Kraven

@KoldFire I think they will handle combat fine. In the Kingdom Come games they were focusing on realism and immersion which is why it felt janky. In the second game, it still felt that way, but it eventually flowed really well once you got the hang of it. I think Warhorse will be able to understand that LOTR is a fantasy, with tons of enemies to dispose of. That alone should be an incentive to change how they handle combat. I am curious as to whether or not it will be first or third person, though I assume the latter. Either way, I’m really looking forward to this project. I believe they can make something truly special.

Luna Abyss and Echo Generation 2 look phenomenal. And, of course, Forza is a banger. Next week, whilst not on Game Pass, 007 First Light and Mina The Hollower release. Xbox is eating pretty good right now.

@Jenkinss I want to play Infinite Wealth really badly but I don’t feel like playing the first one. I’m familiar with all of the other Yakuza games because I’ve played and beaten them, but Like A Dragon is still on the back burner. I’m strongly considering watching a YouTube story recap. I know the first game is really good and I’ll be missing out, but IW just seems like the perfect “summer” game.

I think I have bought Crypt Custodian and Metaphor, so I’m not too disappointed. That said, those are some great games leaving the service.

I’ve tried multiple Lego games in the past but they never hold my attention. This sounds like it might actually be the one to break that trend. It’s even better that it involves one of my favorite (superhero) movie trilogies of all time.

I’m wrapping up my first playthrough of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. It’s still an excellent sequel. I’m excited to see what the third installment entails. However, I am kind of pissed, because the game is buggy as hell. If you’re hunting down achievements/trophies, it can be a real nuisance.

Other than that, I’ve been contemplating buying an Xbox ROG Ally X, the $550.00 version. I have been doing my research, and the Xbox Play Anywhere is very compelling. The list of games that I own or am interested in is part of this feature. I really like the idea of taking my achievements on the go. But man, that price is really damaging; ha-ha. I hear it’s an incredible device and worth the money.

I’ve been very tempted to buy an ROG Ally despite the $550.00 price tag. I’ve been doing a lot of research on the games supported with Xbox play anywhere, and all of the games I own, want to play, or what have you is part of the program. I’ll probably bite the bullet in the next couple of weeks—taking my achievements on the go is right to my ally (no pun intended).

I have it preordered and ready to go. I typically enjoy every Bond game, from the N64 days, to the GameCube, and even slater titles — they are just pure fun.

This is an awesome update. I’m definitely looking forward to the badges, in particular.

It was great, but the weakest of the trilogy. With that said, it was still exceptional. Their “worst” game is better than most first person shooters. I did get the platinum for it on the PS5. I’ve been thinking of replaying it on my Series X, get all achievements, and cross my fingers for the DLC to release soon.

@Lup Agreed with everything you said about Middle Earth. It’s such a bummer that the Nemesis has been pattoned because it’s a fantastic mechanic that I wish more games could implement.

@NintendoByNature How is Elementalis? It looks fantastic.

I’m playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Xbox Series X). It’s been a fantastic experience, and one of the rare Star Wars stories that is genuinely great. I’m working on getting all achievements—by this time 007 First Light and Mina The Hollower should be released.

I have been waiting for this game for years. It’s been my most anticipated for so long. I have no doubt it will live up to the hype.

Glad to see it get some much needed updates. I need to get back and finish it. I enjoyed what I played.

Glad to see it getting such rave reviews. I have it downloaded, and I’ll check it out after work tonight.

Capcom is picking up the slack from many developers right now. As it stands, Pragmata is my current GOTY. I’m just waiting a bit to do a lunatic run and mop up all achievements.

I own all the three main consoles — PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2, all for different reasons. PS5 is mainly for exclusives, although I’m burned out on the Sony formula. I have the X because I prefer the controller and I play my third party games there. If the X had some proper exclusives it would probably be my main device, but I’m okay with their offerings as of right now. And even though Gears and Halo are coming to PlayStation, I prefer the controller on Xbox. As for the Switch 2, it’s my travel companion. I do play it elsewhere and at home because I prefer handheld experiences, particularly RPGs, but some third party games are great there as well (RE9 and Pragmata for example). Every console has their own strengths—strengths that suit my interests perfectly.

Luna Abyss and Echo Generation 2 looks awesome. Yerba Buena Is also catching my eye. I will have to check those out.

