theduckofdeath

@Kooky_Geezer I haven't encountered stick drift on an Xbox controller since the first half of last gen. I've had other issues with them, like the D-pads were not great, but became much better. Also, the cushion on the backstop of the triggers is some kind of neoprene material. It seems to melt under pressure over play-time and can be pretty annoying in play.

On one or two controllers (e.g. Project Scorpio), the trigger does not immediately return upon release. It sticks, like it is giving the backstop a little kiss.

I've seen some people complain about the grips on the controller coming off. I'm curious how someone accomplishes this.

@jesse_dylan Tokyo Game show in late September. Gamescon is in late August.

@Ricky-Spanish They have many studios making games in parallel. Additional games could be in a similar state or further along. The show has a time limit and Xbox has partners whose game also needed time. Some games don't make the cut. There is significant time involved in putting together each of those trailers.

Because Xbox did not show more gameplay for SoD3 (for example) does not mean it is not playable or that there are not others like it. E-Day is early so we likely won't see gameplay for a year or so.

@Spider-Kev Kat from Gears 4 & 5. Many people complained about her.

Fable looks great — looking forward seeing more (or even playing the game) a year from now.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I understand having a preference, I just don't get the people being absolute about it. When there is a choice, I pick male every time, automatically. It is not even a thought, more like I'm answering a question about myself on a questionnaire. Now if the main character is female (Lara Croft, Joanna Dark, even the dreaded Kat) that is not a big deal.

@RadioHedgeFund You picked male or female (I think, I always pick male by default) and doing evil things or good things changed your appearance. I don't need to create a character in every game. These days, there may the option or a male option. Not really my concern for this game, as he will probably look goofier than the girl character.

@jesse_dylan MS does partner shows now (two a year?). So there's Developer Direct, Partner Showcase, and Xbox Summer Showcase (yesterday). Then externally there's GamesCon (August), Keoughley's Summer Showcase, Keoughley's Game Awards, and I think there was a Japanese showcase last year. Those are just the shows I can remember.

@jesse_dylan This is just one (long) show, and they have others coming. Persona 3, 5, 5 super-deformed, 4 is coming, Methaphor Refantasmo, Secrets of Mana, Octopath 1&2...There are plenty of JRPGS and JRPG-inspired games on or coming to Xbox. There could be even more if Xbox were a Japanese company, but hey...

Indie games are added to Game Pass every month. No shortage there.

@Danny272 That is just one significant change they added. It is not trivial. If you play a lot of shooting games (1st and third person) over the years, you will notice little annoyances like not being able to aim straight up or straight down (especially over railings), bullets hitting obstacles that appear to be cleared by the muzzle, stiff crouched and prone positions, heavy vulnerability peek around corners to the off-hand side, etc. Any improvements to aiming and movement (especially on console) are appreciated.

The improvements to aiming in the dive and prone positions look pretty good to me. Time will tell. You will have a chance when outnumbered and sandwiched between enemies. MGS4 did something like this in the prone position, to a lesser level.

The studio(s) stated that they have more showings before release. MP and Zombies will get more time; however, they are not going to reveal all the changes before release (and no one should want them to).

@Danny272 "Extra frames"? Do you mean the realistic range of motion?

Black Ops 6 upgrade just went live, and it is $30.

@themightyant That could very much be true. We don't have enough information. Could a combination of the theorized events that lead to Xbox missing the Aug. 20th date.

"We hate money."

Sure you do...

**Ahem** PC's TChia.

@Boogaloo_Jenkins Halo made the Xbox. Resident Evil, FFVII, Madden, NCAA Football, MGS, and Tekken made PlayStation. Crash was more of a mascot than a game that was an actual draw.

Either way, these are more conveniently timed rumors.

@JayJ Yeah...If only all those people had...bought the game? At least played and completed it? The outrage over closure of studios and layoffs stems from various motivations, many of which are irrational, disingenuous and/or profit-driven.

Another one I bought that hits Game Pass. I can really pick 'em!

Even when I wait for big sales, Game Pass waits with me. LOL

@somnambulance No, Bethesda and ABK would not have died without acquisition. Well, ABK, anyway. Bethesda/ZeniMax was struggling financially (not the first time) and Starfield may have been released prematurely. Studio closures, project cancellations, and layoffs would have happened sooner (and perhaps be more widespread).

