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PS5 Restocks Today, August 17!

As you know if you read my articles, I have been wrestling with online checkouts for almost a year now, all in a desperate collective attempt to snag a PlayStation 5. Today will be another one of those stressful days where much of it is spent in some of those dreaded online checkouts, because the PS5 is getting restocked today! The restocks are happening both at GameStop and PlayStation Direct, so read below for more details and some helpful videos!

GameStop

GameStop restocks quite often, but keep in mind that PS5 consoles by themselves are not being sold, and you need to have a Pro Membership to get early access to the drop and increase your chances of being able to grab one. Most of the PS5 bundles at GameStop will cost you about $700, with a game or two and an extra controller among the extras included included. In order to get access to the drop at the scheduled time, you must be a Pro Member, which costs $15.

The restock happens at 11am ET today, with Pro Members getting first crack at the consoles and the public getting their shot shortly after, if enough stock is leftover (which, keep in mind, there pretty much never is). However, this means that, if you’re willing to let go of over $700 and drop $15 on a GameStop Pro Membership if you don’t already have one, your chances at GameStop are pretty good. Watch the video above for more tips, and if you can’t snag one here, check at PS Direct later in the

PlayStation Direct

With a public queue opening at 5pm ET, PlayStation Direct restocks can be a bit trickier than your average restock, mostly because before you enter the website you’ll be put into a queue of other buyers. However, if you can manage to get into the site early, you’ll be all alone with only a few other buyers attempting to snag a PS5 – it’s almost a sure thing! Don’t get your hopes up too much though; it’s tough to project when you’ll actually be allowed in, even you show up at minute 1. As such, I have to recommend you get there early, before it starts at 2pm PT/5pm ET. Watch the above video for more tips.

So, in conclusion, I wish you luck if you try to snag one today! I know they’re hard to get; no one I know, including myself, has been able to snag a next-gen console yet. Regardless, thanks for reading Genesis Gaming! If hope you liked the article, please follow me for brand new gaming content and news updates all the time!

The Steam Deck is Apparently an “Xbox Switch,” According to Phil Spencer

Don’t be fooled by the title – I know that when the Steam Deck was announced last month we all had the same thought immediately pop into our heads, and that thought was that it’s basically a Switch that plays PC games. However, in the coming moments after that somewhat misconceived notion formed in my head, more and more thoughts and ideas came to me. The thought-snowball started with the recollection that the Switch OLED announcement was a disappointment in almost every way imaginable, with its unchanged, underpowered specs and lack of any truly meaningful upgrade, even to a cosmetic extent. It’s obvious that the Steam Deck, after taking a look at its specs, is actually trying to exist competitively in the gaming market and make an impact on a wider gaming audience. As such, Nintendo is not Valve’s main competitor here; the companies serve two distinct gaming groups that could not be further apart from one another: those who just want to play Mario and Zelda and those who want gaming experiences from a vast array of genres and eras. Of course, the Steam Deck serves the latter market, and it will most likely succeed wonderfully at being the best of all worlds in that regard.

So then, the PS5 and the Xbox Series X are the Steam Deck’s main competitors, as they are near-functionally equivalent and have a fairly similar library of games on a genre and graphical spectrum. However, the Steam Deck, on the basis of actual games available to play, blows both of them out of the water with 1000s of games for PC from many eras being available, and, more importantly, current-gen games for both PS consoles and Xbox consoles – in fact, most of if not all Xbox games. And that’s where we run into a big problem: why buy a Series X for $500 when a Steam Deck can do everything it can and more? On a Steam Deck, I can play Halo, Forza, and the new Flight Simulator, but I can also play games like Death Stranding, Horizon Zero Dawn, Persona 5 Strikers, and every PC game ever made. The value of the Steam Deck is therefore practically limitless, with the only games absent being Nintendo exclusives and PlayStation exclusives, the latter of which may be going out of style if Sony’s previous generation releases are anything to go by. So, where does Xbox go from here?

When the Steam Deck was announced, I figured that Microsoft might be upset about the Steam Deck, because not only did their mobile cloud gaming plans get upstaged almost immediately after they launched, almost every recent Xbox exclusive exists currently on the Steam platform. It seems to me that this development should be, at the very least, mildly troubling for them, as their proprietary console lineup’s value has been endangered as a result of the Steam Deck’s very existence. However, as revealed by a recent tweet by the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, the reaction at Microsoft is the exact opposite. He tweeted the following:

Was @valvesoftware this week talking w/ Scott, Erik, Gabe about Steam Deck. After having mine most of the week I can say it's a really nice device. Games with me on the go, screen size, controls all great. Playing Halo and Age feels good, xCloud works well. Congrats SD team. pic.twitter.com/q4hWBvkk85
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) August 13, 2021

Is that it? A polite congratulations, a warm handshake, a nice chat and a Steam Deck is all Phil Spencer needs to not care? What then is Microsoft’s strategy for making the Xbox line of consoles a success? Or have Microsoft executives accepted that they are destined to be hardware non-competitive and completely given up? That seems more likely.

In an article I wrote a few weeks ago, I said the following:

“. . .Microsoft will stop making consoles after the Series X, and specialize in cloud gaming with Game Pass and publish games under the Xbox name for PCs. While you may think it unlikely because of Microsoft’s massive pockets, they’ll do it if it makes financial sense, and, if the Series X doesn’t sell well (which, if you look at it from the aforementioned value perspective, it shouldn’t), it makes perfect sense that Xbox would forego console production.”

While I really don’t want to be right in this case, with the Phil Spencer-acknowledged gaming revolution that is the Steam Deck, it just makes sense for Microsoft to stop making consoles and be the company that actually gets game-streaming right. Google has tried, Amazon has tried, Facebook has tried, but these companies don’t really understand what makes gamers tick; Microsoft, at least to some extent, does. In that sense, I believe that Microsoft will eventually – most likely sooner rather than later – stop making consoles and specialize in PC games, just as it used to before the first Xbox. At this point, the only great card that Microsoft has left in its hand to play is Game Pass, which still retains some value, but even that is now in question with PS Now becoming a serious competitor. I certainly have more to say about this, so keep an eye out for more articles with Xbox news!

So, what do you think of the current Xbox situation? Is the Series X still on your console radar, or are you a Steam Deck convert? Leave a like and follow the site for more gaming articles right here on Genesis Gaming!

The Souls Series – Ranked

Whenever I boot up an old console to play a classic game like Mega Man or Castlevania, I am immediately welcomed by a level of soul-crushing difficulty I’d think would be best left in the past. NES games are great and the console had some of the best ever made, but the limitations of the medium and constraints on the length of games made cranking the difficulty knob to 11 necessary to lengthen players’ experiences, a method that felt cheap but was certainly effective. As such, it took me months of daily playing to beat Mega Man 2 back when I was a kid, and while that’s a nostalgic experience I look back on fondly, I can’t see how I put up with it back then; Quick Man’s stage nearly drove me to break my controller upon revisiting it.

And while I may seem spoiled with more recent generations due to their somewhat less punishingly difficult nature, I don’t think it’s difficulty that I dislike, it is difficulty’s relation to a game’s genre that is off-putting to me. An insanely difficult platformer or shooter feels cheap because of the cookie-cutter nature of the genre, and the lack of anything unique in their mechanics. Some games in these genres are exceptions, but for the most part, if you’ve played a platform/shooter, you can pick up and play the next one in relatively the same way and succeed (or fail, in my case). However, Dark Souls is a completely different beast entirely, and is in my opinion the one series that perfectly melds superb action-based gameplay with a reasonable level of difficulty that results in a difficulty level that’s not too overbearing and feels perfectly fair.

