XBox Games Showcase July 23rd 2020

[Shagger]

Well here it is, The July XBox Showcase. Now, the last time I did something like this on VGR was the PS5 Reveal. On that occasion I posted the whole even then each individual trailer making a small statement on how I felt for each one. This time, I'm not gonna go that because a lot of the trailers in this were quite short and a lot of the info comes from these pre/pro trailer interviews, so I'll post the event itself with time stamps for each trail where I make each statement.

 

 

The first up is arguable the bigest gun XBox has its arsenal, the game that some say IS XBox. a $500million AAA atom bomb to launch the XBox Seies X into orbit. The new Halo. Halo infinite...

 

 

...and it looks like shit.

The gameplay itself looks fun to engage with, it is Halo, but this can't be next gen. It looks like an early XB1, maybe even a good 360 game. I know Xbox fans are going to clamber on about its 60fps and all that, but when it's running on the equivalent of "Powered by a hamster in a wheel" settings on PC, that doesn't mean much. People have really been tearing into this on Twitter, and rightfully so.

 

 

Moving on. at 12 minutes we get a very short teaser for State of Decay 3. Looks pretty in this cinematic, but there's so little I can't really think of much to say.

 

Next after from inspirational sale corp' from everybody's favourite game executive Phil Spencer, another brief cinematic of the new Forza Motorsport at 15:26. Em Phil, It looks stunning, but just so you know, "Running in game engine" does not mean "Running in game graphics".

 

At 16:33, a new game from rare called Everwild. It's cinematic AGAIN, but the art style is stunning and a bit different. I like the look of, and I sense a subtle environmental lesson in there, so that could be interesting.

 

19:37. Yeah, now were talking! A game from one of my favourite developers, DONTNOD called Tell Me Why. An interesting story concept and looks to follow the Life is Strange kind of style. One to watch that one. And it's coming soon, Episode 1 August 27nth.

 

Next, starting at 21:45, is something of an embarrassment and this will spill into something of a rant from me. It's announcement of a new version of Ori and the Will of the Wisps for XBSX from Moon Studios. This is fine as an announcement, but the way this idiot yammers on about from rate. Now, if the difference between 60fps and 120fps is as significant and important as you say, why would have to lie about it to talk it up? Seriously, watch the vid. The comparative gameplay has clearly been slowed right down to point that it's playing about 15fps on the "60fps" side to make it look more jerky that than other side. That is not how a 60fps frame rate looks, especially on a game like Ori. Fuck off moon studio.

 

Gamers, stop boiling your sense of gaming down to numbers! Because this is what happens, Halo Infinite sacrificing graphical fidelity to hit 60fps even though it looks like shit and the developers at Moon Studios having to fabricate a problem that doesn't exist to make 120fps look essential in a game where it clearly isn't. All just to sell a console.

 

Rant over. 23:12, the first of two planned expansions for The Outer Worlds is announced, Peril on Gorgon due September 9nth. Great announcement, multiplat' game, nothing specially to do with XBox, move on.

 

But not that far on as we stick with Obsidian entertainment at 24:43 for what it without my favourite part of the showcase, a brilliantly entraining trailer for Grounded. Now, I have no idea if this game will be for me or not, but this is a great trailer. So funny, self-aware and vibrant, I love it. The game looks good to, but like I said, I'm not sure it's my sort of thing, but kudos regardless. That was bloody brilliant.

 

And we STILL aren't done with Obsidian as we see a trailer very promising looking new RPG called Avowed at 26:57. Getting some real Skyrim vibes, except maybe a little darker. It is FP perspective only, and I'm not a fan of that in an RPG, especially with swordplay involved rather than guns, but I've got high hopes for this.

 

After some more up talking for NOT everyone's favourite gaming executive Matt Broody, at 30:05 we get a showing of a title from indie' studio Interior Night, a visual novel/interactive narrative called As Dusk Falls. This looks hard hitting and dark, I quite like it. It's not exactly the type of game to showcase the power of the Series X, it would probably run on an Abacus, still it's still good to see this types of games here.

