Julius

Am I misremembering, or did NieR:Automata also have R2 mapped to dodge? If so, it seems we've found the culprit: it's a Platinum problem Thanks for the thoughts @drahkon, yeah I think I'll wait it out and dodge the demo for now. Hoping by the time they get around to it that the HUD has been cleaned up (or that there's at least an option to) and that rebinding has been added how was the music?

Looks like we've got our answer on that front from the JP press release:

April 26th it is, folks! Looks bonkers and jolly as all heck. Will definitely be keeping an eye on how this turns out!

We now have our Dina in Isabela Merced: Okay, then yeah: in terms of public Zeitgeist and awareness, I think it's honestly pretty much already supplanted the game, though I think there's a huge asterisk next to that in that I'm not sure if it will have the staying power to remain that way in the same way the game has for over a decade. This is a game regularly featured in Top 10 lists for greatest of all-time in the medium and the first to really nail serious storytelling in a way, whereas the show, while a great adaptation, is yet another dark, gritty, dour tale set in a zombie apocalypse in that particular space. The only real differentiator and pull factor, honestly, if you haven't played the game and are fully casual when it comes to TV and hames (and away from the hive mind of the public consciousness), is that it's an adaptation of a video game's story. Totally get where you're coming from, and I think it's a great though experiment, but honestly? I think it's the other way around, as you kind of touched upon. The games simply take too long to make and are far too expensive to be relegated to becoming spin-off material for a show which - while very popular, critically acclaimed, a great video game adaptation, etc. - is absolutely not at the forefront of television in the same way these games are for the video game industry. At the moment it looks like Part III is going to continue the cadence we have of getting a game in the series once per generation, one every seven years, and at the tail end of each generation, no less! I do think Part III gets adapted after it releases, but I also think that project's wheels were spinning long before the TV series was a guaranteed success. The only way the games become spin-offs - and I mean even if there's a possibility of spin-offs in both mediums - is I think if PlayStation somehow go against the very trends rotting their core away: bloated AAA budgets with increasingly long development time. I look at DC since James Gunn has taken over and laugh at this idea that they're planning games between films when dev on the games has barely started and the films are well under way; you can knock out a blockbuster in three years, two years if you're really pushing it, and that's assuming cast/director overlap. Games? You know this, the AAA ones take way longer to develop and are far, far more likely to hit blocks in the road as a result of the tech being used, moving deadlines thanks to corporate reshuffles, are often more open to cancellations or complete overhauls, etc. I really can't see PlayStation prioritising Part III's show over the game, but I do think there's plenty of room to flesh out the world in spin-off TV series; as you say, they're generally more affordable and can be put out at a faster rate, and I do genuinely think there are plenty of story opportunities you could take there which would be a pain to develop an entire game for - reused assets or not, this is Naughty Dog we're talking about, not Insomniac. I think the answer to your question of what happens when the show catches up is that the shows are to build popularity for the games, where they can make much more money from sales, and that they slow down and spread out with spin-offs in the TV space; which, very importantly, they can do without risking the brand image of the games or the particular seasons/show based on certain games. If a spin-off TV show flops? Eh, typical Hollywood, they could've done X, Y, Z better. If a spin-off game which takes Naughty Dog away from other projects bottles? Then man, you've got people questioning the entire pipeline - which is way more malleable than a TV show pipeline because of comparatively shorter production times, etc. So yeah, I do agree with your suggestion of it going the spin-off route more than any other. I think it gives them the most opportunity to explore new ideas in a way which can be profitable but also cause the least impact if things don't go their way. I think the TV shows becomes what keeps people engaged between the tentpole releases which are the games, which is what's really making PlayStation the money. (I was quoting you part at a time so we kind of came to the conclusion from different perspectives on the games being tentpoles here naturally, which is super interesting) Man, it's really hard to say. On the one hand, I'm sure Naughty Dog are looking over at what Remedy has been doing lately and going "holy shoot, we have way more money in our purses, we can do something with that sort of mindset and aim but in a way which is uniquely ND and impactful in the same way our other projects have been", but on the other, they kind of have a set tone with Uncharted and TLOU which I'm increasingly getting the impression that they want to break out of – or, at least, take a break from. I like the idea of the games being tentpoles and having the show between be less what I was suggesting in terms of being a "let's keep them engaged" sort of sense and more "let's bridge the gap between these two stories", but again, the only thing that gives me pause - as much as I think ND could do that better than most - is that, well, it's the time it takes to develop a game. Part II had this fervour around it purely because it was a sequel to a damn near-perfect game in my eyes and the hunger of nothing between releases kept people wanting, whereas a great hypothetical First Game in some original, cross-media game trilogy followed by a middling story bridging the gap in TV really puts Second Game in an odd spot, and makes a show between Second Game and Third Game, well, a really questionable decision. There's also the fact that if you don't AAA and at the level that Naughty Dog has made us expect then that's at least a decade+ commitment. Again, I just think it adds too much risk to the brand, whatever brand that would be. I think it really comes down to Neil, at this point after Factions got closed down I feel like he and Naughty Dog taking a hard stance against PlayStation's/Jim Ryan's push for live Service and giving the reasons they did (which were likely BS, but whatever) shows that they don't care what the mandate is, if a project isn't work or is jeopardising something else in the pipeline they'll be able to argue a way out of doing it. They have that deserved pedigree and level of respect within PlayStation. Going back to Part III to wrap up: the other thing is that Neil is a huge Godfather fan, you can tell from Part I and Part II of TLOU if you've seen the first two Godfather films, and he'll have seen what a mess Part III was, for a number of reasons, growing up, let alone every other film trilogy which has more often than not turned out to not be the strongest in the trilogy. Would he then jeopardise the third and I reckon final act in Ellie's story? I think he'd rather leave the company, to be honest with you, if they start to strong-arm him into making certain story decisions, I really do.

