Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Is It Time To Get Rid Of Games With Gold? Apr 04, 2021

Show notes

The monthly embarrassment has arrived! While Game Pass kills it to the point of saying it yet again feeling redundant, Games With Gold continues to meander. Bringing another package of lackluster titles leaves us with one big question... is it time to sunset this one beloved program? In the backwards compatibility world, Xbox continues to push the limits. Elder Scrolls or Fallout: New Vegas on the phone? Sign us up! The timing is great for them as it syncs up with PlayStation shutting down the PSP, PS vita, and PS3 digital storefronts. How will Xbox continue this initiative moving forward? Plenty to go through in our longest episode yet!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xbox Stays Aggressive With New Showcase & Acquisitions Rumors Mar 28, 2021

Show notes

With the attention on Xbox, the time is now for them to strike and strike again. Rolling on weeks after one of their biggest moves they are now setting up a Indy showcase the debut brand new exclusives to the console. More shockingly, word has started to get around about a big Microsoft focused acquisition that could directly benefit Xbox in the name of the very popular video game chat service known as Discord. The major question has been will these games round out Xbox is big 2021 and 2022 as well as discord meeting the same fate as Skype? Is Skype in as sticky of a situation as it has been reported or do numbers say otherwise? As Xbox continues to make big moves for its future, Matty and Karak continue to dig.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xbox Game Pass Is Making HUGE Moves ft. Mike Williams of PCMag Mar 21, 2021

Show notes

Hot on the heels of rolling Bethesda into the fold, Xbox is sustaining momentum in the following week. Xbox Game Pass continues to solidify itself as the best value deal in gaming and things have somehow managed to get even better. On day one of its release you will be able to download Outriders through Game Pass on consoles! Major third party deals will continue to lift the service to new heights and Xbox understands that as they are bringing Octopath Traveler to Xbox as well. This is momentous as it marks the first time in ages Xbox has scored a JRPG ahead of PlayStation. With things unraveling as they are, Matty and Karak tapped reviewer Mike Williams of PCMag on the shoulder for additional input. Combine that with Game Pass on PC finally getting EA Play, a major event rumor, plus new Halo Infinite details and we are looking at a super episode here.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xbox Officially Owns Bethesda & Confirms Exclusivity Mar 14, 2021

Show notes

No more guessing. This week, Phil Spencer, Pete Hines, Todd Howard, and many others gathered to break down everything on the future of this acquisition. Game Pass additions, exclusivity, a summer event. It is all laid out for us to feast on. Now that we know what is happening, where do we go from here? Matty and Karak sift through week's of build-up and release it all in this very episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elden Ring Had A Major Gameplay Leak Mar 07, 2021

Show notes

Walkthrough and Soulsbornekiro expert FightinCowboy joins the show! After nearly two years of silence, fans of Elden Ring finally have some answers. Unfortunately for Namco Bandai, none of this was planned. The new IP by From Software has suffered a major leak boasting an internal gameplay trailer and, worse yet, the potential showcase for this re-reveal has been outed as well. What do we make of this? Will it be a situation similar to Hogwart's Legacy where the leak comes and then the game disappears for years? In other news, Dying Light 2 continues to stumble. Previously linked to Xbox in some kind of exclusivity deal, Techland is struggling internally on which direction this game should head in. From an inconsistent development pipeline, to disgruntled employees leaving the team, and a peculiar obsession with what others are doing has led to a reporting by The Gamer exposing this and much more. On a less heavy note, more rumors swirl on Xbox's March event, Halo Infinite received a batch of new screenshots, and we sift through all of your fantastic Patron questions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xbox Is Planning A Bethesda Event For March Feb 28, 2021

Show notes

Week by week, we inch closer to the conclusion of the Bethesda-Xbox merging and, more importantly, answers to pressing questions. What of exclusivity? When is Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield arriving? It looks like in the middle of March we will be learning what this means for the future of both companies becoming one. On the other side of the spectrum, PlayStation has moved another one of their exclusives to PC and this is a good sign for those of the 'master race.' Both sides are embracing the middle man and this means more games for everyone. Otherwise in a rumor filled week, Matty and Karak dig into the possibility of Death Stranding making its way to Xbox as well as what Avalanche Studios is up to based off some peculiar job listings. It's a busy, but good time this week!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xbox's Backwards Compatibility Gets A Boost Feb 21, 2021

Show notes

Xbox has been leading the charge on backwards compatibility for years. This has mostly come in the form of being able to access your games from previous generations, but this week, they made good on a promise of making those games better. By introducing an FPS boost, Xbox hopes to make those backwards compatible titles even better for you as Karak went hands on with the program and breaks down his experience. Last week brought about the conversation of Halo MCC possibly moving to a new platform, but it is much more simple than that. A custom games browser has been added and even a brand new map to Halo 3 from the canceled Halo Online! Digging deeper, Game Pass received a new haul of exciting games, some not even three months old, and the xCloud program looks to be expanding even more if reports from The Verge are to be believed. That along with Final Fantasy 14 not being on Xbox, a new wireless headset by Xbox, and much more decorate this week's Defining Duke!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Irony Of WB Games Nemesis System Patent Feb 14, 2021

Show notes

Games are often understood as a form of art, but it appears that many suits are still playing catch-up in that regard! After five years, WB Games has successfully managed to lock down the defining mechanic for their Middle Earth series of games. This isn’t the first we’ve seen of game mechanics being patented, but is a move that only serves to stagnate the industry further as options to innovate become limited. Furthermore, Xbox has teased a new place and way to play for the Halo Master Chief Collection. Could this be the long awaited Switch port or is it something far more simple? We dissect! While next gen consoles are hard to come by, they do sell out upon availability and this month saw the win go to Xbox as they lead the month of January 2021 in console sales. Is this a product of supply constraints loosening or Xbox strategically seizing a region of the world? Also, more on Stubbs The Zombie, E3’s anticipated return, upcoming Microsoft events, and more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Clock On Xbox's Bethesda Deal Is Ticking Feb 07, 2021

Show notes

The terms "Xbox" and "Future" tend to be synonymous. While there are great games, the true investment lies in the plethora of exclusive deals and acquisition made by the company. With that in mind, gamers are hungry to learn more on what Xbox plans to do with all the Bethesda studios now under their umbrella and it appears the answer may be arriving next month. Interestingly, Xbox has managed to nab an exclusive from PlayStation as MLB The Show has moved to the multi-plat business meaning you can officially purchase an Xbox game with PlayStation studios on the front. Does this impact the future of other exclusives? We discuss! In other news, Xbox manages to extend their lead in game streaming as Stadia shuts down all first party development and Mass Effect is making a return much bigger than expected. That plus much more rounds out our fifth episode of Defining Duke.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xbox Live Isn't So Gold Jan 31, 2021

Show notes

It was an incredibly busy week for Xbox! The Xbox Live Gold fiasco, their first major Xbox Series X/S exclusive released, and Microsoft shared the company's recent earnings painting a clear picture of where Xbox stands as a division within the company. Even more crazy is that amongst all of this, there are rumors spreading of how one of the original Xbox's RPG exclusives may be making a return. That very RPG is Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic and it is seemingly in development at a studio not owned or dealing with EA in any capacity. What does this mean for the future of this Xbox classic and what scoops do Matty and Karak have from their sources? Topping off this wild week are confirmed monthly updates to Halo Infinite, share/capture changes inbound, and what could've been with a Jade Empire sequel!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices