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'Hellblade 2’ Could Help Solve Xbox’s Biggest Problem

Xbox gamers are in the midst of a severe drought right now, due to the lack of big-budget exclusives on Microsoft’s console. While Game Pass continues to offer great indie titles and passion projects from developers, the tentpole titles that gamers expect from Xbox have been largely absent over the last two years. With Xbox gearing up for a showcase in June, one title that needs to take the spotlight is Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II.

Jin_Sakai1015d ago

Halo Infinite didn’t turn things around.
Redfall definitely didn’t turn things around.
Starfield likely won’t turn things around either.

Heck let’s just wait til E3…

chrisx1015d ago

Exactly I was about to say I remember when halo infinite headed these articles.... Then it was redfall which they even went to say will be a GOTY. It's a going around in circles situation for Xbox now just in search of an actual exclusive GOTY material.

darthv721014d ago

In all due respects... Xbox's biggest problem is consistency. Or lack thereof. Hedging all your hopes on singular releases gets tiring as they come (infrequently) and do literally nothing to move the needle. The key to really getting people onboard is steady flow of titles. Big and small... aka: consistency.

If Phil can't get these teams on a regular cycle, then they need to find someone who can.

GotGame8181015d ago

There sadly won't be an E3 at all this year. Microsoft is going to do a Starfield presentation followed by a game presentation update. Kind of like what Nintendo and Sony do, in June.

Obscure_Observer1015d ago

Starfield is the most anticipated RPG game and Bethesda newest IP in 22 years.

Hellblade II is certainly the most anticipated Dark Fantasy game of the generation.

Those games might not "turn things around" as you said, still, both are unique games which will bring unique experiences which won´t be found anywhere else but Xbox and Xbox platforms.

Xbox is finally building itself a new identity beyond Halo, Gears and Forza. So be that indie, AA or AAA, as long Xbox continue to invest and deliver unique exclusive and genre diverse games, it´ll be fine.

Jin_Sakai1014d ago

“Starfield is the most anticipated RPG game and Bethesda newest IP in 22 years.”

Fallout 76 was highly anticipated also and we seen how that went.

outsider16241014d ago

Unique experience? I dont know man. What's so unique about Starfield? All i see is No Man Sky on Steroids. 1000 planets? NMS had procedural planets and you can go from planet to space and back seamlessly without loading. Thats unique.

Hellblade looks amazing for sure, but didnt xbox guys gave crap about ps exclusives being always "cinematic third person" games. This one looks like another "Cinematic third person" game to me. (Which by the way i love these kind of games.)

1014d ago
Shadowsteal1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

I love how you had to bring up such a specific genre "Dark Fantasy" just to be able to convince yourself that Hellblade 2 is more anticipated than it is.

Either way I'm fairly certain Final Fantasy 16 can be considered "Dark Fantasy" and it's infinitely more anticipated than Hellblade can ever dream to be.

Extermin8or3_1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

Destiny is an xbox fan boy imo. In a recent video even he points out that all sfsrfkeld footage has shown signs of serious frame rate issues and that is in gameplay footage and trailers that have been edited and are incredibly polished and viewed by loads of people meant to spot and edit out such issues. If even he is bringing it up.... expect it to be an issue. PH and that will have been on a high end pc.....

Also I played hellblade: senua's sacrifice on release (you know as a timed exclusive Sony funded development of) and it was a unique indie game but beyond that it was pretty on rails. The sequel looks set to take that to another level being perhaps slightly more interactive than a game from quantic dream (I hate those personally). Also I remain unconvinced the first game was ever meant to have a sequel and that after purchasing ninja theory MS forced them to make a sequel rather than create a new ip. Hellblade 1 felt like a 1 and done . It's clever storyline and it's depiction of mental health issues in such a unique and arguably accurate manner, in terms of the hearing voices and the research done to capture that. I can't see how it retains that and becomes a blockbuster AAA action title. I suspect ultimately its going to end up diluting its identity if it is to be a fun game to play. They really would have been better creating a new ip.

Profchaos1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

I'm a fan of Bethesda's work but we still don't know enough about starfeild yet I wouldn't call it the most anticipated I feel es6 or fallout 5 are more deserving of that

@jin_sakai I seem to recall fallout 76 was received with a wtf we didn't ask for this

Obscure_Observer1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

@Jin_Sakai

"Fallout 76 was highly anticipated also and we seen how that went."

I understand that since you don´t have a valid argument you had no option but to start and making sh!t up. Fallout 76, it´s a MULTIPLAYER focused game and a spin-off Fallout game which almost nobody wanted or gave a sh!t about in the first place.

@outsider1624

"Unique experience? I dont know man. What's so unique about Starfield? All i see is No Man Sky on Steroids."

Lol. Then stick with it No Man´s Sky and try and convince your PS pals that they don´t need Starfield because Hello Games got them covered!

"Hellblade looks amazing for sure, but didnt xbox guys gave crap about ps exclusives being always "cinematic third person" games."

Jealous remarks from jealous Xbox fanboys. Your opinion regarding Starfield as some "No Man Sky on Steroids." seems no different to me.

@Shadowsteal

"I love how you had to bring up such a specific genre "Dark Fantasy" just to be able to convince yourself that Hellblade 2 is more anticipated than it is.

Either way I'm fairly certain Final Fantasy 16 can be considered "Dark Fantasy" and it's infinitely more anticipated than Hellblade can ever dream to be."

No my fault if you´re an insecure and ignorant PS fanboy. Any Final Fantasy game described as Dark Fantasy exist only in you head.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

Final Fantasy XVI will rival Starfield, which one will be the best, remains to be seen.

