somnambulance

Didn’t take long to bring in an AI wave with her. We’ll have to see how it plays out. I know some people are already celebrating Asha’s leadership, but we’ve still yet to see her impact beyond essentially being a reboot for Xbox

Exclusives are basically the reason I buy a console. My Xbox has been dormant since Xbox games have gone to PS5

@GASEOUS I hope that’s the case. I’d love to see a new Halo game too. I can’t believe we’ve dropped down to a single Halo experience per generation now when we used to get Halo on an almost yearly basis.

To be honest, that’s sort of expected, but also disappointing if this is the direction Halo may be going.

Granted, we’ve yet to play the remake, so we don’t know how good it is yet, but it sounds like we won’t see genuine new Halo or multiplayer Halo for a little bit. I love the original games, but I want new Halo experiences.

That’s pretty cool. I have Mariachi Legends on my Steam wishlist. Glad it’ll be coming to consoles too. Looks like a unique spin on the ‘Vania genre while still being very faithful to the source. To be honest, I’m not gonna sub to Gamepass for it, as I expect it’ll be cheaper than a monthly subscription, but hopefully I can pick it up for the Switch rather than the Deck.

I’ve completed all my games this year except for one now and I’ve got no other pre-orders til Yoshi and Bubsy at the end of the month and after that… are any games coming out in the summer? Doesn’t feel like it, so… it’s time to commit myself to Crimson Desert for a long, long while to see what all the hype is about. I am planning on it being my main game for at least two months. Let’s see what happens.

And also, finally getting to NANINF in Balatro is so satisfying

@Balaam_ Amen, brother. In the age of deeper discovery, it’s actually harder to find the good stuff. They can deepen our discovery with more transparency and showcases.

@Weebleman But corpos do let giant brands go into freefall when things are really bad sometimes to see if they can reboot a somewhat popular brand. It’s been a strategy these days in this economy. It’s something I’ve noticed lately. If you’re a somewhat beloved brand, there’s potential for a rebound, or an opportunity for a golden parachute for the CEOs.

I don’t think Xbox was quite in free fall, but rather they were seeing if being a third party publisher was a more viable option and when it was not, Phil announced his retirement, so the brand could have a reset. For all we know, Phil’s still calling the shots, but letting Asha be the face for them. Microsoft has the resources to pull a stunt like this in the pursuit of more revenue later to offset it.

I’d assume Xbox has lost most of its player base by this point. The numbers are staggeringly bad, but public trust in Microsoft in general also feels like it’s at an all time low. This crumble, I imagine, is partially a set up so Xbox can have a genuine return. They’re letting things crash out before Helix on purpose, so Helix can surge and have solid numbers as a reboot and rebrand, I’d imagine.

I’d like a sequel to Infinite, personally, but something multiplayer should be next. I hope something’s been in the works for that. A Halo BR would be incredible. Halo 3 is still basically the zenith of online multiplayer gaming in my opinion. I just hope for more fun Halo experiences. Fun is always what Halo did best.

@GeeEssEff lol, I’m not quite Eternal Life of Goldman, but I’ve started getting gray in my hair now, so I appreciate the industry’s a couple years ahead of me for representation. Lol

@GeeEssEff it still feels like most protagonists are white, straight males, so it’s sort of a bizarre thing to fight about. I’ve played about a dozen games this year and at least half had that description, and the ones that didn’t… well, LiS… Rubato had a frog, Pokopia has a Ditto, Mouse PI’s a mouse, and there’s no discernible character in either Beyond Words or Battle of Asciion, so I mean… is anyone getting upset about these animal characters? Maybe I’m just a weird person, but I feel like I get plenty of representation in gaming as a white, straight male. Maybe I should be getting upset because the characters are staying young and I… am not?

@GeeEssEff but the lead character in Banishers is a straight white male? People are weird….

@cornholio005 I don’t recall that. Care to give some details?

The game launched in a really heavy slate of releases too, if I remember correctly.

The reviews are sort of rough on this one, which in unfortunate. This is actually a higher than average review. I was holding out hope this wasn’t a “judge the book by its cover” game, given that it’s Double Fine, but I guess it sort of is. Oh, well. Game probably should’ve been $15 at launch or something like that.

@Fiendish-Beaver @themightyant Man, I wish Banishers would’ve performed better. That was exactly the type of game I wish existed more in the industry right now: a tight 20 hour game that swings big with its characters and performances, has genuine new ideas in its story, and, even if it doesn’t have the budget to revolutionize gameplay, it still plays and looks solid. It might be the AA that’s impressed me most this generation.

Lost Records was alright too, but, as a LiS fan, I don’t think they out-LiS’ed even Double Exposure, which sort of felt like it was the goal. The game looked and played better, it had better writing, but it also felt like it was missing something that LiS just does better in ambiance and feel. And I think LiS’s impact might’ve been more overstated than anyone realized, given that the original was far, far more successful than any other games in the IP. It might’ve been a time and place type of success. I say that as someone that has personally enjoyed each entry of the series too.

