Kinda Funny Gamescast – Xbox Game Pass Ranting, Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview

Date: October 1, 2025
Hosts: Greg Miller, Paris Lilly, Barrett Courtney (Barrett), (brief) Tim Gettys, Blessing Adeoye, and Andy Cortez

Main Theme & Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into two major topics:

Fallout 76: Burning Springs – The biggest expansion to Fallout 76, previewed and analyzed by Greg and Paris after hands-on time in NYC.
Xbox Game Pass Price Hikes – Reaction and critical discussion around significant changes to Xbox Game Pass, including pricing and content strategy.

The cast balances preview impressions, meaningful industry analysis, and lively banter, reflecting on how news impacts player perception, value, and the future of gaming subscriptions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview

(Starts at ~03:35)

What’s New:

Largest expansion to Fallout 76 since launch, releasing Dec 2025.
Features post-nuclear Ohio – a new map region with fresh quests, characters, and factions.
Introduction of bounty hunting missions led by “the Ghoul,” voiced by Walton Goggins (from Fallout TV series).
Free update for all players.

Atmosphere & Visuals:

Paris: "My immediate takeaway was I like in the Burning Springs area in the Ohio area, this had more of a Fallout 3 New Vegas look to it." [06:10]
Intentional visual callback to classic Fallout, aiming to feel fresh and distinct within Appalachia.

Gameplay Experience:

Both Greg and Paris played on max-level characters during the preview, altering difficulty and pacing of the demo.
Bounty missions are divided into standard (free) and large “headhunt” events (cost caps to initiate, become map-wide public events).
Public “Headhunt” events felt anticlimactic in demo due to overpowered, maxed-out playable characters.
- Greg: “She put up no fight, no struggle, no challenge, and went down. This will play differently…when I'm coming in with my schlub of a character.” [10:53]
Discovery-oriented gameplay remains: unmarked quests, exploration, signature Fallout story vignettes.

Comparison to Past Updates:

Not as fundamentally transformative as the Wastelanders overhaul (which added NPCs to the game), but the map size is significant.
- Greg: “It's not that they're adding in crazier NPC... it's the size thing, I think.” [21:25]

Interconnection with the Fallout TV Show:

Burning Springs ties thematically (and with Goggins’ “the Ghoul”) to Season 2 (releases around same time).
Timeline bridges: Fallout 76 (set 2102) vs. TV show (2296); direct narrative crossover limited for lore reasons, but Goggins’ presence capitalizes on show’s popularity.
- Paris: “Clearly they're anticipating season two being as big, if not bigger than season one. And...what was the quickest thing that they could get up and running?" [15:59]
- Greg: "Holding onto this and launching it right with season two in December is a brilliant maneuver." [17:43]

2. Major Fallout 76 System Updates

(CAMP System Revamp at 12:04; Camp Trailer at 13:05)

Overhauled base-building (“Camp Revamped”) launched previously:
- Relaxed construction restrictions, more creative freedom.
- New menu, prefab options, easier snapping and placement.
Paris: “I actually think that, in my opinion, is the bigger thing for...the overall community... because that's just allowing more creative freedom.” [12:06]

3. Hands-On Impressions & Gameplay Reflections

(Multiple segments, e.g., 08:49–11:18, 24:23–26:44)

Both hosts eager to revisit 76 at year's end due to cumulative content, the new area, and the tie-in with the show.
Walton Goggins’ involvement adds character to bounties; preview build had placeholder audio.
Greg: “Every time there's a new map to explore, a new thing to do, that fall feeling of coming up on a place and like, you know, location discovered, that's always so key...” [24:23]

4. The Industry Impact – Xbox Game Pass Changes

(Major Segments: 43:02, 47:15, 51:23, 54:14)

Context:

Major price hike and restructuring for Xbox Game Pass; Game Pass Ultimate at $29.99/month.
Some perks (e.g., day-one releases, Fortnite Crew access, cloud streaming) shift to higher tiers.

Immediate Reaction:

Paris: “I do think next year is going to be pretty freaking big for them... But like I said...that is not what sold people on Game Pass. What sold people on Game Pass was day and date.” [47:15]
Greg: “It's a bummer, right?...As you would expect with Microsoft being a corporation and being a business, today's announcement was very businessy and very corporate.” [43:02]

Broader Concerns:

Debate over whether the new pricing, tier structure, and loss of day-one releases at lower tiers will erode Game Pass's unique value.
Concerns about player “stickiness” and sustainability.

Who is Game Pass Really For?

Paris: “Especially my oldest daughter, more for discovery. That's probably the biggest perk of Game Pass. They discover that gem of a game that they never heard of.” [49:47]
Greg: “I just think it presents you now with a choice more than anything... I, I don't. I think the pop of having a Game Pass, your game is on Game Pass day one... are all arrows in the quiver, right?” [54:14]

Community Voices & Data:

Multiple chat contributions read out on-air, representing both value seekers and price skeptics.
Greg: “Nobody is everybody. Where I feel like... for me when I heard this news, I was like, ah, $10 extra. That sucks.” [54:14]
Paris: “Just full disclosure, even on myself, yes, Xbox has given me codes over the years, but my kids, I pay for that. So that's what I'm, you know, I'm looking at it from that standpoint.” [57:47]

Industry History/Parallel:

Barrett shares a Blue Sky thread from Frank Cifaldi about the early “GameTap” subscription service, highlighting how value perceptions and user behavior haven’t always matched business models promising infinite-access libraries. [63:35]

5. Other Notable Segments

Ghost of Yotei (presumably a new Sucker Punch title):
- Paris finished it, loved improvements over the original (“9 out of 10 for me...Highly recommend.” [28:16])
- Played ~32–40 hours, mostly on PS5 Pro (Ray Tracing/60 FPS).
Cloud Gaming & Devices:
- Gushing over Nvidia GeForce Now’s RTX 5080/5090 tech and superior cloud experience to Xbox cloud streaming.
- Discussion of ROG Ally and upcoming Asus Xbox handhelds – pros, cons, UI concerns compared to Steam Deck.
- Greg: “I love the idea of just the screen works so well for me... tapping on the Xbox, tapping on Steam, downloading my things...” [38:54]
- Paris: “Will Xbox and Microsoft be able to replicate a similar experience with Windows?...it has to be easy to use.” [39:59]
Games Played This Week:
- Paris: “I suck at Silksong. I'm not good...this is hard. I'll come back to this later..” [29:44]
- Greg: “I've just been binging Skate.” [32:15]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

On Fallout 76: Burning Springs’ Impact:
- Paris: “It felt different enough from everything else that you played in Fallout 76 that it felt fresh and you wanted to go explore...” [06:10]
- Greg: “It is not changing Fallout 76...if the core hooks of Fallout 76...didn't work for you, it won't work for you here.” [07:21]
On Launch Competition & PR Timing:
- Paris: “They're literally just neutering the Fallout 76 news. No one's gonna talk about this because everything's gonna be about Game Pass.” [04:13]
On the Goggins Connection:
- Greg: “Holding onto this and launching it right with season two in December is a brilliant maneuver.” [17:43]
On Solitary vs. Multiplayer Fallout:
- Greg: “It was still a very solitary experience for me...when we'd get it in there on a stream and then go off and do one of the big event... That never has ever felt like Fallout to me.” [24:23]
On the Game Pass Price Reaction:
- Greg: “In short, Paris, gamers are babies. No, I'm kidding. It’s a bummer, right?” [43:02]
- Paris: “That is not what sold people on Game Pass. What sold people on Game Pass was day and date...And now you put it at a price tier that people are going to be very hesitant to want to consistently stay subscribed to.” [47:15]
- Greg: “There’s a lot of sky is falling right now because money is tight everywhere. Right? But...if I paid $30 a month this year, I easily have gotten my money’s worth." [54:14]
- Paris: “The sticker shock of that price in comparison to what it was even two years ago...it's going to make you actually think, do I want this?” [57:47]
Industry Context:
- Barrett (on GameTap, paraphrasing Cifaldi): “What the data told me was that people didn't particularly need access to a lot of games at once. They just wanted to play specific titles. And if we didn't continue meeting those specific needs, they'd leave.” [63:35]
On Devices:
- Paris: “GeForce Now just plays it better. I mean, it's just as simple as that.” [31:32]
- Greg: “Steam deck never forces me to go to the desktop to do anything...Let’s see if Asus and Xbox can get there with this Windows experience.” [38:54]

