Why Exodus Might Actually Be Special...

[@mahumia]

As a lore junkie: I applaud them for going into this amount of effort before the game has even launched.

[@spellandshield]

MEE EENS!

[@WarrenGdog28]

True

[@lostzephyr2191]

Passion is always a good sign.

[@MalakiaLaGattaNera]

Dragon Age also had A TON of lore being pre-written before they actually wrote the story of Origins. They created the world first and then wrote a plot that tied together the most insteresting aspects they wanted to touch upon in the game, the difference is that none of that was shared with the public at the time. This is how 'old biowared' has always developed their original worlds. I'm reading through the Exodus novel and absolutely loving it. I think we are in very good hands and for once I want to be optimistic. Veilguard ripped my heart out and stomped over it. I need something good to fill that void because, no matter how much I enjoyed Baldur's Gate 3... to me none of the stories nor characters were nearly as good as the ones we got in the classic Bioware titles. Lae'zel and Raphael are the highlights of that game for me, everyone else is kinda meh. We really need new companions to fall in love with, a new bro like Garrus, a new baby war machine like Grunt and a new, complex and literally multifaceted AI like Legion or EDI.

[@mahumia]

Veilguard is just going to the realm of fanfic for me. I'm going to ignore that one. I absolutely loved the dragon age lore and got most of the novels, but started to lose my enthusiasm after inquisition. Joining you in wanting to enjoy a well-written world again.

[@Cruzinho24]

lol Karlachs story was amazing too. Shadowshearts was cool. BG3 was amazing

[@kasperherlv5728]

I’m optimistic because they’ve got Chad Robertson who has management and budgetary experience. The “OG devs” is nothing without a good bookkeeper who can come up with a realistic budget.

[@spellandshield]

True. He is as important as anyone else.

[@yawarapuyurak3271]

bruh, 100% whrn I started my journey as a game dev, I soon realized how much planning works. I am working with some friends, to make small games to share with other friends. my job is to game design everything, to scope, and keep the dates realistic. I become what I swore to destroy, a project manager 😂😂😂

[@ewjiml]

It goes to show how important managers are to gaming projects. If you have a shit lead, no matter how many experienced devs u got on the team, it’ll end up like shit.

[@CharlesBurleigh]

The audio book is over 30 hours! That spells epic world building to me! I'll be listening to this near the first of the year.

[@spellandshield]

It's a good book and an even better audio book!

[@rickc-arelsii6276]

I can't wait to throw myself into this one. I even ordered the TTRPG they sent a link for. It ships out to us in March.

[@pythonxz]

Exodus: Archimedes Engine is already incredible and I'm only on Chapter 2.

[@pythonxz]

I haven't seen this level of world building for an RPG since older the BioWare games. It's not just that they have BioWare developers. The development resembles old BioWare.

[@WarrenGdog28]

The writer wrote Mass Effect 1 n 2 KOTOR and Dragon Age Origins let that sink in

[@bmsuperstar1]

Yeah, well, Robert Rodriguez did Sin City, Desperado, but now he's making a female Zoro film. People change.

[@echoesofmalachor3700]

I was very skeptical about WotC initially but after hearing James flat out saying they do not interfere and also said unambiguously that he was able to hire who he wanted to hire and make the game he wants to make that skepticism has been moderated quite a bit. “Wizards of the Coast said “Yep, you get to decide all that.”” Things could change but I don’t think James would stick around if WotC was meddling in the development.

[@spellandshield]

Exactly. James would just leave if it weren't so.

[@zinematicgaming]

Loving the coverage so far. This project is very intriguing.

[@deathbycognitivedissonance5036]

Nice summary and yeah, I have never heard of this degree of work put into things other than the game before. Pretty incredible and as always thanks for the coverage.

[@RansomMemoryAccess]

One reason to be optimistic about this game is its storytelling. Tom Vargas' honorable sacrifice - giving up the woman he loves to keep her safe - strongly suggests the writer understands what drives and inspires men at their core. In a timeline festering with blue-haired activists, this feels like a rare novelty.

