What videogames are you playing in 2026?

[Parmandur]

It may be likely that the games you think are "worth mentioning" are not the same ones I do. Also, couch gaming is a real thing.

My sibling in Gygax, I have five kids with access to a Switch 2 with Mario Kart and Minecraft on it, believe me that I am aware couch multi-player is alive and well.

The major exceptions I can think of are EA's back catalog, such as Mass Effect, but from the 360 the Switch does habe the early Assassin's Creed Games, all the Bioshock games, all the Borderlands games, Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim (the best version, frankly, because it has gyro controls), and so on and so forth. And all running better than on original hardware.

 

[Reynard]

My sibling in Gygax, I have five kids with access to a Switch 2 with Mario Kart and Minecraft on it, believe me that I am aware couch multi-player is alive and well.

The major exceptions I can think of are EA's back catalog, such as Mass Effect, but from the 360 the Switch does habe the early Assassin's Creed Games, all the Bioshock games, all the Borderlands games, Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim (the best version, frankly, because it has gyro controls), and so on and so forth. And all running better than on original hardware.

But does it have Stubbs the Zombie?

Also, the Switch is probably (?) More expensive than a broke ass old 360?

Now this got me thinking about how many early X-Box Arcade games are probably abandonware at this point. Boo.

 

[Parmandur]

But does it have Stubbs the Zombie?

Yup, it's on sale right now for $2.99 on the Nintendo eShop, and there are cartridges floating around. I remember when that was on a Nintendo Direct, too.

Also, the Switch is probably (?) More expensive than a broke ass old 360?

If you can find a 360 that hasn't melted yet. The Gamestop price for a 360 seems to be about $130 or more, and I wouldn't even trust one of those frankly. A refurbished Switch is $209, and will probsvly last a good while still.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

forcing a studio they jsut put through layoffs into working on a game they didn't want to do.

Obsidian's layoffs were a lot smaller, and I think it's obvious they do want to work on this though.

On the other hand, MS just fired almost everyone at id, reduced them to a support studio (effectively) and is making them use Unreal instead of idtech as the engine for all future work, so yeah, DIAF MS.

And without those things what actually story elements of their own era do those vets have to work with?

I'm pretty sure they weren't intending and aren't intending to do NV2, but rather a different location.

So I don't think that's a real issue. It seems crazy to me to say "UNLESS WE RELY ON THE EXACT SETTING WE WORKED ON 15 YEARS AGO WE GOT NOTHING". If that's the case, please fail lol. Anyone with that attitude deserves to fail.

 

[Parmandur]

Obsidian's layoffs were a lot smaller, and I think it's obvious they do want to work on this though.

My understanding is that until very recently the relevant people at Obsidian were vocal about not wanting to work on Fallout ever again...bit time will tell how this goes. Right now the whole thing is a bit of a giant dumpster fire.

 

[Parmandur]

So, looks like things are pretty grim at Bethesda:

The Elder Scrolls 6 Will Suffer Because of Xbox Layoffs, Bethesda Staff Say, Fearing Delays, Crunch, and Generational Talent Being Replaced by Contractors

This week's devastating Xbox layoffs will have a "substantial and cascading effect" on Bethesda's development of The Elder Scrolls 6, multiple staff at the studio have told IGN.

www.ign.com

And as to Obsidian, seems they got l their workforce cut by 25% before being reassigned to Fallout, and the New Vegas director had been working on, of all things, a Shadowrun game.

 

[Reynard]

This is a perfect opportunity for someone to fill Bethesda's niche. There have to be a bunch of excellent AA developers that can make games that feel like Skyrim and Fallout.

 

[MarkB]

and the New Vegas director had been working on, of all things, a Shadowrun game.

Darn, that would've been a thing to see.

 

[Parmandur]

This is a perfect opportunity for someone to fill Bethesda's niche. There have to be a bunch of excellent AA developers that can make games that feel like Skyrim and Fallout.

I mean, arguably by this point many have already, a big part of the criticism against Starfield was via comparisons to more contemporary open world games thst have moved on in the decade prior.

 

[Reynard]

I mean, arguably by this point many have already, a big part of the criticism against Starfield was via comparisons to more contemporary open world games thst have moved on in the decade prior.

The only one I can think of is Tainted Grail. Skyrim seems to be a tough nut to crack, feel wise. Especially since soulslikes took over the RPG space.