Topic: The everything Xbox thread

@Zuljaras @XBontendo Yep he repeats the same thing over and over again. Once I spent some time writing a long list with family-friendly games on Xbox One, as many as on PS4 or Switch but he ignored it. Like others coming to this thread to say that you can buy a PC instead of an Xbox console, it gets old quickly. What are they doing here?

@BlueOcean That's too bad, but good to know. (also, that PC argument. Good luck finding $400 PC that is capable of playing games in the same quality. Arguments like this completely ignore budgets and it baffles me. Sigh.)

I think he's just Xbox curious and tries to convince himself that he doesn't need an Xbox in his life.

Probably somewhere between denial and bargaining.

@XBontendo Yes, I want to know who can buy a PC plus a controller that plays games as good as Series X for the same price if Xbox One X (2017) is anything to go by.

@Eel LOL

Probably attention seeking.

EDIT: And I just got Red Dead Redemption GOTY for the Xbox 360/Xbox One. Never been a huge Westerns fan but I will give this a go and I will probably enjoy it.

@BlueOcean @Zuljaras Could be that @Anti-Matter wants it to be more visible, you gave your recommendations and that's fine but really it should be easier to find what you want on the store. Switch has an awful eshop but the Directs and Indie events make up for it (eshop redesign would still be nice), meanwhile State of Play and Inside Xbox aren't quite there (X019 was a big step in the right direction though) so you have to rely on the PSN and Microsoft stores more.

On another note, I will say that Xbox's 2 biggest problems at the moment are:

1. Companies screwing over the consumer is very common so you may think that these very consumer friendly decisions have strings attached:

• Banjo in Smash
• Select Xbox games on Switch outside of Minecraft (currently Ori, New Super Lucky's Tale, Cuphead)
• Halo returning to PC for the first time in over a decade
• All Xbox Game Studios games on Game Pass, day 1 for new games starting with Sea of Thieves
• All Xbox Game Studios games for at least the first year of Series X coming to XB1

2. The console wars mindset, some consumer friendly decisions are being seen as a bad thing (e.g. All Xbox Game Studios games for at least the first year of Series X coming to XB1 being a reason to get PS5 instead of Series X).

@Grumblevolcano While Xbox brand is not just consoles, Xbox One S and Xbox One X are great value for budget and advanced gaming and for people that are used to playing on consoles like us. The fact that games will be available on Windows, xCloud and Xbox One X and S doesn't make Series X less interesting. Are original Xbox and Xbox 360 games available on PC? Most importantly, do most gamers invest in PCs? How will new games perform on Xbox One S? Yes, you can play new games on Xbox One S but is it the same as playing them on Xbox One X and is it the same as playing them on Series X? Do we want streaming (xCloud) exclusively and forget about all other platforms or just as an included option (Game Pass Ultimate vs. Stadia)?

Series X is not redundant at all but the premium and good value choice. It will probably be the best value for advanced gaming as Xbox One X currently is. Microsoft will likely have the best console (technically) again and on top of that you are free to play on Windows if you like gaming PCs, on your smartphone or tablet and on older Xbox consoles if you don't mind the downgrades.

Xbox is a gaming ecosystem with the best digital rights (Play Anywhere, free backwards compatibility), the best subscription (Game Pass) and the best current-gen console, at least technically (Xbox One X) and it seems that Series X will be the best next-gen console technically. Of course, on Xbox you don't have Mario and Zelda and you don't have Uncharted and whatever (my favourite Sony franchise is Wipeout), but on PS4 you don't have Microsoft's games (they own 15 studios now) and the very important third-party games don't play and look so well so why would be PS more appealing? Do they have a better customer service, controller or console? No, no and no, the only reason are Sony's exclusives if you want them. Switch is basically one generation behind, something obvious comparing current-gen ports and many of its greatest games are Wii U ports. As a (New) 3DS, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One (X) and Switch (Lite) owner, I believe that Switch is the most overrated console of the generation and Xbox One (X) is the most underrated console of the generation, while PS4 got the success that it deserved when Don Mattrick messed Xbox One launch in 2013 and, unfortunately, the console never fully recovered after that.

