Thaliard

@ParsnipHero I love the idea that Ubisoft is remaking Sands of Time to undo the past 20 or so years.

@Doublecell Well, of course they benefit. Poor phrasing on my part. They are possibly benefitting less than they could. Game development is very expensive. Sony already begrudgingly releases games on PC because of this; is it too much of a stretch to extend releases out to Xbox too?

@Doublecell That's not a fair comparison. Exclusivity would either kill COD or move massive amounts of Xboxes. Hardly anyone is buying a PS5 to play Helldivers 2. The whole reason console exclusives exist is to drive people towards their console ecosystem. I think what Phil is trying to say is that the few extra consoles that Helldivers might be able to sell are not going to outweigh the lost sales of the (likely more profitable) software by keeping it exclusive. It's a lose for Sony, a lose for Xbox, and a lose for players, considering the player base is going to be smaller. Nobody benefits.

@GuyinPA75 Not sure if the inverse is a popular opinion either, but I think remakes should absolutely be a part of GOTY conversations. Case in point, the Oscars honor movie remakes; A Star is Born has been remade twice and all three versions of that movie have been nominated, if not won awards.

To say that remakes shouldn't be part of GOTY conversations undermines how difficult it is to capture lightning in a bottle again. Those efforts should be recognized if the achievement is truly outstanding. There are a ton of remakes that miss the mark. Why not honor the ones that live up to or exceed the original?

Good lord, I thought he was leaving for a second! We're grateful for you too, Phil!

@AFCC I wouldn't exactly call this impression "praise". It basically says MW3 is still fun because the core shooting is fun and it looks nice. It is fine™. The only reason why this game seems so terrible is because it's standing next to two of the best shooters released in the past five years.

Ah, yes, the crown jewel of the Fallout franchise: Skyrim.

@Blinx I used to be a big Library hater, but I played Halo: CE again this year for the first time in about 10 years and was shocked at how much I enjoyed the level for the reason you stated. It's an awesome survival horror level. You have to manage your weapons effectively, prioritize certain enemies above all others, and just f'ing run.

Even the repeated level patterns add to the hopelessness. How much longer are you going to have to endure? Did you get turned around somewhere? Are you even doing the right thing? Can you even make it with your current weapons? It's brilliant, honestly.

Wow, clearly a lot of love went into this thing. I'm pretty impressed!

@GunValkyria I hope they do. People gotta stop looking at X as being held back by S and start looking at S as the primary console. The S is pro-consumer. It's cheaper, plays all the same games, and is elevated by the X and Microsoft's decree for console parity. More controllers in hands for less money should be every platform holders goal.

@Moonglow I kinda agree with this. What's going to lose more sales: lack of split-screen or a 4 month delay? However, I respect Microsoft's hard rules about Series parity. If they budge on this, it opens the door to all kinds of cuts for Series S. They've said they don't want anyone playing a game on their platform to feel like a second-class citizen and they've made good so far. Larian cut split screen for D:OS2 on Switch; why can't they just cut it for Xbox entirely and release day and date with PS5? They could implement a buddy pass system on Xbox as a mea culpa, too.

@Deshalu They're not free, though. They're free with a sub. And they disappear without a sub. At least a Game Pass core model would give you access to a rotating list of quality titles instead of a list of indie titles nobody would pay attention to otherwise.

@BBB Had a similar, almost inverse experience. Ended up having to take off a week and a half to take care of my kids while my wife was on a business trip and it serendipitously started at the beginning of early access for Diablo 4, so I bought the deluxe digital because of this.

I'm fully prepared for an ACIV remake to come out before Skull and Bones.

@themightyant I really have no horse in this race other than I want ABK to have new management, but I'll give it a shot: it's obvious hyperbole. You would have to be delusional to think you could simply spend Sony out of business. They're the industry leader and their first party content alone has been miles above anything Xbox has been putting out. They could give everyone a free Xbox and people would still buy PS5s.

@Kaloudz Yes, I'd almost recommend people play Diablo 3 before playing 2. D3 is great, but D2 is the real deal, IMO.

