DgD80npg5L8&pp=ygUVUnlubyBy...

As for this part, I’m more than happy to elaborate!! Though there’s not much I can tell you since you’ve already played what I consider to be my favorite Kirby xDDD
Maybe it’s the familiarity? I played Kirby for the first time at a McDonald’s that had a N64 and I saw the anime when it was new. So you can say I’m attached, but I just ADORE any game where you steal power ups. This part I cannot deny. And the crystal shards letting you combine them is still mind blowing to me.

Though don’t expect me to give this kinda praise to most the others, I don’t remember much about them xD

And yes cranky is funny. I adore every single one in the entire DK cast. All of them. It’s why the animated movie was actually right up my alley. They all have this “guy I love seeing on screen” vibe to them.