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Do the announced changes at Halo Studios (prev. 343 Industries) have you optimistic for the future of the franchise?

Yes 12 52.17%
 
No 8 34.78%
 
Still need convincing (sp... 3 13.04%
 
Total:23
Ryuu96 on 18 November 2023

Lol.



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Ryuu96 on 18 November 2023

MWIII players across all modes are playing more hours in-game compared to MWII (average hours per user).

MWIII players are averaging more time playing the campaign compared to MWII campaign last year.

Rust is the #1 MP map by matches played

Terminal is the #1 MP map by hours played

Source: Activision



coolbeans on 18 November 2023
shikamaru317 said:
coolbeans said:

Regarding KOTOR...

While I know she left the project a while ago, it was the first warning sign for me.  My internal monologue literally said: "Oh shit... they're going to be tempted to alter Bioware's original storylines, dialogue, and so on.  Fuck!"  While I've always wondered how great KOTOR could look with current-gen graphics, maybe this news is for the best.

If you look at her writing credits, so far pretty much every game she has worked on in the story department has been notably lacking in terms of story. Anthem (50 something metacritic, criticized for it's disjointed story), Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance (50 something metacritic, criticized for poor storytelling), Call of Duty Vanguard (considered by many CoD fans to have the worst campaign in the series, and even critics from Polygon and Kotaku, 2 of the wokest gaming websites, criticized the game for wokewashing history too much), Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (worst story and characters overall in the Borderlands series to date, and Sam Maggs was responsible for the worst character and worst sidequest line in the game from what I've heard), an early access Steam game called Scavengers that currently has a 59% user score 2 years into early access. She also claimed that she was lead writer on Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart and that Mark Stuart at Insomniac stole her work, yet had no proof of that allegation, and Sony subsequently didn't put her name in the game's credits at all. 

The fact that Sam Maggs is still employed in the gaming industry tells me that the gaming industry needs to start hiring based on merit again, instead of hiring to boost a companies ESG score.

I want to be careful here.  I do agree that output looks terrible.  I reviewed Vanguard and I'm aligned with those criticisms.  But I also have to appreciate the one thing that keeps the writing contracts coming someone's way: paying your dues.  Disregarding how ChatGPT potentially changes the equation, scores of mid-tier and AAA studios are just looking for those people who absorb what a creative is thinking and pumping out thousands of words per day.  If she's able to know the right people, hit her writing targets, and impress her clientele, she's going to stay in the industry.  So, I'd be careful as to what "merit" actually means in this context.  Even if she has unimpressive prose, character writing, etc. but hits her thresholds, then "merit" looks totally different between you and this industry.

The R&C debacle really throws a wrench at her future prospects though.  Not only are you dealing with someone who narcissistically exaggerated her due credit on a project but also presents a potential HR nightmare down the road.



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Ryuu96 on 18 November 2023


Ryuu96 on 18 November 2023


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Ryuu96 on 18 November 2023

Halo Infinite is making a HUGE comeback… - YouTube



BasilZero on 19 November 2023

Tempted to get a Series X but isnt there a new model coming out from the recent trials?


Anyways, grabbed Halo Infinite early this morning for $15 from Best Buy.

I now have all of the Halo games.



coolbeans on 19 November 2023
BasilZero said:

Tempted to get a Series X but isnt there a new model coming out from the recent trials?


Anyways, grabbed Halo Infinite early this morning for $15 from Best Buy.

I now have all of the Halo games.

The only thing I saw from those leaks was a digital version of the Series X scheduled to release next year.  Nothing about a Pro model or the like.



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BasilZero on 19 November 2023
coolbeans said:

The only thing I saw from those leaks was a digital version of the Series X scheduled to release next year.  Nothing about a Pro model or the like.

Yeah I'm 50/50 on that right now because I want a Series X but not sure if I should wait for a new revision.

I dont mind a all digital version since I dont have any physical xbox titles - all my games are digital and I dont plan to buy physical.

Though right now, I guess my biggest issue is having space to put another new system lol - PS5, PS4, PS3, Switch, Series S and a gaming desktop already hooked up so need to re-arrange my set up.

Speaking of the Series S - have to say out of all the hardware I have, its my favorite, simple design and small/compact. If they made a Series X thats just a little bigger version of Series S, I would so get that.

The PS5 and Series X designs are just horrible.

Last edited by BasilZero - on 19 November 2023

aTokenYeti on 19 November 2023
Ryuu96 said:

I think this chart is why Sony is trying so hard to beak into live service. 3 of that top 10 are Microsoft first party. Make no mistake, Sony makes good single player games, but those games ultimately have no cultural resonance or staying power, on top of being more expensive and less profitable.