@Banjo- Like it or not, this is pretty poor on their part to leave fans hanging for almost 5 years and now there's no guarantee they will ever finish the story. That's just not something you should do in any form of media, let alone with fans of one of Xbox's most iconic franchises.
I know they technically said they aren't abandoning it, but at the same time, what happens if the prequel does well and they decide to focus on that instead?
As a big Gears fan, unlike a lot of people on here, I'm pretty pissed. Whether you liked 5 or not, it still left the story open for one more. Almost 5 years later and there's no sequel in sight. Pretty frustrating for people who actually liked 4 and 5 that are waiting on the sequel all of these years. If it was a flop, I'd understand better, but not finishing the story is pretty ridiculous.
Please God no. There's no reason for everything to go open world. It's nice to have alternatives like the Resident Evil series. Otherwise things would get really boring. At least a couple of the remakes are better than a lot of the open world games. Capcom has already proven they can't optimize an open world current gen game either, so the less they make the better.
@GrumpyDev Agreed. This is bad and quite obvious. There's no reason why PlayStation is mentioned in the headline. This is specifically about Bungie, who is still multiplatform btw, so taking a stab at the fact that they are a PlayStation owned studio was completely unnecessary and everybody already knows they are owned by them.
It's not like Microsoft/Xbox has been immune to the layoffs, btw...
Honestly you should already be able to attach external disc drives to the Series S. Just because you bought a cheap system doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to use any discs on it. The only issue if they would release one themselves eventually would be how much cheaper the Series S with a disc drive would be than just getting the Series X.
@Kidfried Couldn't agree more. It's idiotic, especially in this case, that Push Square gets called out for an 8/10 when literally the review listed right underneath it is also an 8/10. I'm late to the "party" so to speak, so I'll leave it at that.
I look forward to playing this at some point though on PS5. It won't be now as I'm already in the middle of another game, but I'm glad to see it turned out to be really good.
Some interesting stuff there, but more behind the scenes stuff rather than extended gameplay of Hellblade 2 is extremely disappointing and potentially borderline useless. I like watching behind the scenes stuff... after I've watched a movie or played a game.
It's absurd how long it's taken for them to even get into early production. I don't give them leeway as it's been too long to only be at that point in the game's development. They did release the Hivebusters DLC and ported Gears 5 to the Series consoles, but that was well over 2 years ago. They should have already been developing Gears 6 alongside that, and I don't even consider waiting for Unreal Engine 5 as an excuse. If Gears 5 had just recently come out and they knew Unreal Engine 5 was coming out shortly after, then sure, but this is just simply ridiculous. It better be a damn good game when it does finally come out.
I know this could be considered to be over the top, but I don't think I'm out of line for thinking them not doing anything development wise for Gears 6 for 3-4 years is ridiculous.
@XBOT Way behind in sales against the competition, major exclusives being pretty dry overall this generation aside from a handful so far, certain studios struggling to keep talent and get development on track (The Initiative being a prime example), and the Redfall debacle. I agree that they have had a few pretty solid indie style titles too, but there should be more major exclusives well before now.
My original comment was just an honest question with the fact that things have been a bit of a struggle so far. Not even meant to be taken as a fanboy comment trying to start an argument, but that seems to be what people have taken it. I even acknowledged that there's a chance things could be finally coming around with Starfield coming, but whatever. Everything's been great I guess even though it has not been. Again, not saying it won't be starting with Starfield, but it hasn't been smooth sailing so far either.
@Ep_13 They are a distant third and have struggled with 1st party output overall for another console generation. Things do look like they will finally get better starting with Starfield, but that is what I meant by struggles.
I understand that this was bound to happen someday, but is Xbox really in a position to do things like this right now given their continued struggles this generation? Maybe next year if Starfield and some other games finally get them on the right track, but oh well I guess.
@Hellostranger Nah. Even though I said it jokingly, everything I said isn't a lie either. This is all BS just to try to get the deal to be approved. At this point, it just needs to be done and over with regardless of the outcome.
It's amazing that a studio as large as Bethesda can't even make two games at once, no matter how big the games are. The fact that this is still at least 5 years away is absurd.
Will it be an Xbox exclusive? Little doubt, as anything Phil has said this week about not knowing what platforms certain games would be on is complete BS just to try to get the FTC to approve the buyout. "I swear I have no idea what platforms these Xbox exclusives, I mean these games, will come out on. Can I get a redo for my lies, I mean my statement?"
Sorry, still don't feel sorry for them. Not defending Sony, but the real reason Xbox is so far behind is Microsoft. If they didn't just sit back and let all of their momentum during the Xbox 360 generation evaporate by relying on a handful of series and ignoring mostly anything else they wouldn't be in this mess.
Finger point all you want, Microsoft, you are still not the victim unless the other person staring back at you is yourself.
To add it to multiplayer but not single player makes no sense. Multiplayer should be more demanding than single player, but what do I know I guess. Not a big deal overall, but it's another in a long line of puzzling things from 343.
@BAMozzy It has been at an enjoyable state ever since the Series X/PS5 versions finally were released. The new gen versions made a huge difference from the launch versions on their own. Obviously everybody is different, but when I played it on PS5, it was highly enjoyable and well worth waiting on that version. Games of this size are always going to have lengthy patch notes for most of the time they are supported.
Like @themightyant said though, if you've waited this long, you might as well wait until the DLC drops with even more changes.
@Fiendish-Beaver Makes sense as something to tide you over, especially since we literally have no idea when Gears 6 will ever come out. It'd be different if we had a general idea of a year, but not even that.
Hopefully they announce it at some point, maybe even later in the year at non-Xbox show like the already mentioned Gamescon. I have no problem with them saving it for then if they actually had to for one reason or another.
The controllers looks awesome. If my Series X was my main console, I'd probably order one of these at some point.
The Series X controllers already had grips on the side of the controller and on the shoulder buttons to an extent. Does this have even more of a grip than that does, @PJOReilly?
@Fiendish-Beaver While I would love 1 and 3 for sure (I don't care about a remaster trilogy, but cool if people do), them releasing Gears 6 is a must. It literally is given how Gears 5 ends, but the lack of any hint of it is annoying. It's easily my favorite Xbox series of all time, so it is disappointing to continue year after year without anything about it. Even just acknowledging that they are working on it would be nice.
I'd love another Gears Tactics as well as I loved that game, but obviously Gears 6 is priority #1 for me.
Am I the only one to remember that they said here that the show itself would be 90 minutes and then the Starfield Direct would start? It was only an hour and then it went into the Starfielf Direct.
Will it be awesome? Who knows. Does it need to at least be pretty good? Yes, at this point Xbox needs to have some substantial forward momentum that won't only last them a few months. Fumble another showcase and I think a portion of the fanbase that hasn't already given up will.
Not trying to crap on Xbox fans and even Xbox really, but this generation has been pretty rough for the brand overall, so they need to turn things around for good and it should start tomorrow.
@Krzzystuff Way to state the obvious that they will have the best show of the 3. The bar is low, kind of like your humor when we used to have a chat group on Xbox.
@Fiendish-Beaver Just remap the buttons. I know somebody said it makes it even more confusing, but it really doesn't if your muscle memory is so used to them the "normal" way. I basically never look down at any controller to see what button I am pressing.
A big problem I have with Breath of the Wild though isn't the button layout. It's the convoluted controls, which is one of several reasons I dropped the game and will never finish it. Things like choosing weapons and ammo for them could be much simpler.
If I'm going to be picky, the video title and some of the selections don't match up. Tears of the Kingdom is not classic Zelda, so classic Zelda "clones" shouldn't really apply. Obviously Immortals Fenyx Rising is a lot like Breath of the Wild, and I can even see a few of the other choices even loosely, but several of the games are nothing like Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Zelda.
Not looking to argue or anything. Just, like I said, being picky.
It's absurd that it's taken this long to only just be starting making the game. It'd be different if it was one of these games that didn't really need a sequel, but they still have to finish the story given how Gears 5 ends. To barely have started the next required installment 4 years later is pathetic. If all of the rumors and everything are true of course.
@DNortonX But what about the decade plus time of Microsoft sitting there doing basically nothing with exclusives, putting themselves in this position?
I'm not saying stuff like this is right for Xbox fans, but like others have said, this particular instance is likely because Netflix owns them and xCloud is a competitor.
That's good, but they also need to overall the Achievements. Besides the fact that the game squares/tiles are still not in 4K even after the 4K update to the dashboard last year, the listing of them is a complete mess. You have DLC mixed in with the regular achievements. They should just copy Sony and the PS5, where the trophies are listed in a very clean way with DLC usually separated from the main game trophies. Keep the progression tracking for achievements though, something that is really hit and miss on the PS5 sadly.
There'd be no excuse at this point if Starfield didn't have both modes given how long it's been in development and the delays there have been. I'm not excusing them for Redfall really, but at least that hasn't been in development for so long or have as many delays as Starfield. I know this is a really ambitious game, but there are plenty of other games that release with both modes at launch.
Technically this wouldn't be on Microsoft, except for the decision to not delay them in order to have them finished, as these are both Bethesda games that were in development before they were bought. Still, it would be a bad look for the start of their supposed big turnaround with exclusives.
@BAMozzy I responded before reading the article today about Quantum Break returning soon, so I will edit out most of my reply, but leave this...
Clarification that no Xbox exclusive will ever leave Game Pass came directly from Major Nelson 5 years ago. To anybody thinking it's a myth, it is not.
@BAMozzy A game isn't taking up space for something else as they technically can have as many games as they want. They've also said that exclusives are supposed to stay on there forever, outside of games that have license issues like Forza. There's always new subscribers and such that haven't played a lot of the games, so even if it's old and you've played it years ago, there's people out there that haven't. That's why there's a point to always keep their games on there, even if they are old. Once again besides the fact that they promised they would.
As for Quantum Break though, there could be a legitimate reason like a licensing issue or that Remedy bought the rights back from Microsoft. Or it could be an error. We'll see, but to excuse them for removing it otherwise would be pretty ridiculous.
Not being a fanboy, but it's still funny how they are using how horribly they are doing and have run their video game division for all these years to try to get their massive acquisition approved. There should be no sympathy for the fact that PlayStation as a whole has been run so much better than Xbox, and that is why the market share and amount of exclusives is so much better. Not that Xbox is a victim or anything.
Not knocking the game itself obviously, but the reason why the upgrade is so cheap is because it's just cosmetic items. If it was anything more substantial, it wouldn't be that cheap.
@MrList I wouldn't go that far. You are still getting to play the best versions of the games available on Xbox. Some games on the Series S aren't even as good as they were on the Xbox One X. Not knocking the Series S, but you still did fine getting the Series X even if you don't get to use the drive as much as you thought you would.
@NarutosBiggestFan Not at all. They should improve upon it. It's a very popular mode. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's not or that it should be removed.
