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Ryse: Son of Rome is the “Best Thing” Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has Ever Seen on Xbox One

As part of a 20 minute long chat with Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, Microsoft Game Studios Vice President Phil Spencer shared his opinion about the latest build of Crytek’s Ryse: Sons of Rome.

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Ksar3901d ago

I hope you're right Phil. Can't wait to see more.

mewhy323901d ago

Im sure that this IS the best they've seen on xbone. But PS4 Killzone is the best I've seen on ANY console.

LaChance3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

Never heard anybody say that outside of this site.

Why is that ? Matter of fact sorry, even on N4G I hardly here that and God knows if it were true Sony faboys would be screaming it all day long.

@below: Infamous SS best lookig next gen game ??? Seriously man ? Its obvious you felt the need to mentiona PS4 exclsuive no matter even if it doesnt deserve to be in the discussion.

Transporter473901d ago

On any console it has to be Infamous SS for me.

joefrost003901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

So let get this straight
KZ looks better than Ryse
Ok lol

WeAreLegion3901d ago

According to everyone at E3, inFamous: Second Son is the best looking console game, currently.

I believe The Division won best graphics, overall. Not the actual away though, since the awards only go to playable games.

Discod993901d ago

Not interested in Kill Zone whatsoever.

LaChance3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@wearelegion

http://www.joystiq.com/2013...

Any link whatsoever to back up your claims ? especially on Infamous SS. I mean if its according "everybody" you must have something to back that up right ? :)

Oh and its funny now to see PS4 fanboys hiding behind multiplats like The Division. No PS4 game is on Ryse's level graphically #dealwithit

edit: hey guys want to hear a joke ? Infamous SS looks better than RYSE hahahaha lmao !!

HammadTheBeast3901d ago

I don't understand.

Second Son has comparable graphics, and it's also open-world and not QTE-reliant.

http://static.giantbomb.com...

http://www.onlysp.com/wp-co...

Please show me some good RYSE pics, I'm legit serious, I want to compare the two.

AngelicIceDiamond3901d ago

@Mewhy why are are bring up PlayStation in article that's not related to it for the 80th freakin time.

That's a legit question btw.

Anyway.

I wanna see more of the settings, characters and an overall better build than what we've seen at E3. That E3 demo impressive but I think its time for a refresh, an update.

Thomper3901d ago

Hmmm.. KZ looks pretty good, but it doesn't look better than Ryse.

I bought KZ3 because it offered 3D support. It looked nice, but it doesn't play particularly well.. Will KZSF???

hankmoody3901d ago

All the Killzone games ever had going for them were great graphics, which is why those games have no kind of longevity. Killzone is just another pretty FPS that brings nothing new to the table.

CrimsonStar3901d ago

God , you must be very unsure of your PS4 if you have justify your purchase this much .

Reverent3901d ago

I don't think that Ryse looks as good as Second Son or Shadowfall. But with that said, I do still think it is a very, very beautiful game that proves the Xbox One is certainly capable of achieving graphics on par with the PlayStation 4.

Muffins12233901d ago

Infamous second son is way better than killzone ps4...

4Sh0w3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

Yeah Ryse looks superb, it has the best graphics I've seen on a console so far. I remember alot of people tried to say it wasnt running on X1 hardware because it looked so damm good, seriously check some of the old Ryse threads, then eurogamer and other sites dispelled that rumor and then the comments change to focus on well its just qte's. I just think with Crytek's graphic knowledge and microsoft putting a ton of money behind this game Ryse truly has what we want to see from next gen visuals.

Fireseed3901d ago

Wait Killzone? You mean that fledgling franchise that started for the SOLE purpose to outsell Halo and has yet to even come close to succeeding that goal. You mean the game that has been so desperate to get more buyers that they are willing to sacrifice their beautiful art style of KZ2 for that abdominal rip off that was 3 and so far seems to be 4. The game that's only claim to fame was pretty graphics and a bland multilayer palette? Ok just wanted to make sure we were talking about the same game.

Izzy4083901d ago

Fanboyism at it's finnest. Lol

mikeslemonade3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

Ryse looks better during the QUICKTIME events. Have fun playing this stiff game or half-game since your trying to match buttons on the screen half of the time.

@ Fireseed
And where is this Halo developer..? Making games for both PS4 and X1. A sloppy seconds developer is making games for you while a proven Guerilla games with more experience is making a better game.

Skips3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@HammadTheBeast

LMAO...

Not sure why you're getting disagrees... XD Ryse doesn't even come close to Shadow Fall and Second Son. lol

http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...
http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...
http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...

vs.

http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...
http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...
http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...
or...
http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...
http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...
http://s.pro-gmedia.com/vid...

I like how eveybody here keeps saying... "Bu bu bUUUT!!! Ryse looks da bEstest!!!" without actually posting any proof or legit screens... XD

But here ya go. Direct feeds, all coming from the same sight. So no cherry picking around Google images to pick bad looking screens. lol

ALLWRONG3901d ago

lol so far there isn't one next gen exclusive that looks as good as Ryse. Not saying there wont be, just saying not right now.

Rimeskeem3901d ago

Can we all agree that The Division looks stunning in every way

Belking3901d ago

yep, running at a blazing 30 FPS.

Skips3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

^^^^ You talkin about this??? o_0

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

WrAiTh Sp3cTr33901d ago

Skips, as posted by someone below, here are better ones...

http://www.gamersyde.com/po...

Now you and Infamous have a seat, lol.

BLKxSEPTEMBER3901d ago

and what did you see that was so special about kz4? it looks generic and boring to me. nothing special at all.

booni33901d ago

If only your comment was even remotely related to the article or to the poster you're "replying" to.

koolaid2513901d ago

Kill zone isn't gonna sell 10 million copies and have a thriving online multiplayer component.

thekhurg3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@Wraith -

The screen you posted ... "You can use the left and right KEYBOARD KEYS for easy navigation."

Yeah.....

@Koolaid -

Neither is Ryse.

WrAiTh Sp3cTr33901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@thekhurg

"@Wraith -

The screen you posted ... 'You can use the left and right KEYBOARD KEYS for easy navigation.'
Yeah..."

Ummm, did you actually use those keys? I did and they work. Or are you just being silly? SMH

Alright, if you don't want to use those keys I'll just post what happens when you do.

http://www.gamersyde.com/po...

http://www.gamersyde.com/po...

http://www.gamersyde.com/po...

http://www.gamersyde.com/po...

I was posting in game pics while everyone else was showing bullshots. Even if you did post something it wouldn't level the playing field because Ryse is it.

HammadTheBeast3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@Wraith

Wtf those are from a cut scene (at least first one, I'm on tablet and can't view rest).

I've seen the videos, other than the main character and set pieces, it's not all that great.

If I pulled some Infamous or kill zone cut scenes it would level the field.

But thanks for being the first person to try and make a valid argument, no one else has posted any pics.

ZHZ903901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@mewhy, wth are you doing? You're giving Xbox fanboys chance(s) to troll at us.

Anyways imho, I think KI is the best for XBO.

But ofcourse I am liking KZ:SF and InFamous:SS alot more.(Just my opinion, I wouldn't be surprised I get disagrees because I said I like PS4 exclusives more).

mikeslemonade3901d ago

A game should look good if it's linear and 25% Quick Time events and 25% movie. I don't see Ryse scoring any higher than 8.0 metascore.

UnholyLight3901d ago

@mewhy32

You guys are like a broken record. "ERMAGERD KIRRRZZERRRN IS DERR BERST ERXBERN SUXXXX"

Grow up please, I am getting a PS4 and I know Killzone is awesome and I know that the new Killzone will be awesome but come on...It's not the greatest game to the ends of the earth. You hardcore people will defend anything with the Sony stamp on it.

