I'm replaying on a harder mode so can't tell if the AI is being aggressive or just harder because of the settings. Either way I like it. I found the game too easy on normal mode. The game has come along way since release.

The annoying "always online" is still there though.

The bugs aside from launch, after patch 2 the game was quite fun. I played all the way thru and thoroughly enjoyed it. I wasn't a fan of the "art" style graphics but it was surprisingly entertaining.

I look forward to going back thru on hard mode now.

All th butt-hurt PS5 fans are comment bombing the Verges article. Lol

I uninstalled as soon as it required an additional account setup to use. I won't be playing as long as that's a requirement for a solo player like myself.

@NeoRatt I honestly don't get all the hate for Redfall. Yes, it has some bugs but no more than many other big games in the past. It was a legacy game from the XOne brought forward for the X/S. If you remember that then the game only mildly disappoints in key areas.

After the initial patches, I found it quite fun and even played thru a second time on hard mode. The constant attempt to make it a co-op game was the most annoying part for me. There were other little nitpicks I didn't cae for but overall I found the game enjoyable to play. I think how it was sold and the hype was what sank it TBH. The promises were vague and lacking.

I think we all knew it was when not if. I was a bit disappointed to hear CoD wouldn't come to GP until 2024, but I only play campaign so I can wait.

Glad this mess is finally almost over. While I'm not a fan of mergers, this was almost necessary for MS. They lost a lot of market share due to the disastrous XOne release and they needed to get it back. As many have already pointed out, having multiple big players competing against each other is much better than only one.

If you've used Nvidia's GeForce app for game streaming (not the free tier), you'll know streaming can work, even for fast paced games. I was shocked the first few times I streamed Destiny 2. The lag was so barely noticable as to be non-existent. Far better than even Stadia, when it existed. Granted even that very small lag would still be relevant for some high level PvP games, but streaming is the future.

None of this should really be a surprise. Stadia was the future too soon. MS paid attention and is moving quickly to leave Sony in the past. The biggest hurdle will be broadband availability. The US has terrible broadband coverage. It's getting better but slower than it should. One can hope as cable dies a slow death, they finally wise up and expand broadband faster.

While I tend to dislike exclusives in general, it's been said a few times by myself and others, moving forward it shouldn't surprise anyone that the single player games end up being exclusives and the multi players end up being non exclusive.

I don't really mind after the ridiculously childish antics of Sony as of late. They kind of deserve it, but exclusives are just bad for gamers IMO.

Slightly OT: I'm much more interested in the idea of the larger category of PC only games coming to Xbox via Xcloud. MS keeps teasing but it seems like it's in the works now vs just "a plan".

They've been busy milking the existing player base of every dime they have. I'm betting the new one will have a short campaign and just merge with the existing online service.

Please don't rush out a broken product. We can wait.... 😂😜👍

I wanted Starfield to be more action adventure like NMS, but it's solidly an RPG with a little action adventure mixed in. While the game is beautiful, I've already uninstalled Starfield. I'm just not an RPG guy.

Oddly, I still play NMS. I try to hit every expedition and run thru the new DLCs. It's easy to just pick up and start playing. I'm liking a lot of the new content.

Part of me likes the idea of MS screwing Sony as hard as Sony screwed MS, but I tend to agree with @themightyant. They'll most likely lock up the single player games.

I do hope they keep most multiplayer games cross platform. Exclusives are bad for gamers.

Open world with a distinct purpose that contributes directly to the story progression could be good. Otherwise, don't break a good thing.

It's smart to remind folks games aren't necessarily going to drop on GP day one of the merger. MW is my favorite variant of CoD so I am looking forward to it arriving on GP.

NMS should be the gold standard for devs to follow on how to treat your fan base. It started rough (boy did it ever), but has continued to not only improve but also release a plethora of FREE DLCs, on top of the free Expeditions.

Don't be afraid to jump in. The game parses out quests. Some overlap but others don't start until your further along in tht game. If you check your "Log" menu you can switch between any active quest. Not to mention there are several layers to the game you can spend hours developing completely unrelated to quests.

If you havent purchased any additional 360 games by now, you obviously weren't going to, all the excuses notwithstanding. It's ridiculous to think any company will keep an older storefront open indefinitely. You can still play your games, you just can't buy non backwards compatible games after the shut off date. 🙄🙄🙄

I've already played the games I would play so not really worth it, even for the dollar. I am certainly not paying their ridiculous sub fee.

People seem to have forgotten COVID set everything back. The chip shortage alone created havoc worldwide. I think a lot of devs had to scramble just to bring games to market in a timely manner.

Its simpler and gives more view of your theme, of thats important.

I miss the old 360 slider.

It was always a matter of when not if. The CMA and FTC seem to think because MS as a whole is larger than Sony that it suddenly would give them massive market share. The facts clearly indicate otherwise.

MS is making all the right moves to compete with Sony and gain back user trust. (xOne release) And having MS and Sony constantly battling it out is good for gamers in the long run. MS can also do alot to repair ABs image considering it's many recent scandals. (People seem to have forgotten that storyline).

My only wish is MS had also bought out Bungie.

@GamingFan4Lyf your comment is pretty much the only relevant one on this thread so far. 👍

I enjoyed the game. Ill definitely play the dlc. Part of the games appeal is it's sort of over the top poking fun, hopefully the new scarier attempt doesn't ruin that.

