Microsoft Interested In Buying Batman, Mortal Kombat Dev WB Games - Report

[Dankster Morgan]

Most people here seem to be fans of Sony's platform, and I have an honest question: Outside of the exclusives that everyone keeps mentioning, what exactly does the PlayStation 4 platform do better than the Xbox One platform?

Or more to the point, if someone doesn't have much interest in Sony's exclusive games, why should they get a PlayStation 4 Pro over an Xbox One X?

Not trying to start a flame war or anything, I'm honestly curious what it does better, because when it comes down to it, I really only ever see "they have more exclusives" as the be-all-end-all reason.

Neither is better than the other, I have no issues with the XB1. I even still use the xb1 controller on games that don't require touch pad cause the ps4 pad is designed for 1st graders and im only 5 ft 11, not a giant at all and dualshock 4 feels small as fuck. If you don't like Sony exclusives get the one you like better. But if you do like those exclusives, the Xbox absolutely can't keep up in any way.

 

[Kiss the Missile]

Or more to the point, if someone doesn't have much interest in Sony's exclusive games, why should they get a PlayStation 4 Pro over an Xbox One X?

This is just me, but I love PS' dynamic themes. Being able to have different themed backgrounds of your favorite games with their own icons, music and sometimes even special effects is great especially for someone who has a large digital library and spends a lot of time on the main menu.

 

[mastermalone]

That last sentence made me throw up in my mouth

Street Fighter V is a Sony exclusive. I have no problem with that. The same will apply here if MK becomes an Xbox exclusive. If you want to play it, get the console or a good gaming rig. That's all there is to it.

 

[mastermalone]

Most people here seem to be fans of Sony's platform, and I have an honest question: Outside of the exclusives that everyone keeps mentioning, what exactly does the PlayStation 4 platform do better than the Xbox One platform?

Or more to the point, if someone doesn't have much interest in Sony's exclusive games, why should they get a PlayStation 4 Pro over an Xbox One X?

Not trying to start a flame war or anything, I'm honestly curious what it does better, because when it comes down to it, I really only ever see "they have more exclusives" as the be-all-end-all reason.

If you don't care about Sony's exclusives, then a PS4 Pro is not what you need. The third party games run better on the Xbox One X due to its perfomance advantages.

 

[Kiss the Missile]

If you want to play it, get the console or a good gaming rig. That's all there is to it.

Lmao exactly. Nobody wants to spend hundreds of dollars just to play a game they like.

I felt the same way about Nintendo before the Switch came out. I was tired of paying $300 just to play Zelda and Donkey Kong.

 

[Marlow]

I see a lot of people trying to maintain hope that MK stays multiplatform, but the chances of that happening are extremely slim to none if Microsoft buys. The titles that WB Interactive have could sell consoles if made exclusives and draw people back to the Microsoft brand.

I see it the other way around. If Microsoft buys WB Gaming, wouldn't they benefit more from WB Gaming maximizing their sales through selling to a wide audience? Otherwise they're just shooting themselves in the foot. Maybe it moves more units for them by making a title like MK Xbox Exclusive, but it'd greatly kill the value of buying an asset like WB Gaming in the first place.

If Microsoft wants to up their exclusives I think it'd make more sense to buy smaller gaming studios and invest in those to come up with new titles, or to simply sign a contract and partner with a bigger game developer, like what Sony did with Capcom.

 

[scarsunseen]

I'd like NRS to be indie, but what do i know....

If Microsoft bought NRS, a potential "MK vs KI" would be huge.

 

[Kiss the Missile]

People hated Guest characters when MK had access to some of the biggest names in fiction, they're really gonna hate them when we get Generic Fable guy, Power Armor Guy #33 and a Battle Toad

 

[Dankster Morgan]

You best believe they would have WB Montreal pump out Batman as an answer to Insomniac's Spider-Man.

 

[Juxtapose]

People hated Guest characters when MK had access to some of the biggest names in fiction, they're really gonna hate them when we get Generic Fable guy, Power Armor Guy #33 and a Battle Toad

Personally, I find Killer Instinct's guest characters better done than Mortal Kombat's.

Also, it'd be a good bet that the guest characters would be Killer Instinct characters. Fulgore in Mortal Kombat? Yes please.

 

[Juxtapose]

If you don't care about Sony's exclusives, then a PS4 Pro is not what you need. The third party games run better on the Xbox One X due to its perfomance advantages.

