Agreed, I’ve been watching some of the longer form TLoUII stuff and it is genuinely interesting, now that the hype and hate has died down, to see what people have thought about the game. Stuff like that interests me.

Argh! The boss!

Syph79 wrote:

Blocks100 wrote:

GameCentral says:

'We’re also not huge fans of the creature design, which seems to be primarily inspired by Tom Cruise movie Edge of Tomorrow along with a soupçon of Avatar."

Blue cat people? Told you this game had a strong whiff of meow.

Rather damningly they also say:

"In terms of the visuals, there doesn’t seem to be anything that wouldn’t be possible on the PlayStation 4".

They still give it a 9 though.

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2021/04/29/returnal-review-the-best-game-on-ps5-14493186/?ito=cbshare

Not sure a PS4 could do this at 60fps. Aside from the visuals, the control scheme wouldn’t work on anything other that the DualSense.

4k 60fps and ray tracing from what I read.
Definitely not possible on last gen.

Boss down. Fuuuuuck me. Heart beating out of my chest at the end.

digi wrote:

4k 60fps and ray tracing from what I read.
Definitely not possible on last gen.

Maybe 4K and 60fps are more performance factors? By visuals maybe GameCentral meant how actually looks not how fast it runs?

b0r1s wrote:

Good then?

Like Curtis earlier, I think reaching the boss on the first run was a little like a Souls game - I thought I was doing well, but subsequent runs showed me up.

I killed the boss with a tiny slither of my own health bar remaining. I was sure I was going to get killed, but I managed it somehow. That was also very Souls like too.

First few hours of it have been incredibly positive.

Yeah auto update can fuck you hard in this allegedly.

Was gonna have a quick bash before bed but despite starting the download hours ago apparently it's still updating.

Le next gen.

Ladies and gentlemen. Pew pew.

Syph79 wrote:

the control scheme wouldn’t work on anything other that the DualSense.

My old hands don't like that rumble nonsense, so I've disabled it. I had a Dual Analog first and always preferred it.

Review Roundup
A selection of review quotes from various outlets - some glowing, some not so much. Just went down metacritic and picked reviews from larger outlets, including ones that don't give scores, and also tried to avoid using too many PlayStation focused sites. Links are included for full reviews if you're curious. 

Indiewire
Score: A

Few games have done a better job of making average players feel like they’re Twitch superstars, a sensation made possible by a lightning-fast combat system that’s been designed with the precision of an unaffordable Swiss watch. A “Hades” run might only take 20 minutes, yet blitzing your way through a heart-stopping two-hour suicide dash in “Returnal” makes every other roguelike feel slow by comparison. Add a grappling hook, a laser sword, human transporters, ghost dashes, a merciless reload mechanic, and room-clearing alt-fire options into the mix and you’ve got something too satisfying to put down.

Game Informer
Score: 9.5

The soundtrack, primarily composed by Bobby Krlic (Midsommar), provides a haunting backdrop that contributes immensely to Returnal’s constant and rising sense of trepidation. The unnerving melodies gnaw at the back of your mind long after you set the controller down. One stage in particular hinges on music, and the feeling that you get while climbing up to the boss as it gets louder and louder exudes cacophonic anxiety. Feedback from the DualSense controller is a nice touch to the overall ensemble, providing nuance from the tiniest droplet of rain to the impact of a titanic monster crashing into you at high speed.

God is a Geek
Score: 9.5

But I didn’t really mind having to run through Returnal’s Biomes over and over, because each one is either beautifully grim or hauntingly macabre. Ruins jut from the ground like broken teeth, wrapped with dark leaves or alien fauna that glows ominously as you approach. An ancient desert, vast and windblown, makes you feel insignificant with its magnitude. Citadels and towers and decaying fortresses stand like silent sentinels guarding the secrets of this desolate world. Housemarque have spared no expense with the world and level design, creating disparate Biomes that manage to feel like part of a greater whole.

GAMINGbible
Score: 9 

It's an impossibly slick game that's bound to delight fans of Housemarque's previous work and anyone looking for a substantial new roguelike to sink their teeth into. But for everyone else? The difficulty paired with the sluggish sense of progression may prove to be a major turn off. What I will say is this: If you're even slightly interested in Returnal, consider checking it out. Some games are worth fighting for.

