(IGN) Avowed: We Finally Played Obsidian’s Latest RPG and It’s Fantastic

The character designs give concord a run for their money too

Just terrible artistic direction. Fruity colors and hairstyles. Yuck
I don't mind garish colors and hairstyles in games, but I feel like they should have went further out-there with some of the designs. The more I see of this game the more it reminds me of the Xeno Clash series (screenshots below)...

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but Avowed feels more like a half-step. Xeno Clash felt like it courageously leaned more into it's beautiful ugliness.
 
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I don't mind garish colors and hairstyles in games, but I feel like they should have went further out-there with some of the designs. The more I see of this game the more it reminds me of the Xeno Clash series (screenshots below)...
but Avowed feels more like a half-step. Xeno Clash felt like it courageously leaned more into it's beautiful ugliness.


Honestly, it looks like the same art / style as PoE 2 but just in first person, and more polygonal and less sprite-y.

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I'll probably not play this on release even on GamePass after watching that footage. Not because it looks bad, but because I don't do well with motion sickness with FPRPGs like Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, etc.
Weird that I'm with fine FPS game for the most part. If this was more Fable-like, I think I'd jump right in.
 
It looks ok. Not awful. I didn't realize Destin was a shill for ign.
I don't think he's a shill as he regularly does call out MS from time to time. He was also a big time Destiny fan and even there he would call out Bungie for some the poop they were doing.
I don't in general trust IGN reviews to not add points to shit because it fits a certain ideology though.
 
I don't in general trust IGN reviews to not add points to shit because it fits a certain ideology though.
Fixed. IGN was like this long, long before recent trending topics and will continue to be like this when the next trending topic hits GAF.

That's one thing that has been consistent about them since the early 2000s.
 
Honestly, it looks like the same art / style as PoE 2 but just in first person, and more polygonal and less sprite-y.

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I agree with this. I've played most of what Obsidian has dropped over the years (except Grounded because that's not my bag, man), and they usually deliver some pretty damn good stuff, and I don't expect that to change with Avowed.
 
Fixed. IGN was like this long, long before recent trending topics and will continue to be like this when the next trending topic hits GAF.

That's one thing that has been consistent about them since the early 2000s.
Somewhat true, but it's never been this bad. I would say the last 2-3 years was peak BS padding scores for them. It's mostly true for movies/TV shows, but also to games to a lesser extent.
 
Somewhat true, but it's never been this bad. I would say the last 2-3 years was peak BS padding scores for them. It's mostly true for movies/TV shows, but also to games to a lesser extent.
It was always this bad and IGN is one of the last gaming media places still kicking because of their scummy business moves. They don't deserve the easy bailout excuse of 'following an ideology/agenda' because they have been unreliable reviewers for just about two decades.

The only thing they are reliable for is exclusive first look footage and trailers. They would probably have one foot in the grave without this and if GameTrailers, the company, hadn't imploded IGN would be gone already.
 
Gameplay looks fine for the most part. Just needs good character leveling that encourages multiple playthroughs. Those damage numbers need to go though. They look so out of place.
 
Ah yes

Western cookie cutter fps western rpg average gameplay/graphic/length is fantastic

ASian game with good graphic/gameplay/lenght bad.
 
Like others, IGN reviews/previews are usually meh.
This is looking a lot better then previous footage and looking forward to playing it. I assume UI elements can be disabled because dayum it looks messy in that footage.
This will be a good "skyrim at home" style game for me to spend a few hours in while we wait for TES6 to release in 2099.
 
well it does look a lot better than what they have shown this year, i'll give it that, not so cartoony and it has raised my interest again, that video, i'll still wait until it's out, but that is a big improvement for me.
 
Looks awesome! Like Destin said, the melee hits looks so much meatier than before with proper hit reactions. And the graphics look really good. Looking like a modern version of Skyrim.
 
Im always cautious with melee combat in RPGs after Skyrim... this looks better at first glance at least but its one of those things you have to feel for yourself. There seems to be a nice hit stop when you hit the enemies depending on orientation of the weapon so that seems satisfying.
 
I'll be honest, the combat is what's gonna make or break this game for me, and it looks absolutely clunky and dreadful. The story and RPG mechanics might be 10/10 but the combat is dragging it down hard.
 
Looks great. This did a lot to reassure me. It's not what he's saying, it's the footage itself. It looks busy, far busier than I realized. Looks like a lot of magic, attack and gear options. Traversal and level design seems solid. Hearing that the story is also starting strong, and I have more than enough to be looking forward to this on day 1. The combat looks legitimately fun for the 1st time here. Blood effects are selling the hits better.
No disrespect here…but I feel like you are the type that is easily manipulated. You have a lot of positive things to say about the console you prefer, and the games that release on said console regardless if they look good or not. I normally don't call this out on Gaf, but you are seriously, almost laughably, riding on the Microsoft d!ck train at this point. I would like to be wrong, because I used to respect your opinion…but man…it's become a desperate struggle with your posts over the last 6 months 🤦‍♂️. Nobody is believing your console struggle nonsense after the stuff with SOT… and it's managed to get worse 🤷‍♂️
 
Looks awesome! Like Destin said, the melee hits looks so much meatier than before with proper hit reactions. And the graphics look really good. Looking like a modern version of Skyrim.
The character models look better than Skyrim but that's about it. I would have been fooled with video of Skyrim remastered.
 
