@@Donnie_Oculus sure? I'm just sick of Xbox centric channels over hyping games. I've actually enjoyed Stalker 2 at its core and it's missing key features, but I can't recommend anyone purchasing it at this point. People in camp Xbox seem to have this attitude where they hype everything to makeup for Xbox's lackluster marketing, then they sit there with egg on their face after people get their hands on the game.
@@bobjoe5937 Console wars are lame, i don't think about or notice these "camps" people are in. I just like games man. Sounds like these people live rent free in your head.
any comment on their decision to not allow you to show us the character creator? as it's being reported its likely due to the pronoun slider to avoid negative backlash? this would indicate we should expect Dragon Age Veilguard like quests or dialogue
@@DestinL just like you were hyped for Halo Infinite, Scorn, RedFall, and Stalker 2. Like c'mon dude, I get it's how you pay your bills but how can you sit here and just either lie all the time or just flat out not do your job? It's baffling tbh and I'm kinda jealous you're at a company that pays for at least a salary to have you survive in California in this economy. If I acted like you in my field, I'd have been LONG gone. It's just silly and frustrating.
Pillars was a great representation of that “sometimes good people need to do bad things” thing you drew. There’s a notable quest in the first game where pretty much everyone decides to kill a guy because he’s that heinous. There are several options for dealing with the guy, but even the goody-two-shoes priest will want to blow him up, and the world would probably be better for it. I played a Paladin following a mercenary order that tries to minimize wars by choosing overwhelming slaughter every time. These guys will destroy the enemy at any cost - they’ll even turn on their client if he or she wavers and chooses mercy. That way the nobles who enlist them won’t go into war lightly. If they do, the conflict won’t be prolonged. It’s doing wrong things for the right reason, which is a thematic fit for the setting. I like how the games gauge your morality. You accrue reputations based on your actions, and different reputations don’t cancel each other out. NPCs recognized my character both for her benevolence and her cruelty. You can be known for your prestige and your magnanimous rule, but you could be a total puppy kicker. People could address you as a meanie, but you’re actually a Batman type who’s only scary to those who deserve it.
The video mentioned the Dexter thing right after I commented this. That paladin played big sister to any kid, but people were always like, “Please don’t hurt me!” and, “Your talents would be useful for making this guy pay MUAHAHAHAHA!”
>There’s a notable quest in the first game where pretty much everyone decides to kill a guy because he’s that heinous Could you remind me which quest you're talking about? I had a PoE 1 and 2 run just last year.
Uh...the entire GAME is THAT quest. The entire meta-narrative is about *good* people, or at least people who genuinely believe they're good, choosing to do HORRIBLE things.
When he said "I just wanted to be evil cause sometimes it's more fun".....i couldn't help but think.... "well you work at ign, being evil probably comes natural to you"
I'm really hoping there will be a large modding community for this game because it feels like it would be a great foundation to work off of like Skyrim is
I don't get why people have this obsession with killing NPCs and being evil. I've never done an evil playthrough. What's more important to me is allowing me to refuse quests.
@@octavianpopescu4776 most people don't. But it's about having the option to do it. R u really doing good if that's the only possible route. What if u get 3 times reward doing evil and just a third doing good, will u still do good? Without stuff like that, rpg is hardly an rpg. Cause u dont really have roles u can play. U can just play like the game company wants u to, like thousands before had. It's just boring tbh. Like look at BG3. There are thousands of ways u can play that game. I have had like seven playthroughs with all of them going extremely differently. People have dozens such playthroughs. That's how an rpg should be like.
@octavianpopescu4776 Because those are ROLE playing games. The entire point of the genre is to assume a role and see how far it can get you, see how things turn out. That's what makes it fun. See also 7:20 If you can't make bad choices, you aren't really making choices.
@@MrMisticZ I saw that part, but to be honest, if I'm not going to do something, I'm not all that affected if it's not in the game. I think that more importantly you should have a choice to reject quests. But I've never felt the need to go on a rampage through a town. What annoyed me about Bethesda-style games is how they saddle you with quests they give you just by you overhearing some discussion. You should have a choice whether you care or not.
Honestly don’t mind the art style. Obsidian has yet to miss. I genuinely loved Outer Worlds (one of the few I guess) so I’m very much looking forward to Avowed.
>don’t mind the art style And the at style is the same as Pillars of Eternity, previous games in Eora universe where Avowed also takes place. And Pillars may be not the most financially successful dilogy of games but they are pretty good RPGs.
Lets just be honest. This is Obsidians Elder Scrolls game. Obsidian approached Bethesda after Skyrim about making one and were denied. This is their Elder Scrolls game they probably wanted to make.
@@invaderjoshua6280 this is such a dumb take when this is basically Pillars of Eternity systems in a 3D environment (literally the only part where the game deviates from Pillars is in how the skill tree works) and that game is nothing like Elder scrolls, Eora as a whole is also just a lot more interesting of a setting than Tamriel
This is the game I am looking forward to most right now. I basically just want Skyrim with better combat and graphics, and that is what this looks like.
@@fakkel321 Yah KCD 2 looks frickin sick seems like something I'd put too many hours into the new Monster Hunter is the first one I've actually been interested in and Yakuza looks like more Yakuza but with pirates so Avowed has a lot stacked against it. I guess Microsoft is using the Horizon release schedule where you stack it up against the heaviest hitters you possibly can.
The roleplaying aspect is more powerful when you CAN be evil but you choose to be good anyway. If you're forced to be good it's just not the same thing. Many people, including developers, do not seem to understand this.
@ТАДАМ-ю4ж that's your opinion i have enjoyed two playthroughs 100 hours each its called different opinions. I probably don't like a tone of games you like 🤷♂️
@@kevinlist3330 why you playing 100 hours if there's no choices bro? Something wrong here. Do you played Divinity Original Sin? Tyranny ? Pathfinder Kingmaker? 40k Rogue Trader? Or you not played RPGs at all
@ТАДАМ-ю4ж wouldn't play those games because I don't really like turn base combat i only endured it with Balders gate 3 because i enjoyed the franchise from when it wasn't turned base. I lik3 action RPGs and I enjoyed exploring, collecting loot different endings and different classes im on to play a third playthrough but stopped to play cod, I also love the dragon age games and extended univers3 in novels and short stories
Avowed looks amazing, I wouldn't worry to much about the coastal themes because it starts you in a coastal area but if the other areas are as big as that one it's going to have some swamps and frozen mountains and forests and stuff.
