16BitHero

@IronCrow86 It's my favourite Diablo despite its more cartoonish aesthetic. Great in co-op. I got a bit overwhelmed and burned out by 4 although it's still a great game.

I didn't realize Still Wakes the Deep hadn't been on console yet - anyone looking for a short, gorgeous, brilliantly voice acted 70's oil rig riff on The Thing/Color Out of Space with a bit of Alien Isolation or Soma thrown in should absolutely check it out. It's fairly limited from a mechanical perspective but succeeds with a tight little story and excellent atmosphere.

@themightyant good to know. I've been resistant to small screens for a long time but now see the life circumstances that make it useful to people of all ages! Good to have a few different options too. Thanks again for the info.

@themightyant wow, the local console streaming over Wi-Fi is a great feature - not sure how I overlooked this. Maybe a handheld is in my future after all. Thanks for the info!

@themightyant You can use a Steamdeck for all of those things?! Does that mean having to subscribe to GPU and Sony's highest tier to play your owned libraries on both ecosystems?

It's a three day weekend for me but boy oh boy it's hard making backlog decisions.

I'm currently playing through Star Wars Outlaws and Split Fiction on PS5

Kingdom Come Deliverance 1, Monster Hunter Wilds and Baldurs Gate 3 on PC

Batman Arkham Shadows on Quest 3.

I wish I still had the restraint and conviction to play one large game at a time!

Happy gaming everyone!

I guarantee precisely no one is bored waiting for GTA 6 considering the state of gamers backlogs nowadays 😂 If IO are putting their name on this then they must be somewhat confident it's decent.

These companies really need to let gamers with physical games 'own' the digital versions ASAP as these disc drives won't last forever. I think this is going to be a major issue in the evolution of gaming.

Nope. I can't wait until it's out of beta but let's be honest, this should have been MSFS 2025/26. I have over 800mbps and it sometimes looks much worse than 2020 and that's before the numerous bugs. The smaller install size is nice but I'm not sure the infrastructure and technical side is quite there yet. The new features are great but I held off buying and cancelled Gamepass until some titles of interest come my way (it's admittedly been an incredibly strong year for GP so far, just nothing for me yet).

Split Fiction with my wife, then hopefully I'll be reach another Star Wars Outlaws planet. I've been dabbling with Dirt Rally 2.0 in VR using PS5 controller 'gyro' to steer. Surprisingly immersive.

Happy gaming fellow gamers!

Played on Series X (not PS5 or PC) mostly thanks to Gamepass which is just brilliant value whichever way you look at it.

Indiana Jones
Halo Infinite
Ghostwire Tokyo
Aliens Dark Descent
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Hades
Immortality
A Plague Tale (both games)
Unpacking
The Artful Escape
Night in the Woods
Turtles Shredders Revenge

Edit: also loved Hellblade 2 and Still Wakes the Deep but played both on PC.

If the next Xbox console has Steam and can maybe run PCVR games....Those are incredible selling points for anyone without the spare $2500 minimum for a beefy PC. As someone who only built a PC in late 2023, I can attest that PC gaming is excellent because of the variety and choices it offers gamers as well as the frequent and incredible storefront sales and discounts.

It's got 96% from almost 3k reviews in Steam early access...

That's a good length. Too many games are far too long these days. Yes they represent great value in that sense but it's the main reason many of us have neverending backlogs. Personally I don't want most games to be more than 10-40 hours. If it's an epic RPG then I can and will do more but they are so commonplace I don't know how anyone gets through more than three or four games a year and does other things in life haha

I really do like this series, it's full of atmosphere. A mostly linear and focused narrative shooter with a bit of survival horror thrown in, I think it should be played on higher difficulties. The first two are still the best in my opinion. Exodus was an interesting concept but felt far less claustrophobic owing to the semi open world setting. I have the VR game Awakening but want to finish Arkham Shadow first.

@Titntin Once the feedback became positive after a few big patches, as a Star Wars fan I knew I couldn't say no for $20. It's very immersive in terms of characters, music and world building. I definitely want to see and do most of what's here despite having an insane backlog of many higher rated games.

Huuuuge backlog here but this weekend it's Star Wars Outlaws (I waited for a sale and the numerous patches and you know what? It's Star Wars and it's fun), Split Fiction with my wife and hopefully some more Alien Isolation VR (an hour at a time for both battery and pant wetting reasons).

Can't see this happening for several reasons mentioned above but never say never in the ever evolving world of gaming.

