It says a LOT about the game industry when Baldur's gate 3 released in a polished state and an absolute masterpiece of a game and the first response was "don't expect this. It's too good. We won't be doing that"

The way I see it people do applaud the DEVS when a game does a comeback after fixing glitches and adding missing content. The thing is, it's always the leadership that decides release dates, not the devs, so people do understand that devs are not at fault here most of the times, specially when the game clearly shows signs that devs care even if it's unfinished. People do give props to devs, not to the company itself

The biggest problem with gaming right now in my opinion is that major video game companies only care about profits and the bottom line, even if it's to the determent of the games they release and their reputation. That's why games like Elden Ring and Tears of the Kingdom were such a big deal because it showed people that there are still AAA video game companies out there that give a shit.

The real problem Connor has with games that he has yet to realise is skipping cutscenes and not understanding the story does not equal bad game, you’re impatient.

Connor has the best take about the situation, playing single player games and ignoring what's coming out has saved my outlook on gaming.

This is why i love xenoblade games. Each DLC is basically its own game with its own mechanics so youre essentially getting a new title.

The problem about Gant’s statement about expectations is that the company’s give the audience the expectations of their games. I’m gonna be pissed when u underdeliver

In the past two years, the strikes by IATSE, WGA, and SAG have revealed a simple yet alarming fact: the entertainment industry is in the midst of an existential crisis. It may be for different reasons, but this crisis extends to the games industry, mirroring the conditions in TV and film, where employees often face relatively meager pay and excessive overwork. If you look into the history of some of your favorite studios, you'll find that many of the creators behind beloved games have worked to the point of serious mental and physical exhaustion or basically checked out after a 10 to 20-year shelf life in the industry mostly driven by a culture of crunch. Crunch conditions can lead to both good and bad games, but the truth is that such an environment is invariably unsustainable, harming both the creators and the overall quality of the industry. And this crunch culture has only worsened as game budgets have expanded and projects have grown in scope which means the games industry now finds itself in an untenable position, and the result is a proliferation of rushed, flawed products like CyberPunk and Anthem. Unfortunately, the situation isn't as clear-cut as the adage suggests: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." Among game developers and artists, there's a saying that a work of art is never finished, merely abandoned, which speaks to a persistent issue where the opportunity for continuous improvement leads to a harsh reality. More time spent on a project doesn't necessarily mean better quality; it often means more crunch. That pressure, in turn, drives experienced developers away from AAA or the industry as a whole. Those studios then have to find replacements in junior or generally less experienced developers, which leads to more crunch to compensate, until the process repeats itself into a cycle of attrition within the industry.

I agree that people arent patient. But the reason cyberpunk got so much flak is because of CDPR's hubris, they decided to release a statement that they will release cyberpunk when its ready because they focus on quality, which gave fans a false sense of security that it will release as such. It wasnt a lack of patience, it was a breach of trust

Devs will stop putting out pre-order garbage, unpatched and untested shovelware, and overpriced fixes labeled as DLC when people stop paying for them.

Baldur’s Gate 3 just came out proving that AAA games CAN have the level of quality and polish that we expect of them. Elden Ring and Tears of the Kingdom are also great examples of AAA games that prove that expecting games to release in a complete state. The expectations placed on cyberpunk were not too high, CDPR just completely dropped the ball. There is no need for the consumer to be patient with publishers when we’re shown the standard that they should be held to. Release finished games, that’s it. As far as DLC goes, it’s my opinion that’s it’s generally always good. Then again, I think back to the old Bethesda/Obsidian when I think of what DLC/expansions should be. Fallout: New Vegas, Oblivion, and Skyrim are examples of good DLC in my opinion (minus the horse armor). Early access is a mixed bag. Larian Studios has proven with Divinity Original Sin 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 that their model works flawlessly. Hades was also early access for a long time and was better for it. It can be done well, but we’ve also seen the many examples of it being done so poorly.

Early access is not always bad, just recenty, dave the diver and balders gate 3 came out to fantastic reviews, both being in early access for ages. Balder gate 3 was in early access for 3 years. Often it can cause issues, but sometimes its necessary to help build bigger games that cant be done in one go without some feedback and cashflow.

