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[LectureMaster]

After pushing for Arc Raiders to win GOTY over Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, former FPS pro Shroud admits the J'RPG is actually pretty good after finally playing it

"It’s going to only get better," too

www.gamesradar.com

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Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek, former FPS pro player and noted Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hater, is finally coming around on the JRPG-inspired game. After putting some hours into the fantasy adventure, he's conceding that, yes, it's actually worthy of all the plaudits it's received.

The revelation came during a livestream where he dug into Sandfall Entertainment's multi-award-winning release. "Dare I say, Asmongold was right," Grzesiek states. "He said, if I play this game after it wins Game of the Year, I'm gonna enjoy it."

He's referencing The Game Awards, where Clair Obscur took home the biggest prize of the night, the coveted Game of the Year, after winning eight other categories in an incredible and record-breaking streak. Having been a vocal critic of the game, Grzesiek was roundly challenged to check out Expedition 33 should it do what we all expected. It did, he has, and here we are.

"Is it too soon to say that?" he asks, bargaining with his own taste. "I mean, the game can't get worse, it's going to only get better." He'd been a cheerleader for Arc Raiders to take all the glory, another worthy candidate. Cognitive dissonance can be hard to navigate, but I think it's perfectly OK to concede this and enjoy the game, pal.


No doubt he's one of many at the moment who're diving into Clair Obscur. Though the RPG was massively successful beforehand, taking so many statues at the Game Awards no doubt encouraged a flurry of players to see what all the fuss is about. Welcome to the party, I say to Grzesiek and anyone else, and if you enjoy this, might I suggest some Dragon Quest, Tales of, or Phantasy Star?

 

[Kilau]

 

[Topher]

"After playing it"

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Twitter has been a mess lately because of this. People that trashed the game for winning GOTY are now going "wait...this is actually a good game" after actually playing it lmao.
I've seen some viral tweets about it.

 

[touchfuzzy]

"I mean, the game can't get worse, it's going to only get better."

I can't believe this was spoken by someone who has ever played a single video game.

 

[Loomy]

If someone that public makes a comment like he did before the TGA, check their Steam profile, then disregard.

 

[darrylgorn]

Yahhh baysed!

 

[mckmas8808]

"After playing it"

Seriously!!! How can a person have any hard opinion about something that they've never tried?

 

[Interfectum]

"after playing it"

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

why is this thread worthy who gives a fuck about this random guy

 

[LectureMaster]

 

[archangelmorph]

You're a twat that doesn't deserve any more credibility as a gaming "influencer" with any kind of perceived voice of authority, if you're happy to shit all over something vigorously when you haven't even really played it.

I mean WTF?

 

[ozz ex machina]

I can't believe this was spoken by someone who has ever played a single video game.

Shroud has consistently had awful takes. He has bad takes even on balancing and design on the comp shooters he plays nonstop. He has great mechanics but in every other regard, quite retarded.

Plenty of influencers/ex pros actually do understand good game design. Shroud will never be one of them.

 

[LectureMaster]

why is this thread worthy who gives a fuck about this random guy

Because there is a thread about it before and has 400+ posts?

Thread '"Do not let that Expedition game win GOTY." - Shroud'

Nov 7, 2025

Please take your seats...

If ARC Raiders does not win GotY, then the bar for PvP is simply set to unrealistic heights by those who have no desire to be objective. All in agreement with this reasonable statement say "Aye!"

If the ruling class has no desire to be objective, then Shrouds "band together" tactic is our only viable method to proceed.

• Men_in_Boxes
• Replies: 406
• Forum: Gaming Discussion

• 
• 

 

[StoopKidz]

I can't believe this was spoken by someone who has ever played a single video game.

For real. Looking at you RE7

 

[IFireflyl]

He's Canadian.

 

[Fake]

Asmongold was most of the time right.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

It's only because Shroud never played TRUE JRPGs like Super Mario RPG and Lost Odyssey.

 

[realcool]

He was in the honeymoon phase with Arc Raiders, so of course nothing else could compare or matter at the time. Love is blind.

 

[I collect VHS tapes]

Because there is a thread about it before and has 400+ posts?

Thread '"Do not let that Expedition game win GOTY." - Shroud'

Nov 7, 2025

Please take your seats...

If ARC Raiders does not win GotY, then the bar for PvP is simply set to unrealistic heights by those who have no desire to be objective. All in agreement with this reasonable statement say "Aye!"

If the ruling class has no desire to be objective, then Shrouds "band together" tactic is our only viable method to proceed.

• Men_in_Boxes
• Replies: 406
• Forum: Gaming Discussion

• 
• 

You trying to earn a retard participation award or something?

 

[DeepEnigma]

"After playing it"

Every. Time.

 

[Zacfoldor]

It's probably my number 3 game of the last several years. Right behind Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3.

 

[Dr. Samuel Hayden]

 

[TheAtomicPile]

What most of you don't realize is that it will take a while to undo the damage you all did by boosting an apparent snooze-fest like Baldur's Gate 3 to GOTY status over Tears of the Kingdom of all games. It will take time to rebuild trust in the hype around these types of well-received indie single player games.

 

[Bojji]

GAF haters will stay strong.

No cute anime girls = trash.

 

[Arsic]

Shroud is the single most boring, egotistical, shit brained narcissist in streaming. Giving this guy more exposure is retarded and not worth discussing.

 

[calico]

Many such cases.

 

[Spukc]

Shroud is the single most boring, egotistical, shit brained narcissist in streaming. Giving this guy more exposure is retarded and not worth discussing.

Who?

 

[Critical Hit]

Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek, former FPS pro player and noted Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 hater

Was he really a hater, though? He just wanted AR to win goty. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Senua]

Seriously!!! How can a person have any hard opinion about something that they've never tried?

