Avowed - 6/10 GS, 80 MC

Haven’t played it yet, but it’s hardly getting bad reviews at all. 91 reviews and GS and one other put it at a 6/10…everyone else agrees its a good game and scored it higher.

To be fair, that was the case with Pillars of Eternity 1 as well :P

I liked how they made every attribute useful for everyone, while there are more creative ways to make a muscular mage viable. I still appreciated having the option to make a damage focused mage or a CC/AoE focused mage.

Free-form skill system?

@sealionact: Keep moving that goal post 🤭

Luke's review was spot on with Avowed and had interesting things to say about this early access. Paying $90 to play it early is bad faith and when developers admits to being broken but can't delay a game is bad for business reputation IMO:

I agree with Luke on this one. I too had bad experience with Ubisoft Star Wars Outlaws facing bugs/glitches, no way I'm supporting AC Shadows and go through that mess again. This time, I'll wait for Avowed to be fully patch as I want a clean experience game. Even if it's on Game Pass, I still want a clean state of a game. For those who paid $90 for the early access, I hope it's living up to the expectations.

Ill pass judgement until I get around to playing it obsidian rarely miss so surprised it got 6/10.

@davillain: when did the developers stated that they would release the game broken?

People are conflating "jank" with buggy/broken.

A lead developer when asked about jank stated "you can expect some jank" in reference to the traditional Obsidian jankiness.

She didn't say the game would be buggy or broken, but people are running with it anyway.

Not even the GS review said the game was buggy/broken

@navyguy21: thank you for clarifying.

It basically just means be aware you might run into jankiness throughout the game should you encounter. Sadly, I personally never had a second thought of the word "janky" when Obsidian said it. Broken is another story. Keep in mind Luke did call Obsidian when ask about certain glitches. When it comes to Independent reviewers who aren't a shill and has an open mind, I take it for what it's worth and be on-guard.

But everything you said is correct.

Yea, I really like Luke and have been a subscriber for a long time.

My only issue with his review is him calling it the buggiest game "maybe ever", when he only skimmed over the bugs in his Spiderman 2 review. Ordinarily not an issue, but EVERY reviewer called out Spiderman 2's bugs and not Avowed, yet he experienced many bugs in Avowed but not Spiderman 2?

It wont make me unsubscribe or anything, just something I noticed.

I'm looking forward to trying this game. Overall an 80+ review with 55 reviews. Gamespot really doesn't have any credibility anymore. It's like they're only into movie games, but I guess when Sony sends those cheques, you need to review games a certain way.

@davillain: And they wanted to increase, and increase game prices.

While you still get broken pieces of shit, which they know, and release, as broken pieces of shit.

@navyguy21: Yeah, haven't really noticed any major bugs so far. Nothing like Skyrim, where the immersion began breaking within the first 30 minutes.

Well, classless. You can mix and match early skills amd equipment, you don't have to stick to a pure fighter/ranger/wizard.

I wouldn't play it purely for the combat though. It's fine. It has a couple of good ideas, but so far it seems pretty standard fantasy RPG stuff. Maybe that'll improve once I stop fighting xuarids and insects.

Sounds like MS didn’t learn anything from Redfall.

Okay, wild bears? Pure jank. The animations are way off.

The game seems to do better when you've got lots of smaller enemies swarming you or shooting at you. You don't notice the seams as much.

Truthfully, that's what I considered Outer Worlds to be as well. It was good fun but wasn't like... New Vegas caliber.

@uninspiredcup: Who told you the game is ”broken”?

I will play it and form my own opinion. I might wait a few weeks and see if the game will get patches, as I am already busy with Stalker 2.

I think you are right. I can't take Gamespot scores seriously anymore. It rated Stalker 2 a ridiculous 7, and that was one of the best games, if not the best, of 2024.

So what's the word from those playing Avowed. I've asked elsewhere and doesn't seem promising. Even outside the crashes and lost saves what I've gathered is the UI is awful and the constant numbers flying on screen is very annoying. Apparently a hybrid of Borderlands meets Skyrim. The world looks really ugly and uninteresting, got this very bought generic asset kit look to it. With some of the lamest set of monsters to fight. All I've read would be fine if the writing was alright (apparently), but the writing is awful too, I've seen it heavily compared to The Veilguards writing & character designs. Which doesn't seem like a positive.

So yeah what's this Forums word? outside the vague "well I liked it", because that's as helpful as a wet-fart.

