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[Big_Al]

Got this today and have been playing it with friends. So far I'm enjoying it quite a bit, it's a fun game with flaws IMO. We've gotten up to the end of Chapter 4

Spoiler

after the snow base and we're on the hunt for Luther Deveraux

The main thing is that I'm really enjoying the core combat. The weapons are generally very punchy and loud and the Fuse weapons especially are really satisfying and fun to watch when you start unloading them into a crowd of enemies. I'm playing as Izzy and seeing your fuse bullets hit the enemy and then crystallise them and having them shatter never gets old (well for me). Especially when you get a group. There's nothing more hilarious than watching a big string of combos due to the Fuse weapons and the way you get huge singularities, lots of shattering etc. The way bodies fling all over the place when you get attacked by huge numbers of enemies never fails to give me a chuckle. The controls are also pretty slick and whilst they are a bit too heavy for my liking it's still pretty slick in terms of moving from cover to cover etc. Enemy variety hasn't been too bad so far, nothing surprising as such but we haven't gotten bored in the enemies we've faced yet. A few have been reused but I hope they keep introducing new types as we play more. I must also mention how much I LOVE the big clips in the weapons. Gawd daaaamn it's so much fun just holding down the trigger and letting loose. It's most certainly a plus. So far the lone AI character has also been very decent in getting us up when we need to be revived as well, seems to be doing a good job.

One of my big problems with it is that it feels like a game of mixed intentions and tone. It just feels like it should be a lot more light hearted and breezy than it actually is. It all feels sooooo 'serious' and it just doesn't feel right to me, it's almost as if Insomniac had a way they wanted to go about things and found out folks didn't like it and changed it.

There's moments of humour but overall it's got such a serious tone it's a bit of a drag. It doesn't help that I don't care about the characters or the story in any shape or form. They start talking and it means nothing to me, I'm not interested as I find them so bland. I would have preferred to see the game be a bit more like Battlefield Bad Company. Now before anyone asks 'What the fuck are you on about Al ?' what I mean by that is that overall despite being a military game it was essentially Kellys Heroes the game. It had some great dialogue and banter between the soldiers as they went in an adventure in search of gold. Never serious, always light hearted and constant jokes between the squad. Of course they went and fucked it up in Bad Company 2 but that's another story.
I kind of get the feeling Fuse would benefit a lot from that sort of style. I'm not even one of those folk who were suddenly like 'Oh my GOD, WHAT HAPPENED TO OVERSTRIKE!' I just feel after playing it that it would fit the game better but then just my opinion of course. That and more stylised graphics would do wonders to stand out. I'm not talking Borderlands here but just a bit of stylising to make it less boring. So far I'm enjoying the locations but the buildings all feel the same with them being 'military installations'. Again this may change later on as we've only just started chapter 5 so I don't want to be too harsh just yet.

The other thing is that a lot more could be done with the weapons. What's there is a good starting point but there needs to be more fuse weapons, more and better skills and also I'd prefer it if I could use any fuse weapon I choose. I don't really want to be stuck with only one fuse weapon. Now maybe this changes later on but I'm the sort of guy who likes to mess around and seeing my friend causing singularities and I don't even get the opportunity to do that is....disappointing. I guess that's sort of doesn't matter in single player since you can leap between characters though, I like that addition even if I can't use it since I'm playing coop.

Generally, as a coop shooter I do think it's decent fun, it's just that it feels like so much more could be done with it than what's there. I also don't think it deserves anywhere near the vitriol that's been thrown at it but ah well. However I haven't finished the game yet so maybe my feelings can change, I'm enjoying myself so far. We shall see.

 

[NullPointer]

Been loving this game solo once the game ramped up. Leaping between all four characters and getting a sense of their strengths, their best uses, and combinations. Been using Dalton more, at the very least to deploy a fuse shield in a tactical location. And Jacob. I had figured him the sniper, but am starting to get a hang of his traps and area effect abilities. It's been ALL solid, intense action that never gets old.

That is, until I reached the end. I'm at what must be the final boss battle, and of course there's several stages to this battle and intermediary CGI bits, but zero checkpoints. You die, and you start back in the very beginning of the battle, first stage. Which might be OK, if the friendly AI's weren't the ones dying and causing me to reset the entire fight.

I've playing Izzy, and I'm fine with being tasked with keeping other characters alive, but god damn, all it takes is for one AI to get dropped, and for me to pop my head up for one moment of death ray action and wham, I'm crawling on the ground. By the time an AI manages to save me, the other downed AI dies. Restart back at the beginning.

This has happened three times now and I just had to quit out of the game in frustration.

Instant death rays + AI death fail states + long, multi-stage boss battle with no checkpoints == controller throwing.

And I was absolutely loving 95% of the action here.

 

[Big_Al]

Been loving this game solo once the game ramped up. Leaping between all four characters and getting a sense of their strengths, their best uses, and combinations.

That is, until I reached the end. I'm at what must be the final boss battle, and of course there's several layers to this battle, but no checkpoints. You die, and you start back in the very beginning of the battle, first form. Which might be OK, if the friendly AI's weren't the ones dying and causing me to reset the entire fight.

I've playing Izzy, and I'm fine with being tasked with keeping other characters alive, but god damn, all it takes is for one AI to get dropped, and for me to pop my head up for one moment of death ray action and wham, I'm crawling on the ground. By the time the AI saves me, the other downed AI dies.

This has happened a few times now and I just had to quit out of the game in frustration.

Instant death rays + AI death fail states + long, multi-layered boss battle with no checkpoints == controller throwing.

