@TheGameThrifter I’d argue that Xbox has been delivering since September, but that does feel like a mantra for Xbox at this point. At least the momentum is positive right now though.
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Even No Ghosts looks like a “I’ll play this on Gamepass when it comes out and see if I like it” type of game rather than a “Wow! I’m really looking forward to that!” type of game and I ranked it at #1. I know Clockwork Revolution was a the “big game,” getting buzz, but it remains to be seen if it’ll be able to get out of the Bioshock Infinite comparisons just yet. I still think the showcase was nice, but it just didn’t get me hyped for anything. Really odd Fable wasn’t there… Or a release date for like Witchbrook or Silksong.
Not E3 this year sold me on just two games for sure that I didn’t know about prior to the showcases in total though, and that’s Final Fantasy Tactics, which is an ancient game, and Resident Evil 9.
@Questionable_Duck Well… yeah… you’re right! Utterly questionable. It’s just.. why? It’s not like Outer Worlds has the fanbase and support to counteract this like Mario Kart does.
I left that Showcase feeling sort of confused in the Xbox vision a little bit.
The showcase was very ok to me. It sort of made me feel like this stretch of great games we got the last calendar year from CoD to CoD was sort of a fluke now though in terms of the styles of games I’d like to play from Xbox though. It feels like Fable isn’t any time soon, perhaps.
I dunno. There was some stuff announced that looks interesting, but probably nothing I’d buy without Gamepass.
Outer Worlds 2 being the first $80 game is pretty questionable. Not to knock on a game I haven’t played yet, but the first one felt sort of AA in terms of what the game was. You’d think they’d have put that risk on CoD instead. I almost feel like they’re sending Outer Worlds 2 out there to die on other platforms now.
I’d give it a C because A) after Tony Hawk, I think the hot streak for Gamepass is over for this year for my taste, B) everything is 2026 basically, so it sort of confirms that we’ll have a light fall release schedule, C) no Silksong release date, D) the old “this years old game is finally on Xbox… TODAY!” schtick, E) “You wanted a big game to end the year, well you’ve got it: COD!” F) even if I’m not too jazzed on much, the showcase was well made.
I dunno. There were a couple games that caught my eye, but I’m not sure I’d buy any of the games or play any of them if not for Gamepass. It was better than Summer Games Fest and Future Games Show, but there was no RE9 for me.
I feel like I’m really hoping for a Nintendo Direct that much more now.
Silksong. That’s what I want. Witchbrook too. I’d love to see Halo announced for Switch 2.
To be honest though, I’m hoping I like the Xbox showcase as much as the State of Play and considerably more than Summer Games Fest and the Future Games Show, as those two shows were awful. I just want the showcase to give me some ease because, even if I liked the State of Play, the last two days of showcases have been sour to me and killed the momentum started to indicate gaming is going in a better direction. Xbox had the best showcase last summer and I’d like them to do it again. If they don’t do that, I just want it to be a pleasant mix of games for many tastes. I’m just hoping there’s more than 2 games that are interesting from it. I’d like it if 2026 was more than Capcom and Grand Theft Auto for me. Lol.
@TapeLoader That genuinely could be the PR they’re going for with the game, which is cool. Personally, I don’t really like the look of the game from what I’ve seen in trailers, but, if there’s this huge, manufactured conspiracy built around the game, I respect and appreciate the effort they’ve put into crafting a compelling framework into the advertisement of the game.
@Kaloudz Wo Long was on GP previously, not sure if Wuchang is a GP title. Wukong is the only one among them I had interest in though. I’m not so into Souls style gameplay, which I’d say I think the other two are. Wukong’s visuals and gameplay were what had me interested prior to launch. I’d say Wukong was slightly disappointing as an overall game though. I’d rate the game a 6 or 7/10. It’s hard to call it a 6/10 with the visuals it has or the fluid gameplay it has, but I didn’t exactly like the game.
@Kaloudz I played the game on PS5 and I would say I’ve got a different experience than @Fanat1c. I actually felt the game was harder than Elden Ring in most parts of it, though part of the problem is that it never felt like the button inputs felt entirely accurate, so the rhythm for the game felt more random than consistent to me. This may be a PS5 at launch thing though. It may also be due to the fact that there was no multiplayer to aid on this one. The game definitely has that trial and error feeling to it like Souls games, but the combat doesn’t feel Souls, if that makes sense.