Oh shoot, I didn’t even realize the remastered version of Space Marine 1 was on Game Pass. I’ve been wanting to play it. Thanks for the heads up!

All I’m playing is Saros. I just reached the third biome, and I’m having a literal blast. Housemarque has cooked once again. I’ve also been in the mood to finally play Jedi: Survivor so I might do that on my Series X since it’s the Game of the Month to try out over at TrueAchievements.

This looks awesome and very unique. The developers also seem really confident to show off their product, so I think they know they have a winner on their hands.

This is a real bummer. I haven’t played Greedfall, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Steel Rising. They seemed to have real potential.

In addition to beating Pragmata, I booted up Stalker 2 and loaded up an old save (I beat the game when it first released, and played 120-hours). I wanted to try out the new quest-lines that were added. This was more troublesome than I anticipated; it’s not a game you can hop back in a year later and feel comfortable. I was using med-kits when I wanted to turn on my flashlight. I wanted to fast travel, but I couldn’t until I got to a base of operations, yet that was harder than expected. I would try to run to my marker and die by anomalies and radiation. I eventually got my bearings after googling the controls, completed the new quests, and unlocked a few achievements. I can’t wait for its expansion.

Meanwhile, Hades 2 released on Game Pass. I’ve put in over 80-hours on the Switch version, but since Supergiant updated the game with new content I couldn’t resist starting a fresh playthrough. I’ve already experienced new events. Once again, I’m unabashedly addicted.

Here I am, five days left of my vacation. I was unsure what to start next. Despite my reservations due to the size of the game, I finally gave Crimson Desert a chance. All of my X/Twitter feeds have been praising the game, and the patches from the developer have been nothing but outstanding. It’s my type of game, but I still didn’t know what to expect.

Let me get the obvious out of the way: it’s overwhelming and mechanically complicated. There are so many systems at work, and they can overlap each other with the controls. With that said, I am already immersed in this beautiful and mysterious world. It’s similar to Red Dead Redemption 2 with its freedom and interactivity, and Dragon’s Dogma 2, one of my favorite games of all time, with focusing heavily on player agency and developing your own tale. I can predict that once I get used to the controls this could potentially be an all-timer for me.

So far, my vacation has been fantastic. I did what I set out to do—clean up my garage, and get a lot of yard work done. And play games, lots and lots of games.

I beat Pragmata (Xbox Series X). What a sublime experience. It may outshine Resident Evil Requiem for me which I did not expect. Capcom does something that no other current developer does: make me want to replay a game immediately after I beat it.

So, what’s the hook for this new IP? The combat. It’s really innovative. It’s a third person shooter with hacking mechanics all in one package. I was skeptical about how this would work in a proper firefight, but you’re never overwhelmed with enemies. There is a perfect balance that could have easily dismantled its entire focus, but thankfully it doesn’t. The combat also evolves with time, adding depth to the gameplay. You’ll consistently unlock new weapons, hacking nodes that caters to your style of play, and other surprises along the way.

There are finishing executions when an enemy gets weak, but there is only one variation. It’s kind of disappointing because it looks so stylish. If there were more animations with different weapons then it wouldn’t be an issue. It just gets repetitive after a while.

Exploration is also satisfying. There are five biomes to explore, each of which is approximately three hours each, maybe a little longer depending on if you go off the beaten path. If you do you’ll find benefits — new weapons, modifications, abilities, items for your shelter that liven the place up, and a lot of well written lore.

Some places are inaccessible at first, but similarly to Metroidvanias, you’ll acquire new abilities that allow you to explore areas later down the line. Thankfully, there are many checkpoint areas, so you’re able to do a quick clean up on the things you’ve missed. It took me roughly 14 hours to beat the game and find all collectibles without a guide.

The story is endearing. From all of the trailers I thought your companion, Diana, would be cumbersome and annoying. For some people, they may find this to be accurate. If you can tolerate her you will find a relatively emotional connection with her growth as a character.

Some story elements don’t always land. Pragmata pays homage to Dead Space, particularly in its opening hours — you’ll see posters on walls to emphasize this even more— and by this I mean you will succumb to horrifying loss. As such, the main protagonist, Hugh, whilst he comments on incidents that happen throughout the game, it’s his delivery, or lack there of, that isn’t handled well. You don’t feel his pain and suffering so it’s hard to relate; instead the focus is more on the “father/daughter” dynamic which is really solid.