Dark Souls, created by Hidetaka Miyazaki at FromSoftware, is a medieval fantasy adventure series that has set the standard for games of the genre and continues to impress to this day. Gaming historians and critics alike have had field days analyzing the convoluted story the series has become famous for, and the gameplay has set itself apart from the rest of gaming as being seamless, brutally difficult and intensely rewarding, with the simplicity of it all being the glue that holds it together and keeps players coming back just to experience it one more time. On that note, let’s talk a bit more in detail about these games in a ranking-based format to decide, once and for all, which Souls game is best?

Honorable Mention: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

I know, I know. Sekiro isn’t a Souls game. But FromSoftware made it and it is clearly much like its Souls predecessors. Therefore, I wanted to talk about it a little bit to give some perspective on it in relation to Souls series games. On that note, I absolutely love FromSoftware and love what they were trying to accomplish with this game, but the sad truth is that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a bit of a broken mess.

So many complex gameplay systems have been wrapped into one here, with even a stealth mechanic tacked on in an attempt to develop more “three-dimensional” gameplay. The combat system of Souls titles was stripped down to brass tacks and is now merely composed of blocking and attacking, with the only true dynamic feature being a limited-use prosthetic arm with very few viable attacks. While there are some subtleties to the combat system as Sekiro progresses in his journey, most of the nuance to be found in Darks Souls is lost in a wave of skill trees and items that upgrade your character but are locked to a linear progression path. As a result, the player’s connection to the game’s story and gameplay becomes somewhat faded, as the overarching meta-game of the stat system and its relation to player progression is quite overwhelming.

But, even with all of those pet-peeves and relatively big issues with the core gameplay, I see the merits of Sekiro; being victorious over a very difficult boss does feel quite rewarding indeed. I just didn’t enjoy most of the journey because victory is pretty much the only aspect of the game that feels at all satisfying. In Dark Souls, just playing the game in its entirety, even when losing, was a satisfying experience. In Sekiro, everything is a joyless slog until you finally kill the boss you’ve been stuck on for the past few days, then all you have to do is move on to the next brick wall you have to slowly chip away at with your samurai sword. I will give it this, though: it does a pretty good job of bringing Tench-like gameplay into the modern era.

5: Dark Souls II

The first Dark Souls was quite the amazing success story for FromSoftware. It released as a new IP and a spiritual successor to an IP that was less successful, so the fact that Dark Souls was such a runaway success was actually quite astounding, especially in a world of gaming where independent, non AAA developers are often looked over by consumers. As Dark Souls needed a follow-up that was just as amazing, and while it’s obvious FromSoftware tried, the second game in the Souls series leaves a lot to be desired.

The first and only game in the Souls series so far to not be directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki (who was off directing Bloodborne at the time), Dark Souls II is the weakest title in FromSoftwares entire post-King’s Field repertoire as it actively employs the mantra “one step forward, two steps back” in its mechanics. In the first Dark Souls, the player plays an active part in a gameplay system that emphasizes fundamentals rather than difficulty, but is difficult because of its fundamental-centric game design philosophy. As such, most of the bosses devolve into a roll and hit then run and heal fest. It truly is tough to give the boss design good marks due to the fact that too many have a cheap tactic to make them difficult – ofttimes one that is too obvious or simply doesn’t work. Many victories and deaths in Dark Souls II feel unearned as a result, a quality that is abhorrent in a game all about both things.

Furthermore, I would like to point out that areas and bosses, masterfully crafted in other games mentioned later in this ranking, feel unequivocally mismatched. For instance, in one portion of the game you start in a desert-like poison-filled area filled with green gas. Your destination as you traverse the area is large windmill that is clearly visible on the backdrop of a clear blue sky. Upon reaching the windmill, the player finds an elevator and rides it up to the top of the windmill, and somehow exits into a huge area filled with lava. My question is this: how does this volcano-based area exist geographically relevant to the previous area? We could see the windmill before riding the elevator upwards and there was nothing but blue sky above and behind it, but after riding it to the top there is a new lava-themed area there? As such, the interconnected feeling of the game world that was present in the first Souls game and returned in later installments is lost here, as these kinds of geographical errors pop up time and time again in Dark Souls II, with areas and their relation to one another making very little, if any, real-world sense.

To clarify, I understand that these are technically just video games. But Dark Souls and Dark Souls III go to great lengths to try and make you forget that and experience them as the amazing experiences they are rather than just “games.” Dark Souls II fails in this regard and, while it is otherwise enjoyable as a game (key word), is therefore not deserving of much respect as a Souls game.

4: Demon’s Souls

Demon’s Souls is a different beast altogether in the Souls series, as it is the first game FromSoftware released with the name “Souls” in the title. First released in 2009 exclusively for the PS3, Demon’s Souls became a bit of a cult classic and nabbed the coveted “PlayStation Greatest Hits” title. While technically not connected to the Dark Souls Series through its storyline, it shares a number of gameplay mechanics with it, some of them being even harsher than the games that came after. For instance, when you die in Demon’s Souls, your health is reduced to half until you find a rare item or defeat a boss. However, the first time you die after recovery, it goes back down to half again! This is an extremely harsh punishment for the player, even by Souls-series standards. So, in short, Dark Souls is far more refined than the original Demon’s Souls on PS3 – but what about the PS5 version?

Well, that’s kinda difficult for me to talk about, because to this point I have not been able to grab a PS5. Disappointing, I know. But, I have watched several reviews and gameplay videos of it, so I’ll speak about it generally here. The PS5 edition clears up some of the graphical “grime” that the original release was covered in, resulting in one of the first and best-looking next-gen releases for the PS5 console. Even now, 10 months after its release, it is one of the best-looking next-gen titles and still, one of the only. However, some of the more annoying, two-gens-ago bugs are still there, with a few bosses being outright broken, just as they were back in 2009. Other than the bugs and the somewhat annoying fact that there is almost nothing new added in the remake, it looks like an amazing game and a well-deserved remake for a great game that I once thought had been lost to time. I’ll certainly have more to say about this when I am actually able to get my hands on a copy – stay tuned!

3: Dark Souls

Ah, the original; the sweet, sweet original Dark Souls. Truly a masterpiece in both story and game design, Dark Souls surpasses many other great action-RPGs in almost every way imaginable and was my first introduction to the series. While it can be clunky at times (it is ten years old, so I believe we can forgive it for that), that same clunk gives it certain charm that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Furthermore, the overall mixture of story, gameplay, and the underlying “meta” in the game’s core mechanics (such as the unique bonfire death/undeath system it pioneered) is second to none in both the Dark Souls series and the whole of video gaming, setting a bar that, in my eyes, has yet to be matched by another game.

Bosses set the bar for the action-RPG, and still hold up to this very day, with Ornstein and Smough coming to mind as one of the tensest boss fights I have ever been able to conquer. World exploration is particularly excellent, as the world construction possesses a very “vertical” quality that allows for an enhanced feeling of interconnectivity. Although the game sends the player spiraling through several distinctly themed areas of varying distances from one another, the player is still always able to find a shortcut that leads them back to familiar lands, a touch that to this day makes Dark Souls the most unique and marvelous games in the series.

Regardless, the aforementioned clunk is the only reason this game isn’t higher up on the list; in fact, a part of me wants to rank this one in first place. It just did so much for gaming at the time and set the series up to be as legendary as it is! There’s just nothing like stepping into the world of Lordran for the first time and somehow managing to make it to the end by the skin of your teeth. Truly a masterpiece, and without a doubt worth several playthroughs.