And I was absolutely loving 95% of the action here.

That sounds annoying as hell. Funnily enough my friends were commenting on how the game doesn't seem to have as many well spaced checkpoints as they thought it should though up to now we haven't experienced anything truly annoying.

Hopefully with 3 of us and the AI we'll be able to handle the last fight better.

 

[NullPointer]

Hopefully with 3 of us and the AI we'll be able to handle the last fight better.

With humans? Absolutely.

I was *so* close to finishing the campaign solo with no serious AI frustrations. So close!

 

[8byte]

Been loving this game solo once the game ramped up. Leaping between all four characters and getting a sense of their strengths, their best uses, and combinations. Been using Dalton more, at the very least to deploy a fuse shield in a tactical location. And Jacob. I had figured him the sniper, but am starting to get a hang of his traps and area effect abilities. It's been ALL solid, intense action that never gets old.

That is, until I reached the end. I'm at what must be the final boss battle, and of course there's several stages to this battle and intermediary CGI bits, but zero checkpoints. You die, and you start back in the very beginning of the battle, first stage. Which might be OK, if the friendly AI's weren't the ones dying and causing me to reset the entire fight.

I've playing Izzy, and I'm fine with being tasked with keeping other characters alive, but god damn, all it takes is for one AI to get dropped, and for me to pop my head up for one moment of death ray action and wham, I'm crawling on the ground. By the time an AI manages to save me, the other downed AI dies. Restart back at the beginning.

This has happened three times now and I just had to quit out of the game in frustration.

Instant death rays + AI death fail states + long, multi-stage boss battle with no checkpoints == controller throwing.

And I was absolutely loving 95% of the action here.

Huh...I finished that pretty easily on Normal and Hard, solo.

I typically avoided playing as Izzy, since when she comes to revive you, they'll get right next to you, and toss a beacon (which seems silly, but is incredibly useful) . When she goes down (because she will) she'll revive herself. Very useful.

Also, using Dalton to drop a shield, and then leaping to someone else is incredibly handy. Even if you're not behind the shield, typically Dalton or another AI member will stay behind it (either by design, or dumb luck) and it really helps. .

Also, have you unlocked Fusion mode yet? Makes things legitimately easy, IMO.

 

[NullPointer]

Huh...I finished that pretty easily on Normal and Hard, solo.

I typically avoided playing as Izzy, since when she comes to revive you, they'll get right next to you, and toss a beacon (which seems silly, but is incredibly useful) . When she goes down (because she will) she'll revive herself. Very useful.

Also, using Dalton to drop a shield, and then leaping to someone else is incredibly handy. Even if you're not behind the shield, typically Dalton or another AI member will stay behind it (either by design, or dumb luck) and it really helps. .

Also, have you unlocked Fusion mode yet? Makes things legitimately easy, IMO.

Good advice that I'll try to put to more use.

I've been playing as Izzy and I *think* she's the only one with FUSE mode but I'll double check. She's got a nice crowd control weapon, remote healing (so babysitting dropped AI doesn't bum me out) and I love that her healing beacon is also a weapon buff.

Only thing is, it sucks to get dropped as Izzy since theres no remote heal getting tossed your way - and yeah, I'm not sure the AI tosses them at range anyway ;P

I've gotta say I think AI dying failstate was a bad call in what is otherwise a really solid team shooter. Not a big deal with other people playing, definitely, but man does it rankle to have the AI bring you down.

Alright, back into the fray.

 

[8byte]

Good advice that I'll try to put to more use.

I've been playing as Izzy and I *think* she's the only one with FUSE mode but I'll double check. She's got a nice crowd control weapon, remote healing (so babysitting dropped AI doesn't bum me out) and I love that her healing beacon is also a weapon buff.

Only thing is, it sucks to get dropped as Izzy since theres no remote heal getting tossed your way - and yeah, I'm not sure the AI tosses them at range anyway ;P

I've gotta say I think AI dying failstate was a bad call in what is otherwise a really solid team shooter. Not a big deal with other people playing, definitely, but man does it rankle to have the AI bring you down.

Alright, back into the fray.

Also, try to blast through Jacob's ammo as quickly as you can Just get him far away (so you can safely see the death ray coming) and you can fire at a distance longer (and safer). If anyone goes down, you can leap to someone closer, or take the risk and go save them.

There's lots of strats for the last boss, but really your best bet is to just leap often and quickly.

 

[Grisby]

5 star'd all the Echelon maps and got Naya up to max level. It's actually not that hard if you have a decent team. Although half of the pugs I was with didn't seem to know the characters had secondary abilities.

You have med grenades Izzy's of the world. Use them.

 

[Wozman23]

Although half of the pugs I was with didn't seem to know the characters had secondary abilities.

You have med grenades Izzy's of the world. Use them.

I keep finding groups that seem to like unloading standard rounds into blue-shielded enemies, which really sucks when you're out of Fuse ammo.

 

[NullPointer]

There's lots of strats for the last boss, but really your best bet is to just leap often and quickly.

Heh, I actually just beat it (two more tries, with the AI dying the first time again), and I only used Izzy, as she was the only one with FUSE mode and I didn't want the AI activating it randomly. Turned out there was no need, because as soon as I activated it, a small cut-scene started and it was for naught ;P This game is filled with lots of small polish problems like that one. I'm gong to assume Insomniac didn't have all the resources or time they would have wanted on this, but it does feel like they playtested the actual classes and combat mechanics quite a bit.

