Defining Duke: An Xbox Podcast

• #226 | Xbox’s MASSIVE Price Hikes Are Here…

  Well, we were ready to have a very positive episode, but here we are! Xbox has gone all the way ahead of most of the competition and confirmed the following. Console and accessories prices are jumping immediately. Xbox game prices will reach $80 by the end of the year. In a world where the first party is mostly producing divisive titles sitting in the ~80 open critic range, you have to imagine Xbox’s financial situation can’t be in a brilliant stop to step on a rake ahead of its competition. Yet, that’s where things get even more interesting. Xbox’s Q3 2025 results saw them at the industry’s top publisher while also being the leader in games sold on PlayStation with at least four of their titles in the top 10. Xbox wants their money and the Dukes have plenty of thoughts on this. Is this going to push even more people into Game Pass? Will this give birth to a free tier of Game Pass? What of Cloud Streaming’s growth when consoles are becoming extremely pricey. Meanwhile, it's already May and it feels as if we have enough fantastic games to begin our voting on Game Of The Year! Expedition 33 is the talk of the town alongside Oblivion and rightfully so, but it's fascinating just how many incredible experiences surround them. Unlikely heroes in Last Defense Academy, sleeper indie hits in Towerborne, and much more are around every corner. Who has time for all of this? Hell if we know, but we're just happy to be on the ride 2025 is taking us on.Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:06:28 - Health Is Wealth0:36:44 - Oblivion reaches 4 million players0:41:49 - Expedition 33 has sold 1 million copies0:56:38 - People Can Fly’s Project Maverick revealed1:02:58 - Borderlands 4 gets new release date1:08:47 - Wuchang Fallen Feather launches on July 24th, 20251:10:56 - Robocop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business launches on July 17th, 20251:12:37 - FBC: Firebreak launches on June 17th, 20251:16:41 - Tainted Grail: Fall Of Avalon leaves early access on May 23rd1:19:53 - Baldur’s Gate 3 director on AI1:29:16 - TMNT Splintered Fate is coming to Xbox and PlayStation1:37:31 - Kevin Eastman on the TMNT Last Ronin video game1:41:19 - Capcom teases Resident Evil 91:44:18 - Splinter Cell: Blacklist randomly gets Steam achievements1:47:50 - Elden Ring passes 30 million sales1:50:11 - Microsoft Q3 Results1:57:06 - Expedition 332:34:24 - Marathon2:54:19 - Oblivion Remaster3:16:26 - Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy3:22:29 - Xbox price increase4:04:00 - Respawn suffers more layoffs and cancellations4:19:08 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #225 | Oblivion Remaster Is HERE - Did It Deliver?!

  It's a pretty unique week for Defining Duke listeners. It's practically no news and all games. Oblivion Remaster truly was shadowdropped. That just happens to be the same week that a bonafide GOTY contender in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 arrives. Oh, we also have Last Defense Academy and Blue Prince to add to that bunch and that's just the last couple of weeks! Joining us to comb through this week and much more is Ebontis, co-host of The Last Word and a variety based content creator.Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:04:03 - Health is Wealth0:23:39 - Oblivion’s impact on Expedition 330:39:09 - Fallout 3’s remaster just got more exciting0:47:45 - Honest talk about leak culture1:00:08 - Oblivion Remaster player count1:09:20 - Outer Worlds 2 new gameplay drops1:16:27 - Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 Remake will have a career mode1:18:11 - Star Wars Zero Company trailer reveal1:24:02 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 332:12:12 -  KCD 22:23:16 - Split Fiction2:29:21 - Blue Prince2:36:10 - The First Berzerker Khazan2:46:15 - Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy2:58:08 - Oblivion Remake3:26:52 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #224 | The Oblivion Remake IS REAL! - What Are They COOKING?

