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[semiconscious]

the truth? i haven't seen one of these 'showcases' from any of the console trio that's impressed me in at least 3 years. for the most part, it all looks either overly-familiar, or just plain boring (& fuck the fucking 'amazing graphics!' thing. how in the hell has gaming become all about graphics?)...

 

[Quantum253]

Seemed like a pointless Direct. The only standout was Indy and they could have just given the game it's own blog post and video reveal.

Agreed, although Mana Vision was a nice little snippet. I would have rather watched an Indy trailer than listen to people talk about it. Half the time, it sounded like someone trying to audition for a movie role, but can't act.

 

[ungalo]

Agreed, although Mana Vision was a nice little snippet. I would have rather watched an Indy trailer than listen to people talk about it. Half the time, it sounded like someone trying to audition for a movie role, but can't act.

There was a trailer lol.

 

[The Lunch Legend]

i give it a C, but let us please leave these Directs to Nintendo and Sony.

 

[analog_future]

the truth? i haven't seen one of these 'showcases' from any of the console trio that's impressed me in at least 3 years. for the most part, it all looks either overly-familiar, or just plain boring (& fuck the fucking 'amazing!' graphics thing. how in the hell has gaming become all about graphics?)...

Not really sure how the Avowed, Ara, or Visions of Mana presentations were "all about graphics"... They were very minimally focused on graphics, actually. And instead did deep dives into gameplay, systems, design philosophy, etc.. etc..

 

[Reave]

Avowed looked miserably bad from a visual/gameplay standpoint.

Hellblade II is a technical marvel, but it sounds like they forgot to make a game for it. Now it’s a budget game for $50? Damn.

Indiana Jones looks super fun, but those faces and facial animations need help.

Honestly, it’s a D+. And that’s coming from someone that really likes Xbox.

 

[Fabieter]

I wasted 50 minutes of my life to see 11 minutes of gameplay.

The only real negative it was the equivalent of a meeting that could have been an email.

 

[BigLee74]

Indiana Jones and Hellblade. Zero interest in the rest.

 

[Mownoc]

Pretty average overall. Indie looks dated but could be a solid title. I would have been hyped by a game like Ara a few years ago but these days we have an abundance of 4x games. Nothing looked terrible, but nothing got me very excited either and after Starfield I think I'll be waiting until the game is released before buying into any hype for these upcoming titles.

 

[Quantum253]

There was a trailer lol.

And that's all they needed.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

G. For Guff.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

D

Indy looks meh, but it's Indy, so I'll play it.

I should be hyped off the charts for Avowed, but the combat and environments look super generic. 2024 release is incredibly worrying.

No interest in the other games.

 

[March Climber]

This is a dev diary direct, so I'm rating it on that basis:

-Avowed explained the game better and showed gameplay footage
-Indiana Jones explained the game better and showed gameplay footage
-Hellblade 2 explained the game better and showed gameplay footage
-Ara explained the game better and showed gameplay footage
-Visions of Mana was a neat surprise and showed gameplay footage

Docking points for the following:

-Hellblade 2 was a waste of a time slot. We just needed the release date. I really hope they do not show this game again until near-release(for marketing purposes). That slot should have been used on one of the other projects and I would have chosen Fable or Perfect Dark(if it's not in development hell).

-Visions of Mana needed more explanation/selling for Xbox owners. It felt like the devs were talking directly to Mana fans and no one else. I don't know what multimillion dollar franchise they think they are, but they are clearly not Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, so there should have been more. (Disclaimer: I like the Mana series and I still thought this was a bad way to entice a brand new audience).

Rating: C

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Wont play Mana game but all the others I look forward to trying

Decent show just not a great format, too much talking

For the games its a solid B for me, they way they were presented was much lower

 

[NeverYouMind]

S-tier. Only because the Indiana Jones reveal is the only one that excited me since Resident Evil 4 Remake.

 

[Arsic]

C.

Liked avowed a lot.

 

[Boralf]

tldw 0/10

 

[Punished Miku]

A - for me.

I start at a C but every game exceeded my expectations at least a little bit, pushing it to B+. What pushed it over the edge is the format itself. This rivals the best of the small Nintendo Directs. High production values showing developers speaking about their own games in depth on location in their own studios while development artwork and gameplay alternate. They really nailed this format and should do this every January.

 

[Clover904]

we got a date for Hellblade 2 and got to see a pretty decent looking Indiana Jones game. I’m a happy camper. B

 

[MiguelItUp]

I put B. Honestly, I didn't really care for anything other than Indiana Jones. But I still think the other games looked pretty good. Though I admit I feel like Avowed did look kind of weird/rough in spots though.

 

[j0hnnix]

Eh.. I liked what was shown, but didn't make me go "oh shit!!!".

 

[DJ12]

The fact that there is 30 votes for D gives this forum overall very little credibility as a group.

You can debate a or b easily enough, maybe get to a c if you aren't into these types of games.

A rating of D or below after watching that means you Either:

Don't own an xbox or pc
Or
Don't play video games anymore and put down almost everything
Or
Just having a bad day
Or
Dont really have time for games anymore
Or
Didn't actually watch it at all or just bits

At least PlayStation fans accurately rate State of Plays routinely as the garbage they are.

