Wormerine

You know the highlight feature tells you which ones are important - a much needed improvement from D:OS2 that would highlight every single irrelevant object. While I never run into an issue myself of sifting through containers looking for trash, I do think it tappes into another issue I had - the Ultima inspired systemic design not quite having a point in BG3. Systemic design is only interesting if it leads to emergent gameplay - and while BG3 definitely has that, it also has fairly little of it, considering how many systems they have. All containers being physical objects that can be moved and opened is something I don't think contributed much. Yeah, you can stack them up to climb things - but there are so many easier ways of getting places - superman jump including.

Did you try it? I don't think length is a problem in this case - it is a big game, but there is no padding. While Outer Worlds was much shorter, it did start to overstay its welcome for me, especially with DLCs, and in spite of many complaints I made about BG3, that is not something I can accuse them off. I don't mean to oppose that mid size titles have a lot of appeal, and shouln't be forgoten about, just that comparing BG3 to Dragon Ages or Mass Effect is a bit riddiculous. Yes, FromSoft spend more time on their DLC to Elden Ring, than on any other DLC for their previous titles - but the end result isn't comparable either (whenever it is good or bad is another discussion).

Well, one sidequest we have seen was very Eothas centric. My theory has been that Avowed I will aim to bring the new audience unto Pillars Of Eternity train, rather than be completely seperate - the ending of Deadfire makes most sense to me if it’s goal was to make the mystery that was only know to Watcher known to all. You know, so you don’t have to make horrible exposition dump at the start of the game like Deadfire did, cause no NPC will tell you what only Watcher and his companions know. And so far the game has been filled will references to the Deadfire making the connection rather tangible. That said Morts Lore video revealed a few more information, which would suggest the being behind our chime is a new entity - that said, I am still not 100% clear how aspects work. Maybe Eothas died, and Gaun took over? There is also Rekke’s god, but would he be able to implant his chime before wheels destruction? Even if he was released, why Living Lands, and not Yezuha?

I have started another playthrough of Deadfire and this conversation with Xoti caught my eye: Rot, regrowth, life and death. Now that sounds curiously similar what Avowed might be revolving around. That also brings another curious bit - Godlikes disappeared from Eora (I wonder if the severence of the chime saved our poor pal, Paladin Pallegina). However, we, the unusual kind of godlike are prouncing around, AND we have seen a godlike of Eothas - again if you played Deadfire you know why that would be. So:

hah Bringing BG3 as an example is an odd one, as the scale and complexity of the title makes its development cycle not that surprising - that they continue building on the same engine as D:OS, and kept studio identity didn't make it for quicker development. "D:OS reskin" complaints are complaints about creative direction, not reuse of code or assets - at least as far as reality is concerned. I think there is something to be said for simpler titles like Mass Effect or Dragon Ages, but also there is little direct comparison between the two. And even if Obsidian gets keys to Fallout, I somewhat doubt they will suddenly pull off a massive AAA RPG - they just don't seem build to do massive productions. And in my book it's a good thing, but I am not sure how kindly wider public would take to Fallout on a scale of the Outer Worlds. Or Fallout not being moddable - and for that Obsidian would probably need to use Bethesda's engine, might might be tricky unless Bethesda does Fallout5 first. I also would like to mention that there was a far smaller jump from Fallout3 to Obsidian Fallout, than there would be Fallout4 to Obsidian fallout, or likely whatever Fallout5 turns out to be. And if I was in Obsidian shoes I would also be weary of becoming "Bethesda support studio". They have their own thing going on, and I think it would be wisest course for them to keep it going. If they do Fallout, I think it would be beneficial to really differenciate it from Bethesda releases.

It was confirmed a while ago, but this is first time we get to see it in action. Obsidian is still thinking of 1st person as a primary play method (Mort's video touches on that in the interview section), and some of the other previews (I think Eurogamer) expressed a similar sentiment. We will see. It does have a very "consol-y" feel to it, like Outer Worlds did. I don't think it is terrible, there isn't much there that I wouldn't want to see considering what game it is likely to be. Probably the ever present quest description is the only thing that I would like to have an option to get rid off at the moment. I do think it is good that interactable items are easily recognisable. Ironically high fidelity makes it tricky to distinguish items from windowdressing - I am trying to play Dishonored 2 without X-ray vision power, and it is a bit tedious. Could they have been more subtle? Eh, perhaps, but I think they look alright in the vibrant artstyle they go for.