Extermin8or3_

"If even he is bringing it up.... expect it to be an issue. PH and that will have been on a high end pc...."

You can keep that FUD bs to yourself, dude. I rather trust my eyes. Anyone but the blind can easily tell that Tim Lamb is playing Starfield´s latest build at least at 60 frames per second

https://youtu.be/raWbElTCea...

GamingSinceForever1014d ago

You forgot to include “On XBOX” in your two most anticipated statements.

On PS5 and Nintendo the most anticipated lists are different and most certainly larger.

outsider16241014d ago

@obscure
Jealous remarks from jealous Xbox fanboys. Your opinion regarding Starfield as some "No Man Sky on Steroids." seems no different to me.

My opinion on Starfield being Non Man sky on steroids is still spot on. Meaning it, to me, looks likes no man sky but graphically better. Even that mining thing look better.
Im calling you out on the "unique experience" that you put up.

"Jealous remarks from jealous fanboys"
Well then..good that im calling out their hypocricy. You know these "1 and done games" according to them.
Unique experience

lellkay1014d ago

Xbox is really only building an identity of failiure. They really need to deliver on games games and games.

1014d ago
wiz71911014d ago

@Jin except as it stands today though Fallout 76 is wayyy better then it was at launch.

Armyofdarkness1014d ago

Keep fighting the uphill battle my guy, I’m rooting for ya!

Elda1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

LOL!! "Unique experiences? How so?? Starfield & Hellblade 2 won't turn anything around.

northpaws1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

@obscure_observer

That's all in your imagination...

Starfield can be a decent game, but it is carrying too much weight and too much hype around it, thanks to the xbox fans, it can never live up to the expectation.

Hellblade II can be a good game, but no one knows or cares about it much for it to be the "Most anticipated" of anything.

Xbox has not finally building itself beyond Halo/Gears/Forza, first of all, they can't even maintain that 3 franchises, both Halo and Gears are lagging behind. Secondly, they bought "Starfield", and they bought "Hellblade II", they didn't build shit.

Charlieboy3331014d ago

Oh you mean Hellblade....the one and done third person 'movie' type game that is such a favourite with Xbox fans like yourself? So that excites you now does it? Hypocrisy noted.

Chevalier1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

"Hellblade II is certainly the most anticipated Dark Fantasy game of the generation"

Sorry this is absolutely not true. The first game took 4 years and releases on every console and PC to reach 1 million copies sold. You're putting too much weight on this game. It will do alright I'm sure, but, most anticipated? Lol.

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Zeref1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

The only people saying Xbox needs to "turn things around" and "wait for E3" are PS fanboys lol

The fake concern trolling is very obvious.

We have been getting great games and have plenty to look forward to.

Mr_cheese1014d ago

To be fair, it isn't just playstation fans saying that xbox needs to turn things around especially in the wake of redfall and Spencers last interview. What people are saying is very valid. It's another matter if you are saying that you buy into xbox for gamepass (now) but you'd be hard done by to convince anybody that you're buying into xbox for the consistent stream of quality exclusives. That's not a dig, it's a fact.

It would probably help if you stopped plaguing every comment you make with PS Fanyboy this, PS Fanboy that. Makes your "points" mute.

CBaoth1014d ago

Is that why Xbox is dead last again? Can't sell hardware. Don't sell games. Is that why Uncle Phil sounded like putting a gun to Xbox's head like he was puttin down ole Yeller?

jznrpg1014d ago

That’s part of the issue . Too many Xbox fans except whatever they get and quality doesn’t matter as long as gamepass is cheap. It won’t be cheap forever and the console is going to be the last thing they care about.

Demand more ! You pay for this stuff

BehindTheRows1014d ago

You're at a certain stage of grief. Figure out which one.

Simply put, it is NOT just "PS fanboys" saying Xbox needs an overhaul. Plenty of Xbox fans feel the same way and zealots are the only ones who seem incapable of calling a spade a spade.

Elda1014d ago

LMAO!! What great games?? Who are "we"??

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Sonic18811014d ago

My biggest issue I have with Starfield is that it reminds me to much of No man sky and that it might have lots of bugs after launch. Hopefully they fix the shooting mechanic

peppeaccardo1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

Hellblade 2 so far has been an UE5 metahuman showcase ... if the gameplay is similar to the first one u know how it will go ...
I would not rely mich on Xbsx first party as it is marketed as a gamepass seller ....

Godmars2901014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

Because all those games, because two of those major titles twice fell on their face once on early showing then upon release after delays meant to 'fix' things, if Starfield has issues Hellbalde 2 wont fix anything.

And if it has issues...

Clearly MS needs to either overhaul just about everything Xbox, or get out of the industry.

Silly Mammo1014d ago

Why do people think Xbox's turnaround is hinged on one game? There is no magic bullet for Xbox. The reason PS and Nintendo was beating Xbox is because they are consistently releasing really good games generation after generation. Xbox is built on hype for the next big thing and the results speak for themselves.

1014d ago Replies(3)
1Victor1014d ago

The Xbox biggest problem won’t be solved by a game and is so obvious a blind gamer can see it a mile away.
The ones I can so far and I wish they fix
1 leadership: everyone love Phil but he’s just a yes man corporate front he have little to no saying on what’s going on.

2 quality control: the recent quality of mayor titles(AAA) has been lacking to put it mildly, I’ll leave it at that we all know this extremely well.

Bottom line is till Microsoft buy my way in mentality is finished and they learn to manage what they have they will never be successful the way they want to be no matter if they buy the entire video game industry

Obscure_Observer1014d ago

"1 leadership: everyone love Phil but he’s just a yes man corporate front he have little to no saying on what’s going on"

Phil is a man who say "yes" to games. Xbox has been investing on many new games and especially on new IPs, way more than Playstation so far which under the actual leadership has apparently rely way more on sequels, remasters, remakes and GaaS than anything else.

