Video Game Thread v. Series Xbox One X Series Switch S 5

[Chino]

Speaking of law abiding GTA, have any of you seen the trailer for an upcoming game called The Precinct?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6b4dY6LmDI

It's got a camera angle somewhere between GTA2 and GTA3, but it has modern graphics and physics.

[cramx3]

So there's a new wrestling game, AEW Fight Forever, that is a modern version of the THQ WWF wrestling games from the N64 like No Mercy (one of my all time favorite games).  I may have to get this and check it out.  It comes out tomorrow on basically every platform.  Might want to get it for the switch instead of PC though.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

So there's a new wrestling game, AEW Fight Forever, that is a modern version of the THQ WWF wrestling games from the N64 like No Mercy (one of my all time favorite games).  I may have to get this and check it out.  It comes out tomorrow on basically every platform.  Might want to get it for the switch instead of PC though.

The reviews for this are pretty mixed so far. A lot of people saying it's not worth full price at the moment.

[cramx3]

So there's a new wrestling game, AEW Fight Forever, that is a modern version of the THQ WWF wrestling games from the N64 like No Mercy (one of my all time favorite games).  I may have to get this and check it out.  It comes out tomorrow on basically every platform.  Might want to get it for the switch instead of PC though.

The reviews for this are pretty mixed so far. A lot of people saying it's not worth full price at the moment.

Yeah I saw that, lacking content.  But I may jump on it if I have time to actually play it in the near future.

[Phoenix87x]

Just dropping to say I love Diablo IV 

(Weed's awesome too, lol. And the combo of both is spectacular)

[Polarbear]

Since I no longer have an Xbox and I've switched to PS5, I bought The Witcher 3 again. Specifically the "Complete Edition" for PS5.

I can't believe that I'm this excited to play a game I've finished twice already.

I love what the did to the game following the Next Gen remaster. Game shows it's age in places, but the lighting system for example is beautifully reworked.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Since I no longer have an Xbox and I've switched to PS5, I bought The Witcher 3 again. Specifically the "Complete Edition" for PS5.

I can't believe that I'm this excited to play a game I've finished twice already.

I love what the did to the game following the Next Gen remaster. Game shows it's age in places, but the lighting system for example is beautifully reworked.

When I played through the next-gen version, it was a bit of a mess in terms of bugs, but I think they've released a bunch of patches since then, so hopefully you have a smooth experience!

I think it is starting to show its age in some ways, but is a timeless classic in all the ways that truly matter. It will probably always be my favorite game.

[Polarbear]

Since I no longer have an Xbox and I've switched to PS5, I bought The Witcher 3 again. Specifically the "Complete Edition" for PS5.

I can't believe that I'm this excited to play a game I've finished twice already.

I love what the did to the game following the Next Gen remaster. Game shows it's age in places, but the lighting system for example is beautifully reworked.

When I played through the next-gen version, it was a bit of a mess in terms of bugs, but I think they've released a bunch of patches since then, so hopefully you have a smooth experience!

I think it is starting to show its age in some ways, but is a timeless classic in all the ways that truly matter. It will probably always be my favorite game.

Yeah, absolutely in my top 3 games of all time too!

I've encountered a few bugs so far, but nothing game breaking as of yet. There has been a couple of times the weather changes suddenly, some loot I've not been able to pick up and so on.

One thing annoyed me a bit. There are two brand new armor sets you can get at the beginning of the game in Vizima. The chest the loot was in must have bugged out, and I only got one armor set.

Other than that, I've had a blast! I hope they continue to commit on making bug fixes.

[ErHaO]

So now it does seem likely that Xbox/Microsoft will own Activision/Blizzard in the future. While they won't make the major titles exclusive anytime soon, this will change the market for sure (and if the market wants to have a solid competitor, this is in my opinion needed).

That said, pleaaase let the Crash/Spyro remake studio do Banjo Kazooie/Tooie remake. Also weird that Crash Bandicoot will then become an Xbox studios game, if MS ever decides to make one.

I am actually a bit excited for this deal, as I do feel MS will do more interesting things with the ip's than Activision.

