@electrolite77 They were were aiming for a November 2022 release originally, but with 2023 being crowded with high-profile releases, they probably thought that September would be a more opportune moment. Somehow, I get the feeling they were anticipating the mixed reception.
Hence the price cut as a means to keep Xbox in the spotlight. Good move, regardless of the circumstances.
@HonestHick Back in the day, the 360 versions of cross-platform titles were almost always better, due to devs struggling with the PS3's peculiar architecture. That helped Xbox gain the lead during that era's earlier years. Ultimately, PS3 caught up and that generation ended up in a near-tie in terms of units sold.
Xbox had a lucky break during the 360 era, but hasn't been able to replicate the success since. Sony has been selling consumer electronics for decades, they understand the market much better than Microsoft.
My backlog is overflowing, so not buying anything, but I can recommend Hydro Thunder Hurricane and Split/Second for those who like arcade racers. They don't make them like this anymore.
Like their responses to Steam reviews, this looks like another example of how the game's mixed reception has caught Bethesda off guard. Social media is not the place for good discussion anyway, and it has become harsher in the years since Fallout 4's release. I don't see how this "rebuttal" will make anyone change their minds.
For TES6, I hope that BGS goes back to playing to their strengths in world building and exploration.
From Fallout 4 on, they began bolting on features, like settlement building and crafting, that do not contribute to the core experience that their games are known for. Starfield is an extension of that "more features" design philosophy.
They've shown they can backtrack on elements that do not land well, the voiced protag from Fallout 4 being an example. So I'm cautiously optimistic they'll learn from Starfield's mixed reception. The presumably smaller geographical scale of an Elder Scrolls title might also help in bringing back the BGS feel.
Middle Eastern settings, historical settings and stealth are right up my alley, so I'm interested.
The only thing I'm hesitant about is that recent Ubisoft games require you to sign up for an account in order to play. At least Far Cry 6 did. Is that the case for Mirage as well?
@robe Exactly. If the players are in entirely different locations, the game will have to render 2 different sets of textures. Since textures are typically the biggest assets in a game, memory and memory bandwidth will become the main bottleneck.
The easiest solution would be for XSS to severely reduce texture quality, but then it's not a good look for Xbox as a whole. Huge amounts of textures, in this case due to split-screen, is a use case in which the XSS-as-a-lightweight-XSX approach does not work.
RPGs are a more natural fit for PC anyway, so launching there first makes sense. . Releasing it on PC before Starfield is good timing for both Bethesda and Larian. Otherwise these gigantic, years-in-development efforts are going to be in competition.
For the same reason, releasing it on Xbox some months after Starfield works out for everyone.
Finally, as the game still seems to have performance issues in the later stages, it looks like they have some optimization work left to do. As long as the Xbox version releases in good shape, I don't feel anyone is missing out.
My worry for BGS is that this type of "realistic" science fiction does not have the wide appeal of the more fantasy-oriented fare of Fallout and Elder Scrolls.
With their last major game having been released almost 8 years ago, and this being the launch of an entirely new franchise, I can imagine they are quite busy right now.
Well I wasn't aware 60fps patch was coming, but this is a great reason to jump back in. NG+ Nightmare provides endless fun. And I never played Hellraid.
Preordered the deluxe edition last weekend and requested a refund. Approved in less than a minute. Now that's good customer service.
Shame, though. Loved the original. Bought an XSS mainly to be able to play DL2. Given Techland's reputation for post-release support, I'm optimistic it will become a worthwhile game eventually.
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Re: It's The UK's Turn! Xbox Series X Reduced By Over £100 For Christmas 2023
@electrolite77 They were were aiming for a November 2022 release originally, but with 2023 being crowded with high-profile releases, they probably thought that September would be a more opportune moment. Somehow, I get the feeling they were anticipating the mixed reception.
Hence the price cut as a means to keep Xbox in the spotlight. Good move, regardless of the circumstances.
Re: It's The UK's Turn! Xbox Series X Reduced By Over £100 For Christmas 2023
@HonestHick Back in the day, the 360 versions of cross-platform titles were almost always better, due to devs struggling with the PS3's peculiar architecture. That helped Xbox gain the lead during that era's earlier years. Ultimately, PS3 caught up and that generation ended up in a near-tie in terms of units sold.
