Defining Duke, Episode 126: The Thread

Good evening Dukes, with the Xbox showcase coming in fast what do you all think is the one mic drop moment that Xbox could realistically announce that would win back momentum to the brand. Love the pod from Ireland

james o halloran

Greetings Dukes, Why can't I stream the pc gamepass games on my xbox? It's streaming and the xbox supports mouse and keyboard and I want to play the old fallouts and battlespire on my xbox. Why isn't this a thing? Please make it a thing, thanks.

Dick Justice

With the just announced META quest 3 How we feeling Cog that you can flex a little on the PlayStation boys? That thing is priced to match but with a library that is unmatched. Matty - you interested? Cog - what say you?

Normal People (Sacshop)

LMAO 🤣

joseph lemons

Good afternoon dukes, I’m very curious to see if we will see any news about this “collection of games” . I was talking with my roommate and we both came to the conclusion that it could be a few things. Fallout, fable, banjo or perfect dark and maybe gears. What do you think it will be or do you think it will even show up? Don’t forget to keep fighting the good fight and hold the line Xboxers.

Tanner

Damn. Just missed it. Lol

ᴮᵁᴺˢ

Greetings Dukes and Xbox 2! I love the collaborative prediction episodes we get from you all every year, extra special shout-out the the Xbox 2 guys for making the time. My question relates to Third Party presence at the showcase. What games do you think could appear as third party game pass deals? I would love for something like Judas to make an appearance. Ken Levine and Take-Two have had a solid relationship with Microsoft in the past, and this game would be a slam dunk for the game pass community. But what do you all think? Could we see some sort of Activision deal before the merger closes? Maybe we’ll see Persona 3 remake as a day one drop? Will one of the 57 fighting games coming out this year make an appearance? Have a “No Avowed, No Hellblade, show closes with Forza” kind of day.

Quantum Radish

Greetings Dukes and Xbox 2 lads. I just wanted to say how much I enjoy the work you all put into this community and this annual meet up is one of the best moments of the year for last stand content. Keep up the great work guys and let’s have us an S tier showcase !!!

J Train

Greets Dukes. I’m going to ask the question that’s on everybody’s mind leading up to the event….. will Matty’s game be at the Xbox Showcase?! Have a “we’ve been hyping this thing up for too long to not show something soon” kinda day. (….but is that referring to Xbox or Matty….)

Ben

Hello Dukes, The recent review process for Diablo 4 has got me thinking. I just think it’s odd that the review embargo has dropped and you have a game that’s been reviewed so well. Yet the endgame which is ultimately what a ARPG tends to live and die on (at least for the most hard-core fans) is something that it’s just impossible for the people reviewing the game to have spent that much time playing. I doubt anyone has even got to the highest world tier and who knows what surprises or lack of surprises may await them there. maybe I’m just missing something but I see a pretty big lack of transparency in reviews that I’ve seen with people pointing out that one of the most important things about the game they just haven’t had that much time with. Given the base game is pretty meaty as is I would argue that this is a bit of a problem within video games. Do the Dukes have any solutions to this problem? Should developers and publishers allow for a longer preview times? should there be people that have been allowed to play Diablo for thousands of hours at this point to really fully understand the product? Curious to hear your thoughts Have yourself a turn based strategy kind of day

PapaFlow

Hey gents quick question, what is the most realistic worst announcement they can make?

Mikey Rivers

Good luck gentlemen may the best Xbot win in the predictions. Cog are you going to make a different prediction on ILP so you can increase your chances of getting the W and will Rand and Jez do the same? I hope Phil comes out swinging in this Xbox showcase and says “we are done holding the line, we attack hard and fast pause”. Have a great day gentlemen and glad to know Cog is feeling better.

Tyee

Simple question: Will there be more trailers than actual gameplay? Thanks and have a “wait, Matty put how much money into his video game already? Man, I’m in the wrong line of business” kinda day.

NeO JD

My fav xbox podcasters all in one show! Hyped with this one!

