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@Kaloudz Out of curiousity who is your Bond?

I think this game will land differently depending on the answer to that question. For me its either late Connery or Moore that I enjoyed the most. Dalton and Craig where good films but they played a more grounded realistic bond.

This game feel like the classic films with ridiculous scenes and cheesy lines, so I am pretty convinced so far that it should be good.

@ScalenePowers I really want them to go back to the style of DS1 as that game was great. DS2 was a good story but the gear upgrades just really didn't mesh with the game. Also the rule of 3 really wound me up in 2, it was like they brought back the worst 2000's game mechanic ever. As for DS3 the combat just felt very slow for a game where your weapon is a whip, but thats because they tried to make the combat soulslike.

I still really want a Strife game tho to fill out the roster so we can see how he plays. I imagine it would be a bit like Vincent from Dirge of Cerberus.

Diablo 4 is also due an expansion in 2026, not sure when its due exactly but if its Q1/2 we could see a teaser

@Fiendish-Beaver I think we will see it a fair amount if they stick to what they said earlier in the year.

Can't see them mentioning the future of consoles this far out, at least anything important, as at I still think late 2027 or 2028. It would just hit sales of series devices even harder if people though there was no point as the new device was coming soon.

These cards where always a terrible idea. I get that they are more user friendly if people are not confident in fitting an M.2 but the price as a result is utterly ridiculous.

Hopefully the next device swaps to standard drives to give customers more choice with better deals.

I've always said the Sony service is better for the industry as a whole as it doesn't take away from initial game sales when they matter the most in the opening weeks, and as mentioned only boosts games down the line.

That said even if GP is damaging its already out there and you can't fault anyone for using it, if they feel its good value for them. My worry is a possible future where Subs replace hardware because at that point Sub prices will rocket as companies chase constant growth.

@Sindayl Bigger screen, better construction, proper controller and most importantly its not tying your phone up and killing its battery whilst its doing it.

@Cornpop76 People love to slate the Portal and I really don't get it as I think its the best way to handle what is really more of an accesory to a main console.

Switch offers a hybrid and that works for Nintendo as people are happy with them offering lower tech. For MS and Sony people want the best they can get and that means a full fat console. Offering a cheaper way to have portable gaming without it costing the price of another full fat console is what we need more off.

@Sindayl I think for Xbox that does apply, but maybe less so for PS. Whilst Sony are releasing games on PC there is no real strategy behind when or if they release, or even how good the port will even be. With Xbox you know the games will be on PC day and date, and if GP is you thing then you can still enjoy it on PC. Of course consoles will always have the ease of use factor that so many prefer.

Its why I have always been PS / PC to cover all the bases.

@Cakefish It most likely will not be subsidised at which point I just can't see how its going to be cheaper than getting a PC like you can now.

On any platform I think I would seriously question paying £80 for any game. Modern games rarely release in an amazing state and get fixed down the line. So you may aswell pay the down the line price.

Also Complete editions with DLC even 12 - 18m later end up saving you over 50% usually rather than paying for it as it releases.

@LogicStrikesAgain The other thing is why would the average joe pay an above the odds premium if the device is just a microsoft badged PC.

To my mind there is no world in which MS make a windows gaming OS mode and limits it to "new console PC" only. So you may as well shop around for a better & cheaper build, but still use their Gaming OS mode and Steam at which point they make even less. I would argue they almost become irrelevant outside of being a publisher.

Rumours are just that, but I won't believe any steam stuff unless they confirm it outright.

@johnK I don't claim to know, nor has it ever been officially confirmed. However I don't think its per user, but rather per game. For BG3 it was leaked that it was a one off upfront payment that was very low for what was GOTY.

It would not make sense to pay per play as GP promotes people trying a game which they would otherswise never pay for. It's why you get high engagement with lower milestone markers as a general trend.

EDIT: Looked up the leak / rumour (whatever it was) and it was reported MS paid / valued the following.
Lego Starwars Saga: $35m
Gotham Knight: $50m
AC:Mirage: $100m.
Baldure Gate 3: They valued that internally as $5m

Nostalgia will be a huge factor here. I imagine plenty of people will have given it a go because its Oblivionand on GP, but then bounced off realising they don't have 100+ hours to sink into a nostalgia trip thats just the same game with some QoL and nicer visuals.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner For the amount that these site (PS & PX) claim to not want console warring. They do manage to put headlines with a sure fire amount of bait.

All that aside good on MS for doing well with games. It was always kind of expected with the vast quantity of IPs they picked up but its good to see that the pivot is paying off on software.

@OldGamer999 The main usp of the switch is that its a portable device first with the ability to play big screen. They will likely do a portable only version later, but a console only version would go against their core goals so I can't see it happening.

Halo Collection would be my guess because it would sell some copies. Starfield and Hellblade will also happen soon but I can't see them doing as well so will be a lower priority.

I think it will be a decent rise, I could see $3-$5 a month on the top end because its in the region where people might grumble but will accept it, more likely on console imo.

