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Atomic Heart is the biggest disappointment of the year and I just can't understand why it was so well received...

chixdiggit

Member
I enjoyed it overall. Far from perfect and had it's fair share of problems/annoyances but kept me entertained enough to finish it.
Really enjoyed the inside areas but the outside was very hit or miss (mostly miss).
 

mdkirby

Member
I thought it was fine. It was by an unproven Russian developer. So I’m not sure expectations should have been overly high.

Its world was unique. It played much better in its more contained sections, the open world bit was its weakest. The constant and fast enemy resurrection was a pain. The powers were unintuitive and clunky to use…but overall I found it to be a decent enough game that scratched an itch.
 
Dude, same.
It's like how I imagine "my music" sounded like to my mother. Just aimlessly grating troglodyte drivel because hell and guns. Some of the most tasteless gaming music out there in my opinion.

744de7ec3b23e51d48f7cc32d1dd23a7.jpg
 

Hugare

Gold Member
It was?

"BioShock stands as a monolithic example of the convergence of entertaining gameplay"

From IGN review
Nothing like a IGN review quote to prove a point

Again, its one of my favorite games of all time. Gameplay is entertaining enough, of course. But just enough to not get in the way of all the other things the game does masterfuly.

By itself, its mediocre.

Gunplay is the one thing that Atomic Heart does better, but the overall combat is a mess. It becomes glaringly obvious whenever you're forced to trek through the open world. Even with a decently upgraded arsenal, it feels like a never-ending gauntlet of trash, where every enemy type can randomly knock you down. There doesn't seem to be any consistent logic behind it. It would make more sense if, for example, only the heavy enemies could knock you back, or if only special attacks had that effect. But that's not how it works in this game. Sometimes, you'll get knocked back by a basic attack from the weakest enemy, while other times, a heavy attack from a larger enemy will do nothing. It's completely broken. To top it all off, if there's one mechanic in the entire first-person shooter genre that I would gladly erase from existence, it's the one where your character gets knocked down and you lose control of the camera and controls while they try to stand up. Which, as we've already established, happens in this game. ALL. THE. TIME.

Everything just keeps respawning within seconds too, which renders any minor victory utterly pointless, so ultimately all I did was to sprint to my next objective as fast as humanly possible and I didn't even bother collecting any of the optional upgrades unless it was on the way.

So yeah, you can see how I kinda hated the combat in this game. And that wasn't even the biggest reason why this game is inferior to Bioshock. Bioshock also has better story, characters, writing, voice acting, atmosphere, level design, presentation, clear and consistent vision in themes and gameplay... the list goes on.
Seems more like a you problem, to me

I can count in one hand the number of times an enemy knocked me down during gameplay

When you get stasis (if you actually know how to use it), enemies doesnt even get close to you anymore.

The respawn rate is bad, I agree. But if you actually look for cameras, shoot them down, and then proceed to your objective, it doesnt become such a nuisance anymore.

But this is more part of "world design" than the actual combat gameplay, imo. The actual combat loop is freaking good.

Gun controls are good, powers are fun and useful, the dodge is reliable and enemies are agressive and have a great number of attack variety, the damage model is incredible and etc.

The combat itself is fun. So much fun that I would explore the open world just to engage in combat.

I wont address what you mentioned about Bioshock story, characters and etc. being better 'cause that was never my point to begin with
 
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It's actually a pretty decent game. I've yet to beat it. But there are some issues with it.

First of all, don't use the English voice acting. Switch it to Russian ASAP.

Second, I thought it was going to be more open world as opposed to an open-ish overworld with bunkers and tunnels as the main quests.

Third, there is one boss fight with that creature that looks like it's made of muscles. That was fucking atrocious. It took me 15 minutes of walking circles around it, hitting it with the saw blade to beat it because I used all of my ammo on it and it still didn't even die.

Overall it's a decent game with some cool imagery and theming. I don't think people should completely trash these kinds of games as we need more of them in the industry. This game is kind of like how gaming was back around 2010-2011. Where devs would make random one off FPS games that weren't AAA but weren't complete shit either. Kind of like 007 Quantum of Solace or something like that for example.