[Chino]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Sony go on a studio buying spree over the next few years. This could get interesting. How far out do you think we are from not really needing a console any more, in the traditional sense, and instead just have a connectivity box that connects to a super computer doing all your processing? I wonder if Microsoft's long term plan is to lock people into subscriptions with exclusive content rather than consoles.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I don't have any problem with the Activision-Blizzard acquisition in and of itself, but if this leads to Microsoft, Nintendo, and PlayStation gobbling up every other major publisher, that would be pretty bad. I don't think that will happen but who knows. Sometimes it doesn't take much for the floodgates to open.

[cramx3]

I'm not sure where I stand on this.  It definitely seems like the gaming landscape will change in the coming years.  Microsoft definitely seems to want everyone on their game pass subscription service and if COD were on it, they'd have my subscription most likely.  The court case leaked a bunch of stuff relating to COD which is interesting too. I can't find it now, but some stat came out that like 1 million PS5s ONLY have COD installed on them.  Kind of crazy.

[El Barto]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Sony go on a studio buying spree over the next few years. This could get interesting. How far out do you think we are from not really needing a console any more, in the traditional sense, and instead just have a connectivity box that connects to a super computer doing all your processing? I wonder if Microsoft's long term plan is to lock people into subscriptions with exclusive content rather than consoles.

Wasn't this tried and failed with Google Stadia? I think we're a long way from resolving latency issues. Also, aren't consoles actually loss leaders to get people into their subscription plans? The goal should be to get people subscribing to more services. Such as a Steam like service that allows people to "lease" games that'll be uninstalled when they stop paying. Or they can buy Madden and get discounted or free upgrades going forward.

[axeman90210]

As an Xbox owner I'm pretty happy, hopefully means more cool stuff on Game Pass.

[Chino]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Sony go on a studio buying spree over the next few years. This could get interesting. How far out do you think we are from not really needing a console any more, in the traditional sense, and instead just have a connectivity box that connects to a super computer doing all your processing? I wonder if Microsoft's long term plan is to lock people into subscriptions with exclusive content rather than consoles.

Wasn't this tried and failed with Google Stadia? I think we're a long way from resolving latency issues. Also, aren't consoles actually loss leaders to get people into their subscription plans? The goal should be to get people subscribing to more services. Such as a Steam like service that allows people to "lease" games that'll be uninstalled when they stop paying. Or they can buy Madden and get discounted or free upgrades going forward.

Sure, but that doesn't mean the idea is dead. Palm Pilot tried the touch screen phone a few years before anyone else made an attempt. Sometimes the technology just isn't there yet. I'm not sure how far out we are in terms of the latency issues, but we went from unrecognizable camera phone images being sent through texts to 4K full length movies being uploaded to Youtube in about 15 years. 

Are consoles always loss leaders? I thought Sony and Microsoft are both making profit off the current systems.

[cramx3]

My understanding is consoles are still loses.  BUt I could be wrong.I don't see consoles going away though.  There's still a lot of competition between PS and Xbox (as seen during the FTC case evidence). I'd actually guess this is going to push the two consoles further apart and each will have their exclusives with online multiplayer games (like COD) staying on both because it's part of the health of those games to have lots of players and that's achieved by keeping those types of games on all consoles possible. Starfield is already going to be the first Bethesda game (to my knowledge) that'll be Microsoft exclusive.  Sony has already been beating Microsoft in the exclusive games part, but Microsoft just buying up the companies to get their exclusives just makes me think Sony might have to do the same, hence furthering the two consoles apart. Also it was leaked that there's already work on the next gen to come out in 4 or so years. The consoles aren't going anywhere just yet.  I do agree the tech will get better and we may see something different eventually though.

[Chino]

My buddy used to be obsessed with a game called Morrowind on the OG Xbox. Was that a Bethesda exclusive?

[El Barto]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Sony go on a studio buying spree over the next few years. This could get interesting. How far out do you think we are from not really needing a console any more, in the traditional sense, and instead just have a connectivity box that connects to a super computer doing all your processing? I wonder if Microsoft's long term plan is to lock people into subscriptions with exclusive content rather than consoles.

Wasn't this tried and failed with Google Stadia? I think we're a long way from resolving latency issues. Also, aren't consoles actually loss leaders to get people into their subscription plans? The goal should be to get people subscribing to more services. Such as a Steam like service that allows people to "lease" games that'll be uninstalled when they stop paying. Or they can buy Madden and get discounted or free upgrades going forward.

