somnambulance

Chicken made with generative AI is officially on the menu.

I played it at launch on my PS5. I had surgery around the time when it came out, so I blasted through it, and honestly enjoyed it a lot. It was a good distraction from some of the real life stuff I was dealing with at the time. The story is a little bland, but the gameplay’s solid. I’d say it might be my favorite modern AC game, even if I’m overrating it completely due to the circumstances in which I played it. Shadows is better looking, Valhalla’s more memorable, the story’s better in Origins, and there’s significantly more to do in Odyssey, but Mirage doesn’t overstay its welcome and it goes back to what made the series interesting in the first place.

Going to keep on keeping on with Death Stranding 2 and UFO 50 with a bit of Is This Seat Taken?

Oh maybe Drag X Drive’s beta too!

Jeez, everyone, calm down! This doesn’t mean there will be no more support. No, it means their marketing guy was part of the 50% laid off and Microsoft just forgot to turn the social media bot on.

Tony Hawk was my last Gamepass game before my sub ran out, so that one!

Seriously though, that’s the only one I had passing interest in this month.

Rare’s anniversary is celebrated just a few weeks after the team suffered layoffs and had their big project cancelled. Feels a little hollow seeing this. Hopefully the art wasn’t AI generated!

That’s fine with me. Keep putting resources into a new experience!

Maybe I’ll get back to Death Stranding 2 after putting it on hiatus for Donkey Kong Bananza. Realistically, I’m in no rush to play through it though, as I gotta be honest… that release slate in August and September isn’t calling my name right now.

Outside that, it’ll be Ninja Gaiden Ragebound and Time Flies, which I started both yesterday and it doesn’t seem it’ll take long to beat either of them.

@BattleMonkey Blue Prince was fantastic. It’s been a solid year for GP overall. I’ve enjoyed a lot of games on the service this year. My top 10 this year was almost entirely GP games until the Switch 2 launched. I just wish GP was still cheaper. It was a better value a few years ago. Hoping for some surprisingly solid indies to drop in the fall perhaps since that tends to happen.

@Millionski DK is absolutely insane as a game, isn’t it? I just finished it the other day and it made me happy in a way so few games have. I’ve decided to get all third party games on Switch 2 as possible for the time being. I love the machine, but I wish there were more games for it. To be fair to Xbox, I’ve not been playing as much PlayStation as in previous years either. This is the first year since 2017 where I’ve played more Xbox than PlayStation, but I suspect DS2 and Ghost may level that out.

@BattleMonkey Depends on the games, honestly. Since the Switch 2 came out, I’ve been mostly playing that. I’ve also been playing my PS5 a little bit too for Death Stranding 2. I haven’t used my Xbox since my GP sub ran out about a week or two ago. I sub to GP whenever there’s something I want to play on it that’s cheaper than buying the game, but otherwise I don’t tend to stay subbed full time. Xbox was my primary platform for about a decade, but I stopped doing so following the Switch 1 launch. I’ve drifted further from Xbox over the last decade or so due to their lack of focus on exclusives and first party games. I’ll definitely resub to GP at some point, but that’s certainly to be determined at this point. I wouldn’t say there’s anything else this year that’s calling to me right now, outside Silksong and Witchbrook, which I’ll buy both… physically if possible for Switch 2. Feels like I’m waiting for Halo and Fable for Xbox right now.

The month my sub ran out, huh? Guess that sends a good message to the executives about all the layoffs being a good idea.

@Questionable_Duck If any game could pull off the price hike, it’s CoD. Basically CoD, Mario Kart, and GTA may be the only games I could see people getting stuck with the hikes… but suck it up all the same.

It’s interesting to see people celebrate this when… honestly, this is The Outer Worlds 2. It’s still not really a massive release. I could be wrong, but $70 might still be a big ask. I’d imagine the preorders have been Concordian, which caused the price decrease, not “the public won” spin that they’re going to pull. But, even still, going down $10, I don’t think they’re going to be that much better.

I know a lot of people are upset on here, but I loved the Ori games and will gladly get this on Switch 2 day one.

Last game I bought on Xbox was the Midway Arcade Collection about 2 years ago. Before that, it was Dragon Ball FighterZ at launch. I basically only use my Xbox when and if I’m subbed to Gamepass at this point. I’m currently not, so it’s just sort of a Minecraft box for my kids at the moment.

