Tdx

This game was a mess. I finished it and put >50 hours in.

The thing that killed it for me (beyond the total jank gameplay and bugs) was the game structure. I was hoping for more of an open RPG type game (like Fallout), but we got a linear narrative type game (like Cyberpunk).

Starfield DLC announcement 😬

Playing through Elden Ring. It’s entertaining, but it’s definitely my least favorite FromSoft game (played all the others). The open world really does feel bland and repetitive and it destroys the tension and level balance. The initial exploration was fascinating and then becomes pointless. All the old FS problems are back too: camera issues (other souls games like LoP and Nioh proved this can be fixed), wiki-dependent quests (kills immersion for me), item bloat, loquaciously cryptic NPCs, awkward platforming, etc. The art and vistas are absolutely amazing but the lack of environmental effects and 2011 animations make it a pretty ugly game. Fortunately, the bosses are fun to fight (despite the over/under leveling issues and constant reuse) and the linear sections are decent.

Overall it just feels like a mess. It makes me want to replay Dark Souls 1 instead. Still have like 1/4 of the game to go.

Nice. I love boomer shooters and have never played either somehow.

At least we’ll always have Just Cause 2.

Finished a replay of Far Cry 5 on Infamous difficulty. Awesome gameplay, beautiful environment - the best in the series and maybe my favorite for any FPS. Yet the repeated captures, painful monologues, tanky enemies and side character goofiness prevent it from being my favorite game in the series.

Started Elden Ring for the first time. I’ve finished all the other FromSoft souls games and this one definitely feels different. I appreciate the constant surprises everywhere. So far it feels a bit aimless but interesting.

Prepare for a lot of “Starfield is actually good” Reddit posts.

Very happy that the nay-saying hivemind didn't stop the DLC development.

I hate all his games. Cool cinematics, but terrible games. Even MGS1 is overrated as hell.

Awesome. This was the one game I was looking forward to this year (besides Silksong). Blasphemous is one of my favorites and this looks just as good.

Absolutely. Huge metroidvania fan and HK is one of the best. Even if Silksong is only decent I’ll still love it.

They could also have something completely genre-defining planned.

Finished Blue Prince. Brilliant, addictive game. Very memorable. Surprisingly, I was able to reach the end organically without looking up a single solution, which makes it much more satisfying. Once I stopped trying to get to room 46 and started to focus on collecting new rooms and clues it really clicked. It’s not a roguelike as much as it’s a board that resets every day.

I think updating Wildlands to 60fps is the first thing we need.

Wildlands is a 10/10 game to me - one of the best open world game designs with excellent stealth mechanics and amazing atmosphere. There is very little time spent outside of pure gameplay. I mainly play solo with AI teammates off and it's fantastic.

Breakpoint is like a 4/10 game to me - absolutely horrible across all dimensions: game design, nonsense world lore, story, dialogue, hub area, immersion-killing stuff everywhere, voice acting, mission design, etc. The only things it does better than Wildlands is smoother aiming, more outfits and prettier trees.

Ghost Recon in first person would be awesome - there's a first-person mod for WL already. But 3rd person is sometimes useful for stealth gameplay, where you need to scan 360 quickly or peak around a corner.

I only buy my absolute favorites digitally to replay them. Game Pass or physical (so I can get rid of them) for everything else.

Finished Nine Sols - tough/fun bosses, but way too much story/dialogue for a metroidvania.

Dropped Expedition 33 - nice music but I still don’t like JRPGs. Dropped Atomfall - cool exploration but was bored with the story/combat.

I have one more week of GP so I think I’ll try Blue Prince again. I bounced off it last time but now that I know how roguelike it is I can adjust my expectations.

This is great news.

Finished Citizen Sleeper 2. A really wonderful game once again. I don’t think I connected to the space odyssey plot as much as the intimate survival premise of the first game, but the expansion of mechanics, especially the contracts, is great. And the art, music and writing come together to create those rare poignant moments, albeit not always organically.

@MegMachine87 Exactly! So many highly rated "RPGs" don't even allow you to use your imagination in this way - with voiced/named protagonists, a strict main questline, etc. I have fun playing Starfield not just because of the graphics or atmosphere or music but because it's my character and my narrative - I control the thoughts and feelings of my character rather than the game dictating it - that's immersion.

Best game of the generation. An amazing sandbox for actual role playing. So much atmosphere, detail and weird stuff to discover.

It does take investment and patience and most importantly: personal creativity for role play. Not recommended for people who just want to play the main story and cross it off their backlog. Or for people who want an emotional narrative-driven game.

It's a loss-leader desperation comeback attempt. If Xbox wasn't in a distant 3rd place with a big stigma against it, you would never see Game Pass in its current form. I won't complain.

The Ascent is true cyberpunk. Amazingly detailed art.

Finished Crypt Custodian (100%) and Mullet Madjack (Challenge difficulty). Loved both of them.

I’d prefer they remake it in the newer AC RPG style. The old one holds up fine but the game design, linearity, combat and stealth is creaky (I 100%’d it last year). Mirage showed that they can’t make the old formula new.

And the office Animus stuff has got to go.