Also, there's no way Ryse will be the best Xbox One title..while I think it will end up being super awesome..I just can't see it being the be all end all title for Xbox One as well.

Sidenote: You all think Xbone is a great nickname and really offends Xbox guys but really it just makes you all sound silly.

Godz Kastro3901d ago

Killzone needs a personality transplant :/ You have not fully played either game to say such a thing. Ryse looks just as good as KZ. Stop it...They are BOTH good looking games.

Lord_Sloth3901d ago

Nope. MGSV and FFXV have me so far beyond psyched they're making me forget about other titles! Everything till then is a place holder!

Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to Second Son and Shadowfall as well but at the end of the day, Shadowfall's just an FPS which are a dime a dozen, and Second Son doesn't look as interesting to me personally.

FamilyGuy3901d ago

Dark Sorcerer > Killzone, but as far as real games that are actually releasing around/on PS4s launch it does look really good.

Skips3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@Wraith.

You say I'm using bullshots yet I'm pulling off the screens from the SAME EXACT SITE who pull it from direct feeds... LMFAO!

If you wanna use the shots from YOUR site... Then I don't mind. lmao

http://images.gamersyde.com...
http://images.gamersyde.com...
vs.
http://images.gamersyde.com...
http://images.gamersyde.com...

Can you show me some actual gameplay shots please??? Like this...

http://images.gamersyde.com...
http://images.gamersyde.com...

MRMagoo1233901d ago

RYSE in game while its actually playing is not even close to those pics you guys show, the game looks like a 360 port, you will be in for a shock when you get it home and see it for yourself, when i saw it for myself i didnt believe how bad it looked compared to the screenies ppl where showing, its not impressive and xboners will be disappointed.

Docknoss3901d ago

Killzone hahahahahahahhaaaaaaaaaaa... ohh oh shiz that's good stuff man. Sarcasm is like a second language to me and definitely could tell you were being facetious. If not "tread lightly"

thetruthx13901d ago

@mewhy32 Oh they have another Killzone besides Shadow Fall coming out? Lol

Godmars2903901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@AngelicIceDiamond:

Why are people taking an article involving a company spokesmen and the VP of the same company as if it were an honest unbiased interview?

If this were only about Sony PR shills it would be as generally worthless.

PFFT3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

LMFAO!!!!!! WAT?!?!?!?!?! Im sorry but although Killzone 3.5: Shadow Fall looks good it doesnt look all that great. Second Son does though. Now that looks amazing. And yes RYSE looks just as great.

CommonSense3901d ago

The second comment is from a sony troll. a new record. lets see if we can't get it to the third comment next time.

Ritsujun3901d ago

That's the best? Holy pathetic.
Microsofie needs to try harder.

PFFT3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

Ohh look BF4 has some great looking CG as well nate

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1...

NateCole3900d ago

well since we are comaring in game cgi. Whats your point exactly?.

BallsEye3900d ago

@HammadTheBeast

you do realize the screenshots you gave are upped retouched ones rendered in higher res? Game will not run higher than 1080p and these screenshots and many others are higher. I even saw 5k screenshots of second son. Next time please post direct feed screens, not ones remade for magazines.

RememberThe3573900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

Hahaha All of you guys sound so stupid.

"Your game sucks cuz it doesn't sell"
"No your game sucks because my game is prettier"

Can someone explain to me what the purpose is to this conversation your so deeply into? Someone explain to me what 49 replies were about? Because if your exchange Killzone 4 and Second Son with Ryse everyone is basically saying the same damn thing about their favorite systems favorite game.

I'm gonna go watch The Wire as these stupid ass comments keep piling up and I'll be back to check up on you guys in an hour or so. Remember to share and don't hit your brother. Also, before you go on the monkey bars, let an adult know.

Now, be good you crazy kids.

tokugawa3900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

lol @ infamous. yeah it looks good but nothing spectacular.

you lot are just going to have to accept that the best looking launch title is not on ps4

@ hammad stop posting the same bullshots. the game in action looks NOTHING like those rofl

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

ShinMaster3900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

At least Second Son looks fun.

They all look good, IMO.

limewax3900d ago

Only at N4G could people actually try and say that Ryse looks impressive.

OMGZ look at them QTE's every two hits! mind blowing! I bet it's gonna be almost impossible to lose and we can watch the same animations over and over again like a poser with his favorite song.

Seriously this is what you guys want from Xbox One? You actually are interested in QTE's, lack of difficulty and levels so linear you could run friggin train through it?

You guys do realize the longer you act like you actually want crap like that the more resources they're going to throw into churning out crappy sequels rather than building something worthwhile

Skips3900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

LMFAO! @ tokugawa!

Posting a garbage Youtube vid that's not even running in 1080p

If you're gonna post a vid at least post the right one kiddo. -_-
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

^Put in 1080p.

That's like me posting a dumbed down Youtube vid of Ryse in 720p. -___- http://www.youtube.com/watc...

If you think THAT looks impressive or anywhere close to those screens posted than I need to know what your smokin buddy. Considering Youtube vids don't even do EITHER games justice...

Screenshot Hammad posted....

http://static.giantbomb.com...
vs.
In game gif : http://31.media.tumblr.com/...

Yup, his shots are spot on buddy. If the Infamous screens are bullshots than Ryse's are too considering they were pulled them from the SAME sight.

pwr_lVl3900d ago

DEEP DOWN IS THE BEST I'VE SEEN! It's funny on how XBOTs forget about that title! I'll post the link

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

finbars753900d ago

The problem with RYSE is that its a crytek game which equals boring as hell.The graphics looked good from what we have seen but look a at what we saw.He runs up the shore line and goes into quicktime button mashing,then he runs farther up and positions where his soldiers are going to throw spears.It was very linear and it looked boring as hell.So to say this game will be great not likely but garphically it will because thats all it had going for it.At least with the didvision it was an open world mp that looked stunning and had alot more going for it.I thought second son looked alot better as well considering its open world.You guys are very delusional or are just shelterd and cant stand to see one of your games be over shadowed by better looking games.Any linear game can look good since theres not much to it keep that in mind.

tokugawa3900d ago

@ skips

my bad for not putting a 1080p link.

but even so, after watching in 1080p, it doesn't magically become uber awesome.

and yes, hammads screen are bullshots.

i think the question is what are you smoking kid? although you are probably not old enough to buy cigarettes.

ryse in action looks incredible.... even on youtube. i stand by what i said for now, ryse is hands down the best looking launch title so far

Skips3900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

@tokugawa

"but even so, after watching in 1080p, it doesn't magically become uber awesome."

And Ryse doesn't even look awesome in screens. lol

"and yes, hammads screen are bullshots."

Nope... What he posted...

http://static.giantbomb.com...
vs.
an in game gif... http://31.media.tumblr.com/...

"ryse in action looks incredible.... even on youtube. i stand by what i said for now, ryse is hands down the best looking launch title so far"

LMFAO!

http://i.imgur.com/qIBNIBo....
http://i.imgur.com/8yiPR4N....
http://i.imgur.com/RapGMf3....

Because floating bodies, the same exact animations used for all NPC's, fuzzy textures, and horrible draw distance is soooo next gen right???

RYSE IS A TECHNICAL MESS. You must be delusional as hell if you think that looks "INCREDIBLE". Your standards must be incredibly low. lol

Give this blog a read...
http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...

Does a better job at I do at pointing out how absolutely TERRIBLE Ryse looks...

And I like how you keep calling Infamous SS bullshots when they are taken from the same exact site your buddy Wraith posted of Ryse up there. Those Ryse screens must be bullshots as well despite how horrible it ALREADY looks all touched up. lol

MEGAxPAIN3900d ago

Really? WTF is wrong with u. Im not even the biggest PS4 fan and I think Infamous was best at show!

