Outer worlds 2 deserves more love. Incredible game.
Grounded 2 is great too but I haven't gotten to play it as much as I want to. I also really enjoyed Avowed, i am debating on a new game+ if i can find the time.
Maybe 3 major releases in 8 months was too many in too little time.
Avatar Frontiers of Pandora was unfairly brought down by the negative buzz around Ubisoft. That game is much better than the 72 it has on open critic (more like 87-89 IMO). I havent seen any of the movies and know nothing of the franchise other than this fantastic game.
It goes to show how bad the situation is at ubisoft, even when they release a great game, the bias against them will bring the game down. It would be great to see the game get a positive boost from gamepass.
I thought it was a really good game when I played it to completion at launch. I consider it a solid 85-90 score.
It does seem like a trend where the updates sound like really good improvements that I wish were there when I did my playthrough. But that's what I get for playing a game at launch.
This was a great month. Easy A for me. RE Village would have been the highlight if I didnt own it/beat it already. Space Marine 2 and the Sims 1&2 are my picks.
Steam deck and pc handhelds could probably be lumped into the pc category. Or the pc category should be broken into the actual pc platforms, steam/epic/gog/etc.
Sony leaders have surely noticed that boost. I still think it is very likely they pressure playstation leaders to go further into multiplat than they already have. I expect more switch and xbox ports in the future.
I haven't enjoyed too many AAA spaceship combat games I have played but maybe they could pull it off.
Speaking of Halo though, I got a chuckle when reading the latest Dan Brown novel, the secret of secrets. He referred to Halo as "the hugely popular computer game series." He went on to mention its religious undertones like the covenant so he must have researched it a little. The pc rebrand has already penetrated mainstream lol.
As much as I enjoy collecting physical games, it really is the worst way to play games.
Xbox makes digital games way more appealing than physical with the play anywhere or cloud capabilities. It is creating a paradox where physical games are good for preservation but will also be much more challenging to access compared to our digital libraries.
I imagine nintendo will eventually change the cartridge shape/size and render backwards compatibility impossible for physical games on some future device. Digital switch games arent guaranteed to be compatible with future devices but more so than physical cartridges.
Since Outer Worlds 2 got no goty buzz, I am skeptical any xbox game will. OW2 was amazing. It is easily the best game i played last year and no one talked about it.
Expansions for fh5 are $20 each so that is at least 2/3 of the price right there. Car packs, VIP pass, early access, etc are making up the rest of the cost.
If the value isn't there for you, then you can simply skip the upgrade like I am. If an expansion looks fun then I will consider it then or wait until they are discounted. I dont see what is controversial about the bundle especially if the expansions end up being $25 or $30 this time.
@Fishmasterflex96 I would worry the campaigns wouldnt have the legs to stand on their own as full releases. AAA, story-driven fps games arent the draw they once were (I wish they were).
This game clearly had some development issues. Despite all the companies issues, its hard to fault ubisoft for not funding yet another reboot for the project. Sometimes these things just dont work out.
@Fishmasterflex96 they would benefit from having multiplayer all in one place. As much as I hate the COD app, something like that is probably the best route. That way they can keep the whole community and content in one spot.
I still think they are starting on the wrong foot with the playstation release they chose. It will be a first impression for a lot of people and its missing arguably the biggest draw to Halo.
This is why leaving out the multiplayer component on the first playstation halo release is such a bad idea.
What will they accomplish by providing an updated version of a 8-10 hour fps campaign to a new audience? If it is anything like the other recent xbox remakes, it will look nice but still feel dated (and possibly have performance issues). Will playstation first timers come away from this with a thirst for more Halo?
A simple port of MCC or Infinite would go over much better with a new audience than just another halo1 campaign. I dont think Campaign Evolved will find much of an audience anywhere.
It does make the xbox store more appealing to me. It might not be at Steam's level yet but its up there. I think next gen will really bring this idea home and open up the possibilities with our xbox libraries.
Buying games for playstation and nintendo doesn't make much sense to me at the moment. I wouldn't even entertain the notion of getting a multiplat game on those platforms. Im not in the market for a game that can only be played on one device, possibly not even the next gen system from each.
