Will State of Decay 2 Be Another Microsoft Letdown?

Enricko: Keeping up with Mircosoft’s track record, they haven’t exactly given us anything that would make us like them any more than we already do (Which I assume isn’t all that much for most people). One of their latest and most ambitious titles, Sea of Thieves, had everyone excited at first, but then people quickly realized that they had a bare-bones game after only a couple of hours of playtime; and they hyped this game since its initial development!

[corroios]

It wont be a letdown because there isn't hype around the game. Nobody thinks that this game will set any kind of standard or will evolve the Zombie genre.

[AspiringProGenji]

So I'll be okay if the game is shit as long as there's no hype... I would expect much more from MS especially in the dire situation they are with their games

[AmstradAmiga]

Was the original state of decay ever hyped and promoted to be more than what it was? Anyone who thinks the sequel will get MS back on track with its console exclusives is fooling themselves.

It's no AAA system seller and was never designed to be.

[GottaBjimmyb]

Noone said it would be a bad game, just that the expectations for it are equivalent to what the game offers.

It looks fun and I and my friends plan to play it, and have no doubt it will be worth every penny of the $30.

That said, it most likely is not going to be a genre changing game, or a game of the year contender, just a fun game. Though, IDK why that is such an issue.

[quent]

So you want ms to put hype behind a 2nd party indie game that they have nothing to do with then, should we talk about NMS perhaps ?

[BiggerBoss]

I don't think the game will be shit, but I don't think it'll be great either. Luckily, MS isn't hyping it to the stars.

Hope it's a fun game, but yeah, definitely won't turn the tides for MS. I don't think it's meant to though.

[conanlifts]

The original has a meta score of 78/79 So never scored highly. I think it is a niche game that you love or hate. State of decay 2 might not score higher than this but it is still likely to be the exact sequel that many of its fans want. Which in my opinion is a bigger and slightly more refined version of the first. This has been one of my most anticipated games on any platform this gen.
The problem is that if scores in the 70's like the first it will likely be labelled a failure on this site, even if it is the sequel the fans wanted.

[LabRat]

I don't think its necessarilly a "you either love it or you hate it". I played the first one and had a lot of fun, thought it was thoroughly enjoyable. Did I love it? Absolutely not. It had flaws and annoyances. Will I buy the sequel? Sure. I liked the first one, but it wasn't a game changer or jaw dropper. Does Xbox desperately need to invest in first party jaw droppers? Yes. Is state of decay 2 going to be one? No. But you don't need to "love it" to enjoy it.

[conanlifts]

@Labrat. Yes my wording was probably a bit strong. But I do think it has a small cult like following with people like myself who thought the game was amazing. On the flip side I also think there will always be those that hate it and those like yourself that think it was okay. This game, in my opinion will never appeal to everyone and I would be surprised if it scored anything higher than mid 80's, possibly less, due to this.

I do completely agree that MS need to invest vast amounts of money on new IP's, new games, studios etc. They have so much work to do on this front. Particularly if their hope is to turn gamepass into a netflix type product. For this to work they would need to be releasing their own games at least monthly.

[IamTylerDurden1]

The game has been hyped though. Both Microsoft and their fans have propped this game up into a position it was never meant to be. It's all due to the lack of quality exclusive on Xbox. If Xbox had a pipeline of quality exclusives (like other companies) you would not see SoD2 positioned as one of the big Xbox releases of 2018. The original game was a $20 release, this game is a $30 title. These are budget games that might not even see stage time at E3 had it been a Sony exclusive. There are highly rated PS4 exclusives like Yakuza 6, MLB The Show 18, and Ni No Kuni II that recently released and none of those games received the hype or stage time that SoD2 received. And these are $60 titles that all rated well above 80 Metacritic.

I have to believe it will be a letdown because the game is being positioned as something it's not, a major console exclusive.

[ThinkThink]

No, they didn't. Where are you seeing this?

[nibblo]

It's had a couple of trailers at E3 and is a half price game from an indie dev and that is about the total amount of hype it has gotten. All other media has been by Undead Labs themselves and fans of the game. There has been no hype whatsoever for this game from MS but it's fans are very vocal as they enjoyed it a great deal.
Now expectations from non-fans has been high because of the console wars and fanboy reasons but that is it.

