In line at GameStop getting an Xbox Series S. It's pretty wild to hear so many people talking about how they are here to buy an Xbox console because of what Xbox showed at
#E32021
.
I know some Xbox fans are upset, and I'm not here to tell you not to be.
But the reality is we can't push for anti-crunch work culture, flawless launches, and innovative video game experiences, while also screaming every time there is a delay.
Where I stand on the whole pro/anti Xbox Game Pass discourse:
If you hate Xbox Game Pass, I really have a hard time believing you genuinely enjoy video games.
There are no builds I consider "cheating" in Elden Ring.
Play anyway you want and relish in the victories. These enemies are unforgiving and relentless, beat them any way you see fit.
Also - stop gatekeeping and diminishing how people enjoy their games.
While Xbox is promoting All Access, Playstation is preparing their plans to roll out a real-life Battle Royale, where the few survivors can have a chance to pre order the PS5.
Some of ya'll are really acting like
Fable
Hellblade 2
State of Decay 3
Everwild
Starfield
Redfall
Perfect Dark
Avowed
The Outer Worlds 2
Contraband
As Dusk Falls
Tunic
+ 4-5 More Xbox Codenames
aren't enough Xbox exclusives
There's a special place in hell for people who drop messages in Elden Ring that say "secret ahead" next to walls that absolutely have no secrets behind them.
BREAKING: It sounds like PlayStation has locked down another Marvel exclusive title.
Morbius in the Multiverse of Morbness could be revealed at the State of Play.
Take it with a grain of 🧂
I'm seeing folks upset that Xbox focused on the "next 12 months," but honestly I think that was the right call.
There were so many questions about the near-term future of Xbox and the team showed over 30 dropping coming soon.
Game Pass still looking mighty tasty.
It's disappointing that some people's excitement for a video game hinges almost entirely on whether or not it's exclusive and who gets said exclusivity.
*Xbox reveals a huge slate of first-party titles and announces 500 games are coming to Xbox Game Pass.
Someone on the internet: "Man, Xbox has been quiet lately."
The Xbox outage has sparked some conversations surrounding DRM and our increasingly digital future.
I couldn't play most of the games I own on Xbox yesterday.
Maybe a compromise would be an online check that grants access to titles while offline for a set number of days.
@hawillisdc
@Tesseraconteur
Yeah it's a gross belief a lot of people seem to hold and I'm not quite sure where this idea comes from. "I helped you through a tough time - now it's time to fuck."
Tunic is what happens when a developer understands that The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Dark Souls are the two most important blueprints for action games, while also embracing the fact that Donkey Kong Country has the best music.
Xbox crossover armor sets I wanna see in Halo Infinite:
DOOM Marine
COG Soldier (Gears of War)
Gold Hoarder (Sea of Thieves)
Fulgore (Killer Instinct)
Power Armor (Fallout)
Northmen (Hellblade)
Any I'm missing?
Xbox needs a quarterly Nintendo Direct style presentation.
Hearing about games on the horizon is unquestionably exciting, but they need to be better about the cadence in which they show games.
Nintendo lets its audience know exactly what to expect and when to expect it.
If Xbox does an Elite Series 3 controller they better be offering a 3-year Right Bumper warranty.
Between my Series 1 and Series 2 I've had the right bumper go out like 5 times.
I know some folks are upset about Battlefield 2042 not having a single-player campaign, but I'm mostly focused on the fact that the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions are $10 more than the PC version.
You could look at the Elden Ring sword on Phil Spencer's shelf and say - "Oh, dang! Maybe Xbox is trying to buy FromSoftware!"
But the reality is he, like most of us, just thinks the sword looks pretty damn sick.
After four years of playing Sea of Thieves, I've finally seen the Shrouded Ghost.
We had 5 crews fighting fleets of Ghost Ships and the Ghost Meg. It was epic as hell and moments like that are why Sea of Thieves is still one of the best multiplayer experiences around.
Gamers are on Twitter: "Why won't you show us gameplay earlier!?"
Also Gamers on Twitter: "Let me do a side-by-side comparison of the reveal gameplay trailer versus the launch version of the game and then attack the developer for lying."
Elden Ring is the new king of open-world RPGs.
I truly can't think of one I've enjoyed more. FromSoftware continues to be one of the best developers in the industry.
No wonder PlayStation is fighting so hard to stop Activision exclusivity. They know better than most how exclusive content can powerfully influence customers' purchasing habits.