Fromsoftware is the only developer that I trust with games and DLCs, especially DLC

Connor's take about not wanting DLC and wanting a sequel is quite funny to me, some dlc's were adapted into sequels for growing in scope (for better or worse) saints row 4 was meant to just be dlc for 3, assassins creed mirage was meant too be an expansion to valhalla, and left for dead 2 was just meant to be an update too the first game, some of these are controversial though, with l4d2's announcement some thought it was a cash grab since the first game came out only a year ago, and the updated content was just a few new guns and maps and thats it For early access games, there's high profile failures and wins, Deep Rock Galactic is the only live service game I enjoy and I've been a fan of it when i bought it in early access in 2018 and its ironically dwarfing other live service games playercount, with steams bf 2042 and halo infinite not being able to pass DRG's player numbers. Baldur's gate 3 which is one of the biggest successes this year was also in early access since 2019 (correct me if wrong) and is out performing triple A releases with an indie team behind it, but I get their opinion about early access games cause there are just too many that are just abandon ware that's shovelled onto steam just too make a quick buck and run

I love creating fictional worlds so. I HATE when companies like Blizzard make original concepts, then care for making money over expanding the world

The tripple A portion is probably shaking in their boots, but with the success of Baulders Gate and Battlebit shows that good games can and will make their money. Hopefully more devs take notes, or we just stop giving these corporations top dollar for sub-par products. It starts with us. Speak with your money, people ;)

Garnt is part of the problem. 😔

What are these titles bro?! This year's games have been popping off and we're soon gonna get more bangers later on

6:56 Gotta disagree this ; CDPR promised features such as; Branching life paths, better character customization, gang activity, police chases and or persuasion, car customization, NPC daily routines, running on last gen consoles, diverse street vendors, drivable flying cars, multiple apartments/home, the list goes on. This was content that CDPR themselves put in trailers, demos, interviews, and such. And if they know they can’t deliver or time restrictions will exist, they shouldn’t be putting out an ad that they know they can’t fill. CDPR SET the expectations and they fucked it, not the internet.

This whole conversation is why I stopped buying games on release. Instead, I buy used or on sale. That way, I save money and give myself time to catch up on my backlog.

Persona is such a hard case cause on one hand I have to pay full price for another version with more content but it's not necessary DLC because it changes how the game plays to it's core. On the other hand I'm like Joey and Atlas can take my money because P3 Reload is coming out next year lol.

i keep wondering maybe its not just the game developers higher-ups fault but the players who keep throwing money at it is the part pf the problem

lmao, this year is literally one of the best years for single player games ever. But I guess if you only play gacha games and random multiplayer games, it's kinda shit

The problem is executives who forces devs to release stuff way too early.

It’s funny how this is posted after Baldurs Gate 3 comes out. Also 2023 has been one of the best years in recent memory for games. There's still the BS that happens but that's just gonna be around forever unfortunately. Every month this year has had a major release that's been a slam dunk, few misses but people exaggerate them to highs as if it's the end of the world. (Gollum and Redfall sucked I get it, shut up) Also DLC wise, my mindset is if I was able to have an enjoyable experience with the base game and that DLC is actually something substantial (like most FromSoft dlc or the SF6 characters coming out) then I'm ok paying a bit more for extra content. Battle passes can fuck off though.

This had to be the most clickbait title so far.

Frame rate is one of those things I will simply never care about

You know it's bad when the best gaming experiences most of us had in the last few years came from either indie games or gacha games 💀 Triple A titles took a dip. Good to see shit like BG3 or TOTK

I always find it amusing when people say, "is the gaming industry in trouble?" or that some notable comapines (EA, Acti-Blizzard), or a couple of bad releasees (or more recent bad PC releases) has people say, "Tripple A games are a joke." "The game indsutry is a joke." Meanwhile I've been enjoying Tears of the Kingdom, I loved Elden Ring and every Souls game, my favorite game of recent memory is Ghost of Tsushima, and I am extremely excited for Spiderman 2, Alan Wake 2, and especially Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Maybe I just have a good eye to not be burned by titles like others have. I certainly don't like multiplayer FPS games for a reason.

Funny enough, Atlus has some of the most egregious DLC on day 1 for their games. P5 and Royal had a LOT of paid DLC at launch, sure it's mostly cosmetic, but you have scenarios you have whole Personas as DLC.

1:56 A Jet Set Radio anime with OST by Hideki Naganuma would be dope.

My problem with Cyberpunk is that they promised this industry changing game that rivaled RDR 2 in scope in world. Which I don't think they met with either.

Hmm! Virulent capitalism really do be compromising the outcome quality of commercial art and entertainment media.

I love how Joey is fine when Atlus do DLC /Expansions when lately they have way more notorious with a lot of their business practices. Lol

There should be a minimum standard of release. Regardless if they fix it. People can wait as long if it’s good.

