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[PlayofSparta]

Sometimes I think it's forbidden in this forum to say that I loved both games equally without being insulted. Most people here didn't even played this game or passed the Thorgestr fight, they just complain anyway. If this was a Sony game the intent would be different here.

 

[sendit]

I selected: "No, the insane visual fidelity pushes the tech boundary and I love it"

Not because I wanted to, but because i had to.

​

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

More people are playing the better game after the honeymoon period, what a surprise.

 

[Fess]

Sometimes I think it's forbidden in this forum to say that I loved both games equally without being insulted. Most people here didn't even played this game or passed the Thorgestr fight, they just complain anyway. If this was a Sony game the intent would be different here.

Be better then, don’t talk about Sony or any bias, just ignore the noise and say you like the games and focus on that.
I enjoyed them both too. HB2 was like an interactive movie and movies is one of my bigger hobbies so no complaints there when it’s actually well done. I’m almost never satisfied when games tries to be movies but HB2 did it for me. Interesting story, great acting and cool cuts with the action. So many fights were awesome. But no puzzles the next time!

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

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!!”

The era of the "showpiece" are over. Gamers don't care about graphics anymore.

 

[hemo memo]

It doesn't encourage one run.

Ouch. But seriously the game was visually so impressive that I feel even if I didn’t like the gameplay that much, it carried the playthrough and it helps that the game is short.

 

[Pagusas]

understandable, its a grim ass "game" that has depressing ass art, story and characters. Its the opposite of escapism. That can be fine if it was at least good, its not.

 

[MayauMiao]

If this was a Sony game the intent would be different here.

You must have intentionally ignore how many of us here are making fun of Sony's Concord.

 

[ReyBrujo]

Numbers will spike once they release the full game.

 

[PlayofSparta]

Be better then, don’t talk about Sony or any bias, just ignore the noise and say you like the games and focus on that.

Thanks, I will do that. It's a great game but some replys on gaf are indeed annoying. Did you manage to play the "The Others" narrators for a 2nd time after ending?

 

[Certinty]

I don’t even get how people are surprised. The first game was so boring beyond belief, this is no different. No idea where the hype pre-launch even came from.

 

[Lunarorbit]

The 1st game got praised for mental health depictions.

This sat in development forever and is short. Baftas don't really matter in terms of sales.

 

[CityHunter1981]

And still they got their next game greenlit already. Tango made much better received games and also commercially more successful games (at least compared to Hellblade 2) but got axed. This decision still makes no sense at all.

Some higher up in Ninja Theory must be really good friends with some top executive within Microsoft.

 

[hinch7]

The era of the "showpiece" are over. Gamers don't care about graphics anymore.

Hasn't mattered since the SNES/Genesis era. And even then..

Sounds like an allegory for what it's like to be an Xbox fan these days.

After hyping up games like this, you kinda get what you deserve.

 

[kazuyamishima]

So which on bombed more, Concord or Hellblade 2?

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

So which on bombed more, Concord or Hellblade 2?

so far?
Redfall

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

So which on bombed more, Concord or Hellblade 2?

As far as the gap between expectations + reality, it’s probably going to be Concord. Sony clearly had high hopes for it, yet they couldn’t even get people to try it for free, and they’re planning to sell it for $40

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Tech games have always existed but this time we have a metric to see how much appeal they have

Tech games used to be shit like Quake, Mario 64, Doom, Resident Evil or Final Fantasy VII.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Thanks, I will do that. It's a great game but some replys on gaf are indeed annoying. Did you manage to play the "The Others" narrators for a 2nd time after ending?

You can't possibly be into Sarcofago enough to have Laws Of Scourge as your avatar and be sensitive to gaming shitposting, cheer up! What would DD Crazy do!?

 

[Azelover]

They focused too much on visuals AND...the story wasn't as good as the first one's either..it was simply a boring experience throughout.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Hasn't mattered since the SNES/Genesis era. And even then..

I would disagree with that. A ton of marketing for the PS2 was based on the "Emotion Engine" and Toy Story graphics.

I think the death of the "showpiece mentality" occured around the launch of the XBox One, when Rise Son of Rome flopped and a ton of graphically ugly / simple games rose to unseen heights.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Sometimes I think it's forbidden in this forum to say that I loved both games equally without being insulted. Most people here didn't even played this game or passed the Thorgestr fight, they just complain anyway.

I hear you

If this was a Sony game the intent would be different here.

oh....you fucked up.

 

[Fess]

Thanks, I will do that. It's a great game but some replys on gaf are indeed annoying. Did you manage to play the "The Others" narrators for a 2nd time after ending?

No I played it once, had no idea there were any more to see after the credits rolled. Does that unlock directly when you replay or do you have to find all those story poles? I didn’t find them all.
My thinking is that it’s too story focused for a second playthrough, but if the story is different I could do it, maybe.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Sounds about right. The game was definitely pretty, but the consensus seemed like it was too short, not "fun enough", etc. But a lot of people did enjoy it, I just don't think it was meant to have long legs.

 

[Loomy]

Everyone's finished it. Thing's like 45 minutes long

 

[Represent.]

