Julius

There have been a lot of rumblings about Xbox bringing a first-party title to be ported over which will be announced next week (likely at Gamescom during ONL), and the initial teases seemed to imply Forza Horizon 5, but despite everyone agreeing it'll come at some point, apparently it won't be what's revealed next week. ...maybe it'll be Hellblade II? It could be a number of other things but the way I see it that game has no chance in hell of even being nominated for GOTY without getting in the hands of more players, and it feels like total GOTY bait (to completely oversimplify it in as few words as possible), so, maybe?

Yeah, it would be absolutely huge. PlayStation just doesn't have an open world racing game on the level of the Forza Horizon games, the closest thing I can think of to filling that gap (and is also available everywhere) currently would be The Crew Motorfest, which well... I'm glad GT and Polyphony have stuck to their routes, but I'm shocked PlayStation hasn't made a move to acquire someone capable of taking the assets built in the GT games and creating an open world spin-off series akin to Horizon. I think if FH5 does come over it'll comfortably be the bestselling of any of Xbox's first-party exclusives to come over – I genuinely think the only other released game from them this gen to maybe challenge that would probably be a Starfield port. I mean, Xbox have basically said everything in a very roundabout way about their games coming over anyways, but with how that escalated and how poorly they've communicated a lot of it...they probably are all coming I just think they've propped themselves up between a rock and a hard place and basically need to 127 Hours themselves out of there. Anyways, there was an update on this where apparently Forza Horizon 5 isn't going to be the game announced next week (presumably at Gamescom), but everyone and their mother is saying that it's coming at some point. Personally, I think it'd make a great TGAs shadowdrop. But there's still something being announced next week, apparently...so I'll move this part of the conversation over to the Series X|S thread

A physical release of the game has turned up on ShopTo (I think maybe the first time it's been confirmed to any extent to be getting one over here?), with an attached release date of 22nd November 2024 – which has since been removed. I feel like there's a small possibility here of an initial digital release (shadow drop during a Direct or something?) + delayed physical release, just because this seems like the type of game to do that, but either way, seems like 22nd November might be the latest we get our hands on this. Put my pre-order in

It is being teased that this is going to be getting ported to other platforms, with a potential announcement next week at Gamescom: Would absolutely love if it's the case – the Forza games are probably the biggest pull for me to buy an Xbox right now (and no, it's not enough, we've been over this ). This is the game I've been talking to my friends about wanting ported over from Xbox's catalog, over Gears and Halo and the like. Please, for the love of all that is good in gaming, be true!

Hey man, hate on the Star Wars re-releases and you bet you'll see the consequences @drahkon knew the risks It really is! Kind of insane to get three games from the same franchise all drop at once when we're still waiting on certain titles to turn up at all. But hey, I'll take it! Now Capcom, get in here with Dino Crisis and the PS1 Resident Evil games already! Though maybe the latter request might make more sense to save for October...

This month's line-up, with TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect all arriving August 20th! The splitscreen local co-op modes of the original games also make their way over.

I was just reading about this. It's genuinely insane and very unfortunate that she passed in the first place because, not for the first time, allergies aren't being given the proper attention they deserve. Disgusting negligence shown from any of the staff working that night. But to then try to cover it up in such a way? I think it's always worth remembering that Disney have had far more deaths in their parks than the public will ever be made privy to. Praying that they get their just desserts but the man is up against a monolithic entity.

Just announced for an October 4th release, just in time for spooky season. Comparison trailer:

Geoff sharing some details on the plans for next week's Gamescom ONL: 19:00 starts for us Brits isn't too bad, but think I'll see how I feel on the night. These shows become just about bearable with the right person or group streaming it

That's no age Rest in Peace

Korean company Krafton have acquired Tango Gameworks and the Hi-Fi Rush IP. Well, holy hot damn. Nobody saw this coming. From Windows Central, who clarify that Ghostwire: Tokyo and Evil Within will both be IPs staying at Xbox. Awesome stuff, great to hear it. Another move in which Korean companies continue to expand and diversify in the gaming space; doesn't seem like they plan on going anywhere anytime soon, that's for sure.

