Octopus Overlords

I'm really hoping this game is as good as I think it will be. Xbox needs a great game other than CoD. I'm not giving up on Stalker 2 either, but I have a feeling Indy will be my favorite game on the Xbox this year.

Really looks good. Have high hopes for it.

And to think...Indy might have lived long enough to hear Devo's Whip It.

This is... odd; from PCGamesN How long is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle?

According to Axel Torvenius, the game’s creative director, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is “by far the biggest and longest game that MachineGames have ever done.” Based on this information, we estimate Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will take at least 12 hours to beat.

We analyzed MachineGames’ back catalog on howlongtobeat.com, taking a close look at its game releases to find that Wolfenstein: The New Order has the longest runtime, coming in at around 11.5 hours. Judging by what Torvenius has said, we can assume at the bare minimum that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will likely exceed the length of The New Order.

In an interview with MinnMax, Torvenius goes on to say that there are nearly three hours worth of cutscenes in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. This means that you’re basically getting an entire movie’s worth of footage to watch in between bouts of Nazi punching.

It's a weird article, estimating how long to beat the game by using the creative director's comment on it being a longer game than the previous one. Anyway, the mention of "nearly three hours worth of cutscenes" is interesting too.

It's an example of "journalism" where they are reporting on someone else's interview with a primary source, rather than doing any real work themselves. The entire premise is weird to me. It's basically low-grade gossip in service of generating content.

Early Access (actually Early Release) starts tomorrow, release to everyone December 9th. I'm waiting for impressions from OO folks...

A bunch of Twitch streamers are already playing it.

https://www.twitch.tv/directory/category/indiana-jones

This thing is getting stellar reviews so far. 9/10 from both Gamespot and IGN.

Oof. This is the game that makes my PC officially obsolete. The minimum spec calls for an i7-10700K, and I've got an i7-9700KF.

Ya I want it badly but I know my 14 year old machine would cry and scamper off. So one day I guess.

It looks like I may need to get GamePass again. I watched a pretty critical review of it (ACG) and I'm still pretty interested.

I noticed this is the first game to require ray tracing.

Max Peck wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:24 pm Oof. This is the game that makes my PC officially obsolete. The minimum spec calls for an i7-10700K, and I've got an i7-9700KF.

Well, now you have me worried. I have a i7-8700K. I've been able to run everything so far with no problems. I guess it's time to start saving for an upgrade in a year or two.

xbox app downloads sooo slowwww. I am starting to regret going Gamepass. It has been downloading for over 2 hours and it's at 33%. On steam it would have been done in around 30 minutes. I guess this is a tomorrow game.

Well, let us know what you thought of it tomorrow night after you’ve finished it.

Steam reviews are "Very Positive" but the ones I've read (I use a 10+ hours played filter) still are at only a dozen hours or so into the game. I'll be waiting for reviews by folks with a lot more playtime than that.

I'm still a little hesitant due to the price (no GamePass here) but frankly it's December when I have less and less time I can count on as my own and I'm reluctant to start getting deep into any game right now. Maybe in January

naednek wrote: Sat Dec 07, 2024 5:02 pm

Max Peck wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:24 pm Oof. This is the game that makes my PC officially obsolete. The minimum spec calls for an i7-10700K, and I've got an i7-9700KF.

Well, now you have me worried. I have a i7-8700K. I've been able to run everything so far with no problems. I guess it's time to start saving for an upgrade in a year or two.

well it runs smooth as butter. Future upgrade paused Not sure why they are saying the minimum is an i7-10700K

coopasonic wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 10:22 pm xbox app downloads sooo slowwww. I am starting to regret going Gamepass. It has been downloading for over 2 hours and it's at 33%. On steam it would have been done in around 30 minutes. I guess this is a tomorrow game.

you could have preloaded

naednek wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 3:46 am

coopasonic wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 10:22 pm xbox app downloads sooo slowwww. I am starting to regret going Gamepass. It has been downloading for over 2 hours and it's at 33%. On steam it would have been done in around 30 minutes. I guess this is a tomorrow game.

you could have preloaded

I just got gamepass yesterday and when I searched it didn't come up with the version I could preload and I decided not to sweat it. I haven't seen a download rate that slow in decades.

