Despite the influx of great games hitting recently, most of the conversation has been dominated by Star Wars Battlefront II's microtransactions and the debate on whether Loot Boxes should fall into the same category as gambling. And it's reached further than just internet chatter: the Belgium Gaming Commission is currently in the middle of an investigation into the systems used by games like Battlefront II and Overwatch, and Hawaii state representative Chris Lee has announced that he's working towards the prohibition of manipulative mechanisms in games.
In the latest episode of The Dive, we talked to psychology professor Ronald Riggio and psychologist Jamie Madigan about the affects gambling has on our minds and the concepts that make us feel better about spending money. We also talked about how these might apply to loot boxes and ask them both whether they feel Battlefront 2 and Overwatch's systems could constitute gambling. You can watch it for yourself in the video above.
Four years after its current-gen console first launched, Microsoft has released the upgraded Xbox One X. The software giant heralds its latest device in the Xbox One family as "the most powerful console ever"--and its 4K capabilities make Xbox games look better than before. But, with the new console's release, I'm left wondering which of its games are compelling enough to make me rush out and buy one.
There's third-party stuff, sure: Assassin's Creed's year off has helped remove some of the fatigue surrounding that franchise, and Origins has been well-received. And Middle-earth: Shadow of War, which has been heavily marketed on Xbox, is, mostly, a worthy successor to Shadow of Mordor. But in terms of exclusives, Xbox fans have been left wanting this year.
The delay of Crackdown 3, the only major Xbox One exclusive scheduled to launch around the Xbox One X, has left a gaping hole in the console's lineup. Combined with an already sparse exclusive release schedule for Xbox One's holiday season, this offers little incentive to buy an Xbox One X outside of possessing power for power's sake.
Sea of Thieves was scheduled for launch this year, but now it's not coming until early 2018. And Scalebound--a relatively niche but much-anticipated game--isn't happening at all. That leaves Cuphead, Forza Motorsport 7, Super Lucky's Tale, and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (sort of) as Microsoft's console exclusives for the end of the year. A somewhat uninspiring lineup in itself, it's also not exactly a serving that makes me want to invest US $499 / £449 / AU $649 on an upgraded console. Of those four games, only Forza feels like one that could meaningfully benefit from the Xbox One X's greater horsepower: Cuphead is more about style than performance, PUBG looks a little rough on any hardware (as you would expect from an early access game), and as a 3D platformer, Super Lucky's Tale is not something I feel I desperately need in 60 FPS.
The platform's growing list of backwards compatibility games--now including original Xbox titles--bolsters its library, too, and that's a big advantage Microsoft has in the battle against Sony. But it strikes me as a little pointless to buy a brand-new Ferrari only to stick to 30mph roads.
There was a time towards the start of this generation where I believed the Xbox One--despite its problems--had a better exclusive lineup than the PS4. Sunset Overdrive felt fresh, Halo 5 was superb, Titanfall reinvented the FPS formula, and the Forza Horizon series is a joy compared to the more stilted Gran Turismo. The selection easily outshined a Last of Us remaster, the uninventive Infamous: Second Son, and a dull Killzone: Shadow Fall, and it was what convinced me to buy an Xbox One.
2017, however, has been a different story. Horizon Zero Dawn was an unexpected hit, Yakuza 0 and Persona 5 brought some much-needed variety, and Crash Bandicoot's N. Sane Trilogy made me nostalgic like only an orange marsupial (or purple dragon) can. Compare that to Xbox's past year and there's a clear divide.
For what it's worth, I haven't rushed out to buy a PS4 Pro either, so maybe I'm just not the type to want to shell out wads of cash for smallish gains in performance, and perhaps there's nothing Microsoft could ever do about that. But Sony's exclusive lineup over the past couple of years--with The Last of Us: Part II on the horizon--made me at least stop and consider it. We don't know what the next couple of years may hold for Xbox, but we do know at the very least that Naughty Dog's apocalyptic adventure game is on its way, and that's likely to be a bigger selling point for PS4 Pro than anything currently announced will be for Xbox One X.
So is there any hope for the Xbox One X?
Possibly. Right now, even if you look into next year, Microsoft's exclusive roster looks slim. However, the company no doubt has unannounced projects in the pipeline. Halo 6 will come sooner or later, and even if Gears 4 wasn't as groundbreaking as the games that came before it, the next in the series will surely be a worthy exclusive.
However, it wasn't just exclusives that helped Sony to dominate this generation: the fact that third-party games often look and run better on PS4 than Xbox One helped, too. With Microsoft's new console, that will no longer be the case--but with a first-party library looking so thin for now and the majority of gamers without a desperate need for updated hardware, who will buy an Xbox One X?
While you're giving thanks this weekend remember your old pal Xur, who pops up in Destiny 2 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC every week with brand new Exotic weapons and gear for you to pick up. Destiny 2's equivalent of an Amazon Prime Now deliveryman is hanging out on Io and, unlike the other locations he usually pops up in, this one can be tricky to get to.
While navigating to his general area is fairly simple if you open up the map and put a marker on him, once you're there, you'll need to keep an eye open for a very small, very dark cave entrance. It's up in the far left-hand side as you enter Giant's Scar. If you're having trouble finding it, check out our Xur location guide video above, or keep a close watch on other players and you'll see them going in and out.
But is it worth the trip? Take a look below and you'll find a gallery of every Exotic Xur has this week, as well as the information you need on each of the items.
Click image to view in full screen
Merciless (Fusion Rifle) - 29 Legendary Shards
Lucy Pants (Hunter Class Leg Armor) - 23 Legendary Shards
Mask of the Quiet One (Helmet) - 23 Legendary Shards
Starfire Protocol (Warlock Class Chest Armor) - 23 Legendary Shards
Destiny 2's Iron Banner event has returned; it is live right now on all platforms and runs until 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM GMT on November 28. The game mode this time is Clash, which is Destiny 2's version of Team Deathmatch. Notably, this is the first Iron Banner event since Destiny 2 launched for PC at the end of October.
Happy Friday! Jess McDonell and Dan Crowd bring you another GS News Roundup, to catch you up on the big events that have happened this week! Here's the lowdown.
Cyberpunk 2077 Developer Responds To Games-As-Service Concerns
Some speculation surrounding the next project from Witcher 3 developers CD Projekt Red came up this week, which suggested that Cyberpunk 2077 will trend towards a game model that included games-as-service traits such as micro-transactions in order to make the game more profitable. Thankfully, CD Projekt came out pretty strongly to refute this claim. Get all the details in today's episode.
Even More Rainbow Six Siege Content Details For Next Year
Rainbow Six Siege is one of those multiplayer games that seems to be doing good by its fanbase with a steady flow of great post-release content. This week, Ubisoft announced a gamut of new things coming to the game for its third year! Watch Dan get excited about it all in the video.
Global Governments Are Getting Organised Around Loot Boxes
In the wake of Star Wars Battlefront 2's loot box controversy, a number of government agencies and officials around the globe have begun looking into the mechanic, which is becoming increasingly common in games. There are concerns that the practice could constitute gambling, and many are organising to look into restrictions to stop the practice entirely.
What did you think about today's news? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and we'll see you next week!
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