ALLWRONG3900d ago

How did mewhy32's comment go from trolling to "well said" overnight?

+ Show (58) more repliesLast reply 3900d ago
Ashunderfire863901d ago

Yup Phil is right, I even played it at E3! Everytime you execute an enemy you see his emotions. I really hope this is a AAA game for Xbox One, because it needs something different than the average shooter.

mikeslemonade3901d ago

Scripted.. looks like you don't know the difference.

MRMagoo1233901d ago

funny i saw it at E3 too and it looks bland, i even have photos on my pc from the camera i took and the game looks like a 360 game lol

Ashunderfire863901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

Why so much hate to a game, many of you probably never played before? I tell you what... The line for this game at E3 was packed!!! One other thing to take note about E3, is that in all the booth where you play these games, you will see actual game designers, and they like it when you ask them a lot of questions about their game. If you want job connection to work in the game Industry, well E3 is your best place to get connections.

#MRMagoo123

funny i saw it at E3 too and it looks bland, i even have photos on my pc from the camera i took and the game looks like a 360 game lol

You my friend is a liar! No way did that look like a 360 game. Wipe your glasses, or get a new par. Heck use a 1080p camera, not from a Cellphone! Your telling me that footage with all the emotions, the details of the ship collapsing, hundreds of soldiers on screen highly detail without a hit in framerate, looks like a 360 game? I have video and picture footage of this game too. What are you smoking?

mikeslemonade3901d ago

Script. Stop talking about a movie.

NewZealander3900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

mikeslemonade

heavy rain was scripted was that a bad thing?

so many haters, this game looks epic.

mikeslemonade3900d ago

Heavy Rain is a story driven game where you can choose which event is gonna take place next. Ryse is an action game that cut corners from the action aspect. They were too lazy to make real battle system.

christrules00413900d ago

Without a hit in the frame rate? You have got to be kidding me Ryse was dropping to 18FPS

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

sak5003900d ago

This idiot mikeslemoade is hardcore SDF loyalist. He would praise it to high heaven if ryse was ps4 exclusive.

Lot of butthurt SDF trying to downplay any positive MS/xbox news.

Current gen they hyped kz2 as halo killer and best ever looking game ever coming to ps3 and yet it was a flop gameplay wise, no longevity and MP sucked big time.

This gen they are hyping kz4 and it looks like it's going to be another bland shooter.

The sdf went all out saying mgs4/ heavy rain were the best games on any console yet one was an interactive movie and another was a movie with little bits of gaming elements.

Go try and find any news about sony and praise your lords there.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3900d ago
TomShoe3901d ago

Well duh, an MS employee would say that of course.

CommonSense3901d ago

Of course, but if a Sony rep said that Killzone was "teh best evar," everyone on n4g would be nutting themselves over how great it must be.

it's a double standard and it's what makes n4g such a joke. the community of idiots.

andrewsqual3901d ago

I guess he has seen most PS3 exclusives, that is why he limited it to best on Xbone.

MRMagoo1233901d ago

yeh it looks good in the cut scenes like that one but when the game is in action and you are actually playing its nothing like that lol, you will see when you try it yourself.

tuglu_pati3901d ago

^^ this guy is really desperate lolololololol!

IcicleTrepan3900d ago

I can't wait to play this game. It's not just the graphics, it's something different. I like that it is supposed to be historically accurate to the period. The story is made up but the setting, it's like playing a living history in a way that we hadn't before. That is why I think this game is interesting.

limewax3900d ago

I can't actually be the only one who noticed there is nothing impressive in the way of shaders and that the textures were also nothing to write home about.

Sure the first image looked ok, but go through the next two and you can see that in a well lit environment it really isn't all that impressive. This game would have been a good candidate for displacement mapping and tessellation working in tandem however it's evident that any tessellating ability has be spent on making round objects rounder (sigh)

Don't expect anything like Unigine from next gen

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3900d ago
showtimefolks3901d ago

its coming from Crytek so off course it will look great but if it plays as dull/boring as crysis 2-3 than no matter how great it looks, because looks can only get you so far

its been a while since crytek did a game where the story and gameplay were the main focus, i feel like since crysis their calling card has always been look at how great our game looks

YNWA963901d ago

Really, I like being sarcastic, but this is like lil kids saying my dads mistress is better than your dads..... Pointless! Get a life!

3-4-53901d ago

That is cool if it's the best thing he's seen, what about the best game he's PLAYED ?

colonel1793901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

I have to agree that Ryse looks awesome! But from what I've seen of gameplay, it plays horrible! It's even worse that GOW QTE's. If you hate QTE's, this is your scariest nightmare becoming a reality. It is worse, because QTE's seem to just guide you, and not even challenge to be quick or respond to something.

The gameplay just seemed boring as hell, and as someone pointed out, the game is more fun to watch than to play. Obviously, I am going to try it, because I want to know for sure. Anyway, that doesn't take the fact that it does look jaw dropping.

avengers19783901d ago

And where is ryse on the preorder charts? That's right non exsistent, mean while KZSF is the highest preorder exclusive game on either console.

joefrost003901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

Infamous didnt look as good as ryse when saw both in person
And aint it a little unfair to throw a game in there that dont come out until half a year after launch

Besides the 10sec of quantum break look better than all of them
And yes that was gameplay

Xsilvermist3900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

Quantum break looked like shit dufaq u talking about game looked bad the characters were not even detailed they call that in game i was like soooo compare that to the order which is in game and you've lost that game looks realer while the characters in quantum break looked like plastic which is why no one mentions that game anymore if u didn't say it then i would forgot about it.

kenshiro1003900d ago

Ryse looks interesting but neither games are out yet so can we just stop the graphical mud slinging? A game can look good but suck at the same time.

fermcr3900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

Ryse looks fantastic graphically, but more importantly, let's wait and see if the game is any good, gameplay and story wise.

cleft53900d ago

Ryse looks pretty but I think Project Spark is going to be the truly special Xbox One game that should be talked about.

Xsilvermist3900d ago

Its easy to make a unrails game look good look at ryse gameplay pay attention to everything the animation looks clunky when he isn't in QTE when he walks in the sand they are no footprints what year is this the texture on the sand also looks bad like how the blood disappears unlike god of war were blood stays on him for awhile ryse is eye candy but everything is nothing new not one big set piece moment like battlefield 4 and killzone shadow fall so ryse isn't anything amazing even in second son that drop was more impressive than the whole gameplay of ryse and you get to explore the whole Seattle with great graphics how is ryse comparable with its linear gameplay please its made by crytek good at graphics but create boring games.

falcon973900d ago (Edited 3900d ago )

Looks shite QTE fest if u ask me.....

Now this looks good.... http://www.youtube.com/watc...

I'm digging the northern lights in the trailer,green skies and rainbows....

TheHierarchy3900d ago

It is a very good looking game for a launch title, though i think Quantum Break took the cake. now that's a game with realistic characters. skin and muscles react very life like on their faces.

I know blend shapes have been around for god knows when, but it's come along way and presented grate footing for the animation industry in gaming.

mercyless93900d ago

Idk.. I'd buy this game after watching some gameplay videos , website reviews. Not buying it the first day of release tho. looks like a good game tho

C4rnos3900d ago

has anyone here actually seen the gameplay for Ryse?
i could think of a hundred ways to make a Rome set game so much more effective than a QTE game... button mashing is not the future...

+ Show (16) more repliesLast reply 3900d ago
Muerte24943901d ago

While I agree it was quite nice visually, the gameplay leaves alot to be desired. This has always been Crytek's Achilles heels. Here hoping they can prove me wrong on this outing.

Abriael3901d ago

Same here. When I tried it I was disappointed, but maybe they listened to the feedback, since previews really were negative about those semi-quicktime events.