Even after the Redfall fiasco, Arkane Austin is still a thing and are already hiring for it´s next AAA game.

On the other hand, Playstation under Jim Ryan just shutdown a small and creative 20 person studio which was actively working on an unannounced and now dead AAA game. All of that while boasting breaking records Playstation numbers.

So you can get pissed and try to spin all you want, but those are the facts that you can check for yourself.

"2 quality control: the recent quality of mayor titles(AAA) has been lacking to put it mildly, I’ll leave it at that we all know this extremely well."

BS! I dare you to bring the Metascores of all Xbox first party games released since the current generation started and say again that quality "has been lacking to put it mildly".

I´ll be waiting!

1Victor1014d ago

@obscured: “BS! I dare you to bring the Metascores of all Xbox first party games released since the current generation started and say again that quality "has been lacking to put it mildly".

SPOILERS ALERT: H_LO _NFIN_TY still waiting for local coop for the first time in franchise history 🤦🏿 QUALITY HAD BEEEN LACKING

For more I’m sure you as a hardcore Xbox fan can think of at leas 2 more. I stopped jumping in the Xbox cool aid after the 360
BTW since when has metascore = quality?
Oh are we moving the goal post again with the this generation clause as if Phil just got in his Xbox position 🤯

343_Guilty_Spark1014d ago

Wow what an encouraging comment. Stay tuned to Jin_Sakai’s next informative post on Xbox.

AmUnRa1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

And Hellblade will also not turn things around ...

Aloymetal1014d ago

The only thing missing from your almost perfect post was...Gamapass didn't turn things around. ;)

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 1014d ago
lukasmain1015d ago

The first game was really good, but the gameplay was really not good and kind of bare bones. Hope they rectify this in the 2nd game.

jznrpg1014d ago

The gameplay they showed had more timed press button to kill big monster with spear event. So I’m not sure how good the combat will be . It will look great but combat will be a big question mark.

Chriswheeler221014d ago

I think people forget what the first game was. This isn't God of War.

Tacoboto1014d ago

Yeah, this wasn't an action game - it was a relatively linear adventure, a journey through Senua's mental state and inner turmoil.

Viljong1014d ago

Psfanboys crossing their fingers to starfield and every xbox console exclusive to flop. Sick attitude. Any true gamer would be exited about new big triple A games. Starfield gameplay look stunning people are less toxic on youtube and more eager to play the game than judge it pre release.

philm871014d ago

100%. I'm a PS5 owner, but just want to play the best games, whatever the platform. I occasionally play Xbox games via the cloud to get access to some of the gems on gamepass. Also if a game is a real hit, Microsoft may be tempted to release it on Playstation further down the line to take advantage of the big userbase.

jonny8971014d ago

Console war commandment - ''Thou shalt receive what ye give''. Kratos cannot jump, Spider-Man puddlegate, Miles Morales is just a DLC, boring HFW destroyed by Elden Ring, Returnal is a huge flop

northpaws1014d ago

@jonny897

Really sad for them, they have no idea what they are missing out on, if they actually try those games, they would be like "why didn't we demand more from Xbox"

Tacoboto1014d ago

This person also reduced Horizon Burning Shores to "propaganda", absolutely full of delusion to then go on and say "Any true gamer would be exited about new big triple A games".

Some people really should just go and enjoy their... less-toxic YouTube commenters. Lol

Zeref1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

You really don't see this with any other fanbase.

You don't see Xbox fans praying that Spiderman or any Playstation exclusive flops lol. Most Xbox fans either don't care or they're looking forward to them.

I'm an Xbox guy but you'll never hear me talk shit about any Playstation exclusives unless it's actually bad and I don't even attribute it to Playstation I talk about the game itself.
I haven't even said anything about Forespoken and I actively defended Last of Us Part 2.

But you'll see no such grace from Playstation fanboys. They hope Redfall will be the last Xbox exclusive and that MS will shut down Xbox tomorrow because of it lol.

Playstation fanboys will downplay any good Xbox title. You're already seeing it with Starfield and we've seen it with Hi-Fi Rush.

It's sad really. They hate Xbox more than they love Playstation. That's why all they do is talk about Xbox.

tay87011014d ago

Lmao yah not sure what planet you are living on. Everytime a playstation exclusive releases xbots are review bombing in on metacritic. Giving ridiculous scores of zero to games like the last of us 2. That game is last gen, yet it still looks better than 95% of current gen xbox games. You can not like the story writing, but sonys 1st party games aren't released is such a pathetic state as was Redfield.

XiNatsuDragnel1014d ago

Nii San, you know that's a lie right all fanboys are ego-driven losers who care about plastic right? Instead what's good for gaming.

MrSec841014d ago

Nonsense, even amazing games like Horizon Forbidden West, God of War, etc get it from the Xbox community, Redfall is bad mouthed because it's rubbish and comes from a developer that can create better, that's been proven to do so numerous times.

Hi-Fi Rush has been largely praised by gamers, PlayStaton ones included.

TBH the XBox community tends to have the most toxic fanboys of the bunch, you see a large portion of them hating on PlayStation and Nintendo games, because little is coming to XBox of quality.

Profchaos1014d ago

You're really generalising and probably talking about a vocal minority good games are good games console wars are for kids that can't afford multiple systems imo

Linefix1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

"You don't see Xbox fans praying that Spiderman or any Playstation exclusive flops lol. Most Xbox fans either don't care or they're looking forward to them."
LMFAO! Sure of that? That's a big fat lie you just spout.

