RentedPanda

Have not had a chance to watch but from the brief description I am really interested in Sleight of Hand and always glad to hear more cool new things coming to gamepass

@rustyduck cool, hopefully that will serve until the next batch is announced, and brings new hope. As others have said, Control has [really fun] shooting along with the various powers, but not sure if it's what you're looking for.

For shooters, I'm hoping for El Paso Elsewhere (I think). I've heard it is great, but hard, so I'd rather wait to see if it shows up than buy it and find it is not for me

@GamingFan4Lyf Like FIFA for quiddich? It would probably work. They could do a ton of cross marketing with other sports, or like Metaversus. Get LeBron as a seeker, wearing a Chief's jersey? The micro transactions just write themselves.

@abe_hikura am I remembering correctly that this game has some nice difficulty sliders including an invincibility mode? Might get you past a tough boss, unless your pride won't let you 😉 I recall finishing the game after struggling with some sections and then an update brought all the difficulty sliders afterwards

@HarmanSmith I have never played a NMH game. Does 3 require knowledge of 1 and 2 or stand well on its own?

It is the only game I'm thinking I will try from this batch, although Feb added a lot to my backlog, so not complaining.

@rustyduck Warhammer Boltgun arrived today. I have seen it described as a boomer shooter

Are they only featuring games with two names separated by a colon? It's not the worst event theme; I'll check it out

Actually playing The Last Case of Benedict Fox right now. I should finish it next time I play, believe I have completed everything up to the marked point of no return. I had fun with it, playing on the easiest mode

@ZuneTattooGuy I thought the reason for "looking into it" was that MS stated they were maintaining the acquisitions as independent companies (and FTC wanted this in the fantastical, wishful thinking on their part, scenario that the decision is reversed and they could unwind the deal), but then MS gave rationale for cuts as reducing redundancy, in direct contradiction.

Personally, I wish FTC would drop it at this point, seems like a waste of effort. But just commenting that it seems like a pretty different situation

As an aside, I wish there was some way to hold the execs accountable at all the companies laying off en masse (cough, Embracer), but it isn't going to happen

@Sanquine I don't have a link but it was reported (e.g., Triple Click podcast) that a Blizzard "survival" game was canceled and the entire team let go rather than reassigned to a new project. I think the narrative that the cuts were duplicate positions is corporate BS. Obviously, I have no transparency, but the number of cuts doesn't seem like redundant positions. Even the oft cited marketing and HR positions do not make sense to me. Unless MS had an army of people sitting on their thumbs, I find it hard to believe they simply take up all the new work at ActiBlizz. But no matter the reasons, it is awful for those cut, always sorry to hear

And sorry to hear about more layoffs across the industry at Sony and the other recent announcements. So many... : (

@GuyinPA75 I think different studios and games have different situations. Baldurs Gate 3 was in early access for years and the studio was well resourced. For some games and studios, it seems like GP functions like pre-ordering, giving them an up front guarantee payout. Some studios may need this to keep going, especially smaller games without support of big pubs (ie, for marketing) . These are the types of things I have read, anyway, I have no insight into the payment structures and contracts. But it seems like if this is truly the case, some studios will be able to maintain independence and get more pure sales while others take the GP model. Seems like a risk reward balance

@Lostitall it is an interesting question. I like to hope that my downloads and playtime contribute to the success of the games I play on GP, but I don't know if that is how the model works. Otherwise, the impact of my personal buying pattern change is probably nil, as for years I have usually waited for sales. I was a day 1 purchaser for very few games. But this year, GP access to Avowed may cost Dragon's Dogma 2 a full price purchase. Still may shell out for Star Wars Outlaws...

@EvilSilentFrame in the early game there is some reference to the first, but I don't think you need to have played it, from what I've seen. The plot seems self contained, from first couple hours

@Lostitall I am the same way. The last game I bought physical copy of was Dead Island 2, and last major release prior to that was Diablo 4. Both now announced for GP... I still buy some indies, mostly on switch

I love this. If you try hard enough, you can really get upset about anything

Holy wow. So we've got Dead Space, RE2, RE3, now dead island 2. Gamepass is where the zombies are. Fingers crossed for RE4 remake shortly....

