I thought that was more about the class differences and affiliations between the two, and lack of complete trust because of it. Him saying at the end I am no longer a knight was telling her they are on the same side now.
I can understand Lakshmi's attitude towards Galahad when they first met. There was still a wide distance as they weren't able to build strong trust of each other. So yeah, calling Galahad as "Knight" is fine. But after all the fights in Blackwall Dock and United India House infiltration where they protect each other against waves of enemies and that Lakshmi saves his ass, I expect their relationship to be closer and much more mutual. So, "Knight" is not an appropriate word for Lakshmi to call Galahad. Call him "Gray" or "King" or something. There should be any distance between them.
Really liked the game, but there a lot of valid criticisms to be had for it but in the end it is an enjoyable playthrough. And there are some scenes I can see myself replaying if not the entire game again. Glad I played through it the first time with aim assist off and on hard because it created some intense fights, but at times frustrating because the AI is almost too aggressive and too accurate on hard. This would have been helped dramatically if the friendly AI ever took down an enemy. I also want to slap the hand of whoever game those shotgunners the repeating shotgun because it is just 1,2,3 dead with those guys at times.
Really wish the game had like another hour to it at the end, and it was missing that "I'm a badass moment". The bridge and the end come close, but felt like Galahad had the potential to do some gnarly extreme stuff that just never happens. Also the Lycan fights, not the elders...woof those were bad.
Things I really enjoyed were the characters, some of the encounters and levels were really fun, the score, the visuals, the lore is so good, liked the weapons, I really enjoyed the second stealth area, and it leaves my mind racing with possibilities as to what they can do with a sequel and I really hope they get the chance. Perhaps that is the biggest compliment I can pay RAD is that I will be there day one for the sequel.
I agree. From the bottom of my hope, I really hope that RaD will focus a lot more on gameplay experience in the sequel (if it ever happens). Seriously, I will be fine even if the graphics remain unchanged or has no major improvement in the next game. Gameplay aspect should be their top priority when they design their next game. I love this game, but I can't deny it has some obnoxious flaws in combat and level design. Fixing all those flaws and the next game will be doing just fine.
I had no issues with the stealth sections in this game...so easy and great atmosphere.
The timed button presses are so simple and the second prolonged section gives you a damn crossbow. You can take out every guy from afar and enemies don't detect downed bodies.
I had no issues with the stealth sections in this game...so easy and great atmosphere.
The timed button presses are so simple and the second prolonged section gives you a damn crossbow. You can take out every guy from afar and enemies don't detect downed bodies.
I think the issue is if ou try and play that section as pure stealth (although in truth even that isn't too hard) - I.e. Creep up past everyone.
The reality is that sections remains a kill everyone section just one you use crossbow and knife for.
I had two false starts thinking they really meant stealthy then clicked it was kill everyone without a care just don't be loud about it.
I should have known after the first mission where you're told to avoid lethal force if necessary which is totally misleading as in fact you have no option but to kill everyone (so far as I'm aware).
Just got this from gamefly. I'm halfway through chapter 4 and so far its pretty damn good. Unless it just goes to hell in a handbasket later on, its definitely been rated on the low side.
I found it odd that there's no clear way of carrying out non-lethal takedowns, yet at the end,
during the trial, Hastings says Galahad "incapacitated several of my guards". I certainly did more than incapacitate them and more than several! It seems an odd phrase to describe the slaughter he's referring to, unless there was (or is?) someway to not kill many of the guards. Perhaps this was an option removed from the game at some point?
Yeah, of all the things that bug me in the game, this stood out the most for me. With some of the dialogue and story bits, it was just such an odd omission.
I think the issue is if ou try and play that section as pure stealth (although in truth even that isn't too hard) - I.e. Creep up past everyone.
The reality is that sections remains a kill everyone section just one you use crossbow and knife for.
I had two false starts thinking they really meant stealthy then clicked it was kill everyone without a care just don't be loud about it.
I should have known after the first mission where you're told to avoid lethal force if necessary which is totally misleading as in fact you have no option but to kill everyone (so far as I'm aware).
Yeah you essentially have to murder until you 'find' the key for the first section and the subsequent sequences require the same. The objective remains 'clear the west wing' or something to that effect.
After you realize that though, I don't see why so many would find it difficult. I was expecting an absolute mess after reading the reviews and impressions.