Xbox had a lucky break during the 360 era, but hasn't been able to replicate the success since. Sony has been selling consumer electronics for decades, they understand the market much better than Microsoft.
Re: Deals: All 80+ Backwards Compatible Games In The Xbox Countdown Sale 2023
My backlog is overflowing, so not buying anything, but I can recommend Hydro Thunder Hurricane and Split/Second for those who like arcade racers. They don't make them like this anymore.
Re: Starfield Dev Calls Out 'Unreasonable' Criticism From Some People On Social Media
Like their responses to Steam reviews, this looks like another example of how the game's mixed reception has caught Bethesda off guard. Social media is not the place for good discussion anyway, and it has become harsher in the years since Fallout 4's release. I don't see how this "rebuttal" will make anyone change their minds.
Re: Bethesda Has Started Responding To Negative User Reviews Of Starfield
For TES6, I hope that BGS goes back to playing to their strengths in world building and exploration.
From Fallout 4 on, they began bolting on features, like settlement building and crafting, that do not contribute to the core experience that their games are known for. Starfield is an extension of that "more features" design philosophy.
They've shown they can backtrack on elements that do not land well, the voiced protag from Fallout 4 being an example. So I'm cautiously optimistic they'll learn from Starfield's mixed reception. The presumably smaller geographical scale of an Elder Scrolls title might also help in bringing back the BGS feel.
Re: Xbox Shocktober Sale 2023 Now Live, 900+ Games Discounted This Week
@johnK Good choice. Still the best of the new batch of REs, if you ask me.
Not on the list: Dying Light 1. Absolute steal at the price, especially for the amount of content.
Re: Review: Assassin's Creed Mirage - A Super Slick Return To The Series' Stealth Roots
Middle Eastern settings, historical settings and stealth are right up my alley, so I'm interested.
The only thing I'm hesitant about is that recent Ubisoft games require you to sign up for an account in order to play. At least Far Cry 6 did. Is that the case for Mirage as well?
Re: Bethesda Wants The Elder Scrolls 6 To Be 'The Ultimate Fantasy-World Simulator'
Just release ES6 as DLC for Starfield. Plenty of space in that universe.
Re: Phil Spencer Gives His Thoughts On Baldur's Gate 3's Xbox Series S Issues
@robe Exactly. If the players are in entirely different locations, the game will have to render 2 different sets of textures. Since textures are typically the biggest assets in a game, memory and memory bandwidth will become the main bottleneck.
The easiest solution would be for XSS to severely reduce texture quality, but then it's not a good look for Xbox as a whole. Huge amounts of textures, in this case due to split-screen, is a use case in which the XSS-as-a-lightweight-XSX approach does not work.
Re: Phil Spencer Gives His Thoughts On Baldur's Gate 3's Xbox Series S Issues
RPGs are a more natural fit for PC anyway, so launching there first makes sense. . Releasing it on PC before Starfield is good timing for both Bethesda and Larian. Otherwise these gigantic, years-in-development efforts are going to be in competition.
For the same reason, releasing it on Xbox some months after Starfield works out for everyone.
Finally, as the game still seems to have performance issues in the later stages, it looks like they have some optimization work left to do. As long as the Xbox version releases in good shape, I don't feel anyone is missing out.
Re: Bethesda Exec Urges Patience In Response To Restless Starfield & Fallout Fans
My worry for BGS is that this type of "realistic" science fiction does not have the wide appeal of the more fantasy-oriented fare of Fallout and Elder Scrolls.
With their last major game having been released almost 8 years ago, and this being the launch of an entirely new franchise, I can imagine they are quite busy right now.
Re: Review: Sniper Elite 5 - The Best Sniper Elite To Date And A Sure Shot For Game Pass
Went ahead and preordered. I had so much fun with Sniper Elite 4, I felt guilty about having bought it in a sale.
Re: Dying Light Patch 1.49 Adds 60FPS Mode On Xbox Series S
Well I wasn't aware 60fps patch was coming, but this is a great reason to jump back in. NG+ Nightmare provides endless fun. And I never played Hellraid.
Re: Review: Dying Light 2 - More Is Less In Techland's Latest
Preordered the deluxe edition last weekend and requested a refund. Approved in less than a minute. Now that's good customer service.
Shame, though. Loved the original. Bought an XSS mainly to be able to play DL2. Given Techland's reputation for post-release support, I'm optimistic it will become a worthwhile game eventually.