Happy Doomsday to those who celebrate: Xbox Developer Direct 1/23/25 Impressions
Doom: The Dark Ages by id Software and Bethesda Softworks
Xbox held the first event of the year today (Nintendo’s strange Switch 2 reveal doesn’t count) and it was an admirable attempt at owning all our playtime in Q2 2025. While I typically prefer showcases that consist of trailer after trailer in quick succession, these 10-15 minute deep dives into only four titles (technically, five titles) succeeded in making me genuinely want to play everything.
Though I’ll be honest, the absence of Avowed and its lack of marketing continues to make me nervous for that game (it’s out on February 13th–so we’ll know soon enough).
It’ll be interesting to see if Microsoft can match this AAA release schedule in the back half of the year. At the very least, Game Pass subscribers should be eating good until Summer Game Fest.
These are my gut impressions and thoughts based almost entirely off the footage we saw today. Everything is coming to Game Pass at launch (including Ninja Gaiden Black 2–which is available NOW).
Ninja Gaiden 4 by Team Ninja
Ninja Gaiden 4 - Release Date: Fall 2025
Ninja Gaiden Black 2 - Release Date: Today
You know your show organizers have confidence when they lead with the only unannounced project of the event.
It’s confession time, I’ve never really played a Ninja Gaiden title. I spent my high school years drooling over screenshots but I didn’t own an original Xbox until the end of that generation and by then my hype had died down (and my character action lust had been satiated by Devil May Cry). Though, if I’m continuing to be honest and vulnerable, I probably wouldn’t have been good enough at video games to play them at that age. Their difficulty is legendary and I’m sure this entry will be no different.
This being a numbered sequel feels big and I’m already in love with the creature designs. Seeing that Platinum Games logo in a trailer will never not give me goosebumps.
The presentation of 4 concluded with its own “one more thing”--the reveal of Ninja Gaiden Black 2 (the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 2). It’s out today. You can play as Ayane!
I’m officially out of excuses. I need to boot up one of these.
South of Midnight - Release Date: April 8, 2025
I have some concerns about South of Midnight’s linearity (combat appears to take place in arenas, the platforming seems simple, and new skills are acquired in a straight line–it’s a skill branch, not a tree)--but I also think that the characters, dark fantasy world, and unique graphical style are the real draws here. No one has taken this approach to Deep South magical realism in games before, and that alone has my interest.
I’m still planning to check it out at launch (and if the story is excellent, the linearity might be a good thing). And even if the minute to minute gameplay turns out to be underwhelming, the score already sounds incredible.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Release Date: April 24, 2025
Clair Obscur was already one of my most anticipated games of the year and I’m practically vibrating after this new footage.
I think I may have picked out some other sources of inspiration for its developers. The cinematic camerawork during combat is very Resonance of Fate. Also, at one point, a large “bestial wheel” occupies the right side of the screen. It appears you can use this to assign playstyle types instead of specific actions–which is reminiscent of the battle system in Final Fantasy XIII.
I appreciate the inclusion of towns and opportunities for lighter moments (so far, everything we’ve seen from the narrative and tone are extremely heavy). Towns are mandatory for a good RPG (very unlike Final Fantasy XIII).
The rest of the presentation was a grab bag of my favorite things. Interesting female characters. Hundreds of passive effects. It even has an explorable overworld map!
Hopefully, I’ll be finished with South of Midnight before this drops.
Doom: The Dark Ages - Release Date: May 15, 2025
Time for another confession!
As much as I appreciate how elegant the design of Eternal was (the way the systems all feed into a loop of armor, health, and ammo)–I preferred actually playing Doom 2016. For my preferences, the devs are saying all the right things, so far. Someone wrote the hell out of this presentation. The way they casually transitioned from explaining how the game controls to a “really important button we haven’t talked about yet–the trigger” gave me chills.
I’m a big fan of the gothic fantasy aesthetic–and the flail, mace, and medieval keycards. The levels also seem more open and it’ll be interesting to see how they marry that exploration with the intense fights we expect from the franchise.
It’s out the week before my birthday. I know what I’ll be doing to celebrate…
…probably board games and tacos like every other year, but I’ll be sure to carve out (and rip and tear) some time for Doom.
If you missed it, I posted an interview with David Szymanski yesterday where we talked about his new game. I should have another interview up soon (hilariously, the content of which is the opposite of Butcher’s Creek).
And yes, despite the lack of recent evidence, I’m always working on reviews.
Be kind to each other.