Topic: Official Push Square Xbox Thread

@FullbringIchigo I know - I felt like Nintendo held me to ransom with their online just because i want to back up my cloud saves. Luckily I got some free with Twitch Prime.

I was just thinking that with May literally less than 12hours away, I haven't seen the usual Xbox youtube video for next month's Games with Gold. I tried a youtube search and no 'official' Xbox video, not on their channel so looking further, all I could see was video's being very critical of the games offered - some citing that it was the worst month ever and asking whether MS should actually cease offering games at all...

Anyway, as I usually post here to let those of us with Xbox consoles know what games are offered, I can only post a Picture of the titles (courtesy of the official Xbox Wire news) and the following blurb.

In May on Xbox One, mix up the fun and party with friends in Marooners, then pick up your driver and hit the links in The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA Tour. On Xbox 360, and Xbox One via Backward Compatibility, defend the planet against an alien-insect invasion in Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, and finally the leap into comic book action in Comic Jumper.

I must admit, there isn't anything that jumps out here as something I would actually want to play at all. For me it is a 'bad' month...

Another bad month. Seriously I remember when all the Xbox Owners use to brag that GwG was better in the free game category then PS+. I am believing that those people were just trolls since owning my Xbox One since last year I have not seen a GwG where I went oh heck yeah that's better then PS+.

@Tasuki At one point, GwG was better. There was AAA games compared to yet another pair of indie platformers or games that were similar to each other. Also of course you were getting 2 Backwards Compatible games too which were (and still are) AAA games whilst PS+ offered small indie games for PS3 and Vita. For those with 'just' a PS4, the titles were underwhelming each month and the fact that many Sony gamers expected 'high' quality because of PS+ on PS3 - but now its necessary for online, it felt like they were getting 'poor' games since paying for online.

@Kidfried There has been some AAA games though since Game Pass, games like Battlefield 1, For Honour, Forza Horizon 2 and even last month's The Technomancer was, believe it or not, a AAA game - not that it sold well or launched to a big fanfare but technically it was a full price release. I don't know if the Golf game next month was a AAA release, I don't like golf. Celeste, which was a highly praised 'indy' has been offered too. I know they maybe old, but there have been some great 360 BC games offered too.

I know they can't consistently offer games that you want every month - 48 games that you personally want as someone else would be disappointed that their most wanted hasn't been offered. I am not defending them at all btw as nothing really jumps out to me in the last month or 3. I have to go back to last year to find an XB1 GwG game that I was quite interested in playing. Games like the aforementioned Celeste & Technomancer as well as games like PvZ2:GW, WRC6, Bomberman, Bloodstained etc - all offered this year, just doesn't appeal to me personally but, as some may say, you can't grumble if they are 'free'. In truth, most of the games that are 'totally' free - in the sense that I can keep them regardless, I have been OK with - I would prefer it if they had the X enhanced feature so they don't look quite so dated (they still do regardless) but at least they tend to play better than they ever did on X...

The video - as if that will make the offerings 'better'...

SO it finally happened, my XB1's wi-fi adapter has completely died, can't connect online at all now & as it's NOT my home console, that's the old one in the living room with the broken disc drive (which we all use for Netflix and a few games i have digitally) i can't use most of my games or DLC, it's basically only good for DVD's & blu-rays now

oh and no i can't connect it to a wire either not that it would matter because i took it downstairs and tried and that wouldn't work either, it's like the whole part of it is dead

it is a really good blu-ray player though AND as it's also a XB1s it's also a 4K blu-ray player so when i get my 4K TV later this year (prepping for the next gen) i can start using that too

@FullbringIchigo Sounds like it's time to trade it in for an Xbox One X.

@Tasuki nah the next gen systems probably aint too far away so i might as well wait and besides any games i have on XB1 i can also get on either PS4 or P.C if i really wanted too

June's 2019 Games with Gold lineup for Xbox One includes: EA SPORTS™ NHL® 19 and Rivals of Aether. For Xbox 360 owners (and through Xbox One backward compatibility), June kicks off with Portal: Still Alive, followed by Earth Defense Force 2017.

Yet another mediocre month from Microsoft....

Can't say ANY of these inspire me to download and actually play them - maybe others here might be more excited...

