Gaming Xbox Series X|S

Which of these do you prefer

  • Microsoft Game Pass

  • Xbox Game Pass


Results are only viewable after voting.

DavelinaJolie

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
3,388
Yes mate we still have 5 of us who play. Been a little quiet lately, but over xmas we should be getting plenty of games in. You are more than welcome to join!
I may be interested. Still playing this regularly. At the moment trying to max out Reapers.
 

Redlambs

Creator of the Caftards comics
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
42,176
Location
Officially the best poker player on RAWK.
I may be interested. Still playing this regularly. At the moment trying to max out Reapers.
More the merrier. A couple of us have just got to Pirate Legend and to be honest we desperately need the PvP practice.

We have been doing some nice little tucks though ;) :lol:


Let me know if you need a discord invite, you too @The Hilton. This goes for all the Xbox wusses who shy away from the game because of the pvp (you know who you are), we have a decent little crew all of whom are happy to show the ropes.
 

The Hilton

Full Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2011
Messages
4,052
More the merrier. A couple of us have just got to Pirate Legend and to be honest we desperately need the PvP practice.

We have been doing some nice little tucks though ;) :lol:


Let me know if you need a discord invite, you too @The Hilton. This goes for all the Xbox wusses who shy away from the game because of the pvp (you know who you are), we have a decent little crew all of whom are happy to show the ropes.
Yeah I could use a discord invite - I'm at pirate legend and I'm alright at the basics, but haven't had huge amounts of pvp practice as most of the folks I play with are awful so it's easier just to run!
 

Redlambs

Creator of the Caftards comics
Joined
Aug 22, 2006
Messages
42,176
Location
Officially the best poker player on RAWK.
Yeah I could use a discord invite - I'm at pirate legend and I'm alright at the basics, but haven't had huge amounts of pvp practice as most of the folks I play with are awful so it's easier just to run!
You'll fit right in with us then! We are beginning to practice now though, and we make a pretty good team with the relative strengths we all have.

I'll pm an invite.
 

DixieDean

Everton Fan
Joined
Mar 10, 2011
Messages
5,297
Location
Liverpool
Supports
Everton
My Halo Infinite review.

Overall, I came away mixed on the game.

The positives are that the combat is still top tier. 343 deserves a lot of credit for just how good these games play. 4 and 5 are both great playing games (at least at 60fps) and Infinite takes it to the next level.

The already slick combat is improved no end by the grappleshot. This is by far the best addition to the game. I thought it looked lame in the previews, but dam, it feels good to grapple around the map. One of those gameplay things that just feels right. It also can be used in combat in cool ways. I can't see a Halo game in the future not having the grappleshot.

Oh, the grunts are funnier than ever.

The open world did not work, for me. I liked it more than I thought I would as it's nothing like Far Cry or Ass Creed. The biggest issue I had with it was how frivolous the whole thing feels. You absolutely do not have to engage with it, at all, to complete the game. You can search the open world for armour upgrades, but on normal or lower these are not needed. Probably the same for heroic, too. The actual campaign is about the same length as 4 and 5. It just has an open world bolted on to it. I can see what 343 were going for but they need to find a better balance. The open world needed to be weaved into the main campaign.

The campaign falls into the old Halo fault of repeating interiors over and over again. The is especially grating down the last 1/3rd of the game. Which give the impression of a rush job to get it finished.

Another fault with the campaign is the mission design. Far too much of it is uninteresting. It often boils down to getting a power seed and then later plugging it in to power something up. Cue enemies attacking, rinse and repeat. I was also disappointed that the enemy encounters mostly take place on one flat level. I was hoping that they would be more dynamic and that you would be forced to use the grpplehook to get up top to fight enemies from a different angle.

And as for the story, I found it to be almost as messy as 5 was. I always like these games when the story is smaller in scale. It starts off that way here, but by the time credits rolled I had a lot of questions, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case I had almost no desire to find out the answers. 343 could do with some fresh writers.

Overall - Halo continues to have some of, if not the best, fps mechanics on console. It's just a shame the rest of the game can not live up to those standards. 7/10.
 

Alock1

Wears XXXL shirts and can't type ellipses
Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Messages
16,081
There's not a single racing game ever that will win the outright GOTY. Same with sims.

