2022 Video Games Thread

[Atocep]

I think this is great news for elder scrolls fans. I also don't see any of the current Bethesda IPs going xbox/pc exclusive. I can see exclusive DLC and content, but you'll see ES and Fallout games continue to release on both systems. Starfield as a timed exclusive wouldn't surprise me in the least though.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Why? Because they had it.

The thing is, if we are (as everything I've seen today suggests) still at least two years away from that deal producing a game of consequence (i.e. the next Elder Scrolls) then how many consoles does the deal actually sell?

It's one thing to say "oh, I'll have to have that for sure" but another thing for most people to say "I'm not gonna buy a next gen console for two years while waiting for THAT game"

It may be a push toward increasing the number of multiple system households but damn that's a long time to show ROI.

There is a reason they announced it literally the day before XSX and XSS preorders. And likely the current games with show up on Gamepass.

A lot of chatter on the /r/PS5 subreddit of folks who never considered Xbox thinking of getting one (more likely the XSS as a secondary console)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

There is a reason they announced it literally the day before XSX and XSS preorders. And likely the current games with show up on Gamepass.

A lot of chatter on the /r/PS5 subreddit of folks who never considered Xbox thinking of getting one (more likely the XSS as a secondary console)

Well of course ... but how many of those being influenced today are realizing the likely long wait for this to have any impact?

Look, I'm pro XBox and have little interest in switching, so I'm not crapping on the move. If they'll fire Todd Howard and every person involved with the F76 debacle, I'll even be Microsofts biggest cheerleader for a while.

I just don't think having this deal be a console decision maker makes much sense when you may not get a thing from it for 2+ years (based on info out there today) AND there's no reason anymore to be more than cautiously hopeful that whatever comes will actually be worth the slightest damn whenever it does show up.

[ISiddiqui]

Games will likely be coming to Gamepass this year. So much less than 2+ years to see any benefit. Not to mention people tend to think long term for their console for the generation. I know plenty of PS4 (not Pros) out there. So this would definitely impact people who are thinking this purchase will be for the next 5 years.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Games will likely be coming to Gamepass this year. So much less than 2+ years to see any benefit. Not to mention people tend to think long term for their console for the generation. I know plenty of PS4 (not Pros) out there. So this would definitely impact people who are thinking this purchase will be for the next 5 years. Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Are there people interested in the Fallout/ES games -- and in the next gen console market -- who STILL haven't played them? I mean how else does Gamepass matter for them in this deal until something of note new releases?

I can see it causing some folks that were soft-lean toward PS5 holding off on their purchase, figuring "okay, I'll just wait and get a new XB instead, so I have play Bethesda goodness" ... but I don't see how that equates to "OMG, I gots to have a new XBox NOW".

But, shrug, consumers are rarely rational so who knows

[Abe Sargent]

I am 2 hours into Wasteland 3 and enjoying it so far. I wish it was a normal RPG rather than the tactical squad based turn based one but it's a smooth one so far.

EDIT - And I got up early to play it the opposite of the "stay up too late" game.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Are there people interested in the Fallout/ES games -- and in the next gen console market -- who STILL haven't played them? I mean how else does Gamepass matter for them in this deal until something of note new releases?

I can see it causing some folks that were soft-lean toward PS5 holding off on their purchase, figuring "okay, I'll just wait and get a new XB instead, so I have play Bethesda goodness" ... but I don't see how that equates to "OMG, I gots to have a new XBox NOW".

But, shrug, consumers are rarely rational so who knows

I have gamepass on my PC and I’ve given serious thought to just upgrading to ultimate and buying my kids the digital only XBox this cycle.

[spleen1015]

I'm not a fan of acquiring something then making it exclusive. If you want to make exclusive games from the start, then so be it. Don't buy one of the big publishers then make their games exclusive.

That kind of greed only hurts whatever is going to be exclusive, see NFL licensing and video games.

