Tag: Fable

Hello again Island Guests! Today I am gonna do something I haven’t done in a fair bit. Be somewhat relevant. Now I know this post will go up when the news is almost a week old.. but that still passes as relevant for me! Rather than talking about Retro Games or Weird games.. or a new pokémon one! I will tell you what I think about what is coming!  Today I react to the Xbox Games Showcase of July 2020.

Okay.. guys , I think presentation wise Microsoft blew Sony out of the water. There was a lot more gameplay trailers, more release dates and more hype.  Heavily focussing on first and second party developers was such a smart move because this is all stuff you might buy the Series X for. Well stuff will come out for PC in some cases.. but let’s be honest.. PC Gamers and console gamers are by now almost completely different demographics. Regardless this really felt like a lineup for just about everything Microsoft! There was less room for technobabble which I appreciated. Let’s be completely honest here, Haptic Feedback doesn’t determine what system you will  get it’s the games. At least for me .. and this showcase was all build for that! No Price Range for the Series X though either.. are they waiting for each other to announce their price?! It’s not like I can afford one right away anyway.. and with how the console market works getting one day one seems a bit silly now.. but I would have at least like that bit of info.   Anyway let’s look at the games and I will judge them on how likely it would make me buy an Xbox series X if I had ample money.

All screenshots I use have been taken from this video that I will share with you so you can follow along in intervals if you wish!

This took a big chunk of the presentation! About a fifth of the entire presentation was Halo and I can see why. The last two Halo’s have not been received all that well and this one seems like a return to format. The Old armor is back, the colours and the general design reminds me of the original trilogy and in particular Halo: Combat Evolved the first game. I played the trilogy and liked it fine enough! This looks like a First Person shooter I actually  would sort of like to play. That being said the fact that I would like to play it because how retro it feels might make it a bit safe at the same time. There is a grappling hook thing now that looks quite fun.. and similar to something i have seen in Doom Infinite. Not only can you zip to other places it can also help you grab and toss items.  The music is awesome again, the characters I have seen are appealing so I already felt a bit engaged with the story..but I am not fully convinced yet I should play this over Halo 1. 

Would I buy a console for it?
Maybe! If I still feel like Halo after replaying Combat Evolved?!

State of Decay is not my brand of Zombie game.. I prefer the chaos of Left 4 Dead.  So when the third game was announced I did not feel much! I am happy for the people who love this series but to me it just isn’t my brand.  The fact that we seem to get more zombie animals is cool but I am already not very appealed by winter settings. This trailer in my opinion did not really need to exist, this type of game screams Gameplay. I would like to see how combating Zombie deer would work how this weapon functions and if camping is a in game gimmick.  What this trailer shows could have been reached with a poster. Great for people wanting a sequel but it will not convince anyone new to this series I think.. I was not convinced at least.

Would I buy a console for it?
No but I might watch a let’s play

My days of wanting pretty graphics is something I left far behind me.. but there are always those who want to look at amazing graphics above anything else. While I have no doubt the gameplay of Forza is adequate I have always found the series incredibly boring. Much like Gran Turismo. I prefer PGR as a “realistic” series or Burnout as a fun racing series. I even enjoyed The Crew a fair bit when I tried the trial. This to me feels empty. Again no gameplay so I have no idea how good the game will look when actually racing.. and if I was part of the demographic.. I think that is what really matters. The visuals in this trailer look amazing but if this is not what happens in game.. I don’t think people very much care. I am happy for Forza fans they now know they get their title…and since nowadays everything has to be announced as a trailer.. I get why it is here.. but again.. this does nothing what the words “Forza Motorsports is coming to Series X”   could not do.

Would I buy a console for it
Heck No! sleeping meds are cheaper! Both would just put me to sleep

Rare’s new game peaked my interest.. this game looks like it might be a mix between Avatar (as in the last Airbender one)  Pokémon and stuff like Horizon Zero Dawn.  Yet I could be completely wrong, I do not know because this once more is not a gameplay trailer. The Breath of the Wild aesthetic it has to it appeals.. but makes it feel a tad to “artsy”  for me.. given how the trailer runs.  I am not sure if I am going to think this game is actually FUN or just beautiful and impressive. For example I found Breath of the Wild Beautiful and impressive but not every fun. It is clear that creatures will play a very important role in it.. but what that role is exactly is unknown! Are they just creatures you need to help with a task or do you actually use them to complete tasks?  I have no idea. I am intrigued.. very much so.. but I am not sure what this is. It has potential , it has beauty, and it looks very original ..but I just do not know what this ends up being.

Would I buy a console for it?
I do not know!

No this game has nothing to do with the Backstreet Boys. This game developed by Dontnod is basically Life is Strange 3. We see a choose your own adventure type game where a brother and sister reunited and bond over their past.. but mysterious powers reveal that there might be more playing than they initially would have thought. Life is Strange was one of my favourite playthroughs of the last decade while the sequel did not do all that much for me. This story seems more appealing to be, the plot lines that are thrown out in this trailer do feel intriguing and this trailer manages to capture a certain tension I would like to see in a video game like this. At the same time I do tend to find these type of games overly expensive as you can really only complete them once. Maybe twice but then the joy is gone a bit. The fact that this one will be episodic as well makes me think this will be very much the same thing. I would probably love to play this one.. but only once the parts are all bundled together for a sweet deal. Definitely something I will be keeping an eye out for ..as the vision mechanic seems neat.. but also something I do not mind waiting for.