2: Dark Souls III

Dark Souls III was the follow-up the original Dark Souls deserved, and was set to serve as the epic conclusion to one of the greatest series of all time, so where did it fail to only be #2 on this list? Well, honestly, it didn’t fail in many ways, but some of its new and renewed mechanics made it feel like a rushed hodge-podge of what made the games before it so special, and therefore, at least in my opinion, was a not-so-fitting conclusion to the series overall. That doesn’t stop the game from being amazing though! In fact, it is quite the opposite; Dark Souls III did so much right it has become one of my favorite games in the series, to the point where it has beat out, as you’ve seen, the original Dark Souls!

Firstly, the game’s combat is vastly improved upon after the clunky mess that was Dark Souls II, and is able to carve out its own unique space in the Souls series with its fast, hyper precise combat. Combat is now based around rolling around enemies and bosses’ swings in order to punish them after they miss, creating a tense, adrenaline-dripping combat system that sets itself apart in more ways than one from the rest of the Souls series, and gaming in general. This is especially noticeable during the game’s boss fights, which are varied, masterfully designed and pulse-pounding to play through. While I’m not going to talk about them specifically, I will say that the bosses are an absolute blast to fight; nothing beats landing the final blow on a particularly difficult boss as the epic score swells to a triumphant crescendo.

That being said, the game has its flaws, which is why it lands itself in the runner-up spot. For instance, the game feels far too linear for a Souls game, with many areas feeling like straight lines toward an obvious destination that isn’t too hard to get to upon a bit of exploration. Other areas feel like cheap attempts to confuse the player, with many simply being poorly designed pools of poison with somewhat obvious traps and puzzles, and others simply being mazes to get lost in for hours. As such, the game is directionally binary: you either know exactly where you’re going or you haven’t the foggiest idea which way is up.

Regardless, Dark Souls III is an amazing game that closed out the Souls series on a relatively good note. Worth mentioning is that the final boss is the ultimate in fan-service from series-creator Miyazaki, featuring callbacks to the first game that kind of discredit the second game from the series continuity entirely and say: “This was Dark Souls. That is all.” The final fight is honestly one of the greatest boss fights in gaming history and Dark Souls III is arguably worth playing just for it. As such, I have to recommend you pick this up and play it immediately; you won’t regret it!

1: Bloodborne

Bloodborne is essentially a much better version of what Dark Souls III was trying to be. The combat is fast and frenetic, but retains that same sense of emphasis on the fundamentals the series was built on starting with the original Dark Souls. Featuring new mechanics that meaningfully expound on the mechanics of the Dark Souls series in almost every way, Bloodborne is not just the spiritual successor to the series, it is its natural evolution.

The faster combat is balanced and far better than Dark Souls III’s; for instance, shields are no longer a viable item, with only one terrible one being present in the entire game. This massive design change is a perfect complement to the fact that combat moves so quickly, conveying the appropriate message to the player – “you really need to get used to not using this” – in a way they’ll understand on-the-fly. Other drastic gameplay changes include the new rallying system, in which a player can regain all HP lost from an enemy attack by striking back within a few moments. This opens up the player to taking far greater risk, creating a risk-based dynamic that previous Souls experiences did not have. In short, combat is fast, fun and risky, and will leave your “gamer brain” very satisfied for tens of hours of adventure.

Speaking a bit on the story and world design, they’re weirdly even darker than their Dark Souls counterparts, featuring Lovecraftian monsters such as werewolves, insects and grotesque aliens, and sometimes what look like weird combinations of all three, just to spice things up a bit. The story is convoluted to the “nth” degree, with mystical beings of many forms, both human and alien, converging and reeking general havoc on the Yharnam population, with blood-borne blights and otherworldly threats throwing curveballs at the player throughout their journey. I don’t want to spoil any of it here, but if you must know more, check out my full review of Bloodborne here.

If I am speaking critically, I’ll admit that Bloodborne does have a few of Dark Souls III’s issues, with the world feeling more like a straight line than the interconnected masterpiece that was the first Dark Souls. However, the combat and story of Bloodborne set it apart from the mainline Souls series in ways that are unique enough to discredit that issue entirely, as the combat is truly the main focus of the game and is enough to keep the player focused and intrigued. Also, the experimentation with otherworldly themes and strange, arcane magic is territory the series has rarely delved into before, if at all, making it a breath of fresh air for a series that suffered from a bit of early-onset franchise fatigue as a result of its brutal, difficult nature and relatively short development cycles.

Regardless, Bloodborne is one of the best games of the last generation and a top 3 PS4 exclusive to be sure. Give it a play and all of the games mentioned previously, as I truly believe the Souls series is one of if not the best set of games of all time.

So, what do you think? Am I right? Or does my list need rearranged? Leave a like and follow the site for more gaming-centric articles right here on Genesis Gaming!

Xbox Game Pass August Games – Game Pass Fights Back

In an article I posted recently discussing the new PS Now games that were announced this month, I said that Xbox Game Pass was losing steam. While that’s still true to some degree, as the fact that GTA V, arguably its best game, is leaving the service is still true. However, this month’s additions are certainly going to help fill in that void, and one of the games is a day one release. Let’s talk about them!

Hades

Launching on August 13th, Hades is a day- one release for the Xbox platform, launching on Game Pass the same day it comes out in stores. Set in Ancient Greece, the player plays as Zagreus, son of Hades, on a quest to escape the underworld. With rogue-like, action-based, RPG gameplay and a unique visual style, Hades has impressed on other platforms and is sure to impress again on Xbox One and Series X/S.

Skate 3

A legendary game for the Xbox 360, Skate 3 is all about fun, seeing the player skateboarding through an open world trying to pop sick tricks off of every unsuspecting park bench. While there is kind of a story mode, as the intent of doing tricks everywhere is to raise awareness for your skateboard manufacturing company, most of the fun to be had is from jumping from ridiculously high places and tricking all the way down, and creating custom skate parks. A great game all around and a great nostalgic trip back to 2010.

Katamari Damacy Reroll

The remaster of an old retro classic for the PS2, Katamari Damacy Reroll thrusts rolling giant trash balls into the modern era, where the player can now roll giant trash balls in HD! On a more serious note, the Katamari series is oddly quite fun and addictive, appealing to my arcade-gamer side with its repetitive but entertaining gameplay and its general sense of “odd.” The oddness in both its concept and gameplay exudes a certain charm, and you can definitely tell the game is trying its hardest to just be weird. Definitely worth a try if you’re into the bizarre!

So what do you think of Game Pass’s August Games? Do they match PS Now’s recent additions? Leave a like and follow the site if you enjoyed the article and stay tuned for more from Genesis Gaming!

August PlayStation Now Games Announced – Can PS Now Become a Worthy Rival for Xbox Game Pass?

In the past few years, gaming platforms have been locked in an intense battle with their subscription services, to the point at which those services are actually a thought when you buy a console. After all, gamers want to get the most value out of their most recent $500 tech purchase, and value-based services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now seem like the best ways to do it. Game Pass has been the frontrunner in most aspects of the online game service, featuring online play, 100s of games with Xbox exclusives joining the fray on day one, and, now, cloud streaming on an endless array of devices. Seems like it sells itself, doesn’t it?

However, in recent months, Xbox Game Pass has been losing steam, with its one of of its biggest games, Grand Theft Auto V, leaving the service in the coming days. While Game Pass’s struggle doesn’t mean much on its own, PS Now has been doing the exact opposite, exceeding espectations with its monthly gaming additions. July saw 4 blockbusters being added to PS Now in Read Dead Redemption 2, which has been off and on Game Pass for a while now, Judgement, God of War and Nioh 2. August’s games certainly match the momentous gaming occasion that was July, as Sony has absolutely hit it out of the park once again. Here are August’s monthly games.