I think Asha understands what the players want. Within the first month she has already created an environment that has an identity and passion. If she continues on this trajectory I think people will begin to see why Xbox can and is great.

As of right now, this is the best strategy for Xbox. Whether or not it will work is a different story altogether. To get people drawn back in to your ecosystem you have to have games—exclusives—that make it appealing. If their games stay multi-platform the idea of owning an Xbox is shallow since you can get their IP on, say, PlayStation, and get their exclusives as well.

I think Asha is doing great things in her first month at this job. She’s certainly been more impactful than Phil has been (in my opinion). That could be because of upper management, but still. It’s clear that these changes in the last month has got people talking positively about Xbox. To me, that’s an important first step. Hopefully, it’s sustainable.

This is awesome news. Xbox is coming back as a possible competitor again. To this day I still think the 360 video game wise is the best console of all time. I hope they can get back to that pedigree.

I actually never played Black Flag at all. I think I’ll check this out—it seems like the perfect summer game.

I’m glad to see Asha is wanting to bring back an identity. I feel like they had lost their way in how to approach gaming in general. Looks like things may go back to how the 360 era was.

It was pretty cringe. I’d say it was a C-. There were a lot of interesting games, but hardly any for me. And all of them honestly looked the same graphically. The only game that appealed to me was the first game about the ghosts.

@GeminiX53 Your comment(s), particularly the one addressed to @Backfor1day is insanely judgmental.

I have Game Pass, but I also buy my games outright. In fact, I’ve purchased Starfield, Stalker 2, Indiana Jones, and numerous other titles that are on the subscription service. Day one, too, mind you. Are you going to lump me into this oddly “entitled wallet dodging consumer”? In fact, I just bought Pragmata and Vampire Crawlers (both for Xbox Series X) despite the latter being on Game Pass.

Do you have Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime at all? I’d love to know whether or not you do. If so, do you buy your television shows or movies physical or digital, or do you stream them? If you do have a subscription service, why? The whole point of subscribing is to get access to media. What about music? Do you buy songs via Apple Music, or do you use Spotify? Why outright buy a game when it’s on GP, especially if you’re unsure if you’ll like it or not? Are you going to reply “Once again, thank you.” to me as well? If you do any one of those examples I mentioned then you are a hypocrite, and you should not be judging others on how they choose to spend their money.

Asha is off to a great start. There is a long road ahead of her, but she is making positive changes right out of the gate. I think this price change is smart, along with CoD not being day one on GP. It’s a nice strategic shift. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Asha has in store for Xbox.

I can’t wait. I think I’ll probably pick it up on my Switch 2 despite having Game Pass. It’s the perfect handheld game, and it’s cheap enough too. It looks to be just as addicting as Survivors.

@AI-Generation Yeah, it’s really good and the hacking mechanic works very well, much to my surprise. I like how the game has Metroidvania elements too. Exploration is consistently rewarding as well.

I finally earned the platinum for Marathon, and since progress carries over to Xbox, I wrapped up all the achievements there as well. I’m still pretty hooked—Bungie’s latest update has been nothing short of excellent.

Starting Monday, I’m on a ten-day vacation. I’ve begun Pragmata and it’s been great so far. It definitely has those familiar Capcom traits which isn’t a bad thing. The combat is adrenaline driven with its mini-game hacking gimmick, but it’s done remarkably well. In addition, the opening hours strongly remind me of Dead Space, and oddly enough, Death Stranding. And yet, it captures the essence of an Xbox 360 game.

My goal is to finish that, then move on to beating and 100% completing Replaced. I’ve put a few hours into it—on chapter 4—and it’s been fantastic. The 2.5D aesthetics are some of the best I’ve seen, even rivaling Square Enix’s Octopath series. The world-building is top notch, and the combat feels reminiscent of the Batman: Arkham games. I’ve yet to encounter any bugs the game is reported to have, so that’s a major plus.

I’ve also realized that, as much as I love PlayStation’s trophy system, I prefer the Xbox ecosystem overall. It’s where I’d rather play most third-party games—and Sony’s first-party output is starting to wear thin on me with its formulaic design.

