Topic: Official Push Square Xbox Thread

@LiamCroft I'm always up for some multiplayer, especially PvE games.
Will drop you an add

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2021/06/all_of_these_19_games_a...

19 games coming to Game Pass in 2021 and that's not including the Bethesda ones they added today too....

2022 is looking strong but so is the latter half of this year. Couple these with all the other games releasing and I don't know that I have time to play all I want to - let alone whatever games do release from Sony too.

Nice to see the drought finally coming to an end over on team green, enjoy those games y’all… looks like your loyalty is being rewarded.

I'm pretty jealous over here!

I'm unsure if Sony will announce a competitor to GP, but if we get HZD day 1 and GoW day 1 - I will be buzzing!

The big hitters for Xbox don't do anything for me (they can keep Starfield et cetera), but a lot of these smaller titles are really cool, and very slowly it's building up my interest in the console.

I can see myself buying one in 2022, though on the other hand PlayStation 5 is getting new games so fast, that I don't know where I would find the time to even play on the X. 🤷‍♀️

@Kidfried Yeah, similar to me. I have enough of a steady backlog to work through on one console!

It’s a shame to be missing out on some games but hey ho.

From my perspective, I have always had to own multiple devices to play the vast majority of games that appeal to me. Since Xbox arrived, it established itself as a must have alongside Sony's Playstation. I couldn't be without an Xbox - until now when I 'could' play on PC instead - but I prefer the convenience of consoles.

Just looking at the games coming to Game Pass in the next half of this year, I see a number of games that interest me - including some that perhaps wouldn't have if I had to buy. The Ascent is a game I wouldn't have bought - just waited for a Games with Gold release or miss out - but on Game Pass, I can play it day 1. The latter part of the year is often busy with releases but knowing I can play Scorn, FH5, H:I etc day 1 at no additional cost also means that any money I have to spend on gaming, can go on the games that I can't get on Game Pass.

To me, that showcase more than justified my continued Game Pass Subscription. In the next 5 months alone, there are 'enough' games coming day 1 that I want to play to more than justify the cost of my annual subscription.

Whether Sony do offer their own version of GP that gives Playstation gamers access to their exclusives day 1 (among others) or not doesn't matter too much to me. It could be cool, but I don't 'need' to buy games on Xbox. If, for example, Horizon: Forbidden West releases this year, its 'not' competing for my money against Forza Horizon 5, Halo, Back 4 Blood, the Gunk, Scorn etc - its competing against Guardians of the Galaxy, Battlefield 2042 etc. All those Game Pass games I can play and won't impact my budget.

From a Playstation owners perspective, for as little as £20.99 a month, you could get a Series S and GPU (which also includes EA Play and Gold) to play the next 2yrs worth of GP titles only or subscribe on PC to play and use your PS controller. Keep the PS5 for all the games you have to buy. If you wanted to play MLB, Outriders, Back4Blood, Yakuza, Hades etc this year, on PS, that will cost you a LOT more than an annual Game Pass Subscription. You could literally just have a Series S and GPU and never buy a game on Xbox - opting to spend money on Games for PS.

From my perspective, as a Game Pass subscriber, I thought MS's show was quite Strong - not as Strong as I expect next years to be but still strong. People asked about First Party exclusives and we have Flight Sim, Halo and Forza Horizon coming this year and MS want to hit at least 4 a year. That's also backed up by some 3rd Party Exclusives (timed or otherwise), The Ascent, The Gunk, Scorn etc and some multi-platform games at no extra cost too. The Show wasn't 'just' for Console gamers either and the fact that 27 of the 30 games shown will be coming day and date to Game Pass was good.

2022 does seem a while away - although its just half a year with a lot of big games coming - but it will be here soon enough and I can see MS having an even stronger E3 next year - with Perfect Dark, Fable, Hellblade II, Forza Motorsport, Avowed, State of Decay 3, Outer Worlds 2?, Starfield + what ever other games are ready to be revealed.

