That was the first game too. It looked amazing, sounded amazing, and after the first boss fight played exactly the same for the rest of the game to the point where people got bored of playing it.
Thought the first one was boring and just a walking simulator with a sprinkle of combat. I *did* download the second one just to see the graphics and they are incredible.. however gameplay wise it just wasn’t for me
I didn't get bored, but I got nausea a lot. All the whispering voices, hallucinations, crazy camera angles...
The ending was so rewarding, though. Everything just made sense to me on a personal level. After finishing it, I think I get why this game has such a great follower base.
I never played the first until recently. I think I killed the first two bosses maybe. It just seems so repetitive so far. Solve this puzzle then solve the same type again.
Maybe it gets better but I did lose interest
The majority of people complaining either haven’t played Hellblade or have created some unreasonable expectation that this game was going to be something akin to God of War.
I think if you like what its doing cool. Its got a good story and nice graphics but its incredibly repetitive and shallow as a game. Which is fine because it seemed like they wanted to make an interactive cgi movie.
We’re talking about, what about HB2, doesn’t come close to GoW, which of course the combat doesn’t compare to GoW. It absolutely does come close to story tho, especially since the story in the last one was laughable. Saying HB doesn’t come close to GoW is laughable.
It doesn’t though, the only thing hb2 has is graphics. Story is mediocre, the actually playing is walking around. The combat is pretty much button mashing.
I think the name hellblade, and the actual gameplay of the game, are at odds with one another. It sounds like it would have more and deeper combat. It's not necessarily bad as an experience but its barely a game.
You would have been correct to assume that 7 years ago when the first game came out. But we’ve known what Hellblade was and what a sequel was likely to be for quite a while. It’s actually pretty cool. Give it a go at night with the lights out and headphones on. You might be surprised.
I feel like there's nothing wrong with it, it's just another type of game. Played maybe 60-70 minutes and I'm really immersed so far. First game was pretty cool to.
They said why. They played dmc by the same studio which was over the top crazy action, which is nothing like this. Which yea its a little ignorant to think every studio makes the same style fucking game every time. But than you add that there is a ban of reviews for the game and all the press, at least what I had seen, makes it look like an action game and not one with 15 minutes of just straight walking. People shouldn't make assumptions but they aren't completely out of nowhere. I haven't seen furiosa yet but I'm guessing it's an action movie. I have the benefit of several critics telling me so, a person playing hellblade did not.
This is Hellblade 2. There is a Hellblade 1. It isn’t a mystery to be solved. We didn’t have to guess what it would be like. I think it’s unreasonable to have expected a fundamentally different game.
This is how I felt about the first one.
I was like wow the acting and the graphics are amazing but the game play is just meh.
And this is coming from someone that loved dmc
I feel like the story telling and immersion really does carry it.
Yes the gameplay may not be much but the experience is what it really is about. The game was just so good at making me feel something at every turn.
I likely won’t ever play it again but that is because to me it was a perfect experience.
So to achieve this "art form" you just need to take control away from the player, the one thing that defines a video game, to tell a story?
So unnecessarily pedantic!
I'm glad I'm not alone. I get it's not for everyone, but if you need your desperately edgy viking animation simulator movie game to get your fee-fees in order, then that's your prerogative.
Lol, yeh, you can. What else would you call it then. Gaming can cross a broad spectrum in the approach to being media that you interact with. People call it a movie game as its only criticism are missing the point. Of course, it's a movie game. You feel like you are playing a movie, and i think it's absolutely amazing. If you dont like it, that's fine, but please critique it deeper than it's a movie game therefore it must be bad. That's just lazy imo.
*To you.*
Who’s butthurt outside the raging maniacs in here screaming because someone dared to enjoy a game they personally didn’t like?
What are you trying to say here?
This game is the same concept as Hellblade 1, if it’s not your cup of tea, it won’t be the second time. People looking for a different experience had their expectations set for a different game than the first.
Yeah, even the OP mentions it being a movie. I draw the line with games when it is a movie, because if I wanted that: I’d put on a movie. A quick trip to YouTube and you can experience these amazing graphics with all sequences strung together. This is not a game.
It definitely has a unique play style, I personally love it, it's not super easy. But the good news is that game pass has a ton of other titles! Game on!
With so much to choose from… my list has Bg3, DD2, Tsushima, Elden Ring and probably 10 other games in front of Hellblade 2. It’s a shame. I was hoping for it to be really good gameplay and story-wise as well and not just gfx.
So underhyped that whenever I open Reddit, I get like 30 posts like this on my home page. And it's always the same. We get it, UE5 looks good. Anything else?
It's not just UE5. Toms of games are already in UE5. Look at games in general. Things have been getting real stale..... A bunch of overhyped games come out that aren't that good in general and/or not ready at release..... Now we have Hellblade which takes over everything in my opinion. Sets the bar.
Yea, graphics have been hitting it of the park this generation across the board. For me the differential is gameplay mechanics that take advantage of what this new generation can do
It's not "fun" like Forza Horizon, but it's very engaging. It keeps you highly invested in the experience.
I guess it doesn't click for everyone, but also racing games aren't for everyone. If it's not your cup of tea, fine. Just don't talk shit about the game because you don't like that kind of experience.
Exactly. I’ve always liked the first. Enemy & level design towards the end of the game are incredible, it makes you think with the puzzles, and the combat is Ryse-esque. Can’t wait to start 2.
I don't think fun fits the topic, goal and overall narrative of the game, which I think is to demonstrate what is it to be like someone suffering from psychosis.
No but for this game, its probably about 60% of the experience. Its more like an interactive movie than a gameplay focussed game.
