16BitHero

I still have the 360 hooked up because Kinect Sports plays and looks better than similar titles on Wii, Switch and even Quest 3. I have sports titles on all three but keep coming back to Kinect sports 1 and 2. I'm sure the 360 will die eventually!

Microsoft have been heading in Sega's direction for years now, the fact the Series consoles are lagging behind even the Xbox One relative to the same sales period and slowing still is a fairly ominous sign. They will remain a monster in the publishing sector but the only console I can see in their future if any would be something akin to the Series S - priced like the Switch 2 but more powerful albeit less powerful than Sony's offering. Just my uninformed opinion but the writing really looks like it's all over the wall at this point?

@matmom42 No way! I've only played through it once at it's original 30fps and still loved it. If it wasn't for an insane backlog I'd start it over. I keep it installed to appreciate the wasteland now and again!

@Isca I came here to say the same thing, any fans of Mad Max and the Arkham games especially will find lots to love and it runs at 60fps with fps boost! Still one of the best open world action games and even though it's got a bit of the Far Cry formula, it doesn't overstay it's welcome.

Indy could be my dream game (as an eighties kid). Machine Games know how to do first person - and Nazis. The blend of perspectives sounds like a cracking idea to make the whole game feel very much like an interactive film.

I've got faith in Machine Games, excellent developer. I feel fortunate lately to finally see some of my favourite films see excellent game adaptation's or spin offs - Aliens Dark Descent was my favourite game last year (and 2023 was stacked!), Robocop Rogue City is fantastic and I finally got to Terminator Resistance which is better than any film since the second in my opinion.

Having played the test version a few weeks ago, I was left underwhelmed but not surprised. Batman is for all ages and that series was one excellent game after another. The humour and overall feel of another bloated multi character IP (just like Marvel films) feels squarely aimed at younger generations. That's ok but I'll have to wait for Rocksteady's next game.

Streets of Rage 4 was an instant classic in my opinion. I'm not sure how that series or Golden Axe will translate to 3D but I'm hopeful Sega will surprise us!

@Vipor007 The classic light gun games could easily transfer to VR.

Deleting campaign and multiplayer components apparently had little effect on storage size. I only have COD installed for the new Warzone map - 136GB total on SSD but 109GB apparently when I look at 'managing game content'. I know we don't like getting on developers backs but what is the point of the new COD menu system if you can barely shrink the file size. I had Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer AND Warzone downloaded before this update and they only took up 76GB.

I'm not sure if it was underrated or if it's just a niche game (probably the latter) but Aliens Dark Decent is my personal game of the year in what is one of the best gaming years on record surely. (I can't wait to see what this developer does next). I have a ridiculous backlog and am therefore hoping 2024 is very quiet!

Show me Indiana Jones already. Please.

If and when Microsoft becomes a publisher only re gaming, I wonder if they'll simply revert back to Microsoft Game Studios and lose the Xbox moniker altogether. I'm a little disheartened with Xbox's struggle this generation much like the last one as the hardware is clearly fantastic value - running Microsoft Flight Simulator on a relatively high end PC then on Xbox Series X proves it's a beast from a technical perspective. I've certainly got my money's worth with Gamepass over the years and sincerely hope small screen devices/game streaming aren't the only future options.

Despite Gamepass' consistent value, C would be fair as first party continues to disappoint compared to the competition. I bumped it to a B however from a purely business perspective with the acquisition of Activision. Microsoft continues it's march to being a publishing behemoth. I'm still on the fence as to whether they will exit the console space as Sega did.

This would usually be a day one purchase but the last two years in gaming have been so ridiculous. My backlog includes GOW Ragnarok, Jedi Survivor, Resident Evil 4, Spider-Man 2, Super Mario Bros Wonder, Half Life Alyx and many more. Currently playing through Baldurs Gate 3. No point paying full price when you won't get to it for many months.

I've really tired of the Far Cry formula as of 6. Played all to completion until then but 6 was just so huge and there were many better games to play when it came out. For some reason I'm curious about Avatar, especially if it's a more focused experience with a strong narrative.

