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[Redshirt]

Platforms:

Developer/Publisher: Rebellion
Release date: Monday, August 27 (in the U.S.), 28 in the U.K.

Although you may want to check elsewhere for a better deal: Standard Edition or Deluxe Edition

OVERVIEW
Blessed with supernatural powers and tasked with saving the world from undead horrors, the Strange Brigade travel to Egypt in their extraordinary airship to defeat Seteki the Witch Queen and her legion of mummies and monsters! Embark on an exotic journey into danger in this rip-roaring 1930s third person adventure for 1-4 players! Encounter pulse-pounding action, treacherous traps and tales of derring-do!

What is it?
A third-person action adventure for 1 to 4 players.

Does it have a campaign?
Yes.

Does it feature other modes?
Yes: score attack and horde mode.

Is it harder with less than four people?
Maybe but the game does scale based on player count.

Will there be post-release support?
Yes. Rebellion has announced monthly content drops that are free and require only the base game. There's also a season pass.

What does the season pass entail?
The season pass includes all upcoming DLC packs, which can be purchased separetely. These packs will include a new three-part campaign, five new characters with unique amulets, new weapons and items as well as new outfits for the original four characters.

How many characters will there be total?
Ten that have been announced. The original four have been introduced. Four of the five DLC characters have been announced. There's also a special character that's free if you pre-order or purchase the game within 30 days of release. It's currently unclear whether he's one of the five DLC characters in the season pass--my guess is no--or how you'll be able to acquire him if you miss out initially.

Official PC System Requirements

Strange Brigade uses DENUVO, unfortunately.

RECOMMENDED:
OS: 64-bit Windows 7, 64-bit Windows 8.1 or 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: Intel CPU Core i7-3770 or AMD equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GPU GeForce GTX 970 / AMD GPU Radeon RX 480

 

[Redshirt]

OK, so I know the official release date is August 28, but that's for the UK. It releases at the same time in the U.S. (on Steam at least), so that'll be Monday, August 27 at 7:00pm ET.

 

[waylo]

I really want to check this out, it's been on my list for ages. Unfortunately, being broke combined with a $45 price tag means I'll be waiting on this one for awhile. It looks really fun though.

 

[Redshirt]

Yeah. I think the pricing, marketing, use of Denuvo on PC, approach to DLC and putting this against Spider-Man means that this game isn't going to do well out of the gate.

I fully expect this to continue my tradition of putting a lot of effort into OTs that no one posts in.

But I am hopeful that this game succeeds over time due to positive word of mouth.

 

[Woo-Fu]

I suspect the average consumer doesn't even know what Denuvo is, much less cares about it. I do and I don't. Though its use in this case would lead me to believe that this uses a p2p network model without any sort of centralized login/servers, which is a bummer.

 

[Redshirt]

I suspect the average consumer doesn't even know what Denuvo is, much less cares about it.

You think? I feel like the average person on Steam who's going to play this kind of game does.

I don't think you can just buy this off the shelf for PC, only Xbox and PS.

 

[Woo-Fu]

You think? I feel like the average person on Steam who's going to play this kind of game does.

If the average gamer knew and cared then it would already be a thing of the past. What was the last game with Denuvo that was effectively boycotted on the first day because the average gamers voted with their collective wallet? When's the last time there was uproar oh, say, equivalent to the Battlefront 2 mess? Never. It simply doesn't happen. That tells me that either few care, or that few care enough.

And let's be honest here, Denuvo is a thing of beauty compared to StarForce. DRM has come a long way.

 

[Snoopycat]

I suspect the average consumer doesn't even know what Denuvo is, much less cares about it. I do and I don't. Though its use in this case would lead me to believe that this uses a p2p network model without any sort of centralized login/servers, which is a bummer.

They said in some stream/interview that the servers are p2p. I'm on the fence about it. I like the look of it but the lack of hype is a worry. I'll wait and see what the reviews are like.

 

[Woo-Fu]

They said in some stream/interview that the servers are p2p. I'm on the fence about it. I like the look of it but the lack of hype is a worry. I'll wait and see what the reviews are like.

