Overstrike, Focus Testing, and Fuse | Lost in Concept

How focus testing turned Insomniac's Overstrike into Fuse!
/ hyperbithero

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

ironically the similarly-named Overwatch is looking great and everyone LOVES the pixar-like style in that game...

[@SammEater]

+Cupriferous Catalyst I'm glad they didn't had a focus group like the one from Overstrike. haha

[@pseudonym6387]

Overwatch also makes a joke about that by literally naming one of their characters "soldier number 76", so they're clearly aware of this trend and how silly it is.

[@AirLancer]

Except even that character is unique and compelling.

[@Dillbob1]

My favorite thing about Soldier 76 too, is that when they talk about his creation, they're just like "yeah give him a sprint, that's in shooters. A lot of them have some sort of grenade or rocket launcher so give him that. And people hate aimbots so let's make that his ult. Character done."

[@Calvin_Coolage]

The Pixar style they use is sanitized, focus-tested garbage.

[@Trixiethegoldenwitch]

How stupid do you think everyone at Insomniac felt when Guardians of the Galaxy came out and was a gigantic success?

[@Eaglescout217]

Why do think their best IPs are R&C and Sunset Overdrive?

[@renriquez1994]

Lol so true! Funny you should say that cuz in my head I always thought that Fuse would make for a better tv series than a game :p

[@squizzlor]

Digibro no EA, Insomniac wanted the animated lighthearted, EA was afraid of competing with Borderlands 2

[@OniLink96]

+Eaglescout217 Insomniac knows how to make a darker, more grounded (in tone) kind of game. The Resistance Trilogy (and even their very first game, Disruptor) was received very well despite not being the same lighthearted affair that Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet & Clank were. Something went wrong with Fuse. I don't want to just point fingers at EA, because I'm not sure how much information really substantiates it, but I don't feel like saying that Fuse failed because it wasn't lighthearted enough is addressing all aspects of the issue.

[@Aurora-313]

Ironically, because it reminded me of BL2 is why I wanted it in the first place. Not the monstrosity it was turned into.

[@FinePieceOfGrass]

Nobody should listen to 12-year olds, EVER. Kids like mostly kids stuff, adults like mostly adult stuff - and 12-year olds, they think they should like something because there friends like it and they like it because they think it's cool because it's mainstream or something you don't get looked at weird when you say you like it. I was a 12-year old myself at one point (big shock, right?) and I know what I'm talking about. They, well, just ignore them.

[@Requiemrexx]

I disagree, an audience should always be acknowledged and no doubt some of the testers had legitimate criticisms. The lesson to be taken from this to not take criticism to heart and keep improving your creation.

[@FinePieceOfGrass]

Requiemrex "it looks like a game for my younger brother" - says the 12 yo kid about a game where humans kill each other. yeah, legitimate criticism...

[@Requiemrexx]

FinePieceOfGrass Notice how I said some. Just because my opinion is of a different shade than yours does not mean it is the stereotype you have in mind. Anyway, have some faith that people are not as dumb the media you and the bubbles you stay in. Different people hold different individuals. Few people are actually alike.

[@FinePieceOfGrass]

Requiemrex Stop drinking and making up problems that aren't there. I just wrote down the quote in the video that is very typical for someone around that age group and it wouldn't be the first time and you start with media and write a novel about opinions. Calm down, dude, I know not every 12 yo is a douche but people develop and when I look back I can safely say that that's the time when me, my friends and other people around that age were at their worst.

[@Mangapages]

I really agree with you grass. Kids are the most pickiest kinds of people to try to please to. Not alot of kids would have a stable mind to make such important opinions. And I said alot, not all. As for the " older brother " conundrum, my brother is 8 years older than me. So when I was 12 he would have been twenty, in other words the suppose initial target audience of the game. People's families are different as well. Some are only childs while other families may have many brothers or sisters. So again, when it comes to the 12 year olds statement about " the game would look like the kind of game my older brother would play", it doesn't always mean that their siblings would just be a few years older. In general, making such big changes for a few opinions, from kids who may have live in families that could be drastically different from each others, the choice to do such changes were too rash.

[@monkeyjoe70]

This pisses me off so much

[@DocKing236]

Why would you bring kamiya into this he is a baller and gives no fucks about what anyone has to say the amount of struggle he got from upper management about Bayonetta's glasses is unreal. And he still said fuck this i do what i want.

[@HyperBitHero]

DocKing236 Because we don't know if the game is going to be good and we haven't seen a bit of gameplay. That part of the video had nothing to do with focus testing, just that we shouldn't get our hopes up too much when we're only shown a CGI trailer.

[@Magnegro]

I'm 29 and I still found Overdrive conceptually appealing. Also, yeah, thanks for making me feel old as shit.

[@djktsjytej]

Commenting after 8 years. How you feeling now, old man!

[@theshadowdirector]

Because most 12 year old boys feel that the aging process just isn't fast enough and want to be 'mature' now without the slightest idea of what that word really means.

[@SgtWiking]

Years later and every time I'm reminded about this it makes me so mad. MAD I TELL YOU! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!

[@ASentientToaster]

When I was 12 I thought gritty, realistic games were the coolest thing and I always wanted to play them. Now that I'm 19, I love games like Psychonauts, Shadow of the Colossus, and Viewtiful Joe that focus on having a unique art style instead of being realistic.

[@dookerbewitt4383]

Congratulations, Insomniac. Congratulations for focus-grouping an originally interessting and fun looking new IP into irrelevancy. I hope it was worth it. Given the low sales-numbers and the lack of real fanbase this game now has, I would say: Probably not.

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

That little ending piece was absolutely perfect. Hideki Kamiya really is one of the best creators in the industry

[@Hysenburg]

I always say that Insomniac Games is my favourite developer, I grew up with their games and played EVERY game ever since because they are all awesome - but sometimes I just think that Platinum Games might be even better ;)

[@Roler42]

platinum games has yet to dissapoint me, Fuse was my first insomniac game ever, called it quits after 30 minutes of boring slow walking and in-game dialogue that really lead nowhere, not sure i would want to try anything from insomniac after Fuse, left me with a really sour taste

[@Hysenburg]

***** Fuse, even in the Insomniac community, is widely regarded as their worst game (I still liked it though). The thing is, I grew up with Insomniac's games, I played Spyro when I was in kindergarten and Ratchet & Clank is my all time favourite video game series. It definitely depends when and with what you start so I understand your opinion.

[@Nazrat84]

One thing that should be addressed is that dark backstory =/= dark contents. We barely know much about the original draft of the game to assume that the original plot and concept didn't tie dark themes in, but with a more tongue in cheek approach over glorifying the grittiness. Especially for the original demographic, I imagine those origin stories were mostly in place for drama, but overall might have made them into the fun loving characters they were initially. It isn't uncommon for fun and cartoon things to have dark themes, is what I'm getting at. I think the rebrand to Fuse caused damage in making it forcibly gritty without a sense of humor - with that, the identities of the characters changed for the worse.

[@weichiang89]

You want to know what happened? EA revealed its evil side. And Kamiya? Still fucking awesome!

[@TrisStrudel]

I completely get the reason you played "I Am" when you did. Very clever and rewarding for those of us who understand the connection this game has to that one.

[@TenshiCat]

Insomniac has made some really good games, like Spyro and Ratchet & Clank, but as time went on they started paying more and more attention to focus testers, especially 12 year old ones - you can see that much when comparing the original Ratchet & Clank from 2002 to the remake from 2016

[@dud5606]

Wait what? He asked a fucking 12 year old if this games art style will appeal to a wider audience? Really? Welp... Ins deserved it.

[@Vega32X]

Seeing the footage of Lily Bergamo is probably what hurt the most out of this video.

[@BobExcalibur]

I think this concept and your analysis are both very important things deserving of recognition. I'd love to see if you can get into a roundtable discussion with Matthewmatosis someday.

[@homefront1999]

Fuse has always been one of those games, where if I become filthy rich. Then I would buy the rights and try to get the same people on board just to get something close to the original idea of the game. I would do this and Dark Souls 2, since that game had such an interesting and amazing sounding game, but a lot of things made it into a shell of what it could've been.

[@Freshie207]

Great Video man longtime fan of Insomniac games but I never picked up Fuse after the changes, glad they got through this phase and that Sunset Overdrive was an improvement (if still not a highlight of their career).

[@Dyp100]

I've literally never heard of Fuse, which shows how hard it bombed. Original trailer looks great, though. Kinda hilarious how the dev complained people had ideas about the game, based around the trailer released. I MEAN, why would have thought that a trailer is meant to show off a games concept? Also, you're only 19? Damn, your voice always makes me think you're older. Your writing is also pretty damn solid.

[@kalashnikovdevil]

25 year old United States Marine here. I didn't hear about OverStrike, but had I in 2011, at 21, I would have been fucking DOWN. I'm still in at 25. That shit looks awesome.

[@xversaofficial]

I actually really enjoyed Fuse. I played the whole thing in co-op with my brother, and there was still a lot of good banter between the characters. I actually laughed at much of the dialogue throughout.

[@Tarkess]

Saw you sneaked Lily Bergamo in there, now THAT'S a game that changed.

[@Dresdenstl]

I kept thinking "Wow I am so not buying this dark and gritty shit." And then halfway through I realized it had already came out. Welp, that's not a good sign. I guess I'm in the minority here, but I think Sunset Overdrive looks generic in the opposite direction. Sure, it's bright and colorful, but where is the unique stylization? It doesn't have one. It just looks like a generic cartoon with random colors slapped everywhere.