As long as they made the MyGM mode deeper this time around, then I'll consider getting this at some point. Add the other titles and the ability to do more match types (triple thread, even mixed tags, etc.) and that will go a long way to improving the mode. The option to play against somebody else online in MyGM mode along with the already there couch co-op would be great too.
C, and that's only because of the hardware and then the software features (FPS Boost, Quick Resume, etc.). It's been a borderline abysmal generation for Xbox Game Studios, so in a way I could have graded it even lower, but it's not the hardware or the tech team's fault that they weren't prepared for yet another generation. Hopefully things really do finally change in 2023 like they should though.
How Cyberpunk 2077 didn't even make the list is beyond me. It's laughable that a CoD game made it on the list over that, and obviously other games as well.
I'm not saying it has happened, but if it has undersold, the release date doesn't help. Even though it didn't live up to expectations, obviously people were going to buy The Callisto Protocol over a Need of Speed game. Unbound does seem to be a nice return to form, but still, they couldn't have picked a worse release date for it. On top of that, they didn't send out early review codes so the reviews could have built up some hype.
This is laughable. I know some have defended them or tried to explain it so to speak, but it's still laughable. At the end of the day, the lack of exclusives in comparison isn't because Sony is buying up that many developers. They've bought some, but nothing like buying the amount of developers and games that buying ZeniMax and Activision/Blizzard gives you. It's because Microsoft has been absolutely inept in that area ever since roughly late in the Xbox 360 generation. If they had put in the effort to continue to make sure their output was respectable rather than just blindly relying on Halo, Gears, Forza, and even Call of Duty, then maybe they wouldn't be in this position where they feel they have to buy up huge companies just to cover up their mistakes from over a decade of bad management.
They've made some really weak arguments during this whole process of buying Activision, but this is likely the worst one yet. It just highlights their own failures, not a reason to support them buying huge companies. Those numbers are amazingly skewed too. They should focus on actually working on improving the Xbox brand, not constantly crying about people being opposed to them buying up huge companies to make up for their failures.
@NeoRatt I'm not saying they won't ship them on PlayStation. I'm just saying it's possible, even if it is slim. Just because Activision made them multiplatform doesn't mean the new owner has to abide. Diablo 4 will likely be out before then, but regardless, it hypothetically could happen if a game was set to come out after the acquisition was finalized. Again, I do believe it's a slim chance, but they could argue that there's a chance regardless. Personally, I think those will stay multiplatform, but I'm not arguing their case.
It's all subjective. CoD is crap in plenty of people's minds, mine included. The campaigns are good, but the multiplayer hasn't been for a long time. That obviously hasn't stopped them from being so popular, and that is why it would be horrible for any competitor to lose the series at any point in the future. It's also why just saying that they could make a better shooter isn't a real solution as I say good luck to anybody making an FPS on console that can ever approach their level of popularity since CoD has reached the point where it's so mainstream with the general public that they would buy it if it was Captain Price wiping his butt in the middle of a field. Killzone and Resistance are just examples I used given that they are the only established options Sony use unless they created some completely new FPS IP.
Once again, Destiny is still multiplatform. It will not be exclusive to PlayStation. They've already said that when the acquisition was announced. Sure, they could change their mind years down the road, but so could Microsoft. You also completely ignored everything besides the largest developer they bought, which was solely to help them launch their live service game initiative, not to make exclusives. Everybody else they have bought have been small developers that at the time probably only made one game at a time, not a group of large developers that make several games. Some of those being some of the biggest games in the industry.
@NeoRatt Once again, those games don't apply. No ship date for Crash means it could very well end up being exclusive if Microsoft decides to make it so. That actually hurts your argument that it comes out after the deal may be official, as it leaves the possibility that Microsoft could change their mind when they actually take over. I'm not saying they will, but just because certain games are currently multiplatform does not mean they have to stay that way if Microsoft decides to change things once they finally get in the driver's seat after the deal is made official (if it does become official).
Better doesn't always mean more successful. Killzone and Resistance, especially new versions, could very well be better. It doesn't mean they'll sell anywhere near as many copies on PS5 or PS6 as CoD since it's quite possibly the most popular franchise in gaming right now.
Small indie studios at the time, especially in comparison to Activision, are a lot different than one of (if not) the largest publishers in the world. Some of the franchises they have are enjoyed by millions and millions of people, while Insomniac as an example released games that would have sold far less at the time. That means it effects far less people that buying a mega company like Activision and making those games exclusive. Also, Destiny isn't exclusive to PlayStation. It's still multiplatform, which they said when the deal was announced.
It's not like Sony bought that many studios, so if Xbox is playing catchup, it's because they epically failed on the first party front with the studios they already had aside from a few games. It's not like Xbox just had a few studios at the time.
@NeoRatt Those games don't apply aside from CoD. Technically Microsoft doesn't own Activision yet, so if the deal would go through before release (I don't see how at this rate), they could pull the plug on all other releases of the games. I'm not saying they will, but it could happen in theory.
As for Call of Duty, as long as Sony agrees to the 10 year agreement, then that stays. Who's to say Microsoft will extend the offer after those 10 years though? Again, just theoretical.
Personally I'm not on one side or the other. I could care less as Activision has one active franchise I care about off the top of my head, and that's Diablo.
@Blessed_Koz Them breaking the contracts for Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo would have made them look pretty bad. It could very well have hurt them even worse than them backtracking on what they initially said about Bethesda games, and we all know how important them buying Activision is to them. It's actually coming off as more important than games, their fanbase, and even just the brand itself.
I'm getting off track here though, so I will just end it by saying those were the last two Bethesda games they had a contract with Sony for. Any games moving forward will be exclusive to Game Pass, I mean Xbox if they choose to do so (and it seems like they will for the most part).