18:00 "Hint Toggle" As a Modder i can confirm you are Correct , if they know it from the start just adding a toggle in is pretty easy and fast to do ... but if they retroactively have to go through all the dialogue to patch that in , it will be very time consuming , especially if they have to search and find all the dialogue that would need patching.
Man the gameplay and visuals remind me of something from 10 years ago. Just looks like something you’d play for a day and be like “eh.”, and not touch the following week.
@@ТАДАМ-ю4ж I like PoE, sure. But translating that to like an action-RPG is a slightly different kettle of fish, that's all. I've always been an Obsidian fan, probably played all their games up to this point. I don't know though, a lot of the material they were showing of this game up to now left me feeling a bit ambivalent I guess. Like it just wasn't grabbing me, like I was hoping it would. But I'm happy to say that I am finally feeling like something about the game has 'clicked' for me.
It's so frustrating that bethesda is put on a pedestal that they have no business being on. This gameplay and The Outer Worlds makes it very apparent that Obsidian needs a much bigger budget, while anything from BGS just screams: "STOP GIVING THIS STUDIO SO MUCH MONEY!" Like, it's actually crazy how bad BGS and their games look compared to other studios that make open world RPG games.
Obsidian need bigger budget to fuel their art directors substance driven, gender political leftist rant on X against the richest man in the world while pulling the entire studio to the ground
I will say Force seems to have played the most and basically finished the first area except the main town, which will def have lots of the side quests. He spent 20 hours playing.
Really good job explaining why moral flexibility is important Luke. Great examples shown and very well explained. That is literally how I play an RPG. The agency to be evil makes the good choices even more good and vice versa.
Great video. I would add that if you don't have evil options in an RPG, then you also *can't* be good, because you are not choosing anything, it's just the only way possible.
@@TheForbidden_1ne Haha Archangel. I can't tell you how many times I think of that mission when people bring up Garus. God I had so much fun playing ME2 for the first time.
@@Desmond-Dark I actually just started playing it again (going through the trilogy again)… this game is still top notch. I’m about to be at that part right now too lol damn I love ME2
It is looking very nice now. I love the graphics. When they first showed it, I really wasn't interested, but I saw it on UA-cam and a guy went through it and showed that it's really a more compact Elder Scrolls game like Skyrim and he went into a ton of detail and I am now sold.
Honestly seeing how good this looks even just as a Skyrim-type game has me looking at giving Outer Worlds a go. I never realised it was the same guys who did New Vegas, definitely feel like it's worth a go given it's on sale right now too!
to equate colorful and stylized art as an indication a game won't have dark themese is dumb imo, year after year we get so many games with dark hues and hyper realistic graphics that get old so fast, meanwhile a well defined art style helps a game look better for longer, just look at Windwaker
Even just for this video, IGN gave veilguard 9/10 before dunking on it in the very first minute of the Avowed preview. Their opinions and reviews are too all over the place to trust
I was on the fence on Avowed, but now I'm kinda sold with all the previews I have watched. KCD2 is still my most anticipated and it is not even close. Gonna be a great February. Also stop calling Outer Worlds, Fallout in Space. It really wasn't. It was a sci-fi world parodying a corporatocracy in a Knights of the Old Republic type galaxy exploration where you go to different planets with small hub worlds.
I agree about not having the hand holding, or at least a toggle, but i do very much like when the companions comment on things being complete. Like finding enough x to complete y so i can move to the next step. Its not all the time, but sometimes its not always clear, and having the confirmation is just nice. I would want them to be separate though. EDIT: i am really looking forward to it. Mortismal says thats while its not quite the same, it hits all the pillars of eternity buttons and the progression systems are pretty similar too. Should be a good game!
17:20 you know this kind of handholding comment actually kinda helps just based on how some of the people who previewed it react to this. One way to “fix” it for rpgs is to have it be done by only certain companions.
The first zone is bright and cheerful. Each zone is meant to convey a general feeling or emotion. So there will still be that dark setting but not in the starting zone. So Luke you are in fact half wrong
this, I honestly I'm so tired of people ignoring games for having a stylized and colorful pallete, as if that will impact the story of the game, there's plenty of colorful games with dark and gritty stories
I'd forgotten about this game! I remember hearing ages ago that Obsidian were working on their own Skyrim type game and really hyped about that at the time. Now suddenly this week I'm hearing about it almost ready to be released. Awesome!
@@SgtWilko1979 yeah I know, I just meant skyrim in style, like a fantasy world rpg with a similar setting. I'm expecting it to be completely its own thing. I'm hyped for it! I've been craving a new fantasy rpg.
@Captain-Cat me too, replaying the earlier pillars games now, while I get some might not like the art, it's in keeping with these games and isn't full pixar like some games... lol
@@SgtWilko1979 Right! because Avowed is set in the same universe as pillars! I was thinking yesterday I might give them a play in the meantime. From what I've seen of the preview footage, I don't mind the art style at all. And yeah it's not pixar like veilguard, and and the dialogue in the cut scenes don't look awful and infantile like veilguard either.
7:30 this is very true. I’ve played the mass effect trilogy a bunch but I can never bring myself to do a full renegade play through but there are always some renegade options that I LOVE to do in particular moments. I don’t want to play as an asshole but I want the choice to be an asshole to people I don’t like.
Another thing to Luke's point about having the option for evil choices/actions - having options for both good and evil choices gives those choices weight, and allows for there to be genuine morally gray choices. To keep with the example of Veilguard, the choice between protecting Mintathous or Antiva is severely diminished due to the overall outcome being the same regardless of your choice - in either scenario, both companions stay with the party, and there is no conflict. This is due to every choice being in the game being slightly different shades of a good choice - so they writers are forced to have good outcomes, otherwise the narrative become completely jarring, and lack any sense whatsoever.
