Destin Legarie Podcast | Save State Plus

I got an early look at Star Wars: Galactic Racer, and this might end up being my favorite racing game of 2026.The sense of speed is fantastic, the different vehicles actually feel meaningfully different, and the combination of boosts, upgrades, environmental hazards and takedowns gives every race a surprising amount of strategy. Most importantly, it absolutely captures the sound, speed and chaos that makes Star Wars racing so much fun.Here are my first impressions of Star Wars: Galactic Racer ahead of its October 6 release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Xbox is not for sale, according to Microsoft gaming CEO Asha Sharma, who directly addressed speculation about the future of Xbox in a new interview with The New York Times.Sharma says Microsoft is taking a long-term approach to Xbox, while continuing to evaluate the right partnerships and operating model for its gaming business.After months of Xbox restructuring, layoffs, studio changes and speculation about Microsoft's gaming strategy, we break down what Sharma actually said, what it means for the future of Xbox, and what questions still remain.Sources:https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/arts/xbox-microsoft-asha-sharma.html#Xbox #Microsoft #XboxNews

I sat down with developers from The Coalition to talk about Gears of War: E-Day, including why they wanted the game to capture the feeling of the original Gears of War while building something completely new.We also discuss Marcus and Dom's relationship before the original trilogy, the horror and chaos of E-Day, pushing Unreal Engine and the game's visuals, favorite weapons, and what it means for Gears of War: E-Day to be positioned as an Xbox exclusive and technical showcase.#gearsofwar #gearseDay #xbox #gaming

Gears of War: E-Day takes the series back to the beginning with a campaign focused on survival, camaraderie, and plenty of brutal Locust combat.

After finishing the campaign, I came away incredibly positive on what The Coalition has built. E-Day delivers fantastic set pieces, gorgeous environments, satisfying weapons and combat, and some memorable character moments as Marcus, Dom, Lucas, Mags and the rest of the crew fight to survive Emergence Day.

There are some rough edges. Companion AI can occasionally get in the way, cover doesn't always behave the way you want it to, there are a few too many moments waiting around for doors, and one late-game boss fight didn't really work for me. The ending also feels a little abrupt.

But when Gears of War: E-Day hits its stride, especially from Act 2 onward, it becomes very difficult to put down.

Here's my full review of the Gears of War: E-Day campaign.

UPDATE: Halo has now responded to the growing discussion surrounding creator access, criticism of Halo Studios, and allegations that some longtime Halo creators were excluded from opportunities.

Halo community director Brian Jarrard addressed the situation publicly, attempting to provide more context around how creators are selected and why some people may or may not receive access.

Instead of putting the controversy to rest, though, the response has sparked even more discussion from Halo creators including The Act Man, Team Respawn and others — with questions remaining about how criticism, creator relationships and access have been handled.

In this video, I break down Halo’s response, what creators are saying in return, and why I think the explanation has made the situation more complicated rather than resolving it.

This is a follow-up to my previous video covering the major changes surrounding Halo Studios and the experiences creators have shared publicly.

#halo #xbox #halostudios #gamingnews #haloinfinite

We’ve got some pretty interesting PlayStation updates today, starting with God of War Laufey.Santa Monica Studio has revealed more of Faye’s combat, including her new Serpent Bow, different firing modes, arrow types, weapon customization and new gameplay footage. Pre-orders also begin September 29 ahead of the game’s February 16, 2027 release on PS5.Meanwhile, Naughty Dog dropped some major updates for The Last of Us Day. Neil Druckmann says two new projects are in the very early stages that will expand The Last of Us canon beyond Part I and Part II.We also finally have an update on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Naughty Dog says it will remain quiet on the game for the rest of 2026, but plans to fully reveal Intergalactic in 2027.So yeah — quite a bit happening on the PlayStation side today.#playstation #godofwar #godofwarlaufey #thelastofus #intergalactic #ps5 #naughtydog

A report claiming Xbox is investing around $400 million into Hideo Kojima’s PHYSINT made the rounds this weekend, but there’s now considerably more context around that number.Christopher Dring has clarified his reporting, while Jason Schreier says a source with firsthand knowledge told him Xbox signed PHYSINT for significantly less than $400 million. Windows Central’s Jez Corden is also reporting that Xbox’s actual investment is far lower than the figure circulating online. We’ll break down what’s actually being reported about the Kojima deal, plus several other Xbox updates including the debate over GTA 6 preorders, Minecraft passing 425 million copies sold, Xbox’s new Mythic Achievement system, and some of the continued reaction to Xbox’s restructuring.

What does success actually look like for Xbox from here?Former Microsoft executive Jon Kimmich over on Gamesbeat argues that Xbox needs to define what it wants to be and that success for Microsoft Gaming is not necessarily the same thing as success for the Xbox platform.From Helix and Xbox hardware to Play Anywhere, PC, third-party devices, exclusives, Game Pass, and Microsoft's growing role as a multiplatform publisher, I break down the key points, my reaction and what Xbox needs to define next.Source:https://gamesbeat.com/quo-vadis-xbox-jon-kimmich-guest-post/

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has weighed in on the ongoing changes at Xbox, saying he feels “fantastic” about the company’s studios and IP while praising the streamlining underway under Xbox CEO Asha Sharma.But Nadella also says Microsoft still needs to “invent the right sustainable business model” for gaming as Xbox goes through layoffs, restructuring and a broader strategic reset.That comes after Xbox disclosed it was operating at roughly a 3% accountability margin, while also revealing more than $20 billion in spending over the last five years excluding Activision Blizzard King as annual revenue declined by nearly $500 million.So what does all of this actually mean for Xbox, and where does Microsoft take the business from here?#xbox #microsoft #satyanadella #xboxnews #gaming

Xbox’s massive restructuring continues, and we’re starting to get a much clearer picture of what the company could look like when it’s finished.New reporting points to another 268 reductions as Xbox reorganizes its business, with major changes involving Activision, Bethesda, Halo Studios, Obsidian, Playground Games, Turn 10 and more.Perhaps the biggest change: Activision is reportedly taking responsibility for major Xbox franchises including Halo, Sea of Thieves and Age of Empires, while Halo Studios transitions into more of a support role. A new Halo game is already in development.Elsewhere, Playground Games and Turn 10 are reportedly being combined, Bethesda is taking on additional teams and projects, and questions remain around the futures of Undead Labs, Ninja Theory and Arkane.In this video I break down everything we know about the latest Xbox restructuring, what it means for Halo and Forza, and what Xbox could look like once the reset is complete.#xbox #halo #activision #microsoft #xboxgamestudios #forza #gamingnews