Yes! I am not familiar with this gentleman, first time seeing him, but love his takes, his style, his voice. look forward to more! What is Jim’s last name, so I can find more?
If Avowed is a warm blanket, this video was equally warm, I learnt about the game and the presenter was funny and warm. Had a good few chuckles. Great insight into a game I felt I knew little about too.
New to seeing this new guy at eurogamer (apologies not knowing your name) very entertaining, so funny and just straight to the point , loved the video really got me excited for Avowed that I wasn’t originally
One of the details that I loved in Pillars of Eternity was the "this travel will take 22 hours" when moving into a zone to another. It leaves space for the mind to think, it makes you feel in a tabletop rpg. Walking step by step into a forest in Skyrim is a nice experience, for the first time. After a few years you just fast travel after realizing you need something new, and a not-so-open world might be just that. I loved Pillars of Eternity and can't wait to try Avowed.
In Might and Magic 7 the travel times between areas was part of how you aged. As you became older warriors and knights got weaker while mages and such got stronger.
Yeah, I just block out the haters, they don't enjoy anything and want all of us to not enjoy anything. It's better to just let those morons be miserable.
So good to see some love for Obsidian. They’ve been overshadowed lately by Larian (no shade on Larian of course) but Obsidian deserves recognition too.
When I heard "it's a warm blanket, like watching Star Trek TNG", I knew exactly what that meant. It's very much a warm blanket to me as well, and I'm excited for Avowed to be similar.
I think it does have an identity , its Eora, its the deep world, races and characters that make such a unique fantasy world like nothing else. Otherwise a pretty solid in depth look at a 2 hour build.
I agree, I’m a Pillars fan, probably 500 hours into both games and I think (I hope) the identity of Avowed will come shine when we get into the meat and potatoes of the game. It’s the really gritty stuff that Obsidian put into the first two games that kept me interested. The characters you think are insignificant that turn out to be irreplaceable allies, the little actions that have major consequences.
I'm not familar with Jim but he has the same quality as Danny O'Dwyer at conveying his feelings about the game he played in such a descriptive way that you feel as if you played it yourself, incredible preview.
I didn't realize this was part of the pillars of eternity series. That and the comparison to the other world, you have mine undivided attention with this.
@@eurogamer those things are uncanny ugly lol. i hope in those options they allow the player to have some that are hidden but still have an effect on the player's character. kind of like how transmog systems work, so you don't have to wear ugly looking clothing and armor just to get the stats you want, when most ppl want to wear whatever they want but still get the bonuses they want from the ugly clothing and armor choices.
I'm new to the eurogamer channel but this guy is fantastic. He's hilarious, incredibly well-spoken and you can tell that he's well versed in what he's talking about and great sat communicating that knowledge, great stuff
I generally prefer third person so I'm glad there is an option. Hopefully they allow us to adjust the camera distance a bit like Skyrim does on consoles
@@lucasmilitao i think it's best to focus on having the option rather than limiting it out of games, i don't like games that are only first person or only 3rd person, i like having both options.
@@5226-p1edisagree. You do not need to give players an option all the time. There’s advantages and disadvantages to each perspective and sometimes it’s best to stick with just one to ensure you can polish it to its finest. Because such an option is just unnecessary for most games. At the end of the day, games should be allowed to be presented how they want. If people don’t like first person games, that’s fine, but we shouldn’t be forcing developers to add that option and in turn make sacrifices just because some people won’t feel like playing it. Games shouldn’t be made with the goal of pleasing everyone in mind.
The combat is finally looking really good. They have definitely been improving it based on audience reception every single time they have showed the game off.
Loved your analysis and commentary - very informative as well as fun! Was already excited for Avowed, but really glad to see such nice content about it!
I'm so happy to see Avowed is getting good first impressions. I was pretty disappointed by the shift in tone between the teaser and gameplay trailers, but I'm definitely coming around now. The combat and exploration were pretty rough in Outer Worlds so this actually has me really excited again.
