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[cormack12]

It's better than Xone generation where Xbox drove me to ps4 for a solid majority of the generation. But i think this is the last year we give them a pass on first party game gaps. Starting 2023 if they have another barren year they deserve all the criticism in the world. Its been about 4 years since their major acquisition blowouts, gave them time for the news studios to integrate and work on the games. Year 5 is enough for the fruits of the labor to come to fruition. A constant treadmill of "soon soon soon" is becoming unacceptable. Their utter dominance when it comes to QoL is keeping them afloat rn, but game management has to deliver in 2023.

Yeah I'm kind of here. Coming from PS4 and no xbox in previous gen, I've had pretty much non-stop games on the xbox side so this is like a little lull. Which to be honest would be covered if co-op was working on Halo: Infinite.

On the one hand, I see a lot of cool stuff Microsoft has announced that I'm interested in but is now like 18 months out for them to even start dropping.

On the flip side apart from a couple of teases I don't really know what Sony studios are cooking let alone timescales.

Third party is strong enough to carry me personally. But yeah this gen will be the longest yet.

 

[splattered]

To be honest i'm fine with it at the moment. I have an insane back log i will never ever finish and if games are taking more time lately then that's just a fact we can't change so no sense in getting upset about it. The games will come and i have a TON to play in the meantime. I don't think MS or Sony studios are any better off than the other right now, it is what it is.

 

[Graciaus]

I was mainly interested in Gears and Halo from them. Neither are made from the original devs and both are awful now.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

Unless Microsoft reveals some new games during their June 12th event that will release this calendar year, I will be disappointed. I think Forza Motorsport is probably a given for 2022, but we need much more than that to be satisfied. Perhaps MachineGames or id Software have something cooking for the later half of the year, but I don't know.

 

[tmlDan]

I think we should come back to this after their conference.

I get these delays are annoying but it doesn't mean nothing is coming out.

 

[Havoc2049]

Im not exactly XboxGAF but close enough I guess.

• Halo Infinite
• Horizon 5
• Psychonauts 2
• Flight Simulator
• Sea of Thieves
• Gears 5
• Grounded - Seriously if you havent tried this game give it a go
• Gamepass as a whole.

I am well satisfied.

This is pretty much the way I feel. Almost all those games are adding new content for the rest of the year. I also wouldn't be surprised to see a big expansion announced for Sea of Thieves.

I also just did a pre-launch download of the Shadowrun Trilogy via Gamepass.

Gamepass is like a RPG greatest hits museum with all the content from Bethesda, Obsidian, Lionhead and inXile. More games than I have time to play.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

My xbox is mainly just for elden ring, gamepass and third parties.

As for first parties? Hahahaha no.

Halo infinite has a good campaign but they absolutely shat the bed with the multiplayer so the longevity is already gone and done with for me.

if anything it just reinforces your critiques because you at least have hands on experience.

It still makes me an idiot for buying one at launch because the fan in me had some misplaced love for a Brand when my brain was telling me to spend it on drink, nice clothing for the lady and takeaway food.

 

[Kokoloko85]

How is Sony punting, or does it have a different meaning to you?

They’ve released more 1st party games than they did with the PS4’s first 2 years so have no idea why people think Playstation is just punting

Since 2020 theyve releasd Ghost of Tsushima, Dreams, TLOU2, Demon Souls, Astrobot, Spiderman MM, Ratchet and Clank, Returnal, Horizon 2, GT7. On top of 3rd party exclusives like Nioh 2, FF7R, Guilty Gear, Sifu, Kena and more. Pretty decent to me

And Maybe we’ll get God of War R, FF16, Forspoken and Stray

 

[akbennyewu]

I am absolutely not satisfied with the current approach of Microsoft Game Studios and the continually shifting promise that is GamePass. I like the netflix comparisons, plenty of good quality titles however those titles are surrounded by a sea of junk shovelware. Get folks to load up on multiple years of the service, and then string them along by delaying releases 6-12 months at a time, to keep them on the hook.