Regarding Ghost Recon, I've only played a little Wildlands, but a decent chunk of Breakpoint. It may be a controversial opinion, but I enjoyed my time with Breakpoint more. The environments are more varied, there's a lot of freedom to the way you play (turn loot on/off, difficulty modulation on a granular level). Both play pretty similarly, but Breakpoint feels more like a stupid version of MGSV you can play with your friends. On the downside, both games are buggy, but Breakpoint was buggier at the time I played. lt also requires constant internet connection, unlike Wildlands.

For Breakpoint, if you're into mil-sims, you'll likely find it disappointing, but there are options for you. However, if you're looking for a dumb, undercooked loot game with a ton of freedom on how you approach an objective and have some buddies who are down, I can safely say it's some of the most fun I've had playing a game. Just crank that bad boy down to easy/medium, leave loot on, and go nuts.

@Kaloudz It's a different flavor. You have to be more careful overall in D2. Enemies are deadlier, there are actual consequences to death, and it's pretty easy to make a subpar build by mistake. And the respec process is a pain if you respec too much. That being said, the game is practically as fun and addictive as the day it came out.

Some unsolicited advice: if you're gonna play it as a new player, I highly recommend reading about the classes, pick a build guide for the build you like best, and just follow the guide. It'll save you a lot of headaches and allow you to have more fun quickly.

@Banjo- Whoops, somehow glazed past Monkey Ball in your initial post. Apologies! How does Monkey Ball count as classic and Yakuza doesn't? They're from the same console generation. Also, just thought about New Genesis. That's pretty big and assuredly from a classic IP. Bayonetta with Nintendo. I feel like Sega's been doing some pretty decent work. When you look at other big third party publishers who put out 3-4 games a year, Sega looks pretty darn good.

@Banjo- Umm... Yakuza? SMT 5? Monkey Ball? Soul Hackers? That's just off the top of my head.

It makes sense. Persona and Yakuza are on Xbox and doing well and Soul Hackers 2 is on GP, why not more SMT? Anyone can make a professional looking image and take a picture of it on a screen, though. Definitely taking it with a grain of salt.

@Bricktop33 But what if it isn't the same game? What if they set it up to retcon 5 and 6 or work Claire, Chris, or Jill into the story somehow? FFVIIR did something similar. If there was a game in the RE franchise to set up significant changes for the future, this would be it.

Lol, I've managed to sleep on every single EA Originals title. I guess I'm part of the problem.

@CrazyJF MK11 did crazy numbers, but it's an outlier. Even the new Doom games didn't hit 5 million and they're both critically acclaimed from long running franchises. I have no idea what Krafton was thinking.

Curious about the Outbreak games. The dev seems passionate based off of their Reddit presence and they crank out games like mad. Admittedly, they don't look very good, but the quality seems to go up with every release. Has anyone played them?

PS destroys Xbox in Japan. Japanese game development culture also always seems to lean "domestic first". If they have limited resources, it makes the most sense that they would focus on Xbox last. Platinum is a super talented AA developer that pumps out some AAA quality titles that appeal to a demographic that's just under the mainstream market and finances them with some questionable games born from licensing and publisher deals. Their resources aren't infinite.

@PJOReilly @Kaloudz For what it's worth, the Game Preview tag probably comes from the PC version, which has apparently been on Game Pass on Game Preview before launch. Maybe they hadn't updated the icon?

Sony's totally playing up how bad this deal is for them. They'll be fine. COD does crazy numbers, but shooters aren't the only thing people play by a long shot. For all we know, this merger could end up hurting COD more than Sony because there's going to be a multiplatform shooter power vacuum. Maybe this is Battlefield's time to shine.

@themightyant Perhaps the implication is that it's sad there aren't more masterpiece titles on the Series consoles? Even still, they've only been out for a couple years and there are maybe 10 universally acclaimed 90+ scoring titles per generation.

@Carck You're 100% correct. Just got into VR a couple months ago and it's amazing how boring some things are in VR that would be interesting in a traditional game (and vice versa). Imagine climbing the ladder in MGS3 in VR; it would be an entirely different experience altogether.

Every time a dev posts one of these, I feel like the actual runtime is somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 shorter than what they report.

At any rate, I'm glad it's coming to Game Pass. This looks like one of those games that's going to look amazing, but actually be a chore to play. I hope I'm proven wrong.

Halo was the same way for years and that was an Xbox console exclusive from the beginning. If you want story-driven single player masterpieces, Sony has that on lock. I bet that influences console purchases and you can bet they're not willing to share.