@OldGamer999 I feel the same way, the gunplay in Halo is practically unsurpassed at this point, only Doom is competitive and evolving in that respect. The grappling hook was a simple but excellent mechanic. The AI on harder difficulties is still a million years ahead of COD for example. The story and environments have just been a bit stagnant for too long. There is so much potential in this franchise still. Maybe an ODST style spinoff would freshen things up again. It's always going to be multiplatform and have multiplayer but a special focus on solo campaign innovation would make Halo exciting again.

Nacon is quickly becoming one of my favourite publishers. More RoboCop? Yes please.

@Yukairi @Deljo @LordDieALot cheers for the info. I might jump in this year!

Do these games still have a decent roster of classic wrestlers? Now they're finally getting consistently good reviews I'm tempted to recapture the good old days of wrestling games on PS1 and N64 but have been hesitant due to the current state of WWE - dull personalities, dull writing, dull wrestling, dull commentary. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky?!

@themightyant I think the main tech leap will be AI upscaling, similar to what AMD and Nvidia are doing with PC graphics cards and now PlayStation with the pro. More than anything else the next gen of consoles needs to have a minimum of 60fps that maintains good graphical fidelity including fancy features like Ray tracing. Just my opinion but if this isn't the bare minimum then consoles risk falling further behind even modest PC builds.

A strange generation indeed but gaming is going to evolve and change like everything else tech related and often in unpredictable fashion. The Series X is an excellent console, it just had an uphill battle to contend with after the Xbox One generation. Personally, I'm going all in on PC and VR from now on. Gamepass is cheaper and not tied to online multiplayer. The only thing I'll miss is day one PlayStation exclusives but I haven't been a day one gamer for a while - sales are frequent.

@Kilamanjaro VR will also have more widespread application in the medical industry too. I think it's here to stay in various applications meaning that hopefully it'll stick around for gaming too.

Hoping to have time to finally finish the wonderful Indiana Jones. Also hoping to try Monster Hunter Wilds with a friend who generously gifted me the game. If there is still time thereafter, I'll dive back into the first Kingdom Come Deliverance which I started last weekend in an effort to gain the maximum backstory for the sequel.

@armondo36 There is a VR mod for Halo Combat Evolved - its incredible but the cost of entry is steep if you don't have a PC or headset to begin with. Its nevertheless a worthwhile investment at this point in time in my opinion.

@LMN118 the Art and Design high school I work at utilizes VR for a range of subjects. I think it'll become more prevalent, at least in countries that fund education effectively. My dream is to learn languages with AI NPCs who respond, teach and correct in real time.

Total nonsense. I was a VR skeptic for years, I returned both psvr and psvr 2 after two week trials. Despite being impressed by a few of the titles I did get motion sick and didn't think the cost of entry worth it at the time. Fast forward to having owned a Quest 3 for 14 months and some of my best all time gaming experiences since the 80's have been with VR. I never get motion sick anymore (switch to snap turning makes the world of difference even if other movement locomotion is smooth). The Quest alone has a fantastic library but add in PCVR and you've got a thoroughly outstanding selection of games/experiences to choose from.

Half Life Alyx
Metro Awakening
Batman Arkham Shadow
Assassin's Creed
Asgards Wrath 1+2
Lone Echo 1+2
Red Matter 1+2
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Resident Evil 4/7/8
Walkabout Mini Golf
Moss 1+2

My personal favourites Eye of the Temple and the utterly incredible Alien Isolation VR mod speaking of which you can already play Indiana Jones in VR as well as RoboCop, Avatar and Cyberpunk among many others if you have a PC.

I haven't even mentioned legions of indie titles, puzzle games, music/virtual instrument games, educational titles...

I think Microsoft didn't take the plunge because they correctly think most people aren't aware of how far VR has come. Sony killed psvr by not getting the support it needed from both first and third party.

A Terminator game? An Alien game? A RoboCop game? A Predator game? Count me in! We've been thoroughly treated in recent years and with this game, an Alien Isolation sequel and more on the horizon, I'm one happy/nostalgic 80's camper.

@Kaloudz @Odium Cheers chaps for the insightful and amusing parental remarks etc. Lots to look forward to apparently ha. I'd completely forgotten which article this comment thread originated on. Have a great day!

@Kaloudz Ha I've contributed to the list but I can't help feeling I'll be ultimately downvoted. Maybe I'll get to choose a middle name...

@Kaloudz I've heard the same from many friends (I'll be an older dad). Trying to plough through the biggest backlog I've ever had beforehand!

