Defining Duke, Episode 11: Xbox Game Pass Is Making HUGE Moves ft. Mike Williams of PCMag
Added 2021-03-18 16:01:02 +0000 UTCHot on the heels of rolling Bethesda into the fold, Xbox is sustaining momentum in the following week. Xbox Game Pass continues to solidify itself as the best value deal in gaming and things have somehow managed to get even better. On day one of its release, you will be able to download Outriders through Game Pass on consoles! Major third party deals will continue to lift the service to new heights and Xbox understands that as they are bringing Octopath Traveler to Xbox as well. This is momentous as it marks the first time in ages Xbox has scored a JRPG ahead of PlayStation. With things unraveling as they are, Matty and Karak tapped reviewer Mike Williams of PCMag on the shoulder for additional input. Combine that with Game Pass on PC finally getting EA Play, a major event rumor, plus new Halo Infinite details and we are looking at a super episode here.
Timestamps:
0:00:37 - Intro
0:16:07 - Will Sega sell to Microsoft?
0:26:12 - Which publisher should Microsoft buy next?
0:38:09 - What Microsoft owned IP crossovers would be fun to see?
0:45:02 - What’s next for ID on Xbox? Maybe Halo?
0:47:48 - Is Microsoft swinging their wallet around too much?
0:57:00 - Even MORE games are coming to Game Pass.
1:18:35 - EA Play is coming to Game Pass for PC on March 18th.
1:27:43 - More games have been made eligible for FPS Boost. Will remasters go away?
1:38:14 - Reports say that Microsoft will hold a gaming event on March 26th.
1:48:23 - New Halo: Infinite screenshots have been released.
1:52:18 - The Outer Worlds receives new DLC as well as next gen updates.
1:53:09 - New DLC has been released for DOOM Eternal.
1:55:52 - Devotion is finally available.
1:57:04 - Microsoft is bringing back achievements on their mobile app.
1:58:16 - Game Pass Picks of the Week
2:04:39 - Backwards Compatibility Picks of the Week.
2:09:15 - PC Deals of the Week
2:12:11 - What should I play after Gears Tactics?
2:17:19 - What podcasts do we listen to?
2:19:52 - Built-in batteries or rechargeable battery packs?
2:22:14 - Will we ever see crossplay and cross-progression between Sony and Microsoft?
2:26:38 - Is it ever hard to go back to 360 games?
Comments
Gotta agree with Karak on Outriders. I was interested in the game but barely played the demo. It felt like a worse version of Gears. Not surprised they’d give it away on Game Pass.
NeO JD
2021-03-25 13:51:21 +0000 UTCMike was an awesome guest, I would love to have him come on more frequently.
Goob
2021-03-22 17:07:49 +0000 UTCAnyone who is crazy hyped about Game Pass in 2020-21 is a little delusional in my opinion. I think as a whole, Game Pass leads to a much more jaded community, which doesn’t help devs create the best game possible. In other words, why am I going to support a game in 2021 if it’ll be on Game Pass in 12-18 months, especially considering there are “new games” getting added that I can’t keep up with...I think this sentiment is bizarre. Are you invested in the lifestyle of gaming or do you just stumble about and only look forward to 1-2 games a year? Until Microsoft has all their internal devs pushing out AAA or equivalent top tier titles every 3 months, it is not a compelling service enough to say that Sony is doomed. Save for the random indie (who I’d prefer to give $20-40 at the point of sale minus the cut to console maker), and games that have been removed from the zeitgeist, it just seems like a weird approach, but I suppose everyone is different . Another reason I can’t get on board with Game Pass in 2021 is I enjoy playing stuff the day it comes out and heard the review discussions and watching/listening to the spoilercast a and chatting with community members about the merits of GOTY stuff and the like. So being hyped or intentionally waiting to play game that are over a year old is like excruciating for me and this is coming from someone with a full time job, married with two kids. I don’t have time as it is, so playing the latest and greatest makes the most sense.
The Eclectic Gamer
2021-03-21 15:01:52 +0000 UTCCarrig’s a big miss for me...he’s dismissive, uninformed and crass. It makes for a sharp edge to Matty’s even well reasoned critiques. I’ve listened to every episode and hoped for Carrigs style to grow on me. It did not, but hey, I’m not for everyone, no one is. Best of luck in all of your current and future endeavors.
