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Defining Duke, Episode 124: The Thread (Patreon)

Published:
2023-05-16 15:47:09
Imported:
2023-05

Content

Hey All! It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 124 of Defining Duke.

Great ways to get your write-up used: Be pithy, be topical, and be insightful. Walls-of-text, posts littered with poor grammar and punctuation, etc., are promptly (though respectfully) ignored.

As this is an Xbox podcast, be sure your submission makes sense within that realm. You have until Wednesday, 5/17 at 5 PM ET to make your submission.

Comments

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, Are you guys going to record a Redfall spoilercast?

Anonymous

Hello Dukes! With MSoft going so hard on what we assume is subscription based cloud gaming, do you think their goal/goals is to eventually blur the gap between console and PC? With there already being several ‘rent a PC to stream off’ services, could this whole shebang be a taste of the future? Have a ‘I’m locked into Gamepass till 2026’ kinda day 💚

Anonymous

Hey dukes, To follow up on a question from last week about game pass and renewing, what are your thoughts for those of us who just can't seem to find value (personally) in that subscription? As a one game at a time guy, who knows what he wants and just buys it to own indefinitely (usually physical copies only) I get by with my Gold sub that I purchase with Microsoft Rewards. In some sense i feel like since I don't subscribe to Game Pass it almost incentivizes me to buy any cross platform games on PS5 (idk maybe I feel like a 2nd class citizen as Cog likes to say) Am I crazy? Does my non game pass having ways jive with Xbox? As a normally sony centric gamer I've been loving my series x since pickup, and am on the fence about where I'll be doing most of my cross platform gaming. Much love, and have a 30 fps but 60 fps is coming soon™️ kind of day.

Anonymous

What's up Corvo Cog and Outsider Matty, What is up with some of the recent additions to Game Pass seemingly being 'sent out to die?' Recent games like Ravenlok and Last Case of Benedict Fox have both released as console-exclusive "Day Ones," but with very little marketing or fanfare, despite being highlighted prominently in previous showcases. Very few outlets even reviewed Benedict Fox, and the ones that did put the reviews out days after the game came out. I know these are "indie games," but if the major drive at Xbox is Game Pass, why aren't they putting more marketing efforts into highlighting their exclusives when they release?

phil mccarthy

Hey Dukes, How's it hanging boys? Greetings (again) from Ireland. Mine is a question about Starfield and if the eye of Sauron being trained on the 60fps issue might be taking focus off what the real deal breaker could be, Bethesda jank...Long seen as annoyingly charming but often passed off as "just Bethesda jank", In an era of monumentally disasterous releases such as Cyberpunk and Redfall, Does Starfield need a solid release without Bethesda's trademark bugs and breaks to be considered a success or is the industry ready to give any possible Starfield missteps a pass due to bugs and jankiness almost being expected in a BGS release? Thanks again guys and have a "tell Phil if Starfield is great I'm absolutely buying a series console so what the hell is he talking about" kind of day.

Anonymous

Hey DD, With the EU approving the Microsoft merger with Activision-Blizzard, what do you think are the chances the FTC will approve the deal now? Arguably more important, if everyone else supports the agreement except the CMA, will Microsoft go forward with the merger and how will they operate in the UK? Thanks and have a forgot to charge my headphones before working out kind of day

Anonymous

Hey 720p Matty and 25fps Cog, Just want to offer a defeated congratulatory slow clap to PlayStation, while Xbox is getting assaulted with Redfall, PlayStation are being offered the perfect opportunity to relive the heights of Arkane, with the Dishonored games joining PlayStation Plus Extra. Nice timing Jim. Thanks for the show boys, have a "Todd Howard better have his shit together" kinda day

Anonymous

Greetings Mr. Matty and Lord Cognito, The EU has approved the Microsoft acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. This definitely ia a win for Microsoft-Xbox and gamers in general. However, I am not so certain if it's a win for physical game lovers. In the subject and conditions from the EU I noticed on two occasions when they talk about purchasing/licenseing games and it says: 1. "These licenses will ensure that gamers that have purchased one or more Activision games on a PC or console store". 2. "provided they are purchased in an online store or included in an active multi-game subscription in the EEA." Since buying a physical version of a game doesn't grant you access to a digital copy, it seems like this deal would lessen the value of the physical copy of a game, since it wouldn't give you access to cloud streaming but the digital version would, which puts one more nail in the coffin of physical game sells. What do you guys think about this? Thanks for always putting out great content and have a this deal is not dead yet, but physical games might be kinda day.