And actually, M$ and Xbox fanboys are the ones so invested in this console war drama, even executives and higher ups at M$ are in full engagement in it to the point of bringing politics into it. "Waaah! Dem aSiAnz aRe gOnnA hUrT 'MuRicA's eCoNoMy aNd tEcHnOlOgY, waaaah! hElP uS oUr dEaR sEnAtOrs"

343_Guilty_Spark1014d ago

@MrSec84

That’s a damn lie. Idk why you are even brining up Nintendo… Xbox fans don’t bad mouth Nintendo. You can go just about anywhere on this site and see the constant negativity and vitriol from PS fans. Even here do you see any comment resembling …”Excited to see Hellblade 2…hoping it turns things around for Xbox”

Nope.

Chevalier1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

Sorry you're absolutely delusional. Go check out the Redfall comments on IGN. Over 5000 comments and many Xbox fanboys suggesting all Playstation games are garbage. So the idea that you don't see Xbox fans wanting Playstation games to fail is a fallacy. You just haven't looked.

As for most toxic fanboys then sorry Xbox wins that in Spades. There was a study done 2 or 3 years ago and the end result showed that Xbox gamers were the most aggressive and toxic. Feel free to Google it

MrSec841013d ago

@343_Guilty_Spark: It's not a lie at all, of course Xbox fans bad mouth Nintendo, because they have a large install base and actually get quality game releases.
When you talk about fanboys those are the outliers, the exceptions, they aren't the rule.

I bring up Nintendo because they get it from those hate filled Xbox Fans, that aren't getting much besides Multi Plats and very little 1st Party or unique releases you can't get besides on the XBox platforms.
The only thing Nintendo doesn't do is have modern hardware, but anyone who's objective can see they have quality releases, unique games you can't get on other platforms besides the Switch.
The same is true of PlayStation, Sony actually supports their platforms.

I'll bring up whoever I want to make my point, keep burying your head in the sand because the platform you champion isn't bringing the goods.
I don't even know why you would praise Microsoft as you do, they constantly drop the ball, expect to be able to buy up the industry and not give anything back in the way of growing it.
Nintendo and Sony both actually bother to create an abundance of new games and provide a steady stream of unique releases that you can't get on Xbox.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 1013d ago
CantThinkOfAUsername1014d ago

Bethesda fangirls are always excited about Bethesda titles. They were also excited about Fallout 76. Simple-minded folks.

1014d ago Replies(2)
1014d ago
ocelot071014d ago

I'm a big elder scrolls and fallout fan. I hope starfield is good I really do. I'll deffinetly be giving it a rent on gamepass. If it's as fun as fallout and elder scrolls then I'll buy it on steam.

The thing is imo so far I have not seen anything that's got me really excited. I even got excited for fallout 76 so much I pre ordered the power armour edition.

Starfield so far just noting.

Obscure_Observer1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

"Starfield so far just noting."

You lie through your teeth. You just want some cookies from your PS delusional and jealous bunch.

If you really have ZERO interest in Starfield so far you wouldn´t even bother to talk about it.

Gotta love the PS fanboy fake concern mentality and hypocrisy! If Starfield was an PS5 exclusive you would be all over it. You´re not fooling anyone but yourself.

ocelot071014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

@Obscure_Observer The biggest Xbox shill on the internet calling people fanboys and accusing people of lying. Absolutele commedy gold as usual lol.

I even said I'm willing to give it a try and it still hurts your feelings. Unless im not creating fake excitement or genuinely excited for it me and others are all fanboys lol. Sorry Phill but if your game is good I'll happily PAY for it not continue to rent it. If it's bad then it won't be a surprise.

343_Guilty_Spark1014d ago

It’s truly disgusting. They are so miserable they want every game to fail. We get one crappy game and it’s Doomsday.

GamingSinceForever1014d ago

When you buy into the ideology that there is a “they and we” or “them and us” in this then you are guilty yourself of fanboyism.

With that being said it makes no sense getting bent out of shape over what they said. It means you are taking it too serious. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Elda1014d ago

LOL!! Who are "they" & "we" ??

Obscure_Observer1014d ago

"It’s truly disgusting. They are so miserable they want every game to fail. We get one crappy game and it’s Doomsday."

Don´t bother with those clowns. Take a look at the profile of those trashing and downplaying Zelda Tears of the Kingdom for being a masterpiece. For those bozos to hate on Xbox games its only their nature.

northpaws1014d ago

@Viljong

No one wants it to fail, Xbox failed itself without help.

I bought an Xbox Series X with 3 years of Gamepass because of the Day 1 first party games 1.5 years ago... and then nothing much happened... I literally turn it on to do system update now and then and that's it.

I also bought Xbox 360 before I buy PS3, I enjoyed Xbox 360 for the most part, and then the number of games dried up at the second half of that cycle, and then keep going downhill since then.

343_Guilty_Spark1014d ago

If it ain’t on PS it don’t exist to them. Nasty attitudes.

MrSec841013d ago

Who the hell are you talking about?
Where are the nasty comments you're talking about?

I've seen tonnes of PlayStation fans praising Hi-Fi Rush, along with Tears of the Kingdom, along with other none PlayStation games.
If games are good then they get praised, you're either imagining it or inventing it, because I see mountains of XBox guys hating on anything and everything that isn't XBox made or partner made for XBox.

