No way to tell. Only way for anyone to know what’ll be in the GotY discussion is to wait until we know what the YouTubers like. I wouldn’t say anything on the 2026 Xbox docket has much hype. Right now, Phantom Blade Zero, Sony’s Marvel games, and Resident Evil are practically the only games with “hype” at the moment. RE will probably feel like a lock for awards when it launches, only to be forgotten about by the end of the year though. Happened to Village and I’m expecting it’ll happen to Requiem.
That said, I could definitely see some Xbox games landing in my personal list. 2026’s release schedule looks better to me than this year’s list for sure and that’s largely based on Fable
Just beat Metroid Prime 4. Fantastic game. Time to finally compile that personal year end list.
Onto some assorted oldies like The Sims 1, SimCity 3000, Adventure Island 2, Rampage Universal Tour, Half Life, etc, whatever I feel the random urge to play the rest of the year.
These games are all in bulk on the discount shelves of my local Walmart for $5-$15. I’d imagine sales are low enough now on these that they didn’t extend paying for the licenses.
I’d be able to tell you specifically if Xbox had a year end recap!
This year, I’d wager my gaming looked like this:
50% Switch 2
20% Xbox
15% PS5
13% Mobile
2% Steamdeck
Just got a Steamdeck, but I’m anticipating that number to rise next year. I really liked Nintendo’s first party output this year. I know Silksong was the game I played the most (edit: on consoles) this year on Switch 2 regardless of a year end update. This is definitely the year I played my PS5 least and might be the year I’d played Xbox most this generation.
Edit: actually, Balatro on my phone was my most played game this year as I broke 100 hours on it this year… just updated my percentages with that though my mobile time is all Balatro and I’m sure my percentages are wrong.
@Runex2121 I agree with you. Us hardcore gamers are likely finding more and more frustration with the industry the broader it gets because, even if we were the original foundation of game sales, we aren’t the target demographic anymore.
I suppose backwards isn’t the right description, though it is lower tech that is made more cheaply and quickly. There’s nothing wrong with this though. After all, there’s still plenty of Wiis hooked up in senior centers and schools. It’s arguable that the Wii if sold very cheaply may still be a viable selling console because there is a different demographic that wants motion controlled, casual fun style experiences.
Given the increasing costs of development and consumer pricing, I’m not surprised we’re going backwards as an industry to sell to the casuals. I don’t feel any of the big 3 are fully invested in the casual market currently.
If this is good and the price is fair, maybe I’ll snag World War Z for this. Loved TWD during its run. Some shows end and you miss them years later and TWD is one of those shows for me.
Haven’t gotten around to Keeper or the Outer Worlds, and I suspect one of them might be the real answer, but I’ll go with one I played and I played almost all of them. I don’t think it’s a perfect game, but I picked South of Midnight.
@BAMozzy You misunderstand the point I’m making. The point I’m making is that the games that receive the most marketing and have the most financial backing are pushing out unique experiences and many of those games that have the financial ability to do so are engineered in a way to prioritize engagement and the addictive properties in games. It’s a more intricate and nuanced subject than “vote with your wallet.” Just because most people have Facebook circa 2025 doesn’t mean that it’s healthy for peoples’ mental health to scroll on it out of addiction, you know? Most people don’t actually know what is out there with games and continue to support what they know rather than exploring more games that may broaden their tastes and palette. This has never been more apparent than in the current era of gaming.
The reality is that most people don’t truthfully know if they would like a spectrum of games because they are not exposed to them or aware of them. Gamers have become risk averse because the larger corporations are telling them to do so and they don’t know any better and probably don’t realize this influence.
By the way, totally believe Hellblade should get more exposure for the unique things it does. I get that it’s maybe not “the best game,” but as a piece of art, it’s highly successful. The first game really didn’t look appealing to me, so I didn’t play it at release, but a family member of mine recommended it, so I checked it out and I’m glad I was told about it. The last two generations, I’ve found myself digging harder because I’ve noticed people used to recommend more games and used to try to expose people to unique experiences, but aren’t doing that so much anymore. I ask about this and usually the answer I get is that people don’t know what’s out there anymore.
That’s why I continue to try to get these kinds of games exposure and tell people about them, wear t-shirts of “obscure games,” etc. Things have changed to make it more difficult for indies to flourish for a multitude of reasons. But I’m happy to help people find more games they’d enjoy. It’s sort of cool seeing others enjoy a game they didn’t know about.
@jesse_dylan @BAMozzy I dunno. I think we should support games that feature disable characters or stuff that is child friendly without being made from a marketing machine. I dunno about anyone else, but I’d rather my kids learn about overcoming obstacles in spite of being different vs “Paw Patrol game #4.” Not that there’s anything wrong with Paw Patrol, but it’s up to our wallets to ensure that people are still able to craft art and idiosyncratic experiences. It’s not like To A T got much of an opportunity for the right people to know it exists, you know? It just irks me when predatory content like Five Nights at Freddy’s, Roblox, and Fortnite are aimed at kids right now and monopolizing their free time and headspace when something like this doesn’t even have the ability to market itself toward any success.
I’m not giving up on the good fight. I’m crusading for unique games until the fight is won. I know I’m on a “kids games hill” for this one, but honestly this generation has been regressive towards much of what is unique in gaming.
