Bleachedsmiles

@BRT15 If this deal does go through, and assuming it goes through without MS ending up bending over and releasing all their games going forward as multiplatform, I honestly think we will see Sony partnering up for their PlayStation division and making big acquisitions of their own. And It makes all the sense in the world to do that with Google…not only allowing them access to Google’s wallet but also their, arguably, superior cloud infrastructure

@UltimateOtaku91 if this deal doesn’t go through you’d hope MS Xbox division would wake the hell up and start chasing marketing rights. Sonys cod marketing deal is going to be up for renew…if they don’t own activision then MS should ensure they win that next bid for marketing.
But Xbox continue to this day to drop the ball when it comes to marketing rights so I wouldn’t at all be surprised if the deal doesn’t go through and then we learn Sony have cods marketing secured for the remainder of this gen - meaning no cod day 1 on gamepass

MS would lose so much more than cod though if this deal doesn’t go through…cod isn’t even the main course for them in this deal…I don’t think a lot of gamers understand that. The mobile potential is what MS really want

@Banjo- It was truly awesome. To be fair a late part of that was because online gaming was so new…mics came with every 360 and we were all on them. And the community was more mature minded so there seemed to be less toxicity. So the nostalgia in me has fond memories of having awesome races with awesome people…playing one of the best looking games at the time. And it all simply worked.

If they brought it back now the reality is it would probably be riddled with microtransactions, broken lobbies, and a handful of people on mics…with the majority being annoying.
But… I’d still like to see them try.

@Banjo- yeah that’s a good point. With a series I just assumed car licences carried over..as the FH games seems to always have the same cars but add to them. I guess things can fall through the cracks though.

If they ever bring back PGR I honestly wouldn’t complain if they didn’t have real licensed cars tbh. I just want that track based arcade racer again with the easy and functional online. I just don’t have the patience for FHs online anymore.

Actually doesn’t look as bad as I was expecting visually…funny they say ‘fastest mission yet’ though as it looks like it will be too slow for anybody over the age of 5 wanting a mario kart like fix. Tempted to give it a go though with the gf who has the gaming skills of a 5 year old.

@Banjo- it will probably stay till the licences on the music expires. That’s the problem with racing and sports games. Probably the main reason we’ll never get PGR backwards compat because they can’t put it on the service…I wish they would just let those that own the disc play it though at least…I’d love to play that again

Shame to lose visage. Have it on ps5 and it’s a decent horror game that’s perfect for halloween…so it’s a shame they couldn’t have kept it till then and get more eyes on it

Personally, I hope the rewards page is on the list of ‘to fix’. It’s only a case of ‘pressing B’ but it gets annoying as hell when it’s regularly loading up broken links, or sending you back to bing again before you can collect your points. It should be more Intuitive.
Would also be nice if they added the rewards app to the gamepass mobile app too.

I mainly play single player but even with that quick resume often doesn’t work on certain first party games like halo…I definitely lost progress a few times there…where you can’t manually save and rely on autosaves. So fixing that isn’t exactly going to harm gamers regardless of if you play online or not

Perfect time for google to partner with Sony… that would make things very interesting

Heh so now we not only get less bad games but less games in general. Are we happy? Of course we are!

Stupid moving it further away from halloween than it’s original date. Hopefully it means they’ve something else to put on that week

Played through it day 1 on ps4 pro. And also played it on ps5. Always enjoyed the game…adore the world setting. Definitely has its short comings (don’t be expecting police chases, any real depth in choices), but is a fun game - particularly if you focus more on the side quests than the main story.

The biggest shame about this game is that the very first proper mission of the sp campaign really is the best and most polished part of the entire game… it’s basically the e3 demo, and really leaves you with an idea of just how awesome this game could have been if the same level of care was present throughout

@NEStalgia heh having it as part of a show for consecutive years isn’t exactly ‘marketing’…the message is still pretty limited to those that follow gaming. They already have us.

But I do think maybe a lot of Xbox lack of marketing outside of its own services and gaming media outlets probably does coincide with the fact they’ve had so little game wise to promote over the last god knows how many years now.
Their old marketing team have probably died of neglect. Shame, as when Xbox was outwardly hungry they produced some awesome ad campaigns that really did elevate their ip and console brand…gears of wars ‘mad world’ still sticks firmly in mind. And that whole ‘life’s short’ one was genuinely up there with 90’s PlayStation peak weirdness ads.

