The Rumour & Speculation Thread (BYO Salt)

johnny_ultimate · 06-07-2023 9:58am

The problem with RDR2's 'realism' is that ultimately you're doing the same video-gamey things as any other game, like managing health gauges etc... It just takes five times as long to do anything. It's still full of all the usual nonsense logic of any video game, with pretensions that it isn't. And it's a game that's terrified of letting the player off the leash - it's a 60-hour campaign that feels like a hand-holdy tutorial right up to the end.

Even the mission design is so aggressively linear and constrained in the name of 'cinematic' moments that I questioned the need for it to be a massive open world at all - it's almost two conflicting games that don't gel together well.

MillField · 06-07-2023 3:47pm

Interesting. I just assumed RDR2 was a very similar game to RDR1. Now I really want to try it.

Retr0gamer · 07-07-2023 2:19am

RDR1 is more like the bully/the warriors design. Samller but more interesting open world and less scope to the mechanics but what it does do (the shooting) it does well. It's a little derivative of all the end of the old west movies but the map is set up in a way that it really emphasises it well unlike rdr2 which is basically a couple of set pieces from westerns pasted in as missions.

Rdr2 has all these mechanics and systems that are technically impressive but make the game a chore to play. Even the act of moving your character is a nightmare, it's so enthralles to the physics system its closer to qwop than a modern game. None of these hundreds of systems feed into the game either like the systems do in the likes of Zelda so it ends up being more detailed yet more barren and boring.

Jordan 199 · 07-07-2023 8:21am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120813807#Comment_120813807

You can play it if you have an Xbox 360/One/Series console.

I'm playing it again because it's so damn good.

MillField · 07-07-2023 4:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120816536#Comment_120816536

At this stage I think I'll wait until the (heavily) rumoured remaster releases. I have the latest consoles so would like to play the game the best way I can.

JimBurnley · 22-07-2023 2:36pm

PS5 Pro rumoured for Nov 2024

https://www.joe.ie/gaming/new-playstation-console-revealed-778453?fbclid=IwAR2wIybDfJDZ0qwdm3CoZKuLPzsHUdTpuyZjk6SXG-X74oH0Ju89u56qN0Y

Retr0gamer · 22-07-2023 5:12pm

Joe.ie clickbait.

Mr Crispy · 22-07-2023 5:52pm

It's from Tom Henderson, not joe.ie

Mr Crispy · 25-07-2023 5:22pm

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sources-ubisoft-has-cancelled-its-immortals-fenyx-rising-sequel/

__

Penn · 25-07-2023 8:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120895404#Comment_120895404

Stupid-ass decision by stupid-ass people for stupid-ass reasons.

Immortals had its flaws, but taking what they learned from the first game, a sequel could have been fantastic. And it was at least distinctive in style and tone from most of the other stuff Ubisoft churn out. As much as it was a very Ubisoft-ed version of BOTW, it was still fun and enjoyable, and puzzles and combat were pretty well designed.

Instead they want to focus on even more Assassin's Creed; a franchise which has pretty much already accomplished as much as it likely ever will and whose best days are likely behind it, and fully make sure they drive it into the ground and make people sick of it even quicker.

Mr Crispy · 25-07-2023 10:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120896207#Comment_120896207

Nothing to add, but totally agree.

quokula · 26-07-2023 5:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120896207#Comment_120896207

They're a business at the end of the day and they've tried a bunch of original IP that didn't make money over the last few years, while stuff like Assassin's Creed continues to sell well and continues to pay developer's salaries.

Ultimately it's the market that killed this IP, not Ubisoft. It's easy to say they should take another punt to do it better this time when you're a consumer who's not at risk of getting laid off in 6 months time if it doesn't work out.

Penn · 27-07-2023 10:33am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120900036#Comment_120900036

I get that, but it means they're running headfirst into a completely different problem; oversaturation and diminishing returns of a franchise that has passed its heyday, and lack of innovation and new IPs which have potential. And by throwing so many of your eggs in the AC basket, if it doesn't perform as they want (which it never will as their "expectations" are always way the f*ck too high), they don't have as much to fall back on.

AC1 did okay, but it was AC2 and Brotherhood that really elevated the franchise. Taking what they learned from the first one to truly evolve the gameplay and story for sequels. Immortals also did okay. It was well received in terms of reception and seemed to do okay sales-wise (though I read part of the issue of why Ubisoft were disappointed with sales was because the game sold well but mostly when discounted, but that's a big issue Ubisoft have anyway because it never takes long for their games to start being discounted, and after that they're nearly always included in every sale).

To shift yet another team of devs off something they could continue to build a new franchise off, and instead add them to the other numerous teams just working on more and more AC games, shows a huge lack of foresight imo.

I was one of the biggest AC fans going, but they killed it for me with the annual releases and over-saturation, diluting everything great about the AC games. Odyssey was the first one I played since stopping Unity after about 4 hours and I enjoyed it and platinumed it. But Valhalla? Didn't even look at it. Even though it was two years between them, couldn't face starting yet another AC game. So I bought Immortals instead and really loved it. It was fun, new and felt like a breath of ~~the wild~~ fresh air compared to what Valhalla would be.

I don't have the figures, metrics, targets etc that Ubisoft have. But I stand by my assertion that to me, it's a stupid decision. Ubisoft needs innovation. Striving to make Immortals 2 be what AC2 was to the first game could have set them up with a new franchise to run alongside the AC franchise. Instead, just more and more AC games which people are already sick of, and if they fail puts a lot more of their dev teams at risk as they'd all be neck deep in a franchise that has jumped past the haystack and is hurtling towards the concrete.

