Ori, FlightSim, Grounded was a big hit even in Early Access, more ppl are playing SoT than ever before with the Steam release too.
Yes, we have to wait for big next gen showcases from XGS due to the timing of their acquisitions, but who cares if that isn’t present for launch? It usually isn’t when new consoles launch. Usually there are mediocre titles from 1P at best and anything else is an exception, not the rule. The 2nd wave stuff is always a huge deal and always comes near the end of the following year. I’ll again stress that Sony is not being held to this standard. Their only 1P launch game that is worth any attention appears to be Spiderman, which isn’t the game most ppl imagine it to be imho.
I think what frustrates some of us is that you are wanting to hold MS to a standard that ya aren’t holding anyone else to. Maybe you have good reasons for that, but ya aren’t really expressing those afaik.
Hope ya don’t feel piled on here btw! I’m happy to have your perspective shared here even when I (rarely) disagree with parts of it! I, for one, know that if you are being unfair (as some of us see it) to MS it is purely out of a desire to hold them to a high standard and fwiw even though I disagree with you from a sorta intellectual pov I personally share some of the feelings you are expressing. Like, I can argue from an intellectual pov that MS is doing just fine. But at the same time, if I had my way I would be doing things differently and would be much more aggressive in the same areas you are bringing up. And I bet others are in the same boat tbh.
Also I blame Microsoft messaging for this. For example in this interview Phil (2:18) said he wants 4 - 5 big games every year, where these 4 - 5 big games for this year or next year? Even in 2022 I don’t think they will 4 - 5 big games.
This is a good post. I would note that there appears to be a weird double standard even on critical reception in these narratives you mention too. Wasteland is a great example and has an 86 on MC. MCC (88) on PC. And Flight Sim (92) and Ori (90). All of these scored better than Death Stranding, Ghosts of Tsushima, and lots of other 1P Sony titles heralded as incredible masterpieces. Those XGS games even outscored Control, which was and a GotY darling last year. And they outscores The Outer Worlds, which was a GotY contender last year. The XGS titles are ALL on par with Spiderman PS4 too (87) from 2018.
So it just isn’t a matter of critical reception either. The quality IS there for XGS. Just not in the genres that are most marketable these days. Last gen, the FPS genre was most marketable. This current gen, TPS filmic/cinematic games are. Who knows what will be next gen.
I definitely appreciate that you are bringing up the distinction b/t marketing and actual output too. Deep down what we all want is not merely a great platform for Xbox, we wanna be able to see our excitement shared and validated by having the rest of the industry take notice and acknowledge it too. When the goods are there and XGS is held to a higher standard for no good reason, it is frustrating to lots of us I think.
4 Big games in 2022 is doable if XGP is working on AAA Games right now
also they can buy studios and make their game exclusive,
buy Bungie and make their next game exclusive
Yeah I had that too. Just wasn’t gonna bring it into the thread to stay more on topic. Hopefully it gets more attention though as most are still confused about PS5’s GPU setup and assume stuff is in there that we know is not.
Ori 2 ist not a small game and was critically acclaimed.
Flight Simulator is not a small game and was critically acclaimed.
Wasteland 3 is not a small game and was critically acclaimed.
Gears Tactics is not a small game and was critically acclaimed.
For 2020, they have Ori and FlightSim and Wasteland plus Steam releases for MCC and Sea of Thieves and Grounded was fairly big too for Early Access. Forza and Halo and maybe Everwild will be 2021. Probably some other publishing deals in there too. I expect Fable for 2022 and Avowed in 2023. The Initiative likely is 2022 and at some point we will get another Gears game, something from Compulsion and whatever else their publishing arm does.
We really shouldn’t be looking out too far and presuming there won’t be a good list of stuff since lots of titles aren’t public yet and won’t be for a while.
Over 700 people worked on Gears Tactics. Source that it is not AAA?
And I’m saying people have weird criteria for choosing the games they play. Why is it budget? This makes no sense.
Ori 2 is probably the most expensive platformer we got this year. Flight Simulator is the most expensive simulation game we got this year. Wasteland 3 is probably the most expensive CRPG we get this year. And Gears Tactics is also probably the most expensive turn based strategy game we get this year.
Then you are demanding that no 2D game can ever possibly be AAA as Ori is top of that tier for sure. It’s about funding (AAA is defined by funding), it isn’t about quality…it’s all about the genre and art style. People want photoreal games with immersive camera systems and nothing else seems to matter to the narrative.
The AA vs AAA debate is probably the most pointless thing one can engage in. Unless someone is going to create a standard for what those two terms actually mean, it ends up meaning whatever people want it to mean, which leads to inane arguments.
What’s worse, to me, is the bizarre perception that a “AAA” game is and always will be better than a “AA” game, which is just pure nonsense.
That doesn’t give credence to warring. The conversation has been good and literally I was backing you up with the reasoning on why you didn’t want to share that picture above as it does lead to that stuff that can be warring, not really what Geoff was talking about in the topic.