From Polygon: I don't know who decided to wake up at Konami over the last couple of years, but damn, this is shaping up to be one hell of a window we're in now for their back catalogue. Suikoden I + II, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, and now this all seemingly taking aim at 2024 releases, after recently releasing the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 (to mixed reception, but it's being patched, which is...something?). And a new announcement for another Carbon Engine collab with LRG a month and a half from now. Did we swap timelines?

Ai Shark, previously Game Shark, have announced the revival of the brand being aimed at September 2024 – according to them, to coincide with the launch of the Switch 2. It's going to be a long 9 to 11 months, folks... EDIT: Schreier with the totally unforeseeable scoop that this is a guess... ...and almost certainly for marketing.

It's already up on PlayStation over here, so I'm guessing someone over our side of the pond at Ninty has forgot to press the button I just checked the eShop myself and it showed the demo tab over the game, but then it vanished when I opened it up. I'm sure it'll be sorted in a bit Anyways, reviews for the game are dropping and it's currently at an 87 on both OpenCritic and Metacritic. Some reviews: Seems like we've got our first great game of the year already (on paper, at least ) That demo + review drop combo is spicy, love to see it!

Demo is available now

From the talk I'm seeing it might be midnight JST? So in just under three hours, if that is the case! One part of me really, really wants to try this demo out...but I've waited this long and already know that I'm in, and I feel like playing it will make me want to pick it up at launch and foolishly (with VII Rebirth releasing 4 weeks later) rather than wait until a time in the year when I actually have the time to play it. Grr. Decisions, decisions... Would love to hear your impressions if you do get around to checking it out @drahkon

