Hyenas - The "Overwatch killer" by Creative Assembly

[CatharticShitHead]

Just play paladins lol

paladins is just the poor man's overwatch, and somehow their balancing is just as bad as blizztards.

Bomb King go hard, but there are so many fucking stupid characters in there, it makes me mald.

 

[Reverend]

Sega realized that Counter Strike 2 was coming out and they might as well close up shop now instead of marketing and deploying this globablly as Valve would have crushed this game harder than Asmongold on Kwaii Loli hot takes.

 

[Oliver Onions]

I'd literally never heard of this game prior to seeing the cancellation announcement here lmao

You know you're doing something wrong when your dogshit game makes me look back fondly on Lawbreakers. Which I also didn't play, but CliffyB at least seemed sincere about his shitty hero shooter. This looks like what I'd design as a joke if you gave me the prompt of 'pozzed Current Year hero shooter'.

 

[Slamerella]

There is no way any of this was written and taken seriously
>the main base of operations is called "The Taint", which is the slang term for the part between your genitals and asshole
>the main adversary group is "CLOUT"
>you are trying to fight back against billionaires because "they're billionaires and le billionaires are le bad"
>you steal merch???
>80S 80S IT'S THE 80S GUYS DON'T YOU REMEMBER THIS THING FROM THE 80S (also featuring stuff from the 90s and 70s for some reason
>awful character designs with doubly worse backstories that make Coldsteel the Hedgeheg a more complex character than that of Patrick Bateman and Nick Carraway of the Great Gatsby
>PVPVE (actual term btw pls kill me) looter shooter in zero gravity with no clarity on anything
>Borderlands 2/Anthony Burch tier writing that makes you want to shoot the writers before yourself
>the noisiest and busiest hud ever that wants to grab your attention every possible step of the way

Part of me wonders if SEGA saw what was going on and had no idea about it, and pulled the plug. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a Japanese company demand to take that shit off the internet completely shut down a project.

 

[Kela de Thaym]

The characters not only are the definition of diversity hires, but actually looking at it is actually painful. The shaders are way too dark mixed with all the queer retrowave shit. In trying to stand out, it does the opposite. I can't barely tell one from the next. They are so fucking overdesigned and tripping on acid that it's just a blur of barf.

Nailed it.

Take a look at other hero shooters like OW, Apex, and even TF2 and what's one of the common themes? Aside from being brightly colored, they all have distinct silhouettes. It's character design 101, and they couldn't even nail that. You can easily distill OW/Apex's cast into stylized, more simplified forms and you can still tell who is who just by silhouette and even color schemes alone. TF2 leaned heavily into classical art styles that evoke Norman Rockwell and Milt Kahl and that is part of its big appeal. Who the fuck knows what is going on with Hyenas' cast. If they leaned more into stylized look, even a bloody Grubhub-esque CalArts style then maybe people, mainly the intended demographic, might have been more willing to give it a shot.

 

[Big moth tiddies]

They won't. Larry Fink has already "stepped back to spend time with his family". Vanguard, the other ESG investment firm, has done a 180 and started asking people for actual profitability. The whole ESG scheme was dependent on 0% interest loans from the Federal Reserve, and with the rate hikes causing the money to dry up, ESG is on its way out.

You'd think Kiwis of all people would be more up-to-date on these things...

If you read about those statements, he says he never stopped believing in those ideals, and if I'm not mistaken, there's a quote floating around from his son saying something to the effect of, "if you think my father was bad, I'm way worse." in regards to political bullshit I was mistaken, this is Soros's son.

Don't be fooled, they're going to squeeze this shit in any way they can, they're just going to be more subtle about it. They drew too much heat.

 

[Snekposter]

If you read about those statements, he says he never stopped believing in those ideals, and if I'm not mistaken, there's a quote floating around from his son saying something to the effect of, "if you think my father was bad, I'm way worse." in regards to political bullshit.

Don't be fooled, they're going to squeeze this shit in any way they can, they're just going to be more subtle about it. They drew too much heat.

Are you getting Fink and Soros mixed up?

 

[WelperHelper99]

Nailed it.

Take a look at other hero shooters like OW, Apex, and even TF2 and what's one of the common themes? Aside from being brightly colored, they all have distinct silhouettes. It's character design 101, and they couldn't even nail that. You can easily distill OW/Apex's cast into stylized, more simplified forms and you can still tell who is who just by silhouette and even color schemes alone. TF2 leaned heavily into classical art styles that evoke Norman Rockwell and Milt Kahl and that is part of its big appeal. Who the fuck knows what is going on with Hyenas' cast. If they leaned more into stylized look, even a bloody Grubhub-esque CalArts style then maybe people, mainly the intended demographic, might have been more willing to give it a shot.

That is a massive thing, style. You don't need massive graphicical power to be memorable. Every character and ailen from Halo CE, a game launched with outdated graphics, is memorable. Why? Style, themes, and color schemes. It is through the synergy of the charecters that you give your game identity.

