Elbow

@GuyinPA75 Microsoft already closed their physical disc division. They officially threw in the towel on making discs earlier this year.

@GuyinPA75 While I did mean curse words and unflattering terms to refer to them, I know what you mean. Though I don't think it's that bad, I do know for every critical person there are people who think anything but positivity shouldn't be allowed. I think there needs to be some middle ground for both.

Despite not being that big a fan of survival games, I love this game to bits. I just wish they'd actually support the Xbox One version. It's absolutely unplayable.

And before you comment, they knowingly sold it to Xbox One owners at the start of this year and have hardly done anything to improve it. I own it on Steam, but that doesn't let them get away with a truly terrible console port.

Still, that said I'm looking forward to this update. Time to get the fuzzy menaces back to work on the factory lines!

Typically, I want large corporations to... well I can't say my true thoughts here or I'll get my comment removed/perhaps timed out from commenting. But my opinion is not very positive when they're rabbling at each other for money.

You have to download the Xbox app from Google Play so I already side with Google 's argument on this one. If the Xbox app was exclusively sideloaded, then I could see Xbox's argument.

What's wrong, Xbox? Does everything being an Xbox suddenly not look so rosy and shiny?

I bought lots of FF games, Kingdom Hearts collectio, and Crisis Core on Xbox just to support the Xbox getting those versions. I have a much more powerful PC but I put my money where my mouth is...

Right now I'm playing XIII, the remaster/remake of the original comic book FPS. Its... okay. It would've been better to just release the original version as a BC title instead. The original is still stunning, while this.. is competent.

I'm also playing No Straight Roads: Encore Edition (basically just the original game with improvements and extras). It's a 3rd person combat game about hijacking EDM concerts and bringing rock music back to the world. If you've played Hi-Fi Rush and enjoyed it, give this a look. NSR came out 4 years before Hi-Fi Rush was even a thing, and its awesome. The soundtrack is FANTASTIC.

Like seriously, if you liked HiFi at all, at least give NSR's trailer a watch. It's part Psychonauts, part Jet Set Radio, part angel soul.

I was really excited for these when it was first announced. I foolishly thought Microsoft might DO something with them, like in the 360 era. Not even close.

And then I was looking at what Nintendo was doing at the time with the Miis (the 3DS was still around at that point) and hoping Xbox was going to compete with that, and wow... my expectations were way too high for the absolute nothingness Xbox had planned with them.

@WildConcept6 Interesting! I was under the impression Sony had a lock on Spider Man in video games, seeing even how in the ill fated Avengers game he was a PlayStation exclusive. I thought that might somehow tie in to any release for the IP, which wouldn't surprise me if it would let them block Xbox bringing back old Acti games, considering Sony's giant hateboner for Xbox.

@shoeses You're right on WoS and EoT. I loved Web, Spidey's combat flow felt so good. That whole game was just an injection of everything I want out of a Spider Man game. Great combat, heavy doses of Venom, and insane replay value for the alternate endings.

My rant aside, I wholly agree. Especially with Reshelled being an odd amalgamation of new and old, bringing the 03 cast into things. It was stupid fun.

There's been so much smoke around these games that the fire has to be somewhere close. With Hasbro even saying they'd like to get the Transformers games out and available again.

I dont know how the Sony deal works. Would that impact older games like Shattered Dimensions getting a re-release, or could they get away with just having the original versions re-added to storefronts?

Still, I hope this paves a way for older TMNT games to return to storefronts. Turtles in Time Reshelled, while flawed, was still fun. And I need Mutants in Manhattan.

... I'll even take Out of the Shadows. Getting a bit desperate there but I hate that all these games were lost to time due to licensing.

(PS: Xbox you own both Bethesda and Acti, why is Wolfenstein 09 still MIA??)

Not bad. Seems to be a little smoother than the Bethesda jank I'm used to with a first to third person camera toggle. Need to get my hands on it to get a proper idea, but this is reassuring for a quick look.

