IbizaPocholo
NeoGAFs Kent Brockman
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Obsidian 20th Anniversary Documentary
- Thread starter IbizaPocholo
- Start date
- Opinion Trailer Game Dev
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Remember, BG3 is too ambitious for these clowns.
Drizzlehell
Banned
They also made the best 3D Fallout game, revived the cRPG genre, and made a bunch of other, fantastic RPGs over the years. So, you know, there's that too.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Drizzlehell
Banned
Their last few games were pretty great, so you're right, they're still kicking ass.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
A strong 7.5 effort games. They peaked 13 years ago.
STARSBarry
Gold Member
But fairs fair, if your last game is pertinent which has a fraction of the interactivity or outcomes of baldurs gate III and then agree to a thread where people are saying that it's unreasonable to expect the same level of quality from a AAA studio... from a studio which is bigger than the one that made Baldurs gate III...
Can't kick a squirrel to death in any of the games he made, instant fail.
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Wildebeest
Member
What did they do in the RPG genre that wasn't following the lead of some other success in terms of making a sequel with the same engine or doing something like someone else had recently done? South Park?
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Red5
Member
They made the whole Fallout universe. They also made Pillars of Eternity but Fallout is more famous.
Drizzlehell
Banned
You do realize that Pentiment was like a passion project of one of the developers in the studio that just grew into this side game (which is actually really good, by the way)? The next big thing for them is Avowed.
Also, I don't really care about that shit, you guys get way too hung up on Twitter drama. All I'm seeing here is that most studios don't have the luxury of making games with such a huge scope as BG3, which is absolutely true. Don't like it? Well tough shit, that's modern triple-A gaming for you. I'm pretty sure that if developers such as those from Obisdian were given blank cheques on every game they make, we'd be getting games like BG3 left and right, but that's not the reality of living under the axe of publishers like Microsoft.
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Bernkastel
Ask me about my fanboy energy!
Pentiment was a side project only made by like five people. Its disingenuous to compare it with Baldurs Gate 3. Sawyer talked in Q/A before about doing a game like that.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Almost 150k people on Steam seem to agree. Fallout New Vegas is their highest rated game ever. So it's not just 'my opinion'.
Punished Miku
Gold Member
Are you trying to prove their point or something?
Drizzlehell
Banned
Oh really? Let's see those Steam reviews then:
The Outer Worlds - 9/10
Pillars of Eternity II - 9/10
Grounded - 9/10
Pentiment- 10/10
And you’re proving his point.
Pentiment debuted to great reviews and multiple GOTY awards so it’s certainly not lacking in the quality department, but you’re dismissing it because it isn’t as detailed as a massive AAA production.
Head over to Twitter and the thread is filled with people arguing that if you make a cRPG that isn’t as detailed as BG3, it’s a ‘lazy cash grab’.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Oh really? Let's see those Steam reviews then:
The Outer Worlds - 9/10
Pillars of Eternity II - 9/10
Grounded - 9/10
Pentiment- 10/10
I like how you're rounding the scores up. The Outer Worlds is 84% out of 20k reviews. Which is super generous. I like the game and finished it twice but it's 8 at best, if you ignore the 'humor' and writhing - that's my option.
They reached their greatness in 2010 and they have been on downward spiral since then - that's not my opinion. That's a fact and it's backed by opinion of tens of thousands of players.
That's what I'm talking about.
Drizzlehell
Banned
Thanks for that impromptu review that no one asked for and doesn't change the fact that the game is still very highly rated. Like, what are you trying to say, that 84% means it's a bad game? Are you on bath salts?
You just played yourself.
Vox Machina
Banned
BG3 has clearly destroyed people's minds
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
I never said that it's a bad game, why are you so triggered and take it so personally? Take a breather and relax.
Strong 7.5 - light 8 games are good games and so is The Outer Worlds.
Their best, highest rated by players game was made 13 years ago, why is it so hard for you to understand?