Man, I hope we see Spyro in 2025. Let’s see Xbox have an Astro Bot moment by tossing a lovable mascot a platforming game with little time before release. I want to see Halo and Double Fine pretty badly too.
Also, surely Everwild has to have something at this point, right? And let’s get a release date for Fable?
This is that big moment where I decide if I’m subbing for Gamepass the rest of the year or not! Lol
I will try FBC. I love Remedy… but I don’t know how much a co-op shooter is for me in 2025. I sort of like the fps genre less and less as I get older and I’m not quite sure if that’s me changing or the games… as I still love the old ones.
The Alters looks like it may have potential too, but I dunno. It sort of gives me Fort Solis vibes too where it may be all atmosphere and land flat with my taste.
It sort of looks to me like Xbox is saving some announcements for their showcase next week though if that’s it. This year has been firing on all cylinders for Gamepass and, even if this looks like a standard month circa 2020-2024 right now, given how well this year has been, I’m sort of expecting something to land and shake up the current line-up.
To a T. Absolutely fantastic Takahashi wholesome goofiness. As of right now, I’d say it’s overtaken Blue Prince for being my favorite game so far this year.
To a T no contest. About halfway through it and I’d say it’s probably my frontrunner for GotY on Xbox, just narrowly edging out Blue Prince.
With that one, Doom, and (although not Gamepass), Nightreign, I’ve finally got a top 10 list for the year. 7 out of 10 of the titles are Gamepass as well, so really strong year for the service so far.
I think things are starting to shift on that. PlayStation’s got a silent cloud of subscriber dissatisfaction. If people unsubscribe like they say they will, Sony may find themselves in a hole.
That’s a smart strategy. I feel like Xbox is going to keep investing into “This is an Xbox,” which translates to having to do less work as a hardware manufacturer while making more profit engineering software en masse. I know the Xbox fans don’t like it, but it makes more money and makes more sense longterm. If Xbox is the first to be integrated into TVs via a cloud platform and the cost of entry isn’t a box but a subscription, Xbox will have found a new way to capitalize on the gaming market that it doesn’t seem Sony or Nintendo are thinking of. Remember that Xbox sees Amazon and Netflix as more authentic competitors to their vision.
@Valhura I had screen tearing, frame rate issues, audio cutting out, enemies falling off screen, stuttering animations, times where the joysticks didn’t work on my controller, times when the button inputs would lag or outright wouldn’t work, and gave up on the game officially when the game crashed on me when I finally got to the open world portion. I almost preordered the game due to how much I liked the art work. Man, was I glad I played it on Gamepass instead! I’ve never played a game with so many technical issues at launch. It was jarring.
I’ve got a high tolerance for jank too. Pokémon ScarVi is one of my favorite Pokemon games. I laughed at the jank of Cyberpunk because it was comical (when Jackie’s gun got stuck in his forehead during my playthrough! It was the highlight of the game!). Just for reference, I can deal with jank if it’s not game breaking. Atomic Heart played outright broken on my Series S.
I didn’t like Redfall either, but I wouldn’t say it was particularly buggy for me, just boring and empty and seemed way lower budget than anyone would’ve expected.
Usually I watch it live… but this year I’ll be at Polish Fest in Milwaukee during the time of the show, so I’ll watch it when I get home. After pierogis!
@ZuneTattooGuy Eh, everyone has different tastes. You could say that about any game. For me, Clair Obscur and KCD2 are both probably a 7/10 for various reasons, but for others they’re clearly GotY tier, but on the same token To a T is shaping up to be an 8 or 9/10 for me (and I fully expect some here may find me crazy for that because I know that’s an uncommon pov). From what I’ve played of Nightreign, it’s in a similar category to CO or KCD2 for scoring, but I’ve heard people talk about what they love about it and I believe they feel that way. Different strokes for different folks, you know? I’m sure some MAY be paid off, but I think there’s people that love what was made. It’s certainly unique, so I’ll give From that, even if I see some flaws for my enjoyment of it.
The beta was fine, but I sort of feel like I’ve hit Elden Ring saturation. At least Nightreign mixes up the genre and gameplay focus of the game rather than what Erdtree did, which was basically “hey, we heard you wanted to grind your already leveled up character again, huh?” The lack of crossplay though also means my Elden Ring squad would need to commit to the game and platform, which I don’t know if that’ll happen either. I have a feeling I’ll only get this one if it reviews in an insane degree and it excites my friend group.
I was hoping to read some reviews for this one on my lunch break, but it seems like that may not happen since there’s little buzz around this one, but, hey, I’m looking forward to playing it either way!