Always appreciate these threads but forget spoiler tags, I'm screaming my favourite games and GOTYs for the year from the rooftops, as I think we all should be I'm going to tweak it slightly so that my favourite first-plays of older games aren't mixed in with the rankings for new releases, but I will say what was my favourite game - new or old - that I played in 2023. Because it's not even close to being a question for me. More fleshed out thoughts in my final 2023 Gaming Diary update, but to keep it to a line or two for each of my favourite games this year; I'm also going to start with highlighting what I didn't get to because, well, *heightened drama* Games I didn't get to/complete in 2023 So, early honourable mention to Baldur's Gate 3 here as it was one of my favourite gaming experiences of 2023 playing with friends in a multiplayer campaign, even just up to wherever we are some nearly 50 hours into our campaign I've had a blast as my Half Wood-Elf Bard with Fireball who plays his flute in the middle of combat just because I can, and with some mean dice rolls to boot. I regret not completing this game in single player, though, as multiplayer is definitely a very different experience (and despite that, if I had to rank it - which I won't, because I haven't finished it - it would already be challenging around the 3rd or 4th spots of my favourite games of the year) and I do think it could have been one of my favourite games of the year; that being said, having played enough of BG3 to know what it is about and having completed my GOTY, I know that in my heart of hearts that there's little BG3 could do to move into top spot simply because my favourite game of the year does one of my favourite things in games, and that is something this game is pretty much mechanically incapable of. Also: still really gutted about no height slider. Really wanted to be a Dwarf-height Dragonborn Bard The big hitters I feel I missed playing through in 2023 are Metroid Prime Remastered and Hi-Fi Rush. I have a sneaking suspicion I would enjoy both a whole lot and for very different reasons, but unfortunately, I didn't get around to either. Also gutted I didn't get to Jusant, that just really seems to vibe with the sort of experiences I look for in games. I did a lot of research into indies towards the end of the year, and so to just quickly reel off a few of the ones I regret not getting to and would love to check out in 2024 or beyond (there's more to the list but it would get very long if I didn't stop myself at some point ): A Space for the Unbound - on my console all year but just didn't get to it and had my eye on it well before it even released, so I'm sorry. Venba - dude: vibes. and awesome food vibes throwing you into a certain culture, too! Chants of Senaar - seen it described as Duolingo Souls, which I am so down for! Planet of Lana - Ghibli vibes + Playdead-ish inspired puzzle platformer? I mean, yeah, it's me bait. Videoverse - I feel like so many people here would appreciate this, as it looks back at the older days of the internet and the early days of things like forums, and makes it part of a game. Only on PC atm, so really hope we see it come to consoles and that it gets some love in 2024. Cocoon - I mean, it was a GOTY contender for a lot of people who played it, and I need to know what's up with that. Viewfinder - love me a good puzzle, and this has always looked super unique. Tchia - jolly vibes with mechanics stolen from Uncharted and Zelda. As you do. Dredge - seems very...moreish, which I definitely have a penchant of buying into. Gravity Circuit - beautiful pixel art, from what I've seen of it there seems to be some really cool ideas going on mechanically, but yeah, didn't get to it. Anyways, @Glen-i rightly mentioned we didn't have a thread like this for 2022, so I'm going to sneak those (just the titles, no explanation) into spoiler tags. I'll make both Top 3s, for the sake of brevity (and totally not because I didn't play enough new good games in 2022 where I couldn't come up with a list long enough to feel like more than a Top 3 was deserved ) And now that that's out of the way... Favourite releases of 2023 5. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Bite-sized, Dragon of Dojima madness and despair which sees a return to the brawler combat of older Yakuza titles while adding Spider-Man abilities. I mean, c'mon. 4. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Best side quests of the year no doubt, awesome soundtrack, and traversal which somehow manages to improve on the original formula with the addition of Web Wings, more momentum-based swinging, and just a greater sense of speed. I think the 2018 game has a more consistent and cohesive plot, whereas this seems to get a little lost in the epicness of its final act, which is why it isn't higher. 3. Final Fantasy XVI Best soundtrack and best boss fights of the year for me with awesome characters and a really well-paced first half, but unfortunately it just gets lost in the winding and meandering of side quests and fetch quests turning up in the main quest, completely tanking the pacing when combined with a trope which most FF games I've played seem to end up succumbing to when it comes to its main story: third act dumb stuff. 2. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon My GOTY until around a week ago, the customisation options are absurd and I spent 10+ hours with them designing and testing tens of ACs, I love the mission-based structure of the game allowing you to hop in and hop out with purpose and ease, which is great as it very quickly became a moreish game for me as I played through this game at least four times - and could easily see myself returning to for a single playthrough just for the hell of it. Really hope they figure out a better balance for the sake of single- and multiplayer enjoyment in whatever comes next, be it a sequel or DLC, though. ~ My 2023 Game of the Year ~ 1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom A flawed but overall brilliant game maybe described better as a masterful experience, and also which is, perhaps, more of an enhanced and definitive edition of its predecessor, with a bunch of half steps taken across the board rather than making any giant leaps. Some issues from before still remain - be it combat peaking 20 hours in, menus and inventory management taking up way too much of your time for a game like this, or one new area growing a bit stale due to the sameyness of it all - but this is the single greatest adventure game I've ever played thanks to the constant uncovering of new discoveries and things to do coupled with a more precise and tactile toolbox at your disposal. It also has some excellent new music (and many more opportunities to encounter music than in the last game), boss fights, and a finale which I do think will go down amongst the greats of this generation of games. How the hell this thing manages to run on the Switch - and run well; almost flawlessly, in fact - is beyond my comprehension and deserves special recognition. Favourite first-plays of games released before 2023 3. Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss Amazing DLC for an amazing game with awesome new locales and backstory to explore and unravel, great boss fights (with a higher hit rate than the base game), more excellent music, and just more excellent ideas. Weirdest way I've ever accessed DLC in a game, mind you. 2. Yakuza: Like a Dragon I think there's an argument for this game being the best example of a successful extreme genre switch in gaming, period. To go from a brawler to a turn- and job-based JRPG?! RGG are mad, but thankfully, it paid off, because this game is amazing. Stellar cast as always but this time at the front of the pack is a new protagonist who just hits every. single. mark. and effortlessly took the reins from his predecessor after a decade a half. Best side activity content I experienced this year, brutal twists and turns as expected in the series, great moments for longtime fans but also potentially a really solid introduction to newcomers, this is one of the best JRPGs of the modern era. ~ My 2023 New-to-Me Game of the Year ~ 1. Bloodborne Bloodborne isn't just my New-to-Me GOTY, nor is it just my favourite game that I played in 2023 new or old: it is one of my new favourite games of all-time. Blemishes in the form of not-so-great framerate and Chalice Dungeons aside, I think this is the best From Software game (of the ones I've played so far) to date, and the closest they've come to perfection. The world drips with atmosphere which is all-consuming in its malice and cruelty, there's its gripping narrative and lore, the amazing mechanics of its combat and its ludonarrative consistency within the world that the game takes place, the epic boss fights and this haunting gothic orchestral soundtrack which just sweeps you away every single chance it gets. And then in its DLC you get even better music, some of the best bosses in the entire game, and cool new shiny weapons in a more linear experience which streamlines an already near-perfect experience even more? Bloodborne is one of the best games I've ever played, and The Old Hunters is, undoubtedly, the best DLC I've ever played. This is undoubtedly and without question one of the greats, and, thus, my overall 2023 GOTY.