The main contenders will always be shooters and action adventure games. Forza will probably be a top 10 game in those lists but this is @Alock1 bringing the VS thread into here with mad claims like that.
This aged well. Forza Horizon 5 only went and won GOTY from the biggest gaming media site in the world.
 

Alock1

Wears XXXL shirts and can't type ellipses
Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Messages
16,081
Wow, one whole outlet.
'never win' - just the biggest outlet..

It's okay to say you fecked up you know. I know you must be pretty annoyed with yourself right now.
 

b82REZ

Full Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
9,350
Location
Manchester
'never win' - just the biggest outlet..

It's okay to say you fecked up you know. I know you must be pretty annoyed with yourself right now.
The biggest GoTY award is the Video Game Awards, where every semi respectable outlet votes. What won that again?

If we're going to get excited about individual outlets we might as well bump the Deathloop thread seeing as Gamespot gave that their GoTY.

I can tell my comments has been festering for a few weeks for you. It's alright to be annoyed, let the hatred flow through you.
 

Alock1

Wears XXXL shirts and can't type ellipses
Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Messages
16,081
The biggest GoTY award is the Video Game Awards, where every semi respectable outlet votes. What won that again?

If we're going to get excited about individual outlets we might as well bump the Deathloop thread seeing as Gamespot gave that their GoTY.

I can tell my comments has been festering for a few weeks for you. It's alright to be annoyed, let the hatred flow through you.
Nobody's getting excited, it just showed how wrong you were once again. Almost as bad as when you didn't understand ps plus origins.

The winner at the game awards is on gamepass funnily enough. 'Filler'.

(the same guy who says 'whether the games are rubbish is subjective' about ps plus games :lol:)
 

DavelinaJolie

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
3,388
Looks like Psychonauts and Deathloop have also won game of the year at other Outlets and Halo Infinite is doing great in fan polls.

Seems like a very good year for Microsoft studios.
 

Conor

Full Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2011
Messages
5,452
The biggest GoTY award is the Video Game Awards, where every semi respectable outlet votes. What won that again?

If we're going to get excited about individual outlets we might as well bump the Deathloop thread seeing as Gamespot gave that their GoTY.

I can tell my comments has been festering for a few weeks for you. It's alright to be annoyed, let the hatred flow through you.
It's ok to admit being wrong. It will free you of your burden. Who hurt you?
 

Mr Anderson

Eats, shoots, leaves
Joined
Jul 6, 2009
Messages
24,298
Location
Ireland
Looks like Psychonauts and Deathloop have also won game of the year at other Outlets and Halo Infinite is doing great in fan polls.

Seems like a very good year for Microsoft studios.
not allowed say that round these parts - even with new games, the remastered games on PS5 win, and for the remastered Xbox games the PS5 exclusives win :nono:
 

DavelinaJolie

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
3,388
Has anyone played The Gunk yet, due to life stuff I've not been able to turn on the Xbox since it released, but really looking forward to getting into it.
 

rotherham_red

Full Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2005
Messages
7,407
Ended up ordering the XSX on All Access. Wasn't going to get it until I saw that Hellblade 2 trailer. Good God almighty that was beautiful
 

Adamsk7

Full Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Messages
2,699
Honestly I am a PlayStation guy through and through and have owned and enjoyed all the Xbox’s in the past but man, they’ve knocked it out the park with the X and S coupled with gamepass. I bought a Series X on day one and immediately I could tell it was the better designed console to my PS5. It was quieter and felt a bit more premium. My Mrs started getting in to gaming and also a friend gave us his Sky Go pass so I decided to get an S for downstairs in the living room. Wow I am so impressed with that machine. £250 and honestly I can barely tell the difference in Halo infinite and Forza when they are in full flow. Both run at 60fps. That’s probably the best designed console of this generation - it’s light, small, completely silent and actually looks like a console (unlike the PC like big hitters).
what ties it all together though is gamepass, quick resume and cloud saves. Being able to play Halo in my man cave one night, then turn it on in the living room on the S for a quick blast and have it load straight in to the same spot is just incredible. Buying a game on the app and have it instantly download to both consoles is incredible. Taking a controller to work and playing Halo at lunch on my work Mac through XCloud is incredible. Hats off to Microsoft, I’m converted.