 

[NonPhixion]

Surprised to see that quite a few of you thinking this is an A tier direct. You’ve set this as your bar for an A? Ok.

 

[SidViscous]

Nothing of interest shown, the Civ game looked decent but the stuff they were talking about was just their version of things that already exist in other 4X games in some shape or form, nothing super original.

 

[iHaunter]

I would give it a C-

Avowed combat looked poor.

Now I know why Hellblade keeps showing motion capture instead of gameplay. It looks like gameplay is about walking through pretty environments followed by stints of scripted combat.

Mana game looked cool

Indiana Jones looked good

Strategy game is PC only so not for me

I was surprised at how crappy Avowed looked

Avowed was the only game I was super excited for too.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

The fact that there is 30 votes for D gives this forum overall very little credibility as a group.

You can debate a or b easily enough, maybe get to a c if you aren't into these types of games.

A rating of D or below after watching that means you Either:

Don't own an xbox or pc
Or
Don't play video games anymore and put down almost everything
Or
Just having a bad day
Or
Dont really have time for games anymore
Or
Didn't actually watch it at all or just bits

People like you accepting,defending and promoting soso efforts is why xbox is failing.

 

[Topher]

I'll be nice and give it a C. Still not sold on Avowed. Combat does not look fun at all. Visions of Mana looks cool. Best game of the show. Indy looks like a mess to me. I think Howard gave it to the wrong studio. Ara looks like a solid strategy game. Not much interest in Hellblade 2.

Overall.....it was ok.

 

[Topher]

The fact that there is 30 votes for D gives this forum overall very little credibility as a group.

You can debate a or b easily enough, maybe get to a c if you aren't into these types of games.

A rating of D or below after watching that means you Either:

Don't own an xbox or pc
Or
Don't play video games anymore and put down almost everything
Or
Just having a bad day
Or
Dont really have time for games anymore
Or
Didn't actually watch it at all or just bits

 

[intbal]

Was hoping for (but not expecting) a surprise announcement of more BC games on the way.

My 2023 GOTY was Quake 2 remastered. I really don't care for modern games (especially those made for "modern audiences").
The show didn't do much of anything for me.

 

[Negotiator101]

B or C, was hoping for extended HB2 gameplay but it seems they're keeping it under wraps, graphics are best we've seen yet though. Avowed looks ok but really need a deep dive on that one. Indy actually looks really fun. I thought first person wouldn't work but they seem to have got the gameplay balance right and using third person for traversal is a great move.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

At first I was a little disappointed with 1st person Indy, but the more I watched, the more I came around to the mix between 1st and cinematic they have.

Hellblade looked visually impressive (from what I could see) but the IP didn;t really grab me in 1 so maybe I'll check this one out.

Didn;t really like the look of Avowed all that much, but haven't really been interested since it was announced. WOuld prefer a better effort at PoE 3 from them tbh.

I thought ARA looked really cool. Really liked the art style so looking forward to that one.

Visions of Mana looked good too, will definitely give that one a go.

Overall, pretty solid outing for me. I gave it a B.

 

[Negotiator101]

He is basically saying this forum is so against anything remotely to do with Xbox that it will literally shit on anything regardless of quality, and he's right.

 

[FeralEcho]

I gave it a D...

Avowed looked awful from a writting and voice acting perspective and since it's Obsidian and story is supposed to literally be their bread and butter I'm not interested anymore though graphically I liked it and gameplay seems fine.I'm sure it'll work for alot of people.

H2 looked great graphically but that's about it,I saw more of the devs than the game lol

The Civ type game is not really my type so I won't judge but it felt like it took too long and again showed more of the devs than the game.

Visions of Mana surprised me pleasently.It looks great and it should be a great purchase for Xbox fans provided they actually buy the damn thing.

Indy looked great as well and I trust Machinegames,so it should turn out great.

Overall....too much dev talk! No one cares seeing these people,we want to see what you make! No one actually watches the end credits,someone please tell them that.

 

[AJUMP23]

A solid B.

Indy looks fun.

Mana game is colorful and looks like a lot of heart.


Ara is a game I know nothing about but sounds cool.


Avowed still waiting and seeing. Combat looked stiff.


Senua I am not interested in but it is graphically impressive.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

He is basically saying this forum is so against anything remotely to do with Xbox that it will literally shit on anything regardless of quality, and he's right.

The forums that VOTED Halo Infinite Game of the Year?

 

[Jigsaah]

Since there's no "+" or "-" I'm gonna go with a B, but it's rounded up from a C+

HellBlade's presentation gave me blue balls. Mana is cool, but honestly felt a bit out of place for this presentation. ARA....I mean I've never been a CIv player, but I like Stellaris, so I'll try it but not exciting. Avowed...I'm less excited about than I was last year after their presentation in the summer. I like the concept of the combat...but the dry conversation...the character models, though an improvement over Outer Worlds, still seem really stiff. It's a similar complaint I had about conversations in Horizon Zero Dawn. Indy was pretty impressive though for a first showing and though I've boohooed it before, I'm actually excited now.

