disco_drew22

It’s hard to say what the future holds for MS’s first-party lineup, but I will say that if you consider God of War and The Last of Us “masterpieces” then the Xbox may not be the right console for you.

Like Aaron Burr, I’m still “waiting to see where the wind blows.”

At the moment, the PS5 is more appealing to me, but we’ve barely seen anything of that either. Ratchet was the only true “next generation” game, and it has no given release date. The Xbox Series X had no “next generation” games, but looking back at previous launches I see no reason not to believe that those types of experiences will make their way to the platform. After all, Smart Delivery isn’t a guarantee for more than a year or two, and the first year or two of a new console typically aren’t much of a showcase for new hardware (at least it wasn’t for the PS4 or 360).

All that to say, again, I don’t know which method I prefer because it’s far too early and we barely know anything. If Xbox starts to see more significant games in 2 years, then their platform is far more appealing to me. If not, then the services and customer facing maneuvers they’ve made won’t be able to stand up to Sony’s presumptive offerings.

With every successive digital event, I become more and more convinced that there is really no good reason to be an early adopter.

If you have the means and just want the newest technology, then more power to you! Personally, though, I think I’ll be happy with my Switch and Xbox One S for a couple more years.

I consider them more “discerning” than “negative”.

There are countless outlets and Youtube personalities who will freak out over every trailer, but that much undue enthusiasm is exhausting. I like that Giant Bomb is much more measured with their responses because it makes their content feel that much more genuine.

1. God of War

2. Red Dead Redemption 2

3. Dead Cells

4. Marvel’s Spider-Man

5. Dragon Ball FighterZ

6. Hitman 2

7. Return of the Obra Dinn

8. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII

@matiaz_tapia: That's reassuring.

My brother is a big Persona fan so I've had some exposure. Honestly, the social aspect is the part that I want, but I've just been so scared away by the fact that it isn't in a genre I typically care for.

As for the "too much pressure" bit, I tend to like it when games put you in situations like that. If I was just left with a big, open space with no passage of time to hurry me along, then I would feel overwhelmed by my amount of options and worried that I would miss something important. I would probably end up doing nothing! A time mechanic forces me to just make choices and get on with it.

I came to echo the people who are encouraging a moderate approach to voting. No, I don't want them to just start the whole process off by voting. The early round of eliminations is usually pretty brief and agreeable; someone brings up a game they are sure won't make the cut, most people agree, and then the game is never heard from again.

Voting would greatly accelerate the process, though, in some places that desperately need it. I love Brad and Austin, but they truly mucked up these debates when in successive years they planted their feet stubbornly for games that either nobody liked or that nobody played. That caused the 10th spot to become an endless debate between people with vastly different passions trying to squeak in games that don't have a lot of sway with anyone but themselves. Had they voted this year, the two hour tug of war between Dream Daddy and Yakuza would have been solved in much less time. Let Abby make her pitch for Dream Daddy and Alex make his pitch for Yakuza once (not one thousand times), vote, and then be done with it.

What they do now is hardly better than a vote because I don't truly believe anyone picks a side based on which argument they think is better; I think they just pick the side that seems less likely to back down based on hours of evidence. Ben and Jeff both said that they were swayed by the arguments for Dream Daddy, but it seemed to me like they were more swayed by the fact that Alex and Dan are seasoned veterans and know when to give up the fight. That's not exactly the recipe for an authentic staff top ten.

Plus, the one time they did vote (but ignored the results by and large), Steamworld Dig 2 and maybe Uncharted would have made the top ten, which would have been a win for everybody! :)

Hate to piggyback on someone else’s thread, but would this game be palatable for someone who bounces off most JRPGs? Outside of Chrono Trigger/Cross, I’ve never finished one and routinely skip out after a few hours. I love so much about what I’ve seen from Persona, but I’m worried the combat might ultimately turn me away (I am pretty bad at these games and typically quit because I reach a battle and discover I haven’t been grinding enough).

This is a stretch.

@torrim: I agree, but I also think the point of this post is more that critics seem to be selective with how much they care about a game's supposed "jank." Fallout 4 was ripped to shreds during GotY talks because of its open-world "jank," but PUBG seems to just be getting a slap on the wrist from many people for similar (or, in some cases, more grievous) sins.