Donkey Kong Bananza for sure. Playing the Switch again just makes gaming so much more convenient, as I’d gone back to playing Switch more heavily while my PS5 was in the shop and I sort of noticed I was gaming more, but bugging my wife less about it because it felt like I was gaming less due to shorter sessions. DK is absolutely fantastic, by the way.

I’d like to play more Death Stranding 2 though.

Honestly, both games are so good, it’s insane. It’s crazy how these two games are just so beyond anything else that’s released this year. Haven’t enjoyed two games in tandem so much since the crowded second half of 2019.

Always next year with Xbox…

Keeper by a wide mile for me. Not sure how I feel about Outer Worlds 2, no interest at all in CoD, and I’ll take a 2D Ninja Gaiden in Ragebound asap, but never particularly liked the 3D entries.

@BAMozzy Oh, I definitely agree that Microsoft will survive regardless of anything to do with Xbox. Xbox is small fry in comparison to everything else Microsoft does. I figure most people, even in trying to avoid Microsoft, may pour money into the company without being aware of it in the slightest.

@BAMozzy so in other words, it’s easier to let go of wages bought than inflated salaries that continue to cause problems? To me, it feels like Phil and co are slowly deflating the Xbox bubble. There’s literally executives that get hired industry to industry to allow businesses to burn down to be replaced by new businesses that are the same in all but name, and to me, the leadership at Xbox seems to be doing some similar strategies. My Dad worked for a big box that closed down shop last year and no one knew they were losing their jobs until maybe five weeks before it happened… and it was originally a two weeks notice, but stores were selling better than anticipated. Xbox’s current status reminds me of that, and I think that’s to rebrand the business to Microsoft gaming. Sierra Mist becomes Starry, you know?

@theduckofdeath The layoffs and investment into AI certainly affects the entertainment value of the product long term. If you’re expecting Xbox to continuously deliver strong titles, but you’re concerned that the titles they’ve announced may be cancelled in favor of something else, obviously that veers into bait and switch tactics. As @Millionski said, if a product isn’t supported or it doesn’t have a unique value to it, what’s the point? Xbox as a console platform just isn’t providing that value, or else the spin on Xbox across the media may be more positive.

@BAMozzy What you’ve said is true, but I would argue that the consistency in Xbox’s message is that they’ve continuously said something, done the opposite, and been on a trend to be less communicative. I almost miss the days of Redfall when Phil had a candid discussion about what went wrong there. I remember when Sega was losing steam as a console platform and I don’t remember people turning like this. It feels like the more they expand the thinner the fanbase is.

And you’re totally right that EA, WB, Sony, and Ubisoft are doing the same thing as Xbox. And I think people are frustrated with all of them as well right now. I know I am.

Hey guys, they’re clearly hiring for a reason.

@Fiendish-Beaver The Xbox strategy this generation has been baffling to say the least. Announce a console with huge fanfare while announcing a series of games that were 2-6 years out, basically change directions every 3 months, acquire developers and studios only to lay off significant amounts of staff, etc. The list goes on. It just feels like bad business. At the beginning of the generation, I’d say about 2/3rds of my friends had a Series console and were buying third party games on Xbox just to try to support Xbox. My friend group was more pro-Xbox than PlayStation or Nintendo five years ago. It’s weird to watch that slowly change over the last five years to the point where some of the same friends won’t even buy anything new that has Microsoft’s name attached to it. I’ve never seen a bigger shift away from a brand in realtime.

They’d be insane to go over $500/$800 in this climate.

That said, not sure how many people are going to want to buy one either. After announcing the layoffs and then that $80bn investment in AI, I can’t say I know anyone that wants to support Microsoft in the slightest right now. I did know people that were going to buy this, but at a certain point you erode too much trust, you know? I gotta wonder if Xbox has some plans for a positive curveball before this to get people supportive of them again.

@Titntin I’ll admit, I felt quite silly for rushing through the GP games earlier in the year in anticipation for DS2. Felt like I had nothing to play while my PS5 was in the shop. A reminder perhaps to take more time and smell the roses?

It’s Double Fine, so of course it’s worth looking into. No idea what they’ll do with this one and that’s a wonderful thing

@Titntin I’m pretty far removed from the warranty at this point. It wasn’t terrible to repair. It cost more than a new controller, but less than a new console. I’ll be keeping an eye on the console a bit more now that I know that it can do… that…. Apparently it’s not uncommon for early models of the PS5 to burn out the liquid metal that cools down the console. I was told that it may dry out again, but now I’ve got a year warranty, so I’ll be able to crank through Death Stranding, Yotei, Resi9, and Pragmata (and perhaps more) as blissfully as I want with a help card if I need it!