No disrespect here…but I feel like you are the type that is easily manipulated. You have a lot of positive things to say about the console you prefer, and the games that release on said console regardless if they look good or not. I normally don't call this out on Gaf, but you are seriously, almost laughably, riding on the Microsoft d!ck train at this point. I would like to be wrong, because I used to respect your opinion…but man…it's become a desperate struggle with your posts over the last 6 months 🤦‍♂️. Nobody is believing your console struggle nonsense after the stuff with SOT… and it's managed to get worse 🤷‍♂️
NWlwHCG.gif
 
Watching more and I think the HUD is bad. It's even worse when the effects are all over the screen.

EDIT: I'm out. I had forgotten it has the shitty tiered loot system with minor bullshit stat differences.

No Thank You Lol GIF by Max
 
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Looks like a Skyrim mod and holy shit, some western developers don't seem able to escape the PS3 era of animations even if their lives depended on it. Pass.
 
Honestly, sometimes I cannot understand publishers. They told Obsidian to make a Skyrim game when they literally have purchased the Skyrim makers. They could have Obsidian make PoE3 and MS basically have their very own 'Baldur's Gate' IP in their library and now they have them making Skyrim-esque games - which will be basically competing for attention with another game of their own. Not that I expect this game to be on the same scale with ES5, but still, you *could* have had PoE3, which would be a LOT different than a Skyrim clone, while you HAVE Skyrim already.

Whatever.
 
I still love you man…please enjoy your console of choice, I appreciate that. What I don't appreciate, is you acting like every release on Xbox is a Godsend. But, hey, who am I…right? 😔. I wouldn't dare want to have a conversation about the flaws of Avowed your lord and savior ((second to Starfield))).

Here let me be real…console type disregarded. The game looks like complete ass. It strikes me as boring, and will have terrible performance. No depth, no excitement pre-release, and no impact on anyone outside of your type. I hate it, but the game is being sent out to die in the wasteland of happy bunnies and winning lottery tickets 100% of the time that you've created in your head. You legitimately used to have good conversations about exclusives and the other consoles in the landscape, but to just "shut the door.gif" and not even have any kind of argument leads me to believe you are now a full blown warrior. Good luck lasting through the holidays on here. I won't bother you again with a response or reaction to your posts, because I wouldn't want to be "wrong" and disregarded. Good luck with your one or two 6.0-7.0 games exclusive to your console of choice, and please…please don't shed a tear when Forza, Halo, and Starfield go to "someone else's console". It will be okay, I promise. Bye 👋

Disclaimer - I went to this extent with my response because all you had to reply with was a disrespectful gif. Good talk through.
 
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I still love you man…please enjoy your console of choice, I appreciate that. What I don't appreciate, is you acting like every release on Xbox is a Godsend. But, hey, who am I…right? 😔. I wouldn't dare want to have a conversation about the flaws of Avowed your lord and savior ((second to Starfield))).

Here let me be real…console type disregarded. The game looks like complete ass. It strikes me as boring, and will have terrible performance. No depth, no excitement pre-release, and no impact on anyone outside of your type. I hate it, but the game is being sent out to die in the wasteland of happy bunnies and winning lottery tickets 100% of the time that you've created in your head. You legitimately used to have good conversations about exclusives and the other consoles in the landscape, but to just "shut the door.gif" and not even have any kind of argument leads me to believe you are now a full blown warrior. Good luck lasting through the holidays on here. I won't bother you again with a response or reaction to your posts, because I wouldn't want to be "wrong" and disregarded. Good luck with your one or two 6.0-7.0 games exclusive to your console of choice, and please…please don't shed a tear when Forza, Halo, and Starfield go to "someone else's console". It will be okay, I promise. Bye 👋

Disclaimer - I went to this extent with my response because all you had to reply with was a disrespectful gif. Good talk through.
2id0aWG.gif
 
This looks strongly like marketing footage.

But am not concerned for game, as of now.

If nothing else, will play as pure stealth character and have a lot of fun that way.
 
Looks ok. Can we get more reliable impressions though?

Roger roger.


So far, Avowed feels like a perfectly competent adventure that could prove to be comparable with the best of the Elder Scrolls franchise. More importantly, it could fit in alongside some of Obsidian's best work like the aforementioned Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. Obsidian appears to be confident enough in its work that it's taking a few additional months to give it some extra polish. Look for Avowed to come to PC and Xbox Series X|S on February 18.



It's difficult to tell from this small slice of the game how Avowed will shape up overall, but as an RPG fan, I'm already intrigued by its fantasy world. And with plenty of freedom when it comes to what approach I want to take in and out of combat, I'm looking forward to finding the right build for me so I can face up more skeletons with ease.
 
The gameplay doesn't look good at all. Both the main character and the enemies move very slowly. There's no sign of intelligence in the enemies, they just seem to be waiting to die, as if you're playing on a very easy difficulty. I also don't like the art style; it doesn't look either childish or realistic. My expectations for the game are at their lowest, though I hope it surprises me and we get to play a great RPG, but it seems unlikely.
 
Honestly, it looks like the same art / style as PoE 2 but just in first person, and more polygonal and less sprite-y.

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Yeah i think some people forget the game is set in the POE universe.

As for the vid, this is the first one that has really impressed me. The graphics are coming along considerably from older builds, especially in terms of texture detail, and fine detail.
And there is somethign about the art style i just find visually pleasing. Probably just used to these kind of games always looking so drab.

Anyway if this IS coming to Playstation, i hope they announce it BEFORE the reviews come out.
 
I'll probably not play this on release even on GamePass after watching that footage. Not because it looks bad, but because I don't do well with motion sickness with FPRPGs like Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, etc.
Weird that I'm with fine FPS game for the most part. If this was more Fable-like, I think I'd jump right in.
You can play it in 3rd person if that helps
 
Roger roger.





Nice and thanks.
 
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