Anyway, finally got to play a bit this morning and I've enjoyed the first hour. Sadly I have to drive 600 miles tomorrow and our roof is being replaced on Wednesday (and I may find excuses to not be home listening to the pounding) so I may not finish this until Thursday.

naednek wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 3:45 am

naednek wrote: Sat Dec 07, 2024 5:02 pm

Max Peck wrote: Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:24 pm Oof. This is the game that makes my PC officially obsolete. The minimum spec calls for an i7-10700K, and I've got an i7-9700KF.

Well, now you have me worried. I have a i7-8700K. I've been able to run everything so far with no problems. I guess it's time to start saving for an upgrade in a year or two.

well it runs smooth as butter. Future upgrade paused Not sure why they are saying the minimum is an i7-10700K

Ooohhh...

Yeah I got to play about an hour and it's a good time. Troy Baker does an excellent Harrison Ford, and it really feels like playing out an Indiana Jones adventure. I was quite impressed with the level of detail - lots of rooms, hallways, etc. filled with stuff to look at that doesn't actually have any impact on gameplay but greatly heightens the sense of immersion. I l also like the open level design which lets you decide your approach on taking out enemies - kind of had a Dishonored bit of feel to me. Obviously I'm very early in, but I only expect it to get better from here as side missions start to unlock and skill upgrades become a thing.

coopasonic wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 9:29 am

naednek wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 3:46 am

coopasonic wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 10:22 pm xbox app downloads sooo slowwww. I am starting to regret going Gamepass. It has been downloading for over 2 hours and it's at 33%. On steam it would have been done in around 30 minutes. I guess this is a tomorrow game.

you could have preloaded

I just got gamepass yesterday and when I searched it didn't come up with the version I could preload and I decided not to sweat it. I haven't seen a download rate that slow in decades.

Anyway, finally got to play a bit this morning and I've enjoyed the first hour. Sadly I have to drive 600 miles tomorrow and our roof is being replaced on Wednesday (and I may find excuses to not be home listening to the pounding) so I may not finish this until Thursday.

Well, I pre-loaded so when I get home tonight, I'm putting on my fedora and taking out my whip for a few hours.

I feel like this is the point where someone is supposed to say "And after that, you should play the game for a while."

He also forgot the scare quotes on pulling out his "whip"

I probably should have written "uncoiling", right?

Well, I pre-loaded so when I get home tonight, I'm putting on my fedora and taking out my whip for a few hours

I have 2 fedoras. One is authentic Indiana Jones merch and one is a true NYC 5th Ave fedora. Love them both. I guess I could wear the Indy one when I play the game..if I ever get to play the game.

I've always thought of you more as a Marion Ravenwood.

hepcat wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 4:22 pm I've always thought of you more as a Marion Ravenwood.

I no longer have the hair for that.

Yesterday, I started it for the first time and it displayed on my main monitor #1. Today I loaded it up and it's going to my 2nd display even though it says monitor 1. No matter what I do to switch it doesn't. I tried window mode thinking I could drag it over like any other game/app but for some stupid coding decision, you can't move your mouse beyond the gameplay area. I tried using window commands to move it over with no luck. I've tried resetting the graphics settings with no success. I've reset the pc nothing. I can't find a config file to manually change it. So I'm stuck on my 60hz display.

The next thing I'm going to try is unplug one of the monitors.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

I started this on PC this evening thanks to GamePass and played for a couple hours, long enough to meet Antonio and be turned loose in Vatican City (with my disguise), and I'm really impressed so far. As YK mentioned, the open level design and level of detail put into pretty much every aspect of the world make for a really immersive experience, and the way they've made the entire experience feel so much like you're inside an Indiana Jones movie is really impressive. I haven't had enough combat yet to really get a feel for all the systems involved in that aspect of the game, but I have had some fun using the whip to either stun or grab enemies to make for easy knockouts, and the number of objects that you can pick up and use in the environment is neat (although I don't think the particular item you use as a weapon makes much difference other than its durability). It all works surprisingly well and looks fantastic.