In conclusion, Microsoft is put under a microscope in scenarios where Nintendo and Sony are given a free pass. Xbox has the best consoles and gives you a generous range of benefits. All that Sony and Nintendo have, now that Microsoft fixed Xbox One launch's disaster and focused on gaming, is their exclusive games but so does Xbox. Until last generation I was Nintendo-only (seriously, I only had the Wii and DS) but after just one generation the company I trust the most for gaming is Microsoft and the only next-gen console I'm planning on getting is Series X.

TBH, that's the most important reason for me. And the reason why I haven't bought an Xbox this generation. Not enough exclusives that make it worthwhile.

Of course, that is important but some people would prefer Microsoft's exclusives, Nintendo's exclusives, Sony's exclusives or a combination of two or three. I got the original Xbox One for Rare Replay so an exclusive game (or compilation) made me buy it and then found more exclusives that I loved as opposed to you that didn't care about Xbox exclusives throughout the generation.

@BlueOcean Don't get me wrong, there's a few that I'd buy if I had an Xbox, but not enough to warrant the purchase. Still waiting on that personal system seller. Scalebound was the most impressive thing they've showed this gen, too bad it got cancelled. Maybe with Series X things will become better. But I have a feeling they will focus more on MP and service games.

Well put mate, not just what I quoted, but the whole speech. I think you're about as spot on as one can get.

@BlueOcean
Same as @Octane said.
In my opinion, Xbox Exclusives are too much shooting and shooting games. And too much Western Action games, too much too realistic looking games, too much rated Mature games. I found almost Nothing interesting from their Xbox Exclusives. Based on my Xbox games i can consider on the previous page, it clearly told I just only have found very few Exclusive titles from Xbox machines.

Why only a few ? Because only those are the games that got my interest based on my gaming habit.

Why only few again ? Because when I saw the same games as I found on PlayStation or Nintendo machines, I will always choose either PlayStation or Nintendo version, will not consider the Xbox version.

Why not choosing Xbox version ? For me it's Not worthy since the OG Xbox and Xbox 360 were Region Lock, limiting my choices to choose more games from other region. Also, the RROD issues halt my decision to consider Xbox 360 machine.

So what kind of games I'm looking from Xbox machines? I'm NOT looking for Banjo-Kazooie, not looking for Forza, not looking for rated Mature shooting games, not looking for Ori, not looking for FIFA, not looking for NBA, not looking for digital only games / Free Pass. I'm looking for CUTE games, Cartoonish Colorful games with lesser violence / tolerable Cartoon violence, Girlie games, Quirky games. Those games can be founded easily on Nintendo machines. I saw Cooking Mama, I saw Style Savvy, I saw Animal Crossing, I saw Miitopia, I saw Fantasy Life, I saw Mii games, I saw Metroid Federation Force with interesting Chibi looking, i saw ARMS, so many of them.

But what i can find from rated Everyone / Everyone 10+ or PEGI 3 / 7 / 12 games on Xbox ? Almost NOTHING. why Nothing ? Because there is almost NO Cute games on Xbox, no Girlie games, No quirky games, not enough Casual games in physical.

So, what games finally i can found on Xbox machines ? Just the games i have posted on previous page and they were less than 10 titles. What an irony.

Why don't Microsoft care with Girl gamers and Casual gamers ? Microsoft just only care with Adult Male gamers by more than 90%. Microsoft keep adding the games that just only cater for Adult male gamers with typical favorites : Soccer / Basketball, Realistic Car driving, rated Mature Open World games, Rated Mature shooting games, Horror games. Just only those games over and over again.