Sfish616

Hey Dukes, I know this is not really Xbox related but with Sharkmob announcing development of vampire the masquerade bloodhunt has stopped I think is the latest example of the trend in the ever growing shift of single player games becoming the norm and the never ending amount of live service games ending. Obviously live service multiplayer games will remain a big part but looking at the biggest games this year, they mainly have been single player games. Dead space, re4, hog leg, Jedi survivor and now Zelda totk. On top of the fact that so many live service games are shutting down, just thought so many gamers are doom and gloom that this trend is being ignored to some extent. Thanks and have a I want to finish the last 15 hours of persona 5 but I’m being dragged away by Jedi survivor kinda day.

Andrew M

Hello my fine dukes! Today I wanted to ask y’all about video game soundtracks. I often listen to game soundtracks like Skyrim while working as they are quite relaxing. However, at times, I find them to also be distracting when a certain track comes on that pulls up memories of that game, for instance “The Streets of Whiterun” always reminds me of walking through that town and makes me incredibly homesick for a place that isn’t even real. I think we can all agree there are many incredible video game soundtracks out there. What are a few of your favorites and can we settle the debate on whether we love these soundtracks because of how much we enjoyed the game or would we have enjoyed these soundtracks even if we didn’t really enjoy the game? I lean towards the latter, as I happen to enjoy the soundtracks for the Star Wars sequel trilogy despite finding them to be my least favorite Star Wars movies. Best Regards, Andrew M

Anonymous

Hey Dukes. Can we expect a spoilercast for Jedi Survivor? Finished it last night and I’m floored by how good it is (well when it was working that is). Would love to hear Matty's spoiler filled takes on the story and its implications for future Star Wars content. Cheers and have a “I’m depressingly thinking about KOTOR remake after finishing Jedi Survivor” kind of day.

Nlindz27

Hey dukes, Let's talk about the elephant in the room, the UK. As a citizen of this once fine kingdom, our government and regulatory bodies are in a complete mess since our exit from the European Union (Brexit). Our latest Prime minister Rishi Sunak (our 3rd since Biden was elected) has outlined how he wants the UK to become the silicon valley of Europe, but that seems to have stumbled at the first hurdle with the CMA clearly taking an anti-big tech stance. I say all this to ask the question: With the EU approving the acquisition, and if Microsoft wins the FTC case does Microsoft simply close the deal and leave the UK stranded? While the UK is arguably xbox's second biggest market, it appears that at 2 million in sales the consoles are not selling as much on these shores as In previous generations. If that is the case I'll be "relocating" to new Zealand to enjoy call of duty on game pass! Have a "my country is falling apart and wants me to spend £70 on call of duty" kind of day.

Anonymous

Hey boys, With Zelda receiving 10s from pretty much everyone, it’s time to bring the age-old question back into the light: In 2023, is it ok to launch an ambitious open- world, AAA, first-party game that runs at 30 FPS? The answer sure seems to be yes, according to the astronomical critical reception of Tears of the Kingdom. If this is the case, surely Starfield should receive the same sort of pass that Zelda has received if it is locked at 30 FPS, no? Anyway, I’m excited to finally play both Zelda and Starfield and would love to hear your thoughts from this angle. Hope you have a “The NHL Draft lottery is rigged, but in my favor” kind of day! (GO HAWKS)

