Banjo-

Aspyr has supported the first trilogy with many updates that have improved their remasters. It's nice to finally have all the main games before the 2013 reboot available on modern platforms. There are a few differences between the two trilogies that I'd like them to standardise, like the original graphics at 60fps and the remastered graphics with appropriate brightness. The collections are fairly priced, the original graphics can be chosen and there are two different control methods.

One question, will the expanded first game be better (have more content) than the original one plus the DLC that is and will be available? I find this surprising because the original game is not old.

@Netret0120 Yeah, that's what I expect after what the new CEO of Square Enix stated about exclusivity no longer making sense. I expect the third part to release simultaneously on PS, Xbox and PC, and a bundle for all platforms after that. The developer said that the third part wouldn't take long to come out.

Competition is more diverse, it's no longer the 90s battles with exclusive games and power comparisons. Now with PS and Xbox games on PC, the handheld PCs and Microsoft developing a handheld interface (and console) for Windows, consoles and PCs are becoming more similar and choices are not as evident as in the past, affecting PS and Xbox. The only one still doing exclusives is Nintendo, but I don't expect Switch 2 to reach the level of success and engagement that Switch achieved, because the circumstances were way more favourable back then: no handheld PCs, recycled Wii U content, marketing hit, pandemic...

@Kienda True, but nothing in 2024 beat PX's dodgy 4s and 6s. 🤣

Happy New Year to all the respectful and friendly gamers around the world on any platform! ✌️

@Orpheus79V Yeah, I tried the online multiplayer for two minutes and never went back. I liked Sonic Superstars more than Sonic Mania because I'm not a fan of the general level design of Sonic Mania that I find too gimmicky and the fan-made music, cutscenes and levels in this game. The best zones of Sonic Mania are the recycled and the previously discarded ones. Obviously, Sonic Mania is not bad, but Sonic 3 & Knuckles is infinitely better, in my opinion. I agree with you about the rest. Sonic Superstars (co-developed with Sonic Team) is Arzest's best game and one of the creators of Sonic is its founder. They did a good job with Sonic Superstars and even if Sega thinks it was not successful enough, it doesn't make sense to throw it away and try another reboot. As a reboot using 3D graphics, Sonic Superstars is a success and a lightyear ahead of any other, including Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and the 3DS attempts. Just make short and fun boss battles like the old games and improve the music instrumentation.

Is he talking in financial terms like most bosses do? The only problem with Sonic Superstars is the long boss battles that don't make sense in a Sonic 2D game and the uneven music. The 3D art convinced me while I played it, the physics are perfectly classic and the level design is solid.

Sonic Frontiers was unexpectedly excellent after Sonic Forces and set the foundations for more, but the next Sonic 3D game needs more Sonic flavour on top of that.

@thebizniznizbiz That edition includes the DLC, it's not just early access.

@Silenos I played it on Series X. I don't rate many games so high but it's a 10 out of 10 for me, for the reasons I wrote here:

https://www.purexbox.com/forums/px_other_gaming/last_game_you_beat?start=680#reply-697

Those that don't care about the Japanese culture, don't read the files and are used to enjoy more flashy/gory games may find Ghostwire too subtle and a disappointment. I am impressed by how they integrated the folklore in so many ways and how they crafted a big open-world game that doesn't rely on filler. On top of that, the combat is fun and the story is deep.

Thanks for the roundup. I'll try to start it next week on Series X (using Game Pass Ultimate) and looking forward to it! It seems a very solid one even though like any other video game (including games rated 10/10), it won't appeal to everyone.

Cool. I'm looking forward to the definitive and multiplatform trilogy release.

@twitchtvpat Nothing wrong with different views. I understand the excitement and that's why I'm being as restrained as I'm capable of. I usually get excited about new hardware (like @NEStalgia) and I got all consoles last generation except Vita, but in this case, it all started with overblown TFLOPS figures and was presented as a generational leap, when it's a GPU update, when there are barely PS5 games that are not cross-gen, when there is no new game to show what the upgraded hardware is capable of and when this generation has not been optimised yet, not to mention the price difference and the lack of disc drive if you want your PS4 collection to blow your mind or melt your face.

