Kienda

Yes, this is 100% a Fable tease.

There is no question about it.

Final Fantasy 7: Remake

I’m a simple man.

@Rmg0731 I showed my 11 year old son all the games that were age appropriate for him.

His response to Foamstars:

“That’s a bad knock off Splatoon. I’m sticking with Splatoon.”

I’m intrigued by this.

Personally, I enjoy games with online elements.

Even if I don’t interact with other players just seeing them in a hub or whatever between levels or fighting some mobs in the same area as me actually adds a strong element of not feeling alone in a game world.

@Widey85 are you saying the CMA allowed a personal grievance to guide their decision?

I’m assuming Microsoft can make this thing go through in multiple ways. One might be a decision to hinder/reduce their current cloud plans in order to sure up their console market.

I’m assuming cloud right now, while corporately hyped to be the best thing ever, isn’t actually working in the real world. I mean, look at Stadia.

So if Microsoft makes a 10 year deal to put CoD on NVidia, will this solve the issue?

I’m just shocked that cloud gaming was the reason. It’s like the entire gaming community focused on Sony and consoles which the CMA didn’t see a problem with but blocked it on something few care about.

It’s kinda like the CMA is out of touch or something…

I’m not sure I trust Phil’s recommendations anymore.

The last game I played because of him was Vampire Survivors and I lost too much sleep being addicted to that thing that I had to delete it.

I’ll try this one with caution.

@xanderten50 regarding the SSD:

Really, it’s just a quality of life thing. Things load faster which means you jump into games quicker, by about 2 minutes in most titles. And that means everything loads quicker from first opening the game to all the loading screens in between. And that adds up to a lot of time saved over the year. Like 10-20 minutes a day saved loading times on average I would estimate.

Another thing is Series X also offers the quick resume feature meaning you can have multiple games open at the same time. Say you are playing a game but have to do a chore, you pause your game mid level, leave the console and your kids come and open a completely different game. It takes them 10 seconds to switch the game, they can play for a couple hours and then when you get back, within 10 seconds you go back to your game and unpause halfway through the level you were on. Or imagine playing a horror game that your kids can’t see. You could be mid level, they come home and you need to switch to a more kid friendly game. Just have two games open and in under 10 you’re playing a completely different level on another game.

It’s an insane feature when you think about it.

But again it’s just a QoL thing. Your current Xbox is not stopping you and your kids sharing a console. It just means when they want to play you shut down your game and then they load there’s and so forth. It takes longer and you lose the mid level progress.

It’s not a deal breaker and I downgraded from the Series X to the One X for financial reasons. But it’s definitely a nicer experience with loading times and switching between multiple games. The loading times make the most difference though.

@Darude84 thanks for the tip about PS Plus.

I agree that the subscription services have become great value for money on both consoles. I know some people don’t like them, and I personally still love my physical game collection, but to be able to pay a fraction of the cost of a full priced game each month and have access to hundreds of titles and new ones each month is such great value. Budget gamers can finally keep up with everyone.

My main console is an Xbox One X.

I actually had a launch Series X but sold it last Christmas as we had some family things happen and I had to sell stuff to generate finances to cover that. I ended up selling my Series X, PS4 and PS5.

Now I’m down to just the Xbox One X (90% of my time) and a Nintendo Switch (10% of my time). My kids have a Series S and Switch.

Things I miss about my Series X:

1. 60fps

This for me was an insanely good upgrade to so many games. It made a lot of the Xbox One games I enjoy far more enjoyable and I’ve actually held off on a few games until I can afford a Series X again. Also playing older games that are now 60fps and visually upgraded was amazing. I miss that.

2. Backwards Compatibility

One of the things Xbox did far better than PlayStation this time round was the backwards comparability. I bought some original Xbox and 360 games when I had the Series X and many have the upgrade. I can’t play all of them on my One X.

3. Loading Times

This is only a minor thing relatively, but it makes a big difference for us gaming Dads. Being able to load into a game in seconds and flick between a few games was great. My wife works nights to I cook often for me and the kids. Being able to put something in the oven, load up a game and play, and quick resume etc was a massive bonus. Can’t do that so easily now I have the One X.

