Poodlestrike
Banned
Having a crackdown beta be "Playable NOW!" at E3 would be a pretty fantastic play, especially if they're confident in it.
edited for top of page
edited for top of page
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Microsoft Studios (& Partners) Current and Future Landscape
- Thread starter Banjo-Kazooie
- Start date
Steelyuhas
Member
They said Crackdown was 2017 11 months ago lol, but nice to see the re-confirmation
Dave Jones last June:
Dave Jones last June:
I gotta be honest though, I feel the "available now" style announcement should be used for something like Cuphead and/or Ashen, preferably after a new trailer for maximum mindshare. Those games could use the hype boost, especially in the case of Cuphead since we have been waiting for so long, I believe its effected the outlook on the game.
Open beta for Crackdown 3 should be in the weeks following E3 or possibly leading up to Gamescom imo, because people are gonna show up regardless for C3, even more if they have a fantastic E3 showing.
Steelyuhas
Member
Ashen could be a real wildcard. I think we more or less know what type of game and scale we will get with Cuphead and Below, but Ashen has been described as a pretty ambitious game (open world RPG, passive multiplayer with other players in the world).
I agree. The game is relatively forgotten these days since its been almost 2 years with no footage.
However every time I see that last shot:
I get the feeling this could something special, despite seeing so little of the game.
I remember the devs did a AMA on r/xboxone last year with some really interesting things to say:
Aurora 44 Games said:Yeah absolutely, Dark Souls is a game that very much inspires the combat in Ashen, though I would also include games like The Wind Waker. The main thing we are taking from these is the skill based, tactical combat. Encounters in ashen feel risky, and what you do in the moment counts
If I were to relate the multiplayer in Ashen to an existing game it would be Journey. You will drop in and out of other players worlds as you explore the wilderness. If you both stay alive and in close enough proximity you will stay connected. The thing here is that any time you meet someone else out in the world, your connection will be fleeting. You wont be able to recreate the experience by getting them to manually join your game again. So finding another person out there is a special thing. (Having said this, we are playing with ways to make it possible for friends to have more chance to play together)
We dont have a release date yet
Aurora 44 Games said:This is really important to us, I'm glad you brought it up! It is a bit misleading to relate Ashen to Dark Souls for a lot of reasons, thats why I try throw The Wind Waker in there too whenever I talk about combat. Ashen will have the same tactical, spatial sort of combat, but without being so gruelling. We want people to feel like what you do in the moment is more important than having the most optimised gear, but at the same time, we are steering away from skeletons that will kick you off ledges as you run past a blind corner
Aurora 44 Games said:This reply is from out Art Director, Leighton Milne:
The team are big fans of local couch co-op games, but the design of Ashen is to be more of a personal experience with other players weaving in and out of your world as you journey through it. Cross-Buy/play is a concept we really love, as it will get more players into the same player pool, which can only be a good thing for the overall experience. Its something we will be exploring
Aurora 44 Games said:
But doesn't it make sense to have the beta earlier? Crackdown is focused on online, how would having a beta later than e3 help?
People forget betas are used to actually improve the game before launch. It's definitely a good marketing tool but betas a few weeks before launch are pretty much demos.
Because what difference is it gonna make if the beta releases a week or so later?
If you do multiple announcements that are "available now" at E3, you risk splitting up who goes for what based on what they are more interested in.
I know the hype isn't crazy right now, but Crackdown 3 is not some small scale game. If the game demos well at E3, people are gonna come for a beta regardless of if its a week later or a month later, not to mention Gamescom.
Meanwhile games on the level of Cuphead could easily benefit from the exposure on a level Crackdown 3 doesn't really need to worry about.
A week or so after e3 is fine, leading into Gamescom is a little late for a beta in my opinion. By beta I mean an actual beta.
DriftingSpirit
Member
eerik9000
Member
As if there was any doubt.
DriftingSpirit
Member
Link?
It doesn't necessarily need to be another lengthy showing like last year but...I'm curious to see what they have to announce.
Edit - I need to add that to the list.
I'd be shocked if they weren't.
Bits N Pieces
Member
No way, they're going to have their biggest IP and most popular game at E3?
It'll generate more column inches in the MSM than any Crackdown 3 or new IP will, just don't give it a ten minute segment MS.
digoutyoursoul
Member
Wonderful
DriftingSpirit
Member
That Hololens segment last year just seemed like filler. They may not need it to take up that much time this year.
E3 isn't just for the hardcore. If anything it's where you try to be as mainstream. It's a trade show that has previously been shown on TV, Facebook videos, gets mainstream outlets picking up stories etc. and this year it's being streamed on Twitter
That was 2 years ago. Last year was the Minecraft VR thing with carmack and realms
DriftingSpirit
Member
Ah, yeah, mixed them up.
MatrixMan.EXE
Member
Ashen and Below release dates are all I want from Microsoft right now.
Salty Hippo
Member
Great, 5-10 more minutes of Lydia Winters speaking like an artificial human being.