Series x internal storage is usually about 60% full but also has a 2t hdd to transfer a few of the big dogs I go back to often like starfield, call of duty, master chief collection, flight sim, fallout76, etc.
Series s is usually about 40-50% with no extra storage.
I dont have any qualms about deleting games if I am not playing them regularly. It also helps that I have a ton of devices to spread out the games like ps5, handheld pcs and desktops (one of which that has over 30tb of storage and counting).
I dont use it as much as i should. There are games i want to play but i usually end up playing an owned game from the backlog instead. Thinking of canceling.
Jokes aside, I cant imagine playing a competitive shooter in handheld mode or with the joycon controllers but good luck to any who do. Will an NSO sub be required if its just Warzone? And will they be forced to endure the whole call of duty app if its content is just one game?
If it is vastly different than the other 2 heckblades then I think it needs to be a spinoff series instead of just HB3. Maybe the two series can run side by side.
1.Whatever the surprise is
2.Forza
3.Beast of reincarnation
4.Fable (dont want to see anymore until I have a controller in hand) (most excited to play but not to see)
For me this whole show rides on the mystery game. I have seen enough of Fable, I'm all in on that one and dont really want to learn too much more about it before playing it. Forza horizon is a known quantity and will be exactly what we expect it to be. Love the franchise but i know exactly what this game will be. Beast of reincarnation is not really something that interested me last time I saw it.
There are usually 4-5 games so I'm guessing there is still a surprise in store. I dont think an already announced game like gears or halo remastered would be a surprise appearance. Fallout makes the most sense but I guess we will see.
He also mentioned Ninja Theory's next game in a tweet. Saying they are going for a more traditional combat experience as opposed to the hellblade 1& 2 combat. He doesn't know if that game is hellblade 3 but expects it is.
If they wait too long for their pc console then steam machine will be out and following wave of 3rd party pc consoles might be opting for steamOS over windows.
They should at least partner with some 3rd party devices if we aren't going to get their next gen device any time soon.
He also has heard that Ninja Theory's next game will lean more into traditional combat gameplay instead of the Hellblade combat. Assumes that game is Hellblade 3 but not sure.
I would need to hear some details about what it can do but I am assuming the official xbox made console will be similar to the steam machine as a streamlined pc intended for the living room. In this case I would be willing to spend $800-$850. I would consider even higher prices if I am blown away by the reveal.
Ideally the xbox experience will be so pc oriented that it will be up to the user to choose the power level they want. If they want the official xbox device it will likely be a mid tier rig and consumers can decide if they want that or something better or more budget from other pre builds or self assembled rigs.
I think its the right path to go beyond the console. I hope we are still in the early stages of the plan and it will be greatly expanded on. I want it to get as close to perfect unity between xbox on console, pc, cloud. Everything available, everything playable.
I would release it shortly after it is completed and polished regardless of what month it is or what else is releasing.
If you try to get out the way of one specific game, you might end up against another unexpected smash hit. Have confidence in your product and release it when it is ready.
Its a good concept and I would much rather watch something like this than the game awards. But sadly, the gimmick of the awards will keep enough eyes on that show to attract the major games even if they do have to pay top dollar.
This show will probably be underwhelming compared to the major shows of the year but maybe it can eventually be a legit showcase.
I still prefer the all in one week method of e3 presentations.
Luckily nintendo will never be in a position to acquire xbox. I can't think of a worse company to run xbox than nintendo.
360, og xbox games and cloud saves would be locked behind a subscription and retro gen games would be the only games in the service. Garbage servers, garbage voice chat capabilities, gimmicky hardware, motion controls, etc. Instead of backward compatibility we would be expected to buy a re-release (likely not even enhanced or remastered) for full price. No more play anywhere and pc integration.
I cant think of a single positive to a hypothetical situation of nintendo owning xbox. A hyper focus on nostalgia based games but that would end up being a negative for me.
Wave your joycon in the air like you just don't care, maybe master chief will toss a grenade or something.
In xboxs case, they might want to move ahead with their next gen plans anyway. The shift to a pc based platform will be better the sooner they can get there. The steam machine and all the inevitable follow up "pc consoles" will be in the market soon. If xbox can't have their own physical box ready then they should at least have the pc app to a place where it is in its next gen state (full console library etc.).
