16BitHero

@themightyant Forza needs to get rid of the nauseating career mode dialogue and general vibe that appears solely aimed at the younger Instagram generation. There are older serious petrol heads who want to play these games too. Also the rubber band AI which makes solo play a little less stimulating.

@Ricky-Spanish I think this trilogy of Doom titles is one of the most cathartic video game series in history. They sound great, look great and feel great to play. I love that ID decided to differentiate the mechanics in all three. There aren't many games that get the adrenaline flowing like Doom!

@Millionski I've followed this whole conversation and agree with you RE no proprietary Xbox next gen. It's a good business decision. Microsoft/Xbox Game studios is a huge profitable umbrella of devs and publishers now. The games will make MS money on PlayStation 6 and Switch 2 so partnering to facilitate a range of hybrid PCs makes more sense in my opinion. I don't think we're any closer to widespread streaming adoption with current Internet infrastructure. I'm sure Gamepass will undergo further changes to accommodate these, erm changes, but we're used to that by now. I was sad to see Sega get out of hardware back in the day but that's just business and gaming is in a better place than ever (minus predatory live service/micro transactions filled titles).

@Coletrain RE tying this feature to GPU - a great point that Microsoft should definitely reconsider!

When did the word announcement lose it's 'ment'?! This appears to be a common grammatical error in video game circles/YouTube videos in the past decade.

I can't see Xbox mentioning the next console at this event. There is still life in the Series X and Gamepass has been incredible this past year.

Mad Max has a special place in my heart. I really hope Avalanche have something special cooking as I don't think they've released anything since Rage 2 in 2019.

@themightyant good to know, I'll probably start this with my wife this weekend. We took a few notes/screenshots in Return of the Obra Dinn and Lorelei and the Laser Eyes but nothing too extensive. BP sounds right up our alley.

Most games retailing at $70 or $80 undoubtedly sell less on launch. Maybe overall revenue is made up by the price difference but unless it's a GTA 6 or big sports franchise where people want the latest rosters, I'm willing to bet most people wait for the frequent sales and discounts on offer nowadays. The fact that many games are either fixed or improved over several months of patches and quick fixes only increases the likelihood that many of us will be more patient than in the past.

Cyberpunk eventually became an all time classic in my opinion, especially for fans of the genre. I prefer the Fantasy of Witcher overall but I also love sci fi and am re reading Neuromancer before a second playthrough of C2077.

@Kezelpaso I was going to start Clair Obscur but my Gamepass is broken. Re-subbed by stacking 36 months of US advertised 12 month Core subs only to get a store region error when trying to upgrade to Ultimate. Microsoft haven't been helpful and getting a refund from the seller won't help with the region issue as my useless Core subscription is active. Any ideas folks? Maybe PX could do an article on this as it seems like a relatively common issue per Microsoft forums/Reddit.

Loving some of the comments on YouTube. Witcher 3 is an excellent example of the power of video games and the impact it can have on some folks lives.

@BAMozzy this comment should have been a mini article on PS and PX. Thumbs up.

I need to finish the Eternal DLC before I jump into Dark Ages but that's mostly because each of these games has different enough mechanics that it's actually difficult to simply jump between them. (I tried going back to Doom 2016 while playing Eternal but my brain couldn't handle it ha) Kudos to ID for making three different play styles and trusting gamers, especially Doom fans to be onboard with that decision. It's refreshing and I personally love how different each of them plays.

@Ricky-Spanish @Banjo- @Fiendish-Beaver @OldGamer999 @themightyant @HonestHick @somnambulance @Kaloudz @BAMozzy @nomither6

When I think of the great community here I usually zero in on your comments as they are almost always positive and optimistic no matter what is going on in the industry. And it's just good to have a proper discourse geek out around a hobby we all love that can provide much needed comfort and escapism.

I got mine when Flight Simulator landed and I didn't have a gaming PC. 24 months of GPU included was enough in itself to make it excellent value. I've only subscribed to GP for a few months here and there since when games I want to play come to the service and now I have a gaming PC I'm not on the Series X as frequently but it's an excellent console and I have a great library thanks to backward compatibility and crossbuy purchases on PC. If these large acquisitions had happened sooner this generation then I think Xbox would have been far more competitive in the hardware space. It'll be a shame if this is the last mainstream Xbox console cycle, less competition is never a good thing. Gamers have it better than ever nonetheless.

Thank you for using 'disappointment' rather than 'fuming' (PS). Not all gamers are entitled brats.

I've been gaming since the 80's. 10 years after release this is still my favourite game of all time. Great narrative, great characters, great quests, great voice acting, great music, great maps, just wonderful immersion. Plus best DLC ever made - better than most full games in the genre. It's magical if a little dated mechanically.