I'd agree that it's the only one with a chance, and even then I feel like it's going to need to be massively oversold as being an Avengers set-up and with RDJ's Doom centre stage in marketing to do so. Fantastic Four as a brand itself has taken an absolute beating over the last couple of decades between the 2000s' FF films and 2015's Fant4stic. It's a real shame because they were still massive when I was little (saw both of the 2000s FF films in cinema, had the Mega Bloks sets, not to mention a couple of shows and their appearance during Secret Wars in the 90s Spider-Man cartoon and also appearing in some of the 90s Spidey games), but they basically vanished over night when the MCU came in and Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy almost forced out campy nature of FF out (and comic book adaptations in general, on-screen at least). Outside of the promise of their return to the MCU and being a comic book fan, I struggle to think of how Fantastic Four would even reach the eyes and ears of the average kid these days. Reruns of shows over a decade and a half old? I genuinely think the best representation Fantastic Four has had for a kid born in, say, the late 2000s/early 2010s would be the LEGO Marvel Super Heroes games, which is incredibly sad to think about (even if they are great games). Marvel have seriously got their work cut out for them if Fantastic Four is going to cross that $1B threshold, imo. I'd love to see it, but it's going to take one hell of a marketing campaign, one hell of a bridge to Doomsday, and also just be one hell of a film to stand a chance in my eyes; I don't think "Marvel's first family" carries the same weight today as it once did for the layperson.

Deadpool and Wolverine has passed the $1 billion mark worldwide, only the second MCU film to do so post-Endgame, after No Way Home over 2½ years ago. Curious to see if any other film in the MCU picks up $1B+ at the box office before the next Avengers film, Doomsday, in 2026. Between now and then there's Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, Fantastic Four: The First Steps and Blade (though this one's definitely in something if a limbo at the moment). Hmm.

Recap of Marvel's D23 presence:

Just got back from Spidey 2, and can confirm, I was absolutely tearing up at points. Love that film, think that + Raimi's first Spider-Man are genuinely some of the best superhero films we've had, and I don't think that's just my nostalgia talking, even if I'll happily admit that these films will always mean a lot to me. They're honestly just so well crafted, and I love the fact that they're both flawed in some way or another. There's a level of respect for the viewer which modern superhero films simply don't provide. Won't be watching 3 in cinemas, but am looking forward to checking out The Amazing Spider-Man when it re-releases in a few weeks' time. That film came at such an important moment for me in high school, but I haven't watched it nearly as much as Raimi's first two. Think that'll be the last of this slate of Spidey re-releases I turn up for.

The posters for this make me chuckle Major Bombad Bounty vibes The series also had some LEGO sets announced, including this Dark Millennium Falcon which I have to imagine becomes a collector's item in the future (it's already out but I can't find a tweet on the official LEGO Twitter so have the leaked images instead I guess) Darth Jar Jar will never fail to crack me up

I started with VII myself back in 2017 I think it was? And had a blast. The game's mechanics hold up, for sure, but it definitely looks and feels a bit archaic at times (the camera, the older polygonal PS1 models, etc.). Like @Hero-of-Time says, definitely think it's worth playing VII before checking out Remake and other VII-related media for what it adds to that experience, but at the same time I think playing VII first almost feels like an investment in then checking everything else out – which isn't a problem, really, but I think it adds more to the backlog than it takes away if you do play it first Personally, I would throw IX in the ring as a really great place to start with the 3D Final Fantasy games for how it just generally feels like a celebration to the franchise where everyone is invited, no matter how many of the games you've played. Great story, music, pretty much everything you'd expected from a great FF. One of the criticisms I see levied at IX is that combat is a bit on the slow side (probably fair to aim that at the other PS1 entries too at times), but the remastered version available on modern platforms have options to speed up battle, turn off random encounters, etc., to help streamline things if that's your cup of tea; for me, I know the option to speed up battles is a huge plus when going back to these older titles, and a lot of the other FF remasters also have similar options (such as VII on modern platforms). Generally speaking, I think X is also thrown around as a good starting point, but having not played it myself I can't really speak to it. I do know it's known for being a good bit more linear too in some of its area designs, so it might make going back to the PS1 games after feel a bit weird I imagine, which is why I saved it myself until after I'd got a few of the PS1 titles under my belt. Chrono Trigger blind for a complete newbie to JRPGs will be pushing 20-25 hours including the (excellent) optional side content, whereas just a bit of experience with the genre probably take that much closer to the 20 hour mark (probably closer to 15 if you were to avoid the optional stuff). Still an investment, but doubt it's weighing in at a similar length to the others you mentioned, Xenoblade especially