I like these. No wows for me, but some fun looking stuff I might not have otherwise checked out. I platinumed Maneater on ps4, but might give it a whirl. Kind of a guilty pleasure game. I almost bought Indivisible a few times but never did. Took it off my wishlist after there was a free trial and I didn't play it - looking forward to finally giving it a chance.

Even the best selling Ubisoft games are only full price for a short time. So, even if it launches at 100, I'm sure we'll soon be seeing this in every sale round up article for years to come

You can play STEAM games on any PC, but people still buy steamdecks

I think you can have timed exclusives, gamepass and a well tuned dedicated box can still sell. Especially something like the Series S. I use mine pretty much like a gamepass box, buying very few other games. And it is great for that, and a heck of a lot cheaper than a gaming PC.

I don't think this is the death of xbox consoles

Sounds interesting. I thought at first this was a game that came out a while ago on switch and steam, that was getting some undertale comparisons, but this sounds more my taste

Not sure if it is their strategy or not, but certainly all eyes are on xbox, and that is going to be one highly watched and reported presser. Whether they open with, not only are we staying with hardware, but here are new SKUs, or, we are bringing x,y and z games to Switch and PS, or whatever it is, everybody who follows gaming will know about it

Go Mecha Ball for me. Just a ray of Arcade sunshine on a dreary winter day

@boatie sure, but do you remember the days when kings and heads of state would pay artists to create, covering all their expenses, for the glory of their realm, with no guarantee of the outcomes? I do, because I am a 2 thousand year old vampire. I forget my point...

I initially misread the headline, thinking it was not launching on xbox, period. Which would have been hilarious 😂

With due respect to the Suicide Squad, I think "the ultimate band of misfits" is Rudolph, Herme the elf, and Yukon Corneleus. I have no doubt those scamps could kill the justice league

Series S is my first xbox machine, so I'm all digital there
I own a couple dozen ps4 games and maybe a dozen switch. Only 1 physical ps5 game. A handful for other legacy platforms
I do still value physical games, especially getting them from my library to see if they are something I want to buy
Like many have posted, I have traded in or donated so many games over the years since the early days of ps2 and pc

I'm going to try to hold firm and keep on my backlog, but reading the reviews of Infinite Wealth, I so want to grab it

None of the gamepass games are on my personal list, but may check them out when they release. I'll most likely pre-order Hades 2

I think Lil Guardsman seems fun, and may pick it up. I got Howl on Switch and enjoyed it - short, fun tactics/puzzle game

I've finished Jusant this morning, my 4th short game of the new year. I think I will get into something a bit longer. Deciding between Dead Island 2, Disco Elysium, Sea of Stars, and Shadowrun Returns.

@Friendly I know, right? I've read a novel in second person, but in that sense most games are about "you" regardless of camera perspective. Something I shall ponder...

I was kind of hoping for second person. I don't believe I've ever played a game with a second person perspective, was hoping this would be the first

@Baler for me, not every game I would like to play is on gamepass, and I do take advantage of sales to get those. Since joining gamepass, I purchase much less than I used to, and I make less impulse buys. I rarely browse sales, but I do check my wish list when there is a sale. For example, I bought Marvel's Midnight Suns almost a year ago (before it was quite so discounted) because it is my type of game, no indication it would be on GP, and I wanted to support the team with a sale. But it didn't mean I feel like GP isn't for me, on the contrary, I feel I get a ton of value from it

Also, if MS took the position that there should be no sales to drive people to GP, it seems like this would poison the relationship with a huge number of customers but also partners who need the sales revenue. MS can't put everything on GP and restricting sales would cut off revenue for those games not on GP for both MS and the devs/pubs

Has anyone played Thise Who Remain? I am wondering if it is more survival horror or dig novel/walking sim (leaning toward gameplay or story). Somewhat interested but never heard of it. I'm in a similar boat with the recent gamepass add, I think it was Close to the Sun?