Only when consoles can affordably integrate AI upscaling and frame gen tech will we see the best looking games hit 60 fps and above. Hopefully next gen.

I appreciate Microsoft's effort here, this really should be the status quo on console moving forward. It can't be hard to build a good emulator for each or all previous platforms then include it in a future console OS. Whoever has the rights to older games will surely be happy it if they are still appreciated or even find new audiences for say $5 (and frequent sales a la Steam). As things stand it's very limited on console and can be persnickety on PC (with IP owners seeing no revenue/royalties).

I really hope this has a good single player component. It's about time a military shooter had a really good innovative campaign akin to Titanfall 2, Wolfenstein or Doom. COD has done nothing new for almost two decades at this point. Yes the mechanics are good but everything else is Michael Bay levels of stale.

If there's a decent 40fps quality mode I'll be tempted. Otherwise I'm waiting for the PC version. I mean, I'm going to try and wait....

I appreciated previous GTA games in terms of their cultural/satirical accuracy from having seen Hollywood films and a few brief trips to those real cities. After living in Florida for eight years I can safely say GTA 6 absolutely nails it all again. Please let PC be closer behind console release this time!

I'm now as curious as ever to see what hardware Microsoft dish up next generation. I got a PS5 shortly followed by Series X earlier this generation but until recently, it's mostly been remasters, remakes, backward compatible boosted games and only a handful of good exclusives. Yes there have been plenty of brilliant multi platform games but I became disillusioned enough to finally invest in a hand me down PC at the end of 2023 and upgraded this past weekend hoping it future proofs me for another 5-7 years. I think it's the way to go considering where consoles are at. If you really want a convenient small box under your TV then PlayStation 6 seems like the way to go. Microsoft are indeed becoming Sega albeit much much bigger.

Excellent news. The backlog is real. And neverending.

@CallMeDuraSouka ha fair enough. Considering the enormous fan base, I'm hoping the future of game development in India provides! In the meantime after 15 years in the US I'm finally appreciating the intricacies of Baseball. Each to their own.

Really fun with friends, a bit bland without, it's a basic Hades clone with good if simple gameplay and a very decent soundtrack.

The latest game didn't get a great reception and many Rally fans like me just stuck with Dirt 2.0

EA is really only going to invest in sports games with huge audiences and likely a large American audience as most of their revenue is there other than EA Sports FC. I've wanted a AAA Rugby and Cricket game for decades now but that ain't ever happening.

Lumping two of my recent comments together here but it's all relevant. Crazy times indeed.
Gaming will definitely become a more expensive hobby. The big picture is that wages/salaries simply don't keep up with inflation and the cost of living for 90% of us. It's a complex economic system but it's always skewed toward the wealthy because of the people in high levels of government. It's particularly stark in the US where corporate lobbyists have most politicians in their pocket. We're now seeing that on steroids and it affects everyone.

Gamepass will still be great value with a modest price hike but only if you have the free time to enjoy gaming which many adults don't. It's ultimately down to individual interpretation of the costs. For me, the future of gaming is looking like PC only as once you make that initial investment, you're good for a while and can upgrade here and there when you can afford to. More importantly the various storefronts offer much better value and frequent discounts and sales than MS or Sony. Patience is key though. If you're a day one gamer then it's going to be a very expensive hobby and Gamepass will be great value if it continues to be sustainable.

Gamepass will still be great value with a modest price hike but only if you have the free time to enjoy gaming which many adults don't. It's ultimately down to individual interpretation of the costs. For me, the future of gaming is looking like PC only as once you make that initial investment, you're good for a while and can upgrade here and there when you can afford to. More importantly the various storefronts offer much better value and frequent discounts and sales than MS or Sony. Patience is key though. If you're a day one gamer then it's going to be a very expensive hobby and Gamepass will be great value if it continues to be sustainable.

Gaming will definitely become a more expensive hobby. The big picture is that wages/salaries simply don't keep up with inflation and the cost of living for 90% of us. It's a complex economic system but it's always skewed toward the wealthy because of the people in high levels of government. It's particularly stark in the US where corporate lobbyists have most politicians in their pocket. We're now seeing that on steroids and it affects everyone.

I got Indy with Gamepass Ultimate but that expired soon after and I haven't re-subbed since (my existing backlog is way too big to add all the recent Gamepass goodies on top of them). I bought Indy through the Windows store to get cross play for Series X and PC. When I feel like a big screen it's Xbox, when I want sumptuous visuals and a high frame rate it's PC. Fab on both.

I think some MS published games will be day 1 multiplatform and some two months or so delayed but most will be day 1 everywhere eventually.

