Stadia-specific catch all

Psst... Marvel's Avengers is coming to Stadia next month, too.

I'm psyched for that one.

garion333 wrote:

Gawd, even I read kazar's post incorrectly which goes to show why it's a confusing topic.

I reread what I wrote and was confused.

BadKen wrote:

Now available on Stadia: Strange Brigade, by the developers of Sniper Elite and Zombie Army series:

Included with Pro, $50 without.

Ugh. Come on Rebellion. This game has been out for years now the least you can do is put all the dlc into the $50 price tag.

BTW, it's a coop game in case it wasn't obvious.

It can be played solo, too. I'm playing it solo. A one person "brigade" isn't much of a brigade, though, is it?

Also, it hasn't been out for years, it's been out for year. It will be years (2) at the end of the month. And yeah, it's just the base game, but it being free on Pro is sort of the point. It isn't free on PS4. I won't begrudge them a little dlc income, since the port is not zero effort. I bought the dlc for zombie army 4.

Maybe when the new consoles roll out and the new console games start appearing on Stadia, I'll stop seeing complaints about the Stadia library?

As for me, I'm just happy to get a fun, new (to me) game for free.

BadKen wrote:

Also, it hasn't been out for years, it's been out for year. It will be years (2) at the end of the month.

Srsly?

Ken, your stanning for everything Stadia is the reason I rarely post in this thread, so I'll go back to doing that again.

Come on man, don’t be like that. My point was about the price, not the age. I intended that age comment to be a bit of a joke. You know, like picture me saying it while pushing up my glasses.

Obviously it’s not a new game, but it’s not ancient either. Strange Brigade is still $50 on the PS store today, and the deluxe edition is $80. Is it unreasonable for the Stadia version to have the same price?

Plus the base version of Strange Brigade is free for subscribers. Which means anyone can play it free for a month. That’s a better deal than anywhere else right now. Strange Brigade left Xbox Game Pass back in November. Plus, any Stadia Pro subscriber who claims it gets to play it whenever their subscription is active, even after it leaves the free offers list (more like PS+ than Xbox Game Pass).

Yeah, I like Stadia and I want it to succeed. I get frustrated by misinformation I see on blogs and videos about things like having to pay twice for games when in reality the subscription is optional, and by claims that the library is outdated and overpriced when the same games have the same prices elsewhere. When I see a similar misunderstanding here, I point it out.

You jumped down my throat because I complained about Rebellion's pricing. It has nothing to do with Stadia.

Folks have rightfully been complaining since the game launched that their pricing model sucks for the game. They put out half a game and then put the rest of it behind a season pass. I don't have a problem with season passes in general, but when the base game is fairly lacking in terms of content (which isn't an issue in their other titles) and you release a game a couple years after its original launch then it would be nice to see a bundle instead of this $90 crap. If they bring the game to Switch I'll make the same complaint. If you have a pro subscription, have at it.

And, yes, it's a coop game with coop in mind. You can play by yourself, but games like L4D or Killing Floor are immensely better when played coop.

Sorry, but I'm on BadKen's side here. Seems like you mostly come in here to bash on Stadia, and he gave a reasonable response to you 'calling him out'. Now you seem angry.

No one is saying Stadia is perfect or even the best system. Just try not to bash it with misinformation or for doing the same thing as other services.

manta173 wrote:

Sorry, but I'm on BadKen's side here. Seems like you mostly come in here to bash on Stadia, and he gave a reasonable response to you 'calling him out'. Now you seem angry.

No one is saying Stadia is perfect or even the best system. Just try not to bash it with misinformation or for doing the same thing as other services.

I overreacted, yes, but I don't most of my posts have been bashing Stadia. I had a preorder, I canceled a preorder, it flopped at launch and otherwise I've been stating my opinion that there wasn't anything yet on the platform that made me want to jump in. Avengers is a good get since it is truly new.

Right now I've actually got a Pro sub and added, oh, a handful of free games to my account mostly to give em a go on my phone. (So far, not so good, but only because playing on my phone screen is slightly smaller than the Switch. The streaming part has been aces.)

That said:

BadKen wrote:

As for me, I'm just happy to get a fun, new (to me) game for free.

I do owe you an apology for taking things the wrong way. Sorry for that, it was unfair.

No worries. Seems like everything around Stadia is fraught, and Google is not helping AT ALL.

For example, I really really really really really want to be able to stream gameplay direct to YouTube without having to buy an expensive video capture device, but for some unknown reason that is still unimplemented.

BadKen wrote:

I really really really really really want to be able to stream gameplay direct to YouTube without having to buy an expensive video capture device, but for some unknown reason that is still unimplemented.

It's in limited testing now.

Kurrelgyre wrote:
BadKen wrote:

I really really really really really want to be able to stream gameplay direct to YouTube without having to buy an expensive video capture device, but for some unknown reason that is still unimplemented.

It's in limited testing now.

WOOT!