Also, I am so thankful for Kojima. As long as he and Remedy continue to find success, there’s hope out there in the industry.
Said the same thing on the Pushsquare version of the article, but I want to post it again:
Support games that do something different. If we don’t throw our support into unique games with unique ideas now, the industry will continue to siphon into games they care more about engagement than fun. We’re at a dangerous point in gaming history where every day the executives of gaming companies are looking for safer games with more monetization for the benefit of their shareholders. I get that To a T may not be for everyone, but neither are a lot of games. Sometimes games do need support and exposure and unfortunately that’s not being given to games such as this.
For what it’s worth, To a T was one of my favorite games this year. I preferred it even to the latest Katamari game too. It’s a unique game with a fantastic soundtrack and I do hope that Takahashi’s able to get a lifeline, so he’s able to continue creating his own idiosyncratic vision of gaming. We need these kinds of unique voices. Also, the game is great for kids as well. My 8 year old was able to beat the game no problem and my 4 year old loves to watch it.
1. Silksong
2. Blue Prince
3. Other… I could put Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo, To a T, or Once Upon a Katamari here if they were options
4. Arc Raiders
5. Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, I suppose.
Gamepass carried my play time for the first five months of the year, but honestly my “all games across all platforms” is heavily Switch 2 forward. The Nintendo first party stuff just spoke to me far, far more than most of the games released this year. I’ve still yet to play Outer Worlds 2, Sektori, or the Seance At Blake Manor from my personal list to feel like I can genuinely pick a true top 10 across all platforms though, but I’m trying to get there! I’ve beaten a few more than 20 games this year and tried around 50-ish. Death Stranding 2 is my ultimate GoTY. From my playtime, I’d say there were 20-25 games I’d put at a 7/10+, which is a relatively solid year.
@Kezelpaso If anything, the reaction to its placement in the show says something about the disconnect between the viewing gamers and the industry money right now. I know, with my viewing party, we were all sort of losing focus toward the end of the show with all the gatcha games getting trailers one after the other. I know those games probably spend a lot of money to get those slots, but no one in my group could tell where one ended and the other began.
After enduring a bunch of samey trailers that felt more like ads than a typical trailer to follow it up with a F2P Hero Shooter left everyone saying, “They’re going to announce something else after the award, right?” But no… At least we still got the multi-instrumental flute guy going crazy again this year!
Seriously though, there’s a disconnect between the single player and esports crowd now in a big way and I think it’s all about presentation rather than game quality.
It would’ve been a huge pop if this came out 10-15 years ago, but it sure feels like no one wants anymore hero shooters. Personally, I felt like this reveal landed like a wet sock. Maybe it was the fact that it was the last game announced when there were “bigger” games for the gaming core in the show. I mean, Megaman and Control 2 were moments when my group got silent and watched.
Honestly, I personally think The Game Awards dumping every award of E33, made 2025 look like a sham year for gaming. I know some people want to believe E33 is so good it deserved all the awards, but really we’re in an era where people are playing fewer games and purchasing fewer games. Does it really help the industry to focus solely on one game?
I watched the show with some friends and all of us started getting annoyed with E33 winning awards. We all cheered when Wuthering Waves beat it for Player’s Choice. Lol. The ludicrous choice to give a game that can afford basically an A list cast getting “indie game of the year” while also being marketed directly by Microsoft is a slap in the face to vibrancy of the indie game scene too.
I didn’t even enjoy KCD2 and I agree with him. E33 is officially the most overrated game to have ever been made after last night and I say that as someone who liked the game for the most part.
A D. Megaman could’ve boosted it to at least a B if Clair Obscur didn’t receive literally every award it was nominated for except for one. It’s bad when you get grateful that the bots gave an award to a gatcha game.
@Fiendish-Beaver After how low quality the PlayStation one was this year, I’m just hoping the Xbox one has depth to it this year. This is the first year in a long while that I’ve played a good chunk of my gaming time on Xbox over PS5, so I’m curious to see what my actual playtimes were!
I’m genuinely curious this year. It was a rocky year for Xbox for me in the second half of the year, but Xbox felt like my dominant console this year… until the Switch 2 launched and totally took over. I’m curious what my numbers were, especially knowing that I played my PlayStation 5 less than expected. I want to compare my playtime.
@abe_hikura Warner Bros/Discovery has been terrible since they merged, so honestly I can see whoever purchases them to improve them. HBOMax went from feeling like Netflix used to to feeling like… how Netflix feels now for me. That said, Paramount and Netflix would probably both do a lot more with the cartoons in the WB storage because they realize people want to watch them.
I really enjoyed the campaign at the time of release, but I also thought that it was clearly designed with the purpose of getting dlc down the line. When it was revealed that campaign dlc was never in the cards, I soured a little bit towards it, but I’d still call it my favorite 343 Halo as a campaign.
I wasn’t much a fan of the multiplayer though. It was an improvement on 5 but still far from the glory days that ended after 4.
Really genuinely curious about this game. Reactions seem to be very literally all over the place. I have a hard time resisting playing games like this, but I’ve yet to try it. I don’t imagine I’ll have time to play it this year, given everything I have to currently play, but I’m interested.