No game company should be praised for releasing an unfinished mess at launch and then fixing it. It should've been that way at launch. Games are getting longer and longer development periods, and people are just gonna have to understand that waiting for quality is better. Cyberpunk should've been indefinitely delayed until It was finished. But CD project red needed to milk it for money. They were also being extremely shady about what people can talk about in reviews of their product pre-release. Which they did on purpose because many wouldn't have bought the game had they known the problems.

No it’s not. This is literally one of the best years in gaming we’ve ever had. There’s new great new ip’s(Hi-fi rush), great sequels(Jedi Survivor), great returning franchises( Res4, Dead space, Baldurs gate 3) and great games are coming like Spider-Man 2, Starfield and Alan wake 2. Not to mention all the great indies and great games that people have on their backlogs from previous years. No gaming is fine and if you can’t find enjoyment in any games nowadays then you probably just don’t like gaming anymore which is fine but that’s a you problem.

So many companies like game freak leave their games unfinished for years. Scarlet and violet will never be fixed

We all know and we’d ALL complain if game devs released dlcs shortly after a game’s release. And we’d ALL say “why wasn’t this packaged in the release? Greedy cash grab, cut content”.

I am a 38 year old gamer, and Metal Slug still has the greatest pixel animation of all time.

There was around 4 years between P5 and Royal to be fair.

Ive just watched several videos about how Baldur’s Gate 3 is blowing through records and that was made by a literal independent studio so AAA publishers are running out of excuses for putting out inferior product on release fast. The execs can huff only so much copium before they realize how stupid the are and bloating their games like they do makes them look worse and worse. Amen, stop sending these abusive companies your hard-earned money.

Fromsoft has made an entire game Armored Core 6 n-between releasing the Elden ring DLC and the OG game, all Fromsoft DLC for their games so far have been well worth it in my opinion, none have felt like cheap cash grabs, I think that matters a lot to consumers mindsets

At 20 minutes long, I'm not sure this channel knows what a highlight is anymore. Watched every second tho.

Xenoblade does dlc better than anything else, half the price of the base games to get new game modes and bonuses along with full separate game prequel stories that would normally go for the cost of a new full game from most developers

The best experience in gaming I've had recently was with an indie shooter called Battlebit, its so goooood.

Never preorder, never buy day 1, and never purchase microtransactions. Started doing this after the utter disappointment that was Mass Effect 3 and these rules have saved me 1,000's of dollars and 100's of hours of misery.

No, it's like going to taco bell, buy a taco, get taco shell and some lattice. Then you come back a few days later, and you pay because the DLC's are never free, for another taco and get a taco with an extra slice of tomato and you applause them.

The OGs who know how fkin crazy Far Cry 3 Blood Dargon Remix was back then 🔥

The only DLC I tend to like are stuff like Xenoblade Chronicle's DLC and thats because the DLC is just a different Game disguised as DLC Torna and Future Redeemed are just Prequels to their respective games and to me thats the best kind of DLC rather than just a few quality of life updates and new Quests, my mind goes those should have been in the game anyways i shouldnt be paying for it but the Prequels, justified in my mind

Connor didn’t give a shit take at all. He’s right. We shouldn’t be paying 20-30+ dollars when we already overpaid for the game lol. Games should ALL cost as much as the upcoming AC mirage, not over 100 dollars like it is in Canada and most other places in the world. Then they expect more on top of that. If you’re going to make me pay 99 bucks with even more in tax on top, I should be getting a COMPLETE product.

Games had such a large boost during covid and lockdowns that even a profitable game right now will show in the red compared to 2-3 years ago.

Quite the clickbaity title, i’d say this year is the best gaming has been in the last half a decade with how many good games are coming out. Just off the top of my head: RE4r, DSr, BBr, SF6, HFR, R2, P4, BG3, Totk, FF16. And there are still quite a few big games that haven’t come out yet: AC6, SF, SM2, T8, MK, SMW.

the xenoblade 2 and 3 dlcs were well worth the money torna and future connected were amazing

If you think gaming is on a downward spiral I implore you to expand your horizons and try any of the 85+ rated games that have come out the past decade. There's plenty out there.

