Weekend at Dave’s – Episode 5: The Value of Xbox Game Pass, Backlog “Keys” to the Fall, and Quantum Break

Is Xbox Game Pass The Best Deal in Gaming?

Welcome to another Weekend at Dave’s! In this packed episode (recorded Saturday, August 17, 2019), I start by discussing the value of Xbox Game Pass and how it fits into Microsoft’s “Play Anywhere” mission. Things then get a bit more introspective, as I share my personal backlog “keys” to preparing for fall 2019’s biggest releases. To end, I talk about my experiences playing a particular Game Pass title I recently checked off the to-do list: Remedy Games’ Quantum Break.

Tune in below!

Weekend at Dave’s – Episode 5 (Download Link)

(Correction #1: During the episode, I accidentally refer to Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon as Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Side of the Moon. I didn’t listen to Pink Floyd while writing this, I swear, and apologize for the error.)

(Correction #2: Ironically, while I correctly identify the upcoming The Outer Worlds as an Xbox Game Pass title, I somehow overlook the fact that Gears 5 — aka Microsoft’s biggest exclusive of the year — is also being included as part of the service. Duh. Needless to say, I’ll be picking this one up on day one, because it’ll be “free”!)

Timestamps

0:00 – 2:24 — Intro

2:25 – 18:22 — Is Xbox Game Pass the Best Value in Gaming?

18:23 – 43:42 — My Backlog “Keys” to Fall 2019

43:43 – 53:01 — An Overlooked Gem and Game Pass Standout: Quantum Break

53:02 — Outro

The Skinny on Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft’s Play Anywhere Strategy

While I dive into my full thoughts on the state of Xbox Game Pass in the podcast, I thought I’d share four supplementary headlines that — for one reason or another — were not touched upon in today’s episode:

1. Xbox Game Pass is helping to lead Microsoft’s software-first charge. While far from breaking news, Microsoft reported that its gaming division saw an 8% increase in revenue during its fiscal year Q2 (the three months ended Dec 2018), despite a 19% decrease in hardware sales, via GamesIndustry.biz. In addition to increased third-party software sales and Xbox Live users, Microsoft also cited increased Game Pass subscribers as a key driver of the sales growth. Though annual Xbox revenue would end up declining by month-end FYQ4 (down 3% and 48% year-over-year for software and hardware, respectively, via GamesIndustry.biz), the stark difference in performance between Xbox hardware and Xbox games and services is hard to overlook. Might we already be seeing the beginning of Microsoft’s stratagem to move away from the box and towards a software-only future?
2. Developers are also benefiting from the success of Xbox Game Pass. Citing a recent panel that it hosted during Gamelab Barcelona 2019, GamesIndustry.biz reports that certain third-party developers are praising how Microsoft approaches compensation when striking deals for Game Pass. Though the specific terms Microsoft has with its third-party partners remain unknown, it appears as if the publisher tends to push for paying in Netflix-style lump sums as opposed to inking Spotify-esque per-play agreements. While developers on the panel debated the fairness of Game Pass deals — as of now, agreements tend to be better suited for developers of shorter, single-player games than designers of service-based titles with longer tails — one panelist, former Playdead co-founder Dino Patti, feels that Microsoft “is doing [subscription-based models] correctly” with respect to developers. Just in case you needed another reason to get excited about the prospects of the service!
3. Minecraft, Cuphead, and Ori and the Blind Forest could be just the beginning of Xbox on rival platforms. Yesterday, Nintendo dropped a mini-bombshell during its Indie World showcase, announcing that the phenomenal, Microsoft-published Ori and the Blind Forest would be coming to Nintendo Switch. While not Microsoft Games Studio’s first foray into third-party publishing — Minecraft is available on every platform under the sun, and Cuphead was also recently brought to the Switch — the slow-but-sure roll-out of Xbox titles on rival platforms, not to mention Microsoft’s Play Anywhere initiative, which is continually bringing Xbox first-party titles to PC, paints an interesting picture for the future of Xbox. In fact, if a recent Game Informer interview with Matt Booty, Head of Microsoft Games Studios, is any indication, we may see more first-party Xbox franchises make their way to competitors’ doorsteps. Given all that we know, is it so far-fetched to picture a console generation in which Microsoft ditches the hardware completely, instead finding its way into consumers’ homes off the backs of its competitors?
4. Xbox Game Pass shows no signs of slowing down. At least, based on yesterday’s reveal at Gamescom 2019 that the critically acclaimed Devil May Cry 5 is now available on the service, with more games to come. While all of the fervor around Game Pass would be moot if the content itself was lacking, Microsoft’s commitment to bringing quality AAA and indie titles to the service is making it an even better sell as time goes on. In an age where Google, EA, Ubisoft, and Sony are all trying to entice players with subscription-based services of their own, is it possible that Xbox Game Pass has already beat them all to the punch? It’s too early to say, for sure, but it’s a question that I’m sure Phil Spencer and the rest of the folks at Xbox are happy to hear being increasingly thrown around as we move into the next generation of consoles.