cough, gamepass, cough

Obsidian has quite deliberately avoided allowing players to make too earth shattering decisions - those are made by characters who influence our decision (Thaos, Eothas). While allowing player's to make BIG CHOICES can be rewarding in RPGs, in always results in problems in sequels. So far, impact we had as Watcher was mostly localised, so as we move from location to location, in the world full of misinformation, and without printing press, they can write around the little influence that we had. Not that Obsidian already hasn't struggled with reactivity when it comes to returning companions.... Anyway. Lödwyn's presence was known since story trailer - it was confirmed it was her in interviews at the time. If she plays major role, I would assume no reactivity to Deadfire - or maybe Obs will still write around it. Somehow. Woedica likes upholding rules, and breaking them herself. Still, she was such a minor character in Deadfire, I would find it odd if Obs would bring her back, just to break continuity. One would think any other representative of the Steel Garotte would do. Assuming of course, she is present during main events of Avowed, and not some kind of prologue that take place before her departure (and potential demise) to Deadfire. You say, you know there is no save import. Are we sure there won't be one? It would be counterintuitive for a fresh start, but if done discretly, some minor reactivity might be a nice bonus for returning players. In the ending of Valian Faction quest one of the potential leaders end up being exiled to the Living Lands. I doubt that's a coinsidence. I don't expect a save import, mind you, but I also wouldn't be that shocked if there was one.

Hmmm, nothing too new, but my trend to be more cautiously optimistic with each reveal continues. While no PoE3, it might be fun in its own right. hmmm… I might have reinstalled and modded Deadfire. I still didn’t do a Principi playthrough, but I need to think of a character first. I find it rather annoying, that you have to start the game to get to character creator - I would rather have it to start with, or have an ability to create a character separately, and just import him/her in game proper.

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/avoweds-rickety-combat-feels-like-the-undoing-of-its-lush-fungal-world

Yeah, I can’t say I am in love with the DLC. I think it is better than the base game, but still same problems. Beautiful open world filled with repetitive mobs with quite a few areas feeing unfinished - like they made them but didn’t have anything new or interesting to populate them with. “Legacy Dungeons” are still my favourite, pretty much wishing it just would be like classic Souls. Bosses are better than in base game, and with some of them I had almost as much fun as with DS3 - base game, not DLCs. I haven’t encountered quite the bullcrap of Melania yet (we will see about final boss… I heard things), but to me bosses still suffer from overuse of charge moves which timing you have to memorise to avoid, and lack of clarity (wait, how am I supposed to react to this). There is lot of trial and error required for some attacks which I don’t think is fun. On a flip side, they went back to giving you clear openings for counter attacks so there is a more satisfying back and forth.

Erdtree - just one final boss left. It might take a while. Mostly, because I am not in the mood of figuring him out at the moment. Other than that I continue delving into capcom’s catalogue. I tried Monster Hunter: Wilds beta, and aside terrible performance it mostly confused me. Odd controls, odd gameloop. Monster Hunter: World has been on my radar for a long time, but from what I heard about it (hunt monster, craft equipment to fight tougher monsters) I worried it just might not be for me, the way Diablo-like games aren’t for me. I decided to finally give it a go, and I think I found my grindy progression game. What makes it stand out is that I actually like the combat, and I like it more the more I play. Each monster so far has its own quirks so it feels more like boss rush, rather than dull grind. I am quite amazed how much variety there is, even though Capcom smartly reuses assets for different monsters variants - but even if they have some of the same animation, they tend to fight very differently. Difficulty curve is very well handled so far. There is a lot to MH, but I didn’t find it too overwhelming. It might be my game to dip into in-between Street Fighter6. I feel like I have been missing out on Capcom.

As a consumer I have been very happy with FromSoft under Namco Bandai, so I don't see an immediate benefit to myself. The most positive thing would be reuniting Bloodborne IP with Fromsoft, allowing for a potential sequel, or perhaps finally a remaster/remake. On a flip side, that would probably mean end of day and date multiplatform releases, and while in general I don't mind waiting, I think it can be somewhat demaging for FromSoft game, where obtuse nature, and community discovery is part of the experience. That is, of course, assuming Sony would port their games to PC. While they have been moving their IPs over, Demon Souls remake is annoying absent. Whenever it is business decision, or if there is something blocking Sony from released DS on PC, I don't know. But from all Sony's IP DS and Bloodborne are two games I want to see the most. I must say, I have been rather disappointed with Sony games so far. They are not bad, but the best I can say is that they have been "alright".