SuperLupe3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

Yep waiting to see more of the gameplay. If Crytek pulls it off I think we may have the next Gears like success franchise for the Xbox One.

Everything in Ryse just screams BLOCKBUSTER. It just oozes with that feeling of being of next gen nature if you know what I mean.

Personnaly its graphically the most impressive thing I've ever seen running on a console.

Open to discussion here. Those who dont think Ryse is graphically the best looking game shown on Xbox One or PS4 which game is it in your opinion ? You have mine.

torchic3901d ago

inFamous: Second Son, The Division, Metal Gear Solid V. but specifically Second Son.

and what's nice about inFamous is that you're guaranteed fantastic gameplay.

but yes, inFamous: Second Son is the most beautiful thing I've seen running on a console.

showtimefolks3901d ago

SuperLupe

the division
infamous 2nd son

MGS5 for me personally looked like the best game

witcher 3

so while Ryse looks great, there are some other contenders too when it comes to graphics department

Muerte2494
Abriael

i agree with both of y'all, crytek knows how to deliver graphics but here is hoping their deliver the complete package with Ryse. Graphics,gameplay and story

Spurg3901d ago

''the gameplay leaves alot to be desired''

You have to play it to understand...anyone who's played this game say that it work like the arkham series. And looking at gameplay isn't the same as playing it. So leave your judgement till you played it.

Abriael3901d ago

You may have missed a lot of the early previews. No, it didn't play like Arkham, at least at E3. It played more like GoW with a LOT more quicktimes.

Now, they may have improved it since them, but no, whoever said it played like Arkham was still drunk from the previous evening's parties.

Deividas3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

What are you talking about? watch some interviews of people who have played it describing the game...they all say its absolutely gorgeous...but its also kind of an issue cause its more fun to watch someone play it then to actually play it yourself...which is a big problem in game. Also NEVER heard anyone say it played like Arkham series.

HeavenlySnipes3901d ago

Lol what?

There are dozens of gameplay videos on Youtube. The game doesn't play like Arkham at all

You time blocks and the enemies stagger, you hit them a few times and then you can trigger a QTE auto kill.

Pretty simple

Spurg3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@Abriael, Deividas, HeavenlySnipes

I'll let the articles talk.

http://www.videogamer.com/f...

'Seemingly taking a nod from the Arkham titles, Ryse's combat has a very set rhythm to it. You can button mash your way to success, but taking the time to actually find the right pacing turns Ryse into an almost different game entirely.'

http://www.mercurynews.com/...

'The combat itself feels slightly like Batman: Arkham City. Players have an attack button, a shield strike move and a parry that -- if timed correctly -- can whip a foe around and open him up for some of the devastating special attacks that applify Marius' combo multiplier. Identified by a button press about a barbarians' head, these moves are important to the protagonist's development...

http://www.usatoday.com/sto...

'Melee combat reminds me a lot of the Batman: Arkham series, as players must establish the appropriate flow to deftly move between multiple attackers, carefully timing deflections with shield bashes and strikes. It moves at a slower pace than Batman, but works really well once players adjust.'

http://www.gametrailers.com...

So the combat in Ryse works like this...you slash your enemies(similar to how you hit enemies in arkham). Then aft6er enough hits you get a button prompt(similar to how a finishing move(A+X)in arkham). You can finish off the enemy by pressing the button but you can continue your combo if you want a bigger reward.(Similar to how you can continue your combo in Arkham for more exp).

Dislike me all you want but these articles and video clearly show that is somewhat similar to Arkhams combat.

EDIT: I got disliked for proving I was right...what's wrong with people on this site.

Muffins12233901d ago

what....killzone was never know for gameplay.Name one thing that was so innovative about its gameplay.

UnHoly_One3901d ago

Spurg you should know by now that you aren't allowed to make sense or say anything logical on this website.

Definitely don't display the ability to think for yourself, either.

And most certainly don't say anything good about MS or Xbox.

That is how you get agrees and bubbles.

JBaby3433901d ago

^
Oh shut up with the whining about logic and everybody being down on MS and Xbone. Everyone needs to just quit complaining about everyone hating on poor MS. It's not 2006-2008 anymore when everyone including the media trashed Sony and the PS3 every chance they got. Now that the tables have turned, people are crying to high heaven. MS has earned the criticisms they are getting now just like Sony earned them at the PS3 launch. Maybe next gen it will switch again. But please everyone quit whining about people ganging up on sweet, little innocent MS.

OT: I thought Ryse was the best looking game at E3 which surprised me because I really though PS4 would take the cake graphically. I'm not sold on Xbone because of all the other issues but to me Ryse looked the best. I'm pretty sure they will have a more expansive play system than just QTEs. Time will tell. Both systems have some nice looking games.

WrAiTh Sp3cTr33901d ago

Dang, Spurg just shutted you all up. Bubbs...

JokesOnYou3901d ago

lol, Spurg don't worry about the disagree's this is n4sonygamers, you proved your point and now they are mad, that's all. Trust me Ryse is going to get a lot of hate because it offends sonyfanboys that the best looking game is on X1.

Jazz41083901d ago

Just wondered why anytime a xboxone article is released the comments are always at least 99% off topic comparing sony.

Angeljuice3900d ago

@Jazz
Bubble down for being off-topic. Lol

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 3900d ago
stage883901d ago

Agree. It looked nice but the gameplay was just a ton of QTE button presses.

Not hyped or interested in this game at all.

JamieL3900d ago

But, you'll be all psyched up for the next GOW I'm sure.

stage883900d ago

@ JamieL No, I'm not really into GOW either. Nice try fanboy.

jackanderson19853901d ago

supposedly Crytek have came out and said the Ryse shown at E3 was a "dumbed" down model heavy on the QTE and that won't be as prevalent in the final build

JamieL3900d ago

I love how the QTE are such a deal breaker for Ryse by the same folks that would fight anyone that talked bad about GOW. Makes perfect sense.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3900d ago
Convas3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

Can't wait to see what they bring to GamesCom!

Edit: I meant what Crytek brings to GamesCom in terms of Ryse.

Abriael3901d ago

They mentioned it as part of the same chat: Forza Motorsport 5 , Dead Rising 3, Ryse, Killer Instinct, Zoo Tycoon and Titanfall will be playable.

Lovable3901d ago

Come on Phil, let's not fool around here. An honest opinion once in a while is a good thing.

Abriael3901d ago

Let's see it from another angle. I'm normally fairly skeptical, but if he wasn't confident about it, would he really say that something done by a studio that isn't even his is the "best thing" he saw on the platform? He'd probably say it's great, awesome and all that, but the best?

Biggest3901d ago

It's an exclusive for his system. Remember that he said similarly upbeat things about the console as it was presented. . . And then everything changed. Confidence in your project only stretches as far as consumer feedback.

Salooh3900d ago

MGS5 , FF15 , The witcher 3 all look at least 3 or 5 times better then ryse . But the game looks neat too .

Ps4 exclusives are another story.

BallsEye3900d ago

Ow before he went to MS side you all praised him as a sony PR. Such a great and honest person...but now he's a liar and can't like a game on XO.

Angeljuice3900d ago

Wrong Phil there sunshine.

Lovable3901d ago (Edited 3901d ago )

@Abriael
PR talk! He's a good one at that.

Abriael3901d ago

I'm sure. But if it was me, I'd talk up my own studios, not other studios that will end up working on competing platforms again sooner than later, no?

Reverent3901d ago

Of course he's going to say things like this. In his own right, Ryse does look like a fantastic game, and if it ends up fun, it just may show that Crytek can do more than just make a pretty game.