[ISiddiqui]

Well XSX seems to have gone quick (though Amazon is down and Best Buy didn't seem to 'open'?). Microsoft's online store is slammed and is down. Target and Walmart say sold out. It's been about 15 mins since it opened up for sale.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Are there people interested in the Fallout/ES games -- and in the next gen console market -- who STILL haven't played them? I mean how else does Gamepass matter for them in this deal until something of note new releases?

I can see it causing some folks that were soft-lean toward PS5 holding off on their purchase, figuring "okay, I'll just wait and get a new XB instead, so I have play Bethesda goodness" ... but I don't see how that equates to "OMG, I gots to have a new XBox NOW".

Yes. I am in the next gen console market and I haven't played most of the Bethesda/ID stuff (I did play Doom on the Switch, but that's not the same). Plenty of gamers may just not have played those games because they were focused on something else.

And pre-ordering next gen consoles is also an impulse sort of purchase, so definitely I can see people saying, I want to play the next ES and Doom... I should get an Xbox!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Well XSX seems to have gone quick (though Amazon is down and Best Buy didn't seem to 'open'?). Microsoft's online store is slammed and is down. Target and Walmart say sold out. It's been about 15 mins since it opened up for sale.

Both these launches have been a nightmare with the way they're selling them. It allows the spam-bots to purchase most of the consoles. Microsoft thought they were somehow going to fare better on their release, but the exact time release only exacerbates the issue further.

I did see that GameStop put in a new queue feature to combat the spam-bots for this launch. Basically, when you enter the page for the console, you're put into a queue and then you get an opportunity to buy it if they have enough. If you refresh the page, you go to the end of the line. They've still got consoles as of now. Hopefully more of the store pages go to that model to improve customer satisfaction. Also, it would really slow down the resale market.

Resale hasn't worked well anyway because the general public doesn't bite on the big prices. It's the reason you see tons of consoles returned and back on the market in late December/early January. However, it would be great if they further discouraged that behavior and put more consoles in consumer hands if possible.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Both these launches have been a nightmare with the way they're selling them. It allows the spam-bots to purchase most of the consoles. Microsoft thought they were somehow going to fare better on their release, but the exact time release only exacerbates the issue further.

I did see that GameStop put in a new queue feature to combat the spam-bots for this launch. Basically, when you enter the page for the console, you're put into a queue and then you get an opportunity to buy it if they have enough. If you refresh the page, you go to the end of the line. They've still got consoles as of now. Hopefully more of the store pages go to that model to improve customer satisfaction. Also, it would really slow down the resale market.

IIRC, both Sony and MS have a queue system. But Walmart, Target, Best Buy really doesn't care it bots are buying systems - they just want to sell them. On the other hand, having a set time allows everyone to have a chance. It seems the people who were on their computers, ready to go, at 11am EST were better able to snag one (at least from what I see on reddit).

[Bee]

I got one from amazon. They seemed to come online later than the other sites, but yeah they went ridiculously fast.

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah I think Amazon's stock lasted like 6 minutes.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[SirFozzie]

I was lucky enough to get a PS5 from Best Buy on announcement date (everyone's cart was timing out, but I saw a tip on twitter at 3 am that the PayPal payment system was working).

Now, of couorse, comes six weeks of wondering if the pre order is going to be cancelled.

[ISiddiqui]

I think if its still there (and mine still is - I check my BB preorders every few days ), then you are safe.

(edit: Oh, and it seems I'm definitely getting a PS5 because my attempts to order an XSX and then decide which preorder to cancel were foiled by... not being able to get an XSX preorder. Oh well)

[SackAttack]

Bethesda's heaviest hitters in terms of future releases aren't gonna move the needle for folks right now. If they were gonna go PS5 to start, the rationale will be "by the time ES6/F5 are out, the console will be cheaper and I'll get one there."

