@brettvsgodzilla I'm about 5 hours into Banishers and I completed Aliens, both on Series X but, with my Gamepass about to lapse, I'd like to own both, especially Aliens for PC. Both excellent AA games in my opinion.

I'm hoping for Aliens Dark Descent, Banishers Ghosts of New Eden, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Lost Records Bloom and Rage on sale as I'll be letting my Gamepass sub lapse in December. I like the fact that cloud saves work between Series X and PC even if the title isn't crossbuy.

@chesheer military option perhaps but I'd argue the Doom series had been pretty great. The Wolfenstein, Halo and Metro series also offer a better overall single player experience in my opinion but your argument is sound.(Titanfall 2 might be my favourite shooter campaign ever and the VR mod is unbelievable). It's been a rather bare bones few years for single player fps games outside of some solid retro/indie efforts.

I really think COD could benefit from another dev coming in and making it less scripted with better AI etc but hey, it sells and it sells a lot.

@Banjo- if they can somehow eventually patch in a 40fps 120hz mode I'd be tempted. Word on the street is the PC version will arrive by April...

For all the cinematic, bombastic, crowd pleasing set pieces, tight mechanics, nice graphics and quality acting; these are still massively dated/scripted fps experiences. They really haven't changed all that much in almost two decades. I have them bottom of the pile for fps campaign gaming but.... I'm still drawn to the interactive action film style although I'll be waiting for Gamepass this time around.

@Banjo- it's unfortunate that every time a groundbreaking new Rockstar game comes out, it pushes the current console hardware to the point of being a guaranteed 30fps - which in 2026 will make it feel rather dated and clunky. I've previously played their games on release but I'm waiting for PC this time. It's going to be splendid on Helix and PS6 no doubt.

@McKeownPlayz 😔

@Balaam_ All streaming service UI's are terrible. They're more interested in pushing their latest offerings and recommending what you 'might like' instead of providing an intuitive navigation experience for finding what you actually like. You know they have the programming talent on staff. They're just not interested in a consumer friendly experience.

I'm enjoying Samson despite it's flaws. It has old school charm in the form of a little jank and a relatively repetitive experience BUT, it's gorgeous to look at (especially on PC with DLSS5 mod) and has incredible attention to detail in its smallish map. It's a shame the former Mad Max devs couldn't quite translate the hand to hand and car combat more effectively from that game but what is here is gritty and mostly fun for a small team with limited resources. The price reflects the experience and for $12 on sale, it's cheaper than coffee and a breakfast sandwich in NYC.

Love me some Gears but with their obvious talents, I'd love to see the Coalition bring an original IP to the table.

I only use it for Gamepass which I'm going to let lapse in December. Steam, GOG and even Epic have better interfaces in my opinion. None are perfect but hey.

As with many enjoyable things in life, the golden age of gaming will soon be firmly behind us.

@Nighto4 cheers for the recommendation, all Yakuza games are in my Steam family library so I'm gearing up to tackle them soon!

I've barely played anything, rather I've been faffing around implementing DLSS 5 into various games - Cyberpunk looks unbelievable. I think when consoles start using AI upscaling methods wholesale, we'll see the biggest generational shift yet. Amazing fidelity, life like graphics, frame generation to kill any trace of 30 fps stuttery nonsense for good. Let's hope it's all relatively affordable!

@Fiendish-Beaver I agree, there will likely be more layoffs once first party games are released and I don't see these jobs coming back. Whatever narrative the industry wants to spin, AI is going to be a huge part of game development going forward too. That might mean more frequent releases of ambitious AAA titles but at what artistic cost? I think we're approaching the biggest changes the industry has ever seen, what with component costs and an all digital/potentially streaming future. We've never had more choice but I can't help feeling uneasy about our collective hobby.

