Though it doesn't feel particularly "next gen," I've been enjoying Watch Dog Legions despite its dreadful save game glitch. Some of these missions are very fun, but not fun enough to repeat 4-5x because the stupid thing won't save my game.
Aside from that I'm all over MK11 and CoD Cold War (multiplayer). I've tried almost all of them and can safely say that it's ok to avoid The Falconeer and Bright Memory. You won't be missing anything.
@mousieone I'd be inclined to give it a 10/10 and I can't think of a modern fighting game I'd score above an 8. The whole 'loading...' thing ruined the genre for me I think, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying to love 'em.
Because of a PS5 bundle I didn't really want (thanks Gamestop!) I ended up with AC Valhalla on both systems and quite frankly if you can truly see any difference between the two, you need to get a life. Both versions look decidedly last gen to me but if PS5 gets the edge per Digital Foundry's tests, then so be it. It's a wickedly fun game but graphically it's a huge disappointment on both consoles right now. I feel the exact same way about Dirt 5, it's a blast to play but looks a bit meh.
That said, MK11 on my Series X is mindblowing in every possible way. I couldn't stand the lengthy loading times with MK11 on XB1X (I'm an old school SF2/MK kid so the very idea of loading times in between fights seems stupid) but man, it's absolutely amazing.
Devs will figure this stuff out. They always do. Much ado about nothing.
I think the entire industry overlooked how "meh" 4K really is. I have several 4K TVs in my house, in addition to a 4K monitor for my gaming PC, and while I see the difference, it's seriously not something that I feel was really worth my time, money and research for. 4K monitors are great for clarity but I'm sitting 6-8 feet away from my TV and genuinely don't see much difference. 60 fps (or even 120 fps) though? Absolute gold. I'd rather they look the remaining horsepower and created convincing hair for once. It's so weird to see all of these near-photo realistic humans walking about and interacting with plastic wigs on their heads.
Love my Series X to death despite an apparent known-issue with it losing track of my controller and wireless headset if left unattended for 10-15 minutes. Fix that and I'm 100% happy with it. It really was the weirdest console launch (Xbox and PS5 both) that I've ever witnessed though, and I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 days. I do rather like this approach though. I love playing older games but my TV only has so many inputs and my house is only so big. Nice to be able to more or less shelve my PS4, Xbox One X, 360, etc. for now.
I'm a bit of a head case and buy all the systems at (or near) launch. While I might lean Xbox, I'm not about to miss the occasional Sony first-party gem here and there out of console allegiance, but holy s**t are people obsessed with this garbage.
Also, agree with @koffing above that the publisher-fueled tripe I read on a daily basis is neither constructive or even entertaining anymore. The sheer number of YouTube videos with OMGGASPCONTROVERY style headlines has annoyed me to the point where I'm questioning why I subscribe to YouTube premium, and these endless Digital Foundry videos about 2-3 fps differences just make it all that much worse. I couldn't care less who "wins" the whole thing - though I suspect the only REAL winner is PC gaming.
Bleed 2 is a great game if you haven't tried it yet but I'd have to agree with the rest of this. The Raven is pretty bad, to put it mildly, and I'm wondering how many people are still on their 360's waiting for the 2 new free games every month. On one hand, hats off to Microsoft for continuing to support their legacy consoles, but we're 7 years into the Xbox One generation and another week or two into Series X/S territory here. Let the 360 stuff go, or at least give us some OG Xbox stuff that we might have missed.
@KelticDevil I'm with you on the Vita. I hacked mine a while back and have a 512GB SD card in it. Amazing machine. Such a shame they treated it (and its fans) the way they did. I'd give up my Switch before I'd part with my Vita.
Lists like this do nothing but fuel the stupidity of the console wars. I bought both Xbox Series X and PS5 day one here in the states and while I don't regret either purchase, neither one feels like a next gen console of old, more like getting a new iPhone. If I had to pick between them, I'd go with the Series X simply because of how well it improves on B/C games. The new Spider-man was ridiculously short and I've now double-dipped into Demon's Souls only to find out that I STILL don't get the appeal of the Souls games whatsoever. Once I got both of those things out of the way I fully stopped powering up the PS5 altogether. I'm sure that'll change in the months ahead but I so far, eh, it hasn't quite proven its worth here yet.