Anyway, as Izzy you can prepare for horrible things happening for you by making sure your healing beacon is already dropped nearby and that was what ended up helping me to survive. That and pattern memorization, and making sure I always had ammo.

But, lesson learned. The campaign is solo-able, if filled with some aggravation at times. Overall though I loved it. Missions are long, there is variety to the enemies, stealth has a role to play, exploration is rewarded, each character has a defined role but several different ways to spin that role into opportunities in battle, and battle spaces always provide multiple ways to tackle an engagement. Also, weirdly enough I found myself using the normal weapons more often later in the game. Part of that was not finding enough ammo resupply, and part was starting to unlock skills that regenerate FUSE via normal weapon kills. Fine by me, as I like mixing things up.

There's a lot here to love, but my bias is towards frenetic combat and interesting, dynamic mechanics. Story and character are secondary, so don't read this, pick up the game and then bitch to me that it isn't in Bioshock Infinite's league. ;P

 

[8byte]

Heh, I actually just beat it (two more tries, with the AI dying the first time again), and I only used Izzy, as she was the only one with FUSE mode and I didn't want the AI activating it randomly. Turned out there was no need, because as soon as I activated it, a small cut-scene started and it was for naught ;P This game is filled with lots of small polish problems like that one. I'm gong to assume Insomniac didn't have all the resources or time they would have wanted on this, but it does feel like they playtested the actual classes and combat mechanics quite a bit.

Anyway, as Izzy you can prepare for horrible things happening for you by making sure your healing beacon is already dropped nearby and that was what ended up helping me to survive. That and pattern memorization, and making sure I always had ammo.

But, lesson learned. The campaign is solo-able, if filled with some aggravation at times. Overall though I loved it. Missions are long, there is variety to the enemies, stealth has a role to play, exploration is rewarded, each character has a defined role but several different ways to spin that role into opportunities in battle, and battle spaces always provide multiple ways to tackle an engagement. Also, weirdly enough I found myself using the normal weapons more often later in the game. Part of that was not finding enough ammo resupply, and part was starting to unlock skills that regenerate FUSE via normal weapon kills. Fine by me, as I like mixing things up.

There's a lot here to love, but my bias is towards frenetic combat and interesting, dynamic mechanics. Story and character are secondary, so don't read this, pick up the game and then bitch to me that it isn't in Bioshock Infinite's league. ;P

Not that I'm in any place to really comment one way or the other about AI, but it really is a tough design dilemma when you're trying to make a co-op game that is in every way intended to be played socially, and adapt your AI to "behave" like people. You have to account for enemy position, player health, ammo, player position, environment navigation. It's just not an easy task, and I don't think Insomniac really made poor decisions, so much as they had a pretty significant challenge presented to them. There are a lot of design options available that would change how the game works, and IMO would make it far too easy.

If you remove fail states for a player death, then there is no penalty for letting a player die, thus there is no incentive for a player to revive someone in a public co-op match (or private, for that matter). The illusion of "team work" and necessary cooperation is destroyed.

On the other hand, if you make the AI invincible when in "revive" mode, then you remove any and all challenge from the game, and there is no reason to be afraid of being "downed", thus removing a lot of the tension (as well as making you even more powerful).

Side note: Bioshock Infinite is fantastically well imagined, atmospheric, and enjoys fantastic art, audio, and narrative (where Fuse falls short). What it lacks, however, is any kind of satisfying combat design, level design, or enemy design (which is where Fuse excels, lol).

 

[NullPointer]

Side note: Bioshock Infinite is fantastically well imagined, atmospheric, and enjoys fantastic art, audio, and narrative (where Fuse falls short). What it lacks, however, is any kind of satisfying combat design, level design, or enemy design (which is where Fuse excels, lol).

Oh we agree on that

Here's the thing. The AI actually handles itself pretty damn well for the most part. They aren't "smart", but they *do* use their powers at opportune times, and they're helpful to the point where they'll see after your health before their own almost all the time. And Izzy will toss a heal beacon at range too -- nice.

But no AI is perfect, so putting an AI death as a fail state puts too much burden on either a: the AI not to make any stupid decisions, or b: for the player to babysit them. Neither is going to work out well from a player point of view. Even if players make the same mistakes the AI make, players are going to think, and rightfully so, that its unfair. All I'd ask is that AI's characters, when downed, cannot be killed. Only human controlled players can die and thus fail the objective. This would also work with the whole restriction on using leap when downed, so you couldn't just bug out after you've been taken down.

That one change would make a dramatic difference I think. I wonder if they tested it, and if so how that worked out.

But yeah, its a co-op game that's balanced for solo, and not only solo, but solo with any of the characters (for the most part). Not bad, and definitely not simple, especially with new game+. And nobody gets this perfectly. I'm a huge fan of Gears of War Judgment, but if you play that game on Insane, they remove the down-but-not-out state entirely. You just die, and dying fails the checkpoint. And believe me, in Judgment there are easily a dozen things that can take you out instantly without you even knowing what hit you. Throw four human players into the mix and you're can end up restarting checkpoints every few seconds ;P So even the established franchises still have room for improvement.

Edit: Holy fuck at Echelon mode.

 

[Big_Al]

Finished this there and my thoughts more or less remain the same. Fun as HELL but with plenty of flaws. Tried Echelon mode and it was fun enough, it's not really something I can see myself putting much time into though

If a sequel gets made just go a bit campier, go mental with fuse skills and weapons and loads more enemy variety. Regardless of reviews etc I think Fuse is a pretty cool start to a franchise, just go crazy and don't restrict yourselves for a sequel if it ever gets made. Maybe when it goes down in price people will give it more of a chance, it's a decent game.