 

At 31:35 we get... NOT a  trailer for Hellblade. Instead, they announce it's set in Iceland, and we can watch a documentary about how they scouted the location. This is XBox game I'm most exited for by miles and that's the best they can do? Well, given that the game's star Melina Juergens almost certainly edited that film, at least we can see some of her work.

 

33:04 and it's Phyconaughts 2. Jack Black sings and it's literally a mind fuck. Nothing not to like.

 

37:05 Destiny 2 coming XBSX and Game Pass, who cares.

 

39:41 A very promising looking trailer for Stalker 2. Not much to say, it speaks for itself, but this looks very. Cinematic again though, so grain of salt and all that.

 

41:39 40K Warhammer Darktide. No, I know nothing 40K Warhammer, so find a fan and ask them what's excited or not to be excited about, but it's a good teaser even though it's another cinematic. Is there enough grains of salt to go round?

 

42:58 Tetris. Fucking Tetris. 2020. Next-gen. Tetris. Fuck off.

 

Next at 44:41 it is at least something from this decade. The Gunk. Like Everwild earlier, there seems to be some kind of environmental sub layer to the 3rd person adventure/platformer. Doesn't look that exiting, but I don't I'm the market for it though.

 

Back to something more promising at 46:17 with the Medium. You play as a woman, who we can safely assume is a medium, investigating a murder using her gift to "look into the other side" or something like that. You can use what you see in one world to solve clues to problems or puzzles in the other. It looks cool. I'll probably play this.

 

Now, this is an interesting one. At 48:48 a SEGA game is now exclusive to the XBox brand. New Genesis: Phantasy Star Online 2, and what's behind this has gotta one hell of a shady deal. You see, this is coming to both PS4 and Nintendo Switch... in Japan. The PS4 will come to the west later, but Switch version won't come to the west at all. I don't know who went down on whom to make this happen. XBox gamers typically haven't been very interested in these types of games, so I don't why XBox would flash the cast to secure this exclusivity, and I don't see why SEGA would want this either. The only thing I can think of is if XBox wanted increase their market share in japan, so sought out full exclusivity for the XBox brand, but SEGA wouldn't have that, so instead they made this bizarre compromise to affect sales only in the west. It's still odd of SEGA to flip off PlayStation and Especially Nintendo like this.

 

50:52 The campaign mode for CrossfireX is coming to XBox consoles and NOT the PC. I think this is the only game in the showcase that's actually a proper XBox console exclusive. The Multiplayer is free to play for people with XBLG Not gonna lie, it's not my sort of thing, but it does look good. Quite a brooding, empowering story it's shaping up to have.

 

One last surprise at 53:40.... and it's a new Fable. Great news for fans, I'm just amazed there are any. Fable 3 and Fable legends did not go down well and the original was just a typical pile of broken promices from one of the industries the biggest liars Peter Molyneux. So, OK, I'm pessimistic about this, but I wanna be wrong.

 

So that's the show. What did you think. For me,  didn't light me on fire. A few good moments, a few good games, but most of the trailers were short and/or cinematic only. The one gameplay trailer for arguably their biggest game is now the but many Internet jokes.  Check out the poll and lets get our collective thoughts.

Edited July 23, 2020 by Shagger

[The Blackangel]

I had been under the impression that Halo died with the 360. Personally I wish it had, as I have hated the game since the original Xbox. It's also one of the reasons I have always hated the system.

[Crazycrab]

 

3 hours ago, Shagger said:

But not that far on as we stick with Obsidian entertainment at 24:43 for what it without my favourite part of the showcase, a brilliantly entraining trailer for Grounded. Now, I have no idea if this game will be for me or not, but this is a great trailer. So funny, self-aware and vibrant, I love it. The game looks good to, but like I said, I'm not sure it's my sort of thing, but kudos regardless. That was bloody brilliant.

