I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, Fraser! PDZ is an interesting one. One of my favorite Rare games is Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. It's a game that never got its due because it wasn't what people wanted, but I never cared. I loved it for what it was and still do.
I'm playing Arc Raiders (on PC) with a couple of friends. We've been having a great time! The gameplay loop is very satisfying, but also brutal! It's a high-risk, high-reward type of game. Visually, it really is nice to look at. It's also very well-optimized.
Halo 2: Anniversary remains a visually impressive game to this day, but a full remake could be worth playing. Halo 3, a great game, could definitely use a visual upgrade after all these years.
Right. That's it for me, then. I'm paid up until November, and after that, I'm done with Game Pass. I don't get that much value out of it. In this economy, I really have to pick and choose when it comes to luxuries like gaming. We will all take our own decisions on this based on the subjective value of the service, but that's it for me.
I need to get the dog into gaming. Right now her favorite pastime is snoopervising my breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
I think my favorite question this year was about how many indie games I buy. I buy a lot as I think many great ones are coming out each year, and I want to support small devs.
Well, I never got my copy of Reloaded. In 2016, I bought that grey Xbox One bundle that came with the Halo and Gears of War games, Ultimate Edition included as a digital code, so I thought I was entitled to a free copy of Reloaded.
I talked to a Microsoft rep, and they said their engineers were working on it. No message in my inbox, and I haven't heard back in two days.
I was hoping for Xillia 2 as well, but perhaps that will come later down the line. The good news is that I recently bought Xillia 2 brand new off of eBay, so I can always play it there.
I figured it would land at about a 75 on Metacritic. We'll see where it settles, but it seems like it'll be mid-70s. I'll probably get it at a discount.
I've said it before, but I kind of lost interest in the game after seeing the demo they put together. The main thing that bothers me is that all of those folks lost their jobs. I wish this hadn't happened, but I think it is well and truly over for the project.
I remember when Forza Motorsport was the premier racing franchise. They were doing things Gran Turismo wasn't, and made a big name for themselves in the space. If it's true and we don't see another Motorsport entry, all we've got from Xbox is Horizon, which isn't a simulator.
I was turned off by the parkour and overall style of the trailer. It just didn't work for me. But I was patient, knowing the game was far off from release. Sadly, we waited for nothing in the end.
It's disheartening to see a project that has been worked on for so long get cancelled, but I'm not surprised. After all these years, I still don't think we knew what Everwild was going to be.
And Perfect Dark looked fugazi to me. It looked fake, and I didn't vibe with whatever they were trying to communicate with it.
The Xbox store review section tends to be awful for some reason. It's nice to see people being positive about this game, though. I've been looking for a new mecha game.
I've embraced it. I went to Walmart at the crack of 8:00 AM to get one, along with a MicroSD Express card. Expensive, but I appreciate the improvements made in this sequel. I LOVE sequels!
I've said it before, but Mindseye reminds me of Michael Mann's Miami Vice from 2006, only with more futuristic tech. I don't expect the game to score well, but if it works fine and if it plays well, I am going to get it.
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Re: Avowed Is Getting Its 'Biggest Update Yet' To Mark The Xbox Title's One-Year Anniversary
The game was good at launch, so all of these improvements are the cherry on top for me! Looking forward to the rollout.
Re: 12 Exciting Xbox Indie Games To Look Out For In December 2025
Terminator looks amazing. I hope they nail it and I want this one on day one.
Re: Red Dead Redemption For Xbox Series X|S Has A 50% Launch Discount
Long have I waited for this day. I still find this game to be so playable and enjoyable on every level.
Re: MindsEye Gets 'Enhanced Gameplay' Plus A Free Trial On Xbox, And Here's How It Looks
It's nice to see them sticking with this game. I'm going back and forth on whether to buy it, so I think I'll try the starter pack!
Re: Three Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (December 1-4)
Cosmic Invasion releasing on my birthday? Heck yes.
Re: Poll: Which Is Your Favourite Xbox 360 Launch Title?
I'm gonna send some love to King Kong. It's an amazing game and I was blown away by it.
Re: Hands On: Perfect Dark Zero Is A Bizarre Time Capsule Of The Early Xbox 360 Days
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, Fraser! PDZ is an interesting one. One of my favorite Rare games is Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. It's a game that never got its due because it wasn't what people wanted, but I never cared. I loved it for what it was and still do.
Re: Stalker 2 Team Shares Parting Message Ahead Of Xbox Game Pass Departure
It was definitely an advantageous partnership. And it has been great to see the game shape into the best it can be.