ABK was public and the stock price was taking a hit. The value of the company was declining by billions of dollars. Microsoft paid a substantial premium on each stock unit. If the acquisition had been blocked or fallen through, the stock price would have plummeted, losing the company billions in value.

@Savage_Joe Do we really need answers, though? That's what I mean about people feeling entitled. Phil is not going to come running every time Xbox or MS makes a business decision. We have enough bits of information to have general idea of what happened.

Shareholders were addressed by Sarah Bond and players did not find the answers adequate; they have invested in the company and closing Tango and AA didn't make a dent. The stock price went up.

There has already been an announcement that Phil is doing an interview with IGN after the show on Sunday. He may shine a little more light on the studio closures. Despite my continued interest, I don't need to know at this point. Nor do I expect a definitive answer. There is a small amount of trepidation I hold, considering this interview may be an opportunity to announce something we really won't like.

@Savage_Joe As present as the Sony and Nintendo execs have always been. People became way too entitled and familiar with Xbox leadership. There is a big show Sunday (two shows and an interview, actually) and I'm sure they are focused on that. Spencer deserves the break.

Another game I need to get back to and complete.

@JayJ Yes, the founder, Mikami left (as reported near the launch of Hi-Fi Rush last year). There is big difference between that and what happened (over the course of development, apparently) at Arkane Austin. I'm looking in the same places for details on these closures and haven't come across anything definitive about heavy attrition at Tango. If so, what is everyone so up in arms about?

Spencer mentioned going to the studio to check on Everwild progress in an interview...over a year ago.

@JayJ We have heard that ARKANE Austin devs left over the years because of Redfall development. The studio was no longer the intact Dishonored or Prey team as we like to think of them. I have not seen or heard anything saying Tango suffered a mass exodus at any point prior to closure.

@Kooky_Geezer The reality is that Redfall was not up to snuff and development was not completed, even when given an additional 9+ months by Microsoft.

People conveniently forget that MS bought Zenimax. There is still Bethesda in the chain before you ever get to Arkane Austin and Roundhouse. This is no small enterprise. Those studios would likely have been on the chopping block, acquisition or not.

We are not privy to the details, first and foremost, where (MS/XBox/Zenimax/Bethesda) and when did the closure plan originate? Redfall had been in turmoil long before MS closed the acquisition. Zeni/Beth/Arkane leadership may have been deceptive about the state of the game and what could be accomplished on schedule. We are still getting updates to make the game acceptable one year post-release.

Normal-sized hands for NPCs. Or just build new models for the NPCs altogether. Dishonored 2 had far superior NPCs.

I beat the game within a month or so of launch. The AI and difficulty for neighborhood bosses was very low. The were also generic. That should be fixed.

Hives were really repetitive, with exits close to the end, instead of having fight your way out. It was purely a looting thing. Greed was the main cause of missing your escape time, and the punishment was not severe.

@Fiendish-Beaver MS won't do that because they reserve the right to port any game they wish at any time. Phil & Co. said legacy titles would be supported, legacy series and new IPs would be handled on a case-by-case basis. That is as clear as it can be stated. People wanting an answer for each individual game's platform status into infinity are unreasonable.

The answer is case-by-case. Yes, some games & series are more likely to go to PS or Nintendo than others. Some may be a "no way in hell" answer to porting. There is no "everything from studio/publisher X but nothing from studio/publisher Y" answer to give.

Contrast that with Sony buying exclusivity ad hoc from third party studios and publishers. They purposely obscure the extents of the contracts, put a hush on the studios, and keep PC/Xbox players in the dark. Why are more people up their a@@?

I think Xbox may have been way too forthcoming and approachable for their own good.

@Lup I completed Benedict Fox...last year? Maybe the year before? I've lost track. There are a lot of puzzles to figure out, and there were some performance and control issues near launch. The game eventually got an update for performance & control issues. I was already done with the game. It was enjoyable. Be ready to think and use patience to solve the puzzles and environmental Metroid-type puzzles.

@Kooky_Geezer There are factors we are not privy to. Our reaction is "why?!?" Tango made enjoyable games that unfortunately were not profitable even with being multi-platform. We wanted MS to keep them regardless. Decisions on these deals and closings are not happening as they are reported on game sites.

The timing of the studio closures was very close to the close of Microsoft's fiscal year (June 30) so that could be a factor as well. The little details provided indicated that both Tango and AA would have to staff up and spend 3-6 years developing additional title(s) that ultimately would not sell.