Halo releasing without coop campaign and its MP having the singular worst progression and cosmetic system in GaaS history meant I played it for a week before I tired of it. Sea of Thieves took nearly 3 years to be amazing, and because I got in on the ground floor, I did everything there was to do in its very limited scope at the time. Forza Horizon was great, but I am not a racing game enthusiast so I played it for a few weeks, appreciated the graphics and smooth gameplay, and then moved on to games more my style. Crackdown 3 was abysmal, State of Decay 2 was severely flawed at launch, and when looking back, those should have been indicators for what to expect in terms of what to expect from Gamepass titles at launch. They will either stink, be extremely buggy, or severely lacking of content at launch.

I find myself playing The Division, Destiny, Fortnite STW, and Warframe, games I played 4-5 years ago on my XB1.

Suddenly, I lost about 90% of my excitement for their summer showcase; get ready for a Two Point Airport announcement.

Gamepass can/ is still a good value, I am both enjoying the occasional niche game I otherwise wouldn't have tried, and yet am very disappointed by seeing the true reasons I invested in gamepass constantly moving further away (Redfall, Starfield),or not meeting my expectations (Halo, Sea of Thieves, Crackdown, State of Decay).

 

[GymWolf]

Not really.

Infinite had great combat but literally everything else dance between mediocre and absolute trash, also pc gamepass\microsoft shop is still complete and utter dog shit.

Forza games are great for people who cares, but i don't give 2 fucks about racing games so personally it is like they were never released.

What other big games did they released in 2021? Maybe i'm forgetting something (not a good sign)

For 2022 i was kinda hyped for starfield (i don't particularly like bethesda games but i buy almost every open world action rpg at day one) and redfall but they are both 2023 titles now...

Is perfect dark a 2022 game?

If i have to put a score we are in the 2-3/10 territory (personally speaking of course).

 

[Roberts]

- Are you concerned about another barebones year with Starfield and Redfall getting delayed? 2020 was fairly empty too.

I'm not concerned but slightly disappointed. I wish MS management could have foreseen this and acted accordingly to make sure the game releases are spread more evenly. On the other hand, we shall be overfed with games starting next year for years to come.

Edit: Grounded is so under-appreciated. Seriously, such an amazing game.

- Are you ok with the lack of next gen only games on xbox so far this gen?

Despite me having less free time than ever, I don't think I have ever played one console as much as my XsX. I'm having fun playing all kinds of games so this is really is not a problem. Nobody Saves the World is better than most AAA games, for example. In that regard, MS has been doing a great job with 3rd party partnerships. Tunic, Death's Door, The Ascent - all bangers.

- If not, who do you blame for this? Sony gaf blames Jim Ryan for everything; I blame him for the Ukraine war. Does Phil Spencer shoulder some of this blame after 9 years at the helm?

I think we can safely assume that without Phil there wouldn't be xbox today. Nobody needs to be blamed. Xbox was in a dark place and to get out of the hole and make everything working smoothly takes time.

- They say it's darkest before the dawn. Are you confident MS will have a killer E3 conference with Perfect Dark, Forza, Hellblade, Fable, Starfield, Avowed and State of Decay 2 all making an appearance? That they are about to turn the corner?

They will have a killer conference. There is no doubt about it. We are getting closer and closer to a point where all these 40 or 50 xbox exclusives are starting to take shape. And we shall see many of them in less than a month.

- Everyone from Nintendo, Sony to From Software are delaying games. Should MS with their infinite war chest be held to a different standard?

No, unless xbox games are made by 24/7 robots which I don't think is true.

 

[Topher]

What big 3rd party titles are coming this year? Batman, Cod?

Harry Potter? W40k: Darktide. Soul Hackers 2. Personally I'm looking forward to The Witcher 3 and Assassin's Creed Origins upgrades.

 

[BigBooper]

If Starfield makes it this year, heck yea.

Edit: just searched and saw the news.

 

[Fredrik]

It’s a constant roller-coaster.

The 2020 XSX launch was horrible from a 1st party software perspective.

Spring in Q1/Q2 2021 kept on being bad.

Then came Q3/Q4 2021 and things were mostly awesome.

And now we’re back to a bad spring in Q1/Q2 2022.

Hopefully we’ll have an awesome Q3/Q4 again.

Edit: Just read the Starfield delay news… The roller-coaster that never ends.

 

[Topher]

If Starfield makes it this year, heck yea.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

Nah.

