Topic: The everything Xbox thread

@Ryu_Niiyama I don't know about you but @thanosrexx (sorry ) is a good candidate for OCD and @NEStalgia is obviously nut so you can't feel that bad.

I don't want to think about what will be announced on Saturday because I don't want to be disappointed but surely can't be worse than recent Nintendo's E3 boring YouTube videos, I mean, "Directs"... Look at my avatar if you want to know what I am dreaming of... Yes, I need Banjo-Kazooie back.

I haven't played much these days but I got 2 stars on a drifting challenge on Forza Horizon 4, getting 3 seems impossible. It's not like I need to get 100% in every game that I play but I honestly want to understand the mechanics and how to get 3 stars on at least one drifting challenge because I am not a bad player. Actually, I completed Crash Bandicoot 1 on Xbox One X in spite of the messy physics and controls of the trilogy. Not only that but I got absolutely everything including the gems that you only get when not dying and the extra level which is ridiculously difficult. Of course, I haven't even tried time trial mode (relics) and I won't.

You know what, I hated the controls and physics in this first game but after hours and hours I started getting better and I have to admit that, as much as it is inspired by Rare's wonderful Donkey Kong Country games Crash is also charming, the level design is enjoyable, the music is great and the visuals on Xbox One X blow my mind, especially the river levels. I enjoyed it much more than I expected. Everybody says that 2 and 3 are better so I am happy that I bought the trilogy because I only had played The Wrath of Cortex which is mediocre in my opinion. There are rumours about Crash Team Racing remake, that would be nice.

@NEStalgia I wanted to start Assassin's Creed II but then I remembered I had something else to do in ACI, a few investigations that I just completed so I got everything but the flags that are like the moons of Super Mario Odyssey or Koroks of Breath of the Wild, "skippable".

I wanted to start ACII now but I decided to beat the Kingdom Hearts games that I have not beaten yet because I also got the compilations on PS4 a long time ago and it's actually the last thing I am going to play on that console with that uncomfortable controller. My favourite game in the franchise this far is Birth by Sleep and the one I liked the least Chain of Memories (because of the gameplay). After I'm done with the Kingdom Hearts compilation, that I suspect will be released for Xbox One, I'll go back to my beloved X and Elite controller. By the way, Eurogamer didn't like the PS Mini.

@DarthNocturnal It's better that way. Don't expect anything other than updates. I don't want my heart to be broken this weekend.

I need more Banjo-Kazooie! Who would have thought that Sonic would get a dozen awful 3D games in the meantime...

@Dezzy @Ryu_Niiyama The X is a huge upgrade compared to Xbox One and it's also not only more powerful but much better engineered and optimised than the PS4 Pro. However, according to Digital Foundry, by 2020 (approximate date) the biggest upgrade that the next Xbox console would have would be the CPU. The X uses a customised and optimised one that runs at high speeds and has some operations built in (that's why X is much better than an equivalent PC) but in a few years a new-generation CPU is expected in consoles.

It's possible that the first years of Scarlett are transitional like @GrumbleVolcano and @Angelic_Lapras_King suggest. I won't feel the urge to upgrade as much as from Xbox One to X, ironically. I'll do it but not on day one like with the X. But Scarlett won't have a remaster of a remaster at full price, that's something typical of Nintendo, but Xbox has become a cross-generational platform that plays older titles and that is the best thing about Xbox since the backwards compatibility was announced with Rare Replay.

One thing that few people talk about is loading times are really much shorter on X compared to Xbox One, PS4 and even Pro. It's something that you really don't appreciate until you have it but it's like having a few seconds interruptions instead of one minute interruptions. It's a blessing.

@BlueOcean I think it'll vary by company. Capcom for example released the DMC Collection on PS360, a collection of the PS2 games, that was then ported to PS4/XBONE as a full retail release, with no backwards compat on the 360 version. Same with the Resident Evils especially 4, hardly any are backwards compat because Capcom chose to rerelease the likes of 4, 5, and 6, making you pay for it again.

Hell, if you could the Wii download on Wii U, the Switch port of RE 4 will be the 4th rerelease of the game on a Nintendo Home Console. XD

Like I said, just because BC is there doesnt mean any company has to make ALL their old games part of the program. Not when there are people out there that will throw 50 notes on a port of a years old game they probably brought last gen, just for the promise of a "4K Upgrade".

@BlueOcean Oh, trust me. Three starring these challenges is easy once you learn the line and manage to keep under control throughout it. I've been redoing them in my AWD-converted Mini Cooper easily. A lot easier than with the Subaru in some cases.

If you need a bit more help, there's a few tips and lines you can get from the video below. I didn't go manual gears and I didn't use the car and build from the video, but it did help to understand a few of the finer points of getting three stars.

More teases:

@BlueOcean As I don’t have a tv right now 4k or otherwise there are no compelling reasons for me to splash the cash on a X or a Pro right now. My gaming PC performs better anyway. Also I haven’t been really interested in the One until recently. The games that came out on the twins unfortunately ensured that I bought more Ps4 games (more exclusives I prefer and Fighting game central) even though I loathe the DS4 controller. Even with that the twins sat un used since the Switch came out. I didn’t boot up my one until odyssey came out (which I didn’t get on PC solely because I hate Ubisofts storefront and drm).

I have no issues with the twins, just no excitement. I’m happy I own them and I will get their upgraded versions but as of right now especially after being just fine in my AC Sparta playthrough I can wait until they are cheaper or I’ve moved again. I am saving for a neo geo anyway. As that is my holy grail of gaming (although if hamster keeps up their good work I may not have to buy one). That being said there are more games coming down the pipe that I care about finally but at the same time still no enough for me to rin out and upgrade. I can wait. My backlog is the size of Mt Olympus anyway.