@bjs5667 I'm no expert either, but I would imagine it would have at least hurt them now with the whole Activision buyout. Them going back on what they initially said about Bethesda games seems to be something the FTC has really latched on to, so them doing that would have given them even more ammunition.
Still, focusing just on Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, they did the right thing. Their pro-consumer image that they had prior to these buyouts and fumbling of their own first party catalog would have been pretty tarnished, and that was basically all they had to work with other than the tremendous value of Game Pass. This isn't me dissing Xbox. It's just a fact at least until 2023, and I have a Series X.
@bjs5667 I'm not going to get into the whole argument, but in regards to them letting PlayStation still have Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, they pretty much had to. Bethesda had already signed a deal with Sony to have those be exclusive to the PS5 for a year before they got acquired by Microsoft.
At this point, I honestly don't care. If it goes through, it goes through. If it doesn't, great. If only they could just deal with it and then it'd be over and one with.
I'd have less of an issue with them revoking this if they did it right away (or close to it). They had to have known this happened that day since they changed the price back to normal, but they let people keep it and use it for about a week before fixing their mistake. Normally I would say that it was such a ridiculous deal that people should have expected it to be revoked, but it took them too long to do it.
I didn't take advantage of it since I was at work when it happened, and I'm not exactly going to be up in arms about it, but the fact that it took them so long is pretty stupid.
@Kaloudz That's if you have good internet. If you are stuck with DSL, that will take almost a full day to download. That's not the only problem though. This happens at least once a CoD game now for Xbox players, and there's no excuse why CoD games are so big to begin with.
@MagicCat True, that did happen once for Valhalla, but that was also to basically redo the game code or whatever to make the game smaller and run better. This is not that kind of an update, so there's no excuse for it, especially when it happens with almost every CoD game at least once on Xbox nowadays.
There's 6 tiles in the new UI in the video, not 5. The UI that only had 5 in the video was a concept from a fan, not the actual one in the image for the article or most of the video.
It's not the end of the world, but I'm not sure why they are removing one. As much as I hate the UI team for the PS5, leaving issues that have been there since launch with no indication of fixing them and a lot of changes actually making things look or function worse, at least they added more tiles in an update earlier this year.
Honestly, from what I've seen so far I'd rather just keep what we already have on the Series X. They've been making small improvements to it, but this would be quite a step in the other direction imo. They could just make everything 4K (the tiles in the achievements section still never got that treatment) and even redo the way achievements are displayed (make it more like what PlayStation does with their trophies section on PS5), and they would have a really good UI. Still cluttered, but good otherwise.
@Clankylad They have done it with Stray, but that's it so far. Maybe now that a lot of games are coming starting now and going well into the first quarter of next year they can do more. Who knows, but yeah, they should definitely do more Day 1 drops on there like they did with Stray, even if they stick with indies more than anything else. We'll see how it goes I guess.
PS Plus Extra has been fairly solid so far regardless though. It's Premium that's been an absolute joke. The new PS Plus would probably be getting more positive feedback from everybody if Premium didn't exist.
Who really cares? Unless we actually get something substantial, a likely old screenshot is meaningless. Microsoft has been virtually silent about all of their major exclusives for months now aside from maybe one or two. Makes you wonder how many are even coming out next year other than Redfall and Starfield.
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Re: Gears Of War: E-Day Dev Is 'Not Retreating' From The Modern Gears Saga
@Banjo- Like it or not, this is pretty poor on their part to leave fans hanging for almost 5 years and now there's no guarantee they will ever finish the story. That's just not something you should do in any form of media, let alone with fans of one of Xbox's most iconic franchises.
I know they technically said they aren't abandoning it, but at the same time, what happens if the prequel does well and they decide to focus on that instead?
Re: 'Gears Of War: E-Day' Is The Next Instalment In Xbox's Famous Franchise
As a big Gears fan, unlike a lot of people on here, I'm pretty pissed. Whether you liked 5 or not, it still left the story open for one more. Almost 5 years later and there's no sequel in sight. Pretty frustrating for people who actually liked 4 and 5 that are waiting on the sequel all of these years. If it was a flop, I'd understand better, but not finishing the story is pretty ridiculous.
Re: Rumour: Resident Evil 9 Could Go Open World Thanks To Dragon's Dogma 2
Please God no. There's no reason for everything to go open world. It's nice to have alternatives like the Resident Evil series. Otherwise things would get really boring. At least a couple of the remakes are better than a lot of the open world games. Capcom has already proven they can't optimize an open world current gen game either, so the less they make the better.
Re: PlayStation Studio Bungie Knows It's 'Lost' A Lot Of The Destiny 2 Community's Trust
@GrumpyDev Agreed. This is bad and quite obvious. There's no reason why PlayStation is mentioned in the headline. This is specifically about Bungie, who is still multiplatform btw, so taking a stab at the fact that they are a PlayStation owned studio was completely unnecessary and everybody already knows they are owned by them.
It's not like Microsoft/Xbox has been immune to the layoffs, btw...
Re: Talking Point: Would You Like A Detachable Disc Drive For Xbox Series S?
Honestly you should already be able to attach external disc drives to the Series S. Just because you bought a cheap system doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to use any discs on it. The only issue if they would release one themselves eventually would be how much cheaper the Series S with a disc drive would be than just getting the Series X.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Title 'Sea Of Stars' Is Getting Absolutely Incredible Reviews
@Kidfried Couldn't agree more. It's idiotic, especially in this case, that Push Square gets called out for an 8/10 when literally the review listed right underneath it is also an 8/10. I'm late to the "party" so to speak, so I'll leave it at that.