It's called being a complete spacker

 

[HRK69]

Shroud is the single most boring, egotistical, shit brained narcissist in streaming. Giving this guy more exposure is retarded and not worth discussing.

Skill draws in crowds

I remember him consistently pulling 80k-100k+ concurrent viewers night after night. Ive always found it wild how millions flocked to watch a guy whose streams basically amounted to god-tier aim and minimal personality

 

[Fbh]

Farm engagement by speaking against that popular game everyone likes.
Then farm engagement again by actually playing and praising the game everyone likes.

In the words of pro reaction expert Owen Wilson

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

"Pretty good" is damning praise if I've ever heard it. Weakest GotY winner in award history.

 

[mckmas8808]

"Pretty good" is damning praise if I've ever heard it. Weakest GotY winner in award history.

 

[BigBeauford]

He's right though. Arc Raiders should have been game of the year, not the dressed up French FFXIII

 

[Gonzito]

"After playing it"

A lot of users here in GAF should learn this lesson to find out that watching a couple of random gameplays in YouTube is not the same as playing a game by yourself

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

"Pretty good" is damning praise if I've ever heard it. Weakest GotY winner in award history.

Not when stuff like Overwatch was winning back in 2016 lol.

 

[Danjin44]

It is a good game but outclass every JRPG? Absolutely fucking not.

I like this game but absolutely do not agree with hyperbolic claim people saying for this game.

 

[Dorfdad]

The moral of the story is if you haven't played or done something yourself STFU. Your opinion is welcomed if you meet one of the two criteria listed above else please just refrain from content farming it makes you look and sound stupid.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Not when stuff like Overwatch was winning back in 2016 lol.

People still talking about Overwatch 9 years later. All the other games have negative aura.

 

[KyoZz]

"Pretty good" is damning praise if I've ever heard it. Weakest GotY winner in award history.

Still no 500K for Arc Raider. And no awards, of course

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Still no 500K for Arc Raider. And no awards, of course

True, but it was the last Mario 64 moment in the industry. A gift from the heavens.

 

[Sephimoth]

Don't care about Shroud, but as for the game, I played a little of it on launch (maybe 5 hours), and intend to return to it. It feels 8/10 good so far, but haven't seen anything groundbreaking yet. Happy it got GOTY.

One thing that has underwhelmed is the music, that many said was absolute cinema. Maybe I'm too early to find the standout tracks, or maybe it's that I find vocals in game music cringe. Melodically, it's fine, but not sure on best OST ever?

Just me?

 

[Bojji]

Don't care about Shroud, but as for the game, I played a little of it on launch (maybe 5 hours), and intend to return to it. It feels 8/10 good so far, but haven't seen anything groundbreaking yet. Happy it got GOTY.

One thing that has underwhelmed is the music, that many said was absolute cinema. Maybe I'm too early to find the standout tracks, or maybe it's that I find vocals in game music cringe. Melodically, it's fine, but not sure on best OST ever?

Just me?

Insane hype is the biggest problem of this game for people that still didn't play it. It most likely won't reach that "best game ever" hype for most folks.

Majority of players that played it in April were blown away, this IS one of the best games of the decade (since 2015) - maybe even the best one (since W3). But of course it's not the best game ever with the best ever soundtrack ever, best graphics ever etc...

 

[KyoZz]

True, but it was the last Mario 64 moment in the industry. A gift from the heavens.

 

[Paasei]

Don't care about Shroud, but as for the game, I played a little of it on launch (maybe 5 hours), and intend to return to it. It feels 8/10 good so far, but haven't seen anything groundbreaking yet. Happy it got GOTY.

One thing that has underwhelmed is the music, that many said was absolute cinema. Maybe I'm too early to find the standout tracks, or maybe it's that I find vocals in game music cringe. Melodically, it's fine, but not sure on best OST ever?

Just me?

Problem is you had all year to see/read/listen about how good this game is from and according to others. I was blown away by it in April, when it launched. I'm one of those guys that emphasizes the "I don't even like turn based combat".
Funnily enough I can't even tell you why the fuck I even bothered to buy it so soon. I've seen some gameplay and reviews and that was all I got going for it. I guess I really wanted to try something completely out of my comfort zone and I got lucky it was this game that did it for me.

It did take me quite some time to get used to it, putting it down for a while after a boss fight called Francis and not touching it for 2 to 3 weeks. The menu was annoying to navigate and I was still adjusting to the combat. What kept me going was actually the music, the writing of both story & characters and that I at least had something do to during the turns: The quick time events to make your attacks stronger and dodging/parrying. It was just enough to get me into it + having the opportunity to make ridiculous builds based on simply mix and matching every picto available to me. I like experimenting in games.
____________________________________________

And to those who comment on you should first try a game before you call something shit: I agree with you all, to an extent. If a game simply doesn't interest you for whatever reason, why bother? The only thing I would like to see those people say is that just that they are not interested instead of telling everyone the game sucks.

 

[NeonDelta]

 

[Tajaz2426]

He's Canadian.

They are not real people. I refuse to believe e anything other than they are the twins of soulless redheads.

They tricked me with their special Canadian gravy and fries. Which was just in case you want to know, regular ass fries with some mystery gray gravy. Shit looked like both camp all over again.

Niwgra on the lake was great and stayed at the Prine something hotel. Was a very quaint, but the Canadians were nice little fuckers and I hated it. Ok, I didn't.

 

[Mister Wolf]

 

[SJRB]

Shroud is legit an incredibly dumb guy. Yeah he can play FPS games but have you ever heard him reason? Explain his train of thought? There's barely anything happening up in that noggin.

His crusade against E33 was pathetic and it is unreal how much media attention it got.