antstephenson

Here's a custom Forza playlist I put together for you all. Enjoy!

https://music.amazon.co.uk/user-playlists/89658fd895684670b9c50bf334aee01fengb?ref=dm_sh_2JTT58tvixJJ7KLXz5ZHCjwl9

@OldgamerDave
Don't worry about playing all the old games (unless you are really into getting into the storylines).
But... If you only play one campaign from the old lot, the make it Halo 3... a masterpiece.

I usually skip cut-scene dialogue whenever possible during gaming... however, I can't say the FH5 stuff has bothered me that much... It all feels fun.
However... my wife (who is Mexican) was less than impressed with the Spanglish though!

TBH I had no interest in this iteration of CoD.
But, hey... free tryout... why not give it a whirl for an hour. I can always go back to Halo afterwards if I don't like it.

Project Gotham with my own bespoke playlist ripped from CDs into the Xbox... Pure joy!

BC was a little bit quantity over quality (but maybe I'm just disappointed because the games I wanted weren't on the list... I appreciate there are a few popular choices on there).

FPS boosts are nice.

Looking forward to the Xbox documentary.

Could have done without the Rock blathering on about his crappy new film.

Can't believe they announced Halo beta available to download and they didn't have it ready in the store to install... bit of an amateur fumble there. Not a huge deal... I am happy enough to wait, but it's not a good look. (EDIT: download became available for me at about 7.30pm UK time, so at least the problem didn't last too long).

Anyway, I'm happy enough playing FH5 tonight and I've just found that Amazon Music (beta) is available, so I can play my tunes in the background (finally!).

Happy days!

@Nightcrawler71
Yep, those were the two games i was praying for... I don't think it'll ever happen 😟

@Bleachedsmiles
Sony's alien woman advert was directed by Chris Cunningham, who has made some AMAZING music videos... I recommend you find the full length version of "windowlicker" by Aphex Twin, also "come on my selector" by Squarepusher and "all is full of love" by Bjork.

@Shigurui

Always thought it strange that MS abandoned PGR... the last game, PGR 4, was superb. I know they had Forza Motorsport around by then, but the 2 games were quite distinct from each other. Doing a bit of googling, it looks like PGR4 sold respectably too... odd that MS would give up on a flagship game (especially when you look at how long they have been flogging Halo and Gears).

@Shigurui
I did not know that... good info 👍

@Tharsman
Nah, I think Activision hold the rights to PGR.
But, it's just a racing game, so slap the Forza name on it and add a couple of elements into the game to differentiate it from PGR and i don't think there would be an issue.

I sank so many hours into PGR1, learning to nail every corner... still the GOAT of racing games (ok, maybe behind Forza Horizon).

Bring back PGR as Forza Metro, a city based arcade racer.

Given the underwhelming reviews for CoD and Battlefield this year, it looks like Halo has an easier than expected path to be the marquee shooter... and if it turns out as well as the playtests suggested, then it's going to inject some life into the weary old warhorse (that TBH I thought was on its last legs).

Of course, it will still have Apex and Fortnite to contend with...and I think the Halo IP is nowhere near as strong in the minds of kids as it is with oldies like me!

The good:

Hardware has been reliable (not always the case with past console releases).
Excellent communication from the Xbox team.
Very strong 2021 line up... Psychonauts, Flight SIM, FH5, Halo Infinite etc
Good mix of content on gamepass.
Good availability of Series S.
Quick resume.

The bad:

No marquee game at launch... Halo infinite got delayed.
The cost of expanding hot storage. I understand it is relatively in line with market pricing, but it's a lot of additional cost for many people.
Lack of availability of Series X (I was lucky enough to get one at launch).
UI isn't terrible, but could have been improved.

Overall, very happy though and it feels like the Xbox team are making really positive moves to cement the future of Xbox X.

A very good 8.5/10 for year one.
If you can find a Series X, go for it, it's worth it.

@IronMan30

I think I read that 1m played in early access, so I guess they all bought either the full game or the dlc (plus there'll be more people to come as kids get Xboxes for Christmas... assuming they are in stock).