Speaking of looks, this is easily one of the best looking games I've played. The gaming rig I built back in March (i7-14700, 64GB RAM, RTX4080 Super) is finally proving its worth as I'm able to run this at 3440x1440 on my 34" ultrawide OLED display with the graphics settings maxed ('Supreme' settings with full ray tracing), and the framerate has stayed between 80-125fps the entire time. Oddly, the cutscenes seemed to be capped at 60fps as the framerate instantly drops directly to 60 as soon as a cutscene begins and goes back to higher numbers as soon as I'm back in first-person view...doesn't really matter because it still looks smooth, but it's an interesting design choice. In my case, performance has been great without a single hitch or graphical glitch and it looks amazing. The opening scenes in the jungle are some of the most detailed graphics I've ever seen and the fully ray-traced lighting is incredible. There are a few cutscene moments in the opening temple sequence that could almost pass for real. This game really does look that good, and I'm genuinely excited to see what's ahead because I'm sure there are even more impressive environments to come. The only other game I've played that comes close from a graphics standpoint is Senua's Saga - Hellblade II, but that was a more 'curated' experience without the freedom to explore and interact with a more open, immersive world like Indiana Jones.

I've only put in about two hours and am just scratching the surface, but this game has been everything I've hoped for and I really can't complain about anything so far...can't wait to play some more!

I've only gotten to Antonio this far.

I immediately started playing in cinematic mode as soon as it gave me the option.

The voice and music are perfect so far. Having fun.

I'm glad to hear this one is good. I have it loaded up and ready to go but I really want to beat Metaphor Refantazio before I start this. I know once I start Indiana that's all I'll play until I beat it.

Pyperkub wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2024 2:02 am I've only gotten to Antonio this far.

I immediately started playing in cinematic mode as soon as it gave me the option.

The voice and music are perfect so far. Having fun.

I started with that too, but not surprisingly, felt more like I was watching a movie than being in a game. I switched it to widescreen.

Alefroth wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2024 2:29 pm

Pyperkub wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2024 2:02 am I've only gotten to Antonio this far.

I immediately started playing in cinematic mode as soon as it gave me the option.

The voice and music are perfect so far. Having fun.

I started with that too, but not surprisingly, felt more like I was watching a movie than being in a game. I switched it to widescreen.

That was the point for me! 1

It's also a good option for those that like to increase their field of view.

Scraper wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2024 9:16 am I'm glad to hear this one is good. I have it loaded up and ready to go but I really want to beat Metaphor Refantazio before I start this. I know once I start Indiana that's all I'll play until I beat it.

Same here - I was getting bored-ish with Star Wars Outlaws after about 40hrs, so I focused on the main questline to finish it up last night. Now, I can move to this today!

Alefroth wrote:

Pyperkub wrote: Tue Dec 10, 2024 2:02 am I've only gotten to Antonio this far.

I immediately started playing in cinematic mode as soon as it gave me the option.

The voice and music are perfect so far. Having fun.

I started with that too, but not surprisingly, felt more like I was watching a movie than being in a game. I switched it to widescreen.

I'm playing in 'cinematic' because that mode's 21:9 aspect ratio matches my ultrawidescreen monitor. Essentially makes the game run full-screen all the time, during both gameplay and cutscenes.

Nice. Yeah, the black bars were a little too distracting, and it was pulled back a little too much for me to feel immersed.

OK, I just played through to Antonio too. Hoo-boy, does this game evoke all the feelings. From the sheer over-the-top details in everything (posters, placards, etc.) to the music and how it ebbs and flows (such as hearing Marion's Theme when she is mentioned, or even implied, thank you John Williams) to sneaking around a fortress at night, worried about being sighted, and turning only to see your shadow on the wall with the iconic fedora...

I'm excited about what my time ahead with this game holds!

coopasonic wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 9:29 am

naednek wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 3:46 am

coopasonic wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 10:22 pm xbox app downloads sooo slowwww. I am starting to regret going Gamepass. It has been downloading for over 2 hours and it's at 33%. On steam it would have been done in around 30 minutes. I guess this is a tomorrow game.

you could have preloaded

I just got gamepass yesterday and when I searched it didn't come up with the version I could preload and I decided not to sweat it. I haven't seen a download rate that slow in decades.

Anyway, finally got to play a bit this morning and I've enjoyed the first hour. Sadly I have to drive 600 miles tomorrow and our roof is being replaced on Wednesday (and I may find excuses to not be home listening to the pounding) so I may not finish this until Thursday.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

FWIW, I've had issues in the past with gamepass preloads. There's ALWAYS a release day patch, and I've had that cause me to have to re-downloaded everything.