Great preview, covered so many of my questions. Much better than the other previews I have watched that just tell you "it's fun" and "the combat is fun"
More of this guy please, clearly knows his stuff, covered everything I’d been wondering about the game, great preview. And Jim, talk about Star Trek, just please not new Trek(except Strange new worlds, that one works).
Loved this review and will remember whose reviews to look forward to, a pleasant manner of speech and nice bits of humor. I've played both "Pillars" games quite recently and will now eagerly wait for this game too, thankfully not a very long wait for me in comparison to the older fans of this universe (who have got to be very excited too).
Excellent peek and definitely makes me feel safe in purchasing AVOWED. Love they are doing something similar to DRAGON AGE in have compact big areas which allow for an extreme focus on detailed handcrafted levels. Fabulous work by Mr. Jim ☕
To me, 2 circles hitting eachother is good enough combat (Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Pillars of Eternity). So all I care about in this game is, if the story is good
i am not subscribed to Eurogamer so this video popping in my feed was nice to see. Really enjoyed the presenter who ever you are great job. But I am here to ask about Star Trek, why can't you talk about it?
Hot take: Skyrim is one of the most overrated RPGs ever made, it's also the weakest entry to the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion and Morrowind did so many things better than Skyrim. I'm so glad Avowed is it's own thing and not a Skyrim clone, looking like another Obsidian W.
As someone who played Oblivion for the first time directly before playing Skyrim - I will say that Skyrim had some nice mechanical improvements especially for bow users, level up didn't require a bed so you could focus more on exploration, and dropped more hints for curing vampirism, which were nice. Lots of stuff streamlined so you didn't get bogged down in menus as much, I think. But Oblivion had more memorable quests for sure.
Yeah i agree, i remember being so underwhelmed when it came out and same with fallout. It's crazy that Avowed looks like the game i keep trying to mod skyrim into the modern day with combat and movement (something Starfield still can't even get right)
The combat reminds me of Dark Mesiah but much more polished, it's looking good, this and kingdom come deliverance 2 are my most anticipated games for 2025.
This video has got me more interested in Avowed than a single trailer for the game. It just looked like another one but yeah gonna be installing day 1 👍
It looks great, I think the only thing that is currently killing it for me is just the 'Ken Doll' hands. Like the way the pistol is just held out so stiff, or the sprinting seen at the end. Maybe a small gripe but it's what killed Outlands for me.
It's quite a pathetic gripe to be fair pal. You may not like the hands, but for something so small and inconsequential to completely ruin an entire game? Really? Very petty
Great review. I have to agree with everybody else and say I found this video very informative and descriptive. I appreciated the clear and concise points that didn’t feel like beating a dead horse or like they were devoid of opinion. A lot of video feel like they’re just resisting the same thing in different ways. Beyond that, I am concerned to hear that avowed doesn’t have a strong identity. I know outer worlds has the whole hyper capitalism retro aesthetic, but I didn’t feel it was something that was well supported by its gameplay, mechanics, and writing. The combat does look like a joy to play, though.
the combat looks almost as good as a combat focused mod sets for skyrim lol. let's just say skyrim modders have been trying to make the combat fun and engaging like this game, now i can't say i'm a huge fan of using a wand in your right hand while holding a useless book in your left, one thing i liked in skyrim was that you could hold anything in either hand while using magic, so if i wanted to hold a shield while using some magic spell on my right hand i liked that option, when FO4 came out and i finally played it, i never imagined they would make your left hand so damn useless like they did, it's only meant for zooming in with your gun, there is no ability for you to wield a piece of trash fashioned into a shield and use it with your left hand and use a gun on your right, that mechanic simply doesn't exist in FO4. and i don't want what they did in Oblivion either, where the shield exists a sort of auto shield up animation when playing with a weapon or spell in your right hand, that was ok for it's time but skyrim just has the better model over FO4 in that regard, i understand that fallout is mostly about guns and what not, but the game had melee, but it was pretty much useless and not worth using in anyway, sadly skyrim still did better with that aspect. the only issue i had in skyrim was having some ability to use a shield of some kind while i aimed a bow, it would have been nice to have a temporary used spell that would activate while you used a bow, i had a mod that did this, but i wanted something more skill based over script based, something like hitting the shout button while holding a charge from your bow so you had some semblance of defense.
