XboxEra Community Hangout |OT13| The Bakers Dozen

I’m so far beyond this insider culture and wish it wouldn’t exist anymore.

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Jeff Grubb is kinda like Jez in that you gotta understand when they are talking loosely and filling in the gaps with speculation or if they know specifics.

It’s often impossible to tell when people just pass around quotes.

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Also got to love how what was said had 2 parts, where it was something like “The Outer Worlds 2 was pulled forward to 2025 because a game was delayed”. Well others have refuted the first part as being wrong. Now I see the discussion has dropped that first part and now focusing on the second part.

If first part is wrong it stands to reason the second part is wrong too,

Selective engagement creation. Sigh.

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Many people have already assumed a Fable delay, so anything that reinforces that they’ll run with.

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“Clovers”

I see what you did there, Kamiya!

Straight back to the boobs talk again.

And Killers of the Flower Moon? I guess we all know how unattractive Leonardo di Caprio is.

I feel like you just proved my point, without understanding it.

Attractive ≠ Boobs. :man_shrugging:

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I mean, Leo is pretty dang unattractive in most roles after getting old (intentionally so even). He just also has lots of charisma which is generally what matters in narrative art.

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https://x.com/LegacyKillaHD/status/1868388774151102570

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It has probably been discussed but just a reminder that Forza horizon 4 is leaving the store is some hours ! (It seems still available for the moment).

Even if I don’t have time for it I bought the ultimate edition :sweat_smile:. It such a reference that I am afraid to not be able to play it in the future

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There is nothing attractive about the way Leo is portrayed in that movie by the way.

Attractive is relative. Like a woman can be good looking and be in a game/movie, doesn’t mean all characters have to look like models and have what some consider to be perfect bodies in all games. Like the girl in that Intergalactic game is actually super attractive, yet people are shitting on the game because she has shaved her hair, which is the way she actually is in real life by the way. And you go ahead and say devs will learn and it’s on them for not having attractive characters in their game. You realize how your comment makes no sense whatsoever in this situation?

We are seeing the same thing with Ciri in Witcher 4, where people are comparing her to Witcher 3 and how she looked younger (like no shit the new game happens later in her life) and prettier/more attractive. Girl’s a Witcher, she’s probably had it rough, yet she still looks like a milf in the new trailer, but go read up on YouTube and Twitter and apparently CDPR are woke now as well and destroying the Witcher franchise.

At this point I guess David Fincher was the OG woke when he decided Sigourney Weaver should have her head shaved in Alien 3! Definitely destroyed the franchise…

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From Shuhei Yoshida’s Twitter account:

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Shu is the type of dude who just makes you smile, his happy vibe is so infectious :slight_smile:

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Still not getting my point.

It doesn’t matter what you think. It doesn’t matter what I think. I presented a fact and you keep trying to change my opinion.

Regardless of anything else, if a developer presents a product to their potential customers and those customers tell them they’re not interested, then they should take that into consideration.

Knowing Druckman and today’s gaming landscape, they’ll stubbornly push on and I fear another flop. But like I said, I honestly hope I’m wrong, because ND has made some fantastic games in the past. It would be sad to see them cop a 200-million-dollar loss.

https://x.com/andy_vgc/status/1868617585572688207?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ

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Its a pity this whole left vs right permeates every discussion now. I was left cold by the reveal since it felt like a deritive greatest hits compilation of ‘see this was cool right?’

I couldnt care less about a character being hot or not.

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Yup, and in case someone wants it for free (I’m assuming the code hasn’t been used yet…) :wink:

This thread moves fast, so this necessary.

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https://x.com/discussingfilm/status/1868343269471801792?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ

How’s that possible….

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I think the point is that attractiveness is different for everybody - and let’s face it with a significant minority now there seems to be a case where either you have to play as a white guy or an attractive woman (or preferably be able to seduce one as the guy).

I adore Mass Effect but can’t deny the romances could be a bit cringe, while the Asari and Krogan were almost two ultra examples of the above - except they did subvert it by pointing out the Krogan wiped each other out all the time and the Asari were not exactly defenceless damsels in distress.

Part of the reason the series has done so well beyond great writing, universe building and really feeling like part of a team is it reflected our society in so many ways and let people find their own meanings in everything.

Nowadays, I doubt such a universe will be made again - it’s dangerous for all publishers now but particularly those who’ve built their fanbase on console warring which tends to attract those into the culture wars too - and with US society in particular being so polarised if you go one way you’ll anger half the country and if you go another you’ll anger the other half.

The rest of the world has issues, but the USA in particular seems fractured, and I’m not really sure any publisher will reach highest ever units sold again just on Western sales as everything is taken apart online by people who while they may only affect a small amount of sales is still enough to have an impact.

I’ve been pretty vocal that I think GTA6 will hit this issue - if even CDPR are getting hit by accusations from online nutters then I just don’t see how 6 threads the fine line between being banned / boycotted by one side or whole groups of society and not angering the “everything is woke now” brigade who let’s face it are likely well represented in GTA’s fanbase…

So you’re right in that it’s an issue for publishers whichever way they go as they could lose money or be boycotted, while @FacelessSamurai is right that in the days of the Internet at everyone’s fingertips we probably don’t need such juvenile stuff in our games as it only continues the stereotype of gamers as nerdy teenage boys and helps attacks by politicians and the “won’t someone think of the children!” type parents.

Honestly I’m thinking we’ll start to see more and more games with a complete character creator and aliens / animals as NPCs (or a rationale for the society they’re in being shown as they are) - it’ll still trigger arguments (as what doesn’t) and we’ll likely lose some creativity and storytelling, but just like much of AAA game making now it’s all about minimising risk and being generically appealing.

Even the “edgy” options are now safe ones, for example in films / TV making the protagonist a nasty piece of work with issues (often a terrible absent parent too who’s left it too late really) who ruins the lives of everyone around them but eventually “comes good” to take out the bad guy - it’s now such a cliché it’s dull, but clearly it was focus grouped as being the least offensive approach to the most people, as studios are terrified of getting involved in the polarisation of the USA.

The only outliers will be the “auteurs” like Kojima (who’s always been a bit pervy but gets away with it - the DS2 photo mode is just creepy), Druckman and others who do what they want and still will, but you’re right if they misjudge and make a big loss I doubt they’ll get more than one more chance as they’ll probably be judged as having lost their magic in this polarised world and be a liability…

It sucks that a few people online seem to have such an impact now and reduce the creativity of everything, as with such scrutiny on releases and outrage over nothing the money men are making everyone walk on eggshells

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Agreed, I found it just generic “space cowboy with a lightsaber in a retro-future world too similar to Guardians of the Galaxy”, all elements which have been done to death in the last decade…

If it had been any other publisher (particularly Xbox) it would’ve likely got a very different reaction

Sony needs to stick to animating superhero films

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