Where I really see this making a difference for Microsoft is people grabbing a Series S as an inexpensive GamePass box. It isn't gonna sway people away from a PS5, necessarily, but it will be a net positive for GamePass subscription numbers.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

IIRC, both Sony and MS have a queue system. But Walmart, Target, Best Buy really doesn't care it bots are buying systems - they just want to sell them. On the other hand, having a set time allows everyone to have a chance. It seems the people who were on their computers, ready to go, at 11am EST were better able to snag one (at least from what I see on reddit).

Sony actually had invite only in their store this time around. A lot of people were frustrated with that because there was no real rhyme or reason as to who got invites.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

* ahem *

Live the unwritten in #HogwartsLegacy. pic.twitter.com/TOLbkbxYhs

— WB Games Avalanche (@AvalancheWb) September 16, 2020

(very excited our game is now finally official)

I know you posted it in OT on Slack, but finally got a chance to watch it. Holy crap, Victorian-era Hogwart's?! SIGN.ME.UP! I do hope the controls will be forgiving for my decayed joystick skills (which weren't great even when I was a kid and gamed often)

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Yes! We had a blast playing Co-Op. I play co-op games with three buddies once a week and have been doing so since around 2013 - beginning with Borderlands 2 - so let me know what you're looking for. I've likely tried most of them.

Any good co-op games would be great. None of us play a ton so games like COD where you're competing against people who play 10 hours a day are tough.

As for the Division 2, is the base game fine? I saw it on sale for $30. They have "Warlords of New York" but that seems regular priced ($60) and not sure if I really need that. Can I just buy that later if I liked it or is it something you'd need up front?

[Icy]

I have been a PS guy since PS1, and we are a heavy console users at home (unfortunately for my wife who hates it). Currently we have a PS4 Pro (mine) and PS4 for my oldest kid attached to two big TVs and the Switch for the youngest one. I play only on weekends and felt weird fighting with my 12 years old kid over it

I was totally sold on the PS5 without even thinking but recently I purchased Gamepass for my PC to play wastelands 3... and now for first time ever I'm thinking on moving to Xbox for the new generation.

The Gamepass catalog is good, price is fair and even more now that they are adding EA pass, that I already pay, I don't have as much time to play as before, I don't need games at launch in general, and I'm back again to play more strategic games in PC than sports in console, due to being burned out of FIFA, NBA2k, NHL etc as you basically play every season for a new roster pack and simpler GM modes.

Gamepass ultimate seems a great fit for me, I'll still have a PS4 at home as my elder son will inherit the PS4 Pro, that will allow me to play for MLB The show that is the only game I might miss.

I still need to think about it, probably won't buy any on first day as I always did and instead will wait for christmas.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Any good co-op games would be great. None of us play a ton so games like COD where you're competing against people who play 10 hours a day are tough.

As for the Division 2, is the base game fine? I saw it on sale for $30. They have "Warlords of New York" but that seems regular priced ($60) and not sure if I really need that. Can I just buy that later if I liked it or is it something you'd need up front?

You can buy it later. The base game is many hours of game play and I’m sure that the expansions will be cheap at some point.

Borderlands 2 & 3 are great co-op games.

Dying Light is really fun, until the end, which was terrible.

Ghost Recon: Wild Lands was fun.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a classic. World War Z is very similar, but, also, quite good.

Vermintide 2 is fun.

RPG wise Divinity Original 2 is as good as it gets for 4-player co-op. Diablo 3 is a good time, of course.

We’ve, also, played a TON of “7 Days To Die”.

[spleen1015]

Big update for No Man's Sky today.

[ISiddiqui]

From tweets, it seems as if the sales yesterday may have been the totality of pre-orders for XSX and XSS. Sony has said they are going to have more waves of pre-orders, but when they come out for sale is based on the retailers.

[Lathum]

So I bought MLB The Show, so far like it.

did Road to the Show as a pitcher. Picked my 3 pitches, slider, curve, changeup, assuming you would automatically have a fastball. Nope. So I am a SP with no fastball.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Big update for No Man's Sky today.