Absolutely! Think I've seen my Switch Pro controller say it's low on battery just twice the entire time I've had it (nearly 5 years), whereas I can sometimes get that message for my DualSenses the same number of times in a single week. Totally has nothing to do with me not playing on my Switch all that much, no siree So, I guess this was a lie

I enjoyed Mando S3, even if I do think it's pretty much objectively the weakest of the three seasons we've had so far (I mean, one of them has to be ), but I do agree with the general sentiment that... There was a moment in S3 where they added a new potential iuse for Grogu which I was excited to see play out...and it was over before it really had a chance to begin. Man, I'd be shocked if that were the case. Solo was sent out with the explicit purpose of dying at the feet of everything around it - it was sandwiched square in the middle of what, Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? Yeah, it's a Star Wars film, but it didn't get a massive marketing push or the time to rake it in with a December release as many Star Wars films have before it. It also released a few months after The Last Jedi, which was, well, fanbase-splitting at best, and I think plenty were still reeling from that. Solo did approx $400m worldwide, and with Mando & Grogu being the first Star Wars film to hit the silver screen in 5+ years by the time it lands, the reception of the show, I imagine it being a continuation of the story and not a side hustle...I'd be surprised if it didn't do $700m+. Will it do $1 billion, as I'd argue every Star Wars film is positioned to very easily do, at least compared to the competition? I don't know. I also wonder if they'll adopt a parallel pay-per-view model as we saw during the height of COVID for people to rent it through Disney+, and thinking about this particular film, I can't help but worry a little bit for Filoni's live-action directorial debut with the movie which will seemingly end this entire New Republic era story. Then again, idk, fans of the animated stuff would go to bat for it I feel and probably watch it enough times to get over that line I haven't actually gone back to revisit Solo since the first time I watched it (when it dropped on blu-ray), but while I didn't come away absolutely loving it, I do feel the lack of expectations really softened that blow for me. As Huber would say: swimming in 7s it's also just a much more jolly time than I feel the other Disney-produced Star Wars films have been