Everytime I see this thread I am tempted again to try it out.

Are there any games that are PC/Stadia specific that would sell me - i.e. something that I can't get on the Xbox or PS4?

I believe Orcs Must Die! 3 is the only "major" title atm.

I am all for the sanctity of Orc life so I am not sure I can play that

I don't know of any AAA Stadia-specific games, but if you liked Orcs Must Die, Orcs Must Die 3 is a exclusive for a limited time. There's also Crayta, which is a game-making game. Its features make it sound like PS4 Dreams, but I haven't tried either so I don't know how they really compare. Gylt is a single-player puzzle adventure exclusive to Stadia, and Get Packed is a goofy physics couch co-op style game.

I should mention that right now Crayta suffers from the limited audience on Stadia, since most of the content is intended to be player-generated. Other multiplayer games fare better.

Division 2 and Ghost Recon Breakpoint have Stadia-specific screen sharing features. When you're in a group, you can get a small picture-in-picture view of the screen of each group member. Dead by Daylight, due next month, lets stream viewers vote on features of the game, like whether the streamer plays as a Killer or a Survivor, and which character they get. Streamers will also be able to invite viewers to join their game as a free trial.

Honestly, there's not much exclusive for now, but there are more exclusives slated for Q4. One I'm looking forward to is Outcasters, due in the next few months. It's a multiplayer shooter by Splash Damage (Gears of War, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Halo: MCC).

Apologies for a sorta negative post, but news like this is why I'll likely end up fading Stadia.

Microsoft is moving quickly to their new sub model and they have significantly more ammo. I haven't used XCloud yet, so perhaps the service doesn't work as well as Stadia, but damned if they don't have a LOAD of games with Gamepass.

Edit: However, I just now installed XCloud on my phone and fired up Crackdown 3. It plays fine, but was slow compared to Stadia. Loading screens, why? Is Microsoft running this on actual Xbox Ones? Stadia is waaaaay snappier.

I guess this whole line of thinking/disvussion is in the wrong thread. Lol

Wow salty much. Geez. I'm all for XCloud versus Stadia comparisons... but man I don't even want to respond to a post like that.

XCloud so far is the only real competition I have seen for Stadia... they have the games library, but I'm not sure if they have the tech. I would bet on google for the long term for servers... but Microsoft will probably try pretty hard to keep the games stronger on their side... Maybe it will be MS vs Google instead of MS vs PS in 5 years... I don't know how PS is going to compete with the 5... it seems like they can't keep playing this game in the next iteration. Let's hope they figure it out too, maybe they will join MS or Google... more likely they will go for a third like Amazon or Facebook.

Does XCloud do the same thing with the always have access to purchased content without paying a monthly fee?

Borderlands 3 is having a free weekend. That's an easy way to get people to try out Stadia. Anyone interested should give it a try. I'm ~2/3 of the way through I think... bout where I stop solo play on all BL content.

manta173 wrote:

Wow salty much. Geez. I'm all for XCloud versus Stadia comparisons... but man I don't even want to respond to a post like that.

Wtf did I say now?

I dunno, I found your message informative. I'm keeping an eye on MSFT, because if they continue their lease-to-buy program and include Game Pass and XCloud, I'm very interested. All indications are that is their plan. It's the best of everything.

I wouldn't discount Microsoft's cloud service. My educated guess is their infrastructure is third, behind Google and Amazon, but it is still mighty.

Re: are they running XCloud games on Xbox hardware, I have read they are doing exactly that. Their server blades are Xbox one S hardware, to be upgraded when they are in full production on Series X parts. It makes sense from a cost and compatibility standpoint. They don't have the hardware and porting costs that Stadia has. But it also gives Stadia the edge in fast loading and seamless hardware upgradability. The load issue might go away when XCloud starts using Series X server hardware.

I find it fascinating, the tradeoffs each service is making to get an edge.

This game looks pretty cool to me:

$20, releasing day-and-date on PS4, Xbox, PC, and Stadia.

BadKen wrote:

Re: are they running XCloud games on Xbox hardware, I have read they are doing exactly that. Their server blades are Xbox one S hardware, to be upgraded when they are in full production on Series X parts. It makes sense from a cost and compatibility standpoint. They don't have the hardware and porting costs that Stadia has. But it also gives Stadia the edge in fast loading and seamless hardware upgradability. The load issue might go away when XCloud starts using Series X server hardware.

I find it fascinating, the tradeoffs each service is making to get an edge.

Ah, well, that's practical, but Stadia feels better. So, edge back at them.

PS Now feels somewhere in between and I'll be wholly unhappy if their backward compatibility is solely streaming stuff.

See, Stadia, you are doing some stuff right!

garion333 wrote:
manta173 wrote:

Wow salty much. Geez. I'm all for XCloud versus Stadia comparisons... but man I don't even want to respond to a post like that.

Wtf did I say now?

Sorry, I was in a crappy mood and read the first and last parts as dripping with sarcasm.