[@pythonxz]

I have no problem with stories of non straight characters. My issue is when it feels like it was shoehorned in.

[@ginacirelli1581]

They better keep SBI far far away from this game or it is toast.

[@david53444]

they have a blue haired ingame character though

[@dregnoff9361]

Next years is gonna just as wild for vidya games Can't wait

[@chomskysfavefive]

I just want to go around commanding a starship and confronting moral dilemmas on a planetary/galactic scale. Star Trek basically. Mass Effect did this perfectly. I just hope Exodus is supposed to carry that torch.

[@igorp.7853]

Thank you man =))

[@Rambletripe1]

Ooh I do enjoy a Peter Hamilton book. I am concerned Hasbro/WOTC are around "Sure.... we'll leave you alone" is something we have heard many times across media from games to films. That purple bowl haircut does suggest they *do* have an active hand in it. Still as long as the character is good and that haircut isn't her whole personality I am fine with it.

[@pythonxz]

I don't think Elise's haircut suggests anything other than a bad choice for her hair. People are way to quick to jump to conclusions. I would personally like to see her haircut resemble hairstyles of the belters from The Expanse or just shave her head like Jack from Mass Effect.

[@Rambletripe1]

@@pythonxz I am inclined to agree with you! But I guess I am a little gun-shy given WOTC's creative and editorial choices over the last ~decade.

[@NinjaFlibble]

​@@pythonxz On the one hand, yes people do jump to conclusions on things like this. On the other, it's pattern recognition. However, I will point out that at least she *looks* like a she, rather than a he pretending to be a she like many female characters these days.

[@BBMorti]

@@pythonxz People has just been burned too many times. We also had people like you sitting ready to say 'people are too quick to jump to conclusions' Before Concord, Veilguard and all the other failures.. so it's a dance we have all seen before.

[@dezmundtv962]

Unknown 9 tried and do something similar by teasing lore and an extended universe before the game launched.. but no one cared at all about the game so it remains an unknown lol. Exodus is doing extended universes the right way by creating a great game that invites people into it's world.

[@yonathamperezhernandez1920]

I'm very cautiously optimistic. Too many Studios and old developers I admire have betrayed my trust in recent times. Don't know why but the cocky chick with the horrendous haircut is giving me an extremely bad feel. Call it pattern recognition if you will.

[@david53444]

yea she's actually the only downside of this game so far

[@ignis2023]

At least she looks like a chick. It's always a good sign when devs sculpt women as women.

[@zarthes]

I've heard such like this before, about 2005? OG devs of Diablo 1 and 2 cutting away from Blizzard to make their own thing, it wasn't a completely bad game in fact I think I recall the online service being what killed things, and while it ultimately flopped as a result, People damn sure remember it, designs from it permeate today like the punisher skull does. Of course I'm talking about Hellgate: London. I have fond memories of it and you could feel passion behind what was done. I hope that passion is about the same for Exodus even if flops somehow I'll probably remember it foldly and still play it. Funny enough I'm remembering that OG Bethesda devs from the first games up to Morrowind are making their own Elder Scrolls esq game called the Wayward Realms, can certainly see the passion there.

[@Hekk.]

You might want to look into Unknown 9's material-they attempted something similar. They wanted Unknown 9 to be another big franchise, yet they failed miserably. I'm cautiously optimistic, though.

[@spellandshield]

Did they have a world class sci-fi writer on their team? I don't think it is analogous.

[@Hekk.]

@spellandshield Oh I bet they thought they had someone even better than that ;)

[@spellandshield]

@@Hekk. All of these types of studios have one thing in common...they are super confident...based on very little.

[@Kellbellgurl]

This is exciting to me. Usually, a game is made on what type of game, followed by vague-general concepts. If you are really suggesting that they started with a storyboard from the beginning then I am more swayed to invest the game.

[@Tyranthraxus78]

Establish an emotional connection to the world of Exodus, create more devoted fans.🎉

[@JadisVoid]

Dude, your voice is so silky smooth that I would pay money to just have you read the dictionary to me😂

[@Decibrelle]

I hope so much for this game

[@-Kailinn-]

Why? Because investing in something so immensely is part of self belief, it's a part of creating something with substance. It doesn't necessarily mean it will be good, but at least we can say they likely put their heart into it.