Nier: Automata

Available until November 1st, Nier: Automata is a wonderful RPG oddity from Square Enix. It was the black sheep of the RPG community when it launched back in 2017; Square Enix didn’t expect it to sell well, and the game itself divided RPG fans with its multitude of gameplay systems, camera angles and environments. But, with time, the game won a lot of people over once they came to understand Nier’s unique style of storytelling and its gorgeous visuals and soundtrack. In my opinion, Nier: Automata and its predecessor Nier Replicant are nothing short of masterpieces (reviews on the way!), and the former will make a fine addition to the PS Now service.

Ghostrunner

Released last November, Ghostrunner is one of the newest games on the PS Now service, and while the game has received mixed reviews since its release less than a year ago, this is a a wise and bold move from Sony to add it to their online service. Set in a cyberpunk, dystopian future, Ghostrunner’s gameplay revolves around split-second parkour and katana-based decisions in which a single move can lead to a gruesome end for either you or your enemy. It’s fast-paced, frenetic and fun, and will certainly be appreciated by PlayStation gamers as one of this month’s offerings.

Undertale

Beloved by many RPG enthusiasts around the world, Undertale is a staple of indie gaming, showing the immense potential of the independent development and old school, minimalist 8-bit graphics. Undertale uses these graphics in very unique ways and pushes their ability to tell a cohesive and genuinely moving story, and it succeeds wonderfully. As such, Undertale is best played when you don’t know too much about it, so I won’t spoil anything here. If you like RPGs or indie games in general, you should simply go into the experience knowing that it is one you will never forget.

So what do you think of this month’s PS Now lineup? Is it enough to match Game Pass, or is Sony still missing something? Leave a like if you enjoyed the article and come back tomorrow for more from Genesis Gaming!

Every Console I’ve Ever Owned – Ranked

Throughout my relatively young gamer life, I have strived to remain in contact with past generations of game consoles and to explore a diverse collection of genres. Typecasting oneself into an “Xbox gamer” or a “PlayStation gamer” just becomes stale after a while, and while the next generation of gaming looks stellar and groundbreaking, it never hurts to look back with nostalgic fondness on generations past. And that’s what I intend to do today.

While I don’t own every console known to man and have taken years to “procure” my collection (I’m not made of money after all), I do own a relatively large number of past consoles and play them all frequently. So without further ado, here it is: a comprehensive ranking of my console collection!

14: Game Boy Color

Released in 1998 as a follow-up to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color finally added color graphics to the world of handhelds. With a variety of amazing titles released for the console, such as The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, Pokémon Gold and Silver, and Mario Golf, the GBC sold like hotcakes in it day, and for good reason: there was nothing else like it. It improved upon its predecessor in almost every way and carved out a much larger space in the gaming industry for handheld as a result of its innovation.

However, here is where we diverge onto a more critical path, as this console is surely not without its flaws. I apologize to anyone I offend by ranking this so low, but it’s due primarily to one huge flaw in the console’s design: the lack of a backlight. I’m sure this console was a blast to play back in the 90s when there was nothing better, but today it’s hard to stomach when I can play some of the console’s best games on my backlit Nintendo 3DS. There’s no denying that the system’s games were second-to-none, but playing them on their original device can be quite difficult, which isn’t knocking the experience of the games, it’s knocking the console itself.

This may be a hot take, but I think we can all agree that if the GBC just had a backlight, the console would be legendary, and certainly better than what we got.

13: Nintendo DS

While still low on the list, the Nintendo DS is quite the handheld, with its library packing a punch, mostly because it wasn’t just Pokemon this time around. While Nintendo handhelds prior were mostly considered Pokemon machines, the DS featured quite a few new IPs that brought new life to Nintendo and created a new, casual audience for the brand, such as Brain Age, Electroplankton, Drawn to Life, and Scribblenauts.

The Nintendo DS was actually my first gaming console, and it forever cemented my role as a gamer. However, after getting my hands on a 3DS later on in life, I can’t help but to see the shortcomings of the console when I look back on it, something that the 3DS now suffers from post-Nintendo Switch. The graphics, even though they are 3D, are often quite ugly and drab in comparison to other handheld consoles released around the same time, like the PSP, which boasted near home console level graphics.

However, the lineup of games is stellar, with handheld Nintendo staples from the Game Boy era returning (e.g. Pokémon) and new IPs popping up everywhere featuring touchscreen support, something that truly did push the handheld gaming scene forward in a new, innovative direction. More JRPG titles were popping up for the DS, and unique genres like puzzlers (e.g. Professor Layton) and visual novel-based courtroom dramas (here’s looking at you Phoenix Wright) made an appearance that would make them lasting handheld staple series.

In short, while the DS certainly pushed the handheld gaming format forward in a new direction, it has a few flaws that hold it back from being legendary.

12: Sega Genesis

The Sega Genesis, in its day, was essentially the “Xbox” of the console world; it had its die-hard fans, but it was constantly on the losing end of an over a decade long fight against its main competitor, in this case Nintendo. Nintendo, as we all know, won the fight in the end, and for good reason: Sega didn’t really know what they were doing with their own console. Over the years, Sega botched several console releases, and decided it would be best to market underused, add-on peripherals to the Genesis, like the Sega CD and Sega 32X, which had limited use and didn’t really change the formula enough to be of any interest to consumers. But, that doesn’t mean Sega didn’t do some things right.

The lineup of games for the Genesis is very well-loved, and every game had a very unique visual and audial style that Nintendo couldn’t really match. Sega just screams “80s” with its vector based, 16-bit graphics and its loud, punchy music, and the console featured some of the best games of the era in their best versions. Everyone knows that the original Mortal Kombat only had blood – it’s main selling point – on the Sega Genesis! Vector Man and Ecco the Dolphin were highlights of the system, and the Genesis had far more sports-centric titles than than the Super Nintendo. And who can forget Sonic the Hedgehog!

So, the Genesis, while it was ultimately defeated, poorly supported by Sega and had a tenure that was overlong, is truly an amazing system that was very reflective of its era (this website is even named after it!). As such, it’s great if you love retro time-pieces and even better if studying gaming history is up your alley.

11: Nintendo Entertainment System

Many love the Nintendo Entertainment System, and some herald it as the greatest console of all time. While I can understand that nostalgic sentiment, as I certainly have my own, I simply don’t agree. I know it ruled the relatively niche gaming world of the 80s, but you can’t get around acknowledging the console’s many faults, something Nintendo themselves did when they released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which you will see later on this list. And I’m not blaming the fact that the NES had some quality-of-life issues, such as the lack of saves on some games and the limited storage capacity of cartridges that limited the scope of games – those are understandable and expected; after all, the NES practically invented the modern video game medium.

What I’m talking about is the lack of variety in games for the console, and the insane difficulty of most titles that was utilized to artificially increase the length of each game. While the medium was quite limited in its day, most games were either platformers, RPGs, or action games, with only a few games really breaking the mold and innovating with the medium (the first Metal Gear comes to mind). Furthermore, every time I’ve booted up my NES to try and play Battletoads or Bubble Bobble, I walk away a few hours later feeling an odd combination of confusion and frustration. That may just be my spoiled, modern-day gamer brain talking as I’m sure NES purists would claim, but I think it is a deeper issue with the console itself, brought on by its limitations and the lack of developer knowledge back then.

Nevertheless, it was the best console of its day and invented the game console as we know, so it has to receive credit for that. A lot of games that we love today got their start there as well, namely Super Mario Bros. and Final Fantasy.

10: Nintendo Wii

The Nintendo Wii was my first ever home console, an upgrade from the Nintendo DS, and is therefore one of those nostalgic attachments that I myself have. The console was great if you loved Nintendo games, and the Wii Shop Channel was innovative as all hell. The ability to buy retro and new titles and download them to your console? Yes, please!