The general hate people like you have for games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Forbidden West, it's DLC, God of War, Ragnarok, Last of Us, anything PlayStation is crazy and indisputably happens on here and all over YouTube or Facebook, etc from XBox fans.
It's also regularly directed at Nintendo games and gamers too.
Stop with the nonsense guilt trips and bullied mentality, because people like you instigate it and can't accept that XBox can't be bothered to actually support the Series platform, it's been 2 and half years at this point and very little in the way of good games and very low quantities of releases have come to Series S and X, that isn't the case with Sony and Nintendo.

The nasty attitudes are predominantly from XBox fans!

Viljong1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

Taco about horizon i explained how sony inserting lgtbq in well established game series feel wrong and forced becouse of how they handled the romance subject in previous games. And how lgbtq community(the pride magazine for an example) reach out sony with such idead that everyone should be gay or lesbian is sickening, like pride magazine contacting sony how Kratos should be gay and his son Atreus too should be on journey to discover his gay interests and they argue with sony that it doesnt feel forced or overall wrong. As the dev said they allready "had to nerf the female form" becouse trans community feel offended. I wished these kind of things and politics to be left outside from games and what did you do? Claim to be lgtbq person and write petty insults to me. Well done! Atleast i can respectfully argue you have no points only petty insults which are easy to use against you if chosen to link on same level.

https://n4g.com/news/254860...

It does seem that even with many removed comments people agreed on this one or atleast can have better discussion than insulting.

Viljong1014d ago (Edited 1014d ago )

I have always invested in every console brand becouse im gaming enthuastic and been loving games since the first nes. Ps1, ps2, psp, ps3, psvita, ps4, ps4 pro, ps5 and psvr2. With huge libary of games. I also had every xbox since. Switch and A class pcs from 2000 to 2017 when i decided to put pc gaming on halt.

I just sense too much negativity towards xbox and even talking bad about upcoming games and wishing them to fail. Xbox have problems but its also a great console with good games not available on playstation and the GP

I love playstation and PS5 and psvr2 is definetly the best gen of my entire gaming career, i just dont accept or think xbox is so bad many claim to be. The console itself have good features over competition but mentioning those, oh boy you get them downvotes.

And no fanboys review bomb games like tlou part 2 or horizon dlc. They are frustrated playstation gamers who defend their view of how the games should not involve identify politics etc. Its more defending what we love and enthuaism towards games and standing on what we believe games are all about and what they do with beloved games whom millions of people play.

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 1013d ago
staticall1014d ago

One game couldn't solve Xbox's drought. Even if the game's going to be amazing.
If you're hungry, one plate of food wouldn't make you feel full.

It could be a sign on change, sure. But first, i would like at least to see some unedited gameplay.

But after a recent interview with Phil Spencer, when he said that great games won't help to turn things around, i don't expect much. Better to keep your expectations low and be pleasantly surprised than to overhype everything and repeat the Halo Infinite/Redfall situation, imo.

Profchaos1014d ago

Wasn't it stated the game was still in early development sick months ago don't expect this one for another year

Show all comments (108)
IRetrouk273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

Won't stop here, watch, day and date announcements next.

VenomUK273d ago

Reaper: “Whilst Hellblade II is coming to PS5, Starfield and Halo will NEVER be released on PlayStation.”

neutralgamer1992273d ago

All Xbox games will come to Playstation, pc and if switch 2 can handle it will be on there too. This is best for gamers. Play the games on the platform of your choice.

Play on Xbox and pc with GP
Play on PS paying full price same for Nintendo

MS get the best of both markets

Wh1teLightning273d ago

As much as I wish that were true I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time.

Babadook7273d ago

Starfield could come yet. Halo probably wont come, at least not for many years.

darthv72273d ago

Starfield i can most definitely say will come. Because it was in talks with Sony before the buyout. Halo... maybe not. unless MS can ink a deal with Bungie to take over the series and then by virtue of being owned by Sony then it will come.

As for this game, all i can say is the graphics were stunning on the SX... I can only imagine they will be even crisper on the 5Pro.

CrimsonWing69273d ago

I’ll take that bet. How much we wanna put down that those DO come out on PS5?

I think Xbox is in such a position that they want their console to be essentially a Gamepass machine, which, sure that would be far affordable for many. Whereas, PS5 you pay the full price for their Xbox releases. I don’t think they benefit from holding back certain releases, assuming that’s their angle.

Fist4achin273d ago

It's not about brand and fans anymore. It's about money and profits. Future Xbox consoles will be more like Steam Decks. Physical media is disappearing and digital is taking over.

Obscure_Observer273d ago

@neutralgamer1992

"Play on Xbox and pc with GP
Play on PS paying full price same for Nintendo

MS get the best of both markets"

PERFECT!!!

Cacabunga273d ago

Still not buying this boring game

Petebloodyonion273d ago

Fail to see what the problem is with them coming to PS5.
In fact I can actually laugh at all of the ppl who used to say Xbox has no games yet are happy about Gears Remasters, Forza5, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, etc.
In the end good game deserved to be played

I wouldn't be surprised if Dreamcast Guy re-reviews Hellblade 2 on PS5, and now gives it a 9/10 score

Toncsipapa273d ago

Why do you think that? Xbox is changed now. Now it's all about releasing most of the games on playstation. Geara is coming to ps5. Gears was the xbox brands biggest game with halo and Forza. And two of them are already there or on the way. I own both consoles and I do think this is good for us. The more they sell the better games we get in the future. And if the rumors are true the next gen xbox will play steam games so it will play ps5 ( pc release games) and that will be good for us. More new ip and less remake and re releases hopefully.

Profchaos273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

Hahahahaha very funny

PlayStation has gears and Forza that's two of the major pillars of Xbox halo is just another Domino and I hope starfield doesn't come it wasn't very good

derek272d ago

They're all coming Philip Bartholomew Spencer has essentially said so as his bosses told him to say. I dont care about Hellblade 2 always looked like you're walking on rails. Gears remake will be a day 1 game for me.