For instance, the Marines in Halo are in browns, Grey's, and greens, and use projectile weapons. This may be the 2500's, but already I know what I'm jumping into. A gritty world filled with dirt. Every character in the UNSC follows this to a extent. I get none of that from Hyenas. It's not even Cyberpunk, that scrapyard feel, but a cluttered mess.

 

[Tetra]

They won't. Larry Fink has already "stepped back to spend time with his family". Vanguard, the other ESG investment firm, has done a 180 and started asking people for actual profitability. The whole ESG scheme was dependent on 0% interest loans from the Federal Reserve, and with the rate hikes causing the money to dry up, ESG is on its way out.

You'd think Kiwis of all people would be more up-to-date on these things...

They said they would drop the term ESG and instead use the term "Inclusive Capitalism" since ESG had become hated by both the far-right and the far-left. (the far-left one surprised me somewhat as I haven't found any significant push-back against it from far-lefties, although ideologically it makes sense as it takes away from the whole class struggle thing)

People like this will just jump from term to term and company to company as they're exposed until they're dead. If blackrock ends up as complete poison it will just change name just like Academi private security used to go by Blackwater. Different name same people behind it.

 

[Big moth tiddies]

Are you getting Fink and Soros mixed up?

I was indeed.
While searching I did find this though which basically backs up what I was saying.

Yes, but: When pressed on the statement later in the conversation, Fink backtracked.

• "I never said I was ashamed," he said, incorrectly. "I'm not ashamed. I do believe in conscientious capitalism."
• "I'm not going to use the word ESG because it's been misused by the far left and the far right," he added.

Of note: Instead, "we talk a lot about decarbonization, we talk a lot about governance … or social issues, if that's something we need to addressed," he said.

So I think the term ESG is going to fall away, but the policies will remain, just becoming more subtle.

 

[Wyald]

I remember when I mentioned how the only people who religiously played and defended this aberration of a game were tards who wanted to be part of the "hot, new game" and have bragging rights for being early adopters when the game wouldn't last more than half a year, causing a bunch of them to get butthurt and insult me. Fast forward to today and, oh surprise, the game has been canned. I guess I was wrong in exaggerating its possible lifespan though.
I'm glad this garbage is dead and buried.

 

[Snekposter]

They said they would drop the term ESG and instead use the term "Inclusive Capitalism" since ESG had become hated by both the far-right and the far-left. (the far-left one surprised me somewhat as I haven't found any significant push-back against it from far-lefties, although ideologically it makes sense as it takes away from the whole class struggle thing)

People like this will just jump from term to term and company to company as they're exposed until they're dead. If blackrock ends up as complete poison it will just change name just like Academi private security used to go by Blackwater. Different name same people behind it.

I was indeed.
While searching I did find this though which basically backs up what I was saying.

So I think the term ESG is going to fall away, but the policies will remain, just becoming more subtle.

Right, but my argument wasn't about these people believing or not, but about there being enough money to pay for it all. Is Fink a true enough believer to give up his annual yacht purchase to keep financing this sort of thing?

Now considering Hyenas just went tits-up before launch and SEGA is looking at some "restructuring" of CA, I'm thinking the answer to that question is "no".

 

[Tetra]

Right, but my argument wasn't about these people believing or not, but about there being enough money to pay for it all. Is Fink a true enough believer to give up his annual yacht purchase to keep financing this sort of thing?

Now considering Hyenas just went tits-up before launch and SEGA is looking at some "restructuring" of CA, I'm thinking the answer to that question is "no".

BlackRock and Vanguard own about 16% of all major us companies so in order for BlackRock to lose money people have to manage to boycott all these companies at the same time. You don't really need to worry that much about losing profits when you own the market. There are also rumors that Americas retirement money is being used by them to do this so if you have a 401k your money might be used for their causes. Blackrock and vanguard is worth trillions. The only thing that puzzles me is how the whole bud light situation happened. perhaps the beer industry isn't completely subdued by these fake choices people are given in every other aspect of their life.

This paper asks if they are the fourth branch of government.

Joe Biden also used his veto powers for the first time about half a year ago, coincidentally about restricting the use of pension funds on ESG investing. (Reuters) After both republicans AND democrats in the senate wanted it to stop

 

[Robot Gentleman]

Even the personalities of these characters come off as incredibly unlikable. Team Fortress 2's cast are all a bunch of zany assholes rooted in stereotypes, but they lean into the absurdity of it and subvert them in ways you wouldn't expect (Demoman being a good example) and that's what makes them funny. Even OW and Apex's characters have some elements of their personalities that balance the bad with the good, albeit in a subjective way.

Hyenas' characters are deadass, straight up stereotypes and make their incredibly awful personalities seem like good things. When to an outsider, it ended up looking like an unintentional satire of how terrible these types of people are with zero self-awareness.

There are two big reasons why games like Hyenas get their characters wrong.