dishonored was great also to control, move, fight; nice to see avowed going in that direction, because ES never felt convincing in controls and also characters models, could never get into these games because of that
![Jack Harlow - Hello Miss Johnson [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q86_nlRoIGw/mqdefault.jpg)
Getting Jim onto the Eurogamer team was a goddamn excellent decision. Quality content every time.
i thought it was guillermo del toro 🤣 fun guy
Is great to see Bratt's dad is doing so well.
- and that's a good thing - journalism
Yes! I am not familiar with this gentleman, first time seeing him, but love his takes, his style, his voice. look forward to more! What is Jim’s last name, so I can find more?
When I read this comment at the start at the video I was scared I was gonna see Jim Sterling
If Avowed is a warm blanket, this video was equally warm, I learnt about the game and the presenter was funny and warm. Had a good few chuckles. Great insight into a game I felt I knew little about too.
The fact that Jim's got a Pentiment screensaver behind him speaks volumes. Brilliant preview, great work, mate. February can't come soon enough!!
New to seeing this new guy at eurogamer (apologies not knowing your name) very entertaining, so funny and just straight to the point , loved the video really got me excited for Avowed that I wasn’t originally
That's Jim
It literally says it right at the beginning of the video lol.
And a nice voice and lovely accent 😊
@@gaminggentleman2334 He deserves a better place than Eurogamer of all places.
Not sure if he writes his talking points but whoever did is a good writer. At least the opening was good.
This dude is really good.
Knew I heard "Mass Age" and "Dragon Effect" 😂
One of the details that I loved in Pillars of Eternity was the "this travel will take 22 hours" when moving into a zone to another. It leaves space for the mind to think, it makes you feel in a tabletop rpg. Walking step by step into a forest in Skyrim is a nice experience, for the first time. After a few years you just fast travel after realizing you need something new, and a not-so-open world might be just that. I loved Pillars of Eternity and can't wait to try Avowed.
In Might and Magic 7 the travel times between areas was part of how you aged. As you became older warriors and knights got weaker while mages and such got stronger.
This vid felt like a breath of fresh air ngl. There's so much negativity nowadays about new games and some reviews are so clearly bought
Yeah, I just block out the haters, they don't enjoy anything and want all of us to not enjoy anything. It's better to just let those morons be miserable.
So good to see some love for Obsidian. They’ve been overshadowed lately by Larian (no shade on Larian of course) but Obsidian deserves recognition too.
When I heard "it's a warm blanket, like watching Star Trek TNG", I knew exactly what that meant. It's very much a warm blanket to me as well, and I'm excited for Avowed to be similar.
I think it does have an identity , its Eora, its the deep world, races and characters that make such a unique fantasy world like nothing else. Otherwise a pretty solid in depth look at a 2 hour build.
I agree, I’m a Pillars fan, probably 500 hours into both games and I think (I hope) the identity of Avowed will come shine when we get into the meat and potatoes of the game. It’s the really gritty stuff that Obsidian put into the first two games that kept me interested. The characters you think are insignificant that turn out to be irreplaceable allies, the little actions that have major consequences.
Man, this guy is great. And this game looks amazing.
I love this presenter's body-language.
It nicely compliments his speech :)
I'm not familar with Jim but he has the same quality as Danny O'Dwyer at conveying his feelings about the game he played in such a descriptive way that you feel as if you played it yourself, incredible preview.
My son and I both really liked Outer Worlds. I wanted more. I've been impatiently waiting for Avowed. I wish I could beta test for them.
Ah Jim, you were fantastic back in the videogamer UK years , So glad to see you back. great preview :)
The world building from the last two games all led to this and I'm here for it.
