It is a tough balance. Pacing, first person then 3rd person as well besides the ladders or other scenes in 3rd person as well. 3rd person usually works for people and 1st person jumps or other things at least how devs design them can be awkward. I get it's due to their engine or what they usually design around so it's not a bad thing but i can see why.
Also people trying out if games are for them in 5 minutes is enough sometimes. I myself would do an hour but that's just me when I try out any retro pickups or modern games or or I install it/disk test it works or check the settings/main menu and that's it. If devs go 'oh they checked the settings menu and dropped off' I mean it doesn't mean I hate your game it's just I wanted to see what i could setup then play it when I'm interested, you still got my money after all and I'm still going to play it. XD
If people like these types of games sure, but a balance of stealth, puzzles, combat, etc. is a challenge. I've gotten used to more 360 and under era shooters so to me their ideas are far more compelling with mechanics, abilities, gunplay, enemy/other pacing because of how competitively interesting they were to try out besides all of them being like $5 to 12 or whatever retro prices so it was fair for them that way too, so the lack of an ability (sure Uncharted, Gears, Socom, Killzone, etc. and others have their cores to them and are good too in how grounded or gritty or otherwise they are) does make me care. But Uncharted did them well of it's similar core to Indy (not played prior Indy games for reference at all). Tomb Raider 360/Xbox One era ones so the differences there were clear.
The pacing seemed fair in Indy as far as I could tell at least but I didn't see all of it either, but it seemed fair of walking, stealth, puzzles and combat or cutscenes like a movie to game experience.
AI was awkward times but nothing too out of the ordinary.
Thing is, I had to help the person who was playing it on Gamepass and I found some of it approachable enough but some parts were awkward or just as awkward as Wolfenstein but not as much complex level design as far as I could tell. They did play most of it though even if more a city builder/farming/gardening type we have put adventure/action adventure games for them to try on occasion.
But some stealth was a bit hmm, some puzzles were a bit confusing (even for my level of puzzle games it's just how they wanted it to operate or what clues they gave and how to unlock them), but otherwise a solid enough game but still very 8th/9th gen design.
But I mean, it's no new scene cutting every few minutes game to 'balance for that audience' that's for sure which is a good thing, so I mean, not as much as a baby/any other with scenes flicking constantly goes. XD
If it's for those that enjoy adventure movies, like the series is, or others with not as Tomb Raider particular I guess at times (or as violent either of the 2013+ era ones or 2013 at least was) then yeah I'd say Indy does a fair job.
It put me off as to me Uncharted 4/Indy 2024 are very eh of heavy characters or annoying combat, wow is the Indy 2024 melee so annoyingly weak.
Sure I've played many games old and modern so I'm used to it but I still hated Indy 2024 it's just got a lot of the things i don't like and trope followed to a tee. It works at achieving that while being 'modern' but still has those issues for me.
I buy on all platforms, but use PS4/Switch/Xbox One and under. But the game design doesn't appeal, so they can make as much money as they want but the wide audience or angles of games in gameplay just aren't fun. So making more money but more bland games isn't going to get me to care if it's PS or Xbox. I'm buying neither 1st party anyway and 3rd parties are hit and miss.
But use my Xbox One less, Series X never touched and has gotten less use then Xbox One by those around me.
The design mentality/direction has just changed and put me off PS4/Xbox One and especially PS5/Series. Less appealing IPs, less appealing new IPs, less appealing Indies, less appealing AAs, just not worth it.
Peripherals or software features are 'fine' but not really things I am that excited for. Portal (worse the Vita app with resolution targetting, no dual screen, no Android, just a companion app device, boring). PSVR2 is fair but the game design and controls/inputs are just so eh. Even Wii/Move games play better, I'm serious. PSVR2 feels like a continued PSVR or the PS1 gen continued of VR then PS2 of VR. It's just not improving but getting worse. The PS4/5 game design has made empty VR games or bad controls and it's just sad. When more older era games have awkwardness I can get past and VR doesn't it's bad game design. I don't want grounded games or realistic motions I know the limits of motion in VR compared to Wii/Move, and better motion/button use on those. PSVR2 has less buttons on it's controllers then Move and about as much as Wiimote, maybe less due to how they will treat the sticks. It's like having an N64 with the A/B, but no X/Y or a PS1 controller without sticks for inputs (even if it has sticks i know).
Quick resume is cool but I don't use digital on Xbox and the share button is 'fine' but not as exciting as Impulse triggers.
I don't like Switch 2 mouse mode either, or it's placement on the Joycons so..... Yeah modern gimmicks haven't been to my liking whether in uses they have yet to show, have shown or positioning on controllers let alone features at all.
Otherwise old consoles just have that better game design gimmicks or less gimmick focus and more appealing design, so going to play those over modern games.
To me I haven't cared for a 1st party PS/Xbox games since 2017, maybe even all of 8th gen at all. Even if a few on Xbox One/PS4 I cared for, many of the studios I like during PS4 are dead, so I have no reason to get a PS5 for 3rd parties even and my PS4 library is more particular 3rd parties that aren't garbage. Less reason or none at all to get a Series X or use it. Xbox One gets the same UI and I hate it, just less background features I don't even care for and games are just as not appealing.
While Switch I have many 1st party to get but I got most of the niche ones I wanted for now and still waiting on Rhythm Heaven Groove even in 2026.
Otherwise plenty of old gen games 1st and 3rd parties of past trends, mechanics and more to get into or buy if come across them.
@WildConcept6 Completely agree with your points. How they should handle it, who to hand it over to, how Take Two would handle it, better staff, better design mentality for the IP. Microsoft controlling it as not all are like Obsidian. Excellent points. Said better then I could as well.
Like Banjo said, Crystal could have as well. I mean whether it was like the Tomb Raider 2013+ format or not even it would have worked.
So much for the other staff but at the same time they really didn't have an idea what to make of the game either so bound to happen.
That aside, a lot of business nonsense speak there and we will se what happens.
Not a fan of Xbox or Playstation 1st party these days, just reading the news about them and ignoring them on release with better 3rd party niche games to play or back compat, so if they change things enough sure, if not, couldn't care less.
Yeah no interest. I'll just keep my Xbox limited to the firmware it is or just use Xbox less, only focus on games like I already ignore the dashboard as it is since they made it worse over the years, better, then worse again. Layout sucks, advertising sucks, curating it to my taste, I don't want that I want to browse things myself and have no advertising. Like come on.
Part 2:
I play PS1 to PS3/360 era games (console, handheld, all platforms) for their mix of experimentation while still offering their awkward or passable controls and graphics. Aka 99% of the time gameplay.
IF I can play Singularity and have a fair shooter, mix of gimmicks for light puzzles and alternative uses for combat it says a lot how I'm having so much more fun. Yet while skill in some games sure back then.
Same with Ratchet, was fair skill/experimentation, now a dumbed down kids movie experience with sub par ideas compared to those it wants to carry on from.
Other IPs insert here.
Platformers, racing, shooters, RPGs always went story/stats so besides Tactics games most bore me to death of turn based/action RPG blandness of level design, movesets, quests, etc.
While adventure/puzzle do great things. Hack n slashes vary too as soulslikes are more the trend these days and while not into those they seem to have fair ideas.
Most games now are so basic or grounded I get bored. You can get stuck by combat difficulty sure but other times it's just boredom of exciting things going on.
I got stuck in Splatoon 2 campaign, got past it but also it was just oh a grapple, this will be boring, oh they use it so well it's a lot of fun.
Titanfall 2 mixing things up is a Singularity type way, it really thought about what it was offering.
It's why I'm fine with accessible for particular reasons, but other times, to me it's the lack of animations, gameplay ideas whether put into bonus areas (for skilled players) and the main stuff for those not looking for that or can't beat them.
Infamous Second Son made me think about that. While other open worlds I find just boring. Gravity Rush/Sunset Overdrive did it for me, tower defence instead of outposts, moveset based side missions, fair story/main path stuff.
But no we get dumb games down so much and it's boring. In gameplay (basic human/animal movesets or logic of world/rules, even racing games have so few events/rules, unless it's kart racers or anti-grav it's dumbed down so far nowadays even with no licensed vehicles it's still the same mentality, the creativity to do more then the realistic rules or 'laziness' to add other event types is just sad. I mean shooters have many modes, sure many go to deathmatch but is that because it's a simple mode or is it because people want in and out of matches? Whilst racing a race, time trial, drift, cone challenge, whatever other rules or ideas yeah it varies there of lack of interest from players or devs but the games end up feeling empty or put more menu garbage or MTX or other structural issues, Shift 1/Wreckfest half the games are easy to get end game to, Shift 1 left it that way, Wreckfest I played the no other vehicles/upgrade purchasing, played half the game, that's accessible right there, yet Shift 1 was more fun, WRC3 or Dirt 3 were also more fun then their modern entries, Project Cars 3 is Shift 3 in structure and is way more restrictive, Ride 4 is also restrictive but Forza Motorsport 1 and 2 with a twist region system, so some games try others don't).
They can go further or do what they can at their level but try more, but they won't. Too much safeness and referencing to sell, then to actually offer possibilities they always wanted or could.
To me I question what devs use consoles for with next gen? If not gimmicks, what are they doing with game design, or animations/particles or otherwise to add more then just realism or grounding the worlds or 'can't do that it's too resource expensive' is it why do you have other things that have a purpose OVER that then hmm. Like come on.
Like to me more RAM/CPU/GPU benefits sure, but if it's just 8K, RT, VRR, HDR and more sure. But are worlds going to change? Is gameplay experimentation coming back? Most of these won't happen so games will continue to be pretty boring, budgets overdone, anything they 'said couldn't be done' will still be said just because of time or because they want to push other nonsensical garbage in and that's why the gameplay/limited animations/story doesn't have flashy moments or enough animations for moves or interesting level design, or other potential possibilities is 'other things take focus more' just grounded boring garbage game design.
The more I look at older consoles and attempts, the more i just laugh at modern era consoles/mentality. Did they probably do them not so well back then in some cases yes but many still pull it off due to the mentality/attempts and not because oh the other is much bigger scale now. Well because it's bigger scale why not try more to experiment instead of making it a realistic grounded boring product and actually put more interesting ideas into it, even in a prototype. Like come on.
So does it really matter if we keep putting in more RAM, spec up the CPU/GPU opportunities and we just push graphics and do nothing interesting at all, yeah like why would I care if I just see hardware being wasted all the time instead of using it for what it can be used for it gets used for the same safe uses or 'resources it takes up can't be achieved' level of nonsense over and over when it can it's just they don't want to. Audiences don't want to, devs don't want to and leadership don't want to, so we don't see anything actually happen that's worthwhile at all.
Price sure, microscopic, only if you have idiots of leadership, developers or audiences, or limits by mentality of creativity or business people yes, or bad leadership/managers, preventing audiences, AI/weak skill level staff or other limitations, as to why grounded games or poor level of quality games have had.
Or similarly with nostalgic audiences/Indies. They don't want as much things in the world, offer a skill tree like AAA, they don't want as much animations, make grounded basic animations that many AAA PS1 era games or so even did, that they won't. Yeah excuses is all I hear. I am no skill level able to do this stuff, but I can think it, I can read between the nonsense and it's possible. I see it I play old and modern games and the mentality change in design over the years.
If has more then a Share button/Impulse triggers since 2013 that were cool, sure, otherwise eh games, eh hardware, and 'power'. Yeah not very appealing at all.
1st party/3rd party for Xbox are 'hit and miss' and even then Gamepass is fine, but I have no interest in it.
So to me I keep an Xbox One because of what it had (besides the 2013-2017 split use of apps/games stuff that's gone, but back compat, decent games, impulse triggers, CD to Blu-ray support via 'store apps is annoying but understandable', otherwise yeah Series has nothing for me at all), I don't use a Series X at all, access to it yes, use it, not once. I get the OS experience on Xbox One and the games or benefits aren't compelling at all on Series S/X. Power means nothing to me. Gameplay does, compelling ideas does.
Access is 'fine' but also has to have something meaningful to ACCESS.
So why would I care? There is offering services and a hardware platform and all this 'access' but if the products are still 'fill in what you can' then still a pass.
I've played enough Gears on 360 and Gears-likes on PS3 (control wise but still good enough mechanics and identity of those games) to know yeah they could be good.
I'm never going to play these games again other then 360 but still, it's shaping up well enough to go to another platform.
If they handle it right.
To me I care more for interesting mechanics or console gimmicks (more fun in the older eras, very few times on Switch 1 or other consoles and PS/Xbox gimmicks have been eh, even if Forza/Gears use Impulse Triggers of Xbox One well) so to me I don't care that much and already experienced the Gears games.