Infinite had great gameplay but literally everything else dance between mediocre and absolute trash.

Forza games are great but i don't give 2 fucks about racing games so personally it is lioe they were never released.

What other big games did they released in 2021?

For 2022 i was kinda hyped for starfield (i don't particularly like bethesda games but i buy almost every open world action rpg at day one) and redfall but they are both 2023 titles.

If i have to put a score we are in the 2-3/10 territory (personalky speaking).

I like Forza Horizon, don't give a crap for Motorsport. And I love Bethesda games. But yeah, other than that I have a similar impression.

Actually, I think the most interesting thing, by far, MS has brought to us in the last couple years was Game Pass (in fact, I think it's one of the best stuff in the market today - I really like it). But even Game Pass has been thoroughly disappointing for some months in a row.

I hope that MS has some interesting surprises in their conference in June; things to help complement what's left in the year - hopefully some great Game Pass additions. I was hyped to see Starfield, but now that it has been delayed, I'm curious but that's it.

 

[3liteDragon]

If Starfield makes it this year, heck yea.

 

[BigBooper]

 

[Zeroing]

but hasn't that been the refrain for Xbox for like the last decade? "just wait until next E3!"

Yes and that is why I cannot be hyped anymore. Too many times I have been burned and said to myself, "damn I am really stupid for falling for it, again" to be clear, different people value different things but the fake overhype is something I am done for.

Tried that. People don’t want to know. It’s like a cult, speaking from personal experience.

I’ll say this, if this was PlayStation or Nintendo some of them would not be putting this guy on a pedestal and they know it.

Most of the vocal ones in the community ignore or offer nothing constructive in criticism. It’s very mild at best.

Look at today, suddenly they all have backlogs .

I feel like that also. You cannot be critical. That is a lesson I painfully learned on xbox gaf.
You are right. Although it does happens with the other fanbases as well... but constructive criticism happens more often with those fanbases.

I think they are not as aggressive and have more sense of humour but I am generalizing and speaking from my experience.

 

[Javthusiast]

Do I look satisfied?

 

[Zeroing]

GamePass will always feed me.

 

[DaGwaphics]

The platform still holds the same value as it did before. Has the same advantages etc. nothing really changes.

It's a bummer, but what are you going to do.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Development, also changes in studio management/corporate culture take time. A lot of it. I still think MS can come back in full swing. Delaying games to make them better is a good thing. It's not like there's no third party support on Xbox. Compared to Sonys/Nintendos output at the beginning of current gen, sure it looks a bit disappointing. But I'm expecting them to deliver once this multi year transition phase is over.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Tried that. People don’t want to know. It’s like a cult, speaking from personal experience.

I’ll say this, if this was PlayStation or Nintendo some of them would not be putting this guy on a pedestal and they know it.

Most of the vocal ones in the community ignore or offer nothing constructive in criticism. It’s very mild at best.

Look at today, suddenly they all have backlogs .

Yep, mention criticism and its like you’ve assaulted there mothers

I complain all the time about Playstation’s lack of clarity and new 1st party annoucements/games shown since September 2020. Or whats happened to Japanstudio etc.
With Nintendo I mention my concerns for there next console And how they wont be able to do the same thing again.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

Do I look satisfied?

 

[Javthusiast]

They need to bring out banger game pass third party titles this year starting with big shadow drops during xbox showcase.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Harry Potter? W40k: Darktide. Soul Hackers 2. Personally I'm looking forward to The Witcher 3 and Assassin's Creed Origins upgrades.

Harry Potter must have a deal with PS.
Witcher 3 + W40k would be some options

 

[Sleepwalker]

I don't really care to be honest.

 

[DaGwaphics]

I didn't think all of those would appear firstly, I think it's going to be an event for 2023 but it really shouldn't be. It should be one highlighting H2 2022. I think I will be excited by what I see though, think there will be a NT clip.

Agreed. I'd prefer the shows highlight primarily the next calendar year between the shows, so, second half of 2022/first half of 2023. But I can understand that it might not be realistic to do that at the moment, they need to keep enthusiasm up. Maybe down the road.

 

[begotten]

I’ve had issues with Xbox studio management since the second half of the 360 days.