My Backlog “Keys” to Fall 2019

With the fall/holiday season fast approaching, I thought it pertinent to be honest with myself. With so many impressive games hitting before the end of the year, which games do I actually have time, and reason, to play? My solution? Backlog “keys”: a way of giving myself a defined goal that, upon completion, unlocks the right to procure and play the anticipated game in question.

The following list — intended for those who’d like a guide, or the Sparknotes version — summarizes my list of personal backlog keys as detailed in today’s podcast episode.

• Fire Emblem: Three Houses (available now)
  • Backlog Key: Fire Emblem: Awakening
  • Odds of Completion in Time for Release: N/A
• Oninaki (August 22nd)
  • Key: I Am Setsuna
  • Odds: 0%
• Control (August 27th)
  • Key: Quantum Break Complete! (thanks, Game Pass!)
  • Odds: N/A
• Astral Chain (August 30th)
  • Keys: Bayonetta 1 & 2
  • Odds: Bayo 1 – 75%; Bayo 2 – 5%
• Gears 5 (September 10th)
  • Key: Gears of War 4
  • Odds: 20% Irrelevant! (per correction #2 above, because Gears 5 is launching on Game Pass, baby!)
• Borderlands 3 (September 13th)
  • Keys: Borderlands 1, 2, & The Pre-Sequel
  • Odds: BL 1 – 0%; BL 2 – 0%; Pre-Sequel – 0%
• Link’s Awakening (September 20th)
  • Key: None Complete!
  • Odds: N/A
• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition (September 27th)
  • Keys: Dragon Quest IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, & IX…….. yikes
  • Odds: DQ IV-VII & IX – 0%; DQ VIII – <1%
• Concrete Genie (October 8th)
  • Key: None (especially given the $30 price point) Complete!
  • Odds: N/A
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (October 25th)
  • Key: None (at least as far as the Modern Warfare series is concerned) Complete!
  • Odds: N/A
• The Outer Worlds (October 25th)
  • Key: Either Fallout 3, 4, or New Vegas (Sike. None, because it’s on GAME PASS!) Complete!
  • Odds: N/A
• Luigi’s Mansion 3 (October 31th)
  • Key: Luigi’s Mansion 2: Dark Side of the Moon
  • Odds: 50%
• Death Stranding (November 8th)
  • Key: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
  • Odds: 35% (buying on day one regardless, though)
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (November 15th)
  • Key: Titanfall 2
  • Odds: 65% (but only if Fallen Order doesn’t suck)
• Pokémon Sword and Shield (November 15th)
  • Key: Either Pokémon Black, X, or Soul Silver
  • Odds: Black – 15%; X – 10%; Soul Silver – 5%
• Shenmue III (November 19th)
  • Key: Shenmue 1 & 2 Remastered
  • Odds: Shenmue 1 – 0%; Shenmue 2 – 0%
• Doom Eternal (November 22nd)
  • Key: Doom (2016)
  • Odds: 0%

A Look at Quantum Break’s Impressive Cast

As promised, here’s a link to view the cast of Quantum Break (via IMDb). Here’re a few you may recognize:

• Aiden Gillen
  • Game of Thrones – Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish
• Dominic Monaghan
  • Lost – Charlie Pace
• Jacqueline Pinol
  • Bosch – Julie Espinosa
• Patrick Heusinger
  • Absentia – Nick Durand
• Shawn Ashmore
  • The Rookie – Wesley Evers
  • Conviction – Sam Spencer
  • The Following – Mike Weston
• Lance Reddick
  • John Wick – Charon (aka the Continental receptionist)
  • Bosch – Irvin Irving
  • American Horror Story – Papa Legba
  • Horizon Zero Dawn – Sylens
  • Destiny – Commander Zavala
  • Fringe – Phillip Broyles
  • Lost – Matthew Abaddon
  • The Wire – Cedric Daniels
  • A billion other things (seriously, what has this guy not been in?)

Thanks for listening! Check back soon for another episode of Weekend at Dave’s.

(Episode music credit: “RUNNING WATERS” by Jason Shaw)