If the general vibe is it's a cringy mid-game that wanted to be Skyrim but went in the worst direction possible, & only defense being "well I liked it" my assumption is that it's shit & not worth considering unless you're really in need of a bargain-bin Elder Scrolls. Even then I'm not sure that's a good sell.

A shame, this is usually a pretty well liked developer. That makes great if very buggy games. I wonder if we'll ever get a detailed breakdown in what happened. Avowed was in development for a very long-time.

@RSM-HQ: I'm about 10ish hours in, and I pretty much entirely disagree with your summary. I'm enjoying it quite a lot.

Working through your list:

• Zero crashes or major bugs so far. The UI is fine, and the numbers aren't distracting.
• I wouldn't say it's anything like Borderlands. It's more Elder Scrolls or Gothic in design, but with a Morrowind-esque smaller more crafted world. Lots of mushrooms. It's quite fun to explore - there's stuff hidden literally everywhere, and it rewards thinking outside the box and being thorough.
• The lore and writing...I know its technically a spin-off game, but it feels like a sequel to Pillars of Eternity 2. It builds smartly on the excellent lore from the previous games. There are some great callbacks and tricky choices to make on quests. I just did a sidequest that delivered pretty much everything I could want from a Pillars game. It's good. Not amazing, but definitely intriguing and better than anything Bethesda has written.

My main complaint so far is that the combat is a bit clunky. Especially bears. But even that is diminishing now that I'm loaded up with magic powers and enchanted weapons, and I'm fighting more challenging groups.

So yeah, still hovering at an 8/10 for me. The first few hours had the lowest points, but the more I play, the more I like it.

Ahh. I am interested in the game primarily for the worldbuilding which Obsidian has always done well.

Looked at the skill system and it reminds me of Starfield. Minus the challenge needed to invest a skill point.

@Planeforger: So the general take away I'm seeing here is it's a solid game with no crashes, has some clunky combat but that's its only general downside. You feel the writing isn't awful but feel it's better than any Bethesda published game.

& while it throws hundred of numbers on screen it has more of a Gothic vibe to it (I've played Gothic for a few hours and not sure I'm connecting the similarities)

The place I've checked out prior seems overall negative about it (4Gamer Discord) They've shared many videos about the game crashing and having unloadable save-data; so I suppose it depends on platform and if on P.C. what settings you're having it run on. & yes they seem to compare it to Boarderlands for its obsession with numbers on screen, apparently the games overall tone, and it's vibrant and still ugly artstyle.

It's worth noting I have no hands on impressions myself. And just getting a general read on the game and piecing it all together. Because RPGs are long investments and even if I planned to play it later if it's pretty meh I think I'd pass on it.

Seems to me something to take away from the negative takes is they all seem to have wanted a New Vegas cult-hit, and doesn't appear Avowed offers that. So maybe misjudged for that reasoning.

I am not sure where this information about the game being broken, or buggy is coming from when neither has been my experience. Not even slightly. The bear has been "normal" for me, but some animals movements have jitter, like the chicken and the warthogs.

Personally, the world doesn't feel small. It maybe my dislike of large maps and the maps are very sizeable atleast the first part.

So weird that they make GamePass members wait until Tuesday. Day 1 my ass!

@SolidGame_basic: How is that weird? Tuesday is the official release date for the game. The Premium Deluxe version is to play the game early. I find it weird how some people don’t understand the difference between playing a game on “day one” and playing a game early.

I've figured it out - bears look look totally fine when they're attacking you in first person. The animation looks weird from the side, when they're attacking an ally. It's a minor thing, but it's the most jank I've seen in combat.

And you're right, the map isn't small at all. It's just compartmentalised, so you can't really do the Elder Scrolls thing of walking off in a direction for half an hour. I really like the design of it though.

I'm also impressed by the magic system. You can learn spells and cast them as normal...or you can equip a spellbook in one of your hand slots. That book has hotkeys for four spells, so you can easily sling spells you don't know while moving around in combat, at the expense of the shield slot or using two handed weapons.

I'm currently rocking #1 a fine-quality wand & a unique lightning pistol, and #2 a unique holy sword of Eothas & a unique grimoire (which can also summon a powerful magic staff, basically giving me a third weapon set).

@Planeforger: I am using the spellbook and one-handed sword combo. So, far it is serving me well. The world and side-quests are interesting in Dawnshore. I am pretty pleased with the game so far.

