Fiendish-Beaver

No way it'll cost £60, @darkswabber. Pretty much every base version of a AAA in the UK costs £70. That is what I think the game will cost, but there will undoubtedly be a version or two that exceeds £100 too...

Not sure how I feel about this. Is it going to be co-op, but playable solo, or worse than co-op, is it going to be a Live Service game of some sorts?

If it's a mobile game, it is of no interest to me. If it is a Live Service game, then maybe, but only if it is as good as New World: Aeternum, (or better, as I really enjoyed my time solo in that game).

If it is entirely co-op then I will be unlikely to play it because I am happiest in my own company in a game such as Witcher...

I have played just 4 of the games in that list, so my top 4 would be:

1. Resident Evil: Requiem
2. Saros
3. Pragmata
4. Code Vein 2

It's very close between Saros and Pragmata, and on another day I might have changed their order...

Absolutely agree, @themightyant. I only have to look at my gaming habits whilst I was a serving Police Officer with a young family, and can tell you straight that if I managed a couple of hours a week, I was doing well....

Funny things is, @themightyant, you're right, I do have plenty of time for gaming, but it still never seems to be enough. It doesn't help that I do things like revisit old games, as a perfect example, I replaying Mass Effect Legendary Edition yet again. I mean, I literally just bought 3 decent games day one, and I'm tackling a long old game. Go figure... ! 😂

And likewise, enjoy your gaming...

I'd love to own just 100 games that I have bought but not played, @themightyant. I am probably closer to 1000, and that is honestly no exaggeration. I buy a heck of a lot of games, though I am trying to be more sensible.

I bought Crimson Desert, 007: First Light, and the new Lego Batman game prior to launch, and still have not touched any of them...

My problem is not so much that I want to play the majority of them (not GTA 6 though!), @themightyant, but that I am probably going to buy the majority of them. Then I need to ensure I actually play them too. I nearly always buy the games I want by way of pre-order, but with that many games, if I were to do that there is a chance I won't play a couple of them. I'm going to have to show some self-restraint, which is not in my nature! I'll definitely be playing Control though, so I guess that one is at least guaranteed...

Absolutely right, @Odium. They are one of the most consistent studios out there...

I'll be getting Control day one, @Oram77. I absolutely loved the first game...

Arguably Valor Mortis is the smallest of the releases within that time period, and it stood a strong chance of being completely ignored as a consequence. It still does in October, truth be told, as people will have so much choice in such a short period of time, and then of course there's GTA 6 to contend with. Personally, I'd have delayed it to early next year...

I bought the original just before the rumours of a remake began to circulate, so I decided to wait the arrival of the remake. Very much looking forward to playing it...

Maybe everyone was watching to see if there really was a Jelly Cube in a God of War game... 😂

They do at least avoid the launch of GTA 6, @themightyant. Surely there has to be a better period to pick than one that everyone else has picked...!

I really hope that common sense prevails and that Crimson Moon, and several of the other games scheduled for release in September, are delayed into early next year. Just have to hope that they don't crowd each other then as well.

I know they are all looking to capitalise on the Holiday period, but people only have so much money to go round, and if they are faced with multiple choices, it does mean that some will end up overlooked...

In fairness, @Weebleman & @StylesT, there are only 2 permanent members of staff on Pure Xbox, and both are currently tucked up in bed because it is approaching 1 a.m. in the UK. There are more staff on Push Square, and some of them are from the US, meaning they are up and about at the moment, and so able to post this article. I'm sure Pure Xbox will publish an article early tomorrow morning covering this news...

I think the probabilities are that Elder Scrolls 6 will release on the PlayStation because by then the Xbox management will know full well whether exclusives are working for them.

Personally, I think so long as Xbox continues to put their first-party games on Game Pass day one, then exclusives will struggle to make ends meet.

That will leave Xbox with two options; no longer put their games on Game Pass day one (as is the case with PlayStation), and / or put their first-party games on PlayStation day one (in order words, do away with exclusives).

I think the probabilities are they will take both of these options, but if they only take one, then I think they will do away with exclusives, thus Elder Scrolls 6 will be on PlayStation too...