I’m back. After playing only PS4 exclusives the past 6 months (after not having a PS for a long time), I’m relieved to be back to Xbox and Game Pass. Favorite games were: Tsushima, Bloodborne, Nioh and TLoU2. Least favorites were: Horizon ZD, Days Gone, Death Stranding and Uncharted 4. Overall I don’t really think these 3rd person cinematic games are for me anymore, as I prefer something with either 1. deeper immersion and freedom 2. more challenge 3. more experimentation in gameplay design and 4. less story and cutscenes.

Excited to be back to Xbox: Bethesda RPGs, Game Pass indies, etc. Just have to decide which of all these games to play first.

Emperor’s (Kojima’s) new clothes

I hate every game this guy makes. Including MGS 1 and 3.

While they often have a stylish visual design, they’re corny, boring, arcadey, long winded, constantly take control from the player, have hammy voice acting, inconsistent tone and never make much sense. I really gave DS1 a chance but it plays like a meme indie game.

I hope the next Xbox doesn’t inherit any of the hassles of PC gaming

If Gex gets a 7/10 in 2025, 7 is truly the new 0.

They increase console prices. Outer Worlds 2 is $80. GP has had strong few months. Sony hasn’t done much for a while. Do the math.

I remember when it was like $4.50/month with the upgrade loophole.

Sad to see no Starfield DLC but a bunch of ESO and Fallout 76 junk.

It was a lot of predictable sequels, live service seasons, remakes, and some games that looked absolutely awful.

My eyes glaze over when I see anime, cinematic or multiplayer games so not much for me.

Bond looks American-cocky (annoying) not British-cocky (subtle)

I’ve been spending this year playing all the PS4 exclusives I missed (mostly overrated btw). Tough year to skip out on Game Pass but I’ll get to them eventually.

Fallout 5, Elder Scrolls 6, Starfield 2

Hide System Apps. Yes! I’ve wanted this since the day I bought a Series X. Kills my OCD. I’ll open games just to move system apps off the row.

Switch was a great console for indies, but Game Pass has really taken the indie crown.

Not a fan of Nintendo first party stuff and my Backbone is more convenient for travel.

Any game that's super heavy on narrative is usually going to be boring - open world or not. Gameplay, atmosphere and player autonomy are the only things that matter to me.

Far Cry 4 also got a minor resolution bump this week from 900p->1080p

FC4 (and Wildlands) is my comfort game. Have replayed it more than any other Xbox game. Would love a 4K patch for this and Primal. I suppose they would’ve done it already if it was easy.

Be thankful for the “hateful”. If it wasn’t for Xbox being in 3rd place and all the irrational haters, GP would certainly be less affordable.

Any hope of a resolution boost? FC4 is the best of the series and the one I've replayed the most (along with Primal).

Only for a BGS single-player RPG

Microsoft somehow looks like the good guy in all this.

Sony has endless $70 remakes and remasters, a stingy subscription service for first party games, along with live service missteps.

Nintendo has $80 games and charges for tech demos and resolution upgrades.

Meanwhile good guy Xbox gives out fps boost for free and all first party games are permanently on GP.

I'm rooting for Ubisoft. I haven't liked several of their recent games, but I'm still a fan of the Far Cry and Ghost Recon franchises. They've also set the bar for open world environmental detail and current gen console optimization for years.

Starfield. Easily.

After that, a few amazing indies: Citizen Sleeper, Sable, Neon White, Tunic.

Since they are combining Xbox and Windows, call it the Windows Xbox Portable or just Windows XP for short.

Played through Golden Idol as a couch coop game. Definitely challenging to finish it with no hints. Really well done puzzle game.

Completed 83 games on Xbox this year. Almost all through Game Pass and Ubi+.

From your GOTY list, I completed Stalker 2 and Indy. They were just OK to me.

Best games: Far Cry Primal Survivor, Dead Space, Hardspace Shipbreaker, Neon White, Chants of Sennaar, Wo Long, Lies of P, FIST, It Takes Two, Golden Idol

Worst games: Fallout 76, Breakpoint, Control, Evil Within 2, Gears 4, Chicory

I feel very disconnected from the mainstream opinions on games these days.

Next year I’d like to spend more time on games I truly love like Skyrim/Fallout4/Starfield and maybe a few indies mixed in.

Finished Indiana Jones. Wasn't a huge fan of the gameplay or level design, but they nailed the environments, music and tone of dialogue from the films. The tombs and side quests were well done.

Love Starfield

Finished Stalker 2 after 50+ hours. I have mixed feelings. I really wanted to love this game but the more I played the less I felt connected to the world and story. It’s not just the bugs or lack of A-life that hurt the experience. It’s a game designed primarily around the main quest and cutscenes and I guess I was hoping for a more Bethesda-esque open world approach. The combat feels very rough with minimal stealth, difficult enemy movement, bullet sponge, etc. The world and atmosphere - especially underground - is fantastic though. It reminds me of Cyberpunk, not just because of the bugs but because it has a conflict between an urgent main quest for a preset character vs open world exploration and side quests. Yet due to the game’s focus on the main quest, the open world is not as deep, open-ended and rewarding as it could be - there is little opportunity for role playing. It may feel better to play eventually with patches, but I don’t think it’s my type of game ultimately - it’s more an action adventure game with long walks than RPG.

Guess I’ll play Indy next.

Definitely the best one they’ve ever done. Only like 2 games interested me (Long Dark and Outer Worlds) but it was very entertaining throughout. Great speech by the Larian guy. I think I called every major award correctly.