Wow just wow. Again how is GwG better then PS+. I will admit they are both bad for me for different reasons. At least PS+ it's because I owe the games. Xbox GwG I have no interest in their GwG at all. Xbox fanboys are definitely smoking something when they say GwG gave away better games then PS+.

@Tasuki to be fair some months PS+ is better and some GwG is better, they both have great months and bad months, i think it just depends on your taste

i would say after a year both are probably pretty much even in terms of the quality of the content

Portal is good. I enjoyed it when I played it at launch on PC. Although I don’t know how well it has been ported to the Xbox.
It often seems to be the case that the better game are the backwards compatibility ones rather than the Xbox One ones.

@Ryall i think the reason that the XB1 games have gotten worse is because MS want more people to use the Game Pass service

@Tasuki There is always subjectivity when comparing the games of one service to those on the other. if you don't like FPS looter Shooters or not particularly keen on a game that hasn't changed much in nearly 30yrs, PS+ isn't going to appeal.

I don't particularly like ice hockey or sport sim games for that matter so NHL won't appeal - it may do in America and especially Canada. If you don't own Super Smash Brothers but like that type of game Xbox at least is catering to you. Portal is a well respected Franchise and maybe someone will want EDF too - although it looks very dated now.

Its subjective because it really does come down to the games you prefer to play. Objectively, Xbox does offer 2 more games a month and, if you take the cost of the games when 'new', Xbox again offers better value. I have already said that I prefer the PS+ games this month - even though I have outgrown Sonic and own the Handsome Collection on Xbox but that is more a reflection on me and the games I enjoy playing. If Sony were still offering their 'budget' (indie/arcade) PS3 and Vita games - like they were a few months ago, games that could only be played if you owned (and still used) the old hardware, MS looked better then too - offering two 360 AAA games that could also be played on XB1 and if they had 'online' content, be played with gamers on old and new generation hardware - not splitting the Xbox user base.

As far as I am aware, NHL is a AAA relatively new release compared to Borderlands - a remaster of 'old' generation games. Sonic Mania is a new game but still nearly 30yrs old at its core (not criticising) which, compared to an 'indie' version of Super Smash Bros - games based on much older game-play mechanics. I know Sonic is a much bigger icon which helps raise the excitement for PS+ games this month. There are no games offered by Sony that you could compare with the 2x360 offerings because Sony don't offer PS3 games or Backwards Compatibility. So from a numeric and from a value perspective, MS are offering more. Again, not saying that these 4 games are 'better' than Sony's 2 and have already said that if I had to pick only 1 of Sony's or MS's offerings for June, I would pick Sony because Borderlands, despite the fact I own it on Xbox, would give me a lot more fun and could spend the whole month of June just playing that game. However, that's my preference. Someone else may prefer to spend the whole month playing Sonic or maybe the whole month playing all 4 MS's games than just 1/2 Sony games.

I don't want to start an argument but for months on end, Sony were only offering 'indie' PS+ games that 'many' people had little/no interest in whilst MS were offering at least 1 AAA XB1 game as well as 2 AAA 360 games that people can play on their Xbox - some looking and/or playing better - especially on X. I often saw comments from 'Sony' gamers that they preferred indies because there was less chance they would ever play them otherwise, preferred to get 6 games, 2 for each of their Playstation consoles - happy that they actually got something 'new' to play on their Vita. I often saw Sony gamers comment they would rather have newer (even new) indies than 'older' AAA games. If we take those comments and apply that 'fairly' to both offerings, Xbox would win - even offering the 'newest' AAA game...

However we all know how fickle people can be changing the rules to align with their allegiance to one brand or the other. On this though, all I will say is that it comes down to personal preference, what games you yourself enjoy. It doesn't matter if MS are offering more games, offering a higher 'value' of titles if they are not games you want to play. Sony's offerings may not be the best either - not if you don't enjoy the game-play of these 2 or if you own and already finished playing them - even if you are only interested in Portal for example, it may be better than getting 2 games you have already owned and finished. Sony's could feel more disappointing if you already own them.

