If I was in the middle of playing it and was enjoying it. Yeah, I buy the game. The 20% discount before right before the game leaves GP is okay, so I usually wait for a bigger sale down the line

They want Microsoft, MICROSOFT, the company that slashes hundreds of jobs every quarter, guts longtime game studios, THAT Microsoft to save BioWare? I know people are emotional right now but come on

My guess was always $1600 so an $1800 price point wouldn't surprise me.

It does get me wondering about all that built-in ad support stuff that was floating around not too long ago. If an ad-supported Helix is how Microsoft can lower the price to something close to the PS6, that might be the way to go to level the playing field and actually be competitive.

Have an ad-free Helix that gamers like me would buy just to have a hassle-free experience and the most powerful console, or offer an ad-supported Helix for those that are willing to deal with the extra advertising but can still get the most powerful console at a reduced price

@TrollOfWar it's always nice to see other Evercade fans. What a neat little platform

@badboidre sorry if I came off like I was coming at you or judging you. Totally wasn't my intent. I went back over what I wrote and I'm like "well that unnecessary 😅". I'm less relaxed in the mornings lol

@badboidre you make it sound like there's no good games on Game Pass so it's not worth the monthly subscription. If you're the type of person who buys 4 full-priced games per year and that's all you play, then of course Game Pass isn't worth it.

But for people like me who play a lot more than 4 games a year and enjoy playing games in a variety of genres no matter the size (AAA, AA, indie) then GP is still relatively worth it. I do wish the price was lower for GPU.

And there are plenty of good-to-great games on GP. There's also a bunch of crap on there too. This is the case with any catalogue service. Not every show on Netflix is a winner but there's always good stuff to check out.

It's no different from choosing which games to buy. Plenty of good games out there worth your money. And plenty of crap that isn't.

Basically, the choice is not as simple as "4 quality purchases a year vs a service full of mediocre games." It's more like "those 4 games you choose to buy could be quality and the service you can subscribe to might have some quality games that interest you."

@RunGMhx I was thinking the same thing. What if an ad-supported Xbox was the way to offer a much cheaper console? There would still be the higher-priced SKU that we've all been expecting anyway for those that want an ad-free experience.

As much as we all hate ads here, it's surprising how many people are okay with them if it means they pay much less or nothing at all for a product/service.

I'm not saying this is the choice for most core gamers, but the idea of (I'm just throwing out numbers here) a $500-600 ad-supported Helix might be the foot in the door that a new Xbox could use to gain some kind of reasonable foothold in the market instead of being the DOA most-powerful-but-most-expensive next-gen console that very few people are willing to buy

If Compulsion was able to go independent, I hope Ninja Theory can too. Especially since NT has a longer history of making more proven games (well, pre-Microsoft at least)

Maintain the simplicity of a console. I just want games to work. I don't want to update random drivers, remap controls to work best on a controller, or fiddle around with a dozen graphics settings to achieve ideal performance. I just want to turn on the system and the game just works. Like a console

I'd honestly be pretty bummed. That's one of my favorite things about GP

Whether they call themselves Three Fields or When Tides Turn, they've been trying to make a 'spiritual successor to Burnout' for 14 years now and haven't come close. When are they going to actually pull it off and do it already?

@Stocksy I think some people tend to throw the "live service" label at online-driven games they don't like even though it applies to them all

It'll be an unstable 30 fps. And that's okay if this game is as technically ambitious as I think it's going to be. That's going to rub some people the wrong way. And those people can wait for the PC/PS6/Helix version 3-4 years from now. But for the rest of us? It'll be just fine

Man I love me some Skylanders. That series was so fun. Basically, Diablo for families (as in a kid and an adult). I would love for them to bring it back, without the actual physical toys. But I still want them to lean into the collect-a-character aspect. Maybe let players trade Skylanders with each other. I guess I'm just describing Diablo x Pokémon. And now I'm sad realizing it won't happen 😄

ESO has never been on PC Game Pass? Huh, that's kinda crazy

@swedetrap reading that list, all of a sudden I'm magically transported to the early 00s. It was a great time to play Xbox

I forgot Creations had that 2GB limit. That's kinda crazy for a game with such an active mod scene. But now we 100 GB? I really hope one day we can get Fallout London on console

Crimson Skies High Road to Revenge HD remaster with online cross-play. They sure as hell aren't going to make a new one.