BlindRiot
2021-03-21 14:25:37 +0000 UTCThe fanboyism
Alan Ortega-Lopez
2021-03-19 10:28:26 +0000 UTCWhile I agree xbox has an awesome ecosystem the whole point is why would I go into that ecosystem if there isn't a ton of great content continually come down the pipelines. Last generation I found myself playing a lot more playstation 4. During the xbox 360 generation for the 1st 4 years I played a lot more 360 in the last 3 years I played a lot more playstation so it's been almost a decade of domination by playstation on the gaming front. It doesn't matter whether your ecosystem or some of the perks that you provide are great if you don't have the games that are exclusive to your console is kind of a pointless
Wayde
2021-03-19 04:51:36 +0000 UTCI was lucky to get a Series X from Best Buy this week. Was browsing on my lunch break and dumb luck they had put them up for sale 5 minutes prior haha. I'm loving it so far. Game pass is literally a game changer. You guys are responsible for making me getting one and It is totally worth it. Its a bit excessive to have a PS5 and Xbox Series X but at least I'm well prepared for this gen and everything it will deliver.
Luke Silletta
2021-03-19 01:36:02 +0000 UTCLoved the episode 👍, also I found a minor error with the timestamps for this episode where at the 1:48:50 point you wrote that there were new Halo Infinite screenshots even though it was only details about the dual-weilding/ no elites
Zach Yearwood
2021-03-18 23:52:59 +0000 UTCHmm I just looked at all of 2020 and I only saw maybe 2 or 3 new games for Ps plus. So I’m not sure ps plus is about new games. Although I would say it definitely beats the games with gold!
Greg Mocha
2021-03-18 21:56:09 +0000 UTCDon’t be giving Microsoft any ideas, Greg!
Gabriel (sangerardino)
2021-03-18 21:49:44 +0000 UTCXbox is doing so many great things in different fronts but it’s sad that millions of people fail to see this or choose to ignore it and still call PlayStation “the best place to play”. Playstation, for me, may have a lot of great exclusives but it certainly is not the best place to play.
Gabriel (sangerardino)
2021-03-18 21:48:17 +0000 UTCOh btw, I have a ps5 and a series S as my game pass machine, all I’ve been playing is the S, Gamepass could be double the current price and still be an amazing deal and service
David Kramme
2021-03-18 20:47:50 +0000 UTCLove Mike Williams, can’t wait to listen!
David Kramme
2021-03-18 20:43:55 +0000 UTCYes!! Thank you guys ACG and Mike! Uncharted 1 is balls now, like an actual bad game. 2 holds up phenomenally well, still in my top 10 games, and 3 I feel is better than it was as well. Fun episode to listen to, enjoyed listening to Mike. And he's right again, Mass Effect 2 is the best Mass Effect
The Late Nate
2021-03-18 20:11:06 +0000 UTCFair enough, but game pass are 95% old games which most I’ve played, but if old games are your thing and you see game pass as an exclusive, you’ll be blown away in 3-4 years when the current games of today hit gamepass. Sony gives away 2-3 new games away for their service that you get to keep forever every month, plus their playstation collection if you own a ps5. Not renting of games that disappear like on gamepass. Microsoft is so blind that I wonder how much money they will sink into something that isn’t at all financially successful. I know they have a monopoly on the personal computer and have and will continue to bend all pc users over a barrel to get their money back
Michael Thew
2021-03-18 19:56:49 +0000 UTCFor me the biggest exclusive is Gamepass, it gives me new games constantly and I haven’t had to buy a new game since mid last year. Even if they raised it to $25 a month it’s still completely worth it. There’s more than enough to play. Mind you I don’t have any urge to play the latest and greatest and Sony games don’t do anything I can’t find somewhere else.
Greg Mocha
2021-03-18 19:39:14 +0000 UTCYou guys really danced around the patting yourself on your back for Bethesda being exclusive instead of Sony. I could care less about Bethesda to be honest but if the shoe was on the other foot, all you’d hear would be the Xbox fanboys shitting on Sony for doing it. Because they anti consumer or fascists. That and the 360 and ps3 race, you guys forgot the red ring of death and how many more 360s that sold in itself. They sold 2 to me. Last thing I will say is Microsoft has no new games and eventually game pass will cost much more. Until great exclusive games come out for the Xbox system, I will stick with my PS4 and eventually ps5 for my multiplatform games. If I want to play a game that came out 5 to 20 years ago I’ll dust off my 360 or Xbox one and play it on that
Michael Thew
2021-03-18 18:37:24 +0000 UTCThis was the first time I ever wrote in to anything on here, it was fun hearing it read out loud lol
Guns vs Kittens
2021-03-18 18:31:25 +0000 UTCProbably due to the cadence of his voice, but the guest is difficult to hear compared to Matty and ACG
Alan Hardee
2021-03-18 17:08:53 +0000 UTC