Iqan Adil

Good day Dukes! Welcome back Jez and Rand! I have nothing to say except just be honest with how this thing all plays out, if they shit the bed, like a competitor recently did, just call it out. I have come to expect the truth from y’all, but the out right copium from shows that center around this “nameless” competitor were just so hard to listen to this last week. The senseless defense of that showcase has been the source of so much laughter for me, but it’s not a good look for those shows long term. Have a “please dear God don’t let this be like any Xbox showcase of the past” kinda day!

Justin Latham

Greetings Jez, Rand, Matty, and Cog. As the resident Banjo Kazooie super fan I have one question: are the rumors of the bear and bird's comeback this year worth getting excited over or should I prepare for another year of disappoint? Have a "damn near 15 years since the last title in your favorite franchise released" kind of day.

Nicholas Brilhart

Hey Dukes, Since I’m a glutton for pain my expectations are astronomically high. (They were for PlayStation too.) Here is my clown hopes. 1. GTA VI Tease 2. Gears of War collection release this year + Gears 6 teaser. 3. Fable gameplay 4. Xbox Series Slim 5. Halo BattleRoyal 6. Avowed gameplay 7. Hell Blade release this year 8. Kojima tease 9. Perfect Dark gameplay 10. New AAA ip Don’t worry I already have my clown shoes ready.

Andy

Hello Dukes and the X2 Bros, I have to ask, specifically my man Matty... Did you enjoy Gollium, the 2023's PS2 Game of the Year? I watched your review of it and was surprised a game of that quality released. And with the devs making a 'I'm sorry' post among the ever growing sea of them, what do you four think? And how can we prevent lesser games like these from releasing? Have a 'our General was out of commission but we held the line!' kind of day.

RK128

Hey All! What is everyones wildest dream and worst nightmare with the Xbox showcase? For me the dream is Fallout 1,2,3,NV remastered and my worst nightmare would be no gameplay and no dates for any title shown. I know both of these won't happen but it's fun to think about! As always, thanks for the great content!

PsychCoffee

Yeah shout out to Cog. Hope your doing alright man and are on the mend. We love and support you bro! :-)

Ryan H

hello sirs, just a quick question in "Do you think that Xbox and Bethesda themselves are weighing too much on Starfeild?" It feels like xbox as a brand is putting so much behind a singular game, while many like me probably have more faith in avowed or hellblade 2 in being a prestigious title.

Halofan117 Halofan

Hey guys, Just wanted to give my love to our Lord Cog, I hope you are feeling better after your health scare. Love the podcast so a healthy Cog and Matty is ideal. Take care.

Seth Zentner

Hey Dukes, Do you think Xbox made any revisions to their showcase after seeing Sony fumble the bag? I think if Xbox has even a small snippet of Elder Scrolls 6 or another big IP they should roll it out. IT seems like fans of either console really do want assurances that big things are coming in the future, something Sony failed to do. Mix that in with some other announcements accompanied with gameplay and and Xbox should be able to hit it out the park. Thanks for all you guys do and have a Xbox was down 3-0 and tied it at 3-3 just to lose game 7 kind of day.

Michael Buffill

Good day to all you fine gentlemen. What with Playstation having had a stinker of a showcase, and Nintendo not having shown much since February and supposedly not showing anything this summer, there's been a lot of talk about how Xbox could make some ground up on the competition. However my question is do you guys think that the lack of big news coming from Playstation and Nintendo could actually be a sign of things to come for Xbox? My worry is that maybe nobody has much to talk about right now and we could be in for a low-key showcase from team green. Much appreciation to everything all you guys do, you are fantastic at it, keep up the good work. Peace.

Hey Dukes I've noticed on Twitter there are many many pro Xbox accounts that spend literally day and night propping up Xbox and flaming Playstation fans. I did a bit of digging into these accounts and I'm convinced they are being paid to do this. I'm sure there are Playstation accounts that do the same thing but for some reason Twitter is pushing these Xbox accounts. What do you think of these accounts? Are they being paid by Xbox? Do they hurt or help the brand?

Luke Silletta

Hey Dukes and Xbox 2 crew, With Sony having what a lot of people think was a lackluster showcase and Xbox seemly confident in their upcoming event, this summer could be looked back upon as a pivotal moment for this console generation. If Xbox can surprise and delight with their presentation, close the ABK deal, and release "great games", then Microsoft would have an opportunity to reclaim more of the market share. Do y'all think Microsoft will capitalize on Sony's blunder, and if Corporate Cog, Matty and guests were in Xbox's shoes, what would be your strategy to take advantage of the possible momentum swing after the showcase?