Side note: Bioshock Infinite is fantastically well imagined, atmospheric, and enjoys fantastic art, audio, and narrative (where Fuse falls short). What it lacks, however, is any kind of satisfying combat design, level design, or enemy design (which is where Fuse excels, lol).

I disagree with this. Bioshock Infinites got some great combat and enemies and it has one thing Fuse doesn't have and that's more options and abilities at the players disposal. Awesome things like the skyhook etc. It's by no means perfect either though but it's certainly better than you give it credit for.

 

[8byte]

I disagree with this. Bioshock Infinites got some great combat and enemies and it has one thing Fuse doesn't have and that's more options and abilities at the players disposal. Awesome things like the skyhook etc. It's by no means perfect either though but it's certainly better than you give it credit for.

My point was that those options and abilities grow stale just as quickly without interesting enemies to combat. They're all awesome and fun, but if you aren't being pressed to use them all, then experimentation becomes less significant and enjoyable.

Thankfully, my opinion isn't definitive

 

[JoduanER2]

im considering buying this game since it has good coop, how long does it take to beat the main campaign?

 

[8byte]

im considering buying this game since it has good coop, how long does it take to beat the main campaign?

Tough question, since it depends largely on how you play. If you're meticulous and want to get all of the collectibles in one playthrough, you'll easily be looking at 8-10 hours (solo). If you're playing co-op with people and just want to get through the SP, probably closer to 6.5-8.

Of course you'll have to play multiple times to unlock all team perks, and upgrade all characters. Echelon mode is a ton of fun, especially if you're playing with new players and working your way through waves as they upgrade. Great challenge, and it requires communication.

There's easily about 20 hours of "play time" in the game.

 

[Toppot]

Tough question, since it depends largely on how you play. If you're meticulous and want to get all of the collectibles in one playthrough, you'll easily be looking at 8-10 hours (solo). If you're playing co-op with people and just want to get through the SP, probably closer to 6.5-8.

Of course you'll have to play multiple times to unlock all team perks, and upgrade all characters. Echelon mode is a ton of fun, especially if you're playing with new players and working your way through waves as they upgrade. Great challenge, and it requires communication.

There's easily about 20 hours of "play time" in the game.

I agree with everything in this post.

 

[JoduanER2]

Tough question, since it depends largely on how you play. If you're meticulous and want to get all of the collectibles in one playthrough, you'll easily be looking at 8-10 hours (solo). If you're playing co-op with people and just want to get through the SP, probably closer to 6.5-8.

Of course you'll have to play multiple times to unlock all team perks, and upgrade all characters. Echelon mode is a ton of fun, especially if you're playing with new players and working your way through waves as they upgrade. Great challenge, and it requires communication.

There's easily about 20 hours of "play time" in the game.

ok thanks, that's good enough, sold

 

[Toppot]

Just finished my second playthough (on hard this time) and thought I'd share some more observations.

My main complaint in hard mode is the green laser snipers. The second I'm out of cover they one shot me -_- incredibly frustrating when the AI Dalton puts down his shield with no warning. And yes I know I should leap and deploy his shield then fire with someone else =P

On that subject, only at Chapter 5 and beyond was I really forced to use someone other than Naya because Fuse ammo had run out. Hard mode isn't so bad once you have maxed out characters and know what you are doing from playing on normal. Though obviously it is best to leap between characters the whole game, I'm just stubborn and love Nayas warp riffle xD

The humour grows on you, and there are some great lines sprinkled throughout. I can't help but feel on PS3 that the game looks very '360' ish, I understand why, but it's a shame they didn't use their PS3 experience to make Fuse really shine on the PS3. Game does still look gorgeous in places, particularly the mountains, though it still falls short of even the first Uncharted game, though the game is made to run well with splitscreen so I get why it is the way it is.

Rest is spoilers for the last chapter and final boss:

Spoiler

Having objects and killed enemies flying/floating towards you in space is quite amusing. Good tip for the final boss: Really only use Fuse weapons when you need to to get down the blue shield, you need to conserve ammo, till after the 3rd helmet cutscene. The sky box in space really looks crap, you'd of thought after all the R&C games that they could nail a starry sky easily.

Tomorrow I shall tackle Lethal (Very Hard) mode ;_; and hopefully find out why I haven't been emailed my preorder goodies =/

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

Playing through chapter four, I'm greatly pleased that we now have the videogame equivalent of the cable car fight from Where Eagles Dare.

 

[SlasherJPC]

Just completed it a little while ago and while not a review, just sorta talk about what I enjoyed about the game. in this video

Series has some great potential for a sequel if it get's one.

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

Excellent video Slasher. It's a shame people nowadays seem more excited over piling on negativity towards games then actually playing them for fun. Another game that recently shared this same fate was Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel. I had a blast fulling around with the weapon and mask customization which was backed up by the best combat in the series. But like Fuse, people only wanted to complain about the fact that the game even existed.

 

[highrider]

This game is far better than binary domain, in every measurable way, and I liked binary domain. I get bulletstorm vibes. Warp chain ftw.

 

[NullPointer]

This game is far better than binary domain, in every measurable way, and I liked binary domain. I get bulletstorm vibes. Warp chain ftw.

The more I play it, the more I dig it. From jumping into a bunch of matchmaking games online I'd guess most people haven't experimented much to learn how to play it though ;P

I saw very few Dalton's using the shield well, and rarely saw an Izzy tossing out heals. Almost nobody seemed to play Kimble. So I'd jump into these games and leap between all the unused characters as needed. Still made for a fun time. When the action gets hectic the mechanics here shine.