I was expecting more from Microsoft at E3 but then perhaps that was naivety on my part. It's been a pandemic after all. But honestly it was the usual Forza. Halo still looks like whatever. Starfield was a CG trailer for a game that was announced three years ago and is still eighteen months away. I don't know.

I do wonder if I'll ever bother picking up a Series X. There's a good chance, but I don't think it will be for a while. I get the whole Gamepass thing, and I get that some people will prioritise value, but for me, my backlog is a better selection of games than Gamepass has. I could work through my backlog and not be done for a year or two, plus the games that come out while I'm doing that.

Until something monumental comes to Xbox, or something my girlfriend wants, or one of my cherished series' is bought by Microsoft and I have to go there, I'm probably just going to carry on ignoring it.

@Voltan @johncalmc @Thrillho @Kidfried Yep same with me really. I'm not sure what it would take for me to get an X Box. As long as stellar games still come to PlayStation, I don't care what is on Gamepass. Good for everyone that subs to service, for everyone else I don't see why it would matter.

It’s really hard to say that to someone with gamepass and not sound bitter about the service though

@johncalmc Halo Infinite is an extremely big 'meh' for me. I think the Call of Duty games show more innovation between each new title than between Halo Infinite and 5.

@BAMozzy Yup, I made that calculation too! It might hardly cost that much extra to also have an Xbox with Game Pass. But at the moment there is not enough going on on the Xbox platform. Double dipping is really not worth it right now. Even the best Bethesda games are coming to PS5 exclusively in 2021. But I might buy an Xbox in 2022, we'll see in a year I guess!

@Thrillho That is true. I can afford PS games and I’ll be fine but can’t deny Game Pass is becoming a very good deal.

@Thrillho Looking at 2021 and the games that are releasing for both systems, I'd say PlayStation 5 just offers better value, through its great exclusives. And while Game Pass is great for Xbox gamers, it just doesn't offer anything to win current PlayStation gamers over (yet). I think you can say that without sounding bitter.

It might all change in the upcoming year of course. As more Xbox(/PC) exclusives release, Game Pass' value can only grow of course.

@Kidfried Halo is a strange one. It's similar to Gears in that the studio finished the series, and then Microsoft carried it on by palming it off on new studios because it makes money. It's like what will inevitably happen to Uncharted - the creators vision was done, but let's drag it out.

I would like to have seen Halo or Gears go through a God of War style reinvention to make them exciting again. Infinite doesn't look like that to me. And at this point I think it's getting by on brand alone. If that trailer had come out and it was an EA free to play shooter called Space Quest and not Halo, nobody would care I think.

Time will tell I suppose. I was never that big on Halo anyway, even though I quite liked them. I'll play the campaign when Gamepass comes to PS5 😎

@Kidfried At the end of the day, that is a 'choice' for everyone to make. Whether or not the one platform gaming set-up will give them access to as many games as they want and can play or whether they can justify the costs of owning multiple devices.

For me, even without Game Pass and the small group of studio's they started the last gen with, there were enough reasons for me to own both a PS4 and XB1 so I was always going to have a PS5 and XSX. Its not just 1st Party either as BOTH Sony and MS have 3rd Party partnerships - either timed or otherwise. If I want to play MLB, Outriders, Medium, Hades, Back4Blood, Aragami, A Plague Tale, Atomic Heart and any other multi-platform game day 1 with just a PS5, It would cost more than a Series S and GP. You could, if you have a PC, just take out a GP subscription and use your DS5 to play and you may even be able to buy a Dongle to plug into your TV in the near future to play and use your PS controller too.

The way I see it, If I was primarily an Xbox gamer, the cost to me to play R&C, Horizon:FW and God of War, I am looking at a minimum of £350 + £70 per game as I'd have to buy the Digital versions (£560) - more if I bought the disc based PS5. As a PS5 gamer, the 'cost' of entry into the 'Xbox' Community could be as low as £10 a month - if you already have a compatible PC/Laptop. You can even use your DS4 or DS5 controller too. For the cost of an 'indie' game a month, you can get a Series S and 2yrs of GPU - which includes all the Games with Gold games and EA Play too.