Mark V

Hello, well defined Dukies. What do you think, how are the chances that this showcase will be just like the Playstation one? Lots of CG trailers, no release dates and so on. (50% chance? Less or more?)

Jakob

What’s up Dukes and X2 guys. Simple one for ya. Do we expect to see any surprises at this year’s showcase given that there are so many games in the pipeline that we already know about? Or should we just expect to see more details on games like Starfield, Avowed, Hellblade 2, Outer Worlds 2, etc. I’m happy to just see more details on what we know exists but a surprise is always fun and has that wow factor. Look forward to hearing your thoughts

Good day Dukes, Rand and Jez, With the Forza Twitter account announcing the cover cars and revealing an closer look at the cars during the showcase and a career mode walkthrough during Forza Monthly, does the closer look at the cars during the showcase spark concern of non-gaming content if Xbox follows tradition with previous reveals of having the real cars or is this likely just going to be in-game footage? Personally, I'm happy that Xbox learnt from their mistakes with the extended look at Forza Horizon 5, but if the real cars turn up, my patience might be tested. Have a wonderful day everyone.

AgentOfChaos904

Hello Dukes, It was recently reported by Jez that Sony outbid MS for FF XVI. Much of the commentary following this was that Sony was paying big money and MS wasn't willing to outbid them financially. I however feel like money probably had less to do with it and Sony added incentives that Square Enix valued more than cash. Naoki Yoshida revealed in a 2017 interview included in a Noclip documentary that the original incarnation of FF XIV that was in such a poor state was due to a company wide mistake of pulling lead developers and other talent from various teams to create one of their in-house game engines. He also described this as being a major issue that started back in the PS3 era, and the company lacking these development tools that other developers devoted resources to. It has also been revealed that the FF XVI engine is not an in-house engine, but rather one created in partnership with or in large part by Sony. I feel like this would be an priceless opportunity for a company lacking the internal resources to create a successful engine. Especially for a team that is also seeking to re-establish the brand's relevance for a modern audience. Thoughts?

Aquamirage

What’s up Mister Matty and big daddy Cog? Just wanted to know what your oldest or first memory of playing the OG Xbox is. For me it was the second level of Halo CE when you first wake up after the crash. I couldn’t get over how real the grass looked at the time. Instead of a plain green texture you could make out individual blades of grass. I must have spent an hour just walking around and looking at grass lol.

Casey Cieslikowski

Dear the Defining Xbox 4, Greetings gentlemen. The 2023 showcase represents an opportunity for Phil and crew to redeem the “one more thing” moment: We did not have one in 2022 in lieu of Starfield gameplay with Todd, and 2021’s “one more thing” was Redfall, so that hasn’t aged too well. 2020’s “one more thing” of course was quite good, that is when we got the Fable reveal What would be the most hype, yet somewhat realistic “one more thing” moment for you each personally? For me, I’d love for them to end with a reveal of InXile’s “Project Cobalt” or Compulsion’s “Project Midnight” Cheers, Aidan

NotSkyWalker

Hey ho, if this showcase ends up being excellent, do you think it could significantly shift cultural mind share from Playstation to Xbox in the short term, at least until the launch of Starfield?

Sam Lee

Salutations Dukes of Xbox, With the Xbox showcase around the corner what games do you think should lay the groundwork of setting up Xbox for the future? Post Starfield launch good or bad would leave a empty seat for that big counsel defining game. Should games like Avowed or Hellblade 2 set the tone of what Xbox is wanting to put out or is it something entirely different? Would love to hear all of your thoughts! P.S. Wishing Cog all the best you got this.