Whatever the cause, it was bad news. This compounded with the wild & reckless multi-platform rumors, eventual ports to rival consoles, and 5-month wait for a 1st party release damaged morale.

@themightyant "Day 6," God willing. Pay up or wait.

@sikthvash Remember how many people complained (and I am being polite here) about Halo 5's multiplayer?

Either do a Reach/ODST-type game or think out an excellent campaign for Master Chief. Either way, it has to be bombastic campaign that Halo deserves. The Infinite campaign was good, but not what you would expect from Halo in 2022. Not after a year delay. Bring in authors from the books or incorporate their ideas.

No more "it takes us 5 months to complete a MP map" (that is a direct quote, mind you) a year after release. Find an engine that the team can build upon and not get stymied at every turn. Work on that developer retention and onboarding, too.

@OldGamer999 Did you actually watch the entire walkthrough?

@CutchuSlow I think it is there even in 16:9 ratio games, especially 1st person games. It has to do with the way the 3D view is calculated for the camera (and peripheral vision). There is curvature/distortion at the extremes. Changing the FOV may alter how noticeable it is.

@CutchuSlow All or most wide screen games have a fisheye effect. The wider, the more pronounced and noticeable.

Series X and Xbox One X, easily. My Xbox One had a hard drive failure very late (I'm pretty sure I owned the Series X for a while when it happened). Every other disc-based console failed on multiple times; PS1, PS2, PS3, OG Xbox, and Xbox 360.

Hellblade 2, giving Animal Well a shot, Nier: Automata, and Starfield (so far).

@GlasgowGuy Spencer has to be tired of everyone. Fans, regulators, Sony, and Microsoft bosses.

ilovebees

Any one old enough to remember the Blair Witch Project's "viral" marketing? It was better than the actual movie.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner I like to go into a game or movie relatively cold, so I prefer no reviews before I get my hands on it. At least, no reviews or opinions I do it not choose to view. The click-fiends put opinions in their article titles and scores on the thumbnails so you can read them accidentally.

The reviews around the Starfield launch were vexing. The premium package granted 5-day early access, and these jerks decided flood the internet with review articles hours before that advanced activation went live.

@Ken_Kaniff The best part of Heavenly Sword was aiming long range arrow shots with the Six-Axis. That, and Anna Torv's voice acting.

@OldGamer999 They're creatives and Hellblade is what they wanted to do. That is what interests them the most. We don't want them strongarmed into making an action game (trilogy), right?

You should watch the making of the original Hellblade, if you have the time. The team documented it on video from the beginning.

I like tech, and back then the videogame tech leaps were greater with each system. We need as big a jump as you could get.

PS2 we crazily hyped up and I feel for it, watching B.S. "trailers" online all through '99. I skipped Dreamcast because of it. Luckily, I was able to get the PS2 on launch day. The reality was pretty disappointing, with Red Faction being one of the few bright spots of the first year. GTA3 bailed them out and things got better over time.

The OG Xbox had a different approach and smart inclusions, along with greater compute. Third party libraries were more widely differentiated at the time, between each console and PC. That was interesting and I bought a bundle ($500 for console and 4 or 5 games) a week after launch. I remember not quiet knowing what to think about Halo until I actually played it and was ultimately impressed.

@Banjo-

I never played much Sea of Thieves for similar reasons. I didn't have anyone to play with. Two years or so have gone by since I've play SoD2. Maybe I'll fire it up later.

I had some great encounters in the first game. SoD2 is fun; they've bad situations more survivable than before. Some of my companions have not been so lucky. Wish I had more time to be fit it into the rotation.

@OldGamer999 Better for MS to have some level of migration to Xbox from PS and a larger share of new-to-market buyers. They have the most sales surface area with more consoles (1:1 with potential customers). Then when the next gen launches, more people go straight to Xbox. MS has so many studios that the next gen launch should be close to or better than the 360 launch.

@MrBook Same here; CoD 2 was one of my all-time favorite games. Great launch title for 360 that really helped to usher in the next gen. Loved the look of the smoke grenades. Played through the campaign on veteran 5-6 times. Next up for me was CoD 4: MW.

@GuyinPA75 Jewel 2 has been much better about registering play lately. The goal tile now states, explicitly, "Complete one level of Jewel on the Xbox app for mobile." Yes, there were times prior when it would take 2-4 levels for my play to register.

@GeeEssEff You have to play on the console for 15 minutes. It says so on the goal "tile." I have been getting the points consistently.