Absolutely agree. There's very little I disliked about this game which is absolutely not in line with the general consensus. With shades of Metroid and Doom and a bit of an RPG structure around it, this really felt like a breath of fresh air. But looking at how this was dismissed by the media on release and how people felt discouraged to giving it a try, it's no surprise we're living in sequel-land these days.
I agree however my favourite is the "zone" approach like Kingdoms of Amalur and the original Fable. You get the exploration of an open world game but you don't need to worry about the drawbacks like empty uninteresting spaces and poor performance/increased pop-in because you can tailor things to only be as large as you can handle from a performance and narrative perspective and don't have any gaps to fill in between. Rather than being seen as a mere stepping stone between linear games and open world games that was necessitated by the hardware limitations I wish developers would look at this style as a legitimate way of making games even today still.
I had a glitch that happened to me a quarter into the game that softlocked me from progressing further, it really pissed me off but the game was so fun and I also got to put more early points into my shield which was the best defensive option in the game so in a sense, it was a blessing and a curse at same time.
I'm probably about halfway through right now as well, and so far, I've really enjoyed it. Foe it's originality, story, and game mechanics. I did get it as a free monthly game on PS+, but it seems worth the price it's at now. I see a lot of opportunity for the rest of the game. I'm looking forward to it and good review 👍
This game is fantastic and offers a meaty single player campaign, which is a rarity nowadays. It's sad that it sold so poorly, as the premise has a big potential and new IP's are somewhat of an anomaly today. Looks great on everything set to low on my 3060Ti (except textures).
I like linear games, but I had no desire to get this one. Wish we got a real sequel to Black. Can you believe the Criterion picked doing Burnout Paradise over Black 2!? The world isn't fair lol.
That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard the publisher invest a bunch of money in the publishing in the marketing and if they don’t sell enough copies, they don’t get their money back so the concept the idea that they would hide a bad game instead of just publishing and hoping for the best, that’s ridiculous
Actually I think JRPGs need to learn from the West with regards to how they depict women. Fact is if you live in a world where battle is a constant way of life then looking like a porcelain doll with the thinnest arms ever is ridiculous. If a woman is swinging a sword all day long she is going to look as macho as any man, and way more so than any man not swinging a sword all day. As for this game it came out of nowhere for me and was simply to expensive to get on a whim, especially since there were a whole bunch of other titles surrounding it that I had already been budgeting for. I love the idea though and I definitely do want to get it. Did you ever play Lichdom: Battlemage? Similar idea, to turn a spell-caster into a more proactive one-man-army rather than the glass cannon slinging spells from the back. Unfortunately it either didn't have the budget and/or the development skill to pull off the execution and ended up very repetitive and underwhelming. Kinda feel like Immortals of Aveum is another swing at the concept, one that could have been far more successful if only it had better release timing. One thing is clear though, you have to be into the concept of the game, if you condense it down to just being a shooter where your shotgun is a red glowy hand and your SMG is a green glowy hand than the game falls flat because just taken as a shooter it's kind of on the weaker side.
While I agree a warrior lady would be more cut and muscular, I think something we have seen in modern entertainment are woman not being praised for traits they possess. It’s not horrible in this title but when I saw the Abby arms, I had to comment.
@@joethealternativegamer3935 Well Abby has those arms for more reasons. To make clear which role she takes in her relationships. And also to be the polar antithesis of Ellie. They weren't chosen purely for aesthetic reasons. Also there is an incredibly thin line between "being praised for the traits they possess" and objectification. Modern media either fully embraces "sex sells" or tries to stay as clear of it as possible giving us effective caricatures. It's honestly a difficult topic and one that I feel doesn't belong in the gaming space, which is why I prefer to have male protagonists but then you run into a representation issue. Take for instance the streaming scene you get women that try to accentuate their natural assets for greater appeal, or even unnaturally amplify them for the same, and women who just happen to be well proportioned, and the latter will always be accused of being the prior regardless of their own intent. It's not a topic that has a legitimate answer at this point you will always run afoul of someone. The closest we can get is probably for women to look appropriate to their daily lives, so no super model blacksmiths and no muscle-bound office ladies.
@@88Opportunist yea and I’m speaking for generally, I do find it odd that men can still be objectified but women can’t. What bothered me about Abby’s appearance is that it was unrealistic. We are built differently and I find it very unrealistic that she would get to that size just through weights and maybe diet. With last of us being a more grounded setting it was a bit jarring. But that game has more issues than just Abby’s arms lol
... it's always a nice surprise to find a lesser known game that you end up really enjoying ...
Completely agree!
Absolutely agree. There's very little I disliked about this game which is absolutely not in line with the general consensus. With shades of Metroid and Doom and a bit of an RPG structure around it, this really felt like a breath of fresh air. But looking at how this was dismissed by the media on release and how people felt discouraged to giving it a try, it's no surprise we're living in sequel-land these days.