@Archangel3371:

He'll come back asking why you have to pay money to get the game early,but conveniently forget he's bought 6 TLOU remaster 6 times 🤣😂

I think it’s pretty obvious 😎they purposely put the game on a Tuesday to make it a perk to play it on Friday. Who actually buys and plays games on a Tuesday, do you not have jobs lol

@saint-george: Not even that but the simple fact that there are a number of games these days that include “playing it early” as a bonus in their “premium deluxe” versions. This is hardly something that is unique.

@Archangel3371:Some people are bitter that they can't play before the launch date. No names shall be mentioned.😏

I don't day 1 anymore but back in the day I definitely went to gamestop on my lunch break to grab the new games. Lol. It was something I looked forward to! Definitely didn't get that first great game session in until the weekend though, to your point.

Games launching on Tuesday has been the industry standard for a long time, and for very good reason.

• Consumer Psychology: Humans are creatures of habit, and we love anticipation. Knowing a game will release on a specific day builds excitement and allows us to plan (and budget!) accordingly.
• Logistical Ease: Tuesday provides a smooth transition for retailers. Trucks can deliver new stock on Friday, giving employees Monday to prepare for the Tuesday launch.
• Soundscan's Reign: Soundscan, the system that tracks music and video game sales, uses a Tuesday-to-Tuesday timeframe. Releasing games on Tuesday ensures developers and publishers get a full week's worth of sales data, crucial for those all-important first-week numbers.

@navyguy21: Same thing with movies. When they come out on physical format it’s on a Tuesday.

This game was Microsoft’s exclusive answer to Elder Scrolls, and as soon as they bought Bethesda I feel like they shoved this game to the side.

@Willy105: or they saw how it was always a mid 6 kind of game and never really cared about it 🤷

Not long now till I get into this Xbox studios 80 metacritic banger that's not on playstation.

Though not a deal breaker but I hope you can turn the damage numbers off

Locked and loaded and ready to go for tomorrow!!

Can't hardly wait to play this MasterPiece!! :D

On the other hand...

lol :P

Looking forward to giving this a go tomorrow. Day 1 baby! 😎

Properly pumped baby!! :D

'Avowed' Is A Lean, Mean, Epic RPG

A Divine Quest Worth Taking

Like The Outer Worlds before it, Avowed cuts much of the bloat that so many games (particularly RPGs) feel obligated to include. It never obscures itself with obtuse gameplay systems or elements players must fight to fully grasp. Its quests are compelling and underline its wild folkloric setting. Combat feels great from the start and gets even deeper as things progress. And exploration never feels pointless, thanks to rewarding locales and branching decisions that pockmark your adventure.

It’s clear Obsidian once again prioritized quality over quantity. That’s not to say Avowed is a small game, as I still have plenty of side content to get to after two weeks of playing. But everything it presents feels tailored towards making the experience as fun as possible. Avowed is a concise and tightly designed RPG that never sacrifices the ambition of its grand adventure.

9/10

Playing it now, very pretty on the latest OLED (120fps 4K high). Decent game nothing crazy. Dual Pistol is fun as **** but the story and world are mid.

I think that might be more appealing if you've played the earlier games in the series.

I feel they didn't do a ton to introduce, like, The Wheel, the gods, and how the various factions fit into the world - because these were all established in earlier games. They lore-dump some of it, but it's mostly just text.

Knowing the Pillars games probably adds a few more layers to the plot, since the Envoy in Avowed doesn't have any clue what's actually going on in the world.

You gotta deduct Xbox tax: that's minus 3

And what do you call the opposite?

lolol :P

Edit: And oh, I woke up extra early this morning and figured I'd fire up the Xbox and get in about an hour of play time before leaving for the office.

Mofo's haven't yet made it available to play. WTF is up wit dat? Grrrrr!!!

A Sony game ;)

@R4gn4r0k:

That's gonna leave a mark!! lolol :P

I couldn't find any pictures of Phil as the devil, so I figured Bobby will do.

Ah good ol' Bobby, I wish he would shut up though. I hate reading he has done another interview.

As for your predicament: yeah I have noticed that too. Most of the times games would release right on schedule.

But since MS is selling these premium version that come with advanced access: well they actually have to sell an enticing product.

So launching the game early would piss off those buyers. And Microsoft doesn't want to do that, so they give them 3 full days or whatever.

Was thinking about that the other day: but when was the last time I actually took a day off for a video game release? Well basically that was never because games would always release so late at night that it defeated the purpose.

Taking the next day off though, now that is a 1000 IQ move right there.