Fresh Take: XBox Developer Direct Thoughts

 Available on YouTube

Thoughts

Yesterday Microsoft had their very own 'Treehouse Live', well kinda. They only showed five games from five of their development teams. The presentation ran about 45 minutes long which wasn't too bad. It was previously reported that a separate presentation will be done for Bethesda at a later date so I am guessing that's where Starfield will be talked about as that would make the most sense. So what about this presentation, let's talk about it:

Zenimax Online Studios

This studio basically talked about Elder Scrolls Online and their new expansion Necrom. It looks pretty decent but like I stated on the live reaction, I'm not into MMOs like that but the way it was presented is very interesting. They showed things from a lot of different Elder Scrolls games that I think fans will enjoy.

Mojang Studios

We knew about this game a while ago and that is Minecraft Legends. We learned a little more about the game and we also got a release date of 04/18/2023. The game itself the way it was presented is a Tower Defense mixed with a lot of strategy and team elements combined. Personally, not my kind of game I like Dungeons more but if you have a group of friends that play consistently; you may have fun with this one.

Arkane Studios

Another game that we knew about was Redfall. Personally, this one has me worried as I wasn't impressed with what I saw during the presentation. I think this game has been overhyped and it's going to be kind of hard to overcome it. I will say that this is the kind of game that should appeal to the Microsoft fanbase. I would love to hear what you guys think about this one in the comments. 

Turn 10 Studios

Forza, I mean what else is there to say. It is one of the premier simulation racers in gaming and this one looks great. Also, it was presented well but if you know about this title you should know what you are getting yourself into. 

Tango Gameworks

My personal game of the Direct is Hifi Rush. This game reminds me a lot of Jet Set Radio and I liked the presentation. It has a fun art style and the rhythm style gameplay looks to be very appealing. The other cool thing is that they released the game after the Direct. I will be picking this game up next week as I thought this was right up my alley.

Overall Thoughts

I didn't think it was a bad Direct. I think keeping it just to 5 studios worked better than having a bunch of studios come out and just drop trailers. I liked the Treehouse Live style they were going for but they should probably do that for one game going forward as opposed to five games. Didn't hate it but I think that they can improve on the format going forward. 

Wingin IT Podcast Reaction

Developer Direct Presentation (No Reaction)

Fresh Take - That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime: Scarlet Bond (Spoiler Free Thoughts)

 Available in Theaters

Synopsis (from IMDB): A long-running conspiracy is swirling over a mysterious power wielded by the Queen in Raja, a small country west of Tempest. When a slime who evolved into a Demon Lord named Rimuru Tempest crosses paths with Hiiro, a survivor of the Ogre race, an incredible adventure packed with new characters begins. The power of bonds will be put to the test.

I'm going to say this right now: if you haven't watched seasons 1 and 2 of the anime, you will be lost watching this movie. This movie references certain events from both seasons of the anime to set up this story and there's too much to explain if you're not up to date. That being said, I enjoyed this movie it has everything you like about the series and the story, while at times a little on the cliche side, does more right in my opinion than wrong. The animation is clean and looks exactly like the anime. The story itself isn't too bad, it has its cliche moments and a lot of the narrative revolves around the Queen of Raja and the curse that has taken place over the generations. The music is good and the action is well done. Some might complain that it just feels like an extended episode of the anime, personally, I don't feel like that is a bad thing as it does lend to a sense of familiarity. The voice acting is good as well I watched the Japanese version they do have an English dub you just have to check the time when you go to watch it. 

If there is one thing I didn't like it was how dumb a couple of the characters were acting in certain situations. I'm sure there was a better way to handle at least two scenes toward the end of the movie. Let me ask you this; if someone offers you something and 'curse' is in its name would you take it? If someone offered to help you save someone you care about and 'curse' is in the name of the act to be performed, would you still do it? It drove me crazy when this happened in the movie because there had to have been a better way to write that so that it's not so on the nose. While the writing wasn't horrible to me in certain spots it was just weird. Other than those few scenes I enjoyed the movie a lot. It got me hyped to see what is coming in season 3 as there are a couple plot points they can use going forward. 

For Parents

The movie runs at a little under two hours, however, the movie is paced very well. It didn't drag at all and had a good balance to it. There is some partial nudity in one scene, there is a butt cheek that is shown and the movie is rated PG-13. There is a lot of action in it but nothing vulgar or gratuitous.

Overall 

I would give this movie a MATINEE. Perfect for an afternoon when you have a couple hours to spend. Once again if you haven't seen the anime you may be a bit lost but I do think that it is a movie that can be enjoyed if you are a fan of anime in general. Have you seen Scarlet Bond? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. As always thanks for reading and supporting the blog.

Trailer