@Harfang I had a similar experience. Bought the Series X for Flight Simulator when it launched on console for the first time. It was mind blowing. I think Xbox should have kept everything exclusive but money talks. They'll do more business as a publisher across multiple formats although the og Xbox/360 fan in me hopes they can put out another successful console in this insane climate.

I've loved the Series X generation, it could have had better exclusives and sonner, but with Gamepass, it specifically gave me a chance to catch up on Xbox One exclusives which I missed out on and of course loads of indie gems. I am now however seriously considering selling it for a profit when GTA 6 comes out as I'll either play that on PS5 Pro or wait patiently for PC. I'm fairly certain the second hand console market will see a big bump in activity this autumn.

Halo Campaign Evolved in VR baby! The UEVR injector mod is a game changer for the industry!

It's an easy 8 (mostly for the 2001 university dorm nostalgia). I might even give it a 9 if they change the horrendous new voice acting, in particular Cortana which is awfully cringe worthy. Patch in the original voice actors, do away with the usual new game bugs and it'll be the best version. For now the MCC version is my personal fav.

I was able to play digital games I own earlier today but nothing through Gamepass. It's absurd that some people can't play their physical games. This whole ownership fiasco will be a big point of contention next gen when everything is digital.

This sounds more like a 7/10 from people who have actually played it and loved the original going back to 2001. Shiny graphics don't make a good remaster and having appalling voice acting, in particular, a millennial tik tok esque Cortana would kill the nostalgia and overall tone for me. It sounds like there are presently plenty of bugs too which is par for the course nowadays but this isn't a title I'd expect to wait several weeks for improvement patches. I'm not sure how this was scored a 9 or 10 in is current state. Patch in the original voice acting and fix the bugs please. The MCC version is likely still the optimal version of CE.

Finally got started on Pragmata. A simple and fun gameplay loop with nice shiny graphics. Also nostalgically addicted to Retro Rewind (video rental shop simulator!) and taking my private pilots license on MSFS 24.

Happy gaming y'all!

I can't help thinking Zero Parades would be top of this list if some critics hadn't let it's predecessor Disco Elysium and the subsequent studio drama cloud their judgement. It's a masterpiece that hopefully comes to console soon.

25 years later, how about an original fps idea/IP?

Happy to see Euro Truck Simulator 2 getting some love here but surprised not to see American Truck Simulator considering Xbox generally does much better in the US. Both are really enjoyable games and great for a bit of armchair tourism.

I finally started Resident Evil Requiem. Tried the VR mod initially but got motion sickness real fast! Back to regular mode and boy is it gorgeous. I might try and persuade my wife to watch Mixtape as I play through too. I started it then thought she'd dig it. Happy gaming y'all!

Gaming CEOs aren't unlike politicians. They'll say what people want to hear and potentially do the polar opposite. AI WILL take a lot of industry jobs whether people believe it or not. Streamlining and profit for shareholders is all that matters to these people. That's the reality.

Arkane would spell horrible mismanagement for them over the years. Apart from 'that' vampire game, everything they've made is excellent and somewhat unique.

I don't watch gaming showcases, they usually make me cringe but, that's a very solid selection of games to look forward to. I'd give it a B++ overall.

Out of some really great looking games announced in Sony's State of play and the summer games fest, this is hands down my most anticipated, ahead of GTA 6 even. I can't get enough of the Alien universe!

The future for me is a PlayStation console (for exclusives) and occasional PC upgrades (5070ti/1440p gaming should keep me going for a while) - as I can get Xbox games on PC anyway. The only Xbox gen I skipped was Xbox One but it seems silly to pay for all three now. In my opinion Xbox should have exclusives again as competition is a requirement for a healthy games industry.

So tempted to start playing this but I'm going to wait for the path/ray tracing update. Still have Lego Batman, Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata to start among others in the meantime. What a year for gaming and we're not even half way through it.

Downloaded on PC.. Waiting for Summer Ray/Path Tracing implementation/update.

The previous two DLCs are better than most full games. Hoping for something similarly substantial and high quality.