Would I Buy A Console for it?
No but I would buy it if I had the console!

This trailer made me incredibly uncomfy and slightly hurt my eyes. Ori 2 as I will call the game was a well received game that now gets a 120 FPS + enhanced music version on the Series X.  The trailer however was two screens next to each other with one running at 60fps and one at 120 fps.. slowed down so we could really see the stutters in the 60fps one. It felt like seeing one of those spot the differences books but it is really hard for me to notice. I mean sure I notice there are more animation frames in the 120fps version.. now that it is slowed down but it hurt my brain to look at it like that. Ori is a great platformer that unfortunately is not for me due to all the jump linking and me being very twitchy. Focussing on trying to spot a difference made me a bit queasy so while I think it’s great that this is here for Ori fans .. I am not convinced you can actually notice the framerate difference with human eyes… at least when it is not slowed down.

Would I buy a console for it?
No I need the money to buy a bucket! And some aspirine!

I love Silly expansions. Old World Blues for Fallout New Vegas ,Far Cry Blood Dragon and TIny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep  are among some of my favourite expansions and this does that same thing. I love the style, I love the humor and I would have enjoyed the game a bit more if this was more the overall tone of the game. I found myself a bit bored when playing Outer Worlds though and I wish this had been in the base game instead. So it is a step in the right direction. It makes me want to pick Outworlds up to give it another try! So I can say it’s a good trailer. I will probably try the game again, back out and not bother with the DLC though.. but who knows things might change. I might actually get some fun out of this.

Would I buy a console for it?
No but I would give a game I dropped another chance for it!

More Obsidian goodness came in the form of Grounded. A team based survival game that holds a bit in between Fortnite (Building wise)  Honey I shrunk the kids (the movie) and  your typical survival shooter. It goes into early acces on steam on the 28th of July I think and it looks actually quite fun! It was also by far the funniest trailer! “If You are waiting for the biggest game of the year” …… Wait for Cyberpunk 2077.  I laughed out loud! Thank you Obsidian.  The game looks to good for my Laptop to run but this would be something I would play with friends had I had friends who like to play this. The friends who do played team based games said “I don’t want to play as children” so they were out!  I’d probably not be able to run the game either way but man.. this trailer was funny, special and I loved this games feeling.

Would I buy a console for it?
Yes! If I could buy the friends as well!

This gave me some heavy Lord  of the Rings Vibes.. in a good way. I could almost see imagine seeing a Balrog come.. after those first moments of “gameplay”. The trailer just shows us an arrow landing and a swordsman using runic magic to gain a buff for something ominous coming. This looks like a game I want to play, this sounds like a game I would like to play! There is a lot of atmosphere in this and has got me semi hyping over a fantasy for the first time since I saw the Dawnguard trailer for Skyrim! Maybe even stronger, this checks all the fantasy boxes for me.  The arrow part with the narrator I could not care very much for.. it was just those last 5 seconds that grabbed me.. but that grabbed me so hard  that it would not let me go that easy.

Would I buy a console for it?
Yes….if I had the money I totally would!

Another Interactive Drama ..but without the paranormal aspect. I did not like this one! The style of the trailer.. and if this is the graphical style of the game as well.. which I’ve seen in a few games before, isn’t for me. I see nothing gripping in terms of story yet. Where  Tell me why really seems to focus on the mysterious elements in its storytelling it is why it justifies being a game to me. This seems to focus more on the drama and that jittery style really takes me out of it. I am not much for visual novels either so I am not the demographic here, but while I might enjoy this as a movie I do not think  I’d like this as a game. The style CAN work .. but again I would need a mystery game for it.. where I get pieces to my puzzle. The missing frames are like info I am missing. I do not mind mind the style in Phoenix Wright or Danganronpa but this feels to artsy..like it’s done to be different not to make the story better.

Would I buy a console for it?
I would not know if I’d even play this game right now.

A trailer, with  a thankful guy in it. I didn’t even know Hellblade 1 was a thing and upon looking up it’s gameplay I don’t think this is something for me. It looks very epic and warrior like , with a lot of mysticism and stuff.. but this also looks a bit to gritty to me. To Feral. It seems really catered towards it’s current fanbase and isn’t a good bit to call in new players I think. No gameplay, no story..just shouting and fire. I have no doubt it will be a good game to some but as is this was one of the most forgettable presentations to me!

Would I buy a console for it?
What even is it?! I might need to play part 1 first!

