What you need to know
- This week, two of Xbox’s biggest 2024 exclusives launched: STALKER 2 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The two games released within 24 hours of one another, but their launches couldn’t be more different.
- STALKER 2 is off to a roaring start, with over 110,000+ concurrent players and counting on Steam as well as a #1 placement on the platform’s Top Sellers chart. So far, it’s got “Mostly Positive” reviews.
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, meanwhile, is a complete disaster so far, with most players not even able to get into the game or play for long without countless bugs and crashes. It’s also a Top Seller at #5, though it’s quickly accrued a very negative review rating.
- Notably, both games are available to play on both Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC with Xbox Game Pass, which is Microsoft’s buffet-style gaming subscription service.
As a tech enthusiast with years of gaming experience under my belt, this week has been quite a rollercoaster ride for me! On one hand, I’ve been utterly captivated by the release of STALKER 2, a game that’s been on my radar for a long time. The immersive atmosphere, the rewarding exploration, and the intense action have kept me glued to my seat, and it’s been a joy to see this highly anticipated title finally take off.
This week saw the simultaneous debut of two of Xbox’s most anticipated titles slated for 2024, and the manner in which they were launched could not have been more dissimilar.
The game you’re referring to is STALKER 2, the long-awaited open-world survival shooter from GSC Game World, which has finally been released after numerous delays due to the effects of Russia’s invasion on Ukraine. I’m penning this piece just a few hours post its Wednesday morning release, and the number of simultaneous players on Steam is already over 110,000, according to SteamDB data – an exceptional achievement for a single-player game that can also be played via Xbox Game Pass. This figure is expected to soar even higher as we approach the weekend, making it intriguing to observe how high this shooter will climb.
In simpler terms, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, as my colleague Ben Wilson describes in his review, is a “chaotic disaster following an embarrassing and unfortunate launch on Xbox and PC.” Despite the anticipation leading up to its release on Tuesday, it has failed to take off post-launch. Players are unable to access or play the game for extended periods without experiencing freezes or crashes. The game’s poor performance is so severe that we chose not to assign it a review score because there’s simply nothing worth evaluating at this point.
The contrast between the launches of STALKER 2 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is clear in their Steam review scores. While STALKER 2 has garnered a “Mostly Positive” rating with 76% of its 2,035 user reviews giving it a thumbs up, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has a “Mostly Negative” rating, as only 20% of its 3,645 reviews are positive. Although some STALKER 2 players have encountered performance issues with the sequel, none approach the extreme instability found in Flight Simulator.
As a researcher, I find it noteworthy to highlight that both STALKER 2 and Microsoft Flight Simulator are garnering significant success on Steam, with the former leading the pack on the Top Sellers chart. The latter, however, finds itself in fifth position, trailing Disney Dreamlight Valley, its new DLC “The Storybook Vale,” Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and some other titles. Interestingly, both games held prominent spots on Steam’s most-wishlisted games list prior to their release. For quite a while, STALKER 2 held the fourth position, only being surpassed by Monster Hunter Wilds, Deadlock, and Hollow Knight: Silksong (hopefully, we’ll see its release soon).
I published my review of STALKER 2 a few hours before its release on Wednesday, giving the game a score of 4/5 stars after playing well over 40+ hours of the open-world FPS. In it, I wrote that it “stands tall as one of the most captivating open-world shooters I’ve ever played, with palpable atmosphere and deeply rewarding exploration that kept me glued to my seat along with addictively intense and dynamic action that kept me on the edge of it.”
Over the years, I’ve been deeply immersed in the STALKER series. Seeing STALKER 2 perform so impressively, given the challenges GSC Game World has faced due to Russia’s ongoing conflict, is truly remarkable. It’s not without flaws – I’ve encountered several bugs during gameplay, and there are aspects of balance that could be improved. However, despite these issues, it’s a fantastic game with potential for continuous improvement as the developers refine and update it. Recently, they’ve addressed 1125 bugs and problems, with more fixes planned in the future, as confirmed in an email to Windows Central.
On a different note, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has unfortunately fallen short of expectations thus far. It’s unfortunate to witness such a launch, but let’s hope Microsoft and Asobo Studio manage to stabilize the game and make it playable more quickly than later. Until then, it would be advisable to hold off on purchasing it at full price.
It’s convenient that you can play these games on both Xbox and PC through Xbox Game Pass subscription. If you’re a subscriber, you don’t have to make a large upfront payment to try them out. To access these games on console, you’ll need an Xbox Game Pass Standard membership. For playing on PC, you require the PC version of Xbox Game Pass. And if you want to play on both platforms and also use Xbox Cloud Gaming, go for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
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2024-11-21 01:39