Great seeing Jim back reviewing games again.
I didn't realize this was part of the pillars of eternity series. That and the comparison to the other world, you have mine undivided attention with this.
Hopefully, the character creation lets us choose where to put the mushroom spore on our character.
I can't show the char creator but I can tell you there's loads of options for this, you can also have it turned off (NPCs can still see it)
@@eurogamer I hope this character creator will be really good and flexible, pale elven girls for life.
@@eurogamer
those things are uncanny ugly lol.
i hope in those options they allow the player to have some that are hidden but still have an effect on the player's character.
kind of like how transmog systems work, so you don't have to wear ugly looking clothing and armor just to get the stats you want, when most ppl want to wear whatever they want but still get the bonuses they want from the ugly clothing and armor choices.
@@eurogamercan you fully change to a godlike like poe2 which will also be visible
I'm new to the eurogamer channel but this guy is fantastic. He's hilarious, incredibly well-spoken and you can tell that he's well versed in what he's talking about and great sat communicating that knowledge, great stuff
What a joy it was to listen to this gentleman in this video. Witty yet concise. Will be looking out for him more!
I generally prefer third person so I'm glad there is an option. Hopefully they allow us to adjust the camera distance a bit like Skyrim does on consoles
Tired of 3rd person rpg games, we need to change the formula a little bit. Same thing with Indiana Jones. It's important for the game to be unique.
If nothing else, we get to admire our characters!
Honestly, hard pass if wasn’t some 3rd person (1st person only combat would be acceptable).
@@lucasmilitao
i think it's best to focus on having the option rather than limiting it out of games, i don't like games that are only first person or only 3rd person, i like having both options.
@@5226-p1edisagree. You do not need to give players an option all the time. There’s advantages and disadvantages to each perspective and sometimes it’s best to stick with just one to ensure you can polish it to its finest. Because such an option is just unnecessary for most games. At the end of the day, games should be allowed to be presented how they want. If people don’t like first person games, that’s fine, but we shouldn’t be forcing developers to add that option and in turn make sacrifices just because some people won’t feel like playing it. Games shouldn’t be made with the goal of pleasing everyone in mind.
The combat is finally looking really good. They have definitely been improving it based on audience reception every single time they have showed the game off.
I loved your impression dude. This is my most expected game.
I too thought the melee combat looks like Dark Messiah.
I noticed the Sleeping Dogs poster behind you as well as the Pentiment wallpaper on your PC. Exquisite taste.
TIL that Avowed is a Pillars of Eternity game.
The irony of, “that’d make a good tweet actually.” 😂😂😂 I see what you did there!
Top Jim content
A blue wild Orlan! Serafen representation (though he was green ofc)
Yep, a moment of appreciation for him 😄
Great video, starting the get hyped about Avowed. Enjoyed your style of video too, looking forward to more from you.
dont know who this guy is talking, but I like him a lot. really fun reviewer god damn
Jim is brilliant. Had pretty liw expectations for this but good to see positive feedback.
Loved your analysis and commentary - very informative as well as fun! Was already excited for Avowed, but really glad to see such nice content about it!
Huuuge relief that this game is good. Been looking forward to this one for a while and now I’m even more excited!
I'm so happy to see Avowed is getting good first impressions. I was pretty disappointed by the shift in tone between the teaser and gameplay trailers, but I'm definitely coming around now. The combat and exploration were pretty rough in Outer Worlds so this actually has me really excited again.
Well, I've gone from being interested in Avowed to being excited again, looking forward to it
Very nice preview Sir. I will certainly be watching the full review when it comes out.
Great preview, covered so many of my questions. Much better than the other previews I have watched that just tell you "it's fun" and "the combat is fun"
I would say that Obsidian's Fallout is actually Fallout.
Keep on bit socketin jim
All for more next gen references!! Loved this video and the presenter! Have a nice Christmas right back at you!