PC will be the interesting one as they see that as the growth market but GP on PC has never made a major dent so any increase there will just be another hurdle for them.

@Ricky-Spanish and they still chose to be on gamepass why???

Without picking sides, or even commenting on this game specifically, I think a lot of the reason is that Gamepass has made Gamepass kind of neccessary in order to succeed on the series consoles. More so in the last 18m now that MS have purchased some very large companies and wrapped them up into GP.

Take something like Expedition 33 which by all acounts is a very very good game (not got round to it yet myself). Had that not been on GP you have to question how well it would have done on Series consoles when it was around Oblivion and other games of that ilk which where available on the Sub. At that point it probably makes more sense to take the GP deal for smaller games.

@eduscxbox sure except scalpers rarely buy software, since they mainly scalp hardware. Your point is meaningless for 90% of transactions.

@Valhura I was more referring to companies putting out engagement to the general public as sales give a better idea of the hype / demand for a game imo. Knowing a game has sold 750k in the first month is much more valuable than knowing it has 3million engagement because there is more investment in the sale.

Engagement at launch is just a fancy way to inflate numbers, because actual play engagement data for devs has existed for as long as trophy / achievement data.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner Engagement is such a garbage metric when compared to traditional sales. It just shows that more people will try a game when you remove the buy in factor as a risk. All it really shows is we need to go back to the era where demos were considered normal, as there is clearly a demand for them.

Not surprising since they were allowed to buy out huge portions of the industry. While the numbers are good for Microsoft Gaming as a publisher, its a shame that it came at the cost of the Xbox consoles which are clearly second fiddle now.

@Kaloudz I have said this multiple times. Day and date would likely see even greater sales as it's at peak hype and people won't have changed their minds based on newer games or feedback.

This always made sense but a fair amount just refused to accept the clear shift in strategy. Xbox simply could not compete in the console space and it would have been a hard sell for MS to keep throwing money at a declining market.

They can however compete in software and the best way to do that it's no red lines. Also by going full third party it allows them to acquire future studios with much less scrutiny, which has to be the long term goal.

@Tasuki Yeah I am alll for playing games as intended for the most part when it comes to level ups / skills etc, but sometimes the limitations just have no place in modern gaming.

@LogicStrikesAgain Yeah its weird to compare the two. Also not sure why they are glossing over the fact that the UE5 overhaul for Oblivion has resulted in general unstable performance across all devices, PC powerhouses included, and calling it a new standard.

Reviews these days seem to excuse performance as it will be patched based on how big the company is and how much they want that game to succeed.

@Evilinsane It was still fully remade, the fact that the changes are barely noticable is testament to the quality of Bluepoints work. Also they did tweak plenty of things like weapon animations that are pretty noticeable, but don't alter the core gameplay much at all. The main change was to Flamelurker where they made him more agressive than the OG version.

@IronMan30 Even worse when they tie it to a STR stat so it makes playing a mage or thief style character more annoying.

@Tasuki This is why if the option is available I always choose PC for these types of games. The ability to easily mod away the annoying parts makes for a better experience overall. It was the same with Witcher 3 where mods just made for a more enjoyable seemless adventure.

@Ricky-Spanish Not for me at all and it boggles the mind to think that people would pay the price of a game just to wrap a box up which as you say will alter the thermals.

But each to their own and I spend more on far worse each week in fairness 😂

They both look good, and either version is completely playable, but there is a very clear difference which is interesting to see. I will say that the difference is purely one of style however and therefore is subject to preferance.

For me the SX version looks more gamey whilst the Pro version looks more cinematic with its natural tones. It curious why they are so different.

@Friendly I think part of it is because no matter how amazing play anywhere sounds on paper, its not actually a big deal for most people.

I, and most people I know, tend to buy a game for the platform where it plays best (subjective I know). If its an RTS / FPS / MMO / Sim I am going to buy it on PC via Steam most likely as I want to play it at a desk with M/KB. If its action / adventure then its front room for the big screen couch and controller option. Having it on both has no appeal if I have no intention of playing it on both.

The only exception would be mobile but PS have that covered with the Portal which is synced to your account anyway.

Its not harsh at all, they could be nominated for every award and win none if the panels things otherwise, it how things work.

@WildConcept6 T'would be nice if it were like one award per game. This just sounds like participation awards and would make the whole thing pointless. It would also make some awards more important than others if you could only appear in one category.

@Fiendish-Beaver Im right with you there, I have a NZXT H710 case in red and black with all the rgb inside running Red. I obviously like the look of my tower but they aint small.

PC: 516h x 230w x 494d
SX: 301h x 151w x 151d
PS: 390h x 104w x 260d

One of those is a hell of a lot bigger than the others and aint fitting in the lounge easily.

@Deshalu I know I was only talking about the SSD as that was my point. M.2 drives are very small and their low profile form factor makes them a very good fit for a console.