I would also love if Skylanders came back. Without the toys part, I don't have room for that anymore. But those were fun family-friendly Diablo-likes.

Halo Battle Royale. That would get me back into the series. I drifted away after Halo 4.

@Millionski DK Bananza sold 4 million copies on a system that's sold 17 million units. I think that's pretty good

Halo Battle Royale. I giant map where every point of interest is an old Halo multiplayer map. Imagine dropping out of the sky onto the top of a mountain and it's Ascension. Drive along the beach and you come across Zanzibar. Stumble into a forest and find Sanctuary. Crawl along a mountain path and on the other side is Lockout. Follow a long river and emerge into Valhalla. Go Warthog-riding in a huge desert starting from Sand Trap and ending in Blood Gulch / Coagulation. Beam up to a Covenant ship and now your in Midship. Etc etc. I would love to play that game

If we're only counting original models and not updates (GBA SP, PS2 Slim, Xbox One X, etc) then it's only been in recent times that I bought systems at launch.

The Switch was the first new system I ever got at launch. I was more than ready to move on from the Wii U and was super excited for Breath of the Wild. Switch became one of my favorite systems ever. I love the hybrid concept. It's the perfect place to play indies. And there's no shortage of games to play. Something you couldn't really say about the last few Nintendo home consoles.

Then I got the Xbox Series X day one. I was excited about the possibilities of Game Pass and the extra horsepower along with features like Quick Resume and Auto HDR. Not to mention Microsoft had just announced its intended acquisition of Bethesda just a couple months before launch. The system has been more than worth it. Game Pass (despite the price hikes) continues to be a great way to discover new games. I adore Quick Resume, Auto HDR, FPS Boost, Smart Delivery and the OG Xbox and 360 Back Compat. It's also a beefy machine and being able to play big budget blockbusters along with a ton of different indies has been a blast.

And lastly, I got the Switch 2 at launch. I can't say it was worth it right out of the gate. I got my fill of Mario Kart World after a couple weeks. And outside of DK Bananza, there wasn't much compelling new stuff to justify the new hardware. But eventually, more and more games got Switch 2 upgrades which was great. Games like Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition feel like whole new games. Then Nintendo recently introduced handheld boost mode which is what I wanted from day one! The ability to play Switch 1 games at docked performance and resolution in Switch 2 handheld mode. Now, I'm having a lot of fun re-playing my Switch library in 1080p in handheld mode. On top of that, playing newer games like Street Fighter 6 and Virtua Fighter 5 in handheld mode felt like magic. I also have a Steam Deck but that screen is only 720p. Throw in Metroid Prime 4 and I'm a pretty happy camper.

Before these systems though, I usually waited for a good price or bundle before diving into a new system. And I also made sure to wait until there were enough games I wanted to play. But the last 10 years, I'm in a much better place financially as a grown adult and not a broke teenager

Gamecast. IYKYK

It's hard to get too optimistic (or pessimistic for that matter) since we don't know what they're doing next with hardware. A concrete 'yes, we're doing a console-PC hybrid' or something like that would go a long way towards easing anxiousness

I appreciate Phil's efforts especially in the back half of the Xbox One era salvaging the mess of the previous regime. Game Pass alone has made me love games more by helping me discover games I would have never otherwise have tried had they not been on the service.

Unfortunately, Phil's team was clearly hamstrung by the constant machinations of Nadella and higher management kowtowing to the almighty shareholders. We're looking at potentially more turbulent times for Xbox

I love me some more Diablo but I wish they also had a StarCraft showcase too.