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

The more I play it, the more I dig it. From jumping into a bunch of matchmaking games online I'd guess most people haven't experimented much to learn how to play it though ;P

I saw very few Dalton's using the shield well, and rarely saw an Izzy tossing out heals. Almost nobody seemed to play Kimble. So I'd jump into these games and leap between all the unused characters as needed. Still made for a fun time. When the action gets hectic the mechanics here shine.

Like Resistance 3 I think Insomniac did a good job laying out the different battle scenarios. They all have a nice combination of different enemies and arena layouts the force you to use different strategies.

 

[highrider]

Encounter design is excellent. Great mix of linear and sandbox open areas. Enemy types also drive the action. I'm only beginning to use the different characters but it actually adds a lot of depth in solo play.

 

[NullPointer]

Here's a hodge-podge or random observations, tips and a few questions:

Dalton: Deployed shields are great against seekers, as the lil buggers will trigger their stun explosion against the magshield rather than the players. The mag shield itself can be held out indefinitely, it only costs FUSE as it absorbs damage. The mag shield blast is insanely powerful and when positioned right you can take out half a dozen enemies with one shot. In Fusion mode there is almost zero cooldown between blasts. The deployed mag shield seems to be able to absorb endless damage and is on a timer, rather than having X amount of hit points (is this correct?). I like to deploy a magshield, then switch to a daybreaker or savager and start popping heads - the regular weapons work well enough. Also, you can revive a player while keeping a magshield up. The AI has saved my ass plenty of times doing that move.

Izzy: The healing beacon can also be upgraded to buff weapon damage. So I'll usually toss it to the cover location I'm moving to next. If I get dropped I can always crawl into it and revive myself. Allied AI is also smart enough to do the same. You can also sticky your healing beacon to Dalton's magshield and other objects, including some that move (and fire). Unload her rifle into a mech and you can immobilize them for a time. I like to pull this move and then switch to Kimble for charged shots to the weak spot, or Naya for cloak/shotty action.

Naya: Cloaking is handy when reviving players, especially players who've pushed a little too far from the group. Cloak also means she's incredible at exploiting flanks, interacting with objects while under fire, getting stealth melee takedowns, and crowd control with the warp rifle. With her skills upgraded, going cloak and firing the shottie into bosses can drop them in record time.

Kimble: I was using him as a sniper for a while, but he's actually really handy for laying traps and liquidating groups, literally. I haven't really found much use for skewer, besides it looking cool, but setting up traps with charged shots can come in very handy. He also seems to be the best for taking down FUSE shielded enemies. I'm still figuring out some of his moves though.

Misc: Once you unlock Fusion mode the nature of the game changes. You not only a period of brief invulnerability and FUSE, but you can also heal everybody else, break out of any grapple or immobilization, and even bring yourself back up from being downed. SO its handy to save in case you get dropped and other players or the AI can't reach you. Its also handy if you've run out of FUSE as it will regen it.

Some questions:

What's the weak spot(s) on the Enforcer? Does it even have any?

When delivering a FUSE container in campaign or echelon mode, is there any way to manage the instability? Or is it a straight up timer that starts from the moment you pick it up the first time? I mean, does the instability speed up or slow depending upon whether you're holding it?

Do you always have to manually trigger Kimble's charged shots? Or is there a way to use them like proximity mines? I'd pepper the ground with a few shots when infiltrators would rush, but they'd just dance around them. I thought that was weird.

Encounter design is excellent. Great mix of linear and sandbox open areas. Enemy types also drive the action. I'm only beginning to use the different characters but it actually adds a lot of depth in solo play.

You can tell Insomniac made sure to afford each character the chance to put themselves to full use in each battle. There are always multiple overlapping avenues of attack and defense. The only time I feel outmatched is playing Dalton against snipers on the high ground. The deployed shield doesn't have the height, so you rely upon other players (or regular cover) more.

 

[Rated-Rsuperstar]

What's the weak spot(s) on the Enforcer? Does it even have any?

I know it has a glowing orb in the center of it's chest but the only time I've seen it exposed is when it picks up a member of your team.

 

[GraveRobberX]

Some questions:

What's the weak spot(s) on the Enforcer? Does it even have any?

I try to shoot it's chest or back, I know Flamethrower + Back Jetpack does Massive Damage!

When delivering a FUSE container in campaign or echelon mode, is there any way to manage the instability? Or is it a straight up timer that starts from the moment you pick it up the first time? I mean, does the instability speed up or slow depending upon whether you're holding it?

Timer, once you remove it, it starts chipping down, no matter what, it suppose to be a choice, do you wait till the last moment to plug it in and abuse the unlimited Fuse and kill enemies quickly, or do you just bum rush for the bonus credits

Do you always have to manually trigger Kimble's charged shots? Or is there a way to use them like proximity mines? I'd pepper the ground with a few shots when infiltrators would rush, but they'd just dance around them. I thought that was weird.

You have to manually set off the chain reaction, that is why it's a R2 move
Dalton get extra shield, izzy grenade, naya cloak, jacob gets charged shots

I beast with Jacob, spam that arrow, wait for the right time and press R2, see so many Liquify pop up
I destroy guys with shield, always shoot a little ahead of them onto the floor, wait 2 seconds, till they walk over the area, and BAM!, accumulate fuck ton of points

You can tell Insomniac made sure to afford each character the chance to put themselves to full use in each battle. There are always multiple overlapping avenues of attack and defense. The only time I feel outmatched is playing Dalton against snipers on the high ground. The deployed shield doesn't have the height, so you rely upon other players (or regular cover) more.[/quote]

 

[8byte]

Two notes: Pretty sure the only weak points on Enforcers is their exposed chest prior to blasting a captured enemy.