Show all comments (305)
340°

2024 Is A Chance At Redemption For Xbox & Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer

Xbox has been lagging behind PlayStation in terms of 1st party content, but 2024 offers the platform and Phil Spencer a chance at redemption.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
isarai13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

Nah, that time has passed for many, and with their words on future plans, i really don't see it ever happening.

shinoff218313d ago

It's a wrap. Now is the time they are slowly going to move on as to not to kill the base as is. Titles will slowly drip onto ps and Nintendo consoles, etc. Those 4 already had to of been in development for awhile already cause two of them released really soon after the announcement

VenomUK13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

There is no ‘last chance redemption’ for Phil Spencer - he’s going straight to hell for tanking the Xbox console platform.

_SilverHawk_13d ago

"2024 Is A Chance At Redemption For Xbox & Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer"

I thought that was supposed to be a decade ago

Ironmike12d ago

U do rel7se ps5 is at thr moment only getting g those titles that were mentioned nothing else as of yet

Obscure_Observer13d ago

"Nah, that time has passed for many, and with their words on future plans, i really don't see it ever happening."

Xbox has PLENTY of first party games this year while Playstation has none!

There´s more first party games from Xbox Games Studios on PS5 this year than Playstation Studios own games.

Those are the *facts* and if those facts is not something to Sony be ashamed of, they can´t feel shame at all.

VersusDMC13d ago

Granblue Fantasy versus, FF7REBIRTH, Helldivers 2, Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade will have launched on PS5 and not on Xbox by the time Hellblade 2 launches.

This only first party games count is cope.

And as a bonus meme...Microsoft will have published 3 first party games on PS5 (Hifi rush, Grounded and sea of thieves) before their first for the year on Xbox(hellblade 2). Glad they have their priorities straight...

lodossrage13d ago

It's funny when people like to say xbox has more games coming to playstation this year than sony does.

YET, they leave out the context that Microsoft literally bought the biggest (Activision) third party publisher and Bethesday (another big one). So congrats on having to buy giants in order to compete?

On topic, wasn't Starfield the "last chance" for redemption?

Am I to assume that if the games they have coming this year don't get positive, feedback then 2025 will be the year of redemption?

Obscure_Observer13d ago

@VersusDMC

"Granblue Fantasy versus, FF7REBIRTH, Helldivers 2, Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade will have launched on PS5 and not on Xbox by the time Hellblade 2 launches."

None of the games you mentioned are first party. None. There´re more Xbox first party games on PS5 this year then Playstation´s own first party games, undeniable fact!

The real bonus meme is Sea of Thieves a game which PS fanboys used to sh!t on

"And as a bonus meme...Microsoft will have published 3 first party games on PS5 (Hifi rush, Grounded and sea of thieves) before their first for the year on Xbox(hellblade 2). Glad they have their priorities straight..."

Imo, the real meme is Sea of Thieves, a 6 year Xbox first party game which diehard fanboys used to mock and sh!t on, making to the top of the most pre-ordered game at PS Store in a year where Playstation has zero first party games.

https://twitter.com/BenjiSa...

Markusb3313d ago

and all will end up on playstation, and nintendo, if xbox was doing amazing they would not need ps or nintendo, if gp was amazing they wouldnt need pc. PS has multiple first party games in development that we dont know about. Look at how halo was treated, look at redfall, and look at starfield. Its fine to be loyal and prefer one platoform but to be wilfully ignorant about it just ridiculas.

badz14913d ago

LOL se we are moving from "exclusives" to "console exclusives" to now only "1st party exclusives" matters just after MS has bought 2 publishers for $77B??

Moving goalpost to always favor MS i. Your argument is getting tiring! Exclusives are exclusives! 1st or 3rd party, they are still exclusives. You do remember the PS2 literally killed the Dreamcast, Gamecube and the first xbox due to mostly 3rd party exclusives, right?

InUrFoxHole13d ago

Observe is actually correct. Sony paid to play. But we don't mention when they do it. When they do it we're totally cool with it. N4G 4lyfe!

Skuletor13d ago

Are they still counted as first party though?

fr0sty13d ago

“This notion that Xbox can only be this one device that plugs into a television isn’t something we see in the Gen Z research. Because nothing else is like that for them.

Some of them will have an iPhone, some will have an Android, but all the games and everything is the same. I can still get to TikTok on both of them, at least for now." - Phil Spencer

Read it and weep... all Xbox games are coming to as many platforms as they can put them on, and this is the first step towards them getting out of hardware entirely, just like Sega did.

Xbox has been Dreamcast out of the industry. You can deny it all you like, but it's happening.

northpaws13d ago

@Obscure_Observer

You certainly have more faith in Xbox than Phil Spencer does, I will give you that.

rpvenom13d ago

It's actually quite impressive watching you defend xbox. I respect the loyalty

wiz719113d ago

@VersusDMC here yall Sony fans go moving the goalpost again lol now this only first party things is a cope when yall was the one who started that crap in the first place. When Sony had all the first party games and Xbox was relying on third party , yall was shouting they had no first party games. Now the tables turn and suddenly it’s a cope. lol

wiz719113d ago

@lodossrage and so it’s also funny that the majority of Xbox first party games this year aren’t coming from any of those big studios lol except for Indy .. the biggest one this year is coming from a studio that Sony left and almost let that studio die after releasing two big exclusives on their console first. Now MS swoop in and saved them , then here they are with the best looking game this generation. Now that’s ironic , but you mention buying studios like Sony biggest studios weren’t BOUGHT my brother.

Yall need to be more worried about Sony closing studio after studio , the PSVR 2 dying , Sony losing billions , and the fact that yall biggest game this year as in Stellar Blade was once being developed as a multi platform game until Sony paid for them to be a second party studio. lol but you want to mention things being bought , your delusional

Crows9012d ago

Shame in the competitor buying up tons of dev teams in order to make that a reality? Yeah...there's no shame in that on the PlayStation side....

andy8512d ago

So now you're shifting the goal posts so only first party exclusives count. Amazing 😂

Profchaos12d ago

There's probably tons of games exclusive to Xbox that won't be on PS because of their early access clause.

However list the games that count helldivers 2 I'd argue has done more for gaming this year than any other title will.
It could be their only game and it would still be a great year because it was that unexpectedly good even haters of love service games are playing it

TheTony31612d ago

Still at it? Doesn't matter at this point. The games will eventually launch on PS5.

mkis00712d ago (Edited 12d ago )

I see you ignored his" only first party games count" line as if preordained. Is it on xbox? No...then it is ammunition. Meanwhile sony gets to passively soak up 30% of all ms game studios sales.

1Victor12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

@obscured: “There´s more first party games from Xbox Games Studios on PS5 this year than Playstation Studios own games.

Those are the *facts* and if those facts is not something to Sony be ashamed of, they can´t feel shame at all.”
That says more about Xbox than PlayStation that they have to release games on rival consoles to stay afloat, Microsoft and YOU SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF THAT FACT.

Edit After thought: it took Microsoft 6 years to finally fix their sea of bugs just in time to release it on PlayStation 🤷🏿

S2Killinit12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

On topic:
MS’s last chance was Starfield…
How many last chances are there?

@Osbscure
You’re moving the goal posts into places that have no basis in reality anymore.

+ Show (17) more repliesLast reply 12d ago
darthv7213d ago

Life is too short to hold onto grudges. Grudges against a console, game or company is just petty.

isarai13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

Has nothing to do with a grudge. Ive been waiting 12yrs for them to get back to their greatness, im done waiting and have moved onto just watching that ship sink as i play on literally every other platform

darthv7213d ago

^^... I still play on it, as well as the other platforms. Which is why I am not someone who dwells on the negativity like others do. there is always something for me to enjoy in this hobby.

isarai13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

@darth

Again, not dwelling on negativity, they legit haven't made anything i want to play since like gears 3 and halo reach. I did play Crackdown 3 and gears 5 cause i had hope given i was a huge fan of the older games, but that was a dud on both cases.