Great to see this game coming along. Glad they got extra time to make sure it’s going good
Thank you, Guillermo, I love your movies
More of this guy please, clearly knows his stuff, covered everything I’d been wondering about the game, great preview.
And Jim, talk about Star Trek, just please not new Trek(except Strange new worlds, that one works).
Loved this review and will remember whose reviews to look forward to, a pleasant manner of speech and nice bits of humor. I've played both "Pillars" games quite recently and will now eagerly wait for this game too, thankfully not a very long wait for me in comparison to the older fans of this universe (who have got to be very excited too).
Yo, I could listen to Jim talk for hours.
Everyone’s talking about Jim and I can’t blame them. Loved this preview.
Great review mate! They need to keep you doing all reviews
I just want the 3rd person gameplay to feel good in Avowed gameplay
Boy, I am so glad that George R. R. Martin is playing some inspiration to fuel finally finishing that book series!
Hey Jim, good job, buddy.
everything is up my alley accept that bottom left corner, and damage numbers. if we can get a setting to hide those things, then this gonna be great.
Oh geez. This has got me pretty hyped.
I like this guy, good analysis and funny
I am happy to hear it is not a Skyrim clone.
So is Bethesda. 😂
perfectly valid ending there, I wouldn't change a thing.
That tweet joke killed me. That alone would’ve made this worth watching hahahaha
Is it only mushrooms?? For the character creation? Great video!!!
Please tell me, what kind of music is in the beginning? It sounds awesome!
will there be a real physical release which has a disc? that £90 steelbook code in a box thing just completely turned me off :(
Probably from LRG if it ever comes to PlayStation and/or Switch 2.
Excellent peek and definitely makes me feel safe in purchasing AVOWED. Love they are doing something similar to DRAGON AGE in have compact big areas which allow for an extreme focus on detailed handcrafted levels. Fabulous work by Mr. Jim ☕
Really great presentation and communication by the reviewer here. Easy to follow and understand
I agree I like this guy and this game looks good. Although I wish it was more like Skyrim because that was just a one of a kind experience
one of a kind experience? did you not play the Elder scrolls game that came before it that were the exact same but with less snow and dragons? lol
Ah yes, Mass Age Dragon Effect, that awesome game series from a few years back
Holy shit! An Alpha Protocol reference! The only Obsidian game I hated playing. Which is exactly why I beat it twice in a row.
the yellow circle damage number needs to be changed ngl
you can turn the damage numbers off and even turn off enemy health bars if you want. Source = Obsidian Avowed stream last week
Hey Jim, who is stopping you from talking Star Trek? Is it Higton? I for one would like to hear your views on how good Trek is.
Whys the Mayor always missing or being dodgy
Combat reminds me more of dark messiah of might and magic(pc/360 ) game looks really fun
for sure, game has dark messiah vibes, which is great
This is what I thought too which is a huge compliment imo
This guy is a great presenter! Next: get the sound mix right please Eurogamer 😊
To me, 2 circles hitting eachother is good enough combat (Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate, Pillars of Eternity). So all I care about in this game is, if the story is good
Thank you Jim!
i am not subscribed to Eurogamer so this video popping in my feed was nice to see. Really enjoyed the presenter who ever you are great job. But I am here to ask about Star Trek, why can't you talk about it?
I just wish I wasn't restricted to playing as either an elf or a human
Hot take: Skyrim is one of the most overrated RPGs ever made, it's also the weakest entry to the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion and Morrowind did so many things better than Skyrim.
I'm so glad Avowed is it's own thing and not a Skyrim clone, looking like another Obsidian W.
lol morrowind has sh1t combat and your character is slow as hell
As someone who played Oblivion for the first time directly before playing Skyrim - I will say that Skyrim had some nice mechanical improvements especially for bow users, level up didn't require a bed so you could focus more on exploration, and dropped more hints for curing vampirism, which were nice. Lots of stuff streamlined so you didn't get bogged down in menus as much, I think. But Oblivion had more memorable quests for sure.