The Fuse transport mission time bonus is actually everyone being rewarded with Fusion, not credits.

 

[Orca]

Still playing a bunch with the wife. I usually take Naya, just to light up groups with singularity explosions, and she jumps between the other three.

Odd, but I was really impressed by the texture variety, especially the walls.

 

[Toppot]

Playing through Leathel mode atm, they give your characters practically no health, and now red laser snipers can one shot you -_- Not died/failed yet but think I'm gonna see how co-oping the campaign online is.

Also, anybody else noticed AI Izzy has the uncanny ability to get herself restrained most of the time when an Enforcer throws out the restraints?

 

[8byte]

Not only that, but AI Izzy loves to run over to you when downed, drop a med beacon, and then proceeds to manually revive you. I can't Swiss if the AI is dropping a safety net in case it, too, does, or if it's just bizarre happenstance.

 

[SlasherJPC]

I find that Fuse really does seem to get better the more you play it. Glad to see others enjoying it as much as I did. I think if they get a sequel they can really step it up a notch.

 

[8byte]

I find that Fuse really does seem to get better the more you play it. Glad to see others enjoying it as much as I did. I think if they get a sequel they can really step it up a notch.

I have some comments on this, will post my long and interesting (surprising?) write up later today.

 

[Loudninja]

Sorry guys I will play this week.

 

[8byte]

Brace yourselves...wall of text incoming!

Fuse: A retrospective

Combat
The combat in Fuse is good. That is to say, the weapons Xenotech weapons that each of the main characters wield are fun to use. When the game comes together with a variety of enemies, all classes come together and click extremely well. Players get behind the tank, the medic drops a heal bacon, the sniper drops back behind cover to pick off enemies safely from a distance, and your stealth class is out flanking and killing enemies…it feels right. There is a good variety in enemy classes, ranging from grunts, extremely mobile snipers, a twist on the classic “rush down shotgun” troops, and a few unique enemies as well. Among them, the Infiltrator (who cloak and hold allies captive) as well as heavies that wield different types of guns, demanding the attention of the entire team to take them down quickly.
One core complaint for the heavies is the amount of time they take to defeat. They have copious amounts of health, and require a decent amount of effort on the part of the player to defeat, often turning battles from fun and interesting, to slow and tedious. I can’t help but feel a better approach would have been chipping away at armor and defeating them faster, rather than having one massive weak point on the back. It slows down the pace of combat, and often becomes more of an annoyance than a pleasure in combat.

Encounters are cleverly organized and thought out, with the mixture of enemies being plentiful to keep each encounter fresh. Taking on a group of standard troops is a far different experience from standard troops and snipers, which is also different from snipers, infiltrators, and seekers. Each encounter feels like it has been thought out, and requires a different approach to attain success.

Characters
This is probably one of the weakest points in the game. In an attempt to shift to something more serious, the game has become more drab (which makes sense). Real life and seriousness are bland, and quite frankly don’t carry a heavy sci-fi shooter very far. A lot of the characters feel very predictable, and follow tropes pretty closely. Their designs don’t really lend themselves to uniqueness either, as the tank is big and bulky, the computer expert is snarky with bright red hair, and the stealth agent is British, female 007 style. Jacob, well…he’s a cop.

All in all, the game does little during with the narrative to really push you to caring about the characters. You’re dropped in the action, their back stories really don’t lend themselves to character growth, and in the end, you feel exactly the same going out as you do going in. These characters exist, and they throw out funny one liners from time to time, but why they’re here, how they ended up here, and where they’re going from this point…isn’t extremely compelling.
I’m no writer, nor would I claim to be. However, I feel as though putting more emphasis on team hostility during the early stages of the game, and slowly expanding on their similarities and bringing the group together would have done much more to really flesh out the team, and make me care about them. It doesn’t help that flash backs only occur when you’re controlling a character, and can be hard to miss. Heck, it would have been an amazing twist to show the backstories from someone else’s perspective, and give the player control of that 3rd party, and then expose the characters backstory in a moment of surprise.
*SPOILER*

As an example, if you were to witness Naya’s backstory from the prisoners POV, looking around in darkness, listening to her father, and then you have the sack removed to see Naya, ready to shoot you in the face. The game gives you options to plea, curse, or struggle to get free, all eliciting different responses from Naya (both in dialogue and facial expression).Those moments would be great for reveals and would hold more impact (and play into Fuse and the psychological impacts it can have), as opposed to the non-interactive cutscenes that tell the stories. Just a thought.

Design
The combat design is stellar here. In campaign, you never feel like you’re being snuck up on, the AI will communicate enemy types, where they are, and will talk to you when it finds ammo, or is coming to revive you. The weapons and classes all feel unique, and effective. Tank, medic, sniper, and “spy” all feel like they’re cohesive and well imagined, thanks to their weapons. Enemy designs are also inventive and put the player in unique situations, particularly in Echelon mode. The combat encounters often feel “active” instead of feeling like corridors with a variety of enemies to shoot, especially late game. These are all great.