Re: Red Dead Redemption To Receive Free Xbox Series X|S Upgrade This December
This is great news! At long last, we will be able to play this game on Xbox at 60fps!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 1-2)
I'm playing Arc Raiders (on PC) with a couple of friends. We've been having a great time! The gameplay loop is very satisfying, but also brutal! It's a high-risk, high-reward type of game. Visually, it really is nice to look at. It's also very well-optimized.
Re: Rumour: Halo 2 & 3 Remakes Are Supposedly Coming After Halo: Campaign Evolved
Halo 2: Anniversary remains a visually impressive game to this day, but a full remake could be worth playing. Halo 3, a great game, could definitely use a visual upgrade after all these years.
Re: Ninja Gaiden 4 Is Now Available To Preload On Xbox Game Pass
I'm very curious to see how it turns out! Something to play before my Game Pass sub runs out.
Re: Xbox Game Pass Is Getting A Major Overhaul With New Names, Games & Price Changes
Right. That's it for me, then. I'm paid up until November, and after that, I'm done with Game Pass. I don't get that much value out of it. In this economy, I really have to pick and choose when it comes to luxuries like gaming. We will all take our own decisions on this based on the subjective value of the service, but that's it for me.
Re: Dying Light: The Beast Is Out Now On Xbox, And The Reviews Are Looking Good
I bought it. I like the survival horror elements that I've seen/read about.
Re: Pure Xbox Reader Survey 2025
I need to get the dog into gaming. Right now her favorite pastime is snoopervising my breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
I think my favorite question this year was about how many indie games I buy. I buy a lot as I think many great ones are coming out each year, and I want to support small devs.
Re: Yooka-Replaylee Hits Xbox In October 2025, And It's Discounted If You Own The Original
30% off for owners of the original? Now that's what I'm talkin' about.
Re: Review: Gears Of War: Reloaded - An Xbox Classic That Flourishes On Modern Hardware
Well, I never got my copy of Reloaded. In 2016, I bought that grey Xbox One bundle that came with the Halo and Gears of War games, Ultimate Edition included as a digital code, so I thought I was entitled to a free copy of Reloaded.
I talked to a Microsoft rep, and they said their engineers were working on it. No message in my inbox, and I haven't heard back in two days.
The good news is that I can play it on Game Pass.
Re: Poll: With 'Reloaded' On The Horizon, How Many Times Have You Completed Gears Of War 1?
I have a question. Back in 2016, when I bought my Xbox One, I got Gears Ultimate Edition with it for free. Does that entitle me to a copy of Reloaded?
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
This was a day one for me, well before these reviews, because, despite the detractors, I've felt it would be very good. Nice to see it confirmed.
Re: Former PS3 Exclusive 'Tales of Xillia' Is Getting Remastered For Xbox Series X|S
I was hoping for Xillia 2 as well, but perhaps that will come later down the line. The good news is that I recently bought Xillia 2 brand new off of eBay, so I can always play it there.
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Mafia: The Old Country
I figured it would land at about a 75 on Metacritic. We'll see where it settles, but it seems like it'll be mid-70s. I'll probably get it at a discount.
Re: Here's Everything That Was Revealed At The THQ Nordic Showcase 2025
OMG! I love Sacred 2! This is awesome.
Re: Battlefield 6 Price & Release Date Leak Ahead Of 2025 Xbox Launch
I didn't know it had a campaign! I look forward to seeing how that turns out!
Re: Microsoft Movies & TV Is Officially Ending, Which Will Have A Big Impact On Xbox
That's a serious blow as I do purchase that kind of content on Xbox. They had a wide selection of classic movies and TV shows available.
Re: Perfect Dark Actor Calls On Fans To 'Speak Up' And Help The Game Survive
I've said it before, but I kind of lost interest in the game after seeing the demo they put together. The main thing that bothers me is that all of those folks lost their jobs. I wish this hadn't happened, but I think it is well and truly over for the project.
Re: Rumour: Multiple Studios Interested In Making New Banjo-Kazooie Game
Whoever does it, I hope they go with a visual style similar to the Conker remake. Fur and all!
Re: Former Xbox Dev Claims Turn 10's Forza Motorsport Team 'Is No More'
I remember when Forza Motorsport was the premier racing franchise. They were doing things Gran Turismo wasn't, and made a big name for themselves in the space. If it's true and we don't see another Motorsport entry, all we've got from Xbox is Horizon, which isn't a simulator.
We're in strange and dangerous times for Xbox.