Patrick Haider

Hey Dukes, I wanted to chime in on a question from last week about what keeps us in the Xbox ecosystem. While I have all platforms so that I can enjoy all exclusives, Xbox remains my primary platform. The reason comes down to platform features such as backwards compatibility, quick resume, and Dolby Atmos. I move my console between my living room and bedroom regularly, and being able to keep multiple games suspended with quick resume, even after pulling the power cord, is a major quality of life feature. Also, I have a home theater Dolby Atmos setup complete with speakers that I installed in the ceiling, and playing games with good Atmos support is a huge boost to immersion. Sony, for all of their marketing around their simulated headphones 3D audio, does not support proper home theater spacial audio on the PS5, so multiplatform games are a lesser experience for me on the PS5. I know Atmos specifically isn't a common use feature, but I appreciate that Xbox includes really great features that only a handful of user might be able to use.

Anonymous

Hello Game Dev Matty and Lord of Player Acquisition Cog, With the Xbox Games Showcase now about a month away, here's a bit of a fun thought exercise. If you could select 5 specific game trailers or developer deep dives to travel back in time with and hold an epic showcase of dreams for your younger self, which ones would you select and how far back would you go? Pick an opener, a follow up, a mid-show anchor, a closer and a one last thing. Here's hoping this year's showcase delivers and looking forward to you guys' coverage. Until then keep up the good work and hold the line!

ur ppnballs

Hey Matt and Cog, Thanks for all that you do.

Dillon

Hello Fellas What are your guy's thoughts on Cliff Bleszinski once again going out on twitter and calling out Xbox, for not bringing him back in the Gears fold? In his words to make "Gears Great Again." I don't know about about you guys, but IMO, Gears 5 is a top 3 Gears game, and if there is one studio that doesn't need help, it's The Coalition. I don't know if you guys remember Lawbreakers, Cliff's new FPS game exclusive to PS4 in 2017. Some people remember it, but a lot of people remember Cliff along the way shit talking Xbox and Xbox fans before the release. I guess he must of forgot his main player base was on Xbox One. I obviously love the first 3 Gears games, and Cliffy B, but implying that Gears needs to be made "Great" again is hilarious to me.

Vonoran

Hey Dukes, With TMNT: Last Ronin in production, I’m itchin for some turtle games. I played Shredder’s Revenge on GamePass but a 3d TMNT is what I really want. Matty, lord of retro gaming, and Cog—master of the Shinobi—do you guys have any recommendations? Have a “I’ve heard Matty is making a game” over a 100 times but I still don’t know if it’s 2d or 3d type of day?

Sean Mason

Hey Dukes, A few days ago I saw a trailer for a game called MOUSE. It's a first person shooter inspired by classic cartoons. From the looks of the trailer I can see heavy inspiration from Doom. It's scheduled to first release on Steam, but later to console. From the gameplay to the art style this seems like a game that could be a big hit on gamepass. Thoughts? Best, Sean M.

Max - Fifthstring

Dukes, I offer more or less an idea of what Xbox could go after in terms of IP partnerships, and no it's not DC or TMNT (Though they should definitely hop on that Last Ronin game in any way, shape or form). There is this little movie studio called Legendary that has recently come around creating movies in a Cinematic Universe called the "Monsterverse", with some of the fledgling titles being having characters like "Godzilla", "Kong", "King Ghidora" and a few more that you all may or may not have heard of. My little suggestion is to have MS/Xbox help fund and/or straight up develop a game for this universe. With the Monsterverse confirmed to continue gaining traction, it's a perfect IP to explore. My fantasy game would of course be an action-adventure/Survival game set on Skull Island hundreds of years before the movie and prequel comic. I won't get into "which studio should do it" talks but i'd love to hear what you guys think as it is a huge IP that currently isn't being tapped into but has a massive film presence. PS: I lied, i'd actually be interested to see The Initiative take a crack at it so long as they can keep working alongside Crystal D.

Nevets

Hey Dukes, Have either of you used the hyperkin xbox 360 controller? If not, are you interested in getting one? I personally like the size of the Xbox one controller but I want the Series controller's D-pad. Anyways, keep being awesome!

