Recenzii recente de SirusTheMadDJ

Let's get the obvious out of the way. The operations, just like with the PvP mode, is bolted on with little design beyond "getting it working" mechanically. Let's not pretend otherwise. It's great that it's there, don't get me wrong, but loading into it feels like the game was going to be something else other than Space Marine 2, like a third person Darktide. They even have the same briefing screen when joining a mission.

The six marines that play the classes are effectively walking one tone characters that are designed to be replaceable easily, and it's very telling that the game has a "default" selection of who actually goes on them to the point that the lines rarely match up. Not very jarring, given as it's effectively only two or so lines per instance it happens, but it's very clear that it's a case of "Meanwhile, this is happening", and that leads to thinking if it was just cut out to be replaced as just co-op optional mode rather than the mandatory sections it is now. Which likely means I can probably guess where at least one of the upcoming new missions is going to be, but I could be wrong.

(Edit 10/12/2024) Wasn't the first added mission, but three months later, the second is, indeed, the section at the end where I thought it was going to be. Funny that...

Sticking to the mechanical details, both the main campaign and these side operations have no lobby options. The main campaign is mercifully friends only, but the operations are match made, meaning that frequently I found myself joining one in progress, and often a significant chuck into it. This, with other games that have done multiplayer story lobbies, is jarring when you're coming out of a briefing only to find yourself in the final section of the mission with no details between. Add to that needing to effectively pull the networking offline if you wanted to play it solo without worrying if you're slowing someone down with looking around or paying attention to the map, and it feels very cheaply thrown in to pad out an already lacking story.
This IS something that is going to change "sometime soon" given the season pass, however it's rather telling that it was pushed out the door a touch too soon. The PvP modes are more evident of this, given at the time of making this review, Quick match straight up doesn't work and there's barely a handful of maps. And even then, they feel almost identical, besides setting changes and the layout of the central area.

I've played a few hours of it, and frankly while it is serviceable, it is VERY clear where the main draw of the game is, even when reading the roadmap and season pass. And it's not in PvP.

So why am I recommending it? After all, that was a sizeable rant for a blue thumbs up. The short version?

Because it's more Space Marine.

The operations themselves might just be shorter sections, but they still have the same polish with the map design that the main game has. Especially with the Tyranids. Yes, they may not have the same character or different mob types than DEM KRAZY GITZ the Orks have, but then you have the numbers. Yes, technically there's less variety with them, but given the nature of the race, it makes sense. They are a hivemind that are literal billions in number, and the game loves to remind you of that in set pieces that throw massive hordes at you.

This gets shifted a bit when inevitably the spoilers start coming into effect, but there's enough going on to stop things from getting too samely. I mean, it's a game with the imperium of Man in it, but I won't ruin which flavour of inevitable.

The setting once again is nailed out of the park. Everything is exactly as you'd expect from a top flight Warhammer game, and is only improved in the sequel over the original game. What are setbacks, however, are in the game's health mechanic and the melee.

The healing from aggression is still there, but now it's closer to how Bloodborne manages it. You take a hit, and you can restore back to full if you are quick and aggressive enough to deal damage, with finishers restoring any white health, plus armour, back. However, the nerf is that the recoverable section ticks down, and once lost, you only have very limited stims or your special to get it back.
This certainly is more challenging, but at the higher difficulty levels it feels almost too much of a step back. But then, that's going to differ player to player, depending if you're into the power fantasy of being a post humanoid, cybernetic master of murder or one (very powerful) person against forces too numerous to count.

The melee, on the other hand is not as fluid as it once was. This comes from the addition of a "parry" mechanic, and I should quickly mention it is not as "twitchy" as something like the Souls games have it. The game doesn't explain it well enough, beyond the "Hit button to counter blue, dodge orange" tells. You can literally parry any standard melee in the game, however doing so locks you in place for a moment. I think this is where the "clunky" comments come in, as nothing else is different than the previous game, but it gets to a point where you're not certain if blocking strikes is worth it outside of the blue tells you're "supposed" to be countering.
It also doesn't seem to work in PvP. You can still block melee strikes, yes, but then you're stuck in place, and the opponent can just keep swinging and swinging until they can inevitably chip you out, heavy attack to break it, or you try to roll out of it. Granted, this is likely more signs of the multiplayer modes just being bolted onto the game and the feature was more for the AI targets, or that there's little way of explaining how it works in PvP.
Outside of that, it's effectively the same as with the first game. Which, given it was perfectly serviceable there, is just as good now beyond the parry system being a touch unreliable.

