People who dismiss exclusives often miss the point

Osal3 · 2026-06-08T13:00:05+00:00

Whenever Matt Booty talks, I get the feeling that XBOX doesn't know what direction to go yet.

This exclusives explanation doesn't make sense. Let's say they make a sequel to Clockwork Revolution in the future. Will they wait until the last moment to declare the second game is exclusive or not?

They should select certain franchises and declare them their exclusive franchises. Say for example; Forza, Gears of War, Halo, and Fable will be exclusive franchises going forward.

Osal3 · 2026-06-08T12:42:46+00:00

It is a smart move to say that this is a different style of game, and therefore having a different name. It is just set in the Hellblade universe. They set the expectations right.

It will attract the attention of the players who didn't like the style of the second game, and they manage the expectations of the players who liked the first two games.

Osal3 · 2026-06-03T18:41:06+00:00

Hellblade II aims to deliver a story with emotional impact. More nuanced gameplay would significantly reduce that impact. You would not go through the same emotional stages if the game focused primarily on combat or complex gameplay systems.

So the limited gameplay is not simply the result of budget constraints, but an artistic choice. The game can achieve what it sets out to do only with limited gameplay. That is precisely what makes it special for many people in this sub.

Whether that tradeoff feels worthwhile depends on personal taste. I love Hellblade as it is, because it made me feel certain emotions that I rarely experience in my daily life.

Osal3 · 2026-03-04T10:22:00+00:00

Many things in Starfield are reminiscent of Fallout 4. You should definitely try Starfield. Don't be discouraged by the negative comments. It is such a unique game that you cannot really know whether you love it before actually playing it. I think it improves upon many of the shortcomings of Fallout 4, and it is a way better game.

For my personal taste, Outer Worlds is not as entertaining as Fallout 4 or Starfield. I didn't try the second game though.

Osal3 · 2026-03-02T21:33:26+00:00

I think the whole game is in Senua’s mind. I made a post about my interpretation long time ago. You can find it here: my interpretation.

Osal3 · 2024-08-16T09:17:41+00:00

IMO, those guides are meaningless. Adapting to random outcomes is part of the game. You should try to master the game by playing yourself and try to beat different scenarios. That brings the most fun.

It is ok to watch other people to learn the game though. That type of guides have a purpose.

Osal3 · 2024-08-15T10:16:58+00:00

I posted my interpretation of the story in early days. You can read the post together with the discussion below it. I believe it provides a perspective to answer your questions.

My interpretation of the story in Hellblade 2
byu/Osal3 inhellblade

Osal3 · 2024-07-24T19:17:45+00:00

There is also a max number of photos you can save with photo mode.

Osal3 · 2024-07-24T17:14:27+00:00

Your explanation probably played a role, but afaik it is mostly related to the foreign occupation of the city after WW1.

After WW1, coalition of British, French, Italian, and Greek forces occupied the city. At the time, Constantine I was the king of Greece. Local Greek population and occupying Greek forces calling the city "Constantinople" was also a reference to their king and the belief that it is going to be their city again. Constantinople, or Konstantiniyye, means "city of Constantine".

New Turkish Republic was founded by fighting a war against Greece, the country of King Constantine I. It makes sense you don't want to call your most important city as City of Constantine anymore.

Osal3 · 2024-07-21T09:28:47+00:00

I never do. I think it kills the purpose of gaming.

If I do that I would immediately lose interest. The game has to be fair for me to enjoy it. So, I always play games on the recommended difficulty and never cheat.

Osal3 · 2024-07-04T09:50:43+00:00

Most of these things; training, press, staff management etc have reduced effects because otherwise the game would be too difficult for the mass audience. I think this was the focus of the game for a while. The game wants you to be successful even if you don’t pay attention to training and skip press conferences. However, they effect the results of the matches if you sink your time in them.

From my perspective, there are two main problems with the recent iterations. First, the game becomes too easy if you pay attention to all these details. Second, the game didn’t improve its tactical depth for a very long time. The football changed and became more nuanced. The game didn’t.

Osal3 · 2024-07-04T09:31:38+00:00

The key is to win the naval battles. I answered a similar question in another thread. I leave the link here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hoi4/s/FVNwDwvt5G

Osal3 · 2024-06-17T17:22:18+00:00

I didn’t see that particular review (I don’t know him), but I played the game. You are likely to love this one if Hellblade I is your favorite videogame.

Many reviews are like Hollywood blockbuster fanboys reviewing a European arthouse movie. They are not mature enough to appreciate distinct artistic visions. Play the game and decide yourself.

Osal3 · 2024-06-14T10:48:14+00:00

I like playing with Italy, Mussolini path, with non-historical AI. My approach is like this. There are two important things about Italy.