[@maubraymzoma6616]

🤞🏾 This has to do well, we need a new Sci-Fi heavy hitter t9 bslance out all the disappointment we keep receiving.

[@steffen89able]

Im pretty excited. There is a chance it could be bad, but i chose to risk it. Besides, i was really dissapointed with the witcher 4, so this is a tonic i need. Also thought their secret level episode was quite good.

[@Nightmoth0]

This will be a gift. (I hope)

[@NuclearWinter69]

I might be in just because of the amount of lore they have written. I think space bears are silly even though it looks cool. But they earned me giving it a shot.

[@tizodd6]

I *REALLY* hope there's character creation.

[@WarrenGdog28]

I believe there Character Creation is based off Mass Effect style

[@tizodd6]

@@WarrenGdog28 Hopefully. That would be perfect. Just call the character by their name, but let me make my character look the way I want.

[@TeddyboyRnR13]

That promo picture at 4:24 are all the main character Jun

[@Captainmubz]

Very excited about this game. Love the Sci-Fi genre so was immediately reeled in when i saw all the teasers, trailers and lore videos. Also yeah I also dislike Elise's hair. Only thing i dont really like about her design. Tomboy haircuts can look really great but hers is just an awkward stare.

[@MrDay53]

Well at least the companion has hair unlike Intergalatic's protagonist.

[@roguerifter9724]

If they make spinoff video games I hope they make grand strategy and space fleet tactics games, Maybe even something akin to Rebel Galaxy.

[@heretic0014]

Thousands of years later and woman STILL choose space bear over you....

[@derpherp7432]

"Would you rather share your feelings with a woman or a space tree"

[@UToobUsername01]

That's why I asked if you can romance it in the last video. If they release a trailer showing it, the Furries and female gamers will buy. I think the bears should double as mounts like in Far Cry games. Haha The bears are the answer to horses in fantasy rpg games.

[@ginacirelli1581]

@@UToobUsername01 This female gamer just wants a hunky guy to romance like Garrus or Kaidan.

[@WhichWazzockWantedEmailHandles]

Before watching this, I thought Exodus would be the next Baldur's Gate, now I think it'll be the next Baldur's Gate. *Acorn drops*

[@melvinbrotherofthejoker436]

You should a you should see what they do with their dogs

[@df6597]

Sometimes, the magic of a great game is a product of the time and circumstances, and the whole team rather than just a handful of prominent OG devs.

[@spellandshield]

True but it does not mean it cannot be good.

[@df6597]

@spellandshield Also true. It's looking promising so far, it would be refreshing to see them hit it out of the park.

[@Kornelius707]

Passion, talent and lots of money make a good recipe for a great game 😄

[@drekkstfallstreak6882]

I kinda like this hairstyle. It reminds me of the aesthetics of ftench games and movies from the 2000s. It definitely doesn't look like a typical new western slop

[@spellandshield]

That's fair. I still would prefer different hair ultimately.

[@asgads]

i loved the callisto protocol. the story was barely there, but it was fun and looked awesome. maybe a tad short but great

[@DocMoney_]

2:00 those og BioWare names tho. Hyped

[@almostfaceman]

They're confident, but so were the people behind Concord. I agree with you, approach this new game with healthy skepticism.

[@spellandshield]

I don't think the analogy with Concord works; it is like saying a frog is the same thing as a bear because they are both animals.

[@almostfaceman]

@@spellandshield The analogy works fine. The people behind Exodus are confident and the people that were behind Concord were confident.

[@spellandshield]

@@almostfaceman You are implying that the developers for Concord were of the same caliber and background as those of Exodus. Sure, Exodus could flop but you really think it will be like Concord?

[@GFMarine]

The fact that there's so much lore already in place gives me a bit of hope but I've been burned too many times through the years so I'll remain skeptical until it releases.

[@scanix100]

I hope that main character won't be as cocky as he seems in trailers, I don't gonna lie if I say that I hate such characters, I want to play "different" style, so I hope you will be able to do so.