You're too lazy to click on Steam and check the actual score? 84%. It's a good score. New Vegas is at 96% with x7 number of votes. That's amazing and well deserved.
Torrent of Pork
Banned
Don't you know that if you're not the absolute best of the best of the best you might as well not even try?
And people wonder where the AA portion of the industry went.
And people wonder where the AA portion of the industry went.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
The AA portion of the industry is alive and better than ever.
Here are just 2 examples:
Or is AA different than Indie? Is AA more like Remnant II?
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Punished Miku
Gold Member
Look at the thread title you're posting in. Look at your first post lol. Come on dude.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Obsidian are GOAT writing RPGs. Looking forward to Avowed.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Sawyer is a clown for his comments. He and the entire Obsidian team should STFU, reflect on what made Fallout NV so great and try to recapture that magic. Come on dude.
SirTerry-T
Member
So the op posts a harmless link to a documentary series that some fans may find entertaining, what follows is the usual shit fest of some posters who can't wait to piss on their chips.
Get a grip you sad fuckers.
Get a grip you sad fuckers.
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Drizzlehell
Banned
You're parroting some retarded Twitter drama in order to discredit the studio with a long and respectable portfolio, and all that for what? To derail a thread that's meant to celebrate their history? It's a completely baseless accusation that has no bearing on their overall achievements, plus you can't even seem to decide on what you're trying to say.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Just because it was on Twitter it's a 'drama' and you shouldn't pay attention to it, right? Sawyer is a Studio Design Director at Obsidian, he's not a random nobody. His words have weight.
I was clear, they made some good games but their best one is now 13 years old. You're just having a hard time understanding that.
Let's hope they can recapture that lightning in a bottle moment in their next 20 years. They have billions of Microsoft $$$ behind them now. Cheers to that.
Wildebeest
Member
People act like the Streisand effect doesn't exist when it comes to glossing over criticism of Obsidian.
Vox Machina
Banned
Sometimes a poster just hangs a sign on their head that says "ignore me". This is one of those times.
Negotiator101
Member
OK mate you've made your point take a break now yeah?
Zathalus
Member
All of the recent Obsidian games have ranged from good to great. Outer Worlds is the worst rated one and it's still a respectable 8.5/10. Pentiment, Grounded, and PoE 1+2 were all amazing games.
I'm excited for Avowed. I don't think it will be as good as BG3, but then again it doesn't need to be.
I'm excited for Avowed. I don't think it will be as good as BG3, but then again it doesn't need to be.
vaibhavpisal
Member
Bruh, play Wasteland 3.
It's wayy lower budget but I got similar vibes to how I felt with NV.
Apart from that, if they ask for Baldurs Gate 3 money from MS, they would expect that kind of engagement/ success from them too. Maybe Obsidian management is not ready for that.
I would give Avowed a shot with open mind, even though it has reduced scope compared to, say a Bethesda RPG. Production values is not necessarily what makes games like these good.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Good game, inXile definitely punching way above their weight and showing how it's done.
Definitely. Take a fan project like Enderal. Many consider it to be better than any recent Elder Scrolls. Talent and hard work > budget.
Drizzlehell
Banned
Why dredge this up at all if it's not even the point of the thread? And yes, it is retarded because a lot of people misconstrued what he was trying to say and somehow convinced themselves that the studio needs to be burned at the stake and BG3 needs to be sucked off dry. Yet another example of mindless gamer tribalism.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Obsidian has always been a disappointing company. I am confused as to why someone said they "revived the CRPG genre" considering they were an offshoot of the company that actually revived it, that being Black Isle. Anyway, the early part of their history was releasing games that should have been amazing but ended up being bug-ridden and incomplete. Yea, all those games are worth playing today, especially with mods in the case of KOTOR2, and Fallout New Vegas figured it out, but really it was one buggy mess after another with their fanboys finding excuses. It was so annoying. Although I really, really wish that Alien RPG came out.