If I had to purchase 'every' game I want, there is going to be times when I am having to decide between multiple games. Some games I wouldn't even consider buying - certainly not day 1 because of Cost, other games that appeal more releasing etc so Game Pass really helps. If Forbidden West release Sept-Nov this year, it would be competing for my money with games like Guardians of the Galaxy, BF2042, Far Cry 6, Back 4 Blood, Forza Horizon 5, Halo, Scorn, The Gunk etc - as well as any other games that 'could' release in that window. Of course Forbidden West would get purchased over ALL those I mentioned as its one of my most anticipated games, but that £70 its likely to cost on PS5 would mean that I would have to miss out on playing at least 1 or two of the others. With GP, I don't have to consider the cost of some of these at all and can still play these on Day 1 without impacting too much on what other games I may want to buy/play.

Another aspect that really surprised me was how much more interest and appeal some games have when you are getting them at no 'additional' cost. We all know there is a 'cost' to Game Pass, which, if you are like me, pay less for 'bulk' buying months in advance and also get 'free' months as rewards, means that I won't be spending any money on my Subscription for the next 11months or so these games are effectively 'free'. I can honestly say though that games like Flight Sim, the Ascent, the Gunk, The Medium, Outriders, Hades, Psychonauts 2 etc had little appeal to me but now they are 'free' on Game Pass, I can play these with little/no expectation. Its not like I can get annoyed about trying a game for free and not enjoying it...

As I said, Everyone has that same decision to make - whether to buy into PS and/or Xbox. Game Pass seems to be attracting more and more gamers to sign up - whether its their Primary gaming System or not. 2022 is looking Strong and 2023 could be even stronger so I can see it growing even more...

@BAMozzy You’ve pretty much explained my exact reasons for being impressed by Game Pass. I’m playing games that I’d find hard to justify buying, some I’ve been glad I didn’t pay for and others I’ve absolutely loved and would be happy to support in the future. Forza Horizon 4 was my first game in the whole Forza series and now I’m contemplating an Xbox just for the new one. It also feels like a perfect machine for my mum, who’s essentially catching up with 20 years of gaming. A subscription service would be a great way for her to explore games she’s missed and fancies without the pressure of buying something she knows she’ll enjoy. Really hope Sony create a similar service.

Sony create a Game Pass equivalent and it's the end of their AAA masterpieces, unless they're severely watered down and/or shortened or stuffed full of MTX.

I won't be interested in gaming without big budget SP titles to get excited about. Just online only, Indies and AA games won't be enough for me.

MS can afford to run Xbox for very little profit, Sony can't do the same with PlayStation and MS know it.

The end goal? To kill Sony as hardware manufacturer this forcing them to sell software only at least from a gaming perspective.

Then once the competition is done they can charge whatever they hell they want and the people will have no other option. Yes Nintendo will likely still exist but I don't care about them.

If they'd just tried to compete with quality titles I'd have time for Xbox but they're playing the long game with their desired end result the death of the PlayStation.

@Col_McCafferty I honestly really don't see how Sony doing a Game Pass equivalent would hurt their titles

If they water down their games to work in a subscription format that would honestly miss the entire point of why people like Game Pass and find it desirable when a game gets announced for it. People like Game Pass because it's a quicker and more cost effective way of playing current big budget titles from both first and third party. They don't have to design games around a subscription model, they can just put high quality stuff on there and charge a monthly fee for those not ready to buy it at full price

That's why stuff like adding the Yakuza and Final Fantasy games for it or acquiring Bethesda made Xbox an extremely valuable proposition for a lot of people. They're not watered down or stripped of content in the slightest. They're just the games as they were now made available through an alternate means that doesn't necessarily require paying 80-90 bucks upfront

It's especially tempting considering especially here in Canada where next-gen games are considerably more expensive due to stuff like the imposed provincial tax, it's getting harder to save up for that kind of stuff and you want a quicker way to play them

@Kidfried I admit that the 'equation' is very dependent on which games you would like to play. For example, this year, if you wanted to play Outriders, MLB21, Hades, Back4Blood, Aragami 2, The Medium etc, It would cost more to play these on PS5 than taking out a Series S all-access plan. Its not just the 'new' releases, but there are benefits to older games that transform the experience and maybe games you missed out on because of costs.