I use all consoles, others getting to experience them or haven't since 360 and gone to PS4/5 sure. For those never have, it will be interesting to hear their experiences.
Fair to offer on Switch 2 and the trailer makes it look compelling, but WOW, Indy just was not great to me. Had a lot of ok ideas but eh execution. It's too Wolfenstein (I think they do it better THERE then they do for Indy) and too awkward in how it goes about things. Didn't like it.
I wasn't even the main player, I was just assisting the person playing, and I hated it.
Yeah the trailer looked a bit worse then the prior ones, the character expressions/posing looked lifeless.
The self awareness was ok, but with all the show had of presentation it didn't really make me care.
This game has the ideas and identity for sure, don't waste it. I know Obsidian can do things, I see greatness even many of their products.
To me I just see a bunch of ideas they couldn't do years ago (prior trailers/talks about it) and it looked good then, the more I see now, feels like marketing for the sake of marketing and looks wasted rather then beneficial to showcasing the game in a better light. This trailer is not good.
Like this trailer looks dull, generic and lifeless, it doesn't highlight the game well at all, but make it look worse then it did prior.
I'm not the audience for this game but I respect it's tone and ideas a lot.
Don't waste it Obsidian just because your advertising team or Microsoft's advertising team or whoever is involved are not doing so great with trailers like THIS.
I know what your capable of and your marketing is not doing great with these trailers/ads. Make this sequel land.
The AAs are efficient in Xbox controllers designs over the years and even then you can replace/add any battery pack or USB cable it if you want.
Rechargable, Alkaline, etc., it's up to the user to know that/use them.
The Xbox controllers allow for a lot to work with. Why would i complain if it gives options? So of course I picked the yes top option on both. I don't game enough on a 360/One to complain, nor do I a Wiimote. The only controllers I use batteries for and even then maybe a PS2 IR wireless one if I feel like it. They work well enough for the time I play. So never gone, oh no AA batteries. I'm fine with them.
I take them out of the controllers too, imagine that, that's how they last, and don't leak, besides getting cheap batteries.
People just go oh AAs, money or laziness, when they seem to ignore the battery pack, sure it's more money but you also don't need to if you cable it. Imagine that. They give you options. Whoa. XD
Nintendo/Sony's yeah good luck. I do cable my controllers and my PS3 ones aren't as bad, my PS4 one last like 30minutes to an 1 hour, Gamepad doesn't but goes flat just sitting there so eh, handhelds last well sitting around or powered, can't say for GameCube Wavebird but Wiimotes or Xbox 360/One or others aren't too bad with AAs, but even still, if you want enough battery removal or being flat to low use case over time and hard to remove, by all means.
Part 2:
Does it make things particular for businesses wanting money and customers trying them out sure. But in some cases we can't tell gameplay by footage can we, many games are repetitively samey gameplay wise these days but that' doesn't always apply either.
People want to give the games a go and if there is no demo or cough GAME TRIAL behind the subscription access then yeah your getting lower tiers or whatever else.
People are accessing them as the full game or part of a game demo/game trial regardless of platform's offering of access to them.
REPEAT: If customers change their mind how they get games it's unfortunate, but if your game isn't very convincing, or is but people are unsure and footage or trailers isn't enough, how else are they supposed to experience it?
I buy games but I also look at footage constantly, look at menus to see what progression/game modes are like, many footage DON'T do that so I sometimes have to look more or buy it to find out which is annoying.
But that's more with older games, with modern ones I have to be able to check or wait for them to get cheap or just not buy them at all if I think they aren't really going for what I'm looking for and following others in making boring games. But those that are great, sure they seem to have enough compelling there worth experiencing.
They better handle some things of gameplay or story or presentation or what these are going for.
The names are familiar or new and the rest is just who cares trailers, marketing and boring direction of games, as usually.
They can say 'look we have a volume of things' but if most of it isn't substance, just style, why would I care?
That's modern gaming's problem, substance doesn't seem to exist, just style and blandness to execute personality or gameplay ideas that aren't repetitive and boring.
For being noticed then just a simple upload to the Xbox Store sure. But finding it or playing it is another matter. The saves files are still there even after they try the games on Gamepass.
Grid Legends went to PS+/Gamepass or EA's service. Like I mean it was $30 by that point. I bought it physical as I wanted it that way, didn't make me go oh I should have waited. I wanted to support it still. Indies it varies but if flops or good games go to Gamepass late, were still either paying for the sub, not at that point in time or under a certain prices or full price anyways. Like I mean are they worth much not really at certain points.
Many others on the services are cheap disks now, varied discounts Xbox store, PS+/PS store, etc. how much were audiences caring anyway? Exactly. When they see/hear about them, how much they are worth, how long in the service, digital/physical purchase or only gamepass and never continued or finished the game in time before removed from service.
My $30 didn't do much, Balan my $20 new when it was flopping didn't do much but my full price wouldn't have either would it. I still paid $20 new then $10 used/pre-owned. I still contributed. But I could guess flops too, many I was interested in, still contributed in a way.
If customers change their mind how they get games it's unfortunate, but if your game isn't very convincing, or is but people are unsure and footage or trailers isn't enough, how else are they supposed to experience it?
Also what about all the Soundcloud/Bandcamps and others out there? Many users do. Enough sales sure, but not like ads do a lot for them either on Spotify, Soundcloud, etc. types out there of users licensing to songs.
I care more for the DVDs/blu-rays then I do streaming service slop anyway with garbage television, alongside ok tv shows/movies mixed in, but most I don't care for.
But I also don't care about any single to maybe a few PS/Xbox IPs of 2013+ anyway, I dropped off to go more into collecting and odd modern third parties only in 2017. So is either of them getting my money, PS4/Nintendo yes via digital, via physical they aren't really at all other then maybe Switch due to some 1st parties/odd 3rd parties. But mostly it's digital PS4/Switch now. Only used Xbox One games. No PS5. Have access to the consoles sure, not touching them, not mine and I don't want them anyway.
So I"m not their target audience, so like they care anyway. I'm 1 out of millions of customers. I don't count to them anyway. XD
I get from a business perspective but even still. The companies offering their games know what they are getting into. Customers know. They either change to what they experience/how they do or they treat it different ways.
I don't use gamepass, I also don't buy digital on Xbox either. i look at footage for any physical/digital game, screenshots/trailers aren't always enough, but the footage in reviews, let's plays/walkthrough and more can also be too focused on in-game, not menus, modes and other details I want to see, they only show further in game (for racing or shooters or others that's annoying, for other genres it's not so bad) and that can annoy me a lot too.
The deals are made clear between them and Microsoft. It's clear why they appear there. IF it doesn't work out, they move on.
Fair, always good to have more showcasing/features like this for access/filtering.
Doesn't change that their filtering still needs MANY MORE options then what they currently offer. It's just sad.
There is a reason when I use GT6's car search or a Windows file explorer or Xbox OS or any others in games/console/PC, etc. I just navigate it myself per file or folder, not use the quick access stuff, because the search filters or otherwise are still terrible in functionality or lacking a filter for what I'm after to apply. They either don't work or the filter options I'm look for aren't there.
That and they could also make back compat not annoying to find either. In the storefront or in filters or any other aspects of the OS/menu navigation. Search features, etc.
I avoid their website but sometimes have to use it because on the console it's annoying to find, I just got to wikipedia or just put a disk in and see what it finds then caring to look them up, sometimes I just keep the wikipedia page offline when out so I don't have to keep looking things up.
@Kaloudz I respect the effort as it can't be cheap, or it's a challenge to do runs around the tracks, audio and more. It's amazing use of tech and making the games what they are.
But there is only so much of that I care about when I care more for event variety or other details more. Not the technical details as much.
It has for years, Motorsport 5-7 were decent but down in quality despite all the things they were pushing and down in popularity too I think.
Otherwise yeah Horizon always made sense why, it's not as tied to a thing most people don't care about, unless into those cars/tracks or the sense of motorsport why would you bother with it?
I don't care for motorsports but I still enjoy these types of games, Horizon to me was just boring missions of the modern era and insert location to set it in. Pass.
I don't play open worlds for their locations, I do their missions/movesets and progression, if they suck, I don't buy them. Which happens a lot.
PGR used streets, locations and track design or car selection or progression/event types well. It's why I never got bored of it.
The walk around dealership of 2, the garages of other entries, the menus, the Geometry Wars inclusions. It's personality was so good. Even PGR2's career/arcade did go too far for restrictions people hated it that want their quick race easy fast car access but it was so well designed you wanted to progress in it. Not FM6 that's kind of like PGR2 but worse and even then gives out candy cars. It's a joke. FM5 & 7 at least handled things a bit better.
But anniversary games always suck anyway, or they happen to have the worst ideas in the series, that line up with the anniversary date timing.
Horizon I got bored by the first game. I hadn't played Burnout Paradise back then but have now, and even then I found Burnout Paradise/NFS Carbon or others way more exciting then Horizon due to their structure and good ideas back then.
Modern era games don't have compelling mechanics, event types or otherwise just cars, fair destinations and the other stuff I never cared about in them that are so forgettable yet important, the festivals and other stuff.
At least NFS Prostreet was a decent game tackling it, the others, aren't.
@Kaloudz That's where I find Wreckfest or others fit in, no licenses but fair approach.
Thing is I just find them just as weak of execution but that's just me, I see the appeal but I've played better from OG Xbox to 360 era, WRC3's career mode was so good or Dirt 3, or any other OG Xbox exclusive or 3rd parties, or even many PS2 exclusive 3rd party games with great mechanics/progression that just doesn't happen anymore.
To me modern racing games feel like when you look at the many multiplayer modes in a shooter but go yeah we will have 2. Repeat it for the campaign and however structured for multiplayer. That's why I find them kind of boring.
So if the amount of work isn't on licensing but just art/physics then yeah that's why I get disappointed in many modern racing games even those without licenses.
Wrecreation gave me NFS Hot Pursuit 2010 then Trackmania, if it lands sure, but to me the trailers/ads have been disappointing. Even Wreckfest 2 just looks like more of the same but many racing game trailers also are hard to tell what is going on.
I barely can find menus in gameplay footage for racing games as people constantly show the cars/tracks so it makes things annoying to tell what a game has of content.
@AverageGamer There are many that are, use their sim rigs and so on. Even then to me 5 to 7 weren't great but I at least had some interest in them. 6 was eh to me in structure, but 5-7 had some fair ideas. 8/2023 just seems like the most flat.
When it's live services, ok 3rd parties or esports games, yeah racing looks kind of an eh space these days.
Not all of us are sports/car brand loyal/nostalgic. But many likely are.
GT/Forza are cheaper then the esports ones that cost per asset, at least with GT/Forza you get enough content in the base game and free updates. So business wise I can respect them, gameplay wise I can't.
Even then Forza doesn't even have a Vision GT 'making prototypes for the car makers' type things either so it has less to deal with there. Just the licenses or types of cars they want to add, make events for, etc. for it's live service model.
While the rest of us racing game fans prefer older games for their gameplay depth and not the latest cars, but what you could DO with the cars. It's why I'm not surprised some youtubers don't just feature old games for nostalgia, or look up older games they never heard of or make challenges is they can make content out of it then the scripted, update drops and more space of modern racing games. But they could be more gamers then racing fans so there is also that.
But then again seeing Indies making games with no license but referenced or copy paste of the real tracks/cars but tweaking things yeah.... You can see the motorsport/car fan ones for sure easily. Or the nostalgia type ones.
The think i find weird is even when you have arcadey ones with no licenses they are just as bland as sims.
Some may praise them I find them mechanically/progression wise the most boring in years, just as much as open worlds or RPG lite modern games with basic movesets.
But that's more my mindset, no one shares that as much. While 20 years ago I can get sims and arcade racers with more progression, mechanics and thought put into them to experiment.
Wreckfest to me is a lesser Flatout. Easy access progression like NFS Shift 1, ok vehicle variety but seemed lacking still to me (kickstrater aside). 2 and Wrecreation to me look like they want competition and don't stand out at all of ideas/direction. I find them very disappointing and generic.
FM 1&2 have a region system that Ride 4 tweaked well enough yet the AI in many of Milestone's latest games suck and are pro level only EVEN ON EASY AI, no joke Ride 4 is unplayable for me, so was MotoGP16 and that has dirt bikes/rally cars and those are playable, the motogp bikes are not. If other devs have better ideas even from Forza series, yet Forza Motorsport just 'tries' to capture an audience and does the bare minimum or it's interesting angle got rewritten and didn't work it's unfortunate.