Cross buy for Xbox and PC please. Wishful thinking I know.

It's hard to compare a racing/sports game to other types of games. Live service games would be a good comparison as they are also ongoing, evolving gaming experiences. Horizon 6 doesn't come close to a lot of excellent single player experiences in my opinion. But for racing fans obviously, it could well be their favourite game. My votes so far this year include Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, Death Stranding 2 (PC), Esoteric Ebb, Zero Parades and maybe the new LEGO Batman (just started).

It's more of the same but that's what people seem to want (I could do without the story/characters/festival). Japan looks gorgeous and it's obviously a top tier racer with tons to do. I only tried it with the gamepad so far. G29 wheel this weekend. Even though it doesn't have VR support or a mod, you can still wear a headset and play on a cinema sized virtual screen!

Exclusives are good for industry competition. End of story. It's always been that way whether we like it or not. I got one hope Xbox will be now competitive next generation. There should be three consoles minimum in my opinion otherwise you start seeing abusive practices and pricing models.

The two VR games are sublime - fairly simplistic but so immersive and beautiful to look at. I think they sold well so I'm surprised we haven't had a trilogy at this point.

@Dogbreath I feel the same way, especially in terms of the whole Horizon festival concept. I'm gonna give it a whirl in the hope that there is an option for just straight up racing or free roam.

I hope the awful rubber banding npc behavior from 5 has been replaced with realistic ai. It's always a tough implementation in driving games but this series needs that evolution.

@theduckofdeath I agree, Eternal divided opinion but might be my favourite of the bunch. There is nothing more frantic in gaming than Eternal on Nightmare. Not saying that's a good thing for everyone but I personally loved how amped you have to be to succeed.

Each of the three games plays differently and I think ID software should be commended for that. Taking risks with a huge and established IP just doesn't happen anymore. I'm a big fan and gave it a 9 despite not loving the dragon or Mech sections as much as I'd hoped to. I generally don't pay much attention to the story.

I have to go with 4 just for the lovely representation of some very pretty parts of the UK. Gotta love tearing around in an old school Land Rover Defender across the English/Scottish countryside! Also loved the fantasy of owning a beautiful cottage on the coast.
France/Italy in 2 was lovely as was Australia in 3. I love the attention to detail of things like trees and other fauna.
I did like the Mexico map but I'm tiring of the festival nonsense at this point. I just want to free roam or race without the story stuff.

One of the best single player fps campaigns of all time. Eternal and the Dark Ages switched up several mechanical aspects (I personally appreciated the differences) but I think Doom 2016 still has the best soundtrack. It's a fantastic pulse pounding, frenetic, kinetic trilogy for those of us still craving quality single player shooters. I'm too old with too little time for multiplayer these days, especially with a never ending backlog causing me 'first world' anxiety on a daily basis!

If I get time to play anything this weekend it'll be continuing with one of:

Indiana Jones DLC on PC
Banishers (second playthrough) on Series X
Death Stranding 2 on PS5 Pro
Asgards Wrath 2 on Quest 3

Or I might just play through Mixtape considering it's length. Happy gaming y'all!

Console manufacturers historically sell hardware at a loss and the next generation should be no different. Xbox needs to double down on getting high quality software out there - from launch date, get back to certain first party title exclusivity (good for competition overall) and to remain innovative enough to reinvigorate the overall Xbox ecosystem. 🤞

Still nothing further on Terminator Survivors from their Milan studio. I really hope it's still happening.

Gamepass is on fire this past year. Between this and other stellar releases across all systems, I can't keep up with gaming these days. Gotta be discerning with our choices but I'll definitely play this.

Sales and discounts come so soon after release, often deep and frequent - especially on Steam. I'll only pay full whack for something I really want day one. Plus Gamepass ultimate covers me for first party until December. I do think many $70 games are with the price though, as has been mentioned in recent articles highlighting how video games are one consumer product not impacted by inflation.