Yeah, the fact that I've heard exactly nothing about this from streamers is a warning sign. No reason to not wait and see. If it is good it'll last more than a week on Twitch and I'll have enough friends who buy it to make it worth picking up myself. There is definitely demand for good L4D-like experiences, if Vermintide is anything to go by.

 

[Redshirt]

If the average gamer knew and cared then it would already be a thing of the past. What was the last game with Denuvo that was effectively boycotted on the first day because the average gamers voted with their collective wallet? When's the last time there was uproar oh, say, equivalent to the Battlefront 2 mess? Never. It simply doesn't happen. That tells me that either few care, or that few care enough.

And let's be honest here, Denuvo is a thing of beauty compared to StarForce. DRM has come a long way.

I see your point, and that may be true. But we're talking about a game that's probably going to have a relatively small player base on PC day one. It can't help.

 

[Woo-Fu]

I see your point, and that may be true. But we're talking about a game that's probably going to have a relatively small player base on PC day one. It can't help.

Actually it definitely can help. I'm pretty sure the number of people who buy it because they can't easily pirate it will be greater than 0, based upon anecdotal experience with past games and the group of people I game with regularly. Is that non-zero number larger or smaller than the people who deny themselves the experience based upon principle? None of us can say with any certainty.

I really don't understand why people will decide that corporations are evil, money-grubbing, anti-consumer monsters on one hand and then comfortably decide on the other hand that they'd blissfully keep dumping revenue into something that isn't providing value. The two positions are logically inconsistent.

 

[Redshirt]

Actually it definitely can help. I'm pretty sure the number of people who buy it because they can't easily pirate it will be greater than 0, based upon anecdotal experience with past games and the group of people I game with regularly. Is that non-zero number larger or smaller than the people who deny themselves the experience based upon principle? None of us can say with any certainty.

Haha. I doubt it. You come across like a Denuvo sales rep.

 

[Snoopycat]

Yeah, the fact that I've heard exactly nothing about this from streamers is a warning sign. No reason to not wait and see. If it is good it'll last more than a week on Twitch and I'll have enough friends who buy it to make it worth picking up myself. There is definitely demand for good L4D-like experiences, if Vermintide is anything to go by.

Yeah, I was hoping Earthfall was going to be a good L4D clone but that didn't turn out too well. I didn't like Vermintide. I thought the movement was floaty and weird, but they say the sequel's better.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Haha. I doubt it. You come across like a Denuvo sales rep.

No, I come across as somebody who can intelligently look at both sides of the argument with an open mind, instead of somebody with an axe to grind. I'm no fan of DRM, but I understand the business case behind it.

If people were really that strongly against DRM they too would look at both sides because it would allow them to craft better arguments, build better positions, and ultimately be taken seriously by the people who are actually making the decisions. As long as your position is that DRM is the antichrist and that companies are investing in it simply to poke a sharp stick in the eye of legitimate customers you are never going to be taken seriously by anybody outside of your echo chamber of like-minded people.

 

[Redshirt]

No, I come across as somebody who can intelligently look at both sides of the argument with an open mind, instead of somebody with an axe to grind. I'm no fan of DRM, but I understand the business case behind it.

I don't have an ax to grind! And I don't want to derail my own thread, but this gamer who buys games because the pirated copy isn't available doesn't exist. Don't perpetuate the myth.

 

[Woo-Fu]

I don't have an ax to grind! And I don't want to derail my own thread, but this gamer who buys games because the pirated copy isn't available doesn't exist. Don't perpetuate the myth.

Uh, I told you that not only does that gamer exist, I know some of them. Are you saying I'm lying?

Your inability to comprehend such a situation definitely looks like axe-grinding to me. Your instant assumption that anybody presenting data that doesn't agree with your world view is lying looks like axe-grinding to me.

See, you've already made up your mind. You're comfortable ignoring facts that don't agree with your stance. You've decided something is a myth because its reality doesn't support your position. That close-mindedness makes it impossible to take your opinion of DRM seriously.

