shmity72
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please keep us posted on these developments. as one of the forefathers said of the new ai: it is the next sort of 'industrial revolution'. i believe that to be so from what i've seen so far.
Industry News / Upcoming Games
- Thread starter Antimatter
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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases today on the Switch, and it has received all the accolades possible, with a sea full of 10/10 reviews everywhere and a score of 96 on Metacritic.
www.metacritic.com
There is one review, though, that gives the game 6/10.
www.gfinityesports.com
Luke Plunkett from Kotaku analyzed that review and its importance for the industry:
"The more psychotic among those fans can never be saved, but I’ve also seen some more mild-mannered questioning of the review, even from other websites, so felt like being absolutely clear here: it’s fine. And a 6/10 review for a game that everybody else is giving 90-100 to is a good thing!
I can’t believe this needs to be said, but clearly it does: no game is objectively perfect, everyone has different tastes and abilities, and every game caters to those differently. The idea that a game can be unanimously “good” or “bad” is some 1995 shit, and we are better than that. And if you’re not, then you should be trying to be.
It is bad for video games if a major release is unanimously praised, because that’s doing a disservice to the wider audience of people playing video games. Not everyone likes Zelda, not everyone likes everything about Zelda, and it’s important to talk about that and listen to other’s experiences when they’re doing it."
kotaku.com
I don't have the Switch and can't play it, but I can link the GQ Magazine Top 100 list of games from this thread, where the previous Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, claimed #1. It's indeed good there are people who don't agree with "everybody else" and provide counterarguments to the overwhelming praise.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom critic reviews
Metacritic aggregates music, game, tv, and movie reviews from the leading critics. Only Metacritic.com uses METASCORES, which let you know at a glance how each item was reviewed.
www.metacritic.com
There is one review, though, that gives the game 6/10.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review - These tears are salty
How do you follow up on what many believe to be one of the greatest games of all time? That depends on your view of what came before, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set to reignite the great debate.
Luke Plunkett from Kotaku analyzed that review and its importance for the industry:
"The more psychotic among those fans can never be saved, but I’ve also seen some more mild-mannered questioning of the review, even from other websites, so felt like being absolutely clear here: it’s fine. And a 6/10 review for a game that everybody else is giving 90-100 to is a good thing!
I can’t believe this needs to be said, but clearly it does: no game is objectively perfect, everyone has different tastes and abilities, and every game caters to those differently. The idea that a game can be unanimously “good” or “bad” is some 1995 shit, and we are better than that. And if you’re not, then you should be trying to be.
It is bad for video games if a major release is unanimously praised, because that’s doing a disservice to the wider audience of people playing video games. Not everyone likes Zelda, not everyone likes everything about Zelda, and it’s important to talk about that and listen to other’s experiences when they’re doing it."
It's Good That There's A 6/10 Zelda Review Score
Unanimous praise is boring, and quite frankly unhealthy
kotaku.com
I don't have the Switch and can't play it, but I can link the GQ Magazine Top 100 list of games from this thread, where the previous Zelda game, Breath of the Wild, claimed #1. It's indeed good there are people who don't agree with "everybody else" and provide counterarguments to the overwhelming praise.
Chronicler
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I'm sure it's a wonderful game, but when a big budget corporate product comes out and nobody's allowed to dislike it I think that has more to do with their hype machine whipping everybody into a furor than anything else.
We definitely live in an age where there are some beloved indy darlings but I notice it's never like some especially earnest piece of artistic expression made by three friends with day jobs that is just so sacrosanct you're not allowed to shit talk it. Like, at the height of Undertale's hype, a lot of people were giving it pretty high praise, but probably an equal number of people were saying praise was cringe and the game was over-rated.
We definitely live in an age where there are some beloved indy darlings but I notice it's never like some especially earnest piece of artistic expression made by three friends with day jobs that is just so sacrosanct you're not allowed to shit talk it. Like, at the height of Undertale's hype, a lot of people were giving it pretty high praise, but probably an equal number of people were saying praise was cringe and the game was over-rated.
InGameScientist
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I think you all might enjoy some of the games featured on this year's Tacticon, hosted by two of my favorite publishers (Hooded Horse and Firesquid)!
store.steampowered.com
Any games that pique your interest?
Tacticon 2023
TactiCon is a digital convention hosted on Steam celebrating strategy video games.
Any games that pique your interest?
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I have Songs of Conquest gifted to me by my friend but haven't tried it yet.
Inkulinati has that neat graphical style, but I first wanted to try Pentiment which has the same visual style (again, not enough time yet).
I've played Timberborn, it's one of my favorite in-between games, I've been their fan from the first demo.
Too bad Manor Lords are still not released, I'm keeping an eye on that game.
I would like to hear more about Colony Ship from people who have played it before deciding if I'm ready to try it, or not.
What about you?
Inkulinati has that neat graphical style, but I first wanted to try Pentiment which has the same visual style (again, not enough time yet).
I've played Timberborn, it's one of my favorite in-between games, I've been their fan from the first demo.