The half hour I played last night felt pretty solid.
I’ve got no real opinion so far, but I mean the game’s reviewing better than that new Marvel game, so it’s not like I can even say I can make sense of the disconnect between my YouTube feed any reality anymore. I do hope I end up enjoying Prime 4 in the end.
Hopefully this doesn’t mean bad things for the consumer. So far, the push for consolidation has led to worse media at a higher cost, in my opinion… and I’m honestly less interested in what’s being peddled out to us and I consume less too.
Also, jeez, I’m hoping that the inevitable Hogwarts Legacy sequel lives up to the first one’s… ahem… legacy… following this as well.
@Stoned_Patrol I didn’t end up buying Routine and just ended up going for bulk instead with Black Mesa, Garry’s Mod, Coromon, Ex-Zodiac, Level Devil, Core Keeper, Refind Self, Nidana, and The Seance of Blake Manner. I had a $50 gift card and was honestly able to get almost every game in that list, which is quite impressive. I only actually paid for 1.5 games after that gift card (which I was gifted). Pretty cool that I’ve got a decent library to start with for such a good deal thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I’ll be getting the Deck next week, but I’m already happy with it.
I’m gone from Gamepass, I believe. I’m not sure there’s $30 worth of games I’d want from Gamepass in December, so the value just isn’t there anymore. I’m in the process of selling my Xbox to buy accessories for the Deck, like mouse/keyboard/a really nice controller. I get that Cdkeys is cheaper, but I’m just sort of peeved with Xbox’s vision at the moment.
@Lup @Sindayl Definitely agree with the both of you. If Clair Obscur didn’t get the press bump from being a budget release at launch, history may have been very different.
As it stands though, I am grateful this one was on Gamepass. I very nearly ordered it on PlayStation, even with it being on Gamepass, because I loved the concept so much, but then I felt like I should be rational and try it before purchasing, so I started it on Gamepass. By the end, I was really glad I saved the money and didn’t buy the game. It was still a good game, but the hype was overblown big time for me.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner As a huge Final Fantasy fan, I really hope not. I’ve liked every Final Fantasy game more than Clair Obscur, outside maybe Final Fantasy 1-3 and maybe 5. I’d have to mull over if I liked 33 or 5 better. I want Final Fantasy to keep being Final Fantasy and being its own breed of massive rpg.
@jesse_dylan I don’t finish every game either, but I want to go in with the intention that I’m going to want to commit to finishing a game, you know? I do beat the majority of my games, but I also prefer my games to be 20-ish hour games because I know I’ll beat something like that in two weeks, play the next thing and so on and so forth. A long game’s gotta be REALLY special for me nowadays. Octopath 1 and 2 were both a little too long for what they were for me, personally, but, I mean, Triangle Strategy had me engrossed to the end. Realistically though, COVID was the last time I could easily commit to these styles of games without juggling.
If 2026 doesn’t bulk up soon though, there’s definitely room in the release schedule to hunker down and play something massive.
If I was 25 years younger, this would be such a dream game, based on what I’ve read, but, man, that 100+ hour playtime makes it hard for me. I mean, I’ve still never beaten Persona 5 and I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried. Long games are hard to beat. If 2026 has another drought like 2024 or 2025 though, I’ll get this on sale, I think. It looks fantastic.
Thinking about this one being my inaugural Steamdeck game when I get the console next week. I have a feeling the pricetag for this one might be cheaper than a month of Gamepass now! 😂
@Scummbuddy Lol, yeah, I feel like “recommendations” tend to just be other games that are selling a lot regardless of what you play. Or it’s a scenario like, “You played Elden Ring, huh? Here’s 30 games that are just like it, despite it being an outlier to your habits.”
I’ve tried sourcing recommendations from various sites and apps and thus far, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that can steer myself towards my own taste when I’m buying games (and I can’t even always stick the landing on that either!).
In my experience, AI has been bad at recommending games to me thus far, as I’ve tried it already. And honestly, I sort of feel like our numerical analysis of everything exists to distance us from actually experiencing things rather than going through the numbers. Numbers and trends are addictive to me and I could see sorting through data becoming as much a game as games themselves, which feels sort of wrong. I’m already a spreadsheet gamer. Do I need more encouragement to compartmentalize my gaming further?
I bought this one pretty close to release and loved it. I put it off for a few months for absolutely no reason and regretted that I did so. The game has a few minor issues with samey enemies and such, but the storyline is fantastic. It’s got some of the absolute best acting and writing in a video game. Period.
I’d give the game an 8/10 overall, but it’s a great 8/10 and I liked it more than some games I’d probably give a 9/10 to. If you value good narratives in games, give this one a look. It’s my personal belief that this game should’ve gotten the type of excitement Clair Obscur received.
Honestly, I really want to play something new, but I feel bad about buying anything new right now, given that Metroid is coming this week and I’m about to buy a Steamdeck and will be sinking some money into starting a Steam library very soon. I have to work today, but it’s snow storm weather, so I sort of want to just curl up and play some games. Realistically though, I think I’m just going to plan my early Steam library and play Arc Raiders… but I keep thinking about The Outer Worlds 2 at random too…
I should go back to Yotei and finish that though, shouldn’t I? Or Silent Hill F? Or Hades 2? For some reason, as good as those games are, man, I’m struggling getting back to them.