4. All the games natively

As said before having all games playable on one console is great. Not only backwards compatability but Series X/S exclusives also without having to use cloud.

Things I love about my Xbox One X:

1. It still allows for 4K gaming

Okay, the CPU isn’t up to scratch and it can’t do better than 30fps on most games, but it still has fairly good visuals on most newer releases. And the Xbox One games that are enhanced are fantastic on the console.

2. Cloud versions of Series games

Caveat: I’m not into cloud gaming. I want to play them natively with responsive controls and the best visuals and frame rates. Having said that…

Even though I’m stuck in the old gen, I haven’t felt completely left behind because so many of the games have cloud versions I can play. Even if it is just to dabble in until I get the complete experience in the future. Xbox have done great at giving all of us access to all their games.

3. Xbox Game Pass

I know it is on both generations, but I have to praise this. Because of our financial struggles, game pass just made the most sense. I had prepaid until 2024 using a special discount so I’m effectively gaming for free right now on my One X and getting brand new games to play all the time. It’s the best value and the reason I sold both my PlayStations and kept an Xbox.

Final Thoughts:

I’m a firm believer that you can have a great gaming experience with whatever console you have (PlayStation, Xbox or Switch) and I am still having a blast on my Xbox One X.

I would say Xbox gamers on the old gen are in a far better position than PlayStation. Microsoft has made sure we are not totally left behind. We can play most new games through Cloud. We haven’t had issues where DLC is only for new gen (like with FF7:Remake and Horizon Forbidden West not doing DLC for the PS4 version which is shameful in my opinion). So in all, we are not in a bad position. Saying that, I still want to upgrade, I just can’t afford it right now. Hehe

Well, whoever is to blame this hurts me.

I would only need an Xbox if Square Enix released all the Final Fantasy games on Xbox. Hell, I would even be okay if they just released all the FF7 games only.

Unfortunately, I’m still stuck between a rock and hard place and whoever is at fault, it seems none of them care enough about us gamers who are the ones who ultimately lose out to this kind of thing.

Crimson Sea

It was an Xbox exclusive back in 2002 for the original Xbox and so the licensing should already be there. They just need to upscale the textures and maybe tweak the controls a bit.

This will likely be taken as another reason for people to bash the Series S.

In reality, this is just about optimisation. And some of the complaints about the game are apparent on both Xbox consoles. But let’s be real, this isn’t Cyberpunk levels of brokenness. Just needs a few tweaks.

Despite all that, Wild Hearts looks great though. So I hope they fix it up soon.

Great review and I’m sure this game will be bringing the magic to many Potter fans lives. It really looks like the best experience of the Harry Potter universe that you can get in a game.

However, as I said on Push Square, it’s a shame that these publications have taken a side on this issue. This controversy has been blown out of proportion.

@Serpentes420 the difference is that I can still play the single player campaign in old CoD games. But Knockiut City will now be just a disc with nothing on it.

I guess it will be the same when they shut down Overwatch, Destiny and so forth, but those games had a much longer lifespan and are still playable today so it doesn’t feel like a rip off.

@EliJapan I agree. I think there are going to be a lot of disappointed kids out there over this.

@Dezzy70 I don’t think you are right at all.

I’m in the UK and have kids at school. Xbox Series S is the way to go for a cheap Fortnite/Roblox/Minecraft console for many parents. Those three games still dominate the classroom and Roblox isn’t on PlayStation or Switch.

Of course there are a lot of kids with Switches and many with PlayStation, but you’ll be surprised that Xbox isn’t being blown away by the competition. It’s competing.

This is not the same as last gen. Xbox has had some missteps but the current situation is strong and the future is bright.

I mean, when a company can make profits every year and invest $64 billion to buy another company, it is not like they can’t afford to keep these staff. So Microsoft doesn’t get sympathy from me on this (regardless of reasons).

Large tech layoffs are a common thing though. They also highlight economic downturns. So prepare for the worst.

I think it’s a good list of “Xboxy” games which are perfect for people who are brand new to Xbox as it has the mainline franchises.

But I have to be honest, I personally only enjoy Forza Horizon and Halo on this list.