Got rid of phone and tv with Verizon, by some miracle they gave us a reasonable rate to keep our internet, rather than charge us more for internet only to strongarm us into a bundle.

Got an email that our new Verizon internet comes with Stadio pro 3 months/plus the controller and a chrome cast.

My wife doesn’t want to play phone games, or games on a computer, really. She likes the TV.

I was a bit negative on stadia. Concerns about ownership and the micro-transacting of all media, and google just shutting things off randomly at some point. But after trying it?

I’m all in. $9/month for a rotating stable of games that we don’t (and won’t) own the consoles for? It works on our network, at least, and I know mileage is going to very, as advertised. I wanted to play Destiny2. Instant boot - in game incredibly quick and ran like butter.

Tried it on my kids’ online learning $300 laptop. Worked like a charm.

My “issues” of course, remain, but as I look towards eliminating items that take up physical space, and am realizing that all those games I’m going to replay one day, I never do - this seems like a hit in our house. My wife has actually played some games. Whoa! And for the kids who have no attention span here, they can enjoy bouncing back and forth.

Yours is a story I read quite a bit, though you aren't nearly as negative towards Stadia as most. It's weird to me how many people "have concerns" and even go so far as to criticize the tech without even trying it. Which is free. People who do try it and who are looking for something like what it offers often express surprise that it doesn't suck!

My main complaint is that Google is doing pretty much the worst job imaginable marketing this thing.

Someone shared this tweet from YouTube Gaming today.

IMAGE(https://i.redd.it/awbcqlr8k9h51.jpg)

I mean... come on...

Hitman: Season 1 has been added to Stadio Pro. The GOTY edition with the "Patient Zero" campaign, as well as all of Hitman 2 are also available, with preorders for Hitman 3 coming along at some point soon...

More free Stadia games.

Is it possible to have too many free Stadia games?

I am really looking forward to giving this one a spin:

BadKen wrote:

More free Stadia games.

Is it possible to have too many free Stadia games?

I am really looking forward to giving this one a spin:

Started Hitman... never played any of them before... A little klunky on the controls... but looks like there is a lot of fun to be had. Just need to figure out the way things are supposed to be done.

Let us know your results. I have this as next up after I get bored with Hitman.

Blind_Evil wrote:

How much do you pay for your free Stadia games?

Half kidding.. but there is some cost right?

Yeah, the free ones can only be claimed by "Pro" subscribers ($10/mo). (I hate that "Pro" designation - it's such a silly term.) Every month so far I have received far more than $10 worth of games. In addition to free games, subscribers are offered substantial discounts on a rotating selection of games and add-ons.

Any free games you've claimed as a subscriber are not available to play if you stop your subscription, but they're still attached to your account so you can play them again if you re-up. You can keep playing without subscribing by purchasing the game. Stadia Support may need to help, but by all accounts they are quite good. The only interaction I've had with Stadia Support was to request a refund, and it was completed in minutes.

Games offered to subscribers are not free forever. Failing to claim a game while it's free means you have to buy it like a plebe. You may pay less than a plebe though, if the game has a subscriber discount.

Without the Pro subscription, you can still buy games and play them as much as you want, but you're limited to 1080p and stereo sound. It's effectively like having a free console in the cloud.

Okay, I played Hello Neighbor for about an hour.

I had no f*cking idea what I was doing, even after viewing some introductory YouTube material for noobs prior to playing. For a "stealth" game, there sure aren't many places to hide. Picking up, aiming and throwing things with a controller is very twitchy, even with sensitivity dialed down. The neighbor found me and bonked me about every thirty seconds.

The graphics of the game are as disturbing as the premise. The world is 3D, but everything seems flat shaded. Some things have surface shadows, but most things do not cast shadows on the ground or on other objects.

The following things are the same height: blades of grass, SOME picket fences, SOME boxes, bushes, window sills. Light switches are way above your head, but you can still switch them. Boxes can be jumped on (but not all boxes, even if they appear to be the same size). Some open windows can be jumped through, but others at the same height are, I guess, too high. The jumping physics seem to be dialed to approximately moon gravity but with an added element of random wind. Some identical looking objects can be picked up, others can't. You can carry four items at once, but you can't "holster" an item, so if you have any items in your inventory, your field of view will be obstructed by a carried object. Once the neighbor detects you, even if you move somewhere you have never been and duck to hide behind an object or group, the neighbor WILL find you and will knock you out with a smirk.

After a while I'd had enough. Game's just not for me, I guess. Puzzle freaks that like attempting a hundred different things a hundred times to make a nanosecond of progress will eat it up, I'm sure.

I would classify Hello Neighbor as a "puzzle-solving roguelike," which are two categories of game that I find viscerally repulsive. It misses the trifecta, the third such category being "deck-building," but it was still physically painful for me to play it. Mostly because I kept slamming the Stadia controller against my forehead. I'm not sure if that sort of thing is covered by the warranty, though.