I’ve found that as I got older, my taste in games has narrowed significantly. I used to be able to play pretty much anything, or especially any popular or critically acclaimed games. But these days I just don’t give a shit about most of what’s out there. I do have certain genres and developers that interest me though, so I know there are occasionally going to be some new games that I really like. And every now and then I might get surprised by something too.
I suspect this is a natural result of having much more limited time as we become adults. I used to love all kinds of games too, but today if I feel like a game doesn’t respect my time it gets thrown right onto the “no thanks” pile.
It’s limited time, but also the selection these last few years has felt very uninspired. Everything is extremely derivative and been done to death.
There was a mass consolidation of developers/publishers recently, on top of further extended development cycles that has really limited any kind of variety we might have seen.
You can only play reskins of essentially the same game for so long. Not to mention recycling gameplay loops microtransaction hell toxic multiplayer experience (cheating griefing), makes for a minefield of unplesant game experiences. Sticking to what you like and know is how you get enjoyment out of playing.
Does it not feel weird sometimes to be disconnected from the gaming zeitgeist? Like, we can obviously still follow news and whatnot, but I'm particularly talking about having no significant emotional investment in contemporary releases—in other words: being disconnected from the hype of announcements and release cycles.
I know people consider this a blessing in this age of hyper-consumerism, but there's a communal aspect to it that I like, and it often feels odd to not be part of it.
Not weird for me. I don’t play anymore at all. Don’t even have a system to do so. But, I watch YouTube videos about games and game facts or speed running every night before bed. I know more about games now than when I actually played them. I just don’t have time for them anymore but that doesn’t mean they don’t interest me. I lost my passion for playing games years ago but not the idea of it. I don’t know or care about the hype but I just find it terribly interesting via others hype or interest in these games. If that makes sense.
Like, we can obviously still follow news and whatnot
I stopped following the news first, then largely lost interest in new games after that. After TotalBiscuit passed I haven’t seen a single thing about video game news or reviews. If there’s something I’m interested in I might skim through a review, but that’s the most I do.
The Xbox 360 uses a processor with a different instruction set which means the executable on the disc simply isn’t compatible with the Xbox One and Series X|S. For those, Microsoft have worked with game vendors to convert the executable (from binary, not source) to the other platform: “static recompilation”. The new executable must be downloaded to play the game.
For the Xbox One, the architecture is very similar to the Series X|S so it can mostly just run it like you can run Windows 7 games on Windows 11 with compatibility tweaks applied by the operating system.
Okay the other person is onto the right path but I think it’s important to understand the underlying reasons for how “backwards compatibility” works on the Xbox.
The 360 used a PowerPC architecture, which at the time was very cost effective at the time. Pretty much most things now use x86, our standard 32-bit and 64-bit CPUs are this architecture. (ARM is another type that we are seeing now).
Now, you cannot run code from one PC architecture to another, even emulated this is a very costly procedure, every call to the CPU, every call has to be translated. Even with emulation this is difficult. (Note how we’re still just now getting 360 emulators).
This is mostly why Microsoft and Sony both said no to backwards compatibility, because there was no simple way to take a disc, pop it in, and play.
So after the massive backlash (which they deserved, but also was understandable their point of view), Microsoft created their backward compatibility program. Essentially what they (or developers, not sure who did it) did, was to literally re-compile each entire game for x86, instead of PowerPC. They would then upload the bits to Microsoft, and that is what you download when playing. The disc you insert is purely for checking that you own it, after that you ignore everything else and download the x86 version which is runnable on your console.
So, it stands that backward compatibility wasn’t feasible, it still isn’t “backward compatible”. They rebuilt everything from the source code to run. A pretty massive effort on Microsoft’s part and the developers just so we could play old games. Hopefully you see too why I don’t blame Sony for not going through all of that, it’s a lot of work.
So to answer your questions:
Digitally downloaded in x86 with the disc as key
No, it is a simple recompile, from the original source code
No, since there is only the PowerPC bits on the disc, there is no way to play the game on a newer x86 cpu without downloading the x86 bits
They work the same, once compiled for x86 it works for all x86 processors. (Caveats in software engineering of course, but in this case you can assume they are the same)
Microsoft went through a ton of effort to get this working, and developers each had to pull up old projects, figure out how to build them again, and did all of this for free. I’m all for hating on Microsoft for a myriad of reasons, but this was a project that had very little profit for them but did the community a huge service. They have my thanks, and Sony has my understanding for why they didn’t do it at the time.