The Sixth Axis
Score: 9

While the world is procedurally generated each time you play, Returnal’s constituent parts are stunning to behold. They’re dark, grimy and foreboding, yet the intense light show emanating from every gunfight injects them with life and character. Then there’s the way it intuitively binds the visuals with gameplay, telegraphing battles beat by beat as you learn to read the various attacks of each otherworldly enemy, as well as when to unload your own deadly barrage of bullets.

Metro
Score: 9 

Returnal may be a brand new IP but its heady mix of influences are clear to see. A cross between Dark Souls and Metroid Prime is probably the simplest way to describe the game, but the structure is that of roguelikes such as Hades and Dead Cells, while the third person gunplay also folds in aspects of bullet hell 2D shooters. There are smaller steals from other games, such as the active reload system from Gears Of War, but, despite the third person view, it’s definitely Metroid Prime that comes across as the primary inspiration.

Easy Allies
Score: 8.5

Returnal is a great debut for Housmarque on the PS5. The $70 price tag may be off-putting for some, but it makes a great case for itself thanks to excellent gameplay, an intriguing narrative, and replayability. It would be nice if some of the areas felt more distinct from one another and there are a few tech issues left to iron out. Regardless, Returnal is a blast to play and worth going down the rabbit hole in search of its secrets.

Games Radar
Score: 4 out of 5

However, there are frustrating issues that will have you moaning when you die. For one, the game never quite resolves the main problem with 3D bullet-hells, where you can be struck by a projectile that comes from off-screen. If that is a minor annoyance, then the design of arenas is more of an important one. The game’s environments, which are appealing enough to stave off any boredom from looking at them repeatedly, all have some degree of danger when it comes to bottomless drops. But on more than a few occasions, I found myself dashing back to avoid a wave of projectiles only to go tumbling because I couldn’t see the cliff behind me. I’ll happily admit that I’m not the most spatially aware at the best of times, but it does cheapen some of the otherwise excellent action. 

Destructoid
Score: 7.5 

Returnal is a mostly thrilling sci-fi action romp that suffers from a lack of scale at times. In the moment, I'm completely fixated on my run, upgrading like a fiend, and dashing around for iFrames like I was playing a Capcom game. But after that run ends and I'm looking at the bigger picture, Returnal can feel a little smaller than it actually is. Keep that in mind before you take the pricey plunge.

The Gamer
Score: 3.5 out of 5

At its core, Returnal is one of the most satisfying third-person shooters I’ve played - it’s Hades via Vanquish. It forces you to meet it at its tempo and doesn’t relent. It makes Doom Eternal seem like Baby’s First Shooter. It’s gorgeous, frenetic, and endlessly replayable. I just wish success wasn’t so tied to luck, which only exacerbates any frustrations you have when repeatedly trekking through areas you’ve already beaten. Even after the credits rolled, I felt satisfied, but that satisfaction was also mixed with relief - the ordeal was finally over and the chiropractor's elbow has been removed from the small of my back.

VentureBeat
Score: 6

Due to those aforementioned cluttered visuals, I found myself jumping into water before I could survive it. I still struggle to tell when I’m looking at water in this game. Also, the action often happens above the horizon line, which means you’re likely going to aim the behind-the-back camera at an upward angle. This led me to fall into a gaps in the ground that I did not see at least 10 times. Because you need precise aiming, so you cannot keep the camera pointed at the ground, I think the pits are a mistake that only make the game worse.

Seems pretty decent. Defo left me wanting to jump back on when I get chance tomorrow night. Intriguing.

Looks great visually, although a little drab and samey. Only played a little so hopefully the level changes up in style.

So my first play through was incredibly short. Guess they are saying get used to death. Blasted through half a dozen grunts easily enough. Picked up some stuff including a purple thing that fucked me up (-50% damage until I killed 10 enemies). Next enemy I encountered was a big red glowing thing that killed me in 3 hits so guess it was the same thing that killed Andy.

Now I feel like I’m on a proper run. Explored loads of rooms. Got quite a bit of equipment and seeing how the combination of kit upgrades and consumables can come together.

This game is so atmospheric. The headphones really help. Not only do they sound great (the positional stuff saved me on my second run from a grunt that had appear just behind me to my right, pinpointed it precisely and killed it) but isolating you from any other noise really adds to the immersion.

Graphically I really can’t complain. It looks lovely, runs incredibly smoothly and again, as Andy said, the shooting “feels” right. It’s definitely got that Destiny solid pew pew that just keeps you wanting to discover more bad guys to pop.

Lovely stuff.

Lovely. All this sounding good, so far. Hype. Choo choo. Pew pew.