Yup, that's what it looks like. I was really curious if there was something I was blatantly missing, but that doesn't seem the case.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

Personally, I find Killer Instinct's guest characters better done than Mortal Kombat's.

Also, it'd be a good bet that the guest characters would be Killer Instinct characters. Fulgore in Mortal Kombat? Yes please.

The Arbiter was incredible, too bad it was the Halo 5 design instead of H2A

 

[Popegina]

People hated Guest characters when MK had access to some of the biggest names in fiction, they're really gonna hate them when we get Generic Fable guy, Power Armor Guy #33 and a Battle Toad

Don't forget "character in the most generic FPS game of all time, Master Chief"

 

[Dankster Morgan]

Don't forget "character in the most generic FPS game of all time, Master Chief"

Master Chief is generic by design. The Arbiter however is where the character development went into for the Bungie Halo games, he has a very compelling arc in 2-3, which may be why he was the one in KI.

I know you weren't shitting on Halo as a whole but I just gotta say it...

Halo 1 is the reason FPS is relevant on consoles, Halo 2 laid the ground work for every single online console FPS, the original trilogy is legendary and the new games fading into mediocrity doesn't change that. Halo set the gold standard for single player FPS (all 5 Bungie Halo games have amazing single player campaigns) as well as creating the culture that now exists for any FPS on console.

 

[Popegina]

I appreciate your reply, but honestly, I was shitting over Halo. I hate how generic that game is. Sure, the control and sound are great, but the level design and guns are incredibly boring, along with the character. Tbh, I was never really impressed with the story either, but I will admit I haven't played every title in the series.

I believe Goldeneye and Perfect Dark are more creative and influential for the FPS genre than Halo. Those 2 games used the c-pad as a 2nd joystick, and the storytelling and creativity with Perfect D, such as having guns with a secondary function, was amazing. Halo's biggest influence, IMO, is how they utilized vehicles with combat and online play as a whole, which are things that I'm not that much interested in.

 

[Dankster Morgan]

I appreciate your reply, but honestly, I was shitting over Halo. I hate how generic that game is. Sure, the control and sound are great, but the level design and guns are incredibly boring, along with the character. Tbh, I was never really impressed with the story either, but I will admit I haven't played every title in the series.

I believe Goldeneye and Perfect Dark are more creative and influential for the FPS genre than Halo. Those 2 games used the c-pad as a 2nd joystick, and the storytelling and creativity with Perfect D, such as having guns with a secondary function, was amazing. Halo's biggest influence, IMO, is how they utilized vehicles with combat and online play as a whole, which are things that I'm not that much interested in.

I wholey disagree with most of that minus Master Chief being generic (despite serving his purpose), but you're entitled to your opinion.

 

[DeftMonk]

I'd like NRS to be indie, but what do i know....

If Microsoft bought NRS, a potential "MK vs KI" would be huge.

Ya that sounds sick but as someone who has fell in love with KI recently... I think that would piss off lots of KI fans. Why? cuz KI is full of dirt. While the balance is pretty damn good, each character has ways to take you to mixup city via blender street and tons of depth as far as the combo system is concerned. Mk11 isnt about that at all so if there was a ki v mk would they strip down ki to mk 11 style? I would bet they would. Id honestly rather them just put 2 KI chars in the next mk and if there is a new KI (fingers crossed) add some mk characters to it.

 

[Gooberking]

Ya that sounds sick but as someone who has fell in love with KI recently... I think that would piss off lots of KI fans. Why? cuz KI is full of dirt. While the balance is pretty damn good, each character has ways to take you to mixup city via blender street and tons of depth as far as the combo system is concerned. Mk11 isnt about that at all so if there was a ki v mk would they strip down ki to mk 11 style? I would bet they would. Id honestly rather them just put 2 KI chars in the next mk and if there is a new KI (fingers crossed) add some mk characters to it.

MK has no defined style of play associated to it. Outside of having a block button and some sense that each button maps to each limb, there isn't much an MK is beholden to.

KI is the opposite. There are several ideas like combo breakers that would need nods to or you really couldn't call it KI.

MK is more about the stuff around the gameplay like fatalities. I'd expect it would be easier to start off of a KI mechanics core and layer MK ideas than the other way around.

Don't know that the philosophy of balance through mutual brokenness would be there but it might. You would see stupid long combos I'm sure.