@fizban3332 it’s a hell of a lot cheaper too. Gets looked into less (so no hold ups there), and allows them to build more partnerships with Japanese devs. Xbox has loads of great existing ip they’re doing nothing with…from ip that’s already got decent profiles because of Nintendo - banjo, killer instinct. To games that could have had more legs - Jade empire.
Hell, they could do so much more with the halo universe. I’ve said a few times how I’d personally love a halo rpg. I think it could work really well…and Xbox have all the best wrpg developers.

@Gamingforlife Xbox have so many of their own studios right now…which they’re clearly struggling to manage as we’ve had hardly any out put from them in 5 years. Xbox still, with so many studios, living off a diet of Forza and halo.
The publishing buy outs they’ve bought and currently attempting to buy have all had their output so far tied to exclusivity and marketing deals with Sony…which is why since ms paid 7 billion for Bethesda Bethesda have released more games on PlayStation than Xbox. Bethesda no doubt still have future titles tied up with Sony (will you be surprised if Indiana jones is multiplat?). Activision/blizzard will still have marketing deals tied up with Sony - the next three cods will likely not come to gamepass day 1. 76 billion and they still can’t do what they want for another 3/4 years.

Now, in the long term these buys work out great for gamepass (which is what ms cares about…the console isn’t even in their future). In theory, just from the studios they already own 5 games a year should be plausible - they struggle to get out one game a year, so who knows how successful they’ll end up being at 5. Adding to that with more studios is no guarantee…as those studios/publishers will probably already have existing contracts with Sony…which is what we’re seeing. Just the marketing rights keep games off gamepass day 1.

So I think, till xbox is in a place where it can regularly consistently deliver with all the studios it currently has, it makes more sense spending their money on marketing rights to big 3rd party games. Marketing rights on Japanese games. And timed exclusivity. All of which guarantees gamepass day 1…than buying up yet another studio or publishing house that’s either got their hands tied up already or ends up being poorly managed and rarely delivering. Particularly if they wish to ‘strike while the irons hot’ in Japan and build upon their recent success

@Kaloudz yeah they most definitely see things like that. And they can get away with it with windows as it comes preinstalled on the vast majority of pcs…but gamepass…you have to wonder what the logic is there for only promoting gamepass games within gamepass…how does that get the casual gamer in who isn’t already part of gamepass and exists more in the actual world than on the internet?
The marketing issue I see as an extension to the poor management at Xbox. Xbox could buy up every publisher and still come last place because they are simply inept at managing their games and marketing them.

I do think you’re right though, once they have cod they’ll market that…but not to the extent sony has, not even to the extent they used to when they had a decent marketing team with the 360. And that will be what will end up resulting in future stories here of cod selling all time low etc…not because ‘Sony fanboys refuse to buy it’…that would make no difference. Cod is usually one of, if not the, best selling games each year…sony still market the hell out of it each and every year - promoting it on billboards, busses, train stations, cinema, tv, etc… I can’t see activision under Phil Spencer being that organised to be capable of marketing cod as effective as Sony.
It will be amazing for us already on gamepass to get cod day 1. But they have to get that message out that the alternative to get it is on gamepass day 1. I honestly can’t recall ever seeing a single advert for gamepass outside of the internet in the 5 or so years since it’s been available. I can’t recall the last time I saw an advert for an Xbox console. And can’t think of the last game I saw an ad campaign for that came from Xbox - outside of the internet.

@Agnostic yeah too much freedom and comfort actually stifles creativity. Where as limitations breeds it. MS really don’t need more studios they can’t manage…producing more games they can’t be arsed spending a marketing budget on. Especially not Japanese studios where they’ll inevitably be even more hands off to the point of being non existent till close to a supposed release date and inevitable delay.

Just spend that money on games that already have a clear vision. Buy the exclusivity…or secure the marketing. You can do this with multiple Japanese studios for multiple games, for less than it would probably cost to own another Japanese studio out right…and the benefits of that aren’t rocket science…so which ones you click with and produce the actual goods.

Don’t bother. Spend the money on getting a few exclusives and marketing deals like Sony do instead. So much easier and all the benefits… especially if you have those exclusives over a year

“Really proud of you obsidian… just not enough to spend any marketing money on your game”

Nothing about the single player campaign?

I hope once this goes through MS just do what Sony do and buy exclusivity to big 3rd party games and get the marketing rights to all the other big 3rd party games…and offer Xbox gamers exclusive content through having those marketing rights. So much easier. And we’ll all be happier. I mean what’s the real difference between say buying square as a publisher…or just securing exclusivity on all their big output? Other than one getting loads of hate and branded as bad for gaming?…even though one risks studios closing far more than the other…

@Dr_Luigi yep, I’d recommend anyone lay the extra and get a series x. I think the s has 500gb?…which you’ll probably get 400gb or less to play with. That’s really nothing. And the additional cost to expand that…like you say, may as well get a series x and get so much more. Funnily enough I’ve still not even tested the disc drive in my series x and I’ve had it for coming up to a year now.

