Underwhelming new video games

[Amigoltu]

I don't think I've ever seen as much hype for a computer game, as Cyberpunk 2077 was getting for the last few years. Yet, personally, after watching the trailers, I have my reservations about it.

Some, of course, may be quick to point out, that the game isn't out yet. However, pre-ordering and/or getting sucked into the hype, is almost never a good thing. And considering points below, I'd say people should be especially wary of this game. It may well not be No Man's Sky 2.0, but then... It also may be just that.

Gameplay:
For one, none of those trailers seemed to show off a lot of actual gameplay. It was all cut-scenes, or scripted events. And whatever little gameplay those trailers did show, was honestly nothing special. It just seemed like a generic First Person Shooter. As if we need more CoD clones...

World:
I never really get that excited with these games, that advertise their grand scale, like No Man's Sky. Because it doesn't matter how large the game world is, if it's lacking detail. Cyberpunk seems to have the detail, but again, we only saw that on scripted trailers, and the game already seems to be downgrading, which brings me to the next point.

Graphics:
If you look at first trailers, and then, at the "Deep Dive" one, it seems like there's been a downgrade in graphics. And that Keanu Reeves model looks quite bad... Now, visuals don't really matter to me that much, but last minute downgrades are not a good sign. Take in mind also, that Cyberpunk is basically being created on dated technology, considering how long it's been in development. That makes me wonder if more features will be dialed back in the final release. Having that delay is also not a good sign.

Other:
Also, Cyberpunk seemingly will not actually have a Third Person perspective. Which is a really weird choice by creators. It's supposed to be an RPG, right? It even has all that detailed character customization system. Why have that and make it First Person only? Customizing your character and then not seeing it during gameplay... Unless, which I assume will be the case, they make it, that you can see your character sometimes, e.g. when you look in the mirror. Still, it's plain idiotic.

UPDATE:
Cyberpunk 2077 was delayed again, till November 19th now. Delayed twice now. And that is after, seemingly, over 8 years of development:

At the 11:26 mark of the video above, the presenter says (after showing Cyberpunk picture) that they had a "second team" for "quite some time now", working on this game. This took place back in 2012.

So in short, 8 years development, multiple delays, no actual gameplay footage, no demos, nothing. Hmm I wonder how this will go...

 

[deepstrasz]

Do they still release demos? If yes, talk after.

 

[Amigoltu]

I guess I should have dedicated this thread to new games, in general. For there's more comin:

Now comes another game - Ghost of Tsushima, also to be released soon. Trailer, that I'll be referencing below:

Hidden

The game is supposed to be an open-world, "action-adventure" game. And what does this gameplay trailer show us? Surely it would be the large and detailed open-world, with lots of NPCs, lots of things to do like quests, professions, etc. Like Skyrim. But nope. This trailer shows off the visuals. The video is called "gameplay", and yet, it's merely showing the graphics, that also are mostly mediocre, but have that dark filter on them, to make it all looks bit nicer...

It's funny, actually. You'd expect a trailer to show off awesome gameplay, hooking story, detailed open-world. But naw, Sucker Punch will instead show us Moving Grass. Because that's what games need. Not the other things I mentioned...

This game actually has a "photo mode". A photo mode... In a video game... That about explains everything...

 

[deepstrasz]

It's funny, actually. You'd expect a trailer to show off awesome gameplay, hooking story, detailed open-world. But naw, Sucker Punch will instead show us Moving Grass. Because that's what games need. Not the other things I mentioned...

Good that it's grass. Many would have expected skirts. At least they're showing interest in nature.
Also, you can change the thread title if you want to.

 

[Amigoltu]

Now, this is one that I am personally quite miffed about... Mount and Blade: Bannerlord.

It's been going relatively fine for a time, though now the updates have slowed down. As expected, since most pressing problems have been fixed or reduced, and now they'll be rolling out big updates. At least that is hopefully the case.

Despite that, some things are worrying about this game. Primarily it is talking about Single-Player. First of all, this game got Multiplayer BEFORE SP, and the SP currently looks worse than that of Warband's. Warband is fully working and supports all kinds of mods. Unlike current Bannerlord.

And now another thing landed...
Tactical decisions on the battlefield should play a bigger role in deciding the tide of battle

Most fans (as the commenters on the link above show pretty clearly) expected Bannerlord to have more depth than Warband in most aspects: Politics, Marriage, Economics, and probably most importantly - Combat Tactics. Something like what is shown in this video, featuring fan mod:

Just as the creator of the thread (linked above) pointed out. And the Community Manager had this to say about it:

"The game leans more on the action RPG side, with just elements of strategy sprinkled in here and there. The video in the OP is great, and I think that it is awesome that people are making these types of mods and that the game supports them, even at this early stage, but I think that something along those lines would be too complex to use as a player and draw the game out too much, ultimately detracting from the fast-paced action and gameplay."