Bro the original dark gritty style had me and everyone who saw it pumped. The 180 turned me off. I’ll still try it out but it’s just disappointing when the original vision had me so hyped.
We knew since beginning it would be the outerworlds in pillars of eternity universe and this is enough for me be super excited, the game looks beautiful
This gives me more hope. The art style really through me off as someone who loves PoE and its darker tone and kinda loathed The Outer Worlds. These reviews are motivating me to give it a try still
At [06:14] in this video; Whoever was playing Avowed in IGN there, I want to see more of him. The character creation, his choices, his actions speaks and I like that. Like he creates a goofy character, bashes the ragdoll NPC that he just off-ed. That's funny and that's fun. We don't often see the little "Playful" side of reviews and that makes it funny and fun to watch. I got a laugh out of it when he bonked the dead NPC. The playful side isn't often seen in Corpos...
People really need to let that first cgi trailer go. You guys saw an arrow soaring through the air into a cloud and made it your entire personality. They didn't show any characters other than some skeleton on a battlefield. Which if you pause, you'll see those skeletons have the same art style as the one in more recent footage. Not to mention this game is based in the Pillars of Eternity world, which also has the same art style. They didn't "change" the games art style. They just showed more than a cloud and a cave.
Just making a comment here because I wanna see what you believe after launch. $70-$90 on this game that should be $40 at max is simply wild. It might be a decent game, but I absolutely guarantee it is not $70 worthy. The fact this game is $70 and KCD2 is $60, which releases a week before as well is just wild.
People actually liked it because there's was a very impactful scene of your character in first person casting a spell, your comment is reductive of the reasons that trailer inspired people
@@via_negativa6183 Weapon and spell animations looked really badass, even with upgrades and reworks the real gameplay doesn't hit anywhere near that level.
I can be evil for once? Hmm. Apparently you can't just kill random NPC's but knowing that evil is still an option has me gaining at least a little hype.
@@aaronjohnson1005 I read it while looking into the game a few months back. I think on the Avowed/Pillars wiki. They tend to get all the info in one place.
After seeing it has pronouns at character creation. Yea, no thanks. Also that pastel color in the artstyle should have been a giveaway just like Failguard.
Movies have pronouns. All books have pronouns. Jesus introduced himself with pronouns. Your own comment has pronouns. This is not something to fight on, learn basic English.
Its awesome to see that this comment section isnt filled with "antiwoke" weirdos that seems to be everywhere on the internet (vocal minority btw). The game is looking great, looking forward to play it!
Lol, didn't expect graphs, but I dig it. I'm cautiously optimistic for this one, will try on Game pass, but I am worried that it will lack the polish that I enjoy in animation quality, it looks a little rough in some places. I have a feeling that I'll end up treating this one like Outer Worlds, where I play it on game pass at launch, finish it and then return to it much later when it goes super discounted on steam with all the dlc, whatever that may be; the writing will probably be really entertaining.
@@osahukimina1981 no it won’t. Avowed for example will have multiple ending. Kcd had one and there’s no reason to think 2 will have more. I’m buying and playing both but not pretending that kcd 2 will be deeper after all Henry in 1 only got a choice on how he went about getting to his position not much else and no matter how much I wanted to I couldn’t kill that annoying ass noble.
@@reedk2402 Yeah, KCD gave you a lot of freedom to do stuff on the open world and goof around, but none that impacted the story. Which is fine, it's kinda like Skyrim in that sense, the main quest is really direct, but where the game shines is in the side content.
@@osahukimina1981you seem not to understand what an RPG is. I'm making my own character when I play an RPG, not being forced to be some guy named Henry whose dad was a cuck.
I have a lot of fun played The outer world and this game is top game, above all games for me even KCD2. No! Players are not brain death but sometimes your companion need to behave like he is an alive creature not only NPC that speaks when you need only. There are only few places that your team will give you point of interest of lead to solve puzzle , for me its very good.
Personally I'm fine not having evil choices in some games. I only really* enjoy the morality of choices it there is a visual effect (Like KOTOR, Fable, Renegade Shep to a smaller degree). I"m fine with not every game having the same ability to be evil. Its a story that I am going to be a part of and enjoy. I like the nuance of it, and not having evil options isn't a deal breaker for me.
Still watching your video, but I've only just this week watched some of the Avowed preview material, and I personally remain excited. On the combat specifically, I thought Obsidian really succeeded in making first person melee feel chunky and responsive. I think, if they bring those ideas into Avowed, I feel good about how it's going to feel. I agree on the art style whiplash, but I think they settled on something that looks good and we know they're already good at from The Outer Worlds (which I loved the look of). Sooo ... anyway, good stuff so far! I'm still stoked for this one. Love Obsidian's other RPG's, including and especially PoE, and I loved Grounded; so, I cling to hope! :)
8:28 I definitely say it’s less about being quote on quote „evil“ but more about player expression. Let’s say a character wants ur help to do some something u would consider stupid. U as a player might say „no that’s stupid“ and therefore dont don’t do it. At this moment u didn’t thought about being evil for declining a request u simply expressed ur feelings. And that is the point u want to express urself in this u without giving a fuck if it was evil or not it’s the game simply decides it. And if it was evil so be it I’m evil now but true to myself.
I would say it's very easy to argue that a person would see a model sliding as something to put them off a purchase should they compare that to another game they were intending to purchase that wouldn't have that issue. I agree in that a vacuum it wouldnt affect anything, but otherwise I'd say it's enough for a most average onlookers to be turned off.
This and KCD2 are my most anticipating games for next year, GTA 6 is a given and that's coming probably at the end of 2025 maybe it gets delayed idk, but KCD2 and Avowed are the games I'm going to be playing throughout february and march.
I also think that with the 3rd person animation and "jank" stuff is one of those things that can be fixed in a patch later on so it doesnt effect my opinion of the game all too much as long as the "jank" dosent effect the game too much. A much larger element that effects my opinion are things you cant patch out like starfields unbearable amount of loading screens and toxic positivity.