@antlion Any intelligent person finds obvious narrative steering either funny or cringeworthy 😅. @NEStalgia I couldn't find a better example myself either, so I used the subheading. What was the other one, it will melt your face? I would prefer the more rational tone of NL and PX. DF is not what it used to be when there was one or two guys making videos.

Most important of all, only 12% of PS4 sales were Pro and that was the same price as the base model earlier and made more sense for 4K TVs. I wonder how many PS5 sales will be Pro, 6%?

@NEStalgia Because 100% of the articles are about PS5 Pro or because he's in full advertising mode with stuff like "lightyears beyond PS5"? 🤣

@HarmanSmith Hard to beat that! 😁🙌

@Smash41 @LogicStrikesAgain The thread about Death Stranding on Pure Xbox (a nice community) is positive, just questions and answers about Sony's involvement and people willing to play it now because it's also enhanced for Series S|X and Play Anywhere. I missed it on PS4 and I will buy it today for Xbox since it's 50% off.

@breakneck That's also right. New Horizons was the most boring Animal Crossing to date and yet the best-selling ever because everyone was playing that game during the pandemic. I also hope that we stay healthy and do more things. 😁

@Tecinthebrain Right, Decima engine is owned by Guerrilla and Guerrilla is owned by Sony. Interesting although somewhat expected approach.

@breakneck Of course! Nintendo has made an immeasurable amount of money this (actually, last, since Switch belongs to the last) generation thanks to fully-priced ports and relatively cheap to develop new games, but it will be very interesting to check the coming years, with no more Wii U ports to re-sell, higher expectations and more competition with hybrid PCs and such.

@truerbluer On the other hand, unless you are Nintendo and able to sell 60m copies of a port, you need more than a single platform to thrive in the current industry.

@LiamCroft Thanks, I love your articles on this site. Unbiased and professional.

@Weebleman Apologies accepted. 😊

@themcnoisy Thanks! Truth is, Xbox digital sales are unknown because Microsoft hasn't reveal them and nobody has access to the Xbox store numbers, that represent 91% of Xbox sales. That's all I wanted to say. Anyway, I don't want to argue with Sony fans, I am just glad that the game is a critical and commercial success on all platforms, because it's awesome. The campaign has become one of my favourite shooter campaigns ever. I think that last year's game was almost fine, but this is a thousand-year ahead.

On PC, it's one of the best-selling Call of Duty games ever -not just compared to rushed Modern Warfare III last year- and on Game Pass is, obviously, number 1 worldwide. Over half of all daily active Xbox players (52%) played it on day one in USA. The previous record for this metric was 34%.

"those nintendo life scoundrels though" 🤣

@Weebleman Xbox digital sales have not been disclosed. Only Microsoft knows that.

@Weebleman Physical and digital for PS, Microsoft doesn't reveal digital sales, which means that the comparison makes even less sense.

Physical sales represent 9% of Xbox sales.

The problem is not the specifications, but how they will be used, for how much and how long.

This is weirdest headline I've ever read here... anywhere, actually.

What better than a pro current generation console for the last generation in a barren generation with new PS4 remasters?

@BloodEagle Yes. Also, now that many games are open world games with a lot of boring filling, I enjoy these pure high-quality action thrills. And then there are zombies and multiplayer options.

@SheerDisappointment Other reviews say 8-10 hour story.

@McTwist "If the maps suck, the game sucks. Period."

The maps don't suck. They are varied and each encourage a different bunch of strategies, which is a good thing and extend the longevity of the multiplayer experience until the new/old maps arrive.

@HonestHick Yes. It's a bit weird reading negative comments about Halo Infinite and Call of Duty Black Ops 6 the same day that Sony shut two studios down. 🤔

@NEStalgia 🤣 Stubborn collectors...

Maybe my maths above are wrong because I don't know if 25,000 include the physical edition, but if so, there are 3,000 physical copies minus the refunded copies... A single collector could have them all. 🤐

@Ludacritz Yeah, around 80% of PS sales are digital, but 25,000 copies include PC where there was no physical edition, right? I wonder how many people kept their copies and who asked for a refund (if it was possible).

EDIT:

I checked. 25,000 overall (including physical, if I got that right); 10,000 units on PC and around 15,000 on PS5, so 3,000 physical copies on PS5. Something like that.

