Comments 812

Re: Soapbox: Remakes Like 'Resident Evil 4' Deserve To Be In The GOTY Conversation

NeoRatt

I disagree completely with putting them in for GOTY.

GOTY is not recycling an old story and re-making it better both technically and story-wise. GOTY is for new stories and new technologies.

At the very least every re-make is a cop-out in creating a new creative story. Although I really like some re-makes like RE4 I don't see how it can get anything more than an 8 out of 10 with reviewers. Because creativity of the story should count for at least 2 points in any review. It is hard to believe a re-made story can be considered very creative.

Re: 343 Has 'Nothing In Active Development' For Halo Infinite Single-Player

NeoRatt

@OldGamer999
Agreed, I quite enjoyed the campaign. And felt they left it perfectly for continuing the campaign.

I would've liked to have seen more campaign elements like traditional Halo campaigns though. They could've used the geography more to make more traditional campaign elements. They also should've used things like atmosphere storms to limit what you could do once you get the flying vehicles. Once I got flying vehicles I pretty much was able to rout the campaign.

Re: Hellblade 2 New Gameplay Trailer Confirms 2024 Release Window

NeoRatt

@Banjo-
I agree. I have played all the CD Tomb Raider and Uncharted games. I find the Uncharted games can't keep my attention that long, but once I get into a Tomb Raider game I can't seem to put it down.

I especially like the Tomb Raider bow and stealth over Uncharted. The bow and stealth in Tomb Raider is more free form and you can use many ways to get through those types of levels. Uncharted I found the stealth to be more a trial and error exercise with limited paths to accomplish the same thing in levels. Many of the Uncharted levels requiring stealth had me just wishing they would end so I could get to the next level, whereas in Tomb Raider I found they had me doing a step and calculating how I could do the next step safely.

Re: Killer Instinct: Anniversary Edition Update Goes Live This Week

NeoRatt

@LordFunkalot
I do agree with your comment completely.

I do think MS is doing a good mix of old and new though. Age of Empires 4, Psychonauts 2, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite were all new entries in existing IPs. Then Ghostwire, Deathloop, HiFi Rush, Redfall, Minecraft Legends, and Starfield are all new IPs.

And as we go forward there is Fable reboot, Avowed, Clockwork Revolution, Hellblade 2, South of Midnight, Everwild, Perfect Dark reboot, State of Decay 3, and Indiana Jones all announced. So, I think they are mixing things up pretty good. At least better than the other two first parties I think (this generation).

Re: 'Technical Error' Led To Mid-Game Advert In Assassin's Creed, Says Ubisoft

NeoRatt

That is by far one of the stupidest PR postings in gaming ever.

1) Why would the ad even be in the game? It doesn't just accidently get there.
2) Sure, there is a tech glitch where the ad that shouldn't be in the game anyhow (but somehow got there), just happen to get into the code where gamers happened to come across it.

Last night I found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow too.

So stupid.

Re: Four Years Since Its Announcement, Rare Continues To Hire For Everwild

NeoRatt

The game will be done when it is done. I would rather MS ship a quality game then rush out something like Redfall was or that has flawed concepts. Gamers and gaming journalism needs to be paying attention less to what is not here and pay more attention to what has shipped and is here. There are plenty of games this year to play in almost all genres.

Re: 'Clockwork Revolution' Dev inXile Talks About Benefits Of Working Under Xbox

NeoRatt

@TakeItEasy
I think certain studios are on top of the industry. I would not blanket and say any publisher is. I felt Capcom really milked gamers on their straight remasters of games like the Deadrising and RE remasters. (RE Remakes were good).

I have all three major consoles and PC. What makes XB my primary console is the stability of XB's network, I prefer achievements over trophies, MS commitment to game on many form factors, the fact that my gamer tag dates back to the start of achievements, and XB GamePass Ultimate.

I don't think consoles should be differentiated by content. They should be differentiated by hardware and services available. Content only plays a role with me when there it is not enough of what I like. This year content was not a problem with XB. Last year it was. And in many of the XB One years content was horrible.

Let's put it this way, if MS only released one game per year that has 50 hours of game time before it becomes dull and it was GOTY would that be better than 4 new games that had a total of 200 hours of game time before they were dull of which 1 was nominated GOTY and 3 had 75-85 Metacritic scores? Quantity and quality need to be balanced in my opinion. There is only one GOTY and the GOTY tends to be an action-adventure along the lines of what Sony or FROM Software makes. All other games are pretty much ignored.

Re: 'Clockwork Revolution' Dev inXile Talks About Benefits Of Working Under Xbox

NeoRatt

@TakeItEasy
Not every game is a #1 AAA hit. No matter what large publisher you look at there are flops and successes. I like the hands off approach because:

1) It allows studios to take chances
2) The studios are fully accountable for the game they release
3) They are not as money driven by some corporate jerk

The flaws of quality can be addressed by MS ensuring a quality bar is hit. To me that was the biggest flaw of Redfall. And really this year that is the only game anyone can truly knock that MS released.

