It's not about what players want, it's about what they'll buy, and bamboozling works way too often.
Agreed, pre-orders are a thing after all...but it's possible that it still works too often and also that gamers are becoming a bit more jaded about marketing. I don't buy anything till the Metacritic and Steam reviews are out, and I only watch gameplay videos any more cause who cares about the cut scenes? I'm sure I'm not the only one. Consumers eventually learn their lessons but then a new crop of consumers comes up.
Counterpoint: Call of Duty 27 should be out soon.
I was not a big fan of BG3 or even the divinity series, but I love Larian. Their products show clear passion for the budget they have, they don’t bad mouth other dev just to gain some brownie pts with gamers (CDPR) and their games are well supported.
What didn't you like about it? I didn't like divinity original sin so I've been hesitant on buying bg3.
To me it just felt like divinity with higher budget. It has Proper cinematic cutscenes and different rules to the combat. I guess I just don’t like CRPGs, I never properly feel immersed in the world.
Its weird because I loved dragon age origins and Pillars of eternity. I thought Wasteland 3 was ok.
I think with D:OS 2 I was annoyed that I didn't choose a premade character at the start, and that the storyline was just, become a god. I don't find that kind of narrative compelling. I also didn't like the fairytale lighthearted vibes. The world didn't feel "meaty" somehow.
You are giving me same vibes as myself, that meaty comment is spot-on. The game tell you that you’re traveling continents, but it never really feels like it, maybe we need a bit more imagination lol
The game has like four major maps, that's why it feels tiny compared to your average CRPG that has dozens of smaller maps to create a sense of a big diverse world.
Meanwhile, FIFA players: "when can I pre-order the next edition of my game, and could I just pay for the cards in advance, or do I have to wait until release?"
Sadly, bamboozling players, dark patterns and nickle-and-diming work, and work VERY well at that - if they didn't, people would stop doing it a long time ago...