lol

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Mnementh said:

The_Liquid_Laser said:

Ok, I watched the Microsoft showcase and I have to say something about it.  Disclaimer:  I have never owned an XBox, I don't like Microsoft as a company, and I also think all Bethesda games suck.  (No, I am not joking about any of that.)

That was probably the best XBox presentation I've ever seen.  It was definitely better than the State of Play shown several days ago.  I usually watch these XBox presentations half out of curiosity and half to make fun of them, which is what I did with this one at first.  Then I got to Diablo 4.  That shut me up.  The game looked cool, and they did show off a fair amount of gameplay.  I think I was also partly shocked just seeing a classic Blizzard franchise shown as a Microsoft exclusive.  I have fond memories of Diablo 1, because it was the first game I played on the internet.  Good times.

I've also gotta say they had a good variety of games, and not just the cliche FPS and Third Person Shooters.  They also showed off a whole lot of games, and a few looked like games I might try even if they were not as interesting as Diablo 4.  (Also, I am curious if HK: Silksong and the Persona games are coming to Switch.  If they are not in the next Nintendo presentation, then I'll have my answer.)  They had an impressive amount of content, little filler, and they only showed games releasing in the next 12 months.

So, I am not ready to buy an XBox yet.  But I'll say they are moving ahead of Playstation in my mind as far as quality and quantity of games.  If Nintendo's lineup takes a nosedive, or if XBox continues to improve for the next couple of years, then I'll need to start thinking about how to play these games (i.e. maybe a PC instead of a console...we'll see).

Overall: 7/10

Yeah, I agree mostly. One addition: Gamepass. That nearly everything shown is on gamepass is amazing value. Most interestingly Diablo IV isn't, but I guess that might change once the acquisition is done.

A question for you: what did you think of Ravenlok? I am impressed by the unique artstyle and also I am a sucker for Alice in Wonderland, so that is good. gameplay seems also tolerable.

There were several games I put into the "maybe" category.  Ravenlok was one.  I'd have to wait and see how it reviews and such.  

As for Gamepass, it is kind of the opposite direction of where I want gaming to go.  I like all physical.  However, I recognize that it is a good value, and I currently think Microsoft is doing everything right to make it succeed.  The biggest difference between Gamepass and Stadia is that Microsoft recognizes the importance of exclusive games.  I would bet, if someone did a technical breakdown, that Stadia was running on better tech than Gamepass.  It doesn't matter though.  Gaming is about games.  Microsoft has the games.  Microsoft just showed off a ton of exclusives including a few really big games that are going to draw people to Gamepass.  Google also gave up quickly when they discovered how hard it is to succeed in gaming.  Microsoft does not intend to give up.  They have been around for several generations and now they are investing heavily toward their all digital future.  Gamepass is going to do well. 

Microsoft is doing everything right currently.  Sony is not.  They are going to get blindsided over the next couple of years when they see that sales are not going their way anymore.  In fact, gaming is currently changing in some fairly permanent ways.  There are a lot of consumers out there who have tried hybrid consoles and will not want to go back to a TV only system.  There are other consumers who are going to try Gamepass, and then will never go back to anything other than a subscription service.  The way I see it, Microsoft and Nintendo are currently carving out their part of the market for the next decade or two, and Sony is mostly just standing by and letting it all happen.