@Richnj

Good points. But, I still reckon there'll be people who would buy the Xbox mini though. I've got a Series X, but if an Xbox mini came along with Project Gotham installed in it... my wallet might get emptied 😆

@Richnj
I get what you're saying about the Xbox mini... it's definitely unnecessary (and the series S or X might arguably be a better way to play some old games).
But, the Xbox mini fridge is unnecessary (and there are better mini fridge around) and people bought it.
I think the Xbox mini would just be a cool little gagdet/toy that a LOT of people would buy (even though it is definitely not essential).
I understand you can play a lot of old NES and SNES games on the Switch, but people still went out and bought the retro mini Nintendo a couple of years back.
Sometimes people just want a funky toy... and that's ok.

@Richnj
Point 5, the OG styled xsx could be a strong possibility. I reckon it's that or an OG digital Xbox mini. Surely it's gotta hardware based on the original Xbox... Or maybe they're just gonna launch that streaming stick that they seem to have gone quiet about.

OG Xbox mini with a bunch of OG games installed... you know it's gonna happen 👍

Forza 8 is deffo gonna drop 2022. I'm guessing it's mostly ready, but MS are giving FH5 a clear 12 month run.
Surprised MS didn't acquire Codemasters, as they could have had FH, FM, Grid and Dirt as racing games releasing one a year on a 4 year cycle.

@Krysus
I think a lot of people agree with you on 3 Vs 4.
TBH I am the other way... love 4, but just can't seem to get into 3.
In any case, I think 5 kind of blends them well and I'm sure you'll have a blast... happy gaming

@Krysus definitely play it... I think it blends the best of 3 and 4, plus adds a bit extra into the mix.

@Enigk
Personally I would still go with quality, because the 30fps gives a terrific filmic/cinematic aesthetic that looks brilliant in FH5... and the play is so smooth you don't feel like it's a performance downgrade... but try both and see what you prefer.

@Nightcrawler71

Yep, I'm playing Forza Horizon 5 at 30fps.

The 60 FPS looks very bright and sharp (just like FH4 on XSX), which is fine.

But the 30FPS mode seems to have a beautiful and very filmic quality to it that I'm just LOVING (and the playability doesn't seem degraded from the 60 FPS mode).

Thought I was gonna go 60fps, but having tried both I think 30 (quality mode) wins hands down... I appreciate others may feel differently though and that's all cool.

Blops 1 and 2 were my favourites by a very long way.

Playing it this morning... It's great! Get on it!

I'm really done with the new CoDs... haven't enjoyed them for a long time.
I did just download the remaster of the OG Modern Warfare though... Not only does it still hold up, it's a ton more fun than the newer games.

@FriendlyOctopus "Call Of Doodie"

@OliverOwen

I think Split/Second and Blur helped kill each other by releasing about the same time.
Split Second was definitely a fun concept, though personally I preferred Blur.
I honestly think a well executed Blur reboot might do quite well... or maybe that weaponised gameplay could be a future mode or event that could be added to a game like Forza Horizon... now I'm thinking about a Blur style mode and map as DLC... Yes!

@clankylad @nestalgia

The guy is best known for playing the happy Mexican footballer Danny Rojas in the Apple TV series Ted Lasso.
Karol G is a singer (I think).

To be honest, doesn't matter who they are, it's a great ad 👍👍👍

Good luck everyone!
I was fortunate enough to get a Series X from Argos (UK) at launch and have loved every minute of it.
Forza Horizon 5 is gonna be a treat!

@Dezzy70
Yeah, I thought it looked fine before, but the new footage definitely looks like "Series" gen. Between this and FH5, I'm gonna be a busy boy this winter!

So... I actually didn't mind the visuals on the original footage last year (though I thought the gameplay looked a little dull).
But, holy crackers... this does look like a HUGE improvement. I'm actually looking forward to giving it a go now

@Xenomorph_79
I guess that means you are very young or very old LOL
Think it came out around 2000 (so I was 27 or 28 at the time).

@Xenomorph_79
Trust me, you've almost certainly heard the single "Gravel Pit", but just not known who the artist was.

Dashboard didn't look any different to me, so not sure if update not available in my region (UK) yet, or whether it's just my eyesight.
Either way, not really bothered... It's such a marginal and unimportant thing for me.
I just want the games to look great... and they do Bring on FH5!

@Chaudy yep, Fall Guys is a LOT of fun... and it's one of the few games my wife plays.