Retr0gamer · 27-07-2023 11:32am

I wish publishers would have a little more faith in their new franchises. The first game is probably not going to set the world alight but if enough people play it it can create a buzz for a sequel. Dead Space originally did ok, it was an alright game that the people that played it liked enough to be interested in a sequel which led to the hype around Dead Space 2 and the amazing sales it received.

Ubisoft are usually pretty good with rescuing their online games, R6 Siege and For Honor were pretty poor at release but they updated them into much better games and handled promotion well. It's a shame they don't do this with their single player games. I guess they might be burned by trying to get Prince of Persia to be the massive hit it deserves to be.

Retr0gamer · 05-09-2023 9:33am

https://metro.co.uk/2023/09/04/nintendo-switch-2-runs-final-fantasy-7-remake-like-a-ps5-game-19444565/?ico=mosaic_gaming

Pretty sure that it won't be PS5 power and more like a PS4 according to rumours. 60fps ff7 I'd say is more like 30 fps with lower settings.

RedXIV · 05-09-2023 9:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070867#Comment_121070867

Haven't really been keeping finger on the pulse with this stuff but is switch 2 even announced yet? Or is this the most solid lead we've had in a while?

Retr0gamer · 05-09-2023 11:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070924#Comment_121070924

It's not announced but there's solid news that developers have Dev kits and a reliable leak that it's coming next year.

Retr0gamer · 07-09-2023 4:42am

Machinegames Indiana Jones game teased:

https://www.eurogamer.net/bethesdas-todd-howard-might-have-just-teased-a-proper-indiana-jones-reveal-for-2024

I loved their Wolfenstein games and there's no better studio for making Nazi killing satisfying. Also they've great level design chops with their quake and quake 2 expansions in the recent remasters.

Retr0gamer · 23-09-2023 5:42pm

https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1705604641021624613?t=uXTa5COnHUldwNZx9MLH6w&s=19

Probably nothing.... might be something.

EoinMcLovin · 27-09-2023 6:33pm

https://insider-gaming.com/far-cry-7-story-details/

Insider Gaming has learned new details on Ubisoft's next mainline Far Cry entry following our exclusive report in January. The next game, which we'll refer to as Far Cry 7 and is internally known as Project Blackbird, is scheduled to be released in Fall 2025. The game will be developed by Ubisoft Montreal and will move away from the Dunia engine to Snowdrop.

Speaking with sources, it's understood that the next entry to the series will be a non-linear story, with the story being centered around rescuing the player's kidnapped family. It was said that the game's plot revolves around a wealthy family that has been kidnapped by a conspiracy group currently called the 'Sons of Truth'. While exact, finite details are subject to change due to the game's stage of development, it was said that the premise of the campaign is for the player to rescue their entire family within a specific time frame. Currently, the current in-game timer stands at 72 hours, or 24 hours in real-time, but the timer can be paused when the player enters one of their safehouses, it was said.

Far Cry 7's non-linear story means that family members do not need to be rescued in order, and some family members can be killed, which has an impact on the story. While details are still a little murky, it's understood that the goal is to take down the 'Sons of Truth' and in order to complete the game 100%, you'll need to rescue all of your family members safely.

To find your family members, it was said that Far Cry 7 introduces a new interrogation mechanic to the game, which doesn't necessarily mean you'll get the information you need from the enemy. Sometimes the enemy will give up the information, sometimes they'll lie, stay quiet, or even sometimes escape, it was said.

Mr Crispy · 11-10-2023 12:06am

I don't for a second believe this is real, but it's doing the rounds so....

Possible Titanfall 3 teaser, although we know Respawn are also working on a Star Wars FPS as well. It doesn't sound like SW audio effects, but Dark Forces and Battlefront (both iterations) never had a third instalment. Still, if I was putting money on anything, I'd say fake.

https://twitter.com/JHaleStorm/status/1711595224407949486?s=20

quokula · 13-11-2023 3:41am

Not seeing any rumours or coverage, but the official Little Big Planet social media accounts that I've been following since forever ago have become unusually active in the last week or so with screenshots and throwbacks to the old games. Surely must be building up to an announcement, probably a remaster if I was to guess.

Mr Crispy · 04-12-2023 3:23am

Speculation that there might be a Virtua Fighter 6 announcement at TGA.

https://www.destructoid.com/is-sega-hinting-at-a-virtua-fighter-6-announcement-for-the-game-awards/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=is-sega-hinting-at-a-virtua-fighter-6-announcement-for-the-game-awards

Mr Crispy · 06-12-2023 7:58pm

Supposed details on that long-rumoured Wu Tang game, and tbh, it sounds kinda dope.

https://insider-gaming.com/wu-tang-clan-xbox-project-shaolin/

Mr Crispy · 19-12-2023 6:47am

Be warned... Following on from the Insomniac hack, there's a huge amount of info on Wolverine and other upcoming projects now out in the wild. I'm not going to link to it as the OG hackers are scummy blackmailers.

But there's a huge amount of info for the curious, including full cast and characters, locations, test footage and animations, outline of opening scenes, concept art, gameplay mechanics, and targeted release date. On the flipside, that's obviously a huge amount of potential spoilers, so tread carefully.

There was also a slide from July showing a hypothetical timeline of future Insomniac releases which include;

Venom game, Spider-man 3, X-Men game, and a new Ratchet and Clank.

Zero-Cool · 21-12-2023 5:25pm

Apparently this guy datamines naughty Dog games and found Factions info. He's gonna get slated if it's anything but news that Factions 2 (non live service multiplayer) is being added to TLOU 2 remaster but i can't imagine it being added that quick.

However, reading devs tweets who worked on it saying it was fully playable makes me hopeful that the mode can be added to tlou 2 with the live service stuff stripped out. Factions on TLOU remaster still going strong.

https://twitter.com/Speclizer_/status/1737636087185506465?t=zFyE0R5WmGWauGgo-3E3RQ&s=19