9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [knock][br]Hey, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mom says you have to let me [br]borrow your new graphics card. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 KYLE: Previously teased in fun/corporate [br]cross promotional PR just a few weeks ago, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 was officially revealed this week. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Immediate side note, [br]when I went to rewatch the trailer, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I noticed this banner on [br]Xbox's YouTube channel. It says: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Which would lead one to ask,[br]"Why would I pre-order something 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that I'm going to eventually play [br]Day 1 on Game Pass?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I think what they mean here [br]is the "and" is an option. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You have the option to pre-order 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 AND you have the option to [br]play Day One on Game Pass. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It could be "or".[br]The end of the trailer says "or." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But if this said: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There's kind of no reason to pre-order. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's like saying, "You can go on [br]a second date with me 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or take this $20,000 [br]and walk away forever." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They're gonna take the money.[br]Nobody wants to pre-order that bad. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Really, though, this couldn't be simpler.[br]The solution's obvious. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Just make it a plus sign. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 What were they thinking? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But I'd say when I watched that trailer,[br]I had two main takeaways. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 First takeaway: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The Stop the Music moment[br]doesn't really hit. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And when I say Stop the Music moment,[br]I just mean that part of a trailer where 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the music's goin' great, right?[br]We have a lot of momentum. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But then suddenly, bwoo.[br]Stop the music. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Big reveal. [br]"Whoa, they're doing WHAT?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Music kicks back in.[br]Title. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Trailer's edited like you're supposed to [br]throw your head back and say, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "Wha--?! A-- Whoa![br]I can't believe they're going there!" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But, I don't know, [br]it just seems like another place. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Anyway, it's kind of interesting that [br]this collection of two classic games 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 would be so proud to advertise: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I think it has something to do with [br]what they're doing with Tony Hawk 4. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Here's what the Xbox website says: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So Tony Hawk 4, back in the day, [br]tried out a new thing 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 where you'd have more open area levels 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and you would skate around and pick up [br]whatever little missions at your own leisure. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tony Hawk 3 + 4, I think [br]to be a more cohesive package, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 has taken that fourth game and authentically [br]streamlined it into the epic 2-minute format. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Kotaku confirms that's what they're doing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So I wonder if including the water park in [br]the same breath is explaining these changes 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is their way of saying, [br]"It's all good, alright? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 None of this is bad.[br]We're not taking anything away. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In fact, we're giving you more.[br]We're giving you a water park." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And then the other big takeaway [br]is obviously, "Woo, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 look at Doom Slayer here." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Not just a hidden character, mind you,[br]but a Digital Deluxe incentive. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 To me, an indicator that the Doom Slayer [br]is teetering on the precipice of becoming 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a mascot.[br]I do think it is less exciting in that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he looks identical to his in-game [br]character model from Doom Eternal. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So does this Revenant. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And sorry that the best shot I could find [br]of that guy is from the Switch trailer. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think it's apparent to anyone whether [br]they're really thinking about it or not, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the specialness of a crossover [br]is reduced when 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 you're looking at a 3D model [br]that has already existed before. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's like, "Big deal. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You put Quagmire in Grand Theft Auto. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You're not gonna get a blog post [br]about that anymore. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We've seen it." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I feel like the real magic,[br]the real fun of a crossover event 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is when the guest character has to [br]adhere to the host game's aesthetic. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Recent example: Sub-Zero in Fortnite. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He's both unmistakably Sub-Zero AND [br]unmistakably a Fortnite character. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They really pulled this off. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Least they could do here is [br]give Doom Slayer, like, a sideways hat. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Maybe give this guy a shirt [br]that says "Gnarly Dude." Make 'em fit. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 By the way, I don't believe these boards [br]contain any original art. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's basically, [br]"Yeah, we took some PNGs we had 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 lying around from the last few Doom games [br]and slapped 'em on some skateboards. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Enjoy those."[br]Those could've been cool. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 All what I'm saying is they--[br]Maybe it would've been cool if they hired 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 some unique artist to do Tony Hawk-specific [br]Doom original art for those boards. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Kinda like what Fortnite does. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think the Unmaykr Hoverboard down here [br]is pretty much a new asset. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Yeah, that's what the gun looks like. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So there you go.[br]That's a new thing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And I think a funny thing about this,[br]just in case you are concerned that maybe