Re: Perfect Dark Developer Responds To 'Big Controversy' Over 2024 Gameplay Trailer
I was turned off by the parkour and overall style of the trailer. It just didn't work for me. But I was patient, knowing the game was far off from release. Sadly, we waited for nothing in the end.
Re: Xbox's Everwild Gets Cancelled As Layoffs Hit Sea Of Thieves Developer
It's disheartening to see a project that has been worked on for so long get cancelled, but I'm not surprised. After all these years, I still don't think we knew what Everwild was going to be.
And Perfect Dark looked fugazi to me. It looked fake, and I didn't vibe with whatever they were trying to communicate with it.
Re: Roundup: Here's What The First Reviews Are Saying About Mecha BREAK On Xbox & PC
The Xbox store review section tends to be awful for some reason. It's nice to see people being positive about this game, though. I've been looking for a new mecha game.
Re: Two Games Are Available Today With Xbox Game Pass (July 1)
I just got Little Nightmares II on Steam for a few bucks. Good deal! Glad to see it come to Game Pass, though.
Re: 'Xenia' Team Issues Statement In Response To Xbox Backwards Compatibility Rumour
It made no sense to me from the start. Glad this has been cleared up.
Re: New Game Pass Title 'The Alters' Is Getting Fantastic Reviews Ahead Of Launch
I'm glad it's getting good reviews. It seemed to me to be a quality game!
Re: Oblivion Remastered Update 1.1 Now Available On Xbox, Here Are The Full Patch Notes
I'm waiting for the performance patch because the PC version is miserable.
Re: MindsEye Releases To Zero Reviews, But Here's What The Players Are Saying
I'll wait and see if they fix it up. If they do, I'll get it on a discount.
Re: MindsEye Launches Today, But Dev Warns Xbox Players To Apply Day One Patch
I'm going to let people play it and review it over the day to see if I want to buy it. I find it compelling, but I'm just being cautious.
Re: Here's Everything That Was Revealed At The Xbox Games Showcase 2025
I thought it was a solid showcase season, but that Xbox blew every other show away. So, yeah, I give them a high grade—an A for me.
Re: Aniimo Is A New Free-To-Play ARPG, Confirmed For Xbox In 2026
I am very compelled by this game. Looks beautiful and fun.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
I would give it an A. Easily the best show of the showcase season. I wanted to see Everwild and Fable, but those will come in time.
Re: Double Fine Is Back With 'Keeper' For Xbox Game Pass, Coming This October
This looks delightful.
Re: Last Chance! What Are Your Final Hopes For The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
I want to see Fable and Everwild.
Re: These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (June 9-13)
I've set some money aside in case Mindseye turns out to be a decent game. Doesn't have to be amazing, just a fun 15-hour ride.
Re: Talking Point: Switch 2 Owners, Should Xbox Embrace Nintendo's New System?
I've embraced it. I went to Walmart at the crack of 8:00 AM to get one, along with a MicroSD Express card. Expensive, but I appreciate the improvements made in this sequel. I LOVE sequels!
Re: These 10 Games Are Coming To Xbox Game Pass (June 5-17)
I waited all this time for Crash 4! Looking forward to playing it this month!
Re: 007 First Light Gameplay Looks Absolutely Epic, And It Comes To Xbox Next Year
I think Bond looks good, and I can't wait to play this!
Re: All New Xbox Games Coming Out In June 2025
I've said it before, but Mindseye reminds me of Michael Mann's Miami Vice from 2006, only with more futuristic tech. I don't expect the game to score well, but if it works fine and if it plays well, I am going to get it.
Re: MindsEye, 007 First Light & More To Be Featured In Special Showcase This Weekend
I hope 007 is a full game from the start and not episodic. Either way, I'm in.
I look forward to getting another look at Mindseye. I know it screams 60 Metacritic, but if it's just a decent third-person shooter, I'll be happy.
Re: The Witcher 4 Gets Full Gameplay Reveal, But Dev Warns It's Just A 'Tech Demo'
Since it's a tech demo/target render, I'll say that I like what they're aiming for! I hope they can make it happen at or close to this fidelity.
Re: Xbox Has Reportedly 'Sidelined' Plans For A 2027 First-Party Handheld
I want a true Xbox handheld with a bespoke Xbox OS to play primarily backwards compatible games on. This is somewhat disappointing.
Re: GTA-Like 'MindsEye' Gets Full Overview Ahead Of Xbox Launch Next Month
I don't imagine the Metacritic will be great for this one, but I find it compelling somehow. We'll see.