Too bad Manor Lords are still not released, I'm keeping an eye on that game.
I would like to hear more about Colony Ship from people who have played it before deciding if I'm ready to try it, or not.
What about you?
InGameScientist
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I have a few that I'm looking forward to:
Mars Tactics (destructable environments that can be used for cover!)
Falling Frontier (feels like what I imagine WWII naval warfare to be like but in space)
Shadow Gambit: The Lost Crew (like Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun but much more)
Xenonauts 2 (I can't not have it on my list lol)
Mars Tactics (destructable environments that can be used for cover!)
Falling Frontier (feels like what I imagine WWII naval warfare to be like but in space)
Shadow Gambit: The Lost Crew (like Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun but much more)
Xenonauts 2 (I can't not have it on my list lol)
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Even while it's harsh, I agree:
Also, while it's bad to forward the anger towards developers (as is, people working in companies), it is totally valid to do that towards investors, publishers and the like.
www.gamesradar.com
Also, while it's bad to forward the anger towards developers (as is, people working in companies), it is totally valid to do that towards investors, publishers and the like.
Game developers defend Lord of the Rings Gollum's poor reviews: "No one wants to ship a bad game"
Fellow devs are sharing their experiences of rocky launches
www.gamesradar.com
Chronicler
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The old adage used to be "A late game is only late once, but a bad game is bad forever."
In a literal sense, it's less true these days. They can technically ship a barely playable product and patch it into shape over the course of the next year and a half. But those same people who approve the cost cutting measures that necessitate that also are very eager for Day 1 sales. You can only pull the rug out from under the consumer so many times before they realize the "release date" is just us paying for the privilege to beta test their game.
In a literal sense, it's less true these days. They can technically ship a barely playable product and patch it into shape over the course of the next year and a half. But those same people who approve the cost cutting measures that necessitate that also are very eager for Day 1 sales. You can only pull the rug out from under the consumer so many times before they realize the "release date" is just us paying for the privilege to beta test their game.
Chronicler
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God forbid you don't have internet access. Trying to find a game you can play properly right out of the box must be a nightmare these days.
OrlonKronsteen
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I doubt there's such a thing as that. In the old days, that's exactly what you'd turn to consoles for. One of the greatest distinctions between console and PC gaming was that you had a drastically higher probablity of getting a bug-free experience on console, simply because those games could never be patched. They had to be released in great shape. That changed the moment consoles went online, and it's a darn shame, imo.
alice_ashpool
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Wait like 3 years after release for the "terribly optimised but at least it doesn't c2d every 12 minutes" experience.
alice_ashpool
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Was watching that long haired twitch person making the point that pc games these days have 500Gb ram requirements but look like the witcher 2
Chronicler
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I believe I've heard the name for that is "Software Bloat". The idea that as computers get more powerful, coders start coding less efficiently, so computers never run as much faster as it seems like they should.
You look at the kind of games they used to fit on a floppy disk, and then you look at what they're doing today with several hundred times that hardware. It doesn't add up. They've got websites using their visitors to farm crypto these days. It's insane.
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A full investigation by Jason Schreier about Redfall:
here
"Development of Redfall began in 2018. At the time, ZeniMax — the large, privately held owner of Bethesda Softworks — was looking to sell itself. Behind the scenes, the company was encouraging its studios to develop games that could generate revenue beyond the initial sales, a popular trend dubbed “games as a service,” which was taking off in the late 2010s thanks to lucrative hits like Overwatch and Fortnite.
According to people familiar with the process, ZeniMax was strongly urging developers at its subsidiaries to implement microtransactions — that is, recurring opportunities within games for players to spend real money, say, outfitting their characters. Although this wasn’t an absolute mandate, several ZeniMax franchises such as Fallout, Doom and Wolfenstein would soon release new versions incorporating online multiplayer and monetization options.
At Arkane’s headquarters in Austin, Harvey Smith and Ricardo Bare, respected industry veterans, were tapped to serve as co-directors of Redfall. Following the commercially unsuccessful release of its sci-fi shooter Prey a year earlier, leadership across the company wanted to make something more broadly appealing. What eventually emerged was the idea to make a multiplayer game in which users would team up to battle vampires and perhaps pay for occasional cosmetic upgrades."
"Since its founding in 1999, Arkane had become known for games called “immersive sims,” single-player experiences in which players strive to overcome obstacles in multiple ways, from combat to stealth maneuvers. Yet from the start, Redfall was pitched to staff as a “multiplayer Arkane game,” which some team members said they found confusing. Whether the sort of gameplay that the studio specialized in would be technically possible in a multiplayer environment was an open question.