Even though I am one of the biggest Gears of War fanatics going round, I thought the Exodus deep dive stole the weekend. I'm so looking forward to its release...

It's been a a supremely expensive day for me because not only did I buy the Gears of War: E-Day Collector's Edition and the Halo: Combat Evolved Collector's Edition, but I also just bought the Fable Collector's Edition.

Damn, I've spent a lot today...! 😂

Not at all, @Schonks. It would not have shut down Sony, but tell me, how is the studio that made Concord doing...?

If E-Day has been pulled from PlayStation, it leaves me massively concerned.

If E-Day cost around 200 million to make, then before taxes it would need to be bought by between 5% and 10% of those that game on an Xbox. That's buy not be played via Game Pass which brings in a fraction of the revenue a unit sold does.

So, whilst many will be celebrating the fact that it is an exclusive, what they could be celebrating is the arrival of the very last Gears of War game that we ever get if it does not sell well enough. Any game that is exclusive to Xbox faces the very real risk of job loses at the studio, franchises being cancelled or indeed studio closures.

Honestly, having the game as an exclusive could be the worst thing to happen as a Gears of War fan...

I agree, @Ninerguy1608. We are a fickle bunch!

Honestly, if I were a developer, I would either aim for the quieter months to release my game so that it had a moment alone where it could shine, or in the case of GTA releasing, I would keep my game in the oven for an extra four months or so, all the time polishing it until it dazzled upon release.

I get it, the developers want the money from sales at the earlies opportunity because for the entire time that the game is in development, they are paying wages and bills with that particular game bringing in no revenue. However, if the game releases up against a goliath such as GTA you risk the real possibility of sinking without trace, and then you still earn no revenue.

It makes no sense to me releasing your game in the vicinity of GTA. No matter how good your game, it will undoubtedly see fewer sales when pitted against GTA...

Maybe they thing, like me, that GTA 6 will still be delayed. After all, we still have seen nothing of the game, and you would have thought it would have showed up in last night's show. Geoff would have been falling over himself in an effort to include it...

You have to wonder why more developers did not try to release their games around now, @get2sammyb, rather than nearly all of them targeting September in an effort to avoid GTA 6 (some of which I think will inevitably be delayed). This period is well known for being quiet, so what better time to release your game, and avoid GTA 6 in the process...?

It's a terrible habit, @KingPev, but when a game is really good, you get the urge to replay it every now and again...

So, last week alone, I bought both 007 First Light and the new Lego Batman game, and yet I find myself indulging in yet another run through of Mass Effect Legendary Edition in which I am currently on Mass Effect 2.

I'm also hoping to hit a bit of Master Horde in Gears 5 tomorrow, but it's looking doubtful, unfortunately.

Is it any wonder that my backlog continues to grow each month, when all I am playing is older games... 😂

It was okay, but not great. I gave it a C.

The highlights for me were Resident Evil: Veronica, Crossfire and Stellar Blade: Bloodrain.

I am curious as to whether Stellar Blade: Bloodrain will come to Xbox bearing in mind they are now self-publishing the game. Without Sony's involvement, it could come to Xbox.

Also very excited to get my hands on Mortal Shell 2, as I loved the first game...

Embarrassing how, @Skadoosh? How does it demonstrate how little I know about game development...?

That's fair, @Marquez. They are the ones to decide what goes into the game, but that does not mean that we have to like it. People find reasons to not buy a game all the time, and I can see more fantastical things such as a talking Jelly Cube being one such reason. It simply looks out of place...

I wasn't aware of that, @BrockSmith. That does allow a little leeway, I guess, but I'm not keen on a talking Jelly following me around. Hopefully it can transform into something a little more appealing...

That did occur to me, @TDHorizon. Maybe it is under some sort of spell that once broken will reveal it's true form...

Yes, that is a concern, @IllusiveMan. A too talkative Jelly Cube will soon become very irritating...

I'll be getting this day one, but I really hope they change the Jelly Cube character, because that just does not fit in with the God of War universe...