While I’m also happy to see the game is having massive success, I’m also torn because I didn’t like it nearly as much as everyone else does and there’s a constant, looping hype cycle for the game, so I also can’t help but feel it’s completely overrated. My whole time playing it, I just felt like the plot was obvious, and the characters were sort of thin. It was just the most “this is just good, but not great” game I’ve played in a long while.
I hope there’s a new GotY contender soon because I’m ready for the hype cycle to jump to its next target, as it jumped from KCD2 once Clair Obscur released.
To A T has the potential to briefly hold the top spot on my GotY list this year…
…until June at least…
This year’s been a bit muted for me so far in gaming, but I’m pretty happy about the upcoming schedule and To A T feels like the ultimate appetizer to me before a main course of Nintendo exclusives and Death Stranding 2.
I’m going to be playing the game of clearing out my basement this weekend, so my sister can move in.
On the gaming front, I’m sort of… not playing anything seriously. If I play anything, it’ll be a party game or Red Dead Redemption 2. RDR2 is just so fun to go back to. I had a patch of time where every game I played felt like “Meh, this is ok and overrated,” and RDR2 reminds me that games can be exceptional.
I was going to try the Splitgate 2 beta, but the servers haven’t been working for me, so glad they got all that money just to have the game’s servers be exactly like the first game.
I mostly feel like I’m waiting for Switch 2 and Death Stranding though. I’ll be playing To A T next week.
That said, I’m not totally opposed to remakes, just remakes of things that feel basically like the same game with better visuals and I feel like Bioshock would probably be in that boat. The Resident Evil Remakes and Final Fantasy VII Remakes are fine.
@Ricky-Spanish Lol. I’m burned out of nostalgia. I’ve beaten Bioshock 4 times already.
I’m 100% sure that, as much as I love the game, I’d have the same feeling I’d have playing Oblivion Remastered:
“Wow. This is cool.” 4 hours later. “Alright. Been there done that, I think I’m good on this. Let’s play something else.”
If I didn’t play so many games in my 36 years of life, I’d probably be ok with the remaster culture, but I played a lot, so that whole thing is boring to me.
That’s tremendously disappointing if true. I don’t want a Bioshock remake or remaster at all. As much as Bioshock is a better game that 95% of games that release now, I’d rather have new games than continue playing games with fresh coats of paint.
When I saw the Minecraft movie in theaters, every trailer was a remade movie. Let’s NOT do this to the gaming industry.
This is such a neat curio and I’m really glad it exists, even if some of the games are dumpy to play on a controller. It sure is nice to revisit Pitfall for me in particular. I don’t mind the format of the games, as it’s better for them to be on modern consoles rather than not playable at all. With older games such as many of these, they’ve been collecting dust for ages and I’m glad younger gamers can finally experience them. My son and I got a good hour of fun trying them out last night.
I understand that overcoming adversity is part of the point of Soulslikes, but having fun is the point of games. As Soulslikes have saturated the industry and grown increasingly divisive among gamers as a genre, I’m certain the developer is hoping to widen the interest with players that are disinterested in Soulslikes.
I suspect they’ve discovered that there is a large group that would be interested in the game, but will never purchase due to the difficulty. They’ve hit the ceiling of Souls fans, so to speak.
Of course the Souls fans are mad about this as they were with Elden Ring and how people chose to play it, but they need to understand that their preference in suffering is not shared by all. At least there are more than enough games these days that offer it, however.
I’ll be honest: I’m not sure how much I’m expecting. Gears of War isn’t for me, nor is Blade, and I’m just not sure how many upcoming games in the first party docket are for me. I’m sort of expecting one that doesn’t hit as hard for me, though I expect an entertaining show nonetheless.
Fable is basically the only confirmed heavy hitter that speaks to me, though Perfect Dark and Everwild, I’m trying my best to be optimistic about them. Would be nice to see something concrete about State of Decay and Halo. Last year’s was maybe my favorite showcase across any platform last year.
I mean, I played it for like 4-5 hours and was sort of ok with that. It’s literally the same game as the original with improved visuals and sprint. I’ll fart around with it when I get the mood, but I don’t know if I ever need to beat the game again
Y’know, I was going to play Doom: The Dark Ages, and I still might. Given the reviews, I can almost predict exactly how I’ll feel about it, which feels nice to know, given I’ve largely gambled with games I’ve picked up this year and lost the dice roll, but then… I downloaded Red Dead Redemption 2 again because my son drew a western themed comic on his napkin while we were taking my wife out for Mother’s Day, and I booted it up and started a new save and it’s just so good. There hasn’t been a single XSX/PS5 era game that’s THIS good (though Death Stranding 2 is right around the corner and that’s got the potential). Man, is it good. I’ve beaten it, played it to death, but man, I can’t get over it. I suspect I may be playing it til I’m sitting outside a store on June 4th trying to acquire a Switch 2 the old fashioned way.