I recommend playing it if you like Bioshock but wait for a sale.
 

yamaci17

Member
Nothing like a IGN review quote to prove a point

Again, its one of my favorite games of all time. Gameplay is entertaining enough, of course. But just enough to not get in the way of all the other things the game does masterfuly.

By itself, its mediocre.


Seems more like a you problem, to me

I can count in one hand the number of times an enemy knocked me down during gameplay

When you get stasis (if you actually know how to use it), enemies doesnt even get close to you anymore.

The respawn rate is bad, I agree. But if you actually look for cameras, shoot them down, and then proceed to your objective, it doesnt become such a nuisance anymore.

But this is more part of "world design" than the actual combat gameplay, imo. The actual combat loop is freaking good.

Gun controls are good, powers are fun and useful, the dodge is reliable and enemies are agressive and have a great number of attack variety, the damage model is incredible and etc.

The combat iteself is fun. So much fun that I would explore the open world just to engage in combat.

I wont address what you mentioned about Bioshock story, characters and etc. being better 'cause that was never my point to begin with
Yeah i cannot even take their ideas serious as I never experienced the problems / knock downs they had. it seems like they simply did not able to understand the gameplay loop/logic or whatever responsible for this divergence

the combat was enjoyable for me and I never felt overwhelmed aside from first couple of hours. its especially more fun with special modifier attachments + new fun guns. the character turns into a robot mowing monster anyways

 
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Drizzlehell

Banned
Third, there is one boss fight with that creature that looks like it's made of muscles. That was fucking atrocious. It took me 15 minutes of walking circles around it, hitting it with the saw blade to beat it because I used all of my ammo on it and it still didn't even die.
That thing was straight up Phantom from Prey. It was such a shameless rip-off, lol.

And I agree, fighting those things is just another tedious thing to add to the list. Just a damage sponge with an occassional QTE attack that's about as exciting as hanging up the laundry.

Seems more like a you problem, to me
No, it isn't. It is easily demonstrable in the game.
 

yamaci17

Member
It's actually a pretty decent game. I've yet to beat it. But there are some issues with it.

First of all, don't use the English voice acting. Switch it to Russian ASAP.

Second, I thought it was going to be more open world as opposed to an open-ish overworld with bunkers and tunnels as the main quests.

Third, there is one boss fight with that creature that looks like it's made of muscles. That was fucking atrocious. It took me 15 minutes of walking circles around it, hitting it with the saw blade to beat it because I used all of my ammo on it and it still didn't even die.

Overall it's a decent game with some cool imagery and theming. I don't think people should completely trash these kinds of games as we need more of them in the industry. This game is kind of like how gaming was back around 2010-2011. Where devs would make random one off FPS games that weren't AAA but weren't complete shit either. Kind of like 007 Quantum of Solace or something like that for example.

I recommend playing it if you like Bioshock but wait for a sale.
it is especially weak against fire. you need to use fire cartridge against him. you can scan enemies to learn what they're weak against. i beat it in 3 mins with fire cartridge+melee weapon in hard mode /im sure would took mere minute in lighter difficulties/. you need to dodge around him and hit him with a melee weapon combined with fire cartridge.

people sleep on melee mostly in this game but it is very powerful against organic enemies
 
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Drizzlehell

Banned
it seems like they simply did not able to understand the gameplay loop/logic or whatever responsible for this divergence
you-got-me-you-got.gif


I actually tried to play this game while facing away from my TV and with a controller stuck in between my buttcheeks. Clearly I did not realise that I was doing something wrong.
 

Bry0

Member
I thought it was awesome. Sure there were some questionable design choices but overall I wish we had more games like Atomic Heart. Obviously it was inspired by other games but it felt like a fresh experience still instead of another derivative sequel to an old franchise. I figured pretty early on that a lot of jokes seemed to be getting lost in translation, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the game in an actively negative way. CRISPY CRITTERS
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
Damn, this is pretty shameless, lol.



The video very generously calls it an "easter egg" but really queen? There's paying homage and then there's straight up plagiarising stuff wholesale.