You're thinking it's way deeper than it is 🤣 make something worth playing and ill play it, i was hoping starfield would be that but again, dud.

darthv7213d ago

^^...I never said YOU were doing that... but its obvious others (here) do. Its all they seem to do is dwell on negativity, especially if its XB related. all im saying is there is more to enjoy than there is to complain about. And this is exactly why I play all the platforms instead of just one. You say you do the same... so just enjoy it.

neomahi12d ago

It's fanbots making their last stand in an attempt to save the Xbox, what more can one expect that the most optimism they've ever had. Xbox can't get a lock in Japan, still, and Europe is about to abandon it as well. What're you gonna do? And what happens IF Japanese generates interest? They'll see Europe losing interest and decide it's not worth it either. And it's not just Xbox, Microsoft as a whole is losing their footing. They've backed on subscriptions with everything they have to offer and it's tanking. Xbox needs to port to PlayStation and Nintendo while they can stay relevant and try to stay relevant, the longer they delay, we could see a complete Microsoft nose dive

S2Killinit12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

And you think MS fans are just dandy? Besides, is it a grudge if MS continues to give reasons for people to despise them?

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 12d ago
Markusb3313d ago

when you cant make enough from your own platform and pc and you have to go to ps and nintendo you know its a slow transition to 3rd party publishing, and that is fine. Xb never had the thurst or ambition after the 360

JackBNimble12d ago

The second they decided to put exclusives on the ps5 they blew any chance of redemption

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 12d ago
-Foxtrot13d ago

Even if they managed to get a win this year it dosent overthrow 10 years of mostly disappointments from Phil’s leadership.

RaidenBlack13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

Then this way, no company can redeem themselves. The very concept of redemption arc becomes impossible if the past is refused to be forgiven, even if the company manages to better themselves.
Then the now popular redemption arc of No Mans Sky or Phantom Liberty wouldn't exist in the gaming community if the same logic is also applied there.
Not defending anyone here but I want gaming to improve, companies to better themselves and most importantly competition to exist so that we get offered the best products to enjoy.
(I know in typical N4G fashion, this comment will be downvoted to oblivion, but I want good games offered from every studios irrespective of publishers.)

staticall13d ago

@RaidenBlack
IMO, what @-Foxtrot means, one years doesn't mean much. It's a start, yes, but they need more, much more.

Look at your own example, No Mans Sky - they didn't just release one patch and everyone started praising them, no. They've been doing this consistently. If Microsoft will start releasing good games consistently, that'll be great, no ifs and/or buts! But hyping them up in advance (no worthy releases yet is what i mean) - dunno, i might be wrong, but i don't think it's healthy or helps anyone.

rippermcrip13d ago

Your analogies are terrible. A company releasing a single game that failed to meet expectations.

Isn't the same as Phil Spencer making mistake after mistake after mistake after mistake, telling lie after lie after lie after lie for 10+ years.

isarai13d ago

Your whole comparison makes no sense. It literally took years for both of those to "redeem" themselves in the container of a single game. MS has been lacking for 12yrs starting with the halo/gears/forza criticism begining in the latter half of the 360. So even by YOUR logic, he's right, it's gonna take a lot more than one game to be redeemed ESPECIALLY after fumbling what many were already holding as their chance at redemption with starfield

Chevalier13d ago

It's not Playstation or Nintendos fault that Xbox poses no competition. They've had more support and more money behind them than Playstation and Nintendo combined!

You say you aren't defending Xbox, but, you kind of are. Xbox has been completely mediocre for decades. The last time Xbox was competitive was the 360 era. My 360 collection absolutely demolishes my Xbox One collection and so far Series X hasn't had much reason for me to jump to a purchase.

Can you honestly say Xbox is 'competitive'?! I would say not even close.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 13d ago
Silly Mammo13d ago

With the gaming media, Xbox is always just one game away from redemption and success. It's willful ignorance that they think there's a 'magic bullet' that will somehow erase all the moves by Phil & the gang of the last 2 console generations.

"Well there's always next year!" Should be the official Xbox slogan

Chocoburger12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

100% this Mammo!

They've been screwing up for over a decade! Even if they release a game that's of the highest quality, that's nothing in the grand scheme things.

It also doesn't un-do Kinect (with lies based advertising).

Or Kinect 2 (forcing people to spend $100 extra for something they didn't even want!).

Or releasing two consoles with nothing noteworthy twice in a row (One X, Series S|X).

Or releasing unpolished games such as Re:Core, Sea of Thieves, Halo: MCC, Halo Infinite, Redfall, and Starfield.

Let's not forget canceling games as well such as Scalebound,Project Spark, and the Phantom Dust remake.

Finally let's remember the broken promises of vaporware games, languishing in development Hell, such as Perfect Dark, Fable, Everwild, what else am I forgetting?

Redemption is far far FAR AWAY for Microsoft. It'll take a full decade of only making smart pro-consumer decisions and releasing plenty of amazing games in order to make up for it all.

2024? It ain't gonna do squat on its own.

Rols13d ago

It was the same old story in 2020, 2021,2022 and 2023. XBox has never delivered this gen.

Brazz13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

Xbox360, the last time they delivered the goods, over 10 years Ago.

Skuletor13d ago

This headline just reminds me of the "wait 'til E3" comments we'd hear every year, before it was cancelled.

LG_Fox_Brazil13d ago

I wonder if the 2025's version of this article is already written, probably I would say

lodossrage13d ago

That's the same point I was trying to convey when I replied to Obscure

Hofstaderman13d ago (Edited 13d ago )

#wait till e3 2024

Aloymetal13d ago

''2024 Is A Chance At Redemption For Xbox & Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer''
We've been hearing and reading the same crap since the xbone launch, these shills/journos need to come up with something new. Good thing is most gamers know this is all BS, they all read ''"Step right up folks and hold out your money or sub to our service. You don't know what you are going to get, but like always, take our word for it" Signed Lord Phil.

Show all comments (88)
580°

Phil Spencer blames capitalism for games industry woes.

Spencer said publicly traded companies have to show constant growth or else nobody will give them money. "I don't get [the] luxury of not having to run a profitable growing business"

LG_Fox_Brazil18d ago

I don't know Phil... You've being running, and some will say ruining, the Xbox brand for 10 years now, you know?

Profchaos17d ago

I'd say he'sade the best out of a tremendous cluster fk of a situation he was thrown into after Don tanked the Xbox brand from Kinect to the launch of the X1.

The only reason Xbox isn't in the Ms graveyard right now is because of Phil.

So I don't agree with everything he's done but I can see why these drastic pivots and moves have been made

VenomUK17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

You don’t hear Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa blame capitalism for the phenomenal success of the Switch.

You don’t hear now-departed PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan blame capitalism for the roaring success of the PS5.

Cockney17d ago

He was head of games back in don mattricks day so he should be held accountable for his involvement, the back half of the 360 gen and start of xbone lack of games was all him

Rynxie17d ago

The reason Xbox is not in the Ms graveyard is because of the money they are throwing around to keep the brand alive. Don was just a yes man, the stupidity of the Xbox one was MS doing.

romulus2317d ago

We are well past Don Mattrick at this point, people need to stop using that tired excsue. The issues with xbox for nearly the last ten years have been solely on Phil.

Plague-Doctor2717d ago

The PS3 tanked Sony and they recovered during the same generation. The Wii U tanked Nintendo and they delivered a record setting console only a few years later. At the launch of X1 it was keeping pace with the PS4 and in the US was occasionally beating it.

jwillj2k417d ago (Edited 17d ago )

All he had to do was say “the way forward is to make great games.”, drop the mic and make it happen by any means necessary. If you listen to the interview he gave after redfall came out, you’ll hear him say he thought the game was good to go and the internal team rated the game 85 out of 100. 85!! This shows how out of touch he is. He’s literally an empty vessel just collecting his check, running the division off of data-driven analytics, he doesn’t care about xbox and now pulls a Trump, blaming the clouds for his failures.