If peoples budgets only stretch to a series s right now, I’d advise they stick with the Xbox one (assuming they’re already on Xbox) and just cloud stream till the big games actually come out. As, other than quality of life features like faster loading times and quick resume etc, nobody is really missing out on not having any of the ‘next gen’ consoles right now…there’s really nothing on them that stands out as ‘next gen’. There’s no real “wow this could not be done before” moments…or anything you’d get your mates round to show off the power of these machines. Nearly all games are still on previous gen.

@SinfulDestroyer Is an odd argument assuming people are so stupid they’ll buy into a platform they’ve zero interest in just because they can’t get a ps5…when the vast majority of games are still cross generation… hell, the vast majority of Japanese games coming to the Xbox have been on PlayStation consoles for generations already.

@BBB Hello oh holy righteous one…does getting games ‘do anything’ for you? More sales equals more investment which equals more games. ✌️

Also, I can’t stand the whole compartmentalising something to such a basic degrees as to proclaim these things are nothing more than ‘plastic boxes’ for people. It’s incredibly short sighted, and frankly lazy. Fanboys exist fundamentally for a reason beyond the product.

All these graphical options we’re getting this gen are already becoming really tiresome. 60fps mode and a 30fps mode is one thing…but 60 graphics focused and 60 frame are focused???? C’mon…just optimise the damn game instead of relying on all these graphical options so you don’t have to put the work in.

And what happened to the supposed ‘super resolution’ added to the Xbox versions so many Xbox centric channels were boasting about?

@Tharsman You can least get some resell value for that. There’s no reason Sony couldn’t have packaged in something in all territories. Hell it would have maybe even benefitted them putting a few months of extra or prime in the box…give people a taste and some would have no doubt subbed for longer

Also, they’re not selling the console at a loss anyway are they? They did it to remain in profit not take less of a loss

I imagine they got so far and left it to focus on the GAAS aspect…as that’s what will bring in the more money than giving us an option for the main campaign that should have been there at launch. Hopefully they’ll go back to it as it sounds like it really doesn’t need that much more work doing.

@NeoRatt Who said xbox haven’t been innovative???

Who said new ips are so much better than existing IPs?

Why people go off on little rants that have nothing to do with what they’re replying to I’ll never know…

Also, we’re in year 2 of this gen. Xbox game studios is still currently living off an ip diet they’ve been dining on for the past 3 generations…and you wanna call out Sony???

Heh innovate - building up new ip…by buying up all the old ones.

Phil Spencer really should just keep quiet over it all and let the lawyers work it out

A lot of people are now going up latch on to the ‘can never say never’…rather than the important part, and clear dig at Sony, “We think in a time where our customers are more economically challenged than ever, we don't think that would be the right move." That’s an important statement right there.

@UltimateOtaku91 the whole 3 year train is misleading. They have a guarantee of the next 5 iterations of cod…cod is skipping next year. So PlayStation are looking at only the possibility of cod not being on their platform day 1 in the year 2027/8? Basically the rest of this generation. Now why oh why would MS sign a contract for cod for this and next generation? When they then have no room to negotiate a new contract next gen…that would be pretty foolish. And wanting that ability to negotiate a new contract isn’t the same as wanting cod exclusivity next gen.
The way PlayStation guys are spinning it it reads like only the next 2 cods are coming out for PlayStation and then it’s exclusive.
Sony knows they’ll still be getting the game. What they don’t like is that they lose the marketing rights and it being on gamepass day 1.

Hopefully this goes to court. And if it does hopefully it will bring a light to other deals going on…to Sonys 3rd party deals that ensure exclusive content would be nice as that’s just as, if not more damaging.

@uptownsoul Trouble is when talking about value people tend to place personal value on it - which is subjective. I mean one person could love every single game that’s been put out on gamepass so far this year…one person could have only been interested in one game. This doesn’t remove the personal value either feels about the service.

What can’t be argued against though is that had the likes of starfield, red fall, stalker 2 hit gamepass this year it would have added more value to gamepass 2022…remove them then logically it removes value to gamepass 2022.

Next year we should (hopefully) see more day 1 AAA releases…amongst all the indies and 3rd party late comers.