No, since there is only the PowerPC bits on the disc, there is no way to play the game on a newer x86 cpu without downloading the x86 bits
Something worth adding here, if you happen to know, would be if the games still work after download & install while offline. Microsoft’s been rather inconsistent with this over the years (which is part of why Xbox One fell behind PS4 at launch).
I believe so? I think? It’s been a long time. The only thing I could see that would prevent it is if they require a check when launching it, but I remember if you had the disc in that was enough for it before.
AI is not a great source to ask for any sort of factual information, just a heads up. Its good for creating new stuff, like improvising story narratives or something like being a TTRPG dungeon master, though. I just wouldn’t ever rely on anything it says to ever be factually true.
Im not an Xbox/Microsoft employee, but I will answer to the best of my knowledge. Some or all may be wrong though.
Both.
It does not transform the game at all as long as there are no bugs. Usually the only benefit is increased internal resolution, and sometimes increased framerate Everything else is identical to the original release.
AFAIK, no. When you install the game it doesn’t actually copy the files, it downloads them because some of the files are patched. No internet means you cant download. I think it also needs occasional connection to check. I do think you can play offline but not for 20 years straight.
To my knowledge, no, there is no significant difference. I think it probably is exactly identical, actually. It is however, different from how backwards compatibility worked on the Xbox 360. It is significantly improved.
Cross-generational System Link. Its cool being able to have one player on Original Xbox and one on Series X in the same game.
In reference to point 2 I would like to ask you a question: do the x86 versions that are downloaded offer improvements over the original X360 games in terms of image contrast (notoriously dark on that platform) and audio? PS3 games sounded better at the time due to blurays and audio chip.
It is exactly the same game. Audio quality will be identical to the X360 release.
The picture may be a bit brighter, I haven’t noticed the X360 being darker. But picture output is effected by the emulator in the same way that picture output on a N64 emulator will appear brighter than a real N64 plugged into the composite plugs on an LED TV.
To add another point to the discussion: a lot (the majority?) of “fake” collision detection isn’t there because of hardware limitations. It’s there by design.
Take a look at 2d platformers. They’re about as computationally simple as you can get. Yet they’re still full of “unrealistic” physics. Coyote time, double jumping, air control, collision boxes that don’t match the sprite, gravity isn’t consistent, you don’t stagger if you slam into the wall or floor, etc, etc. This is on purpose, because realistic does not mean fun. “Realism” is not a magical word that makes games better.
There have been games where, to use your example, your character’s sword bounces off anything it hits, rather than clipping through. The reason most games choose not to do this is because it’s usually pretty annoying. The game’s intended experience is most often to let you play as a badass experienced warrior. The kind of person who doesn’t fumble their blows.
Realism is just another tool in the designer’s toolbox. An example of more “realistic” physics being used deliberately is Shadow of the Colossus. If you swing your sword at a wall, it bounces off, and your character staggers back clumsily. This is because the game is specifically about playing a character who is not a badass, but an inexperienced nobody.
There are high-polish VR shooters, like Half-Life Alyx, Boneworks, and Vertigo 2, which obviously care about where your hands and other body parts are. Boneworks attempts melee combat, but it’s pretty janky. In Half-Life Alyx, you use your hands to rummage around junk to find resources. In Vertigo 2, if you get hit by arrows or thrown spears, you have to pull them out of your body, and there’s a section where you steer a boat.
There’s a guy who was working on a fan build for alternative to Tribes Ascend that had some really elegant collision stuff going on to address what we called “dead stops”
Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord’s combat physics are awesome compared to the scale of the battles. Example: on foot, striking with a big hammer, you won’t pass the shield but if you swing from a horse at full speed you will. + modsupport
Exanima, it’s mostly a testing ground for a game the devs want to make around this concept. It’s a good time, and also exactly what I think you’re looking for.
Not to bury the lede, it is a fairly full featured action game, but there’s not really a story element at this stage. store.steampowered.com/app/362490/Exanima/
I also had Exanima in mind.
The story is actually already there, it’s just easy to miss :)
Although I’m guessing once they finish up work on the AI, roles and dialogue system soon, there’ll be more of it.
True, somewhat of a “look for the story and you’ll find it” dark souls vibe. I got the impression from dev logs that the end goal is a more traditional RPG story
I believe that’s more of a goal for Sui Generis. Which is the game they initially begun working on (and still are).
They do have some dialogue with Derrin that gives us some lore, so I’m guessing we’ll get more of that.
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