Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 delayed until at least 2022, dev team replaced
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That's all well and good, but it does seem like the dev hell that is coming off of this game is coming from a group of developers who have no leadership, and no clear vision to what they are trying to create (just like with Anthem). I'm sure there is a lot of "game" created at this point for VMB2, assets, character models, etc, and the body of work that is there is likely the reason it hasn't outright been canned. However that doesn't mean that what has already been made can be put together into something that isn't a complete mess.
I myself was worried as fuck when FF7R got yanked from it's original developer to be brought in house at Square to actually make the project. The difference there at least is that Nomura clearly had a vision for the game and there was leadership that was able to utliize all the pieces that Cyberconnect2 had already made to make FF7R the game it became.
However nothing we've heard or seen has suggested that any sort of vision or leadership is present for VMB2, which worries me because I was also excited to play this game. I haven't played the series before but I've heard nothing but good things so I was looking forward to this for sure.
Now....I dunno, not so much personally.
They aren't? What counts as immersive sim rpg though? Does Pillars of Eternity count? Divinity? Balder's Gate?
They might not be the most mass-produced games, but complex rpgs still come out at a decent clip and always do fairly well.
Top down CRPGs like Pillars, Divinity, and Shadowrun are (relatively) cheap to make. They don't need a great deal of graphical polish to look presentable. The usual viewing distance is pretty far from the assets, and there's often a fixed perspective that means levels only have to be seen by one angle. Systems for combat and dialogue are usually separate and contain carefully controlled and simple systems. "Level design" isn't really a thing, there's just a scripted sequence of encounters and things you have to do in a given area. You might be able to choose what fights occur and bypass some through scripted events, but it's almost impossible to do anything that wasn't intended by the devs.
Immersive sims are a whole other kettle of fish. They're usually first person so the expected graphical fidelity is whatever the modern standard is for that kind of game. The goal is to fully immerse the player in the shoes of their character, so it all needs to look right. They're generally shooters so that part of the gameplay needs to feel good, but can't be designed in such a way that it becomes a player's automatic default response to a problem. They also need alternatives to combat, like stealth and traversal, that also feel satisfying and properly integrated into the game design. Being able to use mechanics in interesting and unexpected ways is important, but they can't be game breaking. Nobody should feel like they're missing out for doing a particular playstyle. The level design has to be open ended in a way that allows players to tackle obstacles in a way they want while preventing them from becoming trivial. Oh, also the level design has to feel like an actual location and not feel like a videogame level. Also the story has to be told in a way that makes player interaction with it feel natural. In CRPGs you're usually choosing your role, but in an immersive sim you're literally playing it and the associated choices that come with that have to feel like they're part of the world, not the game. On top of all that, they're a very niche type of action game. They're slow paced and cerebral in a way that means they're probably not going to appeal to a mass market, despite how costly a good one can be to make.
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Might explain why people are so mad at Bethesda. Considering Fallout 4 and 76 weren't stellar and TES6 is a long way off.
I guess the most recent Sim I can think of would be Prey? I think that's right, or I guess technically Cyberpunk 2077 but we know where that's at atm don't we?
Well again if the games are to be as deep as you imply, the shody development of VM2 that we've thusfar seen can't be a good sign.
Prey's one. How far they contain RPG elements varies, but intricate level design and diversity in approach is a hallmark. Thief II completely forgoes RPG elements while retaining significant flexibility in approach, while Deus Ex opens up a lot options depending on what stats you've chosen. Something like New Vegas is somewhere between CPRG and immersive sim design sensibility, since it's largely composed of linear dungeons with scripted events like a CRPG, but does allow for some on the fly tactical decision making and has a fairly immersive first person perspective. Touches of immersive sim design sensibility can also add a unique flavour to games that aren't completely full blooded immersive sims. Bioshock's levels are relatively linear and there's an overall emphasis on fast paced shooting, but there's still opportunities for exploration and environmental puzzle solving and storytelling, as well as allowing your character build to be tweaked to your liking. Half-Life is very firmly a pure shooter, but twitch reflexes will only carry you so far; careful examination of the environment and creative use of your tools are more or less necessary to proceed.
Something is wrong when I now believe that Elder Scrolls 6 will happen before System Shock 3 and have more chance of being good then VM2 and more stable then Cyberpunk.
I have no sympathy for the people who are still placing the blackened stumps that used to be their hands on the stove. "It won't burn me this time!"
I have occasionally predordered things but it's always been expansions that are already finished to games that I already own, rather than games that may one day exist.
I love immersive sim, but they really cannot catch a break. I'd say prey 2016 is easily in my top 10 game, but it apparently barely broke even.... Deus ex is dead once again and System shock 3 is probably too. It really feel like they're becoming more and more niche but they require a certain minimum amount of resource to be good and studio just can't justify it.
Dishonored 2 and its expansion came out around Prey. Which had middling sales like Prey. Which is really disappointing, as they are all great game.
The publishers are expecting huge hits out of all these game and the like of Deus Ex. Don’t get me wrong, the have good sales. Just not hits that give huge ROIs