This week was perhaps a sobering moment for Xbox fans. On the back of some fantastic game releases, Xbox made a move that we've arguably known was coming for a long time, but one that still feels pretty surreal. Let's get into it in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 286!First, let's chat games we can play right now! Following Double Fine's Keeper, this week saw the continued onslaught from Microsoft's first party publishing arm, with two new releases becoming available. On Monday we saw the return of a classic action franchise in Ninja Gaiden 4, and friends, it's bloody great. We also saw the release (in Early Access for Premium buyers at least) of Obsidian's The Outer Worlds 2, putting you in the shoes of a commander of the Earth Directorate to save the outer worlds once again. Both games reviewed super well across the board, so get stuck in! Outside of lovely video reviews, our team also pushed reviews for Painkiller, Hot Wheels: Let's Race, Fast and Furious: Arcade Edition, Bounty Star, Plants VS Zombies: Replanted and PowerWash Simulator 2. Phew! Now let's talk about the biggest news. Halo Campaign Evolved was announced, and yes - it's coming to PlayStation. Plenty of die-hard Xbox fans are certainly in their feels right now, and we get it. We talk through all of that, in addition to the crazy reporting that Microsoft's CFO is pushing the Xbox division to target a whopping 30% margin, which is way outside of industry norms. All this and more to listen in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 286! As always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive – for now, at least!
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Episode 285 | "ROG with MVG"
What a fun week it has been! Plenty of video games, and brand new toys upon which to play them! We chat through it all in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 285!This week, Jon, Nick and Jesse are joined by the always legendary MVG to chat about the latest in gaming, and as per usual, there's plenty of topics to cover if you're an Xbox fan. On the games to play side of things, we've got plenty of content for you to devour, from our impressions piece on the recent Call of Duty Black Ops 7 beta, to the final, full Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Review. We're also headfirst into Microsoft's big three for the month, with the absolutely lovely Keeper already out now in Xbox Game Pass. If you've , to be swiftly followed by NINJA GAIDEN 4 and then shortly after that, the awesome looking The Outer Worlds 2. We also finally got to talk about BALL x PIT, which has arrived on Game Pass too. That's a lot of games, and what's even crazier - that's just some of the 50+ games coming to Xbox next week. Madness.The biggest topic of the week is of course Microsoft and ASUS's foray into Xbox-centric gaming handhelds. The ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X are here, and I got hold of one thanks to the team at Xbox to bring you our verdict on the more powerful version of these two new handheld devices. Is it an Xbox? What does that even mean, anyway? If you're keen for even more Xbox Ally X content, I hosted a quick Q&A for folks, so feel free to tune in and check that out here.In sad news, this week also saw the passing of a video game industry legend - The father of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, Tomonobu Itagaki died, and quite rightly there was an outpouring of love and support on social media. Thanks for all the great games, Itagaki-san. All this and more to listen in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 284! As always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive – for now, at least!
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Episode 284 | "Xbox copping a KO?"
Time to chat video games! While I'm packing and preparing for my house move, Nick and Jesse hold down the fort for the XboxEra Podcast Episode 284!There's been plenty of going's on this week in the world of Xbox and video games. Call of Duty made headlines by announcing that SBMM is going to be set to "very low" for Black Ops 7, bringing a return to open matchmaking. Battlefield 6 has arrived and is very, very good much to the delight of everyone.In other new, Nick wants to play 2KXO, but can't, an Assassin's Creed game was cancelled, and an ex-Halo developer shares an ominous message about the studio. Beyond that, Game Pass for this month is nuts, and we're all very, very busy. Fun times ahead!All this and more to listen in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 284! As always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive – for now, at least!
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Episode 283 | "This is how we play now?" feat. Tom Warren
It's been a week. Xbox announced big changes to Xbox Game Pass, and the gaming industry erupted. Join the XboxEra crew as we break it all down and ask some big questions with special guest Tom Warren from The Verge joining us for the XboxEra Podcast Episode 283! There's a lot to talk about this week, as the spotlight once again turns to the Xbox business and how things are going. Team Green announced another round of sweeping changes to their Game Pass subscription service, that saw the price for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier increase by 50% for residents in the US, and even more than that for other places. The community didn't react well, even with Xbox promising over 75+ Day One games next year. The Verge's Tom Warren also reported on Microsoft's plans for an ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which caused even more revulsion from critics of Microsoft's gaming arm. He joins us this episode to ask some of the big questions - will Xbox back track? Why is there so much uproar? And has the Xbox Game Pass experiment ultimately failed?When it comes to actual video games (arguably the reason we're all here), things are thankfully in much better shape. Hades 2 is pretty great, Black Ops 7 is having a beta right now, Battlefield 6 arrives next week, and we've got plenty of titles to look forward to in October. From DoubleFine's Keeper, Ninja Gaiden 4 and or course, The Outer Worlds 2 - they're all coming to Game Pass. Interestingly, a new report on Halo has got fans discussing what's next for the venerable shooter franchise, with Halo Studios promising a deep dive on October 24th. All this and more to listen in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 283! As always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive - for now, at least!
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Episode 282 | "Let's take a drive to Japan!"
What a crazy week! Between Sony's State of Play, Tokyo Game Show and the ROG Xbox Ally news, it's been very busy times. The podcast crew get together to chat through it all in the XboxEra Podcast Episode 282!While we've been playing plenty of games, from SILENT HILL f to Final Fantasy Tactics or Sonic Racing: Crossworlds and Dying Light The Beast, there's still been plenty of video gaming news to sink our teeth into. We got to see a little from OD thanks to Kojima Productions, and it looks great. Sony had a State of Play, with Wolverine finally being revealed, another Xbox game heading to PlayStation with Flight Simulator 2024 and a little more footage of Saros. Microsoft and Xbox held their Tokyo Game Show Broadcast where we finally got the 'surprise' reveal of Forza Horizon 6, and it's set in Japan. They talked about the ROG Xbox Ally during the show, but didn't reveal the price, instead letting ASUS shock people (when it comes to the US price at least) later that day.All this and more to listen to, and as always, if you value what we do, consider supporting us directly on Patreon. Just head to patreon.com/xboxera to make a difference and keep your favourite independent Xbox-focused publication alive.
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