I can understand Lakshmi's attitude towards Galahad when they first met. There was still a wide distance as they weren't able to build strong trust of each other. So yeah, calling Galahad as "Knight" is fine. But after all the fights in Blackwall Dock and United India House infiltration where they protect each other against waves of enemies and that Lakshmi saves his ass, I expect their relationship to be closer and much more mutual. So, "Knight" is not an appropriate word for Lakshmi to call Galahad. Call him "Gray" or "King" or something. There should be any distance between them.
I'd also say it's for respect, and not just lack of trust. While Lakshmi knows the Order has the enemy within, she also must realize the the others actually fight for something she also believes in. Even though they are deceived according to her.
So what is your excuse when a gentleman like Galahad punches people, snaps their necks and knee strikes them in their faces? Or is it Galahad being allergy to filthiness?
So what is your excuse when a gentleman like Galahad punches people, snaps their necks and knee strikes them in their faces? Or is it Galahad being allergy to filthiness?
So what is your excuse when a gentleman like Galahad punches people, snaps their necks and knee strikes them in their faces? Or is it Galahad being allergy to filthiness?
I am enjoying the game, just did the bridge part stopped if after the next cut scene because my brother said there was a rather long gameplay part coming up and I had to go to work. Love the world, hope sells well enuff for a squeal. The game is freaking gorgeous.
Yeah you essentially have to murder until you 'find' the key for the first section and the subsequent sequences require the same. The objective remains 'clear the west wing' or something to that effect.
After you realize that though, I don't see why so many would find it difficult. I was expecting an absolute mess after reading the reviews and impressions.
Yeah you essentially have to murder until you 'find' the key for the first section and the subsequent sequences require the same. The objective remains 'clear the west wing' or something to that effect.
After you realize that though, I don't see why so many would find it difficult. I was expecting an absolute mess after reading the reviews and impressions.
So what is your excuse when a gentleman like Galahad punches people, snaps their necks and knee strikes them in their faces? Or is it Galahad being allergy to filthiness?
I was just genuinely surprised at the consistency with which these sections were criticized. There are far worse insta-fail stealth sections in other games.
After finishing the game and going back and playing other shooters I really hope they take the criticisms about the game to heart. The whole thing felt like I was walking through a museum display... the gunplay was decent but there were very few times when I had to actual shift cover or employ any sort of tactical awareness (unless the AI refused to move and I had to go hunt them down) It was a beautiful world that I didn't feel even the slightest connection to. The minor lycan battles were the worst part of the game,
the "uber"lycans were well choreographed but again... no tactics, just an exercise in memorization. Also in the last cutscene Galahad picks up a sweet looking new gun that you never actually get to use.
I found myself being annoyed by the cutscenes more than I was being drawn in by the story. Even games like Half-Life 2 had walk and talk scenes but they never were so insecure as to wrestle control away from the player to get in their story. They used natural cues or level design to get in the story bits... this feels like a step backward from that. It's so good looking it seems a lot are willing to forgive it but for me if they get a sequel I really hope they makes some changes to how the story is delivered as not to sacrifice from the "game" part of the game.
I finished it last night. Overall, I REALLY enjoyed it. It took me 7 hours to complete.
Pros:
+ Graphics: It can't be stated enough how next-level these visuals are. Stunning.
+ Sound: Phenomenal sound design. Very atmospheric and full of nuance.
+ Acting: Not just from the main cast either. Even extras give good performances both in voice and facial capture.
+ Cinematography: This is Hollywood quality shot composition and editing.
+ Setting: Steampunk enough to feel unique while grounded enough to feel real.
+ Gunplay: Nothing too original here but the science weapons are a blast to use. Every gun felt "weighty" and strong. Cover system works well, too.
+ Melee: The variety of contextual, environmental takedowns always made doing them feel rewarding.
+ Story: While mostly predictable, it was compelling enough to keep me engaged and I found the characters fun and charismatic. I felt for the characters and their plight. There was enough mystery to keep it interesting, too.
+ Load times: How do you have graphics that look this good and yet the game loads in just seconds?!
Cons:
- Failable QTEs: While I didn't mind the QTEs most of the time, even the small ones, every so often they there would be a scene that requires lightening quick reaction times I simply didn't possess. So, it lead to having to repeat scenes many, many times which was simply frustrating. Also, for all the talk about branching QTEs, there were very few of them and you could still fail them.
- Failable Stealth: Taking down five guys only to have a sixth spot you and having to do it all over again was also VERY frustrating.
- Nudity: It felt almost pandering. The number of dongs we see on screen was especially unnecessary.
- Enemy AI: Pretty dumb. You could pretty much just wait for every enemy to stick their head up into your line of fire. Also, they had very consistent patterns they would follow.