Which was even more boring filler than the Hololens thing. At least Hololens was an impressive cool new tech.
Which was even more boring filler than the Hololens thing. At least Hololens was an impressive cool new tech.
digoutyoursoul
Member
Why put a three grand headset on stage at E3? I can't see the millions of Minecraft guys going for it. I like the tech but it screamed filler to me, on to E3 2016 disappointingly , felt the same.
It feels like a mid gen upgrade and backwards compatibility are the biggest things they have had to shout about for two years and imo that's weak to say the least. It's like not many give a shit about Xbox as they once did and some that are left will eat up whatever they do.
It feels like a mid gen upgrade and backwards compatibility are the biggest things they have had to shout about for two years and imo that's weak to say the least. It's like not many give a shit about Xbox as they once did and some that are left will eat up whatever they do.
Found it on r/xboxone, you need to translate tho.
http://generacionxbox.com/exclusivo-microsoft-gobo-studios/amp/
Studio gobo is working on Fable?
http://generacionxbox.com/exclusivo-microsoft-gobo-studios/amp/
Studio gobo is working on Fable?
Poodlestrike
Banned
More than that, it suggests they're resurrecting Legends, which would be... well, it'd be an odd decision. We'll see I guess.
CalamityPixel
Member
Interesting. They are a British Studio as well so that's more of a possibility.
Poodlestrike
Banned
I enjoyed playing as the villain
But yeah, a more conventional multiplayer RPG would be easier to balance, no question. I'd guess they'll probably reuse the assets they can, retool the base concepts into something more workable, and move from there.
Studio Gobo
27 April at 01:21 ·
We cant wait to share more with you about our new partnership with Microsoft Studios.
From their Facebook.
Please be true...
I said a while back that there's too much work completed to just scrap it all. My idea was to turn it into a hero shooter
I could easily see Fable Legends being retooled into a F2P Co-op focused ARPG.
They could keep the hub world design, expand it, and load players into instances with others. Either scrap the hero system for a custom avatar with skill trees from all the heroes, or double down on the heroes, I can go either way.
The villain mechanic could ripped out entirely and the quests repurposed as something similar to Destiny's strikes.
The question is if they would bother upping the scale, as it was back in the alpha, the world felt way too small to be a Fable game, even if it wasn't a full RPG.
They could keep the hub world design, expand it, and load players into instances with others. Either scrap the hero system for a custom avatar with skill trees from all the heroes, or double down on the heroes, I can go either way.
The villain mechanic could ripped out entirely and the quests repurposed as something similar to Destiny's strikes.
The question is if they would bother upping the scale, as it was back in the alpha, the world felt way too small to be a Fable game, even if it wasn't a full RPG.
Yeah. If that's what's happening then all hope for competent Xbox leadership is lost.
That would be the smartest thing. To have the hub town, and then load players into strikes and story missions.
I guess that would require player customization which would mean scrapping the heroes
Or they could do the mass effect andromeda multiplayer angle and have objective horde modes. Essentially the same Fable legends but no villain.
Ricerocket
Member
That would get me super excited and hyped if MS teases something like this.
Proelite
Member
All they need to do is retool AOE online.
I want to see AOEIV that covers WWI period.
Holy shit I just watched a video of Fable legends beta and it looks bloody awesome.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vQZkf-MRWbM
It would be a shame if all these assets would remain unused.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vQZkf-MRWbM
It would be a shame if all these assets would remain unused.
DriftingSpirit
Member
That looks nice.
digoutyoursoul
Member
Yeah I had a fun time with the beta, visually I thought it was good. I couldn't help feel a bit disappointed with the decision to go free to play and all that stuff though, I would Xbox to make a proper RPG this gen or going into the next one.
Looked great. Gameplay was mediocre at best.
Would have been an incredible looking​ proper Fable game had they not gone off the rails with F2P, coop, 4v1 full of loot boxes back in 2013.
PanicFreak
Member
Gameplay was alright. It could have been more fun than it was. I wouldn't mind if they made a traditional Fable game worth some of those characters
Honestly it would depend on how far along Scalebound actually was when it was cancelled. It was still looking rough in 2016. Legends just wasn't that fun but it wasn't a janky mess
Ricerocket
Member
The fact that Fable Legends wasn't a janky mess but still cancelled and the team wiped out while still in development and the possibilities to improve the game was taken away actually makes Scalebound cancellation even more bad... this is all dependant on Phil's feeling of a game right? Still refuse to believe Scalebound was THAT BAD because Kamiya hasn't really made a bad game in regards to gameplay ever until working with MS.
Gameplay was not fun. Customization was not good, hell it took forever to get much loot. Was friggin beautiful though. If they were to try it again, dumping the villain mechanic would be the first thing. Improving the loot cycle would be second. Improving combat would be third.
Goodacre0081
Member
such a fucked up situation here. MS closes the first party studio that created fable, cancelled the F2P game they were working on only to hand if off to some third party?
nothing seems to have changed so far first party wise since 2010. not sure how they're doing so many things right with the hardware side but keep dropping the ball on the software end.