The Elder Scrolls Online

[sam, an eggplant]

I agree that the only positive effect of a NDA is protecting a poor product, but the reverse is not necessarily true; an NDA does not necessarily mean the product is poor.

Although I can't come up with a counterexample off the top of my head.

[satael]

I think one of the problems with NDA these days is that the lines (if there were any to begin with) between alpha, closed beta and open beta are so blurred. NDA makes sense when the game is in alpha stage but beyond that it's just a hindrance in most cases.

[rk47]

[Lakov_Sanite]

le art

[Lucas]

Two previews out: PC Gamer and RPS. The latter is definitely harsher than the former (which is not exactly enthusiastic):

http://www.pcgamer.com/uk/previews/the-elder-scrolls-online-hands-on/
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/02/07/hands-on-the-first-few-hours-of-elder-scrolls-online/#more-188471

One more on Eurogamer:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-07-the-elder-scrolls-online-renounces-the-grind

EDIT: a more positive one on Worthplaying:
http://worthplaying.com/article/2014/2/7/previews/91290/

...While it's a mixed bag on Escapist from the various previewers:
Escapist link

Finally, on Massively, gaming "journalism" at its best:
http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/07/the-elder-scrolls-online-beta-is-absolutely-nothing-special/

Here's the very beginning of the article:

I've always had a profound antipathy toward the Elder Scrolls franchise.

[...]

The point I'm making here is that the franchise is not my jam. But that's part of the reason I wanted to try out The Elder Scrolls Online in the first place.

Alright.

[sam, an eggplant]

Always a pisser when the press can speak freely but the public can't. Sigh.

[Tmon]

Couple things from the RPS article that caught my eye.

Talking about cardboard quests and quest givers

And yes, it’s fair to level lots of these complaints at Skyrim or Oblivion. While each contained some lovely moments, there was an abundance of witless drivel being murmured by bored actors. But the difference was, you could just hop on your horse and ride off up a mountain to watch a sunset, before stumbling on a hidden cave leading to a ruined dungeon packed with marauding skellingtons, where you find a book that tells you about a secret place in a nearby tower… In ESO’s first few hours, you follow the marker to the next quest giver.

The crux of the jist as it were

Try as I might, I can’t help but see this as all the worst bits of TES games – the dreadful dialogue, the crummy acting, the god-awful inventories (WHY! Why would they deliberately bring that aspect of TES into the MMO world, so you’ve got endless vertical scrolling lists of items, rather than a nice, useful tiled window?), put into an old-fashioned MMO space.

Since they are going with the box + sub model, I wasn't terribly interested anyway but the stuff I've seen since they dropped the press NDA has pretty much sealed the deal for me.

[Draegan]

That Rockpapershotgun review is soooo poorly written. I had to stop after 2 paragraphs.

[LC]

Looks like zenimax paid off mmorpg.com. I watched hundreds of posts get purged from one of their eso articles this morning. All of them banned. Not even any real NDA breaking stuff. Just lots of "this game will be horrible" type stuff. I wonder what the price is for mmorpg.com's integrity. Probably not much since they didn't have much to begin with.  

[Paelos]

The PC gamer article is spot on.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Try as I might, I can’t help but see this as all the worst bits of TES games – the dreadful dialogue, the crummy acting, the god-awful inventories (WHY! Why would they deliberately bring that aspect of TES into the MMO world, so you’ve got endless vertical scrolling lists of items, rather than a nice, useful tiled window?), put into an old-fashioned MMO space.

No one sentence has ever made me put a game on the do not buy list until now.

[WayAbvPar]

Try as I might, I can’t help but see this as all the worst bits of TES games – the dreadful dialogue, the crummy acting, the god-awful inventories (WHY! Why would they deliberately bring that aspect of TES into the MMO world, so you’ve got endless vertical scrolling lists of items, rather than a nice, useful tiled window?), put into an old-fashioned MMO space.

No one sentence has ever made me put a game on the do not buy list until now.

Haha holy shit. Not that I was even slightly tempted to buy this, but they are using the console-y inventory? 

[satael]

Try as I might, I can’t help but see this as all the worst bits of TES games – the dreadful dialogue, the crummy acting, the god-awful inventories (WHY! Why would they deliberately bring that aspect of TES into the MMO world, so you’ve got endless vertical scrolling lists of items, rather than a nice, useful tiled window?), put into an old-fashioned MMO space.

No one sentence has ever made me put a game on the do not buy list until now.

Haha holy shit. Not that I was even slightly tempted to buy this, but they are using the console-y inventory? 

Probably because they are making console versions of the game (so why bother making something that works when you can blame consoles)

[Stormwaltz]

they are using the console-y inventory?

Wow, that... uh, that's surprising. 

[Rendakor]

As I've said before, this game is designed for console players. This should not surprise anyone.

[rk47]

As I've said before, this game is designed for console players. This should not surprise anyone.

Yes you entitled PC fucks. You need to understand when shit is designed on console, you have no right to have a functional UI for your PC port.
You didn't even make up 20% sales of the box, fuckwads.
Just plug a friggin' XBOX controller, what's so hard about that?

[Paelos]

Or just don't buy it at all and save yourself the headache of realizing you wasted $60 in the first 3 hours of gameplay.

[Lucas]

Game Informer (bold is mine):
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/the_elder_scrolls_online/b/pc/archive/2014/02/07/elder-scrolls-online-preview-first-few-hours.aspx

The preview opportunities I’ve had to check out The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) over the past year-and-a-half have been largely confined to a single beginner area – Stros M’kai. While visually appealing, the areas and aspects of the game that I explored felt stale and linear to a fault. The combat encounters were bland, as were the abilities I had access to. Today I’m going to talk about a more recent preview opportunity that let me out of the sub-par new player experience and into the actual open world of  The Elder Scrolls Online, into the teen levels and the actual game.
 
