Questionable_Duck

I thought the character in the article's thumbnail was Bloodborne's protagonist for a sec

@Shinato2024 It was just in jest lol, I'm not that angry about it anymore. Though I will counter your claim that Microsoft couldn't release so many games if they were exclusive. All of the games that Microsoft has released so far were in development when they still cared about exclusives. There's no way that Fable, Forza Horizon 6, Halo: CE Remake, Towerborne, Kiln, Ninja Gaiden 4, The Outer Worlds 2, etc. were greenlit with the intent of them being released on PlayStation.

@Fiendish-Beaver Awesome, and congrats with your new console! Hope you enjoy the games. Haven't played Rebirth yet, but I really liked the first game when I played it a few years ago.

At least someone is still releasing Xbox exclusives, unlike Microsoft

@Fiendish-Beaver That includes doing everything, including all the side quests. However, I did forget to mention the Episode Intermission Yuffie story DLC, which can take an additional 6-7 hours to fully complete.

Since Rebirth is open-world and has an ungodly amount of minigames, that is the only game so far that has around 100 hours of content in it. If you're okay with skipping the side content, though, you can finish its main campaign in 50 hours.

@Fiendish-Beaver The first FF7 Remake game is more like 40 hours rather than 100. It's Rebirth that is the longer of the two.

Probably FF7 Remake Intergrade, now that it's finally on Xbox, as well as some Unbeatable

@Sindayl Yes, if the game sucks, it will remain an Xbox exclusive. Currently I think Redfall will be the only Xbox Series X/S exclusive from Microsoft this gen

There's stuff like Halo Infinite too but those are cross-gen

@FatGuyInLilCoat There sure is

@Jenkinss Microsoft is so unpredictable that I wouldn't even blame anyone for still holding out hope that not every game would be day one on PlayStation. Remember, this is the same company that did a 180 on the Xbox Live Gold and $80 game price increases, never put most of Activision's back catalog on sale despite promising to do so, shut down Tango after saying Hi-Fi Rush was a big success, and so on. You really can't take them at their word.

It wouldn't be that surprising if Microsoft decided, despite their multiplatform push, to keep some timed exclusives, but it's clear now that won't be the case.

@seinfeldfanatic They must have made a mistake on GameFAQs then. Because I'm pretty sure it doesn't say the game is available for Xbox One on the Xbox store

@seinfeldfanatic Well, the next one will be. And also, like I said before, the Xbox version of FF7 Remake includes a PC version as well. So saying "uh actually it's so dumb that Jez said the Xbox version is the best" is kinda pointless.

Also, no one ever said FF7 Remake is coming to Xbox One. Don't know where you heard that one. It's available on Xbox Series X/S right now, though, I'm playing it.

@Weebleman He admitted he was wrong in another comment, and that he thinks this isn't a good move for Xbox. Which I agree with

@Nic-Noc20th-C This is the first developer direct to only have four games, all the other ones had five games. Even last year, there was Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. It wasn't given it's own full section, like the other games, but it was at least shadow dropped.

@fatpunkslim I agree, I think even a few months of exclusivity would have been better for the game. When Microsoft announces a game for PlayStation day-one, everyone talks about it being a PlayStation game and not an Xbox game.

But at least the game looks better than I expected. I'll probably sub to Ultimate for a month when it does come out.

Also appreciate that you were willing to admit that you were wrong about this. So many people on the Internet refuse to admit that they were wrong about predictions or claims they make, and they just pretend like they never said anything instead.

Fable being on PS5 day one proves once and for all that Microsoft is never gonna make exclusive games ever again, not even timed exclusives. This isn't a remake of an old game, nor is it a niche game like Kiln. It's a tentpole fully brand new AAA title, and it's releasing on PS5 day-ane-date. A bit of a shame that the one game that might've convinced people to buy an Xbox is multiplatform, but it is what it is. Microsoft made their bed, and they can't not sit in it now.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Not a good comparison. There are only 2 Forza games on PS, no GT games on Xbox. There's, like, 18 mainline Final Fantasy games, and all of them are either available on Xbox or confirmed for Xbox. So, yes, it is true that Xbox has all the mainline titles in the series.

The one thing XboxEra left out, however, is that there are a few obscure Final Fantasy spin-offs that aren't available on Xbox, but are on Switch and/or PlayStation.

@Naughtyottsel92 Xbox is PC buddy

Eh... These sales are pretty much useless most of the time. Only time I managed to get a good deal recently was when Monument Valley 1 and 2 were included in a Buy One Get One Free promotion.

Stuff like this can really only work with brand-new games. Problem is, Microsoft almost never puts brand-new games in these sales.

@Naughtyottsel92 Fun fact: You can play the Xbox version of the game on a PC, since it's Play Anywhere. And Jez spent a lot of his time reviewing the game on a ROG Xbox Ally, which is a PC.

@Balaam_ Did you even read the review, or do you just like saying snarky stuff just because? Pretty sure Jez explains that the Xbox version is the "best" because you can play it across multiple devices, like PC and the ROG Xbox Ally. Basically due to its Play Anywhere support.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I mean, they're not that wrong, tho. Rebirth is already confirmed for Xbox, so it doesn't really matter that much

This us definitely one of the best lineups of Game Pass in recent memory, if you're judging it solely by the quality of non-day one third-party games. Of course, there have been other months with more notable games, including anticipated day one titles, but this is the first time in a while that I feel like Microsoft has added older, in-demand third-party AAA titles to the service, at least to this extent.

Microsoft used to add old AAA titles to Game Pass all the time, but it stopped in recent years. Good to see that they're seemingly back.

This is on par with Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, which in case you didn't know, is also available on Xbox.

@Balaam_ Not sure if I fully agree on Fable 2 being watered down. I think Fable 2 is generally considered to be the best Fable game.

I know some people are frustrated that Sega isn't making any classics collections, but I think this is awesome. One of the reasons why I love the Yakuza series is that it has so much diversity in gameplay, and these games-inside-of-a-game are a great example of that.

@oopsiezz You do realize you're saying this to a PS fan extraordinaire, right? You should have locked at andrewsqual's comment history on this site, they haven't made a single positive comment about Xbox. They also got really mad at Sony for putting games on PC, and especially Helldivers 2 on Xbox.

@andrewsqual Says who? Alinea Analytics?

@cburg Nah I'm not gonna leave Xbox lol, just a tad disappointed with the current strategy Microsoft is using for the brand.

I'm not happy with some of Microsoft's decisions, but not so much to the point that I'll stop buying games on the platform entirely. It's still my primary console.

@FrenchVaniIIuxe Speak for yourself, there's a decent amount of people interested in the game. Even still, I'm not sure what kind of thought process you used to go from "game has no hype" to "why is the female protag so ugly?" Reeks of culture warring to me.

My question is, if the next Xbox is just a Windows 11 PC, then how exactly is Microsoft gonna convince developers to bring games to their storefront? Won't most companies, especially indie devs, just ignore Xbox entirely and tell Xbox players to buy their games from Steam? Seems like a massive mistake, one that could mark the death of the ID@Xbox program.

Also, focusing so heavily on Play Anywhere in marketing seems kinda pointless, if the next Xbox is indeed a PC.

@cross717 25 years from now, Xbox will be nothing more than a third-party publisher, like Sega. I don't see their hardware division or even storefront existing for another quarter-century, with the pace that Microsoft is going at.

However, maybe that won't matter too much in the long run, because I imagine traditional home consoles aren't long for this world. The RAM shortages will probably make the PS6 (an already-redundant console due to the lack of graphical enhancements) very expensive, which will in turn likely make it the worst selling PS ever. But I could be wrong.

@FrenchVaniIIuxe What does that have to do with the subject of the article?