Elsewhere, yesterday Young Manazino was cast as Jesse: I think that would be expected as things stand - seeing as, without trying to spoil anything, TLOU2 is more than big enough to warrant two seasons by itself. Before the strikes I believe HBO announced S2 as coming in 2025, but given how everything has been pushed back and that we're only just starting to get casting announcements, I wouldn't be shocked if it slipped into 2026; whenever S2 lands, I'd be shocked if S3 (so, TLOU2's second half) didn't arrive a year later. Compare this to TLOU3, which is very likely a game for the end of the generation and potentially cross-gen, so I'm expecting that in 2027/2028. It's hard to say where Naughty Dog's new IP will land given we have no idea what sort of scale it is going to be on, but I have to imagine - and hope - that it lands before Part III does, either next year or in 2026. Crazy to think that excluding remake.remaster projects, they're going to release two brand new titles this gen at best at worst, I wouldn't be shocked if their new IP got canned in favour of TLOU3 taking priority after the mess that Factions has been. It depends what we're talking about, I feel. If we're talking about public mindshare? I'd say the TV show has already supplanted the games when it comes to general awareness; amongst the most casual, it's "that TV show based on a game" with little context for what the game even is and how it plays (Despite obviously being one of PlayStation's best-selling first party titles...ever?), and I think what's maybe more concerning is that I haven't seen the show bring anyone else new into the game, at least not in waves as I imagine Sony probably wanted part of the end result to be for this project. Maybe it's just me squirreled away in my own corner on the internet, but I was shocked to not have my YouTube feed filled with recommendations along the lines of 'SO, I PLAYED THE GAME', 'SHOULD YOU PLAY THE LAST OF US AFTER WATCHING THE SHOW?', 'CONTINUING THE FIGHT: PLAYING THE LAST OF US PART II', etc. If we're talking about actual perceived quality and what is, perhaps, a better experience? I mostly really enjoyed S1, heck I even loved certain parts - especially what they added to the lore and how they fleshed out certain characters - but it is a truncated adaptation of a story which misses the mark on its pacing and some major beats compared with the game. Bit of a tangent, but I also maintain that the endings and the aims of the ending for both the first and second game - and I would argue the ENTIRE POINT OF THEM FROM A NARRATIVE GAMING POV - is completely lost in a passive medium such as television; yes, you can hit the same beats, you can tell the same story, you can not pull the same punches and you can say the exact same lines, but if you played through either game's ending and came away with just a seed of doubt over a character's actions, recognising you hesitated for just a moment while filling the shoes of a character - that is the entire point of those games and why TLOU is as beloved and criticially acclaimed in the space. From that perspective, I struggle to see how the shows could ever supplant the games (and which is why I think they've leaned on fleshing out what they could elsewhere in the story, to try to coax those emotions out of you elsewhere).

Best Buy in Canada have just put up a DualSense V2 on their site. Details from the page: Oh that sweet, sweet battery life improvement! FINALLY! I don't mind having two in rotation using the charging stand, but man, it's been really weird this gen getting by for days if not a week+ at a time on my Switch Pro and Xbox Series controllers, and then coming back to the DualSense on my main console and just knowing I have to charge it more frequently still can't believe the price they sold the DualSense Edge at for the battery life it has... Anyways, all three of my controllers (2x white from launch, 1x black from when that released in...2021, I think?) are all experiencing pretty irreparable drift on at least one of their sticks. I had been procrastinating on picking up new controllers with the new colour variants coming out, but I'll need to see when this V2 arrives I think! EDIT: looks to be smaller and lighter, too (stolen from ResetEra); DualSense DualSense V2 Height 19.05cm/7.5in 16cm/6.3in Width 6.99cm/2.75in 6.6cm/2.6in Depth 19.05cm/7.5in 10.6cm/4.17in Weight 360g 280g EDIT 2: maybe that's box size? So yay, reduced waste?

Some more details per the game's latest spot on the Nintendo YouTube channel: Not sure if it as known before, but the eShop page also makes mention of new worlds (been a minute since the trailer was first release and I'm not checking ): Wonder if some of these could be the eReader levels @Dcubed mentioned before?