@clnabhan It's also a bit of a forward thinking thing. Obviously right now it's just optional to use the ability to stream your library, and I hope it stays as just an optional choice... but Xbox directly stated years ago that their real competitor was Stadia. It got memory holed because of how fast Stadia imploded, but thinking forward to this future of "every screen is an Xbox", where it's streaming only, will it be a future where Xbox no longer makes hardware and stops supporting the old consoles? Where your digital library and content is only accessible via streaming, which is locked behind paying for GPU/a stream only tier?

The concern comes because this is something that has to be asked now, before it's too late. It might not happen 5 years from now, maybe 10, 11, or 12 years. But the concern is that theres a very clear goal they're aiming for, or could be, in how every screen is an Xbox and every users library is another way to generate monthly revenue. Pay to access what you've already purchased.

@Trmn8r This is a very fair point. And I still use Movies & TV. Downloading is still an option though, even when obvious caveats. It's still there, so I hope that will be a thing for games too.

I know I'm sounding giga-doomer just spouting the worst case scenario, it comes from a place of concern, not hate.

@Nenoeil You're right for the most part, but my specific argument was for the future. Ten years from now, what's it going to look like? Will I be able to still download games to an Xbox console or handheld, or will they have been phased out completely? Will future purchases after a certain date be cloud streaming only? OD is going to be the start of a precedent for Xbox, since it's a confirmed streaming only game.

Something I can do now, downloading a game I've purchased, may not even be possible. Accessing said games might be locked to streaming only, behind the Ultimate/streaming tier. So I'll have paid them just to pay them more, even though none of this was even a consideration for years. And yeah I get the argument "ten years is so far away, do you really care?"

Ferris Bueller is haunting my dreams because I still vividly remember summer nights in 2008 playing Gears with friends and smacking the side of my 360 to get it to read the disc. And life has already shot two decades ahead to digital libraries and discs no longer being a thing Xbox even produces for their consoles now.

@Utena-mobile I don't think the purchases will be twice. I think you'll have to keep paying monthly (or bimonthly or whatever plan you select etc) to access them. I don't remember how it worked for Stadia, I know you had to purchase the games but I don't know if they were held captive behind a monthly pay wall, too.

And the problem is that it's way too early to make claims, but it's so easy to see where this leads even a gaming journalist could immediately find it.

@Scirius I'm feeling very doomer today I admit. Saw the negatives instead of the positives immediately.

And this is how they will monetize your digital library. It'll be held hostage behind a monthly fee once they stop selling hardware, which is "no longer profitable" as they sell their games to other platforms.

If the plan wasn't so blatant I wouldn't be so bothered.

(This working is cool, but I immediately thought to where this will lead 10 years from now.)

@DonkeyKongBigBoy

lol. I unironically enjoy Garfield Kart.

I'm not a big racing fan. Kart racers are typically the beginning and end of where my vehicular interests lie. Would FH4 appeal to me in any way? I'm just weighing the options since I won't have another chance soon.

@UserTK-421 Uh, I'm not sure if you're aware but Overwatch 2 is free to play.. you don't even need gamepass to play online since it's a free2play game.

Woah. Wait a minute, Xbox allowed a game to be Series X only? Even temporarily? That's wild.

@Arcticpandapopz Unfortunately no. It's also on GamePass since it's a first-party Xbox exclusive... not that you'd know it. It was the first game that came out from their shopping spree six years ago, and they were eager to bury it.

Most likely, the community has withered up. I love the game but I probably cannot recommend buying it unless you know you have other friends who would also grab it to try some matches against each other.

I already own it but I'm glad more people are playing it. More eyes on Crash and Spyro hopefully leads to more Crash and Spyro games...

Isn't it crazy to think Xbox owns so much of the 3D platformer heavyweights? I seriously expect them just to randomly pick up Argonaut and Croc out of the blue just to spite the genre even more.