As the later replies in the thread show, people were quite unhappy with this message. And it's understandable. Hardly anybody wanted some simplistic RPG with dumbed-down gameplay to cater to the casuals. As a commenter said: "We didn't sign up for Call of Duty: Bannerlord".

Thing is, that this shows the attitude of the Devs. It's early to speak, of course, but there is a possibility they won't even bother to make SP more detailed or fleshed out in any aspects mentioned above. After all, it would make the game "too complex", or some other similar bs.

Overall, it seems that right now at least, Bannerlord is just a graphics remaster of Warband. For a game that was developed for over 10 years, more was expected. I wonder if 10 more years will be needed for this game to be properly fleshed out. Or if it will ever get the depth that fans expected, for that matter.

Oh and the early access costs 50 Eur. Which is just ridiculous.

UPDATE:
Early Access as defined by Tale Worlds
I'm sorry but I finally give up, what the hell are TW doing? Nothing new in 3 weeks. Whoever is managing this team needs the boot.

Apparently, Tale Worlds is acting much like ActiBlizz - refusing to communicate with their fanbase, lying, cash-grabbing. Posts above are just confirming my concerns. Glad I did not purchase this EA demo. Maybe will check back in a couple of years.

 

[Amigoltu]

A little late now, but here comes another one:

The Last Of Us 2

INTRO:
So, a couple of months before this was even released, HOURS of video footage featuring gameplay, cut-scenes and cinematics of the game leaked out. The leaks revealed, among other things, that

Spoiler

Joel would get killed early in the game, players would have to play as his killer, and this killer would beat the shit outta Ellie.

As for who released these leaks, multiple versions are out there:

• That it was a disgruntled developer;
• (Sony/Naughty Dog version) it was a hacker.

Anyways, some people speculated that the leaks were fake, but those who saw them (I did too ) knew, that they weren't. It was literal hours of obviously-not-fanmade-footage. Even the voice-actor of character Joel (Troy Baker) claimed that the leaks were fake, or didn't tell the story.

Then the release happened...


RELEASE, RECEPTION, DECEIT:
The release, of course, proved that all the leaks were true, thus, proving that if not Sony/ND themselves, then at least those working for them lied about the leaks (Troy Baker) being false.

Not only that, but the release proved, that Sony/ND themselves were being deceitful in their marketing, making their trailers look like Joel would be alive for a longer time, and we'd get to see him older and play as him:
Naughty Dog has Misled The Last of Us Fans With Swapped Models - SP1st

Hidden

Hidden

Also, Metacritic seems to be censoring the reviews, as links below suggest. Deleting and blocking the negative ones, while allowing positive ones to go through.
ResetEra deplatforms and bans Angry Joe for his TLOU2 review
Reddit - TheLastOfUs2 - Metacritic is not allowing me to post a negative review on The Last of Us Part 2.
Metacritic BLOCKING negative review for TLoU2 - Geeks + Gamers

The entire subreddit seems to hate this game
The Last Of Us 2

Simply said, the company lied extensively, and without hesitation to gain as much following for this game, as possible, regardless of whether people actually hate the game after playing it.


GAMEPLAY:
The gameplay seems to be exactly what it was in the first part. Even the complaints people had, such as friendly NPC AI running around in Stealth parts of the game, and not being noticed, have remained in the game here. In other words, as the footage below shows, TLOU AI seems to ignore player-friendly NPCs:

Hidden

Other than that, if you liked first TLOU gameplay, you probably won't mind this one...

CONCLUSION:
It seems like Sony/ND didn't put nearly as much effort into making this one, instead focusing on grabbing as much cash as they can with this, as well as pushing certain political views (for whatever reason):
Naughty Dog made female characters less feminine to be trans friendly (No Spoilers)
Making characters look more androgynous to appeal to trans community...

 

[deepstrasz]

Naughty Dog made female characters less feminine to be trans friendly (No Spoilers)
Making characters look more androgynous to appeal to trans community...

So if they don't appeal to you, automatically it means transsexuality?
Honestly, I'm pretty tired of everybody being fit and sexy in video games. That goes for both sexes. Everybody looks perfect. If they are trying to depict a sort of real world, that does not make sense.

 

[Amigoltu]

So if they don't appeal to you, automatically it means transsexuality?
Honestly, I'm pretty tired of everybody being fit and sexy in video games. That goes for both sexes. Everybody looks perfect. If they are trying to depict a sort of real world, that does not make sense.

It's not a question of appealing, it's that they are making female characters look more masculine, supposedly so trans community would feel more included. Not just the "Ma'am", but everyone, including Ellie.

At the same time, though, yes, I would rather look at a "fit and sexy" female character in games, rather than a fat blob. As would probably everyone asides from those, who have some insecurities about their own body/health. Also, it is healthy to promote healthy, fit and sexy looking bodies (for both men and women). That's what we all should strive for.

 

[deepstrasz]

I would rather look at a "fit and sexy" female character in games, rather than a fat blob. As would probably everyone asides from those, who have some insecurities about their own body/health.