11:35 i agree with Joey 100%. Persona 5 Royal is not a DLC. Atlus pretty much added a whole new lore in the main story from beginning to end. DLC is when you beat the main game and give you extra content thats not even that important to the main story

Cyberpunk gets a free pass in this argument for me because the devs didn't want to release it in it's "launch state" but were contractually obligated to, they then spent basically an entire extra year working on it to make it as good as they wanted it to be. The problem arises when companies see this as an opportunity to effectively release the game twice, once at launch when they drop the half functioning incomplete mess, and again a year or two later when it's done. Early access kinda helps because at least it's telling you "the game isn't done yet, but you can still buy it and even help us play test the parts that are ready-ish"

RDC has a great video that summarizes up how I feel about DLC. “No people don’t want to pay $60 for a full game. They want to pay $60 for half the game and then pay another $60 for the other half.”

why older games is still hold up because it's a finished and completed games so we don't have to wait a year to play the games beside the prices coming down the only thing that hold us to play a game its the price. I hate it that now it becomes a standard and the norm to release unfinished game then update it a month later in this case is dying light 2 and cyberpunk which is a good decision on the business point of view but its a bad thing on the customer side cause it is basically a bad product that the company gives to their customers

I agree that companies shouldn't release DLC. I respect the Trails series because each entry is complete, even if the story isn't complete, and each gives incentive to replay it by making the best weapons/armor partially or completely unavailable on a first run through alone. It's a better structure than making a game that doesn't give incentive to replay and then tacts on an interesting but irrelevant (to me the consumer) expansion a year or more later.

Heres a good way of putting it. Due to it being such a new mainstream media industry, it doesn't seem to be figured out yet, plus with higher ups in multi-billion dollar corporations who are all like 60 and never played a game in their lives, it'll change with the next generation, us. A film is each set scene and shows the audience only what they want to be seen for 2 hours, games have 50+ hours most the time with every possible angle needing to be made in a unique way, and these higher ups want that done in 2-3 years, when the average should be 8-10. Games are like Marvel movies, pumped out too quickly by greedy businessmen, it will change though.

I remember reading gaming magazines about news of upcoming Dark Souls 2 DLC when I was in military service, and got excited to go back and play them once they were out. It was a different experience from waiting for a new game because you know you'll get something fun with a game you're familiar with. So yeah, gotta disagree with Connor here with all due respect for his opinion.

I agree so much on Metal slug and the timelessness of pixel art

I never bought No Man’s Sky, Sonic Colors Ultimate, Cyberpunk, or Pokemon Scarlet Violet. Reason? I expect games to be feature complete at launch. Fuck this “wait for patches” mindset so much, it’s undermining AAA releases so hard.

Completely off topic, but does anyone know where Gigguk got that shirt at??? Its soooo dope. I def need it.

For me the "release when is ready" made so much sense for Cyberpunk, but software development is hard, management try to set deadlines that can't be meet. They haven't be debugging a program for 2 weeks and feel hopeless.

The one series I 100% trust with DLCs is Xenoblade.

I really enjoy pokemon DLC because I replay pokemon games with different teams a lot

There are two different releases for overhyped games , one comes out with performances issues and half the promised features missing and the other with performance issues but deliveries on promised features and more , only on the second case people are willing to endure the issues because the game is complete and performance can always be fixed but missing content will probably never come.

They just forgot about Baldurs gate 3

I agree that persona 5 royal isnt a dlc in the context of its PC Xbox and switch release, as someone who owns it on switch and Xbox I have no access to the game without the royal changes and additions. It's more like a minor remaster or enhanced edition like Pokemon platinum.

I agree with Connor about DLCs. I'd rather wait another year for a game if it got released with everything at once. CBA DLC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I actually agree with Connor with the DLC thing but I do like how Pokemon did it with bringing in new areas and bringing back other pokemon. Considering how massive the cast of Pokemon is, I understand not having the whole national dex in the base game. But considering most of the Pokemon experience is the post game collecting and comp battles, DLCs adding new/old Pokemon to the meta is great. Even though I love Sword and Shield I do think it could've been better and I agree that DLC content should've been the quality of the main game, that type of DLC where they just finish the base game.

early access makes sense in idie games when you need gamers feedback before the official launch

pixel graphics are G.O.A.T.ed

Garnt saying he loves Cybeprunk 2077. Once again proving that he has the best taste among the three.

Aren’t sequels to any game technically DLC? If we look at Zelda tears of the kingdom, it’s literally the same world with added content. Similarly, Monster Hunter World had a legit DLC called Iceborne that pretty much does the same thing Tears of the kingdom did with breath of the wild. They added more content in an already established world.

If you are buying a new car and have six company options to pick from and know all will come with major problems but if your lucky you will pick the one company that ends up fixing their car you just have to pick the right one because the rest are lost causes, would that be a comfortable situation to be in ? or would it be better that 5 of the six cars will run and the one that doesn't will get recalled and you'll get your money back so you can chose another

Agree 100% with Conner regarding the DLC. BotW, Pokemon, ACNH, etc. all have DLC but I will never play it because I don't play those games anymore.