@swedetrap Same. Maybe my tastes in games are just broad, but I'm interested in playing nearly all of the stuff listed here.

Only games I'm not too down for are Marathon (though I do like the artstyle), Invincible VS, Halloween (depends on how good the singleplayer campaign is), Halo: Campaign Evolved (was never a big fan of the first Halo), and Star Wars: Galactic Racer.

I'm a bit iffy on Resonant: A Plague Tale Legacy too, since I wasn't a big fan of the Plague Tale games, but I'd be willing to buy it on sale.

As I expected, Microsoft had basically nothing of note to show here other than PS5 ports of the few Xbox exclusives they have left. Great way to kick off 2026.

@themightyant Anthem has been delisted for a while, how did you buy it?

That is absolutely terrible, and it is so unexpected. It felt like he had just started to get Battlefield on track. Even though I didn't play many of his games, I knew he was a very talented developer and easily one of the best FPS creators in the industry.

May he rest in peace.

@Allenspurs Never say never. What you're saying is exactly what people said about God of War before it was eventually released for PC in 2022.

Now, I don't know if GT will ever come to Xbox, but a PC port of GT8 (probably too late for GT7) is all but guaranteed. Who knows, since GT is technically a live service series, Sony may even put GT8 on PC day-one. Like all of their other live service games (barring MLB for odd reasons).

@themightyant I think the devs at Obsidian probably said that when they announced Pentiment and Grounded lol

@Fiendish-Beaver Man, I'm sorry about what happened to your wife, and it's really unfortunate that you're suffering from persistent back issues, but at least it's nice that you've had the time to share your thoughts about all things gaming here on a regular basis.

To be honest, when I first saw your comments on Pure Xbox, I actually wasn't a big fan of you because we disagreed on a lot of things. But the more I've read your takes, the more I've realized that we actually share more in common about gaming than I thought. And you seem like a nice guy, too!

I think it's safe to say that I (and many others) appreciate the contributions you make to the comment sections of this site.

Happy early birthday btw!

PlayStation didn't sign an exclusivity deal for this game, the devs were just fanboys who thought that PlayStation deserved to have the game first because it's the "home of great storytelling in video games" or something along those lines (ignoring the fact that Telltale-style games have always been released on Xbox and Nintendo consoles).

Considering how fast they're able to get these Switch ports out the door, it's clear that budgetary restraints were not the reason for their inability to release the game on Switch 2 and Xbox.

Something tells me this is gonna be another Dave the Diver situation, and they won't release the game on Xbox until 2027, if at all.

It seems like Sony is legit afraid to make a free-to-play game lol

@Link41x You are probably like one of three people on the planet who are still playing Windows Phone games on a regular basis lol

@RadioHedgeFund Because it isn't remotely as exciting skimming through a few trailers on Pure Xbox/IGN as it is watching the show live for yourself. Like, if you hate the Game Awards, have a limited taste in games, and/or don't have the time to watch a 3-hour awards show, I can understand. But if you are interested in showcases like this one, then I don't know why you would spoil the show for yourself by looking up all the games online.

@niggyt2004 No, it doesn't have new cutscenes, just some new songs that were in the original Japanese release. It has two intro cutscenes now instead of one, but these were in the original Japanese game. They just were never released in the West until now

Technically the Kiwami 2 upgrade is more substantial since it adds 60 FPS support

@FraserG Yeah seriously, it took them several hours to announce the console versions

I know what Tim Cain is working on... He's bringing back Stormlands, the cancelled Xbox One exclusive RPG from Obsidian that no one remembers! Or at least I wish...

@Toot1st Thankfully it is coming to Xbox

https://x.com/ID_Xbox/status/1996685945819545643?s=20

@FraserG No problem! Just checked btw and Sol Shogunate is also coming to Xbox too.

Netflix just confirmed that, yes, they are going to be acqurining all of Warner Bro's game studios. So Mortal Kombat is now going to be a Netflix franchise.