Lmao 🤣

joseph lemons

I’m sure Marty will read this. 😂

The Devmeister

When’s Xbox going to stop sucking. Answer me honestly. As someone with a PS5 and a Nintendo Switch OLED… I’d love to add a Series S/X to my roster but literally can’t find a single reason to until Fallout finally comes out console exclusive. Sell me on Xbox right now - I challenge you. Because you can’t. Love the Duke cast. Keep it up 👍

The Devmeister

Hey Dukes, Jez and Rand I was watching Martys video about what’s going on at PlayStation. I have a theory and would like your thoughts. The PS showcase had a similar feel to the many Xbox showcases when they didn’t have much ti show. PS started the gen with a larger first party, while Xbox new acquisitions had to deliver already announced multiplat games, while Sony had so many games in development, it allowed them to have a couple of games a year while Covid ravaged game development. Xbox was caught short in 2022 by their historical weakness in first party, but it seems Covid delays and move to live service have caught up with PlayStations first party development. My two fav gaming podcasts assembling is always a great show. Keep up the great work.

Andrew McGregor

Hey everyone, I recently sent Jez a DM about this but I really think it would be awesome if Xbox rolled out a cross game battle pass, especially if the ABK buy goes through. So no matter if you’re playing Halo, Overwatch, or CoD, it feels like you’re making progress and it would keep players in the ecosystem. You could maybe cap the number of levels in a battle pass you get outside the game or half the experience but it seems like a really natural fit for the Game Pass model. Do you guys think they would ever consider something like that? How can we send this idea to Phil Spencer’s desk?

Greetings Dukes and Friends, What are the chances we see anything regarding The Outer Worlds 2? As a huge fan of the first game (It's a top ten game of all-time for me), I am eagerly anticipating the sequel. I know Obsidian has their hands full with Avowed, but given the output we have seen from, I am hoping we see something! Best, Sean M

Sean Mason

I implore to the Dukes of 4, Do you guys think Xbox will have any hardware of any kind at the Xbox showcase, or possibly even Summer Games Fest with how they unveiled the Series X at the Game Awards? A series 3 elite controller, the starfield special edition controller/headset, maybe new peripherals like some Xbox branded racing wheels for that upcoming banger of Forza Motorsports? Hope you guys have an amazing week, we just got the news 3 days ago that my wife is cancer free so it's an amazing one for us already!

Max - Fifthstring

Hey Dukes hope you're both well. I don't have an Xbox but I'm loving the discussions! I'll still be tuning into the showcase as I really want to see Avowed or Fable. These games both have the potential to make me buy an Xbox ("games don't sell consoles" my ass). I also just wanted to let Matty know I finally got addicted to Mass Effect after attempting to get into it multiple times. I only played half of 1 before deciding it was a bit too dated for me, but I'm now 10 hours into 2 and it's hooked me, this game is amazing. I finally understand Matty's obsession with these games 👍🏻

Wesali1996

Only one thing that matters: PERSONA 3 REMAKE let’s GOOOO! SORTA unrelated. Rumor has it P6 is PS5 exclusive. Do you guys feel like this is a mistake? Can’t help but think the series would be elevated overall with a multiplatform release 🤔

Brett Medlock

Mid Gen Reflection Time Dukes, With PlayStation’s lackluster showcase, Bungie dismantling FRACTIONS, and so many games this gen being delayed or released broken, all eyes are on Xbox showcase to revitalize the gaming community for the future. Lots of talk is on Starfield; however, Starfield is not at the Xbox Showcase. Thus, what studio/game at the show—whether 1st party or 3rd party—has the capability of capturing the zeitgeist like Starfield and rally the troops holding the line? For example: successful or not, I believe cyberpunk 2077 was able to create the hype levels of Starfield. If there isn’t any, would that be an L for the showcase? Get well soon Cog, health is wealth!

Vonoran

Hey Xbox Four, Can we talk about Marathon a bit before the Xbox showcase takes over the news cycle? Do any of you have any experience with extraction shooters or the Marathon IP? Is there anything specific you want out of this game? Does Marathon signal the end of Destiny?

Hello Dukes, Just wanted to say I've tried the last two Game Pass recommendations. When I first played through TMNT Shredder's Revenge with Leo, I thought the game was pretty mid. But then I started going for achievements with the Aerial Queen April O'Neill and it was a game changer! High recommend! I have played very little of Planet of Lana, but it has been enjoyable so far. It reminds me a lot of Limbo without the death scenes. I look forward to completing it! Thanks Dukes!