@smoreon I used to have a boxed copy of Conker. My brother took it and that was the last time I ever saw that. I remember getting Hydro Thunder through GWG years ago, but I will thank you for others who are unaware of the sacrifice! 😄

Oh man, to see Bleeding Edge on this sale list... I adored that game but it fizzled out SO fast. Microsoft was almost eager for it to die instead of nurturing it, it was exactly what they always try to get: Online multiplayer PvP.

Seeing the characters use the twitter-like app on the main menu after a patch and them talking in-character about the buff/nerfs or even the healer begging everyone to leave him alone only for every character to reply in a huge chain of "no" was great. Gah, I'm just venting now. Was a fun time.

Some of these sales are truly nuts, EA just tossing some of the Battlefield games for $1.99? Jeez

@Nintendo4Sonic I've been keeping an eye out for it on sale, but it's the weirdest thing. Microsoft just refuses to put some of their BC games on sale. Conker Reloaded and Blinx are a few examples. But I have that feeling that if I FINALLY just buy it, THEN they'll put it on sale. So I'm constantly thinking "just wait it out for one more sale..."

I remember really really wanting an Xbox as a kid... not for Halo. Blinx caught my eye. 😄

To this day I STILL haven't played Blinx, but I remember that strange childhood hype for it. Tabby cats, man. Love 'em.

@FraserG @Beetlebum91

Thank you! I wasn't home yesterday and had limited mobile access so I had a mini panic of "uh oh how long do I have??"

Much appreciated. Thank you both again!

Anyone know how long this sale runs? Unless I missed it but I double checked to be sure

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I mean with COD being 70 USD, that's a little under three months worth of gamepass ultimate. And with Xbox also adding extra tiers with bad naming and making it confusing, it's very easy to see PC players deciding its not worth the headache, plus they'll play it over the coming year to make the purchase worth it compared to subbing to gamepass monthly for the one game.

This can all be traced back to two core issues:

No games. This gen has only received Hi-Fi Rush, Starfield, Redfall and Pentament as true exclusives. At least they all started that way, and it took three years into the consoles life to reach that. There's some irony that Redfall will likely be the ONLY game that is Xbox exclusive by the end of this, which is amusingly prophetic. (I do not count Infinite or Grounded as they released on Xbox One)

#2: No one wants GamePass. Before you get mad, I'm not talking about us. I'm talking about rival platforms. Sony doesn't want it, Nintendo doesn't want it. That immediately put two giant holes in the Good Ship Gamepass, leaving them to lean towards mobile devices and PC/anywhere else they can advertise and sell gamepass subscriptions.

This plan will continue to lead towards an accelerated hardware death, but I guess that's what they want. The only problem I see is them getting enough gamepass subs from other areas, as their one-time target audience flees the sinking ship, to not only make up for the inevitable losses but INCREASE the numbers drastically.

I dunno. The big focus on mobile phones are an Xbox is stupid, but they clearly don't believe they can go the Nintendo route at this point of actually having exclusives to sell the hardware.

Oh boy these comments got passionate. I just want to see the combat improve. Her attacks looked and felt lifeless in the reveal gameplay.

Hoping that's been improved.

I remember seeing an ad in Modern Family with Phil (a character on the show, not Spencer) excitedly playing Halo MCC at one point. I don't know how or why MCC started so wrong but I'm glad they didn't just throw it aside and let it wither away. I'm really not even a Halo fan and I still ended up grabbing it on both PC and Xbox just because of how well supported the game has been.

For reasons I cannot fathom, Grove Street Games (previously War Drum Studios) have been given multiple opportunities and fumbled every port they've ever done to consoles. Every. One.

They were the ones that ported the absolutely atrocious GTA: SA port for Xbox 360. That alone blows my MIND on how exactly they landed the job of porting the entire trilogy. They were also guilty of porting a nearly unplayable, buggy and crash-happy version of Ghostbusters The Video Game from Wii to PS2 (the one with visuals based on the cartoon.) — and that has all the exact same Wardrum/Grove Street crashes and terrible porting work like all their other disasterpieces.