I look forward to playing this at some point though on PS5. It won't be now as I'm already in the middle of another game, but I'm glad to see it turned out to be really good.
Re: Xbox Reveals Full Gamescom 2023 Livestream Schedule
Some interesting stuff there, but more behind the scenes stuff rather than extended gameplay of Hellblade 2 is extremely disappointing and potentially borderline useless. I like watching behind the scenes stuff... after I've watched a movie or played a game.
Re: Talking Point: After Almost Four Years, We're Starting To Miss Gears
It's absurd how long it's taken for them to even get into early production. I don't give them leeway as it's been too long to only be at that point in the game's development. They did release the Hivebusters DLC and ported Gears 5 to the Series consoles, but that was well over 2 years ago. They should have already been developing Gears 6 alongside that, and I don't even consider waiting for Unreal Engine 5 as an excuse. If Gears 5 had just recently come out and they knew Unreal Engine 5 was coming out shortly after, then sure, but this is just simply ridiculous. It better be a damn good game when it does finally come out.
I know this could be considered to be over the top, but I don't think I'm out of line for thinking them not doing anything development wise for Gears 6 for 3-4 years is ridiculous.
Re: The Xbox Live Gold To Game Pass 'Conversion Ratio' Has Gotten Worse
@XBOT Way behind in sales against the competition, major exclusives being pretty dry overall this generation aside from a handful so far, certain studios struggling to keep talent and get development on track (The Initiative being a prime example), and the Redfall debacle. I agree that they have had a few pretty solid indie style titles too, but there should be more major exclusives well before now.
My original comment was just an honest question with the fact that things have been a bit of a struggle so far. Not even meant to be taken as a fanboy comment trying to start an argument, but that seems to be what people have taken it. I even acknowledged that there's a chance things could be finally coming around with Starfield coming, but whatever. Everything's been great I guess even though it has not been. Again, not saying it won't be starting with Starfield, but it hasn't been smooth sailing so far either.
Re: The Xbox Live Gold To Game Pass 'Conversion Ratio' Has Gotten Worse
@Ep_13 They are a distant third and have struggled with 1st party output overall for another console generation. Things do look like they will finally get better starting with Starfield, but that is what I meant by struggles.
Re: The Xbox Live Gold To Game Pass 'Conversion Ratio' Has Gotten Worse
I understand that this was bound to happen someday, but is Xbox really in a position to do things like this right now given their continued struggles this generation? Maybe next year if Starfield and some other games finally get them on the right track, but oh well I guess.
Re: The Elder Scrolls 6 Is At Least 'Five-Plus Years Away', Platforms Still TBD
@Hellostranger Nah. Even though I said it jokingly, everything I said isn't a lie either. This is all BS just to try to get the deal to be approved. At this point, it just needs to be done and over with regardless of the outcome.
Re: The Elder Scrolls 6 Is At Least 'Five-Plus Years Away', Platforms Still TBD
It's amazing that a studio as large as Bethesda can't even make two games at once, no matter how big the games are. The fact that this is still at least 5 years away is absurd.
Will it be an Xbox exclusive? Little doubt, as anything Phil has said this week about not knowing what platforms certain games would be on is complete BS just to try to get the FTC to approve the buyout. "I swear I have no idea what platforms these Xbox exclusives, I mean these games, will come out on. Can I get a redo for my lies, I mean my statement?"
Re: Phil Spencer: Sony Uses Revenue From Our Games To Reduce Xbox's 'Survival In The Market'
Sorry, still don't feel sorry for them. Not defending Sony, but the real reason Xbox is so far behind is Microsoft. If they didn't just sit back and let all of their momentum during the Xbox 360 generation evaporate by relying on a handful of series and ignoring mostly anything else they wouldn't be in this mess.
Finger point all you want, Microsoft, you are still not the victim unless the other person staring back at you is yourself.
Re: Halo Infinite Multiplayer Adds Raytraced Sun Shadows On Xbox Series X|S
To add it to multiplayer but not single player makes no sense. Multiplayer should be more demanding than single player, but what do I know I guess. Not a big deal overall, but it's another in a long line of puzzling things from 343.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Update 1.63 Includes A Performance Fix On Xbox
@BAMozzy It has been at an enjoyable state ever since the Series X/PS5 versions finally were released. The new gen versions made a huge difference from the launch versions on their own. Obviously everybody is different, but when I played it on PS5, it was highly enjoyable and well worth waiting on that version. Games of this size are always going to have lengthy patch notes for most of the time they are supported.
Like @themightyant said though, if you've waited this long, you might as well wait until the DLC drops with even more changes.
Re: Phil Spencer Teases Multiple Games That Weren't Shown In This Year's Xbox Showcase
@Fiendish-Beaver Makes sense as something to tide you over, especially since we literally have no idea when Gears 6 will ever come out. It'd be different if we had a general idea of a year, but not even that.
Hopefully they announce it at some point, maybe even later in the year at non-Xbox show like the already mentioned Gamescon. I have no problem with them saving it for then if they actually had to for one reason or another.
Re: Review: Starfield Xbox Wireless Controller - Don't Sleep On This Special Edition Delight
The controllers looks awesome. If my Series X was my main console, I'd probably order one of these at some point.
The Series X controllers already had grips on the side of the controller and on the shoulder buttons to an extent. Does this have even more of a grip than that does, @PJOReilly?