Divide and conquer. Split the herculean task of Feb game coverage with a creator who shares similar views to you, you do some, the other creator will cover some, together y'all can cover all without overburdening
i think that KCD2 and Avowed don't really have much overlap f your playing one you more than likely weren't going to play the other unless you literally had nothing to do. KCD was more of a Sim RPG and while their was a story and good writing it definitely took a back seat to the sim elements. mean while Avowed is more of a traditional cinematic RPG with heavy reliance on story and choice and consequence (hopefully more than TOW)
Honestly I really enjoyed Outer Worlds my only complaint was that it was way too short. If this is more of that but longer and scratches my itch for Elderscrolls like gameplay I’m happy.
I feel like this game is definitely going to satisfy that open story itch. The game IS going to be jank, but I feel like the weirdness of Obsidians writing and missions will make up for anything that isn't polished. Most of us play Obsidian games for the story, missions and being a menace to society and not for the amazing animations.
@@ТАДАМ-ю4жwhat am I talking about? Did you ready anything I said? Us Obsidian fans play their games for the story, the choices we make in the game to change the outcome of the end, and the weird things Obsidian love to put in their games.
I think people also forget how much traction 'evil' runs do online. I also play the goodie two shoes and I'm afraid of even making any NPC sad. HOWEVER, I will watch so many playthroughs of evil runs, clips of evil choices. Heck in BG3 I was so interested in and dark urge because I wanted to be good DESPITE the curse and have those hard choices or lack of control for narrative shock. I see so many comments "thanks for the upload cuz I couldn't have the heart to do this" in those kinds of vids. I absolutely will buy an rpg that has the choice to be evil, because if they can do that option despite many most people choosing good, then that means there must be so many options and fun choices even for me who plays a hero. Think people mistake "well I don't choose it" to "it shouldn't matter". I value rpgs that give me choices I won't even have the time or heart to choose, but you bet I'll watch someone else do it. It can get traction and just create conversations. When you just have "nice", "nice with sarcasm" and "stern nice" there is no conversation, no rare scenes, no viral spreading and replay value. It just is worth a single playthrough which is fine when I think of jrpgs, but then you gotta knock it out of the park with strong characters, strong story and strong tactical gameplay.
I really don't trust previews nowadays, there's an overwhelming trend of previews not matching the final product. I do have some trust in Obsidian to make a good RPG though, their track record has earned trust.
Best preview I’ve ever seen tbh. Great work to the writer.
Remember when you previewed Halo Infinite, RedFall, and Stalker 2?
@@bobjoe5937Shots fired.
When it comes to IGN, AI could do a better job at "video game journalism". Writing reminds me of a 3rd grade book report, especially the start.
@@Donnie_Oculus sure? I'm just sick of Xbox centric channels over hyping games. I've actually enjoyed Stalker 2 at its core and it's missing key features, but I can't recommend anyone purchasing it at this point. People in camp Xbox seem to have this attitude where they hype everything to makeup for Xbox's lackluster marketing, then they sit there with egg on their face after people get their hands on the game.
@@bobjoe5937 Console wars are lame, i don't think about or notice these "camps" people are in. I just like games man. Sounds like these people live rent free in your head.
On the art comment from Luke / chat I covered this on my first preview. But it’s still really fun and there’s a lot to find. The preview has me hyped.
This is looking very good to me!
@@DestinL love your work sir
any comment on their decision to not allow you to show us the character creator? as it's being reported its likely due to the pronoun slider to avoid negative backlash? this would indicate we should expect Dragon Age Veilguard like quests or dialogue
@@preslim84doubt it, Obsidians strong suit has always been writing.
@@DestinL just like you were hyped for Halo Infinite, Scorn, RedFall, and Stalker 2. Like c'mon dude, I get it's how you pay your bills but how can you sit here and just either lie all the time or just flat out not do your job? It's baffling tbh and I'm kinda jealous you're at a company that pays for at least a salary to have you survive in California in this economy. If I acted like you in my field, I'd have been LONG gone. It's just silly and frustrating.
Pillars was a great representation of that “sometimes good people need to do bad things” thing you drew. There’s a notable quest in the first game where pretty much everyone decides to kill a guy because he’s that heinous. There are several options for dealing with the guy, but even the goody-two-shoes priest will want to blow him up, and the world would probably be better for it.
I played a Paladin following a mercenary order that tries to minimize wars by choosing overwhelming slaughter every time. These guys will destroy the enemy at any cost - they’ll even turn on their client if he or she wavers and chooses mercy. That way the nobles who enlist them won’t go into war lightly. If they do, the conflict won’t be prolonged. It’s doing wrong things for the right reason, which is a thematic fit for the setting.
I like how the games gauge your morality. You accrue reputations based on your actions, and different reputations don’t cancel each other out. NPCs recognized my character both for her benevolence and her cruelty. You can be known for your prestige and your magnanimous rule, but you could be a total puppy kicker. People could address you as a meanie, but you’re actually a Batman type who’s only scary to those who deserve it.
The video mentioned the Dexter thing right after I commented this.
That paladin played big sister to any kid, but people were always like, “Please don’t hurt me!” and, “Your talents would be useful for making this guy pay MUAHAHAHAHA!”
>There’s a notable quest in the first game where pretty much everyone decides to kill a guy because he’s that heinous
Could you remind me which quest you're talking about? I had a PoE 1 and 2 run just last year.
@@Chasodey Blood Legacy
@@rupertmcbutters1748 A great one.
WIth no real "good" outcome either.
Uh...the entire GAME is THAT quest. The entire meta-narrative is about *good* people, or at least people who genuinely believe they're good, choosing to do HORRIBLE things.
When he said "I just wanted to be evil cause sometimes it's more fun".....i couldn't help but think.... "well you work at ign, being evil probably comes natural to you"
Another reason why evil options are important imo is: Are you really a good person if you are unable to do bad?
@krayne2084 This is something you can test out every day. While you are outside. The videogame has no bearing on this.
@ikswoltokyrogerg8460 If you really need me to spell it out so clearly to you, ofc I'm talking about your role-playing...
I'm really hoping there will be a large modding community for this game because it feels like it would be a great foundation to work off of like Skyrim is
It's Obsidian. I bet you can just kill the companion if he gets annoying lol
Easily
I don't get why people have this obsession with killing NPCs and being evil. I've never done an evil playthrough. What's more important to me is allowing me to refuse quests.
