Blizzard has opened up about the impact Overwatch 2 “review bombers” have had on the team, acknowledging that the “dissatisfaction” stems from “the cancellation of the much larger component of PvE that was announced in 2019 […] that Blizzard ultimately couldn’t deliver”.
In a statement posted to the game’s official website, Aaron Keller said that while being review bombed “isn’t a fun experience”, the plan was to “move forward” by “adding to and improving Overwatch 2”.
Developers were right to be in fear of Baldur’s Gate 3 resetting expectations. This isn’t close to all of the reason for this backlash, but for me it’s a notable part.
Here we all have for contrast suddenly an expansive, complete, player-respecting game that isn’t trying to squeeze money out of you at every turn… it reminds me of old PC games, before the enshittification of the industry began, before the corporate rot set in. When I bought my copy of Heroes of Might and Magic 3, it was complete. It was expansive. It was before micro-transactions were really a thing, so it was a finished product. BG3 makes me think of those games, but with modern technology. My gaze shifts back to the allegedly “modern” games we have now, to Overwatch 2, and it just feels cheap and disgusting. A minimum-viable pile of gameified gambling covered in greasy MBA penny-pincher fingerprints, shrouded by half-truths from marketers trying to puff it up to look like a complete experience. It is still possible to deliver the better experience. It’s clearly just a matter of “want”.
I feel like I’ve just come from a family-owned restaurant on the beach in Cabo and came back home to a McDonald’s in a roadside casino, and I’ve just realized how genuinely shitty it all is.
I think I would actually rather just go outside or start a new hobby than touch “games” like this ever again.
Aren’t these review bombs prior to Baldur’s Gate 3 though? I’m pretty sure they were just put out when OW2 was released on steam.
Certainly all of Overwatch 2’s issues were known and well documented before Baldur’s Gate 3’s release, I think people have just put two and two together (or more aptly, put the two next to each other for comparison).
I had honestly forgot why I hate gaming now, but I think you hit the nail on the head
Hey man, outside can be pretty cool.
You are in a similar position (it sounds like) to where I was a short time ago.I was so fed up with the state of things on the computer/console/handheld front that I just kind of did not want to play anything anymore. Two things, and adjusting my expectations, really helped:
Game Pass - I’ve had it forever, but now it is more important, since I’m not buying new games as much anymore. It’s a small monthly fee, and I can frequently be surprised by the quality of some smaller indie games.
RetroAchievements - This is my current “thing”, and hopefully it will be for a long time to come. You use an emulator that has support for RetroAchievements (the biggest one being RetroArch) and the correct ROM file, and you can earn achievements in thousands of old games, from the earliest days of mass-market computing and consoles (magnavox, intellivision, apple ii, fairchild, amstrad cpc, etc.), through all 8 and 16 bit consoles, and up to Ps1/2/PSP/N64/3DO/Dreamcast, with Gamecube, Vita, or PS3 likely to be the next “big” console release (probably Gamecube). Revisit your favorites from years past and play them in new ways to get all of the achievements, or try out games you never had (or systems you never had) for the first time. Biggest criticism is that they have a tendency of being “too hard”, but you can either just pick games that don’t have ridiculously hard achievements, or just not go for 100%.
I will absolutely be buying Baldur’s Gate 3 as well.
I wish more people realized the same and stopped buying shitty games, while rewarding the good ones.
I grew up during the “old times”, I remember how it was so I’m quite wary of new games, but I think a lot of gamers are much younger than me and when shitty predatory practices is all you know, it’s probably difficult to believe something different can exist.
I didn’t want to buy BG3 at first because I probably won’t be able to play it, no doubt it’s a masterpiece but I can’t stand isometric view, I don’t like turn-based combat and click-to-move, but when I saw how AAA devs reacted to Larian integrity, I bought it anyway and I will at least try, hoping someone will develop a mod to make controls more “bearable” for players like me.
Even if they don’t, I firmly believe it’s money well spent, AAA devs are still attacking Larian for petty reasons, it means what they’re doing is extremely good for the players, they deserve to be supported by all means, let the current “AAA practices” rot.
EDIT: in case someone else is interested, I found modders did it! Hope they work on Linux:
using a controller with BG3 actually feels really good. you can also adjust the zoom so you are more in a third person view as opposed to isometric (nearly over the shoulder camera). you can also play the game real-time with pause, which may or may not help push you along as you say you don’t necessarily jive with turn-based.
i hope these things help you get into BG3. i personally LOVE isometric view and turn-based tactics but even if these things don’t appeal to you, the game itself is such a breath of fresh air that i do not see myself putting it down for a long, long time.
have fun!!
Thank you so much for the tips! I’ll definitely try them, as soon as I finish downloading the game :D