Developers under Smith and Bare said the two leads were outwardly excited but as the project progressed failed to provide clear direction. Staff members said that, over time, they grew frustrated with management’s frequently shifting references to other games, such as Far Cry and Borderlands, that left each department with varying ideas of what exactly they were making. Throughout the development, the fundamental tension between single-player and multiplayer design remained unresolved. Smith and Bare did not respond to requests for comment."
here
"Development of Redfall began in 2018. At the time, ZeniMax — the large, privately held owner of Bethesda Softworks — was looking to sell itself. Behind the scenes, the company was encouraging its studios to develop games that could generate revenue beyond the initial sales, a popular trend dubbed “games as a service,” which was taking off in the late 2010s thanks to lucrative hits like Overwatch and Fortnite.
According to people familiar with the process, ZeniMax was strongly urging developers at its subsidiaries to implement microtransactions — that is, recurring opportunities within games for players to spend real money, say, outfitting their characters. Although this wasn’t an absolute mandate, several ZeniMax franchises such as Fallout, Doom and Wolfenstein would soon release new versions incorporating online multiplayer and monetization options.
At Arkane’s headquarters in Austin, Harvey Smith and Ricardo Bare, respected industry veterans, were tapped to serve as co-directors of Redfall. Following the commercially unsuccessful release of its sci-fi shooter Prey a year earlier, leadership across the company wanted to make something more broadly appealing. What eventually emerged was the idea to make a multiplayer game in which users would team up to battle vampires and perhaps pay for occasional cosmetic upgrades."
"Since its founding in 1999, Arkane had become known for games called “immersive sims,” single-player experiences in which players strive to overcome obstacles in multiple ways, from combat to stealth maneuvers. Yet from the start, Redfall was pitched to staff as a “multiplayer Arkane game,” which some team members said they found confusing. Whether the sort of gameplay that the studio specialized in would be technically possible in a multiplayer environment was an open question.
Developers under Smith and Bare said the two leads were outwardly excited but as the project progressed failed to provide clear direction. Staff members said that, over time, they grew frustrated with management’s frequently shifting references to other games, such as Far Cry and Borderlands, that left each department with varying ideas of what exactly they were making. Throughout the development, the fundamental tension between single-player and multiplayer design remained unresolved. Smith and Bare did not respond to requests for comment."
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After years of silence on the game, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 publisher Paradox Interactive has finally revealed a few new screenshots to hint at its ongoing development. At the same time, the company has offered refunds to anyone who pre-ordered the sequel, people who in some cases have been waiting years to get the game they paid for.
Originally announced in 2019 and once slated for release in 2021, the sequel to the cult classic 2004 RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has long been silent. In a new blog post, publisher Paradox Interactive recognized the lack of updates on the game’s development. The post also indicated that the various editions in which the game finally becomes available may evolve from the original offerings, and that therefore anyone who wishes to may refund their existing preorder.
www.paradoxinteractive.com
kotaku.com
Originally announced in 2019 and once slated for release in 2021, the sequel to the cult classic 2004 RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has long been silent. In a new blog post, publisher Paradox Interactive recognized the lack of updates on the game’s development. The post also indicated that the various editions in which the game finally becomes available may evolve from the original offerings, and that therefore anyone who wishes to may refund their existing preorder.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive is a world leading PC games publisher known for games such as Cities: Skylines, Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings.
RPG Starts Offering Refunds For People Sick Of Waiting Years For It To Come Out
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was originally supposed to release in 2020
kotaku.com
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This game was probably completely rewritten after everything that happenned to it...After years of silence on the game, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 publisher Paradox Interactive has finally revealed a few new screenshots to hint at its ongoing development. At the same time, the company has offered refunds to anyone who pre-ordered the sequel, people who in some cases have been waiting years to get the game they paid for.
Originally announced in 2019 and once slated for release in 2021, the sequel to the cult classic 2004 RPG Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has long been silent. In a new blog post, publisher Paradox Interactive recognized the lack of updates on the game’s development. The post also indicated that the various editions in which the game finally becomes available may evolve from the original offerings, and that therefore anyone who wishes to may refund their existing preorder.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 - Paradox Interactive
Paradox Interactive is a world leading PC games publisher known for games such as Cities: Skylines, Europa Universalis and Crusader Kings.
RPG Starts Offering Refunds For People Sick Of Waiting Years For It To Come Out
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 was originally supposed to release in 2020
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- 1,195
So, any game that caught your interest in this year's non-E3 shows? So many interesting games were shown / announced, from AAA to indie.
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I'll start with my own mini-list (that comes on top of the games that are already known, e.g. BG3, Starfield etc):
Dragon's Dogma 2 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2054970/Dragons_Dogma_2/
Clockwork Revolution - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2439280/Clockwork_Revolution/
Fable
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
And some smaller ones:
En Garde! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1654660/En_Garde/
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales https://store.steampowered.com/app/1432100/The_Bookwalker_Thief_of_Tales/
Dragon's Dogma 2 - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2054970/Dragons_Dogma_2/
Clockwork Revolution - https://store.steampowered.com/app/2439280/Clockwork_Revolution/
Fable
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
And some smaller ones:
En Garde! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1654660/En_Garde/
The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales https://store.steampowered.com/app/1432100/The_Bookwalker_Thief_of_Tales/