Julius

Footage from the Taipei Game Show: Yup, still looks great! Backer platforms can now be confirmed for anyone who supported the Kickstarter, so now the long, 3 months wait begins for my copy to arrive, as well as for the additional support items to go up (like that OST!)

So a video with probably the most crisp footage of the Space World 2000 reel (at the end) went up yesterday?

I second this notion. Any resistance? No? Cool, Gerrard to Liverpool it is

Gutted for you Liverpool fans, always loved Klopp's energy, but I don't blame him for wanting to step away now that he feels that's waning. Kudos to the higher-ups for not pushing him to stay until the end of his contract, burnout is a nasty thing. Gerrard is done as a manager after every decision he's made since Rangers. Alonso is a weird one, in that he's doing absolutely amazing at Leverkusen and he's one of those guys where him becoming a manager at the top level always made sense with the way he carried himself on the pitch, so I'm not surprised by the results he's got and his team leading the Bundesliga...but he's not even had a full season (and by this I mean from beginning to end) managing at the top level yet. I don't doubt that he's the real deal and could do great at Liverpool, but I think the timing is going to be key. It's difficult because if this were a decade ago I'd say that Liverpool should hire someone purely for next season to stave off Klopp comparisons, get things in place, etc., because Xabi is a young manager and could be at the club for 5+ years given good results (if he does go the only way I see him leaving is doing what he wants to in England and then going back to Real), but as always, those first few months will be vital. It's become increasingly rare to see someone replace a long-standing manager and actually succeed, so we'll see. I think he's the best option available right now, though. Seems to have that focus on players as individuals to the same extent as Klopp, just with a different energy, which I think could help tone down the comparisons.

Hmm, looking around it seems like they're the only ones with a proper storefront and at a slight mark-up (also on Amazon by a third party), so I don't think that's a case of them being an official retailer for them, but rather just buying and then reselling from Steam? Them not having the OLED model to me suggests that that might be the case. So to clarify, I guess I mean available first/whatever/"this is the only place to officially buy your Xbox". Maybe I'm wrong but I don't remember the Steam Deck being available anywhere but Steam when it came to pre-orders and leading up to launch. The Steam Deck is also super niche and manufactured on a smaller scale than Xbox consoles, so maybe they strike up exclusive retails deals with certain stores, similar to what they've done with All Access? But I honestly think the approach of "only available here" works better for them. No-one is going out and buying a console on a whim anymore

Definitely not laughing about this one, I think that's just the closest equivalent to a middle finger I can send them as you say, though, it's funny just how much of what they're doing now is similar to their approach with the Xbox One but repackaged. And with that in mind, it's definitely funny that that video - for now at least - still seems timely I mean, I wouldn't be too surprised if that's how things panned out. There's a decent chance that happens; heck, they came out with a digital-only version of their premier console, and have since released a new model with an attachable disc drive (which I think is the route they'll actually go next-gen). The thing is, even if PlayStation do that, I think they do so at the start of next gen, not in the middle of a gen. It's just poor form, at least to me, to have people pick up a premier version of your console with a disc drive and then not leave them the option to use it for newly released games the entire gen. If PlayStation did it, it would be entirely different to Xbox's approach last time out in the middle of the gen of changing course and releasing big games on PC too - killing any reason to get an Xbox for most people who play games often enough to be aware of that change - or to what they're doing now, seemingly binning off physical and going all-digital. Regardless of where you stand on these changes, I think the time and place to make them is at the start of a gen, because what you end up is a directive which might as well be telling people to point and laugh at anyone who bought into the ecosystem at the start of that gen. It gives me similar vibes to when a lot of people felt penalised for playing Persona 5 at launch when Royal came along, with no option to upgrade/purchase the new content as DLC. I find that PlayStation are much better at communicating these changes and, more importantly, timing these changes (talking about consoles here specifically, I have a growing list of issues with PS which I think I mention often enough to not come off as too biased). On the other hand, Xbox has a decade of experience making piss-poor marketing and manufacturing decisions for their consoles. Remember when they released the One X, which pretty much no third-party developer could or should have been targeting and optimising their games for, just to have a dick measuring contest? Xbox's answer to losing last gen was pretty much "well, my dad earns more money than your dad" thrown at an entire console. I half expect them to bottle the messaging on this, too. While there's a chance, and I'd love to see that, I'm not too sure how great those chances are. Since they started their acquisitions spree Xbox have seemed incredibly hands-off (to a point I really question their ability to curate things - heck, you have Obsidian making a first-person fantasy RPG, and then you go buy Bethesda and Skyrim? I'm getting Days Gone flashbacks) and have just left their purchases to fend for themselves. I know that's probably not the case, and I'm sure there's some level of shared tech or effort, but they haven't made any waves whatsoever with any of their acquisitions up to this point, and so breaking their new shiny toy up just seems off the table to me based on how they've managed things so far. But we'll see. I hope so, because man, games seriously lack that splash of colour in the AAA space outside of Nintendo these days.