Here's how it really works: There are gamers out there who don't have enough disposable income to play every game they'd like to play. They don't pirate everything and they don't pay for everything they can't pirate but when something good enough comes along that they can't casually copy they will pay for it. Those people exist, for a fact. How many of them there are? Who knows? I don't, and you don't. I do know that the number is greater than 0 and I do know that while you say the number is 0 you don't know that, you simply believe it because it supports your position.

I've been working with software since the late 80's and I've run across more than one casual copier. Interestingly enough I've encountered more of them copying application software in business environments than I have in gaming.

Lastly, if you manage to review this discussion with an open mind you'll notice that I haven't tried to minimize any of the real negatives of DRM. I haven't said it doesn't consume resources that might be better spent elsewhere. I haven't said that it doesn't increase incompatibilities. Every now and then it can be a pain in the ass for a legit customer, and always-on types are even more problematic.

Are legitimate customers paying the price for piracy? Every damn day.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

I completely forgot about this game. Just saw that it releases tomorrow. Anyone playing yet?

 

[Redshirt]

I completely forgot about this game. Just saw that it releases tomorrow. Anyone playing yet?

I think it unlocks in the U.S. at ~7pm Eastern.

But there have been some on Twitch. Xbox/PS collector editions that shipped early I think.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

I think it unlocks in the U.S. at ~7pm Eastern.

But there have been some on Twitch. Xbox/PS collector editions that shipped early I think.

Any early impressions?

 

[Redshirt]

Some of the early Twitch streaming through Rebellion is what sold me on the game, but no personal impressions yet.

 

[Snoopycat]

I'm surprised the reviews aren't out yet. I thought they would have been out by now.

 

[Redshirt]

I'm surprised by that too. Rebellion was giving copies out to Twitch streamers.

I think there are some YT reviews, but nobody particularly known to me.

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

Is there an embargo in place?

 

[Redshirt]

Not that I know of, but I'm not sure if there were review copies outside of Twitch.

I'm also not really sure how Rebellion normally handles itself.

Spider-Man review copies are probably out, so there's that, but no reason why the bigger sites can't be doing multiple games.

 

[sublimit]

Can i play it offline? And if i can does that mean the other 3 characters can be controlled by AI?

 

[Redshirt]

Can i play it offline? And if i can does that mean the other 3 characters can be controlled by AI?

Yeah. Single-player is offline from what I understand. Doesn't require check-in or anything like that.

There are no AI-controlled partners, but the game scales based on the number of people playing. Also, you can set it higher if you want a challenge, such as play alone but set it for four players.

The aspect of this I'm unsure of is how profession-specific doors and other features work. I'm guessing there are no profession-specific gates, just side areas and whatnot. We'll see.

 

[30yearsofhurt]

Way to completely de-rail your own thread OP.

Is the game any good?

 

[Redshirt]

One of the Rebellion employees just said on Discord: "We have lots of free content planned."

 

[Snoopycat]

Some reviews are up. It's a bit lower than what I expected, but the people I saw on Twitch were having fun with it.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/strange-brigade

 

[Neolombax]

Was hoping to see some impressions here. Maybe its a bit too early. Super interested in the game, it looks fun. Was wondering if there was any progression systems in place? I know there's gem slotting on weapons to modify the weapons.

 

[captainraincoat]

I'm really on the fence about buying this......I'm.a fan of left 4 dead style games which this looks similar too but does anyone have any idea on if it has matchmaking for mp?? Or is it invite only?

 

[LegendOfKage]

Sounds like it should be fun in co-op, but loses a lot when played solo:

 

[Redshirt]

I played for a few hours last night two-person co-op. It's a lot of fun. Some review described it as L4D meets Indiana Jones, which seemed accurate in my brief playthrough.

As I understand it so far, the progression lies in unlocking amulets, upgrading weapons with gemstones and purchasing new weapons. You take your gold with you after matches.

 

[ILLtown]

I've put 2-3 hours into it, but only playing solo.

I'm enjoying it quite a lot so far. I like the mix of shooter, exploration and puzzles, although so far the puzzles have been very easy indeed. Maybe that's because I'm playing solo, I dunno.