[gangsta_red]

No one one has "hyped" or "propped" this game to be anything more than what it is.

"There are highly rated PS4 exclusives like..."

Cue the Sony promotion..

[IamTylerDurden1]

SoD2 received ample E3 stage time from Microsoft. The original game was a $20 release yet people were surprised when SoD2 announced at $30 (50 for Ultimate Edition). If it wasn't overhyped then why would people be so shocked "that the price was so low" when it's still significantly more expensive than the original game? It's because SoD2 was being propped up as something it wasn't. Even Greenberg acted like the reason it was $30 was simply because Microsoft wanted to give people a break as if it's a really a game that would warrant a higher price.

Xbox fans have absolutely hyped this game. Are you kidding? Even on here the game had been hyped. It was talked about as one of the three big Xbox releases this year. As i said above, you guys were so surprised when the price was announced.

[IamTylerDurden1]

It's funny how hyped everyone was a couple months ago, but now that negative previews are coming out you guys are backing off. There were articles lined with people praising MS for the $30 price point as if they expected the game to be full priced when the original released at $20. People on this site were raving about this game when information came out a month or two ago. Now the feeling is lukewarm and people are protecting themselves because previews aren't looking good. Even Septic is doing this. He was hyping it up until negative previews recently came out. You can call me a fanboy or be insulting all you want, but it won't make what i'm saying untrue. From day 1 i said SoD2 looked budget yet people trashed me for it. People hyped themselves into believing it was something more...until the negative previews came out.

[IamTylerDurden1]

CD3 was similarly overhyped due to the lack of games. The original CD was a throw-in with the Halo beta, i enjoyed it, but it was never a big franchise. Now, CD3 is the biggest upcoming announced Xbox game because there is nothing else (AAA). It just is what it is.

[gangsta_red]

I always laugh at how some people just read general excitement for a game and then automatically turn that into "hype" when they're trying to downplay or concern troll a game.

No one was hyping this game up in the context that you're trying really hard to put it in Tyler.

When you read people excited, discussing or even when some news outlets cover a game, how does that equal 'hyping"? All you're doing is setting up a false narrative for yourself when this game release so you can come back here and start leaving comments on how "people were hyping this game", "how you knew it had problems but people were hyping it up", "how you don't understand where all the hype came from" and any other pretend "hype" excuses you will make up.

No matter what will happen with the game it will always be a letdown in your opinion and now you have the perfect set up to continue to post in every SoD2 article what a let down it is because of the *hype*.

[antz1104]

How do you take a "will this be a letdown" story and include a list of PlayStation exclusives? Right there your saying you want this to fail, and it makes you're argument that you have about this game being overhyped seem force fed.

First one wasn't perfect but it was very enjoyable...I think if undead labs can make that work again then this game will be well worth the $30 price tag. Hype has nothing to do with it when it's fun.

[Markusb33]

Yeah I don't see all the hype on this title like SOT and people loved the first game so if it sticks to a similar format and adds to it with the co op no reason it can't do well.

[Nu]

No, State of Decay 2 won't disappoint. I bet it'll be better than Sea of thieves. If the gameplay of the first was fun then my money is on this sequel staying true to form.

[nowitzki2004]

At this point if you are being letdown by MS then I am sorry for you.. You are a very loyal fan, but a long while ago you should have gotten used to being letdown.

[narsaku]

State of Decay is one of the highlights of the zombie genre, what you just said made absolutely no sense.

[Gazondaily]

As someone who played the old game and really enjoyed it, I really have some concerns about whether there are enough changes to warrant this sequel.

Co-op is the big change of course but playing tethering sounds completely shit. Why have that?

[conanlifts]

But it is not a close tether so i don't think that will be too much of an issue.

[SuperSaiyanGod41]

I think that state of decay has a pretty good following, though it doesn't seem like a super huge leap from the last one but Co op is a huge part that Xbox gamers enjoy. I also think the price tag is very welcoming.

The only thing that I can't understand is why would Microsoft invest in the xbox1x and talk about how powerful it is and not really show what the box is capable of especially from their own studios. The only teams I see pushing the hardware are Turn 10, and devs for Gears of War and Remedy who are an independent studio. Hopefully they surprise us at e3.