Sure, but that doesn't mean the idea is dead. Palm Pilot tried the touch screen phone a few years before anyone else made an attempt. Sometimes the technology just isn't there yet. I'm not sure how far out we are in terms of the latency issues, but we went from unrecognizable camera phone images being sent through texts to 4K full length movies being uploaded to Youtube in about 15 years. 

Are consoles always loss leaders? I thought Sony and Microsoft are both making profit off the current systems.

Well, it seems that latency wasn't the big problem with Stadia. That's honestly kind of amazing to me. Yet they were still having to step down FPS and there were compression artifacts. I suppose it's probably not that far off. Still, I don't think MS and Sony want to give up their consoles. That locks people into their own walled garden.

Also, don't consoles already incorporate streaming platforms? Add in some web browsing and teleconfrencing and they can manufacture one STB that runs the gamut.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see Sony go on a studio buying spree over the next few years. This could get interesting. How far out do you think we are from not really needing a console any more, in the traditional sense, and instead just have a connectivity box that connects to a super computer doing all your processing? I wonder if Microsoft's long term plan is to lock people into subscriptions with exclusive content rather than consoles.

Wasn't this tried and failed with Google Stadia? I think we're a long way from resolving latency issues. Also, aren't consoles actually loss leaders to get people into their subscription plans? The goal should be to get people subscribing to more services. Such as a Steam like service that allows people to "lease" games that'll be uninstalled when they stop paying. Or they can buy Madden and get discounted or free upgrades going forward.

Sure, but that doesn't mean the idea is dead. Palm Pilot tried the touch screen phone a few years before anyone else made an attempt. Sometimes the technology just isn't there yet. I'm not sure how far out we are in terms of the latency issues, but we went from unrecognizable camera phone images being sent through texts to 4K full length movies being uploaded to Youtube in about 15 years. 

Are consoles always loss leaders? I thought Sony and Microsoft are both making profit off the current systems.

Well, it seems that latency wasn't the big problem with Stadia. That's honestly kind of amazing to me. Yet they were still having to step down FPS and there were compression artifacts. I suppose it's probably not that far off. Still, I don't think MS and Sony want to give up their consoles. That locks people into their own walled garden.

Also, don't consoles already incorporate streaming platforms? Add in some web browsing and teleconfrencing and they can manufacture one STB that runs the gamut.

When I tried Stadia there were both latency issues and compression artifacts. I mean, you will never solve latency issues. That's just the laws of physics.

[ErHaO]

Ultimately, even with pristine connection, streaming just doesn't look very good on my tv. On my laptop screen it looks fine though. I first streamed a title om Gaikai back in like 2013. I am not very impressed with the progress of the market. And for online shooters and other reflex titles, it just puts you at a disadvantage. That will never be solved due to the nature of streaming.

It is super cool to play a game on my Series X and continue it seemlessly during a work trip on my laptop, but the difference is way too big (unlike streaming films or music). I doubt this will change quickly.

I don't think the console market will go anywhere soon. People like having an affordable "fancy" device that plays relatively graphics intensive titles . Keep in mind the majority of PC gamers play on machines still significantly weaker than both the PS5 and Series X (2,5 year old devices). Look at steam surveys. Furthermore, unlike in the past, traditional desktop PC's are not as common anymore in a household. At least in the Netherlands. I only know a couple of people these days who have a modern desktop and those are all gamers. Laptops and even chromebooks or tablets are the common devices. The investment required to get a solid gaming PC thus becomes higher. For a lot of people, buying a box that plays well on your big tv is a good value proposition.

The physical game market, however, is toast outside of collectors items from shops like limited run games. Most discs I own are incomplete husks of a game with 50+ GB patches day one.

[krands85]

Latency doesn't always have to be an issue - in some cases you can actually experience lower latency streaming via Geforce Now than playing on a Series X somehow: https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2022-geforce-now-rtx-3080-review-is-cloud-gaming-finally-a-viable-alternative

Obviously that's a best case scenario though and you're still beholden to your own individual internet connection and the streaming server you end up connected to. Presumably it'll improve as the technology gets better too, but I still can't really see it being a mass-market thing any time soon.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

The physical game market, however, is toast outside of collectors items from shops like limited run games. Most discs I own are incomplete husks of a game with 50+ GB patches day one.

Yea. I still buy physical copies of games that I really like (sort of the same situation with CDs) but it's purely for sentimental value. While physical copies do offer some degree of preservation, in practice, they're not very useful because so many games don't even come with the full download on the disc anymore or they come with a pre-patched version that is a shell of its final, ultimate form.

