theduckofdeath

@mac_da_man How was Avowed lacking in physics? The explosions effects to bodies and debris were very well done. Compact had weight and impact. The stuff that comes to mind to complain about is in most action/adventure games (e.g. laser-accurate projectiles, screened from your vision by enemies, passing harmlessly through enemy bodies to hit your character).

I completed the Mafia II remaster this morning. Back to Avowed and maybe Space Marine II. The plan is to get some time in BF6 and Arc Raiders, too.

This game is challenging and good change of pace. I would not have tried it if it wasn't on Game Pass. I had not heard much buzz about the Steam version.

In 1348, is the character supposed to be a boy, or a girl masquerading as a boy? Anyway, I've already completed two Plague Tale games, and 1348 does not look as impressive.

Not a concern. These companies can sell an external drive and cut costs. I have a functioning One X and Series X that can play movie & game discs. One PC that still has a DVD R/W, with more drives in storage.

My physical games just take up space and the handful I bought this gen, swiftly emerged on Game Pass. I can't remember the last game I bought physically for PC. Maybe the original STALKER or FEAR.

@Questionable_Duck The issue is that Xbox fans won't stop dwelling on the PS ports, PS fanboys sadly taunt them over it, and the media/YTbers uses it for traffic. The media refuses to acknowledge how well Xbox is doing nor how anemic PS production is. Even Xbox YTbers will yack for 10 minutes per video speculating on what will be ported to PS, day one, timed-exclusive, and so on. Xbox fans want to hear Xbox news & game discussion, not be reminded and antagonized by that nonsense.

Xbox and PS players have their minds in a console-focused vice. A console/system was always just a conduit to our homes/wallets. Spencer said, "it's just four games; it's only a test." Well, the test passed! The idea that MS should forego additional sales in the hopes that MS would eek out a few more million Series sales is irrational. Yes, I wanted to see Xbox hold back games, maybe 6 months to a year (or indefinitely), as much as any Xbox fan.

If you had a product to sell in stores, would you only transport it over roads & bridges you built and sell it in stores you own? Maybe to start out, but if production expands and the product catalog grows, you are going to have to look for additional avenues. Your company is not going to wait for new roadways and stores to be built, when zoning/permits land & construction costs and time are an issue. You will use existing ones.

I don't think people realize Microsoft is looking to dominate the game industry. They are looking to take over a large segment. Once they acquired ABK, it forced the question, "Why NOT sell more games on PS?" Even if exactly the same amount of people over there are likely to play/buy an Xbox game (ignoring Game Pass), that is double the audience. You pay a toll to use their roads & shelves, and the rest is profit. Five years in, with all the factors affecting the console & PC market (e.g. component costs, tariffs), there was no winning that argument in favor of exclusivity. No gradual increase to Series consoles was going to compete with the entire addressable console market right NOW and going forward.

Then there's Game Pass. Fantastic service. Some sales will be lost to the service, yes. Examine people's attitudes about it. They almost relish in weaseling out of a purchase by manipulating rewards and $1 deals and subbing for a month to rifle through a new 1st party game. If that's your attitude, you lose credibility complaining about PS ports at that point.

Oh...Before I forget, the FH6 Premium upgrade is $59.99. The Premium edition is $119.00. Up $20 for the first time since FH3. Looks like they threw in two car packs, though.

Fable, Forza, Beast. I have no idea what the "surprise" will be, so no cause to be excited.

The title "Beast of Reincarnation" makes wonder whatever happened to "Whore of the Orient"...

@ThatFilbo I'm not sure if a significant amount of people care about achievements. The game itself the attraction. If Xbox games had some sort of achievement for getting all the achievements, that wouldn't spur me to any greater degree to pursue them. I guess it couldn't hurt.

People chasing achievements or trophies are likely using guides to pull it off, and that way of playing is of no interest to me. There's not much point to me if I'm enlisting help simply to check all the boxes off a list.

@Fiendish-Beaver I like those, too. Well, I play every game on the highest difficulty, so completing it once means you get the achievements for all difficulties. Guessing what will be an achievement or otherwise hidden item (I don't look them up) and trying to pull it off blind can be fun.

I don't usually go back if I missed something, though. No need to get 100% of the achievements.

@Fiendish-Beaver Well, being a videogame console, it is full of concessions by definition, no? Every generation they trail far behind PC and the gap widens as soon as the console launches. Building an actual PC is always the path to the state of the art tech & performance.

Are we really going to speculate on this every day until an announcement with official details? On every YT channel and website? It gets old. We don't know much and the rest is made up.

@Lup The industry has exalted a string of cinematic titles that don't do anything new. Ones that take directly from existing popular media and games.

@Fiendish-Beaver A more detailed breakdown would be welcome. Sentiment, origin/outlet (website, country), frequency, author, number of articles per event, source report/rumor factual or debunked/misleading.