[conanlifts]

"The only thing that I can't understand is why would Microsoft invest in the xbox1x and talk about how powerful it is and not really show what the box is capable of especially from their own studios."

As an Xbox X owner this is a hugely accurate comment. If they do not have hidden games ready for release this year it will be extremely concerning. My personal expectation is for them to drop a number of games that are being released this year, like a Halo game (reach 2 or something, not necessarily Halo 6) with a reveal and then release dates. Anything short of this will be a huge disappointment, which I am also readying myself for as my expectations are high and the reality most likely will not reach them.

[SuperSaiyanGod41]

sd11

I know alot of people won't agree with me but I have a good feeling this e3 could be Microsoft's best e3 but if I were u don't go into e3 with your expectations too high just so the surprises will be that much sweeter.

I honestly think all 3 will have a good showing. I'm excited to see all 3 shows.

[mark_parch]

I'm really looking forward to this, loved the first game. It's a shame about the tether, that's my only concern from what I have seen so far but for a £25 game it looks really good

[Relientk77]

I expect Crackdown 3 to be a letdown, but I think State of Decay 2 is more of a coin flip, not sure.

[DigitalRaptor]

I think that Crackdown 3 is going to be a disjointed mess that still needs time in the oven after its release. It's anyone's guess how the the Cloudgine stuff will work out, given it's been the game's main talking point for years. I feel like that is more of a coin flip than State of Decay 2.

State of Decay 2 just feels like it will be a great experience (minus the jank and the limited co-op if you're really looking forward to that mode).

[PhantomS42]

I'm expecting State of Decay 2 to appeal to those who liked the first game. Personally, I didn't.

[Eldyraen]

I expect C3 to be a whole lot like 1, which will disappoint tons but be enough for most original Crackdown fans still. Both it and SoD will probably see plenty of 6-7s and a few aspiring 8s to balance off lower scores from disappointed reviewers/fans that simply wanted more.

I’d love to be wrong and for both to be more though. Just they don’t have the best jumping off points to begin with and don’t show radical differences.

[NXFather]

Well the thing about a coin flip is that there is not two state of decay games so it is what it is. I hope it is a head. If not, well Xbox sucks for me.

[Antnee534]

I hope not because im buying the 50 dollar version and i want this game to be good so i will have a reason to boot up my xbox for the first time since 2014

[conanlifts]

Since 2014? So did you skip halo, tomb raiders, QB, gears 4, forza, ori, cuphead etc?

[Antnee534]

Well to ve correct it is my 4k blu ray player so it has a use there, but i have skippen on all of those games they just are not my kinda games. I did want to play cuphead but i decided against it.

[The_Eternal_one]

Wow you kept it for that long without selling it.........😐

[conanlifts]

It is a good 4k blu ray player. Just for reference it might be worth trying the games i listed when they do another gamepass promo. QB is not as bad as the internet let's on. Flawed but still good. Gears is another gears. I love it but you need to like the previous games as it is more of the same. Plus halo has great mp. Certainly worth trying on gamepass.

[gangsta_red]

I'm really looking forward to this one. Loved the first game and I always said it needed co-op. Definitely first day on Game Pass.

[BiggerBoss]

I think Game Pass is going to hurt MS in the long run. Why pay $60 for a game when you can just hope it comes to game pass?

Edit: I know this game isn't $60, just making a point.

[gangsta_red]

Not really my concern if it hurts MS. As long as it doesn't hurt my wallet.

And I'm sure a billion plus mega company like MS has worked out all the angles about Game Pass.

[BiggerBoss]

@gangsta

It SHOULD be your concern, considering MS has pretty much checked out and is releasing crap like Sea of Thieves. Maybe if you guys would actually BUY games, you wouldn't be having these issues.

[conanlifts]

It depends how many subscribers they can get. They currently have 50+ million subscribers each month for gold. When gold launched I doubt people expected it to take off like this. If they ever get 50 million subscribers with game pass then they would be able to release a AAA game every month and still have astronomical profits. Also consider how many people subscribe and then forget to unsubscribe for months, I would assume a lot end up paying for a few months before ending the service.