NES is cool, he just likes to poke me with a stick. It is his way of being friends in the text wall club.

I do know I am sitting out the next systems though. Going Nintendo/PC for a bit.

@BlueOcean I'm OCD enough. Just not CDO like @Ryu_Niiyama

I don't know about Banjo. I think they know there's demand, but I don't know if Rare is totally bogged down with SoT content for the moment to be working on anything.

haha, well if the flags are skippable in AC1, then I'll tell you from the start in II, be sure to ignore the feathers! It's even worse than the flags!

Going back to KH is cool though. I really need to do that soon, before 3 comes out. I've played half of one and all of DDD. I don't think I'll play all 6 this time. Just 1, 2, Birth By Sleep, DDD (DDD is really weird, coming back to it. I loved it at the time, but it feels like a bad Sunset Overdrive to me now....) I do find I'm really liking BBS. I thought it would sit behind 1 and 2 for me, but it's really grown on me as well. I refuse to sit through Chain of Memories though. That's torture. The only GBA game that really translates well to current hardware is Ace Attorney.

I still need to look into a Brook One to use an Elite with PS4 and Switch. That would be dreamy despite famously short battery life. Unfortunately Amazon no longer offers extended warranties on Elites. The 4-year plan was the best deal running given the stick drift possibilities. Though I can't believe they ever sold the warranties given the high return rates.

I don't think anyone likes the PSX Mini, do they? The game choice was just random, and the best of them are coming to Switch and X1 anyway....

@Grumblevolcano Boom. Third party presentations. So far my expectations are being met. As long as they don't announce the next entry of a major franchise is mobile, declare "you all have phones", or announce they've lost $33m, are cancelling their 2019 planned releases, they'll still win this months presentations. So far every single company as screwed up this week.....I think I'll keep my eyes mostly closed or this show.

EDIT: That reminds me, there's a fun misplaced object in World of Final Fantasy. There's a PSX on the shelf you can interact with to play music, etc in Lann's room. It's still there in the X1/Switch versions.

@NEStalgia I am revoking your text wall member’s only jacket.

The psx mini will be nice if it can be hacked. Otherwise ill stick with the games I have.

@Ryu_Niiyama Just be glad you hate the DS4. Otherwise I'd have to really torment you like I do ralizah

X-enhanced Crackdown is available for download for free now!

@DarkRula I am going to try again now. What do you think about the Drift pack? What are the exact models and modifications that you recommend? Thanks again.

Oh snap digital crackdown?! getting.

@BlueOcean I have a bad feeling that's a sign for more Crackdown 3 problems. Maybe another delay?

Whoa, nice find! I would have expected that as GwG, not sure how it got a stealth freebie status!

@DarthNocturnal It's free on all platforms including 360. Blue just meant it has an X enhancement patch now too
https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/product/Crackdown/66acd000...

@Grumblevolcano We'll know by tomorrow! They've delayed it so much I can't imagine it's not done yet. March gives a long window still. But....I also wouldn't be surprised. Their last 3 games other than FH4 were released incomplete and had poor launches, I doubt they want a repeat with Crackdown 3.

I don't even know what that game is like or about but hey free.

@NEStalgia It's a difficult situation because XB1 is kind of in Wii U territory now regarding 1st party releases. 2018 for XB1 is rather comparable to 2015 for Wii U as an example where Crackdown 3 is BotW.

So, are 360 games enhanced only on the X model, or is the S model good for those too.

Happy to let you know about this.

State of Decay 2 and Sea of Thieves are great games but they were poorly reviewed because their launch was rushed. Sea of Thieves received much more content and gameplay tweaks afterwards while State of Decay 2 received important performance and glitches patches. I don't think that Microsoft wants to make the same mistake. If that means that Crackdown 3 is delayed that is for the better but perhaps the game is almost ready, we'll find out tomorrow. I am happy that Sega delayed Team Sonic Racing as that one needed more time too.

@DarthNocturnal Internet high five. No, it isn't a free system but it is something.

Game pass is on sale. Just a buck for new subs, 6 months is only $30

@Yosheel All 360 games are enhanced on Xbox One (S): no tearing and better performance. When the program launched, some technically demanding games performed worse on Xbox One (S), the most popular being Halo Reach and Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts.

However, Microsoft has been polishing the backwards compatibility and now all games perform better on Xbox One (S). The games that are X-enhanced make the most of the X hardware. Resolution and performance is improved and, in some cases, they have higher-quality textures, shadows, lighting, texture filtering, ambient occlusion, etc. On top of that, even if they are not X-enhanced, games perform better on Xbox One X because of the improved memory and CPU, one good example is Watch Dogs that has stutter and frame drops on Xbox One (S) and none on Xbox One X. Besides, if the game has dynamic resolution scaling it goes higher on X.

Some X-enhanced games: Assassin's Creed Origins/Odyssey/I/III Remastered/ Rogue Remastered, Crackdown, Crash Bandicoot, Fable Anniversary, Final Fantasy XV, Forza Horizon 1/3/4, Forza 7, Fortnite, Gears 2/3/4, Halo 5/Master Chief Collection, Killer Instinct 3, Monster Hunter World, Quantum Break, Red Dead Redemption 1/2, Resident Evil 7/2, Rise/Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Sonic Generations/Mania/Forces, Spyro, Super Lucky's Tale, The Evil Within 2, The Witcher 3... and many more.

X-enhanced games:
https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/xbox-one/xbox-one-x-enhanced...

Backwards compatibility games:
https://majornelson.com/blog/xbox-one-backward-compatibility/