What a bizarre top 10 list. Shadows being above Yotei is certainly a choice. Good to see a list that’s Gamepass-centric and totally different from what would be expected. Some omissions seem bizarre to me though…
Then again, Expedition 33 wouldn’t be in my list, so I’m sure people would say the same thing about my list.
Nothing so far in any of the sales. I’m still contemplating things. There’s a part of me that wants to buy The Outer Worlds 2, but I’m just not sold yet. Though that’s on PS5… that and Lushfoil Photography Sim I’m thinking about.
Given the price hikes on Xbox, I’m contemplating selling my Series S and Xbox accessories to get the money to buy a Steamdeck a friend of mine is selling. In a way, I’ve sort of got my own Xbox Black Friday sale going on.
I played through Portal yesterday with my son. That was fun. It’s always interesting to share an ancient artifact with him and see what he thinks. He could see the influence in other games he likes such as The Stanley Parable, Superliminal, and The Witness. Not bad observing that for an 8 year old.
Outside that, I’m contemplating jumping on a Black Friday sale for something. While, yes, I still have Yotei and Silent Hill F to complete, I sort of feel like I’m having a hard time pushing myself to play either of them and Portal felt like a breath of fresh air. A friend of mine really wants me to start playing Arc Raiders too, so maybe that’s the answer. I didn’t have time for games for a while, but I think that’ll change a bit this week. Just not sure how yet.
Glad they separated things, so other games could win awards. Looking forward to next year, so the year of E33 can be grommaged by the Paintress. The game’s fine (7/10 for me), but I’m tired of hearing about it. Lol.
Love that Bananza beat E33 by the Critics vote. Would be happy to see similar logic happen at the Geoff Awards with Bananza getting GotY. Would be hilarious to see the reactions next day.
I’d give it a C. It was well produced, but very little I’m personally interested in.
Dave the Diver 2 is definitely the highlight for me. Vampire Crawlers, I will definitely get, though the new genre they’re exploring isn’t a genre I typically enjoy. Curious about Roadside Research and maybe Tides, which looks like E33, Stellar Blade, and Wukong were sharing notes.
It deserved a nod for music and art direction (so did Keeper though). That said though, I think the game was ok to good for the most part beyond that. It’s one of those solid 7/10 type games that is memorable for what it tries to do as a game, but doesn’t fully accomplish, while being a good story and having good atmosphere. It would’ve probably made a better movie than game, in my opinion.
Comments 2,327
Re: Talking Point: Will Any Of Xbox's 2026 Releases Become GOTY Contenders Next Year?
No way to tell. Only way for anyone to know what’ll be in the GotY discussion is to wait until we know what the YouTubers like. I wouldn’t say anything on the 2026 Xbox docket has much hype. Right now, Phantom Blade Zero, Sony’s Marvel games, and Resident Evil are practically the only games with “hype” at the moment. RE will probably feel like a lock for awards when it launches, only to be forgotten about by the end of the year though. Happened to Village and I’m expecting it’ll happen to Requiem.
That said, I could definitely see some Xbox games landing in my personal list. 2026’s release schedule looks better to me than this year’s list for sure and that’s largely based on Fable
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 20-21)
Just beat Metroid Prime 4. Fantastic game. Time to finally compile that personal year end list.
Onto some assorted oldies like The Sims 1, SimCity 3000, Adventure Island 2, Rampage Universal Tour, Half Life, etc, whatever I feel the random urge to play the rest of the year.
Re: 10 More Games Set To Be Delisted On Xbox In December 2025
These games are all in bulk on the discount shelves of my local Walmart for $5-$15. I’d imagine sales are low enough now on these that they didn’t extend paying for the licenses.
Re: Talking Point: How Much Time Have You Spent Gaming On Xbox Consoles This Year?
I’d be able to tell you specifically if Xbox had a year end recap!
This year, I’d wager my gaming looked like this:
50% Switch 2
20% Xbox
15% PS5
13% Mobile
2% Steamdeck
Just got a Steamdeck, but I’m anticipating that number to rise next year. I really liked Nintendo’s first party output this year. I know Silksong was the game I played the most (edit: on consoles) this year on Switch 2 regardless of a year end update. This is definitely the year I played my PS5 least and might be the year I’d played Xbox most this generation.
Edit: actually, Balatro on my phone was my most played game this year as I broke 100 hours on it this year… just updated my percentages with that though my mobile time is all Balatro and I’m sure my percentages are wrong.
Re: Nex Playground CEO Talks Comparisons To Xbox & PS5, And Why Their Console Is So Affordable
@Runex2121 I agree with you. Us hardcore gamers are likely finding more and more frustration with the industry the broader it gets because, even if we were the original foundation of game sales, we aren’t the target demographic anymore.
I suppose backwards isn’t the right description, though it is lower tech that is made more cheaply and quickly. There’s nothing wrong with this though. After all, there’s still plenty of Wiis hooked up in senior centers and schools. It’s arguable that the Wii if sold very cheaply may still be a viable selling console because there is a different demographic that wants motion controlled, casual fun style experiences.