Wow, you're a psychiatrist now? Since when do fat people necessarily have the need to see other fat people or to feel attracted to them for instance?
If anything, the insecurity appears on those who see perfection all the time instead of things that are akin reality. This is not fantasy we're talking about. It's a game that distorts reality by allegedly trying to simulate it and thus affecting people's minds.

If you want to see fit and sexy females, there are sites and places you could visit, you know...

Also, it is healthy to promote healthy, fit and sexy looking bodies (for both men and women). That's what we all should strive for.

Yeah, while at the same time causing depression to those who will never look that good because it's innately/naturally impossible.

 

[Amigoltu]

Wow, you're a psychiatrist now? Since when do fat people necessarily have the need to see other fat people or to feel attracted to them for instance?

Never claimed that. I said, that certain individuals, who have insecurities about their own bodies, may not like seeing fit in-game characters because it makes them feel self-conscious. Is this an unreasonable claim?

If anything, the insecurity appears on those who see perfection all the time instead of things that are akin reality. This is not fantasy we're talking about. It's a game that distorts reality by allegedly trying to simulate it and thus affecting people's minds.

Are you implying that a healthy body is unrealistic? According to CDC, obesity in US is not reaching 50%:
Obesity is a Common, Serious, and Costly Disease

If you want to see fit and sexy females, there are sites and places you could visit, you know...

Not the reason for my statement. The reason is simply, that I like watching beautiful human body shape more than not-beautiful one.

Yeah, while at the same time causing depression to those who will never look that good because it's innately/naturally impossible.

Feelings more important than health? Also, talking about minority of people here. Thirdly, everyone can look healthy if they put in the effort. Some happen to have to put in more effort than others.

 

[deepstrasz]

Never claimed that. I said, that certain individuals, who have insecurities about their own bodies, may not like seeing fit in-game characters because it makes them feel self-conscious. Is this an unreasonable claim?

So... I should only see women so I won't snap back to reality that I'm probably male?

Are you implying that a healthy body is unrealistic?

I did? Well, I'm sorry if that's what you understood.

Not the reason for my statement. The reason is simply, that I like watching beautiful human body shape more than not-beautiful one.

Argument still stands. I don't play games for lovely bodies. Sane people don't play chess for curvaceous pieces.

Feelings more important than health?

No but how's playing games with big breasted women or immense muscly men representations healthier? As I mentioned before, there are disadvantages that come with that. Being turned on or in constant dopamine rush is actually depression causing if you don't get it anymore. It's like a sort of drug addiction.

Also, talking about minority of people here. Thirdly, everyone can look healthy if they put in the effort. Some happen to have to put in more effort than others.

I wasn't referring to looking healthy but good. Healthy is only the survival related part.

Some happen to have to put in more effort than others.

And thanks of social media, that effort is totally unnecessary.

 

[Amigoltu]

Update on M&B: Bannerlord

So, now that this game is over a year into EA and is likely going to be fully released soon, I believe it's a fair time to observe it's development. Sadly, nothing positive can be said about it.

Seems that the game is going the same route as Cyberpunk 2077 - lots of pre-release promises that aren't being fulfilled. The sources below list the missing promised features pretty well:

What we have in Bannerlord pre-release dev diaries but not in game by now

I'm trying to figure out what Bannerlord features have been mentioned in pre-release diaries but not in game by now. I was reviewing those pre-release diaries since I wonder how the game will be like when the EA phase eventually ends. Hopefully TW will implement those features they have...

forums.taleworlds.com

Spoiler: List of missing features from earlier games

https://www.reddit.com/r/mountandblade/comments/hm4429

For months now, the released patches only added small tweaks and bugfixes (adding new bugs with every new patch). Unsurprisingly, the Bannerlord forums look much like WCIII forums. TW also seems to have gone silent, for the most part, as well.

The Citadel - General Discussion

For general discussion regarding Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.

forums.taleworlds.com

Now, M&B was always largely about the mods, but there are problems there as well, that make any more advanced modding (complete overhauls) impossible as things are now. These problems are persisting for long enough, that the modding community collectively sent a letter to TW:

Open Letter to TaleWorlds

docs.google.com

TW community manager did respond to this, but 1,5 months later, things haven't gone further.

On top of this, the game is apparently going to be released on consoles:

Mount And Blade 2 Bannerlord PS5 Release Still On The Cards - PlayStation Universe

ount and Blade 2 Bannerlord is still coming to PS5, just a little bit later then we thought. Better late than never though, right?

www.psu.com

And as some long-time fans speculate, that may be the reason why certain features are deemed "too complicated" and are scrapped (even though they existed in previous versions, or mods). Also, this is the speculated reason for why the AI has been simplified.

But asides from speculations, the game lacks a huge amount of features promised pre-EA-release and features, that earlier games had. And with the EA already lasting over a year, it's very likely, that this going to be the final state of the game (with some bugfixes).

 

[josemuxitobumba]

I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I agree with some of the reservations about Cyberpunk 2077. It's always a gamble when it comes to pre-ordering and getting sucked into the hype.