2026 VIDEO GAMES CATCH ALL THREAD

[Eivion]

5 hours ago, Cliff Hanger said:

Thanks, I know 3 is a prequel. Yeah, I got the 1+2 remakes, and got 1+2 first because I wanted something smaller and more manageable after failing to finish Infinite Wealth. I'm not very far yet, just got back from the Rain Shrine. But it's a real good "relax and grind" game, last night i had it up on the Portal and watched the Tonys.

So 1 is smaller, but 2 might honestly bigger than 3 after what they added to the remake.

[odessasteps]

The anniversary Xbox 25 console is rumored to be $750. 

Oh well. 

[SirSmUgly]

2 hours ago, odessasteps said:

The anniversary Xbox 25 console is rumored to be $750. 

Oh well. 

I was initially thinking that it was an Xbox mini upon reveal and got momentarily excited.

Give me a tiny Xbox that plugs into my TV via HDMI and has Halo, Kung Fu Chaos, Psychonauts, Fuzion Frenzy, and KotOR on it.

(And Brute Force, I suppose.)

If Xbox division wants to do some real Xbox anniversary shit, they should do what every real game company does and steal a successful Nintendo idea.

[Casey]

More layoffs coming for Xbox next month apparently.

and in the same Bloomberg article, it’s mentioned that Asha Sharma pulled the Halo trailer from the PS5 State of Play (in favor of their own showcase this past Sunday) and it has potentially damaged the relationship between Sony and Microsoft.

[odessasteps]

Xbox had like 2 good days of positive press and had to squander it. 

[JLSigman]

 

[Ramo2653]

Not sure if this fits in here or not, but I got a warning when playing my PS5 tonight that it was overheating and that I should turn off the console. I figured it was dusty since I haven't checked it out since I added more storage 3-ish years ago.

It was pretty dusty! I cleaned out the fan so hopefully that will be enough. I didn't feel like getting into the other parts of the system tonight. If it persists, maybe I'll have a weekend project.

[odessasteps]

I get the warning when I play MLB and nothing else. 

[SirSmUgly]

Speaking recently of the N64 in the upcoming video games thread:

Games ready to be placed: 

StarFox 64 - The talk about the N64 controller in that thread really got to the core of how Nintendo approaches console design. They think about their first-party offerings and what they need the controller to do for those; then, they leave third parties to figure out how to deal with their controllers in their own ways. This was probably even more noticeable in the Wii era, when third-parties were just like IDK, HAVE 'EM WAGGLE THE WIIMOTE TO DO A CORE ACTION THAT WE'D NORMALLY ASSIGN TO A BUTTON PRESS, but the N64 controller is so divisive precisely because it was made for games like StarFox specifically.

On that note, I'm not sure this game will ever control better than it does on an N64 controller. It feels great to wrap my left hand around the middle prong and use my right hand for the face buttons. It feels worse on the 3DS partially because the base 3DS model is too fucking small for my hands, but also because the N64 controller was designed to make this game feel satisfying from a tactile standpoint. I'm guessing that the remake will also feel worse on a Switch Pro. 

In any case, that conversation has cemented something that I was already thinking, which is that if I'm going to tier-list these N64 games, the games that are designed to take advantage of the weird N64 controller design should be essential precisely because the console was built around them. I mean, obviously the game's also gotta be good, and StarFox 64 very much is, but yeah. If you're playing an N64 in 2026, you are going out of your way because you value the experience on native hardware, and playing StarFox with the original N64 controller sort of epitomizes that experience (not quite as much as Super Mario 64, but close)! TIER: ESSENTIAL.

Ms. Pac-Man: Maze Madness: It's fine, you know? Much as with Pac-Man World, Namco is trying to bring Pac-Man into the 3D era. Mascot platformers are hot; they've got iconic mascots in the Pac-Family. They're playing with ways to build a compelling modern 3D game around those mascots and the general elements of Pac-Man games (in this game with maze sections and power pellets that are connected by teleporters or enemy-less stretches of walking, sometimes with a platformer puzzle added to that stretch). It's interesting enough to be worth playing if you're interested in Pac-Man or in seeing how companies were attempting to deal with translating their 2D games to 3D space in the earliest days of the 3D-focused home console, but it's otherwise totally missable. TIER: NOT WORTH COLLECTING, BUT WORTH PLAYING ON AN EMULATOR.

Games that I'm currently evaluating:

Snowboard Kids: I stopped playing every other N64 game to play Snowboard Kids. I love the hell out of Snowboard Kids (especially the OST). My heart screams at me to say that Snowboard Kids is essential. My head tells me that even though this is the best snowboarding game on the console (1080 can fuck off), it's probably just worth collecting, and maybe only worth collecting if you get a decent deal on it since the price has gone up 25 bucks in the past five years. I don't know, folks. Gonna have to play some more Snowboard Kids to figure it all out. 

In other news, I rolled credits on Ball x Pit. That game rules. I might finally do enough room requests at the hotel in Animal Crossing over the summer to unlock the Love Tester and whatever NES games are available (I'm pretty sure I've covered the necessary build requests). StarFox remake is in two weeks! Halo CE remake is next month! I'll have time to play them! Hooray! 

[NikoBaltimore]

20 hours ago, SirSmUgly said:

On that note, I'm not sure this game will ever control better than it does on an N64 controller. It feels great to wrap my left hand around the middle prong and use my right hand for the face buttons. It feels worse on the 3DS partially because the base 3DS model is too fucking small for my hands, but also because the N64 controller was designed to make this game feel satisfying from a tactile standpoint. I'm guessing that the remake will also feel worse on a Switch Pro. 