Sony PS had more than "some" negative events in 2025 — they're just downplayed or ignored.

@Sketcz Yeah, Frame City Killer was previewed (in magazines) for OG Xbox, and was cancelled. I was looking forward to it.

@gamma64 The team failed. They spent millions (perhaps $100 - $200 million or more), 6+ years, and did not complete even a viable product. Crystal Dynamics wanted more time and a $100 million additional funding. No doubt confidence was low that the game would be delivered in 1-2 years on that budget. They were several competing projects and MS cut their losses.

I confused this with Body Cam.

Frame City Killer

@datamonkey If your annual salary went down even 5-10%, you wouldn't be happy about it. They want to move in the opposite direction.

The cheating has been intolerable since the beta.

@Vordus Seems like they played it safe. The Pip-Boy "boy" image is pretty recognizable. Maybe when it sits in the case, it looks like the screen of the Pip-Boy. Can't buying these, anyway — an Elite Series 3 has to be 1-2 years out.

I don't think I own the original in digital format, only physical. Time to double check.

Toal Chaos, BF6, Arc Raiders, and some BOPS7. I also tried Absolum.

Call of Duty 2 followed by PDZ.

PA has been highly important to me since its inception. It isn't a new feature.

@Runex2121 Yeah, the button does look a little strange and can be overlooked. It's a XB1 radiating from both ends, I guess. Even me who knew it was possible (I remote played a Destiny raid from console to PC 9-10 years ago) had to double check.

@Runex2121 There is a button for remote play on the dashboard (console to handheld), but no option for "PC to handheld", which is weird. The button is just above the notification bell.

@Banjo- I was a huge fan of PDZ back in the early 360 days. The harder the difficulty, the more enemy types and threats you faced. The mechanical problems it had were never addressed (not on XB1/Series or in RARE Replay), though they could have been remedied by a PC release. The cover system was unresponsive, and the aiming managed to be stiff AND loose at the same time. The frame rate needed to be higher and steady.

The cancellation of the new PD was rough, though I understand. The team spent years and likely 1-2 hundred million dollars spinning their wheels. Other projects showed similar progress and were canned.

As for the new PD's Joanna model...I admit that when she wingsuit'ed out of the plane, I said, "PERFECT DARK!" When she took off her helmet, I said, "Ugh!" out loud. LOL. It was an honest reaction.

@Romans12 I still say MS should have locked down Bioware and Pandemic back then (for starters).

I tried the demo on Steam a couple weeks ago. This game is cool. Wolverine's moves were a little samey look. Capt. America was cool because he has a shield throw, shield bash, kick, block/counter, special, and bunch of other distinct-looking stuff to combo into.

I bought Octopath II and put dozens of hours in before putting it down. One day I will return to complete it.

@PushinPetunias Ultimate has been worth it the whole time. It was cheap as hell. The price has gone up over the years and so have the offerings. People feel entitled. That why people mention "50%" increase rather than $10 increase — because $10 is a pittance. We are on a forum discussing videogames, for Christ's sake, not the price of bread.

People also conveniently leave out rewards points, which with legitimate use (no funny business) you could not ever have paid for Game Pass and have that continue for the next few years.

Ultimate. I've always been on Ultimate and shall remain on Ultimate tier for years to come.

The gameplay is fantastic. The series pedigree is there, so that is an excellent start. The combos have been simplified (and reduced?) when compared to NG2, but the battles are still fantastic. The graphics are a little underwhelming and the new guy's design pales in comparison to Ryu.

I gave NG4 a 9/10 as the game is hugely challenging and a ton of fun. I've been a fan of the series since the 80's and the OG Xbox revival was one of the greatest returns ever. I'm playing on Hard difficulty, and I dare any of you try Purgatory on "Hell" difficulty. After hours, I got to the third wave. LOL

I bought this SH2 Remake on Steam at some point and haven't gotten around to playing it. The games are piling up! Silent Hill f will have to come first as I beat this on PS2 almost a quarter-century ago.

I can't say that I'm surprised to hear this or about the GTA VI delay.

I bought S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 Ultimate edition on Xbox and Steam. Otherwise, there 's no way I could finish it in time.

I don't like it, but what are we going to do about it? LOL. MS wants to make more money and there's no justification for exclusives that beats it in an argument. Besides, we knew it was coming — the rumor & "news" mill taunts these type of things daily.

These articles have become shameless. Sheer desperation for traffic. We are reporting on B-to-B pricing now? How much did each employee's PC cost? Let's complain about the supplier.

Dev kits are for running dev code on a machine close to the target. They are business tool used for generating MONEY.

Are any of you old enough to remember what PlayStation dev kits cost? Between $20k and $25k. Not ever developer needs a dev kit. The device is used for project after project. You only buy more when your studio has a need.

