senorsucks2suck

@justin258: I think it's strange that you consider Switch viable when it is a 360 (at best) console. What if Microsoft is trying to leverage some of the Nintendo 3rd party exclusives like Astral Chain (i'm not privy to the contracts, and neither are you) that may be part time exclusives. For me the Series-S is like when you write a paper for school and you are to keep it to under 1,000 words. If i recall correctly you can play Doom 64 in 4K on the One-S, that's supposed to be impossible. You see what the open world limitless design has wrought, just bigger maps with little innovation.

If the Series-S is what Microsoft considers (well essentially mandating) is the minimum spec for PCs for the next 5 years then there really isn't any concern. In 2020 I'm no more married to my console than I am to my phone. In fact I have 2- iphones and the things that once kept me from jumping ship to Android are a Dropbox download away. A little no-smoking sign on the couple of games that aren't playable on gamepass serie-s games of future christmas will be few and far between.

If CD Projekt can shoehorn Cyberpunk in an OG Xbox One (in 2020 that's trash tier but it's a tier) as a non-first party developer then the internal mandates from Microsoft will keep currently non-existant (outside the digital foundry nitpick and who asked them anyway, they would have been debbie downers for all the generations up to now... so what's new) complaints to a minimum and will design around it. But yeah, Switch development possible but Series-S (at same price point and i have a phone and havent cared about mobile gaming since 2009) totally unpossible.

Easy.

Step 1: Drive to the gym and park in the parking lot. Give yourself all the time to goof off on your phone for a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Get out and go inside.

The hardest thing is showing up. If you're already there you cant formulate excuses not to do it. So make your mission to just go to the gym parking lot. Don't overwhelm yourself with what your plans are going to be when you get there. Just show up. Go inside. On days where you can think of better things to do when you get to the parking lot then leave and do those things. As long as you are seizing the day the gym doesn't have to monopolize your life. But if you sit in the parking lot and end up leaving more often than not then you are actively making a choice and then gym is not something you have internalized as actually wanting to do.

So i'm in quite the predicament. I don't have a next gen console and I want one. Scarcity, artificial or not, is real and I could go either way on consoles. My first choice is the Series-X because of my library of unplayed games. My 2nd Choice is a discless-PS5 (I have digital games on my account and doubt i max out the harddrive for the entirety of the generation) followed by a Disc-PS5 and lastly the Series-S. I have not encountered any of these consoles in the wild. If i had i would have gone home with something more than likely. I'll come to terms with whatever I do because I will likely pick up one console and then get the pro version of the other console down the road.

In the heat of the moment are you saying no to your 2nd choice (even if it's the disc/discless, X/S, or vice versa)?

I think the marquee feature (issue) with this generation is lack of care at release. As much as we used to hate season passes from companies like Ubisoft it was literally the only guarantee that games we may potentially love would receive any post-natal care. Gears 5 just got Batista and I think Microsoft is making Gamepass the first opportunity for single player content (Yes i know it has multiplayer) to embrace the single player games as a service path. Since games are now introducting ray tracing at no cost like Metro Exodus (not looking at you DMC 5, or am I?) could Gamepass be the means by which game companies stay engaged with their games and reintroduce their games into the service (and public consciousness) every time something new is delivered. Are game developers as tired of multiplayer as I am? Isn't the bombcast tired of chasing the dragon like the worst of heroin addicts?

When Hitman 1 was released it was a broken mess of piecemeal downloads, random free episode that just so happen to not be the one you queued for download, games with gold, and a final release that was just a billion downloads. That game is a nightmare to manage the downloads for. Hopefully Hitman 3 is complete, with no episodes, or I'm not touching it. Or the first episode launches into Gamepass and Playstation players can deal with that nightmare.