 

This is actually the part of the show that pissed me off to the point of grinding my balls through a cheese grater.  Yeah the trailer was hilarious and it looks like it could be allot of fun but... just listen to what Mr Urquheart said at 26:34:

 

Quote

"What's great is that you are going to be able to play the game  on July 28 on XBox Game Preview and Sream Early Access."

 

WHAT... THE...  ACTUAL...  FUCK!!!!!!!!

 

Whoever it was at Obsidian and/or XBox that decided to do that needs to pass a bag of literal Obsidian kidney stones!  That is complete bullshit!  The whole point of Early Access is that you are buying a game while it's still in production to support its development, a system that is clearly intended for smaller independent developers who can't afford to fund their projects outright... BUT THIS IS BEING PUBLISHED BY MICROSOFT AND BEING DEVELOPED BY OBSIDIAN!.  That means it's MICROSOFT'S JOB to support its development NOT OURS!!!!!!

 

What they should be doing is going through the process of closed, followed by preferably open ALPHA and BETA testing, then take pre-orders (NOT an early access purchase) when the consumers are guaranteed a finished product.  But since it’s “Early Access” they can turn around and say “I’m sorry but we can’t refund you since we spent all the money” should the project go down the toilet.  This is shady as fuck and far as I’m concerned Obsidian are fired from breathing!

Edited July 24, 2020 by Crazycrab

[Shagger]

10 minutes ago, Crazycrab said:

 

 

This is actually the part of the show that pissed me off to the point of grinding my balls through a cheese grater.  Yeah the trailer was hilarious and it looks like it could be allot of fun but... just listen to what Mr Urquheart said at 26:34:

 

 

WHAT... THE...  ACTUAL...  FUCK!!!!!!!!

 

Whoever it was at Obsidian and/or XBox that decided to do that needs to pass a bag of literal Obsidian kidney stones!  That is complete bullshit!  The whole point of Early Access is that you are buying a game while it's still in production to support its development, a system that is clearly intended for smaller independent developers who can't afford to fund their projects outright... BUT THIS IS BEING PUBLISHED BY MICROSOFT AND BEING DEVELOPED BY OBSIDIAN!.  That means it's MICROSOFT'S JOB to support its development NOT OURS!!!!!!

 

What they should be doing is going through the process of closed, followed by preferably open ALPHA and BETA testing, then take pre-orders (NOT an early access purchase) when the consumers are guaranteed a finished product.  But since it’s “Early Access” they can turn around and say “I’m sorry but we can’t refund you since we spent all the money” should the project go down the toilet.  This is shady as fuck and far as I’m concerned Obsidian are fired from breathing!

 

Somehow that detail slipped past me. You're right, that does look dodgy. Without knowing the details of how the publishing and funding arrangement is between Obsidian and Microsoft it's difficult to say for sure if this is a dodgy as it looks, but I doubt we'll ever know. They wouldn't be the first major publisher/developer to do this, hell, one way or another, they're all in the game of taking money from fans to pay for a game that isn't finished.

[Shagger]

11 minutes ago, Shagger said:

 

Somehow that detail slipped past me. You're right, that does look dodgy. Without knowing the details of how the publishing and funding arrangement is between Obsidian and Microsoft it's difficult to say for sure if this is a dodgy as it looks, but I doubt we'll ever know. They wouldn't be the first major publisher/developer to do this, hell, one way or another, they're all in the game of taking money from fans to pay for a game that isn't finished.

 

@CrazycrabMissed the chance to edit. I watched it again and I noticed that Obsidian has been working on Grounded for 2 years, that's before they made their deal with Microsoft, so maybe Microsoft aren't an involved as first thought.

[Crazycrab]

4 minutes ago, Shagger said:

 

@CrazycrabMissed the chance to edit. I watched it again and I noticed that Obsidian has been working on Grounded for 2 years, that's before they made their deal with Microsoft, so maybe Microsoft aren't an involved as first thought.