I like Don’t Nod, but I felt trepidation with Aphelion. I hope it’s critical disappointment doesn’t erode the studio, as we knew that they were cancelling games and holding financial burden last year…

I’m guessing an 89-91. Realistically, review scores are lower than they used to be for all games these days. I think Forza’s safe to be a strong game, but I also think that critics being more critical will factor into how it scores. Even if FH6 is better than FH5, I could see it reviewing lower because of this.

I mean, if RE Requiem couldn’t crack a 90, given how insanely good it is, I wonder what can

Legitimately the Project Helix logo puts them all to shame

@FraserG It’s honestly a really solid demo. I preordered immediately after playing it.

I dunno guys, Bubsy looks like the most exciting release for me next month. Am I hallucinating? I preordered a Bubsy game… Right now, it’s my only active preorder that’s isn’t a Nintendo first party release. Weird timeline we’re in.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Mixtape is. For some reason, I keep forgetting that First Light is coming, and I’m taking that as a subliminal hint that I’m in no rush right now pick it up.

Hopefully the economy’s in better shape by 2028, so I’m good with waiting because I’d like my economy to be better too before the next consoles. 😭

I like what I’m seeing in messaging, but truly it’ll be a few years before we actually see Asha’s impact on software developed rather than software strategy for what is already greenlit by Phil, which is what I’m curious about. It’s all about the software. Xbox has given us so many giant hype cycles that I’m skeptical right now. I need to see actual results before I get too interested. Show me the games behind the words, you know?

I mean, when Hulst took over for Jim Ryan in PlayStation, as a recent example, there was applause, but a few years later, you can hear the “Fire Hulst” chants from the back of the bleachers sometimes. We now know Shu was what made PlayStation great for a long time and Hulst took things backward. We don’t know what kind of games Asha will promote or what her strategy will be like at all.

I mean, I like the messaging too, but what has Xbox done yet that’s warranted buying the console right now? We still have next to no information on the software this year or in the future that will differentiate the console from PS5 longterm.

This feels sort of staged.

I’m torn on remakes. I obviously want new content, but I’m sort of excited to play Halo remade co-op with my son. I’m torn on the AC remake though. When a game is just a fresh coat of paint, I dunno. Oblivion, for instance, I was really excited for it, but I bounced off of it about 15 hours in because I’d just played OG Oblivion so much years ago and i sort of got bored repeating a game I’d played several times. The RE remakes are a showcase for what a good faithful remake is and FF7 is a showcase for what I’d like out of more remakes, where it just changes things so there’s some surprise. I don’t always prefer the changes, but I appreciate that they made some choices, if that makes sense.

Hoping to finish Life is Strange: Reunion and Pragmata this weekend. I know I’m at the tail end of them both.

I mean, it’s a recolor. The color palette is nicer though. Personally, I like the Project Helix logo better!

The part that concerns me is that they are referring to creator centric IP in multiple instances, which is a smart way of sneaking GAAS/live service methodology under our critical noses. With Requiem and Pragmata coming out recently, I’ve gotten a chance to have deeper appreciation for games that are succinct experiences again. I’m hoping that Xbox chooses to develop with those types of games in mind too. It would be nice to see Xbox have a strong portfolio again. The words are nice, but I’m looking forward to the software. It’ll be years before we see Asha’s real influence there.

I’m ok with Xbox going back to the exclusive route, but they need good exclusives to make it a valid path. Right now, I can’t say I’m a fan of how Xbox or PlayStation have played the current generation, so I’m curious to see how Xbox’s trajectory plays out on the path to the next generation.

That honestly sounds like a perfect plan for Xbox to return to what it was. I’m looking forward to seeing if Xbox can deliver on these promises. I mean, I’m here for a reason.

A D for me. I can’t say i was interested in anything outside maybe No Ghosts at the Grand. It’s a varied selection, sure, but… yeah, nothing for me. Surprised we haven’t seen Witchbrook pop up on one of these presentations given it had a release date of Winter 2025.

For me, I just want the first party and exclusives. I could pass on all the old third party games, Ubi, EA, Fortnite, etc. I only want the “Only on Xbox” section, basically. That’ll get me to plug my Xbox back in.

Can’t wait for OD. Always love whatever Kojima releases, so I’m definitely looking forward to whatever “Xbox for Kojima” means!

Starts a precedent where first party games aren’t included. Personally, I’m not playing CoD anymore currently, but that’s a dangerous road to go down, where “Oh, Halo’s not on Gamepass?” This is the beginning of a soft sunset to the service potentially

It’s still too high, to be honest, for me to really be interested. Gamepass needs a full rehaul, in my opinion.