Timestamps for Important Segments

[03:35] – Burning Springs Preview: what’s new, general impressions
[06:10] – Visual style, Fallout 3/New Vegas vibes
[08:49–11:18] – Preview hands-on: difficulty, bounties, public events
[12:04] – Camp system revamp
[15:59] – TV show tie-in, timing and business strategy
[21:25] – Map update scale vs. past expansions (Wastelanders)
[24:23–26:44] – Replay appeal, solo vs. multiplayer Fallout
[43:02] – Game Pass price hike: initial reactions
[47:15 – 51:23] – Long-term value, fan reactions, sustainability
[54:14] – Value math, community voices, compared to buying games
[57:47] – Price shock, disclosure, how families/kids use Game Pass
[61:46] – “Why pay $30 for one game when you can buy it?” discussion
[63:35] – GameTap history and industry parallels
[32:15–34:29] – GeForce Now vs. Xbox Cloud, config details
[36:09–41:05] – ROG Ally and Xbox handheld UI deep dive

Conclusion

The episode is a comprehensive exploration of how the Fallout 76: Burning Springs expansion intersects with Xbox’s shifting subscription landscape and the broader gaming industry. Greg and Paris’s hands-on insights and honest debate—with community feedback and historical perspective—make it essential listening for those following Game Pass, Xbox strategy, or Fallout.

For more:

Fallout 76: Burning Springs drops December 2025.
More interviews on Paris’s YouTube channel (w/ the Fallout 76 creative team).
Xbox Game Pass changes roll out in the coming months—watch for ongoing coverage from Kinda Funny.

(Episode ends with banter, acknowledgments, and programming notes.)

Kinda Funny Gamescast – Xbox Game Pass Ranting, Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview

Date: October 1, 2025
Hosts: Greg Miller, Paris Lilly, Barrett Courtney (Barrett), (brief) Tim Gettys, Blessing Adeoye, and Andy Cortez

Main Theme & Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into two major topics:

Fallout 76: Burning Springs – The biggest expansion to Fallout 76, previewed and analyzed by Greg and Paris after hands-on time in NYC.
Xbox Game Pass Price Hikes – Reaction and critical discussion around significant changes to Xbox Game Pass, including pricing and content strategy.

The cast balances preview impressions, meaningful industry analysis, and lively banter, reflecting on how news impacts player perception, value, and the future of gaming subscriptions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview

(Starts at ~03:35)

What’s New:

Largest expansion to Fallout 76 since launch, releasing Dec 2025.
Features post-nuclear Ohio – a new map region with fresh quests, characters, and factions.
Introduction of bounty hunting missions led by “the Ghoul,” voiced by Walton Goggins (from Fallout TV series).
Free update for all players.

Atmosphere & Visuals:

Paris: "My immediate takeaway was I like in the Burning Springs area in the Ohio area, this had more of a Fallout 3 New Vegas look to it." [06:10]
Intentional visual callback to classic Fallout, aiming to feel fresh and distinct within Appalachia.

Gameplay Experience:

Both Greg and Paris played on max-level characters during the preview, altering difficulty and pacing of the demo.
Bounty missions are divided into standard (free) and large “headhunt” events (cost caps to initiate, become map-wide public events).
Public “Headhunt” events felt anticlimactic in demo due to overpowered, maxed-out playable characters.
- Greg: “She put up no fight, no struggle, no challenge, and went down. This will play differently…when I'm coming in with my schlub of a character.” [10:53]
Discovery-oriented gameplay remains: unmarked quests, exploration, signature Fallout story vignettes.

