Everything Video Games!

Jeff Lerner said:
My son, 13, just bought himself an Xbox Series S with his allowance that he's been saving for years. He will primarily use it to play NBA 2k online with his friends, but I plan to use it some too. A few questions for a total Xbox noob (we have a Switch):

  1. Should I get Game Pass?
  2. Any other games that are must-haves? On the Switch I've enjoyed puzzle games and Mario Odyssey. The open world games intrigue me, but nothing that's overly complicated.
  3. What are some good games that are local multiplayer?
  4. Anything I need to know about the parental controls for a 13 year old?
Thanks all
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No Xbox experience personally but if you like puzzle games, I'd recommend The Witness.
 
Enaz Fox said:
game pass is awesome and the xbox is a solid console but i've been locked in the ecosystem since halo 2 in my basement so take my words with a grain of salt.

sony gets some great exclusives but as Tillman mentioned, microsoft buying up those studios should make things interesting. discord chat just got added as well so along with them being extremely open to cross platform play they are now allowing private chat (cross platform, there has always been xbox only private chat) which is nice.

if you like mario odyssey I'd recommend psychonauts 2, great platformer with super unique visuals. parental controls do exist but I don't have a ton of experience with them. if you get Live/Game Pass Ultimate it works across multiple accounts on your xbox. forza horizon is also a ton of fun, great visuals along with fun racing that is open world based.
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I second Psychonauts 2, @Jeff Lerner. It and the original are both on Game Pass and while the first one is a little rusty (it first came out in 2005), they're some of the best 3D platformers out there not made by Nintendo.

Psychonauts 2 was the last game I actually played to completion about a year ago and I loved every minute.
 
Jeff Lerner said:
My son, 13, just bought himself an Xbox Series S with his allowance that he's been saving for years. He will primarily use it to play NBA 2k online with his friends, but I plan to use it some too. A few questions for a total Xbox noob (we have a Switch):

  1. Should I get Game Pass?
  2. Any other games that are must-haves? On the Switch I've enjoyed puzzle games and Mario Odyssey. The open world games intrigue me, but nothing that's overly complicated.
  3. What are some good games that are local multiplayer?
  4. Anything I need to know about the parental controls for a 13 year old?
Thanks all
Click to expand...
1. Yes definitely. Since the Series S has no disc drive, it's basically a gamepass machine, which is fine! Everything you could ever want is on there.
2. Psychonauts 2 was probably my GotY last year, and the first one's on there too if you want to catch up. Also every Gears of War and Halo game if you're looking fkr xbox stuff. New games are added every couple weeks.
3. Stardew Valley and Overcooked!
4. Probably, check out your settings or just don't let him play M games if you want.
 
Going to echo everyone's recommendations for Game Pass, as well as all of the games that have been recommended, especially Psychonauts 2. It's a fantastic service that has come a long way since it started. There's a ton of games in every genre, and it extends beyond Xbox! With the Ultimate subscription, you also get PC and streaming options, which includes mobile. Many of the games are also optimized for playing on mobile. I haven't played anything too finesse based, like a platformer, but rpgs and puzzle games work great in that format. If your PC isn't powerful enough to run the games, steaming works pretty well. Graphics take somewhat of a dip, but they sacrifice that to reduce input lag and stuttering.
 
I played Psychonauts 2 for about an hour, thought it was really, really weird and never went back to it again. I didn't not like it or dislike it but it felt like I was too old for it or something. It felt like a classic Playstation game like Jak and Daxter, Spyro, or Rayman. I plan on going back to it at some point and all this praise has me thinking about it again.
 
wokeupnew said:
I played Psychonauts 2 for about an hour, thought it was really, really weird and never went back to it again. I didn't not like it or dislike it but it felt like I was too old for it or something. It felt like a classic Playstation game like Jak and Daxter, Spyro, or Rayman. I plan on going back to it at some point and all this praise has me thinking about it again.
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I just watched the trailer with my son. His reaction: this looks baby-ish. My reaction: this looks fun!
 
Finally Finished up The Last of Us Part II. Wow that game has a long story.

Very good overall.

Valkyrie Elysium drops tomorrow for those who have pre-ordered it digitally. General release on Friday. Going to start this game tomorrow =)
 
Thackeraye said:
Got kicked off the Xbox while my wife plays Cyberpunk, so I’ve finally got round to playing Breath of the Wild. Enjoying it, but I’m at that stage where I want to get good - few more hearts, better weapons. Feels like I’m being held back from having more fun…
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The hearts part is easy to fix with the right food. Things like truffles, radishes, and durian give you plenty of extra hearts. IIRC the weapons generally available get slight upgrades after you conquer a Divine Beast or two (the enemies also get a bit tougher on average). There are of course some weapons that can always be found in specific places, which is part of the fun of the game.

It sounds like you’re at the stage of the game where your main goal is to find shrines and gather orbs. Doing shrines is another good way to upgrade your weapons/gear.
 
Ah yes I also have an update (I’ll keep it vague to avoid spoilers).