Definitely picking this up, loved the first one and it's fun to play through with a partner helping you figure things out.

An amazing year for gaming and my backlog still contains many of the top games released thus far. My personal game of the year is Aliens Dark Descent, ticked all the boxes for this Alien Saga fan.

I love my Series X but it doesn't have a big time console seller in terms of exclusives and that shows in it's market shares around the world. I still think Microsoft will go the way of Sega - and an immense publisher they will be. It sucks for gamers though as it means less competition in the console space. Maybe Apple will step in eventually?!

This continues to be the most astonishing 'game' of this generation. It was my sole reason for buying a Series X and now I have a VR capable gaming PC, I really can't wait to try it on that platform too. Looking forward to seeing where it goes in the next decade or two.

Excellent year. Excellent backlog.

@Cherip-the-Ripper It's a US list.

I've enjoyed the Series X (and PS5) generation thus far but Xbox is clearly getting trounced by the PS5 once again due to better marketing, superior exclusives and more of them. If gamers are not to end up with a choice between Sony, Nintendo and PC gaming with Microsoft going the way of Sega albeit a third party behemoth then I hope this new leadership structure picks up the slack quickly.

@mac_da_man Just started a second playthrough with the new updates in anticipation of the newly arrived dlc. A good game is now a great game.

@Lup Mad Max was so underrated. Loved it. https://youtu.be/HsQn4q6QhdM?si=CLUveXUSfbOawHdf

@fabisputza007 I also played through Wolf Among Us with my wife who doesn't consider herself a gamer (despite 700 hours with Animal Crossing). She immediately started looking up the Fables comic series. We're looking forward to the sequel.

@pip_muzz @pip_muzz I confess to enjoying linear games with highly focused and sometimes simpler narratives but I also loved Witcher 3, Zelda and various other RPGs. Starfield is my first Bethesda RPG. I might come back to it now my expectations are clear.

I was really excited for Starfield but sadly I'm giving up (for now) about 25 hours in. It really feels like several different game ideas tied together but none do each component as well as other games. A common wish it seems is for the developers to have curated a specific number of systems and planets rather than have these bland procedurally generated ones. I think you can certainly play it a number of different ways but I found myself jumping through numerous load screens to take on the next quest which all felt somewhat disconnected and lacking any sense or feeling of discovery. I'm wondering how many others have taken the difficult decision to shelve it for now. I'm going to play through Cyberpunk a second time instead (then the dlc).

@fabisputza007 I'm catching some flak over at the current Starfield patch article comment section for having the same opinion.

@ChromeMud Many gamers in this day and age have multiple consoles; there is nothing pro PS5 in my train of thought and I certainly didn't allude to the ludicrous statement your sarcastic comment conveyed. In my opinion the best example of current gen console gaming prowess is Flight Simulator on your beloved Xbox.

@JayJ @Darylb88 I wasn't comparing system power, I just thought maybe Sony would push for a 60fps option whereas Bethesda clearly had total creative control as Starfield started development long before the acquisition. I can't help comparing Starfield to other games which have succeeded in implementing a 60fps option though, especially when in my opinion Cyberpunk for example, actually looks better. Anyway, I'm just being an entitled picky gamer!

@Boogaloo_Jenkins The more I play it the more I think if Starfield was on PS5 or Bethesda was owned by Sony then it would have a 60fps option. The graphics are so basic they could definitely hit 60, especially if Cyberpunk, Spiderman and Horizon Forbidden West can and they all look better than Starfield.

@jonmac547 I hope it's a free update for current owners, albeit a massive file size. I bought the current version for when I occasionally let my Gamepass sub lapse. The new gameplay options look incredible.

Starfield is definitely up there. Some crackers this year, I really enjoyed Hogwarts Legacy despite not considering myself a Potter fan, the Horizon Forbidden West dlc was decent, Diablo 4 was addictive for a while but my personal GOTY is Aliens Dark Descent because I'm as huge Alien Saga fan and that game ticked so many boxes. Still gotta play RE4 remake and I know Phantom Liberty will likely be top 5.