[@darklywhite9017]

Sweet making a patreon. Cheers, good luck!

[@pioshfd]

Thanks for the video, it was very informative. Still bummed about Overstrike. Oh well, at least I got to laugh when I saw Kamiya's quote at the end.

[@BogdanZelinschi]

Man this level of quality of video in 2014 is awesome, thank you

[@MsMegadude64]

I am not against the idea of you creating a Patreon account. Go for it.

[@burbigasmurgnakobaki586]

I think the change to make the game darker took the wind out of some of the developer's sales. You come up with this fun concept you really like and are forced to change it after market research, that might make them care less for the project and phone it in like they did.

[@MattTheLast]

Also, as a man who is now in his 30s... I would have greatly preferred the original take. The sad sad irony is that by attempting to make the game more mature, it became more juvenile. And.. that's how it often goes.

[@Lesquille]

The original concept looks fun and exciting and reminds me of an older game for the original XBox, Brute Force. It had a similar premise of being a third person shooter about four distinct operatives, each with their own combat style and personality. It was a decent game but nothing groundbreaking.

[@speedanchor2781]

I personally actually really enjoyed Fuse, both the multiplayer and the campaign.

[@noctusxv2341]

I play this game in 2019. Offline of course. It has a cool Horde Mode.

[@satellite964]

It all makes sense after watching this Insomniac Games' Ted Price - "Trust and Ballz" - D.I.C.E. 2014 Summit

[@zyonhunter]

so basically, "we wanted the call of duty audience"? well, that sure worked.

[@TheDromader]

Patreon sounds like an interesting idea.

[@Jonty4560]

Funny that every game you showed at the 12 minute mark concerning us having to be “worried” about cgi trailers were all from games that are now either cancelled or were completely retooled to the point that they don’t even seem like the same project 😅 Edit - ok, didn’t notice crackdown 3, which in my defense, had quite the development hell

[@megamonstudios]

I find it funny that games try to replicate other forms of media like movies when shit like this is happening. A lot of movies now days are past the whole super dark and gritty set up. The most popular movies around are marvel movies and although they sometimes have heavy subject matter they still find time to have some heart.

[@Gamingsince01]

A group of 12 year olds had enough influence to recommend a complete re-do for Overstrike?!? Well that just pisses me right off. There is a special place in hell for those kids.

[@TheGraveyarder]

this is just disheartening to revisit i hope insomniac has more success on SSOD for that personal IP theyve been wanting so much because its looking to be the "overstrike" that they always wanted to make

[@Kayspaify]

Maybe it's better the way it turned out. The original Overstrike would never have gotten the exposure Sunset Overdrive and success gets (cause old consoles and EA) and they maybe wouldn't have made Sunset Overdrive if they would have made the original Overstrike.

[@TheExFatal]

12:00 You predicted the cancellation of Scalebound

[@modra7106]

Love your videos!

[@MsMegadude64]

In Kamiya We Trust

[@raulc5904]

that shadow the edgehog music in the edgy scenes. That's really funny. hahaha

[@ConorChaos]

Fucking focus tests are destroying the AAA industry.. FINALLY!! :D

[@Graavigala85]

joining forces with EA was the biggest mistake they did

[@GigaBoost]

Great stuff, hoping to see more of this series and your other content. You're quite slow at this shit, eh? I hope people start throwing money your way on that patreon so the rest of us fucks who won't get more content for free :3 No but seriously, keep up the good work, and I'll consider supporting you in the future.

[@jeremycanning7058]

Does anyone know what the martial arts looking game at 11:13 is?

[@4biddenflow]

And to think that those 12 year olds at the time who didn't like the tone of the original... are probably playing Overwatch right now... lmao

[@deliore9861]

they're playing lol of legends

[@Eleven-Eyes]

no my friend, LoL is where they migrated from.

[@NordicWildSoul]

And if not they will be definitely be playing Fortnite! Insomnia really dropped the ball on this one...

[@ceufrscio707]

100

[@savingpyro]

They're probably like, "ya know this game kinda seems familiar."

[@PapaLuigi3000]

If a 12-year-old says that a game is immature, it doesn't mean anything. Kids at that age think that maturity is the same thing as being violent, gory, sexual, dark, humourless, and using swear words. They think that liking this kind of stuff is what makes you an adult because these are all of the kinds of things that would be considered "inappropriate" for children. They are at the age where they start rebelling against their parents, and so they desperately cling to sources of entertainment that they are clearly too young for and reject everything else because this is what makes them cool (in their mind). The irony is that this new stuff that they cling to is also immature because it only appeals to the juvenile minds of people whom desperately want to prove their adulthood of which they are obviously insecure about. The kind of people who would brag about how much blood there is in some horror movie they saw, wheras an actual mature person wouldn't have cared, concerning themselves only of whether the movie was actually good or not. This is exactly why games like Pokemon are the most popular among grade schoolers and college students, and the least popular among people in their early teens. People in this in-between state are not old enough to realize that a persons maturity comes from the content of his character, and not from the type of entertainment he enjoys.

