A hardcore Xbox podcast for hardcore Xbox fans
The annual Call Of Duty release is here and it's a remarkable improvement from Modern Warfare 3! From the blockbuster campaign crafted by the underrated hands at Raven Software to its multiplayer and zombies that the Dukes have some mild concerns with. It's also the week that, for many, can define a lot of Xbox's big business decisions moving forward as well! With Game Pass subscribers stagnating a bit, many have looked to this Call Of Duty as the shot in the arm it needs to keep its stellar offering going. Keep in mind, the Game Pass tiers saw a major shift ahead of this release with some feeling like day one Game Pass releases may soon be off the table if this bet doesn't pan out. While the numbers aren't in yet, things are looking solid and the Dukes have much to talk about in this area! Plus more with Indiana Jones' framerate, updates on the tone of the next Mass Effect, Concord being shut down, and so much more!
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As every October 23rd comes around, Fallout fans are reminded of the missed opportunity for Bethesda to have their own "N7 Day" with the franchise. Well, 2024 is the year they finally took action and put fan demands into motion! What took place is, quite frankly, a whole lot of nothing. The Dukes sift through the fallout (!) of this showcase and what Bethesda can do to make 2025's showing a much better, more worthwhile one. While it's Fallout Day, it also appears to be Digital Day for Xbox! 91% of US players are buying games digitally and half of Xbox's customers have bought into their discless console. Has Xbox's push into cloud gaming and Game Pass been vindicated in light of these statistics? Plus, we have info on 2025's Call Of Duty the very week that Black Ops 6 drops! What does Activision have in store for us? More changes, it seems! We also get into the Banjo Kazooie kerfuffle, Helldivers 2 on Xbox, Cog's love of Metaphor, the surprise that is TMNT: Mutants Unleashed, and plenty more!
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No, you're not imagining it! We have been getting a LOT of Xbox showcases as of late. Just weeks removed from their Tokyo Game Show panel and they have returned once more with a Partner Preview that ran for almost thirty minutes. Before that was Gamescom and before THAT was their massive summer show. Joining the Dukes are LSM's very own Gene Park and Bradley Ellis to discuss all the announcements and gameplay (or lack thereof) during the Partner Preview. Did it deliver like prior Xbox shows or was it a bit of a nothing burger? Naturally, we get into that. We also discuss Xbox Game Studios' new lead as well as rounding out our latest criticism of Bethesda, Metaphor's impressive sales, Destiny Rising, and the future of Xbox's streaming tech!
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Following the post launch support of Halo Infinite, 343 Industries has become one of Xbox's more divisive first party studios. The leash for them has been unnaturally long given the ups-and-downs the flagship franchise has seen since they've taken up the Halo mantle beginning with Combat Evolved Anniversary and, now, Xbox is doubling down on the team. Joining us is resident Halo expert, Chris Ray Gun, to discuss the absolutely massive news that broke this week. Not only is 343 Industries rebranding, but all future games will be made on Unreal Engine 5, they're hiring after a massive amount of layoffs, and there are multiple Halo projects in development. One such project beyond the obvious next mainline entry is rumored to be Halo Combat Evolved Remaster. The Dukes plus Chris get into this very familiar path that Halo Studios is now walking plus the daunting challenge that lies before them
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Starfield faced a mighty amount of criticism throughout its 2023 launch. In today's gaming climate, this set the stage for what could be a big comeback for Bethesda Game Studios with the Shattered Space expansion. So, did it deliver? Matty has played 16 hours and finished it with Cog just getting his adventure started, so they both have much to say!
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On the week of September 22nd, the games industry was blessed with not one, but two showcases! Today, the Dukes dive into both the State Of Play and Xbox's Tokyo Game Show 2024 presentation. With the State Of Play, much was announced for the Xbox platform! As for Tokyo Game Show, Xbox is showing that developers of all sizes are looking to support the "challenger brand." While the presentation was absent of any major reveals, games such as Threads Of Time or the long desired Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster did get us excited! Beyond the minor showcases, we also dive into the latest for Assassin's Creed Shadows where the writing is on the wall here with Ubisoft. It's clearly a do-or-die situation for them and based on their recent statement to investors, this game absolutely must perform. Will the delay help and how deep do Ubisoft's issues run? We get into just that plus a new Yakuza game, Xbox's 25th anniversary, Metaphor Re:Fantazio's demo, and much more!