@@octavianpopescu4776 most people don't. But it's about having the option to do it. R u really doing good if that's the only possible route. What if u get 3 times reward doing evil and just a third doing good, will u still do good? Without stuff like that, rpg is hardly an rpg. Cause u dont really have roles u can play. U can just play like the game company wants u to, like thousands before had. It's just boring tbh. Like look at BG3. There are thousands of ways u can play that game. I have had like seven playthroughs with all of them going extremely differently. People have dozens such playthroughs. That's how an rpg should be like.
@octavianpopescu4776 Because those are ROLE playing games. The entire point of the genre is to assume a role and see how far it can get you, see how things turn out. That's what makes it fun.
See also
7:20
If you can't make bad choices, you aren't really making choices.
@@MrMisticZ I saw that part, but to be honest, if I'm not going to do something, I'm not all that affected if it's not in the game. I think that more importantly you should have a choice to reject quests. But I've never felt the need to go on a rampage through a town. What annoyed me about Bethesda-style games is how they saddle you with quests they give you just by you overhearing some discussion. You should have a choice whether you care or not.
Honestly don’t mind the art style. Obsidian has yet to miss. I genuinely loved Outer Worlds (one of the few I guess) so I’m very much looking forward to Avowed.
I hate saying that I would fall asleep playing Outer Worlds. I think the subject matter was just boring for me personally.
I really loved Outer Worlds too! I didn’t play it till it was upgraded and free on PSN but I still had a great time playing it regardless
@chrisj320ac3 subject matter? Space captain helping a mad scientist 🤷♂️ that says more about your range of taste than the game.
@dcblunt666 , real question, how many playthroughs did you do of Outer Worlds?
>don’t mind the art style
And the at style is the same as Pillars of Eternity, previous games in Eora universe where Avowed also takes place. And Pillars may be not the most financially successful dilogy of games but they are pretty good RPGs.
Lets just be honest. This is Obsidians Elder Scrolls game. Obsidian approached Bethesda after Skyrim about making one and were denied. This is their Elder Scrolls game they probably wanted to make.
why " let's be honest " ? Everyone has been saying that this is obsidian's skyrim since the first trailer came out, this is not a unpopular opinion
@@MrKylljoy name checks out
I think the genes biggest problem is that it probably isn't.
At most it'll be like ESO.
@@invaderjoshua6280 this is such a dumb take when this is basically Pillars of Eternity systems in a 3D environment (literally the only part where the game deviates from Pillars is in how the skill tree works) and that game is nothing like Elder scrolls, Eora as a whole is also just a lot more interesting of a setting than Tamriel
Ya idk there isn’t a good track record for games comparing themselves to Skyrim or saying they are a Skyrim killer lol
Looks promising. Will play it on Game Pass in February 😊
Same, already have it pre installed for when they update it the whole game will download automatically.
This is the game I am looking forward to most right now. I basically just want Skyrim with better combat and graphics, and that is what this looks like.
kingdom come deliverance 2 is where my money are. Avowed looks like dragon age veilguard. I wont buy it befor iv seen alot more of reviews
@@fakkel321 Thats a wildly nasty statement to compare it to that lol
@@fakkel321 I would be on the same page but I am more of a fantasy guy.
@@fakkel321 Yah KCD 2 looks frickin sick seems like something I'd put too many hours into the new Monster Hunter is the first one I've actually been interested in and Yakuza looks like more Yakuza but with pirates so Avowed has a lot stacked against it.
I guess Microsoft is using the Horizon release schedule where you stack it up against the heaviest hitters you possibly can.
@@fakkel321 im not gonna buy any game without reviewer i trust these days.
The roleplaying aspect is more powerful when you CAN be evil but you choose to be good anyway. If you're forced to be good it's just not the same thing. Many people, including developers, do not seem to understand this.
True you just cant immerse in the world like Veilguard
@@kevinlist3330 game garbage tho
@ТАДАМ-ю4ж that's your opinion i have enjoyed two playthroughs 100 hours each its called different opinions. I probably don't like a tone of games you like 🤷♂️
@@kevinlist3330 why you playing 100 hours if there's no choices bro? Something wrong here. Do you played Divinity Original Sin? Tyranny ? Pathfinder Kingmaker? 40k Rogue Trader? Or you not played RPGs at all
@ТАДАМ-ю4ж wouldn't play those games because I don't really like turn base combat i only endured it with Balders gate 3 because i enjoyed the franchise from when it wasn't turned base. I lik3 action RPGs and I enjoyed exploring, collecting loot different endings and different classes im on to play a third playthrough but stopped to play cod, I also love the dragon age games and extended univers3 in novels and short stories
Always been interested in this, honestly think it doesn’t look too bad I’ll be looking forward to playing
Avowed looks amazing, I wouldn't worry to much about the coastal themes because it starts you in a coastal area but if the other areas are as big as that one it's going to have some swamps and frozen mountains and forests and stuff.
18:00 "Hint Toggle"
As a Modder i can confirm you are Correct , if they know it from the start just adding a toggle in is pretty easy and fast to do ...
but if they retroactively have to go through all the dialogue to patch that in , it will be very time consuming , especially if they have to search and find all the dialogue that would need patching.
Man, that Lucy cameo in Avowed
Man the gameplay and visuals remind me of something from 10 years ago. Just looks like something you’d play for a day and be like “eh.”, and not touch the following week.
I'm getting dragon age dragqueen wibe
I don't get hating on the devs when nothing of the sort has been shown, at least that I've seen
@@dy578 Scared of pronouns?
@@JF-vz1ju more like disgusting by people who use pronoun
The reason why they don't show the character creator is already known.
Also, just make it so the companion doesn't give hints unless you ask him
It took quite a while for Avowed to hook me, but I think the last preview has finally done it. I think I'm sold.
Bro after pilars of eternity you cant be not hooked , not after pentiment too
@@ТАДАМ-ю4ж I like PoE, sure. But translating that to like an action-RPG is a slightly different kettle of fish, that's all. I've always been an Obsidian fan, probably played all their games up to this point.