A bit off topic but this is pretty much why I defected towards the end of 360 and don't like Xbox anymore.

I used to be the biggest Gears of War fanboy.

Played and bought Gears of War 1-3 on launch. Had the Seriously achievement on Gears 1 on two accounts. 100% the other games multiple times too. Bought so much merchandising for the franchise from the books to the Imulsion Energy Drink. Used to refresh Gearsopedia for new montages for years like there was no tomorrow. Watched competitive since Gamebattles days. Saw the grudge matches. 1v1 Canals, 1v1 Blood Drive, 1v1 Mercy. Yes, I did play these games and I'm not just making this up to shit on Xbox.

Then Gears Judgement came out, and Halo 4 another series I loved, and had invested years into was out not long before and garbage. Then Xbox One with no games. Killed the platform for me and I was hardcore dedicated to it.

They just didn't show the same care for their IP and studios, even as far as back then compared to their competitors at that point anymore.

10 years later both IP are still in the gutter with dead playerbases - Epic Games & Bungie who should be staples and leaders for Xbox have mostly nothing to do with them anymore and are onto bigger and better things.

They haven't really added a new heavy hitting IP since either. They haven't built any new studios. But they're bringing back shit like Fable and Perfect Dark whilst soullessly hoarding developers to put mediocre products onto their subscription service.

 

[CatLady]

1) I am pissed about the barebones 2022 especially without Starfield. I know oh it's better they take their time and blah, blah, blah. Probably true, but I was really looking forward to Starfield.

2.) I'm OK with Xbox production so far. I've played several great games current gen exclusive or not. I am not OK with how empty this year is though.

3.) Of course, like everyone else, I blame Jim Ryan.

4.) Unless they can pull some surprises out of their ass, I don't see how they can have a killer E3.

5.) No, there is no reason Xbox should be held to a different standard

 

[Orbital2060]

With the timing of this, maybe they have shuffled some things around and wanted to get the bad news outta the way before the next presentation. I guess we will see after June 12th.

Its Xbox Games Studio + Bethesda btw. Just saying because I think Bethesda have kept their autonomy and will publish their own games. The showcase is called «Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase». Might not even be Xbox making the decision to delay.

 

[LordCBH]

But they're bringing back shit like Fable

God I want the new Fable to be good. I bought heavy into Molyneux’s (I probably butchered the spelling) lies with the first game but I still absolutely adored it. I loved the second game too. Third game…..I would like to forget. I want fable to be great when it comes out 7 years from now.

 

[Ozriel]

I’m pretty happy with the current state of Microsoft’s Game Studios. They’ve got a ton of them, and they’re all busy making games, many of which I anticipate will be really good, based on the pedigree of the studios.

Great games take time to make, and it’s fine if a few games get delayed to improve quality.

At the end of the day, I picked up my Series X and PS5 for a whole generation, not a couple of years. They’ll come when they’re ready. In the meantime, I’ve got Gamepass to tide me over.

 

[Arcadialane]

I love my series S and think gamepass is amazing. one of the best things to happen to gaming for generations. But theirs studios management for first party has proved to be incompetent for 2 generations, and Im prepared to be disappointed by anything being published by them.

 

[Leyasu]

Eh it's been fine so far. I dont see the same faces I typically associate with Sony gaf. Have some faith.

I do think Xbox fans need to raise more stink because I know Phil listens. He delayed Halo by a full year, reversed the Xbox Gold price hike and if the fanbase makes their displeasure known then who knows, it might result in a positive development.

Yeah, but he can't time travel. Best they delay the games if they are not ready.

 

[PropellerEar]

They’ve released more 1st party games than they did with the PS4’s first 2 years so have no idea why people think Playstation is just punting

Since 2020 theyve releasd Ghost of Tsushima, Dreams, TLOU2, Demon Souls, Astrobot, Spiderman MM, Ratchet and Clank, Returnal, Horizon 2, GT7. On top of 3rd party exclusives like Nioh 2, FF7R, Guilty Gear, Sifu, Kena and more. Pretty decent to me

And Maybe we’ll get God of War R, FF16, Forspoken and Stray

Yeah, saying Sony is punting is a joke and who ever says that is a joke.

+PSVR2. That's what we know...

