JayJ

There's actually people who still want this?!

Weren't they also supposedly coming out with a new standard controller with haptic features as well?

@Rodimusprime13 Yeah I think the occasional movie perks are the only decent ones most of the time and they also seem to be regionally exclusive. Too often the DLC will be for some game I will never play.

Based upon everything I've heard I just don't see the point in this when I already got a Steam Deck.

Feels like IGN has become the downfall of Hookshot media, it's all competing for attention and audience within the same company now and IGN is simply the big corporate behemoth with all the support from corporate. A real David vs Goliath situation when it comes to the internal politics I imagine.

@IOI Yeah I'm getting that feeling as well, especially since their new handheld they've been talking about will only be compatible with play anywhere. The future of Xbox consoles isn't looking good.

@abirazor Yeah that would be nice but it doesn't seem like they care about that anymore, they would rather focus on things like streaming and AI.

Oh exactly what I wanted from my gaming experience, more AI and smartphone integration.

So it's subscription and cloud based gaming? That's a real deal breaker.

Could gaming? No thanks, instant deal breaker. Absolutely no purpose in having a dedicated handheld for that when my phone can do that just fine.

I'm pressing X for doubt.

Nope. This gen has basically ruined my desire for next gen consoles going forward. I am just going to build a good gaming PC whenever my Series X and PS5 are getting too old by the sound of things. Xbox won't even have any real exclusives anymore anyways. Their entire plan going forward seems to revolve around services and I am tired of dealing with services and paying for them. To top it off Microsoft just isn't making nearly as good of games as they used to IMO. Time to move on I guess, wish it didn't have to be this way but Xbox is going in the direction they're going in and I guess I will just go in my own direction as a result.

After a generation like this I think I'm over consoles for the most part.

PC gaming wasn't nearly as good in the 360 generation for porting console games. I think a lot of people forget how long PC gaming went without standardized controller support.

Putting a screen on a controller always seems like a bad idea, especially if it's wireless. That and does this wireless tech even work natively with Xbox like the standard controllers?

Honestly I would much rather just buy a design labs Elite controller and call it a day if I'm going to spend this kind of money. If I really want some pro gamer spec controller I would just buy one of those custom controllers where they modify a standard official controller, lots of companies do that now.

@Skedaddle Sure dude whatever you want to think lol

This is still arguably the best theme park game.

I got no hype for this.

I think Avowed flopping has a lot to do with this. Probably changing the direction a bit.

I feel like Xbox has become terribly mismanaged in recent years

I have a hard time believing they would do a good job with that.

I wouldn't trust critic reviews on a game like this.

Based on what I've seen this looks like a poor man's Skyrim.

Sounds awful.

Didn't this studio change the lead around to suit some ideal? Can't say I have any excitement about this one.

I was disappointed in it. Loved all the past games in the franchise but this one felt like the weakest. It's the only one I don't care about owning, after playing through it on Gamepass I was glad to be past it.

Good, I am planning on just sticking to PC gaming once this gen is over. Done with consoles after this outside of Switch 2, but that's looking like sort of an odd between generations console sort of like a Dreamcast only it's a Switch.

I picked up the original on sale and I didn't like it at all, seems to go in the wrong direction for what I would want in a medieval action RPG game setting. It just takes it's self too seriously and feels too needlessly slow and punishing to play. So definitely not buying the sequel as sure it's better in some areas but still essentially the same game.

@Scrubchub I probably have a 2003 backlog somewhere.

@Isolte Luckily I picked up the original on sale as I saw this game getting hyped. I'll give that a go and see if these games are for me but so far they sound a bit too difficult and time consuming for my taste.

Really having my doubts now about this game. Oh well, there's plenty of other games to play.

@NattyKing "High-end console" is redundant when gaming PC's exist. Consoles are going to be low cost alternatives to a gaming PC.

@Isolte I think Microsoft has been trying to make Xbox and PC gaming basically the same thing. Turning Xbox into a 3'rd party publisher is a big part of that, and I think the Xbox hardware will just be an alternative to a gaming PC. It seems like traditional consoles just aren't what they used to be anyways.

I think The Show 22 was the best one this gen and they only seem to be getting worse. The Show has the same problem I got with most big sports franchises these days, too much needless bloat. These games don't need to be over 100GB.

For me Sniper Elite basically replaced the Metal Gear games when it comes to stealth action. They just play so well and somewhat similar IMO. Love the franchise.

Series S was always a great idea, could never understand what some people have against it. Like oh boo hoo devs have to make games that can run on lower spec hardware, sounds like every PC game ever.

This game has definitely improved dramatically since it launched, I've been enjoying it as a Forza Horizon alternative.

Console sales were notably down all over last year. Not a good year for the gaming industry.

Wow, finally, another ski game. It's rare to see something that isn't yet another soulslike action RPG

Reminds me of the Halo controller S I got with my Halo edition original Xbox way back.

THPS 3-4 remastered needs to happen!

Happy New Year everyone!

Thanks, almost forgot why I stopped listening to industry "analysts" and "experts." What a joke, so out of touch.

let me guess, lots of "influencers" got one.

Honestly I think this will be the last generation I will really care to be a part of. I haven't been happy with the direction the industry has been headed in for about the past decade and this gen has just been a joke, both Sony and Microsoft can't seem to produce anything in the way of exclusives I could care about, and I can't think of anything outside of Nintendo that appeals to me that I can't get on PC.

@JustinTimberlake Never been a fan of their hardcore difficulty-only approach. The whole "git gud skill issue" thing just doesn't do anything for me. I don't care if I'm good at their games or not, because they never really grab my interest. Worlds are just boring IMO, no real life to them, you just have to kill everything you come across. Difficult boss fighting just isn't my thing either, never liked the repetition and having to slowly hack away at something. I just won't touch anything they make anymore and I won't trust any praise for their games either. One of those developers that has a strong fanboy backing by hardcore gamers so they really get pushed on people on gaming sites and their fans can get really aggressive about their games.

Been saying it for a long time, people need to get over this old primitive concept of consoles being these standout stand-alone platforms. Xbox is truly becoming the PC of consoles in a sense where it's not trying to be restricted to one hardware maker or a specific console. I think this could end up being the biggest advantage for Xbox, it's just going to be a far more open, accessible, and standardized means to playing video games.

Very cool article, I do love the FH4 map and the game is still one of the best games ever made IMO and exactly the sort of thing that has kept me interested in video games all these days.

One thing I really loved about FH4 was the seasons, each season feeling and looking very distinctive. In FH5 the seasons mean little more than just "raining more often" and the occasional rain/sand storm.

@xxk7xx Agreed.

The Series S is a criminally underrated console and it does serve as a good point for playing games on a handheld.