Category: Microsoft

All things Microsoft

Dragon Quest and Sonic Anniversaries

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This year really does seem to be the year of iconic anniversaries. Case in point, Dragon Quest is celebrating it’s 35 anniversary and Sonic is celebrating it’s 30th anniversary. To help celebrate these milestones, both series held their own anniversary announcements yesterday and today.

First up, Dragon Quest, which hosted their 35th Anniversary video yesterday. In case you missed it, here it is.

While I can’t say all of it excited me, they did catch me with two major announcements, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake and Dragon Quest XII: Flames of Fate.

I’ll be honest, my jaw dropped while watching the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake gameplay. Dragon Quest III remade using the Octopath engine, where can I pre-order? No platforms or release date, but I expect it won’t be long based on what they showed, at least that is what I’m hoping. In case you want to just see this announcement, here it is.

As for Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate, that is pretty much all that was released. Just the title. Granted, after showing the announcement, they did tease that this was going to be a darker game geared more towards an adult audience. It was also teased that they are going to be making some changes to the command based combat. What exactly, they are still trialing out some ideas, so more to come.

Next up, Sonic, which was hosted today as Sonic Central for Sonic’s 30th anniversary. In case you missed this one as well, here it is.

I’d say I am a Sonic fan, not hardcore, but I’ve always enjoyed playing a Sonic game since the the very first game. Those water levels always gave me major anxiety. Have to say that I am excited for the free online Sonic concert that Sega will be hosting on June 23rd. No big surprise, they announced Sonic Origins, which is a collection of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles. No release date, but a nice collection of classics.

The bigger announcements however, were Sonic Colors Ultimate slated for a September 7th release and a new untitled Sonic game slated for sometime 2022. I’ll be honest, I missed out on Sonic Colors, but don’t think I will with this one. Haven’t played a Sonic game in a while and this one looks nice.

As for the untitled Sonic game, will just have to wait for more details and continue to wonder what this means.

All in all, I’m happy with the announcements. I’ll definitely be snagging the Dragon Quest III HD-2D remake and strongly considering Sonic Colors Ultimate. If either release on Xbox Game Pass, that’s a no brainer. Then I just have to attempt to be patient for more details on Dragon Quest XII: Flames of Fate and the untitled Sonic game. Strong anniversary announcements.

April Resident Evil Showcase

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In case you missed it, Capcom held another Resident Evil Showcase a couple days ago on 4/15 to reveal more details on Resident Evil Village and a few other Resident Evil announcements. In case you missed it, here it is just before it kicks off.

The biggest draw for me was Resident Evil Village, the 8th installment of the main series and direct sequel to Resident Evil 7, reprising the role of Ethan Winters. No big surprise, they released a brand new trailer to tease out even more of the story, including what looks to be an even more direct role for Chris Redfield in the village. If you just want to see the new trailer, here it is in it’s 4k glory.

Not sure if there is anything more for them to say to get me hooked. I’ve already got the game pre-ordered on Steam and I’m taking day off. In case you aren’t aware yet, Resident Evil Village released on May 7th.

So why the big showcase? They had a few new announcements to make. Capcom confirmed that Mercenary mode will be returning. To be honest, I never really got into Mercenary mode in a RE game, but I have to admit that it looks fun. The added ability to buy and upgrade gear between rounds does look nice. If your current strategy isn’t working as planned, change it up, if you have the money.

Capcom also announced a new timed demo for Village. Interesting approach if you ask me, but I’m not going to complain about a new demo, especially on PC, finally. Starting May 1st at 8:00 PM EDT to May 2nd at 8:00 PM EDT, a 60 minute demo will be available to play where you can explore the castle and/or village in the new game. You can spend all your time in one area if you want, or split it between both. If you are PS4/PS5 player, you will get early access to additional timed demos, these ones being 30 minute demos of the castle and village on separate days. The village PS4/PS5 demo opens April 17th and the castle demo opens April 24th. Here is a link to Capcom’s official page with the details and when you can start downloading the demos, Gameplay Demo.

Capcom also announced that they will be releasing a VR version of Resident Evil 4 on the Oculus. If you have an Oculus and never got to play RE4 yet or are just a huge fan of RE4, this should be an interesting take on the game. They also released an official trailer for the Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness animated series releasing on Netflix this year. Looks good and I’m definitely planning on binging this when it releases.

All that is left for me now is to patiently wait for the timed demo and the release of Resident Evil Village.

My Verdict on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5

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Wanted to make sure I gave this some additional thought before making my own verdict on the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. To be completely honest, after seeing everything for the Xbox and PlayStation, I’m not interested in getting either just yet. Neither company has me really sold yet. Yes, both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are powerful consoles; but neither has anything worth dropping $500 on this year. Yes, PlayStation 5 is getting Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales this year, but so is the PlayStation 4. Sure, it will look much better and load way faster on the PlayStation 5, but that just doesn’t justify a new system for one exclusive title. Not even $400 for the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. Same with Xbox Series X/S. Yes, I want to play Halo Infinite, but I have a gaming PC that I know can run it. I also have Xbox Game Pass for PC. There just isn’t enough to make me want to get one at launch.

As for which system I may eventually get, that is still up in the air for me. Since I have a good gaming PC, there isn’t much of an incentive for me to get an Xbox Series X or S. The only exception for me is the backwards compatibility. I still on occasion grab my Original Xbox and Xbox 360 to play some of the games I still own for them. Unfortunately, because they are all physical, that will limit me to the Xbox Series X just for the disk drive. Can’t find any options yet for the Xbox Series S, if there are any. If there is a way, I’d seriously consider getting an Xbox Series S just for that to retire my Original Xbox and Xbox 360. Then just play all the newer releases on my PC.

As for the PlayStation, they are providing me with less and less incentives at the moment. The two major titles I most wanted to play are Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon Forbidden West, yet I can get both for my PlayStation 4 and save myself at least $400. Everything else is cross platform. True, they did just officially announce the new God of War, but no release date yet, so not until 2021 at the earliest. Then don’t forget about the Sony Executive mentioning they are looking into releasing more PlayStation first party titles on PC. If that honestly happens and the new God of War also releases on PC, I really have no reason to get a PlayStation 5.

Final verdict, if I had to pick one, I’d honestly consider the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition. If money wasn’t a concern, I’d just go for the full PlayStation 5 to replace my PlayStation 4. I’d just hold off on the Xbox Series X until my Original Xbox and/or Xbox 360 die. Figure by then, I may be able to get an Xbox Series X at a lower price point. As for the games, my PC can hand what Microsoft is releasing.

Is Xbox Leaving PlayStation in the Dust?

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Well, that didn’t take long for Microsoft to burst out of the gate running. Details leak for the Xbox Series S earlier this week, and within hours, Microsoft responds back. Not only does Microsoft officially announce and showoff the Xbox Series S, they announce the official prices and release date for both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (including some tempting payment plan options). November 10th with the Series X at $499 and the Series S at $299. Then you get Ubisoft announcing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will launch with the new Xbox and Watch Dogs Legions will also be ready on day one. But wait, it doesn’t stop there, Microsoft releases an official announcement that EA Play (formerly Origin Access and EA Access) will be included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no extra cost.

For something that wasn’t entirely planned, Microsoft is knocking it out of the park at the moment; and to be completely honest, I’d seriously consider getting one of the new systems on launch if I could. Not just for what was announced that I mentioned, but also for the backwards compatibility so I can finally pack up my Original Xbox and Xbox 360. I’m honestly questioning what the hell Sony is doing at this point. All they have done is shown off the PlayStation 5 models and first party titles. Still no release date and still no prices. Honestly making me feel that that Microsoft is already starting to leave Sony in the dust. Yes, they have some strong first party titles, but what else? Will the cost of the PlayStation 5 models be comparable to the Xbox Series X and S respectively, will they try to go cheaper, or will they have to go for more expensive price points?

Now, it is easy to say Microsoft is killing it at the moment with their announcements in my opinion; but it isn’t outside the realm of possible for Sony to counterattack even stronger. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony still has some tricks up it’s sleeves, and I honestly hope so. I went with a PlayStation 4 over the Xbox One; but I also went with an Xbox 360 over the PlayStation 3. I’m a fan of both systems and hold no loyalty to either. I’m just feeling a little worried that Sony is going to have to play catch up, and maybe that is why they haven’t announced anything yet. Not even an announcement date to look forward to an official announcement. Either way, I’m patiently waiting for Sony to figure their shite our and get back into the game. Until then, I will keep thinking about if/when I can/will upgrade to an Xbox Series X or Series S.

UPDATE : So I schedule this to go out today, and sure enough, Sony makes an announcement for their PlayStation 5 announcement. Okay Sony, your move. Let’s see what you got.

Xbox Games Showcase Impression

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Decided to give it a few days post showcase to settle my thoughts on Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase. Just in case you haven’t seen it yet, here is their recording shared on YouTube (skipping the first 30 minute countdown):

Overall, I think it was a decent list of games to showoff. Sure, none of them were Xbox Series X exclusives with Xbox One and PC listed for most (if not all); but I think this just ties into what Microsoft is trying to go for. Eventually Xbox One will stop seeing new games, but I’m thinking PC will be a constant considering Windows is the biggest PC platform out there. Just makes sense that Microsoft wants to keep both PC players and Xbox players together, blur the lines so there is less of a concern which you own. I’d honestly love for there to be more cross platform play so I don’t have to keep asking what platform someone got a multiplayer game on.

Granted, I was really hoping they would have announces the release date and price as that is what I cared about the most. I am excited for Halo Infinite, Fable, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, Everwild, and Avowed; but I’ll likely just get them on PC, least I have a more compelling reason to finally upgrade my Xbox 360 (skipped the Xbox One). As long as they don’t pull the backwards compatibility and if the price is right, I’d honestly consider getting it. Guess I’ll have to wait just a bit longer.

Now, to address the elephant in the room, Halo Infinite. I feel like I have to add a little blurb about it. Yes, I feel there were some graphic details that felt off. Looking at the entire environment as a whole and everything happening, the game looks good to me. I just can’t get over how smooth the character faces were, just doesn’t match everything else. Regardless, I’m excited. I’m okay with them making it more open world, regardless if it’s similar to Destiny (which I really haven’t played much, so I can’t compare). If that worked well for Destiny, why not. Games have to evolve some; but in that same vein, watching the combat, it felt/looked like Halo. On top of that, reading that the developers clarified the game is still in development and the graphics will get better, that makes me suspect that will address those graphic details most everyone is complaining about. As I mentioned, they seemed oddly off compared to everything else and that would explain it if they aren’t done yet polishing everything up. Definitely not enough to make me not want to play it that’s for sure.