The upgrades angle was awkward and the credits/position feature was fair but even then MX vs ATV games have done this without credit payouts for years. So it was a fair tweak but didn't do much.
Project Motor Racing is also trying some ok new region and other ideas. But also wants that esports pie I bet.
While others that are esports like have content that takes years to make, modes/cars no one uses and costs more for each asset of cars/track that some people don't even use and are janky. Yeah it's a joke.
Good on the team if they can keep it going but yeah content is looking pretty generic and unappealing, I'll wait till the game is cheap and near complete and still be bored with it.
GT7 as much as I hate it, at least it has event variety, many racing games suck with modes/event rules types and I just get bored with them. I still don't own GT7, GT Sport I got very late cheap, it was 'ok' but even then I played a fair amount of it and even then it was more fun to write up a wiki page about it's restructuring for offline then playing the game.
Pretty cool. I have more so around 30 to 40 Xbox One games and more so 100+ PS4 games (not fully sure due to having many on the shelf but others stored in console tv stand shelving along with PS2, Wii, PS3, 360 besides the other odd shelves for those).
So yeah when I have around 100+ for PS4, but maybe a bit less then that for PS3/360 with collecting, and less than that for each other platform in the 5 to 50 or so I think range for some platforms yeah it varies for sure.
But got a 5TB PS4 drive and that's with mostly smaller 20-50GB games, only a handful of the big 60 to 100GB ones, not many of those at all. Not all my PS4 games are on there but a fair amount.
The 360 back compat I have are either installed (some of) or folder tagged in the game library menu/app to keep track of them. Took me 2 hours and the Xbox One X struggling with so much menu jumping in and out, cancelling downloads, removing disks and so on even if it's less than 100 360 games.
Scouting for Chinese game deals I guess. Fair but good luck. They can try and make whatever they can happen to make deals with the platform or get an idea what they are offering over there but even then.
There are plenty of markets Xbox/Microsoft do not offer gaming in, compared to Windows or any other platforms for general space of a Microsoft products/services.
Let alone Sony's coverage or Nintendo's to other countries/markets. Xbox seems like they have the least coverage and need to expand as best they can.
Otherwise not much to say here.
Like I care, many games haven't been that great on PS/Xbox, expanding markets to try and make deals with is totally understandable and good luck with that but otherwise eh.
Both platforms and games/deals have been underwhelming.
Offer decent mechanics based on some superheroes or other Disney IP then sure.
Otherwise I don't see a need, just use whatever license, I don't care for these games unless the gameplay is good, many of them aren't so I don't care.
Many SW games have been eh, many Marvel games have been eh, many Disney games have been eh.
I'm not interested.
When Donald Duck PK or Monster's Inc Scare Island let alone returns (not touching) older SW games (when they were executed well and not badly) or others were more appealing you know your Disney/Marvel/SW/etc. games suck.
I got my SW Clone Wars 2002 vehicular game and finally played through it to the end, I'm happy, I haven't seen anything great happen these past few years.
I'd rather see something else but if it's Quake 4 then sure why not. I have Quake 4 but I'd say it needs to be more widely available these days for people to experience not just Doom 3 or Doom 3 VR.
3/Arena would be nice but they have Champions for that don't they? Regardless of people's opinions on Champions.
Is Nightdive capable? I mean they would need to have enough for a modern online presence, can they do that? Or however a publisher does for that sort of thing. Or just a good enough multiplayer experience without online then people complain it has no online?
4 makes sense to handle then 3 which is cool to have but a lot of effort to really make work in the modern era for some remaster studios.
If it has like a bot match thing or fair bot match campaign sure, I'm ok with that for Unreal Tournament PS2 and UT3 on PS3. But I am more interested in Unreal the none multiplayer ones if I can get access to them.
I want other gimmicks for the controller, not 100 different controller designs or whatever game tie ins, I don't care. The share button was a fair but not exciting benefit. I don't care about controller/console artwork designs, give me engineering ideas, not boring artwork on console shells/controller shells, it's so boring.
Impulse triggers are still around and good but I want something else. Whether motion controls or something new to add to them. Make something different from Sony/Nintendo's offering.
Even the Switch 2 mouse laser was so dull and unappealing. It's position sucks, the joycons are too thin and it looks like it's awkward to use or will be used for boring use cases then interesting ones. Just offer mouse support and offer other gimmicks come on. The engineers are not trying hard enough at all. Stop making boring controllers and put effort in seriously. Gaming sucks in game design and technology use.
Even Aragorn's Quest (picked up week ago or so now), seems like a prior attempt to use the IP for a family audience or other audiences in the case of Tales from the Shire and I get that, it may have some fair ideas, but it doesn't really work I think. Not so much theme wise for me just gameplay wise or trend wise I find them getting pretty weak at times.
A LOTR cozy game is fine in Hobbiton or wherever but even still.
I assume even The Hobbit video game of 6th gen is better then Aragorn's Quest.
Whatever works for them. Whatever is big enough, appealing enough to the PS/Switch userbase really.
South of Midnight when will that go multiplatform?
Hellblade 2 is right? Or has already?
Starfield whenever that does.
Gears of any kind besides the 1st game remade again. Any Halo? Forza Horizon 5 makes sense for licensing reasons or latest. Motorsport 8 or 2023 won't I assume to give it a shot, even if why bother really. Also will it get an offline update I doubt it and they just get rid of it. Sigh.
Age of Empires 4? As only 2 Definitive edition made it to PS5.
Any others not remembering that haven't yet.
We won't see other Xbox One or otherwise IPs go will we? State of Decay 2? Crackdown 3?
I mean anything within the past few years can be clear of PC or PS5 but anything older it's just unclear. Due to engines, or interest at all. Let alone customers remembering.
Sunset Overdrive or any Insomniac PC VR games aren't going to PS5 any time soon.
Well seeing how Modern Warfare even Bad Company 2 was and BC1 wasn't surprised me. Can't say for MP but campaign wise BC1 and BC2 was like comparing Dog Island/Petz, one is one way as a quest based game, the other is another as a pet in a room to play with game. As in BC1 was more Battlefield style, BC2 was a COD campaign of structure and fair destruction elements.
The kind of thing that made me mad with Resistance 2 being so altered of some aspects and then 3 was better and stuck to what it should have been not a trend following excuse developers. Same with Spiderman, Sunset Overdrive was way better and it's direction, Spiderman was the most I played for the lab puzzles/2 side missions game I have ever played. Story good, gameplay so boring and formuliac.
I myself don't see much here. I'm more for gameplay gimmicks, I don't see any. Sure destruction but we have had that for years in different entries, in certain ways. I don't see much going on here to make me care that much.
The personality is 'fine' but the gameplay could be like the past ones but refined, or it could have you go to which locations or whatever dialogue.
But if the MP maps/modes are still pretty modern structure and less depth (not that I play MP anyway), or the campaign is generic, I don't care what personality it has or what it tries to do to compete, be bit of old, bit of new BF PS3/360 era or PS4/Xbox One or fit the 9th gen, I still don't care about it EA/Dice.
Engines do play a roll and using them or expanding on them or just in general how particular they can be while avoiding licensing fees from UE or others past their sales point (or how each agreement works for engines).
But not as much as game design/staff balancing or leadership also do. How they work around that, main teams, outsourcing, etc.
I think they captured enough of what they wanted to, old Halo 1 style flare, modernising things, fitting in with trends for the open world or multiplayer structures, it makes sense enough what they were going for, it may have rough edges or that may be a player's perspective. But I think they captured enough of the vision or whatever it ended up as in the end to be worked into something despite delays, leadership, outsourcing, core teams, etc. efforts on the game.
If people liked it by all means. I myself didn't find the open world formula like the ones I enjoy (aka Gravity Rush, Sunset Overdrive and Infamous Second Son, so as it doesn't fit those, I wasn't going to buy it/play it anyway).
I hated Halo 5 but played it late. I have no interest in Halo Infinite at all. The campaign doesn't interest me. I wouldn't have been an additional sale but even still the game design appeal I look for just wasn't there.
That and the disk was useless as it was partial as well.
Wake me up when fhr swap mechanic from.BF2 MC happens, destruction looks fine but isn't as compelling or a NEW BF game. It's need a gimmick. I'm not very interested here.
2042 using aspects of older games besides whatever else new was something I guess. But eh.
I haven't seen much impressive at all this gen at all.
Was fine enough with the idea, I didn't really use it as I'm on Xbox One, have access to a Series X, I don't use it personally, but others do but not the disk games.
But I respect the feature, as I do like the idea. Offering more then just a put disk in back compat and offering upgrades as another option is nice to have. Or whatever digital and the option there.
It's like having a crossbuy experience and it's nice to have. Especially as other than Iconoclasts for PS4 to Vita I don't really have many crossbuy games at all. Helldivers 1 I just got lucky the code still worked and it triggers on Vita as available from my PS4 copy that happened to be the special edition for such a thing.
I appreciate the feature, but even then I haven't used a single PS4 to PS5 upgrade. Or Xbox One Smart Delivery, as I still use an Xbox One, I have a few 2020+ era Xbox One games but not many, I have more PS4 versions with PS5 upgrades on the box art mentioned. But I'm not using a PS5 at all, have access to it from people around me, not using it.
Others around me are and they buy the PS5 versions physical/digital instead of using the PS4 disk/digital upgrade license.
I can see why people don't but to me I just haven't upgraded it yet so I may use them in the future, but unless PS5/Xbox Series have compelling games I don't care to use them.
I even then only think I have Red Dead Redemption 360 in the Xbox One case as one of those back compat things that Smart delivery is similar to. Otherwise I have mostly OG Xbox or 360 games that are regular copies. Even then the way 360 DLC would work was weird for some games and seeing with the above commenter it seems Xbox One DLC also had issues. But then again I don't have many GOTY editions or DLC on disks either like Borderlands 1 or Fallout 3 for me, even if I got a GOTY copy alongside it might as well who really buys DLC disks? (Borderlands 1 had an Aussie DLC disk and a US copy game, still gave me the Aussie digital game but even still). Even then getting ReCore Def edition for free when I re added my disk copy to my console (still owned it physical of course never sold it) was cool.
I have used my PS4/Xbox One more then I have my PS3/360 in cross over gens.
But I still use all my old consoles/handhelds, and I was still using a PS3/360 about maybe 2 or more years into PS4/Xbox One gen, not the whole gen like this time around because games/consoles features don't interest me at all. Quick resume, cards, load times, haptics, VR2 and more are 'ok' but not that compelling and the RT/HDR/etc. are just graphics technologies I have no interest in, learning how they work, sure, but I'm a gameplay first type, so no, games have no compelled me with gameplay reasons to buy them.
I have used a PS5/Series X, but barely. But I barely used my Xbox One either, only on occasion more as I've had it as my own to use but even still.
To me it seems to offer more info but seems very busy or in your face like PS does for their trophies/news and things.
Also just having a console in a dim state has achievement notices pop up, it's annoying and stupid. If they still do that.
I wouldn't likely use this, I am not an achievement/trophy type, I have gotten a few that are within reason for me to go for, but not on Xbox and again not the type of person that cares to go for them. Or be pushed to go for them. I play a game when I feel like it or if the mechanics/level design are good, not using the platform for long because the platformer holders want us to. I play more retro games then I do modern era stuff anyway.
Unless I really care for PS4/Xbox One/Switch 1 console Indies or AA/AAA or older releases on them sure, but otherwise it's PS3/360/Wii U/handhelds and older consoles most of the time.
Fair, I didn't know it was PS4/5, Switch 1 and PC. But it takes time for studios to make for each platform, so now that they have the time/resources, they can make it for Xbox/Switch 2, pretty cool.
I haven't played it yet, have bought a digital license of it for PS4, but I was intrigued by it.
I mean sure not as many consoles as Xbox One but the audience for a game like this or from that studio prior wasn't that large yet did go to Switch 1 and I assume PlayStation later.
I don't have experience with their games or vaguely remember this game. But I have come across them through articles. I'm not likely their audience but whatever they have to deal with/those interested by all means.
So I mean, as if that audience isn't still niche and still excited for a game like this on Xbox, or those that want to support the studio, interested in the game, etc.
I get it takes time, sure the sales, resources, etc. But even still. Not all on Xbox are Gamepass only, some do buy on the Xbox.
I myself don't buy digital on Xbox but at the same time I can see the appeal for sure.