@16BitHero Thanks, my friend! Appreciate the shout out! I try to maintain a positive mindset. My comments are typically a bit more negative on Pushsquare lately though, so don’t look! 😅
Happy to be worth reading though! Your message guarantees that I will be zeroing in more on your comments in the future now as well. The community across the Hookshot sites is truly great. Happy to be a part of it!
Yes, the Series S has been worth the money as a tertiary console used as a Gamepass machine. I wouldn’t say a Series S is worth it at the updated price though… unless it’s your only console. The first three years of the generation were a little rough for Gamepass too, but I’d say the last year or so has been a major improvement.
I feel like no one remembers the days back when Street Fighter and most other fighting games would basically re-release on a yearly basis for full price for the sake of adding four characters and minimal gameplay tweaks.
I will say though that MK1 had an egregious monetization system though and, even if the gameplay (outside the Kameo system, which felt totally unnecessary) and visuals were an improvement on MK11, it was the weakest total package of an MK game since MK vs DC. The made mistakes with the launch of MK11 and corrected them right away then doubled down on them with MK1 and ignored fan response. What do they expect? Respect your customers and they’ll respect your business. Plain and simple.
Comments 2,437
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 14-15)
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo and Mario Kart World probably
Re: 'Subscription Price Increase' Tag Reportedly Added To Xbox Cloud Gaming Website
Well, I mean, I’m dropping my sub after I get what I need out of THPS 3+4, so… yeah… if it’s too pricey, I just won’t come back for Outer Worlds 2.
Re: Xbox Has Three First-Party Games Coming Out Within 12 Days Of Each Other
Wait… Keeper is this year!? Definitely didn’t expect that. I must’ve missed something during the showcase.
Re: Switch 2 'Closer To Xbox Series S' Than Last-Gen Consoles, Says Ninja Gaiden Dev
As an owner of both and the last gen consoles, I’d agree with this 100%.
Re: Phil Spencer Says 2026 Is Going To Be 'A Really Special Year' For Xbox
@TheGameThrifter I’d argue that Xbox has been delivering since September, but that does feel like a mantra for Xbox at this point. At least the momentum is positive right now though.
Re: Poll: What Were Your Top 5 Reveals At The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
@PsBoxSwitchOwner Even No Ghosts looks like a “I’ll play this on Gamepass when it comes out and see if I like it” type of game rather than a “Wow! I’m really looking forward to that!” type of game and I ranked it at #1. I know Clockwork Revolution was a the “big game,” getting buzz, but it remains to be seen if it’ll be able to get out of the Bioshock Infinite comparisons just yet. I still think the showcase was nice, but it just didn’t get me hyped for anything. Really odd Fable wasn’t there… Or a release date for like Witchbrook or Silksong.
Not E3 this year sold me on just two games for sure that I didn’t know about prior to the showcases in total though, and that’s Final Fantasy Tactics, which is an ancient game, and Resident Evil 9.
Re: Poll: What Were Your Top 5 Reveals At The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
There are No Ghosts
Beast of Reincarnation
Keeper
Resonance
Clockwork Revolution
Now that I’ve voted, I’m sort of a little more meh about the Xbox Showcase than I was yesterday.
Re: Xbox Officially Has Its First $80 Game, And It Won't Be The Last
@Questionable_Duck Well… yeah… you’re right! Utterly questionable. It’s just.. why? It’s not like Outer Worlds has the fanbase and support to counteract this like Mario Kart does.
I left that Showcase feeling sort of confused in the Xbox vision a little bit.
Re: Reaction: Xbox Games Showcase 2025 Was Just OK, But Next Year Should Be Amazing
The showcase was very ok to me. It sort of made me feel like this stretch of great games we got the last calendar year from CoD to CoD was sort of a fluke now though in terms of the styles of games I’d like to play from Xbox though. It feels like Fable isn’t any time soon, perhaps.
I dunno. There was some stuff announced that looks interesting, but probably nothing I’d buy without Gamepass.
