Comments 2,180

Re: Microsoft Is Seemingly Cutting Back On Its Quality Assurance Efforts With Xbox

GamingFan4Lyf

Not the team to cut when lack of QA has been a major concern with a lot of releases from Team Green.

I can’t believe 9000 people are being let go.

I had no animosity towards Microsoft when it let me go, but seeing yet another round of significant layoffs so quickly after a previous major workforce cut has me side-eying the company.

I now wish Microsoft never bothered with ABK as it seems to be finding some pretty [expletive] ways to recoup the cost.

Re: Nightdive Studios Teases 'Big Thing' Happening At QuakeCon 2025

GamingFan4Lyf

Is QuakeCon only focused on Quake or is it basically BethesdaCon at this point?

I’d like to see a Quake 4 Remastered. Not a fan of Quake 3 Arena - but I don’t like multiplayer games anymore.

Then again, what about Heretic, Hexen, etc.? They have kind of been “lost” to time as well.

Oh! What about the 2006 Prey since Bethesda does own the rights to it now.

Re: Multiple Final Fantasy Games Confirmed For Xbox, Including A Shadow Drop Today

GamingFan4Lyf

Well it’s about time!

I hope Xbox-only folks enjoy!

I liked Final Fantasy 16 - even if it plays more like a Platinum Games title than a Final Fantasy title.

Story is pretty good - dark, though still pretty typical Final Fantasy fare.

I felt like the language in the game was a little unnecessary and was added just to give it an M-rating (I don’t care about foul language - I have the mouth of a sailor…because I was one lol - it just felt…out of place).

Final Fantasy VII Remake is awesome. Has a more Kingdom Hearts feel to it and the combat has more depth than you may realize. Highly recommend that one (when it comes out) if you haven’t had the ability to play it elsewhere.

Re: Minecraft's New Graphics Upgrade Is Now Available On Xbox

GamingFan4Lyf

@RiverGenie Oh, I am not against this option at all!

Truth be told, I am not even a Minecraft fan. I did download it after I got my gaming PC back in August just so I could experience Minecraft RTX for myself for a few minutes as I think it’s the best way to show off what Path tracing actually does in games - or just a cool tool for demonstrating light behavior.

Re: Hands On: Oblivion Remastered Is Impressive, But There Are Some Performance Issues At Launch

GamingFan4Lyf

Played a few minutes last night on PC.

1440p/Ultra/DLSS Quality/Hardware Lumen

I haven’t gotten out of the sewers yet, but the framerate was running around 115fps and sometimes dipped into the 85fps territory in bigger sections.

Waiting to see how the open world sections fare - I look for the fps to tank to the 40s, but we’ll see.

Even still, nothing a DLSS setting change and frame generation can’t fix - well…hopefully anyways.

Really impressed with the Remaster so far. It’s also nice to see a Bethesda game ripped from its Gamebryo-based shackles!

Yes, I played the original version when it came out.

Re: Opinion: South Of Midnight Dev Could Become An Xbox Game Studios Gem

GamingFan4Lyf

Really digging South of Midnight.

I think what really surprised me was how it has an almost Disney-esque way of telling such tragic stories. I am early in the game, but it’s kind of a dark story, yet told in a very fairy tale way. Even the performances are very “Disney” in their delivery.

And the music is awesome! It’s whimsical and feels a part of the story itself, plus also just technically great.

It’s like finding that that one street performer while walking the streets of New Orleans who is just different from the other and shreds some crazy blues riffs on an acoustic guitar and draws a crowd because he/she is so cool.

Combat is decent enough, but exploration and finding all the little nooks and crannies is definitely more compelling - especially in such a beautifully detailed world.

Re: Phil Spencer Discusses Why Xbox Game Pass Isn't For Everyone These Days

GamingFan4Lyf

Once my Game Pass Ultimate subscription runs out next year, I won’t resubscribe.

Ever since I started working in an office again, my gaming time went from an hour per day during the week and a couple hour per day on weekends down to zero time on weekdays and a couple hours per day on weekends.

I have so much in the backlog now that I am not even buying games anymore since it will take me forever to finish what I have!

No sense in paying for a subscription I won’t use.

Re: Talking Point: Could Sony 'Block' PlayStation Games On An Xbox Handheld?

GamingFan4Lyf

It will depend on how “PC”these Xbox handhelds systems will be.