[ErHaO]

Latency doesn't always have to be an issue - in some cases you can actually experience lower latency streaming via Geforce Now than playing on a Series X somehow: https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2022-geforce-now-rtx-3080-review-is-cloud-gaming-finally-a-viable-alternative

Obviously that's a best case scenario though and you're still beholden to your own individual internet connection and the streaming server you end up connected to. Presumably it'll improve as the technology gets better too, but I still can't really see it being a mass-market thing any time soon.

This is impressive, I will admit.

The xbox comparison is a bit odd. Other games have significantly lower input latency, see for example their own test of Street Fighter. But be honest, I have never played on my Series X on 60hz mode. Point remains the service adds about 30 ms in a seemingly best case scenario on PC, which would bring the Series X at an even higher number if it had the service. I am not sure where the "it becomes noticable" range lies. But playing Sekiro on my old and new tv (difference about 30-40 ms) was the difference of struggling with mikiri counters and never ever failing them.

And to fully test a service they also need to do the exact same test on varying locations, no?. For all we know they are close to a server. Maybe even close to a server of one of the services but not to another. Server distance can add latency and internet/server infrastructure is not even remotely equal across the world. To an extent this offcourse also applies to all online titles, but I am not sure how cost effective having big cloud gaming setups with high end cards across the entire world would be.

Furthermore, the whole idea of streaming on a expensive high end PC built for low input lag seems a bit at odds with the concept of cloud gaming. The reality is that a lot of devices will have significantly more lag (non-gaming laptops, for example,). Even the dedicated device, the Nvidea Shield, does not compare well to the PC in this very test

I remain unconvinced, but if it turns out good, then I can see myself using streaming more.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Final Fantasy 16... Man... My experience with this game has been so strange. Overall, I think it's pretty great. Certain moments are so mind-blowing that they make even the most explosive summer blockbuster look like child's play. And I love the lore, the characters, and some of the emotional moments. On the other hand, the side quests are brutal. There are so many of them, and they are so cookie cutter, and the production values are so far below the main quests, and they're so slow... If all they did was remove half the side quests, the game would immediately go from A tier to S tier.

Of course you can just skip the side quests but the game is practically yelling at you to do them with a million green exclamation points everywhere. Plus, some of the side quests are quite good and net you some solid rewards, so I personally feel as though I need to "roll the dice" just in case.

[Dublagent66]

It's a very impressive and epic game and I had no issues with the side quests.

[Phoenix87x]

This is the first FF game since 8 that I didn't buy on day one. At one time it was hands down my favorite franchise.

They released an unfinished game with 15 (which could have been incredible) and they've just really lost my confidence. I will get to 16 when able.

[ReaperKK]

50 hours in and I finished Hogwarts. Still have some side stuff to do but it was a fantastic game. Really made with care and just visually stunning, highly recommended to anyone still on the fence.

[ErHaO]

I think FFXVI is a very average game at best and quit it after the second line of terrrible Mid quests. People compare it to GoT. Sure, but it definitely leans more towards season 8 than anything else. It is a mess of teleporting characters over the world, barely held together by a lore system. No sense of journey. I really feel like I have played a different game than whatever reviewed at almost a 9/10 average. The cinematic clashes weren't even that well directed in my opinion.

I do love the music and characters, but almost everything else is very mediocre or even bad in my view.

My summary is that it is an okay action title fused with a terrible RPG. Even low budget "eurojank" like Greedfall has better sidequests than about half of XVI's main quests.

I recently played God of War 3 and I think that is much better, even today, than XVI's large scale qte events.

[Skeever]

Finally ordered a PS5. Got the digital version and black replacement plates so it should look cool, lol

Gonna get:

1. FFXVI
2. Elden ring
3. Hogwarts
4. Police simulator (it looks oddly interesting. Like the allure of truck simulator or something. we'll see)
5. Diablo 4
6. Miles morales

Good list but.... Horizon Forbidden West? God of War?

[ErHaO]

I played Returnal and Pikmin 4. Both excellent games.