The combat is satisfying, mainly thanks to the addition of traps, plenty of exploding red barrels, and character powers. The gunplay is solid enough, although to me something about the aim assist seems a bit off. I can't really explain why, but it just doesn't seem to be 100% right. Obviously not an issue for PC players and you can turn aim assist off on console too.

Your character has a main weapon, a pistol, a grenade/mine/explosive, and an amulet. Right now there's about a dozen main weapons, 4 pistols, half a dozen grenades/mines and 4 amulets per character. The bulk of your arsenal is locked and has to be unlocked by earning in-game gold.

Main weapons can be upgraded by inserting gems into slots to add extra abilities, such as setting enemies on fire or stealing some life from them that heals you. Weapons have between 1 and 3 slots, with the 3 slot weapons being the most expensive to unlock. Unlocking extra amulets requires doing in game tasks that gives you skill points you can spend. There are no micro-transactions for unlocking stuff, so you have to do it all by completing in-game tasks and accumulating gold. When you complete a level in the campaign any gold you found is banked, which you can then spend any time you like on buying a new weapon.

When you kill enemies their souls are left behind and you can hold down RT to absorb them which charges up your amulet. Once full, you can trigger your ultimate ability. Grenades/mines/explosives seem to be unlimited, but with a cooldown after each use.

In-game you will also find chests that cost money to unlock and they give you a weapon that has a set amount of ammo, so it can't be restocked and only lasts until you run out of ammo, however, these weapons are much more powerful than the standard main weapons you can choose from at the beginning of the game. You can carry these weapons alongside your regular weapons, so picking one up doesn't replace your main weapon - you can still switch to that if you like and save the more powerful weapon for when you encounter a boss battle.

There's 3 modes - Campaign, Horde and Score Attack. To be able to play a Score Attack level you must first complete it in the main campaign. All of these modes can be played with 1-4 players. There's a quick match option for multiplayer, as well as a game browser. When you open the game browser it will give you a list of all of the multiplayer games you can join, which shows you the game mode, the mission, the difficulty, the number of players in the lobby, the host name, and signal strength. You can filter some of this stuff down, for instance you can filter by game mode. There are also leaderboards for all of the modes.

AFAIK, the game uses P2P for its multiplayer rather the dedicated servers. I can't say how well this works as I'm yet to try it out.

I've heard that the campaign is fairly short at about 11-12 hours, however, there is likely some replay value there as even though I'm exploring each level a fair bit, I'm missing collectibles. As long as the multiplayer works fine, I can imagine the horde mode being really fun based on what I've seen.

It's impossible for me to make any "buy or don't buy" recommendations based on what I've played so far, but yeah - I'm really liking what I've seen!

 

[ILLtown]

Was wondering if there was any progression systems in place? I know there's gem slotting on weapons to modify the weapons.

There's about a dozen primary weapons. Only 2 are unlocked to begin with and the others require gold to unlock, which you earn in-game. Each gun has between 1 and 3 slots that you can insert gems into, with the more expensive guns having the most slots. Gems can be acquired via opening chests that are hidden around each level. Once a gem has been inserted into a gun, it can't be taken out. It can be replaced, however, but that will destroy the gem that's being replaced. You can also sell gems for 100 gold each, as sometimes you'll end up with duplicates.

There's 4 pistols, with 2 unlocked from the start. These don't have upgrade slots.

There's also around half a dozen grenades/mines/Molotov cocktails. I believe 2 are unlocked from the start.

All of the stuff mentioned above can be used by any character once it's been unlocked.

Each character also has 4 amulets, with 1 being unlocked for each character from the beginning. These give you your ultimate ability - when you kill an enemy its soul is left behind, which you absorb for partial charge towards your ult. Unlocking amulets requires you to earn skill points in-game, which I believe requires you to find certain collectibles - I'm not 100% sure as I've not actually earned a skill point yet.

In-game there are also chests that you can unlock with gold that give you temporary weapons that last until the ammo runs out. These are different to the main weapons you get to choose from, and are also carried alongside them.

