Because there are no reviews and some people got game already but their impressions get buried in that no reviews thread I made this one. Here are some impressions from GAF people.
P.S. Sorry for formating I am on mobile
Reddit impressions
https://m.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments...ab0a901&utm_source=mweb_redirect&compact=true
P.S. Sorry for formating I am on mobile
Just finished playing for a few hours. Haven't done too much yet.
- Probably the most story focused opening I've seen in an open world crime game of this type in a long time, most likely since Mafia 2. The first 90 minutes-2 hours are basically a montage of quick gameplay scenarios, traditional cutscenes, and documentary footage/interviews setting up the meat of the game. Very, very interesting storytelling style. Cutscenes are well done, easily a cut above any comparable open world games in cinematography and writing. Almost feels like the kind of flair that MachineGames gave Wolfenstein: The New Order. Performances are good, quickly establishing many characters and creating a nice energy right out of the gate.
- Combat mechanics are very snappy. Playing on medium with no aim assist, the few shootouts I've been in so far have been scrappy and physical. Guns have heavy recoil and hit feedback on mooks feels solid. The cover system is basic, but works how you'd expect, and cover swapping is very quick. No GTA awkwardness here. I haven't done nearly enough to judge the AI yet, so we'll see.
- Driving with the "simulation" option feels good. Cars shift their weight and can lose traction in a similar way to Mafia 2/GTAIV, but never to the point that it feels sloppy or loose. Damage modeling is weak though, which makes those big heavy crashes lose a little of their punch. I wish the cars had crumple zones similar to GTAIV, even if these 60s gas guzzlers were tough.
- I'm pretty sure some people are going to take issue with some of the daytime lighting, but I actually like what they're doing here visually. During the day the game has a baked, bleached look to it when you're facing the sun, almost like a "nostalgia" filter in a period film. I'm frequently reminded of the way sunlight works in Assassin's Creed Syndicate actually. At night it takes on a cooler hue with lots of lights and neon popping off the downtown areas. Very bloom heavy and hazy. Some ground/wall textures are a bit eeehhhh, but the overall art direction is strong. Great interiors, use of lighting, big chunky characters and vehicles, strong city design, etc.
- My only glaring negative right now is lack of HUD options. At the very least there should be a rearview mirror and speed gauge toggle, but I also want to turn off the mini-map sometimes. The screen is just needlessly surrounded by things when you're in a vehicle and have mission objectives.
I haven't gotten into the city takeover gameplay yet (the icons aren't even on the map), but I like it so far. Very story heavy upfront and lays a good foundation for the violence to come. I'm right on the cusp of the game opening up. Curious what the rumored day 1 patch will address. I already downloaded a 100mb update.
Also: Hood rolls/slides are great, and every open world game needs them
Reddit impressions
if you want to go in totally blind please don't read. (I won't spoil any story stuff though)
I've played about 3 hours. 2 of those 3 hours was what you could call a "tutorial" where the game mechanics are explained simultaneously with Lincoln's backstory. It's done really masterfully imo and has you jumping around time while having bits and pieces foreshadowed that you then play through. I have spent very little time with the actual open world (the first 2 hours you are guided through the missions with little to do if you stray from them).
Things I Really Like:
the weight of weapon impact - shooting people feels really nice, they react when you blast them in the face with a shotgun in a satisfying way, and the knife kills are also quite satisfying. There is a real sense of presence when fighting enemies.
for those who played Uncharted 4, conversation resumes organically after getting back into a car - just a little thing that speaks to the quality of the game
the story/voice acting/writing - I'm no expert in this stuff but I play a fair amount of games and this all seems very well done. I'm more invested in Lincoln's story after a few hours than I have ever been invested in the entirety of other open world games like Mad Max or Far Cry for example.
there are a lot of really cool collectibles - I'm not going to say anything about these but they're much better than your standard bs "random item that is important" or "random stock artifact". They matter to the time period and show the dedication of Hangar 13 again.
the music - AMAZING TRACKS. I'm 20 and love love love the music. For the older folk out there I'm sure you'll love it even more than I did.
What Wasn't Too Great:
lots of pop-in - specifically when driving, cars would pop in on the road ahead of me. It was never bad enough to the point of me crashing into them, but it's noticeable. In no way does it detract from the experience though.
From what I've seen so far there don't seem to be many upgrades to Lincoln other than generic "improved health" and "carry more ammo" and that disappoints me cause I love RPG elements in games.
frame rate was pretty unstable for the first 30-40 minutes of play time. It dipped quite often but since finishing the very early "intro" "tutorial" whatever you want to call it, it has been steady.
stealth - enemies don't notice you when they can clearly see you. It's pretty immersion-breaking to bolt out of cover to another cover point and an enemy is looking your direction but that stupid "enemy is seeing you" bar is just slowly rising and then you tuck behind cover again and the bar goes away. Good thing shooting people in the face is nice
I have only just scratched the surface of the game and am just entering the real open world parts of it. I love how the story is being told so far and the characters are really great. Gameplay seems to be standard fare so far but the time period, atmosphere, music, and authenticity of the world are really really awesome.
Ya'll can ask whatever questions you want in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm going to play for a few more hours later tonight so I'll have a much better idea of what the game is really about then.
EDIT: 6 hour update
mission structure is insanely repetitive.
weapons are not very varied.
melee kill animations (while satisfying) are not varied enough to keep the satisfaction rolling.
story and writing continues to impress.
not much to explore in the city, basically driving from this "kill everyone" mission to another "kill everyone" mission.
I initially loved the collectibles, but now I'm realizing the only incentive for me to explore the boring buildings of the city is to see naked girls in the playboy magazines
3 hours = 'holy shit this is amazing', 6 hours = 'I wish there wasn't so much gameplay in between story beats'
https://m.reddit.com/r/PS4/comments...ab0a901&utm_source=mweb_redirect&compact=true