Re: Nex Playground CEO Talks Comparisons To Xbox & PS5, And Why Their Console Is So Affordable
Given the increasing costs of development and consumer pricing, I’m not surprised we’re going backwards as an industry to sell to the casuals. I don’t feel any of the big 3 are fully invested in the casual market currently.
Re: 'Xbox Wrapped' Ditched For 2025 Due To Ambitious 2026 Plans, Suggests Report
@InfamousOrange It’s coming in January.
Re: The Walking Dead Story DLC Coming To Xbox Game Pass Shooter World War Z Next Month
If this is good and the price is fair, maybe I’ll snag World War Z for this. Loved TWD during its run. Some shows end and you miss them years later and TWD is one of those shows for me.
Re: 15 First-Party Games Released On Xbox In 2025, But Which Was Your Favourite?
@Smackosynthesis This has been a quantity over quality year in terms of first party releases for sure
Re: 15 First-Party Games Released On Xbox In 2025, But Which Was Your Favourite?
Haven’t gotten around to Keeper or the Outer Worlds, and I suspect one of them might be the real answer, but I’ll go with one I played and I played almost all of them. I don’t think it’s a perfect game, but I picked South of Midnight.
Re: Katamari Creator Returns To Japan And Considers His Future Following Poor Sales For 'To A T'
@BAMozzy You misunderstand the point I’m making. The point I’m making is that the games that receive the most marketing and have the most financial backing are pushing out unique experiences and many of those games that have the financial ability to do so are engineered in a way to prioritize engagement and the addictive properties in games. It’s a more intricate and nuanced subject than “vote with your wallet.” Just because most people have Facebook circa 2025 doesn’t mean that it’s healthy for peoples’ mental health to scroll on it out of addiction, you know? Most people don’t actually know what is out there with games and continue to support what they know rather than exploring more games that may broaden their tastes and palette. This has never been more apparent than in the current era of gaming.
The reality is that most people don’t truthfully know if they would like a spectrum of games because they are not exposed to them or aware of them. Gamers have become risk averse because the larger corporations are telling them to do so and they don’t know any better and probably don’t realize this influence.
By the way, totally believe Hellblade should get more exposure for the unique things it does. I get that it’s maybe not “the best game,” but as a piece of art, it’s highly successful. The first game really didn’t look appealing to me, so I didn’t play it at release, but a family member of mine recommended it, so I checked it out and I’m glad I was told about it. The last two generations, I’ve found myself digging harder because I’ve noticed people used to recommend more games and used to try to expose people to unique experiences, but aren’t doing that so much anymore. I ask about this and usually the answer I get is that people don’t know what’s out there anymore.
That’s why I continue to try to get these kinds of games exposure and tell people about them, wear t-shirts of “obscure games,” etc. Things have changed to make it more difficult for indies to flourish for a multitude of reasons. But I’m happy to help people find more games they’d enjoy. It’s sort of cool seeing others enjoy a game they didn’t know about.
Re: Katamari Creator Returns To Japan And Considers His Future Following Poor Sales For 'To A T'
@jesse_dylan @BAMozzy I dunno. I think we should support games that feature disable characters or stuff that is child friendly without being made from a marketing machine. I dunno about anyone else, but I’d rather my kids learn about overcoming obstacles in spite of being different vs “Paw Patrol game #4.” Not that there’s anything wrong with Paw Patrol, but it’s up to our wallets to ensure that people are still able to craft art and idiosyncratic experiences. It’s not like To A T got much of an opportunity for the right people to know it exists, you know? It just irks me when predatory content like Five Nights at Freddy’s, Roblox, and Fortnite are aimed at kids right now and monopolizing their free time and headspace when something like this doesn’t even have the ability to market itself toward any success.
I’m not giving up on the good fight. I’m crusading for unique games until the fight is won. I know I’m on a “kids games hill” for this one, but honestly this generation has been regressive towards much of what is unique in gaming.
Also, I am so thankful for Kojima. As long as he and Remedy continue to find success, there’s hope out there in the industry.
Re: Katamari Creator Returns To Japan And Considers His Future Following Poor Sales For 'To A T'
Said the same thing on the Pushsquare version of the article, but I want to post it again:
Support games that do something different. If we don’t throw our support into unique games with unique ideas now, the industry will continue to siphon into games they care more about engagement than fun. We’re at a dangerous point in gaming history where every day the executives of gaming companies are looking for safer games with more monetization for the benefit of their shareholders. I get that To a T may not be for everyone, but neither are a lot of games. Sometimes games do need support and exposure and unfortunately that’s not being given to games such as this.
For what it’s worth, To a T was one of my favorite games this year. I preferred it even to the latest Katamari game too. It’s a unique game with a fantastic soundtrack and I do hope that Takahashi’s able to get a lifeline, so he’s able to continue creating his own idiosyncratic vision of gaming. We need these kinds of unique voices. Also, the game is great for kids as well. My 8 year old was able to beat the game no problem and my 4 year old loves to watch it.
Re: Poll: What Is Your Xbox Game Of The Year For 2025?
1. Silksong
2. Blue Prince
3. Other… I could put Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo, To a T, or Once Upon a Katamari here if they were options
4. Arc Raiders
5. Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, I suppose.