That's why for the life of me I can't at all get into N64 online.  It's great those games are on there but they're a pain to control as intended.  Would you consider getting an adapter to use the N64 controller on Switch?  I was thinking that for myself as I don't want to get a Switch version of it if I already have the original that works just fine.

I love Ball x Pit and rolled credits some time ago but had to give up after going to the fourth New Game +.  From what I saw there's no real end to it so the idea of a slightly harder run through gets a bit old after a while.

Edited June 12 by NikoBaltimore

[J.T.]

Goddamn I hate dragonroaches.

If you play Helldivers 2, you will feel my pain.

[SirSmUgly]

14 hours ago, NikoBaltimore said:

That's why for the life of me I can't at all get into N64 online.  It's great those games are on there but they're a pain to control as intended.  Would you consider getting an adapter to use the N64 controller on Switch?  I was thinking that for myself as I don't want to get a Switch version of it if I already have the original that works just fine.

I'd love one, but that price point is rough.

I actually think a Super Mario 64 remake would be better with dual analog, maybe the one game on N64 built around the controller that would improve on a Switch, but maybe if there were enough N64 remakes worth getting, I'd spring for one.

[Ramo2653]

This talk about N64 games being hard to play due to the controls make me think about the PS1 games pre-DualShock and trying to work those controls.

I replayed Megaman Legends a few years ago and it was a weird getting used to using L1 and R1 to move the camera around.

[Cliff Hanger]

1 hour ago, Ramo2653 said:

This talk about N64 games being hard to play due to the controls make me think about the PS1 games pre-DualShock and trying to work those controls.

I replayed Megaman Legends a few years ago and it was a weird getting used to using L1 and R1 to move the camera around.

Gex 2 and 3 are about the best anyone was going to do making a Western game to ape Mario 64, but D-pad controls and super limited camera control make them really hard to enjoy today; the LRG package did its best to modernize, but without a bones-up remake there's only so much to do.

I have defeated and befriended Robbin' 'Ood in DQ1 HD. Still having fun, mildly annoyed at the mishmash of modern slang, Dick Van Dyke faux-Cockney and Stan Lee-grade Elizabethan pastiche and the slightly sarcastic translation. It's probably better than the very earnest and overly wordy NES script, but all those different linguistic influences melding in one sentence grates on me in a way that is probably just me being old and no fun anymore.

[Casey]

what I hate most about the N64 in retrospect is how difficult the control scheme is to map to modern controllers while emulating. Figuring out what buttons are mapped where while playing the Born to be Wired mod for No Mercy is a nightmare. Weeks later and I still don’t have a clue what button is the tag in button for 2v2. Briefly considered buying a wired off brand N64 controller but then thought I don’t emulate N64 near enough to burn $20 like that when I could go get 4 gallons of gas instead 

[JLSigman]

Playing Skyrim for the first time in 7 years (according to Steam), with only a handful of QoL mods (mostly more armor and hair stuff, as well as the Unofficial Patch). Playing an Orc for the first time, ignoring the main quest to roam the land with my big sword, but avoiding going in to most of the big cities. I did the first part of Whiterun so I could run into dragons, and that's been it. If you use the wagon to travel, you can get the stables of the big cities and use them as a starting point for stuff.

Already thinking of another character that's more sneaky shooty. And maybe one that tries out the Survivalist mod. And one that makes sense to join the Assassin's Guild. And --

[Casey]

Compulsion Games (South of Midnight) are either about to be shut down by Xbox, or already have been. Arkane might be next apparently.

[Zimbra]

Ninja Theory and Double Fine, too.

[odessasteps]

It’s a shame South of Midnight didn’t get more traction. I don’t know if it was the subject matter or the weird claymation animation style (which you could turn off). 

[supremebve]

3 minutes ago, odessasteps said:

It’s a shame South of Midnight didn’t get more traction. I don’t know if it was the subject matter or the weird claymation animation style (which you could turn off). 

It came out at the same time as a bunch of other games.  I think it came out the day the Oblivion remaster dropped.  I was looking forward to it. I know I downloaded it, but I don't think I ever even turned it on.  

[supremebve]

5 minutes ago, supremebve said:

It came out at the same time as a bunch of other games.  I think it came out the day the Oblivion remaster dropped.  I was looking forward to it. I know I downloaded it, but I don't think I ever even turned it on.  

OK, it wasn't the same day as any of them, but it was the same month as Blue Prince, the Oblivion remaster, and Clair Obscura.  That's a rough month for a game to come out.  I feel like I spent at least a dozen hours in all of them and significantly more on Clair Obscura.  

[Chaos]

23 minutes ago, Zimbra said:

Ninja Theory and Double Fine, too.

I read somewhere that Id pulled all job listings as well. That will be a big one for those that have been gaming for as long as some of us have been. 

[SirSmUgly]

Was Doom: The Dark Age not a big enough hit?

[SirSmUgly]

Ninja Theory is dead: https://www.theverge.com/games/950204/xbox-ninja-theory-shutdown-hellblade-senua

They just announced Senua a week ago! 

[odessasteps]

1 hour ago, supremebve said:

It came out at the same time as a bunch of other games.  I think it came out the day the Oblivion remaster dropped.  I was looking forward to it. I know I downloaded it, but I don't think I ever even turned it on.  

I’d have thought it was right in your demo. I would def recommend it,