[@Treetops27]

And that's why the 7th gen was full of dull, mediocre, poorly-aged shooters like Bullet-time instead of more games like Portal and Mirror's Edge.

[@uthertheking]

So 12-year-olds got to influence a game into something they shouldn't be let to play? And way to insult your fans, Ted Price.

[@LanceD188]

+uthertheking Looks like Ted Price must be taking notes from Gearbox studios Randy Pitchford on how to screw up a game and blame it on the fans!!!

[@Fulgore2005]

+Lance DiBitetto Speaking of Gearbox, what are your thoughts on Battleborn?

[@LanceD188]

TBH,I haven't gave it much thought, watched some gameplay vids, looks interesting. looks like it has the comic like art similar to loadout. might try the open beta on the ps4 .

[@Fulgore2005]

IMO, both Battleborn and Overwatch seem like more entertaining version of shooters. And we really don't get a lot of those when you consider all the stupid "dark/gritty" ones on the market.

[@LanceD188]

Fulgore2005 Overwatch looks more fun to me. I am really looking forward to giving that game a go.

[@adachi576]

I am honestly kind of pissed off. The previous game presentation had so much more style and uniqueness to it which got me quite interested in it but after seeing them re-vamping the game, it looks like nothing more than a stale game which just seems dead and probably a game which you'll find in the bargain bin.

[@SonicKick]

IRONY. I found the game at a bargain bin. Didn't buy it'

[@joshuagraham7998]

Who the fuck uses goddamn 12 year olds as game testers anyway ???

[@joshuagraham7998]

No. Wait, actually. Overstrike/Fuse's development is literally in reverse of what another game, Team Fortress 2 went through in development. Tf2 started off as a realistic military, and team based strategic shooter called "Team Fortress 2:Brotherhood Of Arms", way before it got it's huge make-over. Now, look at Overstrike. It's literally the reversed development style. Where it started off with a more interesting, unique and fun looking game, we got Fuse. Hell, the game changed it's name too.

[@nicholasrhodes7759]

Josh Graham funny how that happened because of "PLAY TESTING". they found it hard to differentiate classes in a realistic setting. So they made it cartoony to make it easy to tell them apart. So they made changes to make it more satisfying to play. huh.

[@joshuagraham7998]

nicholas rhodes Ironically enough.

[@CommanderKK1999]

Listening to those edgy 12-year-olds has to be one of the most boneheaded decisions ever made

[@michaelbeijnen12345]

Who in their right mind would focus-test a group of kids who have reached the obnoxious age of wanting everything to be as 'hardcore' as possible in order to appear more adult? If they dislike it, then you know you've got something worthwhile, brimming with personality and style.

[@SuperGamer61499]

You ask me man. No offense to any kids but I don't think they should be calling the shots for what would appear more "Adult". I mean after all I don't even believe Focus Groups shouldn't even be a thing anymore as I believe the artists should have the ability to make something they like not what the focus groups want. (This is a prime example of this going horribly horribly wrong! It's insulting really as I can sympathize with the people who wanted Overwatch as it was. I mean hell the 1st time I watched this video I got pissed off because we could of lost a potentially great game thanks to a focus test group.)

[@harlannguyen4048]

Extra Credits talked about this in one of their videos. They stated that young children are actually the best group for focus testing because they are brutally honest.

[@antonioscendrategattico2302]

@@harlannguyen4048 The problem is that they aren't, really. They might be more prone to totalizing statements like "this sucks!" or "this is great!", but that doesn't actually give you a good idea of how the actual audiences will react. Kids are especially vulnerable to peer pressure and wanting to conform to what they think is cool or popular, and that was the age of CoD. Especially if it's not average kids from various different backgrounds and demographics but the kind of kids who would end up in a focus testing group, namely kids who are likely to really like the type of game that's more popular at the time and getting all the attention from the company that ordered that focus test in the first place.

[@savingpyro]

Right? I watched the trailer drop at E3 when I was 20, and I was like, "This game looks fun as hell."

[@RGBtheRhinoOverwatcher]

@@savingpyro The decision from Overstrike and Fuse is like the disastrous OverCharge turns people into mutants in Sunset Overdrive and a woman's scream from that game's behind the scenes trailer is heard!

[@Bestgameplayer10]

“You can’t kill a Senator!” “Why not? I didn’t vote for him.” That was actually a very humorous line if you ask me.