Some design choices are tough to swallow. The game is built for co-op, which is a tall order. In a nutshell, your game has to be successful to warrant an all co-op experience. Sure, you can play Solo with leap, but AI is difficult to execute successfully, and you’re left with a lot of choices to make. It can’t be too hand hold-y, nor can it be brain dead. You don’t want AI to guide the player, but at the same time, you don’t want to leave the player hopelessly lost. I get all of that. I just feel that some concessions here could have been made, particularly in the arena of bot AI. Sometimes they do things that don’t make sense, like Izzy rushing over to you, and then dropping a health beacon, instead of throwing the health beacon from the safety of cover. On other occasions, you’ll find the AI hanging back too far away from the fray. Obviously you don’t want them killing all of the enemies, or getting downed either, and I can’t offer an ideal solution. This was just something that stood out to me as a “needs improvement”.

Art
This is a sketchy area for all, and while I thoroughly enjoy what I play, I also understand that artistically, the game does lack some punch and identity. Some enemy designs are really cool, like the Leadfoot/fire/shot. Then there are others that are utterly boring, like the Seekers, that look like oxygen tanks with legs. I feel like the game would have been better served with a significantly more stylized approach, and less grounding in reality. The game already has sci-fi elements, crazy ships, and insane weapons, just crank it to 11. Make enemies explode into absolutely absurd numbers of bits, give enemies more personality (they’re silent, for the most part). More importantly, give the characters more “punch” with more animated lines, over the top delivery, and crazy facial animations and costumes.

Audio
The audio is hit and miss sometimes. The Xenotech weapons sound good, they have punch, and good SFX. Some of the normal weapons have great sounds too, especially the Guardian, which is probably the greatest sounding pistol this generation. The thumps blaring through my A40s are so satisfying.
On the other hand, there are some instances where things fall a bit flat, like explosions, hooking up to zip lines, or mixing character voices and other sounds (guns, music, etc). Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with it all, and think it does well.

What is does well
Combat. The core combat in Fuse is satisfying, frantic, fun, and varied. Playing through Echelon mode with different people feels like a different experience. You’d think that it would be pretty run of the mill, but it’s always new and fun, with a good challenge ahead.
The combat encounters from moment to moment all feel particularly well balanced, the enemy variety is fantastic (particularly when they’re mixed together) and Xenotech weapons have good progression from good, to HOLY SHIT LETS KILL IT ALL.

What is doesn’t do well
There are a few areas where Fuse could improve. I’m a firm believer in the idea that you’re only as strong as your weakest link, so to speak. In Fuse, there are a few areas that really take the player out of the experience. As an example, the first time you see Izzy light a smoke, the fire looks…well, terrible. It’s basically just a small lightsource (I think) and looks very silly.

Then there are other moments where you’re breaching walls, and the characters simply turn around and cover their ears. The thing is, were the game more stylized, this can be capitalized on. If the explosion happens, and they stammer away in an animated and surprised manner, but act tough or do something humorous, it sells the bad assery of “OverStrike 9”. If they simply cover their ears and huge chunks of rock fly around, smoke, and explosions…well, it looks like an afterthought.

The narrative, I feel, is a bit underwhelming. It is definitely serviceable, but there are some things that can be done better. Right now, a lot of it feels very “comic book”. Secret agencies, with names like “Raven” and “Oculus”, it’s hard not to think of comics. I also sort of question the use of “Hyperion”, given the apt comparisons to Borderlands, haha. I’m by no means a writer, but I think adding some really low brow humor could go a long way to inject some more interest in the story.

Also, please note: No one likes cliff hanger endings. If you’re going to leave room for a new entry into the IP, do it post credits with a tiny bit of information or some cutscene. Ending your game with a cliff hanger is a huge no-no, as it leaves the player feeling like they got a part of an experience, not like they want more. Mystery can work well for you, but not if you present it all in 3 minutes to the player in expectations that they’ll want more. Build it up, close the story out, and then hit them with the “boom” after the credits.

What it could have done better
Progression. I don’t really believe that allowing players to max out a skill tree is the best idea, particularly when you’re talking about creativity, replayability, and experimentation. Skill tree’s should have a good amount of options, and not enough skill points to fill them. Allow players to spend money (in game currency) to redistribute their skill points. Simply maxing out your skill tree diminishes the element of player choice. Getting rid of that simply means your game will lack longevity and “fun” for those willing to dig into the mechanics and experiment. I’m not saying that more elements to the skill tree is a good thing, rather, giving out fewer skill points, with a more diverse skill tree (allowing to mix and match) would go a long way. If anyone wants me to elaborate, I have more than a plethora of ideas that would improve the interaction between classes significantly.

Where does the IP go from here?
Honestly, I don’t know. On one hand, Fuse has left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. On the other hand, it is an excellent building block for a co-operative game. There are so many areas that can be leveraged to greatness, but I don’t know if the “Fuse” IP carries enough weight to really vault those ideas to success. I can tell there are fantastic ideas at work, but with a tarnished IP (not my thoughts, just a general “internet vibe&#8221 I don’t know if it is worth the risk, as a business. These ideas and foundations may be better served pushed into another game, or a new IP, particularly with a new Generation upon us.

If there’s no question that this is something Insomnaic wants to stand by, the only true advice I can recommend is an overhaul of presentation (similar to The Darkness 2) and simply let loose with the weapons and abilities (AND CHARACTERS!). Go to town. Black holes opening to new dimensions, add “elemental” bits to skill tree’s, weapon modifiers, a “loot” element, do the whole 9 yards. Is it a lot of work? Yes. But, I think that’s what is required to really turn this IP around into a successful name brand. You NEED to really let go of the grounded nature and just go absolutely ape shit. Creativity in this studio knows no bounds, don’t hamper that with a fixed direction or grounding in reality.