In some other exciting news, starting very shortly I'll be whipping up video content for
@IGN
.
I grew up watching and reading IGN, and there have been countless crewmates who've inspired my journey in gaming, so I'm pretty stoked about being a small part of the team.
So the Gears 5 Hivebusters campaign was absolutely incredible. Beautiful set pieces, great action, and some interesting character development.
Also one of the best looking games we've seen on Xbox Series X or PS5.
Some people say
#Xbox
and 343 Industries need to erase the memory of Craig from their next showing of Halo Infinite.
I say no.
I want to see Craig get the ultimate glow-up. Team 'Handsome Craig' for
#E32021
.
Catching up on the Halo subreddit situation. This bums me out.
There are no reasons why we can't have civil, light-hearted conversations about things as trivial as video games.
Stop attacking devs. Stop attacking other players. Stop trying to suck all the joy out of gaming.
I know Sea of Thieves multiplayer-focused approach isn't to everyone's tastes, but I firmly believe that when it comes to originality and unique gameplay design, Sea of Thieves is one of the most important games of the last decade.
I know it's not for everyone, but I found the super minimalistic UI for Elden Ring so refreshing. I wasn't inundated with markers, or quests, or text, I could simply get absorbed in the haunting beauty of the world.
I was the one driving the game forward and that's huge.
Brazil has approved the acquisition of Activision by Microsoft.
"It is important to highlight that the central objective of CADE's activities is the protection of competition for Brazilian consumers, and not the defense of the particular interests of specific competitors."
I know some people don't want to hear this right now and it hurts to even bring it up, but if Bloodborne was on Xbox it'd probably have 60FPS via FPS Boost.
The New Official FromSoftware Souls-like Power Ranking:
1. Elden Ring
2. Dark Souls 3
3. Sekiro
4. Dark Souls
5. Bloodborne
5. Demon's Souls
7. Dark Souls 2
Xbox 💚 & Disney 🐭
Indiana Jones x Machine Games
Sea of Thieves: A Pirate's Life
Disney+ in Xbox Game Pass
🤔 I wonder what's coming next from this partnership?
It isn't 60fps, but it's impossible not to be impressed by the visual presentation of A Plague Tale: Requiem on Xbox Series X.
The density of foliage, texture quality, and even draw distance are all some of the best we've seen this generation. A visual feast.
Hypothetically, if Xbox's 2023 consisted of the following titles, how would you feel about first-party output?
Ghostwire Tokyo
Forza Motorsport
Redfall
Starfield
Hellblade 2
The Fable trailer was one of my favorite moments of the Xbox Games Showcase 2023.
So, it's been fascinating watching people debate whether it was real gameplay.
After they rendered individual cactus needles in FH5, I'm not going to question Playground.
Some food for thought here regarding Xbox acquisitions.
Do we really think Xbox would want to announce 5 new studios joining the team at what they have officially branded the "Xbox + Bethesda" games showcase?
They need to nail the messaging for Bethesda joining Xbox first imo
Hey
@Xbox
and
@XboxGamePass
, tech like FPS Boost and Quick Resume is pretty incredible, but what I'm really going to need is for you to develop a program that let's me slow down time so I can play more of these incredible games.
"Coming Fall 2022 To *All Platforms"
*All platforms except for Xbox*
I know we've discussed this topic a lot recently, but it's still unfortunate to see official marketing materials dismiss Xbox as a platform.
Elden Ring is FromSoftware's greatest game yet and confidently one of the best RPGs of all time.
A release that stands alongside monumental games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
My full review:
Bungie and Destiny remaining multiplat.
Call of Duty and Blizzard remaining multiplat.
While I understand the desire from fans for exclusive content, I have to admit that these developments are probably a relief for players who have a preferred platform.
What a year so far.
High profile shadow drops for videos games feel like a miracle in this day and age.
But if social metrics and Steam charts for Hi-Fi Rush are any indication, it seems like a very effective marketing tool.
Call me old fashioned, but I love a good surprise.
My Game Awards 2022 Winner Predictions:
Best RPG - Elden Ring
Best Score - Elden Ring
Best Art Direction - Elden Ring
Best Game Direction - Elden Ring
Game of the Year - Elden Ring
If Xbox can deliver titles like MLB: The Show and Call of Duty day and date in Xbox Game Pass every year, it's going to become impossible for certain players to ignore.
They are pushing to drive the narrative that Game Pass gets some of the BIGGEST games day one and that's huge.