[@adrixshadow]

And then Blizzard stole it and made tons of money.

[@LanceD188]

+adrixshadow wouldn't is be great if blizzard sent a pre-release copy of Overwatch to Insomniac and Ted Price with a thank you note, and that if they ever want to use their focus group of 12 year olds again, just call!! :) heck, I should send a copy with a thank you from Blizzard for the award winning concept!!!

[@HatsonFGC]

Hideki Kamiya is right, though. Focus group testing is a dumb as hell concept. When designing a video game, ofc business wise, from a logical perspective, it makes sense to cater to an audience so that you can get sales and the numbers back in money. To many companies, this is all that matters. (cough, shitty yearly franchises). But in my opinion, and from experience; You can tell that the best games made through history, were never focus tested for any group of audience, no - they were games made with passion by a group of developers or a director that was fueled forward to make the kind of game they love or wanted to play. Because in the end, the people making the games are the gamers themselves, so they know what they want, and when they can execute on their own fantasies in a video game, they absolutely should as it will appeal to all the other gamers like them out there. Take Hideki Kamiya's games, and just in general, Clover & Platinum games throughout the years. Every single one of them has been about stylized combat, action action, with scoring systems like in good old arcade games. And they also have Shinji Mikami, who Kamiya mentions as his mentor sometimes, who created the RE franchise, (directed RE1 and RE4), but also made way crazy tongue and cheek games like God Hand and Vanquish (and even Goof Troop way back in the 90s). And out of all those games, that Kamiya, Shinji Mikami and the people @ Clover & Platinum have made, God Hand was the only game that didn't really sell well and was thus Clover's last game. Yet, for my tastes and types of games I love, God Hand is by far my favourite out of all their games. I still play it to this day, and I still consider myself "okay" at it, at best. That game's insanely challenging, rewarding, in-depth, fast paced and just all around a fucking blast. With the best difficulty settings to ever exist in any video game ever, period. I'm fucking baffled no other game has ever used its' 100% seamless, on-the-flow difficulty scaling catering to how shitty or godlike the player is. And the game and character you play shit talk you if you suck at the game, but cheer you on if you're doing well. And yet that game sold poorly. Even though it's the best and most solid gameplay design in an action brawler to ever exist, imo. Kamiya's statement was 100% on the spot. As the developer he has the right to do whatever vision he wants his game to be. And they should ALWAYS act on that, even though it might fail, because those games are the best games. Event though the general public might be too ignorant or casual to see it for what it is. (IGN giving God Hand a 3/10 f.ex., and then later putting it on the list of top 100 ps2 games of all time, acknowledging its' impeccable design and combat, but still focusing on its graphics and difficulty saying it was too hard to play even after all those years - Yeah, they're absolutely whiny casuals.) My 2cents that turned into a fucking shitstorm of an essay apperantly.

[@RieNlimE]

Remember that time when a bunch of kids said Viewtiful Joe looked dumb and then Kamiya was like "screw those kids!" Yeah.

[@RieNlimE]

I should have watched the whole video before i wrote this. Ooops :P

[@Mikleisn]

All hail based Kamiya!

[@angelurbina8158]

Blocked.

[@DonnyKirkMusic]

the worst part? those kids who got to focus-test the game were extremely, extremely lucky to have been shown actual gameplay/able to play an unreleased version of a game, and they still disliked it.

[@viewtiful1doubleokamihand253]

+Donovan “ERT WETW” Kirk Shows us, adults, how full of shit kids are !

[@BrandonDeriveAncestorEmpire]

Call of Duty 13 year olds shouldn't be allowed to focus test a game

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

typical kids

[@spongebelt]

Casual frauds.

[@Kylesico912x]

Quite honesty, they should have showed it to the people they were targetting. Late teens and young adults.

[@rodrigopacheco12]

its sad when you hear 12 year olds dismissing great games because they arent "mature" enough. Im glad I never had that stupid impulse of wanting "hardcore" games just to look older.

[@spexxguy]

*The E3 2011 trailer got a PEGI rating of 16.* That being said, I don't understand why they would consider the opinions of people around 12 years old to make it more hardcore and then change the game enough to give it an M (17+) rating, from the ESRB. On top of being outside of the game's target audience, *no one 4+ years under 16 should have been considered, in the first place.* I was excited by the trailer for this game, five years ago. Seeing how it turned out just makes me sad.

[@zoldator]

A 12-years-old said that this is a game for his younger brother? People are beign shot at, murdered, impaled, thrown out of the window, blown to pieces, smashed and getting fucking assasinated in this trailer, for the love of God! Like, I played Dawn of War when I was around 10, but I'd never say that this is for kids, it's a 16+ at least. Overstrike becoming Fuse is one of the reasons why I hate this industry sometimes. Kamiya, you're the hero we need, please save us...

