crispy4000

I'm going to have to pick this up at some point. Some bits like the map give me serious Metroid Prime (3) vibes.

Or it's just not true... ... says the NPD leaker. Did a bit more digging to get this discussion back on topic. He seems to think GP did cannibalize some sales, but that its still a huge success in the market regardless of how the SKUs are split.

I'd want to understand how those numbers all add up then. It doesn't correlate with the tracking data we know. Gears 5 charted quite a bit worse than 4 numerically in NPDs (7th vs 3rd), and didn't make top 20 this month. Gears 4's digital sales also weren't tracked by NPDs when it released. Plus you have qualifiers like this from analysts with an eye on private data: Maybe it sold considerably better in non-US(/UK) territories? Steam sales came in much better than expected? We're missing that X factor that makes Phil's math work.

My argument is that: 1) Games Pass hasn’t led to greater sales of Microsoft’s games on their consoles since this year started, and that trend is likely to stay for the foreseeable future. Due to the growing subscription install base. 2) Your idea that Games Pass increased Outer Wilds’ sales on other platforms isn’t substantiated. For all we know, as major retail release, it could have sold even better if it wasn’t. The game also isn’t an example that's relevant to most of the AAA industry, who would never premiere a game like it on GP. You brought up the topics of the perceived value, and success, of GamesPass itself. I’ve instead tried to remain on topic, to how it has/hasn’t helped certain games in their sales. That's exactly what I was responding to - this is an NPD thread after all. As for your doll comment: Show me the strawman that belittled your fun with a subscription service and we'll call it even. I also don’t fear a multi-subscription future - I've got a good handle on my wallet. But I will keep saying that it’s coming sooner than we think. And we shouldn’t be propping up Outer Worlds as a statistic to say GP is helping physical/digital sales thrive.

Crackdown 3 alone couldn't. That's why Gears 5's franchise drop in last month's NPD was so telling. People generally aren't buying it as much as they're GP'ing it. And probably a lot of them at those $1 (or no dollar!) promotions. Does that make GP a failure? No. Not at all. It's all what Microsoft wants at this point. Games Pass was the best thing State of Decay 2 and Sea of Thieves could have asked for. They're both types of games that benefit most from a subscription service versus a strictly traditional release. Furthermore, it was advantageous for Microsoft to position them when they did. To get them out in the initial promotions. If a new Gears/Halo came out first on GP, I doubt SoT/SoD2 would have performed as well as they did historically in 2018's NPDs. As for Outer Worlds, I don't think we can say anything conclusive on how much GP propelled sales on other platforms. A lot of factors could play into how well it did. But as I mentioned, it's going to be an anomaly regardless, because it was likely Microsoft's deal with Obsidian and Private Division that got it on GP day-and-date in the first place. No large 3rd party publisher is looking at this and thinking "... we should just put our multiplatform game on GP on its launch day." They're thinking "... we need our own subscription service."

Crackdown 3. Beyond that and Gears 5, Microsoft hasn't released any first party retail games this calendar year. Both have reversed trends from the previous year. The underlying theory I've had is that the more normalized GP becomes, the less people will be inclined to purchasing big box retail Xbox games, especially those available day and date on the service. It only makes sense, because of GP's potential to change consumer habits. Earlier games like Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2 came at a time when the service was still trying to find its way into public consciousness. Microsoft's since doubled down on GP's marketing and promotions, and I think we've seen the service reach that critical tipping point of it hurting retail this year. With Gears 5 and Crackdown 3 being the evidence. Indie games are an exception, of course. We never needed Games Pass to tell us that. The whole reason Rocket League caught years ago on was its inclusion in PS+ for a month. Indies need word of mouth more than an AAA title with a multi-million dollar marketing campaign. So there's going to be more instances where they come out ahead. And that's where we've gotten most of the stories of GP increasing sales lately (Decenders being the poster child). Also, Microsoft has been doing the $1 rental thing. That's a fact. But I expect people will stick around regardless after the promotions end. Microsoft was okay with propping Gears 5 up as a sacrificial lamb with those promotions in order to build that long term subscription base.

It'd be much more accurate to say it's the first to exceed NPD expectations since Forza Horizon 4 last year. GP heavily hurt Gears 5's NPDs relative to Gears 4. Possibly because Gears 5 was marketed so heavily around it. You could have a point for multiplatform releases. Jumping on GP could boost PC/PS4 sales to some degree. Enough to make up for lost revenue on Xbox One ... who knows. We don't know what Microsoft paid Private Division to put it on GP. I'm inclined to believe major multiplatform publishers would rather own the subscription service they put their day-and-date releases on. Door's already been opened for EA and Ubisoft.

My first thought was that Rare was going back to copying Nintendo's beats on cue again. This time with BoTW. I wouldn't even be mad.

Terrangima - It's pretty wild. Xenoblade - Seven's arc. Other than the terrible VO delivery, I think this actually bests Bioshock's on paper. It's not just that you, the player, had no real control. It's that the guy you thought you were controlling was just fucking with you the whole time. It's a shame the rest of BK1's plot is pretty by the numbers.

Preach it. Only major flaw it has are those bird levels. But they’re over quickly.

The game of the decade for me. Guacamelee - One of the few indie Metroidvania's I'd consider a true classic. Feels like a Treasure game. And the humor is surprisingly on point. Project M - Even with SSB Ultimate, I think this is the best Smash Bros game in existence. It still plays the best. Xenoblade - The best JRPG since the PSX era IMO. It's the sort of experience that reminded me why I enjoy games in the first place. Life is Strange - I don't resonate much with the characters, but it goes places I won't forget. Skyward Sword - Also unforgettable, but for the puzzles and bosses, which could rank as best in the series. Slay the Spire - Digital crack. I'm going to relapse at some point, I just know it. I feel like there's still tons I haven't played, but these would be hard to top for me.

i5 5500k 1060 6GB 16gb RAM DDR4 3000 MHz 500 GB SSD (+ other HDDs) ... It's alright. Built it for ~$600 mid-console cycle. Most current gen games still look/play better than they would on the Pro/X.

Could be a hint for the first month. I already own most of those, lol.

That's really not true. The fundamentals were there by the Team Fortress series. Games like Monday Night Combat and Evolve also stretched the concept further than Overwatch, earlier. Even Battleborn (lol) actually beat it to the punch by a few weeks.

The Messenger is free next week. Nice!