Wormerine

Pretty good interview with Matt Booty, Head of Microsoft Game Studios, during Friends Per Second Podcast. There are chapters but the interview starts around 41:00 minute mark. Unfortunately nothing about Avowed

Played a bit of technical beta for Hitman3 Freelancer mode. So far really promising. A neat somewhat roguelite mode using Hitman levels. Randomised targets, optional objectives and limited access to inventory do shake things up quite a bit. Funny how much not having a silenced pistol changes things. From what I can tell there are no bonus objectives for silent assassin, unless there is reward for something of that kind.

At the same time wouldn't it be frustrating for Microsoft to purchase so many studios and seemingly do nothing with them? For not we haven't seen a single Microsoft heavy hitter, be it Avowed, Hellblade2 or Bethesda-space-game whatever it is called. I treated Avowed CGI, like recent new Deux Ex confirmation - that's what they are working right now, it's very early and anything could happen. Avowed trailer reveled little to nothing about the actual game, so there are no false promises... unless of course, someone bought XBOX console hoping to play Avowed in near future. As a PC gamer and PoE fan, I am glad that the IP is at least being worked on. I will hopefully still be here when/if it's ready.

It is from pre-alpha build that was shared as a preview with some selected outlets. I believe the author of the article below confirmed that the screenshot is from the build he have seen almost a year ago. So it is definitely not representative of current state, and it's difficult to guess how much the direction could have change with changes in the projects leadership. Still nice to at least take a look at something. https://www.windowscentral.com/details-xbox-exclusive-avowed-obsidian-outer-worlds-meets-medieval-fantasy My guess would be that it was some form of vertical slice - it's been already in development for some time, so I am sure the art team has been exploring the look of the game. Assets must have been made for Avowed itself, with PoE1 don't being a 3d game and working in a different engine.

Good. I just hope their recent comment to "do What Cyberpunk 2077 couldn't" isn't indicative of their ambition. They did small, but intricate rather well, it would be a shame if they overextended.

True, same as Red Dead and some other games. It is a bit more damning for C77 though, who attempts more player agency here and there. I was more frustrated by game sending me mixed signals then anything. By browsing the internet I have learned there is a classic Deus Ex touch, like being able to save one NPC during the Asaka raid, but with how restrictive C77 has been I feel really cheated by this being an u specified option. I even tried to go back with my super legs during the playthrough and thought there was some invisible wall to prevent me from doing it - might be just game’s junk getting in the way.

Return to Monkey Island is coming to Game Pass in a weeks time. Glad I skipped it https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/embracer-close-hitman-go-developers-just-months-after-acquiring-them embracer shut down studio responsible for “Go” series (Hitman/Tomb Raider/Deus Ex Go). At least some folks will go to Eidos Montreal (Deus Ex, Guardian of the Galaxy folks). edit: got confused which studio is which. Gist was right, but studio names were wrong.

Finished my Cyberpunk2077 playthrough. As I see it the game is unfinished - and I don't mean bugs etc. I had very playable experience, tough the game is very junky in both gameplay and presentation. It seems to me like CDPR developed very few possible interactions for this game - missions objectives are very repetitive and the game is incapable of utilising the open world map. I can think of very few car chases, and those that are there are very uninteractive - that is my repeating complaint with the game. So much of the game is just passively following the dotted line, and always FPS view makes the "cutscenes" very uninteresting to watch. Story is a mess - again, feels like it needed some rewrites and a lot of fleshing out. There are story beats, factions, and characters with potential, but it's all very rough. There are moments where the game comes back to life the way Witcher games did, but those are few. I feel there is a lot of texture missing - like how life in night city actually looks like. Characters state their view points a lot (Johnny especially) but those are never explored. For example, I still don't know why Arasaka is so evil, or even what it is they do, outside brain copying mumbo jumbo. I feel that for that is a painful omition for the game's main antagonist. Perhaps it's explained in one of the myriad lore books, but I missed it. It doesn't help that V is a bland protagonist, with only basic motivations. Without interesting choices to make he isn't little more then the cameramen - the emotional weight lies on other NPCs, and unfortunately, most of the time we spend alone. I mean there is Johny, but I found him to be all over the place. I like the intention for his development, but he lacked.... well, development. With most of the story not being about him, he is sidelined being as ****, until he suddenly gets a change or a heart. I also didn't like dives into his memories, which felt like lore dumps with ****. I think I would prefer if he wasn't Keanu. I never stopped finding his likeness distracting, and his monotone voice - I mean I like Keanu, but acting has never been his strong suit. Oddly enough I don't mind actor's liknesses in Death Stranding - I think partially because they seem to get to act there. While Cyberpunk can have some impressive character and facial animations. but not for Johny. Easily my least favourite CDPR game - while rough Witcher1&2 had some really special ideas and ambitious in them. I don't think I can say the same about Cyberpunk. It would be forgettable, if not for it being a game that CDPR made after Witcher3.