Gamepass carried my play time for the first five months of the year, but honestly my “all games across all platforms” is heavily Switch 2 forward. The Nintendo first party stuff just spoke to me far, far more than most of the games released this year. I’ve still yet to play Outer Worlds 2, Sektori, or the Seance At Blake Manor from my personal list to feel like I can genuinely pick a true top 10 across all platforms though, but I’m trying to get there! I’ve beaten a few more than 20 games this year and tried around 50-ish. Death Stranding 2 is my ultimate GoTY. From my playtime, I’d say there were 20-25 games I’d put at a 7/10+, which is a relatively solid year.
Re: Opinion: The Game Awards' Big Surprise Fell Flat, But I Have High Hopes For This New Xbox FPS
@Kezelpaso If anything, the reaction to its placement in the show says something about the disconnect between the viewing gamers and the industry money right now. I know, with my viewing party, we were all sort of losing focus toward the end of the show with all the gatcha games getting trailers one after the other. I know those games probably spend a lot of money to get those slots, but no one in my group could tell where one ended and the other began.
After enduring a bunch of samey trailers that felt more like ads than a typical trailer to follow it up with a F2P Hero Shooter left everyone saying, “They’re going to announce something else after the award, right?” But no… At least we still got the multi-instrumental flute guy going crazy again this year!
Seriously though, there’s a disconnect between the single player and esports crowd now in a big way and I think it’s all about presentation rather than game quality.
Re: Opinion: The Game Awards' Big Surprise Fell Flat, But I Have High Hopes For This New Xbox FPS
It would’ve been a huge pop if this came out 10-15 years ago, but it sure feels like no one wants anymore hero shooters. Personally, I felt like this reveal landed like a wet sock. Maybe it was the fact that it was the last game announced when there were “bigger” games for the gaming core in the show. I mean, Megaman and Control 2 were moments when my group got silent and watched.
Re: One Game In Particular Deserved Way More Love At The Game Awards 2025
Honestly, I personally think The Game Awards dumping every award of E33, made 2025 look like a sham year for gaming. I know some people want to believe E33 is so good it deserved all the awards, but really we’re in an era where people are playing fewer games and purchasing fewer games. Does it really help the industry to focus solely on one game?
I watched the show with some friends and all of us started getting annoyed with E33 winning awards. We all cheered when Wuthering Waves beat it for Player’s Choice. Lol. The ludicrous choice to give a game that can afford basically an A list cast getting “indie game of the year” while also being marketed directly by Microsoft is a slap in the face to vibrancy of the indie game scene too.
Re: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Devs Bemoan Lack Of Awards At TGA 2025
I didn’t even enjoy KCD2 and I agree with him. E33 is officially the most overrated game to have ever been made after last night and I say that as someone who liked the game for the most part.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Game Awards 2025?
A D. Megaman could’ve boosted it to at least a B if Clair Obscur didn’t receive literally every award it was nominated for except for one. It’s bad when you get grateful that the bots gave an award to a gatcha game.
Re: The Game Awards Trailer Prices Range From 'Free' To Over '1 Million' USD, Claims Report
@smoreon I’d imagine he does play games. As obnoxious as Geoff can be, his enthusiasm seems genuine.
Re: Xbox Launches New $1 Game Pass Ultimate Offer For The Holidays
Well, looks like I WILL try the Outer Worlds 2 by the end of the year then!
Re: The Game Awards Trailer Prices Range From 'Free' To Over '1 Million' USD, Claims Report
Hopefully he plugs Forgotlings again (for free) since the release for that one should be pretty imminent.
I do wonder what type of games Geoff actually plays.
Re: Is 'Xbox Wrapped' Happening For 2025? Fans Clearly Want To See It
@Fiendish-Beaver After how low quality the PlayStation one was this year, I’m just hoping the Xbox one has depth to it this year. This is the first year in a long while that I’ve played a good chunk of my gaming time on Xbox over PS5, so I’m curious to see what my actual playtimes were!
Re: Is 'Xbox Wrapped' Happening For 2025? Fans Clearly Want To See It
I’m genuinely curious this year. It was a rocky year for Xbox for me in the second half of the year, but Xbox felt like my dominant console this year… until the Switch 2 launched and totally took over. I’m curious what my numbers were, especially knowing that I played my PlayStation 5 less than expected. I want to compare my playtime.
Re: Paramount Fights Back Against Netflix With 'Superior All-Cash Offer' For Warner Bros.
@abe_hikura Warner Bros/Discovery has been terrible since they merged, so honestly I can see whoever purchases them to improve them. HBOMax went from feeling like Netflix used to to feeling like… how Netflix feels now for me. That said, Paramount and Netflix would probably both do a lot more with the cartoons in the WB storage because they realize people want to watch them.
Re: Talking Point: Four Years On, Did Halo Infinite Ever Live Up To Expectations?
I really enjoyed the campaign at the time of release, but I also thought that it was clearly designed with the purpose of getting dlc down the line. When it was revealed that campaign dlc was never in the cards, I soured a little bit towards it, but I’d still call it my favorite 343 Halo as a campaign.
I wasn’t much a fan of the multiplayer though. It was an improvement on 5 but still far from the glory days that ended after 4.