Nevets

Hey Dukes Not a question, just wanted to say a huge thanks to Cog for his wonderful gamepass pick of the week recommendation of Planet of Lana. It's not often I start & finish a game in one sitting but Planet of Lana was an absolute masterful blend of visual & audio beauty & plays reminiscent of games like Limbo & Inside with the perfect balance of puzzles! I absolutely loved it!

Shaun Sannerude

Sup fellas, Hope ya'll doin well! I got a bit of a serious question for ya'll. I'm from the same era as Cog, so I remember the Sega vs Nintendon't console wars era. It was funny and fun as hell. Great times. Over the years I've seen the console wars die down, then rise again over and over. But in all those years I have never seen it as bad as it is now. The last couple weeks I've watched Destin from IGN battling on twitter against people saying IGN and the media have it in for XBox. Things got even wilder post PS Showcase. Yesterday i saw a post where they used the tragic George Floyd image with Xbox as the Police and Playstation as Floyd. While some called it out others defended it. I know twitter isn't real life, but it only isn't till it is. Dare I say that this stupidity could hit Biggie vs Tupac levels. Sounds wild but is it? We live in crazy times. Hope ya'll awesome and congrats on the house Matty. Home Depot is bout to become your new Toys R us. Jeshua

Jeshua Anderson

What up Movie trailer Matty and CGI Cog, With Phantom Blade 0's trailer getting a lot of pop offs when it was shown at the Playstation showcase, there was a lot of skepticism from a few (including me) about what was shown. The reports came out that the game started development late 2022 and from a primarily mobile game developer no less which has lead more credence to those suspicions. My question for you guys: Is that okay? Let's say InXile's new IP just started development late 2022. Would you be okay with a vertical slice that would definitely get a bigger pop off, but may or may not hit the same quality at launch? Or would you rather go for the tried and true CG with a lesser buzz and wait for accurate gameplay? Matty, have an "Xbox announces a new 1st party Ninja Turtles game only for it to be delayed indefinitely" kinda day and Cog, I hope your recovery is going smoothly and you are feeling back to your usual 110%.

Don Otaku

They will definitely have a lot of 3rd party, but remember that unlike the Playstation show, at least 80% will be Day 1 in Game Pass so it's more desirable seeing it there.

Don Otaku

Hey guys, all I ever want when Bethesda is involved is something Fallout. So I ask you all, what’s more likely? -A small spinoff game set in the Fallout universe (games like shelter also count) -New Vegas 2 or remake of the original -No mention of Fallout at all (keeping in mind Fallout 76 still exists)

Bruce The Genetic Jackhammer Rando

How does Jez keep his beard so luscious looking?

joseph lemons

How excited are you guys for Marathon, Is Cog gonna check it out when it releases?

joseph lemons

Greetings Xbox Defense Force Consider this list of three hypothetical games: Doom 3, Wolfenstein 3, and The Evil Within 3. If you were given the choice of selecting one to be announced at the showcase, but the other 2 will be cursed and never get made ever, which would you pick? Cheers!

Lemon Pepper

The Dukes! Main question for me is when will we see the next gears? And do either of you think they will change or evolve the multiplayer? Could we ever see a more live service multiplayer from the team? Have a got to the final wave and beat the crap out of boss kinda day. - DextrousJoe

Jose Vera

Yo to the Xbox two and the Dukes! Does Xbox risk it with announcing release dates at the showcase? They've been stung after last year's show and I think they may be a bit vague this year. Personally I think we get release dates for forza and hellblade and that's it. Have a "Oreo is a biscuit and not a cookie" kind of day.

Nlindz27

Oh this will be good.

Hello boys. Nice to see four of my favorite Xbots all together again. What are the odds that our friend Nick will be proven correct and we get a Gears collection at this show?

Prof JJJ

Seeing as Sony had more of a focus on Third Party games during their showcase, do you think Xbox will focus on the same? Or will they focus on exclusives? Thanks!

Robbie Agnew

Hello fellas + Rand and Jez I was wondering, during this year's Xbox Showcase, how much Bethesda do you think we'll see? Id Software seems prime for an announcement, Machine Games and whatever they're releasing first, either Indiana Jones or Wolfenstein 3. We also got Zenimax Online Studios and their next big game. Do we see any, all, or none of them? Thanks and ya'll have yourselves an A1 day.

Dillon