If it’s like a full-fat Windows running on the backend with a custom UI (think Big Picture Mode in Steam), then allowing Sony to block a game just because the plastic housing of this handheld PC says Xbox on it looks incredibly unlikely - and very petty on Sony’s part, really.

If it’s still very console-like in backend architecture that just happens to run Steam games via some kind of VM layer that can play approved PC games from Steam, then I can see Sony getting away with it.

Re: Talking Point: Which Steam Games Would You Want To Play On An Xbox Console?

GamingFan4Lyf

@LogicStrikesAgain Well there is no extra version to develop. Developers can test the PC version against the Xbox hardware and even have Xbox presets for the games (but still allow those who want to tweak to do so).

It essentially eliminates the whole “not worth porting to Xbox” problem since testing a PC build against a fixed hardware set is a lot easier than dealing with a whole separate version that may or may not get sales.

Re: Talking Point: Which Steam Games Would You Want To Play On An Xbox Console?

GamingFan4Lyf

@Dalamar73 I think you are kind of grouping all PC players into a fairly small bucket.

If Microsoft can make a console that plays PC games - even at just "console settings" - and can be affordable, it would be a huge draw for:

  • People looking to dip into the PC market but don't have the cash to buy a brand-new gaming PC because hardware is getting ridiculous in price
  • Those who may have old PCs and can't afford a new one because of ballooning PC hardware prices
  • Current Xbox console owners

Sure, the hardcore, emulation using, hardware updating, DRM-fighting PC gamers are probably not going to be swayed into a lower-spec machine that is more designed around couch play - they will continue to pay the premium price for the premium experience.

But the more budget-conscious PC gamers may see merit in what this accomplishes - especially if it has a great price to performance ratio.

The truth of the matter is, Microsoft can't "out console" PlayStation. They've tried for 2 generations now (well I guess 3 if you count OG Xbox, too) and the gap between Xbox and PlayStation continues to grow more and more in Sony's favor.

Microsoft HAS to take a different lane.

Microsoft can "out PC" Sony, though! And this potential future actually expands the market rather than continues courting the same people - who are very much jumping to PlayStation at the moment.

Re: Xbox Series X|S Sales Now Trailing Almost 20% Behind Xbox One In The US

GamingFan4Lyf

@HonestHick I agree.

I have no real issue with Windows - a lot of people seem to really have a problem with it, but maybe because the only thing I do on my home PC is game and browse the web, I just don’t really “use” Windows to hate it - if that makes sense.

Updates appear few and far between and I rarely see where I have to update upon shutdown or am told I need to reboot for whatever reason. The only driver updates I get are Nvidia drivers - and those are mainly just due to new game releases.

I also don’t necessarily praise Windows either. It’s just…there. Plus, if I want 100% compatibility for games across generations…there isn’t really any other choice.

I wouldn’t recommend Surface products solely because the price is too high for what you get. They aren’t bad, per se, just…expensive.

But, yeah, overall, it doesn’t feel like Microsoft really cares about putting out “great” products anymore as its main business feels more like being in the business rather than generating exciting products.

Don’t get me wrong, the games its put out are fun, but, the gaming part, up until recently, always felt separate from Microsoft proper.

Re: Xbox Series X|S Sales Now Trailing Almost 20% Behind Xbox One In The US

GamingFan4Lyf

@HonestHick Put enough hands in enough high-value cookie jars and you can be a trillionaire, too.

That’s ultimately how Microsoft gained its wealth.

Think about every company out there that uses Windows and Office products. Think about all the service contracts it has for technical support. Azure money is pretty lucrative. Consulting services. Research grants. Government contracts. Joint business ventures. Partnerships with NFL, NBA, NASCAR, etc. The list goes on.

Xbox is a tax write-off at this point.

Re: Talking Point: What Other Bethesda Remakes Would You Like Xbox To Greenlight?

GamingFan4Lyf

The original Prey is also available for free on myabandonware for PC people. Easy instructions on how to install it on modern platforms.

Classic game that sadly has been lost to the sands of time and can’t be bought anywhere (I bet the licensed music plus lack of interest probably prevents it from making a comeback).

It did some things with the Id Tech 4 engine that people didn’t even think possible. I want to say it used portals before Portal was a thing. Really a cool game! I bet any modern computer could run it at this point - even with just an iGPU.

Maybe Bethesda should look into the Daggerfall Unity project as a means of getting that game on consoles. I’m not a fan, but I am sure console players would love to try their hand at pre-Morrowind Elder Scrolls.