  I was born 87 years ago. For 65 years I ruled as Tamriel’s emperor. For all these years, I’ve never been the ruler of my own dreams. I have seen the Gates of Oblivion, beyond which no waking eye may see. Behold! In darkness, a doom sweeps the land. This is the 27th of Last Seed. The year of Akatosh 433. These are the closing days of the 3rd Era... and the final hours of my life. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:13:27 - Health Is Wealth 0:40:48 - Write Ins 0:44:48 - Marathon reveal impressions 1:13:46 - Star Wars Zero Company officially announced 1:17:30 - Mafia: The Old Country release date leaks 1:23:51 - Xbox summer showcase rumors are already here 1:33:35 - Outer Worlds 2 gets new gameplay 1:59:22 - DOOM: The Dark Ages accessories revealed 2:04:39 - Cronos: The New Dawn gameplay reveal 2:08:49 - Triple I Showcase announcements 2:13:04 - Sea Of Thieves heads to Battlenet 2:14:00 - Elder Scrolls Online isn’t going anywhere 2:21:42 - Zenless Zone Zero is coming to Xbox in June 2:22:12 - What We’re Playing 2:40:31 - Oblivion Remastered is real 3:14:04 - Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass 3:17:20 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #223 | And Xbox's BIG Summer Showcase Game Is...

  Following the delay of Fable, it was a coin toss on who would get the nod to follow up Xbox's 2025 summer showcase with a Developer Direct of their own. Now, we have the answer. No, it's not Gears Of War: E-Day and no it's not Halo. It's The Outer Worlds 2! Combined with this reveal, IGN posted over 10 minutes of Outer Worlds 2 gameplay! While it pops the bubble ahead of its full inflation, the Dukes were excited to lay eyes on the game following its December reveal. What has changed? What has improved? Also, what else will we see at this summer's showcase? We're full of guesses, so let's get to speculating! Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:05:46 - Health is Wealth 0:23:54 - Write Ins 0:38:52 - Oblivion Remake is shadow dropping any moment this month 0:48:04 - Xbox’s AI generated Quake II demo 1:02:53 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 details 1:05:38 - Titanfall 3 rumors 1:11:21 - Final Fantasy VII Remake is still Xbox bound 1:16:24 - Hidetaka Miyazaki addresses multiplayer concerns 1:21:48 - Marathon reveal on April 12th 1:28:53 - A Deus Ex return is being pitched 1:31:37 - Zenless Zone Zero is coming to Xbox soon 1:32:23 - What We’re Playing 2:13:59 - Xbox summer showcase announced 2:54:14 - Switch 2 follow up 3:18:04 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #222 | Our South Of Midnight Review Is HERE - Did It Deliver?!

  The next exclusive from the "Class Of 2018" has arrived! It's South Of Midnight, hailing from Montreal's very own Compulsion Games, and it's another mixed bag. For all the visuals, stop motion, and music do to set the game apart, the Dukes struggled to fall in love with story following its abrupt conclusion. There's a lot to dig about it, but we wonder how the Xbox fandom will react to this after effectively waiting since 2018 for a story that doesn't necessarily wrap it up or make the best use of its gameplay mechanics. Alas, it's another "good, not great" that the Dukes think you should check out at sometime, but can't really justify the 40 bones you'd spend on it outside of Game Pass. In other news, Nintendo has upended the industry with their newly announced game prices which reach as high as $90 on the physical front. How this will have a ripple effect on the industry is easy to guess, but naturally, we dig a little deeper into the conversation than that. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro 0:23:56 - Xbox handheld teased by ASUS 0:28:15 - How Xbox games are selling on PlayStation and Steam 0:35:09 - Why are Activision games not on Game Pass? 0:38:40 - RuneScape Dragonwids announced 0:48:29 - First look at Star Wars turn based tactics game 0:52:48 - MindsEye is releasing June 10th 0:55:32 - Trails Beyond The Horizon confirmed for Fall 2025 0:59:34 - Atomfall has surpassed 1.5 million players 1:02:04 - Powerwash Simulator tops 17 million players 1:02:41 - Death Stranding reaches 20 million players 1:03:51 - Monster Hunter Wilds sells 10 million units in 1 month 1:05:08 - Expedition 33 has gone gold 1:06:45 - Assassins Creed Invictus is launching this year 1:09:51 - Ubisoft and Tencent’s new partnership 1:18:22 - What We’re Playing 1:54:31 - Nintendo Switch 2 Direct reactions 2:34:56 - Game Pass Pick Of The Week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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