I think you could have gotten away doing a list of 10 games and had more variety in the types of games to appeal to more people.

Merry Christmas everyone at PureXbox (readers and staff).

Let’s hope we all have a fantastic year of Xbox gaming in 2023.

Also, Craig is a great addition to the PureXbox team.

The ones I have most enjoyed:

Ni No Kuni
Slime Rancher 2
Assassin’s Creed Origin
Mass Effect Trilogy
Tinykin

The whole situation around FF7:R not coming to Xbox has really soured my view on Sony and Square Enix.

We just want clarification. Tell us if it is coming or not. At least treat us with some dignity rather than stringing us along.

I love that franchise and wanted it on every platform, including Xbox. But if they aren’t bringing it, the least they can do is tell us. And I say that as someone who already platinums FF7:R on my PS4.

Personally, I’ve now sold my PS4 and PS5 and bought a gaming PC instead. That, along with my Xbox and Switch, will suffice until Sony get their act together. They’re really making missteps in my mind recently.

Final Fantasy VII (7) and the Remake are my all time favourites. I hope they come to Xbox one day.

FF12 is also a fantastic game and I have a soft spot for all the PS1 Final Fantasy games (7, 8 and 9).

I love this series and just wish Square Enix would respect its Xbox fanbase.

@Tharsman I like your idea for the date change and the fact I’m not the only one who thinks about how they do these things.

I always wanted Metroid Prime to be announced with Reggie standing on a Wii Board and being asked, “is your body ready?”

And he replies, “No, my body is Primed!”

I cannot wait for all this to be over. All it has done is delayed Xbox gamers having access to more games on Game Pass when we know it should have gone through a long time ago.

A great selection of games.

My kids will love LEGO Star Wars and Hotwheels Unleashed.

I’m going to be High on Life over Christmas.

@JayJ you “feel no rush” which is why you have a “Need for Speed”!

I’ll see myself out…

Personally, I think Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation should have cross platform peripherals.

They all say they care about the environment so help us cross platform gamers save on plastic.

I don’t think Phil needs to worry about Twitter going anywhere and if he really thinks that it is a bit naive of him.

The media hysteria and everyone making mastodon accounts and talking about “the end of Twitter” is just really stupid.

Twitter isn’t going anywhere. Despite the layoffs, it is still going to function perfectly fine. All social media platforms are purging staff. Facebook fired more people than Twitter and its share prices have plummeted. No media hysteria there though.

Twitter is growing in popularity. Musk didn’t spend all that money to kill it off, he’s not as radical as is being made out.

Twitter also isn’t full of hate speech now Musk owns it. I mean, most of social media appears angry to me. And Twitter is full of absolute statements that people make and try and be controversial/unique. But I haven’t noticed any changes in my feed from the usual video games, comedy and inspiration that I always get. With careful tuning, you can ensure your feed is full of the stuff you like.

So yeah, let’s not get all crazy. If Mastadon works for Phil, that’s great, I’m in marketing and diversity is strength and all, but if he left Twitter it would be naive, foolish or politically driven. And none of those is a good look.

The problem is they promised this feature and then dropped it with a low key announcement months after the game was released.

It should have launched with the game, just as the campaign should have launched at the same time as the multiplayer.

The development of this game clearly had issues. The game has suffered because of the developers and they need to do better in the future because this is Xbox’s flagship game.

I’d discard that 1/5 review as click bait.

It’s pretentious and written like someone trying to be cool by being controversial.

There is more talk about the reviewer themselves and their reaction and emotions than the actual game (at least in the first few paragraphs). They’re putting themselves ahead of the game they are reviewing and doing a disservice to both.

I put 7/10 in the poll but really I’m hoping for 9/10.

Sonic deserves a decent game.

@JON22 @SacredPYRO I used to love Legend of Mir and Myth of Soma (to a lesser degree) and couldn’t believe it as a kid when it made it onto TV. Hehe.

I played on the Phoenix server on Mir 2 and I think Gelu on Mir 3 and even now occasionally play on private servers of Mir 2 and 3.

Great times.

Gears of War Ultimate Edition on PC Game Pass.

