Another year has gone by which means that it’s time for some non-sober reflection on the past year(s). This reflection usually births some sort of determination to change things and to do better in the coming year. So this year, from a gaming standpoint, I want to share some of these resolutions. Can people really change? Probably not, but it’s good to dream.
Fear of Commitment
I still haven’t bought a next gen console. The reason is that, unlike previous generations, I only intend to buy one home console for the foreseeable future. I just don’t have the time that I used to have. Owning all 3 consoles is simply an ineffective use of my money. Also, I still have a last gen backlog that haunts my dreams. This year, I finally commit one way or the other. I have never bought a console in the first year of release and I never will. The software is usually poor and all new hardware has some sort of problem. From what I see thus far, this generation was no different. The software releases for this year seem solid and barring some really unexpected delays, the library for each of the big 3 is set to be very impressive by next year’s end. This isn’t going to be an easy decision.
The Backlog
Seriously, we live in a time of gaming plenty. In economics, the more abundant something is, the less we value it. Maybe that explains all the bitching and complaining I read over trivial nonsense. I remember a time when I could keep pace with all the worthwhile releases. Those days are long gone. Games have become far more abundant whilst the concept of free time seems like a far off memory. No more new games until I play the ones I have? No, that’s not going to happen. Okay, no more games at full retail price until I clear a large chunk of that backlog. Yeah, that more reasonable. Digital hoarding has become a real problem for me. One day I’m going to find the time to play all this. If I put all my games on the cloud, can I play them in the afterlife? Now that’s a feature I would pay for! Maybe it’s time for me to learn to “just say no”. No matter how cheap some games are, it’s not a deal if I never find the time to play them.
Attend a Convention.
I have a great job now and I can afford it. This year, I’m going to try to attend a gaming convention. More than likely, I’ll fail as a consequence of scheduling, but I have to start nurturing that desire. I want to attend anything where there is the possibility that I can stealth hug Shuhei Yoshida. I have to do some research first though. I’m not sure which are the most fan-friendly. I’m leading towards PAX. Of course, the real question is that of cosplay. I’m not sure about that, but hey, you only live once right? I think I’ll pick something that hides my face. No Japanese school girl outfit for me, that’s for sure.
New Frontiers
I’m going to play an MMO – badly. I know it’s going to be rough since I’ve never played one, but you have to start somewhere. Hopefully, I can find someone to guide me through the early stages. I think I’ll look at a few playthroughs first. Choosing an MMO is going to be difficult. There are a lot of them out there. I’ll probably pick the one that is the most approachable or where I have someone to guide me through it all. Basically, it’s about trying a new genre. It doesn’t have to be an MMO. Things have changed a lot over the years, you may not have liked the last JRPG you played, but maybe there’s been some changes in the genre to inspire you.
No More Preorders.
This year has seen a very worrying trend - the release of broken and incomplete games. Games are getting more and more ambitious in an effort to stand out in a gaming market that has become very saturated and to attract the attention of an audience that has become increasingly jaded. The good news is that companies are still working hard to impress and entertain us. However, ambition and good intentions does not excuse the release of a broken product that someone has paid $60 for. It’s downright disrespectful. That does not do any favors to the audience or the industry. It’s time to give devs a time-out. Ubisoft has been a great offender in this regard, and it may be time for them to ponder the rigors of a yearly release schedule. Or not, I’m no expert, but they have to be careful that they do not ruin the stellar reputation that they worked so hard on. Also, Beyond Good and Evil 2 already!
History
The study of history is a worthwhile endeavor – gaming history that is. To further compound my backlog problems, I want to play a few of the games that brought us to where we are. As a huge fan of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, I’m going to play a few of the older games in the series. I’ve looked at a few gameplay videos, so I know what to expect. Double fine is releasing Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle for current platforms, so I’m going to have a look at those as well. There are a couple other games I want to play, and they fall in the RPG and Adventure game category. Somehow, games in those genres seem timeless. I’m not going to get too ambitious here, I’ll be lucky to play those through.
No More Previews
I’m going to stop complaining about games being overhyped. I’m going to do something about it by doing nothing. Yes, I’m going to stop watching trailers and previews for games. I still have not seen any Uncharted 4 footage. At this point, I don’t need a reviewer to tell me that I want to play a Naughty Dog game. I’m just going to put the disc in and play. I just started Shadows of Mordor without seeing anything or reading anything about the game. A friend who played it said it was awesome. I played it, and it was.
Learn Japanese
To be honest, I tried this once before, but school got in the way. As of this month, school is out – permanently (I hope). I’m finally done. I’m serious about this now. I bought Rosetta Stone to further commit. So many great games are locked behind that language barrier. I’m motivated now more than ever since I’m not too happy about the direction game design has taken. In particular, I miss the depth that JRPGs used to deliver. The possibility of attending the Tokyo Game Show and actually understand everything around me is a further incentive. Also, Look out Yoshida!
Get Politically Involved
Not sure what this entails or where the hell to start with this one. It’s going to take some figuring out. A lot of crazies come out of the woodwork to attack gamers, and those crazies seem very well organized. Our defenses have to be better. Comments on twitter does not a defense make. We have to get involved politically. Already, many gamers are involved in various charity events, something that I’m always proud of. We need more of this. We need more positive Public Relations. We are a billion dollar industry and we deserve a better voice than the one we currently have. We need to write politicians concerning policies that affect us. Net neutrality is one such issue that comes to mind. We need to invite politicians to our events. Engaging them in a positive way is one step towards gaining respect and relevance. Slowly but surely, gaming being increasingly accepted, and we need to help the process along as much as possible.