@S1ayeR74 MS proved their cloud market share right now is primarily existing console users, which negates even the impression that MS could take over the cloud market with a monopoly.The CMA has known this since before the original denial. That is the flimsy excuse they are using even after it's obvious there are currently no real concerns of MS having a monopoly or being able to unduly influence the cloud market.

Is it coming to Game Pass as well?

I wanted to like the first one but the fight mechanics were painful and the excessively long save points were so annoying I finally just gave up on the game.

One can hope the dev has learned from the (blistering) feedback. Granted some of the vitriol was way offer the top. The co-op mode always felt like an after thought to me. I mean I played thru twice so it wasn't all bad.

While I generally like the direction MS is headed, Live is a reminder to all MS (and others) are in business to make money.

One could blame MS for the cost of online play, but it does take resources and staff to manage an online environment. We have more players than ever before online as well. Would we rather game prices go up even more for online games to offset the cost? This would move many online games completely out of reach for many. GP itself would arguably be more expensive as well.

I mean yeah it sucks but I'd rather have a modest fee for online vs higher priced games.

It's nice to see MS finally make improvements to GwG. It's been the one area lacking compared to Sony.

My first response is to be angry as there is simply no reason to require a constant online connection as a solo player. You could stipulate that saves must have a online connection to proliferate but that shouldn't make it always online.

Of course, I have a solid internet so I'm not really harmed. It just sends the wrong message to your fan base.

This does not bode well for the CMA. Lolol. They seem intent on trying to block the deal no matter what. I said in the beginning it was a matter of when not if. Now we just keep pushing MS to keep games cross platform.

Major can go out with the news the ninth circuit just denied FTCs appeal of the MS/AB merger

I like it but if it's co-op only kind of kills it for me. I kept hoping to see a campaign mode, but all indications so far is there isn't one.

You could give some these folks a million dollars and they'd complain it wasn't in 20s. Jeez Louise, if ya don't like it don't buy it. It's a solid offer. I'm not even a big retro fan and I'm tempted to at least try it.

I wish MS had purchased Bungie instead of Sony. But AB could do with some good PR under the MS umbrella.

@S1ayeR74 The EU agency approved the deal. The CMA is the UK agency that is currently under appeal. The CMA was ridiculously biased during the first review that no one is surprised they have done nothing to Sony. They all but threw a tantrum over fears MS could make CoD an exclusive, even though Sony was busted admitting it wasn't really anticompetitive.

I've said from the beginning this was all grandstanding. The fact the CMA is now "willing" to pause litigation is a signal they would rather negotiate concessions vs having MS win on appeal with zero concessions.

It's "curious" to also see the FTC do nothing about Sony's anticompetitive behavior brought to light during the hearing....

Poor Jim. No one believes him at all anymore.

I love how many users are jumping in his quote about losing the console wars. They are solely focused on it and doing MSs work for them. Lolol

MS is playing this game well and making the FTC look ridiculous.

Am I the only one not surprised? Of course it's not profitable yet. Stadia was sort of the first foray ino cloud and MS has been trying to pick up where stadia left off. If they stick with it, they could easily grab a huge share of the future market. The Xbox streaming app isn't even readily available everywhere yet.

MS is playing down cloud to show they are not a threat now, but they are definitely in a good position. Especially, since butt-hurt Sony got busted admitting it was never really about CoD. Lol

@Total_Weirdo I found it enjoyable as well. Yeah it's got some issues but overall I enjoyed it,.which is what counts.

@Cashews lol bless your heart

Here for the comments and the teeth gnashing. Lol

Big name games are now $70 bucks a pop and people are wailing over a $1 or $2 increase per month. GP and GPU are more than worth the cost.

I'm with a few of the commenters here, the fallout over this game seems exaggerated. The game did have bugs but nothing game busting. The graphics were a disappointment for sure, but overall it was fun. I played thru it and even started over for a bit before finding something new and shiny to move onto. Granted, had I purchased vs playing on GP I might have been a tad more disappointed but I've played worse games for sure.

To me the focus on multiplayer and always online mode for single player was the most annoying aspects.

I'm surprised to hear it took this long. I pretty much assume the moment a new console is announced, devs pivot over for any new games not already in development.

As long as this means devs not releasing broke, bug ridden games I'm ok with it. Stop rushing incomplete games to market only to annoy your fanbase.

I'm glad to hear it. These mid gen upgrades are ridiculous. I'll be glad when exclusives are all but dead as well, so I no longer have to buy two consoles just to play all my fave games.

Is it maybe just music for the trailer and not the game? One can hope because the music doesn't really fit the game and it's jarring.

Am I the only one that feels like a lot of big devs are phoning it in on graphics? This game looks like an XOne release title TBH. If it comes to GP I'd try it, but the music does put me off.

I liked the first one but playing solo the save points were ridiculously far apart. I finally got frustrated and put it down. Hope this one is a tad better in that regard.

Nope. Not a chance.

I honestly think this game was in the pipeline for the end of the XOne and due to COVID they were hella behind so kind of rushed it out. Had this released on XOne I think we'd all be giving it more credit.

My hunch is they needed to get it out so rather than start over they just pushed it out. I haven't attempted to play the co-op and honestly don't see a reason to try. I can definitely see why it's not staying in the top 10, but is playable.

To me this game represents the pinnacle of developer greed. I honestly don't understand how people get sucked into spending so much money in this game.