I owned the original on Xbox 360 but never finished the campaign. I’m terrible at first person shooters on controller so I just couldn’t stick to it. I’m really enjoying the game so far. Especially with the updated visuals and playing at 120fps is great on a 2K monitor is great.

The 73% number just sounds like a random corporately produced number.

I work in marketing and have advised multiple companies. You will be surprised how many times CEOs just pull random numbers out of their backsides and then put heavy pressure on their teams to achieve these wild targets.

A lot of my job is managing the expectations of people who have no idea how these things work.

Obviously it depends on how much Microsoft spent on their marketing and what the return on investment was but 28% seems like a decent result in a tough year and there are tons of factors that affect this.

I have personally foregone playing certain games because I was waiting to play their 60fps versions.

This was especially true when the Series X came out with all the 60fps boosts. I waited until I got the X before playing a number of games just because I wanted the increased frame rate.

I’m not going to be playing this game. I have a gaming PC but out of principle I’m skipping this because I wanted it physical on the Xbox but can’t stand 30 fps.

Ni No Kuni for me and Slime Rancher 2 for the kids.

We have a whole day of gaming today so couldn’t be happier. Even brought an extra TV and monitor from other parts of the house, along with their Xboxes, so we are all playing in the lounge together while staying in our pyjamas.

Game Pass for me is a big money saver so I never buy games that are already on it.

If I had more money, I would love to buy physical copies of games I love to support the developers. But I’m not in that position.

@Kaloudz it’s hard to say. But when our websites at work have been attacked we have to limit the data that can be sent back and forth to customers. So our website goes slow for a few days/hours until the attack is resolved.

I’d imagine on an online game that is streaming data between the user and servers would have major impacts because of this far more than a simple website.

A good looking month so far, especially for fans of medieval fantasy.

I’m looking forward to Chivalry 2 the most.

@EliSweetG you don’t have to like boxing to understand there is strategy and nuance to the sport.

Even discounted they are still insanely expensive.

Xbox made record profits this year but now are giving customers half the amount of games for the same price.

Not a good look in my opinion.

Personally, I don’t want them to scrap Games with Gold. I want them to improve the offerings and strengthen the service.

This does the opposite.

@JaneBear yeah, I know there are fanboys on here but Push Square fanatics take it beyond that. They just want to cheer their side without using their brains.

I own all three consoles and a gaming PC. I simply love gaming. I don’t need any brain dead fanboy nonsense, but I still like to stir things up even if I’m outnumbered over there.

@Dezzy70 we all leave tracks on the internet. A VPN doesn’t hide your activity, it disassociates it from you. But your activity is still leaving footprints out there.

An elite hacker would have a better way of going undetected. But clearly there are limits.

Also, this kid released the data wanting payback. He tried to ransom it, released videos for clout etc. It becomes a lot harder to hide then.

The advert clearly shows the person selecting different colours of the same items, so it is probably just an artistic expression.

They likely just spray painted a Series X for the purpose of the ad and didn’t consult Xbox about it.

Yeah, I stopped buying B&Js after all their political nonsense.

Keep it off my Xbox, even if it is just a placement image.

Slime Rancher 2 this week is gonna blow my kids minds.

My son once had a Slime Rancher themed Birthday party that’s how much they love the franchise.

I can’t wait to install it for them on 22nd and see their faces when they get home from school.

They have no idea!

@armondo36 yes, I 100% agree.

Square Enix screwed PS4 owners when they didn’t release the Yuffi DLC on there even though that fanbase funded the game. They forced people to buy a PS5 to play it.

They also screwed the Xbox crowd, first by not releasing it initially and second by stringing us along. They didn’t need to stay quiet like this. It just adds insult to injury.

I think all companies need to be more open and honest to their customers.

Final Fantasy 14, 16 and the 7 Remakes are all needed on Xbox.

It really sucks that Square Enix didn’t just make all these titles multi platform from the start. And it sucks even harder that they have kept Xbox gamers in the dark about 7R after all these years.

I really hope people give this game a go. First off, I want people to enjoy the wonderful world of Ni No Kuni.

Secondly, I hope a high number playing this game will show Phil that we need more games like this on Xbox. We need the variety.