[FGHFGHFGH]

@sd11

they have 50+ million MAU which includes silver, pc, mobile. I doubt they have more gold subs than xbox one consoles sold

[gangsta_red]

@biggerboss

So if MS has already checked out what would be the point of me buying thier games?

So you're saying that if we bought games from the beginning MS would magically have more??

Naw, going to have to disagree as a company that is still making money on Xbox doesn't need my help buying games especially when they're offering an alternative themselves.

[antz1104]

Lol biggerboss don't blame Microsoft's issues on the gamers, that's idiotic.

[conanlifts]

@ FGHFGHFGH

They have over 50 million active gold subscribers, in 2017 they reported over 48 million active gold subscribers. Remember this is xbox one and xbox 360 users as many people still play on their xbox 360.

[Automatic79]

No, love Staye of Decay 2. Looking forward to it.

[FallenAngel1984]

I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case

[jhoward585]

That depends. If you stave a man for a long time, everything will start to look delicious. I think some Xbox fan will enjoy it since there not enough good games on the Xbox.

[Tankbusta40]

So Xbox owners can only play first party releases? This type of thinking is just stupid.

[jhoward585]

If what you said were true then it wouldn't be an uproar of many Xbox fans complaining to MS to make more games. And, Seeing how many Xbox fan praise Sot tells me all MS really need to is add multiplayer in their games and they will play it. Sure, Xbox owners have the option to play 3rd/BC games but 3rd party games hardly ever get the same development treatment/time as 1st party game due to parity. Truth be told, Xbox one has no games.

[Italiano1234567]

I think it will be alright but its a niche title with all the management crap it can be overkill

[Sm00thNinja]

Probably

[Tko1111]

The only letdown is the constant bashing

[Xavi4K]

It will be just an average game 8.5 is the max score it can get anything other than that will suprise me yet I’m going to play it for the coop thing...zombie games with coop are great combination.

[nibblo]

If it's anything like the first game it will be a great game. From all the gameplay I have seen (and they dropped a lot recently) it looks better in every way. May be a marmite game though (love it or hate it) as there is a lot of player and base management involved much like XCOM and it isn't the straightforward 3rd person shooter with a story which a lot of people who never played the first tend to think it is.

[BlaqMagiq1]

Yup

[TheSplooge]

Only to playstation fanboys. The game will be even better than the first thanks to co-op.

[jokerisalive]

only for the haters on here with an agenda.

[quent]

No, its just more of the same of what the fans of SoD wants with some added gameplay elements and visuals from a smaller developer, there's also no BS hype put behind it

No need to start some fanboy sh.., oh yeah forgot N4G, hear it comes

[Eldyraen]

7s, 8 at best probably. Some higher or lower but that’s my highest expectations for it in the end.

It’s a cheaper game to begin with and by the sound of it isn’t much different than the original—in terms of narrative and such. I like the premise though and that’s enough for me. Not much different than what I expect from Crackdown as they might have added some new touches but nothing they’ve shown looks radically different from the first there either.

Which isn’t good for promotion purposes but will probably appease true fans of those games anyways.

[The_Jackel]

im thinking more 6-7's

[Eldyraen]

Possibly. I'm thinking best case scenario though. I seriously don't see it getting above 8 except by diehard fans of originals and even then they might be stretching it a bit--from what we've seen so far anyways.

I'm okay with that myself as I don't follow reviews to play games, but it isn't exactly a good thing for Xbox or the game itself. Especially with how most Sony and Nintendo exclusives have been reviewing lately. So even if they're fun for me, I know a lot probably won't care for them which is just not a positive in the grand scheme of things. I'm still on the fence for SoD2 though. I had more fun with Crackdown even if it was a pretty shallow experience. It was just fun to play around with friends which I consider its real strength (more so than SoT generally). SoD2 could be better with friends, but not sure how much "fun" it will be. I'll give it a shot too though, just I'm more cautious about it based on how I liked the originals of both.

[Smokehouse]

I hope not lol. It’s one of the few games I’m hyped about. All these articles about SOD1.5 had me worried because their first video reveal was full of the same home bases and locations as the first game. The same special zombies, etc. I hope this is just another case of the articles being full of it and not understanding what kind of game they are playing.

The systems underneath the hood were the star of the first game imo. Deeper systems and coop should make it good enough for me.