They have to have blackmail on someone at Take 2. I can't fathom why else the living embodiment of incompetency could get so many high-profile jobs.

Edit: I'm glad that apparently some other studio has taken the reigns on updating this game. Should've been that way from the start.

Faster than I expected for another Activision game! Which is a good thing. Still drip-feeding but the level above snails pace.

I get $50 off from $500 is a proper deal but those console prices are still eye watering! Also notable to remember this generation is in the declining stage of life and limping towards the end...

At least that's what I'm telling myself so I don't feel bad missing out.

@Lofty1985 I truly believe the plan is to add all, or as many, Activiion games to gamepass as possible. But not all at once.

Once quarterly, or every three months. Crash Trilogy earlier this year, COD now, something else probably in January/February.

d r i p f e e d

I stopped playing Darksiders 2 back in 2018 for a reason that I can't remember... so I started playing it again a few days back and just finished it up. Great game.

I've been playing Cat Quest 2 as well, silly little game that's way more charming than it has any right to be. Typically I'd probably have probably a few more games I'd be tackling at once, but eh. Way more relaxed weekend than normal for me. Cats 'n' the Reaper.

@Stoned_Patrol I genuinely think most people overlooked it because the initial showing was in that smaller window because they made the main showcase include the deaf/hard of hearing sign language translator. Harder to see unless you went back specifically to find the game itself in a later upload.

@jedinite I believe Sony is publishing DS2, so they're still funding it or at least involved in some meaningful way, so it's probably gonna be a good few years.

@Markatron84 It's the worst, but at least they're not restarting it for the Switch 2. I bet that caused a lot of the business side of the company to start frothing at the mouth and screaming in panic.

I just need to see that combat has been improved. It looked like the main character had all the weight and oomph of a plastic bag in a windstorm, the way her attacks kind of just... happened. That's the only concern I had with this game, but it's a major one.

I have no doubt it's all intentional dripfeed. Why drop everything in a giant flurry when they can glacially add things over years? Easy gamepass fodder plan, add a new permanent title to the service every quarter inbetween all the third party stuff, AND with the COD tax they just bolted on to the damn thing.

I assume it will eventually, there's without a doubt some timed period of exclusivity. Maybe two, three, or five years. With Sony, it could be longer than a normal year or two.

On the flipside, I think this confirms OD will also hit multiplat eventually. Less of a surprise there with Xbox as of late though. Only thing I wonder, if it gets a multiplat release on next gen consoles, will it still need to be "streaming only"?

@Markatron84 ROCK ON FOR THE MEGA SLUSH!

@UnusedBabyWipes I hope the Xbox hologram is Banjo-Kazooie doing the Talon Trot.

Did WB even really advertise the relaunch of MultiVersus? It kind of just came back with a tweet announcing the return and that was all. At least, that's all I saw and I was going out of my way to find out info on the return.

BTW: Put MEGAS XLR in the game and you're going to get me to unwisely dump tons of money in for it. Coop/Jamie/Kiva voice acting included. I've NEVER stopped loving that show.

There are some shockingly decent (and not common) games on deep discount here. I've had my eye on Violett, Hard Reset, Panzer Dragoon and Lone Wolf for awhile. And that's only listing particular games I spotted. This is so weird, in a good way.

I still have an Xbox One, havent made the next gen jump since this generation felt massively stagnant, but I agree the hype and buzz around the Series consoles (albeit there was some setback with the poor names that are easily confused with the One models...) felt like it was the Xbox 360 generation again for a short time.

We know how it turned out, turns out a slow trickle of games doesn't carry that kind of momentum. But it was a very cool period of time.

Pretty reassuring to see at least one Xbox dev not getting chopped down as of late, but they also make it sound like SoD3 has barely got off the ground...

It might just be the wording. I hope.

@themightyant I know both statements can be true at once and I don't doubt Prey (arkane) is good. I've heard a lot of praise for it, and it's something I plan to actually play someday. It's not a "I'll never play it" situation, just somr lingering annoyance at Bethesda being Bethesda