Since hardware sales isn't really something xbox is concerned about, I think they can push ahead with the extra expensive box or just have the "next gen" app available on every other device until they are ready to release their own device.
If everything is an xbox then the plan shouldn't be held up by the actual xbox.
Jez has rephrased this as the xbox teams that would normally work on this are all hands on deck for other projects like gaming on windows and handhelds.
Ai in gaming will be like the steroids in the baseball hall of fame paradox. The ones that are known to be users will be ostracized while we pretend like its wasnt the vast majority of people using in that era.
I like how they say they would rather not have one than an ai made one. Its a sticker, you dont need to use it. Choose a different one.
This is a good use case for AI art. Pointless cosmetic item that the vast majority of players are not going to think twice about which one to roll with.
Comments 2,813
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Carmageddon: Rogue Shift
This looks like a future bargain bin pickup to me. This will probably be $4.99 in steam sales within a couple years. I can wait until then.
Re: Xbox Series S Owner Shows What Smoking, Dust And Dirt Can Do To Your Console
Smoking/vaping inside is a wild decision. Every electronic device in this guy's home looks like this.
Always ask to look inside a used console before purchasing one.
Re: Obsidian Says Two Of Its 2025 Titles Didn't Meet Sales Targets, Vows To Learn For The Future
Outer worlds 2 deserves more love. Incredible game.
Grounded 2 is great too but I haven't gotten to play it as much as I want to. I also really enjoyed Avowed, i am debating on a new game+ if i can find the time.
Maybe 3 major releases in 8 months was too many in too little time.
Re: These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass, Including Three Major Additions (February 5-17)
Avatar Frontiers of Pandora was unfairly brought down by the negative buzz around Ubisoft. That game is much better than the 72 it has on open critic (more like 87-89 IMO). I havent seen any of the movies and know nothing of the franchise other than this fantastic game.
It goes to show how bad the situation is at ubisoft, even when they release a great game, the bias against them will bring the game down. It would be great to see the game get a positive boost from gamepass.
Re: Talking Point: One Year Later, How Do You Feel About Xbox RPG Avowed?
I thought it was a really good game when I played it to completion at launch. I consider it a solid 85-90 score.
It does seem like a trend where the updates sound like really good improvements that I wish were there when I did my playthrough. But that's what I get for playing a game at launch.
Re: Pick One: What Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Addition In January 2026?
This was a great month. Easy A for me. RE Village would have been the highlight if I didnt own it/beat it already. Space Marine 2 and the Sims 1&2 are my picks.
Re: Xbox Series X|S Ranked 5th In List Of Platforms Developers Are Most Interested In
Steam deck and pc handhelds could probably be lumped into the pc category. Or the pc category should be broken into the actual pc platforms, steam/epic/gog/etc.
Re: Helldivers 2 Xbox Vs. PS5 Sales Data Shared As Game Reportedly Hits 20 Million Copies Sold
Sony leaders have surely noticed that boost. I still think it is very likely they pressure playstation leaders to go further into multiplat than they already have. I expect more switch and xbox ports in the future.
Re: Halo Space Mod Goes Viral, Dev Says They Tried To Pitch Something Similar To Microsoft
I haven't enjoyed too many AAA spaceship combat games I have played but maybe they could pull it off.
Speaking of Halo though, I got a chuckle when reading the latest Dan Brown novel, the secret of secrets. He referred to Halo as "the hugely popular computer game series." He went on to mention its religious undertones like the covenant so he must have researched it a little. The pc rebrand has already penetrated mainstream lol.
Re: Rumour: Xbox Might Be Planning A Second Developer Direct Showcase For 2026
It shows they have a ton of games near release. Their output is unmatched right now.
Hopefully they would be able to balance adding another show with the other shows without over showing games.
Re: In The US, 66% Of Xbox Series X|S Sales Were Digital-Only In 2025
As much as I enjoy collecting physical games, it really is the worst way to play games.
Xbox makes digital games way more appealing than physical with the play anywhere or cloud capabilities. It is creating a paradox where physical games are good for preservation but will also be much more challenging to access compared to our digital libraries.
I imagine nintendo will eventually change the cartridge shape/size and render backwards compatibility impossible for physical games on some future device. Digital switch games arent guaranteed to be compatible with future devices but more so than physical cartridges.