Idk I thought FH6 was the clear best showing. I'm just glad Fable is a real game that I can look forward to now

Aside from the $10 price increase over the last time they launched a Forza Horizon, I don't see what the issue is here. It sounds like a lot of extra content is coming down the pipeline. If people feel some type of way about paying $60 to play a game a few days early, they can just wait the few extra days. Money saved

Better to cancel it than to mess it up. And don't get me wrong, I LOVE The Sands of Time Trilogy

Crimson Skies High Road to Revenge HD with cross play across Xbox, PS5 and PC

Play this game. The combat might be rough at first because you haven't developed your skill tree yet and the game overall is more of a slower pace compared to other action RPGs, but it is totally worth checking out. The setting, the stories with each case investigation and the relationship between the two leads are the highlights

It turns out it's all the Trails games finally coming to Xbox

Play Banishers. That is all

I expect Microsoft layoffs. I hope to be proven wrong

I'm happy they're working on their own IP now. If I was them I'd have gotten sick and tired of my reputation being tied to following up someone else's legacy (BioWare, Bethesda) and IP (Star Wars, D&D, Fallout).

And whatever caveats people might have about the games set in the Pillars of Eternity and Outer Worlds universes, Obsidian themselves are clearly passionate about those games.

I'd rather they be happy and enjoying making games rather then just bending over backwards to make a sequel they 'should' make.

Are they really gonna remake Halo 2's campaign as is? That abrupt ending didn't fly back then and I still don't feel good about it now

@themightyant not just Xbox, but this should be a standard across all platforms. I can't tell you the number of Switch games I was excited to play only to realize the text was way too small for a handheld screen. I don't know how difficult it is to implement scaling UI but it's something all games should have

If it was Ubisoft+ Premium, I would have been pretty excited actually. It'd be my ticket to play Assassin's Creed Shadows and Avatar. Star Wars Outlaws too if I hadn't just bought it. But it's just Ubisoft+ Classics, so a bunch of old games of which I already owned like a third of them. The idea of having to pay $10 more for a bunch of old games seems sus to me

I might be in the EXTREME minority of players that this change actually benefits since I've been a Fortnite Crew subscriber for years now. I'll save like $2 a month lol.

But for everyone else? Yeah, this is not good. Not good at all.

Three Fields never really put it all together for Danger Zone, Danger Zone 2 or Dangerous Driving. And those were basically the crash mode and racing modes of Burnout. What makes them think they can pull off a full open world? I guess letting players create all the interesting bits is one way to go about it. But I don't know how this turns out any different from their previous works unless they actually got the budget necessary to do a proper Burnout-style game. They've attached 'from the makers of Burnout' to each of those previous projects and each time it gets a little sadder when it obviously doesn't reach the heights of the original series

I don't understand the sentiment that Microsoft actually values this IP. The last thing they released was the 2010 remaster of the original for the Xbox 360. And then 15 years of... nothing.

Nothing to keep the franchise alive and in the public consciousness.

No spinoffs into other genres like those 2D Assassin's Creed games or the top-down Lara Croft games.

No crossovers with other franchises like a Killer Instinct guest character, a Fortnite skin, cheeky nods to PD weapons in other shooters, etc.

No multimedia ventures like an animated series on a streaming service, a web comic, a podcast serial, something! If Sony could get a Twisted Metal series made with no new game or remaster in sight, then Microsoft could have done something similar.

Hell, if they wanted to revive the franchise with something low risk, a full-on graphical remake of the original with modern QOL features would have done the trick. You'd have reviewers praising how well the level design has aged while gushing over the new coat of paint.

But no. They released nothing. For 15 years.

@wildcat_kickz I also remember the time before Spotify and I remember artists getting shafted with unfavorable 360 deals, not getting paid royalties, and being broke despite going platinum. Not to mention artists having to conform creatively just to fit the mold crafted by major label execs. This wasn't every artist but it happened enough that it had me questioning the major record label business model real early on when I first learned about such things.