But the Wii had far too many fatal flaws to be considered a “home-run success,” and was probably the worst console of its generation, even though it outsold all of its competitors. The reason for this is that Nintendo decided it would begin to target a new market, casual gamers (kids, their parents, and their grandparents), making the Wii marketable to literally everyone with enough money to buy one; and boy did a lot of people buy one. Over 100 million Wiis were sold during its generation, about 20 million more than the Xbox 360 and about 10 million more than the PlayStation 3. Games like Wii Sports, Wii Fit, Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess brought people into the Nintendo ecosystem, and groundbreaking features like the Wii Shop Channel, Photo Channel, Mii Maker and constantly updating weather and news apps kept people interested and amazed.

But third-party support for the console was absolutely terrible, with copy-cat games and absolute garbage being released for the console and marketed to Nintendo’s audience of parents and grandparents, who didn’t know any better. First-party Nintendo games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit were mimicked and shamelessly released by noncreative third parties who were looking for easy cash-ins, and for that the Wii suffered greatly. It also didn’t help that the Wii alienated an entire audience of gamers that wanted to see an actual generational update for Nintendo, who opted for low processing power, AV cables only and odd, somewhat gimmicky motion-based control schemes to save money on console production.

So while the Wii was a good business move for Nintendo, it was ultimately a step backwards for them that continues to affect them to this day, with their newest console, the Nintendo Switch, also being a bit of an underpowered mess. But, like the Switch, the Wii was an underpowered mess with some great Nintendo games, so if you’re a Nintendo fan, you couldn’t go wrong with this one.

9: Super Nintendo Entertainment System

If you love to watch gaming console rankings and opinion videos like I do, you’ll know that the popular consensus among most gamers is that the king of all consoles is the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Now, you can tell by its place in this ranking that I disagree with that sentiment, but I’ll give them credit, this is a great system.

Alongside it’s main competitor Sega, Nintendo revolutionized gaming by releasing its new, 16-bit followup to NES, and it blew everyone away back in 1991. Titles like Super Mario World, Star Fox and Pilotwings whet gamers’ appetites, then Nintendo drove it home with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Super Metroid. Third-party support from developers like SqareSoft and Capcom made games like Secret of Mana and Mega Man X possible, and they carved out a space for the JRPG genre. As such, there is no doubt that the console was and is legendary. The problem is that the SNES retains the same issue the NES had: a lack of variety in games.

Again, most games for the console were platformers, RPGs and action games, and while a few new genres were thrown into the mix and crude 3D experimentation was tried, the SNES is largely the same as its predecessor, albeit with prettier visuals. If the SNES is your thing, go for it, I completely understand why you love it. It’s just not for me.

8: PlayStation

The first PlayStation was one of my earliest introductions to the gaming medium, and while I never played the PS greats back then (I didn’t have the greatest collection), the experience stuck with me as a highlight of gaming history. And while revisiting it is rough due to the jagged graphics and low resolution, I remember why I loved it so much: it’s just fun to sit down and spend some time with the console.

The console is a matte grey color, exuding no standout visual qualities, and yet possesses an undeniable aesthetic that is, quite literally, the 90s defined. PlayStation adopted CDs as their storage medium and, as such, set an industry standard until the revelation of Blu-ray, which Sony also pioneered. Sony bought and partnered with studios, beginning a decades-long monopoly on exclusive games and stealing the spotlight from Sega and Nintendo, becoming synonymous with gaming and innovation. And, speaking of innovation, PlayStation practically reinvented the wheel with their new dual-analog stick “DualShock” controller.

Games for the system included Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and countless other classics. There’s just nothing quite like playing on the original PlayStation, and while future Sony consoles are certainly better tech-wise and game-wise, nothing really competes with the sheer joy one feels when playing the PS1.

7: Nintendo 64

That’s right, I went there: I ranked the Nintendo 64 above the PlayStation. Why? Because the graphics of the console were better, the titles were more memorable, and the first-party output for this console crafted legendary games that will be remade and re-released in perpetuity until the end of time or Nintendo, whichever comes first. Also, this is one nostalgic attachment I have that I just cannot let go of – playing Ocarina of Time and Wave Race 64 as a kid blew my mind and left me a lifelong 90s retro fanatic.

While I’ll admit the third-party support was not great for the console, some notable second-parties did exist to make the console worthwhile for more than just typical Nintendo games. Rare comes to mind as one of the console’s best developers, and it was a second-party of Nintendo for the entirety of the N64’s life, producing amazing titles like Banjo-Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and Killer Instinct Gold. Nintendo’s games made history by breaking convention and setting new standards for the medium, with games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask, Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64, and more.

While, I’ll admit, the controller is an odd 90s experiment that received mixed feedback and the cartridge medium of the day was already outdated when the console launched back in 1996, the console is quite amazing and it is astonishing how many of its games still hold up to this day. An amazing console to be sure, and one of the 90’s best.

6: Xbox 360

While many consider the Xbox 360 to be Microsoft’s best console, a sentiment which I fully understand and almost agree with (which I’ll explain later when we get to the Xbox One), the 360 had some issues at launch and throughout its life that sets it back from being the best. As everyone knows, the 360 launched with some really bad, console-breaking issues due to a rushed launch in an attempt to beat the PS3 to market. While that definitely paid off (the 360 is the best-selling Xbox console of all time), it wasn’t without one huge tradeoff: most of consoles were broken within a year. The original line of 360s had a critical flaw known as the “Red Ring of Death,” during which the system would overheat and case a red ring to replace the typically green power button’s light. As such, while Microsoft got a pretty big market share to start, they had to institute a multi-billion dollar warranty plan to save face in the wake of their own botched launch at the hands of the Red Ring of Death, a setback that would make many leery of the brand.

Other than that, the 360 was practically flawless, bringing about a number of positive changes to the world of gaming. For instance, the idiotic nature of the original Xbox’s “Duke” controller was changed to a much more refined, sensible wireless version that was comfortable to hold and play with for extended play sessions. Graphics were now in full HD, and Microsoft, like Nintendo did with their Wii, made their own digital store where brand new games could be purchased and downloaded to the console. The 360 also boasted a massive library of amazing games, including 4 Halo games, Gears of War, Forza Motorsport and more, exclusive IP that even today remain exclusive to the brand.

Back in 2012, a year before the Xbox One, Microsoft looked set to become a true superpower in the world of video games. But 2013 proved challenging to the brand and quite damaging to their name. Alas, we will always have the Xbox 360 to look back on with fondness – well, at least until they all red ring.

5: Nintendo Switch

A lot of people absolutely love the Switch, and so do I. After all it is in my top 5, and while I do have some serious issues with it, I absolutely love it. Many games stand out as some of the best: Breath of the Wild is one of the highlights of the system for me, with all of its Zelda charm packed into a giant open world that I am honestly shocked can even run on a handheld system like the Switch; Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the greatest Smash game ever made, and has occupied me for hundreds of hours, remaining entertaining to this day; Pokemon Sword did a superb job of reinventing the series without losing its original charm; and Super Mario Maker 2 is the best thing to happen to the Mario franchise since the very first one. In short, I have a lot of love for this little console, and it has been one of my go-to systems for games of all kinds since I got it. However, that doesn’t stop me from disliking a few things about it.

The Switch was designed with many flaws, a few I’d like to detail here. For being so new (it released in 2017), it has a criminally low power level (far under 9000, if you’re asking) and can barely run some games, with The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, which came out two years before the system, looking very blurry and glitchy at times. Sometimes games will dip well below 20 FPS, something that should never happen in games priced at $60. The console also launched with an obscenely low amount of storage, with only 32 GB on the console. MicroSD cards were therefore required if you planned to own more than 5 games, which are an added expense.