Even then I am still using PS4/Xbox One longer then I did my PS3/360 into the PS4/Xbox One gen as to me I don't see a reason to upgrade, I haven't seen any gameplay mechanics compelling games just typical games, graphics focus and a few ok ideas ones but they either flopped (name and particular ones and I either have a PS4 copy of it or if it was PS5/Xbox Series only third party it flopped but have it on those consoles from people around me that did like Forspoken, Immortals of Aveum, Atlas Fallen not sure how that sold) or I know I might not like them due to past releases in those series (Ride 5, WRC23), or they will go cheap as racing games anyway, so to me it doesn't matter. I have access to the consoles from people around me so I just don't care for them. They get used, while I use my N64/PS1 (no GameCube, OG Xbox or Dreamcast, but have every other handheld/console) to PS4/Xbox One/Switch 1.
Fair feature. I wasn't that big on it with Switch 1, but was Wii or Wii U. PS I don't have it at all other then the yearly round ups, Xbox either.
Folders/groups off topic:
======================
But I found myself using the library/groups on Switch 1 a lot more then I did on Xbox One. PS4/Wii U I used them a fair bit but they function differently so I can't make genre categories or what peripherals support (touch screen, gyro, I don't have a surround sound group as didn't care to, but I have probably about 30 or more based on genres, anime games, fan service ones, digital, physical,, first games in a series, sequels, and many more) and random group types on those like i can Switch 1/Xbox One.
So I have come to appreciate them a lot more then I used to compared to preferring PS4/Wii U folders but making whatever groups and re-assigning a game to them then 1 folder they can go in, does make the Switch 1/Xbox One groups really interesting to use.
========================
Back on topic:
So having a clear idea how much I have say Soundcloud in the background (or say I forget to close the eshop as I hate how I have to round about close it compared to every other app, it's like Windows 8 task manager app closing all over again, the way to go about it on an Xbox One/Series these days compared to prior OS/prior use of the store app) or any games I play actively is fair, I have gaps between playing my Xbox One or 360 so it would be interesting to know (of course this will be Xbox One/Series most likely but even still).
So the game publisher that had one of their staff tell us to just get used to not owning DVDs, and the Crew is the reason for this petition as well as many others?
I enjoy Ubisoft trying different types of games but not all of them appeal, and especially if their formulas get in the way.
Also if true they blamed Star Wars for Outlaws failures? It was Ubisoft's fault, their game design, messaging, marketing. If any movie/other brand staff said things of how they are allowed to fit Outlaws into the rules they set sure, but otherwise it's on Ubisoft.
Yeah uh GT Sport (GT PSP to GT6 had memory card or even per profile I think it was save file checks to avoid car duplication, makes sense, was still annoying, so you had to delete your save all the time, forget moving it to another PSP or PS3, I don't think it was hardware ID checked as I used different profiles same PS3, different PS3, memory card moved on PSP to check these, I can't say for digital copies either only physical)/Suicide Squad beat them to a offline state update, there is no excuse, if they can update games regularly, they can add offline status patches.
If they have licenses/a focus to keep it on store fronts, it's fine, small amounts of money sure, but still available.
We aren't expecting support forever, we aren't expecting classic MMO style approach.
Playing UE3/Brink bot matches. or Shadowrun tutorial.
It's called leaving the game available for sale or delisting but keeping the game (depends on the license), or adding an offline mode and people can still buy it on PC, physical console, digital console eshops if it isn't too much of a licensing hassle.
People will advertise games all the time even after they are over, singleplayer, multiplayer servers cut, bot matches, whatever the case. Games come around and get found out about.
Others you end up with Piglet's big movie games as a Resident Evil style game and people put the price up because of whatever nonsense can be said about a game. Will Chicken Run get expensive too because it's like MGS. XD
Many don't want LAN/fan co-op at all just publisher run servers, to waste money and have control.
They can try to make people buy the newest, or ignore past projects, but some people wanted those old projects, and be fed up and not buy their later projects, how many that effects can build up over time. Maybe 1 leaves, 2 buy the newest project, sometimes 2 leave, 1 buys it, but sometimes many don't like the direction, game design, story, etc.
It's not always nostalgia, it's quality, it's direction, people are playing old games not just because of MTX, it's knowing their product purchase was wasted, it's because of what was better.
Not everyone treats a game the same as a streaming service show that was bad or good, or moving games space off streaming when it varies for Sony/Xbox/Nintendo.
I enjoy old trends because I found their directions interesting for mechanics, I don't modern trends. I am very picky of modern games.
A fair service but to me the app always opened for any videos I already had that weren't related to the service at all. Unless confusing it with another one, which I may be.
I barely even knew it was a service app.
Still 360/PS3 to Xbox Series/PS5. What a long time to offer such digital tv/movies on consoles for the audience that did go for them.
I would just use whatever media player really but otherwise I always used my physical tv series/movies in an Xbox One/360 or PS4 as I prefer the menus, I am not a fan of PS2 artefacting (could just by my PS2 or how I position the AV cable or it connected to a HD 3D TV too, or the modern DVDs I am putting into it also) or the PS2/PSP/PS3 menus at all.
Even then the Xbox having tv/movies longer then PlayStation did seem fair, but I can see why it isn't going to last. At least they aren't removing the licenses, or at least not yet.
I never used a PSP for media (I have a few songs on there, never converted videos to it, tried on Vita as it's less effort but removed for space, was cool though even if volume limits are what they are too on there even besides AVLS) much but people did use the PC to PSP connection instead of the apps for comics, music and so on too.
I used some disks on my PC with VLC as still got a working disk drive there.
Even then who rents or digitally buys compared to just viewing? I never would bother with a digital rent/license buy of something on Xbox, Youtube or any other services. I just get physical, watch whatever others are that are into streaming services but I am not that active in tv/movies to watch really unless it's of actual interest.
Like I looked at a few anime on the Xbox One when browsing the storefront and it seemed ok, but I don't go out of my way to search for them I just did that 1 time out of curiosity. I put a game OST CD if I want to test CD apps/playback that's about it really.
Otherwise I watch my anime physical. Research digital.
Most people use streaming and move on from a series, or physical media or they just go with videos via a USB or whichever other app/'source experiences' instead. It's why I was surprised Microsoft left it as a thing for so long and went yeah we can get rid of this to save money/work around licenses.
I mean when you have a VLC or other media players why not use those.
Well to me Ghost of Yotei even if of no interest to me seems to be putting the SSD use well for the young/old idea, I like that. It's what I wanted Rift Apart to do, but it just replicated PS3 2009 HDD use again and also poorly.
To me games are trying to work around the tools while having mixed ideas, leadership and mentality they themselves have as staff or leaders make a challenge, which I am not surprised. I myself don't even care for HDR or RT, I have learned the differences from SDR and baked in lighting, subtly but even still I don't care. So if games are just being too much focused on graphics, the design is all over the place of worlds, the stories are hit and miss, gameplay is so basic either to be accessible or they don't have time to make it, so at that point why even bother. Gameplay is so basic I am so put off by many games at this point.
Plenty of OG Xbox/360 era games were more exciting of mechanics in many genres, nowadays they don't even have a strong hook, oh we have insert this license, insert this decent world, nothing actually exciting. I literally buy shooters, platformers, racing and more genres like tactics, hack n slashes off of gameplay ideas. Psi Ops/Fracture are a lot of fun 6th/7th gen shooters.
The fair mix of rocks, trees, grass and other objects is also noticeable (Star Wars Outlaws canyons or dust and other things weren't that convincing I find, Indy did an ok job of hiding natural light behind trees in the beginning area, I can't say for the rest of the game) in it of environment details in games, I don't care for that but I get why they offer them.
Also the fog in the Yotei showcase, you can see the mountain, looking at Horizon Zero Dawn you can tell even if intentional the fog in the mountains they can barely show, in Yotei it has fogs but it's also still able to be seen through, an interesting detail and large coverage of land for render distance like that is insane.
Even Valkyrie Elysium I noticed PS4/5 the grass objects being less on PS4. So yeah some games even if linear scale like that did (also had a lot of particles that game but the Wanted Dead/other team did a fair job with Elysium I think), but many western devs do like to show off environments and Yotei seems to do that.
Xbox I don't have enough reference of games in showcase or otherwise. I can't remember, but there probably is some out there that may.
Racing games vary of course in car models/track details, sounds, physics/CPU wheel data I don't even care about then focusing on decent progression that isn't boring and terrible let alone more that isn't just boring racing and repetitive. XD
I mostly care for more the young/old and other gameplay changing benefits of Yotei to utilise the console.
If we see others offer more enemies on screen, particles and more then sure but to me I don't know what to expect with current geming other then mechanics being so weak.
Xbox I can't say for sure as I don't play or have interest in any they have offered at all. So I don't know what they offered towards power of the console other then the GPU usage being probably fair for some things above the regular PS5.
They all seem to be fair uses of the hardware, but I don't know for sure.
I have no interest in GTA 6 at all, it will have fair execution of things sure, but I still don't care.
But they have Candy Crush Solitaire (got an ad for it, not that I care, Microsoft has had Solitaire games for years), they make tons of money, right?
Do they need AI for every generic puzzle game for casuals? Compared to any other types of mobile stuff they consider in the future AI can't do as well?
Comments 849
Re: Indiana Jones Dev: Xbox Game Pass Was A 'Hard Balance' Because Players Quickly Drop Out
It is a tough balance. Pacing, first person then 3rd person as well besides the ladders or other scenes in 3rd person as well. 3rd person usually works for people and 1st person jumps or other things at least how devs design them can be awkward. I get it's due to their engine or what they usually design around so it's not a bad thing but i can see why.
Also people trying out if games are for them in 5 minutes is enough sometimes. I myself would do an hour but that's just me when I try out any retro pickups or modern games or or I install it/disk test it works or check the settings/main menu and that's it. If devs go 'oh they checked the settings menu and dropped off' I mean it doesn't mean I hate your game it's just I wanted to see what i could setup then play it when I'm interested, you still got my money after all and I'm still going to play it. XD
If people like these types of games sure, but a balance of stealth, puzzles, combat, etc. is a challenge. I've gotten used to more 360 and under era shooters so to me their ideas are far more compelling with mechanics, abilities, gunplay, enemy/other pacing because of how competitively interesting they were to try out besides all of them being like $5 to 12 or whatever retro prices so it was fair for them that way too, so the lack of an ability (sure Uncharted, Gears, Socom, Killzone, etc. and others have their cores to them and are good too in how grounded or gritty or otherwise they are) does make me care. But Uncharted did them well of it's similar core to Indy (not played prior Indy games for reference at all). Tomb Raider 360/Xbox One era ones so the differences there were clear.
The pacing seemed fair in Indy as far as I could tell at least but I didn't see all of it either, but it seemed fair of walking, stealth, puzzles and combat or cutscenes like a movie to game experience.
AI was awkward times but nothing too out of the ordinary.
Thing is, I had to help the person who was playing it on Gamepass and I found some of it approachable enough but some parts were awkward or just as awkward as Wolfenstein but not as much complex level design as far as I could tell. They did play most of it though even if more a city builder/farming/gardening type we have put adventure/action adventure games for them to try on occasion.
But some stealth was a bit hmm, some puzzles were a bit confusing (even for my level of puzzle games it's just how they wanted it to operate or what clues they gave and how to unlock them), but otherwise a solid enough game but still very 8th/9th gen design.
But I mean, it's no new scene cutting every few minutes game to 'balance for that audience' that's for sure which is a good thing, so I mean, not as much as a baby/any other with scenes flicking constantly goes. XD
If it's for those that enjoy adventure movies, like the series is, or others with not as Tomb Raider particular I guess at times (or as violent either of the 2013+ era ones or 2013 at least was) then yeah I'd say Indy does a fair job.
It put me off as to me Uncharted 4/Indy 2024 are very eh of heavy characters or annoying combat, wow is the Indy 2024 melee so annoyingly weak.
Sure I've played many games old and modern so I'm used to it but I still hated Indy 2024 it's just got a lot of the things i don't like and trope followed to a tee. It works at achieving that while being 'modern' but still has those issues for me.
Re: Xbox & PlayStation's New Social Media Ads Make Fans Question Whether 'Console War' Is Over
I buy on all platforms, but use PS4/Switch/Xbox One and under. But the game design doesn't appeal, so they can make as much money as they want but the wide audience or angles of games in gameplay just aren't fun. So making more money but more bland games isn't going to get me to care if it's PS or Xbox. I'm buying neither 1st party anyway and 3rd parties are hit and miss.
But use my Xbox One less, Series X never touched and has gotten less use then Xbox One by those around me.
The design mentality/direction has just changed and put me off PS4/Xbox One and especially PS5/Series. Less appealing IPs, less appealing new IPs, less appealing Indies, less appealing AAs, just not worth it.