IDK how I'd feel about a crossover though. I'm a little unsure about crossovers and My opinion on KI isn't in the same place as most people's at this point. It's the right play though. There is no reason not to do it and would be be stupid not to. They have to buy them up first though.

 

[Juxtapose]

The Arbiter was incredible, too bad it was the Halo 5 design instead of H2A

He does though, his default Classic Skin.

@Popegina While as @Dankster Morgan says, you're entitled to your opinion, if you truly believe the Halo franchise is generic, then that tells me you haven't properly delved beyond its base surface.

 

[Swindle]

MK has a history of multi-platform release. To pick this franchise up, then limit your revenue by making it available to a fraction of that existing base, would be asinine.

 

[Swindle]

First-Person Shooters are for people with Taurine addiction and poor erectile response.

 

[mastermalone]

Speaking personally, I feel like Microsoft has dogshit exclusives and I love that. I love that I don't have to buy an Xbox because there's nothing on there I want to play. I don't care about any exclusive Microsoft has, but if they bought MK I'd have to spend $400 just to play it. I mean I got a PC too but I hate playing fighters on PC lol

I think the reason why I'm in ok with the Xbox is because I'm more of a multi-player game person. The single player narratives, while great and extremely satisfying to play are normally worth one play through. There are some exceptions, like Spiderman, Resident Evil and Sunset Overdrive, but games like Detroit Become Human, The Last of Us and other single player narrative games don't normally warrant a second play through.

I like games where I can compete against other players more than anything else. Xbox has those games in spades. Multi-player has always been the focus of the Xbox and that's where I have the most fun with gaming.

 

[Juxtapose]

I think the reason why I'm in ok with the Xbox is because I'm more of a multi-player game person. The single player narratives, while great and extremely satisfying to play are normally worth one play through. There are some exceptions, like Spiderman, Resident Evil and Sunset Overdrive, but games like Detroit Become Human, The Last of Us and other single player narrative games don't normally warrant a second play through.

I like games where I can compete against other players more than anything else. Xbox has those games in spades. Multi-player has always been the focus of the Xbox and that's where I have the most fun with gaming.

See, that's interesting because I'm more of a single player gamer. I primarily game on PC with an Xbox One X as a companion platform, and my favourite genres are (in no particular order): first person shooters, fighting games, role playing games, real time strategy.

Within the last year, I've been playing the following games:

• DOOM 3: BFG Edition (PC)
• DOOM (2016) (PC and Xbox One X)
• DOOM 64 (Xbox One X)
• The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Game of the Year Edition (PC)
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (PC)
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (PC and Xbox One X)
• Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One X)
• Killer Instinct (2013) (PC and Xbox One X)
• Mortal Kombat XL (Xbox One X)
• Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath (PC)
• StarCraft: Remastered (PC)
• StarCraft II (PC)

If you look at that strictly from a console standpoint, and remove the StarCraft titles as they're not on console, there's six games that are cross-platform and four that are only available on Xbox One. Of those cross platform games, five of them perform at higher resolutions and more consistent frame rates on Xbox One X over PlayStation 4 Pro.

If you look at the Sony exclusives everyone keeps going on about, none of them really fit my genre tastes. Of all of them, only Marvel's Spider-Man looks like a "must own" to me simply because I love the character, and I'm not buying a new platform for a single game. I have a passing interest in God of War and The Last of Us: Remastered, but that's pretty much it and again, not worth buying a new platform for me.

In terms of Real Time Strategy, as far as I'm aware, this is a genre that's not on Sony's platform at all, someone correct me if I'm wrong. Xbox One has the Halo Wars games, and while they're not StarCraft, they're good console-based RTSes.

Combine that with Xbox Play Anywhere, cross-save functionality for specific games between PC and Xbox One, shared Apps and resources between PC and Xbox One, for me at least, the Xbox One X is the better choice.

 

[portent]

As a reminder, in terms of exclusive games, that's completely personal preference.

I own all major relevant systems, however, I purchased my PS4 later in the game, and I bought it second hand.

My Xbox One, I got the 2013 Day One Edition, even though I didn't agree with Microsoft's initial forcing of the Kinect, online check-in, and most egregious, the incredibly lower specs of the base model of the XB1 compared to the base model PS4.

The standouts for me were:

1. Killer Instinct
2. I prefer Forza Motorsport over Gran Turismo
3. Forza Horizon (any version) is better than any current arcade/sim hybrid, hands down.
4. I'm a Gears of War fan.
5. Halo exclusives
6. The xbox live online platform is still superior.