Now just get those good single player first party story driven titles please……
 

rotherham_red

Full Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2005
Messages
7,407
Honestly I am a PlayStation guy through and through and have owned and enjoyed all the Xbox’s in the past but man, they’ve knocked it out the park with the X and S coupled with gamepass. I bought a Series X on day one and immediately I could tell it was the better designed console to my PS5. It was quieter and felt a bit more premium. My Mrs started getting in to gaming and also a friend gave us his Sky Go pass so I decided to get an S for downstairs in the living room. Wow I am so impressed with that machine. £250 and honestly I can barely tell the difference in Halo infinite and Forza when they are in full flow. Both run at 60fps. That’s probably the best designed console of this generation - it’s light, small, completely silent and actually looks like a console (unlike the PC like big hitters).
what ties it all together though is gamepass, quick resume and cloud saves. Being able to play Halo in my man cave one night, then turn it on in the living room on the S for a quick blast and have it load straight in to the same spot is just incredible. Buying a game on the app and have it instantly download to both consoles is incredible. Taking a controller to work and playing Halo at lunch on my work Mac through XCloud is incredible. Hats off to Microsoft, I’m converted.

Now just get those good single player first party story driven titles please……
I've been a PlayStation loyalist from day dot and this will be my first foray into Xbox. The way I see it is if I can get their exclusives (including the Bethesda games) on day one through GPU and if I'm only paying £28.99 per month for that privilege then it's worth it. It's essentially an extra mid-tier phone contract.

My PS5 will still be my go-to as I love their narrative-driven games, but when the big hitters from Xbox start to release, I'll be there for them as well.
 

Reditus

Lineup Prediction League Winner 2021-22
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
5,480
if I'm only paying £28.99 per month for that privilege then it's worth it. It's essentially an extra mid-tier phone contract.don’t for

Don’t forget the hack.I got 3 years of game pass ultimate for €123

I’ve also nearly saved up enough on Xbox rewards to add 3 more months to that
 

Alock1

Wears XXXL shirts and can't type ellipses
Joined
Nov 30, 2011
Messages
16,081
You can still do it but not if you're already going to be getting gamepass via all access.
 

VeevaVee

The worst "V"
Scout
Joined
Jan 3, 2009
Messages
46,248
Location
Manchester
Has anyone played The Gunk yet, due to life stuff I've not been able to turn on the Xbox since it released, but really looking forward to getting into it.
Didn’t know it was out yet. Downloaded it ready. My console is like an ever growing to do list now though and I have minimal time for it as it is :lol:
 

Abraxas

Full Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2021
Messages
6,023
Honestly I am a PlayStation guy through and through and have owned and enjoyed all the Xbox’s in the past but man, they’ve knocked it out the park with the X and S coupled with gamepass. I bought a Series X on day one and immediately I could tell it was the better designed console to my PS5. It was quieter and felt a bit more premium. My Mrs started getting in to gaming and also a friend gave us his Sky Go pass so I decided to get an S for downstairs in the living room. Wow I am so impressed with that machine. £250 and honestly I can barely tell the difference in Halo infinite and Forza when they are in full flow. Both run at 60fps. That’s probably the best designed console of this generation - it’s light, small, completely silent and actually looks like a console (unlike the PC like big hitters).
what ties it all together though is gamepass, quick resume and cloud saves. Being able to play Halo in my man cave one night, then turn it on in the living room on the S for a quick blast and have it load straight in to the same spot is just incredible. Buying a game on the app and have it instantly download to both consoles is incredible. Taking a controller to work and playing Halo at lunch on my work Mac through XCloud is incredible. Hats off to Microsoft, I’m converted.

Now just get those good single player first party story driven titles please……
It's true that the Xbox is far quieter. It's the first thing I noticed when I swapped from the PS5.

Also my PS5 was constantly reading any inserted disc every half hour. You could be in the middle of Netflix and it'd whirr up which is completely ridiculous.

I think on the "little" things the Xbox is better, the design, quality of life features, quietness. But the PS controller is definitely way more impressive as a piece of tech. This feels no different to last gen. Which is okay because it's a solid design but they didn't exactly push the boat out.
 