@NEStalgia Some people said that Halo Infinite made between $1 to $5 billion, but it's hard to say since Microsoft doesn't disclose revenue per game. It's likely between those numbers, considering the quarterly net income ($51.7 billion in revenue and $18.8 billion in net income) and that they stated that it was the best start for the franchise ever. Did Concord have a physical edition? If so maybe it didn't make $0 but... $2,500?

For those comparing Halo Infinite and Concord:
Halo Infinite: $1 to $5 billion
Concord: $0

@cuttlefishjones That was a rumour. The official version has always been launching all first-party games on Game Pass. What they changed recently is that they eliminated a tier that had no online and replaced it with a new tier that has online, but not all first-party titles at launch. That said, the old tier was only removed for new subscribers, current subscribers can keep that old tier if they want.

@GeeForce Yeah, financially, keeping Call of Duty multiplatform was optimal, but it's on PC where it's breaking records. It's also number 1 on Game Pass (for console) and, interestingly, Modern Warfare III jumped back to number 2. In short, a resounding success on all platforms.

@MrPeanutbutterz Wow, really? Only 8% of Call of Duty sales on PS4? That is almost unbelievable. I wonder if their source is reliable.

I would like to know the ratio between PS4 and PS5, considering that most "casual gamers" are still on PS4. It also should be noted that 91% of Xbox sales are digital, the highest ratio of all platforms (PS 75-80% and Switch 50%) and this chart only counts physical sales. This also explains why Nintendo tends to dominate all the physical charts. Of course, 100% on Windows sales are also digital, and that's the biggest market by far.

@Pedski Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and also Sonic Heroes would be great, camera fixed and remastered.

@wiiware Right. I imagine these meetings with people trying to sound superior, designing changes for a new world. 🤣

They censored Knuckles joking about classic Sonic's rounder figure, Rouge's back, Sonic trying to get rid of Amy... It's almost unbelievable.

@Waluigi451 Absolutely! A 8/10 Sonic game equals a 10/10 Sony game. 😉

@K1LLEGAL It's a blast. The best Sonic 3D yet. Frontiers is almost there, just need more Sonic flavour next time.

@K1LLEGAL Actually, it is available on Series X in 4K60FPS and it's one of the best 3D platformers ever. Yeah, I know it has 2D stages as well. I'd rate it 9/10, 10/10 if the 2D part was as good. Anyway, what I don't like about this new version is the needless and ridiculous censorship.

The button technically isn’t even pronounced ‘ecks’ like the letter, but is in fact the ‘cross’ button.

It is pronounced 'eks' like the letter since the first PS, as @smoreon said. Besides, your phonetics spelling is wrong. 😊

https://imgur.com/Rsiv7bx

I don't have trouble pressing triangle, circle and square, but the "X" button is confusing if you also play on Xbox and/or PC. It's even more confusing switching between Nintendo and Xbox/PC. If that wasn't enough, Nintendo changed the accept/jump button when Nintendo DS launched. I will never get used to that because it's not ergonomic, you have to slide your finger towards the edge and then push.

@J-Dubs Wow, you took my comment way too seriously. I was just giving another point of view.

It's true what some say about Square Enix's exaggerated expectations, but I think that with their new CEO and strategy, that will also change progressively.

@J-Dubs Not really. The best thing about Final Fantasy games is that the games are barely connected to each other, except the obvious sequels, but keep some common elements like the name of the spells. The first FF game I played was VII and I was curious about the older games soon after. I know that VII and XV were the first FF for many players and they played older games afterwards.

The good thing is that Final Fantasy titles won't be locked by Sony, as most of them are available everywhere. Besides, if XVI was the most successful, XVII would be even shallower in terms of gameplay. Exclusivity wasn't the only problem with XVI, but exclusivity fatally hurt sales of Final Fantasy games like VII Rebirth, a better one. The also controversial XV is one of the most commercially Final Fantasy games ever and it launched on PS, Xbox and PC. XIV is also successful, even on Xbox where it arrived very late. So yes, exclusivity knock Final Fantasy sales down. Capcom, Sega, Bandai Namco and From Software are more intelligent.