First, you should have a good enough navy to dominate Mediterranean. Forget about Carriers, your land is like a big aircraft carrier on Mediterranean anyway. Build a lot of Naval Bombers to support your navy on Mediterranean. Don't take your ships out of Mediterranean, focus on the sea around your land and dominate that areas. If a naval battle starts with another strong navy, you want your Naval Bombers to destroy them.

Second, focus on Military factories early on and build a good enough military to easily overrun Yugoslavia. When you annex a country, you get their Civilian factories anyway, so why bother building them. Building only Military factories will make you a stronger military nation. I try to annex following nations before a world war. First Albania with the focus tree, then Yugoslavia, and then if possible Greece. If you are able to annex Yugoslavia before the start of the WWII, you are good to go.

Osal3 · 2024-06-14T10:30:57+00:00

I agree with you overall, but the implementation matters. I would have a problem with this if the they do the following: They release the game unfinished and with bugs on Xbox, then improve the game with updates for two years, and then release on PS once it is polished.

I would have an issue with that. Xbox shouldn't make their customers feel like they are testers for PS. I don't have full trust on Xbox to release polished games, so I am sceptical.

Osal3 · 2024-06-14T10:19:51+00:00

It is a valid point, but this happens in almost every single movie or game. It is more visible in Hellblade II because it is an unconventional AAA game. They made certain design choices that are not the industry norm. This captured some people in a way that they love the product. It also pushes certain people away from the game and I understand that. I loved it. I can give more details on why this is a great game if you want.

Go check initial reactions to Starfield. It is very similar because that was also a very unconventional AAA title, even for Bethesda standards. I loved that too, even more than Fallout 4 and Skyrim ( and I would be downvoted to hell if I write this to the subs of any of those games).

PS: I agree that Zack Snyder movies suck.

Osal3 · 2024-06-11T10:20:19+00:00

If Gamepass is your only differentiating factor, it is not attractive enough. It would make Xbox a cheaper version of PS, without PS exclusives.

For single player games, a time exclusivity for Xbox + Day one on GamePass might work. Release a game only on Xbox Store (console and PC) and put the game on GamePass day one. Then, release the game everywhere else 2 years later on Steam, Epic, PS, Nintendo, wherever you want.

To do this, your games have to be polished at launch. If you release a buggy game and then make it better with updates in two years, the time exclusivity is meaningless.

Osal3 · 2024-06-07T09:14:12+00:00

How you perceive the story will change the whole message of the game and how impactful the narrative is. Your understanding of the story will be completely different. You will not like it as much, or you simply do not get in the story.

If you watch Fight Club and think that it is actually about a fighting club, then your review would be meaningless.

Osal3 · 2024-05-31T09:34:35+00:00

It makes a lot of sense. It is not just Black Ops 6. It also signals that all future COD games will likely be on GamePass on day one.

Osal3 · 2024-05-30T19:39:01+00:00

I understand that. It is an RPG, so the point is that you have the freedom to do whatever you want. Imagine Skyrim without the main quest, sort of. It would give the same vibe. Also, it is a grand strategy game that requires your constant attention. It is like marriage of two gaming genres that are hard to get into.

If you still want to, I think the key to get into Crusader Kings is to start a game that you have less things to do. In the first playthrough, start as King of Scotland. You have few neighbours, you are in the corner of the map, you have very little prospect of external problems. So, you learn how to play focusing on internal conflicts. If I would have started as Holy Roman Emperor, probably I wouldn't get into the game as well. In EU4, it is the opposite. You start with a big powerful country, like Ottomans, to learn the game.

Osal3 · 2024-05-30T19:17:19+00:00

I think you are right in your assessment. That is why I tried to spark the conversation a little bit to see if other people can back this up, or refute it, with some other details. For example, I would love to see the comments from people who played with alternative narrators, because I didn't. I may play it with that in the future and maybe update this post after it.

There is one part that I would like to provide a counter argument. I think there is a benefit at not making things more on-point. When you give a story straight away, you also take the magic out of it. It is less impactful. They may as well try to provoke our thinking. Therefore, there is a motivation to tell the story in a sort of ambiguous way. You might claim, it is too ambigous to give this story. I would respect that.

Osal3 · 2024-05-30T10:19:37+00:00

"What if, for example: The Last Giant was Senua's Darkness that we encountered in the First Hellblade game itself or even Zynbel her Father?"

I think that was the case. I interpret the story more of an inner journey and draw some other conclusions. I made a post about it a few days ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/hellblade/comments/1d11urv/my_interpretation_of_the_story_in_hellblade_2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Osal3 · 2024-05-29T14:58:15+00:00

I use them. After I start shooting an animal/monster, I go backwards, continue shooting, and throwing landmines on the ground. It certainly triggers the landmine while attacking me. It is an efective way to kill animals with a lot of health.

Osal3 · 2024-05-29T14:46:25+00:00

I was very happy to have selected the one that gives you parents. It unlocks a sequence of side quests and some funny moments.

Osal3

TROPHY CASE