StormSnooper272d ago (Edited 272d ago )

MS is forced to release its games on the competition. I feel bad for people who invested in xbox at this point.

Their next showcase will be digital because a live show might involve actual Xbox gamers’ reactions to Xbox games going to PlayStation and that would be embarrassing for MS.

1Victor272d ago (Edited 272d ago )

@venom:” will NEVER be released on”

.
Where have I heard that before🤔 🤔 🤔
Oh that’s what sega fanboys said about sonic the hedgehog games on Nintendo and PlayStation 🤣 🤣
M$ will release those on PlayStation their addiction to big💰demand it and can’t resist it 🤣 🤣

crazyCoconuts272d ago

I love seeing Xbox Console Warriors now pretend like they don't care about their console.
Newsflash - Playstation doesn't compete with EA, Ubisoft, Sega, or 3rd party publishers like Microsoft. Keep those exclusives coming over and watch Xbox consoles fade into obscurity.

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Eonjay273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

They are already doing day and date releases... For example, Doom, Gears Reloaded, Outer Worlds 2, Call of Duty...

IRetrouk273d ago

Well it's mostly been older releases, stuff that's already been on ps and a couple remasters/remakes, I'm talking about future halos, gears, forzas....

Eonjay273d ago

@IRetrouk okay I see what you are saying. I honestly think they just had to ramp up their PS5 development kits and what not. It is in Microsoft's best interest to release on PlayStation day and date to maximize hype for new titles so I am sure you are right.

IRetrouk273d ago

I also get your point lol, kinda just cements what's happing really, and agree, I'm sure some ramping up was needed, especially after cancelling or "holding" dev on some ps5 versions of games.

Obscure_Observer273d ago

"They are already doing day and date releases... For example, Doom, Gears Reloaded, Outer Worlds 2, Call of Duty..."

Indeed.

The fact they´re also going full digital with the upcoming Xbox Showcase, is further indication that more day and date games announces for every platform might happen.

Petebloodyonion273d ago

@IRetrouk
Why wouldn't they release new multiplayer games like Gears, Halo, and Forza day 1 on PS5?
Xbox users get to have the PC/Version included in the purchase, plus the possibility to play it on Game Pass
So there's more benefit as an Xbox user (especially Game Pass).
It brings more money to MS and more players for the health of the game.

IRetrouk273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

@pete not sure i understand the question, I wasn't stating if they should or shouldnt do it or if it is good or bad, just that it was happening, but for the record, I've been saying for years ms should go this route🤷‍♂️
I'm not sure how ms releasing games multiplat helps benefit xbox users more, you get the same if they were exclusive or not, your right about the money and player base though, it is a good thing.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 273d ago
phatak273d ago

its all going to come now eventually , xbox officially saying we lost without saying the words, the final nail in the coffin is obviously halo, xbox as a brand is finished with gears and forza gone, 0 exclusives with everything coming to PC and now even playstation

Obscure_Observer273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

"Won't stop here, watch, day and date announcements next."

Look no further than the latest´s games sales data!

Xbox first party games sales destroyed everything at Playstation last month!

FIVE games in the Top 10 best selling games!

https://bsky.app/profile/di...

Now ask me if I`m unhappy to see Xbox games thriving as Playstation´s gamers favorite games this year?

We used to hear that Xbox games were all trash! So obviously I´m very happy that those opinions do not reflect the opinion of actual Playstation gamers that actually BUY and PLAY games!

IRetrouk273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

Yeah, they are doing great, destroyed everything at playstation? Lmao, those are at playstation, just like those other 3rd party games they outsold...

We already know how you feel about this🤣 all you did was change your opinion as soon as phil told you too lol
The years not over yet, favourite games of the year is again, probably giving way too much credit to those sales charts you now love, we got plenty of games coming from all over yet.
Like it or not for over a decade xbox releases were either bad, severely lacking or just more of the same with little innovation, the quality ones selling isn't surprising, I'd say gears is gonna do a couple mill easy, real question is, why it took releasing them on playstation to see these games chart🤔

Profchaos272d ago

They didn't destroy anything at PlayStation they destroyed on PlayStation huge difference

Sony and Microsoft both making money

derek272d ago

Let's not rewrite history here, most of those games were already being made by third parties (going to be on playstation anyways) before Microsoft bought them in the last 4 years. It's games that Microsoft was producing before they bought 2 giant publishers that mostly sucked, you know it and I know it.

StormSnooper272d ago

@obscure
Now it’s great that xbox games are playable on PlayStation? You fought tooth and nail that their games would never be on PlayStation. Now you say it’s amazing?

To be clear, PlayStation gamers are the winner here. They get to play the games. MS makes money, but at the expense of losing relevance and trust.

Obscure_Observer272d ago

@StormSnooper

"To be clear, PlayStation gamers are the winner here. They get to play the games. MS makes money, but at the expense of losing relevance and trust."

They have to pay full price for those games while we´ll be getting everything day one on Gamepass. Works for me.

We get to play MORE and better games for cheap since Xbox games selling like hot cakes on all platforms will only fund or games on Gamepass making it bigger and better. Oblivion Remake, Clair Obscure, Doom The Dark Ages along with Metaphor which just dropped on Gamepass out of nowhere.

All of those AMAZING games in what? 40 Days?

I much rather play all those games on Gamepass while saving big money for my next gen Xbox. I don´t care for Sony´s GaaS crap and the only game which interest me on PS5 at the moment is Intergalactic which is not reason enough for me to go out and buy a PS5.

