
The biggest twist of ‘Avowed': Great in fighting, not the writing
Then I noticed something I've never felt before during a game made by Obsidian, the studio that made 'Fallout: New Vegas' and the Pillars of Eternity franchise, all writerly role-playing games focused on character-driven narratives that react to player choices. I stopped caring about the characters. My story choices didn't matter much, either to the narrative or, more fatally, to myself.

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Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Microsoft backtracks on $80 The Outer Worlds 2 pricing
There's hope that the gaming industry won't follow Nintendo's lead with $80 pricing. (Well, at least not yet.) On Wednesday, Microsoft backtracked on the price increase for The Outer Worlds 2. The game now costs $70, which itself was considered outrageous only a few years ago. Microsoft toldWindows Central that those who already pre-ordered Obsidian's shooter at $80 can get refunds at the point of purchase. Unfortunately, you can't simply get a $10 price adjustment. You'll have to refund the full $80 and then pre-order again for $70. I'm beginning to think consumer-friendliness isn't the priority here. The $80 pricing push began with Mario Kart World. Comments by Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford initially suggested Borderlands 4 might have followed. Fortunately, 2K Games saw something in the backlash that made it balk; it's launching at $70. A Bluesky user summed it up in a reply to Obsidian's U-turn. "Consumer advocacy in this awful state of the industry WORKS," @johnbrebbia posted. The gaming industry is caught in a godawful whirlwind of layoffs, studio closures and price increases. That's happening against a backdrop of rising costs for consumers. Meanwhile, the gaming industry is projected to reach $189 billion this year, a 3.4 percent increase. That's a combustible mixture if ever there was one. Ironically, Obsidian's sci-fi RPG deals with themes of late-stage capitalism. The developer even deployed in-world satire to announce the pricing change: "Dear Galactic Citizens! We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing..." Winking at one's audience is usually a good thing, but this strikes me as more of a "dude, read the room" moment. Regardless, The Outer Worlds 2 is set to arrive on October 29. It will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.

Engadget
9 hours ago
- Engadget
Microsoft backtracks on $80 The Outer Worlds 2 pricing
There's hope that the gaming industry won't follow Nintendo's lead with $80 pricing. (Well, at least not yet.) On Wednesday, Microsoft backtracked on the price increase for The Outer Worlds 2 . The game now costs $70, which itself was considered outrageous only a few years ago. Microsoft told Windows Central that those who already pre-ordered Obsidian's shooter at $80 can get refunds at the point of purchase. Unfortunately, you can't simply get a $10 price adjustment. You'll have to refund the full $80 and then pre-order again for $70. I'm beginning to think consumer-friendliness isn't the priority here. The $80 pricing push began with Mario Kart World . Comments by Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford initially suggested Borderlands 4 might have followed. Fortunately, 2K Games saw something in the backlash that made it balk; it's launching at $70. A Bluesky user summed it up in a reply to Obsidian's U-turn. "Consumer advocacy in this awful state of the industry WORKS," @johnbrebbia posted. The gaming industry is caught in a godawful whirlwind of layoffs, studio closures and price increases. That's happening against a backdrop of rising costs for consumers. Meanwhile, the gaming industry is projected to reach $189 billion this year, a 3.4 percent increase. That's a combustible mixture if ever there was one. Ironically, Obsidian's sci-fi RPG deals with themes of late-stage capitalism. The developer even deployed in-world satire to announce the pricing change: "Dear Galactic Citizens! We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing..." Winking at one's audience is usually a good thing, but this strikes me as more of a "dude, read the room" moment. Regardless, The Outer Worlds 2 is set to arrive on October 29. It will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC.


The Verge
11 hours ago
- The Verge
The Outer Worlds 2 will no longer be one of Microsoft's first $80 Xbox games
Microsoft-owned developer Obsidian Entertainment is announcing a price drop for the The Outer Worlds 2 today. The game was originally supposed to debut at $79.99 in October, but it's now going back to the regular $69.99 Xbox game price. Microsoft announced earlier this year that it would be raising the price of new Xbox first-party games from $69.99 to $79.99, alongside increases to its consoles and controllers. The move to suddenly drop the price of The Outer Worlds 2 is a clear sign that preorders haven't gone too well and that gamers are rejecting Microsoft's initial move to $79.99 Xbox games. If you've already purchased the game then refunds will be handled by the Microsoft Store, Steam, PlayStation store or wherever you preordered The Outer Worlds 2. It will be interesting to see whether Microsoft continues to push its new Xbox game pricing, or whether this is a sign that it's rethinking the increase to $79.99. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Tom Warren Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Microsoft Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Xbox