Re: Fable Likely To Be A Huge Hit On PS5 As Sony-Hosted Trailer Hits 1 Million Views
Xbox is the obvious choice for me with play anywhere. Hopefully the game reviews and sells well everywhere.
Re: Fable Could Finally Be Xbox's Big 'Game Of The Year' Contender, But There's One Problem
Since Outer Worlds 2 got no goty buzz, I am skeptical any xbox game will. OW2 was amazing. It is easily the best game i played last year and no one talked about it.
Re: Xbox Studios Boss Shares Update On Progress For State Of Decay 3
Apparently the game was delayed because xbox wanted to increase the budget substantially to make it a major release.
Re: Forza Horizon 6's Controversial Game Pass Upgrade Costs As Much As The Game Itself
Expansions for fh5 are $20 each so that is at least 2/3 of the price right there. Car packs, VIP pass, early access, etc are making up the rest of the cost.
If the value isn't there for you, then you can simply skip the upgrade like I am. If an expansion looks fun then I will consider it then or wait until they are discounted. I dont see what is controversial about the bundle especially if the expansions end up being $25 or $30 this time.
Re: Halo Studios Admits That The Series Needs A Bigger Playerbase As PS5 Community Awaits
@Fishmasterflex96 I would worry the campaigns wouldnt have the legs to stand on their own as full releases. AAA, story-driven fps games arent the draw they once were (I wish they were).
Re: Prince Of Persia Remake Team Shares Final Message Following Game's Cancellation
This game clearly had some development issues. Despite all the companies issues, its hard to fault ubisoft for not funding yet another reboot for the project. Sometimes these things just dont work out.
Re: Halo Studios Admits That The Series Needs A Bigger Playerbase As PS5 Community Awaits
@Fishmasterflex96 they would benefit from having multiplayer all in one place. As much as I hate the COD app, something like that is probably the best route. That way they can keep the whole community and content in one spot.
I still think they are starting on the wrong foot with the playstation release they chose. It will be a first impression for a lot of people and its missing arguably the biggest draw to Halo.
Re: Halo Studios Admits That The Series Needs A Bigger Playerbase As PS5 Community Awaits
This is why leaving out the multiplayer component on the first playstation halo release is such a bad idea.
What will they accomplish by providing an updated version of a 8-10 hour fps campaign to a new audience? If it is anything like the other recent xbox remakes, it will look nice but still feel dated (and possibly have performance issues). Will playstation first timers come away from this with a thirst for more Halo?
A simple port of MCC or Infinite would go over much better with a new audience than just another halo1 campaign. I dont think Campaign Evolved will find much of an audience anywhere.
Re: Xbox Reporter Says Bethesda's Fallout 3 & New Vegas Remasters 'Aren't Imminent'
They should at least officially announce they exist soon. Reveal in June seems likely, maybe its the mystery game on thursday.
Hopefully one of them releases later this year.
Re: Xbox Play Anywhere Is Convincing People To Buy Their Multiplatform Games On Xbox
It does make the xbox store more appealing to me. It might not be at Steam's level yet but its up there. I think next gen will really bring this idea home and open up the possibilities with our xbox libraries.
Buying games for playstation and nintendo doesn't make much sense to me at the moment. I wouldn't even entertain the notion of getting a multiplat game on those platforms. Im not in the market for a game that can only be played on one device, possibly not even the next gen system from each.
Re: 50 Backwards Compatible Xbox Games That Are 'Disc Only' In 2026
Emulation to the rescue
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (January 17-18)
Just finished Arise: A Simple Story. Its a very good indie title. Highly recommend but full price at $20 is a little steep. Its sale price is like $4.
Re: Talking Point: Xbox Series X|S Owners, How's Your Storage Looking In 2026?
Series x internal storage is usually about 60% full but also has a 2t hdd to transfer a few of the big dogs I go back to often like starfield, call of duty, master chief collection, flight sim, fallout76, etc.
Series s is usually about 40-50% with no extra storage.
I dont have any qualms about deleting games if I am not playing them regularly. It also helps that I have a ton of devices to spread out the games like ps5, handheld pcs and desktops (one of which that has over 30tb of storage and counting).