Possibly. Edit3: screenshot from the Reddit post is still up.

Before Chainsaw Bros, Cliff Bleszinski worked on Furries with Guns, and for a limited time only you can grab for free nostalgia from my childhood that is Jazz Jackrabbit2 on GOG.

I honestly don't know. It was fine. Clunky like rest of W1, but I never found it any worse then the rest.

Netflix Witcher show will be swapping Superman for discounted Thor for season 4 https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/henry-cavill-will-be-replaced-as-geralt-in-the-witcher-season-four Edit: My guess that it is related to Cavill being Superman again.

Above, Hitman: Freelancer video.

One one hand it makes sense, on the other I think game’s junkiness saves it. W1 is fundamentally flawed on many levels, both gameplay and narration wise, and I am not sure how they hope to make it better, unless they just attempt to make a completely different game with some plot similarities. Theoretically if they can focus on good stuff W1 did, and remake bad stuff it could be something worthwhile - but that’s a big ask.

How is it? Is it a major set up from Warband?

I cleared the path to the treasure in the first dugeon. Yeah, I wish there was Dark Souls like feature where you could quite and resume where you left off. I definitely cut one of my evening sessions short after I found a save point and didn't feel I will have enough time to reach another one. I did find them to be very well paces so far, but one simply needs to reserve a decent chunk of time for each session.

That’s quite possible to happen. That was a thing in Plague1. how is performance? By all accounts I hear it is rather poor.

haha, traumatic memories? I am doing my first real dungeon dive in P5 - good stuff. I usually dislike jRPG combat due to how uninteractive it is, but so far I enjoy the game very much. More decisionmaking and way more interactivity outside combat then I expected. Really loving the game so far.

ZA/UM drama continues with ex-Disco Elysium dev suing ZA/UM for not quite clear reasons, possibly in attempt to regain rights to the IP as it was set DE in the same world as his book and table top campaign that predates disco and ZA/UM itself. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/disco-elysium-dev-files-lawsuit-against-the-studio-that-allegedly-kicked-him-out

Me too, but I am just on 2nd day. It’s easily the most stylish and snappy jRPG I played. It’s been weird so far, but I want to see more.

Does Elden Ring count as a cozy game? I find it cozy.

Nothing new though - the screenshot is from an old build that has been preview a while back. Edit: Direct leak to the image: https://imgur.com/a/rPzWUB3

Eh, everytime I hear her, I hear Bastila doing a weird accent.

I am sure you heard her on multiple occasions though. She did a lot of work over the years - once you recognise her voice once, it actually becomes really annoying. I would want rate like that. And I have to bring 20k in equipment to each session. Mob justice is idiotic, as all we have is hearsay from each side. Either way, I don't get what she wanted to achieve with the video, unless she has been harrased for not doing the role and wanted to deflect the blame somewhere else.

I dipped back into Elden Ring after a lengthy break. I find it harder and harder to find content that I haven’t done before. Fighting same mini-bosses for the x time really looses its charm. I think I finally finished underground sections which makes me sad, as it’s been mu fave part of the game (outside actual classing boss dungeons). I fought the Astel Naturalborn of the Void, which was first new thing in a while. I am over level 100 and most of my weapons seem to be maxed out. I feel like I am running out of progression as well, and there still seems to be a lot of the game. Playing some more Cyberpunk - I need to motivate myself to keep going, it bores me. Easily worst CDPR game so far. I am shocked how little there is to it and how poorly paced missions are. I didn’t expect CDPR to have uninteresting quests - that one thing that’s been carrying their games since Witcher1. There are some interesting ideas and characters here and there so perhaps they lack couple rewrites and re-designs. Cyberpunk is euro-jank, except euro-jank tends to have something interesting and unique at its core. Cyberpunk is a generic junky title with nice looking screenshots being all it can offer. Bugs and unfinished state aside, it just lacks creativity and that can’t be patched in.