Re: Xbox Officially Has Its First $80 Game, And It Won't Be The Last
Outer Worlds 2 being the first $80 game is pretty questionable. Not to knock on a game I haven’t played yet, but the first one felt sort of AA in terms of what the game was. You’d think they’d have put that risk on CoD instead. I almost feel like they’re sending Outer Worlds 2 out there to die on other platforms now.
Re: Poll: How Would You Grade The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
I’d give it a C because A) after Tony Hawk, I think the hot streak for Gamepass is over for this year for my taste, B) everything is 2026 basically, so it sort of confirms that we’ll have a light fall release schedule, C) no Silksong release date, D) the old “this years old game is finally on Xbox… TODAY!” schtick, E) “You wanted a big game to end the year, well you’ve got it: COD!” F) even if I’m not too jazzed on much, the showcase was well made.
I dunno. There were a couple games that caught my eye, but I’m not sure I’d buy any of the games or play any of them if not for Gamepass. It was better than Summer Games Fest and Future Games Show, but there was no RE9 for me.
I feel like I’m really hoping for a Nintendo Direct that much more now.
Re: Last Chance! What Are Your Final Hopes For The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
Silksong. That’s what I want. Witchbrook too. I’d love to see Halo announced for Switch 2.
To be honest though, I’m hoping I like the Xbox showcase as much as the State of Play and considerably more than Summer Games Fest and the Future Games Show, as those two shows were awful. I just want the showcase to give me some ease because, even if I liked the State of Play, the last two days of showcases have been sour to me and killed the momentum started to indicate gaming is going in a better direction. Xbox had the best showcase last summer and I’d like them to do it again. If they don’t do that, I just want it to be a pleasant mix of games for many tastes. I’m just hoping there’s more than 2 games that are interesting from it. I’d like it if 2026 was more than Capcom and Grand Theft Auto for me. Lol.
Re: These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (June 9-13)
@TapeLoader That genuinely could be the PR they’re going for with the game, which is cool. Personally, I don’t really like the look of the game from what I’ve seen in trailers, but, if there’s this huge, manufactured conspiracy built around the game, I respect and appreciate the effort they’ve put into crafting a compelling framework into the advertisement of the game.
Re: Lies Of P: Overture Will Seemingly Shadow Drop On Xbox This Weekend
I hope the rumor about a Silksong shadow drop happens though… 🤡
Re: Surprise! Black Myth: Wukong Finally Has A Release Date For Xbox
@Kaloudz Wo Long was on GP previously, not sure if Wuchang is a GP title. Wukong is the only one among them I had interest in though. I’m not so into Souls style gameplay, which I’d say I think the other two are. Wukong’s visuals and gameplay were what had me interested prior to launch. I’d say Wukong was slightly disappointing as an overall game though. I’d rate the game a 6 or 7/10. It’s hard to call it a 6/10 with the visuals it has or the fluid gameplay it has, but I didn’t exactly like the game.
Re: Xbox's First Switch 2 Release Skates Onto Hybrid Console Next Month
Got my Switch 2 Wednesday night… but I’ll play this one on Gamepass.
If the rumors are true though, I’ll play some Halo on Switch 2 instead!
Re: Surprise! Black Myth: Wukong Finally Has A Release Date For Xbox
@Kaloudz I played the game on PS5 and I would say I’ve got a different experience than @Fanat1c. I actually felt the game was harder than Elden Ring in most parts of it, though part of the problem is that it never felt like the button inputs felt entirely accurate, so the rhythm for the game felt more random than consistent to me. This may be a PS5 at launch thing though. It may also be due to the fact that there was no multiplayer to aid on this one. The game definitely has that trial and error feeling to it like Souls games, but the combat doesn’t feel Souls, if that makes sense.
Re: Our Predictions For The 2025 Xbox Games Showcase
Man, I hope we see Spyro in 2025. Let’s see Xbox have an Astro Bot moment by tossing a lovable mascot a platforming game with little time before release. I want to see Halo and Double Fine pretty badly too.
Also, surely Everwild has to have something at this point, right? And let’s get a release date for Fable?
This is that big moment where I decide if I’m subbing for Gamepass the rest of the year or not! Lol
Re: Talking Point: Will This Lost Xbox Game Studios Title Appear At Microsoft's 2025 Showcase?
I’d rather see State of Decay, Fable, and Everwild with regards to games that were announced ages ago.