[@spellandshield]

I think it might be similar to the variations for Shepard.

[@Linklic]

Even though I share your enthusiasm for Exodus, I do have to advise caution and tempered optimism, a product can have tons of background lore and history, it can have many other projects planned like movies, TV shows and comic books, and be made by "industry veterans" and STILL come out lacking. Look at Concord, Unknown 9 Awakening and Veilguard which had all of these things and yet massively underperformed. Not to mention Avowed, which people are already having second thoughts about. It's always best to reserve your judgement until the game is out and people have had at LEAST 6 hours to play it, then I feel a real value judgement can be made. And if the developers ever go out of their way to disrespect their players, don't even consider giving them any of your money or a second of your time.

[@spellandshield]

Sure but I find the analogy with pure trash like Concord and Unknown 9 terrible; the only things they had in common with Exodus is that they are video games. Sure, tempered expectations are good but the analogy just does not work because they did nothing even vaguely similar to Exodus. Sure, Unknown did some of that but to the same degree and they did not have the same expertise. So yes, tempered expectations but Concord and Unknown 9 are not analogous imo.

[@Linklic]

@@spellandshield My point is that, even if something comes out of the gate with a massive extended universe planned (Secret Level episode for Concord, comic books, novels, even podcasts for Unknown 9 Awakening), and massive books of world lore, it does not automatically mean that it will *be* huge. I am not talking at all about the actual quality or prowess of the games as products. That concept is a little moot, at the end of the day, the only thing that we should be cautiously optimistic about is the actual quality of the game as you say, and the treatment of the developers towards their player base. That being said, I really am looking forward to Exodus and so far we have no concrete signs that the game will be either great or awful, but by keeping my excitement restrained, I can just enjoy the good games that are currently available to me and be either pleasantly surprised at how good or completely ambivalent at how bad Exodus will be.

[@MyNindo2000]

I desperately need a NEW ORIGINAL DARK FANTASY IP that gets the same love and investment like Exodus.

[@shawngillogly6873]

When you get one of the best world-crafters in writing today to help develop your lore, how can that not be a great sign. Now obviously this doesn't mean the gameplay is going to be great. Some people were iffy on Dragon Age, KOTOR, and even Mass Effect gameplay. But personally, I'll accept iffy combat mechanics for great lore, narrative, characters, and ambition.

[@spellandshield]

Indeed.

[@Bell-et1lg]

I’m far more hyped for exodus then I am for avowed

[@bobidybilly]

Is this book on audible? I’ve got dyslexia so reading a book is quite difficult but I’d love to know what happens in this book!

[@spellandshield]

It should be available there, yes!

[@PapaHemlock]

I have great hope for this new IP. It has depth, and more importantly, some creatives who have pedigree. Unknown 9 tried this multi-media approach, but the game was lackluster, and the creatives were amateur.

[@DarthDaddy-cg6ro]

I really hope you are right, but I am still cautious.

[@KirKanos01]

That's all well and good, but so many things can go wrong. Combat system, trading system, grind, leveling, dialogues, weapons, characters and so on... Some “heart projects” or “dream ideas” fail because you either can’t find anyone who wants it or it only sounds good on paper. The problem with books is always that you get caught up in a rigid system. For my part, I first want to see a working demo and especially what kind of game it will end up being.

[@apres-lachute8718]

Yeah; I would tend to agree on most points. Elise's haircut looks terrible but it is would be VERY weird to expend all time, effort and money on multiple things OUTSIDE the game if you were not supremely confident about it.

[@Captainmubz]

IF what the devs say are true and the characters appearance changes depending on how long you're on your journey away from them then I'm guessing her hair probably changes at some point during the game.

[@fiannawolf]

It appears to be a more refined ME1 experience. Esp after seeing a bit of the gameplay.

[@SoulgnasherFriendlyDragon-w9z]

Competent team, nice. Foundation of lore, written by acclaimed writer, good. Clearly invested in the franchise, ok. Backed by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast… wait, what? Ah, shit. Time to check out this story...