Still, between them I'm very happy. 2020 was a hard year, it's nice to have some games to play.
I bought an X for myself but an S for the rest of the family (because I'm a horrible dad, basically). The X has my massive library of games and the S has Game Pass. So far, I think the S has seen more use than my X by 20:1. Granted, I have a day job, the kids don't, but I think it's safe to say that the market for such a device is clearly not the die hard gaming set but the 8-18s. Game Pass has proven to be huge in my household, and the kid sit on a couch 6-10 feet away so they couldn't care less if its 1440p or 1080p vs 4K.
What they have noticed is that it's faster, Quick Resume is awesome (when it works), and the whole thing is infinitely snappier than the old XB1X was.
I suspect YouTube's impotent compression makes the differences quite a bit less impressive than they are in real life. I went through this with XBox One X as well.
I already bought a Series X for myself but Game Pass has made it very easy to justify a Series S for the rest of the family (why yes, I really am that selfish!).
Seriously though, I make a very decent living but the randomness and uncertainty of 2020 has made finances quite a bit more conservative than in years past. I appreciate Microsoft taking note and responding accordingly.
I'm holding off on Legion until next week when my XSX arrives but love both 1&2, having beat 2 about 2 weeks after it came out. I only finished the original Watch Dogs last week and ended up enjoying it quite a bit, even though I ignored it for about 5 years. Both are great, 2 just felt more polished (and a bit more silly at times).
Comments 314
Re: Poll: Which Xbox Series X Launch Game Is Your Favourite So Far?
Though it doesn't feel particularly "next gen," I've been enjoying Watch Dog Legions despite its dreadful save game glitch. Some of these missions are very fun, but not fun enough to repeat 4-5x because the stupid thing won't save my game.
Aside from that I'm all over MK11 and CoD Cold War (multiplayer). I've tried almost all of them and can safely say that it's ok to avoid The Falconeer and Bright Memory. You won't be missing anything.
Re: TIME Magazine Calls The Xbox Series S One Of The Best Inventions Of 2020
@CRANIAL Tesla?
Re: Xbox Responds To Reports Of Games Running Better On PS5 Than Series X
@mousieone I'd be inclined to give it a 10/10 and I can't think of a modern fighting game I'd score above an 8. The whole 'loading...' thing ruined the genre for me I think, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying to love 'em.
Re: Xbox Responds To Reports Of Games Running Better On PS5 Than Series X
Because of a PS5 bundle I didn't really want (thanks Gamestop!) I ended up with AC Valhalla on both systems and quite frankly if you can truly see any difference between the two, you need to get a life. Both versions look decidedly last gen to me but if PS5 gets the edge per Digital Foundry's tests, then so be it. It's a wickedly fun game but graphically it's a huge disappointment on both consoles right now. I feel the exact same way about Dirt 5, it's a blast to play but looks a bit meh.
That said, MK11 on my Series X is mindblowing in every possible way. I couldn't stand the lengthy loading times with MK11 on XB1X (I'm an old school SF2/MK kid so the very idea of loading times in between fights seems stupid) but man, it's absolutely amazing.
Devs will figure this stuff out. They always do. Much ado about nothing.
Re: Unity Exec: The Xbox Series S Will Be A Real Differentiator This Generation
I think the entire industry overlooked how "meh" 4K really is. I have several 4K TVs in my house, in addition to a 4K monitor for my gaming PC, and while I see the difference, it's seriously not something that I feel was really worth my time, money and research for. 4K monitors are great for clarity but I'm sitting 6-8 feet away from my TV and genuinely don't see much difference. 60 fps (or even 120 fps) though? Absolute gold. I'd rather they look the remaining horsepower and created convincing hair for once. It's so weird to see all of these near-photo realistic humans walking about and interacting with plastic wigs on their heads.
Re: Poll: Two Weeks On, Are You Happy With Your Xbox Series X|S?
Love my Series X to death despite an apparent known-issue with it losing track of my controller and wireless headset if left unattended for 10-15 minutes. Fix that and I'm 100% happy with it. It really was the weirdest console launch (Xbox and PS5 both) that I've ever witnessed though, and I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 days. I do rather like this approach though. I love playing older games but my TV only has so many inputs and my house is only so big. Nice to be able to more or less shelve my PS4, Xbox One X, 360, etc. for now.