Re: Blizzard On The Possibility Of WoW On Xbox: 'We Are Microsoft Now'

NeoRatt

@Xbox_Dashboard
I am not sure how easy that is. First, they would have to make the game work on the XB network with XB gamer tags and achievements. Next, there is a lot the same with XS consoles and PCs but they are not exactly the same.

It sounds simple and transparent but it probably isn't. You have to remember the game dates back to 2004. There is probably still remnant technology in the game from that era. Back then PCs and XB were coded separately. The tools have changed a lot and XB is more or less PC now, but if there is still some old tech there then it would not be easy.

Re: Sony Exec Describes Game Pass And PS Plus As 'Very Different' Offerings

NeoRatt

The purpose of the two subscriptions are the same. Provide gamers with online features and a catalogue of games they can play.

The features and and catalogues take very different approaches though. In the end I think your preference is based on what you value most. I have no problem with either subscription, but with the way I use them XB is giving me better value for dollars spent in my opinion.

Re: Xbox Game Pass Release Exoprimal Gave Capcom A 'Large' Digital Revenue Boost

NeoRatt

@Rmg0731
That was probably the point on putting it on GamePass. Capcom has not made a lot of big shooters lately (Last really good shooter I remember was Lost Planet). Of course RE is shooter but more action-horror.

By putting this on GamePass they were able to show they can make a decent shooter and it did good. Hopefully encourages them to do some more. And gives them a good experience with GamePass, so hopefully they do more on GamePass too. Wins for everyone - Gamers, Capcom, and of course MS.

Re: Publisher Thunderful Reiterates Positives Of Xbox Game Pass Releases

NeoRatt

I think GamePass is just one of a number of business models to fund the creation and delivery of games. There is still room for all the other models. People like to think that one model is the best, but in reality there is no one size fits all. I love GamePass, owning digital games, and I play the odd F2P (even though I refuse to pay in F2P).

Re: Microsoft Increasing Xbox Series S Price In Brazil

NeoRatt

@TakeItEasy
Honestly, my company does business in Brazil and it is difficult to keep prices low for foreign companies. If you are not manufacturing your product in Brazil there is a ton of taxes and protectionist things that drive the price of goods in Brazil up exponentially.

I would guess that there are not enough XBoxes sold in Brazil to justify manufacturing there so between foreign import, foreign electronics, and other foreign taxes, not to mention the very high US dollar cost to bring them in, they were forced to increase the price.

Re: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 To Fix Multiple Issues Post-Launch

NeoRatt

@Martsmall
Agreed. I have more or less completely given up on day one purchases because the developers either ship a beta version of the game which is not feature complete or they ship a complete game that is a buggy mess.

I remember the first time I really saw this on the AAA side was Batman Arkham City. Spent 16 hours playing on launch day and lost my game save on a bug with X360. I was hugely choked.

But now, these types of things are norms rather than exceptions. And as long as gamers keep buying the games, there is no incentive for the devts/pubs to change the situation.

It is as if there is only one or two true AAA games each year now and what used to be AAA is now AA or worse.

Re: BG3 Is Still Planned For Xbox Before End Of 2023, Confirms Developer

NeoRatt

As long as they ship a complete game with few bugs I prefer them to ship it when it is ready.

Unfortunately, I don't get a lot of gaming time so I am backlogged heavily. Still working my through Diablo, spent only a small time with Starfield, haven't even touched Forza Motorsport yet. Not to mention many other games that have shipped and are going to still ship this year.

Re: With Just Two Months Left, These Are The 10 Highest-Rated Xbox Games Of 2023

NeoRatt

I have been highly satisfied with all the games on XB this year overall. This is the first year in a long time that I felt glad for what shipped and am looking forward to hopefully another solid year next year.

I know the exclusives never got super high scores, but they were almost all good games. Redfall is the only game I think they should've did more with before releasing.

Re: Xbox's Latest Advertising Campaign Features Starfield, Hellblade 2 & Others

NeoRatt

@Titntin
The game stuff was good in that PS ad. But, I hate a newscaster type approach. Reminds me of all the news organizations now-a-days. Where they are either left or right leaning rather than objective. Felt cheesy to me because of it. Although I do have to say the woman flying in the XB one was cheesy too.

I do think spider-man 2 is a really good. I played the first part of the story this morning and it is good. But, Sony is just working off of their existing IP and not really building anything new right now and the past few years. I am sure they are working on new stuff. Just zero visibility as to what that is. Returnal is really their only new IP this generation so far. And it doesn't seem like there is a lot of other new IP coming.

Re: Rumour: Halo's Next Story Campaign Is In Development On Unreal Engine

NeoRatt

@species8472
I do completely agree with your comment, but also there is no sense throwing more at the campaign using Slipspace if it does not fit. I would prefer they get to a sustainable long term game engine and use it going forward.