 

[Redshirt]

This game scratches an itch for me. If you've been looking for a good co-op game, you'll enjoy it.

SB is gorgeous (most of the time). Frames are rock solid. Some of the water seems like five-year-old tech.

Gunplay is good. Really enjoying the level design. The Tomb Raider-esque puzzles and collectibles are great for the time being. The scarab nests can go !@#$ off.

Still concerned with total content and the longevity because of that, but having a blast atm.

 

[Neolombax]

Very solid impressions thus far. Much appreciated guys. I'm looking for a game that I can drop into, shoot things, collect some loot and make a bit of progress, and have a good time. This game somewhat looks to fit that description.

I really hope in the future they add more on the progression bit, add more reasons to continue playing.

 

[Unity2012]

Great OT. I hope more people give SB a try. The game is really fun to play solo or co-op. I like the multiple paths you can approach to complete any level. Enemies are fun and there's a good amount of exploration.
And, did I mention how good it all looks? Yeah. Fun game.

 

[Alexander DeLarge]

I suspect the average consumer doesn't even know what Denuvo is, much less cares about it. I do and I don't. Though its use in this case would lead me to believe that this uses a p2p network model without any sort of centralized login/servers, which is a bummer.

The fact that they haven't removed it from Sniper Elite 4 despite it being cracked for over two years and they actively go on the forums and delete threads/posts requesting removal and ban users who repeatedly request it justifies any criticism levied against them in my opinion.

If they're not going to remove the ticking time bomb once it's cracked or after a reasonable period of time, you're basically playing Russian roulette whether they'll bother to finally remove it when those authentication servers go down.

Rebellion has really disappointed me as a long term fan of the series and 2000AD.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

GB seems to like it
https://www.giantbomb.com/videos/quick-look-strange-brigade/2300-13556/

I have it, but don't have it installed yet. Probably this weekend.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

Videos

 

[wipeout364]

I bought it based on positive feedback here. I have only played a couple of hours but initial impressions are very good.

I think my biggest thing is the weapons feel like they have weight and impact, this was my biggest gripe with earthfall. As Redshirt said the game looks amazing for arguably a B tier title. Level design is good so far.

One of the big surprises for me is that they actually pull of the campy vibe in a way that works really well. In the adds it seemed kind of stupid but in the game it is great.

 

[Redshirt]

The narrator is amazing, and I think a big part of why the camp works.

I finished the campaign. It took us about 11 hours. I know some like ACG felt the levels are too same-y, but I didn't feel that way at all.

I'm looking forward to going back through, finding what I missed and trying out the other amulets.

I have a gripe with the Secret Service Weapons Pack, which is free with preorders or $4 otherwise.

No shotguns, but these weapons seem more powerful than guns you have to save up ~55k gold coins for.

This is shitty both from a DLC perspective and in that it hurts what little progression is in the game. :/

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[Masatshi]

finished the game yesterday in coop with my buddy. achievements are very buggy, some of the achievements popped for him but not for me. I did those levels again later and alone and got the achievements.... we also got all collectables which would net four achievements, 90 points each, but none of them popped. not a single one! we can't collect them again, since they're gone from the level. We would have to delete our savefiles to try again, but then we would lose all our weapons and upgrades... anyone else having issues with achievements not popping up??

 

[Lanrutcon]

Man. I just want my Sniper Elite 5

 

[xrnzaaas]

Man. I just want my Sniper Elite 5

I want my Nazi Zombie Army 4.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[IbizaPocholo]

The Thrice Damned Part 3: Great Temple of Bed and the Maharani Huntress Character Expansion Pack are OUT NOW on PS4, Xbox One and PC, available separately and as part of the Season Pass!

The time has come to put an end to the curse of the Thrice Damned, which continues to grow ever stronger. Bolstering the hordes of mummies and fiends alike! Never fear though, for the Strange Brigade are on the case!

 

[The Bloody-Nine]

I think I'm about 6 hours into this, and I'm playing solo. This game is so much fun and very well done. The cheesy voice over, the cool settings, impressive presentation.....

Big fan.