@Markatron84 Same. The game looks like Vampire Survivors, but it just doesn’t have that same addictive loop or feel to it. I think it’s more well made than a 5/10, but I’d say a 6 would maybe be my personal score.

I’ll wait for the reviews. I don’t like what I’ve seen of the game so far, but I love Double Fine. I’d get it maybe if I like what I read in reviews.

I was sort of underwhelmed with what I’d played, to be honest. It’s a visual stunner, for sure, but the gameplay doesn’t quite translate to the feeling of gameplay the game is trying to make, if that makes sense. And the story feels sort of hijacked from existing IP rather than feeling like its own thing too. They may as well have tried to license out the Blade Runner name.

Admittedly, I’ve not finished it, but I played a chunk of it, enough to feel that way. It’s a good pick for Gamepass and you can certainly feel the passion for the project from the team in the game. They definitely made the game they wanted to make and you can feel that, but for me, it’s more fun to look at than to actually play.

Well, technically I wanted to complete Life is Strange Reunion before Friday, but that didn’t happen, so there’s a good chance I’ll try to play it this weekend.

Outside that, yesterday I got Tomodachi Life, Pragmata, Mouse PI, and Crimson Desert, and I booted them all up yesterday and tried them all and may yet continue playing them all at once.

That’s all I want. I’m back in if the price is right and they’re day one. I’d plug my Xbox back in!

If they’d have launched Starfield years ago, things might be different. Many people had more interest (and purchasing power) when Starfield launched on Xbox. Launching after Crimson Desert also probably did the game no favors as that game seems to be speaking to the Bethesda-base gamer pretty directly. I wouldn’t say Bethesda has a strong reputation right now, as I do believe many would agree they peaked with Skyrim and have been on a downward slope since. Anticipation for Elder Scrolls 6 is basically what actually keeps them alive and I’m sure they know that.

Honestly, the last update to Gamepass was so utterly tone deaf that I’m sure sales dipped far more than they anticipated. I don’t know anyone in real life that has Gamepass anymore.

I think we’ve gone full circle and a lot of people essentially want Xbox Live Gold again. Two games a month, cheap, internet usage, good to go. Less stress of choice, more simple. Sure, it’s a pick in the lottery every month, but there’s less junk to wade through.

@Pigrotto I think some of them are intentional too. Personally though, I find this type of PR to feel more stressful. I’d prefer more transparency from official sources. It’s cleaner, more professional, and more authentic.

On the other hand, it certainly feels that Nintendo in particular have expressed that they are unhappy with leakers in the past, which is probably why they shifted away from Directs and into announcing things on an app.

Not really for me, but glad to see Xbox taking a page out of the Sony/Nintendo playbook and showcasing an individual game, even third party. This is great! Hope to see more of it!

I wish I could say I was excited for this one, but these “inspired by” games tend to land with a thud these days. I would love for this one to be what it could be though! Would be more exciting than GTA if it was a true Bully successor.

The question I always find interesting to me is, “Why do people in the industry (potentially) feed guys like Grubb any information?” Most of these projects are protected heavily by NDAs. Who is risking their job to give him info? If I was in Microsoft management, I’d be looking for these leakers, honestly, to try to pull guys like Grubb and NatetheHate from interfering with PR.

Realistically though, I feel like this is a common guess people are making right now, even though we don’t have full confirmation GTA6 is releasing. Personally, I’d prefer Fable to GTA, but I’d understand the delay to get it out of the release time period if GTA is indeed confirmed for real this time. I’d understand it if Xbox views Wolverine as a threat too for player time, even if that’s a bummer to me. I’m starting to get the feeling that the end of the year will be glacial with releases.

Finally, finally finished Requiem and had gaming time this week. Time for Life is Strange: Reunion. I did pick up Beyond Words too and I’m sure I’ll try that.

Depends on the person, but Halo and Fable are good places to start. I mean, realistically, if it’s someone brand new to gaming, I’ll recommend Portal, Ori, Skyrim, and maybe Minecraft too. I’d bring up Sea of Thieves. Honestly, I might not even recommend games I tend to play, depending on who it is. It does depend on the person’s interests too though. If they like horror, my list might be different than if they are getting the console for their family, you know?

I definitely got my sister’s boyfriend a Gamepass sub for his birthday two years ago when he was just starting with Xbox.

Castlevania’s the only thing that truly caught my eye from this showcase. I’d preorder now if I could.

Bring back good software and we’re good. That is all. I don’t need bells or whistles, just games.

@Fiendish-Beaver I see that too, but I hope you’re wrong about another Fable delay! I would be utterly surprised if this isn’t the schedule. Surely, MS isn’t going to try to overbook in October to compete against CoD and it’d be madness to go much later than that for any game (unless GTA is delayed, which I think this might finally be the year) and I doubt even CoD would try to buck time away from GTA.