[@Knight-In-Green]

WotC, neon color-scheme outside of combat, typical DEI character ratios and designs, magic in space. Leaps and bounds between the impressive concept art and what we're seeing. And... June? c'mon. There's a lot of things that could go wrong, here. No preorders. Zero tolerance. We'll just have to wait and see.

[@ginacirelli1581]

It is spelled "Jun", in case that makes any difference to you.

[@Rapunzel879]

I'm looking forward to the game. I'm even, dare I say, optimistic about its chances. However, I wouldn't read too much into all of this. Remember Concord? Sony envisioned it as their Star Wars. They partnered with Amazon to make a TV show, invested $400M in development, and had hours of cutscenes and other promotional materials lined up. We all know how that turned out. If I had to guess, it's almost certainly Wizards of the Coast who are making all these plans, thinking they might have something big with Exodus. And perhaps they do. Only time will tell.

[@spellandshield]

I don't think they are analogous; getting one of the best sci-fi writers alive to pen novels for you is very different from the Concord example.

[@SPOOKYTIMEZ2077]

Concord and Exodus are not the same. I think that’s a wild comparison.

[@jeremiahjones9940]

Modern day wotc has me extremely skeptical.

[@pythonxz]

I think it would give me some faith if we knew that they had a contract with Wizards, but they're a division.

[@Valkenvr]

What's up with the bears!?

[@OrcBro]

Don't get me wrong, i know nothing about this game and developer, but just want to mention that Sony also had an episode of Next Level as well as lots of other things planned to release with Concord and we all know how that turned out. Not saying it will be the case here, but extra materials and plans for future do not guarantee that the game will be successful or that the devs cofidence is even justified.

[@SPOOKYTIMEZ2077]

I get people are cautious about the game but so far I haven’t seen anything bad or concerning about the game. For alpha gameplay footage it all looks good, I haven’t seen any forced politics, and the world building and lore are really good. And if by some series of unfortunate events it turns out bad we still have The Blood of Dawnwalker.

[@neo304]

Man just had to mention the cut!😭😭

[@joebond545]

Good writing is 90% of any good media, if the story is good, then even crap direction, music and cinematography will be forgiven, but if the writing is bad but the direction snd cinematography is good, then its just trash that looks good. So the fact they have a strong writer means alot, even if thhe game itself is only a 7/10, the writing would have invented a new intriguing world that a franchise can be built ontop off

[@ProbusVerus]

We will see but folks remember....NEVER EVER preorder.

[@DarthDainese69]

These guys go back to a time when I loved their games 👍 They have an established Sci-fi writer helping them out 👍 They have a white male as the lead 😲👍 All the signs show is that they know what they're doing, either they're good at hiding DEI or it isn't in the game. I'm hoping this will be good but we won't know until we get our hands on it, time will tell

[@willwilkie8558]

Concord had a lot planned, to be fair lol. But from what ive seen of this i agree with what youve stated. Even Pinky's haircut just looks like funtional punkish science fiction hair cut.

[@AndrewWinkless]

The fact Wizards of the Coast is involved at all is concerning. I don't trust them not to interfere (they managed not to destroy BG3, I suppose so that's a positive sign) and their corporate culture is practically the apotheosis of what is going wrong in the gaming industry. I'm enjoying Archimedes Engine so far and remain positive from the lore videos etc., but if you were to make a list of companies I want to have nothing to do with a project, WoTC would be high on it for anything not related to IP they own.

[@simonlaing6200]

It's what they have been told what to do in the game instead of freedom of skills

[@noctoi]