Is it a Killer App? I wouldn't go that far, but it looks to be shaping up to be a true blue Indiana Jones game from this generation. Best thing is it's coming out this year supposedly...very good.

 

[iHaunter]

Was going to give it a C. But a lot of graphics looked dated and unimpressive. Indiana Jones looked okay. Avowed was somehow even more disappointing than before. Ara was okay. Hellblade isn't my cup of tea.

 

[Negotiator101]

Since there's no "+" or "-" I'm gonna go with a B, but it's rounded up from a C+

HellBlade's presentation gave me blue balls. Mana is cool, but honestly felt a bit out of place for this presentation. ARA....I mean I've never been a CIv player, but I like Stellaris, so I'll try it but not exciting. Avowed...I'm less excited about than I was last year after their presentation in the summer. I like the concept of the combat...but the dry conversation...the character models, though an improvement over Outer Worlds, still seem really stiff. It's a similar complaint I had about conversations in Horizon Zero Dawn. Indy was pretty impressive though for a first showing and though I've boohooed it before, I'm actually excited now.

Is it a Killer App? I wouldn't go that far, but it looks to be shaping up to be a true blue Indiana Jones game from this generation. Best thing is it's coming out this year supposedly...very good.

Blue balls?

 

[DeepSpace5D]

C+ for me.

Avowed I thought looked much improved from a visual standpoint. I still want to read previews though because the enemy AI looked kind of brain dead.

Hellblade II looks great as usual. It’s been shown many times by now, and news that it could possibly be quite short in length is a bit of a letdown. With how long it has been in development, I thought it would have more meat to it than the original, and I think many people were thinking it would as well.

Ara is a game that looks good if you’re into that genre, but I know it’s a game I will never try.

Indiana Jones looks good, fun and humorous. Like an Indy game should be, but just like I felt with Avatar, this is a game that should be in the third person.

 

[Matsuchezz]

After watching the event, it is clear to me now, that MS will be the king of AA, or B games, the production values on these games, leave a lot to be desired. From Graphics, to animation, performance Capture, gameplay, etc. I know that not all games need to be cinematic, but some games have set the standard pretty high.

A solid D for the games that will carry Xbox in 2024. Truly disappointing stuff.

 

[Topher]

He is basically saying this forum is so against anything remotely to do with Xbox that it will literally shit on anything regardless of quality, and he's right.

Not true. 65% of the forum are giving the show a rating of C or better. 63% of this forum said Sony's showcase in May was mediocre, poor, or very bad. This is the same forum where the majority said Xbox's June showcase was very good or fantastic.

 

[Jigsaah]

Blue balls?

You've never head of blue balls? Um...it's like being teased to the point of exhaustion. Now I feel weird explaining it.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Shabby С for me.

Nothing showed was bad, but nothing was spectacular either. You're not moving units with games, and most importantly presentations like this.

Really cannot wait for Ara tho, Civ 5 is my most beloved 4x and I can't wait to see what the core ex-Firaxis devs could make with a proper backing.

 

[Isa]

I really enjoyed it. Short and sweet and it is a developer direct so it should be expected that the people involved in making the game have a larger presence. I know its not to everybody's tastes but if that were me I'd just watch recaps or trailers later.

All the games looked quite nice to me and I'll definitely give most a go save for Ara, which I will if it gets a console release later. Visions of Mana was a nice surprise for me as its among my most anticipated for the year. Avowed looks good to me, I like the vibrant environments and gameplay potential. Just hope I like it better than Outer Worlds. Indy is a weird one for me as I wish it was fully third person, but it still looks great, fantastic actually. A proper globe hopping adventure. Nice to see Marcus Brody in there, some cool scenarios and the whip is gonna be awesome to mess around with. The music also sounded on par with the films so that's nice.

I get the potential reasoning for the difference in going 1st person mainly. It avoids comparisons to the competition and does its own thing, and I really sincerely appreciate the game having actual separate cutscenes instead of the usual goofy 3D glasses theme park rides most 1st person games opt for. Anyway I enjoyed the show and rated it well as I thought it was well done. Also worth mentioning is the genre variety.

 

[MacReady13]

C-. Indy looked fine but the rest I had to sit through just to see Indy. None of them interest me at all. And in the meantime I had to see devs pretending as if they are having the absolute time of their lives sitting around doing sweet fuck all!

 

[ByWatterson]

Seemed fine. Nothing really spoke to me.

Indy didn't have any verve or personality. Would have preferred Wolfenstein 3.

 

[ThatOneGrunt]

Machinegames is making an Indiana Jones game. Fucking A.

 

[Oddvintagechap]

A+

I didn't watch it.

i gave it a B, also ddnt watch it. And im not interested in the games. lol

 

[THE DUCK]

It's the truth, sometimes it hurts!

 

[Quezacolt]

Surprised to see that quite a few of you thinking this is an A tier direct. You’ve set this as your bar for an A? Ok.

When MS output has been lacking for so many years in a row, everything shown today must look the best thing in the world.