 

If that's the case then why is it only going into Early Access after Microsoft agreed to publish?  Even if Obsidian were intending to self publish before then why didn't they go into Early Access within the last two years when the game was apparently being developed?  It doesn't make sense either way!

[Shagger]

6 minutes ago, Crazycrab said:

 

If that's the case then why is it only going into Early Access after Microsoft agreed to publish?  Even if Obsidian were intending to self publish before then why didn't they go into Early Access within the last two years when the game was apparently being developed?  It doesn't make sense either way!

 

I've had a look at the steam page. There is no price yet, but this what is stated with regard to early access;

 

Quote

WHAT THE DEVELOPERS HAVE TO SAY:

Why Early Access?

“From our previous crowdfunding experience, we found incredible value in involving the community early in the process. Early Access gives us the ability to receive and implement community feedback in a way that helps us more nimbly build a better game. Grounded is the type of experience in which community feedback will be critical, and Early Access will enable that feedback loop from the very beginning.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We want to make the best experience possible and putting an exact timeline on an early-in-development game is very challenging. That said, we also want to be transparent with our community, so we will give you our best guess with the understanding that these plans may change. The current target for Grounded’s full release is sometime in 2021.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“There is a ton of great content we want to deliver with Grounded, but more importantly some of the ideas and features may change dramatically based on the feedback we receive from the community. Our current plan for the full release is to have the following features:

• Complete storyline
• Steam Achievements and Cards
• More bugs! The insect kind.
• More environments and biomes
• More crafting recipes
• Additional features and updated systems to improve the entire experience”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At the start of Early Access, the following features/content will be available in Grounded, but all content should be considered work in progress:

• Groundwork laid out for our intended storyline
• 3 major biomes – the grasslands, the hedge, and the haze
• Crafting
• Base building
• Single player and online co-op play
• First two tiers of weapons and armor
• At least ten insects
• Arachnophobia mode”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We greatly appreciate the willingness of our community to support and engage with the development of Grounded. Therefore, early supporters will receive a benefit since we will gradually increase the price of Grounded in early access as we add more content and features.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We want to create as many opportunities as possible for our community to engage with us and provide feedback. Whether it is our development blog, discord server, or monthly dev diaries, we will be listening, discussing, and incorporating your feedback from start to finish.”

 

What I get from this is that are claiming this about engaging with the community to improve the game as they develop it, it's not really about monetary support of the development itself. That would make sense if that's the case because it's clear right now that they want this game out in some way before the launch of XBSX. The problem, quite clearly, is that game is currently in a state where it's just not ready to be sold as a proper title. By putting on early access as, what's basically, a long beta test, they can develop the game more quickly to get it ready for release on console and XBox Game Pass. And obviously, XBox want it there as soon as possible. Xbox publish and promote the game, but their cash isn't the only thing Obsidian need and they obviously value early access for that purpose as they've used it before. I know what you're gonna say, "If that's the case then they should this make this game free." Well, they can't because people have effectively already bought it through the XBGP subscription. Obsidian and XBox can't ask people to accept a game they pay for through a subscription just given away for free.

 

At least that's my theory.

[Crazycrab]

9 hours ago, Shagger said:

 

I've had a look at the steam page. There is no price yet, but this what is stated with regard to early access;

 

9 hours ago, Shagger said:

WHAT THE DEVELOPERS HAVE TO SAY:

Why Early Access?

“From our previous crowdfunding experience, we found incredible value in involving the community early in the process. Early Access gives us the ability to receive and implement community feedback in a way that helps us more nimbly build a better game. Grounded is the type of experience in which community feedback will be critical, and Early Access will enable that feedback loop from the very beginning.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We want to make the best experience possible and putting an exact timeline on an early-in-development game is very challenging. That said, we also want to be transparent with our community, so we will give you our best guess with the understanding that these plans may change. The current target for Grounded’s full release is sometime in 2021.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“There is a ton of great content we want to deliver with Grounded, but more importantly some of the ideas and features may change dramatically based on the feedback we receive from the community. Our current plan for the full release is to have the following features:

• Complete storyline
• Steam Achievements and Cards
• More bugs! The insect kind.
• More environments and biomes
• More crafting recipes
• Additional features and updated systems to improve the entire experience”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At the start of Early Access, the following features/content will be available in Grounded, but all content should be considered work in progress:

• Groundwork laid out for our intended storyline
• 3 major biomes – the grasslands, the hedge, and the haze
• Crafting
• Base building
• Single player and online co-op play
• First two tiers of weapons and armor
• At least ten insects
• Arachnophobia mode”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We greatly appreciate the willingness of our community to support and engage with the development of Grounded. Therefore, early supporters will receive a benefit since we will gradually increase the price of Grounded in early access as we add more content and features.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We want to create as many opportunities as possible for our community to engage with us and provide feedback. Whether it is our development blog, discord server, or monthly dev diaries, we will be listening, discussing, and incorporating your feedback from start to finish.”

 

What I get from this is that are claiming this about engaging with the community to improve the game as they develop it, it's not really about monetary support of the development itself. That would make sense if that's the case because it's clear right now that they want this game out in some way before the launch of XBSX. The problem, quite clearly, is that game is currently in a state where it's just not ready to be sold as a proper title. By putting on early access as, what's basically, a long beta test, they can develop the game more quickly to get it ready for release on console and XBox Game Pass. And obviously, XBox want it there as soon as possible. Xbox publish and promote the game, but their cash isn't the only thing Obsidian need and they obviously value early access for that purpose as they've used it before. I know what you're gonna say, "If that's the case then they should this make this game free." Well, they can't because people have effectively already bought it through the XBGP subscription. Obsidian and XBox can't ask people to accept a game they pay for through a subscription just given away for free.

 

At least that's my theory.

 

If the XBox Series X is only 3 or 4 months away and this game isn't finished let alone polished up enough for prime time,...I think that ship has already sailed

 

I'm not gonna say that, why the hell would I say that?  I said they should do open testing, doing an open BETA is not giving away a game for free.

 

Nope, that is not how these services work and you know it.  If a certain show gets removed from Netflix can the customer rightly turn around and say "HEY, I paid to watch that show!  Put it back on!" I know that there are some idiots that feel like they are entitled to do that but you, me and anybody else with at least a reasonable amount of intelligence knows that the answer is NO!  You pay to access the service, not for each individual piece of content that available on the service!  That would have to be done separately!  Not to mention that ALL games published by Microsoft are on XBox Game Pass and this just happens to be another one in the pile.  The fact that it's on XBox Game Pass has absolutely nothing to do with it's direct funding or support and XBGP subscribers sure as hell haven't bought the game directly by accessing it via the service.  Even if you were right they could just simply issue closed BETA codes to XBGP subscribers, problem solved.

 

I'm sorry my man but your theory doesn't work.  What is written on the Steam page is a load of "Engaging with the community" and""responding to your feedback" PR bollocks because, and I'm sorry to sound a broken record here but... THEY CAN DO ALL THAT THROUGH OPEN TESTING!!!!!!  It's either they have little to no actual confidence in this game or thier just just trying to squeeze more money out of people.

 

I know that Obsidian are not the only ones to have done this in the past but the fact remains that there is absolutely no justification for a developer that has the backing of a major publisher to go through Early Access because.  I'd say it defeats the entire purpose of early access, which it does, but I think double dipping and exploiting it is more accurate in this case.  Not only are they selling a game that is incompomplete but even worse they are bypassing much of the consumer protection that we would normally get.  This is shady as all hell. 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Crazycrab

[Shagger]

2 hours ago, Crazycrab said:

 

If the XBox Series X is only 3 or 4 months away and this game isn't finished let alone polished up enough for prime time,...I think that ship has already sailed

 

I'm not gonna say that, why the hell would I say that?  I said they should do open testing, doing an open BETA is not giving away a game for free.