Anonymous

What is up DUKES! I’ll get straight to it and it’s mostly for cog since Matty has yet to play the greatness that is Midnight suns. They just released the storm dlc and ain’t she a baddie Cog. My question is what other hero’s would you like to see added for future dlc. I’m only asking I’ve seen a rumor of a season 2 round of heroes. Thanks and have a great day my guys. Also congrats to matty on being a homeowner. -Nick the mailman

Anonymous

Hey dukes, I just recently started Mid Suns after the last dlc was added in and I am absolutely loving it! I can see why some people were skeptical with it being a superhero game with cards and not playing like xcom but it just plays so well! Being able to tank attacks as Captain America, combo 4 takedowns as Spider-Man or even summoning portals and launching enemies into each other as magik just feels so satisfying. Also even the dialogue has some charm to with like Iron man calling Dr. Strange Dr. Spooky. Firaxis give this man cog his bag for all the advertising he has done! My question is what ip would you guys like to see in this type of gameplay style? I would like to see a Tekken spinoff with this style of combat. Have a “You’ve been advised to stay in your homes at night because a man with a sword is running around chopping homeless people’s hands off” type of day.

NotSkyWalker

I pose a simple question to the Dukes, one that involves an exhaustive list you might choose or choose not to consult… Will 2023 be the greatest year for RPGs, ever? Here’s the line-up, ahead of Summer Game Fest announcements: One Piece Odyssey, Fire Emblem Engage, Hogwarts Legacy, Octopath Traveler II, FF Pixel Remasters, Wrestlequest, Diablo IV, FF XVI, Lies of P, Armor Core VI (??), Sea of Stars, Baldur’s Gate III, Starfield, The Lamplighters League, STALKER 2, Lords of the Fallen, Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty, Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC, Suikoden I & II Remaster… with other candidates possibly arriving this year like FF VII Rebirth, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Like a Dragon Gaiden, or DQ III Remake. As someone who identifies as a RPG fan, I can’t think of a better time to be one Cheers, Aidan

TheDunghill

Hello Mr Matty “Was unfortunately right” plays and Lord “Best laugh in the business” Cognito. I recently started playing Dishonored for the first time after the Redfall fiasco and I am ashamed I didn’t play it earlier. The world is so fascinating to me and I find myself thoroughly reading through every book and note I find in the open world. It’s the first time a game has had me stopping for every piece of lore since Control. The game rewards you heavily for fully exploring the levels and I’m always pleased to find another area to comb over. No question for me but just wanted to let everyone know that Matty has been right about Dishonored this whole time and you need to give it a try if you haven’t. Have a “oh shit oh fuck I accidentally blinked directly in front of an enemy” kind of day.

Anthony A.

Hello Dukes! Dino Patti, the co-founder of Playdead and Jumpship, believes that Xbox Game Pass actually hurt the sales of Jumpship’s debut game - Somerville. We’ve heard from a fair share of developers that Game Pass is a plus for them that this comment took me by surprise. After trying the game for spell, it didn’t grab me like Limbo or Inside, and I quickly abandoned it. Do you believe Patti to actually have a valid point or do you think the game had its faults and just wasn’t that good to begin with? Have a great day! Anthony A.

Sam Lee

Hello Ginger Duke and Meta Duke. Sony recently announced their 'India Hero Project', which aims to support game developers in India via mentorship, training and investments to bring global awareness to their games. Shouldn't Microsoft be pursuing a similar initiative? With India being one of the most populous countries, wouldn't it benefit Microsoft to invest in the local talent that could create games for GamePass? Are they letting Playstation gain more influence over a significant market?

ZipDavis

Hello Dukes, With news of PS closing down Pixelopus it feels like the age of their more artsy games are over for now. Should Xbox fill this niche to hold people over until their bigger games release? Or would this backfire and will people say Xbox has no big games? Thank you and have a delicious brioche donut kind of day.