Its all subjective with circumstances and perspective also contributing to individual opinion as to which service has the best offerings each month. Based on my own preference, I think its not a great month all round. The only game I would actually play is the Handsome Jack collection - a game I can already play on my Xbox anyway but that's my perspective based on my own circumstance and applying my own subjective view as to what I enjoy playing.

@BAMozzy The only reason PS+ is a bad month for me is as I said I own those games already, Handsome on both the PS4 and Xbox One, Sonic on Switch. This late in the lifespan they shouldn't be given away games that most PS+ user have I mean let's use common sense here most people who are interested in Borderlands would have PS+ since you need it to play with others online so they already own that game. Maybe offer a single player non offline game for PS+ like Assassin's Creed Origins for example or Rage not something that requires + if what I am saying makes sense.

As for Xbox right it's a taste thing I don't like playing hockey games and not big on puzzle games but let's be honest is a Hockey game going to appeal to as much people as maybe say offering Ori or maybe Rare Replay for free? How bout maybe Gears or Doom 2017? Wolfenstein? Cuphead? I can list a bunch more that would appeal to more gamers then NHL 19.

@Tasuki With so many games released over the 5.5yrs since launch, there is a LOT of options. Its also entirely possible that late comers to this generation - after all both Sony and MS continue to sell units - that may not own some of the 'older' games - and, if you look at the sales numbers of games on these consoles, there is more chance that gamers don't own the games offered (inc Borderlands) than gamers that do. A game like Borderlands probably sold around 3m on PS4 (maybe less) and with 30m PS+ subscribers, 9 out of 10 people won't own this.

I don't know who will like Hockey, I doubt many of my friends will as Ice Hockey isn't that 'big' in the UK but in Canada, Fifa would probably go down like a lead balloon - even if its Fifa19 - a game not even a year old yet. I wouldn't be overly happy with Rare Replay, Gears (both), Doom or Wolfenstein (any - inc the Stand alone) as I have all of those and completed all of those (apart from all of Rare Replay) too so wouldn't get any value from them.

As I said, its circumstance and personal preference. You are never going to please everyone all of the time. There are numerous games - inc many AAA games that I would be happy to receive. The AAA games basically need to fit in that 'small' window between the games you wanted and bought and games you didn't want - essentially games you want but not enough to have already purchased. Older games may well fit this, unless you happen to be one of the 'early' adopters and, looking at the number of games that sold 4m or less, meaning that less than 1 in 20 people own (or 19/20 people haven't played), there is a massive list of possibilities.

For the avid gamer, the chance of PS+/GwG offering those AAA games you wanted but as yet haven't bought being offered is quite low. Like I said, if you wanted the game 'enough', you may of bought it at (or close to) release or during any one of the countless sales. If, like me, you own both Sony and MS consoles, both PS+ and GwG, you will also get games on one system and then be 'disappointed' when it comes up on the other - that's happened quite a few times and more often than not, the game was offered first on Xbox so when it comes up on PS+, its 'meh'.

Good and bad are subjective and whether you own them or not is circumstantial - neither MS or Sony look at your games list and pick games to offer based on that. As for 3rd party published games, they can't just offer any titles they want. The only game I would play out of the 6 on offer this month is a game I already have.

I too can mention a LOT of games I would have preferred over all of these too - maybe they will be offered in future month's maybe not. I am less likely to buy older games now as I have a backlog and its much more likely for me to spend money on new releases - that's just me though but others may prefer to buy older games in sales because they are cheaper - more likely to then be offered via a subscription too...

I consider next months selection of ps+ games decent even if I do own them both. But I don't expect to like the games every month or to not have them already. I'm just a bit gutted cos I've only played Sonic Mania very briefly when I bought it at launch. I really need to stop stockpiling games lol.

I don't think the gwg selections have been great recently, certainly nothing that sticks that made me well jel.

I will probably end up giving Game Pass a shot on PC.

well XBOX's E3 could be interesting but i have to wonder what this means for future XBOX systems, why do you even need to buy one now, all their games are coming to P.C and there are rumours of game pass even coming to Switch and PS4 (after that news on Sony and MS teaming up for streaming)

Xbox really are positioning themselves as a service and this is where they are headed. It is interesting to see as their main business model is going subscription across Microsoft, such as Azure, 365 etc.