I am not talking about not wanting to play these games because of 'costs' and/or you'd rather spend the money to play R&C or Returnal. I'm talking about whether or not any of these games appeal enough that you wouldn't mind at least trying them with 'no' risks - its not like you are spending money to take a chance on whether you will enjoy the game.

You talk about the two Bethesda games releasing later this year, but that's almost as much as a years Game Pass and both are coming in 2022 to Xbox. IF Horizon:Forbidden West launches Oct/Nov 21 for example, I can't afford to buy ALL the games I want - but I can wait for Deathloop & Ghostwire, get Forza Horizon 5, Halo, Back4Blood, the Gunk, Scorn etc through GPU, and choose what to buy based on available income that close to Christmas between H:FW, GotG, BF2042, FarCry 6, Dying Light 2 etc.

I can totally understand looking at games and not being as 'interested' to play them because of the 'expected' cost. There is no way I want to play Returnal at all because its £70 - that price point puts me off and lost any interest I had in it but if this was 'free' (On PS+ for example), I would of been excited to download and try it. The Medium didn't really appeal either, but knowing it was coming to Game Pass, I was interested to try it - and whilst I do agree with the majority of reviews in Principal, I don't think its as 'bad' as some made out - maybe because I haven't spent money on it and looking at whether it offers me a good value. I had no interest in the Ascent - I don't tend to spend money on Isometric twin stick shooters - its a game I would wait for it to appear on PS+/Gold. However, knowing its on Game Pass has really increased my interest and now, it will be a Day 1 download.

I can't see how PS5 offers 'better' value - looking at ALL just the multi-platform games on Game Pass of 'new' releases for 2021, the cost to play them on PS5 - even if you already 'have' a PS5 is more expensive than a year of Game Pass. To get a Series S and Game Pass Ultimate (includes EA Play and Gold - as well as some perks and Mobile streaming too) would cost about £252 a year (or 348 for a Series X). It cost £60 to buy MLB21 on PS5, add up the cost of The Medium (coming to PS5 this year), Outriders, Hades, Back4Blood, Aragami 2, Psychonauts 2, D&D Dark Alliance, Among Us etc and that's more than the cost of GP. That's also 'just' the games releasing this year on BOTH systems. Add in Flight Sim, The Gunk, Scorn, FH5, Halo Campaign, its a Bargain. Returnal & R&C costs £70 each (£140) and a year of PS+ costs £50), a year of Game Pass Ultimate is £132 (or less - £10.99 a month - with Gold and EA Play included too).

That's without all the other games that are available - some you may already own on PS - but get enhanced performance on Series Consoles. Games from the Zenimax group are obviously on there, but so are games from EA, Ubisoft etc too. As a PS gamer, you can play basically all the Xbox games you missed out on too - inc Sunset Overdrive, Ori games, State of Decay, Forza, Sea of Thieves, Rare Replay. Its not 'just' the 'new games coming, but games that you may of missed out on for one reason or another. The whole Yakuza Series for example is there. Like I said, there is 'no' barrier to try these so even if you aren't really interested in Forza Horizon because the 'cost' to even try it has been prohibitive - not only do you need to buy the Game, but also the hardware and any additional costs (Gold to play online) and buying the Hardware doesn't make sense because most of the games you want to play, can be 'bought' for PS too - but with Game Pass, you are 'saving' money on numerous multi-platform games as well and you are not getting just '1' game but access to 'hundreds' instantly.

