I understand your sentiment…

I havent played 16 either but i also see almost no appeal. Its clearly an action rpg at heart and that isnt what Final Fantasy was originally about.

The depth of story people expect in the modern era is as high as it was when ff7 ot ff10 released, the only issue is that expectations for production value have gone through the roof.

If anything is holding square enix back from creating the next ff masterpiece, its their commitment to high quality visuals with extremely diverse gameplay, and unfortunately that is what they have groomed their fans to expect. This is why the ff7 remake is being done over 3 games, to get that much story into the visual and gameplay depth people expect, it would probably dilute the experience to cram it into 1 5-year production. That and they make money off 3 games instead of 1 lol

What would salvage ff17 in the eyes of a classic ff fan would be to cut down production value and variations of gameplay. SE just needs to boil in good turn based combat, then focus on creating a beautifully unique setting with deep, engaging lore. That is what was so powerful about ff7 and ff10 imo. A couple minigame distractions would be good, but the amount of effort that went into the minigames in ff7 rebirth is just ridiculous.

It would be nice to see a spinoff series that focused on this at least… We can dream.

This is the reason that these games are worthless on PC.

Excessive, at times even game breaking, drm that ensures an even earlier end to your ability to play them because we all know steam will outlive the Ubi launcher.

Which was first farmville, clash of clans or candy crush?

I agree with you that one of those manipulative mobile games deserves to be on the list.

Oh yeah they are perfect games for the deck! Im sure the sequel will run great too.

Definitely. Immersive sim is a scant genre with some of my favorite games. We need more of them, so its good that the OGs have been getting so much love.

Thanks for sharing this, wishlisted.

The remake of SS1 was so masterfully done i had hoped SS2 would get the same treatment… But this heavy remaster looks like itll do just fine. Thank god itll have controller support.

Ya know, it also might be that the lore of avowed just seems too bubly and colorful for me.

I enjoyed obsidians other recent rpg, the outer worlds, enough to finish it, i just thought it was too short.

So yeah there definitely are too many variables here to pinpoint exactly why a game resonates with someone or not.

Yeah Avowed definitely boils it down, i guess it all depends on what hooks you. I never got tired of exploring dungeons in skyrim, the variation in them was enough for me, and i feel like there isnt nearly enough in avowed to keep me interested.

The benefit to the added time making less dungeons in avowed was the depth of platforming and yes better level design. Probably my favorite part of avowed actually. It all just left me wanting though. My rewards for platforming were never more than a few inconsequential items i didnt care about. Thats how the game lost me.

Yeah you didnt often find much in skyrim dungeons, but the sheer amount of them, no 2 the same, with the majority of them corresponding with some lore or quest… That made me feel like i was in a real, fully fleshed out world.

Ok i understand that. I am of the mind that in Elder Scrolls games, the world is more than its physical size. The books, consistent lore in exposition and npc interactions, the many unique side quests that contribute to the lore, stumbling into a 2-3 hour dungeon that expands on a race you havent heard of and now get to learn about that lore…

None of that natural and self paced experience of a diverse world with rich lore happens in Avowed. It happens in Larian’s games and that is another thing that makes them great.

Starfield was definitely a sign that Bethesda isnt what it used to be, and it doesnt give me hope for the next Elder Scrolls. Starfield had alot of lore, it just wasnt very interesting because the galaxy was so dull. I loved the gameplay actually, but it didnt matter when exploring felt like raiding the same 3 structures on different shades of the same planet. There was too little to unique to find while exploring.

I guess thats what i have to have from an rpg, rewarding exploration. That allows me to be much more forgiving on other fronts.

Avowed has enjoyable platforming, but youre reward for it in the end usually only amounts to a backpack full of weightless items you dont need to care about, and maybe a few sentences on a note.

I mean, yeah, the systems in skyrim werent deep, but at least they were there and somewhat entertaining. You just hold a button to “lockpick” in Avowed. You just roll a die like you do for everything in BG3. Personally I never used bows in skyrim, always enchanted single-handed weapons and destruction.

Larian Should have built more intricate rpg systems since then and they have, Skyrim is a decade and a half old. The caveat is that they have done so by abandoning active combat gameplay. Their combat systems are fun, they just arent engaging like Avowed or even Skyrim. Again to each their own, im sure many rpg players dont care one bit about active/realistic combat simulation. If Elden Ring’s success is an example though, then many people do want engaging combat.

Again with Avowed, it is a brand new game and compared to its only direct competitor(14yo skyrim) it feels lacking in every way except when you hit something with a weapon. And i guess thats ok, but only for like $30 or less.

I guess it depends on what kind of depth youre looking for. Depth of lore, attributes and upgrades? Skyrim has plenty. Depth of gameplay? Things get a little more murky.

I will agree that Elder Scrolls games have never had combat be their strongest feature and that is definitely what Obsidian focused on with Avowed to make it stand out.

Yeah i definitely think its a good game, just not the right game for genre veterans with high expectations.

Being a skyrim and fallout fan, I wasnt necessarily disappointed by Avowed, just understimulated.

The whole 15ish hours I played i found myself just craving the depth of a bethesda game, which really wasnt there.

Cons: The lack of a fully integrated item physics system. No wanted or theft system. 1 dimensional npcs that only seem to physically adhere to any lore if they arent human. The human npcs look randomly generated in a character customization screen. The lack of an open world to explore and invisible walls all over. Shallow inventory management that doesnt feel like it matters. Very Mid story with a zero effort intro/character background. Weapons/magic combinations arent as versatile as I would like.

Pros: Streamlined inventory management, for people that dont enjoy it. Combat is solid. Magic and effects are beautiful, fun and tie into exploration well. Platforming is solid with excellent level design. Graphics and performance are great also. Unlimited stamina while exploring is great.

The scales just dont tip in the game’s favor, especially when a game from 2011 outdoes it in almost every way.

I understand that obsidian is focused on churning out more easily digestible games more often, but is that really what rpg fans want? More shallow games that leave us wanting?

Idk maybe skyrim left me with unrealistic expectations, but all i want now is that level of world building and depth when it comes to rpgs of this type.

A good bot system would salvage this game for the few fans it has… If only.

I buy the games that deserve it, when i can afford it.

Over 900 games on steam, not garbage either.

Piracy has its place, but voting with the wallet is important too.

That last word is the motivator to seed:

Preservation

Yeah but if 1500 is peak… The only thing that will save it longer term is going f2p.

That being said if you can hop on right now and get a couple games in, its likely worth the dollar.

It was a pillar of capitalism that fortunately allowed for all of the positive sides of commerce… Mainly community to physically engage with. Tangible unique experiences.

Now we stare at a screen and type into a void hoping somebody listens.

Looked into it, looks like a great game for a killer price, but a tactical r6-like game is dependent on a team… Unless there is bot support this game is already dead in the water with its super low player count.

And i didnt see bot support listed anywhere. Lan support would be nice but getting 10 people to play lan with you on this game would be impossible.

Maybe the devs will get the hint eventually.

Absolutely try Prey from 2017, it is an immersive sim that is now looked at as a modern cult-classic. You wont be disappointed.

Just wait for a sale if $30 is too high, it goes on sale regularly.

Dock, usb hub, usb SSD, wireless controller and a 65in tv.

One almost mandatory software accessory for me is KDE Connect. Allows me to use my phone as a mouse and keyboard in desktop mode, as well as transfer files between devices easily. Honestly this is a must have.

The Deck is a home console for me mainly, although i do use it while travelling sometimes which feels like an added bonus.

It is the most capable console/computer i have ever owned.

Long live valve. Im scared of what will happen to our beloved Steam once GabeN passes the torch though.