Re: Xbox Game Pass: All Games Coming Soon In June 2025
I will try FBC. I love Remedy… but I don’t know how much a co-op shooter is for me in 2025. I sort of like the fps genre less and less as I get older and I’m not quite sure if that’s me changing or the games… as I still love the old ones.
The Alters looks like it may have potential too, but I dunno. It sort of gives me Fort Solis vibes too where it may be all atmosphere and land flat with my taste.
It sort of looks to me like Xbox is saving some announcements for their showcase next week though if that’s it. This year has been firing on all cylinders for Gamepass and, even if this looks like a standard month circa 2020-2024 right now, given how well this year has been, I’m sort of expecting something to land and shake up the current line-up.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 31 - June 1)
To a T. Absolutely fantastic Takahashi wholesome goofiness. As of right now, I’d say it’s overtaken Blue Prince for being my favorite game so far this year.
Re: Amidst Price Increases, Expedition 33 Developer Says $50 Tag Was A 'Win-Win' For Everyone
I would say this is great, but AAs were usually priced at $30 five years ago, so that’s still inflation
Re: Pick One: What Was Your Favourite Xbox Game Pass Game In May 2025?
To a T no contest. About halfway through it and I’d say it’s probably my frontrunner for GotY on Xbox, just narrowly edging out Blue Prince.
With that one, Doom, and (although not Gamepass), Nightreign, I’ve finally got a top 10 list for the year. 7 out of 10 of the titles are Gamepass as well, so really strong year for the service so far.
Re: Sony Has Approached Subscriptions 'Healthier' Than Xbox, Says Former PlayStation Boss
I think things are starting to shift on that. PlayStation’s got a silent cloud of subscriber dissatisfaction. If people unsubscribe like they say they will, Sony may find themselves in a hole.
Re: Xbox Has Reportedly 'Sidelined' Plans For A 2027 First-Party Handheld
That’s a smart strategy. I feel like Xbox is going to keep investing into “This is an Xbox,” which translates to having to do less work as a hardware manufacturer while making more profit engineering software en masse. I know the Xbox fans don’t like it, but it makes more money and makes more sense longterm. If Xbox is the first to be integrated into TVs via a cloud platform and the cost of entry isn’t a box but a subscription, Xbox will have found a new way to capitalize on the gaming market that it doesn’t seem Sony or Nintendo are thinking of. Remember that Xbox sees Amazon and Netflix as more authentic competitors to their vision.
Re: Former Game Pass Title Atomic Heart Has Been So Successful It's Spawned A New Publisher
@Valhura I had screen tearing, frame rate issues, audio cutting out, enemies falling off screen, stuttering animations, times where the joysticks didn’t work on my controller, times when the button inputs would lag or outright wouldn’t work, and gave up on the game officially when the game crashed on me when I finally got to the open world portion. I almost preordered the game due to how much I liked the art work. Man, was I glad I played it on Gamepass instead! I’ve never played a game with so many technical issues at launch. It was jarring.
I’ve got a high tolerance for jank too. Pokémon ScarVi is one of my favorite Pokemon games. I laughed at the jank of Cyberpunk because it was comical (when Jackie’s gun got stuck in his forehead during my playthrough! It was the highlight of the game!). Just for reference, I can deal with jank if it’s not game breaking. Atomic Heart played outright broken on my Series S.
I didn’t like Redfall either, but I wouldn’t say it was particularly buggy for me, just boring and empty and seemed way lower budget than anyone would’ve expected.
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your Plans For The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
Usually I watch it live… but this year I’ll be at Polish Fest in Milwaukee during the time of the show, so I’ll watch it when I get home. After pierogis!
Re: Former Game Pass Title Atomic Heart Has Been So Successful It's Spawned A New Publisher
Possibly the most broken game to release this generation, so I can’t say I’ll be looking forward to seeing what they cook
Re: Roundup: Here's What The Reviews Are Saying About Elden Ring Nightreign
@ZuneTattooGuy Eh, everyone has different tastes. You could say that about any game. For me, Clair Obscur and KCD2 are both probably a 7/10 for various reasons, but for others they’re clearly GotY tier, but on the same token To a T is shaping up to be an 8 or 9/10 for me (and I fully expect some here may find me crazy for that because I know that’s an uncommon pov). From what I’ve played of Nightreign, it’s in a similar category to CO or KCD2 for scoring, but I’ve heard people talk about what they love about it and I believe they feel that way. Different strokes for different folks, you know? I’m sure some MAY be paid off, but I think there’s people that love what was made. It’s certainly unique, so I’ll give From that, even if I see some flaws for my enjoyment of it.