@InvaderFromSpace I agree! When I first started hearing about this, I thought it would be like the recent Guardians of the Galaxy game, deep single player experience. Then I saw it was built for coop, and thought, ok, borderlands but DC, maybe still a buy...and now it seems characters are even less distinct than that. Oh well. I probably won't buy. Hopefully the projected poor launch does not kill the studio. With all the layoffs of the past year plus, I am dreading it

I love this as a feature! I tend to enjoy indie games best. I just picked up Howl on Switch and really enjoy it so far. I have seen it compared to into the breach, and I agree in the main (great little strategy levels, and you know what the enemies will do as you move forward) although I find it much more chill, since you can retry levels. Great little game for the price

@Kaloudz Ha, right, I saw that post in the resolutions thread! If you do try it, hope you enjoy

I'm in the who knows camp. I think they can hang in for a couple more gens (say, 10 years or so), and by then things may be very different, the game landscape changes quickly.

I like the idea of them putting older games on other systems. At this point, throwing Gears 1 -3 or Banjo on PS or Switch is probably not cannibalizing console sales, and they make some more money as a publisher to fund more AAA first party (or smaller games from smaller teams within their stufios, like Pentiment) which they can keep exclusive for as long as it makes financial sense and the console owners don't feel ripped off.

There has been talk lately (post Insomniac hack) as to whether AAA development is sustainable, and maybe turning 1st party to timed exclusive helps make it so?

@Kaloudz I think it is the same dev as Her Story, but I have not played that one (not sure if that answers your question). I "played" Immortality for a while, realized I was missing something, looked online, went back and got really into it. Once you start to see the second layer, I found it very interesting. But again, I know there are folks out there who just did not like it, so personal taste and all that, but I'd recommend giving it a try at least until your first ah ha moment to see if it's for you

@Kaloudz this is not a standard FMV game. The unique gameplay/mechanic and story within story (not to go too spoilery) - it is worth a shot even if you generally shy away from the style. At least, for me it was, maybe you already know the game and still isn't your thing, in which case, ignore me 😀

I think it worked out great, was probably a high point on the year for xbox fans.

In terms of "what if" scenarios had it been announced earlier, I wonder if there would have been impact with metal hellsinger (I think that is the name?) . Would people have talked more about one being similar to the other or copying one another or stealing ones thunder, in terms of rhythm based combat, had hi fi been in the public consciousness with people hyped for it? Or do I have the releases backwards? 🤔 Not they are terribly similar beyond "rhythm based" but you know how the internet can be

Very cool! I love the Psychonauts games especially, but have enjoyed the Cave and Broken Age too. Interested to see what they have coming.

If they had a shadow drop like Hi Fi Rush.... well, I'll try not to get my hopes up.

I did not watch the documentary they did, but heard there was mention of a couple projects ongoing late in Psy2 development, although anything could have happened since then. But maybe..?

I keep thinking about RE2, as it is frequently on deep discount and I hear it is great. Just not sure it is my kind of game This will be a good chance to find out.

With the recent changes combined I expect I will go from earning free gamepass 2 of 3 months to 1 of 3, depending on purchases. I did occasionally get into games via the quests, but honestly this was usually true only if they were already in my play later queue. I'll miss the earlier version but it won't impact me much. I wish they still had the monthly challenge things on the rewards site, where you had to get achievements from a certain set of games. I didn't always do those, but they were fun

For me, I connected with Ghostwire Tokyo, which I completed and really enjoyed. I didn't hate Starfield, HiFi or Redfall, just not for me. Gave up on all of them pretty quickly. Never tried Forza.

I've been all about indies and 3rd party gamepass this year.

This year, I have played some games with noticeable and frustrating bugs, some to the point I stopped playing. I have played a few games that are just not for me. But nothing I consider truly bad in terms of gameplay

Ironically, I play the most on xbox, but for sales, I bought disco eliseum on ps5, and a bunch on switch, such as Dave the diver, murder by numbers, ghost trick, we love katamari, and backpack hero. Nothing on xbox. Maybe after Christmas...

I think I have bought Smile For Me, Strange Horticulture, Midnight Suns, and one other which eludes memory. Mostly play gamepass on xbox. I purchased more on Switch because I can get nintendo gift cards through a reward program where I work

I have entered my education and work history but cannot figure out how to have my xbox generate a resume

Happy with my 5 choices, but Lamplighters league might have bumped something if I saw it on the list; I give it an honorable mention. Had a lot of fun gaming this year