Comparison to Past Updates:

Not as fundamentally transformative as the Wastelanders overhaul (which added NPCs to the game), but the map size is significant.
- Greg: “It's not that they're adding in crazier NPC... it's the size thing, I think.” [21:25]

Interconnection with the Fallout TV Show:

Burning Springs ties thematically (and with Goggins’ “the Ghoul”) to Season 2 (releases around same time).
Timeline bridges: Fallout 76 (set 2102) vs. TV show (2296); direct narrative crossover limited for lore reasons, but Goggins’ presence capitalizes on show’s popularity.
- Paris: “Clearly they're anticipating season two being as big, if not bigger than season one. And...what was the quickest thing that they could get up and running?" [15:59]
- Greg: "Holding onto this and launching it right with season two in December is a brilliant maneuver." [17:43]

2. Major Fallout 76 System Updates

(CAMP System Revamp at 12:04; Camp Trailer at 13:05)

Overhauled base-building (“Camp Revamped”) launched previously:
- Relaxed construction restrictions, more creative freedom.
- New menu, prefab options, easier snapping and placement.
Paris: “I actually think that, in my opinion, is the bigger thing for...the overall community... because that's just allowing more creative freedom.” [12:06]

3. Hands-On Impressions & Gameplay Reflections

(Multiple segments, e.g., 08:49–11:18, 24:23–26:44)

Both hosts eager to revisit 76 at year's end due to cumulative content, the new area, and the tie-in with the show.
Walton Goggins’ involvement adds character to bounties; preview build had placeholder audio.
Greg: “Every time there's a new map to explore, a new thing to do, that fall feeling of coming up on a place and like, you know, location discovered, that's always so key...” [24:23]

4. The Industry Impact – Xbox Game Pass Changes

(Major Segments: 43:02, 47:15, 51:23, 54:14)

Context:

Major price hike and restructuring for Xbox Game Pass; Game Pass Ultimate at $29.99/month.
Some perks (e.g., day-one releases, Fortnite Crew access, cloud streaming) shift to higher tiers.

Immediate Reaction:

Paris: “I do think next year is going to be pretty freaking big for them... But like I said...that is not what sold people on Game Pass. What sold people on Game Pass was day and date.” [47:15]
Greg: “It's a bummer, right?...As you would expect with Microsoft being a corporation and being a business, today's announcement was very businessy and very corporate.” [43:02]

Broader Concerns:

Debate over whether the new pricing, tier structure, and loss of day-one releases at lower tiers will erode Game Pass's unique value.
Concerns about player “stickiness” and sustainability.

Who is Game Pass Really For?

Paris: “Especially my oldest daughter, more for discovery. That's probably the biggest perk of Game Pass. They discover that gem of a game that they never heard of.” [49:47]
Greg: “I just think it presents you now with a choice more than anything... I, I don't. I think the pop of having a Game Pass, your game is on Game Pass day one... are all arrows in the quiver, right?” [54:14]

Community Voices & Data:

Multiple chat contributions read out on-air, representing both value seekers and price skeptics.
Greg: “Nobody is everybody. Where I feel like... for me when I heard this news, I was like, ah, $10 extra. That sucks.” [54:14]
Paris: “Just full disclosure, even on myself, yes, Xbox has given me codes over the years, but my kids, I pay for that. So that's what I'm, you know, I'm looking at it from that standpoint.” [57:47]

Industry History/Parallel:

Barrett shares a Blue Sky thread from Frank Cifaldi about the early “GameTap” subscription service, highlighting how value perceptions and user behavior haven’t always matched business models promising infinite-access libraries. [63:35]

5. Other Notable Segments

Ghost of Yotei (presumably a new Sucker Punch title):
- Paris finished it, loved improvements over the original (“9 out of 10 for me...Highly recommend.” [28:16])
- Played ~32–40 hours, mostly on PS5 Pro (Ray Tracing/60 FPS).
Cloud Gaming & Devices:
- Gushing over Nvidia GeForce Now’s RTX 5080/5090 tech and superior cloud experience to Xbox cloud streaming.
- Discussion of ROG Ally and upcoming Asus Xbox handhelds – pros, cons, UI concerns compared to Steam Deck.
- Greg: “I love the idea of just the screen works so well for me... tapping on the Xbox, tapping on Steam, downloading my things...” [38:54]
- Paris: “Will Xbox and Microsoft be able to replicate a similar experience with Windows?...it has to be easy to use.” [39:59]
Games Played This Week:
- Paris: “I suck at Silksong. I'm not good...this is hard. I'll come back to this later..” [29:44]
- Greg: “I've just been binging Skate.” [32:15]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