It's never been easier to promote your music as an independent artist than it is now. I'm not saying it's easy, success is never guaranteed even if you do all the right things. But just like music artists, game devs (particularly indie devs) are more in control of their future than ever before. And part of that is deciding how and where your games get sold. If they deem a subscription service like GP as the most viable path to success, more power to them. If they want to charge a premium and try their luck that way, more power to them. If they think going free-to-play is the way, well you get the point.

As far as 'If you just work for a paycheck without the hopes of your work really exploding, you don't have a drive to push yourself to make something better', that only matters if the individual devs at a studio get paid more for a game's success. Historically, that really hasn't been the case. Sure the top execs will get bigger bonuses but the people doing the actual hard work get paid the more or less the same. I still remember Obsidian devs being denied a bonus for barely missing out on a certain Metacritic score. Not even sales, a score. People at the top will always find ways to pay everyone below them as little as possible.

Game Pass is not the Netflix of gaming. Not even close. Everything on GP can be purchased separately on its own. If there's a new show I like on Netflix, or any streaming service for that matter, and I want to purchase it digitally or physically, F me if it's never sold on its own. I've definitely run into that before.

As far as 'is it good for devs?' Well, that's a case-by-case thing isn't it? A small indie dev might appreciate the up front check and exposure so when the game shows up on other platforms it already has some recognition. For example, I played games like Monster Train and Cyber Shadow on GP first and then bought them on Switch later because I thought they were perfect for handheld play.

For a bigger game that is guaranteed to sell big numbers like GTA6, it probably doesn't make sense to launch day one (or ever) on GP.

For a middling-performing B-level game, GP might be worth a look to garner additional sales for a flagging product. Hearing that a game like Blades of Fire sold poorly out the gate makes me think it's GP-bound somewhere down the line.

A new online multiplayer game might benefit from having a potentially larger pool of players to start things off on the right foot.

Point is, it's going to be different for everyone. Devs and players. GP is tremendous value for people like me who play a lot of games. For the person that only buys Call of Duty and their annual sports game of choice each year, GP doesn't make much sense. Either way, I'm glad it exists as an option for both the people who make games and the people who play them.

If we're not getting Forza Motorsport games (or quality ones) in the future due to all the Microsoft layoffs that affected Turn 10, might as well get Gran Turismo on Xbox. I assume that's a franchise Sony isn't too precious about when it comes to exclusivity since it's not one of their third-person over-the-shoulder action adventure prestige AAA blockbuster titles

EA is making it? What the hell 2K y'all didn't want this?

Y'all mentioned Project Gotham Racing. Now that's all I want. Call it Forza World Tour or Project Gotham Forza or whatever. Non-open world, closed circuit racing in beautiful locales with awesome radio stations and a big focus on the Kudos system. And cone challenges. Lots of cone challenges

As divisive as mainline FF games have been since FFX, I think FFXVI had the distinction of alienating almost every subset of FF fans. The most enthusiastic group of FFXVI fans were people who weren't into ANY of the previous games which says a lot. It's not that FFXVI is a bad game, it's just not a good FF game no matter what your expectations are for that franchise. Unless of course, you just didn't like FF in any form prior to this one. Then FFXVI might just be the game for you

A new Crimson Skies. Or remaster High Road to Revenge with crossplay

They can't even get out a AAA Beyond Good & Evil game or a AAA Prince of Persia Sands of Time remake. How are they gonna attempt a AAA Rayman?

I would have thought with the (I presume) steady success of Apex Legends and the favorable critical and commercial success of the Star Wars Jedi games that Respawn was safe from layoffs. But capitalism is gonna capitalism and EA is gonna EA. What the hell man

Crimson Skies High Road to Revenge Remaster with 4K HDR 120fps and cross-play