Closing thoughts: The game is an absolute joy, mechanically. The controls, combat design, weapons, and team work all come together blissfully. It falls short artistically and the narative leaves a lot to be desired. Still, the game play keeps me coming back, which says a lot to its strengths, considering the games weaknesses.

 

[NullPointer]

Nice writeup.

An interesting aside on the AI sitting back and in general not being helpful - its worst in the demo area. That first guarded area with all the snipers. Every time I play that area the allied AI is way the hell back, nestled behind cover, reading a magazine while I get one or two shotted. Strange that an area that works the least well gets the demo treatment and seems unchanged in retail.

I actually like the progression system because its quick enough to spend some points to make you feel tougher, and the secondary fire and fusion mode abilities change the nature of the game - and yet after you gain those abilities there is still plenty to unlock - critical chance, weapon bonuses, and team perks, and tiered team perks at that. I see the main skills more like crackdown than something like Borderlands though. You aren't deciding on a build or role with your points, just your path to power. Everybody will end up maxed out in the end.

But yeah, in terms of what went wrong, the visual identity and character development, its almost non-existent. I really don't know what they were thinking, unless they were worried the game was going to appear too kiddy.

Edit: Oh and if you like the pistol in Fuse, I'd recommend Space Marine and Syndicate. God dayum those are some hand cannons.

 

[LTWood12]

Thanks for the write-up 8byte. I don't own the game yet, but from the demo I agree that from a gameplay standpoint it felt fluid & tight. I was really looking forward to this, but held back when I saw the reviews pour in.

Do you happen to know how the framerate holds up on the PS3 version? May go ahead and pick this up.

 

[SlasherJPC]

Damn good write up 8byte! *claps*

 

[8byte]

Thanks for the write-up 8byte. I don't own the game yet, but from the demo I agree that from a gameplay standpoint it felt fluid & tight. I was really looking forward to this, but held back when I saw the reviews pour in.

Do you happen to know how the framerate holds up on the PS3 version? May go ahead and pick this up.

Thanks (you too, slasher!).

The frame rate on the PS3 version is rock solid, just like the 360 version. From time to time, when shit get's REALLY crazy (like half a dozen enemies melting, fusion mode activated, and two leadfires spewing fire all over the map with all 4 characters on screen)...it can drop to maybe 25fps? These moments are very rare though.

 

[LTWood12]

Thanks (you too, slasher!).

The frame rate on the PS3 version is rock solid, just like the 360 version. From time to time, when shit get's REALLY crazy (like half a dozen enemies melting, fusion mode activated, and two leadfires spewing fire all over the map with all 4 characters on screen)...it can drop to maybe 25fps? These moments are very rare though.

Sounds like it performs pretty well. I think you may have sold me.

 

[8byte]

I'd say Fuse is their best performing titles, on a technical leve, though it isn't their best artistically.

 

[highrider]

Really nice write up man.

 

[LTWood12]

I'd say Fuse is their best performing titles, on a technical leve, though it isn't their best artistically.

Wow for real? Could be rose tinted glasses, but I don't remember R3 having any frame drops. Plus ToD, QFB, & ACiT all ran at 60 fps.

 

[8byte]

Wow for real? Could be rose tinted glasses, but I don't remember R3 having any frame drops. Plus ToD, QFB, & ACiT all ran at 60 fps.

I should clarify that when I say "best performing", I mean most consistent without any frame drops, tearing, etc. Considering resolution, and on screen action, as well.

R3 had some pretty significant performance issues, particularly with MP. It was hidden fairly well by their aggressive motion blur and camera movement.

ToD was pretty solid, as was Q4B, but ACiT had it's moments of slowdown, despite all three running at a maximum of 60fps.

 

[LTWood12]

I should clarify that when I say "best performing", I mean most consistent without any frame drops, tearing, etc. Considering resolution, and on screen action, as well.

R3 had some pretty significant performance issues, particularly with MP. It was hidden fairly well by their aggressive motion blur and camera movement.

ToD was pretty solid, as was Q4B, but ACiT had it's moments of slowdown, despite all three running at a maximum of 60fps.

Oh yeah I wasn't considering the multi-player component. That makes sense.

 

[Big_Al]

Good writeup 8byte, I agree with the majority of it and I'm no huge Insomniac fan. It does make me chuckle that you get called a shill when I've found your opinion more reasonable and well argued than a lot of 'waaaaah art style changed! Game sucks!!' posts. (even if I do agree the artstyle/tone change was a shame)

 

[8byte]

Really nice write up man.

Good writeup 8byte, I agree with the majority of it and I'm no huge Insomniac fan. It does make me chuckle that you get called a shill when I've found your opinion more reasonable and well argued than a lot of 'waaaaah art style changed! Game sucks!!' posts. (even if I do agree the artstyle/tone change was a shame)

Thanks for the compliments guys. Hopefully everyone can take as much from the write up, including Insomniac. I feel there's a lot of great here, but also a lot of room for improvement.

 

[Messofanego]

Where does the IP go from here?
Honestly, I don’t know. On one hand, Fuse has left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths. On the other hand, it is an excellent building block for a co-operative game.

Didn't people say the same thing for Resistance 2? How was the co-op in Resistance 3, did it go even bigger?

If there’s no question that this is something Insomnaic wants to stand by, the only true advice I can recommend is an overhaul of presentation (similar to The Darkness 2) and simply let loose with the weapons and abilities (AND CHARACTERS!).

Oh hell yeah!

Fantastic art style and improved combat along with the awesome quad-wielding controls.