There are now sandworms.

:::sighs after reading the patch notes and remembering when I had enough memory and a video card that could play this game:::

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

You can buy it later. The base game is many hours of game play and I’m sure that the expansions will be cheap at some point.

Borderlands 2 & 3 are great co-op games.

Dying Light is really fun, until the end, which was terrible.

Ghost Recon: Wild Lands was fun.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a classic. World War Z is very similar, but, also, quite good.

Vermintide 2 is fun.

RPG wise Divinity Original 2 is as good as it gets for 4-player co-op. Diablo 3 is a good time, of course.

We’ve, also, played a TON of “7 Days To Die”.

Thanks. I saw 7 Days to Die but read it is in bad shape on the PS4. Like they stopped updating years ago due to some business issues.

Besides the Borderlands games, we had a ton of fun with The Forest.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Thanks. I saw 7 Days to Die but read it is in bad shape on the PS4. Like they stopped updating years ago due to some business issues.

Besides the Borderlands games, we had a ton of fun with The Forest.

Yes! The Forest was a lot of fun!

We play all these games on the PC, so I can’t speak to any PS4 issues.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Yikes. I bought a 4 TB drive that can be used with the Playstation 4 or 5 for $90. Having a proprietary drive that sells for nearly three times the price and only has 1/4 of the storage pretty rough on the consumer.

Xbox Series X Expandable Storage Costs $219.99, According To Best Buy

[ISiddiqui]

The new SSDs are far more expensive than traditional hard drives. It's also one of the most next gen advances of this generation.

I think both will allow you to connect an older drive to store games, but you have to play games from the internal or added SSDs.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

The new SSDs are far more expensive than traditional hard drives. It's also one of the most next gen advances of this generation.

I think both will allow you to connect an older drive to store games, but you have to play games from the internal or added SSDs.

Not exactly. You can take your external HDD off an older system (X1, X360, XBox) and connect it to your Xbox Series X/S, but the legacy games won't receive any optimization unless they are downloaded on a proprietary storage card.

Xbox Series X/S games can only be played on the proprietary storage cards or the internal HDD if you want minimal load times. Load times on external SSD will be substantially longer says the Xbox team.

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/09/...lution-primer/

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Not exactly. You can take your external HDD off an older system (X1, X360, XBox) and connect it to your Xbox Series X/S, but the legacy games won't receive any optimization unless they are downloaded on a proprietary storage card.

Xbox Series X/S games can only be played on the proprietary storage cards or the internal HDD if you want minimal load times. Load times on external SSD will be substantially longer says the Xbox team.

A Primer on the Simple and Custom Storage Options Available for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S at Launch - Xbox Wire

Oh wow, that's fantastic news. Xbox is realty doing everything right for the Series X release - I kinda wish I could have gotten one on preorder.

I hope Sony will do similar, but I somewhat doubt it.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

The new SSDs are far more expensive than traditional hard drives. It's also one of the most next gen advances of this generation.

Agreed

Hard drive tech is where last gen was probably the furthest behind PCs. $220 seems expensive for a hard drive when you're comparing them to mechanical drives or even standard SSDs, but the new line of Samsung NVMEs run $220 for 1 TB. Hell, I paid $400 for a 1TB Samsung NVME when I built my PC about 2 and a half years ago.

Hard drives aren't just for storage anymore when it comes to gaming. Hard drive tech allows larger, seamless worlds and can eliminate load times.

Comparing different hard drive techs at different prices isn't an apples to apples comparison. Especially when the viggest selling point of this upcoming gen is Sony and Microsoft making the leap to new hard drive te h.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Oh wow, that's fantastic news. Xbox is realty doing everything right for the Series X release - I kinda wish I could have gotten one on preorder.

I hope Sony will do similar, but I somewhat doubt it.

Sony has already said that a few thousand of the PS4 games will be playable on the PS5.