- They're checkboxes first and characters second. Characters' identities seem to be chosen before anything else: "black woman", "tough latinx", "sassy lesbian". There's no attempt to be cohesive with backgrounds or designs (what, do you want another game full of white guys?). At the same time, these characters can never be anything more than weak stereotypes, because gamers need to immediately recognize the diversity quotas the devs are trying to fill.

- They have to be "likeable". Characters' "flaws" will never amount to anything beyond making them quirky and zany. Nothing about them can be objectionable or, God forbid, controversial. A hero can be sassy, but they'll never be cruel. A hero can be murder-happy, but only to people who deserve it. A hero can be mentally unstable, but only to the point where it's wacky and doesn't have real negative consequences. To fill in the gaps, what remains of their personality will often be flanderized or revolve around a stupid gimmick. Once again, this means characters become boring stereotypes at best, and annoying stereotypes at worst.

Game developers seem to think these two things turn their characters into lovable scamps who cater to everyone, when they're really obnoxious cunts who you have no reason to like.

 

[cybertoaster]

JFC, I knew this game was shit from the first trailer, but 1 billion? what? who greenlighted this shit?

Imagine all the good SEGA franchises that could've been brought back with that money, instead they went with this generic fortnite/overwatch clone with borderlands-tier writing.

I want to believe CA was pushed into doing this shit...

 

[BrunoMattei]

How much did this thing actually cost to make (so far)? Was it actually a billion?

 

[Smithfield Ham]

There is no way any of this was written and taken seriously
>the main base of operations is called "The Taint", which is the slang term for the part between your genitals and asshole
>the main adversary group is "CLOUT"
>you are trying to fight back against billionaires because "they're billionaires and le billionaires are le bad"
>you steal merch???
>80S 80S IT'S THE 80S GUYS DON'T YOU REMEMBER THIS THING FROM THE 80S (also featuring stuff from the 90s and 70s for some reason
>awful character designs with doubly worse backstories that make Coldsteel the Hedgeheg a more complex character than that of Patrick Bateman and Nick Carraway of the Great Gatsby
>PVPVE (actual term btw pls kill me) looter shooter in zero gravity with no clarity on anything
>Borderlands 2/Anthony Burch tier writing that makes you want to shoot the writers before yourself
>the noisiest and busiest hud ever that wants to grab your attention every possible step of the way

Part of me wonders if SEGA saw what was going on and had no idea about it, and pulled the plug. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a Japanese company demand to take that shit off the internet completely shut down a project.

It's less like it "wasn't meant" to be taken seriously and more like they tossed in a bunch of jokes to be wacky and relatable. Same thing you see in games like Borderlands.

 

[Dysnomia]

There is no way any of this was written and taken seriously
>the main base of operations is called "The Taint", which is the slang term for the part between your genitals and asshole
>the main adversary group is "CLOUT"
>you are trying to fight back against billionaires because "they're billionaires and le billionaires are le bad"
>you steal merch???
>80S 80S IT'S THE 80S GUYS DON'T YOU REMEMBER THIS THING FROM THE 80S (also featuring stuff from the 90s and 70s for some reason
>awful character designs with doubly worse backstories that make Coldsteel the Hedgeheg a more complex character than that of Patrick Bateman and Nick Carraway of the Great Gatsby
>PVPVE (actual term btw pls kill me) looter shooter in zero gravity with no clarity on anything
>Borderlands 2/Anthony Burch tier writing that makes you want to shoot the writers before yourself
>the noisiest and busiest hud ever that wants to grab your attention every possible step of the way

Part of me wonders if SEGA saw what was going on and had no idea about it, and pulled the plug. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen a Japanese company demand to take that shit off the internet completely shut down a project.

The whole thing sounds like it was dreamt up by high schoolers. It's just full of bad ideas and ugly designs.

- They're checkboxes first and characters second. Characters' identities seem to be chosen before anything else: "black woman", "tough latinx", "sassy lesbian". There's no attempt to be cohesive with backgrounds or designs (what, do you want another game full of white guys?). At the same time, these characters can never be anything more than weak stereotypes, because gamers need to immediately recognize the diversity quotas the devs are trying to fill.

The ugly goth is a tranny, right? "She's" got this extremely edgy Hot Topic fashion disaster look from 2002 going on.

Galaxia looks so much like Miss Lady Kier that if I was her I'd sue. Then you got a guy that looks just like Nixon. The Korean vidya addict. A bunch of other stereotypes and uninspired/ripoff characters.

Nothing here is creative or fun. No thought is given other than "Check diversity box here then add ugly". I'm surprised they let the Deee-Lite ripoff show cleavage. I guess it helps to balance out the fug goth ballerina.

 

[Wyald]

Then you got a guy that looks just like Nixon.

It was supposed to be a mask of the guy.

 

[Picnic_Boy]

It's funny watching people edge away from the absolute yawning nadir of human ingenuity. It reminds me of the end of that one episode of King of the Hill where Bill rips off his dress and solemnly declares, "I hit rock bottom, didn't I Hank?"