I wouldn't be shocked if by this time next generation - heck, maybe even from the start of the next generation - if the official Xbox Store is the only official supplier of their consoles. I was watching some DF clips the other day and I do think now that they're really pulling up their sleeves, I agree with John Linneman that the modern Xbox console now needs to essentially follow the Steam Deck: with Xbox consoles already decidedly not being the best way to play Xbox games (and this having been the case ever since their games started releasing on PC), the need for a dedicated console is still there for people who don't want to stream/play on their phone, tablet, etc., and wanted a dedicated device and OS suited for the most accessible way of playing their games and entering the ecosystem. And you know what? Steam, at least in the West as far as I'm aware, are also the only official retailers of the Steam Deck, and while I don't think the aim of the Steam Deck was to expand their consumer base in a meaningful sense, in a very limited way for people who are mainly console-only (such as myself), who don't want to faff around with PC parts and don't care about playing everything at high specs, I think it has; it's by far the easiest and most accessible route into their ecosystem for the layman. I think the comparison is apt and I think that's the way Microsoft finding themselves going. Don't want to build a PC, don't want to play on low-end devices that stream, etc.? Buy this console directly from us. Also imagine it would mean making those margins even more aggressively slim/nonexistent if needed.

Yep, makes complete sense considering that Hellblade II got announced as digital-only the other day and when you consider that digital Series X leak. Then you throw Game Pass into the mix and consider just how much they could potentially save by cutting out physical media, use the PR spin of "we're saving the planet!" (I mean, I'm not totally against it for this reason, especially because I imagine the bulk of new Xbox physical copies of games are ending up in a landfill or are losing value immediately because of the lack of use cases), and it just makes more and more sense. Not a fan. I still haven't posted in the ownership thread (whoops) but options are always important in cases like this, firstly for the consumer, but secondly - and more importantly, I think - for the sake of preservation. Would be really cool if they did limited physical releases of their first-party stuff this gen, at least just for fans of that medium and for people who won a Series X with a disc drive, but I'm not holding my breath. Means I can wait until the end of the gen, weigh up my options for going physical with Xbox, pick up a Series X or a One X or a 360 or whatever is best for what I want to play of their legacy systems, and just not touch a new Xbox again – it sucks, but I really don't want to support this move. Most of their games are also on Steam anyways, and if I'm going to be putting my money anywhere towards games in a digital-only library, I'd rather it be with a company which I already have an existing relationship with as a consumer, doesn't look like it could bounce out of the industry entirely in the next decade or two if Game Pass doesn't work out, and isn't trying to swallow (embrace?) the industry's leaders in sweeping moves with the intent of monopolising things. I'm stopping myself short of saying "get f'd, Xbox", so instead, let's bring this beauty back.

Oh we recapping baby, that's how you know it's close! Just a bit over a month to go!

This...got a new trailer a couple of days ago, nearly a week after the game's launch trailer released? Huh? The irony here is that this is by far the best overview they've given of the game. Man, they sure did drop the ball with this marketing campaign

Complete Edition is coming to PC on 21st March: Oh, how funny it would be if this ends up falling around the Elden Ring DLC it's releasing on top of Rise of Ronin (which surprises me) and Dragon's Dogma II, the latter of which just seems to be getting buried alive from all angles.

Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II arrives 2nd February on YouTube and in Remastered. Hype. Loved the first one and all the other docs we've had from PlayStation's first-party over the years, so I'm sure this'll be great!

Damn, that's a lot of people. Hopefully they all find work sooner rather than later, but sadly, this always inevitable with acquisitions, especially on this scale In related news, Mike Ybarra (Blizzard president) is also leaving, as is Allen Adham. Probably gone to go start up a company or to get that sweet NetEase backing, but damn, those are two BIG names that they haven't tied down as part of the acquisition. What a decision.

It's nearly the end of January, which means the Easy Allies GOTY Deliberations have arrived! ...yeah, I'm not sure if I'll be checking this one out, or if I do it's going to be a slow chip rather than my huge gulp approach. Not sure what Gabby's doing here, but then skimming the comments, it seems like she might actually belong there more than some of the others at this point, having played some of the bigger shout GOTY contenders this year when others haven't. The comments spoil their GOTY, but honestly, if you look at the Allies left and what they choose to play/prioritise over other new games, as well as the noisiest ones here...I don't think it's that much of a surprise. Can't believe they decided to wait another month until after Brad left to hold these and not find a way to have him back, he played and reviewed more new releases last year than anyone else left, and even with the additional month, it seems "no-one has time to play everything" is getting thrown around. Hoo boy. Regardless of whether or not I check this out, I think it's time to revisit some of their old GOTY deliberations. One last good excuse to take a trip down memory lane

Secret tracks and private lobbies have been added to the game!