I used to play FIFA then PES then FIFA again religiously. The issue I have now is I'm not in school or university anymore and other genres of games have become so large and long that there simply isn't time for sports games outside of a few exhibition matches here and there. Most people I know who play the season, career and franchise modes barely play anything else. Oh to be young again...

There is almost nothing revolutionary about Starfield but it is sublime video game escapism nonetheless. Like many others, after a rather underwhelming first 5 hours or so, I'm now hopelessly addicted. It's not perfect and I'd have changed plenty of elements but what we've got is still a great game, especially for Sci Fi fans.

I bought the Series X for Microsoft Flight Simulator but it's probably had as much if not more playtime than my PS5 by now. Gamepass has been excellent to catch up on Xbox One games I missed last gen not to mention excellent indie titles and now Starfield and the Bethesda acquisition has more than made it worthwhile.

@somnambulance I either want a really good concise campaign or yeah I could be open to a bigger multiplayer approach. Co-op has essentially saved me from boredom in the recent entries.

6 was the first and only game in the series I didn't finish, it really did get tedious. I think it's partly because it was too large and also didn't really evolve the formula enough. Blood Dragon was short and sweet, especially for 80's pop culture fans and Primal remains my favourite overall for reasons I can't explain. Ultimately I hope they reduce the map size and introduce some different quest/story features or something, not just new ways to blow stuff up in a big boring Ubisoft map.

The only time I like the PS5 controller better is for racing games thanks to the amazing gyro controls (GT7 from the cockpit is just incredible). Other than that, both controllers are perfectly fine for current gaming. The haptics on dual sense are novel to begin with but you soon don't notice when in the thick of the action and it's actually better to turn them off for competitive accuracy in many games.

I'll definitely be getting GTA 6 second hand after a few weeks. Rockstar doesn't deserve our money. Greedy greedy company and way behind the competition at this point.

@Acurisur I have to pay closer attention I guess although I have been waiting on the Series X upgrade. Really happy to hear it satisfies fans of the franchise.

I've wanted to play this game for ages, still waiting for a sub $20 price point. In other news, as a fan of another amazing franchise, Aliens Dark Descent is my personal game of the year. Until Starfield perhaps.

Silly decision and why I'll keep Gamepass for console only and buy (multi platform) multiplayer games for PS5 as I usually have PS plus active. If Microsoft did away with these stupid arbitrary decisions and included multiplayer with Gamepass I'd likely stop buying ps plus AND buy multi platform games for Xbox instead. Their business decisions are baffling at times.

What is the Pure Xbox take @fraserg? At this point I think they should include online multiplayer access with Gamepass tiers rather than introduce a Gold replacement for 1$ less than Gamepass for console. Seems arbitrary?

This is actually a very decent list albeit with some previous gen exclusives but I skipped Xbox One completely so this current gen on Gamepass has been incredible value thus far. I'd argue Xbox has had more or at least better overall exclusives than Nintendo. The Switch has a handful of genre defining games which almost every owner erm, owns. Xbox is pretty solid though. PlayStation is consistently strong from generation to generation with a few hiccups here and there. It's a good time to be a gamer.

I'm fortunate to own all three but it would benefit everyone if all remain competitive and although there will inevitably be system exclusives, I do hope the exclusive content and release windows for multi platform games die a quick death.

'as one marine on their own will be quickly overwhelmed and dragged away to become a meaty alien incubator - if they're lucky'

I'd rather be killed instantly than wait around to give chest birth!

Excellent and thorough review, clearly a must for Aliens fans like me. Hopefully it sells better than the brilliant Alien Isolation did so other developer's consider trying their luck in this amazing universe. I do hope they patch the 'barking of orders' when attempting to move quietly down corridors.

Flight Simulator was one of the only actual surprises and has given the only truly current gen experience a new lease of life with all those new gameplay elements.

@Banjo- Contraband by Avalanche Studios - first teased at E3 2021