The point is we have seen new business models introduced throughout the generations and hopefully gamepass gives us the single player games as a service. Take the persistance of Rainbow 6 and the fluid nature of Fortnite and put in my single player and I might be a member for life. Series-S and Series-X are Microsoft telling developers 'Conduct your business here will you build your pedigree.' The low power (or binding) of the Series-S is like your calculus class not allowing calculators on exams, its actually making you better at math (in this case game development). No exclusives? Ha, I'm exclusively playing on Xbox.

@nevergameover: Dumping on games is what I'm here for. There is absolutely no way I'll play certain games like Destiny but when they get in the weeds those conversations are the ones I used to have with friends over which boss in Mega Man is better. It may be juvenile, but clearly each person has literally 100s of hours of dialogue on the podcasts and i don't find them repeating themselves or running ideas into the ground. Sometimes it takes the right phrase to win someone over. That's what the legal profession is - searching for the right angle to win over a jury.

People like Dan were incapable of a verbally defensible argument but someone like that clearly has a rap sheet that says he's going to love something like the tropical freeze soundtrack. I sit through Leesa ads and Squarespace would be my first choice if i were a personal trainer because these are the friends i don't have. Nobody in my immediate life is playing games on this level. Gamestop employees aren't required to have their minor in gamecube and Masters in Dreamcast. So I am here for all of it.

Sometimes the conversation devolves into "you can't make me," or it's gang up on Dan or Abby time with "alternative facts," but if we broke down each one of those GOTY podcasts we would all agree when things got off the rails.

In summary I think the categories need to be. (And I hate that i'm going to start listing stuff because we will now taint the process).

• The Fly on the Forehead Category: Partner says are you still playing that
• This will only be 2 weeks and back to the office: Game that i was supposed to put down.
• Where's the toliet paper: Despite exponentially more people playing games still couldn't get a match in TitanFall 2

@zoofame: I only listen to the podcast because of off hand comments that i can relate to. I'm not looking for a thorough anaylsis of the game. I just want to hear there's a quest worth playing in AC: Valhalla or Death Stranding. When i eventually get around to playing things they mention it's nice to recall what they were saying. It helps me understand them better and it helps me go out on a limb (or not) for a game like Void Bastards. Where else am i supposed to get comprehensive videogame news? The trailer feeds of Gamespot or Ign? I trust them and when our opinions align it fuels my enjoyment of continued consumption of what's on this site. I'm 10 years invested in this site and it would take an absolute Kane and Lynch 2 size exposé with everybody on the take for me to leave.

Change nothing with the site or dialgue. I was just saying in 2020 they need to spitball a few probably genius ideas on how to sum up this year in gaming for themselves, individually, and the site. We haven't gone bonkers for Among Us. Why? I just think a copy pasta job for this year is a huge missed opportunity. Put your guest lists through the wringer too.. Im here. Entertain.

Complaining about a site you actively have to visit or subscribe to is pretty hilarious. I've devoured every second of all their GOTYs and it bothers me when i try to relisten because maybe i missed something.. i didnt. Was just saying the thegameawards.com lists mean absolutely zilch to me and probably everybody on this site that care about gaming. The further away from that.. the better.

@big_denimthe : I think all the people that would go Knives Out have exited the site. The Austin Walkers, Abby Russels, and Dan Rykers of the world. A zoom call with all of Giant Bombs-Ever-Weres would make for great content. I am absolutely for Knives Out. If i were to meet anybody at a PAX I ONLY want to talk to the people that went knives out, on my behalf, for the games i love. Everybody else gets a polite wave and I'm buying my pal a beer.

Can GOTY be streamed? Wont happen.

@thataintfalco: Wishlist for guest list of GOTY includes

• Vaping Congressman Who Spent Campaign Funds On Steam Games Resigns (kotaku.com).
• AOC
• Barron Trump

Please do right by this site and right by 2020.

@cheesebearger14: I got over her (and what it all boils down to) is her not being my age. You can't do research and keep up with industry. The only prerequisite to belonging is playing games. Think she did that in her own lane and quite well.

@demonsoul: Harsh and unnecessary. I've learned not to dismiss gamers for loving the games they love. Breaths of fresh air like her keep the site interesting.