[@aceotaku]

he is the hero we need, but not the ehro we deserve or...however that damn quote goes. and we'll loo up at shout 'save us!' and he'll look down and whisper "no."

[@magnumbadguy9354]

This is proof 12 year olds don't deserve good things

[@bucket9486]

So the reason Overstrike was changed is.....Because of the 12 year that thought that the game wasn't hardcore enough?.....BUT I AM.....WHY......12 YEAR OLDS!?......THEY WERE IN MY AGE AND DIDN'T LIKE THIS PROJECT!?.......Whyyyyyyy.

[@SonOfTerra92]

You dont own IPs with EA, you get owned by EA

[@TheStewieOne]

Believe it or not. But this is one of the few and I mean few times that EA isn't to blame.

[@ZandatsuBot]

God bless you based-Kamiya

[@CuriousMind477]

Completely agree. It basically went from an intriguing concept with an amusing attitude, to Call of Duty clone number 502-million

[@ooccttoo]

I don't get why they thought Overstrike's tone was such a bad idea when TeamFortress2 is similar and is really popular.

[@guyemu1211]

theres a mission in sunset overdrive where u find out the evil murderous robots' ai was designed around a focus group of evil murderous robots

[@ThatOneShyguyVideos]

Seeing Overwatch's success must piss Insomniac off.

[@Dr.Strangelewd]

You can live off patreon money for all I care, the more videos the better. And only 19? What the fuck?

[@MattTheLast]

Thank you for bringing this up. The loss of Overstrike is one of my great, modern gaming disappointments. It breaks my heart every time I think about it.

[@civilwarfare101]

Now imagine if Insomniac changed Ratchet and Clank just because 12 year olds didn't like it. Things can certainly change when the wrong people are advising you.

[@silverblade357]

I forgot all about Overstrike, but was excited about it a while back. Didn't know what Fuse was 15 minutes ago. Overstrike looked like it would have been a lot like Borderlands, with awesome gadgets and operatives that loved their jobs a little too much. This could have been awesome...

[@jonahdrake5885]

Damn, Overstrike actually looked FUN. Remember fun? I was beginning to forget in the midst of all of these brown and grey shooters within the game industry. It looked colorful, funny and original. It's a shame it was transformed into something so generic...

[@zombies8myleg691]

I'm still hoping that one day Insomniac will give Overstrike another shot because most of their game franchises have had more than 2 games. Since their working on Sunset Overdrive right now though I doubt they would come back to try and make Overstrike, but anything can happen.

[@aceotaku]

yeah was just thinking that myself. What they should do is reboot the concept from how it originally was and follwo that direction rather than focus testing or trends. also, the guy's claim that the trailer 'wasn't indictitive of the game itself' is bullshit. If the original trailer did not represent the game's tone, themes, style and charater, then why the hell did you show it off as the trailer for your game rather than make a new one? don't try and save face and lie to us, you lready did by underminin your own creative integrity.

[@mentalsovereignty]

I'd like them to revisit the characters, art style and tone of Overstrike, but a co-op TPS would almost look like backtracking after how creative Sunset Overdrive was. I'm sure it'd still be fun, but I think they've set a new bar for themselves in terms of gameplay innovation. They should aim above that, rather than falling back on an established and overdone gameplay structure.

[@LittleTeze]

Except they bet on the wrong horse again and went with xbone. Goddamnit Insomniac.

[@casualtr4sh]

They got to make a game based on what they want instead of what 12 year olds do Hardly betting on the wrong horse.

[@Quizerno]

The Black King And EA and Microsoft are any different?

[@Quizerno]

That was my point.

[@Vashkey]

ouch at that Scalebound clip :(

[@STUV101]

We call this "Hard Boiling" a game. Not every game needs to be hard, dark, and gritty.

[@DraphEnjoyer]

Kamiya still holds the world record for "Most based human being alive"

[@Kirbstopher]

y'know what? I remember the trailer, and I still want Overstrike... I loved the sarcastic, witty humour. With slightly less cartoony Borderlands art style. It's a shame. It was a bad idea to ask children their opinion on a game before it's release. Never ask the target audience unless their minds have developed a bit more.