Re: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Slams Console War Toxicity, Says Sony Isn't An Enemy
I'm a bit of a head case and buy all the systems at (or near) launch. While I might lean Xbox, I'm not about to miss the occasional Sony first-party gem here and there out of console allegiance, but holy s**t are people obsessed with this garbage.
Also, agree with @koffing above that the publisher-fueled tripe I read on a daily basis is neither constructive or even entertaining anymore. The sheer number of YouTube videos with OMGGASPCONTROVERY style headlines has annoyed me to the point where I'm questioning why I subscribe to YouTube premium, and these endless Digital Foundry videos about 2-3 fps differences just make it all that much worse. I couldn't care less who "wins" the whole thing - though I suspect the only REAL winner is PC gaming.
Re: Here Are Your Xbox Games With Gold For December 2020
Bleed 2 is a great game if you haven't tried it yet but I'd have to agree with the rest of this. The Raven is pretty bad, to put it mildly, and I'm wondering how many people are still on their 360's waiting for the 2 new free games every month. On one hand, hats off to Microsoft for continuing to support their legacy consoles, but we're 7 years into the Xbox One generation and another week or two into Series X/S territory here. Let the 360 stuff go, or at least give us some OG Xbox stuff that we might have missed.
Re: 10 Things Xbox Series X Does That PS5 Doesn't
@KelticDevil I'm with you on the Vita. I hacked mine a while back and have a 512GB SD card in it. Amazing machine. Such a shame they treated it (and its fans) the way they did. I'd give up my Switch before I'd part with my Vita.
Re: 10 Things Xbox Series X Does That PS5 Doesn't
Lists like this do nothing but fuel the stupidity of the console wars. I bought both Xbox Series X and PS5 day one here in the states and while I don't regret either purchase, neither one feels like a next gen console of old, more like getting a new iPhone. If I had to pick between them, I'd go with the Series X simply because of how well it improves on B/C games. The new Spider-man was ridiculously short and I've now double-dipped into Demon's Souls only to find out that I STILL don't get the appeal of the Souls games whatsoever. Once I got both of those things out of the way I fully stopped powering up the PS5 altogether. I'm sure that'll change in the months ahead but I so far, eh, it hasn't quite proven its worth here yet.
Still, between them I'm very happy. 2020 was a hard year, it's nice to have some games to play.
Re: TIME Magazine Calls The Xbox Series S One Of The Best Inventions Of 2020
I bought an X for myself but an S for the rest of the family (because I'm a horrible dad, basically). The X has my massive library of games and the S has Game Pass. So far, I think the S has seen more use than my X by 20:1. Granted, I have a day job, the kids don't, but I think it's safe to say that the market for such a device is clearly not the die hard gaming set but the 8-18s. Game Pass has proven to be huge in my household, and the kid sit on a couch 6-10 feet away so they couldn't care less if its 1440p or 1080p vs 4K.
What they have noticed is that it's faster, Quick Resume is awesome (when it works), and the whole thing is infinitely snappier than the old XB1X was.
Re: Video: Gears 5's Next-Gen Upgrade Looks Stunning On Xbox Series X
I suspect YouTube's impotent compression makes the differences quite a bit less impressive than they are in real life. I went through this with XBox One X as well.
Re: Xbox Boss Suggests PS5 Represents A Heavy Financial Investment
I already bought a Series X for myself but Game Pass has made it very easy to justify a Series S for the rest of the family (why yes, I really am that selfish!).
Seriously though, I make a very decent living but the randomness and uncertainty of 2020 has made finances quite a bit more conservative than in years past. I appreciate Microsoft taking note and responding accordingly.
Re: Pick One: Which Is Your Favourite Watch Dogs Game?
I'm holding off on Legion until next week when my XSX arrives but love both 1&2, having beat 2 about 2 weeks after it came out. I only finished the original Watch Dogs last week and ended up enjoying it quite a bit, even though I ignored it for about 5 years. Both are great, 2 just felt more polished (and a bit more silly at times).