- Ending: It felt a bit anti-climactic and didn't answer enough questions and didn't feel like an actual conclusion to the story being told.
This is a game I could see myself going back to in a few months and playing through again. Even though I know it'll be the same experience, like a good movie, I don't mind watching it again especially since I know I'll be better at it the second time through.
- Enemy AI: Pretty dumb. You could pretty much just wait for every enemy to stick their head up into your line of fire. Also, they had very consistent patterns they would follow.
Good writeup though I have to disagree with this a little. I completed it on hard and there were quite a few sections where they gave me a run for my money. Some flanking instances, shotgunners were a pain in the ass when they'd rush me forcing me out of cover, grenades lobbed left and right at me...
Not all the battles were difficult but there were some where I died quite a few times.
Good writeup though I have to disagree with this a little. I completed it on hard and there were quite a few sections where they gave me a run for my money. Some flanking instances, shotgunners were a pain in the ass when they'd rush me forcing me out of cover, grenades lobbed left and right at me...
Not all the battles were difficult but there were some where I died quite a few times.
Good writeup though I have to disagree with this a little. I completed it on hard and there were quite a few sections where they gave me a run for my money. Some flanking instances, shotgunners were a pain in the ass when they'd rush me forcing me out of cover, grenades lobbed left and right at me...
Not all the battles were difficult but there were some where I died quite a few times.
I finished it last night. Overall, I REALLY enjoyed it. It took me 7 hours to complete.
Pros:
+ Graphics: It can't be stated enough how next-level these visuals are. Stunning.
+ Sound: Phenomenal sound design. Very atmospheric and full of nuance.
+ Acting: Not just from the main cast either. Even extras give good performances both in voice and facial capture.
+ Cinematography: This is Hollywood quality shot composition and editing.
+ Setting: Steampunk enough to feel unique while grounded enough to feel real.
+ Gunplay: Nothing too original here but the science weapons are a blast to use. Every gun felt "weighty" and strong. Cover system works well, too.
+ Melee: The variety of contextual, environmental takedowns always made doing them feel rewarding.
+ Story: While mostly predictable, it was compelling enough to keep me engaged and I found the characters fun and charismatic. I felt for the characters and their plight. There was enough mystery to keep it interesting, too.
+ Load times: How do you have graphics that look this good and yet the game loads in just seconds?!
Cons:
- Failable QTEs: While I didn't mind the QTEs most of the time, even the small ones, every so often they there would be a scene that requires lightening quick reaction times I simply didn't possess. So, it lead to having to repeat scenes many, many times which was simply frustrating. Also, for all the talk about branching QTEs, there were very few of them and you could still fail them.
- Failable Stealth: Taking down five guys only to have a sixth spot you and having to do it all over again was also VERY frustrating.
- Nudity: It felt almost pandering. The number of dongs we see on screen was especially unnecessary.
- Enemy AI: Pretty dumb. You could pretty much just wait for every enemy to stick their head up into your line of fire. Also, they had very consistent patterns they would follow.
- Ending: It felt a bit anti-climactic and didn't answer enough questions and didn't feel like an actual conclusion to the story being told.
This is a game I could see myself going back to in a few months and playing through again. Even though I know it'll be the same experience, like a good movie, I don't mind watching it again especially since I know I'll be better at it the second time through.
They're completely vulnerable when they reload between shots. A little patience usually makes them a push-over.
Its the armored guys I have the most problems with. You really just have to pour on the damage - I haven't noticed a weak spot on em, though they can stagger on occasion.
And of course the snipers. I wait until they take their shot to go after them but that can take a while - and suppression through blindfire or through allies promising cover fire doesn't seem to affect those snipers one way or another.
They're completely vulnerable when they reload between shots. A little patience usually makes them a push-over.
Its the armored guys I have the most problems with. You really just have to pour on the damage - I haven't noticed a weak spot on em, though they can stagger on occasion.
And of course the snipers. I wait until they take their shot to go after them but that can take a while - and suppression through blindfire or through allies promising cover fire doesn't seem to affect those snipers one way or another.
They're completely vulnerable when they reload between shots. A little patience usually makes them a push-over.
Its the armored guys I have the most problems with. You really just have to pour on the damage - I haven't noticed a weak spot on em, though they can stagger on occasion.
And of course the snipers. I wait until they take their shot to go after them but that can take a while - and suppression through blindfire or through allies promising cover fire doesn't seem to affect those snipers one way or another.