This month's PS+ update details: That looks like a pretty solid month to me! Had been thinking about picking up RE2 recently as RE is a franchise I want to dive into for the first time this year (finally have my approach figured out ), but hey, guess I'll wait a little longer on picking it up physically and pick it up here instead. LEGO City Undercover is one I know gets a lot of love and my brother adored it, but I've never found myself wanting to take a punt, but guess I don't have much of a choice now Shadow Tactics has been on my wishlist forever, the Mana games I've always been curious about, and well, Star Wars is Star Wars and that SF 30th Anniversary might be a good way for me to just blaze through some SF story modes Additionally, some Crunchyroll benefits are on the way for Premium/Deluxe members: A win for anime

I was thinking the same unless I'm mistaken, I'm also pretty sure we've had a State of Play in either Feb or March every year since they started up in 2019, except perhaps 2020 - for obvious reasons? So yeah, both seem pretty safe bets! I do wonder about the length and content of the next Direct a bit, especially what a "one more thing" would look like, just because it'd likely be too soon for a Switch 2 announcement/blowout/whatever. Curious to see how Nintendo go about their business this year, they're nothing if unpredictable normally, but with something like this? They could be complete wildcards. I love it

Jeff Grubb is saying that a Nintendo Direct is due in February, and that a PlayStation State of Play is due in the next few weeks: Curious what the game is that PlayStation are willing to give them free marketing, and that Grubb figures they'll build a State of Play for; got to imagine that's going to be something pretty big. Anyways, didn't think it was worth splitting this rumour into two separate threads, so I guess this is a nice middle ground

The Mandalorian & Grogu is a set for cinemas and will begin production in 2024, spearheading the new feature development slate. Per StarWars.com: Super weird. According to Deadline, Mando S4 is still in development, so I'm guessing this is a reaction to the strikes delaying just about everything on their end and wanting to get something out of the door ASAP – but that it now seems to be at the front of the pecking order doesn't exactly instill confidence when it comes to all of the upcoming films. Guess my main hope would be Ludwig returning to score this? Also, this is the first official confirmation we've had of Ahsoka S2 – yes, as a footnote in this announcement. That's pretty bizarre. Would love to see Dark Disciple animated!

Kaitlyn Dever has been cast as Abby in Season 2: Really curious to see how Season 2 shakes out. I think some of the changes made in Season 1 from the game unique to the show were great, others (especially towards the end) really questionable at best, whereas I think similar changes could be positive for the overall pacing and flow of Season 2.

Don't get me wrong, they'd be solid gets and round out the offering on Switch (especially if native and not running through xCloud), but pretty much anything Nintendo markets as their tentpole console launch release and releases on Day 1 that's first party for this thing is going to crush any and all talk about this, besides the "oh, that's neat" factor of it all. I actually think it would be a big mistake to launch Game Pass support on Day 1 for the Switch successor; if the console drops in November, I think you drop that in December. I was going to say not as a surprise and to get ahead of it, but then, I mean: imagine the Switch 2 launched in November, we're all over the initial couple of weeks with the console and the 9/10 or 10/10 Prime 4 or whatever reviews, and then they drop a trailer for Game Pass coming to Switch at The Game Awards in December – "experience the best of Xbox on the Nintendo Switch with Xbox Game Pass, available later today". Show a trailer glorifying the history of Xbox and then show covers for games available that day and what's coming soon, similar to how Nintendo talks about their NSO additions in Directs whenever a new console is added. Now that's how you make waves with that sort of announcement.

Oh heck yeah, we finally get to see what MachineGames plan to do with Indy! Sure, I'll turn in for that (and then just play it on PC or something ) Some more details: Appreciate knowing what the plan is going into the show I guess, though I much prefer the thrill of the surprise and theatrics we see elsewhere. I wouldn't be shocked if all of these games are taking aim at 2024 releases (because if anything is 2025 or beyond they shouldn't be outlining what they're showing and they should have been "one more thing"s), and I certainly hope so, just to start taking a bit of pressure off Senua. At the moment, they're positioning it like a system seller, which it certainly is not. Also, they've confirmed no details on Activision Blizzard games during the showing: You know, we've been talking about Xbox a bit as of late, but not only have they been generally lacking in must-buy titles warranting a console purchase, they also just seem to lack momentum between these events. I get excited about and see Agreed. Also, marketing hat on here: 'Developer_Direct' is absolutely terrible branding for this type of thing, it makes it sound like I'm going to be watching a GDC talk rather than seeing a showcase of new games.