But again, this count be the fact my first time through was on Veteran, and a lack of understanding on how it works. But it's still minor gripes.

Overall, I'm still going to carry on playing it. At time of this meme, I've cleared the single and co-op content at about twelvish hours. Not that I'm a believer in "hours played = cost" crowd, but given the launch at £55, going to £80 or £90 after the season pass and more Smurf focused DLC, I'd certainly would say slap it into a wishlist and watch what happens in a few months’ time. I'm not regretting it, but if you're just in it to follow on the adventures of Titus, new voice artist and all, I'd poke around a bit before diving in. As to if the season pass is worth it, I'd absolutely avoid pulling the trigger until there's more details.

But, nagging matters aside, it's more Space Marine. Which is absolutely fine by me, even if it is more bloody Ultramarines...

For the Emperor.

Awesome animations, and pretty interesting ideas.

Very intriguing art style combined with an almost rhythm puzzle game to combat. Certainly worth a poke at the demo if you're interested.

Let's just say the movement skills of Titanfall taught me well for this game.

Fast pace, killer soundtrack, and a very vibrant world. Absolutely worth it.

I'm not certain if it's a release issue, but the textures in game are aggressively low textured, even on the "ultra" settings. I'm not certain if it's a bug, or just as normal.

That's the stuff I'm not certain on. The rest...

Combat is automatic. There's no cover system outside of just line of sight and your team mates are just as likely to shoot the box they're hiding behind as well as the thing attacking them. The only mission I did, I literally just walked through it, mind.
There's a bunch of Animation breaks, and you can walk through static objects. The forced camera angle means doors are impossible to spot. Out of dialog chat messages are obnoxiously large, and can appear off screen meaning you miss "important" updates. And while there's certainly an effort to the setting and tone of the game's setting, the rest of the game seems to be an afterthought.

It's a shame, given the hell that this has gone through since it's release, and I knew going in it wasn't going to be a stellar outing. But I think after about an hour, I don't think I need continue.

Happiness might be Mandatory, but clearly it's not to be found here. Sorry guys.

Certainly a twist on the overcooked style game, though I was getting extremely frustrated with the controller inputs.

TLDR : If you like your mechs going hundreds of miles per hour swinging laser swords while the sky's on fire, you're certainly on the right planet. Price is a tad steep, but honestly I can't say I regret paying full whack for it. Very much two thumbs up.

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I think the last time I played an anime mech game that wasn't some random free to play thing like Hawken, or something like that, was Zone of the Enders. Yes, the PS2 game series. I am old. I do roughly remember trying AC For Answer, but I think I didn't click with it, or I certainly blocked the experience out, or life after university ate that memory up. PC doesn't tend to get the real big flashy mecha titles, or I certainly never see them. We straight box stompers, and that's awesome too...but sometimes I do miss just speeding through cannon fodder, and the chaos of hyper agile fights.

Until now.

Firstly, let's get this out the way.
I hate the filtered meme.
I understand the mind set of memes, but when it's used as some dumb ass put down and cheap shots more than anything, it's not clever. The tutorial fight (IE the PCA Chopper) is more of a control exam, so people going in expecting Dark Souls will get blasted into the stone age by it. I will say that I found some of the the bosses, including the memetic meme lord that is Balteus, hard to read at first. I've cleared all missions and endings, and I still cannot fully understand how to avoid certain moves or what is actually getting me hit in the big boss throw downs, and with how fast certain attack strings, or getting stun locked, can melt you, some fights honestly got extremely frustrating.

