I had reason (research for a colleague) to play my Xbox 360 copy of Red Dead Redemption on my Xbox One earlier this week. I hadn’t touched the 2010 game probably since it came out. I try to keep up with new games, but now I’m thinking about some last-gen ones I miss or just plain missed.
It’s not just Red Dead, which still starts beautifully with a somber train ride through an American West transitioning from the age of horses to cars.
It’s also Batman Arkham Origins, which I started recently after finally buying a 360 copy and putting it in my Xbox One. That game looks much plainer than its current-gen successor, Arkham Knight. Like Red Dead, though, it shows that even though graphics might age, good writing and careful scene-setting do not.
Good gameplay, of course, still holds up. Shooting in Red Dead feels good. Brawling in Arkham Origins does too. Both games feel a little bit aged in terms of technology and player convenience. Red Dead is initially stingy with manual save points, for example. Arkham loads a fair amount. Speaking of technical limitations, how funny to open Arkham Origins‘ case and be reminded of the phenomenon of games so big they needed to be shipped on two DVDs!
I’ve played Red Dead through before, and, with a sequel coming, I don’t feel the need to make time to go back. As with Assassin’s Creed Rogue‘s recent remaster, it was simply nice to quickly dip back into it. Arkham Origins, however, is the one Arkham I hadn’t played, so I’m going to find the time.
And there’s more. I was just looking at my EA Access app on Xbox One and saw that I can download Dead Space 3 at no added cost. I liked all the other Dead Spaces but didn’t play more than a few hours of this one… Do I really have time for this? No, but now I’m thinking about other last-gen games I should probably finally give a shot. Dare I bring out my unplayed copy of Kingdoms of Amalur? Do I still have a copy of Asura’s Wrath? I’d need my original 360 for those and I put that away long ago, so I guess I draw the line there.
It’s so easy to focus on the games of the current console generation. The Xbox One is making it really tempting for me to also dip back into the last one.
Comments
16 responses to “My Xbox One Is Reminding Me Of The Last Console Generation’s Excellence”
Funnily enough I just started playing RDR on my Xbone. Missed it the first time around so thought it was about time to correct that mistake.
Enjoy. It’s very well done.
RDR2 will be a microtransaction-laden mess.
If it is Rockstar could find themselves with a Battlefront 2 sized problem. Like many people – I skipped it completely.
More likely they’ll release it clean and without and DLC. Then spend the next 3 years finding new ways to take people’s money without actually releasing anything.
As long as they aren’t in the single player.
Far Cry 5 having Shadow of War style MTX to make the single player faster has left me feeling grumpy today.
I hadn’t heard about that, looks like I will give Far Cry 5 a miss.
First I’ve heard of this, too. Guess I’ll be skipping it as well 🙁
Oh well, I just bought NieR Automata, so I guess I can play that instead.
You’re insane. Rockstar have an amazing track record of keeping gameplay first. Even GTA online isn’t ruined by the existence of shark cards. You could happily play it for months without ever needing or wanting to invest in a microtransaction. Why would they ruin all the good will their fans have for them? Their reputation is so esteemed by consumers that every other publisher is currently clearing their game launch windows around RD2 so that they don’t have to compete with it. GTA5 is still, to this day, making best seller lists. There’s just no reason to believe that Rockstar would want or need to milk their fans with obtrusive microtransactions.
These days, I think we’ve reached the point where we should assume any major game will have bullshit microtransactions until we get official confirmation otherwise.
Bear in mind that Rockstar are part of Take Two, and some of the other recent efforts from Take Two don’t really inspire confidence…
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2017/09/nba-2k18-is-riddled-with-microtransactions/
Rockstar are the golden child. They’re a brand in the gaming industry akin to Call of Duty or Blizzard – they are recognised as juggernauts and are given the freedom they need to do their thing. Daddy’s special baby doesn’t get the stick – that’s reserved for his red-headed step child (NBA2K in this convoluted metaphor).
Yeah, it’s not like COD would ever introduce microtransactions…
The discussion isn’t whether they will introduce microtransactions – it’s whether the game will be a ‘microtransaction laden mess’. The addition of microtransactions doesn’t inherently make something bad if done conscientiously. Most games with an online element have microtransactions these days, and when they’re done well you don’t really think about them, like Shark Cards.
More importantly than all this though, I’m not directly comparing RD2 to CoD, you’re taking what I said out of context. I was talking about brand. CoD could just have easily been replaced with Coca Cola or Ferrari and it still would have made sense.
Not sure why you’ve been downvoted for telling the truth ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I only played RDR for the first time last year via backwards compatibility.
It might not be a feature people use much, but your always thankful it’s there
RDR was a lot like GTA for me in the sense that I enjoyed it, but don’t really hold it in the same regard as a lot of other people seem to. Played it, finished it, never touched it again.
I still have my PS3 & 360 hooked up in my living room along with the PS4, Switch & Steam Link (I gave away my XBone to my brother because I buy the majority of XBone games on PC now). Last gen was a great time indeed.