Where are the unique games from Microsoft ? I found Nothing, because they don't want to out of the box like Nintendo with their LABO / ARMS / 1-2-Switch. Microsoft keep adding more Mainstream games for Mainstream audiences with Westernization from their game choices. Microsoft don't want to cooperate with more Japanese developers because Microsoft don't want Anime or very Japanese games on Xbox machines. Microsoft don't want Girlie games / Cute games that mostly provided by some Japanese developers like Nippon Columbia. Microsoft don't want quirky games like Miitopia or Tomodachi Life or 1-2-Switch or ARMS on Xbox. So, with very few genre diversity like that, Xbox just only filled by mostly Western games, Too mainstream games, another and another typical same games again just only cater adult male gamers but not attract kids or women or elder or family.

If Microsoft want to get more audiences, they need to embrace the other gamers. Provide more different games genre and more customers will coming, regardless male or female. I guess if Microsoft want to put Barbie again or Hello Kitty again or Aikatsu or Sailor Moon or Sanrio or Yokai Watch on Xbox machine, more Female gamers (maybe including me) will consider Xbox machines.

You can try to convince me by showing the Cute games that also on Xbox One, but i can tell you the games that you will put on the list do not have physical release. Even if they have physical release, i bet those games also can be founded on PS4 version in physical, so i will not consider the Xbox version. I don't need Free Games or Free Pass or whatsoever because the games that i will get are digital download and i don't want free games or very cheap games but digital download. I don't even want Free games even Microsoft gave me straightly to me since their games will always in digital download. If my Xbox system got Free games, i will immediately delete them even the games are rated Everyone games because i have made my bold statements: No digital download only, No Free games, No Play Everywhere, No Free Pass, No Streaming games, Just Physical games Complete in Box 100%

Sorry for the wall of texts but i have explained so long why didn't i convinced so easily by Xbox machines. Hope you don't get mad by my confession. 😣

With 15 Xbox Game Studios I find that quite unlikely.

Well, thank you!

@Anti-Matter You just described and denied Banjo-Kazooie in the same sentence.

@BlueOcean Let's hope so!

@Octane
Well... Because i have no interest with Banjo-Kazooie looking.
I have looked at them so many times, their games on Xbox 360, but alas.... still have no chemistry with their games.

@BlueOcean I'm on about what I see, you'd think more options would be a positive thing but I'm seeing a lot more negative reception. Though maybe it's to do with how there aren't really dedicated sites for Xbox players to meet up anymore, I remember Pure Xbox being a good site before it shut down.

My own main problems with Xbox are just:

• The XB1 OS though the new one in preview that looks like a hybrid between Xbox 360's New Xbox Experience and the Switch OS looks promising
• Harder to find new games if you're not subscribed to Game Pass

It's weird because I thought that, (especially last gen) Microsoft had a diverse portfolio and they were specifically noted to "casualise" Rare after they bought them by having them make Kinect games. That doesn't mean that Gears of war doesn't exist but their games were diverse and not just shooting games. One of the gold games recently was a casual kart racer from the 360 era that used the avatars.

Introducing @Eel, the NL resident shrink.

@Octane I still don't understand the "not enough exclusives" argument like we talked about a few weeks ago. Does a game being locked to a particular hardware platform make the game better? Yes, if the starting point is "I really want to play GoW and P5 most of all" then yes, you need a PS. If the starting point is "I really want to play BotW and Splatoon" then, yes, you need a Switch. But your starting point isn't specifically "I want Gow, P5 and BotW so XBox doesn't help me play the games I most want to play." You starting point is "I looked at the numerical index of exclusive games and XBox comes up lower so there must be less there I want to play."

Maybe, like you said last time, you're not too interested in too many games, so the better platform to play most multiplats on doesn't appeal to you as much as particular games you can get on other systems and not on XBox. But the framing of your argument isn't that. The framing of the argument is about the listed number of games that are hardware-locked, not about what games you particularly want to play being unavailable on the hardware.

TBH that argument isn't far from "there's not enough kiddie family G rated games, despite all the lists of kiddie family G rated games people keep providing." '

You can just say "I love the Playstation brand and the color blue!" It's ok, we won't think less of you Though....I mean....your avatar is green, sooo..........

