VGC said dated gameplay. I wouldn’t know, haven’t played it yet. And then just like with the first one it’s not a game for everyone. I however didn’t expect Matty to be that disappointed. He said he loved the first one, but the puzzles, characters, pacing and themes are not as strong here. Lacks an essential fun factor. But as with everything, you are your best critic, so to speak.
2 Likes
Stop worrying about reviews guys.
It is on gamepass. Go play the damn game.
16 Likes
Hey guys. Reviewer for a german outlet here. I think we have a classic “Number-Scores are problematic” - situation. Cause most of the reviews read great and praise HB2 for the Experience, but because it focuses on a few specific things and isn’t the jack of all trades, people feel obligated to score it lower.
Don’t think that’s healthy. The game isn’t gameplay focused and people who play it for that will be disappointed. But that’s not what the game wants to be. It is an experience, that defines itself through Story and presentation - both visually and in audiodesign.
16 Likes
Yep I’m surprised - whereas Pure Xbox gave it a 7/10
Exactly. Nowadays, if your game is not an open world action adventure with vehicles, RPG mechanics, cooperative mode and whatnot, forget about the highest scores.
Enjoy this game for what it is, a short but focused experience, intense and exciting from start to finish.
3 Likes
It’s all about expectations, when Xbox acquired NT people for some reason expected them to go all out in the sequel with full on combat/action when NT were never interested in doing that.
3 Likes
Hilariously, I’ve already copped a ban on Reset for calling out PC Gamer and Metro.
4 Likes
On the subject of “unfinished games”, I do think it’s important to note that there is a massive difference between entire content and features being stripped to make launch and adding technical optimizations over the post-launch period. The former fits the bill, the latter I would argue most certainly does not (literally every game gets the latter because it’s often impossible to get necessary pattern data until it’s at scale - aka release).
Starfield was content-complete at launch and was never launched as “unfinished”. Just some important points of fact to remember as I see another string take hold.
7 Likes
I agree for the most part - optimisations and bug fixes, plus endgame content is fine.
But some of the survival mechanics, city maps, vehicles on planets etc that are coming I do feel a bit hard done by that they weren’t there when I played it.
It’s likely fine as I bought the early access so have Shattered Space so that’ll give me new content to play with the new features.
Major features shouldn’t really be coming after release - to be specific though Starfield is by no means one of the worst for it and I accept it’s a massive RPG so there were always going to need to be some refinements
Bro, this studio man! 
13 Likes
I love inxile so much, their twitter is always on point!
5 Likes
Features not being present, doesn’t mean they were necessarily stuff the devs “left out” but features the devs didn’t know players wanted be at the game wasn’t in millions of players hands.
2 Likes
Like I said, it’s forgivable for a massive RPG as there are going to be things like that.
I’m going to enjoy them when I go back in for Shattered Space anyway.
Outside of Starfield, and more a topic for the community discussion, I wish I had more patience as sometimes the full package tidied up is the best way to play it - I came by Witcher 3 when the Game of the Year addition had already released for example, and apparently that was rough at launch with a number of missing features.
It made me get Cyberpunk at release, which definitely was a game I think finally made publishers think “maybe we shouldn’t do this” and at least made me check some trusted reviewers before purchase since then
1 Like
Dude the Halo infinite Cod Zombies is pretty sweet
2 Likes
Not every game is going to resonate with everyone. As someone who played Hellblade 2 for about three hours (and looking up the walkthrough on IGN, seemed was about halfway through the game) and dropped it. Outside of visuals, I think everything is a step back. With sequels, every aspect should be an improvement on it’s predecessor but it’s not. Combat is exactly the same as the first game but more brutal even though there’s no decapitations or dismemberment which is weird because using a sharp ass sword, there should be. Puzzles are mostly the same. Had four of them. Two were basically identical to the first game but one using “orbs” was pretty cool. Story and characters wasn’t for me in the first game and it’s the same here. Of course, im not into the whole mental aspect of the game. As for audio, it’s still good but voices overlap when you’re talking with NPC’s.
I rated the original game an 8.0/10 mainly due to the visuals/audio and that it was pretty damn unique and innovative at the time. Plus it was a new IP. My biggest negatives in the first game is the same as in the second game but elevated because due to being a sequel, everything should be better and it’s just not. At least not for me. At the halfway or so point, Hellblade 2 was looking like a 7.0/10 for me and for it to be worse than the original game, I just couldn’t see myself wasting any more time on it than the three hours I did.
With that all said, my opinion with every game is always the same. Reviews shouldn’t matter to anyone except for their own and regardless of how you feel about a game and whatnot, the best option is to play it for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
5 Likes
I think I understand why the maps weren’t there at launch, because searching for the temples that are actually out of sight. Is just open the map, see the temple and place a marker, the scanner is pretty worthless to look for the temples now.
2 Likes
Good point. Seems like they should’ve made it so the same environmental disturbance that cause the scanner to glitch, should make the map also glitch. Seems like that would be thematic, and serve the gameplay.
1 Like
https://x.com/mintblitz/status/1792964764123181283?s=46&t=O_AGT9SEnlptKOF_2SxtqQ
This game is everything.
4 Likes
Oh shit, a proper zombie mode but for Halo? So with actual zombie 3D models? I recall a mode in Halo called infected I believe, but that was just against other spartans.
1 Like