So, what are your resolutions for the new year? Stop trolling? Stop being trolled? I already conquered those and the battle was well worth it. Maybe there’s something you always wanted to do but never got around to. This may be your year to catch your white whale.
The Dark side of Cosplay
Nagoshi Studio’s YouTube channel with the Gang of Dragon trailers appears to have been removed following reports that NetEase will stop funding.
Dear team,
Xbox has always been different.
We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.
re-evaluating exclusivity 💀
PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games
Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.
They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;
Even when the topic is strictly Xbox he can't stop talking about PlayStation. Xbox has basically become the hate of PlayStation... and not much else.
This whole mess is the result of bad decisions and strategy from those who have "the vision" inside the company.
Hurt over video games 🤣🤣
Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.
Good little boy 🤣🤣
My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?
Lmao
There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done
What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console
When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.
It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.
FWIW..... wasn't the new management speaking to the other staff.... not so much us (regular folk)?
And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.
The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.
“re-evaluating exclusivity”
She also said this.
“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
I don't know if they have a model anymore it's flipped so many times since the xbox one reveal
There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol
"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho
Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...
Someone can’t sleep after those 5 million forza games PURCHASED by PlayStation owners🤣 🧌 💥
Well with the decreased price of gamespass even with cod off it there is no way it is profitable given the cost of making their 1st party games (not if you actually include that cost in gamespass costs which they typically dont but should) they will just make a loss without the sales on
If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.
Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.
We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+
True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.
I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.
If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.
Actual fans dont move on... they can add to their hobby while waiting for the next new release. If you believe what you typed then I guess PS fans moved on too.... you know, since its been a Sahara for 1st party games this gen.
Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭
@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn
Pathetic incels with nothing better to do than argue over a box... Because they don't have any good games to play on theirs, obviously. If your precious box is so special, why don't you shut the fuck up and go play it?
I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.
I don't see them removing PC from the equation. Considering MS has a heavy enough investment in the PC market, it would be foolish to abandon them. I could see them taking away games from PlayStation or ensuring they are timed exclusives at the very least. Say what you will but if Call of Duty ends up becoming a timed exclusive to Xbox machines, that would hurt PlayStation, don't pretend like those games don't sell millions.
They would lose out on a lot of CoD sales tho. Doesn't PS make up most of the sales?
Their lifeline of solely the Xbox consoles is dry. Good-Great games on a 1st party scale can't be made at a loss so willingly - sent to the Xbox to only sell limited copies.
They invested billions scooping up studios and need to start making returns.
Sucks that nearly every company is publicly traded and have to be so shareholder biased but that's how it is.
Their words are strong but it'll take time to see what their actions accomplish. Lowering the cost of Game Pass and taking CoD off of it was a good clear start.
More like, allot of their base just played game pass. So now they need to encourage them to start buying again.
What exactly is the long term goal with exclusives though?
Because for the most part, the hardware side of things has never been the most profitable, even sometimes being subsidized for a period before breaking even. And that’s before the hardware component nightmare we currently live in.
The whole point of exclusives was to get more people to buy your console in order to have a bigger install base, which meant even bigger software sales.
But if their ports to PS5 are selling (for the most part it seems) quite well, then other than negating the cut Sony takes there, unless you are REALLY increasing your software sales on your own console, it probably doesn’t make that much of a difference?
Honestly I don’t even understand Sony’s decision to scale back on it for PC unless they weren’t even recouping the port expenses. They released ports when the hardware sales never really dropped, and now that all consoles will undoubtedly take a noticeable drop in sales due to the ridiculous prices, that’s when they decide they don’t want to sell to a larger install base to more easily recoup dev costs… it’s just weird
Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.
PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy
Wonder how much money was lost on perfect dark, hellbalde 2, 300 million lost revenue
by putting cod on gamepass. The recent Jason schrier news that Xbox has cancelled dozens of projects, spent 70 billion just to see Xbox sales further collapse and gamepass see little growth.
The fact is this has been PlayStation's most profitable generation and they are making loads of money and selling plenty of consoles and games. While MS won't give you any sales figures or profit numbers for Xbox, says it all really.
It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.
They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.
and many gamers prefer SteamOS for gaming over Windows too. If only Valve would be more uncompromising to the anti-cheat makers that locked out non-windows players, more pc gamers would have moved onto SteamOS by now and not looking back to Windows. overall, Win11 is a terrible, bloated, unoptimized OS which is not what many people want
Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."
Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.
The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.
“ Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿
I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
I’m sorry did you wrote something smart ?
Or are you trying to to be funny because you failed at both
Now kid run to mommy legs the grown ups are talking.
Don’t bother writing anything I will not respond to a bratty child like you
Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it
Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.
It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .
You must me typically wrong cuz those Steam chart numbers (AKA where the game sold the MOST) is less than what Hunt has, and Hunt didn't cost $500 million to make lol
Yeah, learning Japanese is one thing i always meant to do. I think i'm gonna give that one a shot.
New Year's Gaming Resolutions? 1080p 60fps or no buy. :p
All in all, it's been a pretty crap year full of empty promises, remasters, remakes, delayed and broken games.
I'll be shuffling through my backlog of PS3/Xbox360 games and may abandon my PS4 until Phantom Pain comes out (maybe).
My resolutions? No more preorders, EVER. No more digital game purchases for consoles. And no more buying games because "all my friends are getting it".