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, This question is for Matty. I know it is awhile away, but I wondered if you considered, after you games launch, if you would do some sort of deep dive into your games development? Whether it be a DDU episode or something on one of your other channels. I think it would be interesting to hear a reflection on each stage of development from concept, to alpha, to beta, to the end product. Hope you guys have a " couldn't think of anything witty to say, but still sending good vibes" kind of day

Anonymous

Hey Dukes, With the state of Xbox’s last and current gen, and being relegated to “third place”, I think theres are two aspects of their “loss” that alot of people dont take into account. During the 360 era, much of Xbox’s success and popularity stemmed from their 3rd party deal with Activision for CoD. It was a tall task to find any content creator playing CoD with anything other than the GOAT-ed 360 controller, and it was the “cool” thing to have an Xbox. Im currently 25 years of age and I remember vividly at 11 years old in 2009 that, as a kid, you were viciously made fun of for NOT having a 360. (Matty + COG, as fellow NYC residents, you KNOW how brutal it was being bullied in middle school) I strongly believe that this was because of the strong tie that Xbox had with CoD, the undoubtedly popular franchise of the era. But this all changed with the PS4 gen. I remember the culling of 2015, when many of my friends jumped ship to PS4 from Xbox One when it was found that Black Ops 3 was being advertised heavy with the PS4. Gentlemen, would you agree that the 3rd party robbery of CoD was a bigger deal than most lead on? Hope you guys have a “Dusting off my Xbox in September” kinda day

Anonymous

Hello Dukes. In all the hullabaloo about 60 fps in gaming the one thing I've never seen be talked about is what would have to be sacrificed in terms of the the creativity in the game, I for one would much rather have Starfield at 30fps if it meant that Todd and the team could deliver on their most ambitious game ever. Curious about your stances on this and have a about time Cog learned the greatness of Dishonored kind of day.

Stinkling
>>108709421

Starfield will be 60+ on PC with zero sacrifices. The series x has pretty much a 2080ti inside it, which is nothing to sneeze at. These devs have ZERO excuses for not being able to deliver 60 fps on that hardware....

Tyee

Hey DTF ( double teaming fools) Dukes What are some of your best co-op experiences in games and what co-op games would you recommend? Have a “struggling to penetrate this elden ring boss’s weaknesses by yourself. So you get help from your buddy and DP her weaknesses together” kind of day

Anonymous

Hey Dukes. No question this week, just a shout out to Matty for getting me to finally give Dishonoured a proper try. This game is amazing, the different ways you can go through the missions is so immersive. It has restored my faith in Arkane! Fingers crossed Xbox allow them to get back to what they do best. Thanks as always men!

easelgames

Hey guys, first write in! Long time listener, short time tagging Matty on discord with my JRPG ramblings. With the Legend of Heroes series seeming to pick up lately due to the success of Zero/Azure, what do you think this means for the future of their localizations? Do you feel this franchise would do well enough on Xbox? And lastly, how do you think the situation with xSeed will play out? Do you think someone can come in and get the publishing rights for the games they own in the series, or do you feel they will hold onto it for awhile? Have a "PlayStation just announced a showcase, and suddenly all the CMA discourse has faded, but I have to cover it anyway" kinda day! (Lastly shoutout to both of you for all the work you do, the grind is real, and your willingness to reach out to your community should be appraised.) **kudos to the modders who translated the games to make this possible, btw**

Broderick Fleming

Hey Dukes, Blizzard has announced they’re cutting the highly requested story content from Overwatch 2 and instead are reworking some of the content into the archive missions event, which was already present in the first game. I was hoping to eventually check it out but now there’s no point, what are your guys’ thoughts?

Anonymous

What up Forever 3rd Place Dukes, Matty and Cog I have a theory. I see a strange correlation with the LSM podcasts. Defining Dukes has 2 members, Sacred Symbols has 3 members and now the newly created Nintendo podcast, Punching Up, they have 4 members. It seems that the amount of members is scaled to the platform's worth meaning that as I've always said, Nintendo is the GOAT! I know this is an Xbox podcast, but seeing as you don't have many games to play, I wanted to ask if you've played any TOTK yet? All jokes aside this will always be my favorite LSM podcast. The Dukes make Xbox a lovable red-headed stepchild. Have a great day Dukes.