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Crimson Desert - Final Preview and Impressions

Two full priced games in the same 30 days is something I never thought I'd do again, but here we are. 2026 is already better than 24 and 25 combined.
In a two month period I'm looking at:
  • RE9
  • Crimson Desert
  • MonHun Stories 3
  • Pragmata
I don't have the time or money for all of them. But man, welcome back to the good old days of game releases.
 

Yeah considering how many have been covering the game and how each person felt utterly overwhelmed after the preview event, I've been hearing and reading there's a potential of upwards of 200 to 300 hours considering your character is a little speck on the map, and the map is to scale.

My guess is the game will be 100+ hours for even the people who are just doing the main quests without speedblitzing.
 


This clip is fucking insane.

Jack Nicholson Yes GIF
 
I'll be busy with MH Stories, but all the previews got me excited. Curious about the Console version now, we have a pretty good idea how it runs on PC already.
 
I wish Witcher 3 let us do this kind of stuff to NPCs as well. Way too many of them are downright vile towards Geralt, while he does save their worthless lives. Wish we could stomp them to be honest.
This is lore, it's pretty common in the books for people to treat Geralt like shit. He just let's it go most of the time.
 
Don't let the lost art of saving your money in advance make you feel that way.
I just meant in terms of quality output. I'd have to check, but I don't know if I bought a single one last year. I'll buy two games a month for the rest of the year if they keep dropping like this.
 
Late to the party, but I was amused by everyone wondering what the crux with this game might be. As someone who played this last August, the answer was always clear: the weirdest control scheme you've ever seen on a console. It wasn't just me either, the people I talked to were flabbergasted too. I dug up my old gameplay footage for this for a quick control illustration. Admittedly, they have taken in feedback back then and might have changed it for launch, but it's still something I wanted to have recorded.



(since some people under the video accuse me of lying, lol, for clarification I have a job where I can get VIP access at Gamescom)
 
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it's funny that an outlet called "Skill-Up" bases most of their complaints in having serious skill issues.

The complaint about this game not been your typical braindead open world slop is cringe.

I'm so happy that for once AAA devs treat the audience as smart people and filter out the yellow-paint sniffers.
Why do you act like it's impossible for games to throw too much at people at once? There is a middle ground between however smart and better than other gamers you think you are and the "yellow paint sniffers."
 
Why do you act like it's impossible for games to throw too much at people at once? T


It's not impossible, but this isn't the case. It's been proven in other videos that he was playing wrong. Besides, asking for easier puzzles is dumb, unless the game establishes from the beginning that is going to hold your hand and then does the opposite.

This feels like a new Demons Souls situation, in which many people have to learn how to play videogames after years of braindead open world templates.
 
It's not impossible, but this isn't the case. It's been proven in other videos that he was playing wrong. Besides, asking for easier puzzles is dumb, unless the game establishes from the beginning that is going to hold your hand and then does the opposite.

This feels like a new Demons Souls situation, in which many people have to learn how to play videogames after years of braindead open world templates.
I didn't ask for easier puzzles, but Nioh 3 is a good example of just loading the player up with too much all at once. Still a good game, but it could have been better in that regard.
 
Late to the party, but I was amused by everyone wondering what the crux with this game might be. As someone who played this last August, the answer was always clear: the weirdest control scheme you've ever seen on a console. It wasn't just me either, the people I talked to were flabbergasted too. I dug up my old gameplay footage for this for a quick control illustration. Admittedly, they have taken in feedback back then and might have changed it for launch, but it's still something I wanted to have recorded.



(since some people under the video accuse me of lying, lol, for clarification I have a job where I can get VIP access at Gamescom)


LI7fdaDw09dJxbDD.gif


This is exactly why studios shouldn't treat content creators as the voice of the broader gaming community. In this case, you had trouble memorizing inputs and learning the combos without being given prior instruction, and then based your opinion of the controls on that experience. Just say they didn't provide you with the proper tools needed to get a true impression.
 
LI7fdaDw09dJxbDD.gif


This is exactly why studios shouldn't treat content creators as the voice of the broader gaming community. In this case, you had trouble memorizing inputs and learning the combos without being given prior instruction, and then based your opinion of the controls on that experience. Just say they didn't provide you with the proper tools needed to get a true impression.

There were reports that the booth staff themselves were overwhelmed by the controls when asked for help, lol. Also, you can get used to anything, but I don't see any good reason why you need a special vision mode and a longwinded elevating spell to pick up a flag.
 
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why you need a special vision mode and a longwinded elevating spell to pick up a flag.

That critique makes sense, but the overall vibe I got from your video was that the controls were over complicated in general. If I didn't know any better and took the video at face value, I probably wouldn't pre-order the game or even check back in on it. However since I'm an actual gamer that values my own opinion over others, I'm not going that route and will likely find little issue with the controls over all.
 
There were reports that the booth staff themselves were overwhelmed by the controls when asked for help, lol.

How do you know it wasn't because the staff didn't have the appropriate access to the game beforehand? That might reflect more on management than on the game itself.
 
My Apologies T tomato shrub I didn't intend to present my opinion in a mean-spirited way. After re-reading I think I can do better. I actually liked the production quality of your video and the effort you clearly put into it. You also have a much better voice than most creators out there. I went ahead and liked and subscribed.
 