This just reminds me the last section in Airship chapter. Goddamn armored shotgunner with his followers murder me time after time. And the reason why I get killed not because I am trying to be a rambo. Well, I do try to get into covers to avoid gunshots from those assholes but WTF there is not any single cover in that room. There are plenty of tables and chairs but none of them can be used as cover. What's wrong this level design? Are RaD supposed to make me face to face with the bullet sponge shotgunner?
Wrapped this up yesterday and have been mulling over what I think about it.
First, and most obvious, the game is obviously gorgeous. This is by far the best looking game I have ever seen and played, the sheer amount of detail is mindboggling. I would pick up collectibles just to move them around in my hand to see the light hit off of the paper, because that shit just looked good. I didn't have any issues with the black bars--part of me is wondering if The Evil Within got me used to it, but even in that I would have issues with the camera at times. It felt completely natural in this game.
The gameplay also feels a lot better than I expected. The general act of moving Galahad around, the feel and impact of the shooting, etc. This is especially shown with some of the different weapons, primarily the Arc Gun and the Three Crown shotty, both were capable of doing tremendous damage that made you feel really damn powerful, with the gibs to match.
But I keep mulling over what I think about the combat itself. It does feel good, but something about the game always felt a little strange to me, and I think it's the AI. I played on hard with no autoaim(which I think most people should, it wasn't difficult), but quickly realized that...well, you can just kinda relax wherever you are. The game is essentially shooting fish in a barrel, as the AI will never move up on you. The game instead uses a few enemy TYPES to do this, but the normal enemies will stay back. The most often used are shotgunners, who will move right up to flank and kill you. This is where blacksight comes in, and seeing some discussion on this page about it, I'm not surprised to see it not used by many...it's a mechanic that is introduced without feeling impactful, but is actually grossly powerful. Anytime you see a shotgunner, blacksight and kill them. Nobody will flank you, and you can take your time with everyone else. A couple more things can happen, like the grenade tossing enemies or the armored guys wielding a detonator, but they seemed infrequent(and it seemed like normal enemies didn't toss grenades at all?). To add even more to the fire, if you managed to go down from the standard enemies, you meander around on the floor before drinking and can fully regain your blacksight to make it even easier to clear a room. They won't move up to execute or finish the job.
The only other mixup here are fighting lycans, which straight up suck. They are badly designed enemies and sections from multiple angles. RE4 is a game I find to be a bastion of brilliant design and pacing, so I'll use it as a comparison in a few ways here. First, context sensitive dodging. This can work fine as a mechanic--enemies in RE4 will sometimes have specific attacks that let you do this, but it's used best when they have a multitude of attacks in their arsenal to begin with. Lycans do not do that, they only have one attack where they come out from hiding and run at you. Cue a dodge. Now look at Salvador in RE4, who has one attack. This guy is intimidating as a motherfucker, and there are times where you can fight more than one at once. He has one move, but it is a huge threat and doesn't just have X TO DODGE. He would be a joke in that case. The same trick above where you just hang back works against these guys, too. You can immediately tell when you enter a lycan room since there's boxes and shit making the arena look like a maze, but if you just stand back near the entrance they can't jump out and take you by surprise, they'll dumbly blitz at you in succession as you dodge them all and pepper them down. In a game where the knights of the order are fighting halfbreeds, I expected them to have a bigger role in gameplay. Instead I am thanking my lucky stars they only show up around three times, because they are a huge disappointment. The Elder Lycans also feel like a casualty of overly cinematic, as you are never left to the wolves (sorry) while fighting. Instead it's an intro cutscene that segues into walking backwards, which is a cutscene where he can smell you, which is basically a QTE, etc. If you just had natural gameplay and saw him transform which forced to to run, it would be way more intense. There are also stealth sections littered around, but you get no opportunity of something like that while evading a foe like this. It all was overly controlled and could have been more.
So...I'm in a weird place with the core of the game. The shooting feels good, but I felt like it was letdown by the design of so many other factors in the game. It's a strong base to work with for a sequel, if nothing else, if RAD understands the proper way to iterate it.