I don't know though, a lot of the material they were showing of this game up to now left me feeling a bit ambivalent I guess. Like it just wasn't grabbing me, like I was hoping it would. But I'm happy to say that I am finally feeling like something about the game has 'clicked' for me.
The director mentioned the change in art direction in her interview with Parris
Should have known the lead developer is a woman
It's so frustrating that bethesda is put on a pedestal that they have no business being on. This gameplay and The Outer Worlds makes it very apparent that Obsidian needs a much bigger budget, while anything from BGS just screams: "STOP GIVING THIS STUDIO SO MUCH MONEY!" Like, it's actually crazy how bad BGS and their games look compared to other studios that make open world RPG games.
Obsidian need bigger budget to fuel their art directors substance driven, gender political leftist rant on X against the richest man in the world while pulling the entire studio to the ground
I will say Force seems to have played the most and basically finished the first area except the main town, which will def have lots of the side quests. He spent 20 hours playing.
The fact we weren't even going to get a 3rd person mode before but we are now i am happy
It's definitely gone in a different direction since that initial announcement trailer, but still looks really good imo
Really good job explaining why moral flexibility is important Luke. Great examples shown and very well explained. That is literally how I play an RPG. The agency to be evil makes the good choices even more good and vice versa.
Great video. I would add that if you don't have evil options in an RPG, then you also *can't* be good, because you are not choosing anything, it's just the only way possible.
Hell, Avowed has Garus Vakariains voice actor, Brandon keener, as Kai, so I'm in automatically.
lol same. Having Archangel as a companion in a fantasy setting…. Take my money
@@TheForbidden_1ne Haha Archangel. I can't tell you how many times I think of that mission when people bring up Garus. God I had so much fun playing ME2 for the first time.
@@Desmond-Dark I actually just started playing it again (going through the trilogy again)… this game is still top notch. I’m about to be at that part right now too lol damn I love ME2
It is looking very nice now. I love the graphics. When they first showed it, I really wasn't interested, but I saw it on UA-cam and a guy went through it and showed that it's really a more compact Elder Scrolls game like Skyrim and he went into a ton of detail and I am now sold.
Honestly seeing how good this looks even just as a Skyrim-type game has me looking at giving Outer Worlds a go. I never realised it was the same guys who did New Vegas, definitely feel like it's worth a go given it's on sale right now too!
to equate colorful and stylized art as an indication a game won't have dark themese is dumb imo, year after year we get so many games with dark hues and hyper realistic graphics that get old so fast, meanwhile a well defined art style helps a game look better for longer, just look at Windwaker
Im super excited for this game.
Between Avowed, KCD2, and Civs 7 feburary is going to be a huge month
Stalker 2 non linear too, sadly dragon age died
civ is kinda mixed for me, but the other 2 hell yeah brother.
Kcd 2 will be a much better game.
Once somebody has fixed all the bugs anyway.
yea feb is gonna be wild monster hunter wilds is coming out in feb as well
It's grown on me since the first gameplay trailer, and the combat actually looks pretty fun.
Might pick it up after a week or so of release.
Bro... in less than 2 minutes you both ridiculed and then praised developing a game based on player feedback... hypocrite much?
Love your channel mate!!! No way in hell am I trusting an IGN preview though at all
Even just for this video, IGN gave veilguard 9/10 before dunking on it in the very first minute of the Avowed preview. Their opinions and reviews are too all over the place to trust
@ spot on mate! I don’t trust any of these major gaming sites whatsoever! Literally as much credibility as the piece of gum on the bottom of my boot
Obsidian made an obsidian game...damn...that's wild.
It has guns that seems fun
Maybe I’ve not been keeping up but this is the first IGN video I see where the reviewer feels like an actual gamer
I was on the fence on Avowed, but now I'm kinda sold with all the previews I have watched. KCD2 is still my most anticipated and it is not even close. Gonna be a great February.
Also stop calling Outer Worlds, Fallout in Space. It really wasn't. It was a sci-fi world parodying a corporatocracy in a Knights of the Old Republic type galaxy exploration where you go to different planets with small hub worlds.
With Fallout elementals like terminals and such. But, yeah, agreed.
Most anticipated of February for me.
Lmao @6:40 I literally haven’t laughed like this in ages man. The reaction of Luke & mine combined dude 😂😂😂😂
I agree about not having the hand holding, or at least a toggle, but i do very much like when the companions comment on things being complete. Like finding enough x to complete y so i can move to the next step. Its not all the time, but sometimes its not always clear, and having the confirmation is just nice. I would want them to be separate though.
EDIT: i am really looking forward to it. Mortismal says thats while its not quite the same, it hits all the pillars of eternity buttons and the progression systems are pretty similar too. Should be a good game!
the description of being kelpy and crustaceany was so perfect. it put me off too.
This looks way more fun than I initially thought it would.
I'm more hyped for this than Shadows. I mean, FNV and Outer Worlds are both good games. I think Obsidian has a good track record
17:14 "They assume every player is brain dead". That line gave me Horizon Forbidden West nightmares.
17:20 you know this kind of handholding comment actually kinda helps just based on how some of the people who previewed it react to this.
One way to “fix” it for rpgs is to have it be done by only certain companions.
The first zone is bright and cheerful. Each zone is meant to convey a general feeling or emotion. So there will still be that dark setting but not in the starting zone. So Luke you are in fact half wrong
this, I honestly I'm so tired of people ignoring games for having a stylized and colorful pallete, as if that will impact the story of the game, there's plenty of colorful games with dark and gritty stories
I'd forgotten about this game! I remember hearing ages ago that Obsidian were working on their own Skyrim type game and really hyped about that at the time. Now suddenly this week I'm hearing about it almost ready to be released. Awesome!
Please don't go in expecting skyrim, it's not meant to be the same. It could lead to raised expectations :)
Yeah I think it looks more fun than Skyrim especially the mage combat! Vanilla Skyrim combat is so boring without mods.
@@SgtWilko1979 yeah I know, I just meant skyrim in style, like a fantasy world rpg with a similar setting. I'm expecting it to be completely its own thing. I'm hyped for it! I've been craving a new fantasy rpg.