 

Nope, that is not how these services work and you know it.  If a certain show gets removed from Netflix can the customer rightly turn around and say "HEY, I paid to watch that show!  Put it back on!" I know that there are some idiots that feel like they are entitled to do that but you, me and anybody else with at least a reasonable amount of intelligence knows that the answer is NO!  You pay to access the service, not for each individual piece of content that available on the service!  That would have to be done separately!  Not to mention that ALL games published by Microsoft are on XBox Game Pass and this just happens to be another one in the pile.  The fact that it's on XBox Game Pass has absolutely nothing to do with it's direct funding or support and XBGP subscribers sure as hell haven't bought the game directly by accessing it via the service.  Even if you were right they could just simply issue closed BETA codes to XBGP subscribers, problem solved.

 

I'm sorry my man but your theory doesn't work.  What is written on the Steam page is a load of "Engaging with the community" and""responding to your feedback" PR bollocks because, and I'm sorry to sound a broken record here but... THEY CAN DO ALL THAT THROUGH OPEN TESTING!!!!!!  It's either they have little to no actual confidence in this game or thier just just trying to squeeze more money out of people.

 

I know that Obsidian are not the only ones to have done this in the past but the fact remains that there is absolutely no justification for a developer that has the backing of a major publisher to go through Early Access because.  I'd say it defeats the entire purpose of early access, which it does, but I think double dipping and exploiting it is more accurate in this case.  Not only are they selling a game that is incompomplete but even worse they are bypassing much of the consumer protection that we would normally get.  This is shady as all hell. 

 

First, I never said they wanted to release the game fully on console for the XBSX release. They said in the statement they were aiming for full release in 2021. What I said was they wanted to have the game out in some way, and they chose Early access on Steam XBox's equivalent, Game Preview.

 

Xbox having the right to remove games from game pass is weak argument for a game that isn't even out yet, not to mention I'm quite sure Xbox's own games don't get removed from the service, why would they? The fact this game's publisher makes revenue of XBGP means that, indirectly, XBGP does fund the development of this game, albeit only in part. If I had an XBGP subscription, or even XBLG for that matter, I wouldn't want to believe even one penny of that was going toward the development of a game for beta codes to just be given away to just anyone. Because of that, giving current XBGP subscribers the chance to take part in closed beta makes sense, apart from that XBGP has something like 10 million members, so it would have to be lotteries or something like that and that's more bullshit to deal with.

 

I fully agree with you that early access was not made for major publishers and larger game studios, but this more complicated than you're making it out to be. Xbox Game Studios may not be WHO early was made for, but that doesn't mean this game isn't WHAT early access was made for. If this game was near completion or ready to launch "live service" style to be updated as a full game, I would agree with you 100%, but this doesn't seem to be the case.

 

People buying early access know the score, at least in this case they can feel more confident that will game will come out and their investment will pay off because a major publisher is involved. You buy the game cheap on early access or XB Game Preview, play it, offer feedback and do it all with far more assurance that most early access or crowdfunded games that the game will come out and you've save money over the final release price. Obsidian gets that valuable player feedback without having to deal with the policy minefield of once would associate with closed beta's amongst paying Xbox Members. Xbox getslower the investment slightly into the development, saving them money, whilst letting their publisher be free and just get on with having deal within extra bulk of their stress. I'm not saying perfect, but I can't think of a better way all round and everyone gets a win here.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Shagger

[The Blackangel]

Brotherly love....

ain't it great?

[Crazycrab]

Well, there is something else about the event that has come to my attention which might explain some things about HALO Infinite.  Alanah Pearce posted this video report on some information she received about the demo and how it is apparently from an earlier "Work-in-Progress"build of the game and it does not represent the final product.

 

 

Ok, fair enough...  But apparntly they showed a later and superior version of the build... after the presentaion was over!  That just confuses the shit out of me.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Crazycrab

[Crazycrab]

I would actually like to add here that I might be one of the few that graphics aside (because that's... not important) actually became more optimistic about HALO Infinite after watching the presentation.  When it was first announced I was convinced especially with a title like "Infinite" that this was going to be some ongoing live service in the same vein as Anthem of Destiny.  It seems like I was wrong and looks like a game far more up my street, extensive single player campaign, Chief centric story, open world(s), side quests…  Yeah this seems to be right in my wheelhouse.

