Microsoft looks to be ending 2024 and beginning 2025 with a bang. Xbox was getting a lot of stick earlier in the year for having a relatively tame line-up of first party games, but with eventual announcements it finally looks like it's going to have a healthy launch schedule. Add to that the first Call of Duty under the Microsoft banner with Black Ops 6, and things are looking up for the brand.

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Don’t Play Avowed As Anything Other Than A Mage

Avowed’s melee combat feels a bit dated, but flinging spells around is pure magic and lets the top-tier writing and characters shine.

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However, a lot of fans were disappointed when it was announced that the launch of Avowed would be moved to February 2025. It was initially unclear why this delay took place, with most people speculating it was for quality control. However, Microsoft chief Phil Spencer has cleared the air. Explaining that the game was delayed for strategic purposes, rather than quality reasons.

Why Was This Avowed To Happen?

Speaking to Game File, Spencer explained that Avowed was not delayed as a result of lack of polish or inability to meet deadlines, but rather to give players enough time to work on their backlogs and finish other games. It seems Microsoft was of the mind that players would need some free time to fully enjoy Obsidian's upcoming RPG, which does make sense.

"We can afford it when we have the Diablo expansion, then Black Ops, then Indy [Indiana Jones and the Great Circle]," said Spencer when asked about the delay (thanks VGC). "We didn’t move it because Obsidian needed the time. They’ll use the time.” He also added that he, along with Xbox Game Studios chief Matt Booty, discussed the release schedule with the Game Pass team to better pace it out.

This seems like a good call by Spencer and the team, especially since they wouldn't want their own games eating into each other's playtime. And, while Obsidian may not need the extra time, every game could use more time to further polish things up, especially massive action RPGs.

Additionally, considering that Avowed will have multiple endings that stretch into double-digits, there's surely something or the other that could use a lookover. The game's director earlier revealed that the devs have a number of ending slides ready, which "number in the double digits", and players could get a combination of any number of them based on in-game decisions.

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Avowed

Action RPG Adventure RPG Systems 3.0/5 7.8/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 80/100 Critics Rec: 83% Released February 18, 2025 ESRB Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Obsidian Entertainment Publisher(s) Xbox Game Studios Engine Unreal Engine 5
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Welcome to the Living Lands, a mysterious island filled with adventure and danger. Set in the fictional world of Eora that was first introduced to players in the Pillars of Eternity franchise, Avowed is a first-person fantasy action RPG from the award-winning team at Obsidian Entertainment.

You are the envoy of Aedyr, a distant land, sent to investigate rumors of a spreading plague throughout the Living Lands - an island full of mysteries and secrets, danger and adventure, and choices and consequences, and untamed wilderness. You discover a personal connection to the Living Lands and an ancient secret that threatens to destroy everything. Can you save this unknown frontier and your soul from the forces threatening to tear them asunder?

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