Nintendo has the most success when it comes to moving hardware with exclusives. I mean we've seen their consoles thrive with relatively weak 3rd party software.

PlayStation and Xbox on the other hand rely on massive library of notable 3rd party games. Nintendo certainly doesn't rely 3rd party marketing deals and bundles like others.

You can only judge Phil on what he has done as the head of the division.  Not knowing how much he could actually accomplish not running the show means nothing.  Not even sure if you guys actually work at big companies if you believe just because Phil was there he could dictate the direction of how the department is run.  Don was the man and he made all the final decisions.  I am not a cheerleader for Phil but one thing is definitely certain, his vision of the Xbox division is totally different from Don.  What you should be asking yourself is why did he get the job after Don was removed.  Probably because his vision was totally different and aligned better with a strategy he probably promoted for Xbox success.  Do not forget during Don tenure MS was closing down studios not purchasing them.  The Xbox X was something that Phil really wanted after the Xbox did not compete on the same level as the PS4.  You have gamepass which is something else I believe is coming from Phil.  What I see is that Phil is putting his stamp and vision on the division which is focused on games and hardware.  Yes, the current crop of exclusives did not set the world on fire but then again the platform itself is coming along very well.  We will see what holds for the next gen as I am interested to see what MS does for their next system.

Gaming media really needs to grow up, they are not doing any favors to the industry. I am so tired of games getting overly praised or punished due to their ties to specific platforms. This game is in no way a 5 - 6. If this was just a random game from a 3rd party it would easily land in the 7.5 - 8.5 range.

I completed the campaign a couple of hours ago. Took me 14 Hours, I collected 630 orbs, and completed all side content. As someone that never played the first Crackdown, and coming from a heavily PlayStation focused background, this feels a lot like Infamous, which was one of my top five favorite games on PS3.

Crackdown 3 is pure simple fun. If you are looking for a game to jump around, collect items, blow away enemies, and feel like a super hero, then you will have an absolute blast with this title. It runs flawlessly, loads and reloads within seconds, delivers reliable gameplay, and offers a decent size sandbox to play around in.

My Score 8.0

You realize Phil didn't just pop into existence when he was named the head of Xbox in 2014, right?  He's had leadership positions within MS Studios for over a decade, now.  And since 2014, he has overseen several studios closing, one being Lionhead Studios in 2016, as well as the cancellation of several promising games.  You say his vision is different, yet he too publicly defended the DRM fiasco and being the head of MS Studios probably played a role in its inception.  Either that or he is just some "yes man," and that is why he is in charge, now, because he won't question the higher ups.

This scapegoating of Don Mattrick, who hasn't been with the company for almost 6 years now, just to cover Spencer's ass is either naivety of the nth degree or just willful ignorance. 

Wow, Jim Sterling was really hard on it. As I've said a few times ( although not in this thread ) I think the SP looks like it could be really fun, and the visuals look good to me. I'll never put that to the test mind you, so maybe I'd find some of the more common complaints valid.

The game bombed in the UK (selling 4000 units at retail), debuting at no.13 spot. Oof.

Why would you care about anything until he was actually head of the Xbox division.  Where you in the conference rooms when decisions were made.  Do you even know how any of those decisions went down or if he fought for them and lost.  You are making judgement on information you have no clue on what happen.  I have worked for MS in the past and can tell you that certain titles may sound important but there are a lot of layers to them.  I have no clue what he contributed or not during the times he wasn't the boss, but as the boss, I can directly see what his vision is now.  

I am not covering Spencer ass, for some reason you believe a huge company like MS moves like a developer.  So what exactly are you blaming Spencer for since he gain control of the XBox division.  How hard do you think he may or may not had to change senor management to actually purchase new studios and the other efforts since his term.  Stop acting as if you have all the information or even know how MS work because right now only thing I see is you making an opinion on what you believe happen or has happen.  Nothing moves fast at MS, that is the first thing you should know.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-02-17-uk-charts-far-cry-new-dawn-is-no-1-but-metro-exodus-is-the-real-winner

Crackdown 3 did about ~10% of Crackdown 2's sales in the UK.

Ouch.... a 90% drop in sales, compaired to the last title back in 2009/2010.
I wouldnt be surprised if its like this most other places too.

^ this.

Yeah this performance is shocking. No two ways about it. 

His actions in the last 4+ years are right before your eyes.  Sure, he has moved a step or two ahead in terms of services, but has completely fumbled the ball in terms of games.  Unless the management has another big shake up before next gen, I don't see any changes to this mismanagement of IPs and devs.

Ouch.  I figured it would be down, but by that much?