DavelinaJolie

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
3,388
I think on the "little" things the Xbox is better, the design, quality of life features, quietness. But the PS controller is definitely way more impressive as a piece of tech. This feels no different to last gen. Which is okay because it's a solid design but they didn't exactly push the boat out.
I think MS changed the controller too much. It's a little bit smaller and a little less comfortable in my hands, hence I'm still using one of the older ones.
 

DavelinaJolie

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
3,388
Didn’t know it was out yet. Downloaded it ready. My console is like an ever growing to do list now though and I have minimal time for it as it is :lol:
I started it last night, only got 30 mins in before I had to stop for other stuff but seems like an interesting premise. Kind of eases you in too. Definitely going to give it some time over the next couple weeks.
 

Abraxas

Full Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2021
Messages
6,023
I think MS changed the controller too much. It's a little bit smaller and a little less comfortable in my hands, hence I'm still using one of the older ones.
I'm not an Xbox expert and have little experience with them so the exact dimensions are lost on me. It just feels exactly like what I expected.

What I mean is there's no great feedback like the PS5 controller, none of the sounds. The actual tech involved hasn't been improved which is a surprise to me as I would have thought that ideally you're trying to take every part of the experience forward.
 

DavelinaJolie

Full Member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
3,388
I'm not an Xbox expert and have little experience with them so the exact dimensions are lost on me. It just feels exactly like what I expected.

What I mean is there's no great feedback like the PS5 controller, none of the sounds. The actual tech involved hasn't been improved which is a surprise to me as I would have thought that ideally you're trying to take every part of the experience forward.
To be honest, I've never liked feedback so that isn't an issue to me. Some additions of the PS controller look interesting, but to accommodate that it needs to be bulkier and for me the ergonomics of a controller are really important. With the new one MS have added USB-C, it's slightly smaller, they've textured the triggers, they're only little changes, you're right.

I can understand why it's underwhelming alongside the Dual sense in terms of innovation. For me, the Xbox One controller (In particular the Lunar White variant) is the best controller I've ever used and I'm probably one of the few that does not want it to change all that much. At some point my Blue Xbox One controller is going to die, and I'll be sad.
 

Vidyoyo

The bad "V"
Joined
Jun 12, 2014
Messages
21,283
Location
Not into locations = will not dwell
I'm not an Xbox expert and have little experience with them so the exact dimensions are lost on me. It just feels exactly like what I expected.

What I mean is there's no great feedback like the PS5 controller, none of the sounds. The actual tech involved hasn't been improved which is a surprise to me as I would have thought that ideally you're trying to take every part of the experience forward.
True but I think it's because they're designed to be used across PC and Xbox, so a little different to the DualSense in that's a controller specifically for the PS5 console and takes advantage. I don't think it's been M$'s priority to focus on the peripherals but I expect it will eventually come (well, I hope).

Edit - And let's be fair, if we're going to criticise the controller, the first thing should be its lack of a rechargeable battery.
 

Abraxas

Full Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2021
Messages
6,023
True but I think it's because they're designed to be used across PC and Xbox, so a little different to the DualSense in that's a controller specifically for the PS5 console and takes advantage. I don't think it's been M$'s priority to focus on the peripherals but I expect it will eventually come (well, I hope).

Edit - And let's be fair, if we're going to criticise the controller, the first thing should be its lack of a rechargeable battery.
Oh yes, there's that too. I swapped mine and so it came with a aftermarket rechargeable battery which does a fair job. It really shouldn't be on the consumer to have to purchase that!
 

VeevaVee

The worst "V"
Scout
Joined
Jan 3, 2009
Messages
46,248
Location
Manchester
True but I think it's because they're designed to be used across PC and Xbox, so a little different to the DualSense in that's a controller specifically for the PS5 console and takes advantage. I don't think it's been M$'s priority to focus on the peripherals but I expect it will eventually come (well, I hope).

Edit - And let's be fair, if we're going to criticise the controller, the first thing should be its lack of a rechargeable battery.
That’s a ten quid fix though.

The thing the Xbox controller had over Playstation was how much more ergonomic it was. That might have changed now as it looks like they’ve tried to make the latest one more similar in shape and size to Xbox.