Xbox Series can be converted to dev kits. That has been a thing since the 360. ID@Xbox is another source for (free) dev kits.

@Lup This game is fun. I have it on Steam.

I bought it and setup with most of my PC storefronts (forgot about Amazon Prime Gaming). While I have a couple Steam Decks, they don't handle other stores well and are not capable with every game, Steam or otherwise.

The price was no issue, though clearly any discount is always welcome. (Pay ME to take it!) I was able to shave off $60 between Best Buy rewards, CC discount, and Edge browser cashback.

@Vaako007 They complain because they feel entitled to launch-day releases from what has become the most prolific game publisher...for under $20/month. They complain because they're irrational and self-righteous. Some want to dump on Xbox and/or Microsoft, some can profit from it. Others are just Debbie Downers and complain about everything in life. The internet is mechanism to disseminate their overall dissatisfaction.

There have been Xbox "fans" on this very site complaining that "Ultimate doesn't include DLC" and "Ultimate releases are not really day-one because there is a 2-to-5-day early access in the premium option." You will never win with people that insist on being unreasonable and miserable. You have to leave them behind.

A large segment may think that if they complain enough, MS will roll back the price hike. IMO, with an increase that significant, new value added to the service, and several big games coming over the next year, it is not going to happen. The hike was deliberately large for both added value and coming added value. NTM, the price was low for 7 years to entice more people to join. PC Game Pass is cheaper for the same reason.

I paid for Ultimate for the first time since the 3-year conversion (which was an Xbox Live membership, which I was paying for anyway) a couple weeks ago. That was to push expiration from 11/2027 to 8/2028 after the price hike. From 6/2023 to 11/2027 are all (legitimately obtained) rewards points redemptions. Ultimate is worth it, but if they give you a path making it cheaper, why not take advantage?

@themightyant You have resorted to absolutism and false equivalency.

You, I, and everyone else here knows that the misinformation thrown out about MS/Xbox is deliberately negative and at high frequency. If and when there are rumors about Sony or Nintendo, they are positive (accurate or not, fabricated or not) and presented in a positive light. There is a concerted effort to erode perception of the brand no matter what they are doing.

Along with PS fanboys in threads, comment sections, and media, there are disgruntled and obtuse Xbox "fans". Anyone who still believes that Microsoft should force their recent game production purely through a console is obtuse. Yet these people are bitter, claim to understand that games need players, yet still clutch onto selling more Xbox consoles by force. Count a number of YTbers among them.

Some are angered by the Game Pass (ULTIMATE) price increase. These people are entitled. Xbox knows what games are coming Q4 and next year; they know what games were added this year. The reason for such a large jump is to push some people out of Ultimate tier as much as to set charge in line with its worth. No one has to park themselves in Ultimate all year — we are free to use rewards points and/or buy games individually.

The games media and YTbers are leaning into the profit motive. Some are all in — have no credibility. Their livelihood is directly tied to traffic & views, whatever scruples they once had are eroded on a daily basis. More channels means more competition, while gaming sites have been struggling for 25 years.

@Jenkinss Do they stock laptops?

@themightyant The media and the internet actively campaign against Xbox and that is irrefutable. They show a disdain for the companies and their products. Sony and Nintendo are protected. The news driven 80-90% by MS, between the platforms. When these people don't get the traffic they need, they make something up.

If you don't think the Xbox Ally X is fairly priced at $1000, then don't buy it. Plain & simple. Every person is not meant to own every game and device just on a whim. Perhaps you and others are not familiar with Republic of Gamers, but that is ASUS's high-end line, and ASUS is already a higher end brand.

The same goes for Game Pass. So many feel entitled to the Ultimate tier. There are several avenues to playing those games. If any of those people were truly price-conscious, they would have earned MS rewards points and not paid at all...for years from now.

McCaffrey is a parasite, just like the others. He's 45+ year old man who remains awkward and uncomfortable in his own skin.

I was in my local Walmart's electronic section on Thursday or Friday for a different purpose. I did go into the PS/Xbox aisle, and everything seemed normal. Neither had a larger presence than the other. There were 2-3 Series X on the bottom and about 2 Series S I could see on the top (could be more behind those).

@Tasuki I need to go back and complete Avowed. The combat and aesthetic were awesome.

Expedition 33 is my pick. I believe it and Silksong will absorb most of the votes at this point. There a number of games coming late in the year, and that is not on their side. I really liked Rogue PoP, as well. This year saw a swath of good game released, with more to come.

@FrenchVaniIIuxe The device is expensive and most people here already have a Series S|X. NTM, all the people that are not Xbox fans that come here due to personal failings.

I own and/or have beaten most of those games on some storefront. There are a couple I could try. Generally, this was not added for me.

I own STALKER 2 on Steam and Xbox, and Alen: Dark Descent...somewhere. No sweat. I'll try Nine Souls some time soon.