@Anti-Matter Don't let others frame your interest for you. Don't get sucked into the "but the exclusives" arguments. Think of a console as a window to your games. Switch, obviously is very unique with it's portability. But between XB and PS - think of it as a window. Imagine you have both machines. You turn them on - don't think about what is exclusive to each. Think about having your favorite games on BOTH machines. Portia, FF, Portal Knights, etc. What about the product and the offered services makes you want to play on one or the other.

It may come down to preferring one controller, or the white limited edition you can get, or how the discs look on your shelf, and that's fine. But "how many exclusive games" isn't the best reason to decide since most of the games are common to both machines. The reason to pick one is more about which physical hardware and controllers you prefer, which one handles patches, updates, and subscriptions in a way you prefer, etc.

Personally I think for digital buyers XBox has the better ecosystem by far. However for physical buyers, PS probably has the edge in how they handle that part of their ecosystem - that might be where your preference comes into play. Right now, as a company, MS is more gamer friendly and Sony is more anti-consumer. But that only lasts as long as Sony's in the lead and MS is the underdog. It'll flip the other way when that changes. I do love this new generation-less approach though. The idea that all you need is "an XBox" and not "an XBox X" to play the new games is a big deal. Sony and Nintendo tend to stick to generation locks- you need a PS5 to play new games. You'll need a PS6 to play new games after that, etc. Unless MS pushes them to join in by competition/

@Octane MS has commented on a focus on multiplayer and online service games in the past, and to a degree online/services is kind of the schtick. Moreover Sony's focus on cinema-like games is kind of their "brand" so MS and Nintendo both need to find their own niches that aren't as glued to Sony's wheelhouse.

However, I also think the "multiplayer" focus has really gone to EA/Activision and other companies are having a hard time really breaking into that arena in a meaningful way. Nintendo's schtick is more "games as toys" - interactive experiences that aren't a defined story, but also aren't very online. MS, I think with their new studios and from their experiments is going in a slightly different direction. They're less focused on "make everything Gears and Halo to compete with COD" than they were, but they're also not going for the cinematic experience. IMO I think they're leaning into "scale" more. They seem to be looking more toward the "interactive world" angle more, and their newfound glut of RPG veteran studios speaks to that, along with the modern incarnation of MS Flight Sim, and, despite the multiplaeyr focus, SoT. I'm expecting, from them, things that are neither short and sweet single player stories, and more about big interactive, yes, internet connected, places that serve as evergreen long term play environments. Be it an open flight sim world to fly around in, or a big open world Fable/RPG world that's somewhat connected by not an MMO, etc. In a sense, kind of Nintendo-like. More of a toy than a movie you play. But with that "big" scale (that may also feel kind of "empty" if it's not focused and planned enough) that Nintendo doesn't aim for.

Since XBL is MS's strength, I think their 1st party is going to really focus on BIG above all else, evergreen/persistent, and leveraging their servers/services/connectivity/community in ways that Sony and Nintendo really don't/can't, but I also think that doesn't inherently mean "not single player" as much as "shared play space" in a persistent world" being a focus. (And of course it will be on PC as well - people forever miss that Windows & XBox are BOTH the "MS gaming platform.")

@Anti-Matter "Banjo-Kazooie"
Well, that will just make Mr. Sakurai sad....

I think some people assume that we all want to play certain PS 'exclusives', @NEStalgia .... Although a lot will come even to other consoles after awhile, anyway Sounds like when people were trying to persuade me I should get a PS4 rather than XB1, even after I'd said I wasn't actually that interested in PS exclusives

@NEStalgia
""Banjo-Kazooie"
Well, that will just make Mr. Sakurai sad...."

I don't even like Smash Bros game so whatever characters put on it will not made me got interested. I am not on the same train to Smash Bros Hype. I am on the train to different hype destination, the hype of games that most peoples will frowning their faces when they realized what games i like the most.