I'm one of those weirdos who generally hates 'homework' with my CRPG's, but I have to admit the first book is _really_ good! I *can't wait* for the game now that I've read the book. I want to know more! It seriously looks like the story and game we *should* have gotten with Andromeda. Do I think there will be *some* representation in there? Yes. Of course. And I'd honestly be pissed if there wasn't. BUT, do I think it'll be another ThE VeiLgUaRd? Hells no. I think it'll be more along the lines of BG3 but probably toned down even more because the Devs have already moderated the way they are talking about things like gender in the game. I'm fairly confident they can read the room, and I hope it'll be a game that everyone can enjoy. At very least, it looks like the main focus in on the shit show that is the divide between the first humans in the area and the 'standard' humans. When you have awakened crows playing judge, jury and executioner, awakened bear mercenaries hunting people, and a bunch of mutated human/ships running around torturing people to harvest that tasty angst, I have a feeling 21st century politics will be the last thing on people's minds. I'm confident that what will be in there will be appropriate to the setting because, well, future humans. I mean look at the Cyberpunk and Shadowrun lore. Futuristic fiction has *always* included funky hair: Fifth Element (orange hair and over the top makeup), Aliens (shaved heads on women), Star Trek (I mean, ALL of the hairdos), hells even StarWars (space buns!!).

[@davidl4312]

Drew wrote the Darth Bane trilogy, that alone has me kind of excited

[@AlecFortescue]

yeah and then he went on to absolutely character assassinate revan and exile out of petty spite that Avellone got to write kotor 2

[@JTVega]

It’s a sci-fi game I hope it’s good.

[@AelfwineGaming]

I have liked your take, and I really keep the hope for this to be great. But I want to add another element of skepticism: Archetype games is owned by Wizard of the Coast, notorious RPG house that has recentely ruined their IPs by injecting DEI propaganda. I hope that this is not "the one thing they know and that we don't".

[@logoski589]

The Earth animals is throwing me a bit. Have hope for it tho.

[@Beef8Cake]

Everyone should read Pandora’s Star.

[@spellandshield]

I wasn't really able to get into that one tbh...thought The Archimedes Engine was much better.

[@yol_n]

The models look so weird. But so did they in mass effect 1.

[@csam9167]

What surprise me is that they had a conventionally attractive male character. A rarity nowadays

[@LordMuzhy]

Yeah, I hope they balance it out with some attractive females too because that chick with the red bowl cut is not it lol

[@gorxela8982]

Confidence doesn't guarantee success, after all Sony were so confident in Concord's success they even paid for Secret Level episode to be made way before the game itself came out. Personally I'm optimistic about Exodus and so far I like what I see, but I'm not hyped - until the game comes out nothing is certain.

[@spellandshield]

I find the analogy to Concord to be very bad. I is like saying a mouse and a whale are the same because they are both mammals.

[@VerminaeSupremacy]

I want to be hopeful but am afraid of the stain of the current-day-isms from the west, childish and detached from the brutal reality of human condition and Middle Ages in modernity, right now, happening in Africa, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia, that tends to come from NA-corpo-owned entities.

[@ProsperinoG]

Ubislop is French (about to get eaten by CCP entity), CDPR is Polish, the list goes on... It's everywhere who breathes the Western paradigm, bud

[@VerminaeSupremacy]

@ both receive funding from global capital headquartered guess where

[@ProsperinoG]

​​@@VerminaeSupremacy Larry Fink (Finkelstein). That's your enemy

[@EthanObrien-s4h]

Maybe, there's a bad habit of new studios making overly ambitious games with industry vets that end up being sort lackluster. See The Callisto Protocol. I hope this is not the case. Fingers crossed 🤞

[@apres-lachute8718]

He literally mentions that in the beginning...did you watch the video?

[@EthanObrien-s4h]

​@@apres-lachute8718My apologizes. I was just typing what he said but in my own words. Should of wrote a more original comment.

[@lltoon]

OG devs have no meaning to me. Look at all the 'OG devs' that made Callisto Protocol, Starfield, Homeworld 3. I'll wait until the game comes out (and then a few months after) before I decide if they are good or not. I refuse to give people un-earned praise until I see results.

[@eltonbormes]

"That's just the begining!" And there goes my confidence. If they are already planning it to be a franchise happened before, not in this scale, but it didn't work out. We will see.

[@Rex_G99]

Sequels and franchises are always planned ahead, it's just they never spilled all the beans to keep the hype up. You can always tell if it's a planned or a unplanned/mismanaged project.