Re: Phil Spencer Teases Multiple Games That Weren't Shown In This Year's Xbox Showcase
@Fiendish-Beaver While I would love 1 and 3 for sure (I don't care about a remaster trilogy, but cool if people do), them releasing Gears 6 is a must. It literally is given how Gears 5 ends, but the lack of any hint of it is annoying. It's easily my favorite Xbox series of all time, so it is disappointing to continue year after year without anything about it. Even just acknowledging that they are working on it would be nice.
I'd love another Gears Tactics as well as I loved that game, but obviously Gears 6 is priority #1 for me.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Xbox Games Showcase 2023?
Am I the only one to remember that they said here that the show itself would be 90 minutes and then the Starfield Direct would start? It was only an hour and then it went into the Starfielf Direct.
Re: Poll: How High Are Your Expectations For Sunday's Xbox Showcase?
Will it be awesome? Who knows. Does it need to at least be pretty good? Yes, at this point Xbox needs to have some substantial forward momentum that won't only last them a few months. Fumble another showcase and I think a portion of the fanbase that hasn't already given up will.
Not trying to crap on Xbox fans and even Xbox really, but this generation has been pretty rough for the brand overall, so they need to turn things around for good and it should start tomorrow.
Re: Reaction: Xbox Is Set Up For A Winning Showcase After Summer Game Fest 2023
@Krzzystuff Way to state the obvious that they will have the best show of the 3. The bar is low, kind of like your humor when we used to have a chat group on Xbox.
Re: Diablo 4 Release Date, Release Times & Download Size On Xbox
@Fiendish-Beaver Just remap the buttons. I know somebody said it makes it even more confusing, but it really doesn't if your muscle memory is so used to them the "normal" way. I basically never look down at any controller to see what button I am pressing.
A big problem I have with Breath of the Wild though isn't the button layout. It's the convoluted controls, which is one of several reasons I dropped the game and will never finish it. Things like choosing weapons and ammo for them could be much simpler.
Re: Video: 10 Xbox Games To Play If You Like The Look Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
If I'm going to be picky, the video title and some of the selections don't match up. Tears of the Kingdom is not classic Zelda, so classic Zelda "clones" shouldn't really apply. Obviously Immortals Fenyx Rising is a lot like Breath of the Wild, and I can even see a few of the other choices even loosely, but several of the games are nothing like Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom Zelda.
Not looking to argue or anything. Just, like I said, being picky.
Re: Gears Of War Voice Actor 'Hasn't Heard Anything' About Gears 6
It's absurd that it's taken this long to only just be starting making the game. It'd be different if it was one of these games that didn't really need a sequel, but they still have to finish the story given how Gears 5 ends. To barely have started the next required installment 4 years later is pathetic. If all of the rumors and everything are true of course.
Re: 'No Xbox' Begins Trending On Twitter As Another Game Skips The Platform At Launch
@DNortonX But what about the decade plus time of Microsoft sitting there doing basically nothing with exclusives, putting themselves in this position?
I'm not saying stuff like this is right for Xbox fans, but like others have said, this particular instance is likely because Netflix owns them and xCloud is a competitor.
Re: Xbox Announces Plans To Make New Dashboard Feel Less 'Crowded'
That's good, but they also need to overall the Achievements. Besides the fact that the game squares/tiles are still not in 4K even after the 4K update to the dashboard last year, the listing of them is a complete mess. You have DLC mixed in with the regular achievements. They should just copy Sony and the PS5, where the trophies are listed in a very clean way with DLC usually separated from the main game trophies. Keep the progression tracking for achievements though, something that is really hit and miss on the PS5 sadly.
Re: Poll: Do You Think Starfield Will Contain A 'Performance Mode' On Xbox Series X|S?
There'd be no excuse at this point if Starfield didn't have both modes given how long it's been in development and the delays there have been. I'm not excusing them for Redfall really, but at least that hasn't been in development for so long or have as many delays as Starfield. I know this is a really ambitious game, but there are plenty of other games that release with both modes at launch.
Technically this wouldn't be on Microsoft, except for the decision to not delay them in order to have them finished, as these are both Bethesda games that were in development before they were bought. Still, it would be a bad look for the start of their supposed big turnaround with exclusives.
Re: Another Eight Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (April 2023)
@BAMozzy I responded before reading the article today about Quantum Break returning soon, so I will edit out most of my reply, but leave this...
Clarification that no Xbox exclusive will ever leave Game Pass came directly from Major Nelson 5 years ago. To anybody thinking it's a myth, it is not.
Re: Another Eight Games Will Leave Xbox Game Pass Soon (April 2023)
@BAMozzy A game isn't taking up space for something else as they technically can have as many games as they want. They've also said that exclusives are supposed to stay on there forever, outside of games that have license issues like Forza. There's always new subscribers and such that haven't played a lot of the games, so even if it's old and you've played it years ago, there's people out there that haven't. That's why there's a point to always keep their games on there, even if they are old. Once again besides the fact that they promised they would.
As for Quantum Break though, there could be a legitimate reason like a licensing issue or that Remedy bought the rights back from Microsoft. Or it could be an error. We'll see, but to excuse them for removing it otherwise would be pretty ridiculous.
Re: Microsoft Defends ActiBlizz Acquisition By Highlighting PlayStation's Dominance Over Xbox
Not being a fanboy, but it's still funny how they are using how horribly they are doing and have run their video game division for all these years to try to get their massive acquisition approved. There should be no sympathy for the fact that PlayStation as a whole has been run so much better than Xbox, and that is why the market share and amount of exclusives is so much better. Not that Xbox is a victim or anything.