[@jsh020]

Fuse is one of the most disappointing things ive seen in all of gaming, I think logically speaking the change in asthetic could have resulted in the clunky gameplay we got simple because the time that was spent restyalizing the game and scrapping old assets for new ones could had been spent on polishing the game and making it more enjoyable to play, plus we even lost the coolest looking weapon in the original trailer entirely so that basically confirms there was at least a big gameplay difference in that character's play-style, The grimdark edgy approach felt like it was stuck in limbo with a failed attempt at appealing to the overstrike fanbase with its frankly unfunny but persistant dialogue, Resistance was the other darker game they made last gen but that one actually managed to work cause it knew what it was going for, it was gonna be a dark and dire game and the script matched that, it didnt make any attempts at faux wittiness or quib jabs all the time, its was constantly serious and save for the very rare in joke or easter egg it stuck to that and made a pretty satisfying trilogy of games with its fair share of problems in regards to its sequel design change ups that are a bit null to the point at hand, I think knowing what your going for plays a big part in how a game turns out both gameplay and wriitng wise, stick to the tone your originally set out to accomplish with a slight room for tweaking but not any massive overhaul like fuse did, im glad insomniac is doing a more light hearted game with the phenomenal looking sunset overdrive and i eagerly await the sadly under the radar rachet and clank ps4 remake, insomniac made some big mistakes last gen and while is understandable why some lost faith i see this as a learning period which they have moved on from, rachet and clank into the nexus was a pretty reassuring game that reminded me how great their games are when they do end up good and i have faith in sunset overdrive and whatever ip they work on next, and they could go for another darker game if they want like with resistance though they need to stay consistent with the tone from the get go and not try to appeal to everyone cause youll only water things down

[@OCMOOO]

Mr. Kamiya once again proving that too many chefs spoil the broth

[@Lastcastor]

Interesting way to put things.

[@CircumSamurai]

I guess we got a somewhat spiritual successor in Overwatch, it's just a shame that Overwatch is entirely PvP action & without PvE co-op. Too many games are relying on playing the same few things over & over again online with other people (Overwatch, Rainbow Six Siege, Counter Strike), & I usually play video games to get away from people & escape reality, not to just be thrown into a new one with equally annoying people.

[@tubester358]

What do you mean "...*relying* on playing the same few things over & over again online with other people..."? That's what those games are in their entirety or their core :/ That's why they're called multi-player games, what you're looking for is a single player game, strange to complain about multi-player games not being single player games instead. Games like CoD & Battlefield that do have story modes usually have them be extremely linear, not very challenging and quite short; they're more like a bonus and the game isn't worth the price as a single player game. When it comes to single player shooter experiences I mostly like RPGFPS (or 3rd person) like Far Cry 3 or Crysis games, not so many good games like that unfortunately.

[@CircumSamurai]

Why do you take contention with me saying this about online focused games if you agreed with me? I know that these are the core elements of these games, there's nothing truly wrong with that. I guess in my opinion, I just wish that games like these would try to go farther than just trying to be either what Counter Strike has been doing for years, or another arcade shooter like what CoD has been doing for years. I gave an example in my first sentence as to one of the things that these games can have, that I feel alleviates some of the 'repetition.' PvE elements (Player(s) VS Enemies) is a great way to encourage pure teamwork with much less hostility or stress since you are playing against AI enemies. Rainbow Six Siege did this, but that game has a lot more flaws than just what I may call boring repetition (Like relying heavily on micro-transactions & things like that). I guess what I mainly meant was that I personally get tired of playing with real people in games like these. I might go for 100 hours in a single player, or multiplayer co-op game, but many of these games that focus on Player VS Player stress me out too much to play at lengths compared to a single player or less PvP focused game. Is this a good thing? Maybe, but I'm a nerd who doesn't do much else, & I just feel that the market is lackluster in terms of choices when many of them are similar PvP, Team VS Team, type games. There's nothing wrong with liking them, there's plenty of people who don't get fatigued like I do. There are also plenty of options for non PvP games like these, they just take some looking. But this is just my opinion, & I guess I just wish games like Overwatch were something "more." Though I do realize that sometimes "more" makes the overall game itself worse. For example, imagine how much more solid MGS:V would have been if the developers didn't stretch themselves so thin?

[@tubester358]

I didn't really take contention with it, I just thought maybe you're looking at it from 1 perspective and I'd share another. Sounds to me like sometimes people think because the game has 'substance' and a story, rich characters etc that it shouldn't be PvP, like a PvP should automatically be more shallow which I don't really agree with. I appreciate Blizzard making a fun multiplayer FPS that I can get into beyond the scope of wanting to improve my skill. The only purely multiplayers that I play are this and mobas which I don't play often, plus CS seldomly, I don't like the idea of Overwatch not existing as it does :/ but it is a new IP, they can do more with it down the line. TBH I'm more of a single player game fan myself but there just aren't many atm that really interest me and I've grown farther from AAA games and closer to indie games and more interesting, new things. I actually think that Blizzard might be working more on their AI before making some PvE content in Overwatch, and I think some ideas from Far Cry 3's co-op mode or S4 League's story mode can help it. With regards to Overwatch, there's a lot I can say but I don't wanna go too long... It kinda answered my prayers for a fun, less realistic, more stylized FPS which doesn't throw in the same generic real guns that are in every other game or go for edgy violent aesthetics (doom-style); add that together with great character design which is important to me and great sound design which helps communication (reducing saltiness/stress, I love games with good comm options without the need of a mic), adds immersion and incorporates lore into simple gameplay. Another game I liked from long ago was S4 League (kinda like a more anime Overwatch) which was far less polished and riddled with hackers/latency issues. Another upcoming game I'm interested in is Lawbreakers. I'll stop here, lol.