@Kaloudz @Odium I've very much enjoyed your comment conversation! I've gone back to Banjo and Perfect Dark myself recently. Relatively simple games with timeless soundtracks. It's great reading about your kids preferences as I am hopefully going to embark on that particular adventure soon too!

@Kaloudz If you're an Aliens fan then you should give Dark Descent a go! I'm not one for today's overly complex games myself but this one is really very simple and accessible from the outset. You can customize aspects of the difficulty settings then managing your squad between deployments is about as basic as it gets in strategy games. The real time action can be paused and in my humble opinion, this is the best Alien game after Isolation albeit a very different style. It nails the Aliens look and feel and the story is perfect for the universe it's set in.

@Fiendish-Beaver try them both in first and third person perspective. I find 40fps to be fine in first person if you want the nicest looking game and a relatively smooth experience (tested in Avatar FOP). Third person you might prefer 60 fps performance mode however as 40 just didn't feel smooth enough in this perspective for me (tested in Hogwarts Legacy).

@OldGamer999 Just my opinion but I've found I can do 40fps balanced in first person (Avatar looks incredible and plays just fine), but I have to stick to 60fps in third person (Hogwarts Legacy being my test subject there). I suppose it could be different depending on each title nonetheless. 30 is out of the question if there are options. Improving upscaling technology will kill 30fps by next gen.

@Xbox_Dashboard yup, I'm on the PC app or Series X several times a week and I have 210 points. I don't remember the last time I spent any. I think rewards must be for kids glued to their TV or something.

@GoldenPants I made the same mistake (getting a PC). From the incredible Steam, GOG sales, Epic and Prime giveaways to free online gaming and Gamepass being cheaper, it's just a terrible terrible place to game. Infinite backlog, not enough time. I wish I just had a Megadrive and 3 games like I did in the early 90's.

More Batman please, my favourite comic book character by some distance. Batman Arkham Shadow is so so good but a new console game perhaps in a different universe as mentioned above would be interesting, Nolan or Reeves' vision.

@Ricky-Spanish I'm not exactly a Harry Potter fan (enjoyed the films once through way back when) but I absolutely loved Hogwarts Legacy. Don't sleep on it - and I definitely recommend 60fps mode.

I don't play racing games as much as I used to but when I do dabble, it's Wreckfest with the Destruction Derby 2 soundtrack on USB accompanying the chaos!

The number of comments says it all (and some are even off topic). I had the beta early on and was really put off by the setting/city let alone the overall style. But then I'm not a Marvel or DC fan in general. I like Batman, Spider-Man and Watchmen. That's it. Glad some enjoyed it but this was a colossal waste of time for Rocksteady. More Batman please!

It's a truly wonderful game if you're a fan of the films and an excellent adventure game regardless. If I had to nitpick I wish Gina's ambient dialogue was a little less immersion breaking at times but that's really all I can come up with. I'm sure a likely sequel will improve on many aspects as all great game series by talented developers do. I'm nearing the end but absolutely loving it.

I credit Hazelight with finally being able to get my wife into more 'dextrous' gaming. We play plenty of single player puzzle and narrative games 'together' but No Way Out and It Takes Two led to Portal 2 and other proper multiplayer games with more challenging controls. We can't wait for Split Fiction!

Edit: her 200+ hours with Powerwash Simulator has also helped.

One thing I'd like to see is Sony give up it's own VR and have both PlayStation and Xbox support various third party headsets much like the PC ecosystem does.

@Kaloudz oh gosh I didn't even think about that. They could do an incredible Halo. Xbox really needs to leverage it's studios into making what they do best and this is a prime example.

@Kaloudz very true. They know exactly how to take something great and freshen it up with a few new aspects. For example, the difference in combat between Doom and Doom Eternal is quite pronounced if you flip flop between them. It can make it briefly challenging to go back to an earlier game but I'm all for the creative evolution of any game series. Something Farcry never managed.

Doom will no doubt continue to set the standard for fps shooters in graphics/mechanics and mostly importantly of all, kinetic, frantic, no holds barred fun. The emphasis on melee sounds interesting. It works so well in VR with Asgards Wrath 2 for example but on the flat screen there is surely no developer better at immersing us in the chaos and action than ID Software.

The only Farcry game I didn't finish was 6. I started tiring of the formula in 5 BUT I had a good time with New Dawn because I played it through in co-op with a friend. There are some hilarious moments in co-op but it wasn't enough to get us through 6 which was just too large and offered nothing fresh. I'm trying to get through Avatar now but it's the same formula with a little too much light RPG stuff and not enough simply traversing lovely scenery and killing evil capitalist humans!