Some other spots in the game that could use tweaking are the collectibles. These are almost fine but missing a few crucial things to make them really work. For one, they are just damn near impossible to actually read. Like what the hell. There's nothing like TLoU where documents could be written in any matter of cursive or small text while always having a specific button to just display the text. Newspapers in particular would have forced me to actually stand up and get really close to the screen, so I never read anything but the headlines. The implementation of those cylinders that are basically audio logs also felt undercooked, as it forced you to pause and navigate to a menu to listen to them. Then there's the final and oh so important of actually being able to track them, there is no way to review what you've looked at which would have helped with the whole being damn hard to actually read thing, as it forces you to care in that very instance or forget about it entirely. But it also means that while going through the chapter select which is nicely broken up into even more scenes, it has no simple "x/x" listing which would have an otherwise simple task mindnumbing to deal with. After completing the game, I had missed one newspaper, 2 of those audio logs, and already viewed all the objects. Right now I only have photos/documents which are grouped together, and I know I got most of them. Hell if I know where to look, though.
The only other issues I really had was with pacing. Instead of listing arbitrary playtime hours, the game just feels short. It still has a slow intro, and when things feel like they're really starting to pick up
around the airship blowing up
you're already basically halfway through the game. The ending is such an unsatisfying note to end on as well. The game starts to introduce other aspects near the end
namely with vampires, and Lord Hastings being one
and then does NOTHING with it. It doesn't properly stand up on its own accord as a satisfying story. It really does feel like the second act of something, we didn't get a ton of fleshing out for galahad as a knight or a lot of reason to really care about the impact some of the twists would have.
Still, I had a fun time overall, so it's not like the game is actually bad or anything, just fudges up the execution while surprisingly nailing the natural feel of things. This is a game I could really see turning into something special if RAD gets the chance to further it. But for just this game taken on its own, it's...eh.
Lord Hastings (when you encounter him in the mansion)
Sir Lucan (at the end of the game)
By "pandering" I just mean there isn't a need to show them. With all the control they have over camera angles in these cut scenes, they could have obscured them. It wasn't a big deal but it just struck me as "okay, we'll there's another one". >.>
They're completely vulnerable when they reload between shots. A little patience usually makes them a push-over.
Its the armored guys I have the most problems with. You really just have to pour on the damage - I haven't noticed a weak spot on em, though they can stagger on occasion.
And of course the snipers. I wait until they take their shot to go after them but that can take a while - and suppression through blindfire or through allies promising cover fire doesn't seem to affect those snipers one way or another.
Yeah, I tried to remain in cover until they reloaded but it seemed like they reloaded pretty fast when I popped up to get some shots in.
I found that explosives and the arc gun worked well against those armored guys. Though they were tough when neither of those weapons were available.
I've got a question about the end of the game:
When Galahad arrived to Tesla's lab to confront Lucan it looked like he picked up a new weapon. Was that indeed something new or did I just mistake what I saw?
Yeah, I tried to remain in cover until they reloaded but it seemed like they reloaded pretty fast when I popped up to get some shots in.
I found that explosives and the arc gun worked well against those armored guys. Though they were tough when neither of those weapons were available.
I've got a question about the end of the game:
When Galahad arrived to Tesla's lab to confront Lucan it looked like he picked up a new weapon. Was that indeed something new or did I just mistake what I saw?
It was definitely new. Such a ridiculous tease considering how phenomenal it looked. Hopefully there is story DLC coming soon that has us using the hell out of it.
It was definitely new. Such a ridiculous tease considering how phenomenal it looked. Hopefully there is story DLC coming soon that has us using the hell out of it.
The story seemed a bit rushed at the end, but I liked how this massive saga ended on such a quiet note. When you look at it as a character story the ending feels much more satisfying. Powerful, even.
Good writeup though I have to disagree with this a little. I completed it on hard and there were quite a few sections where they gave me a run for my money. Some flanking instances, shotgunners were a pain in the ass when they'd rush me forcing me out of cover, grenades lobbed left and right at me...
Not all the battles were difficult but there were some where I died quite a few times.
Same here.
This game HAS to be played in hard, then you'll notice some interesting AI behaviour. Specially when they gang up on you, you get shotgunners getting close, gunners chipping your life away (very fast), and granadiers screwing your tactics of staying in just one cover. And sometimes you have very little time to react to the grenade, since it seems it was "cooked" before (or maybe because of the distance). For instance, the final shootout was very hard, took me many retries.
I wish there was one more difficulty setting unlocked after you finish the game, a really hard one (and needed for the platinum), that'd been a good decision.
One thing that relly disapointed me was how static the whole environement was. After all the talk of soft body physics earlier in the developement of the game I thought I was going to see some really cool physicy things.
Should a RaD dev read this, any chance there will be:
1.Skipable cutscenes on a second playthrough
2. The numer of collectibles found in each chapter (like 8/10, etc)
3. Some sort of survivalmode where you can pick up all kind of weapons. Maybe co-op?