So you can keep your "trust" in Sony while you pay full $80 for everything to make them feel relevant or whatever.

I rather stick with Xbox, thank you. To each their own.

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IRetrouk273d ago

That and south of midnight, both look very good.

VenomUK273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

Obscuire Observron said: “Avowed and South of Midnight and Gears of War and Halo will never come to PlayStation.”

Obscure_Observer273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

@VenomUK

“Obscuire Observron said: “Avowed and South of Midnight and Gears of War and Halo will never come to PlayStation.””

And I heard that Xbox games were trash.

repsahj273d ago

@Obs Obs
This game, Redfall, and Starfall are all trash. Meanwhile FH5 and Gears are all great games.

derek272d ago

@Obscure, console wars are over bud, we'll have all the best xbox games on playstation soon enough. We buy our games on playstation.

StormSnooper272d ago (Edited 272d ago )

@obscure
Their best games are not trash, but they are not as good as PlayStation games. Selling good on PlayStation simply means a lot of gamers hadn’t played them because they were on a xbox platform with a historically low/lower installment base. But that should be obvious to anyone.

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IRetrouk273d ago

Yeah the woman kinda told on herself in that interview before launch lol

Kyizen273d ago

Starfield before Avowed or South of Midnight I think.

jznrpg273d ago

I am much more interested in Avowed than Hellblade. But they need to actually put the games on disc.

-Foxtrot273d ago

I’d rather see Rare Replay myself

Maybe Sunset Overdrive or Quantum Break

darthv72273d ago

I don't think Remedy want to revisit QB anytime soon... and it's a shame too as playing it at 60fps is a much needed improvement. Same with Ryse and SSOD. I play all those on my steamdeck in better performance.

SSOD would be welcomed with open arms and probably give the much needed shot to green light the sequel that has been on hiatus for so long.

Petebloodyonion273d ago

I would expect a Rare Replay compilation for Switch before PlayStation.
Quantum Break will probably never happen due to numerous reasons, like licensing deals for the actors
But Sunset Overdrive would be a perfect fit for PlayStation.

PhillyDonJawn273d ago

Gonna be waiting for that one.

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RaidenBlack273d ago

Enhanced as in, enhanced with more gameplay time/segments?

ocelot07273d ago

PS5 Pro Enhance and also has things like haptic feedback support.

Tacoboto273d ago

Horde mode! Endless waves of... 1 enemy at a time.

I don't get the point of announcing it this way. It's not like word of mouth was near as good as the first game so revealing the port as an Enhanced version without detailing a single Enhancement is certainly a choice.

Being able to apply a visual filter while playing I guess would be nice but I can't think of one thing that would make me actually want to play through it again any time soon. Unless there's like a new chapter where we can fight 2-3 enemies at once lol

monkey602273d ago

I'm only surprised this took so long. I actually haven't gotten around to playing it yet but despite my hype before launch I'm unlikely to buy it now because I got put off so much with friends feedback

ocelot07273d ago

I my self who didn't play the first one. I had it completed within 5 and a bit hours of play. Graphics, animations, voice acting is fine. Puzzles where good. The combat was very basic.

Couldn't get on with the story what so ever. The constant voices was really off putting to the point half way through the game I turned off the combat so I could just get the game over and done with quickly.

If you enjoyed the first game. You should enjoy this. If you never played the first one like my self. Then it could be a terrible experience or you may enjoy it.

Kyizen273d ago

Play the first, graphics are a step down but still great, game wise it is a much much better game. (Puzzles are meh still though) but if you though 2 was good or okay, part one is fantastic.

crazyCoconuts273d ago

I enjoyed the first and enjoyed this one too.
I played it on PC with a 3080 and the graphics are jaw dropping. I don't know what it's listing for but given how short it is I don't think it's worth more than $25 though

Show all comments (127)
380°

Hellblade 2 Is Now Unofficially Available on PlayStation (Sort Of)

An unofficial Hellblade 2 PlayStation port is now playable on hacked consoles, letting you experience the game in a new gameplay format

1Victor458d ago

It’s just a matter of time till…….🤷🏿
We all know how much Microsoft like money no matter what they know their base won’t “pay” for games on day one 🤣

SPEAKxTHExTRUTH457d ago

Are you saying that Sony doesn’t like money? MS is a business and a pretty successful one at that so of course they like money. As far as their “base won’t pay” I guess the hundreds of Xbox games I have just magically appeared in my library…

Mmmkay457d ago

Did he say that Sony does not like money? Does Sony and MS have to be opposite all the time? You xboys are worse than maga cultists. No possible way of getting anything through to you. Completely in your own bubble.

SeTTriP457d ago

Xbox is a complete and utter failure that's being subsidized by MS if we're being 💯.only a 2 trillion dollar company can be this bad at something and survive.

pwnmaster3000457d ago

@Mmmkay
That’s what I’m saying.
You can’t criticize one company with out the fanboys coming out with the comparison.

“Well well Sony does this”
Cool we are talking about MS.

SoloZelot90457d ago

MS is successful but Xbox is not.

On the other hand playstation is very successful and Sony is not.

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Gamingsince1981457d ago

The games trash I dont think anyone cares if it comes to ps5 or not

The3faces457d ago

And what games do ponies buy? I'm sure Square Enix and Sony would have something to say about that 🤣

KwietStorm_BLM457d ago

Has nothing to do with liking money. Everyone likes money. This is just the corner they've backed themselves into. Keeping games only on Xbox would equal low to no sales, certainly not enough to recoup development costs. And games are where all the profits come from, for every platform holder.

TheEroica457d ago (Edited 457d ago )

Sony beggars are a sight to behold.... They've got no games so backdooring Xbox games is prime!