Re: Paramount Fights Back Against Netflix With 'Superior All-Cash Offer' For Warner Bros.
I just hope that whoever buys Warner Bros Discovery is willing to free Infinity Train
Re: Poll: What Are Your First Impressions Of Routine On Xbox Game Pass?
Really genuinely curious about this game. Reactions seem to be very literally all over the place. I have a hard time resisting playing games like this, but I’ve yet to try it. I don’t imagine I’ll have time to play it this year, given everything I have to currently play, but I’m interested.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (December 6-7)
Metroid Prime 4
Re: Metroid Prime 4 Has A Stronger Connection To Xbox And Halo Than You Might Think
The half hour I played last night felt pretty solid.
I’ve got no real opinion so far, but I mean the game’s reviewing better than that new Marvel game, so it’s not like I can even say I can make sense of the disconnect between my YouTube feed any reality anymore. I do hope I end up enjoying Prime 4 in the end.
Re: Netflix Is Buying Warner Bros. For Even More Money Than Xbox's ActiBlizz Deal
Hopefully this doesn’t mean bad things for the consumer. So far, the push for consolidation has led to worse media at a higher cost, in my opinion… and I’m honestly less interested in what’s being peddled out to us and I consume less too.
Also, jeez, I’m hoping that the inevitable Hogwarts Legacy sequel lives up to the first one’s… ahem… legacy… following this as well.
Re: Routine Is Getting All Kinds Of Review Scores Ahead Of Its Xbox Game Pass Launch
@Stoned_Patrol I didn’t end up buying Routine and just ended up going for bulk instead with Black Mesa, Garry’s Mod, Coromon, Ex-Zodiac, Level Devil, Core Keeper, Refind Self, Nidana, and The Seance of Blake Manner. I had a $50 gift card and was honestly able to get almost every game in that list, which is quite impressive. I only actually paid for 1.5 games after that gift card (which I was gifted). Pretty cool that I’ve got a decent library to start with for such a good deal thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I’ll be getting the Deck next week, but I’m already happy with it.
I’m gone from Gamepass, I believe. I’m not sure there’s $30 worth of games I’d want from Gamepass in December, so the value just isn’t there anymore. I’m in the process of selling my Xbox to buy accessories for the Deck, like mouse/keyboard/a really nice controller. I get that Cdkeys is cheaper, but I’m just sort of peeved with Xbox’s vision at the moment.
Re: 'Replaced' Finally Has An Xbox Game Pass Release Date, Four Years Since It Was Revealed
I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. Got it wishlisted currently, curious on what kind of pricing it’ll have.
Re: Xbox Crowns Its Biggest Third-Party Game Pass Launch Of 2025
@Lup @Sindayl Definitely agree with the both of you. If Clair Obscur didn’t get the press bump from being a budget release at launch, history may have been very different.
As it stands though, I am grateful this one was on Gamepass. I very nearly ordered it on PlayStation, even with it being on Gamepass, because I loved the concept so much, but then I felt like I should be rational and try it before purchasing, so I started it on Gamepass. By the end, I was really glad I saved the money and didn’t buy the game. It was still a good game, but the hype was overblown big time for me.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner As a huge Final Fantasy fan, I really hope not. I’ve liked every Final Fantasy game more than Clair Obscur, outside maybe Final Fantasy 1-3 and maybe 5. I’d have to mull over if I liked 33 or 5 better. I want Final Fantasy to keep being Final Fantasy and being its own breed of massive rpg.
Re: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About December Xbox Release Octopath Traveler 0
@jesse_dylan I don’t finish every game either, but I want to go in with the intention that I’m going to want to commit to finishing a game, you know? I do beat the majority of my games, but I also prefer my games to be 20-ish hour games because I know I’ll beat something like that in two weeks, play the next thing and so on and so forth. A long game’s gotta be REALLY special for me nowadays. Octopath 1 and 2 were both a little too long for what they were for me, personally, but, I mean, Triangle Strategy had me engrossed to the end. Realistically though, COVID was the last time I could easily commit to these styles of games without juggling.
If 2026 doesn’t bulk up soon though, there’s definitely room in the release schedule to hunker down and play something massive.
Re: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About December Xbox Release Octopath Traveler 0
If I was 25 years younger, this would be such a dream game, based on what I’ve read, but, man, that 100+ hour playtime makes it hard for me. I mean, I’ve still never beaten Persona 5 and I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried. Long games are hard to beat. If 2026 has another drought like 2024 or 2025 though, I’ll get this on sale, I think. It looks fantastic.
Re: Routine Is Getting All Kinds Of Review Scores Ahead Of Its Xbox Game Pass Launch
Thinking about this one being my inaugural Steamdeck game when I get the console next week. I have a feeling the pricetag for this one might be cheaper than a month of Gamepass now! 😂
Re: New Microsoft Survey Suggests Five AI Features That Could Be Added To Xbox Game Pass
@Scummbuddy Lol, yeah, I feel like “recommendations” tend to just be other games that are selling a lot regardless of what you play. Or it’s a scenario like, “You played Elden Ring, huh? Here’s 30 games that are just like it, despite it being an outlier to your habits.”