@ScalenePowers Enjoy Mirror’s Edge! Man, I remember buying the game ages ago when it was maybe two years old or so, and the game utterly blew me away. The level design and art direction are immaculate and the gameplay still feels like a revelation to this day. It’s a shame they tried to go with a darker, grittier sequel, misunderstanding that the absence of dark and grit is what makes the original so surreal and unique and a timeless classic. One of the best games of the 360 era for sure.

Finally Death Stranding 2 for me! After two weeks at the shop, my PS5 seems to be a-ok!

It’s the least of Bethesda’s RPGs to me and I’m honestly sort of shocked they didn’t try to pull a Cyberpunk narrative with it to try to shift public perception on the game. It may be in the top 10 biggest disappointments for me this generation. It’s not that it’s a bad game, no… It’s that it’s just ok. When you made some of the definitive RPGs in gaming and they’re fewer and far between, the expectation only increases, unfortunately, and Starfield just doesn’t come close to what Skyrim or Fallout 3 or Morrowind did ages ago now.

Paywalling two characters is sort of a junk move, but I expect this one will be a good way to sail out the last nine days of my Gamepass sub. It’s a pro that the whole game is on disk, as well. As safe as the game sounds to be, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the most overall solid Xbox Games Studios game of the year.

@Fiendish-Beaver I’d say that sounds accurate to me. And knowing how MS is now, once a live service game starts losing steam, they’ll pull the plug on it and close the studio perhaps.

@Coletrain I totally agree. The endless remasters and transition to live service games have been my beef with PlayStation. And the fact that they waste so much time advertising Soulslikes. I just want fun games with unique premises or big, cinematic adventures. I mean, Astro Bot and Death Stranding are basically the only things they’ve made this generation that I think are essential for me, which is weird because I was loving the first party slate the last two generations.

To be frank though, Xbox has had a hard time getting out games I love too though…loved Psychonauts and Hi-Fi Rush, and Indiana Jones was a real triumph. The games have been trending in a positive direction, but that always feels like it comes before something catastrophic happens. It’s frustrating now.

This generation has been so slow to start and I don’t like that both platforms are already talking about next gen as if they’ve utilized this generation.

@Millionski @Coletrain I think I’m honestly sort of done with Xbox and PlayStation right now for future generations. I may change my mind, but this generation has pushed me away from both of them. I’ve bought every console from the both of them, but I dunno… it feels like they’ve both forgotten core concepts this generation.

Are the unrealistic expectations to have people excited about the brand? Each time Xbox does massive layoffs, they’ve hurt the integrity of their brand, which is already struggling with a higher price point and “no games” narrative. Even if the narrative changed last year a little bit, the harm’s done. I don’t know how Xbox will turn it around after burning so much goodwill.

As of two weeks ago, the last of the people I knew in real life with a Series Xbox outside myself sold theirs (outside myself). The same friend group is having a quicker and more complete abandon rate for Xbox than we had with Stadia. You can’t hit financials if you’re bleeding consumers.

@EVIL-C Second party is an informal term, but it’s a real thing. It’s the same thing as HAL Labs or Game Freak’s Pokemon series with Nintendo. It simplifies the explanation of a game that is published by a first party with license owned by a first party that is developed by a third party studio. Sega has certainly made 2nd party titles for Nintendo. 2nd party is a term that basically simplifies the discussion.

I’d imagine most on the business side of things would instead describe it as a Sony intellectual property developed under contract of an independent studio under Sony supervision rather than saying its 1st, 2nd, or 3rd party in a formal term. In the past, a second party studio may have been more or less described as a studio functioning under an exclusivity contract, as Insomniac did while developing Ratchet and Clank. The industry is changing though and exclusivity contracts function very differently than they did in previous generations. But something like Helldivers 2 does fit very directly for what the definition of what a second party product is.

@Kienda I really appreciate your comment. That’s the first time someone’s ever actually laid it out for why or what they enjoyed about the game. Thank you for giving me examples and details.

I suspect that a lot of my feelings on the game may have to do with the fact that it wasn’t a game my group socially connected to, and it’s not much a solo game. When I think of mp shooters, the ones I’ve enjoyed most felt like cultural moments as a gamer rather than a game I’m playing through.