Couple eyebrows raised, and while I thought Erdtree will take the cake, I am even more confused by Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection as a best fighting game(s?) of the year. That's not even a remake, that's just a re-release/port. From what I understand it is a very welcome one and a great one, but still. A collection of old games shouldn't be a contender for best X game of current year.

Eh, I am curious how OW2 will do. My impression was, that Bethesda's Fallout76 fiasco generated a lot of buzz for OW, and a lot of "Fallout In space, Bethesda killer etc." headlines, in spite of devs trying really, really hard to communicated that it is not on the scale of Fallout: New Vegas. The game did get a good critical reception, and it sold reasonably well. We will see if it was a one off, or if the audience returns for the sequel.

Classes are as accessible as they come - you simplify player made builds in favour of pre-configured kits. While team-based class systems are my personal favourite, I just don’t think there is much benefit to a class system in a single character game, as there are no other equal party members to synergise with. From what Obsidian has showed my impression is that Avowed will focus more on player defined kits (choice of weapon and couple active skills), rather than more traditional “builds”. They also keep mentioning an ability to keep switching playstyles, so at least an easy access to respec is a likely possibility.

Yeah, nor did I, but frankly I bounced of it so quickly I don't see my opinion as valid. In my case, I just couldn't figure out how the game works, and had too many other things to play to boot it again.

I think it is more about scale of the title, than the design. But yes, in principle, I have no issue with a game abandoning expected features in pursuit of something new. In fact, I did like more unusual Obsidian games (like Alpha protocol). However, I am still waiting to see what makes Avowed tick. As I keep mouling over Avowed popping on Battlenet - it might be an attept to give the game more spotlight. Sure as heck it is easier to notice on Battlenet, than on a busy platform like Steam.

Yeah, I am also not quite sure what to make of Avowed just yet. I am not sure "Pillars, but like Skyrim" was ever a thing - at least not in the way that I would interpret it. The quote is from before Avowed was being worked on and the meaning of the quote might not be any deeper than "what if we do a first person game in Eora setting". The roumors had it that originally Avowed was more coop focues, but that direction was scrapped midway through development, and the game switched gears to become a more traditional singleplayer Obsidian game. So far what interviews highlighted to me that a special "Avowed" feature, is allowing less player agency than what I have come to expect from Obsidian - companions are mandatory, and our role quite strictly defined. Allegiedly, that allows to integrated companions better into the story, as one doesn't have to account for them not being with the player (or dead). However, I would think that if they pulled something extrodenary, they would try to showcase it, which I don't think have been the case so far. Eh, we will see. I am hoping for the best, expecting the worst. Let's just say, that Microsoft's track record hasn't been great. PS: Also: “Skins” for companions? I assume than, that there will be very little systemic depth to them. No inventory at least, it seems.

Huh. Interesting. Are they looking to make Battle.net, Microsoft's 2nd digital shop? As it is, Battlenet would need a serious overhaul to host more than a handful of games, and if Avowed is a one off, it is a really random one. As far as we know it doesn't even have multiplayer, right? Also pretty pricey - at £60 I am having some serious expectations. Also, £20 extra for some skins and playing "5 days earlier".

In an RPG I do, if it is an RPG with a decent amount of visual fidelity. Even in Outer Worlds, where I can't see my character in gameplay, I did appreciate having an option to make him look how I wanted to roleplay him - and seeing the avatar in the menus did reinforce the character I was roleplaying as. I can't be bothered to do much customisaiton in soulslike games though - it gets covered by armor anyway.

I mean how lite are we talking about? There is a bit more agency and build variety (so stuff like, will your rip open a door, or sneak in through the vent just around the corner). Side content is a bit more robust, and potentially allowing for more variety of approaches. Quest design isn't Deux Ex, though. Systems in Cyberpunk a more complex than in Witcher, but it is not a systemic game that allows for emergent solutions. And Cyberpunk is way too cinematic, to give players an objective, sandbox and let them loose. In the main quests you mainly follow objectives and watch cutscenes inbetween gameplay sections.

Gameplay won't blow anyone socks off, but I think it does the job for what it needs to be. The game is so well paced, that I never minded combat (unlike the original, where I grew bored of it). I wondered how I will like the 2nd playthrough, knowing the story, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. HoD is something, and it is not even a musical highlight of the game.