Re: Talking Point: Are You Interested In This Week's New FromSoftware Release?
The beta was fine, but I sort of feel like I’ve hit Elden Ring saturation. At least Nightreign mixes up the genre and gameplay focus of the game rather than what Erdtree did, which was basically “hey, we heard you wanted to grind your already leveled up character again, huh?” The lack of crossplay though also means my Elden Ring squad would need to commit to the game and platform, which I don’t know if that’ll happen either. I have a feeling I’ll only get this one if it reviews in an insane degree and it excites my friend group.
Re: 'To A T' Brings Another Day One Launch To Xbox Game Pass Today (May 28)
I was hoping to read some reviews for this one on my lunch break, but it seems like that may not happen since there’s little buzz around this one, but, hey, I’m looking forward to playing it either way!
Re: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's New Sales Milestone Has Some Crazy Coincidences
@Sindayl I agree with you completely.
While I’m also happy to see the game is having massive success, I’m also torn because I didn’t like it nearly as much as everyone else does and there’s a constant, looping hype cycle for the game, so I also can’t help but feel it’s completely overrated. My whole time playing it, I just felt like the plot was obvious, and the characters were sort of thin. It was just the most “this is just good, but not great” game I’ve played in a long while.
I hope there’s a new GotY contender soon because I’m ready for the hype cycle to jump to its next target, as it jumped from KCD2 once Clair Obscur released.
Re: Talking Point: Will You Be Buying The 2025 Xbox Handheld From ASUS?
Nope. I’ll be getting a Switch 2 though.
Re: These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (May 26-30)
To A T has the potential to briefly hold the top spot on my GotY list this year…
…until June at least…
This year’s been a bit muted for me so far in gaming, but I’m pretty happy about the upcoming schedule and To A T feels like the ultimate appetizer to me before a main course of Nintendo exclusives and Death Stranding 2.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 24-25)
I’m going to be playing the game of clearing out my basement this weekend, so my sister can move in.
On the gaming front, I’m sort of… not playing anything seriously. If I play anything, it’ll be a party game or Red Dead Redemption 2. RDR2 is just so fun to go back to. I had a patch of time where every game I played felt like “Meh, this is ok and overrated,” and RDR2 reminds me that games can be exceptional.
I was going to try the Splitgate 2 beta, but the servers haven’t been working for me, so glad they got all that money just to have the game’s servers be exactly like the first game.
I mostly feel like I’m waiting for Switch 2 and Death Stranding though. I’ll be playing To A T next week.
Re: Report: BioShock Announcement Set For This Summer As 2K Prepares Franchise Return
@Ricky-Spanish It WOULD look amazing!
…in a new game! Lol.
That said, I’m not totally opposed to remakes, just remakes of things that feel basically like the same game with better visuals and I feel like Bioshock would probably be in that boat. The Resident Evil Remakes and Final Fantasy VII Remakes are fine.
Re: Report: BioShock Announcement Set For This Summer As 2K Prepares Franchise Return
@Ricky-Spanish Lol. I’m burned out of nostalgia. I’ve beaten Bioshock 4 times already.
I’m 100% sure that, as much as I love the game, I’d have the same feeling I’d have playing Oblivion Remastered:
“Wow. This is cool.” 4 hours later. “Alright. Been there done that, I think I’m good on this. Let’s play something else.”
If I didn’t play so many games in my 36 years of life, I’d probably be ok with the remaster culture, but I played a lot, so that whole thing is boring to me.
Re: Report: BioShock Announcement Set For This Summer As 2K Prepares Franchise Return
That’s tremendously disappointing if true. I don’t want a Bioshock remake or remaster at all. As much as Bioshock is a better game that 95% of games that release now, I’d rather have new games than continue playing games with fresh coats of paint.
When I saw the Minecraft movie in theaters, every trailer was a remade movie. Let’s NOT do this to the gaming industry.
Re: Review: Xbox Retro Classics - A Great Addition To Game Pass, With Just One Caveat
This is such a neat curio and I’m really glad it exists, even if some of the games are dumpy to play on a controller. It sure is nice to revisit Pitfall for me in particular. I don’t mind the format of the games, as it’s better for them to be on modern consoles rather than not playable at all. With older games such as many of these, they’ve been collecting dust for ages and I’m glad younger gamers can finally experience them. My son and I got a good hour of fun trying them out last night.