 

[SlimySnake]

How is Sony punting, or does it have a different meaning to you?

They have three last gen games coming out this year.

Their 3 next gen only games look underwhelming compared to the Matrix and other tech demos released. We have yet to see any real next gen enhancements in A.I, destruction, SSD changing game design like Cerny promised.

Punting is when you just pass the ball and everyone from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo seems to be doing that this gen. No one wants to take the ball and run with it; set new standards in rendering, game design, and A.I. They are all ok with making last gen games.

 

[wOs]

This is why I feel lucky to multiplatform in general. When one is dry another isn't. Bravo on the bait though. Popcorn.

 

[arvfab]

How many of those 1$ GPU upgrades will be over by the time Microsoft releases some 1st party games? Maybe it's a way for them to convince them to keep their subscription.

 

[Ozriel]

This is why I feel lucky to multiplatform in general. When one is dry another isn't. Bravo on the bait though. Popcorn.

Precisely where I stand. Switch, Gamepass and PS5 will cover any gap. And my Steamdeck’s in the mail.

Hard to imagine this was a good-faith thread given OP’s post history and the fact that we’re getting a very good glimpse into XGS pipeline in one month.

This should really have been a thread made AFTER the Xbox showcase, and not right after two games get delayed to improve quality.

How many of those 1$ GPU upgrades will be over by the time Microsoft releases some 1st party games? Maybe it's a way for them to convince them to keep their subscription.

Facepalm

 

[Zeroing]

Not really?!

Infinite had great combat but literally everything else dance between mediocre and absolute trash, also pc gamepass\microsoft shop is still complete and utter dog shit.

Forza games are great for people who cares, but i don't give 2 fucks about racing games so personally it is like they were never released.

What other big games did they released in 2021? Maybe i'm forgetting something (not a good sign)

For 2022 i was kinda hyped for starfield (i don't particularly like bethesda games but i buy almost every open world action rpg at day one) and redfall but they are both 2023 titles now...

Is perfect dark a 2022 game?

If i have to put a score we are in the 2-3/10 territory (personally speaking of course).

YES finally someone talks about how PC gamepass and Xbox gamepass being different...There is not parity in the library also.

Nobody ever talks about this!

 

[PropellerEar]

They have three last gen games coming out this year.

Their 3 next gen only games look underwhelming compared to the Matrix and other tech demos released. We have yet to see any real next gen enhancements in A.I, destruction, SSD changing game design like Cerny promised.

Punting is when you just pass the ball and everyone from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo seems to be doing that this gen. No one wants to take the ball and run with it; set new standards in rendering, game design, and A.I. They are all ok with making last gen games.

Who cares if they are good games.

Matrix demo is underwhelming pile of crap.
People play games not tech demos

You're acting like triple AAA game Dev doesn't take 5 years, and that there was no pandemic.

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

I am still very excited about the Xbox series console's future. I like the direction Microsoft is taking, I like how aggressive they are and I think, hardware wise, the Xbox series X is by far the best console ever made in terms of hardware design and featureset.

But i'm not going to deny that so far, Xbox has been fairly disappointing and I'm kind of wondering what went wrong. The Xbox one was one of the worst major consoles ever released. It had no identity of its own Sometimes, even bad consoles have good things about them, but Xbox one was something worse than bad: it was bland. It was the place to play worse versions of multiplatform games and basically no exclusive games outside of the typical Halo, Gears & Forza trifecta. It was a console without an identity. The last few years were especially barren with little to no exclusive games to get excited for.

The Xbox one was a mess and everyone knew it. I'm sure I'm not the only one that thought that Microsoft had written the Xbone off and would instead focus its effort on the next generation. That's the reason why Xbone's games lineup was so bad, right? MS was developing games for its next generation instead.

Well, then the Xbox series X launched and somehow MS managed to launch the console with one of the worst launch lineups of any major console with not a single exclusive game. How!? How do you not have a single game ready for launch? We're now nearly two years in and the only major titles so far have been Halo, which was delayed for a year and Forza Horizon. Playstation, on the other hand, was not only able to send off the PS4 with some incredible games for its last few years, they were also able to launch games in several of their most important franchises like Horizon, R&C, Spiderman, GT and GoW on the way (We think...) to be released soon.