Re: Hi-Fi RUSH Has A Special 'Upgrade' Offer For Xbox Game Pass Members
Not knocking the game itself obviously, but the reason why the upgrade is so cheap is because it's just cosmetic items. If it was anything more substantial, it wouldn't be that cheap.
Re: Tango Gameworks Announces 'Hi-Fi RUSH', Available Today On Xbox Game Pass
@MrList I wouldn't go that far. You are still getting to play the best versions of the games available on Xbox. Some games on the Series S aren't even as good as they were on the Xbox One X. Not knocking the Series S, but you still did fine getting the Series X even if you don't get to use the drive as much as you thought you would.
Re: WWE 2K23 Set To Release This March, Cover Star Potentially Revealed
@NarutosBiggestFan Not at all. They should improve upon it. It's a very popular mode. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's not or that it should be removed.
Re: WWE 2K23 Set To Release This March, Cover Star Potentially Revealed
As long as they made the MyGM mode deeper this time around, then I'll consider getting this at some point. Add the other titles and the ability to do more match types (triple thread, even mixed tags, etc.) and that will go a long way to improving the mode. The option to play against somebody else online in MyGM mode along with the already there couch co-op would be great too.
Re: How Would You Grade The Xbox Series X|S Generation So Far?
C, and that's only because of the hardware and then the software features (FPS Boost, Quick Resume, etc.). It's been a borderline abysmal generation for Xbox Game Studios, so in a way I could have graded it even lower, but it's not the hardware or the tech team's fault that they weren't prepared for yet another generation. Hopefully things really do finally change in 2023 like they should though.
Re: Feature: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2022
How Cyberpunk 2077 didn't even make the list is beyond me. It's laughable that a CoD game made it on the list over that, and obviously other games as well.
Re: Criterion Loses Five Major Team Members Following Need For Speed Unbound Launch
I'm not saying it has happened, but if it has undersold, the release date doesn't help. Even though it didn't live up to expectations, obviously people were going to buy The Callisto Protocol over a Need of Speed game. Unbound does seem to be a nice return to form, but still, they couldn't have picked a worse release date for it. On top of that, they didn't send out early review codes so the reviews could have built up some hype.
Re: Microsoft Refers To Lack Of Xbox Exclusives As Why ActiBlizz Deal Should Be Approved
This is laughable. I know some have defended them or tried to explain it so to speak, but it's still laughable. At the end of the day, the lack of exclusives in comparison isn't because Sony is buying up that many developers. They've bought some, but nothing like buying the amount of developers and games that buying ZeniMax and Activision/Blizzard gives you. It's because Microsoft has been absolutely inept in that area ever since roughly late in the Xbox 360 generation. If they had put in the effort to continue to make sure their output was respectable rather than just blindly relying on Halo, Gears, Forza, and even Call of Duty, then maybe they wouldn't be in this position where they feel they have to buy up huge companies just to cover up their mistakes from over a decade of bad management.
They've made some really weak arguments during this whole process of buying Activision, but this is likely the worst one yet. It just highlights their own failures, not a reason to support them buying huge companies. Those numbers are amazingly skewed too. They should focus on actually working on improving the Xbox brand, not constantly crying about people being opposed to them buying up huge companies to make up for their failures.
Re: FTC Files Lawsuit To Block Microsoft's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
@NeoRatt I'm not saying they won't ship them on PlayStation. I'm just saying it's possible, even if it is slim. Just because Activision made them multiplatform doesn't mean the new owner has to abide. Diablo 4 will likely be out before then, but regardless, it hypothetically could happen if a game was set to come out after the acquisition was finalized. Again, I do believe it's a slim chance, but they could argue that there's a chance regardless. Personally, I think those will stay multiplatform, but I'm not arguing their case.
It's all subjective. CoD is crap in plenty of people's minds, mine included. The campaigns are good, but the multiplayer hasn't been for a long time. That obviously hasn't stopped them from being so popular, and that is why it would be horrible for any competitor to lose the series at any point in the future. It's also why just saying that they could make a better shooter isn't a real solution as I say good luck to anybody making an FPS on console that can ever approach their level of popularity since CoD has reached the point where it's so mainstream with the general public that they would buy it if it was Captain Price wiping his butt in the middle of a field. Killzone and Resistance are just examples I used given that they are the only established options Sony use unless they created some completely new FPS IP.
Once again, Destiny is still multiplatform. It will not be exclusive to PlayStation. They've already said that when the acquisition was announced. Sure, they could change their mind years down the road, but so could Microsoft. You also completely ignored everything besides the largest developer they bought, which was solely to help them launch their live service game initiative, not to make exclusives. Everybody else they have bought have been small developers that at the time probably only made one game at a time, not a group of large developers that make several games. Some of those being some of the biggest games in the industry.
Re: FTC Files Lawsuit To Block Microsoft's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
@NeoRatt Once again, those games don't apply. No ship date for Crash means it could very well end up being exclusive if Microsoft decides to make it so. That actually hurts your argument that it comes out after the deal may be official, as it leaves the possibility that Microsoft could change their mind when they actually take over. I'm not saying they will, but just because certain games are currently multiplatform does not mean they have to stay that way if Microsoft decides to change things once they finally get in the driver's seat after the deal is made official (if it does become official).
Better doesn't always mean more successful. Killzone and Resistance, especially new versions, could very well be better. It doesn't mean they'll sell anywhere near as many copies on PS5 or PS6 as CoD since it's quite possibly the most popular franchise in gaming right now.