And what about this music from the movie Annihilation?



That's not even an easter egg and it's more like the designer going "yeah, I liked that piece of music so let's just drop in our game because fuck it, why not?"

And what about the Phant... sorry, I mean, "Plyusch" enemy?



theres-something-very-familiar-about-all-this-deja-vu.gif


Further proof of just how uninspired and derivative this game is. And I honestly wouldn't mind it as much if they actually made like a fun easter egg out of those things to be like an on-the-nose thing just as a respectful nod to the games that Atomic Heart was inspired by. But just lifting the entire ideas and art without giving that wink to the player kinda takes me out of the seriousness of the moment that the creators of this thing were clearly going for.

Sigh...
 
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Drizzlehell

Banned
Anyway, I just finished it, and I still stand by my earlier 5/10 rating. The game is technically impressive, with high production values and a hefty budget behind it. However, that's all it has to offer. In terms of gameplay, it's competent but deeply flawed, suffering from poor pacing and annoying design choices. Conceptually, it feels like a mishmash of random ideas, some of which were clearly borrowed from other games, that were slapped together without much coherence. The story was also very predictable, and every story beat and twist that became very obvious within the first 2 hours of the game eventually came to pass without any surprising red herrings or anything like that. The ending was abrupt and underwhelming as well.

I know the term "overrated" is thrown around a lot these days, and it can be annoying. However, if there's one game released this year so far that truly deserves that label, it's this one, although not by a wide margin. This game is definitely not a 7.5/10 kind of experience but it's not straight up dogshit either. It occupies that very odd position on the scale where it kinda looks like a really good game but the closer you start to examine it, the more glaring its issues become. If you genuinely believe it's good enough to score that high or even higher, I'm sorry, but I personally need more than just visually appealing graphics, relatively bug-free gameplay, and well-optimized performance to be impressed. I usually look for something more in a video game than a mishmash of ideas stolen from other games, especially when executed by less talented artists.

At best this is the kind of game that's ideal as GamePass fodder so I would only recommend checking it out there or when it's on deep sale.
 
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Redneckerz

Those long posts don't cover that red neck boy
What is there to discuss if you can't even understand what hyperbole means? Having a strong opinion on something doesn't mean that whatever I say is hyperbolic.
It is. You are overreacting on how the game comes across to you to the point where the actual general consensus of ''its a decent game, totally 70/80 scores'' is seen by you as too lenient.

In reality it is actually a decent game, but its just not for you. There is nothing wrong with that, but you are of the argument that the game should score less and is not a decent game simply because it isn't for you.
It would be a hyperbole if I exaggerated any of those problems within the game but I didn't.
Feel free to read back your own posts. Strong opinion would be one thing of it, but that isn't the full story.
Everything I say is literally what happened when I was playing it, and I merely expressed my frustration and disappointment by using some harsh language. Being frustrated isn't an emotion that's exclusive to children either so you can quit trying to insult me with this bullshit.
You are getting frustrated over a video game because it isn't your cup of tea, resorting to coarse, even harsh language to express this. Its a video game.

They often say children react better to problems than adults do and its actually the adults that react more childish. Not saying you do, but your choice of words definitely reminds me of it. Like i said, the game is just not for you.
Anyway, nothing you said was really that insightful or smart and you seem determined to misconstrue and nitpick my opinion about the game. It's okay if you disagree but if your idea of a "discussion" is to simply bash me for it and misuse big words that you probably thought would make you sound smarter than you really are, then I've no interest in an earnest conversation with you.
It wasn't meant to be either. You implied i should read your OP and so i did, highlighting what to me comes across as hyperbolic, or needlessly strong. You seem to invest a lot more in the game than the game gives to you. Surely you can be dissatisfied with that but your choice of words suggests this rivers runs deeper than it by comparison should be.
I don't think people should completely trash these kinds of games as we need more of them in the industry. This game is kind of like how gaming was back around 2010-2011. Where devs would make random one off FPS games that weren't AAA but weren't complete shit either. Kind of like 007 Quantum of Solace or something like that for example.
This is basically where i stand so colour me surprised that Drizzlehell Drizzlehell liked that post. Atomic Heart has flaws. But it is, quite literally , the epitomy of a 70-80 game.