DodoDojo457d ago (Edited 457d ago )

You saying that Xboxers won't pay for games on an article about hacked Playstation systems playing pirated games is kinda ironic.

1Victor456d ago

@dodo:”You saying that Xboxers won't pay for games on an article about hacked Playstation systems playing pirated games is kinda ironic”
.
🤣 finally someone gets it 🤣

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repsahj457d ago

Lol! I will wait this demo on PS+

Aloymetal457d ago

Even then, waste of precious ssd space lol.

Sonic1881457d ago (Edited 457d ago )

The game wasn't good anyway. It's a walking simulator. I was disappointed

Sonic1881273d ago (Edited 273d ago )

I agree and I wasn't a fan of Death Stranding. But I'm hearing Death Stranding 2 is this opposite. I'm hearing it's more like an open world Metal Gear and a better overall game now. Hellblade 2 was supposed to be better than the first game and that didn't happen

Sonic1881273d ago

Death Stranding also has more depth in the gameplay compared to Hellblade

Futureshark457d ago

Probably claim it when it's a monthly game on PS Plus.

DazaMc457d ago

So it's a video with quicktime events, about as playable as the original then. I have finished it on Xbox.

babadivad457d ago

Original was a lot better. I've been saying Senua should have died at the end of the first game even before Microsoft bought
the studio and green-lit a sequel. Her story was done. With how shallow the story was in part two, seems I was right.

LoveSpuds457d ago

I managed to get about 3 hours in before the novelty of the amazing graphics wore off and I couldn't put up with the boring and repetative gameplay any longer. Playing it on GamePass, so having not specifically 'paid' for that game in particular, made it very easy to delete and move on.

isarai457d ago

Same, played it on PC and even graphically it's not ALWAYS so impressive, it shines above the rest in brief moments but ive played other games that are just as, if not more impressive. Graphics aside everything is either the same or lacking compared to the 1st game, and it's honestly baffling the scope of this game given the development time and having MSs money behind them, and how much MS pushed this on their packaging and marketing. It's not a bad game per se, but it's not even as good as the first game honestly, it's ok 🤷‍♂️

Show all comments (30)
370°

Hellblade 2 Sees High Engagement Numbers In May In US

Get the latest data on sales and engagement for Hellblade 2, including its performance on Xbox and Xbox Game Pass.

Read Full Story >>
gamersocialclub.ca
purple101590d ago

Omg this is saddest article I ever seen. The person writing this must have felt terrible

Valkyrye590d ago

the console wars ended little man

OtterX589d ago

No, engagement numbers are still high.

S2Killinit589d ago (Edited 589d ago )

Engagement numbers 😂

aaronaton589d ago

Who brought up the 'console wars', apart from yourself?

OtterX588d ago

Lol, I don't think people got my joke. I meant engagement in the console wars was still high! 😂

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Einhander1972589d ago

Trying to act like these are good numbers or what Microsoft was hoping for is indeed pretty sad.

They say it has the 12'th highest engagement on xbox,in the US but it never even crossed into the top 20 on xbox's own ranking system.

And either way 12'th on a day one high profile release on game pass doesn't sound great at all.

589d ago
589d ago
repsahj589d ago

#37 overall for the month of May and #21 on Xbox Series.

Elda589d ago

LOL!! Of course most folks with Gamepass decided to check the game out when it was released almost 2 months ago. The game was number 37 as the best selling game of the month of May which is really not that great. AAA exclusives should be at least in the top 5 or let alone in the top 10. The game is a borefest & the only folks that are still talking about the game are articles like this.

Armyofdarkness589d ago

«Piscatella followed up by saying Hellblade 2 fell just outside the top 10 of the US Xbox engagement chart landing in 12th place just behind the resurgent Fallout 76.»

Wow!! Just behind the glorious Fallout 76!

Valkyrye589d ago

Fallout 76 is having a great year, u need to get out of ur cave once in a while.

Armyofdarkness589d ago

Yeah dude, only took them 6 years. Defending 76 over here.. maybe you are the one in the cave

rlow1589d ago

So the game had good engagement. But some on here are trying real hard to downplay it. Honestly, there is more important things in world then trying to attack a game you probably didn’t even try.

shinoff2183589d ago (Edited 589d ago )

If we're going by engagement which is a dumb ass metric imo , it still didn't do that great. It did low end ok at best.

Also you right there are more important things out there in the world. Except this is a gaming website for gaming news and discussion.

Lightning77589d ago

He's talking about all the constantly downplaying that many do here when it comes to Xbox, even if it's good news. Though that's noting nee that's always been this site since I came on here anyway. Sony says they're going off of engagement. Is it still a dumb metric or is it suddenly good now?

rlow1589d ago

Unfortunately that is the metric that both Xbox and PS are concerned with. An all digital future is almost upon us, love it or hate it.

As for the downplaying, @Lightning77 summed it up nicely. But to add, arguing a point is one thing, constantly saying nothing new makes one a resounding gong.

PassNextquestion588d ago

If your judging how well a game is doing on gamepass wouldn't you use engagement metric as you can't go by sales of the game?

repsahj589d ago

So #37 and #21 in their launch month have high engagement now on an Xbox game? sad.

Einhander1972589d ago (Edited 589d ago )

Yea, but how many bullets were fired?

We need some hard data here, like bullets fired!

589d ago
Ra3030589d ago

I agree we need the real data for eample....if the crazy girl has 150 mental breakdowns in the movie how movie viewers actually watched the movie long enough to see 10% of them breakdowns and how many thought "dumb" and moved on during the 1st breakdown?

Show all comments (59)