Returnal might be a bit too much for me though. The only thing that bothers me is that Returnal becomes harder despite not making progress, basically punishing players that are already bad at it. Now I think I did fairly well reaching the third biome relatively quick (second biome first try), but it has become much more of a hassle to reach the same point due to new enemies and harder lay outs in the first biome. I am not sure if I will be able to keep up with this game, but I do think it is quality, the gameplay feels great and the atmosphere/visuals are very well done.

Pikmin 4 is loads of fun. Tons of stuff to unlock/upgrade and the graphics are very appealing and hold up reasonably well on a large 4k screen (unlike many other Switch games). This feels like a full fledged Nintendo title with plenty of content, unlike some other Switch titles that are like 6 hours long (3d Kirby and 2d Metroid, for example).

[Phoenix87x]

Good list but.... Horizon Forbidden West? God of War?

Thanks

God of war and horizon are not for me.

[Dublagent66]

Well, I am not going to say it is a bad game. I might even end up thinking it is good (I am about 20% in). I am enjoying most of it and it has some truly great moments. But I am just confused/disappointed in regards to some of the decisions they made in terms of design. Game should probably be harder too, because while there are some advanced combo mechanics there, the game does not entice the player to really learn and master it.

Final Fantasy mode is much more difficult but you have to actually complete the game to unlock it in new game+.

[ErHaO]

Well, I am not going to say it is a bad game. I might even end up thinking it is good (I am about 20% in). I am enjoying most of it and it has some truly great moments. But I am just confused/disappointed in regards to some of the decisions they made in terms of design. Game should probably be harder too, because while there are some advanced combo mechanics there, the game does not entice the player to really learn and master it.

Final Fantasy mode is much more difficult but you have to actually complete the game to unlock it in new game+.

I don't think I am ever going to do that. Unfortunately I simply don't like the game enough.

And maybe difficulty was the wrong word,  they have a few mechanics in place where certain moves/powers work the best. The game barely uses it though. Hell, I don't think any of the elements actually matter in this game? For example Ifrit moves vs ice enemies? It does not matter which moves you upgrade and spam. Not even on S tier hunts.

[Dublagent66]

Well, I am not going to say it is a bad game. I might even end up thinking it is good (I am about 20% in). I am enjoying most of it and it has some truly great moments. But I am just confused/disappointed in regards to some of the decisions they made in terms of design. Game should probably be harder too, because while there are some advanced combo mechanics there, the game does not entice the player to really learn and master it.

Final Fantasy mode is much more difficult but you have to actually complete the game to unlock it in new game+.

I don't think I am ever going to do that. Unfortunately I simply don't like the game enough.

And maybe difficulty was the wrong word,  they have a few mechanics in place where certain moves/powers work the best. The game barely uses it though. Hell, I don't think any of the elements actually matter in this game? For example Ifrit moves vs ice enemies? It does not matter which moves you upgrade and spam. Not even on S tier hunts.

That's too bad.  I suppose you weren't too enthralled with the story either if you don't want to see how it ends.  I think the game deserves at least one full play through.

[ErHaO]

Well, I am not going to say it is a bad game. I might even end up thinking it is good (I am about 20% in). I am enjoying most of it and it has some truly great moments. But I am just confused/disappointed in regards to some of the decisions they made in terms of design. Game should probably be harder too, because while there are some advanced combo mechanics there, the game does not entice the player to really learn and master it.

Final Fantasy mode is much more difficult but you have to actually complete the game to unlock it in new game+.

I don't think I am ever going to do that. Unfortunately I simply don't like the game enough.

And maybe difficulty was the wrong word,  they have a few mechanics in place where certain moves/powers work the best. The game barely uses it though. Hell, I don't think any of the elements actually matter in this game? For example Ifrit moves vs ice enemies? It does not matter which moves you upgrade and spam. Not even on S tier hunts.

That's too bad.  I suppose you weren't too enthralled with the story either if you don't want to see how it ends.  I think the game deserves at least one full play through.

I think the characters are great and Clive is perhaps the best Final Fantasy lead out there. The setting/premise is great. And I like some of the main plot beats. But I don't think the story itself is that well told. Admittedly the active lore system is very nice, but it also feels like it was an emergency tack on at times to compensate for the storytelling. With so many hours of cutscenes the writers should have had plenty of time to show/tell things instead of putting it in a menu.

I am glad that people are enjoying it, but for me it turned out to be a major bummer.

I might continue later on when I am mentally prepared for another series of Mid quests or I might youtube the last parts.