Hopefully with this change Halo Story content starts coming out regularly once they get there. I would like to see them build on the Infinite world. and continue where it was left off. I really enjoyed the Infinite campaign and would like to explore more on this ring and expand the story on this ring.

Re: Limited Run CEO Claims Walmart May Be Dropping Physical Xbox Games Soon

NeoRatt

@MikeHiscoe
First, there is nothing here to say that Wal-mart will not carry XB consoles. Just physical XB games. And the quotes imply that this will also be applied to PS and Nintendo later. "Retail is becoming more and more challenging and in-store game sales are declining, only makes sense they'll reduce the department in time"

Second, it is inevitable that game sales would turn digital. Business software is almost all digital, CD music has gone pretty much all digital/streaming, DVD/Blu-Ray has gone digital/streaming, etc. There is nothing to suggest this is anything to do with just Microsoft. Facts are, less and less gamers are buying physical games, and more an more they are buying digital games.

I am not saying that physical game sales should disappear or I agree with Wal-mart's potential decision. But thinking this is Microsoft getting what it deserves is not supported by the facts. Every media for entertainment and software distribution is being replaced by digital distribution. Whether we like it or not and it is not just a Microsoft thing.

Re: Activision Says Xbox Can 'Take Games In The Library And Remake Them' Post-Acquisition

NeoRatt

@Benjamin
I would like to see Banjo Kazooie. But to me, Forza Horizon has everything PGR had and a ton more.

Rather than having just a few tracks Horizon has literally hundreds in its open world with a ton of variety. The style points in Horizon are way better than PGR, and Horizon has way more cars, not to mention the general open world, story mode and a ton of other features.

As for AKB remakes... None. Give me new IPs or new games in series please. I am tired of remakes, remasters, and rehashing.

Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want To See From Xbox & Activision Blizzard?

NeoRatt

There are three things I want from this acquisition. Not sure if any will happen anytime soon.

1) Battle.NET to become part of XB Network Gaming Platform.
2) Pitfall as a modern IP similar to Uncharted and Tomb Raider.
3) World of Warcraft and StarCraft beyond PC.

At the end of the day the only genres MS seems to be still weak in after this acquisition is Action-Adventure and JRPG games. Everything else they have strong IPs in.

Re: CMA Criticises 'Tactics Employed By Microsoft' Despite Agreeing To ActiBlizz Deal

NeoRatt

There is a ton that happens in the background of these things politically. CMA should not be airing the dirty laundry here. I am sure there is a lot of dirty laundry with the CMA as well. Otherwise there would not have been a miscommunication on what it would take to get the deal approved.

For some reason MS thought it would get approved. For some reason CMA thought they were clear on what it would take to approve it.

Re: Redfall's Huge New Update Is Getting Impressive Feedback So Far

NeoRatt

@RIghteousNixon
Agreed, you have to reward the people that bought the game and played it on GamePass day one. They were given a poor quality game and should be able to play an improved version as soon as it is ready.

They can start a marketing campaign to try and get an uptick in players at any time. They don't need a patch release event to do that.

Re: Sea Of Thieves Has A New Developer Working On Season Ten Cosmetics

NeoRatt

@Kaloudz
It seems obvious to me that Rare has done a massive change in direction with Everwild. We don't know how far along they were when the change was formally made and how big of a change it was to what they were doing. Also, AAA games are taking longer to make now-a-days. There are a lot of quiet studios out there.

To me, the game gets done when it is done. As long as MS consistently delivers at least 4 AAA games per year, I am not concerned about any one studio's development hells. I am more concerned what is happening across all studios together. With AKB acquisition next week hopefully 4 AAA games per year should not be a stretch.

Re: Alan Wake 2 Dev Explains Two Biggest Challenges Of Working With Xbox Series S

NeoRatt

I can for sure understand that but there is always a console with an issue in every generation and developers have to code to it. The only way this becomes a non-issue is if everyone uses the same hardware for everything.

I like that MS provided a lower cost next gen console. They tried something new here and I think it is good. Next gen they need to do better but this gen is this gen and developers have to live with the hardware that is out there. People need to stop crying over the spilled milk and move forward.

The alternative would be to skip XB but obviously they think there is a significant fan base there, so suck it up and make the game work on the hardware rather than whining about something that cannot be changed.

Re: Kojima Shares Snaps Of Phil Spencer & Co. Visiting During Tokyo Game Show Week

NeoRatt

@Kaloudz
To me, all exclusives are bad. I don't care whether it is Forza, Starfield, Gears, Halo, God of War, Uncharted, TLOU, GT, Horizon, Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Duck Hunt, etc.

I do not understand why people like to buy specific hardware for specific content. I reward vendors (by purchasing their stuff), based on how broadly I can use their hardware to run or play all the software I want to use. I have no loyalty to a specific hardware platform. I have loyalty to the specs of the hardware, the form factors, and the services I can get from the hardware.

The hardware is a conduit for me to play games, run software, and subscribe to services I want. I do not care too much about the look of the hardware or what is inside. I care about it being the appropriate form factor to do what I want it to do.