@themightyant
Yep, the understanding would be that the Seagate port could run series X (and earlier) games... and whatever new port they add could play the future gen.
Unless they were able to make a port that could take the old card AND could pull off whatever the future standard is.

I would love the 2tb (and will certainly need it, looking forward to the lifetime of the machine), but $400... Ouch! I just can't do it.
When it gets to 250 for 2tb, then maybe... But I'm guessing that won't be for a few years (and I'll need the storage much sooner).

I would love MS to make a commitment to future consoles (the future gen, not just any intermediate gen) having a port for these cards.

Prob just use it to give a game a quick try out to see if it's my kinda thing (worth doing with the bigger games, given my broadband is only 38 mbps at best).
If I like it, then I'll download.
Guess it might lead to me trying out a couple of games I wouldn't have bothered downloading.

Got a Series X last November and playing FH4 kept me quite busy, very entertained and mostly sane through the dark winter months.

I'm looking forward to FH5 immensely.
So is my wife... she's not really a gamer, but she is Mexican, so the locale has piqued her interest!

Will be giving Halo Infinite a little time (I tried the beta and felt it was ok-ish, but I'm more of a Splitgate guy!).
Battlefield just ain't for me and I'm done and dusted with CoD.

So... FH5 all the way this winter!

I played this on PS4... was a lot of fun and is the only game I have missed since moving back to Xbox.

Great game for dipping in for a quick gaming session.

Project Gotham 4 and Blur could easily be added to this list.

Once we can get a 2tb card for £200, then I'm in.

Question...

Will cloud streaming through an app in the console have any performance benefits over streaming through Edge on the console

Tried Edge on console today... Dirt 5 was just about acceptable. Pretty playable, albeit degraded visuals. Also tried Halo 5 MP and had horrible motion sickeness (not affect by it when I play the downloaded game)! Don't know if it was because of dropped frames or what, but was a horrible experience.

So... Just some training matches vs bots and had some initial observations.

1) The default difficulty "Marine" is incredibly easy... even for a barely competent player like me.

2) At times the movement felt slightly juddery... not sure if a frame rate issue (I'm using Series X).

3) Maps... "Bazaar" felt like a scaled down CoD map... Whether that is good or bad is personal taste. I thought it was quite nice to play. "Live Fire" and "Recharge" had less flow and felt a little more dull (to me).

4) Sometimes I couldn't get in to play and had a message saying my account is not authorized. Restarting the console seemed to fix this (for a while).

5) Overall the gameplay felt reasonably pleasing... and perhaps a bit more fluid than Halo 5

6) Graphically/visually... Well it doesn't really look cutting edge, but still looks a big step up from 5.

7) Bots behaving glitchy occasionally.

Overall... Hmmmm... It feels like a decent little arena shooter. But that's not what it's supposed to be, right? This is a mega budget flagship game.
Of course it's unfair to pass firm judgement until we see the full and finished game, so... fingers crossed!
I'll definitely be checking out the release version when it drops.

Also, feels very glitchy/buggy. On one hand, it's a test run and the odd glitch is to be expected. On the other hand, we are so close to release... the game should really be 99.9% finished now and in the hands of the marketing team.
Keeping fingers crossed the final drop will be as close to fully polished as is reasonable.

Wishing MS/Xbox well on this one... after delivering a year late, they can't really afford to disappoint with their flagship game.

@Monkeyofthefunk
You can still play against bots outside those hours... at least that's something.

@StylesT

Yeah, it's definitely not for people looking for deep narrative gameplay

But, for what it is, a fun arena shooter... the kind of game you drop in for 20 minutes or so every now and then... it's great.
I'd bracket it as a super casual game, like Rocket League.

@Royalblues
Nah, the game is pretty sticky and will have you coming back for more.
I expect there'll be a dropoff when Halo Infinite launches... but Splitgate will still be worth revisiting (it feels more "fun" than Halo).

@PhhhCough

I kinda missed out on the whole Battlefield thing until I tried BF1 on the PS4 (which I couldn't really get to grips with... Same when I tried BF5 on XSX gamepass).
Thought I might try BF2042, but there seem to be worrying signs around that game (a poor test plus delays).

Will prob be sticking to Apex and Splitgate for my shooter needs for a while.