PhileasFragg

I think a large and expensive Live Service game would be a great choice. The last one was just a warm up, and I'm sure if Warner Brothers double down with an even larger budget then they're bound to get it right this time!

Interesting. I've only got enough to buy one of them so I have to make my choice. I own all the LotR movies on Blu Ray, and the first Hobbit movie.

Is Youngblood actually Play Anywhere though? It's not marked as such on the Xbox store website. Usually when a game has that feature it's got a little logo that says it is just under the title.

Look at the page for Indiana Jones, and you'll see it says "Play Anywhere" https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/indiana-jones-and-the-great-circle/9n8fq28z6qx3

and Youngblood on PC doesn't https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/Wolfenstein-Youngblood-PC/9PHFTS44F99K

If you filter games on the store by if they have Play Anywhere no Wolfenstein games show up. Even if you search the unofficial spreadsheet you link to in the article Youngblood doesn't appear.

Glad to see this. It's a really fun game, and with Cross Play that means I could play with some of my Playstation owning friends.

I'm happy to see them not focussing on exclusive games and walled gardens. Games should be on as many platforms as possible and allow for as free cross play as possible. the console makers should compete on price, features, and capability not exclusive titles that would run better on other platforms.

Great to see. Though I'm more looking forward to progress on cross platform multiplayer so I can play with friends on other platforms.

I haven't played a wrestling game in about 20 years. Are any of the recent ones worth getting second hand?

I think he makes a good point. While there's always games that try and push the technical envelope I'd say there's more focus now than ever to get games to run on lower spec and older tech. .

If they got rid of the parity requirements that'd really hurt the Series S gamers as rushed developers could drop features just to get the games out the door even if it would be possible.

Not a chance. I'll never pay extra to play a finished game a couple days early. The game is ready to play then release it that day simple as that.

Why should players be expected to pay extra because you pushed back the release by a week?

I played a few of the many Phantom Menace era games that came out, but not this one as I do recall reading middling reviews in the magazines (remember those?).

Why this was remade rather than the other Phantom Menace game, or some goofy fun like Star Wars: Demolition I have no idea. Is it a cult hit? Battlefront? Definitely. Podracer? Hell Yeah. Bounty Hunter? I guess? Power Battles?...

I hope they look into the problem with the Series X not being able to play many BD-100 4K movies. I fear that could be a hardware issue rather than a software issue though by cheaping out on the disc drive.

I enjoyed playing FC5 (and 6) when they came to Game Pass, and so I'll give this one a go as at least they're a fun diversion when you're not paying full price (plus all the "Gold" edition Ubisoft BS).

My Series X is about 90%, but that's because I'm regularly uninstalling stuff to make space for new games. I've got 2-3 games that are permanent fixtures, and the rest will be deleted as needed to make room for other stuff.

@bazchillin I don't have a PS5 so I can't attest to it's UHD playback, but the Series X is not a good 4K player. I've got several movies in my collection that won't play in my Xbox. It seems that if you have a BD-100 disc there's a good chance it won't work in an Xbox. It's not just my machine as lots of people seem to have this issue, and BD-100 discs are getting more common now.

I've bought a stand alone 4K player (which isn't cheap) so I can watch my 4K discs.

GTA 5 had earned more money than any other entertainment product (game, movie book, comic) in history. If they charge $100 + the paid extras they can shove it up themselves. If anything they'd be best to lower the price.

I'd like to see cloud gaming on Switch 2 so you can play your Xbox games on the go. It'll be more than powerful enough.

It's good to see more options for repairs available. They need to make their repair information and parts as widely spread to 3rd parties and not just authorised outlets.

The power savings are good too. I think the next gen should have more low power options for when you're streaming Netflix, etc. as an Xbox streaming video uses more power than a basic streaming stick, or a smart TV doing the same thing.

I got a notification saying 3 games were 100% off, but when I followed the notification there was nothing...

I've had good experiences streaming games on PC, Xbox, and on phones and tablets so the tech is there for sure, but just needs more consistent performance. Unfortunately if the wifi at your house is bad then there's nothing Microsoft can do about that so they'll always have issues.

I think a move to make all games that you own playable in the cloud will be important to drive the growth. Also something for people who own the game on disc and not digitally.

@RentedPanda It's not working for me. Maybe a regional thing, or only for some people?

https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/braid-anniversary-edition/bxr1fqzpcdmv

How do you access this sale? I'm looking at a few of the games mentioned here on Xbox.com and it doesn't mention any deals, or what's available.

Mario on Xbox confirmed.

I think Microsoft will announce they've already bought Nintendo and the long rumoured Xbox Handheld and Switch 2 are the same device.

It looks like an interesting game, and I might check it out after some reviews.

Just wait a year, and they can buy it for 50-75% off.

I think the "mini console" thing has come and gone. They needed to have done that for 20 years or earlier.

I'm not sure what'd be good to do. Maybe, as mentioned, a Rare Replay style thing with a collection of some of the real classics available digitally for cheap (say £9.99) that'd be also playable on cloud would work well.