I'll be honest. I really don't care even if they do. I'm not buying a PS5 to play PS4 games. Every generation when they have backwards compatibility, I hang on to old games thinking I'm going to play them and I just never do. I have enough problems fitting in time for the current gen games.

[ISiddiqui]

It's not like there are a ton of next gen games available at launch . And if you are working through a game or two on current gen, being able just to take a USB 3.1 external HDD and plug it in and continue playing without taking up space in the SSD is a good idea.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

IIRC, both Sony and MS have a queue system. But Walmart, Target, Best Buy really doesn't care it bots are buying systems - they just want to sell them. On the other hand, having a set time allows everyone to have a chance. It seems the people who were on their computers, ready to go, at 11am EST were better able to snag one (at least from what I see on reddit).

They make basically $0.00 selling consoles (and actually a loss if you pay with credit card), so you'd think it would be in their best interest to sell a console to someone who might also buy accessories and games with it.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Mota

They make basically $0.00 selling consoles (and actually a loss if you pay with credit card), so you'd think it would be in their best interest to sell a console to someone who might also buy accessories and games with it.

Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Amazon, however assuredly make money on console sales. That's why they don't care about bots buying them.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Amazon, however assuredly make money on console sales. That's why they don't care about bots buying them.

Shit, they typically have limits on the number of copies any one person can buy, but if someone wants to buy out stock on a particular item at the store - new movie release, new game release, new console release, etc - the number of GMs who WON'T turn their head to policy and "take the sale" is pretty limited.

[dubb93]

I don’t know if I have ever said this before besides Alan Wake, but the music in Wasteland 3 is really great and somehow manages to add quite a bit to the game. Really sets the mood for certain encounters and locations.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by dubb93

I don’t know if I have ever said this before besides Alan Wake, but the music in Wasteland 3 is really great and somehow manages to add quite a bit to the game. Really sets the mood for certain encounters and locations.

The music really is top notch and sets the tone for some fantastic encounters.

[Abe Sargent]

I have no idea how Wasteland Remastered is 12% bigger than CK3!!!

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by dubb93

I don’t know if I have ever said this before besides Alan Wake, but the music in Wasteland 3 is really great and somehow manages to add quite a bit to the game. Really sets the mood for certain encounters and locations.

TRUE!

[Abe Sargent]

I just defeated WLIII and I really enjoyed it.

[Abe Sargent]

Im ready for BG3 which is in EA today, but one review compared it unfavorably to Wasteland 3... Huh. (Ars Technica)

EDIT - PC Gamer says you should play WL3 instead of BG3 EA as well... that's not good.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

Im ready for BG3 which is in EA today, but one review compared it unfavorably to Wasteland 3... Huh. (Ars Technica)

EDIT - PC Gamer says you should play WL3 instead of BG3 EA as well... that's not good.

This felt like it was going to be a huge disappointment just from the info released so far, but yeah. This feels like the antithesis to what actually made the BG games great, I can't see myself ever wanting to play this one.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

This felt like it was going to be a huge disappointment just from the info released so far, but yeah. This feels like the antithesis to what actually made the BG games great, I can't see myself ever wanting to play this one.

I read around 10 reviews while BG 3 was dling and my favorite was Ars technica which main point was that the game lacks any source of agency and has awkward combat but is the prettiest RPG they've played. I'm going to wait until release day or closer to it when the vision is better.

EDIT!!!! It seems to be closer to Planescape Torment in feel than BG based on the reviews I read.

[Ironhead]

Anyone here playing Among Us? I can across it today in a review and have been enjoying it. It's like Werewolf...in spaaaaaaaaaaaaace.

[Coffee Warlord]

I have it, haven't found a full group to play with yet, don't really wanna do a rando pub.

[JPhillips]

My daughter and her H.S. friends play the shit out of Among Us.

[spleen1015]

Cyberpunk delayed

We have important news to share with you pic.twitter.com/qZUaD6IwmM

— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) October 27, 2020