As someone that loves XCOM and similar games (Gears Tactics is another great example), I am really looking forward to this game. I'll be there day one, and cannot wait...

To be fair, Sony has been doing Collector's Editions for many of its big games, including Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, and so on, so it is a little unusual there isn't one for Wolverine.

I have the Collector's Editions of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, to name but a few, @Quintumply.

I tend to collect any that have models or masks, and probably have over one hundred of them.

And yes, I am one of those massively disappointed in the fact that there is no Collector's Edition for Wolverine...

I do think the Jelly Cube is completely misplaced in this game, and should be removed and replaced with a far more believable character.

I thought the game looked fun, but that was the one thing I looked at and thought it was out of place and should not ever be a thing in this type of game.

I think that Fay is played by Deborah Ann Woll, or at least that was who it looked like, and I like her so that's a bonus too...

I won't be turning it off that's for certain. I've seen more than my fair share of dead bodies, some mangled, some a few months old. It takes something pretty bad to turn my stomach these days...

Yes, @Quintumply. A Collector's Edition with a model like they did with Spiderman 2...

Am I right in thinking there is no Collector's Edition, @Quintumply...?

It needs to have a decent campaign for me to be interested. That is the reason that I bought Titanfall 2, but not the first game...

it’ll probably need to sell between four and five million copies to break even

A slightly different topic, but the fact that 007 needs to sell 4 or 5 million copies just to break even is precisely why I don't think Xbox will return to having their mainstream games exclusive again. For a game to sell 4 million on the Xbox it would need to be bought by around 10% of their userbase, and when you factor in Game Pass, that's simply not possible. Obviously there is PC to consider too, but even then Game Pass is still an issue.

There is a reason why Xbox took to putting their games on PlayStation, after all...

I'll be pre-ordering the Collector's Edition. I'm hoping for a truly awesome model of some sort...

I have the PlayStation Collector's Edition of Gothic on pre-order. I love the look of the contents, and like that it is limited to 7000 of them too. I'm hoping it will be numbered as well...

With the way I drive (in games!), no car will come out unscathed... 😂

I certainly hope so, @BearsEatBeets, and I suspect you will be right...

My only hope is that it is a story expansion, and not something that literally changes absolutely everything in the game like XCOM: War of the Chosen, for example, which fundamentally changed the base version of the game.

If it's something that can be played separately, at the end of the original campaign, I'm fine with that, but if it would need me to replay the entire game again to get the full advantage of the changes, then that's another matter. It's not that I don't like the game, but I only replayed it (yet again!) last year, and I just don't have the time to replay the entire game again as I have far too many games to be getting on with...

It was undoubtedly a sad moment in the game, @GamingGod, but I actually think it was one of the most powerful moments in gaming. If not the most powerful moment in gaming. I certainly cannot think of another one that had a lasting memory like it.

It will take a lot of courage to kill off Geralt, has to be said. As others have said, that may not be what they do, and they may not do it because of the hostile reaction to the death of Joel. It's as if beloved people and characters cannot die, and I found the reaction to be over the top because all too often it's the other way around and characters survive moments they really shouldn't, which then feels ridiculous and actually makes you realise it is only a game.

Such moments make you realise that life is truly brutal at times, and you can take that as gospel from a retired cop who has seen death all too often. The good guys do not always make it to a ripe old age, even when you feel they should. It's part of life, and it ain't pretty.

That got a bit serious. My apologies... 😉

Entirely possible, @Dragon83, but I don't think the developers will want Geralt to feature in Witcher 4...

I own the game but have never played it. I really should get round to it at some point. If only I were retired. Oh! Wait... 🤪

Agreed, @GamingGod. As has been mentioned, imprisoning him and having the story be about Ciri looking for him would be a good alternative to killing him off. Maybe they have learned from The Last of Us that the community will not take kindly to killing a beloved character...

As someone else suggested, they could imprison Geralt somewhere, @Alpine. That would mean that Ciri's adventures could be all about tracking him down so as to rescue him. That would at least do away with finishing him off once and for all, and annoying the community in the process...