Cacabunga17d ago

Says the biggest capitalist company.. this moron should stop talking

sinspirit17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

No.. Phil was in charge of European studios and Kinect implementation since 2008. Those European studios he was in charge of were then full time Kinect developers as he was now in charge of all XBox game studios in 2010. This is why game quality has sucked ever since he was in charge and directly why the legendary Lionhead and the actual Rare devs are not there anymore. Phil is actually more to blame than anyone for the bad game quality and the Kinect push. And especially for the terrible XBox One launch.

He was the spearhead implemented employee for Kinect and Microsoft's new vision. The others were the talking heads appointed by XBox. And, honestly watching some of those old interviews it seemed like those XBox employees were possibly maliciously complient by telling exactly what Microsoft's new agenda was with Kinect and always online without dressing it up.

And directly on topic. No, Phil. Capitalism is voting with your wallet. XBox doing bad financially is in fact because of bad products, disappointments, failed deadlines, and especially lying, misleading, and broken promises for products. If you just released really good games and tried to innovate then you'd had a lot of sales.. oh and GamePass is losing out on a ton of sales which can not be recovered from a few microtransaction purchases, monthly sub costs, or even whales. The math is simple when you could have sold a $70 game 5 million times but instead maybe sold 1 million tops and now have to recoup a quarter billion of revenue from lost sales potential of the one title alone. But now you also don't want to release a lot of first party titles because of the direct loss in sales revenue from day 1 GamePass, and you don't want them to release really good games that take a little more time and money to make because you want them to be cost effective for GamePass release. So you intentionally plan to release a lot of AAA shortcomings at this point because the AAA badge is needed but you can't do it too well or GamePass will never actually profit. Even though they had said GamePass is profitable, it is absolutely not by much and never will be. And, they said that Zune was profitable a long time ago but they combined it with an entire category of products when Zune itself was bleeding money. They lose far too many direct sales that even the most generous math can not see how they could be making much money if any at all to make up for this business practice. This is what happens when marketing and trend chasing fool a business into pursuing the wrong thing to stay relevant when the clear answer all along was that they always did good when they just supported developers making genuinely full and good games.

Babadook717d ago (Edited 17d ago )

I kind of agree with you, but Phil is partly to blame.

I blame Peter Moore (for leaving). Everything went to pot soon after.

PapaBop16d ago

How many years ago was this now? I'll give him some credit for what he inherited but lets be honest, he hasn't exactly done anything praise worthy and has done a terrible job managing the studios Microsoft owns.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 16d ago
Eonjay17d ago

I thought he said it was Gen Z. I can't keep up.

Hofstaderman17d ago

Its Gen Z who are extremely capitilist. Lol, Phil is a clown of note.

17d ago
fr0sty17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

He's kinda right, shareholders expect constant growth, which is unsustainable, but it is what they expect nonetheless. That's why, even though the games industry is healthy as it has ever been, because it isn't growing, everyone in the industry is panicking. Even though we're still selling just as many consoles as ever, they expect each generation to just keep on growing and growing, and when that doesn't happen, they start to freak out.

This is true of any industry, and it's why anytime a company goes public, their products usually end up going to shit. The shareholders expect more and more and more growth, cuz they want that stock price to keep climbing, and so eventually corners start getting cut, wages start getting cut, employees start getting cut, they start cutting away everywhere they can to try to squeeze a little bit more money out of the product, until they ruin it, and then they move on to the next product.

buffig17d ago

Yeah, but everyone knows how capitalism works. This part didn't need explaining. The problem is that they bought massive plublishers for a gazillion dollars, to the detriment of the industry and now he's acting like he has no choice but to fire thousands of people because he just found out about nasty capitalism

TheEnigma31317d ago

Why I'm glad companies like Valve stayed private.

SyntheticForm17d ago

He'd never blame himself, so he's trying to score points with the kids by blaming capitalism. One of the biggest capitalists is blaming capitalism for his and Xbox's failure.

fr0sty16d ago

I agree with you, which is why I said he's "kinda" right... he's right in the fact that capitalism is behind a lot of investors freaking out that the games industry, while still healthy, is not continually growing unsustainably, but he's also being hypocritical in the same breath after buying half the industry and then laying off thousands of them, and using his own business practices as an excuse to cover for his failures.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 16d ago
mandf18d ago

It won't be until halo and gears are on playstation that xbox fans see phil for who he is. A snake fighting only for himself. The video game industry means nothing to him just his paycheck to those who believe phil is passionate and loves video games you are part of the problem. You never hold ms accountable.

Minute Man 72118d ago

Halo and Gears only when Microsoft drops outta the console market

-Foxtrot18d ago

They don't need to drop out of the market for that to happen

They will always have some kind of console going forward but Halo and Gears could only be a few years away at this rate.

Next gen might look completely different

Tacoboto17d ago

I'd actually hope for Halo to come to PS and Nintendo at this point.

The community rejected a mictotransaction option so MCC is no longer maintained - no new revenue streams and Microsoft listened. Infinite is on Content Updates now instead of Seasons - dwindling playerbase and less excitement. If MS wants the franchise to thrive, that's free money and the same could essentially be said for Gears bringing them abroad.

FinalFantasyFanatic17d ago

@Tacoboto,
To be fair, Halo Infinite had a rocky start to begin with, I think they improved for a while, but fell behind again.

shinoff218317d ago

The writings on the all in huge fking letters. Just read it.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 17d ago
phoenixwing18d ago

I don't blame Phil for that in the slightest. If you were offered to be an executive of a company 9 out of 10 ppl would take the job for the salary and give little crap about how they feel about any given product they sell. He's not wrong that capitalism drives greedy companies but you have to take the good with the bad.

staticall17d ago

@phoenixwing
But the person is doing a bad job and the company (including customers) are suffering because of that, how can you not blame him? The reason for high paying is the decisions you make and the responsibility you take for your actions steering the company in the right direction (if company is doing bad, it's your fault; if company is doing good, it's because of your decisions).

It reminds me of that South Park Bill Owens parody ("Follow that egg" episode), a governor who wants all the money and recognition/respect, but doesn't want to take any responsibility, how backwards is that?!

Petebloodyonion17d ago

@Staticall
Agree but what are your metrics for doing a bad job?
Is Microsoft's share value tanking due to its decision?
Is brand awareness worse than in 2016?

As someone who works in investment, this is how I see it and why Spencer's still around.
1) Grow the Xbox brand awareness by including PC and Gamepass making it a stronger brand by name versus 2015.
2) Showed a plan to evolve profitability by having multiple sources of recurrent income with Gamepass, PC gaming, streaming, and now other platforms
3) made new market integration possible via PC and cloud.
4) Can make hard decisions for the good of the company like cutting jobs.

staticall16d ago

@Petebloodyonion
I would say, we shouldn't look at Microsoft themselves, they have a ton of revenue streams - Windows sales, hardware sales, Office sales, Azure, government contracts, certification programs, etc. We need to look at Xbox - hardware sales are in decline (Xbox 360 > Xbox One > Xbox Series S + X combined). GamePass subscribers aren't growing enough and, according to the Microsoft docs, are at plateau. Games sales are abysmal (both physical and digital, thanks to "Day one on GamePass"). Xbox exclusives doesn't exist anymore (every game is coming to PC). And it didn't start yesterday, this was happening for a long-long time.

In my eyes, brand recognition doesn't mean much, if it doesn't translate to console sales, because Phil took away every reason to buy Xbox console for a regular customer (i used to own Xbox 360 and saw 0 reasons to own Xbox One or Xbox Series).