Speaking of added expenses, Joy-Cons are $80 for some reason, and they tend to break very quickly due to their cheap construction. On launch, the dock scratched the screen of the device, which means you’ll need a screen protector, which is another added expense. If you want to carry it around with you and use it as a portable system, you’ll need a protective case, which yet another added expense. In short, $299 is the asking price, but it’s not what you’ll pay to own a Switch. When you add up necessary things like a case, a screen protector, a microSD card, an extra controller and a game, you’re going to pay somewhere between $420 and $500, plus or minus the extra set of Joy Cons.

So while the console has an excellent library of games and is very versatile given its portability, the price of admission may not be worth it depending on what kind of gamer you are. A PS4 or an Xbox One X has the same starting price, and unlike the Switch, there aren’t any hidden fees (except maybe a game or two, but you knew that when you bought it) and they are very powerful, with the ability to play far more groundbreaking games.

4: Xbox One

The Xbox One was a flawed console from the very beginning, what with its aggressive DRM strategies, forced online connectivity, and lack of exclusive titles alongside an emphasis on streaming media. While two of those things were cancelled before the system launched, the latter of the three was omnipresent throughout the console’s life. As a result, the Xbox One was notorious for its lack of a real reason to buy it – after all, how many times can one play Halo? While, looking back, there were several hidden gems you could only find on Xbox (Ryse: Son of Rome and Quantum Break just to name a few), this statement largely still holds true, even after the release of the Series X last year.

But enough of the bad, what makes the console deserve a top 5 spot? Easy: simplicity. The user interface is simple and easy-to-navigate, every streaming app you have can be easily pinned to and accessed on the home menu, and games can too. It’s quite similar on PS4, but there are no extra frills here. No themes, folders or anything – just your games and apps, where you want them to be. And there are quite a few games and apps to be found! Some streaming apps are only on Xbox consoles (such as Sling TV), and while the Xbox One lacked many exclusive titles, save Halo, Forza and Gears of War, third-party supported came to the rescue, with many great games like Devil May Cry V, Resident Evil VII and more launching on the console.

As such, it’s a great, albeit hugely flawed, console, and was my first introduction to the eighth generation. As such, I have a nostalgic attachment to it, even though I have grown to resent it somewhat because of its current over-reliance on subscription-based services. Game Pass has simultaneously made gaming easy and far more user-accessible, but also devalued the medium in a way I have trouble finding the words to explain. More on that in an article soon! Regardless, Microsoft seems to be learning from its mistakes with the Xbox One and making it and its successor in the Series X far better as consoles.

3: Nintendo 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo’s last true handheld gaming machine, is the greatest handheld console ever made. It is versatile, easy-to-use, and has what is arguably the greatest lineup of games ever to grace a handheld console, featuring genres formerly never seen on handhelds, with many games being of an absolutely massive scope (think Monster Hunter and giant 3D Pokémon worlds).

While the console did get off to a rocky start because Nintendo confused people with their naming schemes – many thought the 3DS was a new and improved DS, and thus didn’t buy one because they thought it unnecessary – this was Nintendo in their prime. Featuring a circle pad for thumb stick functionality, the 3DS brought full 3D worlds into the Nintendo handheld ecosystem and allowed the player to comfortably explore them in 8 or more directions. The console featured backwards compatibility with all Nintendo DS games and allowed use of said circle pad, making even older titles more comfortable and modern to play. The 3DS also opted into adding online functionality in a web browser, friends list, and an eShop, making buying brand new games digitally possible, making handheld gaming even more convenient.

Featured games included three generations of Pokémon, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Fire Emblem Awakening, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, and more. In short, the gaming lineup is so diverse in both genre and gameplay that there is no end to the entertainment. That’s why it is my favorite handheld console ever, and my favorite Nintendo console.

2: PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is often cited by gaming journalists and gamers in general as the greatest console of all time, and that’s a concept I can totally get behind. While on my list it is ranked as second, the PS2 absolutely deserves the top spot, and the only reason it isn’t number one is because of the greatness of the console I have slotted there, which we’ll obviously get to in a minute. But first, let’s talk about the pros of the PS2.

For starters, the PS2 has one of the greatest, most varied game libraries ever created, featuring stellar racing games, action games, JRPGs, platformers, and more you could only find on the PS2. World-renowned series like Devil May Cry and God of War got their start there, and series from the PS1 like Resident Evil and Gran Turismo came back with a vengeance in Gran Turismo 3 and Resident Evil 4. The graphical capabilities of the PS2 were some of the best of the era, breaking convention and making next-gen experiences never thought possible…well, possible!

Other notable aspects of the console are the revised DualShock controller, called the “DualShock 2,” now featuring adaptive, pressure-sensitive buttons and a more comfortable design, with only a few other minor changes made. While the console still used memory cards, the game discs themselves pioneered the physical medium this time around, using DVDs instead of the previous generation’s CDs. Speaking of which, the console could still read both, meaning it functioned as an all-in-one physical media hub with the ability to read music CDs, DVD movies, PS2 games, and every PS1 game ever made, making it a console with hard-to-beat value – which, ironically, no one was able to beat. The PS2 remains the bestselling console of all time, selling over 150 million units worldwide, as compared to Sega, Xbox, and Nintendo’s combined 54 million – a mere third of the PS2’s sales!

In short, the PS2 is a legendary console with such a varied library and diverse amount of uses that every gamer should own one sometime in their life. It’s a retro throwback that always delivers a unique experience, and it’s just amazing to see how great gaming was in the 2000s and just how far we’ve come from there. Speaking of how far we’ve come. . .

1: PlayStation 4

. . .the PS4 is the best console of all time. I know that many people will put the PS2 on the top of their list of gaming consoles because of its diverse library and their nostalgic attachment, we’ve already been over that; but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Yes, I love my PlayStation 2, but I can’t argue that it is better than the best console ever made, the PlayStation 4. The PS4 isn’t better because it has newer, better graphics or because it has a new controller with a fancy touchpad (which was severely underused as a matter of fact), it simply had the best games of its generation and was the only console of the era that bothered to innovate the gaming medium and craft a library of amazing games that will last forever.

With a unique gaming atmosphere set up by an easy-to-understand, user-customizable, welcoming user interface and specializing in well-written and engaging story-driven gaming experiences, the PS4 will go down in history as the best console ever made. It’s not flawless, but most of its flaws stem from things that were not included in the package, such as backwards compatibility with the PS1, 2 and 3 or the lack of an optical audio port on the console itself. Other than small complaints that are somewhat mediated by PS2 re-releases, Sony-made wireless studio headphones, and the presence of PS3 titles on PlayStation Now, the PS4 is for the most part without issue. And, while this may be opinion, the best games of all time released exclusively for the system. With The Last of Us, God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, Gran Turismo Sport, Bloodborne, Horizon Zero Dawn, Days Gone, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Persona 5, and more, Sony simply can’t be beat in the games department, and that’s why we buy consoles, isn’t it?

I’m sure the PS5 will be similarly stellar, but I don’t actually own one yet and am locked in a seemingly eternal battle with online checkouts at the moment. Check back soon (hopefully) for an updated list featuring the PS5 to see where it places!

What’s your favorite console, and do you agree with my list? Come back soon for more articles right here on Genesis Gaming!

PlayStation Plus Games To Be Announced Today – But Don’t Get Too Excited

Typically, free games are a great perk of an online gaming service and an incentive to continue to subscribe month after month. Seeing as PlayStation and Xbox have been in a bit of a rivalry with their subscription services as of late, Sony has been bringing their “A-game,” with PS Plus boasting a pretty good track record this year with their free games. But this month will be the exception if the latest free games leak proves to be true.