@Millionski cheers for the GPU info! I know my wife will love BP too having previously completed Lorelei and the laser eyes and Talos Principle 2 before me.

I'm sticking with CF 25. I got it because I lived in a big ACC town for eight years. Like EA Sports FC and Madden, I doubt the year on year tweaks are worth the extra outlay and I'm not invested in real players/names in American football. Maybe in 26/27!

I said it in a comment yesterday, I need to resub but don't know where to start. I can't help thinking the Xbox consoles would have seen much higher sales numbers if this had occurred early in the generation. The value vs competitors is really something at this point. Xbox is a publisher now though and that benefits all gamers.

This is surely the strongest few months Gamepass has ever had. I want to resub but no idea what to play first!

Outlaws is objectively a good game. Not great, not bad. Yes it has some standard open world genre fare but I'd argue most of what is here fits the Star Wars universe and in this case the player character very well. The graphics, music and overall feel of being in a Star Wars adventure are excellent. Ubisoft isn't for everyone and I've long since tired of most of their IPs but I'm glad EA isn't the only developer able to make Star Wars games now. It's refreshing to have one without Jedi as main characters. Outlaws was clearly made by people who are passionate about the universe. I got the same for $25 after all the various gameplay patches and it's a fun time and well worth it if you're a SW fan. Put it this way, I've been playing every genre of Star Wars game since the 80's and this ranks among the best imo.

@RegnumSolipsi believe!

This game is brilliant, I've been hammering it with friends on Steam. Everything an old school Rainbow Six and SWAT fan could ask for and by a relatively small studio too. Early bugs are mostly patched out, there is plenty of content and each mission is refreshingly well realized and detailed. It's not for the faint of heart in terms of subject matter so be warned. It's good in single player as you have four guys with you who you can control as a single team or two teams of two at any given time. Multiplayer with friends is where it's at though. It can be tense or hilarious and frequently both. Definitely a good move to finally bring it to consoles.

@Kaloudz I put about 26 hours into it but I'm sure it can be done faster.

I have it through Steam. If you enjoy PowerWash Simulator but could do with a voice acted narrative that fits the vibe then this is definitely worth checking out. Honest review here:

https://youtu.be/eW-x0y2lHak?si=r4_7icXatEpAmFDm

Indiana Jones is a dream come true for this 80's kid. Split Fiction has been brilliant fun for my wife and I. Batman Arkham Shadow is a close third - another gaming milestone for any Batman fan.

95% of my owned PC games are on Steam. I can however sub to GP for $11.99 whenever there's a few titles I want to check out and South of Midnight is most certainly one of those. GP has been amazing recently but my default is to not be subscribed. I got through Hellblade 2, Still Wakes the Deep and Wasteland 3 in two months last year. For me it just depends on free time and games that perk my interest.

@Kaloudz ha, sounds like some electronic recycling is well overdue!

@Shy_Hallaman Well worth it for that price. Brilliant if you're a fan of the original film and a damn fun shooter regardless.

@Kaloudz the first Fear still holds up well today with some of the best enemy AI in gaming. It's a cool mix of very satisfying action/gunplay with some mild horror elements. You can only get it on physical (prices are jacked up of course) or if you have a PC/laptop it's $10 and frequently less on sale.

As a Brit who lived for many years in a southern college town, I can't wait to check this out now. I read Paul Theroux's Deep South, visited New Orleans among many other southern towns/cities and count things like True Detective season 1/3 and the films Mud and Beasts of the Southern Wild among my favourite screen discoveries while living there. Time to resub to GP!

The thing with Gamepass is that it's still excellent value, even with a potential price increase when compared to TV streaming however and this is a big however - if we've already got significant backlogs on other platforms/devices, it becomes less attractive as the value decreases with time available to play the games. I only subscribe for a few months each year to knock out what I consider essential releases. That's just me though. I hope Xbox don't get too carried away as there is a lot of competition these days.

Both Baldurs Gate 3 and KCD 2 shouldn't be on the list until they've actually had an 'influence' (which they will over the coming years). Grand Theft Auto is odd too. GTA 3 makes sense. Halo Combat Evolved as mentioned by a fellow commenter above was hugely influential for console shooters and I think Sonic should be here too. Thinking of open world games, perhaps Far Cry 3 should be here as most open world action RPGs and first person shooters all have design influences from that game for better and worse!

@Fiendish-Beaver ah that's on me for miss-reading the article, this third tier is a bit silly though. I played it through PC Gamepass.

@Sakko Exactly. Invest the money now in a solid PC and you'll never look back. A handful of exclusives over an entire generation is no reason to buy a console. The competition between storefronts despite Steams overall dominance plus the frequent and steep discounts means I've bought my last console. Only took 4 decades of gaming! Plus VR is excellent.