icemann on 15/6/2012 at 16:03
Wouldn't surprise me. This line from IGN gets me:
"We gave the game a 7.5, indicating that it was a good title, but it didn’t do gangbusters at retail."
I don't understand the gangbusters bit, but if you watch the video on the page they mention that the single player is "generic and forgettable" and yet they gave it such a high rating. Sure I know its not in the 9's like Skyrim etc, but its still quite high.
For me if something looks nice but is only good on the multiplayer end (when that's not supposed to be the focus of playing the game) then that'd be more in the 5's I'd have thought. It's basically saying that aslong as your game looks good we'll give it a 7+ score. Presentation over substance basically.
Yakoob on 15/6/2012 at 18:40
Oh geez, a game can't ride on an IP alone and needs to actually be good* to do well, SHOCKER!
* or hyped to all hell
faetal on 17/6/2012 at 13:49
I find that with game reviews in general. Most AAA titles range from 6-10 with 6 being unplayable / awful and 10 being perfect. Presumably that will be the "don't piss off the people buying advertising space" effect. There will invariably be a bunch of less high profile titles which get the low scores to show that they aren't biased in any way.
henke on 14/2/2013 at 08:20
Started playing this last night. A few hours into it now. The story is a bit muddled and not very well told, but the setting and graphics are very nice. I really like the artstyle and there are some very cool setpieces. The actiongameplay is a very natural feeling blend of shooting, meleeattacks, "breach"-powers and use of environmental elements. It makes you feel like a total badass. One thing I really liked as well is how the upgrade system is explained. Once you kill another cybernetic, like a boss for instance, you extract a chip from their brain and use it to augment your own powers. Makes it feel more tangible than simply gaining a +100XP or whatever when you kill a boss.
The only point where I was reminded of the original game was just after I'd gotten my hands on a minigun for the first time and I was walking through a park mowing down soldiers and civilians alike. Made me feel like I was walking in the shoes of one of 1993 Syndicate's cyborgs. But aside from those few seconds near the start of the game it doesn't have much in common with the original besides the name.
I'm only 2-3 hours into it yet but so far I like it. Compared to other Starbreeze games I'd say it's better than The Darkness, but not as good as Riddick. Kinda wish I'd gotten over my aversion for Origin and gotten it for PC instead of 360 though. It'd probably work better with mouse+kb, and I'd like to try out the co-op and MP as well. :erg:
icemann on 14/2/2013 at 09:50
Quote Posted by henke
One thing I really liked as well is how the upgrade system is explained. Once you kill another cybernetic, like a boss for instance, you extract a chip from their brain and use it to augment your own powers. Makes it feel more tangible than simply gaining a +100XP or whatever when you kill a boss.
Nothing original though. The Megaman games have done the same thing since the late 80s.
henke on 14/2/2013 at 11:43
Ah. What little I've played of the Mega Man games I never managed to defeat any bosses. I imagine Mega Man's version of extracting chips is somewhat less grisly than Syndicate's though. :p
icemann on 14/2/2013 at 12:50
Well yeah course :p. I will say that as much as I hate the game for having NOTHING to do with Syndicate, since I love Deus Ex I wouldn't mind playing it just once to see what it's like. Though if you don't feel like a unfeeling cyborg and I mean cyborg not a free thinking one, then I don't see the point, but still.
henke on 14/2/2013 at 16:24
Your character isn't a cyborg, just a guy who's had some stuff installed in his brain. But since you're playing the typical silent videogame protagonist who shows no emotion and simply does what the objective tells him to do, you feel as much like a cyborg as you do in most games. Doesn't Gordon Freeman feel like a cyborg?
icemann on 14/2/2013 at 16:36
Well no since he doesn't just shoot the security guards or scientists. Though of course you could choose to play that way though the game urges you not to unlike Syndicate (the original + Syndicate Wars) where it's kill whatever you like without any effect on whether the goal of the mission is reached, other than when your goal is to persuade or a protect an individual of course.
henke on 14/2/2013 at 17:47
Come on now, cyborg != massmurdering psychopath. Why would Gordon have to kill everyone he sees to qualify as a cyborg? I'm saying I feel like a cyborg in most games where I play a silent protagonist because I blindly follow orders and my character never expresses any emotion about the acts I perpetrate. Syndicate is one of the few games where the blind obediance (caused by linear gameplay that leaves you with no option) actually makes sense from a character standpoint.