Re: Talking Point: How Do You Feel About Xbox Game Pass In 2026?
I dont use it as much as i should. There are games i want to play but i usually end up playing an owned game from the backlog instead. Thinking of canceling.
Re: Call Of Duty On Switch 2 Looks Imminent As 'Nintendo' Files Appear In COD App
Waggle both joycons to sprint.
Jokes aside, I cant imagine playing a competitive shooter in handheld mode or with the joycon controllers but good luck to any who do. Will an NSO sub be required if its just Warzone? And will they be forced to endure the whole call of duty app if its content is just one game?
Re: Fable Creator's 'Masters of Albion' Gets Official Release Date, But It's PC-Only At Launch
Im hoping for a pc gamepass deal on this one. I really want to try it but I dont know if I will pay top dollar for it. It looks promising.
Re: Rumour: Ninja Theory's 'Project: Mara' Was Just A Concept, Hellblade 3 Could Be Their Next Game
In a tweet he explained combat will be more like a traditional game in whatever this new game is.
https://x.com/i/status/2008601952075296778
If it is vastly different than the other 2 heckblades then I think it needs to be a spinoff series instead of just HB3. Maybe the two series can run side by side.
Re: Poll: In Order, Which Games Are You Most Excited For At The Xbox Developer Direct?
1.Whatever the surprise is
2.Forza
3.Beast of reincarnation
4.Fable (dont want to see anymore until I have a controller in hand) (most excited to play but not to see)
Re: Based On New Players, These Were The Top 5 Xbox Games Of Christmas And New Year
I tried monster train on GP over the holidays. Now I'm hooked and play both 1&2 regularly.
Re: Another Source Reveals What They Know About The 'Secret' Xbox Developer Direct Game
For me this whole show rides on the mystery game. I have seen enough of Fable, I'm all in on that one and dont really want to learn too much more about it before playing it. Forza horizon is a known quantity and will be exactly what we expect it to be. Love the franchise but i know exactly what this game will be. Beast of reincarnation is not really something that interested me last time I saw it.
Re: Phil Spencer Reveals 'Xbox 25' Logo And Shares Video Message Ahead Of Developer Direct
Apparently state of decay 3 is slated for 2027. There was a delay at some point when it was decided to increase the budget.
Re: Industry Insider Teases 'Secret' Fourth Game For The Xbox Developer Direct Showcase
I'm still guessing it will be fallout related just not shadow dropped.
I doubt they would make the surprise something that was already announced like gears e day or halo 1 remaster part deux.
Re: Xbox Developer Direct 2026 Showcase Gets Official Date Alongside Three Confirmed Games
Im surprised gears or halo were not confirmed.
There are usually 4-5 games so I'm guessing there is still a surprise in store. I dont think an already announced game like gears or halo remastered would be a surprise appearance. Fallout makes the most sense but I guess we will see.
Re: StarCraft, Wolfenstein 3 & Fallout New Vegas Remake Could All Be In The Works Over At Xbox
He also mentioned Ninja Theory's next game in a tweet. Saying they are going for a more traditional combat experience as opposed to the hellblade 1& 2 combat. He doesn't know if that game is hellblade 3 but expects it is.
https://x.com/i/status/2008601952075296778
Re: New Xbox Hardware Is Reportedly Set To Arrive In 2026
If they wait too long for their pc console then steam machine will be out and following wave of 3rd party pc consoles might be opting for steamOS over windows.
They should at least partner with some 3rd party devices if we aren't going to get their next gen device any time soon.
Re: Xbox Reporter Teases What Might Be Shown At Developer Direct, Including A Potential Surprise
He also has heard that Ninja Theory's next game will lean more into traditional combat gameplay instead of the Hellblade combat. Assumes that game is Hellblade 3 but not sure.
https://x.com/i/status/2008601952075296778
Re: Three Casual Xbox Games Arrived For 'Free' Over Christmas, Easy Achievements On Offer
All play anywhere titles too. My niece should love the puzzle and coloring games.
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your New Year's Resolutions For Gaming In 2026?
Play more retro titles.
Stop chasing the trending games.
Give critically panned games a chance.
Re: Xbox Developer Direct Has Always Had A Surprise, But What About January 2026's Showcase?