Its also pretty par for the course when it comes to Russian/Ukrainian games. Back in 2005-2010, there were several ambitious titles from them (Such as Cryostasis: Sleep Of Reason, You Are Empty of Psychotoxic) that had big lofty goals but often fell a little flat. Atomic Heart feels like one of those games, but is that truly bad? I doubt it.
I know the term "overrated" is thrown around a lot these days, and it can be annoying. However, if there's one game released this year so far that truly deserves that label, it's this one, although not by a wide margin. This game is definitely not a 7.5/10 kind of experience but it's not straight up dogshit either.
Most games with this description befit a 70 or 75 and not a 5 or 50. Then again, there is this age old debate about objectivity and subjectivity, right?
The general consensus however, even in this very thread, point to a flawed game, but not a 50 game.

Its an adequate title with Bioshock-lite references. However, for the best experience i would say wait till its half the price. Its worth that imo.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
Its coarse, harsh and at times hyperbolic. Multiple people told you similar. You took this too emotional.
This is some random repeated nonsense that had nothing to do with what I actually said in my previous post. You seriously can't be this bad at reading comprehension unless you have some mental disability, so I will assume that you're just trolling now.
 
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Drizzlehell

Banned
I thought it was awesome. Sure there were some questionable design choices but overall I wish we had more games like Atomic Heart. Obviously it was inspired by other games but it felt like a fresh experience still instead of another derivative sequel to an old franchise. I figured pretty early on that a lot of jokes seemed to be getting lost in translation, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the game in an actively negative way. CRISPY CRITTERS
Not gonna lie, though, that whole bit about robosexuality was pretty funny, lol.
 

Drizzlehell

Banned
Seizure received :messenger_loudly_crying:
For real, though, most of his music flows great with the games but I rarely find myself actually listening to any of that harsh glitchy electronic stuff that he makes. I'm mostly into his guitar-driven music and that is the highlight of his work. It's like Meshuggah meets Zardonic or something. These tracks in particular are great:





Maybe if that type of music isn't your cup of tea then I get it but it's tracks like these that really make him popular among the fans.
 
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Redneckerz

Those long posts don't cover that red neck boy
This is some random repeated nonsense that had nothing to do with what I actually said in my previous post.
I wasn't referring to your previous post. I was summarizing your OP, and your post where you finished up what you were doing.
You seriously can't be this bad at reading comprehension unless you have some mental disability, so I will assume that you're just trolling now.
You seem to have a knack for resorting to low/cheap insults (Mental disability, really?) whenever things aren't understood by you. If you don't understand, you can just ask.

Ironically this just ties into the whole frustration/too emotional kind of thing, so yeah, maybe check that out some time.

FWIW, i agree with you that Atomic Heart is not without flaw, has some merit. I merely disagree with your choice of words and/or your valuation of the game. It makes me wonder how you would rate worse examples, then again i wouldn't make a thread like this to ask GAF's opinion nor give it the title it has (The biggest disapppointment of the year, and i can't understand why it was so well recieved)

But ofcourse that's just strong opinion and not hyperbole. There are several titles far more disappointing, such as Jedi: Survivor, that would befit the Biggest disappointment title, but yeah.
 
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rapid32.5

Member
Solid 8/10 game for me, enjoyed it and can’t wait what the DLCs will bring.
I thought open-world segments were poorly executed with enemies being absent or too many at once and very aggressive.
 
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Lupin25

Member
It’s a pretty, shallow experience. Visuals aside.

After awhile… There’s not much depth to it.

The combat doesn’t evolve much once you’ve acquired your core abilities, which is a genuine disappointment. There are some nice set pieces and boss fights but nothing cleverly designed (especially locks/puzzles) in the way you’d expect compared to a series like Bioshock.

Even though it’s a new IP, that part we can appreciate, but people can tell…
Everything that’s been replicated in Atomic Heart has been done better in every game before it…

Aside from graphics, of course lol.
 
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