I know that £132 could buy 2+ more games on PS5 rather than pay for another Subscription service where the 'only' thing you get to show for it are the '24' OG/360 era Games with Gold you get to keep but like I said, I can play more than £132 will buy you on PS5. If you go the All Access route, that's £504 for a Series S and 2yrs of GPU (worth 264) and Access to ALL those new games coming as well as hundreds of games from 4 generations of gaming - not JUST old Xbox exclusives, but games from many publishers.

I have both a Series X and PS5 so I am NOT missing out on playing Sony's 'exclusives' - timed or otherwise and NOT saying that PS5 gamers should 'jump' to Xbox/Game Pass. I am saving money because of Game Pass regardless and playing a LOT more titles - many of which I wouldn't of IF I only had a PS5 because I do not have the money to spend that much on gaming. Just MLB21 and Outriders basically covered the cost of Game Pass - but I wouldn't have played either on PS5 because neither 'interested' me enough to spend £50-£60 on them. Overall, I am spending 'less' on Games than I would if I only had a PS5, but playing many many more games than my budget would allow if GP didn't exist.

At the end of the day, People have the freedom of choice to decide what is the 'best' option for them, their budget and gaming preferences. However, saying PS5 offers 'better value' is ridiculous. Just playing the 'same' multi-platform releases that are on GP Day 1 will cost a Playstation only gamer a LOT more over the course of a year. I am not going to argue about whether PS 'exclusives' appeal more or not - that's personal preference. The point is, if I am not spending £60-70 to play games like Outriders, MLB21, Back4Blood, FH5, Halo, Flight Sim, Aragami 2, Plague Tale, Yakuza Series, STALKER2, Hades etc etc etc, I have money to spend on games like Horizon:FW, Guardians of the Galaxy, God of War, BF2042, Far Cry 6.

I am not saying that people should give up their Playstation 5 and swap to a device offering Game Pass. I am just saying that for a 'relatively' Small cost, they can add a LOT to their gaming Library and save them money too. I think there is more than enough multi-platform releases on Game Pass to make it cheaper than just being a PS5 gamer - without considering all the exclusives. I can totally understand why someone may prefer Sony's Exclusives overall to make a PS5 more appealing than Xbox - certainly if trying to decide which platform is your Primary, but Game Pass is 'more' than just Xbox Exclusives. You get all of those at no extra cost too - like I said Returnal and R&C would cost £140, but Flight Sim, Forza Horizon 5, Back4Blood, Hades, MLB21, Outriders, Aragami 2, A Plague Tale, Medium, 12 Minutes etc as well as all the games already available from 20yrs of gaming history - inc Rare Replay, Sunset Overdrive, Ori, the entire Doom franchise as well as many other Bethesda games - Also get EA Play and Gold too for £132 a year. So for £272, I get to play all the GPU games and the 2 PS5 games but if I had just a PS5, that £272 would get me about 4 AAA Games - R&C, Returnal and MLB21 is £200 and I bet H:FW will be £70 on PS5 - so would miss out on ALL those others. I can't justify spending £270 on 4 games (4x £70 = £280 btw) but £140 on 2 and £132 on hundreds of games, with more than £132 worth of 'new' releases coming day 1. For the Cost of MLB21 & Outriders on PS5, you get those, plus Hades, Aragami2, B4B, Plague Tale, Stalker 2, the Medium etc. For about the Cost of Deathloop and Ghostwire on PS5 you can get both (albeit about 6months later) and all the other games released on GPU in the 'year' (+ all the games already on it). I don't have to choose between buying Outriders, MLB21 or Returnal, I can play all for little more than the cost of Returnal and a lot cheaper than it would cost me to play those 3 on PS5.