@Captain-Cat me too, replaying the earlier pillars games now, while I get some might not like the art, it's in keeping with these games and isn't full pixar like some games... lol
@@SgtWilko1979 Right! because Avowed is set in the same universe as pillars! I was thinking yesterday I might give them a play in the meantime.
From what I've seen of the preview footage, I don't mind the art style at all. And yeah it's not pixar like veilguard, and and the dialogue in the cut scenes don't look awful and infantile like veilguard either.
7:30 this is very true. I’ve played the mass effect trilogy a bunch but I can never bring myself to do a full renegade play through but there are always some renegade options that I LOVE to do in particular moments. I don’t want to play as an asshole but I want the choice to be an asshole to people I don’t like.
Honestly I am not interested in any of the games that come out in February except for Avowed so I am definitely playing it as soon as it releases
Another thing to Luke's point about having the option for evil choices/actions - having options for both good and evil choices gives those choices weight, and allows for there to be genuine morally gray choices.
To keep with the example of Veilguard, the choice between protecting Mintathous or Antiva is severely diminished due to the overall outcome being the same regardless of your choice - in either scenario, both companions stay with the party, and there is no conflict. This is due to every choice being in the game being slightly different shades of a good choice - so they writers are forced to have good outcomes, otherwise the narrative become completely jarring, and lack any sense whatsoever.
The game looks pretty good for me
I probably said Ethereal wrong
Take a break
All right Luke. You got me to sub...good you!!!
Bro the original dark gritty style had me and everyone who saw it pumped. The 180 turned me off. I’ll still try it out but it’s just disappointing when the original vision had me so hyped.
We knew since beginning it would be the outerworlds in pillars of eternity universe and this is enough for me be super excited, the game looks beautiful
This gives me more hope. The art style really through me off as someone who loves PoE and its darker tone and kinda loathed The Outer Worlds. These reviews are motivating me to give it a try still
At [06:14] in this video;
Whoever was playing Avowed in IGN there, I want to see more of him. The character creation, his choices, his actions speaks and I like that. Like he creates a goofy character, bashes the ragdoll NPC that he just off-ed. That's funny and that's fun. We don't often see the little "Playful" side of reviews and that makes it funny and fun to watch. I got a laugh out of it when he bonked the dead NPC. The playful side isn't often seen in Corpos...
15:36 Ive seem worse sliding in Skyrim but Im still hell of enjoying it.
People really need to let that first cgi trailer go. You guys saw an arrow soaring through the air into a cloud and made it your entire personality.
They didn't show any characters other than some skeleton on a battlefield. Which if you pause, you'll see those skeletons have the same art style as the one in more recent footage.
Not to mention this game is based in the Pillars of Eternity world, which also has the same art style.
They didn't "change" the games art style. They just showed more than a cloud and a cave.
Just making a comment here because I wanna see what you believe after launch. $70-$90 on this game that should be $40 at max is simply wild. It might be a decent game, but I absolutely guarantee it is not $70 worthy.
The fact this game is $70 and KCD2 is $60, which releases a week before as well is just wild.
@@Th1sUsernameIsNotTaken lol what are you even talking about you know shit same as everyone else so don’t talk out of your ass
People actually liked it because there's was a very impactful scene of your character in first person casting a spell, your comment is reductive of the reasons that trailer inspired people
@@via_negativa6183 Weapon and spell animations looked really badass, even with upgrades and reworks the real gameplay doesn't hit anywhere near that level.
Yet it happened
Looks great
I completely agree. I absolutely loved the dark atmosphere of the trailer.
Who is the person at Obsidian that convinces them that this new vibrant mushroom look is the way to go?
@@dealwolfstriked272 The same person who made two previous games in the series, Pillars of Eternity.
@@dealwolfstriked272 thats literally what the living lands are xD
6:50 Good Lord, what is this? Outlaws?
I can be evil for once? Hmm. Apparently you can't just kill random NPC's but knowing that evil is still an option has me gaining at least a little hype.
Who said you can’t do that?
@@aaronjohnson1005 I read it while looking into the game a few months back. I think on the Avowed/Pillars wiki. They tend to get all the info in one place.
Video came too soon?
After seeing it has pronouns at character creation.
Yea, no thanks. Also that pastel color in the artstyle should have been a giveaway just like Failguard.
Movies have pronouns. All books have pronouns. Jesus introduced himself with pronouns. Your own comment has pronouns. This is not something to fight on, learn basic English.
I did not know that.
All interest lost in this game.
@@NeverUseAnApostropheDo you think you just made an argument that makes any sense? Don't respond unless you have something of value to say.
The addition of 3rd person is a seller for me. I like obsidian but the lack of getting to see my guy look badass has always been disappointing for me.
Ok i just wanna know what headphones those are that Luke is just hot swapping batteries like an old Droid Razr or something.
Its awesome to see that this comment section isnt filled with "antiwoke" weirdos that seems to be everywhere on the internet (vocal minority btw).
The game is looking great, looking forward to play it!
I liked how BD-1 was handled in the Jedi games, where it would prompt for a hint after you were on the puzzle for too long, but you could ignore it.
Garrus? What are you doing here?
I would rather have a slightly awkward looking serious, gritty, RPG with real choices than the most polished bland turd possible
Pillars 2 Deadfire is my favourite crpg of all time. I can't wait to play this :)
Lol, didn't expect graphs, but I dig it. I'm cautiously optimistic for this one, will try on Game pass, but I am worried that it will lack the polish that I enjoy in animation quality, it looks a little rough in some places. I have a feeling that I'll end up treating this one like Outer Worlds, where I play it on game pass at launch, finish it and then return to it much later when it goes super discounted on steam with all the dlc, whatever that may be; the writing will probably be really entertaining.
If they made this game but it was set in the Darkest Dungeon universe, they'd have hooked me.
Can’t wait to play on my Pro. Which is an Xbox 😂
I'll choose the RPG that let's me play however I want over the RPG that forces me to play as a Henry.
just play both
KCD2 will literally have a thousand times more RPG gameplay possibilities than Avowed even if you only play as Henry. What are you talking about
@@osahukimina1981 no it won’t. Avowed for example will have multiple ending. Kcd had one and there’s no reason to think 2 will have more.