However, I think my preference boils down to timing. I was a young teenager when the Xbox 360 launched, and that era left a huge impression on me. I grew up with the NES and owned just about everything—SNES, PS1 and PS2 (Max Payne, Manhunt, Vice City we’re very influential), N64, GameCube, Dreamcast, original Xbox—but I vividly remember the day my parents surprised me with a 360. We didn’t have much money. My parents were on disability, so bills were tight and food was scarce. One day when my mom picked me up from school, she told me to check the glove box—inside were Perfect Dark Zero and Condemned: Criminal Origins (still one of my all-time favorite horror games). I freaked out. When I got home, the console was already set up, with Call of Duty 2 on the screen, ready to go. I actually broke down in tears. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. To this day I have no idea how they managed to afford all of this, and I’ll never ask.

I also remember going to the public library back when that was still a “thing”—and reading previews for Gears of War. The screenshots blew me away. I had watched the launch trailer hundreds of times, with “Mad World” stuck in my head. When it finally released, it felt like nothing I’d ever played before. It completely revolutionized the third-person shooter genre. I became obsessed, and was ecstatic when I finally earned every achievement, including the 10,000 multiplayer kills.

My best friend and I would play through it co-op endlessly. Our summer vacations would consist of Gears of War, Halo: CE cooperatively, and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series split-screen. It was pure magic. That entire generation is packed with countless memories that I look back on fondly.

Anyway, I’m not sure how I ended up on that tangent, but yeah—Pragmata and Replaced are my main focus. Of course, I’ll more than likely get sucked into Hades 2 once again, and may even finally try out Crimson Desert, but we shall see. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

It’s just as addicting, if not more so, than the first game. Melonie is also a great, memorable character. The Zag Mab set a high bar, but I think they are on equal footing.

One of my favorite gaming franchises, and I’m glad this looks to bring back what made the first two games so special. I cannot wait!

Update: I played about three hours so far (before work) and it’s fantastic. The art direction, cinematography, and world building is superb. The combat is a little basic at the moment, but from the achievements I saw it seems to expand later on. Right now, it’s been wonderful.

I’ve been wanting to play this game ever since I saw it a year or two back. I’m definitely picking it up. It’s reviewing well, and some of the negatives sound like positives for me personally.

Good. Exclusives, particularly good ones, brings more attention to your console. I know it’s been nice having Xbox games on PlayStation—I’ve certainly benefited from them—but the Xbox ecosystem, when it fires on all cylinders and hits its mark, is a great brand. I’ve been playing my Series X far more than my PlayStation this year, and with Replaced and Hades 2 on Game Pass that trend will continue.

With that being said, Microsoft needs to get their affairs in order. Stop with the back and forth and make a decision, plain and simple. It appears that the new people in charge are wanting to bring back an ecosystem similar to the OG Xbox and the 360, and I am all for that.

Glad to see it finally released and have solid reviews. I’m looking forward to checking it out later this evening.

Hades 2 and Replaced for me. I’ve put 80+ hours in Hades 2, and I’m down to do it again on Xbox.

This has been on my radar for years. I’m glad it’s finally getting released—hopefully it lives up to the hype.

Now this is what I’m talking about. The Metro games are some of my all time favorites, and I thoroughly enjoyed Exodus despite its change of pace and tone. I hope this one goes back to its roots.

Marathon. I genuinely cannot pull myself away from this brilliant shooter. Since last week I have discovered I’m much better when playing on Xbox rather than PlqyStation. This might be silly to say, but it’s all due to the controller.

With all of that said, next week on the 20th I’ll be taking a (stay)cation for an entire week. One thing I’m going to do is take a hiatus from social media and the internet in general. The incessant negativity I see spewed online has taken a toll on me mentally, and since my job has me conversing with strangers for 10-hours a day, I need a break.

I’m going to keep playing Marathon. I plan on starting Pragmata as well. Afterwards, I may begin a cosmic adventure in Starfield. However, Crimson Desert has been on my mind a lot. With all the (quick) updates and patches, and shockingly positive reception I do rarely see, it has me itching to jump into its open world.

And out of all that, what I’m really going to do is decompress. And relax. And enjoy games, good or bad, but not with any discourse online. Yeah, that sounds nice.

The Burger King games from the 360 era. Easy Gamerscore for sure.

I bought this game and have been tempted to play it, but Marathon is consuming my soul, but today I think I’ll really do it. I love how the developers are listening to feedback and making sure the game is the best product it can be. It looks fantastic, and the fan reception has been awesome.

I can’t wait for this game — it’s been one of my most anticipated ever since I saw its first trailer a year or two back.

I hope this remake turns out well. I’m really curious as to how the prequel missions will be, and if they are implemented within the original beginning of the game.