@Tech-Bandit I wouldn't hate this. Sounds nicer than having a bunch of fodder cluttering my achievements list. Maybe it opens the door to exploits? At the very least, they should add a hide feature that takes certain games off the list.

Also, would be nice to have a "prestige" system where you could add a badge to a game you've 100%, delete progress, and do the achievements again.

@GuyinPA75 Bad Company 2 is the greatest BF of all time. Haven't been able to get into a BF since. The chaos and decimation is unmatched to this day.

@WallyWest Honestly, indies are where the true value of Game Pass lie. Most AAA games nowadays are designed to be the only game you play for months, so you're almost better off just buying the game and canceling your sub if that's the only thing you're interested in. Indies may be cheaper at retail, but you can knock 'em out in a handful of hours and more than "pay" for your sub for the month by knocking out a couple in a weekend.

It is beyond spooky that so many big companies are looking to sell. Are people looking to protect themselves from a market crash on the horizon or do they just see dollar signs from all of the recent acquisitions? I could see someone approaching EA for an acquisition and getting bought that way, but never would've imagined they would actively seek one out.

@scarecrowknife Chainsaw, chainsaw, right stick, chainsaw, right stick for the weak deadites. Kite the big ones with your boomstick. Don't be afraid to break a reload with a dodge. Kill the small guys first because the I-frames during the finishers/special moves. Once you get the timing down, you'll save a lot of Shemp's cola. Also, explore every area thoroughly after you clear it of deadites. Good luck!

Lord, file sizes are getting ridiculous. Cloud gaming better hurry up and get better because I don't want to deal with installing and uninstalling any more.

KFC's not wrong, but Turtle Rock's response is gold.

@UltimateOtaku91 I enjoy it and make use of it. I was just playing Ninja Gaiden Black a few months ago.

That being said, BC doesn't need to be a priority for Microsoft. I don't really have a problem with the selection on offer in the Xbox Marketplace in terms of BC titles and I don't really think they need to add any more. A lot of the titles I would want were on the shop at one point and got delisted due to licensing issues anyway, so there's probably no hope in getting those back.

I feel like it was Blood Wake at a kiosk in a Walmart.

@Carck I mostly agree, but I have an unopened Japanese copy of Rule of Rose that I keep on display on a bookshelf, among other collectibles that brings me happiness to look at every once in a while. If it were a copy for my region, though, I would've opened it ages ago.

I love me a jank Euro RPG. There's something about the roughness of the mechanics that immerses me into the world. Maybe the lack of user-friendliness makes these worlds feel more realistic? I dunno.

@BlueOcean This. I'm a little afraid that the runaway success of Control will tempt Remedy to make every game from here on out a Control sequel or spin-off.

Also, where's CrossfireX? They did the beta, then it fell off the face of the earth as far as I know.

@Would_you_kindly Could be a part of the deal initially drafted. If Disney said it had to hit all platforms, then show's over for exclusivity.

@BlueOcean I agree, but unfortunately you're going to run into compatibility issues when you're making big overhauls to an OS, creating a need to differentiate versions. I enjoy the simplicity and evenness of "Windows 10", but honestly, making numbered iterations from here on out is still pretty clean.

The only thing that makes the Windows 11 name stupid is the lack of a Windows 9. Wouldn't this technically be Windows 10?

@BlueOcean Yeah, but that was a stupid thing to say. Tech changes too much and everything ages out eventually. At least the upgrade path is free.

@uptownsoul That's the nature of games currently under development. I believe the Crackdown 3 stuff was real at one point, but things change as devs hit roadblocks or shift priorities.

Does anyone remember Wild or B.C.? I feel like these nature-themed games never come out. I feel like I'm forgetting another game, too.

One S user here, and boy is it a mess. I've had the game freeze for five seconds or longer during intense sequences, not to mention frequent stuttering and frames being all over the place. Also, the resolution will drop down so low in some menus with no action going on that the text becomes literally unreadable, and I'm not being hyperbolic.

That being said, the game does look rather nice at times and I've been having fun with it anyway. Can't wait for a patch, though.

Honestly, the combat is not the reason why I play. The story, the writing, and just hanging out in Kamurocho are what keep me coming back. They can do whatever they want with the combat as long as it doesn't detract from the heart and soul of the series.