That said, I bought my PS4 in order to play MK on the mainstream "tournament" platform, which I knew would not be Xbox. I am also a fan of some Sony Exclusives such as:

Uncharted
Spiderman

The cost of my PS4 ($200 with 1 month of use on it), along with the base model PS4 running 3rd party games better then the base model XB1, plus the few Sony exclusives made it an easy choice to get it.

I have recently upgraded to an XB1X, and I rarely even touch my PS4. I buy and pre-order my games on XB1X, whereas I only wait for sales, discounts and specials to purchase games on my PS4.

Lastly, there is no better gaming deal these days than Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. $15 per month, hundreds of games, all Microsoft exclusives immediately (and what looks to be permanently) available for play the day of release, plus nearly all of those games are also available AT NO EXTRA COST to you on a moderately spec'd windows 10 gaming pc.


I will be getting both the XSX and PS5, but again, in the same order. I will get the base model XSX on day one, and the PS5 down the road, when it is less money, and likely second hand. I have numerous reasons for this, but the biggest ones are that nearly my entire Xbox library (from XB Classic, 360 and XB1) are backward compatible and will play on XSX on day one, along with the added Game Pass games available on day 1.

Microsoft and Nintendo have been pretty much all in on willingness to enable cross play. Sony had to be strong-armed into it and seems they still only do it begrudgingly.

Sony is still "testing" compatibility with their nearly 4,000 games. They have said that these games will be tested and released on a case by case basis.

I have never been a fan of Sony's business practices, especially since the days of the PS3. I appreciated the free PSN back then, but the removal of backward compatibility, along with forcing customers to re-purchase games they owned on previous Playstation platforms in order to play them again was, in my opinion, very shady. They even did it AGAIN with the PS4. Unless you had PSNow, your previous games didn't move forward to the PS4, you had to use a streaming service and hope they were available.

I believe MS has a much more forward thinking, customer friendly strategy with the XSX, and I believe that it goes beyond just the XSX. In case people aren't aware, here's a quick history lesson:

The X in Xbox stands for DirectX, as in the DirectX Infrastructure which is what all Xbox systems have employed from the XB Classic all the way to the upcoming XSX. This is why backward compatibility is just a white/black list of backward compatibility and not a port for the XB systems, whereas for Sony systems, they need to be ported.

MS is thinking beyond just the XSX. They believe that once you buy a game (similar to Steam), your game is your game and you should always have access to it and be able to play it, regardless of what Xbox system you now own.


Which FINALLY brings me to MS buying WB. If they do, remember that MS is a bit more liberal with licensing. I wouldn't be surprised to see MS allow WB games on other systems for a price. If that doesn't happen, then remember that if you don't have an XB1 or XSX, and MS buys WB, then you'll also have access to the PC versions as well as cross play with the consoles, which is becoming pretty standard with all XB1/Game Pass/Windows 10 releases.

 

[Juxtapose]

One thing I completely forgot as well: The Outer Worlds. A fun, well received game from the creators of the company that created Fallout: Obsidian Entertainment. They're owned by Microsoft. The Outer Worlds released multiplatform.

I have never been a fan of Sony's business practices, especially since the days of the PS3. I appreciated the free PSN back then, but the removal of backward compatibility, along with forcing customers to re-purchase games they owned on previous Playstation platforms in order to play them again was, in my opinion, very shady. They even did it AGAIN with the PS4. Unless you had PSNow, your previous games didn't move forward to the PS4, you had to use a streaming service and hope they were available.

Personally, I agree with this. I've always found Sony's business practices to, honestly, arrogant. I'll also never forget how Sony just dumped major support of the PlayStation Vita either. A fantastic piece of portable hardware, that had poorly developed first party titles for a few years, and then nothing but dwindling third party support.

Microsoft screwed up big with the Xbox One, but then changed up their leadership for the Xbox division and have been using the generation to create strong services and greatly improve their hardware. With the major blow at the beginning of the generation (that they caused themselves), I think they recognized that they wouldn't recover this gen and focused on prepping everything for next generation. We'll see if my guess is right in the days to come.

I believe MS has a much more forward thinking, customer friendly strategy with the XSX, and I believe that it goes beyond just the XSX.

Don't forget Smart Stream. Buy a game on the Xbox One or Xbox Series X, get the other version at no charge. Fantastic compatibility between their platforms.