Comments 469

Re: UK CMA Grants 'Preliminary Approval' Of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Purchase

RIghteousNixon

@OldGamer999

Yeah, I was anti digital for a long time. I have so much physical media from past generations of games, movies, music CD’s etc. that it’s insane. I literally had to box many of them up and put them into storage as I just don’t have the room in my house anymore.

So I stopped buying movies altogether and started buying more and more digital over the years. It’s now to the point where the vast majority of my purchases are digital. The occasional game like Starfield I’ll pick up in physical form, but everything else these days is digital and I actually really love it. Still think they should have physical options for those that want them, but if the physical market continues to shrink, who can blame them for phasing it out. I’m ok with it now either way it goes. My physical media days are mostly behind me.

Re: UK CMA Grants 'Preliminary Approval' Of Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Purchase

RIghteousNixon

Was expecting this announcement any day now. It was an absolute give in that it was gonna go through this time. The CMA were fully aware that MS would have just closed over them as opposed to missing the 2nd deadline, thus showing the world how irrelevant the CMA really is in the big picture.

This is great news for Xbox as this should absolutely help make them more competitive in the market and help them break into the mobile market. We will very likely look back at this deal in 10 years and see it as one of the defining moments for MS in the gaming market.

Personally, I’m excited to play through the single player campaigns for COD. That and bringing Diablo to Game Pass. And I’m hoping they get some of those IP they now own active again. Lots of potential there. I for one didn’t mind how long this deal took. Between this deal and the Apple Epic lawsuit, I learned a ton on various aspects of the law in these kinds of cases. I found it throughly fascinating. Sony isn’t happy today, that’s for sure.

I’m curious who MS tries to pick up next. I don’t think they will try for another big publisher anytime soon, but I do think they will try and pick up a few more studios. I would like to see Remedy get brought on board. Quantum Break 2 please!!

Re: Starfield Has Already Surpassed 10 Million Players

RIghteousNixon

@Baler

And that fine. To each their own. Still need to recognize that Rare isn’t at some bottom of some trash heap. They have created a brilliant game that is seeing numbers that are hugely hugely hugely impressive given the age of the game. Rare is great again, they just aren’t producing games that fit what you’re looking for.

Re: Starfield Has Already Surpassed 10 Million Players

RIghteousNixon

@Baler

Rare is great again. They made what is hands down one of the best live service games in history imo. Sea of Thieves is hands down one of the best games of last generation and one I continue to go back to. Sony will be lucky if even one of their 10+ live service games is as successful.

Re: Phil Spencer On Tokyo Game Show 2023: 'The Future For Xbox In Japan Is Bright'

RIghteousNixon

I have been hearing this same type of thing for as long as I can remember with Xbox so call me a skeptic. That said, I don’t really care. I don’t own an Xbox for Japanese or Asian styled games so wether it has them or not is no big deal to me. Don’t get me wrong, a great game is a great game and if he has some great titles from that region coming down the pipeline, I am all for it. I’ll just believe it when I see it and couldn’t really care less one way or another. It’s just not why I own an Xbox at all.

Re: Xbox Boss Reiterates Platform Exclusives Will Be Determined On A 'Case-By-Case Basis'

RIghteousNixon

@Grumblevolcano

They blocked it and in the long run have made themselves look irrational and biased, basically singling themselves out from the entire world on the deal. They were ordered to go back and reassess the deal. The only reason MS is playing nice at this point is because they might find themselves up in front of the CMA again soon enough. MS was never walking away from this deal unless they lost to the FTC in court, and that was never gonna happen. Hands down the single weakest case I have ever seen the FTC bring in front of a judge and they got demolished in court

This deal is way way way too big of a deal for MS to walk away due to just the CMA. And the CMA is never gonna go against the deal again knowing the FTC got demolished and they are basically the last man standing against it. They are fully 100% aware the deck is stacked against them and if they do block it again, MS will show just how irrelevant the CMA is when it comes to stopping a worldwide merger this big.

It’s a done deal. The announcement will come any day now.

Re: Xbox Boss Reiterates Platform Exclusives Will Be Determined On A 'Case-By-Case Basis'

RIghteousNixon

@NeoRatt

Exactly. He is talking about exactly that and has actually said it many times right after making that more choice statement. It’s about giving people a bigger choice on where they play their games in the Xbox/PC ecosystem as well as streaming. Just because some competing console platforms miss out on some releases doesn’t make Phil’s statement inaccurate or a lie.

I can unequivocally say that as an Xbox gamer and PC gamer, I now have more choices than I ever have in regards to how I want to play a particular game.

Re: Xbox Boss Reiterates Platform Exclusives Will Be Determined On A 'Case-By-Case Basis'

RIghteousNixon

@Grumblevolcano

Never gonna happen. The investigation moving to a phase 2 yet again would take way too long and move MS and ABK past their deadline, and they aren’t going to extend it again and the CMA has to be aware of that. This was more about the CMA saving face themselves and squeaking out a few more concessions in the process.

MS will absolutely close this deal before their new deadline, with or without the CMA’s approval and there is no question at this point they will get that approval. There will be no need to close over the CMA. I expect it will be announced in the next week.

Re: Review: Starfield - Bethesda Serves Up Its Best RPG Yet In A Messy, Exciting And Emotional Space Odyssey

RIghteousNixon

@GuyinPA75

Nope, quite the contrary. It’s one of the smoothest 30fps games I can remember in a long time. Have about 40 hours in and absolutely zero complaints with headaches or anything of the visual nature.

Overall, at least so far, I would give it a 9.5 myself. Best story in a Bethesda game to date, fun combat, great voice acting, great customization for ships and weapons, and it satisfies that Bethesda itch, most notable to steal/pick up every last item I can, lol.

I expected a lot from this game and it has delivered in spades so far. With NG+, I’ll be playing this game for a long time to come. We’ll done Bethesda.

Re: Roundup: Here's What The Critics Think Of Starfield So Far

RIghteousNixon

Given how long the game is, I was always expecting this game to be a bit divisive. Was never expecting 10’s or even 9’s across the board. I expected some would like it and some would love it and that seems to be exactly what’s unfolded. The most important thing is that nobody has really hated it. It’s a good game to some, a great game to others.

Given my overall love for Bethesda games and games set in space, I am almost 100% confident now that I will also find it great. That’s all I care about. Can’t wait to jump in soon.

Re: Talking Point: Have You Ever Bought An Xbox For One Specific Game?

RIghteousNixon

No, the entire idea is nonsense to me. Sure, there might be a particular game I am super looking forward to, but I am not buying the console for that game and that game alone.

I am a multi console gamer going all the way back to Intellivision, Atari 2600, and ColecoVision. Only console released in the US I didn’t own was the Wii U. I know with each console I buy that by the time that generation ends, I will have gotten my moneys worth in regards to the number of games I played and enjoyed. That’s been true 100% of the time.

I know there will be many games I wind up buying and enjoying for each console i buy, even if I don’t know what those games will be at the time of the hardware purchase. I would never buy a console for a single game.

Re: Starfield Has Officially Gone Gold, Xbox & PC Preload Dates Revealed

RIghteousNixon

@Fiendish-Beaver

I said BG3 would be forgotten on console soon enough. PC gaming is a whole different beast. BG3 will remain relevant for a long time to come on PC. 6 months after release on console, you’re not gonna hear a word about it.

And my overall point was that trying to spin anything about this as positive for PS is a bit comical. Sure, getting BG3 is great for PS gamers as it will be for Xbox gamers when it drops, but getting both BG3 and Starfield is a far far superior scenario no matter how its spun and Xbox and PC get both. Sure, there is a slight delay on the Xbox side, but that becomes far far less relevant given Starfields release, and the rest of the fall/winter releases that are coming. Had BG3 not coming to Xbox right away happened during a drought, it would have been much more impactful. It didn’t…

Re: Starfield Has Officially Gone Gold, Xbox & PC Preload Dates Revealed

RIghteousNixon

@Fiendish-Beaver

Talk about rose colored glasses. I get that one can view things differently, but suggesting Sony not getting Starfield worked out really well for them is really really stretching it.

First off, BG3 is FAR FAR more niche than Starfield. A lot of people will pick up BG3 and give it a spin because of all the positive press, but a significant number of those people will not stick with it long. There is a reason those kinds of games have had a very niche market dating all the way back to the original BG, it’s simply not nearly as accessible as RPG’s like Starfield, especially with todays gamers.

And Starfield, if it even lives up to 75% of the expectations, is a once in a generation kind of game. I can promise you this, long after BG3 on console is forgotten about, Starfield will still be relevant. That’s how it always is with Bethesda’s single player RPG’s.

Nope, Sony screwed themselves hard on this one by going after too many big 3rd party exclusives and forced MS’s hand, and no matter how one spins it, Starfield not going to PS is a huge huge loss. A few months of BG3 exclusivity due to the Xbox version being delayed doesn’t change that one bit.

Re: Pick One: Which Franchise Do You Prefer, Red Dead Or GTA?

RIghteousNixon

A very hard choice and if I had to choose one over the other, that choice would change based on my overall mood. Both made by Rockstar, but 2 very different styles of open world gameplay. So I really can’t pick one over the other in any definitive way.

GTA has very clearly had a much bigger impact on the overall industry than RDR, but both are great games and each has its strengths and weaknesses.

Re: Starfield Has Officially Gone Gold, Xbox & PC Preload Dates Revealed

RIghteousNixon

People put way too much on the official game of the year awards. There are plenty of game of the year awards that are absolutely credible and don’t always line up with the main awards.

The BAFTA game awards last year awarded Vampire Survivors the GotY and forever earned a huge amount of my respect as a result. I played that game more than any other game released last year. Just a brilliant game and well deserving of a GotY award in its own right.

Only paying attention to the official game awards and nothing else is like only paying attention to the Oscar’s.

Re: Talking Point: Would You Be Interested In A Digital-Only Xbox Series X?

RIghteousNixon

As my main Series X, no. I have too many physical games and movies that I play on it. That said, I buy a secondary one for my cottage and haven’t actually done that yet as I just got finished doing a major renovation on it and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I would actually have no problem with a digital only edition for there. I never bring physical media with me when my family goes up there and I rely fully on digital games. If this were to come out in the next 12 months and saved me a bit of money, I would absolutely buy one no doubt about it.

Re: Talking Point: We're Officially Four Weeks Away From The Early Access Launch Of Starfield

RIghteousNixon

@gollumb82

Yeah, im not even attempting to play both of those at the same time. I feel like it would take away from the overall experience of those games as those games are long and immersive. Jumping back and forth just isn’t gonna help the overall experience, at least in my opinion. Im choosing Starfield first. Gonna jump into that until I feel the need to put it down for a bit. I don’t expect I will get to BG until early next year.

Re: Talking Point: We're Officially Four Weeks Away From The Early Access Launch Of Starfield

RIghteousNixon

Can’t even begin to express my excitement for this game. I’m about as big of a space junkie as one can possibly be. Actually spent this morning drinking a cup of coffee while looking at the sun with my Lunt solar telescope. So pumped for this.

On a side note, I jumped into Fallout 76 a few weeks back just out of curiosity. Never played it due to all of the negativity surrounding it. I can barely put it down now in my free time. I can’t speak to its quality at launch or even 6 months ago, but right now…. A fantastic game imo. Kinda bummed I waited as long as I did to jump in.