On Fallout 76: Burning Springs’ Impact:
- Paris: “It felt different enough from everything else that you played in Fallout 76 that it felt fresh and you wanted to go explore...” [06:10]
- Greg: “It is not changing Fallout 76...if the core hooks of Fallout 76...didn't work for you, it won't work for you here.” [07:21]
On Launch Competition & PR Timing:
- Paris: “They're literally just neutering the Fallout 76 news. No one's gonna talk about this because everything's gonna be about Game Pass.” [04:13]
On the Goggins Connection:
- Greg: “Holding onto this and launching it right with season two in December is a brilliant maneuver.” [17:43]
On Solitary vs. Multiplayer Fallout:
- Greg: “It was still a very solitary experience for me...when we'd get it in there on a stream and then go off and do one of the big event... That never has ever felt like Fallout to me.” [24:23]
On the Game Pass Price Reaction:
- Greg: “In short, Paris, gamers are babies. No, I'm kidding. It’s a bummer, right?” [43:02]
- Paris: “That is not what sold people on Game Pass. What sold people on Game Pass was day and date...And now you put it at a price tier that people are going to be very hesitant to want to consistently stay subscribed to.” [47:15]
- Greg: “There’s a lot of sky is falling right now because money is tight everywhere. Right? But...if I paid $30 a month this year, I easily have gotten my money’s worth." [54:14]
- Paris: “The sticker shock of that price in comparison to what it was even two years ago...it's going to make you actually think, do I want this?” [57:47]
Industry Context:
- Barrett (on GameTap, paraphrasing Cifaldi): “What the data told me was that people didn't particularly need access to a lot of games at once. They just wanted to play specific titles. And if we didn't continue meeting those specific needs, they'd leave.” [63:35]
On Devices:
- Paris: “GeForce Now just plays it better. I mean, it's just as simple as that.” [31:32]
- Greg: “Steam deck never forces me to go to the desktop to do anything...Let’s see if Asus and Xbox can get there with this Windows experience.” [38:54]

Timestamps for Important Segments

[03:35] – Burning Springs Preview: what’s new, general impressions
[06:10] – Visual style, Fallout 3/New Vegas vibes
[08:49–11:18] – Preview hands-on: difficulty, bounties, public events
[12:04] – Camp system revamp
[15:59] – TV show tie-in, timing and business strategy
[21:25] – Map update scale vs. past expansions (Wastelanders)
[24:23–26:44] – Replay appeal, solo vs. multiplayer Fallout
[43:02] – Game Pass price hike: initial reactions
[47:15 – 51:23] – Long-term value, fan reactions, sustainability
[54:14] – Value math, community voices, compared to buying games
[57:47] – Price shock, disclosure, how families/kids use Game Pass
[61:46] – “Why pay $30 for one game when you can buy it?” discussion
[63:35] – GameTap history and industry parallels
[32:15–34:29] – GeForce Now vs. Xbox Cloud, config details
[36:09–41:05] – ROG Ally and Xbox handheld UI deep dive

Conclusion

For more:

Fallout 76: Burning Springs drops December 2025.
More interviews on Paris’s YouTube channel (w/ the Fallout 76 creative team).
Xbox Game Pass changes roll out in the coming months—watch for ongoing coverage from Kinda Funny.

(Episode ends with banter, acknowledgments, and programming notes.)

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Xbox Game Pass Ranting, Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview - Kinda Funny Gamescast

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Summary

Kinda Funny Gamescast – Xbox Game Pass Ranting, Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview

Main Theme & Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview

2. Major Fallout 76 System Updates

3. Hands-On Impressions & Gameplay Reflections

4. The Industry Impact – Xbox Game Pass Changes

5. Other Notable Segments

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

Timestamps for Important Segments

Conclusion

Summary

Kinda Funny Gamescast – Xbox Game Pass Ranting, Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview

Main Theme & Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fallout 76: Burning Springs Preview

2. Major Fallout 76 System Updates

3. Hands-On Impressions & Gameplay Reflections

4. The Industry Impact – Xbox Game Pass Changes

5. Other Notable Segments

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

Timestamps for Important Segments

Conclusion