That's why its 'better' value and why all the gaming press are constantly praising the 'value' of Game Pass and why Game Pass grew from 15m in Sept, to 18m by January and surpassed 23m by April. Its why many keep asking what Sony are going to do to offer the 'same' value to their service. Its why PushSquare make yet another article about the 'value' of Game Pass as Xbox gamers get to play all these same games on Day 1 for a 'small' monthly charge yet they have to pay £60 to get the 'same' game. 27 of the 30 games shown are coming to GP - the only ones not were FarCry6, BF2042 and Diablo 2. couple that with ALL the games that were 'absent' too - Hellblade 2, Perfect Dark, Motorsport, Fable, Avowed, Project Mara etc - I can play all these in the next few years and pay 'up to' £132 a year to do so. that's 'cheaper' than two PS5 exclusives and the fact that I am saving 'money' buy having Game Pass - not buying those games, means I can spend that money on Sony's Exclusives or other multi-platform releases that aren't on Game Pass.

For me, I'd rather spend the £132 on GPU and get all those games - saving me money in the long run to buy the games that are not on Game Pass. If H:FW release late this year, I don't have to miss out on FH5, Halo, the Gunk, Back4Blood etc because H:FW appeals more to me - its still going to cost me about the same to play all those games as its costing someone just on PS5 to play just the 1 game. Literally for £21-£29 a month, you also get the console hardware, EA Play and Gold - the cost of an Indie Game a month, a AAA every 2 to 3 months, a year of PS+ every 2-3months.

Lets put it another way - If you are a PS5 gamer and want to expand your library and save money in the long run, Game Pass is a fantastic great value option. The multi-platform games alone can save you more money than the cost of a years Game Pass Ultimate (with EA Play & Gold included - especially as a years PS+ is £50 on its own). You couldn't buy all the multi-platform releases for the cost of doing All-Access on a Series X (£29 a month) - 2-3 months of that is the cost of MLB21 alone - yet get a console, Gold, EA Access and ALL the games in Game Pass. Once those 2yrs are up, you can keep the console (or trade it in if you want) and resub to GPU for just £11 a month - that's about the cost of buying an indie game every 2 months or the cost of buying a AAA game every 6 months. However, If you are an Xbox gamer, wanting to play 'just' the Playstation Exclusives, you need at least £350 to get a console, maybe £50 a year for PS+ and £70 per game. 2 a year, that's £140 - that's more than the £132 for ALL the Exclusives and quite a few multi-platform games coming Day 1 in a year (or £252 a year for a Series S or £348 a year for a Series X through All Access which is for 2yrs, after which, you keep the console and can resubscribe to GPU for £11 a month so will drop to £132 a year). Point is, by taking out a Game Pass Subscription, whether you do that on PC or Console, the cost of doing so is LESS than the cost to play some of the Multi-platform releases coming Day 1 to BOTH. You save money by playing those games on Game Pass instead and can put that money to buying other games on PS5 if you want. Those Game Pass games aren't coming out of my gaming budget so I am not having to choose between buying Halo or BF2042, choosing whether to spend money on FH5 or Guardians of the Galaxy, Back4Blood or Far Cry 6... I can play all 6 for the price of 3 - add in Deathloop, Ghostwire, Dying Light 2, maybe Horizon: Forbidden West as well as Scorn, the Gunk and all the other games releasing this Holiday, it could be a very expensive time. Game Pass pays for itself and the money I may of spent on FH5, B4B, H:I, Scorn and/or the Gunk is now available to go on GotG, H:FW, FC6 etc instead. As a PS5 gamer primarily, you can literally save money by playing some games on Game Pass and using that money you would of spent, buying the games on PS5 that aren't on GP.

@BAMozzy I totally see your point, but most of the games you name have not yet released. So paying 15 euro a month in 2021 is just not great value. It won't safe me any money right now. I'm better of enjoyin my PS5 in 2021 and consider getting Game Pass in 2022, when more new and worthwhile games appear on the system.

I mean, I'm all for it if you can tell me how Game Pass is going to save me 105 euro (the cost of 7 months worth of Game Pass), and is going to give me some essential games in 2021. I just don't see it. I'd have to be excited for both The Medium and MLB - but I'm not.

(And I really don't care for the old games on Game Pass, I got most great ones of them already by way of PS Plus or in a cheap sale)