Let’s get this out of the way. I think the new player area of Stros M’kai does the game a great disservice by presenting a rather drab introductory experience. I was absolutely delighted to find that this experience rapidly changes as characters move into the world and explore areas such as Daggerfall and beyond. The contrast is a stark one; it’s almost like two different games, and changed my outlook and expectations for this title significantly. This rapid shift occurs for a number of reasons.

Yeah, I mean, in a sub-based MMO, and wth the amount of games you can play nowadays, who cares about first impressions/hours into the game? 

Game Reactor:
http://www.gamereactor.eu/previews/108464/The+Elder+Scrolls+Online+-+Beta+Impressions/

[HaemishM]

I'm kind of amazed that mainstream games press previews matched my considerable apathy for this game for the exact same reasons. It's almost like the game really is as boring as the videos.

[WayAbvPar]

I just about broke out in hives at the description of the combat system. DO NOT WANT.

[Bhazrak]

As I've said before, this game is designed for console players. This should not surprise anyone.

Yes you entitled PC fucks. You need to understand when shit is designed on console, you have no right to have a functional UI for your PC port.
You didn't even make up 20% sales of the box, fuckwads.
Just plug a friggin' XBOX controller, what's so hard about that?

Modders to the rescue again! Actually, can that even happen? I know they're supporting addons and the like, but does that fall into the same category as altering inventory management?

[Paelos]

I'm kind of amazed that mainstream games press previews matched my considerable apathy for this game for the exact same reasons. It's almost like the game really is as boring as the videos.

I'm shocked they weren't paid off before being unmuzzled. It's not far off from what I would have written, but with more examples about combat.

[Lucas]

As I've said before, this game is designed for console players. This should not surprise anyone.

Yes you entitled PC fucks. You need to understand when shit is designed on console, you have no right to have a functional UI for your PC port.
You didn't even make up 20% sales of the box, fuckwads.
Just plug a friggin' XBOX controller, what's so hard about that?

Modders to the rescue again! Actually, can that even happen? I know they're supporting addons and the like, but does that fall into the same category as altering inventory management?

"Lovers Lab" would do an AMAZING job with TESO 

[Modern Angel]

I still like it. And Game Informer dude touches on a major failing of the game which is the source for a lot of heartburn. Which part is 

[rk47]

As I've said before, this game is designed for console players. This should not surprise anyone.

Yes you entitled PC fucks. You need to understand when shit is designed on console, you have no right to have a functional UI for your PC port.
You didn't even make up 20% sales of the box, fuckwads.
Just plug a friggin' XBOX controller, what's so hard about that?

Modders to the rescue again! Actually, can that even happen? I know they're supporting addons and the like, but does that fall into the same category as altering inventory management?

"Lovers Lab" would do an AMAZING job with TESO 

*glances at his credit card*

Yes. I think it just might.

*licks lips*

[Venkman]

Just plug a friggin' XBOX controller, what's so hard about that?

No. If I want a console game, I'll go buy a console. PC games aren't (just) about better graphics to me. They're about a control system superior to 3D space. But forget all that. Making a UI that works fine for a PC user isn't that fucking hard. You just need to care. Some games do this better than others.

The PC gamer article is spot on.

This. Completely. But RPS isn't wrong at all either.

[Senses]

Such Genius.  Lift the ban on the press to get out the luke warm reception while still threatening to ban anyone who tries to defend it.

[Venkman]

Not much choice. This is part of a marketing rollout, probably planned six months in advance. There's likely been some nailbiting recently, and maybe some resume polishing in the marketing department...

[Cyrrex]

So this is still pretty much "All the things you loved about Skyrim...totally not included here.  But don't worry, we've made up for that by including all the things you didn't like or didn't care about, plus all the usual trappings of a modern day MMO that you probably have grown to hate by now".

[Spiff]

and maybe some resume polishing in the marketing department...

They'd be better off faking an entirely new resume and switching careers at this point.
Marketing for this has been a catastrophe, no matter how unimpressive the game may or may not be 

[satael]

I so wish they'd drop the NDA on this for players. Considering it's less than 2 months to launch there's really no point in keeping it up. 

[Venkman]

So this is still pretty much "All the things you loved about Skyrim...totally not included here.  But don't worry, we've made up for that by including all the things you didn't like or didn't care about, plus all the usual trappings of a modern day MMO that you probably have grown to hate by now".

Yes. But take out "modern day".

[Paelos]

I so wish they'd drop the NDA on this for players. Considering it's less than 2 months to launch there's really no point in keeping it up. 

I've already pointed out the things I wanted to point out. At this point all lifting it would do would be able for us to give details as to why.

[Modern Angel]

and maybe some resume polishing in the marketing department...

They'd be better off faking an entirely new resume and switching careers at this point.
Marketing for this has been a catastrophe, no matter how unimpressive the game may or may not be 

Very fucking much this.

[Cyrrex]

So this is still pretty much "All the things you loved about Skyrim...totally not included here.  But don't worry, we've made up for that by including all the things you didn't like or didn't care about, plus all the usual trappings of a modern day MMO that you probably have grown to hate by now".

Yes. But take out "modern day".

By modern, I meant tab targeting and hotbar clicky combat.  Because that's what all the other failed AAA MMOs are doing.  Am I wrong?