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This clip is fucking insane.

I find this hard to watch. I really don't like it.

Edit: Before the usual culture-war crowd jumps in: this isn't about "equal rights". Women still deal with feeling unsafe on a daily basis. I've seen enough shitty behaviour from men when out with my partner or friends to know that's very real.

So yes, creative freedom matters. But seeing a buff "warrior" beating up a random skinny woman who looks like a poor farmer - until she's unconscious - and watching people celebrate it… that's bleak.

It honestly reminded me of the Louis Theroux: The Manosphere doc. And it makes me wonder whether I actually feel at home on this forum, as someone who's pretty centrist and progressive.

The world is in a weird place right now.
 
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the weirdest control scheme you've ever seen on a console. It wasn't just me either, the people I talked to were flabbergasted too. I dug up my old gameplay footage for this for a quick control illustration. Admittedly, they have taken in feedback back then and might have changed it for launch
Might?? Hmm. God bless the PC version.
 
So yes, creative freedom matters. But seeing a buff "warrior" beating up a random skinny woman who looks like a poor farmer - until she's unconscious - and watching people celebrate it… that's bleak.
I saw the full yt vid...its actually a "quest" and she is a thief.

Season 4 Episode 6 GIF by Friends
 
I get that, updated my comment for clarification though :)
Regarding your edit, I mainly agree with the odd nature of people overly celebrating it. However, this isn't the first time people have exhibited this type of behavior online though, so over time I have just ignored it and went about my day. Gather enough of the billions of people on just one website, and you're going to have a section of them who will be crass or worse. It is what it is and I'm not going to bother wasting my time to police it. You can try if you want but it's just wasted time until the site itself changes. That's the job of whoever owns each private website and their moderation.

Other than that, the gameplay option itself is irrelevant to me.

It's obvious they developed such a system it as a way to 'interrogate and punish' but the person playing the game used the mechanic and clipped it for other means.
 
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Also, if you read people laughing about and clapping about something, have you ever thought about: irony, jokes, people are able to seperate fantasy from reality, etc?

I love how people are all "I'm in on the joke guys" until their pet issue or something they don't like gets joked about then they turn to "feeling really unsafe rn guys."
 
I find this hard to watch. I really don't like it.

Edit: Before the usual culture-war crowd jumps in: this isn't about "equal rights". Women still deal with feeling unsafe on a daily basis. I've seen enough shitty behaviour from men when out with my partner or friends to know that's very real.

So yes, creative freedom matters. But seeing a buff "warrior" beating up a random skinny woman who looks like a poor farmer - until she's unconscious - and watching people celebrate it… that's bleak.

It honestly reminded me of the Louis Theroux: The Manosphere doc. And it makes me wonder whether I actually feel at home on this forum, as someone who's pretty centrist and progressive.

The world is in a weird place right now.
Nobody here is advocating for violence against women.

Lighten up. If not, there is another forum where you can "feel safe" in.

And, if you have a Y chromosome, take a look in the mirror and take stock of where you are. You feel "unsafe" on an online forum about video games? This is the type of dude you want to be?
 
Nobody here is advocating for violence against women.

Lighten up. If not, there is another forum where you can "feel safe" in.

And, if you have a Y chromosome, take a look in the mirror and take stock of where you are. You feel "unsafe" on an online forum about video games? This is the type of dude you want to be?
You should check the Twitter comments on that video, or the post above yours.

No need to attack me or make assumptions. I don't feel unsafe at all. I'm simply pointing out that it feels off to me that people here - and in those Twitter comments - are celebrating the idea that you can beat up random defenseless women in this game.

I live in a pretty safe bubble in a wealthy EU country, and even here women around me still deal with threats, intimidation, and abuse from men. Maybe it's also because I had a pretty intense discussion about feminism with colleagues last week (and watched the Louis Theroux Manosphere doc), but the Crimson Desert video and the way people celebrate it just rubs me the wrong way.

For clarity, I'm not interested in arguing online. I just felt the need to make a counterpoint and move on.

Also appreciate March Climber March Climber responding with some actual nuance.
 
Nobody here is advocating for violence against women.

Lighten up. If not, there is another forum where you can "feel safe" in.

And, if you have a Y chromosome, take a look in the mirror and take stock of where you are. You feel "unsafe" on an online forum about video games? This is the type of dude you want to be?
Perhaps you need to lighten up, or perhaps grow up, especially telling others where to go just because they express a concern or uncertainty. He didn't say he felt unsafe, either, so perhaps try reading properly before posting.

All he did was post from the perspective of maturity and not knowing the true intent of the people making light of an out of context video. And truthfully speaking, there are people on this site that genuinely are racist, sexist, or hold various other prejudices. Scroll any even remotely geopolitical thread and you'll see them sooner or later.

Having said that.

nnytk nnytk I truly do think most of the people aren't expressing ill intent. Instead, people are either just making jokes or celebrating what the clip represents.

If you're allowed to do that, that means it's a game designed to give you tools and let you roam as you see fit. As it stands many modern games seem to prioritise things over that. So the idea of a game that lets you do that, whether you want to or not, is a welcome idea.
 
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