None of the hardware manufacturers make much, if any, real profits from hardware for quite a while. Software and services are the money makers.

I watched Let’s Plays of the first three episodes and I have to agree. The third wasn’t even that good because it was so predictably structured. Not having a consistent cast of characters really let them down. We saw different shades of Kate or Victoria or even Nathan in LiS1 and that gets lost when say Finn only…

I just got Control and absolutely loved it. It’s made by the same people who created Quantum Break, a game that I also loved, and you can see how Remedy improved upon the design of that game with their latest work. If you’re familiar with the SCP universe, you’ll feel right at home, as the game heavily borrows from…

I was actually talking to someone earlier that it has a more BotW look, with the smudgier landscapes. It’ll be interesting to see what it feels like being in that world with that effect. I loved, loved the look of the original versions, but am not necessarily turned off by this. Although I’ll most likely be turning…

Doom Eventual

The lack of HD rumble, or indeed ANY rumble, is a rather strange decision, I feel. I mean, I’m sure it saves money, but I’d definitely miss it.

Images of the centaur boss from the first stage of Actraiser made my young self weep, I thought they were so amazing.

ActRaiser also had the benefit of being so damned (and awesomely) weird from a gameplay perspective. The “advance civilization SimCity style, which increases your power, until the people find a monster they can’t possibly kill, then go woop ass as a side-scrolling avenging god, which DOESN’T increase your power”…

I think I may have spent more time staring at magazines, imagining how great a game would be more than I did actually playing them.  I remember how excited I was for the Jaguar when that was announced.  I was wrong.

A remaster or remake of F-Zero GX would be worth all the dollars. It’s bar-none my favorite racer of the era, and probably of the following eras as well. 

F-Zero was always too hard for me. My older brother and I had an amazing Xmas where we got the SNES, Super Mario World, Mega Man X, Star Fox, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, and F-Zero. After the first couple days, I don’t think we ever played F-Zero again. Also, somehow I never owned and have still never played Super…

I remember a friend’s family making a huge event about taking us to Best Buy or Circuit City to see the new SNES. It was a legitimate event and looked like the future

Before the SNES came out, I remember just fixating on the previews in gaming mags. I would stand, completely immobile, poring over every pixel of the screens from Super Mario World. I couldn’t believe the level of detail and range of colors. It was as close to sublime as my adolescent self had ever felt.

Super Mario World also completely holds up today. The platforming physics in it are simply some of the best. The New Super Mario Bros games are ok, but they don’t come close to being as good as Super Mario World.

..........

I really, really hope Anthem is the tipping point for live-service games going away (or at least not being as grindy, predatory, or incomplete experiences).

Before the price was announced, I totally expected a $150 price point similar to what you mentioned here. I was even suggesting to friends that they try and release a controller-free one for $100, and angle it as “Get your kid their own cheap Xbox”.

At this price point, all this does is make the “base” One S look more appealing, cause for an extra $50 you get that drive which (ignoring used games, cause who really goes that way anymore when Xbox has embraced weekly sales like Steam and everyone else?) plays 4K blu-rays, and remains good value by being the best…

Y’know, $200 with Master Chief Collection (or some other meaty, older game they could pack in for free without worrying too much) and six months of Game Pass could have been a really good deal.

This feels right.