@BAMozzy Gamepass had a few quiet months with no big AAA releases. And 9 months and counting with no first party releases at all. You can’t really complain that some people might have been (or still are) questioning gamepass’s value this year. And I’m sure MS knows nobody is a mind reader…that subscriptions survive month by month.

Solid C for me. I think it’s great xbox is finally getting some beat’em ups. Been starving - particularly the 2D ones.

I don’t think there were any new big reveals though that took my interest.
Deathloop finally coming to Xbox is good…no news on if it will have exclusive graphical updates yet though - weren’t these games supposed to look and play better on Xbox?

Heh mixed? It’s terrible. Designed just to push gamepass on to you. It’s very very off putting and not a good look.

@themightyant even Netflix is advertised everywhere though outside of just existing. In the last 10years I’ve certainly seen Netflix adverts. Netflix series on the side of buses, or on billboards.
Even Spotify…I see a link to Spotify now when sporting events or programs play a song.

Gamepass being used to tell us what games are on gamepass is fine for us…we’re already in. I doubt the average person walking down the street even knows what gamepass is let alone what games are on it. Just seems crazy to me. I can only put it down to Xbox not really having the games to advertise.

Either way, they’ve zero presence outside the internet. I go to places like smiths and they have a whole side dedicated to PlayStation…Game the PlayStation section is double.

How is the richest gaming platform in the world also the smallest least successful?…I firmly put it down to the marketing problem…I honestly can’t understand how it’s not been looked into (again another management problem). You’d think MS would be buying their presence in the mindshare as well as buying all these studios. Even Apple have their own dedicate stores…adverts constantly on tv for their products, products in movies, endorsed by celebrities etc
MS will end up with all the games and still be 3rd place.

I remember seeing this at the cinema…for all I know it was the last advert for anything xbox that I’ve seen at the cinema. Meanwhile I still till this day regularly see PlayStation ads before a movie.
Xbox marketing is so bad I’m honestly truly surprised they’re doing as well as they have. They haven’t even had much of a store presence for about 10 years…

It looks a complete and utter cluttered mess. I really hope it’s not like that when it arrives…keep content for things contained within their own apps ffs. Not everything out in just one mess at the front.

The ‘jump back in’ bar I’ve no problem with…but when he starts scrolling down it’s basically going through gamepass…without opening gamepass (which I guess is what they want).

Also, how’s this looking for people who don’t have gamepass?…I really hope gamepass content isn’t littering their home screen too

Looks decent - like a limited version of dreams within halo.
I dunno if I can be bothered learning it now though

@Balta666 That’s why I was thinking we could end up seeing that now as a stand-alone after the Witcher 4. I can’t see them doing a traditional sequel to this…but then years from now they’ll probably be more appetite for another cyberpunk as it still has plenty of potential

@Banjo- tbh I think the take on already charging for ‘packs’ in an early access f2p would be very different if it didn’t have Disney behind.
Which edition is gamepass giving access to? The review gives the impression paid content isn’t currently in the game.

@Balta666 That’s a shame if it is. That could have been interesting

@UndyingInsurgent95 That’s why MS have been distancing themselves from this a bit. It will be interesting to see if this and stalker 2 hit the same month next year…and what the reception is for both…and how MS push both via gamepass

How is paying for early access for a FREE TO PLAY GAME not a con for gamepass subs? Mind blown 🤯

@LoquaciousB Which devs/publishers have they been proven to pay to keep games off gamepass they don’t currently have a marketing deal with though? I’ve not found any… is it not reasonable that if you’ve a marketing deal with say capcom for RE8 not to allow it on gamepass whilst that marketing deal is still in contract? What sense would it make to pay to promote something that’s also on the competitors subscription day 1? That’s not shady, that’s common sense.

Yeah that’s disappointing…but pretty expected. Shame Xbox isn’t publishing it..hopefully the gamepass day 1 deal still stands

Let’s all hope this goes to court so we can see the skeletons in both companies closets. Because you know Sony doesn’t want that any more so than Xbox does

@UltimateOtaku91 3years…plus 2 outstanding years left on their marketing contracts where their principles is to have exclusive modes and content for their platform. So a 5 year contracted guarantee isn’t exactly terrible…worse case will probably be 6 years from now xbox gamers get dropped a bone and have a few exclusive timed modes. If cod proves to still be making money on PlayStation in 6 years time I can’t see Xbox pulling it from the console…it will gain gamepass subs in that time regardless

Multiplayer?…

Well what’s happening with cyberpunk multiplayer now? Maybe more chance of that will coming as a stand alone thing after Witcher 4 hits