Me who plays geometry dash : ive got nothing to worry about.

Cyberpunk is still crashing for me on PS4. I try to play now and then, but the crashes just ruin it as I have to wait for everything to boot up again.

Gaming industry being in shambles is a myth. There's a lot of noise online from disgruntled "gamers" making the whole scene toxic, but numbers don't lie, Hogwarts Legacy and Baldurs Gate 3 both released in 2023 and both are in the top 10 of most concurrent players in Steam. Cyberpunk 2077, famously known for having a very rough launch, also has very good numbers for a 3 year old game and having no online co-op features at all. In fact, its daily current population on Steam is double that of Hogwarts Legacy, even though the latter just released a few months ago. Gaming is as alive as ever.

Best DLC : The old hunters (Bloodborne)

Games should be released in a playable state. If it's not ready don't release it

One counter to DLCs: proper expansion packs, like with both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine of Witcher 3. Both were a whole game worth of content, while working well for Witcher, especially as original novels had both the saga and short stories compilations

Joey just sum up my thoughts on Atlus' Persona mainline game.

One thing that keeps me sane is my rule to NEVER buy something based on what it could be. Look at what it is at the point you are looking at it right now and base buying decisions on that. Not what it has been or what it can be. Because, it is what it is right now that you will experience when you buy it. If you truly believe it will be great after the bug fixes and patches. Then wait until those are released and are proven to work as advertised. Gamers need to start witholding the money until the product manifests. Otherwise, the current cycle will continue. AAA studios do not care at all about bad reviews. But they poop their Armani trousers if the money charts starts to dip. Also. AAA studios need to make a very big decision. Either adopt a "when it's done" mantra for releases, and just don't release it until the product meets or exceeds the sales pitch. Or. Here's a brain blower. Wait another year or two to announce it. That way, the wait between announcement and release isn't that long and they don't feel that same need to force a product out regardless of the state it is in. Does that mean a year or two of having no new stuff to show? Then, maybe other strategies need to be looked at at that moment as well. And if corporate structures don't learn. Then, maybe we need a crash/collapse. Maybe we need good old fashioned corporate evolution to make itself known. If companies like EA truly are as rotten to the core as their reputation suggests... If they cannot change. Then they need to crash so a better alternative can show what needs to be done.

Who had the audacity to upload this right after BG3 and remnant 2

Haven't watched the episode yet but since Sojourn is in the thumbnail, F for Overwatch 2(Highest Negatively rated game on steam rn) and FU for Blizzard Activision

Shout to Metal Slug, my childhood

I certainly hope not

Talking about Jet Set Radio, can wait for the drop of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk this weekend

The trash taste crew would not like destiny 2 after these takes. Which is fair in its current state tbh...

I think monster hunter falls under the persona 5 royal argument, since usually the expansions just enhance the enjoyment you had with the base game

As someone who extensively played cyberpunk at launch it really wasn’t that bad. There were issues sure but I put hundreds of hours in while it was still “broken”. It was broken to be clear, but there actual was a narrative of it being way worse than it was. Hard truth is that as someone who played through the whole game early is that the game has barely changed. People say it’s been “fixed” but for me the experience is near identical. Except for the one k-hop tech/glitch they removed loved that so much.

9:27 I have a different take on DLC. I would rather buy a proper DLC, with a new story characters etc. then buying a numbered sequel that felt like an asset flip of the previous game with a different storyline. A great example of this is borderlands 2 and the worse example of this is Overwatch 2.

It's joever, Jamers.

I mean Ive begun to die away from video games, I had fun during the black ops 3 era, star wars battlefront 2, the fortnite golden era, minecraft, titanfall one of my all time favorite fps games. But nowadays you will get a few games that are worth it god of war, spiderman ps, hogwarts legacy, legend of zelda breath of the wild and tears of kingdom.

I have the complete opposite take regarding Pokemon Sword/Shield DLCs and Persona 5 Royal. I really liked the characters and story of Sword/Shield and felt my $60 was well spent. My experience with base Persona 5 was fine. I liked and hated characters equally. Now you're telling I could've waited a year to play Persona 5 but better? Nah. I'd rather pay $30 for short Pokemon DLC than $60 for Persona 5 Final Mix mostly because I get to keep my save file instead of having to start over. The beginning of both these games I only ever want to go through once.

The dlc take about Elden ring they literally did go and make another game being armoured core 6 and more just a from software and thing is the dlc is definitely more for hardcore fans who want more lore and explanations to the many open ended things we are left with typically at the end of a from software game and 99% of the time the DLC are very well done and worth playing IF you're a fan of the games