Edited July 24, 2020 by Crazycrab

[Shagger]

43 minutes ago, Crazycrab said:

Well, there is something else about the event that has come to my attention which might explain some things about HALO Infinite.  Alanah Pearce posted this video report on some information she received about the demo and how it is apparently from an earlier "Work-in-Progress"build of the game and it does not represent the final product.

 

 

Ok, fair enough...  But apparntly they showed a later and superior version of the build... after the presentaion was over!  That just confuses the shit out of me.

 

24 minutes ago, Crazycrab said:

I would actually like to add here that I might be one of the few that graphics aside (because that's... not important) actually became more optimistic about HALO Infinite after watching the presentation.  When it was first announced I was convinced especially with a title like "Infinite" that this was going to be some ongoing live service in the same vein as Anthem of Destiny.  It seems like I was wrong and looks like a game far more up my street, extensive single player campaign, Chief centric story, open world(s), side quests…  Yeah this seems to be right in my wheelhouse.

 

I'm well aware or the "past build"  excuse for Halo's... let's say,  issues with graphical fidelity, but those excuses only prompt another problematic question for 343 and Xbox, a question that fanboys would rather block than answer. Why wasn't there a more "up to date" demo ready? (please insert the answer here, but we both know there is no positive response). People can spin it how they want, but this was a cock up and worse, they just put that out there expecting the fans wouldn't notice, so that makes it an insult as well. All that along with the fact the there was no other actual gameplay demo's paints a very dire picture indeed. Don't get me wrong, Halo Infinite looks like a riot to play, but people are well within their right to expect more out of a next gen, AAA title, especially a $500million juggernaut like Halo, when it comes to graphics.

 

As for the rest. Cool announcements, very promising games, but very little actual gameplay, other than the one that appeared to be last gen.

[Shagger]

1 hour ago, Crazycrab said:

I would actually like to add here that I might be one of the few that graphics aside (because that's... not important) actually became more optimistic about HALO Infinite after watching the presentation.  When it was first announced I was convinced especially with a title like "Infinite" that this was going to be some ongoing live service in the same vein as Anthem of Destiny.  It seems like I was wrong and looks like a game far more up my street, extensive single player campaign, Chief centric story, open world(s), side quests…  Yeah this seems to be right in my wheelhouse.

 

I also do like the "infinite" concept. You pretty much said it, it sounds cool. I'm looking forward to the long life f this game should I get the chance to try it out.

[Crazycrab]

9 hours ago, Shagger said:

 

 

I'm well aware or the "past build"  excuse for Halo's... let's say,  issues with graphical fidelity, but those excuses only prompt another problematic question for 343 and Xbox, a question that fanboys would rather block than answer. Why wasn't there a more "up to date" demo ready? (please insert the answer here, but we both know there is no positive response). People can spin it how they want, but this was a cock up and worse, they just put that out there expecting the fans wouldn't notice, so that makes it an insult as well. All that along with the fact the there was no other actual gameplay demo's paints a very dire picture indeed. Don't get me wrong, Halo Infinite looks like a riot to play, but people are well within their right to expect more out of a next gen, AAA title, especially a $500million juggernaut like Halo, when it comes to graphics.

 

Ok.... What the hell is your problem?  All I said is that the demo was from an earlier build, which it was, and you think I'm perpetuating some fanboy excuses and you lose your shit.  I'm genuinely baffled as to what I did to trigger you here.

 

9 hours ago, Shagger said:

 I also do like the "infinite" concept. You pretty much said it, it sounds cool. I'm looking forward to the long life f this game should I get the chance to try it out.

 

I said what now?  What infinite concept?  I said that I was afraid the term "Infinite" seemed to imply that this game would turn out to be a live servive and that I was very glad that it wasn't.