Re: Lies Of P's New Difficulty Update Is Causing A Stir On Social Media
I understand that overcoming adversity is part of the point of Soulslikes, but having fun is the point of games. As Soulslikes have saturated the industry and grown increasingly divisive among gamers as a genre, I’m certain the developer is hoping to widen the interest with players that are disinterested in Soulslikes.
I suspect they’ve discovered that there is a large group that would be interested in the game, but will never purchase due to the difficulty. They’ve hit the ceiling of Souls fans, so to speak.
Of course the Souls fans are mad about this as they were with Elden Ring and how people chose to play it, but they need to understand that their preference in suffering is not shared by all. At least there are more than enough games these days that offer it, however.
Re: Xbox Retro Classics: The Full List Of Games Included At Launch
Finally! What I wanted out of the acquisition is a reality!
Re: Talking Point: What Game Franchises Would You Pay $80 For On Xbox?
Nintendo, Kojima, Final Fantasy, Remedy, Rockstar, that might be it.
Re: Talking Point: 25 Years On, What Do You Think Of The 'Perfect Dark' Franchise?
Not sure if I’d consider it a franchise, but rather an excellent N64 title with a sequel that didn’t live up to expectations with a reboot incoming.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Have High Expectations For The Xbox Games Showcase 2025?
I’ll be honest: I’m not sure how much I’m expecting. Gears of War isn’t for me, nor is Blade, and I’m just not sure how many upcoming games in the first party docket are for me. I’m sort of expecting one that doesn’t hit as hard for me, though I expect an entertaining show nonetheless.
Fable is basically the only confirmed heavy hitter that speaks to me, though Perfect Dark and Everwild, I’m trying my best to be optimistic about them. Would be nice to see something concrete about State of Decay and Halo. Last year’s was maybe my favorite showcase across any platform last year.
Re: One Month On, Oblivion Remastered Has A Pretty Low Completion Rate On Xbox
I mean, I played it for like 4-5 hours and was sort of ok with that. It’s literally the same game as the original with improved visuals and sprint. I’ll fart around with it when I get the mood, but I don’t know if I ever need to beat the game again
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (May 17-18)
Y’know, I was going to play Doom: The Dark Ages, and I still might. Given the reviews, I can almost predict exactly how I’ll feel about it, which feels nice to know, given I’ve largely gambled with games I’ve picked up this year and lost the dice roll, but then… I downloaded Red Dead Redemption 2 again because my son drew a western themed comic on his napkin while we were taking my wife out for Mother’s Day, and I booted it up and started a new save and it’s just so good. There hasn’t been a single XSX/PS5 era game that’s THIS good (though Death Stranding 2 is right around the corner and that’s got the potential). Man, is it good. I’ve beaten it, played it to death, but man, I can’t get over it. I suspect I may be playing it til I’m sitting outside a store on June 4th trying to acquire a Switch 2 the old fashioned way.
Re: Multiple Xbox-Related Showcases Officially Confirmed For Next Month
I’m hoping for one more big release to squeeze into the latter portion of the year. I think I’ll have plenty to play, but I just want one more. Lol.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Feel You've Had Value For Money With Your Xbox Series X|S?
@16BitHero Thanks, my friend! Appreciate the shout out! I try to maintain a positive mindset. My comments are typically a bit more negative on Pushsquare lately though, so don’t look! 😅
Happy to be worth reading though! Your message guarantees that I will be zeroing in more on your comments in the future now as well. The community across the Hookshot sites is truly great. Happy to be a part of it!
Re: Talking Point: Do You Feel You've Had Value For Money With Your Xbox Series X|S?
Yes, the Series S has been worth the money as a tertiary console used as a Gamepass machine. I wouldn’t say a Series S is worth it at the updated price though… unless it’s your only console. The first three years of the generation were a little rough for Gamepass too, but I’d say the last year or so has been a major improvement.
Re: Mortal Kombat 1 Fans Disappointed As Definitive Edition Launches On Xbox
I feel like no one remembers the days back when Street Fighter and most other fighting games would basically re-release on a yearly basis for full price for the sake of adding four characters and minimal gameplay tweaks.
I will say though that MK1 had an egregious monetization system though and, even if the gameplay (outside the Kameo system, which felt totally unnecessary) and visuals were an improvement on MK11, it was the weakest total package of an MK game since MK vs DC. The made mistakes with the launch of MK11 and corrected them right away then doubled down on them with MK1 and ignored fan response. What do they expect? Respect your customers and they’ll respect your business. Plain and simple.