Small indie studios at the time, especially in comparison to Activision, are a lot different than one of (if not) the largest publishers in the world. Some of the franchises they have are enjoyed by millions and millions of people, while Insomniac as an example released games that would have sold far less at the time. That means it effects far less people that buying a mega company like Activision and making those games exclusive. Also, Destiny isn't exclusive to PlayStation. It's still multiplatform, which they said when the deal was announced.
It's not like Sony bought that many studios, so if Xbox is playing catchup, it's because they epically failed on the first party front with the studios they already had aside from a few games. It's not like Xbox just had a few studios at the time.
Re: FTC Files Lawsuit To Block Microsoft's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
@NeoRatt Those games don't apply aside from CoD. Technically Microsoft doesn't own Activision yet, so if the deal would go through before release (I don't see how at this rate), they could pull the plug on all other releases of the games. I'm not saying they will, but it could happen in theory.
As for Call of Duty, as long as Sony agrees to the 10 year agreement, then that stays. Who's to say Microsoft will extend the offer after those 10 years though? Again, just theoretical.
Personally I'm not on one side or the other. I could care less as Activision has one active franchise I care about off the top of my head, and that's Diablo.
Re: FTC Files Lawsuit To Block Microsoft's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
@Blessed_Koz Them breaking the contracts for Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo would have made them look pretty bad. It could very well have hurt them even worse than them backtracking on what they initially said about Bethesda games, and we all know how important them buying Activision is to them. It's actually coming off as more important than games, their fanbase, and even just the brand itself.
I'm getting off track here though, so I will just end it by saying those were the last two Bethesda games they had a contract with Sony for. Any games moving forward will be exclusive to Game Pass, I mean Xbox if they choose to do so (and it seems like they will for the most part).
@bjs5667 I'm no expert either, but I would imagine it would have at least hurt them now with the whole Activision buyout. Them going back on what they initially said about Bethesda games seems to be something the FTC has really latched on to, so them doing that would have given them even more ammunition.
Still, focusing just on Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, they did the right thing. Their pro-consumer image that they had prior to these buyouts and fumbling of their own first party catalog would have been pretty tarnished, and that was basically all they had to work with other than the tremendous value of Game Pass. This isn't me dissing Xbox. It's just a fact at least until 2023, and I have a Series X.
Re: FTC Files Lawsuit To Block Microsoft's Takeover Of Activision Blizzard
@bjs5667 I'm not going to get into the whole argument, but in regards to them letting PlayStation still have Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, they pretty much had to. Bethesda had already signed a deal with Sony to have those be exclusive to the PS5 for a year before they got acquired by Microsoft.
Re: Activision Blizzard 'Won't Hesitate To Fight' To Defend Xbox Deal
At this point, I honestly don't care. If it goes through, it goes through. If it doesn't, great. If only they could just deal with it and then it'd be over and one with.
Re: Xbox's Forza Horizon Bundle Pricing Error Is Being Refunded & Revoked
I'd have less of an issue with them revoking this if they did it right away (or close to it). They had to have known this happened that day since they changed the price back to normal, but they let people keep it and use it for about a week before fixing their mistake. Normally I would say that it was such a ridiculous deal that people should have expected it to be revoked, but it took them too long to do it.
I didn't take advantage of it since I was at work when it happened, and I'm not exactly going to be up in arms about it, but the fact that it took them so long is pretty stupid.
Re: Modern Warfare 2's Latest Update Is Over 40 Times Larger On Xbox Than PlayStation
@Kaloudz That's if you have good internet. If you are stuck with DSL, that will take almost a full day to download. That's not the only problem though. This happens at least once a CoD game now for Xbox players, and there's no excuse why CoD games are so big to begin with.
@MagicCat True, that did happen once for Valhalla, but that was also to basically redo the game code or whatever to make the game smaller and run better. This is not that kind of an update, so there's no excuse for it, especially when it happens with almost every CoD game at least once on Xbox nowadays.
Re: Xbox Insider Program Delivers More Dashboard Improvements
There's 6 tiles in the new UI in the video, not 5. The UI that only had 5 in the video was a concept from a fan, not the actual one in the image for the article or most of the video.
It's not the end of the world, but I'm not sure why they are removing one. As much as I hate the UI team for the PS5, leaving issues that have been there since launch with no indication of fixing them and a lot of changes actually making things look or function worse, at least they added more tiles in an update earlier this year.
Honestly, from what I've seen so far I'd rather just keep what we already have on the Series X. They've been making small improvements to it, but this would be quite a step in the other direction imo. They could just make everything 4K (the tiles in the achievements section still never got that treatment) and even redo the way achievements are displayed (make it more like what PlayStation does with their trophies section on PS5), and they would have a really good UI. Still cluttered, but good otherwise.
Re: Sony Could 'Respond' To ActiBlizz Deal By Improving PS Plus, Suggests Microsoft
@Clankylad They have done it with Stray, but that's it so far. Maybe now that a lot of games are coming starting now and going well into the first quarter of next year they can do more. Who knows, but yeah, they should definitely do more Day 1 drops on there like they did with Stray, even if they stick with indies more than anything else. We'll see how it goes I guess.
PS Plus Extra has been fairly solid so far regardless though. It's Premium that's been an absolute joke. The new PS Plus would probably be getting more positive feedback from everybody if Premium didn't exist.
Re: Xbox Exclusive 'Avowed' Sees Early Screenshot Appear Online
Who really cares? Unless we actually get something substantial, a likely old screenshot is meaningless. Microsoft has been virtually silent about all of their major exclusives for months now aside from maybe one or two. Makes you wonder how many are even coming out next year other than Redfall and Starfield.