The difference is just baffling and this latest delay just makes it even more irksome. There's just not been a whole lot to get excited for the past 2 years.

I'm still super optimistic about the Series' future. I think in 3 years or so, when MS investment start paying off and their acquired studios start producing a steady stream of games, I think the console will be hard to beat. But there's no denying that right now, we're playing mostly multiplatforms and CGI trailers of announced games on our Xbox.

Honestly, when it comes to why Microsoft is the way it is you have to look at the material reality of Microsoft as a corporation vs Sony and Nintendo. Microsoft is not a games company, it's an office productivity software and server backend monopolist. Gaming is not only an afterthought, it's an afterthought that has no synergy with the core business.

This means that Microsoft's games business is subject to various constraints that Sony's and Nintendo's aren't. Since the future of the company doesn't depend on Xbox, the division tends to be a site of proxy conflict between other factions within Microsoft's hierarchy. When Ballmer stepped down there was a struggle for power within Microsoft and it was very possible that Xbox would have been axed entirely, depending on who was made CEO. If the division is always at risk, how are you going to nurture a world-class network of first-party studios over decades?

Gamepass itself is a great example of this phenomenon: the reason Xbox has been pushing Gamepass isn't because it makes business sense (it clearly doesn't), it's because Phil Spencer knew that positioning Xbox as a subscription service would enable him to tap into the prevailing push within Microsoft corporate towards making everything subscription services and therefore secure the future of the division more than simply making good games and turning a profit on selling them would. That was canny on Spencer's part, and it bought Xbox time and resources to try to make something of itself, but at the end of the day what's going to keep the Microsoft money flowing to Xbox isn't making good games and selling them at a profit, it's Spencer (or whoever succeeds him) continuing to position the division adroitly within the context of Microsoft's internal bureaucratic conflicts.

 

[GymWolf]

YES finally someone talks about how PC gamepass and Xbox gamepass being different...There is not parity in the library also.

Nobody ever talks about this!

My problem is mostly related to how shitty both xbox app and windows store are on pc, but yeah no parity in the library is a big problem aswell.

 

[SlimySnake]

5.) No, there is no reason Xbox should be held to a different standard

They had $70 billion to spend on Activision. Dont you think for a few hundred million, they couldve grown Bethesda to get them the resources they need to finish these games on time?

If you cant find devs who want to move to Bethesda then create a stalleite studio on the west coast. Offer better remote work from home packages. There are plenty of support studios all around the world. Maybe acquire them? Crystal Dynamics and SE Montreal just sold for $300 million. Those singapore and eastern european studios would be far cheaper. Tens of millions max.

Back in the late 2010s, I was told Xbox was on life support and could not be held to the same standards as Sony. Well, now they are THE biggest video game company in the world. Spending with gay abandon. Why shouldnt they be held to a different standard?

P.S Sony wasting $3 billion on Bungie while delaying games left and right is equally ridiculous. Focus should be on growing internal studios and then worry about acquisitions, but Sony invested $3 billion they made in 2020 from the PS division into the Bungie deal. Meanwhile MS makes $12 billion every quarter and invested that in the activision deal. One clearly makes more than the rest so they should be held to a different standard, no?

 

[FalsettoVibe]

For only $180 you get EVERY first-party Microsoft game, day and date in 2022.

Which includes....

That statement kinda fits me right now. I know there are many other people that are enjoying GP for what it is right now but there is nothing that interests me at the moment.
I'm just paying for it in anticipation of games......which is probably dumb.

 

[PropellerEar]

P.S Sony wasting $3 billion on Bungie while delaying games left and right is equally ridiculous. Focus should be on growing internal studios and then worry about acquisitions, but Sony invested $3 billion they made in 2020 from the PS division into the Bungie deal. Meanwhile MS makes $12 billion every quarter and invested that in the activision deal. One clearly makes more than the rest so they should be held to a different standard, no?

Nuts.

 

[Jayjayhd34]

Not really bothered. I get gamepass free through my isp till next march, and there's plenty of third party games coming. Maybe i would be more pissed off if was paying for gamerpass or if didn't have pc and had bought a series x.

 

[sircaw]

GamePass will always feed me.