An online rumor suggests that Sony accidentally leaked August’s free games, and they consist of Plants Vs. Zombies: Battle For Neighborville and Tennis World Tour 2 on PS4, which are subpar at very best, and Hunter’s Arena: Legends on PS5, arguably this month’s best offering. While many of you may be saying something like, “Well, they’ll get better next month,” I think these games reveal a much larger problem with PlayStation Plus. Let’s talk about that!

Value Versus Budget

While the main issue is quite simple – these games aren’t great – the problem goes a bit deeper than that, going far down into the roots of Sony’s business model. Sony wants to entice subscribers into buying the service with blockbusters like FFVII Remake and Days Gone in back-to-back months, which are legitimately amazing games that add immense value to the service and make subscribing for $60 seem like a no-brainer – it’s the price of one game for amazing ones every month!

But what many don’t realize is that Sony too has a budget, and they have to balance the great games they give out every year with some bad ones – it seems they just don’t know how. Sony seems to like to bulk release the good and bad ones, with huge PS Exclusive games releasing back-to-back several months, then huge chunks of the year featuring nothing but mediocre let-downs. As a result, PlayStation Plus has become a classic case of “when it’s good it’s good, but when it’s bad it’s bad.”

The real issue then, is that Sony doesn’t know how to balance value with budget. Worse yet, the little value that remains has been locked to the PS5 platform, which makes it tough for a PS4 player to see the value that’s there. I am a subscriber to the service, but I don’t have a PS5 yet, meaning that I have not been able to play games that have been offered like Oddworld Soulstorm, A Plague Tale: Inocence, and now Hunter’s Arena: Legends, which were exclusively on PS5 and the most valuable offerings of recent months.

So, Sony needs to watch out, because they are beginning a dangerous trend of alienating their primary PS4 user base. Not many have the PS5 yet, and while I think Sony needs to concentrate on making the new platform the “best place to play,” they need to continue to make the PS4 a great one.

So what do you think of PS Plus’s August offerings? Will you continue to subscribe? Leave a like and follow the site if you enjoyed the article, and stay tuned for more content from Genesis Gaming!

Xbox Is Back to Being the Black Sheep – Let’s Discuss

When the Series X was announced and throughout the first 7 months of its life leading up to E3 2021, the Microsoft console had a lot going for it. It is slightly more powerful than its main competitor, has 6 exclusive games coming out in the next six months, all of which are coming straight to its flagship service, Game Pass, which also features 100s of games available for download at any time on any Xbox or PC device connected to a subscription. And yet, even with all of those developments that should make Xbox the obvious console choice of this generation, the Series X is still the black sheep. Or at least it is now, after the Steam Deck was announced last week. So let’s talk about it! Why is this console that should be great so bad?

The Steam Deck Problem

I had a bad feeling when Microsoft initially announced that every Xbox exclusive would be coming to PC, and this is why. The Steam Deck is a brand new console by Valve that allows users to download and play their entire Steam collection wherever they go and also on their televisions with any controller they want. Pretty enticing, right?

And that’s just the problem: you don’t need an Xbox to play Xbox anymore, thus completely destroying the value of the brand. Why would I spend $500 on a Series X when Valve has me covered with the Steam Deck, on which I can also play every PC game ever made and some PlayStation games too. From a value perspective, the Steam Deck is the clear winner here. The only value that Microsoft’s Xbox has left is Game Pass, but even that is questionable now.

The Game Pass Problem

Game Pass Ultimate initially seemed like a great concept, with a seeming infinity of valuable features and reasons to subscribe. After all, you get Xbox Live Gold, Game Pass and EA Play, with online play and 100s of on demand games baked into the service. But now, Game Pass is everywhere, and you don’t need a new Xbox Series X/S to use it. You can also play on iPhone, Android, PC, and, soon, smart TVs, proprietary Xbox streaming sticks, and other streaming devices.

While I still think Game Pass is one of the best values in gaming services right now, I don’t agree with the majority of other games writers who believe it’s the best selling point of the Xbox, because I believe it is its greatest weakness. I don’t like gaming as a service. It cheapens the gaming experience, makes it purely value-based and removes the magic from playing new games. I’m not a purist and I’m not against change – cloud gaming is an inevitability and most likely the next logical evolution of the gaming medium – but Xbox will not succeed because of Game Pass.

While Game Pass is valuable, it cannot be such at the cost of devaluing the Xbox brand, and, in tandem with the Steam Deck, that’s exactly what it’s doing.

A New Theory

While the Series X is enticing on paper, if you look at it from a value perspective – $500 for exclusives and services you can find elsewhere for less – you may rethink your initial inclination to purchase it. Game Pass is awesome, and Xbox’s slew of all-new exclusives are amazing; the problem is that they’re not actually exclusive. If you want to play Halo Infinite and way more worthwhile PC and PlayStation games on the same device, you can get a Steam Deck, and if you want to play Game Pass games, you can do so on your phone, computer, and even your smart TV (soon).

Therefore I present to you this gaming industry hot take: Microsoft will stop making consoles after the Series X, and specialize in cloud gaming with Game Pass and publish games under the Xbox name for PCs. While you may think it unlikely because of Microsoft’s massive pockets, they’ll do it if it makes financial sense, and, if the Series X doesn’t sell well (which, if you look at it from the aforementioned value perspective, it shouldn’t), it makes perfect sense that Xbox would forego console production.

Take that with a grain of salt, it’s pure speculation and simply a hot take I wanted to share.

So what do you think of the Series X? Are you on “Team Xbox” this generation? Leave a like and follow the site if you enjoy my content, and be sure to check back soon for more from Genesis Gaming!

The Steam Deck – What You Need to Know

Just a few days ago, Valve did the unthinkable and announced a device that many have been clamoring for for ages and just didn’t realize it: the “Steam Deck,” a Nintendo Switch-like console for PC gaming. While it sounds a bit silly, this is actually quite revolutionary and could change the gaming market, if you can get over the price – but we’ll get to that later! First, let’s talk about what the Steam Deck actually is, and then we’ll talk about why it’s the best thing to happen to the gaming world for quite some time.

The Steam Deck: An Unusual Step for Valve

The Steam Deck, seen above, is basically a Nintendo Switch that can play all of the games your PC can play. It adopts a Linux-based OS that looks similar to Steam on PC when ran in Big Picture Mode, and can either download games directly to the device or stream them from a PC. Steam has assured buyers that the new handheld console will be capable of playing “all the latest AAA games,” assuring that it will pack as much punch as a decent gaming PC. But that doesn’t mean the system is without problems.

One issue is the storage of the device, which seems to be quite commonplace across all handhelds as of late. Gamers, including myself, complain about the Nintendo Switch’s measly 32 GB of storage, and are now complaining that 64 GB isn’t enough after Nintendo’s surprise “Nintendo Switch OLED” announcement. Therein lies the issue: the base model Steam Deck only has 64 GB of storage. Even worse is that the 64 GB model costs $400, equal to the all-digital PS5, but with far less storage. If it is any consolation, the storage is expandable via microSD card. Therefore, the only real issue is that, if you want faster, SSD-based storage, you have to upgrade past the 64 GB model to either the 256 GB or 512 GB model, but those come at quite the hefty cost: $529 and $649 respectively, far more than one would pay for a Switch, Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5.