[@antman1672]

The people who made Concord were also tremendously confident in that IP to the point that they paid amazon to make a 50 min show about concord lore. They were specifically showcasing new heroes they were releasing next year. I'm not saying Exodus will end up as bad as concord, but it's definitely not impossible, or even extremely unlikely that they are just confident to a delusional degree.

[@MyNindo2000]

You're comparing apples to oranges where the only valid comparison is that they're both fruit.

[@MyNindo2000]

Also, Concord is a game focused on diversity over everything else in an oversaturated market.

[@antman1672]

@@MyNindo2000 I'm not comparing Concord to Exodus, I'm comparing a game developer being delusional to a game developer potentially being delusional.

[@kevo300]

It will be special after the game has already launched, countless platforms and consumers review it, and is bug free. Im sick of getting hyped for games and fomo buying new IPs.

[@Riri_734]

Still feel the scale of the game and the IP a little too overambitious. Maybe not on the level of Star Citizen's shenanigans but still... Going in with some skepticism, tempered expectations and wish them the best of luck.

[@ravenroc1784]

Where is the website? Steam is no help too many games with that name. sigh

[@spellandshield]

Google Archetype Entertainment Exodus.

[@ravenroc1784]

@@spellandshield I found it thank you!

[@whiskywolff]

If they don't have any of the modern woke shit this game it's definitely going to be great

[@zlongmore8866]

😮

[@AlecFortescue]

it looks okay but the color palette and female designs screams slop. drew karpyshyn and James ohlen wrecked the old Republic and its characters.

[@DaCookyooker]

Bruh what are all those people commenting without even watching the video😂 But yeah, this game has indeed very big potential. Even, "this IP" I should say. Let's hope it reaches it, and the chances are rather high.

[@CopiluRau]

The same was supposed to be Concord... But Exodus looks good and interesting aaaand the Secret Level episodes of both games reflect how bland and uninteresting is one whilst the other made me excited for it.

[@asddap]

Not gonna lie, the design of things (enemies, armors, weapons, locations, etc.) in this sci-fi world looks generic imo. Nothing stood out to me based on what was shown in the trailer. But I hope to be proven wrong when the game finally comes out.

[@doctorogre1777]

Not burying the game at all, but just trolling: this entire video's argument can be applied to Sweet Baby's Unknown 9 expanded universe ambitions, lol

[@spellandshield]

Where is your evidence that Unknown 9 is actually analogous to Exodus? The shallowness of the claim requires evidence. It is like saying a beaten up old car made by an unknown manufacterer that barely runs anymore is the same as a high quality brand new car with no kilometers on made by a preeminent manufacturer it because they are both cars. The only thing that Unknown 9 has in common with Exodus is that they are both video games. Nothing more. If you have counterevidence in the form of world class sci-fi writers that were working for Unknown 9 or developers with the same CV as Ohlen or Karpyshyn as well as all the lore, short stories and TTRPG for Unknown 9 then I would concede it is analogous.

[@doctorogre1777]

@@spellandshield The, let me reiterate, PURELY TROLLING argument I was putting forward was teasing the idea of the developer passion and commitment to the Exodus IP to the point of already expanding the IP into other media (books) and declaring it's commitment to years of expansions to its universe as a potential sign of quality for the game Exodus itself. And the tongue-in-cheek way in doing that was comparing it to the similar idealistic plans and commitments that the Unknown 9 people had for their universe, who were delusional enough that they had such a banger of a game that they had a roadmap of novels, comics, audio dramas, and a TV show already planned before the game released. I'm looking forward to Exodus, I am hopeful for it to be good (not hyped yet). And I have no pessimism that they will be another Calisto Protocol or - God forbid - an Unknown 9. I was just poking fun at the idea that their passion and commitment to the their universe via multimedia itself being a sign of optimism and quality. Purely Devil's advocate.

[@spellandshield]

@@doctorogre1777 My bad, sorry about that. I just see so many inapt analogies to Concord or Unknown 9, was not sure.

