Going into the the XBOX Developer Direct, gamers would be getting updates on long gesitating games -- Like Hellblade 2, and the first look of gameplay of Machine Games' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. The show also was confirmed to have no shadow drops -- so anyone expecting repeat of last year's Hi Fi Rush, would be out of luck. There were three contenders for Game of the Show this year. Avowed, the first-person RPG Skyrym dopplerganger, the dark and emotional gripping XBOX exclusive Hellblade 2, and Machine Games' new Indiana Jones title.
Its been quite a while since we were first introduced to Obsidean's first person RPG, XBOX having first revealed the title during its "XBOX Games Showcase" all the way back in 2020. Game Director Carrie Patel promises a story that features a "perosnal connection to the player."
Avowed also has a choice based system -- although its hard to tell how deep it goes on a scale of 1 to Baulders Gate 3.
A side quest tasks you with figuring out who is repsonible for a mysterious murder, alghough its not clear if the choices will have lasting effects on the rest of your party.The first combat shown offers melee focused, mid and long range spell-casting or gunplay. The differing play styles encourages you to experiement with customizables builds.
"We worked hard to keep you constantly engaged as battles unfold, by creating a balance between pressure and manageability during combat," according to Gameplay Director Gabriel Paramo.
The different load outs definately has the potential for some crazy moment to moment action -- like a magic focused Far Cry. One highlight was footage showing the player freezing an enemy with an ice spell, then shattering them with a charged sword attack. The spell casting in particular looks very quick and snappy, offering options for a single or double wand set up. The quick handed wand flicking reminded me of Hogwarts Legacy. The combat seems to have a heavy importance on tactics and enemy placement. Avowed looks and sounds like an Obsidean RRG -- time will tell if you the focus on combat will balance well with the games' other systems.
The XBOX exclusive Hellblade 2 has been a graphical showcase for the XBOX Series X ever since its reveal. The latest preview is just as visually stunning as ever, with Senua starting a quest to Iceland to destroy the Vikiings who destoyed her villiage. Hellblade 2 promises to be a shorter, more focused single-player exsperience with an empahsis on 4k presentation. The team at Ninja Theory continues to be a graphical powerhouse, with a visually stunning showcase, and a deeper layer of emtionally-driven storytelling, thanks to a bigger motion captuire stuido.
Hellbade 2, like its predecessor, places a high priority on sound design. Senua is still plauged by psychosis, causing her to see and hear things that others don't. This adds a layer of tension when facing her new enimies, the zombie-like Joyer. Hellblade 2 promises a new combat system, and the game still doesnt appear to have any kind of hud -- a fully emersive experience. Hellblade 2 also announced its release date during the Direct -- May 21st. It was the only game of the show to get a locked down release date -- as opposed to the vague 2024 release window. The Ninja Theory title also was later confirmed to be a digital only release. Newly-improved combat was mentioned, but the footage didn't seem to indicate how combat will actually work. Hellblade 2 seems to be driven by its story-focued narrative -- with combat only being a means to an end.
Square Enix revealed a brief look at Visions of Mana, a new entry in the long-running action RPG series. Its bright and colorful anime infused art style made it stand out in the show if only by comparison. The stragety title, Ara: History Untold was also breifly shown.
The highlight of the show came at its -- The first gameplay of Machine Games' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Troy Baker delivers a pitch-perfect 1980s Indy, with the famed arcelogist being drawn into a msytery connecting the sites of important historical artifiacts -- a Golden Circle.
In classic Machine Games fashion -- the action plays out in mostly first-person. Indy's iconic bullwhip serves as both a tool combat, but also as a grappling hook and ways to navigate puzzles. The Golden Circle also allows you to tackle combat in a vareity of ways -- giving you options for fistscuffs, stealth, and distractions.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was the Game of the Show for me -- like most of the titles announced its coming in 2024. The XBOX Developer Direct was a short but focued presentation that delivered on showing the games as promised. Hopefully we will get some more solid dates later this year.
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