But the thing with Armoured Core is that sometimes, your setup IS your worse enemy. Experimenting with gear combinations and internals to get better, or more reliable results, is part of the process.
Yes, you can kill the chopper by literally just assault boosting into it, or kill Balteus without moving. Alternatively, you can take a weapon that gets you into a comfortable range to dodge and read attacks, defeat shields, or literally a setup that can turn the mother of all roadblocks into fine dust in under a minute. You can find a few ideas, but it's worth remembering that you absolutely can clear the game with a set AC. You'll just have some missions very quickly exposing the holes in your build, or just find a way to make it work for you.
You can absolutely have a set, unbreakable build, but even then swapping some bits out here and there to fit the gaps in your offence for a mission is not just expected, but offered after each defeat to jump straight back into the chaos with that new build at the last checkpoint. Something that wasn't there in the last games, and it is certainly handy for your first run through the content.

The customisation is solid, and the fact you can just sell weapons for the same price you bought them means you're not ultimately losing any cash toying with something that might not work. Having a preview of what the weapon does, and a one button jump into testing are also both great ideas. The amount of stats are...confusing at first, and of course the typical help function is there, but I still think some probably could be explained better. Nitpicking there, mind.

As for the actual gameplay, rock solid. The assisted targeting is a tad clunky as stick inputs while locked on can break it, but other than that it's fast paced, it can get very showy, and the environments are all bang on for the game and it's setting. I've not tried PvP personally, but I think having it locked behind progression is actually a wise idea given the nature of the game. The music is fine for the most part, if you can hear it over the violence.

Plot wise, it's certainly intriguing if a tad vague or messy in places. I get it's deliberate in most areas, and it's probably my logic that's at fault, but I find some parts certainly questionable. Ultimately it's more nitpicking than critical commentary, but I don't want to drop spoilers here.

The only major gripes I probably can think of, barring no crossplay or getting designs from other platforms, would be some of the weapons completely outshining the rest in their class (Hi dual Zimmerman/ Dual stun launchers), and I feel the UI for assembly can get a tad cluttered and hard to search through if you have a lot of parts. Nothing filtering options, or possibly indicators on the actual option if they overburden or cause energy shortfalls could solve, but again I can accept that's just me.
I'd also probably would like the mission select have the employer attached to it appear on decisions rather than needing to watch the briefing, but again I'm splitting hairs.

I'd also like to see some form of co-op mode, as the multiplayer side of life is just duels or 3v3 and nothing else, but I get that's certainly not the intended focus.

I'm probably at a point where my personal creativity, rather the lack of it, means I probably can call it done after 30ish hours (I will say there's some bloat with me leaving it at a certain point idle a few times while AFK), but I'm certain going to jump back to either S rank some missions, clear up some extras or doodle some designs, but ultimately at the time of mashing this wall of guff out, I've loved the ride.

Just ah... Don't Google e621. Trust me on that.

It's not "old school Doom" given there's a jump button, grenades and so on, but that's just me poking fun at people.
What Boltgun is, however, is around 5-8 hours of giving the Enemy the very best gifts from the Emperor's finest. One round at a time..

I do have a little gripe with the map layouts, and later stages just flooding Nurglings around every corner for no real purpose other than to be annoying, but that's extremely minor to an otherwise steller shooter.

For glory and The Emperor.

Pretty much nails the feeling it was going for. Easy to pick up and play in short bursts, though I think the only thing I would add was some form of note system or map markers for reference. Mind a piece of paper or notepad could easily solve that, of course, but ultimately worthy of a further look into...

You all know your mythos well enough to know better, right...?

Firstly, I will say give the demo a few goes to see if the game clicks with you before buying.

The game itself nails the message that they're going for. The art is spot on, and the music is well integrated, so certainly a great experience.

It IS short though if you're not interesting in replaying biomes. The alternate twists on the four zones is an interesting change up, but this isn't designed to be rushed through and "100%ed". Also some of the mechanics around the later biomes are mildly annoying to learn, and the "final" area has spots that can effectively make the map's possibility to clear down to sheer RNG as far as I can see, but those aside, I do suggested keeping an eye on this if you're looking for something to burn a few minutes on.