Videogame News

[Alex79]

Yeah, nice. Shinobi in particular looks really cool.

[Alex79]

Just watched a bit more from the Game Awards. Monster Hunter Wilds is looking good and I'm obviously hyped for OD from Kojima, whatever the hell it is!

[Alex79]

Heads up - Deaths Door has just released for mobile via Netflix games! Personally I'm not sure touch screen* is the way I'd play that game, but goodness me, Netflix games is really going from strength to strength!

*You can connect a controller if you're so inclined. Played a fair bit of Netflix released Dead Cells on my tablet that way.

[Rhaegyr]

I need to give Death's Door another try after bouncing off it the first time.

[Alex79]

I need to give Death's Door another try after bouncing off it the first time.

Yeah I started it on Xbox but lost interest quickly and it felt more like a handheld game. Played it later on Switch and really loved it.

[Alex79]

This is really interesting:

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/ ... ree-add-on

A new map pack download for Quake released and it's a prelude to a full game coming soon. It looks fantastic, and I'm going to download it later to play.

It looks totally different to the original Quake, and it's amazing people are still putting this stuff out there!

[Truk_Kurt]

So the new Indy game has finally been given a gameplay reveal and I think it looks great. I saw some people complain about it not being third person but I'm glad Machine Games are sticking to what they know. This is now one of my most anticipated games.

Did anything else stand out from the Xbox showcase for anyone else? I thought it was a good showcase overall with Xbox finally revealing games which are coming this year, there was only really Indy I will play but I could still appreciate the other games shown will appeal to lots of people.

[Alex79]

Yeah I'm hyped for the Indy game. Honestly though I thought the rest of the conference was poor - just from a personal point of view there was nothing I'm interested in. I hated Hellblade, just through it was so tedious and boring, and the other games didn't appeal at all either. I find the showcases where they give a lot of time to developer interviews not particularly interesting to be honest, I'd much prefer trailer, trailer, a minute of talking, trailer.

I don't think this showcase will have done anything to convince people Xbox is doing well with game releases.

[Tolkientaters]

Did anything else stand out from the Xbox showcase for anyone else? I thought it was a good showcase overall with Xbox finally revealing games which are coming this year, there was only really Indy I will play but I could still appreciate the other games shown will appeal to lots of people.

I'm looking foward to Avowed, it looks a little janky, but the visual design looked really cool and the Pillars of Eternity world is pretty interesting.

[Tolkientaters]

Plus this art looks sick.

[Rhaegyr]

So - what are the chances Microsoft are going to do a Sega next week?

[ratsoalbion]

Reasonable to high I think.

[ratsoalbion]

To wit:

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2024/02 ... M0poM-dN4s

With 140m Switches and 50m PS5s out there (compared to 20m Xbox), it doesn't seem crazy to me that MS would see this as their Dreamcast moment.

[Alex79]

What's the talk? Microsoft pulling out of hardware? Or just putting their games on other consoles?

[ratsoalbion]

Certainly the latter, possibly also the former.

[Scrustle]

I can't see them pulling out any time soon, since they announced they are going to address this issue imminently, and there's no way they would announce they are ditching hardware when we are right in the middle of a console generation. MS have been making noise about putting their games on other platforms for a while now, and while so far that's been mostly tokenistic gestures, it's not implausible they would ramp up that plan more seriously. Maybe they will have an approach to it like Sony currently has with PC games. Launch on their own hardware first, but then bring it over to others in a few years.

Maybe this could be paving the way for them leaving the console space after this generation though, giving them an early foothold before they have to jump in completely. Although that still seems a bit weird after them recently buying up so many developers. I guess that's not incompatible with being a third party publisher, but it seemed like they put so much resources in to that as an effort to make their hardware more appealing. It seems odd to immediately walk back on such a costly plan.

[ratsoalbion]

Some thoughtful analysis here:



Xbox's problems started in 2012/2013 with the messaging, hardware and launch of Xbox One, and have been exacerbated by a lack of stellar first-party releases over an extended period, and more recently skewered by the tepid response to and reception for Starfield.

I love my Series X, and I use it as much as I do my PS5 and Switch, but I am all for having fewer big console boxes. Saying that, Xbox hardware may continue as a Game Pass machine, but I am concerned for a lack of real competition - and the status of - and ongoing access to - the rich and extensive Xbox legacy library.

[Alex79]

Interesting, thanks. I don't regret buying an Xbox this gen by any means but they really do have a lack of big budget AAA must-have games. There are exceptions of course, I loved the Forza games, both strands, as well as the most recent Halo and there are a few others, but nothing equivalent to Spider-Man, God Of War or The Last Of Us etc. it's been this way for years though I suppose, at least you know what you're buying in to, and I guess most (or at least, a lot of) people use it primarily as a Gamepass device. I wouldn't be adverse at all to having Xbox games on PS5 and Switch.

Maybe they will have an approach to it like Sony currently has with PC games. Launch on their own hardware first, but then bring it over to others in a few years.

All the first party Xbox stuff is already on PC though.

EDIT: Sorry, I see what you mean - launch on Xbox then to other platforms.

[ratsoalbion]

https://www.gematsu.com/2024/02/disney- ... Gs24E689BM

[Truk_Kurt]

https://www.gematsu.com/2024/02/disney- ... Gs24E689BM

Just when I thought Fortnite couldn't get any bigger.