In my Oblivion Remastered playthroughs, Speed is my favored attribute. I currently play a female Nord Barbarian, and it is an incredibly interesting way to play the game.
Rather playing a lumbering knight or warrior, as a barbarian you focus on quick movement towards to victory over your opponents. The importance is on quick hits that have a concentration on damage over a slow battle. Speed tends to get not as much attention in the Elder Scrolls games. However, in Oblivion they are well worth your time and make the gameplay have more frantic and fluid pacing which helps to ease players with the somewhat clunky combat systems in the game.
It seems that there is no shortage of videos complaining about the state of video games. There are some users who try to say that the video game industry is healthy, but the truth is sobering that the industry is not healthy no matter what one says. It has been trending towards a state of stagnation and open disdain for the people who made it what it is today: the gamers.
Such sentiments seem to be arising out of a culture of complacency which seems to have seeped into the industry due to its own successes. The 1983 Video Game Calamity which struck the industry has been the rear-view mirror since Nintendo came and rescued the home video game market with the Home Entertainment System.
However, there is still a wealth of old games that are just waiting to be discovered once again and give us hope about the future of this great means of storytelling. One of those games is Empire Earth 2.
The thing that Empire Earth II has the most modern games do not have is that the game show a desire for actual innovation while respecting its foundations that were in the original game.
The interface of Empire Earth 2 is more clunky than intuitive to the player. However, one can appreciate how the developers were trying to put as much effort into putting as many features as possible into the menu. Some games such as the recently released Civilization VII, represent a regression in showing information to the player. In Empire Earth 2, every button, every signal has a purpose. Maybe they overloaded the player with choices but I prefer more choice than not having any choice.
What I really love about this game is the weather effects. Age of Empires IV, in spite of being a beautiful game skimps on the weather and it shows. There is too much of a desire to optimize every single feature so people do not complain.
In my opinion, it is better to have people complain and have a great product. If it is able to stand on its own, the crowds will come regardless of initial skepticism surrounding the game.
What Empire Earth 2 has is ability to stand on its own without relying on nostalgia. The sequel is able to improve upon the foundations without disrespecting it. The game seems like a reasonable approach to the need for change and innovation in a game series that was very successful when it launched in the early 2000s.
Overoptimization is the bane of the Video Game Industry. Let’s return to rough around the edges.
Tainted Grail has now been out for a day and it is clear that the game is going to gaining popularity. On Twitch specifically, the game is boasting some impressive numbers for an independently made game without a huge publisher behind it. According to the picture that I have attached here, the game got over 55,000 viewers on Twitch streams.
How does this compare to other games?
The closest comparison is the Obsidian developed game, Avowed, which came out earlier this year. That game was largely seen as a failure as its player base basically abandoned it in favor of other titles such as Kingdom Come 2 or Oblivion Remastered Edition which had much higher player counts in comparison to it.
As you can clearly see, Avowed had more players watching at its peak in February. However, the game basically has hardly any viewers now. The game also only has about 500 players playing it now. In comparison, Kingdom Come 2: Deliverance is still having a healthy 20,000 players peak on the weekends, which shows the staying power of this game.
Why is Tainted Grail Twitch Streams so low in comparison to other RPGs?
This game is not a mainstream release. While the game’s studios, Questline and Awaken Realms has published it, there are still hurdles. In a market as saturated with games as the Steam marketplace, Tainted Grail has to stand out from the competition. Oblivion Remastered is taking traffic away for sure and I am not surprised it has been performing so well with players.
Tainted Grail is an independent title in the truest sense. It hasn’t been picked up by any major publishing companies, which means that word of mouth is going to what helps this game become a success.
The three main areas for Tainted Grail to get attention are:
Steam
YouTube
Twitch
These three social media platforms are the main places where the awareness around the game can grow.
Currently, the game is looking quite strong for an independent Skyrim coming out of the Republic of Poland. Hopefully, it is not an Avowed but a true spiritual sequel to the Elder Scrolls.
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