I’ve tried sourcing recommendations from various sites and apps and thus far, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that can steer myself towards my own taste when I’m buying games (and I can’t even always stick the landing on that either!).
Re: New Microsoft Survey Suggests Five AI Features That Could Be Added To Xbox Game Pass
I don’t really need any of that.
In my experience, AI has been bad at recommending games to me thus far, as I’ve tried it already. And honestly, I sort of feel like our numerical analysis of everything exists to distance us from actually experiencing things rather than going through the numbers. Numbers and trends are addictive to me and I could see sorting through data becoming as much a game as games themselves, which feels sort of wrong. I’m already a spreadsheet gamer. Do I need more encouragement to compartmentalize my gaming further?
Re: Xbox Adds More Perks For Game Pass Members (December 2025)
I’ve made the joke before, but is this Gamepass or Battle Pass?
Re: Poll: What Do You Think Of Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden On Xbox Game Pass?
I bought this one pretty close to release and loved it. I put it off for a few months for absolutely no reason and regretted that I did so. The game has a few minor issues with samey enemies and such, but the storyline is fantastic. It’s got some of the absolute best acting and writing in a video game. Period.
I’d give the game an 8/10 overall, but it’s a great 8/10 and I liked it more than some games I’d probably give a 9/10 to. If you value good narratives in games, give this one a look. It’s my personal belief that this game should’ve gotten the type of excitement Clair Obscur received.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 29-30)
Honestly, I really want to play something new, but I feel bad about buying anything new right now, given that Metroid is coming this week and I’m about to buy a Steamdeck and will be sinking some money into starting a Steam library very soon. I have to work today, but it’s snow storm weather, so I sort of want to just curl up and play some games. Realistically though, I think I’m just going to plan my early Steam library and play Arc Raiders… but I keep thinking about The Outer Worlds 2 at random too…
I should go back to Yotei and finish that though, shouldn’t I? Or Silent Hill F? Or Hades 2? For some reason, as good as those games are, man, I’m struggling getting back to them.
Re: Rumour: Two Xbox First-Party Titles Get Leaked 2026 Release Windows
I want Fable and Halo’s release dates though…
Re: Three Xbox First-Party Games Make The Cut In AP's Top 10 Releases Of 2025
What a bizarre top 10 list. Shadows being above Yotei is certainly a choice. Good to see a list that’s Gamepass-centric and totally different from what would be expected. Some omissions seem bizarre to me though…
Then again, Expedition 33 wouldn’t be in my list, so I’m sure people would say the same thing about my list.
Re: Talking Point: What Have You Bought In The Xbox Black Friday Sale 2025 So Far?
Nothing so far in any of the sales. I’m still contemplating things. There’s a part of me that wants to buy The Outer Worlds 2, but I’m just not sold yet. Though that’s on PS5… that and Lushfoil Photography Sim I’m thinking about.
Given the price hikes on Xbox, I’m contemplating selling my Series S and Xbox accessories to get the money to buy a Steamdeck a friend of mine is selling. In a way, I’ve sort of got my own Xbox Black Friday sale going on.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (November 22-23)
I played through Portal yesterday with my son. That was fun. It’s always interesting to share an ancient artifact with him and see what he thinks. He could see the influence in other games he likes such as The Stanley Parable, Superliminal, and The Witness. Not bad observing that for an 8 year old.
Outside that, I’m contemplating jumping on a Black Friday sale for something. While, yes, I still have Yotei and Silent Hill F to complete, I sort of feel like I’m having a hard time pushing myself to play either of them and Portal felt like a breath of fresh air. A friend of mine really wants me to start playing Arc Raiders too, so maybe that’s the answer. I didn’t have time for games for a while, but I think that’ll change a bit this week. Just not sure how yet.
Re: Poll: Which Is Your Favourite Xbox 360 Launch Title?
I didn’t buy a 360 until the glory days of Halo, personally. For me, Xbox Live Arcade and Halo were where the console really shined.
Out of that batch, I’d vote for Kameo too, I suppose.
Re: Expedition 33 Wins GOTY As Xbox Takes Home Two Awards At The Golden Joysticks 2025
Glad they separated things, so other games could win awards. Looking forward to next year, so the year of E33 can be grommaged by the Paintress. The game’s fine (7/10 for me), but I’m tired of hearing about it. Lol.
Love that Bananza beat E33 by the Critics vote. Would be happy to see similar logic happen at the Geoff Awards with Bananza getting GotY. Would be hilarious to see the reactions next day.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade November's Xbox Partner Preview Event?
I’d give it a C. It was well produced, but very little I’m personally interested in.
Dave the Diver 2 is definitely the highlight for me. Vampire Crawlers, I will definitely get, though the new genre they’re exploring isn’t a genre I typically enjoy. Curious about Roadside Research and maybe Tides, which looks like E33, Stellar Blade, and Wukong were sharing notes.
Re: This Xbox Game Studios Adventure Deserved More Nominations At The Game Awards 2025
It deserved a nod for music and art direction (so did Keeper though). That said though, I think the game was ok to good for the most part beyond that. It’s one of those solid 7/10 type games that is memorable for what it tries to do as a game, but doesn’t fully accomplish, while being a good story and having good atmosphere. It would’ve probably made a better movie than game, in my opinion.