Last night I finished Chapter 5 of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I’m about 80 hours in, and I did not expect the emotional devastation that I experienced. This is honestly the most moved I have ever been by a video game. Perhaps it hit me harder because I’ve been avoiding watching any dramatic/suspenseful movies or TV for the past several years. Whatever the case, I was crying like a baby.
Specifically the sequence where you learn that Mio and Noah once had a child, and then have to watch each of them die in front of the child… that was the most brutal thing I’ve ever seen in a video game. It made what happened to Shania almost tame in comparison (at least that part wasn’t unexpected).

XC3 moved a few steps up my personal rankings, even though I’m still far from the end (I think).
 
bettim84 said:
The hearts part is easy to fix with the right food. Things like truffles, radishes, and durian give you plenty of extra hearts. IIRC the weapons generally available get slight upgrades after you conquer a Divine Beast or two (the enemies also get a bit tougher on average). There are of course some weapons that can always be found in specific places, which is part of the fun of the game.

It sounds like you’re at the stage of the game where your main goal is to find shrines and gather orbs. Doing shrines is another good way to upgrade your weapons/gear.
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I’ve just had my tablet fixed, if that places me in the timeline. Definitely going to spend my time smashing shrines and towers for now.
 
Got 2 hours into Valkyrie Elysium this morning before work.

Getting very strong Elden Ring vibes. While the world isn't quite as open, it does have similar vibes. And I'm thankful for the guide markers that point you in the direction you should be going. It's also got a story. That was my biggest gripe with Elden Ring, no story, no indication of where you are supposed to go. I kept ending up where I shouldn't be and getting my ass handed to me to the point I gave up because I could no longer proceed.

The graphics are interesting in Valkyrie Elysium. While the grass, trees and distange land squale are all high quality and remind me a lot of Elden Ring again, the close up graphics, such as your character, NPCs and stone work all have thick black outlines giving the game a artistic feel. Something different.

The music is very zen and relaxing as well.
 
bettim84 said:
Ah yes I also have an update (I’ll keep it vague to avoid spoilers).

Last night I finished Chapter 5 of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I’m about 80 hours in, and I did not expect the emotional devastation that I experienced. This is honestly the most moved I have ever been by a video game. Perhaps it hit me harder because I’ve been avoiding watching any dramatic/suspenseful movies or TV for the past several years. Whatever the case, I was crying like a baby.
Specifically the sequence where you learn that Mio and Noah once had a child, and then have to watch each of them die in front of the child… that was the most brutal thing I’ve ever seen in a video game. It made what happened to Shania almost tame in comparison (at least that part wasn’t unexpected).

XC3 moved a few steps up my personal rankings, even though I’m still far from the end (I think).
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I'm in the middle of Chapter 5, so I won't click the spoilers. Great game, though.
 
My favorite game of the year; Nobody Saves the World, just got a decent size expansion so im gonna take this time to recommend it! Really fun ARPG with very light rogue like elements with its dungeons. Incredibly addictive gameplay loop based around dungeon crawling and completing a ridiculous amount of mini quests that kept me up late at night saying "Ill just finish this one more quest to level up". Also the level up system is one of my favorites Ive ever played with, and allows you to be playing with new cool skills consistently and up until the very end of the game. And the customization options means you can find really cool playstyles with great synergy pretty easily! If you havent played it or heard of it, its on the Switch and its also on Gamepass so its easy to get your hands on
 
RenegadeMonster said:
Got 2 hours into Valkyrie Elysium this morning before work.

Getting very strong Elden Ring vibes. While the world isn't quite as open, it does have similar vibes. And I'm thankful for the guide markers that point you in the direction you should be going. It's also got a story. That was my biggest gripe with Elden Ring, no story, no indication of where you are supposed to go. I kept ending up where I shouldn't be and getting my ass handed to me to the point I gave up because I could no longer proceed.

The graphics are interesting in Valkyrie Elysium. While the grass, trees and distange land squale are all high quality and remind me a lot of Elden Ring again, the close up graphics, such as your character, NPCs and stone work all have thick black outlines giving the game a artistic feel. Something different.

The music is very zen and relaxing as well.
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How does the gameplay compare to the final fantasy games, like the FF7 remake? I’m wondering if that’s why I’ve never played Valkyrie series games when I tend to be a Final Fantasy nerd. Is it more hack n slash?
 
Kris said:
How does the gameplay compare to the final fantasy games, like the FF7 remake? I’m wondering if that’s why I’ve never played Valkyrie series games when I tend to be a Final Fantasy nerd. Is it more hack n slash?
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In terms of actual combat you are more zoomed out than up close and personal with your enemies. HP bars appear above you and all the NPCs you are fighting. Smashing buttons really work work in this game unless you are on the easiest difficulty. There are a lot of maylee combos to learn. Like square, square, square, circle. It's more similar to FFII or Tales of Arise in terms of selecting weapons or magic attacks than Eldin Ring. But it's a lot like Elden Ring where you will frequently encounter battles as exploring the world.

The game is Norse Mythology, but reviewers have been classifying the genre as JRPG. Not sure if that refers to the styling of fighting / RPG or the artwork style.
 
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