Peripherals or software features are 'fine' but not really things I am that excited for. Portal (worse the Vita app with resolution targetting, no dual screen, no Android, just a companion app device, boring). PSVR2 is fair but the game design and controls/inputs are just so eh. Even Wii/Move games play better, I'm serious. PSVR2 feels like a continued PSVR or the PS1 gen continued of VR then PS2 of VR. It's just not improving but getting worse. The PS4/5 game design has made empty VR games or bad controls and it's just sad. When more older era games have awkwardness I can get past and VR doesn't it's bad game design. I don't want grounded games or realistic motions I know the limits of motion in VR compared to Wii/Move, and better motion/button use on those. PSVR2 has less buttons on it's controllers then Move and about as much as Wiimote, maybe less due to how they will treat the sticks. It's like having an N64 with the A/B, but no X/Y or a PS1 controller without sticks for inputs (even if it has sticks i know).
Quick resume is cool but I don't use digital on Xbox and the share button is 'fine' but not as exciting as Impulse triggers.
I don't like Switch 2 mouse mode either, or it's placement on the Joycons so..... Yeah modern gimmicks haven't been to my liking whether in uses they have yet to show, have shown or positioning on controllers let alone features at all.
Otherwise old consoles just have that better game design gimmicks or less gimmick focus and more appealing design, so going to play those over modern games.
To me I haven't cared for a 1st party PS/Xbox games since 2017, maybe even all of 8th gen at all. Even if a few on Xbox One/PS4 I cared for, many of the studios I like during PS4 are dead, so I have no reason to get a PS5 for 3rd parties even and my PS4 library is more particular 3rd parties that aren't garbage. Less reason or none at all to get a Series X or use it. Xbox One gets the same UI and I hate it, just less background features I don't even care for and games are just as not appealing.
While Switch I have many 1st party to get but I got most of the niche ones I wanted for now and still waiting on Rhythm Heaven Groove even in 2026.
Otherwise plenty of old gen games 1st and 3rd parties of past trends, mechanics and more to get into or buy if come across them.
Re: Report: Take-Two Tried To Purchase Xbox's Cancelled Perfect Dark Reboot
@WildConcept6 Completely agree with your points. How they should handle it, who to hand it over to, how Take Two would handle it, better staff, better design mentality for the IP. Microsoft controlling it as not all are like Obsidian. Excellent points. Said better then I could as well.
Like Banjo said, Crystal could have as well. I mean whether it was like the Tomb Raider 2013+ format or not even it would have worked.
Re: Three Games Are Leaving Xbox Game Pass In Early September 2025
Fair leaving list. Small list and fair titles for those interested.
Wargroove 2 not sure as barely got into the 1st one. Found other tactics games I find more appealing.
Katarmari Reroll I just got on Switch so no issues there.
All You Need Is Help never heard of. But looks cool.
But I also don't use Gamepass, have access to, but don't care. I barely use my Xbox as it is, just for odd things.
Re: Despite Cancelling Everwild, Xbox Has Just Hired Its Executive Producer For A Major Role
So much for the other staff but at the same time they really didn't have an idea what to make of the game either so bound to happen.
That aside, a lot of business nonsense speak there and we will se what happens.
Not a fan of Xbox or Playstation 1st party these days, just reading the news about them and ignoring them on release with better 3rd party niche games to play or back compat, so if they change things enough sure, if not, couldn't care less.
Re: All New Games Coming To Xbox In September 2025
Borde4ralnds 4 or Pacman World 2 Re-Pac, otherwise decent stuff here but nothing really that exciting.
Even then these aren't the most exciting of a remake or a modern game series still around.
Plenty of other older era games backlog to play or pick up if find them.
Re: You'll Soon Be Able To See 'Personalised' Ads On Your Xbox Dashboard
Yeah no interest. I'll just keep my Xbox limited to the firmware it is or just use Xbox less, only focus on games like I already ignore the dashboard as it is since they made it worse over the years, better, then worse again. Layout sucks, advertising sucks, curating it to my taste, I don't want that I want to browse things myself and have no advertising. Like come on.
Re: Final Fantasy Boss Says 'There's No Real Need' For Next-Gen Consoles Like A Series X Successor
Part 2:
I play PS1 to PS3/360 era games (console, handheld, all platforms) for their mix of experimentation while still offering their awkward or passable controls and graphics. Aka 99% of the time gameplay.
IF I can play Singularity and have a fair shooter, mix of gimmicks for light puzzles and alternative uses for combat it says a lot how I'm having so much more fun. Yet while skill in some games sure back then.
Same with Ratchet, was fair skill/experimentation, now a dumbed down kids movie experience with sub par ideas compared to those it wants to carry on from.
Other IPs insert here.
Platformers, racing, shooters, RPGs always went story/stats so besides Tactics games most bore me to death of turn based/action RPG blandness of level design, movesets, quests, etc.
While adventure/puzzle do great things. Hack n slashes vary too as soulslikes are more the trend these days and while not into those they seem to have fair ideas.
Most games now are so basic or grounded I get bored. You can get stuck by combat difficulty sure but other times it's just boredom of exciting things going on.
I got stuck in Splatoon 2 campaign, got past it but also it was just oh a grapple, this will be boring, oh they use it so well it's a lot of fun.
Titanfall 2 mixing things up is a Singularity type way, it really thought about what it was offering.
It's why I'm fine with accessible for particular reasons, but other times, to me it's the lack of animations, gameplay ideas whether put into bonus areas (for skilled players) and the main stuff for those not looking for that or can't beat them.
Infamous Second Son made me think about that. While other open worlds I find just boring. Gravity Rush/Sunset Overdrive did it for me, tower defence instead of outposts, moveset based side missions, fair story/main path stuff.
But no we get dumb games down so much and it's boring. In gameplay (basic human/animal movesets or logic of world/rules, even racing games have so few events/rules, unless it's kart racers or anti-grav it's dumbed down so far nowadays even with no licensed vehicles it's still the same mentality, the creativity to do more then the realistic rules or 'laziness' to add other event types is just sad. I mean shooters have many modes, sure many go to deathmatch but is that because it's a simple mode or is it because people want in and out of matches? Whilst racing a race, time trial, drift, cone challenge, whatever other rules or ideas yeah it varies there of lack of interest from players or devs but the games end up feeling empty or put more menu garbage or MTX or other structural issues, Shift 1/Wreckfest half the games are easy to get end game to, Shift 1 left it that way, Wreckfest I played the no other vehicles/upgrade purchasing, played half the game, that's accessible right there, yet Shift 1 was more fun, WRC3 or Dirt 3 were also more fun then their modern entries, Project Cars 3 is Shift 3 in structure and is way more restrictive, Ride 4 is also restrictive but Forza Motorsport 1 and 2 with a twist region system, so some games try others don't).
They can go further or do what they can at their level but try more, but they won't. Too much safeness and referencing to sell, then to actually offer possibilities they always wanted or could.
Re: Final Fantasy Boss Says 'There's No Real Need' For Next-Gen Consoles Like A Series X Successor
To me I question what devs use consoles for with next gen? If not gimmicks, what are they doing with game design, or animations/particles or otherwise to add more then just realism or grounding the worlds or 'can't do that it's too resource expensive' is it why do you have other things that have a purpose OVER that then hmm. Like come on.
Like to me more RAM/CPU/GPU benefits sure, but if it's just 8K, RT, VRR, HDR and more sure. But are worlds going to change? Is gameplay experimentation coming back? Most of these won't happen so games will continue to be pretty boring, budgets overdone, anything they 'said couldn't be done' will still be said just because of time or because they want to push other nonsensical garbage in and that's why the gameplay/limited animations/story doesn't have flashy moments or enough animations for moves or interesting level design, or other potential possibilities is 'other things take focus more' just grounded boring garbage game design.
The more I look at older consoles and attempts, the more i just laugh at modern era consoles/mentality. Did they probably do them not so well back then in some cases yes but many still pull it off due to the mentality/attempts and not because oh the other is much bigger scale now. Well because it's bigger scale why not try more to experiment instead of making it a realistic grounded boring product and actually put more interesting ideas into it, even in a prototype. Like come on.
So does it really matter if we keep putting in more RAM, spec up the CPU/GPU opportunities and we just push graphics and do nothing interesting at all, yeah like why would I care if I just see hardware being wasted all the time instead of using it for what it can be used for it gets used for the same safe uses or 'resources it takes up can't be achieved' level of nonsense over and over when it can it's just they don't want to. Audiences don't want to, devs don't want to and leadership don't want to, so we don't see anything actually happen that's worthwhile at all.
Price sure, microscopic, only if you have idiots of leadership, developers or audiences, or limits by mentality of creativity or business people yes, or bad leadership/managers, preventing audiences, AI/weak skill level staff or other limitations, as to why grounded games or poor level of quality games have had.
Or similarly with nostalgic audiences/Indies. They don't want as much things in the world, offer a skill tree like AAA, they don't want as much animations, make grounded basic animations that many AAA PS1 era games or so even did, that they won't. Yeah excuses is all I hear. I am no skill level able to do this stuff, but I can think it, I can read between the nonsense and it's possible. I see it I play old and modern games and the mentality change in design over the years.
Re: Xbox Teases Plans To Make Cloud Gaming More 'Affordable' And 'Accessible'
Fair option, some of these I go why did it take this long but this is still a fair feature.
Re: Xbox Exec Talks About Three Core Aims For Microsoft's Next Console
If has more then a Share button/Impulse triggers since 2013 that were cool, sure, otherwise eh games, eh hardware, and 'power'. Yeah not very appealing at all.
1st party/3rd party for Xbox are 'hit and miss' and even then Gamepass is fine, but I have no interest in it.
So to me I keep an Xbox One because of what it had (besides the 2013-2017 split use of apps/games stuff that's gone, but back compat, decent games, impulse triggers, CD to Blu-ray support via 'store apps is annoying but understandable', otherwise yeah Series has nothing for me at all), I don't use a Series X at all, access to it yes, use it, not once. I get the OS experience on Xbox One and the games or benefits aren't compelling at all on Series S/X. Power means nothing to me. Gameplay does, compelling ideas does.
Access is 'fine' but also has to have something meaningful to ACCESS.
So why would I care? There is offering services and a hardware platform and all this 'access' but if the products are still 'fill in what you can' then still a pass.
Re: Gears Reloaded On PS5 'Thrills' Cliffy B As Series Creator Remains 'Open' To Return
After the Gears 3 on PS3 test. Nah.
In general I think this is fair.
I've played enough Gears on 360 and Gears-likes on PS3 (control wise but still good enough mechanics and identity of those games) to know yeah they could be good.
I'm never going to play these games again other then 360 but still, it's shaping up well enough to go to another platform.
If they handle it right.
To me I care more for interesting mechanics or console gimmicks (more fun in the older eras, very few times on Switch 1 or other consoles and PS/Xbox gimmicks have been eh, even if Forza/Gears use Impulse Triggers of Xbox One well) so to me I don't care that much and already experienced the Gears games.
I use all consoles, others getting to experience them or haven't since 360 and gone to PS4/5 sure. For those never have, it will be interesting to hear their experiences.
Re: Xbox Is Bringing Indiana Jones And The Great Circle To Nintendo Switch 2
Fair to offer on Switch 2 and the trailer makes it look compelling, but WOW, Indy just was not great to me. Had a lot of ok ideas but eh execution. It's too Wolfenstein (I think they do it better THERE then they do for Indy) and too awkward in how it goes about things. Didn't like it.
I wasn't even the main player, I was just assisting the person playing, and I hated it.
Re: Xbox Shares First Look At The Outer Worlds 2 Since Its Pricing U-Turn
Yeah the trailer looked a bit worse then the prior ones, the character expressions/posing looked lifeless.
The self awareness was ok, but with all the show had of presentation it didn't really make me care.
This game has the ideas and identity for sure, don't waste it. I know Obsidian can do things, I see greatness even many of their products.
To me I just see a bunch of ideas they couldn't do years ago (prior trailers/talks about it) and it looked good then, the more I see now, feels like marketing for the sake of marketing and looks wasted rather then beneficial to showcasing the game in a better light. This trailer is not good.
Like this trailer looks dull, generic and lifeless, it doesn't highlight the game well at all, but make it look worse then it did prior.
I'm not the audience for this game but I respect it's tone and ideas a lot.
Don't waste it Obsidian just because your advertising team or Microsoft's advertising team or whoever is involved are not doing so great with trailers like THIS.
I know what your capable of and your marketing is not doing great with these trailers/ads. Make this sequel land.
Re: Talking Point: Will The ROG Xbox Ally Be Your First 'Handheld Gaming PC'?