Whole bunch of trailers for things from D23: Moana 2 Toy Story 5 announcement Win or Lose (D+ series) Snow White Also seems like there was a trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch?

Trailer for Agatha All Along: Two-episode premiere 18th September. Red Hulk for Brave New World got shown off properly for the first time, Laura Karpman (The Marvels) will be scoring. Daredevil: Born Again got a teaser trailer. Newton Bros. (X-Men 97) will be composing. Ironheart got a preview. Yelena has a new haircut in Thunderbolts & it looks greatttttt (also continuing Nat's tradition of new hair in new projects). We got a look at one of the new Fantastic Four members in costume (Quinn as Johnny), but more pressingly, we got to hear a sample of Michael Giacchino's work on the Fantastic Four score:

First trailer for Skeleton Crew, which lands December 3rd with a two-episode premiere: Looks delightful A trailer for Andor S2 was also shown but hasn't been released to the public, though it looks pretty spectacular. Confirmed for 2025, but still no window. There was also a trailer shown for Mando & Grogu, which featured snowtroopers, an AT-RT, AT-ATs, Anzellans, and Zeb again looks great, but again no official public release as of yet. Bleh.

She did it, she freaking did it! Despite all of the noise and drama surrounding her presence, Imane Khelif won Gold in the 66kg Women's Boxing: Wonderful. What a mountain she's had to overcome outside of the ring, let alone in it, very much deserved!

Definitely, I wouldn't say that a continuation of Southgate's legacy is what I had in mind after his exit following the Euros. Think it's a bit unfair to say either way considering he hasn't had to do it since, what, 07/08? And success as a manager since then from the get-go (his winning % with Barça B was already 66%, which is insane) means he hasn't had to put up with anything but some of the best budgets in European football going from Barça to Bayern to City. For me, it's much more about the style of play, because I do think we have the players to make Pep's tactics work. In the early 2010s the FA had a huge futsal push after the impact we all saw it had with Spain's domination which is exactly why so many of these more technical players have come through now, but they've been managed by people like Southgate who, well, might have experience trying to manage technical players, but by no means have that technical understanding of the game themselves. On the other hand, Pep wouldn't have the time to iron things out in the way he does with club football, and he seems like a genuine control freak. More so than having funds, it's the inability to replace players who aren't clicking with his style of play which might grate on him and his plans – but, then, he'd know what's available going in and obviously be aware that he's limited to a single nation's pool of players. For me I don't think Pep should get it purely because he's not a tournament specialist, he's a league specialist. He's one of the best managers in the world, but he's playing to his strengths when he has a long season to build up and ebb and flow through. He designs his teams around his system and anyone onboard or in line with his vision gets that attention and care, but others are shipped off. Which is why, if we're going foreign, I still think it should be Mou or Tuchel both work to the strengths of what is available and can grind out their desired result if push comes to shove, whereas Pep has shown he doesn't have that same impact in knockouts.

Lee Carsley has been appointed as interim manager for the England team: I'm guessing that this becoming permanent hangs on how well he does in the Nations League group, which, uh...yeah doesn't really seem like a good way to gauge if this is going to work or not. Did a great job with the U21s back in 2021 (won the U21 Euros), so maybe this could be a good thing. Or maybe the FA are procrastinating on making a choice because Pep's contract is up next summer. Which would be a very FA thing to do.

Little thread bump just to remind anyone interested that pre-orders for the limited edition Astro Bot controller go up today Just put mine in with Curry's (where it's only £59.99, which seems to be a bit lower compared to some other places I've seen), but I'll be keeping an eye out just in case it winds up a bit lower elsewhere/being available from somewhere more preferable