Given that they (the creators) weren’t involved in any of the WotL changes and it doesn’t align with their overall vision of the game, I’m happy with the decisions they’re making. I don’t believe it will lessen or cheapen the story or game itself when there’s so much more going in to IC.

I can still play WotL if I want, and I’ll be keeping my pre-order in place for this, and I’m happy Europe gets a proper physical release (unlike the original).

I don’t think anyone did. It was shadow dropped and I wonder if they (MS, SE or both) were expecting that to create instant hype.

FF8 has been going through a bit of a resurgence lately where it does seem to be getting a fair amount of praise. It used to get slated though.

I wonder if this comes as any surprise when a) it takes several years to release to the console, even after a PC release and b) its released to a console where large parts of the user base are conditioned to only get games on gamepass.

100%. It was really helpful in XVI, so I appreciate that they’re adding it here as well.

Yeah waiting for a sale is a good idea if you’re uncertain. I bought it full price on PS5 and don’t regret it because I felt got my money worth - spent enough time with it for multiple play throughs, platinum trophy, etc

I had the same reaction to it, but ended up buying it after looking into some gameplay. I’m glad I did because there’s a really enjoyable game outside of the “sex appeal.” Combat is good and fun, there’s an interesting story there too. My only major complaint is that about 2/3 or 3/4 through the game it turns into a boss rush, and almost feels like the devs ran out of time or budget so cut some story.

As for the community, it’s easy to get around that by just not taking part. I’ve avoided it for the same reasons you’re not wanting to play. It’s a shame there too because I imagine there’s well meaning people who truly love what the game has to offer outside of fan service, and would love to discuss lore, etc.

I love covers like this, they really bring a different life to Uematsu’s already wonderful music.

If you’ve played Revenant Wings then maybe take a look at other games in the Ivalice Alliance series - XII may be the more appropriate choice as RW is its sequel.

Otherwise I’d consider one of the more turn-based ones to get a flavour of those FF games. FFX is probably going to be a top choice there and you’re already looking at it, but there’s plenty of good ones to decide from. My favourite is VIII but that doesn’t mean it’s the best for you. IX is a common favourite that you might also enjoy. And FFVI from pre-PlayStation era is another common favourite.

I’d agree with this to be honest. As much as I love my Steam Deck I’m not sure it’s the choice they’re looking for. But, I also haven’t used any other Asus offerings with handhelds, to make a full run down of advice and comparison.

Same, looking forward to eventually playing this.

Steam Deck appreciator myself and this does seem like a good starting point for Xbox. I’m interested to see how it progresses over the years.

I read that somewhere as well, it coincided with reports of SteamOS being more performant that Windows 11 for gaming. How related they both were I have no idea but it sounds like MS were already aware and are trying to resolve that here as it prevents resource intensive processes from launching (desktop, etc).

Sorry for the Twitter link, but Atlus shared it will be on Xbox, PS5 and PC. So no exclusivity on this.

https://x.com/atlus_west/status/1931776301221937545

Did anyone else forget this wasn’t even on Xbox yet?

Is this the rumoured Xbox handheld that everyone has been going on about for months?

You know it’s THE real Game Freak because of the framerate.

Of all the games announced recently, this is going to be the one I’m most hyped for.

No doubt you’re about to do it again!