Nope I'll go the Pocket PC or PDA route before i get a gaming PC handheld.
It has appeal but eh, I'm not fussed.
Re: Poll: Should The Next Xbox Controller Support AA Batteries Again?
The AAs are efficient in Xbox controllers designs over the years and even then you can replace/add any battery pack or USB cable it if you want.
Rechargable, Alkaline, etc., it's up to the user to know that/use them.
The Xbox controllers allow for a lot to work with. Why would i complain if it gives options? So of course I picked the yes top option on both. I don't game enough on a 360/One to complain, nor do I a Wiimote. The only controllers I use batteries for and even then maybe a PS2 IR wireless one if I feel like it. They work well enough for the time I play. So never gone, oh no AA batteries. I'm fine with them.
I take them out of the controllers too, imagine that, that's how they last, and don't leak, besides getting cheap batteries.
People just go oh AAs, money or laziness, when they seem to ignore the battery pack, sure it's more money but you also don't need to if you cable it. Imagine that. They give you options. Whoa. XD
Nintendo/Sony's yeah good luck. I do cable my controllers and my PS3 ones aren't as bad, my PS4 one last like 30minutes to an 1 hour, Gamepad doesn't but goes flat just sitting there so eh, handhelds last well sitting around or powered, can't say for GameCube Wavebird but Wiimotes or Xbox 360/One or others aren't too bad with AAs, but even still, if you want enough battery removal or being flat to low use case over time and hard to remove, by all means.
Re: Ex-PlayStation Exec Still Not Convinced By 'Dangerous' Xbox Game Pass Model
Part 2:
Does it make things particular for businesses wanting money and customers trying them out sure. But in some cases we can't tell gameplay by footage can we, many games are repetitively samey gameplay wise these days but that' doesn't always apply either.
People want to give the games a go and if there is no demo or cough GAME TRIAL behind the subscription access then yeah your getting lower tiers or whatever else.
People are accessing them as the full game or part of a game demo/game trial regardless of platform's offering of access to them.
REPEAT: If customers change their mind how they get games it's unfortunate, but if your game isn't very convincing, or is but people are unsure and footage or trailers isn't enough, how else are they supposed to experience it?
I buy games but I also look at footage constantly, look at menus to see what progression/game modes are like, many footage DON'T do that so I sometimes have to look more or buy it to find out which is annoying.
But that's more with older games, with modern ones I have to be able to check or wait for them to get cheap or just not buy them at all if I think they aren't really going for what I'm looking for and following others in making boring games. But those that are great, sure they seem to have enough compelling there worth experiencing.
Re: Xbox Announces Big List Of Games For Its Two Gamescom Broadcasts Next Week
Ok stuff, lot I don't care for, to none at all.
Well, not like I didn't expect that anyway.
They better handle some things of gameplay or story or presentation or what these are going for.
The names are familiar or new and the rest is just who cares trailers, marketing and boring direction of games, as usually.
They can say 'look we have a volume of things' but if most of it isn't substance, just style, why would I care?
That's modern gaming's problem, substance doesn't seem to exist, just style and blandness to execute personality or gameplay ideas that aren't repetitive and boring.
Re: Talking Point: What Should Xbox Do To Celebrate Its 25th Anniversary Next Year?
Decent coverage of old Xbox IPs, not just a who cares wrap up of the brand.
They will probably do something bare bones anyway. Even game anniversaries have been boring Xbox or other platforms/IP holders.
Re: Ex-PlayStation Exec Still Not Convinced By 'Dangerous' Xbox Game Pass Model
For being noticed then just a simple upload to the Xbox Store sure. But finding it or playing it is another matter. The saves files are still there even after they try the games on Gamepass.
Grid Legends went to PS+/Gamepass or EA's service. Like I mean it was $30 by that point. I bought it physical as I wanted it that way, didn't make me go oh I should have waited. I wanted to support it still. Indies it varies but if flops or good games go to Gamepass late, were still either paying for the sub, not at that point in time or under a certain prices or full price anyways. Like I mean are they worth much not really at certain points.
Many others on the services are cheap disks now, varied discounts Xbox store, PS+/PS store, etc. how much were audiences caring anyway? Exactly. When they see/hear about them, how much they are worth, how long in the service, digital/physical purchase or only gamepass and never continued or finished the game in time before removed from service.
My $30 didn't do much, Balan my $20 new when it was flopping didn't do much but my full price wouldn't have either would it. I still paid $20 new then $10 used/pre-owned. I still contributed. But I could guess flops too, many I was interested in, still contributed in a way.
If customers change their mind how they get games it's unfortunate, but if your game isn't very convincing, or is but people are unsure and footage or trailers isn't enough, how else are they supposed to experience it?
Also what about all the Soundcloud/Bandcamps and others out there? Many users do. Enough sales sure, but not like ads do a lot for them either on Spotify, Soundcloud, etc. types out there of users licensing to songs.
I care more for the DVDs/blu-rays then I do streaming service slop anyway with garbage television, alongside ok tv shows/movies mixed in, but most I don't care for.
But I also don't care about any single to maybe a few PS/Xbox IPs of 2013+ anyway, I dropped off to go more into collecting and odd modern third parties only in 2017. So is either of them getting my money, PS4/Nintendo yes via digital, via physical they aren't really at all other then maybe Switch due to some 1st parties/odd 3rd parties. But mostly it's digital PS4/Switch now. Only used Xbox One games. No PS5. Have access to the consoles sure, not touching them, not mine and I don't want them anyway.
So I"m not their target audience, so like they care anyway. I'm 1 out of millions of customers. I don't count to them anyway. XD
I get from a business perspective but even still. The companies offering their games know what they are getting into. Customers know. They either change to what they experience/how they do or they treat it different ways.
I don't use gamepass, I also don't buy digital on Xbox either. i look at footage for any physical/digital game, screenshots/trailers aren't always enough, but the footage in reviews, let's plays/walkthrough and more can also be too focused on in-game, not menus, modes and other details I want to see, they only show further in game (for racing or shooters or others that's annoying, for other genres it's not so bad) and that can annoy me a lot too.
The deals are made clear between them and Microsoft. It's clear why they appear there. IF it doesn't work out, they move on.
Sony has their deals/offerings of PS+ or not.
Re: Xbox Is Making It Easier To Find 'Play Anywhere' Titles In Your Library
Fair, always good to have more showcasing/features like this for access/filtering.
Doesn't change that their filtering still needs MANY MORE options then what they currently offer. It's just sad.
There is a reason when I use GT6's car search or a Windows file explorer or Xbox OS or any others in games/console/PC, etc. I just navigate it myself per file or folder, not use the quick access stuff, because the search filters or otherwise are still terrible in functionality or lacking a filter for what I'm after to apply. They either don't work or the filter options I'm look for aren't there.
That and they could also make back compat not annoying to find either. In the storefront or in filters or any other aspects of the OS/menu navigation. Search features, etc.
I avoid their website but sometimes have to use it because on the console it's annoying to find, I just got to wikipedia or just put a disk in and see what it finds then caring to look them up, sometimes I just keep the wikipedia page offline when out so I don't have to keep looking things up.
Re: Forza Motorsport Team 'Assures' Players That Support Will Continue
@Kaloudz I respect the effort as it can't be cheap, or it's a challenge to do runs around the tracks, audio and more. It's amazing use of tech and making the games what they are.
But there is only so much of that I care about when I care more for event variety or other details more. Not the technical details as much.
Re: Talking Point: Is Forza Horizon About To Become Xbox's Main Forza Franchise?
It has for years, Motorsport 5-7 were decent but down in quality despite all the things they were pushing and down in popularity too I think.
Otherwise yeah Horizon always made sense why, it's not as tied to a thing most people don't care about, unless into those cars/tracks or the sense of motorsport why would you bother with it?
I don't care for motorsports but I still enjoy these types of games, Horizon to me was just boring missions of the modern era and insert location to set it in. Pass.
I don't play open worlds for their locations, I do their missions/movesets and progression, if they suck, I don't buy them. Which happens a lot.
PGR used streets, locations and track design or car selection or progression/event types well. It's why I never got bored of it.
The walk around dealership of 2, the garages of other entries, the menus, the Geometry Wars inclusions. It's personality was so good. Even PGR2's career/arcade did go too far for restrictions people hated it that want their quick race easy fast car access but it was so well designed you wanted to progress in it. Not FM6 that's kind of like PGR2 but worse and even then gives out candy cars. It's a joke. FM5 & 7 at least handled things a bit better.
But anniversary games always suck anyway, or they happen to have the worst ideas in the series, that line up with the anniversary date timing.
Horizon I got bored by the first game. I hadn't played Burnout Paradise back then but have now, and even then I found Burnout Paradise/NFS Carbon or others way more exciting then Horizon due to their structure and good ideas back then.
Modern era games don't have compelling mechanics, event types or otherwise just cars, fair destinations and the other stuff I never cared about in them that are so forgettable yet important, the festivals and other stuff.
At least NFS Prostreet was a decent game tackling it, the others, aren't.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Hoping To See At Gamescom 2025?
Unless it's gameplay exciting then pass. Like very other year, generic trailers, not that exciting use of trends and other garbage included.
There may be some decent but still not that exciting.
Re: Forza Motorsport Team 'Assures' Players That Support Will Continue
@Kaloudz That's where I find Wreckfest or others fit in, no licenses but fair approach.
Thing is I just find them just as weak of execution but that's just me, I see the appeal but I've played better from OG Xbox to 360 era, WRC3's career mode was so good or Dirt 3, or any other OG Xbox exclusive or 3rd parties, or even many PS2 exclusive 3rd party games with great mechanics/progression that just doesn't happen anymore.
To me modern racing games feel like when you look at the many multiplayer modes in a shooter but go yeah we will have 2. Repeat it for the campaign and however structured for multiplayer. That's why I find them kind of boring.
So if the amount of work isn't on licensing but just art/physics then yeah that's why I get disappointed in many modern racing games even those without licenses.
Wrecreation gave me NFS Hot Pursuit 2010 then Trackmania, if it lands sure, but to me the trailers/ads have been disappointing. Even Wreckfest 2 just looks like more of the same but many racing game trailers also are hard to tell what is going on.
I barely can find menus in gameplay footage for racing games as people constantly show the cars/tracks so it makes things annoying to tell what a game has of content.
Re: Forza Motorsport Team 'Assures' Players That Support Will Continue
@AverageGamer There are many that are, use their sim rigs and so on. Even then to me 5 to 7 weren't great but I at least had some interest in them. 6 was eh to me in structure, but 5-7 had some fair ideas. 8/2023 just seems like the most flat.
When it's live services, ok 3rd parties or esports games, yeah racing looks kind of an eh space these days.
Not all but some of us do feel like this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVry84ACu0k&pp=ygUWcmF5Y2V2aWNrIHJhY2luZyBnYW1lcw%3D%3D
Not all of us are sports/car brand loyal/nostalgic. But many likely are.
GT/Forza are cheaper then the esports ones that cost per asset, at least with GT/Forza you get enough content in the base game and free updates. So business wise I can respect them, gameplay wise I can't.
Even then Forza doesn't even have a Vision GT 'making prototypes for the car makers' type things either so it has less to deal with there. Just the licenses or types of cars they want to add, make events for, etc. for it's live service model.
While the rest of us racing game fans prefer older games for their gameplay depth and not the latest cars, but what you could DO with the cars. It's why I'm not surprised some youtubers don't just feature old games for nostalgia, or look up older games they never heard of or make challenges is they can make content out of it then the scripted, update drops and more space of modern racing games. But they could be more gamers then racing fans so there is also that.
But then again seeing Indies making games with no license but referenced or copy paste of the real tracks/cars but tweaking things yeah.... You can see the motorsport/car fan ones for sure easily. Or the nostalgia type ones.
The think i find weird is even when you have arcadey ones with no licenses they are just as bland as sims.
Some may praise them I find them mechanically/progression wise the most boring in years, just as much as open worlds or RPG lite modern games with basic movesets.
But that's more my mindset, no one shares that as much. While 20 years ago I can get sims and arcade racers with more progression, mechanics and thought put into them to experiment.
Wreckfest to me is a lesser Flatout. Easy access progression like NFS Shift 1, ok vehicle variety but seemed lacking still to me (kickstrater aside). 2 and Wrecreation to me look like they want competition and don't stand out at all of ideas/direction. I find them very disappointing and generic.
FM 1&2 have a region system that Ride 4 tweaked well enough yet the AI in many of Milestone's latest games suck and are pro level only EVEN ON EASY AI, no joke Ride 4 is unplayable for me, so was MotoGP16 and that has dirt bikes/rally cars and those are playable, the motogp bikes are not. If other devs have better ideas even from Forza series, yet Forza Motorsport just 'tries' to capture an audience and does the bare minimum or it's interesting angle got rewritten and didn't work it's unfortunate.