I’m buying and playing both but not pretending that kcd 2 will be deeper after all Henry in 1 only got a choice on how he went about getting to his position not much else and no matter how much I wanted to I couldn’t kill that annoying ass noble.
@@reedk2402 Yeah, KCD gave you a lot of freedom to do stuff on the open world and goof around, but none that impacted the story. Which is fine, it's kinda like Skyrim in that sense, the main quest is really direct, but where the game shines is in the side content.
@@osahukimina1981you seem not to understand what an RPG is. I'm making my own character when I play an RPG, not being forced to be some guy named Henry whose dad was a cuck.
I have a lot of fun played The outer world and this game is top game, above all games for me even KCD2.
No! Players are not brain death but sometimes your companion need to behave like he is an alive creature not only NPC that speaks when you need only. There are only few places that your team will give you point of interest of lead to solve puzzle , for me its very good.
Personally I'm fine not having evil choices in some games. I only really* enjoy the morality of choices it there is a visual effect (Like KOTOR, Fable, Renegade Shep to a smaller degree). I"m fine with not every game having the same ability to be evil. Its a story that I am going to be a part of and enjoy. I like the nuance of it, and not having evil options isn't a deal breaker for me.
6:40
That's one handsome woman
Still watching your video, but I've only just this week watched some of the Avowed preview material, and I personally remain excited. On the combat specifically, I thought Obsidian really succeeded in making first person melee feel chunky and responsive. I think, if they bring those ideas into Avowed, I feel good about how it's going to feel. I agree on the art style whiplash, but I think they settled on something that looks good and we know they're already good at from The Outer Worlds (which I loved the look of). Sooo ... anyway, good stuff so far! I'm still stoked for this one. Love Obsidian's other RPG's, including and especially PoE, and I loved Grounded; so, I cling to hope! :)
Spell combat looks fun and I crave that so much.
Developers catering their game design to suit DSP is an actual nightmare scenario.
8:28 I definitely say it’s less about being quote on quote „evil“ but more about player expression.
Let’s say a character wants ur help to do some something u would consider stupid. U as a player might say „no that’s stupid“ and therefore dont don’t do it. At this moment u didn’t thought about being evil for declining a request u simply expressed ur feelings. And that is the point u want to express urself in this u without giving a fuck if it was evil or not it’s the game simply decides it. And if it was evil so be it I’m evil now but true to myself.
I would say it's very easy to argue that a person would see a model sliding as something to put them off a purchase should they compare that to another game they were intending to purchase that wouldn't have that issue. I agree in that a vacuum it wouldnt affect anything, but otherwise I'd say it's enough for a most average onlookers to be turned off.
From everything I've heard about avowed......im actually kinda excited.
This and KCD2 are my most anticipating games for next year, GTA 6 is a given and that's coming probably at the end of 2025 maybe it gets delayed idk, but KCD2 and Avowed are the games I'm going to be playing throughout february and march.
I also think that with the 3rd person animation and "jank" stuff is one of those things that can be fixed in a patch later on so it doesnt effect my opinion of the game all too much as long as the "jank" dosent effect the game too much. A much larger element that effects my opinion are things you cant patch out like starfields unbearable amount of loading screens and toxic positivity.
You sound like you've never been in a fight. 😂
Divide and conquer. Split the herculean task of Feb game coverage with a creator who shares similar views to you, you do some, the other creator will cover some, together y'all can cover all without overburdening
i think that KCD2 and Avowed don't really have much overlap f your playing one you more than likely weren't going to play the other unless you literally had nothing to do. KCD was more of a Sim RPG and while their was a story and good writing it definitely took a back seat to the sim elements. mean while Avowed is more of a traditional cinematic RPG with heavy reliance on story and choice and consequence (hopefully more than TOW)
Honestly I really enjoyed Outer Worlds my only complaint was that it was way too short. If this is more of that but longer and scratches my itch for Elderscrolls like gameplay I’m happy.
Gonna be playing Avowed before KCD2 now.
Avowed is my most anticipated game for next year. It will be the first game I’ll play on February.
KCD 2
I feel like this game is definitely going to satisfy that open story itch. The game IS going to be jank, but I feel like the weirdness of Obsidians writing and missions will make up for anything that isn't polished. Most of us play Obsidian games for the story, missions and being a menace to society and not for the amazing animations.
All obsidian games at least 8/10 bro what are you talking about
@@ТАДАМ-ю4жwhat am I talking about? Did you ready anything I said? Us Obsidian fans play their games for the story, the choices we make in the game to change the outcome of the end, and the weird things Obsidian love to put in their games.
@@TheBlargMarg but you said game gonna be jank and like I said all their games even pentiment at least 8/10
I think people also forget how much traction 'evil' runs do online. I also play the goodie two shoes and I'm afraid of even making any NPC sad. HOWEVER, I will watch so many playthroughs of evil runs, clips of evil choices. Heck in BG3 I was so interested in and dark urge because I wanted to be good DESPITE the curse and have those hard choices or lack of control for narrative shock. I see so many comments "thanks for the upload cuz I couldn't have the heart to do this" in those kinds of vids. I absolutely will buy an rpg that has the choice to be evil, because if they can do that option despite many most people choosing good, then that means there must be so many options and fun choices even for me who plays a hero. Think people mistake "well I don't choose it" to "it shouldn't matter". I value rpgs that give me choices I won't even have the time or heart to choose, but you bet I'll watch someone else do it. It can get traction and just create conversations. When you just have "nice", "nice with sarcasm" and "stern nice" there is no conversation, no rare scenes, no viral spreading and replay value. It just is worth a single playthrough which is fine when I think of jrpgs, but then you gotta knock it out of the park with strong characters, strong story and strong tactical gameplay.
I'll probably buy when I'm bored 1 day
I hope its good for the fans of their games. I just hate the style. Also whats the hook to play the game.
I hope this is the Fallout New Vegas to Skyrim.
I really don't trust previews nowadays, there's an overwhelming trend of previews not matching the final product. I do have some trust in Obsidian to make a good RPG though, their track record has earned trust.