[marquisray]

so all of the Sony fans are done with god of war I see, to come to this site and reply. that single player game with no online lol. this is like asking will final fantasy 7 will be a lot down, oops forgot it haven't came out yet. smh

[BiggerBoss]

Wow, you sound pretty upset. Sea of Thieves has online, why aren't you playing that?😂

[The_Jackel]

"this is like asking will final fantasy 7 will be a lot down, oops forgot it haven't came out yet. "
its been out since 1997 you dumbass 😂

[hamburgerhill]

I think it's going to.be great. Looks fun and cooperative play is a plus. All this negativity is nothing more than typical fanboy drama.

[The_Jackel]

hows it fanboy drama? :/ its easy to throw the fanboy card but ive seen gameplay and it really isnt looking like its going to be a game that i play for weeks on end. i'm getting it and will be playing with my friends but everyone is a bit unsure on this game especially after that game called sea of thieves, do you really blame people for it?

[hamburgerhill]

Gameplay looks great! Seriously what are you even talking about? You see this is what's annoying. You people are so caught up in this mess you can't even see what's really going on. Sea of Thieves is a totally different developer that by the way has made many many many great games in the past. Don't let this fanboy stuff fool you. Xbox can have great games too and will have great games and innovations. Good games are not exclusive to Sony only and never have been. Seriously just stay silent if you're going to come at me with fanboy stuff. Like because you're getting it, you somehow can hold some moral judgement against it lol. Like reviews matter, like numbers sold matter, like which platform matters i mean really, are you serious! Just a bunch of silly stuff and here you are trying to defend it.

[The_Jackel]

you need your head read....
you have serious issues if you think im coming at you with fanboy stuff the only one being pathetic fanboy here is you.
my response was because people are being cautious after prob being screwed over by another game so dont give me your bullshit story on how you are a victim if ya cant talk like a proper human being and have to go on the defence n4g and other places isnt your place to be.

[hamburgerhill]

If only I cared about your mess Jackal! You and I both know what you're up to. You're either being a fanboy or an idiot with your uncalled for way of thinking and speaking out. I stand by my word, and it's obvious what you're about. I'm not here to waste my time going back and forth with your type. You just want to be negative at anything MS, because deep down you simply want them to fail. By stating this game might suck (in any way shape or form)is a very sneaky way of killing it's momentum. Let the game speak for itself or shut it! Your little comment board tricks will not destroy this games possible greatness!

[The_Jackel]

bahahaha way off the mark, nice try though 😂
if i knew you had a retardation i wouldn't have commented there is simply no other way to expain your stupidness.

#NeverGoFullRetard

[DillyDilly]

If Microsoft wants to wow with an exclusive they make a deal with DC / Rocksteady & make that supposedly maybe Superman game Microsoft exclusive for 9,000 years

[Bismarn]

How would it be a Microsoft letdown or success? It's just another damn zombie game that will come and go without notice. I'd be surprised if I saw Major Nelson or P3 even play it for 20 minutes when it comes out.

[Knightofelemia]

I might grab this game its slowly blipping on my radar I'll just watch a few streams before I grab this game

[OnDec76]

Yup

[OnDec76]

Bring on CrackDown!!!

[2pacalypsenow]

I hope not. I’m really looking forward to this game.

[MarineLineman]

Based on the previews, it sure sounds like it. I imagine it’s going to be yet another SoT; service game with little at launch, under the prospect that people will simply have to wait potentially years of paid DLC to get a complete experience out of it.

[3-4-5]

Zombie games are played out and boring.

[TheOttomatic91]

It won't be an empty experience like Sea of Thieves there will be actual content but it will simply be more of the same.

[welly300]

Okay SOT was a big disappointment. What other games have Microsoft not delivered on? Lack of exclusives maybe....Forza, Gears Halo still soild games. Lack of orgional ideas and quantity yeah. Reckon between 7-8 nothin ive seen will make it anybetter then the last one.

[NXFather]

Well soon enough it will be gametime.

[DJStotty]

lets judge it when its out

[Minute Man 721]

Keep the negativity going

[GoodnessGreatness]

Probably.

[TheHan]

This game is absolutely amazing. You just have Playstation fans that are jealous they don’t have a game like it.