The upgrades angle was awkward and the credits/position feature was fair but even then MX vs ATV games have done this without credit payouts for years. So it was a fair tweak but didn't do much.
Project Motor Racing is also trying some ok new region and other ideas. But also wants that esports pie I bet.
While others that are esports like have content that takes years to make, modes/cars no one uses and costs more for each asset of cars/track that some people don't even use and are janky. Yeah it's a joke.
Re: Forza Motorsport Team 'Assures' Players That Support Will Continue
Good on the team if they can keep it going but yeah content is looking pretty generic and unappealing, I'll wait till the game is cheap and near complete and still be bored with it.
GT7 as much as I hate it, at least it has event variety, many racing games suck with modes/event rules types and I just get bored with them. I still don't own GT7, GT Sport I got very late cheap, it was 'ok' but even then I played a fair amount of it and even then it was more fun to write up a wiki page about it's restructuring for offline then playing the game.
Re: Shadow Drop! 'Heretic + Hexen' Is Now Available On Xbox Game Pass
So no Quake 4, fair, Hexen being available is pretty cool.
Re: Xbox Is Officially 'Stopping' Development On First-Party Game Contraband
Unfortunate for the team but yeah, we barely heard anything about it, a logo/general view of things that didn't tell us much at all.
Also the Warthunder, Warframe, etc. issue of naming that this, Concord and many others have didn't help me to remember this game's title either.
Re: Random: Xbox Fan Installs 1000 Games To See How Much Storage Space They Take Up
Pretty cool. I have more so around 30 to 40 Xbox One games and more so 100+ PS4 games (not fully sure due to having many on the shelf but others stored in console tv stand shelving along with PS2, Wii, PS3, 360 besides the other odd shelves for those).
So yeah when I have around 100+ for PS4, but maybe a bit less then that for PS3/360 with collecting, and less than that for each other platform in the 5 to 50 or so I think range for some platforms yeah it varies for sure.
But got a 5TB PS4 drive and that's with mostly smaller 20-50GB games, only a handful of the big 60 to 100GB ones, not many of those at all. Not all my PS4 games are on there but a fair amount.
The 360 back compat I have are either installed (some of) or folder tagged in the game library menu/app to keep track of them. Took me 2 hours and the Xbox One X struggling with so much menu jumping in and out, cancelling downloads, removing disks and so on even if it's less than 100 360 games.
Re: Xbox's Phil Spencer & Sarah Bond Make Surprise Appearance At ChinaJoy 2025
Scouting for Chinese game deals I guess. Fair but good luck. They can try and make whatever they can happen to make deals with the platform or get an idea what they are offering over there but even then.
There are plenty of markets Xbox/Microsoft do not offer gaming in, compared to Windows or any other platforms for general space of a Microsoft products/services.
Let alone Sony's coverage or Nintendo's to other countries/markets. Xbox seems like they have the least coverage and need to expand as best they can.
Otherwise not much to say here.
Like I care, many games haven't been that great on PS/Xbox, expanding markets to try and make deals with is totally understandable and good luck with that but otherwise eh.
Both platforms and games/deals have been underwhelming.
Re: EA Is Working On 'A Few' Unannounced Games Based On Disney IP
If they can pull it off.
Offer decent mechanics based on some superheroes or other Disney IP then sure.
Otherwise I don't see a need, just use whatever license, I don't care for these games unless the gameplay is good, many of them aren't so I don't care.
Many SW games have been eh, many Marvel games have been eh, many Disney games have been eh.
I'm not interested.
When Donald Duck PK or Monster's Inc Scare Island let alone returns (not touching) older SW games (when they were executed well and not badly) or others were more appealing you know your Disney/Marvel/SW/etc. games suck.
I got my SW Clone Wars 2002 vehicular game and finally played through it to the end, I'm happy, I haven't seen anything great happen these past few years.
Re: Reminder: Nightdive Studios Has Something 'Big' To Announce At QuakeCon This Week
I'd rather see something else but if it's Quake 4 then sure why not. I have Quake 4 but I'd say it needs to be more widely available these days for people to experience not just Doom 3 or Doom 3 VR.
3/Arena would be nice but they have Champions for that don't they? Regardless of people's opinions on Champions.
Is Nightdive capable? I mean they would need to have enough for a modern online presence, can they do that? Or however a publisher does for that sort of thing. Or just a good enough multiplayer experience without online then people complain it has no online?
4 makes sense to handle then 3 which is cool to have but a lot of effort to really make work in the modern era for some remaster studios.
If it has like a bot match thing or fair bot match campaign sure, I'm ok with that for Unreal Tournament PS2 and UT3 on PS3. But I am more interested in Unreal the none multiplayer ones if I can get access to them.
Re: Xbox Adds New Dynamic Background & Gamerpics For Rare's 40th Birthday
When the Evercade offering is more appealing. Yeah this sucks.
I get we got Rare Replay, but I want something just as interesting, not this bare minimum.
Also after the layoffs situation, I don't take to buttering us up or garbage anniversaries for games, consoles, companies, whatever.
I just look at you funny and laugh or get mad, companies are a joke, do better, not make me laugh at you/get mad at your waste of time excuses.
Worthless celebrations and not good ones at all.
Give us Pocket Tales, give us literally anything more interesting then this.
Re: Talking Point: Should Xbox Bring Back Limited Edition Consoles?
I want other gimmicks for the controller, not 100 different controller designs or whatever game tie ins, I don't care. The share button was a fair but not exciting benefit. I don't care about controller/console artwork designs, give me engineering ideas, not boring artwork on console shells/controller shells, it's so boring.
Impulse triggers are still around and good but I want something else. Whether motion controls or something new to add to them. Make something different from Sony/Nintendo's offering.
Even the Switch 2 mouse laser was so dull and unappealing. It's position sucks, the joycons are too thin and it looks like it's awkward to use or will be used for boring use cases then interesting ones. Just offer mouse support and offer other gimmicks come on. The engineers are not trying hard enough at all. Stop making boring controllers and put effort in seriously. Gaming sucks in game design and technology use.
Re: Roundup: New Lord Of The Rings Game Launches On Xbox To Mixed Reviews
It's different but I don't know.
Even Aragorn's Quest (picked up week ago or so now), seems like a prior attempt to use the IP for a family audience or other audiences in the case of Tales from the Shire and I get that, it may have some fair ideas, but it doesn't really work I think. Not so much theme wise for me just gameplay wise or trend wise I find them getting pretty weak at times.
A LOTR cozy game is fine in Hobbiton or wherever but even still.
I assume even The Hobbit video game of 6th gen is better then Aragorn's Quest.
Re: Xbox Will Apparently Announce More PS5 & Switch 2 Ports 'In The Coming Weeks'
Whatever works for them. Whatever is big enough, appealing enough to the PS/Switch userbase really.
South of Midnight when will that go multiplatform?
Hellblade 2 is right? Or has already?
Starfield whenever that does.
Gears of any kind besides the 1st game remade again. Any Halo? Forza Horizon 5 makes sense for licensing reasons or latest. Motorsport 8 or 2023 won't I assume to give it a shot, even if why bother really. Also will it get an offline update I doubt it and they just get rid of it. Sigh.
Age of Empires 4? As only 2 Definitive edition made it to PS5.
Any others not remembering that haven't yet.
We won't see other Xbox One or otherwise IPs go will we? State of Decay 2? Crackdown 3?
I mean anything within the past few years can be clear of PC or PS5 but anything older it's just unclear. Due to engines, or interest at all. Let alone customers remembering.
Sunset Overdrive or any Insomniac PC VR games aren't going to PS5 any time soon.
Re: Battlefield 6 Looks Very 'Modern Warfare', Multiplayer Reveal Coming This Month
Well seeing how Modern Warfare even Bad Company 2 was and BC1 wasn't surprised me. Can't say for MP but campaign wise BC1 and BC2 was like comparing Dog Island/Petz, one is one way as a quest based game, the other is another as a pet in a room to play with game. As in BC1 was more Battlefield style, BC2 was a COD campaign of structure and fair destruction elements.
The kind of thing that made me mad with Resistance 2 being so altered of some aspects and then 3 was better and stuck to what it should have been not a trend following excuse developers. Same with Spiderman, Sunset Overdrive was way better and it's direction, Spiderman was the most I played for the lab puzzles/2 side missions game I have ever played. Story good, gameplay so boring and formuliac.
I myself don't see much here. I'm more for gameplay gimmicks, I don't see any. Sure destruction but we have had that for years in different entries, in certain ways. I don't see much going on here to make me care that much.
The personality is 'fine' but the gameplay could be like the past ones but refined, or it could have you go to which locations or whatever dialogue.
But if the MP maps/modes are still pretty modern structure and less depth (not that I play MP anyway), or the campaign is generic, I don't care what personality it has or what it tries to do to compete, be bit of old, bit of new BF PS3/360 era or PS4/Xbox One or fit the 9th gen, I still don't care about it EA/Dice.
Re: Talking Point: Would Halo Infinite Have Been A Bigger Success Using Unreal Engine 5?
Engines do play a roll and using them or expanding on them or just in general how particular they can be while avoiding licensing fees from UE or others past their sales point (or how each agreement works for engines).
But not as much as game design/staff balancing or leadership also do. How they work around that, main teams, outsourcing, etc.
I think they captured enough of what they wanted to, old Halo 1 style flare, modernising things, fitting in with trends for the open world or multiplayer structures, it makes sense enough what they were going for, it may have rough edges or that may be a player's perspective. But I think they captured enough of the vision or whatever it ended up as in the end to be worked into something despite delays, leadership, outsourcing, core teams, etc. efforts on the game.
If people liked it by all means. I myself didn't find the open world formula like the ones I enjoy (aka Gravity Rush, Sunset Overdrive and Infamous Second Son, so as it doesn't fit those, I wasn't going to buy it/play it anyway).
I hated Halo 5 but played it late. I have no interest in Halo Infinite at all. The campaign doesn't interest me. I wouldn't have been an additional sale but even still the game design appeal I look for just wasn't there.
That and the disk was useless as it was partial as well.
Re: 'Battlefield 6' Confirmed As The Next Mainline Entry, Reveal Coming This Week
Wake me up when fhr swap mechanic from.BF2 MC happens, destruction looks fine but isn't as compelling or a NEW BF game. It's need a gimmick. I'm not very interested here.
2042 using aspects of older games besides whatever else new was something I guess. But eh.
I haven't seen much impressive at all this gen at all.
Re: Talking Point: Looking Back, How Useful Has Smart Delivery Been To You On Xbox?
Was fine enough with the idea, I didn't really use it as I'm on Xbox One, have access to a Series X, I don't use it personally, but others do but not the disk games.
But I respect the feature, as I do like the idea. Offering more then just a put disk in back compat and offering upgrades as another option is nice to have. Or whatever digital and the option there.
It's like having a crossbuy experience and it's nice to have. Especially as other than Iconoclasts for PS4 to Vita I don't really have many crossbuy games at all. Helldivers 1 I just got lucky the code still worked and it triggers on Vita as available from my PS4 copy that happened to be the special edition for such a thing.
I appreciate the feature, but even then I haven't used a single PS4 to PS5 upgrade. Or Xbox One Smart Delivery, as I still use an Xbox One, I have a few 2020+ era Xbox One games but not many, I have more PS4 versions with PS5 upgrades on the box art mentioned. But I'm not using a PS5 at all, have access to it from people around me, not using it.
Others around me are and they buy the PS5 versions physical/digital instead of using the PS4 disk/digital upgrade license.
I can see why people don't but to me I just haven't upgraded it yet so I may use them in the future, but unless PS5/Xbox Series have compelling games I don't care to use them.
I even then only think I have Red Dead Redemption 360 in the Xbox One case as one of those back compat things that Smart delivery is similar to. Otherwise I have mostly OG Xbox or 360 games that are regular copies. Even then the way 360 DLC would work was weird for some games and seeing with the above commenter it seems Xbox One DLC also had issues. But then again I don't have many GOTY editions or DLC on disks either like Borderlands 1 or Fallout 3 for me, even if I got a GOTY copy alongside it might as well who really buys DLC disks? (Borderlands 1 had an Aussie DLC disk and a US copy game, still gave me the Aussie digital game but even still). Even then getting ReCore Def edition for free when I re added my disk copy to my console (still owned it physical of course never sold it) was cool.
I have used my PS4/Xbox One more then I have my PS3/360 in cross over gens.