I like this game and I loved the original! I would play this if I could .. but the thing is .. I already knew that! There were already a lot of good trailers showcasing both the settings and the gameplay and to be honest I didn’t really want this trailer.. It’s just more!  Like how Pokémon reveals to much Pokémon. My reaction to this trailer was mostly like.. What the Giratina happened to Jack Black’s beard! It looks so wild and .. not very good! Why is his voice so dark all the sudden! Such a change from his old style.. it’s cool that he sings a song for this game and it works.. but it would have been so much more awesome to discover this if I ever played the game than seeing him sing it .. with that beard! Great game.. WEIRD presentation

Would I buy a console for it?
Yes.. but I will never be able to unsee that beard if I do!

I am skipping this one! I have very few nice things to say about the franchise after my first two weeks playing the first game. I really dislike the reaction they took and I have some stronger feelings I should probably not discuss! If you like Destiny 2 .. please check it out in the showcase Hope you enjoy. I skipped it.

Man does Pripyat trailer well, every game that has it I instantly want to play. There is just something about it that is the perfect mix of gloom and tension. This game also adds a lot of supernatural elements to the town near Chernobyl. I wonder if this game will actually arive on schedule unlike the first one.  I wasn’t a big fan of the gameplay of the first one so I need to wait until the gameplay trailer to see if the second one might be better. If I am fair though I kind of had my fill of post apocalyptic gathering and survival games. They are kind of the Isekai genre of the video game industry. It’s all pretty good but it is all very samesy as well. The fact that this could be Metro, could be a radiation zombie apocalypse game and more.. and a lot of youtubers did not recognise it tells me  something this game might lack that thing to make it it’s own still.

Will I buy a console for this?
I need to wait until the gameplay trailer before I can truly tell.

It looks pretty! Vermintide in the 40.00 universe. The best thing I liked about this trailer is the Fat Shark Logo. Warhammer 40k is one of those things that is simply to dark and edgy for me. It’s about angry man shooting their guns at angry things and killing and getting killed makes more people angry. There is evil stuff that needs to be shot down.. and there’s alien races that need to be shot down. Valor in combat isn’t my thing. Warrior Races aren’t my thing, and I just discussed dark survival horror like shootouty things in a derelict setting before. I hope King Coconut will have fun playing it if he can but this universe and me are polar opposites. I don’t hate it and I think it should exist.. but keep it away from me please.

Will I buy a console for this?!
I am to pink for Warhammer 40.000

I love Tetris 99 for Switch! Such a great evolution of Tetris.. and once more they did it again. Tetris where you can play your Tetriminos on other players fields. Big blocks?! Psychedelic colours and the gameplay of Tetris Effect that was one of the best games of 2018? I am on board!  That’s all I have to say about it because.. it’s tetris! The trailer is people having fun playing Tetris. Tetris is great! This Tetris might be better than all the other Tetris.

Would I buy a Console for this?
I bought Tiger Electronic Tetris so why not a Series X!

This feels like Super Mario Sunshine on Xbox Series X for me.. you play a person going to an alien planet and you can clear up “The Gunk”  Not by rinsing it up by sucking it up.. so in a way this now seems a bit like a hybrid between Luigi’s Mansion and Super Mario Sunshine. So far I love it!  This is my type of game! The main character looks super fun and unique as well and the world as far as we have seen it feels quite unique being quite dark and gloomy but also really steering into the alien like aspect. It almost feels a bit Ridley Scott’esque in terms of design and I don’t think we have seen that into many video games. We mostly get really luscious worlds or snow covered worlds or purple words…This has me more excited now than Psychonauts!

Would I buy a console for this?
I would even get one out of a pile of gunk for it!

The game of the show for me! This is something I might ACTUALLY get the console for if I ever had the money!  I will probably stick with Switch.. but The Medium being a console exclusive game makes this machine at least a bit coveted for me! I like horror games in the Resident Evil and Evil Within sort of gameplay, mainly the latter seems to have a lot in common with this one.. but the chance to play each level as both the regular level and some sort of hellscape sometimes even at the same time seems so awesome! The character design between both worlds is awesome and the tone of the trailer is fantastic. We see both gameplay and world building and it is truly amazing. This is stuff I’d like to play!  No! This is stuff I want to play! I will probably end up following a YouTuber play this start to finish and be enthralled by every minute of it! This is the stuff Pinkie likes to play.. well that and cute and retro platformers.

Would I buy a Console for This?
I would build a machine to be able to play this!

Phantasy Star 2 , A super generic Call of Duty like shooter, some information about Game Passes … I honestly do not care.. I am happy people still get to play their beloved Phantasy Star ..and yay for Xbox series X having options but yeah .. meh! Generic Shooter X is just a gun go brrrt  game! Bam we are done with those things! Onto the final thing!

We just saw a pixie being eaten…and a title..and that is enough for me to want this game so bad!  No gameplay.. no world building.. no story reveals.. no characters…just a single Pixie being eaten and I already want the game! And it is developed by Xbox Game Studios..so I am pretty sure this will be an exclusive!  So……

Would I buy a Console for this!
OMG THAT PIXIE  SHE JUST GOT ATE! GIMME MORE!

What was your favourite presentation?! Will you get a series X? Would you like me to review games on Series X? If so please consider supporting me on Kofi! If you rather want me to get a playstation 5.. same story and if you like to see me do retro stuff?! Well you are in luck then!