Then, starting with Dungeon Siege 3, they became far less ambitious and interesting. It briefly looked like they figured it out with the kickstarter thing, but when POE2 bombed they sold out and are now doing.... I don't even know what. Outer Worlds is a really stupid game, and whining about BG3's finances and stability after that Avowed reveal is embarrassing when you have Microsoft backing you.
Then, starting with Dungeon Siege 3, they became far less ambitious and interesting. It briefly looked like they figured it out with the kickstarter thing, but when POE2 bombed they sold out and are now doing.... I don't even know what. Outer Worlds is a really stupid game, and whining about BG3's finances and stability after that Avowed reveal is embarrassing when you have Microsoft backing you.
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Vox Machina
Banned
More PoE
Roberts
Member
Yeah, Pentiment has the best writing of any game in 2022 and Grounded is an amazing game that's unlike anything else really. I've said it million times, but I still play it one year later and I think it is one of the most fun games ever made.
Drizzlehell
Banned
People who work there are veterans of the industry responsible for games, franchises, or even entire genres that you may have even not realized that they created.
Take this shit to Twitter. It’s a willful misrepresentation of what Sawyer said, and the sensible thing is to look at it from the lens of where he’s been.
Prior to the Microsoft acquisition, Obsidian were nearly bankrupt and had gone through a rough period where they nearly went insolvent after their Stormlands project with MS fell through.
Coming out to state that most studios can’t afford the lengthy development time + financial stability + level of detail Larian could pack into BG3 shouldn’t get this level of petulance from you.
vaibhavpisal
Member
Agreed.
I think writing in Pentiment was pretty impressive.
It was mostly a 16 century village and villagers going about their lives. They made it very interesting and playable.
Kudos for that.
Gorgon
Member
AA isn't "indie". "Indy" budgets are way lower than what is considered AA budgets.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
What’s a typical AA budget? Or is is some imaginary sum?
Embarrassing for you to state that POE2 bombed financially, then accusing them of ‘selling out’ when they did the sane thing and pursued a line of action that could keep them afloat.
Again, you’re proving their point. They were given TWO YEARS to make Outer Worlds from scratch by their publisher.
That’s a constraint Larian didn’t face, for example.
Your comments on Avowed seem to be tied solely to quality of visuals of a game in a pre-alpha state. That’s rubbish.
Gorgon
Member
It's not fixed in stone. It also changes with the times as projects become more expensive. Back in the PS3 era, a game with 50 million eurodollars budget would be AAA. Nowadays that would be squarily in AA territory. "Indy" game cost significantly less than 50 million.
vaibhavpisal
Member
50 million or so I presume.
Outer Worlds and Control costed that much so I guess that must be it.
AAA are $200+ these days. You shouldn't make one unless you have something truly special.
Drizzlehell
Banned
Black Isle died in the early 2000s. They didn't revive the genre, they helped to establish it. What I meant by saying that Obsidian revived the genre is that they reignited interest in it in the mid-2010s by putting out Pillars of Eternity. I remember that it was a big deal at the time and the game was considered a big comeback for the genre, especially since it was followed by a number of similar games.
MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
Divinity: Original Sin was crowd founded, just like Pillars. They made exactly one game between Divinity: Original Sin and BG3.
In other words: Larian is just a better managed company that produces better games and that's why they can afford:
- lengthy development time
- financial stability
- level of detail
Divinity: Original Sin released a year prior.
Control definitely looks and plays like a AAA, I would have never guessed it's even considered to be a AA.
Roberts
Member
Sawyer might come off as a snarky shit-poster on twitter, but if you watch any of the Pentiment behind the scenes videos, he clearly knows medieval history, culture, customs and seems to be super passionate about it. I can only imagine he and his team did enormous research before telling the story.
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vaibhavpisal
Member
I think he has a degree in medivial history.
It looks and plays pretty well. But I think you can clearly see difference between Control and something like The Last of Us 2.
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