Yea, overall I like it! Bad marketing!
I agree.....linear is not a dirty word, way better than live services or open world nonsense every game wants to be now
I love linear!
@@joethealternativegamer3935 honestly me too...allows for a more narrative focused tight experience IMO
I agree however my favourite is the "zone" approach like Kingdoms of Amalur and the original Fable. You get the exploration of an open world game but you don't need to worry about the drawbacks like empty uninteresting spaces and poor performance/increased pop-in because you can tailor things to only be as large as you can handle from a performance and narrative perspective and don't have any gaps to fill in between. Rather than being seen as a mere stepping stone between linear games and open world games that was necessitated by the hardware limitations I wish developers would look at this style as a legitimate way of making games even today still.
I had a glitch that happened to me a quarter into the game that softlocked me from progressing further, it really pissed me off but the game was so fun and I also got to put more early points into my shield which was the best defensive option in the game so in a sense, it was a blessing and a curse at same time.
That sucks about the soft lock!
I'm probably about halfway through right now as well, and so far, I've really enjoyed it. Foe it's originality, story, and game mechanics. I did get it as a free monthly game on PS+, but it seems worth the price it's at now. I see a lot of opportunity for the rest of the game. I'm looking forward to it and good review 👍
It’s good!
This game is fantastic and offers a meaty single player campaign, which is a rarity nowadays. It's sad that it sold so poorly, as the premise has a big potential and new IP's are somewhat of an anomaly today. Looks great on everything set to low on my 3060Ti (except textures).
Its on gamepass. Great game so far! Underrated
It’s fun!
@@joethealternativegamer3935 great channel man. Keep it up, just subd
@@VENIICE999 much appreciated :)
I like linear games, but I had no desire to get this one. Wish we got a real sequel to Black.
Can you believe the Criterion picked doing Burnout Paradise over Black 2!? The world isn't fair lol.
I need more Black!
That was the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard the publisher invest a bunch of money in the publishing in the marketing and if they don’t sell enough copies, they don’t get their money back so the concept the idea that they would hide a bad game instead of just publishing and hoping for the best, that’s ridiculous
Actually I think JRPGs need to learn from the West with regards to how they depict women. Fact is if you live in a world where battle is a constant way of life then looking like a porcelain doll with the thinnest arms ever is ridiculous. If a woman is swinging a sword all day long she is going to look as macho as any man, and way more so than any man not swinging a sword all day.
As for this game it came out of nowhere for me and was simply to expensive to get on a whim, especially since there were a whole bunch of other titles surrounding it that I had already been budgeting for. I love the idea though and I definitely do want to get it.
Did you ever play Lichdom: Battlemage? Similar idea, to turn a spell-caster into a more proactive one-man-army rather than the glass cannon slinging spells from the back. Unfortunately it either didn't have the budget and/or the development skill to pull off the execution and ended up very repetitive and underwhelming. Kinda feel like Immortals of Aveum is another swing at the concept, one that could have been far more successful if only it had better release timing. One thing is clear though, you have to be into the concept of the game, if you condense it down to just being a shooter where your shotgun is a red glowy hand and your SMG is a green glowy hand than the game falls flat because just taken as a shooter it's kind of on the weaker side.
While I agree a warrior lady would be more cut and muscular, I think something we have seen in modern entertainment are woman not being praised for traits they possess. It’s not horrible in this title but when I saw the Abby arms, I had to comment.
@@joethealternativegamer3935 Well Abby has those arms for more reasons. To make clear which role she takes in her relationships. And also to be the polar antithesis of Ellie. They weren't chosen purely for aesthetic reasons. Also there is an incredibly thin line between "being praised for the traits they possess" and objectification. Modern media either fully embraces "sex sells" or tries to stay as clear of it as possible giving us effective caricatures. It's honestly a difficult topic and one that I feel doesn't belong in the gaming space, which is why I prefer to have male protagonists but then you run into a representation issue. Take for instance the streaming scene you get women that try to accentuate their natural assets for greater appeal, or even unnaturally amplify them for the same, and women who just happen to be well proportioned, and the latter will always be accused of being the prior regardless of their own intent. It's not a topic that has a legitimate answer at this point you will always run afoul of someone. The closest we can get is probably for women to look appropriate to their daily lives, so no super model blacksmiths and no muscle-bound office ladies.
@@88Opportunist yea and I’m speaking for generally, I do find it odd that men can still be objectified but women can’t. What bothered me about Abby’s appearance is that it was unrealistic. We are built differently and I find it very unrealistic that she would get to that size just through weights and maybe diet. With last of us being a more grounded setting it was a bit jarring. But that game has more issues than just Abby’s arms lol
@@joethealternativegamer3935 That it does.
@@88Opportunist thanks for sharing your thoughts too :)