I am not expecting a true shadowdrop of a full game but I could see some sort of surprise fallout announcement or content drop for 76.
Re: Talking Point: How Much Would You Be Willing To Spend On The Next Xbox Console?
I would need to hear some details about what it can do but I am assuming the official xbox made console will be similar to the steam machine as a streamlined pc intended for the living room. In this case I would be willing to spend $800-$850. I would consider even higher prices if I am blown away by the reveal.
Ideally the xbox experience will be so pc oriented that it will be up to the user to choose the power level they want. If they want the official xbox device it will likely be a mid tier rig and consumers can decide if they want that or something better or more budget from other pre builds or self assembled rigs.
Re: Xbox Gives 'Huge Shoutout' To Obsidian For Their Multiple First-Party Releases In 2025
The outer worlds 2 is my game of the year. What a gem! I think i could make the argument that all 3 of their games made my top 5.
Its hard to top the year they had. I doubt we see another single developer have a year like this for a long time.
Re: A Year Later, Microsoft Remains Highly Committed To Its 'This Is An Xbox' Campaign
I think its the right path to go beyond the console. I hope we are still in the early stages of the plan and it will be greatly expanded on. I want it to get as close to perfect unity between xbox on console, pc, cloud. Everything available, everything playable.
Re: Talking Point: If You Were Releasing A Game, Which Month Of The Year Would You Pick?
I would release it shortly after it is completed and polished regardless of what month it is or what else is releasing.
If you try to get out the way of one specific game, you might end up against another unexpected smash hit. Have confidence in your product and release it when it is ready.
Re: The First Gaming Showcase Of 2026 Has Been Revealed, And It's As Soon As Next Week
Its a good concept and I would much rather watch something like this than the game awards. But sadly, the gimmick of the awards will keep enough eyes on that show to attract the major games even if they do have to pay top dollar.
This show will probably be underwhelming compared to the major shows of the year but maybe it can eventually be a legit showcase.
I still prefer the all in one week method of e3 presentations.
Re: 'Nintendo Buying Xbox' Begins Trending After Hoax Goes Viral On Social Media
Luckily nintendo will never be in a position to acquire xbox. I can't think of a worse company to run xbox than nintendo.
360, og xbox games and cloud saves would be locked behind a subscription and retro gen games would be the only games in the service. Garbage servers, garbage voice chat capabilities, gimmicky hardware, motion controls, etc. Instead of backward compatibility we would be expected to buy a re-release (likely not even enhanced or remastered) for full price. No more play anywhere and pc integration.
I cant think of a single positive to a hypothetical situation of nintendo owning xbox. A hyper focus on nostalgia based games but that would end up being a negative for me.
Wave your joycon in the air like you just don't care, maybe master chief will toss a grenade or something.
Re: Report: Xbox & PlayStation Could Delay Next-Gen Consoles Due To RAM Price Increases
In xboxs case, they might want to move ahead with their next gen plans anyway. The shift to a pc based platform will be better the sooner they can get there. The steam machine and all the inevitable follow up "pc consoles" will be in the market soon. If xbox can't have their own physical box ready then they should at least have the pc app to a place where it is in its next gen state (full console library etc.).
Since hardware sales isn't really something xbox is concerned about, I think they can push ahead with the extra expensive box or just have the "next gen" app available on every other device until they are ready to release their own device.
If everything is an xbox then the plan shouldn't be held up by the actual xbox.
Re: 'Xbox Wrapped' Ditched For 2025 Due To Ambitious 2026 Plans, Suggests Report
Jez has rephrased this as the xbox teams that would normally work on this are all hands on deck for other projects like gaming on windows and handhelds.
Re: Battlefield 6 Players Think They've Spotted Evidence Of AI-Generated Cosmetics
Ai in gaming will be like the steroids in the baseball hall of fame paradox. The ones that are known to be users will be ostracized while we pretend like its wasnt the vast majority of people using in that era.
Re: Battlefield 6 Players Think They've Spotted Evidence Of AI-Generated Cosmetics
I like how they say they would rather not have one than an ai made one. Its a sticker, you dont need to use it. Choose a different one.
This is a good use case for AI art. Pointless cosmetic item that the vast majority of players are not going to think twice about which one to roll with.