Re: Xbox Reporter 'Pretty Sure' New Console Is Set To Launch In 2027

GamingFan4Lyf

@Millionski Microsoft having a “baseline” set of hardware for a PC might prevent some of the issues you are talking about with PC ports.

Shader compilation wouldn’t be a problem because the package downloaded to a machine identified as an Xbox PC could come with all the shaders pre-compiled for the system.

Developers can thoroughly test the game against that set hardware to ensure performance is solid for that system as well.

Basically, it’s like a game getting Steam Deck Verified, but for a home console instead of a handheld.

As far as backward compatibility, Xbox essentially uses local Virtual Machine instances for everything anyways. So Microsoft could just make those work for PC.

Re: Xbox & PlayStation Owners Are Obsessed With Live Service Games Right Now

GamingFan4Lyf

@BAMozzy I think couch co-op is way different than online play. There is a sense of healthy competition and light jesting at each other.

I loved playing Super Street Fighter II tournaments with friends on SNES. Amazing memories.

I remember playing Smash and Goldeneye on N64 in college and having a blast.

Heck, I played Mortal Kombat in arcades with random strangers and it was awesome!

I just think the anonymity and lack of physical presence has really made people less capable of having healthy competitive behaviors.

Re: Xbox & PlayStation Owners Are Obsessed With Live Service Games Right Now

GamingFan4Lyf

@BacklogBrad I think more people are annoyed when publishers "chase trends" with Live Service games rather than try to come up with an original Live Service game.

Ever notice that the popular Live Service games actually had something unique about them when they first started?

Making another clone of something with a huge following isn't the answer.

Re: Xbox & PlayStation Owners Are Obsessed With Live Service Games Right Now

GamingFan4Lyf

@BAMozzy "Social games" - yeah...way to put a nice positive spin on what is essentially an enabler for toxic behavior. I have heard the social aspect of these games...it's pretty sad.

It's also sad that people don't take the time to invest in a single player game. I guess it's an age thing, but video games in the 90s were my books - especially since there was no voice acting. Games actually made me feel something. Discussing games was like being part of a book club. There was actual substance.

I feel like people are losing their ability to disconnect and enjoy a good story. All the kids want to do now is cause grief for other people and laugh about it on Discord.

PS: Get off my lawn!

Re: Xbox RPG Avowed Seemingly Sold Well Despite Being In Game Pass

GamingFan4Lyf

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I think it's a bad metric for a single player experience since there is no need to play the game during "peak hours". People just play it when they want to.

I normally don't get to game until like 9 or 10 at night - but I only play single player games and don't need a player count to enjoy the game.

But for a multi-player game, it's definitely concerning if the player counts are low.

I guess, in some ways, it's interesting to see if it's super popular for a snapshot in time, but I don't think it's any actual gauge of a single player game's success.

Then again, it also ignores the possibilities that the game is being played on other repositories/storefronts that it may be available (Epic, GOG, etc. - where applicable).

Re: Poll: Xbox Fans, What Review Score Would You Give Avowed So Far?

GamingFan4Lyf

I won't give it a review score based on the very limited game time I have had. Usually, I lose interest in these Western RPGs due to the games having a significant amount of distractions once you leave the "tutorial area".

If the game still stays very focused (with a few side quests here and there), then I'd give it an 8 or 9. But if things get too distracting, it's a 7 for me.

I prefer my games have like 80% focus on the main quest and 20% focus on side content. It feels like most Western RPGs are the reverse where most of the "fun" is the player having to go out and find it for themselves.

Re: Xbox Exec Thanks Fans For Helping Avowed Go Number 1 On Steam

GamingFan4Lyf

I'm glad that Avowed is seeming to be a hit with people.

I only got as far as finishing the "tutorial stage", but I am enjoying it so far. It seems to be "Skyrim Light": very dialed in, but still immersive.

I hope it stays that way, and the game doesn't throw a million distractions at me like other Western RPGs.

Re: Xbox's New Strategy Is 'Right' For The Business And Needs To Be Embraced, Says Former Exec

GamingFan4Lyf

It is a smart move for Microsoft.

Keep in mind that for all that “winning” Sony is having with hardware sales, the bloated cost of game development still forced Sony to branch out and have a PC strategy.

When the overwhelming majority of your console user base is playing Fortnite, [popular annual sports title], etc. one is kind of forced to supplement first-party development efforts by branching out said games elsewhere.

If development continues to inflate the way it is, platform exclusivity will disappear.