I would also argue that he didn't make any hard decisions, at least when it comes to games: Crackdown 3, Redfall, Halo Infinite - he was saying that those games are looking fine only to be laughed at on presentation/release. But i would consider that a low blow, because he did cut some jobs. But not from top management (who are responsible for the decisions).

In my eyes, as a console owner/gamer, doing good job as a platform holder = supporting your console with high quality exclusive games (like Nintendo and Sony are doing). I'm fine with releasing the games afterwards on PC, but not right away (otherwise, what's the point of a console?!). Extra services are fine (like PS+ or GamePass, or cloud stuff), but they wouldn't be a reason to buy a console for me. Phil is overfocusing on extra services, not on games. And it doesn't work out and haven't worked out for what, 10 years already? Sorry, i feel like i'm rambling at this point.

Nooderus17d ago

He's a Microsoft executive. Duh

S2Killinit17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

Agree except I think the real snake is MS itself. They are a terrible company. This clown is just the hired man for the job.

phoenixwing17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

Thats basically what I'm trying to say and if you really want to get down to it. It's the board of directors for the company who makes this stuff happen.

jznrpg17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

@Phoenixeing it’s his job as the head of the division to tell those people I think you are wrong and for success we need to this - that’s literally his job. MS motto is a big problem and Phil going a long with it is also his fault. He’s the one guy who can say something.

Abear2117d ago

Agreed they are the problem.

M$ doesn’t care about the quality of the game, they care about the profitability of the game.

When you work for a Co. like M$ you know this. It’s all about money—not the “art” or what’s healthy in the industry for devs and/or the consumers.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 16d ago
M3talDiamond18d ago

First its Gen Z now its capitalism but we can all agree that it definitely isn't Phil

JackBNimble17d ago (Edited 17d ago )

If it wasn't for capitalism there would be no xbox or Microsoft for that matter. But as the head of xbox division it is his responsibility no matter good or bad .... that's what it means to be the boss. If that's to much for him, then he needs to resign.

-Foxtrot18d ago

Kind of funny because when it comes to capitalism Microsoft is one of those great big American companies that just screams it.

They spent billions on Minecraft, Zenimax and Activision yet couldn't afford to save all those jobs they cut. With the money they make within a year they could have, someway.

PhillyDonJawn17d ago ShowReplies(3)
FinalFantasyFanatic17d ago

They've been swallowing up a lot of AI companies too and spending big on that area.

S2Killinit17d ago

If MS gets into AI they will cause the end of humanity the way they are causing the end of console gaming.

FinalFantasyFanatic16d ago

@S2Killinit,

It's between Microsoft and Google, the chances are one of those two will take the AI crown considering the amount of cash they're throwing at that sector. I suppose Microsoft might be the worst out of the two, but Google hasn't been exactly great compared to the old days when they threw around their old adage of "do no evil".

Silly Mammo17d ago

MS is making millions of dollars annually with the Xbox brand. Unfortunately, they're spending billions on acquisitions too

8bitAssassin17d ago

Game Pass games are not free.

Christopher17d ago

He also blames his bank account balance on capitalism.

PhillyDonJawn17d ago

I don't think it work like that. MS is the parent company. The branch has its own budget to maintain.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 16d ago
thorstein18d ago

Making millions, taking million dollar salaries and bonuses but it's the dev in the chair that's preventing profit?

Yeah okay, Phil.

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320°

Phil Spencer, long cast as Xbox's saviour, may be remembered as the man who killed it

Nathan Brown: "Phil Spencer spoke to the press at GDC last week, offering some context/spin on Microsoft’s recent manoeuvres, while dropping a few now-customary hints about the Xbox division’s future plans. I take one issue with this: I am no longer sure Xbox has much of a future to speak of. Moreover: I think Phil Spencer, for so long cast as Xbox’s saviour, may ultimately be remembered as the man who killed it."

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
20d ago
gold_drake20d ago

his decisions over the years were definitely questionable at best.

but MS let him be the head of xbox for this long, so they either dont have anyone else for the job or .. we'll i dont rly know any other reason haha.

-Foxtrot20d ago (Edited 19d ago )

Basically when we had that awful Xbox One reveal in 2013 and Don Mattrick was thrown under the bus as the companies scape goat Phil was pretty much the only one they had who wasn't a typical looking "corporate suit".

Despite the fact him being the head of Microsoft Game Studios and gladly going along with the lack of games nearing the end of the Xbox 360 life where it was basically Kinect, Sports, TV along with the same 3-4 IPs like Halo or Gears he was the best person they had for the job.

They didn't have anyone else basically and from that day onward he was seen as good guy Phil turning the studio around when all he was doing was reversing the silly decisions made and going along with whatever the higher ups or the board wanted for Xbox. Didn't make a difference in the end because everything they "reversed" with the awful Xbox One reveal ended up being implemented in small different ways surgically in recent years with Gamepass.

The guy apparently is such a huge gamer yet played Crackdown 3 and Redfall, thought they were good and released them anyway in those states.

PapaBop19d ago (Edited 19d ago )

Not a typical looking corporate suit? The guy straight up looks like a used car salesman lol. To be fair, after Mattrick, I think anyone with half a brain could succeed him and look semi decent, whenever I think of his name, I immediately remember that "this is how to share your games" video from Sony.

S2Killinit19d ago

when I look at him, its cringe. The guy dresses casually to fool people. But he is as corporate as it gets.

fr0sty19d ago

His cocky smirk I've always found to be incredibly annoying...

MrDead19d ago

I would say his "why bother making games when others are already" decision is what has lead them here. MS does this, but they just buy companies that they want to do a thing then asset strip it and dump it, you can't do that in gaming.

Tody_ZA19d ago

He's the head of Xbox because Microsoft isn't a gaming company and they haven't done anything for gaming in more than a decade. They're a parent company looking to buy more kids to raise as investments. They will profit off ownership, off their games releasing on other platforms, because they can't create anything themselves. Slowly they'll make Xbox as a console completely irrelevant under the mantra of play anywhere. That's why Phil is still there. He shares their corporate vision of making bucks and doing nothing for the gaming industry.

SubtilizZer19d ago

“If they don’t have a story these days they’ll make one”
Drake.

RhinoGamer8819d ago

Phil's top skill is keeping his job, growing his net worth to over $25million, all while underperforming...

SeTTriP19d ago

Gotta respect it, he went from a gaming studio head to making 70billion dollar deals...he is the main character I gotta admit.he looks fun to hang around too.

MrDead19d ago

...why do I feel like I need a shower after reading that? One of the grossest thing I've heard, S tier blowing bubbles grovelling.

jznrpg19d ago (Edited 19d ago )

I don’t respect moves that make gaming worse long term

XBManiac19d ago (Edited 19d ago )

(Phil 'wait for next year' Spencer)
Microsoft made the 71,933 millions deal because it was already started and, with Microsoft, it is not possible to go back and stop it. Does anybody think that deal would be an option in 2023 or 2024, with the nowadays sitiation of the industry? And in 2022? No, nobody would pay that money for Activision-blizzard-king... because it would not be recovered in more than 20 years of really hard and good work. Everybody are selling for less, not buying for more (Embracer, Tencent...). But bad decisions in a company like Microsoft are impossible to fix. It is like a very big Ministery, where if something starts, it can't be stopped. It happened before and Microsoft will do the same again, as they have enough money to burn... well... I hope, because if Microsoft dies... it will be the end of our known world. What could substitute it?

_Decadent_Descent19d ago

I mean, that does take a certain skill. lol

FinalFantasyFanatic19d ago

I guess he has skill as a salesman, look how long he managed to get people to wait on Xbox.

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