Memory however can start go get pretty bulky when you add in heat shields than are on most decent dimms. Also what memory are we running, what speeds can the Mobo take? GPU's are incredibly bulky with the new 5000 series card being also half the size of a series X. How do we factor in cooling when you are replacing stuff willy nilly? How about power consumption or do we also now have to customise the system futher and add a 1000w psu?

By the time you get to all that you are just building a PC in a decent size tower and thats not going to sell the living room console experience.

@Deshalu upgrades using actual PC parts alreasy exists, PS5 did it by using a standard off the shelf M.2 drive for storage but outside of that you would be very limited what parts you could use simply on the size and form factore alone. Take a look at GPU sizes and the higher powered cards are bigger than current gen consoles.

@LogicStrikesAgain It was always clear they would remain a semi independant company with multi platform in mind. Pretty amusing that this morning people where lambasting PS for writing an article about MS and claiming it was just a hit job. Then you get this here which is doing the exact same it seems.

@Fiendish-Beaver I often wonder this about all the platform specific reviews as they always tend to land a point or two higher than the average. For SoM it mentions how the combat is fine but not great and doesn't gel with the rest of the game, to the point that it feels like two seperate games. Then closes with the game is not perfect but its got an almost perfect score.

It reads as a 7 or 8 game based on preference which are both good scores, but everything needs to be 9 or 10 to pass muster these days which just makes reviews kind of pointless.

@IronCrow86 D3 is entertaining enough but I find it has very limited appeal at end game as its just very bare bones. Still well worth a play just to romp through the story if you want to connect the narative from D2 through to D4.

Thinking on it further, System Shock 2 also stands out for me as a genre changing game. Bioshock further expanded on a very heavy narrative driven shooter but System Shock was the blueprint for a lot of modern games.

The Last of Us is certainly missing from this list, they took dramatic story telling to a whole new level. I would also say Goldeneye 007 needs an inclsuion as that redefined what a console shooter could be, and inspired so many games going forward.

@GeorgeKal The steam deck does use unified RAM but a lot of people are playing BMW at low resolutions like 640p with up to 60% FSR in order to lower the VRAM requirements. The scalabilty of PC settings simply allowed for crowdsourced settings to make the game "Playable" despite it not being officially compatible.

Also as the game is not offically supported on SD it has no QC, infact SD has no QC at all as games are not made to specifically target the platform. That would not be the case for the SS version as it would be expected to perform at 1080 / 30fps as a minimum or you would have another Cyberpunk situation.

@Kaloudz To be fair the dev has not been quiet on the issue and they gave a very definitive answer that it was a memory issue because the SS has a very small memory pool (10GB) compared to other platforms. People love to mention the Steam Deck as a counter point, but like the SX and the PS5 its running 16GB, and the game still doesn't run great on PS, Deck or PC either.

Not bashing the SS as its a great little machine but there is no denying that the lower memory has caused some issues for devs.

@Fiendish-Beaver always be a pessimist because at least then you can only be pleasantly surprised 😂

As I said in another article the other day, Sony don't need to share but MS do. If it was reversed it would be exactly the same. If it was another industry then it would still be exactly the same. There is just some wierd belief that because MS need the sales of other platforms that Sony should return the favour out of kindness and that just not how it works.

@IOI Ai is all every tech company cares about these days as its the buzz word. The amount of crap they try and sell you with copilot now is mind boggling.

@Fiendish-Beaver I have said for a long time they are steering GP towards 1st party. They will still get some 3rd party stuff but long term it will just become like EA Play, Ubisofts sub etc. Its how they get it onto other platforms, and even then i bet it still has some extra perks on the Prime.

I disagree that it will get cheaper however, people are used to paying and if they slowly phase out 3rd party then people will just continue to pay. Best outcome would be it remaining the same price so people could claim will be its better value as its not rising at the same rate as inflation. But as I say I can't see that happening.

It makes sense, the game has been out a while so doing DLC now would be kind of pointless. If they really want to continue the franchise they should just time skip and work on a second game. I do wonder how well a second game would do however as exploring hogwarts a second time would lose all its magic.

The main route of the game was a decent story, and the main side quests where goos.Exploration of the castle and hogsmeade was great, with the forbidden forest also being okay. The open world past those main areas however felt pretty generic, repetative and largely pointless however. It was basically 8 areas that all felt the same.

@Tasuki my first comment is in no way invalid. I still believe the game does require heavy use of mods to be enjoyable, and as I said for higher level content even the Devs have said the same as they design the difficulty with the knowledge that people are using mods. They are trying to remove the need for them as I mentioned, but they are not there yet.

All I was pointing out with my reply is that the objective is not solely what you demand it to be, just because how you choose to play. In reality for most players end up at PvP or high endgame and like it or not mods make all the difference there. If you choose to play without them it's fine, but hamstringing 10% of the player base because they are on a console would be awful.

Also add ons don't make anyone toxic, it exists in all games and is just the nature of being protected behind a screen with no real world consequences