But I still use all my old consoles/handhelds, and I was still using a PS3/360 about maybe 2 or more years into PS4/Xbox One gen, not the whole gen like this time around because games/consoles features don't interest me at all. Quick resume, cards, load times, haptics, VR2 and more are 'ok' but not that compelling and the RT/HDR/etc. are just graphics technologies I have no interest in, learning how they work, sure, but I'm a gameplay first type, so no, games have no compelled me with gameplay reasons to buy them.
I have used a PS5/Series X, but barely. But I barely used my Xbox One either, only on occasion more as I've had it as my own to use but even still.
Re: Talking Point: A Month Later, What Do You Think Of The New Xbox Game Hubs?
Never used, not touched my Xbox in a bit now.
To me it seems to offer more info but seems very busy or in your face like PS does for their trophies/news and things.
Also just having a console in a dim state has achievement notices pop up, it's annoying and stupid. If they still do that.
I wouldn't likely use this, I am not an achievement/trophy type, I have gotten a few that are within reason for me to go for, but not on Xbox and again not the type of person that cares to go for them. Or be pushed to go for them. I play a game when I feel like it or if the mechanics/level design are good, not using the platform for long because the platformer holders want us to. I play more retro games then I do modern era stuff anyway.
Unless I really care for PS4/Xbox One/Switch 1 console Indies or AA/AAA or older releases on them sure, but otherwise it's PS3/360/Wii U/handhelds and older consoles most of the time.
Re: Award-Winning PlayStation Exclusive 'Viewfinder' Jumps To Xbox In August
Fair, I didn't know it was PS4/5, Switch 1 and PC. But it takes time for studios to make for each platform, so now that they have the time/resources, they can make it for Xbox/Switch 2, pretty cool.
I haven't played it yet, have bought a digital license of it for PS4, but I was intrigued by it.
Re: Four Games Are Available This Week With Xbox Game Pass (July 22-24)
Not heard of nay of these but they seem fair, not my type of games but very cool for what they are going for.
Abiotic Factor seems like ok of a multiplayer game.
Soulslikes don't interest me so pass on Wuchang, and Wheel World has a fair mix of ideas/style.
Otherwise none, but they are some interesting games still.
Re: No Rest For The Wicked May Skip Xbox 'For The Time Being' Due To 'Current Market Conditions'
I mean sure not as many consoles as Xbox One but the audience for a game like this or from that studio prior wasn't that large yet did go to Switch 1 and I assume PlayStation later.
I don't have experience with their games or vaguely remember this game. But I have come across them through articles. I'm not likely their audience but whatever they have to deal with/those interested by all means.
So I mean, as if that audience isn't still niche and still excited for a game like this on Xbox, or those that want to support the studio, interested in the game, etc.
I get it takes time, sure the sales, resources, etc. But even still. Not all on Xbox are Gamepass only, some do buy on the Xbox.
I myself don't buy digital on Xbox but at the same time I can see the appeal for sure.
Even then I am still using PS4/Xbox One longer then I did my PS3/360 into the PS4/Xbox One gen as to me I don't see a reason to upgrade, I haven't seen any gameplay mechanics compelling games just typical games, graphics focus and a few ok ideas ones but they either flopped (name and particular ones and I either have a PS4 copy of it or if it was PS5/Xbox Series only third party it flopped but have it on those consoles from people around me that did like Forspoken, Immortals of Aveum, Atlas Fallen not sure how that sold) or I know I might not like them due to past releases in those series (Ride 5, WRC23), or they will go cheap as racing games anyway, so to me it doesn't matter. I have access to the consoles from people around me so I just don't care for them. They get used, while I use my N64/PS1 (no GameCube, OG Xbox or Dreamcast, but have every other handheld/console) to PS4/Xbox One/Switch 1.
Re: Microsoft Is Adding A 'Play History' Tab To The Xbox Dashboard
Fair feature. I wasn't that big on it with Switch 1, but was Wii or Wii U. PS I don't have it at all other then the yearly round ups, Xbox either.
Folders/groups off topic:
======================
But I found myself using the library/groups on Switch 1 a lot more then I did on Xbox One. PS4/Wii U I used them a fair bit but they function differently so I can't make genre categories or what peripherals support (touch screen, gyro, I don't have a surround sound group as didn't care to, but I have probably about 30 or more based on genres, anime games, fan service ones, digital, physical,, first games in a series, sequels, and many more) and random group types on those like i can Switch 1/Xbox One.
So I have come to appreciate them a lot more then I used to compared to preferring PS4/Wii U folders but making whatever groups and re-assigning a game to them then 1 folder they can go in, does make the Switch 1/Xbox One groups really interesting to use.
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Back on topic:
So having a clear idea how much I have say Soundcloud in the background (or say I forget to close the eshop as I hate how I have to round about close it compared to every other app, it's like Windows 8 task manager app closing all over again, the way to go about it on an Xbox One/Series these days compared to prior OS/prior use of the store app) or any games I play actively is fair, I have gaps between playing my Xbox One or 360 so it would be interesting to know (of course this will be Xbox One/Series most likely but even still).
Re: Ubisoft Responds To 'Stop Killing Games' Petition, Says They're Doing Their Best To Support Players
So the game publisher that had one of their staff tell us to just get used to not owning DVDs, and the Crew is the reason for this petition as well as many others?
I enjoy Ubisoft trying different types of games but not all of them appeal, and especially if their formulas get in the way.
Also if true they blamed Star Wars for Outlaws failures? It was Ubisoft's fault, their game design, messaging, marketing. If any movie/other brand staff said things of how they are allowed to fit Outlaws into the rules they set sure, but otherwise it's on Ubisoft.
Yeah uh GT Sport (GT PSP to GT6 had memory card or even per profile I think it was save file checks to avoid car duplication, makes sense, was still annoying, so you had to delete your save all the time, forget moving it to another PSP or PS3, I don't think it was hardware ID checked as I used different profiles same PS3, different PS3, memory card moved on PSP to check these, I can't say for digital copies either only physical)/Suicide Squad beat them to a offline state update, there is no excuse, if they can update games regularly, they can add offline status patches.
If they have licenses/a focus to keep it on store fronts, it's fine, small amounts of money sure, but still available.
We aren't expecting support forever, we aren't expecting classic MMO style approach.
Playing UE3/Brink bot matches. or Shadowrun tutorial.
It's called leaving the game available for sale or delisting but keeping the game (depends on the license), or adding an offline mode and people can still buy it on PC, physical console, digital console eshops if it isn't too much of a licensing hassle.
People will advertise games all the time even after they are over, singleplayer, multiplayer servers cut, bot matches, whatever the case. Games come around and get found out about.
Others you end up with Piglet's big movie games as a Resident Evil style game and people put the price up because of whatever nonsense can be said about a game. Will Chicken Run get expensive too because it's like MGS. XD
Many don't want LAN/fan co-op at all just publisher run servers, to waste money and have control.
They can try to make people buy the newest, or ignore past projects, but some people wanted those old projects, and be fed up and not buy their later projects, how many that effects can build up over time. Maybe 1 leaves, 2 buy the newest project, sometimes 2 leave, 1 buys it, but sometimes many don't like the direction, game design, story, etc.
It's not always nostalgia, it's quality, it's direction, people are playing old games not just because of MTX, it's knowing their product purchase was wasted, it's because of what was better.
Not everyone treats a game the same as a streaming service show that was bad or good, or moving games space off streaming when it varies for Sony/Xbox/Nintendo.
I enjoy old trends because I found their directions interesting for mechanics, I don't modern trends. I am very picky of modern games.
Re: Microsoft Movies & TV Is Officially Ending, Which Will Have A Big Impact On Xbox
A fair service but to me the app always opened for any videos I already had that weren't related to the service at all. Unless confusing it with another one, which I may be.
I barely even knew it was a service app.
Still 360/PS3 to Xbox Series/PS5. What a long time to offer such digital tv/movies on consoles for the audience that did go for them.
I would just use whatever media player really but otherwise I always used my physical tv series/movies in an Xbox One/360 or PS4 as I prefer the menus, I am not a fan of PS2 artefacting (could just by my PS2 or how I position the AV cable or it connected to a HD 3D TV too, or the modern DVDs I am putting into it also) or the PS2/PSP/PS3 menus at all.
Even then the Xbox having tv/movies longer then PlayStation did seem fair, but I can see why it isn't going to last. At least they aren't removing the licenses, or at least not yet.
I never used a PSP for media (I have a few songs on there, never converted videos to it, tried on Vita as it's less effort but removed for space, was cool though even if volume limits are what they are too on there even besides AVLS) much but people did use the PC to PSP connection instead of the apps for comics, music and so on too.
I used some disks on my PC with VLC as still got a working disk drive there.
Even then who rents or digitally buys compared to just viewing? I never would bother with a digital rent/license buy of something on Xbox, Youtube or any other services. I just get physical, watch whatever others are that are into streaming services but I am not that active in tv/movies to watch really unless it's of actual interest.
Like I looked at a few anime on the Xbox One when browsing the storefront and it seemed ok, but I don't go out of my way to search for them I just did that 1 time out of curiosity. I put a game OST CD if I want to test CD apps/playback that's about it really.
Otherwise I watch my anime physical. Research digital.
Most people use streaming and move on from a series, or physical media or they just go with videos via a USB or whichever other app/'source experiences' instead. It's why I was surprised Microsoft left it as a thing for so long and went yeah we can get rid of this to save money/work around licenses.
I mean when you have a VLC or other media players why not use those.
Re: Opinion: Xbox Series X Still Hasn't Been Fully Utilised Yet, But 2026 Could Be The Year
Well to me Ghost of Yotei even if of no interest to me seems to be putting the SSD use well for the young/old idea, I like that. It's what I wanted Rift Apart to do, but it just replicated PS3 2009 HDD use again and also poorly.
To me games are trying to work around the tools while having mixed ideas, leadership and mentality they themselves have as staff or leaders make a challenge, which I am not surprised. I myself don't even care for HDR or RT, I have learned the differences from SDR and baked in lighting, subtly but even still I don't care. So if games are just being too much focused on graphics, the design is all over the place of worlds, the stories are hit and miss, gameplay is so basic either to be accessible or they don't have time to make it, so at that point why even bother. Gameplay is so basic I am so put off by many games at this point.
Plenty of OG Xbox/360 era games were more exciting of mechanics in many genres, nowadays they don't even have a strong hook, oh we have insert this license, insert this decent world, nothing actually exciting. I literally buy shooters, platformers, racing and more genres like tactics, hack n slashes off of gameplay ideas. Psi Ops/Fracture are a lot of fun 6th/7th gen shooters.
The fair mix of rocks, trees, grass and other objects is also noticeable (Star Wars Outlaws canyons or dust and other things weren't that convincing I find, Indy did an ok job of hiding natural light behind trees in the beginning area, I can't say for the rest of the game) in it of environment details in games, I don't care for that but I get why they offer them.
Also the fog in the Yotei showcase, you can see the mountain, looking at Horizon Zero Dawn you can tell even if intentional the fog in the mountains they can barely show, in Yotei it has fogs but it's also still able to be seen through, an interesting detail and large coverage of land for render distance like that is insane.
Even Valkyrie Elysium I noticed PS4/5 the grass objects being less on PS4. So yeah some games even if linear scale like that did (also had a lot of particles that game but the Wanted Dead/other team did a fair job with Elysium I think), but many western devs do like to show off environments and Yotei seems to do that.
Xbox I don't have enough reference of games in showcase or otherwise. I can't remember, but there probably is some out there that may.
Racing games vary of course in car models/track details, sounds, physics/CPU wheel data I don't even care about then focusing on decent progression that isn't boring and terrible let alone more that isn't just boring racing and repetitive. XD
I mostly care for more the young/old and other gameplay changing benefits of Yotei to utilise the console.
If we see others offer more enemies on screen, particles and more then sure but to me I don't know what to expect with current geming other then mechanics being so weak.
Xbox I can't say for sure as I don't play or have interest in any they have offered at all. So I don't know what they offered towards power of the console other then the GPU usage being probably fair for some things above the regular PS5.
They all seem to be fair uses of the hardware, but I don't know for sure.
I have no interest in GTA 6 at all, it will have fair execution of things sure, but I still don't care.
Re: Report: Activision Blizzard's King Team Sees Axed Job Roles 'Replaced' By AI
But they have Candy Crush Solitaire (got an ad for it, not that I care, Microsoft has had Solitaire games for years), they make tons of money, right?
Do they need AI for every generic puzzle game for casuals? Compared to any other types of mobile stuff they consider in the future AI can't do as well?