[@doctorogre1777]

@@spellandshield It's all good. You are still basically the only channel on KZbin covering this game to any depth so I'm not surprised you get a bunch of confused and misinformed hot takes from people, lol. I gotta be honest though. So far, Exodus hasn't really gotten across the... hook for the game. One actually damning criticism I will levy at the marketing so far, is that it reminds me of the build up to Starfield or Outer Worlds. In both of those games' marketing, the roleplaying hook was never conveyed. Mostly due to the player's role in both games being underwhelming. The promise of being a space explorer or a... whatever you were doing in Outer Worlds doesn't have the same bite as being a Specter or a Grey Warden or the last Jedi knight. It's definitely still early, but I need that sick role and job title you slap on the back of the game box to get hyped. Is it really too early to pitch the primary conflict from the player's perspective? Just a three sentence elevator pitch: You're a ___ the only person standing between ___ and ___ , and you're gonna have to use your ___ , ___ , and ___ to overcome impossible odds. Lore and world building is great, but I can't get hyped of lore alone...

[@spellandshield]

@@doctorogre1777 I get it. I think they just don't want to spoil too much. Next year marketing is really going to ramp up quite a bit so we'll see.

[@BusketRVA]

Dude the haircut she has in this video game has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING on the horrendous (but very comics accurate) ultra blond Guy Gardener bowl cut that Nathan Fillion had in the new Superman trailer....I honestly thought Gerard Depardieu had been woken from the dead qnd made the villain

[@managers6667]

hard scifi will never be fun

[@vinni3c]

The secret level episode killed my excitement

[@spellandshield]

It was not very good, agreed.

[@sci-fiknight8084]

@@spellandshield I thought it was pretty cool but in reality since the episode isn't that long you don't really get in touch with the universe like who the celestials truly are and what are they doing. What was your favorite episode?

[@spellandshield]

@@sci-fiknight8084 It was rushed so not that great.

[@pythonxz]

I did feel that the narration was a bit heavy-handed. It also didn't help that the short run did not leave them much breathing room for emotional storytelling.

[@vinni3c]

@@sci-fiknight8084 easily the Warhammer 40k was my favorite

[@d4rkwest40]

I actually really liked the Callisto Protocol and didn't share in the criticisms that it's widely known for. So even if this turns out like that project did by comparison to mass effect in this case, I'll be happy.

[@bmsuperstar1]

How was Calisto Protocol? I heard it's not scary, but I've yet to play it.

[@d4rkwest40]

@bmsuperstar1 It felt like playing a modern version of dead space. I played it before playing the Dead Space remake. With more melee of course. But I enjoyed every element of the game; the atmosphere and visuals, characters, and the combat both melee and ranged. But it's that same vibe and approach that DS had. I'd say the narrative is more up front though, with how the characters and cutscenes are done, which I appreciated.

[@AutomaticSnake]

Mass effect had the sexy humans, aliens and.. robots (EDI). I hope game not woke as in all woman in the galaxy ugly lol. If they put gay stuff then at least it cant be forced. Like Mass Effect it is a choice if you are a weirdo. And no woke dialog like the cringe stuff you hear on Dragon Age Veilguard.

[@Sylentmana]

I just don’t trust any dev or studio, be they new or old. They have to prove themselves with each game. Prove that they can make a fun game. Prove that it’s not infected with the woke mind virus. I don’t care how good their track record is. The virus can strike at any time.

[@ProsperinoG]

Well said.

[@tobiasL1991]

Hell no, this is some straight up hail mary's you are putting out. Nothing about any of what you say says anything about how good the game is, absolutely nothing! Hype can be created, CEO's might drink their own cool aid, ME, KOTOR, BG1-2 those are al decades old by this point it's not the same team, heck those aren't even the same people anymore. I don't think I've ever listened to a video so full of hope based on just about nothing...

[@MrGeneralPB]

the game might be the greatest ever since someone discovered how to make fire... but it is wotc and they are all wokies and they would never greenlight anything that wasn't that... so no, not going to be the least exited for it - in the very very very very unlikely case that it is actually not woke and good, then i might get it - until then, i got hundred of games that are not woke that i am working my way through and having a blast doing so

[@sash9249]

Can't tell if you're serious or not about the haircut, because if so, well, that's just silleh 😂