[@CircumSamurai]

Yeah, the developed characters & universe are also an element that helps prevent players getting bored of the game. I think I stated this before, but yeah, *my* biggest contention with these PvP focused games is just that too many of the big AAA ones are just falling head over heals to compete with success of TF2, CS:GO, and now Overwatch. Overwatch does a lot right in terms of a PvP only game, like you said: The non-mic required communication options, an interesting universe with interesting characters and abilities, things like that. I never really thought of what a non-PvP focused Overwatch would be like, I couldn't think of any worthwhile enemies or goals. Overwatch is OK the way it is. Like you said, AAA games are starting to really fall behind the curve, & in my opinion I see games like Rainbow Six: Siege as one of the reasons why. Focusing on the money from PvP combined with skins and micro-transactions is making games that aren't as endearing for the players. Overwatch did 98% of it right, but I feel that they could have made the loot-box micro-transaction system a whole lot better. Here's to hoping that games in the future focus less on being the next CS:GO or TF2, and just try to make games that are entertaining to play.

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

insomniac owns fuse, just retool it for coop. and take halos place.

[@NuclearCherries]

Thank god they're going back to making good games. Hey, I won't be buying Sunset Overdrive because it's on a console I don't really care for, but more power to xbone fans I guess. What worries me is that they used 12 year olds to focus test a game. You should never use 12 year olds to do anything. Should've gotten some young adults, since they would be the ones who would buy the game in the end.

[@antonioscendrategattico2302]

They apparently wanted "future teens". Without stopping for a second to think that maybe as those "future teens" age and BECOME teens, their tastes might change.

[@Eazyrun]

I would have bought Overstrike over Fuse. Although I'm no fan of TPS

[@Michafrar]

I'd HAPPILY contribute to you patreon. Your work is phenomenal

[@HyperBitHero]

Micha frar Thanks man, that means a lot. I'm also checking out your art work. It's really cool!

[@SuperWHIIITE]

HyperBitHero I'd be happy to support you any way that I can because of my love for this channel and your videos, but could you or anyone else please explain what exactly a patreon is and how it will impact your content.

[@HyperBitHero]

SuperWHIIITE It's basically a site where you can choose to contribute a certain amount every time I release a new video. The way is impacts the channel is it allows me to take more time to work on videos, meaning I'll be getting them out more frequently than I have been. I'm currently editing my new video now. It should be up in the next week.

[@SuperWHIIITE]

HyperBitHero Thank you for replying and I will support the patreon, good sir.

[@Michafrar]

HyperBitHero Wait you've seen my work for Jontron/Normalboots? Aw man It means so much coming from you. Really makes my day!

[@rodrigopacheco12]

I had no idea Overstrike had turned into Fuse, great video, now start making more!

[@sexcannonmusic284]

Game developers listening to kids ...

[@rtydht45r5]

I love how Overstrike looks so similar to Overwatch, the name, the stylized and colorful character design and yet Overwatch was a mass success with their pixar-like atmosphere. Insomniac games is fucking garbage now

[@TheTrueChuster]

Seriously, who gets a group of 12 yo's as their "test buyers"? Also, Insomniac fucked it up by teaming up with EA.

[@The4thSnake]

Watching this after a DmC video draws some disturbing parallels.

[@drifter402]

That shadow the hedgehog music. HAHAHAHA

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

except that was a good idea bad execution

[@5GDz32]

Funny story: I actually heard about this game when I was 13 and wanted to play, but two years later when it became fuse I lost all interest.

[@MintJammer]

Big oopsie when overwatch and fortnite are so popular

[@getschwifty5537]

Their first mistake was thinking 12 year olds were able to give valid opinions about fucking *anything*, at all, least of all video games. I know Insomniac was primarily Playstation but surely they knew of the horrors of Xbox Live. (I'm sure Playstation had its fair share of problems, but god damn did Xbox Live set a bar for vile behavior from prepubescents). How would anyone think that was a good idea?

[@kt4155]

+David Lopez That's an absolutely stupid thing to say.......unless you're mentally challenged or something, anyone can give an opinion on something. there error was assuming that what appealed to 12 yr olds would appeal to everyone else.

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

unless you are Sega, surprised Nintendo doesnt use 12 year olds...

[@brandonwelsh5090]

Ironically I was the same age as the twelve year olds saying the game wasn't hardcore and I loved the first trailer, I'm 18 now and still want to see what could have been but until then Overwatch will gladly suffice