Yeah i agree, i remember being so underwhelmed when it came out and same with fallout. It's crazy that Avowed looks like the game i keep trying to mod skyrim into the modern day with combat and movement (something Starfield still can't even get right)
Top preview, this new dude is great (and Scottish, hi from Edinburgh!)
3:28 best joke I have ever heard in a game review. Legitimately got me to laugh out load.
Awesome Review/first impression. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
First video I watch of Eurogamer in years, and I might come back !
Excellent review! I'll be back for more.
The combat reminds me of Dark Mesiah but much more polished, it's looking good, this and kingdom come deliverance 2 are my most anticipated games for 2025.
Fuck me am I seeing Tam McGleish again!
Jim its wonderful to see you back!
This video has got me more interested in Avowed than a single trailer for the game. It just looked like another one but yeah gonna be installing day 1 👍
It looks great, I think the only thing that is currently killing it for me is just the 'Ken Doll' hands. Like the way the pistol is just held out so stiff, or the sprinting seen at the end.
Maybe a small gripe but it's what killed Outlands for me.
It's quite a pathetic gripe to be fair pal. You may not like the hands, but for something so small and inconsequential to completely ruin an entire game? Really? Very petty
forgive the ignorance, what accent is this? scottish? irish? i love it XD
Scottish.
I don’t want avowed to be like Skyrim I want it to be the fantasy RPG version of outer worlds
Love this gentleman! Subscribed to hear more of his stuff.
Man skyrim is yours, look on the mirror, it released when you were there! What you mean your dad's Skyrim?
Give us more Jim! Great personality and relaxing voice
You should definitely play deadfire Jim, best isometric RPG to play in 2024 IMO.
As someone who have just played it for the first time this year, agree wholeheartedly
Great review. I have to agree with everybody else and say I found this video very informative and descriptive. I appreciated the clear and concise points that didn’t feel like beating a dead horse or like they were devoid of opinion. A lot of video feel like they’re just resisting the same thing in different ways.
Beyond that, I am concerned to hear that avowed doesn’t have a strong identity. I know outer worlds has the whole hyper capitalism retro aesthetic, but I didn’t feel it was something that was well supported by its gameplay, mechanics, and writing. The combat does look like a joy to play, though.
the combat looks almost as good as a combat focused mod sets for skyrim lol.
let's just say skyrim modders have been trying to make the combat fun and engaging like this game, now i can't say i'm a huge fan of using a wand in your right hand while holding a useless book in your left, one thing i liked in skyrim was that you could hold anything in either hand while using magic, so if i wanted to hold a shield while using some magic spell on my right hand i liked that option, when FO4 came out and i finally played it, i never imagined they would make your left hand so damn useless like they did, it's only meant for zooming in with your gun, there is no ability for you to wield a piece of trash fashioned into a shield and use it with your left hand and use a gun on your right, that mechanic simply doesn't exist in FO4.
and i don't want what they did in Oblivion either, where the shield exists a sort of auto shield up animation when playing with a weapon or spell in your right hand, that was ok for it's time but skyrim just has the better model over FO4 in that regard, i understand that fallout is mostly about guns and what not, but the game had melee, but it was pretty much useless and not worth using in anyway, sadly skyrim still did better with that aspect.
the only issue i had in skyrim was having some ability to use a shield of some kind while i aimed a bow, it would have been nice to have a temporary used spell that would activate while you used a bow, i had a mod that did this, but i wanted something more skill based over script based, something like hitting the shout button while holding a charge from your bow so you had some semblance of defense.
dishonored was great also to control, move, fight; nice to see avowed going in that direction, because ES never felt convincing in controls and also characters models, could never get into these games because of that
Sounds good to me, thanks Jim
Huge fan of Jim, great video
You're a mushroom person? Can I be normal instead?
Yeah I heard you can toggle it off so you don’t see it.
Jim is an absolute delight thank you for the video
unrelated but cool seeing a sleeping dogs poster, love that game