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Hellblade 2 has only 51 players on Steam now after two months (Hellblade 1 has 147)

Was it mistaken for Ninja Theory to emphasize visuals over gameplay?

  • Yes, game needs to play fun to attract audience

    Votes: 156 84.8%
  • No, the insane visual fidelity pushes the tech boundary and I love it

    Votes: 28 15.2%

  • Total voters
    184

LectureMaster

Gold Member

Hellblade-2.jpg


This is brutal as Hellblade 1 actually has more steam player right now.

2iBxCyT.png


Was it mistaken for Ninja Theory to emphasize visuals over gameplay?
 

thief183

Member
Tech games have always existed but this time we have a metric to see how much appeal they have, honestly, cinematic games for me are the worst so I hope any other cinematic game get this number of sells.
 

Fbh

Gold Member
On top of the issue of focusing too much on visuals I think the whole concept of making a Hellblade 2 was a mistake.
I like the original, but to me it was a sort of "one off" experience that I didn't need more of. I've said it in another thread but it was sort of like watching Memento, cool movie with a unique concept but not one that left me thinking "Oh boy I sure hope they make Memento 2".

When it was announced I thought they'd just expand it and make it into more of an action game, which would have been tonally weird but whatever. But then after a long wait it's just more of the same which I think is even less appealing
 
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DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
This game would’ve made sense as a showpiece for XSX launch like Ryse: Son of Rome was for X1, I suspect that’s why it got made. It was the first game they showed at the XSX reveal in 2019.

I’m just impressed they managed to drag the development out for 7 years. Ninja Theory really did an amazing job getting rich daddy Microsoft to pay those paychecks year after year.

You just know they had meetings with Xbox upper management in 2020 like “yeah it’s coming along great, our mock reviews say 91 Metacritic, just another 6-12 months and it should be ready to go!!”
 

Fess

Member
Playing HB1 first to continue the story in HB2 perhaps?

I enjoyed my playthrough of HB2 but see no reason to touch it again, same for HB1. Maybe if I get senile and forget the story. Slow story-focused games like this are one and done for me.

But I liked the brutality in the combat. They could’ve had some sort of bonus combat-only mode unlocked after finishing it, a beat’em up, with new enemy waves jumping in with new themes and boss fights and increasing difficulty.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
That's irrelevant. Plenty of shorter single player games sell way more than this thing.
Sure but this game is more of “expriance“ than a game that people want go back to. I haven’t played this but I imagine once you finish it there is not much reason to go replay it.

But its a game what most graphic whore wanted the most, the game that’s mostly about showing off its graphics.
 

LectureMaster

Gold Member
This game would’ve made sense as a showpiece for XSX launch like Ryse: Son of Rome was for X1, I suspect that’s why it got made. It was the first game they showed at the XSX reveal in 2019.

I’m just impressed they managed to drag the development out for 7 years. Ninja Theory really did an amazing job getting rich daddy Microsoft to pay those paychecks year after year.

You just know they had meetings with Xbox upper management in 2020 like “yeah it’s coming along great, our mock reviews say 91 Metacritic, just another 6-12 months and it should be ready to go!!”
Good point. It would have made a difference had the game lunched with XSX. At least I would have wowed at the power of the next gen.
 

The Cockatrice

Gold Member
Gamepass and its price for a 3 hour boring walking sim killed it. If this was at 20 euros, it would've sold far more. When will companies realize lower prices means more sales and the income is far superior over lower sales higher price.
 
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clarky

Gold Member
so is hellblade1, this is doing much worse
Player base difference between the 2 I could fit in my garage hardly "much worse". The first has been available for years and has been on sale numerous times. HB2 is £50.

Both games are mid at best. I fail to see why this is worth discussing.
 
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Saber

Member
Lets be honest, this game was made just for the graphical fetishes. DF probably drools watching this game but thats it. Its barelly a game.
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Hmm. Didn't know.

Maybe than because the first has more gameplay.
People have an agenda so they will run with any comparison they can that fits. The 1st game has been out much longer, more people have had time to buy it. It's been on sale for $5 numerous times. People playing part 1 now are pretty likely to play part 2 at some point as well. The 1st game is on GP, but it didn't launch on GP, and it can be purchased for cheaper than 1 month of GP. The sequel has definitely bombed, but none of this is new information. The relentless shitting on it works. You don't see any of that with Nobody Wants to Die or Still Wakes the Deep. People had it out for this game and they have nothing better to do but keep shitting on it.
 

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
People have an agenda so they will run with any comparison they can that fits. The 1st game has been out much longer, more people have had time to buy it. It's been on sale for $5 numerous times. People playing part 1 now are pretty likely to play part 2 at some point as well. The 1st game is on GP, but it didn't launch on GP, and it can be purchased for cheaper than 1 month of GP. The sequel has definitely bombed, but none of this is new information. The relentless shitting on it works. You don't see any of that with Nobody Wants to Die or Still Wakes the Deep. People had it out for this game and they have nothing better to do but keep shitting on it.
Still wakes the deep was a good game though. Little reason to shit on it unless you hate that type of game. I played both and hb 2 was boring as hell in comparison.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
It's a one and done. Simple as that. Also boring as hell. I wanna play games, not movies.

EDIT: I'm not done

They didn't really expand on the combat. The puzzles are laughably easy. There's no challenge. I just feel like I'm along for the ride. Where is the player agency? The voices have lost their novelty...on top of that they are now...helpful and annoying at the same time in some strange way? They didn't have to double down on that. What about a story about how she's getting better...controlling the voices...maybe even evolving them into some form of clairvoyance. I dunno, there's so many good ideas that just seem like were left on the table. The game is too damn safe. It's exasperating.
 
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Sequels generally need to be bigger and better - you have to up the stakes. I think when most people heard this was another short game at a hefty price, they opted out. I also agree it's not something that needed a sequel.
 

Punished Miku

Human Rights Subscription Service
Still wakes the deep was a good game though. Little reason to shit on it unless you hate that type of game. I played both and hb 2 was boring as hell in comparison.
You can prefer any game you like. It's hard to not point out the exaggeration I was mentioning though when you literally are claiming it's better "in every way" which is just not reality.
 

LectureMaster

Gold Member
People have an agenda so they will run with any comparison they can that fits. The 1st game has been out much longer, more people have had time to buy it. It's been on sale for $5 numerous times. People playing part 1 now are pretty likely to play part 2 at some point as well. The 1st game is on GP, but it didn't launch on GP, and it can be purchased for cheaper than 1 month of GP. The sequel has definitely bombed, but none of this is new information. The relentless shitting on it works. You don't see any of that with Nobody Wants to Die or Still Wakes the Deep. People had it out for this game and they have nothing better to do but keep shitting on it.
I don't know why you always got so defensive when it comes to xbox topic. And then immediately calling people having an "agenda". I made a poll to discuss whether it's due to dev choice, not to shit on the game. Calm down.
 
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