Worth a play for that one combat section alone. You know it if you've played it

 

[poppabk]

It wasn't the focus on graphics that made this niche. It's the story, the characters, the setting, the mental illness etc. I wouldn't say it's boring but it is dreary as all hell. Reminds me of the show Katla on Netflix, don't recall that setting the world on fire either.

 

[rapid32.5]

Hellblade 1 was a better game and I though MS budget would allow NT to do something special with Hellblade 2 which it wasn’t.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

As many have pointed out, it’s a very niche concept which surprisingly got the funding and timeline it did. Hard to imagine they had any data that would have predicted anything but the commercial failure it was

 

[Kataploom]

They're taking their precious time to announce the Session 1 Battle Pass

 

[DenchDeckard]

It's like the first one, and it's great. The combat scenes completely work for me and I enjoyed my time with it.

It's better than concord. I'd take 10 of these over 100 of those.

 

[Edmund]

When I have kids next time, I'll punish them by making them play hellblade 2.

 

[TheGodfather07]

I don't get why ninja theory didn't focus on and expand the gameplay. It's like they focused on the technical and visual aspects only and forgot that they were creating a videogame.

 

[Starbuck2907]

It’s a 6 hour game with little replay value and no multiplayer. It’s not exactly the kind of game to keep a large audience.

This just means that 51 people are testing out their video cards.

 

[winjer]

It’s a 6 hour game with little replay value and no multiplayer. It’s not exactly the kind of game to keep a large audience.

This just means that 51 people are testing out their video cards.

That is true. But the game never got a big player count. Not even during launch.
The game has always had a small audience, and now it's even smaller.

 

[GHG]

It's like the first one, and it's great. The combat scenes completely work for me and I enjoyed my time with it.

It's better than concord. I'd take 10 of these over 100 of those.

Nobody wants concord either ya numpty.

Try using a good game as a point of reference instead of scraping the barrel and comparing crap with crap.

 

[BWJinxing]

The first one was exceptionally boring.

I have game pass and didn't even bother to try it.

 

[DenchDeckard]

That is true. But the game never got a big player count. Not even during launch.
The game has always had a small audience, and now it's even smaller.

*on pc steam.

We have no idea who played it through gamepass, I don't think?

 

[Freelance Yakuza]

They called it a game, it was judged as a game, and people saw that the game barely had gameplay.

 

[winjer]

*on pc steam.

We have no idea who played it through gamepass, I don't think?

If this game had sold a lot. Or had a massive player count, we would have seen MS brag about it by now. As all companies do.
And there is no reason to think that players on Steam are that much different from players on Xbox.

 

[Skifi28]

Sometimes I think it's forbidden in this forum to say that I loved both games equally without being insulted. Most people here didn't even played this game or passed the Thorgestr fight, they just complain anyway. If this was a Sony game the intent would be different here.

Sounds a tad hyperbolic, I don't think most people have anything against those that like specific games considered bad by the majority. It's only the evangelists that are usually made fun of and for a very good reason. "I hate cinematic games" , "Hellblade 2 is the best game ever because it's so cinematic 10/10" . Let's also not go for the "But if it was a Sony game..." route, The Order was ripped to shreds back then and that actually had some gameplay. Hell, even God of War Ragnarok is rarely mentioned in a good way on GAF these days. There is no conspiracy against xbox games.

 

[GHG]

If this game had sold a lot. Or had a massive player count, we would have seen MS brag about it by now. As all companies do.
And there is no reason to think that players on Steam are that much different from players on Xbox.

Yep, and with the factual information/data available, it didn't chart well on any of the "most played" lists on the Xbox store (which even takes in to account gamepass) and it didn't chart highly on any sales charts.

 

[TVexperto]

That's irrelevant. Plenty of shorter single player games sell way more than this thing.

which ones?

 

[GHG]

which ones?

The first Hellblade for a start.

 

[winjer]

which ones?

For example Hades 2, which released a couple weeks apart from Hellblade 2.
And it had a peak concurrent player, that was 26 times higher.

 

[Hudo]

I think Hellblade II is cool proof-of-concept and tech demo. Now they need to make a video game out of it.

 

[YeulEmeralda]

Let's be real most games die off after their 5 minutes of internet/marketing hype. And they make their money back in the first few months or they flop.

 

[TVexperto]

For example Hades 2, which released a couple weeks apart from Hellblade 2.
And it had a peak concurrent player, that was 26 times higher.

• Main Story​

  19 Hours​

How is it shorter than hellblade 2?​

 

[winjer]

• Main Story​

  19 Hours​

How is it shorter than hellblade 2?​

It's not shorter. But it sold a lot more than Hellblade. And it is still in early access, and only sold on Steam.
The reality is that there is a market for single player games, as long as they are good.
Hellblade 2 has too many issues, length is just one of them.

 

[Topher]

Sometimes I think it's forbidden in this forum to say that I loved both games equally without being insulted. Most people here didn't even played this game or passed the Thorgestr fight, they just complain anyway. If this was a Sony game the intent would be different here.

Nothing is forbidden, including shitting on Sony games if you don't like them which happens frequently "in this forum".

For myself, I finished the game and it was just ok. I don't think it was as bad as some people make out, but not nearly as good as others claim. It was quite boring most of the time, but had some decent moments. Visually fantastic, but that's just not enough.