But, here’s where the problems stop and the benefits truly come to light. Steam has released the specification details of the Steam Deck, revealing the true power the system has to offer. Equivalent to the PS5 and Series X, the Steam Deck features 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a historic number for a handheld device, as well as Bluetooth 5.0 (far better than the Nintendo Switch OLED’s 4.0), and an AMD APU Zen 2 processor, the same brand of processor Sony and Microsoft are using for their new consoles. Essentially, this is an Xbox/PlayStation in your hands that plays every PC game from the past 30 years; a massive backlog to be sure. Furthermore, Valve will also be releasing a first party dock that allows you to play your Steam Deck on your television, which means you can play Horizon Zero Dawn, Forza Horizon 5, and every Halo game on your television using the Steam Deck with any controller you want. That means this console is actually a huge deal, and I’ll explain why.

What does the Steam Deck Mean for Gaming?

The effects this console could and likely will have on the gaming world are enormous. Because Microsoft has decided all of its Xbox games should go straight to PC, and therefore Steam, no Xbox exclusive is actually an Xbox exclusive anymore. The fact that this is true essentially makes the Xbox Series S and X completely valueless, except for Game Pass, which is something I don’t mind trading away for the outright convenience of the Steam Deck and its ability to play far more games than the Xbox and PlayStation combined.

Speaking of PlayStation, even some of Sony’s games, such as Horizon Zero Dawn and Death Stranding, can also be played on the system, along with every PC game ever released on Steam. Furthermore, the power of this console and its status as, effectively, a Nintendo Switch lookalike and substitute would make Nintendo a footnote of the gaming industry and the Switch an antiquated piece of machinery if not for Nintendo’s exclusive games. After the reveal of the laughable Nintendo Switch OLED, Steam has definitely appealed to an entire market of gamers that want more power in their handheld, and Nintendo will now be forced to coast on their games until they can release a new console, which will now have to be something huge if they want to stay in the console race in any meaningful capacity.

Therefore, if the Steam Deck can sell well enough, it could make Valve a big player in the console race, which would definitely shake some things up, devaluing Nintendo and Microsoft as console-makers and giving PlayStation a run for their money. The magnitude of this development cannot be understated, and if you’re in the market right now for a new console, the Steam Deck should absolutely be near the top of your list for things to consider.

What’s your opinion of the Steam Deck, and will you be buying one? Stay tuned for more info and articles right here on Genesis Gaming!

The 4 Most Difficult PS4 Trophies I’ve Ever Earned

While many see trophies as a fun and exciting way to make a game more replayable, I see them as something entirely different: frustrating. I’ll admit, they are indeed fun – the shot of dopamine I get when one unlocks is unlike anything else – but some are so difficult they drain the fun out of the game that contains them. The following list of trophies is made up of those: they are frustrating, time-consuming, and will leave you hopelessly gripping your controller with extreme force in complete gamer agony.

But, in the end, regardless of the struggle, it’s for the love of the trophy that we push onward into platinum glory. Let’s discuss!

4: Yharnam Sunrise, Honoring Wishes, and Childhood’s Beginning (Bloodborne)

Image credit: Game Rant

Bloodborne is quite the difficult game, what with its hard-hitting bosses and confusing ares layouts; but playing through it is just so satisfying! With every boss and enemy you defeat, the gameplay and flow of the game’s progression just feels more and more second-nature to you. Pretty soon, you become a Hunter. But here’s the deal: if you want Bloodborne’s platinum trophy, you’re going to have to complete the game a minimum of three times in order to obtain each ending, and that takes so much time.

If I factor in all of the extra time I spent going through the chalice dungeons, collecting all of the weapons and armor, collecting special items, and completing the game three separate times, it took me around 70 hours to get the platinum trophy. I honestly don’t remember why I ever even attempted it, but it is one my most proud gaming achievements ever, so I guess that question answers itself. Regardless of the struggle, I love Bloodborne and I always will, so I don’t regret it one bit.

3: Resist the Wrist (Shadow of the Colossus)

While Shadow of the Colossus remains my second favorite game of all time, this trophy briefly made me question my loyalty to Team Ico’s artistic masterpiece. While in retrospect it wasn’t too difficult and only took me a few hours to get, for a brief time the challenge felt insurmountable, and left me frustrated enough to consider giving up on the game’s platinum trophy. While my hunt for the platinum trophy continues (I’m working on it now), I was able to get this trophy and I’ll continue to love the game without further frustration.

In order to unlock this gold trophy, you must defeat the game’s third colossus, Gaius, without breaking the armor on his right arm, above his sword. This means you have to bait him into hitting the ground with his sword and climbing up it, then grabbing onto the side of the sword or the base of his arm’s hair. Then, Wander must daringly jump to Gaius’s right leg and wait for the perfect moment to jump above Gaius’s wristguard. Then, the fight must be finished without falling off, which is easier said than done, but much easier than getting on the thing in the first place.

In short, the absurdly difficult nature of the achievement paired with Shadow of the Colossus’s PS2-era clunkiness makes this one extremely frustrating. But persevere, because it only takes one successful attempt to down the colossus and take home a gold trophy and, just maybe, a platinum to boot!

2: Hero (Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes)

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was notorious upon release for effectively being a demo with very little content. The title mission could be completed in under 30 minutes, and the rest of the content consisted of disconnected missions with little to no reason for existing; it seemed they were there to simply fill the content void. Worse yet, they all reused the same small map and featured characters that no one had ever seen before, except for Snake, Kazuhira Miller and, somewhat surprisingly, Hideo Kojima himself. But for such a small game, why have I spent over 30 hours of my time with it? This trophy is why.

“Hero” requires you to get really good at the game, finding ways to cut down on time in each mission and rescuing as many prisoners as possible while doing so in order to achieve an “S” rank – and when one mistake can cost the entire mission, this is quite the feat. While MGSV, including Ground Zeroes, is one of my favorite games of all time and I now know all of these missions like the back of my hand, this was one hell of a tough trophy, especially when you consider that there isn’t even a platinum available for Ground Zeroes!

1: Yharnam, Pthumerean Queen (Bloodborne)

This is one of those trophies where you have to be wondering: “what were they thinking?” From Software truly went the extra mile in terms of frustrating difficulty here, and I guarantee you, it will have you pulling your hair out one way or another. In order to get it, you have to go through a total of six randomly generated chalice dungeons, each with their own unique threats and multitudes of bosses. Depending on your level, they could be either easy or hard, but it doesn’t matter what level you are, the Defiled Chalice will destroy you time and time again. If you haven’t played Bloodborne or have but haven’t bothered with the chalice dungeons (lucky you!), the Defiled Chalice is a cursed dungeon filled to the brim with difficult enemies and fire-themed bosses that you have to go through with – get this – half health and an increased vulnerability to elemental damage.

Half-health is one thing, because if you’re high level this probably won’t bother you too much anyway, but the vulnerability to elemental damage is a big problem, as the enemies and bosses in this dungeon specialize in the use of all things coated in fire. Two of the four bosses use fire weapons and can kill you in one hit. When I took on the dungeon, I was at level 81 with 1600 HP, which should have been plenty, even when halved; but the fire damage killed me, time and time again.

But, be that as it may, the main reason this trophy frustrated me so badly is because of one of its bosses: Amygdala. A regular boss in the main game, Amygdala comes back with a vengeance in the defiled chalice, with tons of health, tough to dodge attacks and enough one-shot moves to make you give up all hope before you even land a hit. I died, quite literally, hundreds of times fighting this thing, and even bought a year of PS Plus just to get someone’s help beating the thing, only to beat it all by myself shortly after on a fluke run.

The rest of the trophy is a cakewalk, with most of the other chalice dungeons and their bosses being extremely easy relative to your level – the Defiled Chalice is what makes this one near-impossible to get without becoming irreparably frustrated for days. You’ve been warned!

What are some of the hardest trophies you’ve ever earned, and has any trophy come between you and a platinum? Leave a like if you enjoyed the article and follow the site for more gaming content!