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
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.
digi wrote:4k 60fps and ray tracing from what I read.
Definitely not possible on last gen.
Blocks100 wrote: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?
JonB wrote:Begs the question, wtf is someone supposed to talk about and show for 45 minutes in a video review without giving anything away?
JonB wrote:Begs the question, wtf is someone supposed to talk about and show for 45 minutes in a video review without giving anything away?
Syph79 wrote:the control scheme wouldn’t work on anything other that the DualSense.
Escape wrote:JonB wrote:Begs the question, wtf is someone supposed to talk about and show for 45 minutes in a video review without giving anything away?
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.
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.
GAMINGbibleBut 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I really like Returnal, but if you check the Ars Slack logs, you'll find that I complained quite a bit along the way. I needed a full 10 hours for its combat and universe to click in a crucial, "I want to beat this game" way, and I'm still left wondering how many good ideas and systems were left out of this game just to get its sky-high aspirations out the door. Maybe some of my positive bias comes from dreams of a sequel, which might build upon Housemarque's first stab at the genre.
I had to be smart about the risks I was willing to take in each run, and Selene’s demeanor often matched how I was feeling. She faces uneven odds from the moment she sets foot on the planet, and that is clear in every encounter. It makes every victory significant, and revisiting past areas after learning the ropes feels immensely rewarding.
Beyond that of course it's the action. This is not the same as other Housemarque games. In fact it's not really the same as anything. It's an odd hybrid. Selene's movement is slick, taught, poised, immaculately responsive. Sprinting is superhuman. Dashes, with infinite use and very low cooldowns, grant you i-frames - invincibility from anything - while weapons work via overheating rather than ammo. Enemies pump out waves of various orbs, with the odd laser, the odd rapid melee, the odd explosion, and they're fine, but the majority of combat doesn't really get above that. Guns are satisfying but they are all just guns, not getting distinct enough until you're about halfway through the game.
The game is freakin’ gorgeous. You get the standard next-gen fidelity benchmarks—4K resolution and a framerate of 60 frames per second—but the beauty of Returnal is more than mere numbers. It’s how moonlight peeks through the forest canopy, or how blue-tendril fauna arcs toward Selene in moments of respite. It’s the way snow shuffles in the wind. It’s the way fog parts as you stroll through buried tombs. Returnal moves at a brisk pace, but I’ve spent long moments just standing still, drinking in the sights.
FranticPea wrote:Looks great visually, although a little drab and samey. Only played a little so hopefully the level changes up in style.
b0r1s wrote:It’s definitely got that Destiny solid pew pew that just keeps you wanting to discover more bad guys to pop.
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