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This week's episode is quite the unorthodox one! In the spirit of our friends over at the Friends Per Second podcast, we've split this episode between our usual news coverage and a fun interview the Dukes has the opportunity to conduct! Joining us this episode are Gabriela Leskur and Brian Stone. Gariela is the Narrative and Experience Lead at Oxide Games and Brian serves as Product Leader and Head Of Engineering at Xbox Game Studios Publishing. Together, these two answer our burning questions about the upcoming historical turn-based strategy game. Furthermore, we dive into the thick of Starfield's Shattered Space preview which gives us nearly ten minutes of gameplay to understand just what this is. Fortunately, it appears to be a direct response to much of the criticism laid at Bethesda's feet last fall. We also get into what may be going on with Tony Hawk, Marathon possibly being $40, more layoffs at Xbox, their strong dependence on Call Of Duty, and much more!
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Much has been said about Xbox's lack of desire to do a mid-generation refresh. For some, it symbolizes the platform's lack of care for the future of its own hardware and, for others, a sign that the green team has their eyes on the next generation instead. In a surprise move, it is not Xbox who stepped on the rake this week! PlayStation has sneakily experienced a troublesome year much like Xbox between Concord, the rollercoaster ride that is Helldivers 2, and now the pricing of the PlayStation 5 pro. Of all our write-ins this week, 90% were asking one question: Did Xbox dodge a bullet by not going down this hardware rabbit hole? Naturally, the Dukes debate and discuss the ins-and-outs of this initially innocent announcement from PlayStation. In other news, Xbox will be returning to Japan for their own Tokyo Game Show event in 2024 and State Of Decay 2 support is finally over! We also get into the exclusivity situation surrounding Black Myth Wukong, the return of some classic Transformers games, and plenty more!
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The Dukes are off to San Diego and that means we had to get a little crafty compared to our usual episodes! Since we’re recording in advance, we forged an episode in the spirit of Defining Duke Ultimate and leaned heavily into one topic: the Series X/S generation thus far. Easily our most asked question is whether or not to dive into a Xbox at this point, so we dedicated an entire episode to the idea! Matty and Cog sift through every first party release and discuss the highs and lows they’ve brought. Furthermore, we analyze every Day 1 Game Pass drop since the service began introducing third party with Outriders. We also happily indulge in another conversation of where Xbox could stand to improve and even what could be green lit to shift some of the optics around the brand. Indeed, this is the all-encompassing conversation on Xbox’s star in 2024 and we hope you do enjoy!
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As always, we like to source questions, comments, and concerns from our lovely audience each and every week. Many times, that alone defines the theme of the episode and that's certainly the case here. Following the news of Indiana Jones headed to PS5, plenty of Xbox fans have been left flat-footed. What does this mean for the future of the console's exclusives and will any of their competitors follow suit? Phil Spencer has shared his thoughts on the matter and now it's time for the Dukes to chime in!
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For the first time ever, the Dukes are gathering in person to record an episode! What a time for it to happen too as we have plenty to discuss. For starters, we’re got our hands on a plethora of upcoming Xbox titles. Avowed, Ara History Untold, Towerborne, Atomfall, Metaphor Re Fantazio, and plenty more! As we were on site, we even had a chance to speak with a ton of the devs meaning we have added insight beyond the games themselves. Beyond the scoops, we naturally have to discuss the Indy situation as the game has been announced for PlayStation. We knew multi-platform was Xbox’s future, but this was quite an aggressive move. How do the Dukes feel about such a play from the green team? Naturally, we have much to say on top of the announcements at Opening Night Live itself.
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