These pastel pink Joy-Cons are now up for pre-order on the UK's Nintendo Store:

Seems increasingly likely that we'll see a State of Play in the next couple of weeks, as was expected. Yesterday, billbill-kun posted that the full title for Death Stranding 2 would be "Death Stranding 2: On the Beach": And today, they posted that a new version of Until Dawn is on its way to PS5 and PC: It's the 30th anniversary of PlayStation this year, and we know very little (if anything) about their current first-party plans, so I look forward to seeing their approach for the year – and to seeing if there is indeed a State of Play just around the bend. I want more games to get hyped about, damn it!!

Side Order DLC arrives 22nd February:

The Dunk delivering the goods as always *sees the rest of the thread*

The series producers did a trailer breakdown with IGN: And if you actually want to go off the deep end, Hello Future Me (great channel) did a...4 hour and 20 minute live breakdown over on YouTube: Absolutely! I'm nervous about this adaptation of the show potentially trying to replace the original (I think it has an uphill battle in doing so, mainly because live-action/CG blend on a modern TV budget still isn't aging quite so gracefully, whereas the original still holds up and is timeless), but man, I'd love to see some of those S3 moments adapted in live-action, with just a little bit of difference! Would really like to see how they'd handle the extreme colours of the final few confrontations, actually. Trying to imagine some of those moments in live-action is pretty tough, so I'd like to see if they'd approach that a bit differently. 1000%. The fact that you get to view a recap with the characters, are exposed to certain perspectives/bring up certain questions for the cast to walk into answering in the final few episodes, poke fun at certain elements (like what happened to Jet ), and that they do it all through live theatre with absolutely hilarious casting choices...man. If this weren't out so soon I think I'd start a re-watch of the original

Yeah, it's hard to say I disagree with anything you mention – it really does look great. I'm super happy about the shots of levity, it feels like so many live-action projects these days kind of forget the joy of just being fun, or maybe it just feels that way because those aren't the ones getting the big budgets and being allowed to set the pace? I think the debates are going to come along after this first season has completely aired and the eternal discussion of how it holds up to the original animated series kick off, as happened with HBO's The Last of Us last year and the game. Not saying that's right or wrong, but yeah, it seems inevitable I'm also actually really curious to see how long conversation around this adaptation lasts. The Last of Us was only a game before it was adapted, meaning it could only be played by people with certain consoles, and with the changes they made too, having weekly episodes made a lot of sense – and a lot of the discourse was kept to the contents of the show itself. On the other hand, this entire first season of Netflix's TLA is being thrown out all at once, and with the story already being a known quantity and the original animated series still being available on the service (at least over here) I'm not sure it'll have that same long lasting impression on the public consciousness that TLOU managed to. I'd also love to know what the split is on existing fans checking it out vs total newcomers – I mean, at this point, surely the only holdouts of the regular Netflix subscribing crowd are going to be people who just don't care for animation? Anyways, I'll shut up That seems to be the plan from what I can gather? At least, this first season is covering all of ATLA S1. It's not been officially confirmed that the second and third seasons are locked in, I don't think, so I think they're waiting to see how the first season does, but I'll be shocked if it tanks and ends up getting cancelled after it's first season. My attempt at understanding Netflix wanting to adapt the series to live-action in the first place was to still have the franchise on their platform in some way after it potentially moves back to Paramount+ in more territories. Also, as great as the first season of ATLA is, the second and third seasons are overwhelmingly seen as the better seasons of the show. It's not really at risk of being a Cowboy Bebop situation from my POV because there wasn't all that much to adapt and they did so weirdly, whereas if they're capable of adapting ATLA S1, I'm going to have a hard time believing that they don't think they can make some serious waves by then going on to adapt S2 and S3.

Game has reviewed insanely well: currently at a 90 on MC and a 90 over on OC, too. This marks the first time an RGG title has scored over 85 on Metacritic, making it the best-reviewing game in their history. So, which of you crazies are jumping in this week?

The game has reviewed incredibly well, currently sitting at a 90 on Metacritic and a 90 on OpenCritic. Anyone here planning on picking this up? I had been tempted to finally dive into a fighting game at launch but, for now, I seem to have calmed that call

Reminder that this releases on Thursday. But the real reason for the bump? Digital Foundry doing a tech review of the trilogy! Didn't see that one coming but love it, certainly some of the best in the biz

Still looking really good: That shot of that Agni Kai Just a month to go...