Probably not too much effort to put together and would maybe snag some non Xbox owners to get it to play the games on their phones, laptops, etc.

I just got a £5 xbox voucher from MS rewards so maybe I could use it on this?

This is definitely a game I'm wanting to keep an eye on as the art style is so striking, but I'll be waiting for reviews for sure to see how it holds up to the other retro-style FPS games on the market.

I'm not surprised as there's so little advantage to physical games any more. Buying and selling second hand is all there is left.

Besides the odd second hand bargain I don't buy physical games any more as they're just shelf stuffers.

You don't have the game on the disc as all games have updates, and many some sort of online authentication requirement; you're more likely to physically lose or break a game disc than lose access to a digital store,; and you don't get access to features like Play Anywhere, Cloud streaming, etc.

The physical game ship has sailed because the product has been getting worse, and the alternative has been getting better.

That's a crazy amount of money. Can't Microsoft skip a year or two, and solve world hunger or something?

I may give this a whirl as I'm between games right now after finishing off Indiana Jones over the New Year.

@Coletrain Then next gen Xbox will definitely have AI jammed into it somewhere. MS has spent billions, and they need to put it in everything they can. My prediction is for AI teammates you can speak to and order about in voice coms. Like the old SOCOM games, but people will find a way to get them to say slurs.

Good to see this isn't Samsung exclusive as it's a cool feature to have in a TV when so many TVs are effectively the same.

I need to get anew TV at some point as the screen on mine has rows of dead pixels, and it'd be cool to have this built in, but when I've got an actual console plugged into it then it's pretty redundant.

A good option for someone without an Xbox, or if you're well off and have multiple high end TVs in your house, or in a holiday home.

The only part that sounds convincing to me is that it's supposedly called the "Xbox Prime". That's a TERRIBLE name, and so is completely believable that they'd call their next console that.

Considering there used to be pretty easy quests that didn't require Game Pass and would get you 2000+ points a month without all this streak stuff I'm not really bothering with rewards any more.

I collect points I get from the games I play already, but I'm not going to go about and play random games I'm not interested for 15 minutes.

This is pretty good. Having tried a PS5, and it took a while to get used to the layout, and so I guess there's people who'd prefer that layout.

Shame it lacks the other features, but then again there'd not be any games to support them.

Xbox will be 3rd place in this generation for sure. Will they pick up next gen, or even stick around? I guess that remains to be seen.

Though given their current push to emphasise their non-console offerings I think they've decided that it could be more profitable to focus elsewhere than try all out to sell consoles (which often don't have a good margin).

It's always such a mess with people getting banned on a hair trigger. Having nerfed the rewards constantly for years now I'm earning almost nothing.

There's people who've put a lot of time into saving enough to buy consoles, etc. with their points, and since the vouchers you get expire after a couple months you can't cash out, and always run the risk of losing hundreds of pounds on a whim.

Thankfully I had just enough for a £5 voucher which I've cashed in in case I get locked out again.

Don't pre-order digital games people. This is going to be live service heavy and will have a day one patch, and you KNOW the servers will be rammed and probably break. Wait for reviews, and to make sure you know what you're getting. Don't give them money until then.

Yeah this needs to be the standard. Games like Fortnite are starting to feel the sting of relying on FOMO as there's loads of new and returning players who'd happily pay big bucks for some of the old Battle Pass content (Iron man, Darth Vader, etc.) but can't.

Though now they've been starting to put old content in the cash shop to the cries of long time players.

What a shame we didn't get to see that. Instead we got an episode about Concord which will be around far longer than the actual game

I'm not sure how far in I'm into the game so far, but sign me up for a sequel for sure!

It's a great feature, and means that I still keep an eye out at second had shops for games I can still play. I've picked up TimeSplitters 2 and 3, Black, Spec Ops the Line (not available digitally any more), and others for cheap.

Though that they stopped the program, and there's still so many great games missing (most licensed games for example) means it's just not what it could have been.

I'll wait for more of the games to come to GP so I can at least play through the campaigns.

@Matthewnh Or if you want to be extra fancy read the prequel comic series which is currently available for £0.95 (along with others) in the base tier of the Fanatical digital Star Trek comic bundle. https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/star-trek-across-the-universe-comics-bundle

Is Star Trek Legends that mobile game? I guess it’s good that there’s another Trek game on Xbox.

Though seriously just get Star Trek Online (free to play MMO) and Resurgence (Telltale style narrative action game).

I played the single player campaign of this a while back, and it was short, but fun. Worth a shot if you're a Star Wars fan.

I overheard someone in the pub say that it was a great decision and it really paid off for them.

I think it would be good to have a 3rd view. Particularly as dressing up in disguises plays an important part in the game, but you don't really get to see them. Plus there's the people who paid extra for the exclusive outfits.

@NintendoByNature I don't know how historically accurate it is in the details, but it gets a lot of points for remembering it's a WORLD war, and not just in trenches in northern France. So you'll go to Africa, fight high up in the Italian Alps, etc.

I already own it on disc, but this includes all the extras, and means I won't need to put the disc in.