AV_Gamer

As I've said many times in the past, what is really saving gaming right now is the Indie genre. Because small studios that are developing these games are taking chances and coming up with new innovative ideas, or taking old ones and further evolving them. Unlike the AAA space, which is too scared to try anything daring or new, because too much money is invested and the fear of the gaming flopping is too great. This is why many of these AAA developers are trying their best to create their own Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, etc. Because they believe the future is creating a game that can last forever with updates and microtransactions. This is why I will always believe Blizzard lied about the PvE push for Overwatch 2 and their real goal was to make the game a free to play model, so they can nickel and dime their players. I recently played and beaten Dave the Diver thanks to it being on PS Plus, and I see now why that game got so much love. Would've put it on my 2023 top 10, had I played it the year the game came out. One of the best games of the year. And it's getting to a point that many people's top 10 list are filled with Indies, not AAA entries. Hades II will soon be another one.

This is actually good news. We might see an Intellivision 50 collection from Atari, and anyone who was a fan of the old console, should be happy considering how well they made Atari 50. At least all that hard work won't be in vain. Funny how all the Amico saga did in the end, was exposed Tommy Tellarico for the fraud that he is.

I think the PS5 has been successful when you consider Covid and everything else that has happened, like the console barely being available for a couple of years after launch. The Xbox consoles? not so much. The Series S sold well, because it was easier to purchase than the Series X. And most people were happy with it, until games started coming out that were too powerful for the Series S to handle, quickly showing the limitations of that hardware.

Then, the Series X when available, didn't sell so well, because of the lack of good exclusive games, which is needed to give people a reason to buy the console in the first place. Microsoft claimed they didn't care, because it was all about Game Pass, but recent events have proven this not to be the case.

I think the Sony's console will continue to do well, and when the PS5 Pro comes out, it will sell well to those who can afford one. Microsoft IMO will soon be like Sega, only they will still make consoles, but focus it on Game Pass and streaming, while their games become multiplatform. Nintendo is Nintendo, they will always be fine, unless they do something really major to screw things up. They have the most loyal fanbase, and I think they already confirmed that the Switch 2 will be fully backwards compatible, so they have already gotten over a major possible hurdle.

Well, I played some of the game today, and so far I like it. But I also liked the first game, so I'm not surprised.

Like many others have said, the graphics are very good. The game feels like you're playing one big cutscene, and like Jeff Gertsmann said, the graphics are so seamless from cutscene to gameplay, that sometimes I thought I was watching Senua do some action during a narrative scene, only to realize I was still controlling her and playing the game. The visual and motion capture graphics are borderline photo realistic. The game is like you're playing one big movie, and while others may complain about this, I think it's nice when a game can accomplish this in an artistic sort of way. Which is why I also like Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Order 1886 when I played it.

The combat during gameplay is the same as the first game, and so are the puzzles. The game is pretty much more of the same with better graphics, sound, and overall presentation. So far I also like the story, its looking to be a lot better than the first game so far. I will report back once I've beaten it.

But IMO, this Xbox exclusive is so far better than Starfield and Redfall. It's their best game since Halo Infinite overall, and I'm talking about the single player story of that game, not the multiplayer.

@creepingdeath0: I'm not a financial expert, but it seems to be a sleezy way to increase their bottom line by the end of the year. Many of those companies that acquired and then shut down seem to report record profits. So they basically are buying and selling, and while doing, so disrupting a lot of people's lives.

@spacemanspiff00: Well, they don't want another major backlash like they got when they closed down Tango too soon, and they know people are waiting for it. With that said, I would take this with a grain of salt. Who knows what they'll do months down the road. One thing I think they'll do is not keep the game as an Xbox exclusive.

From the moment Microsoft announced the Xbox Series X/S, to recently, this game was pushed by them as the exclusive worth waiting for, arguably even more so than Starfield. You can say that given recent events with the layoffs and studio closings, the game didn't get a lot of ads and stuff before they dropped it today, but that doesn't change the massive buildup the game was getting prior to these things happening. Now its a waiting game. I know the initial reception is not what Microsoft was hoping for. It's not terrible by any means, but it's also not a game of the year type of reception, just like Starfield wasn't. And at this point, as many gaming journalists have pointed out, Microsoft needs a knockout. This game isn't it, and it might be their last chance.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/senuas-saga-hellblade-ii/

While it's currently holding an 80 percent on Metacritic, the game is not the knockout Microsoft was likely hoping for. Especially, since they put so much of their faith and energy behind supporting the game, while they abandoned others. The big brother website Gamespot for example gave the game a 6/10. Senua's Saga was supposed to be the killer app that put the Series X and Gamepass on the map. But it turns out to be the game most of us already guess it would be. A game some people will love, and a game some people just can't get into. I personally liked the first Hellblade a lot, and this game is more of the same. But this is for better and for the worse.

The game, according to most who've played it, has some of the best visuals and sound design people have ever seen in gaming. But the gameplay is repetitive with little enemy variety and the puzzles are a pointless distraction. These were the same issues with the first game, but the story, visuals and of course the sound design won me over. But this is my personal opinion.

Have you played the game yet? What are your thoughts on the reception and the game overall?

Is this game also going to underperform for Microsoft, which might cause Ninja Theory to be the latest neck on the guillotine?

As someone who follows the FGC, the DOA games have always been as popular as Tekken and Virtual Fighter. The difference is that Tekken is at the top of the mountain in terms of tournament backing and prize money, so the game has gotten a lot more attention. Namco like Capcom has fully invested in the whole e-sports world tour, where players compete for huge cash prizes. Meanwhile, Tecmo /Team Ninja was banned from EVO because of the display that happened in 2018 during their event. Prior to this, DOA was one of the top 3D fighting games you'd see at tournaments. Just because you don't see the gaming being hyped like Tekken on social media, doesn't mean a lot of people around the world aren't still playing it. Virtual Fighter is also not hyped like Tekken is right now, but has a huge following of people playing the game around the world.

I'm not going to get into the so-called sexy factor, because it's irrelevant. DOA has always been a solid 3D fighting game series, and this is why the series has lasted through the years. Not because people get off on seeing Kasumi, Ayane, etc.

Microsoft is all over the place. They don't know what they want to do. They never recovered from the hit they took with the Xbox One debacle, and they have been slowly sinking ever since. I would compare it to the Titanic, but unlike that tragic event, Microsoft doesn't get my sympathy.