@MasterTanookiChief If that’s the case, man, Helldivers 2 was not for me. My instant feeling on it was, “Why is everyone going crazy about this game online?” Maybe I just don’t get it. I don’t know anyone personally that was jazzed on Helldivers either. Most people I knew bought it, but didn’t really have much attachment.

I actually didn’t mind Concord taking a spin on Overwatch’s gameplay. It was different enough where it sort of felt a little Destiny-like, but not quite, you know? I liked Concord more than I liked Helldivers, but didn’t love either game. Biggest problem with Concord for me was that no one was playing it though.

I wouldn’t say I’m much of a multiplayer shooter player at this point, but I do miss being one and am seeking something that feels genuinely fresh and probably haven’t had that feeling with shooters in half a decade or so. The genre might just not be for me anymore.

@DennisReynolds @dskatter Not sure what the unique selling point is on Helldivers. I mean, it has friendly fire, which is unique these days, I guess. It’s a Starship Troopers game in all but name outside that. When I was playing it, my friend group was all sort of meh about it and we all bounced off it pretty quick. We all felt like it felt basically like a F2P game that we paid for.

I dunno. Did either of you actually play Concord? While it wasn’t an Overwatch killer as Sony was hoping, it was fairly competent as a hero shooter, just with generic designs and poor marketing. It also should’ve been F2P. The internet decided it was trash before anyone played it though, so it never had a shot. I’d hazard to guess that 95% of the people that complained about it never played it.

All that said though, what exactly was I missing with Helldivers? I don’t mind multiplayer shooters (and unlike many, I don’t care if something is live service), but I just never got the hype on this one, where it was so popular it busted the servers. Granted, I’ve been at odds with a lot of hype trains, but I’ve honestly been trying to get Helldivers for over a year and I’ve never gotten anyone get me an account of what makes it better than the similar games that have drawn criticism from the gaming community other than “it’s good and the other games aren’t.” I’m willing to try it again if I’m missing something, you know? …But on the console I already own it on.

@NishimuraX Technically, it’s a 2nd party game. Sony doesn’t own the studio, but they own the Helldivers IP. Arrowhead is independent, but the IP is basically licensed out to them, even if Arrowhead created the property. Sony is publishing the game.

That said, no way I’d buy Helldivers 2 a second time. Given that people trashed on Concord for being a $40 live service game, I don’t get why Helldivers gets the pass. The game is ok, but I truly thought it was baffling when it was a GotY frontrunner last year, given that it’s basically got the set-up of a F2P game that was sold at a premium price.

I should know later today if my PS5 is repairable after over a week of waiting for it now, so best case scenario, I’ll be picking it up tomorrow and playing some Death Stranding 2 finally!

Other than that, I’ve been out with family the last two days and today, so, while I do have my Switch 2 on me, I’ve not played it. I can see myself showing off Welcome Tour and Mario Kart World at some point.

As much as I’d love a new Banjo game, I really hope it’s made by a third party team. Xbox can license the IP. I don’t want to see another studio closed or more developers laid off because Microsoft is incompetent with how they fund projects.

9000 people lost their job, so these executives could continue to live cozy lives while pushing this AI narrative. Glad I cancelled my Gamepass subscription! Seriously, Microsoft has to have a few top execs step down if they want to save any face on this.

I’d sell my Xbox if this was cancelled. Just being honest, that’d burn the bridge with me if this was cancelled.

It’s probably coming next year in that case or, at the very least, Microsoft is confident that people will like it.

Nintendo Direct and port incoming, please!

Seriously though, I feel like I miss Halo and could use a Halo game, new, old, whatever.

1. To A T
2. Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
3. Blue Prince

Voted for South of Midnight as a third game since I couldn’t vote other twice, but I wouldn’t say South of Midnight is a top 3 type of game. I liked it better than Doom and Clair Obscur though. I’d say Split Fiction’s a better game, but my wife didn’t like it, so it wasn’t as fun of a game! Lol. I’d put Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour above South of Midnight, fyi.

Yes, I like Welcome Tour more than Clair Obscur. The internet should take me away in the next 48 hours or so, correct?

My sub lapses on the 29th and I believe Tony Hawk will be my final Gamepass game until maybe I resub when that new Double Fine game releases.

I’m just hoping for a release date for Fable.

Ark 2 existed as an ad to regenerate interest in Ark 1 basically is what they’re saying.