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Redfall is finally out, and let’s just say the gaming community was not impressed with it. The “Left 4 Dead but with vampires” co-op FPS was hyped up by Microsoft, only to (Red)fall flat when it walked through the door. While it’s not the end of the world for a game to be a disappointment, the tepid-bordering on-spicy reception to Redfall has implications for the future of Xbox. More specifically, it’s casting doubt on Xbox’s viability as a games publisher and console maker.

Xbox CEO Phil Spencer appeared on Kinda Funny’s XCast to speak about Redfall’s poor reception (as well as the CMA blocking the Activision acquisition), and was refreshingly candid. He acknowledged the game was a disappointment, but added that a delay wouldn’t have changed much as Xbox didn’t wish to interfere with Arkane’s creative vision. It’s rough, because a four-player co-op title like Redfall already feels like it’s from another time, and no amount of delays would change the fundamentals. Redfall simply wasn’t what anyone wanted.

There’s a part of me that sympathizes with Arkane Austin and Xbox — Spencer said the company’s internal mock reviews predicted a much better reception than the game received. But every time I feel a bit soft towards them, that $70 price tag comes back to bring me to reality. Gamers spending hard-earned money on something that lets them down is not something to dismiss in this economy. I’m holding any worries about Xbox’s future in reserve until Starfield comes out, which could either turn Xbox’s fortunes around or push it further into the mire.

In personal news, I’m still playing Jedi: Survivor and Benedict Fox this week. It’s gotten much easier to play the former comfortably thanks to some patches and well-timed driver updates, though my work PC still struggles to render textures consistently. But hey, it’s still fun to play around with lightsabers. Benedict Fox remains a surprisingly fun Metroidvania title, though I wish it had a bit more story context for what I was doing. Speaking of cases, I’m interested in trying Shadows of a Doubt, because it may let me live out my fantasy of being a noir detective. But let’s see how much time I have before I dive headfirst into Tears of the Kingdom.

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What to play this week

What’s new:

  • Redfall
  • Ravenlok
  • Age of Wonders 4
  • Showgunners
  • Kaku: Ancient Seal
  • TMNT Splintered Fate
  • Disney SpellStruck
  • What the Car?
  • Cityscapes: Sim Builder

New on subscription services:

  • Grid Legends (PlayStation Plus)
  • Chivalry 2 (PlayStation Plus)
  • Descenders (PlayStation Plus)
  • Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D (Prime Gaming)
  • Super Sidekicks (Prime Gaming)
  • Samurai Shodown IV (Prime Gaming)
  • Tormented Souls (Amazon Luna+)
  • Retro Classix: Breakthru (Amazon Luna+)
  • Retro Classix: Express Raider (Amazon Luna+)
  • Retro Classix: Super Real Darwin (Amazon Luna+)
  • Retro Classix: Wizard Fire (Amazon Luna+)
  • LEGO DC Super-Villains (Luna Prime)
  • Resident Evil 2 (Luna Prime)
  • Overcooked! (Luna Prime)
  • Time on Frog Island (Luna Prime)
  • Chess Universe+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Disney Coloring World+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Disney Getaway Blast+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Farming Simulator 20+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Getting Over It+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Hill Climb Racing+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Iron Marines+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Kingdom Two Crowns+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Playdead’s LIMBO+ (Apple Arcade)
  • My Town Home – Family Games+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Octodad: Dadliest Catch+ (Apple Arcade)
  • PPKP+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Snake.io+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Temple Run+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Time Locker+ (Apple Arcade)
  • Very Little Nightmares+ (Apple Arcade)

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