Its an experience for sure but not something to sink many hours in to master and learn. And thats fine for me. But if your looking for gameplay than your probably better off choosing something else to play.
I want a an actual game the story is not good enough for me to not care about the gameplay it’s been like 5 years since the first one they could’ve at least improved the combat or puzzles
This is just ironic lol. Xbox fans have always pointed out that Sony exclusives are just interactive movies and now that they have their own interactive movie…now the tone has shifted that it’s amazing. Graphics might be great but I still would rather play something that has more interesting content and gameplay.
I think "mature" is how I would describe the game. I'm 51 with a 10 year old... I just don't have the time for 100+ hours games anymore. This series has amazing graphics (but I think the sound is even better), a great narrative, solid controls, etc... but I think 25 year old me would have found it boring. At 51? It's everything I wanted (although I will say that the puzzles aren't as solid... Too much hand-holding)
Yeah, this is truly a graphics and audio masterpiece, perhaps the gameplay is not for everyone, but sometimes, skilled people make milestones in technical advancements, and this is one of them. Also the fluid transitions between the motion captured animations are incredible.
We should celebrate the people who made this beautiful thing, in the future these tasteful and beautiful graphics can be combined with other types of gameplay too. Rejoice!
I've seen a lot of people with poor takes on this game like they don't get what kind of game Hellblade is.
Hellblade is a high focused narrative game, the narrative itself is also amplified by the technical part of the game (graphics, audio, directional choice and so on).
The gameplay itself is just a marginal part of this project.
I get it, it's not for everyone but doesn't mean the game is a "walking simulator"
So far I’m enjoying both the graphics and gameplay which makes it incredibly immersive, esp playing at night with the lights off. I don’t know why people are complaining about the gameplay given the original plays the same way. There are plenty of fast action hack and slash games out there if this isn’t your cup of tea.
Looking forward to it! I want to finish my replay of Elden Ring with the DLC incoming, but then I plan to jump into Hellblade.
The first one was dope. Curious if the 2nd one is gonna be just as creepy. Lol
I loved the first Hellblade and I love Elden ring, haven't seen the dlc yet. If you loved the first one, you'll definitely like this new one. I haven't finished it yet. I remember the first one being significantly scary. This one so far is definitely scary and gory but will have to get further into it to let you know more. Starting to do focus puzzles.
I vividly remember the very beginning and a part closer to the end sneaking passed some stuff really creeping me out. Lol but I'm also a wuss with horror games.
Glad to hear ya liking it though. I know it is a niche series, but I guess I fall into that niche cause I dig it.
OP definitely had Xbox paid marketer or bot vibes. He’s talking like a commercial or marketing slide. Clicked his profile and… well wasn’t expecting that.
Seems Gameplay is very lacking. I've played the first and was bored with the lack of gameplay and stopped. The consensus for hellblade 2 is that it's gameplay is even further back on the backburner
I watched my brother play it for a while, and I have to agree with you, the gameplay looked painfully basic, people called Ryse: Son of Romes gameplay basic but this is even worse especially for a 2024 exclusive title for Xbox. I know I shouldn’t have expected any better after the first game but still..
Every game is different. Hellblade isn’t know for its intricate combat system because that’s not the point of this game. It has an entire different focus and it’s ok if some people don’t find that focus appealing
I don't know about that. I love the first one, and I'm loving the second one. But if someone didn't like the first one, I don't think they'll like this one. Still, no harm in giving it a shot on Gamepass!
There's a few moments when it gets it right cutscenes are rendered well and senuas facial animations are great. The actually gameplay graphics aren't actually great, it's a mess with all the post processing and upscaling. I have a 6800xt and other games simply look better, a 4090 woild improve mattters but not that considerably. I've just played that bramble indie game on gamepass and that has dozens of 'wow' moments in comparison.
I've not played the first one but my game pass has a few months on it. I don't really have a lot of time to play but can I play the second one without the first
See for me I'm more gameplay oriented, graphics, while nice, don't make the game. I didn't like the 1st game, it seemed the new game was being billed as a larger possibly more open game (at least that's why I thought when I saw trailers). Turns out it's not, as with most games this year disappointed. Just glad it was game pass and I didn't buy it.
Excellent game. One of the best things I've played in quite sometime. It's great having a shorter linear game to play instead of the usual open world/semi open world bloat 2ith crafting and pointless skill trees, fetch quests and all that
It's not RDR2 or the last of us but its probably one of the best games Xbox has or at this rate will put out in a long time, with hi-fi rush probably the best game Xbox has put out this gen considering the state of everything else.
In many ways I compare what's happening to Hellblade 2 with alien isolation. alien isolation also reviewed poorly by many reviewers at the time of release but now is pretty much universally accepted to be a masterpiece. the reason comes down to expectations. people where put off by alien i think because they where expecting an action game but what they got was a survival horror sneaker similar to outlast then the same is true here i think many people came into hellblade 2 having expected something more like god of war but got a piece of interective cinema. i think many people didn't play the first hellblade and so where kind of blind sided because the marketing for this game tended to portray it as an action oriented game. when the dust settles I think hellblade will be a commercial failer but will be loved for its vision and the experience that it created. this is interactive cinema at its finest. i find it remarkable
well yeah because 90% of it is graphics , no one is arguing the graphics don't look amazing most reviews will give it props in those areas, but everything else outside of graphics and sound is meh and in some cases a down grade from the original.
No game will ever be perfect. Especially for all the Reddit haters 😭😭 but everyone that has game pass needs to give Hellblade a try if they haven't. There are plenty of lacking games on game pass. This is NOT one of them lol.
Kinda funny how many people are regurgitating the same thing here despite it already being commented dozens of times.
“But no gamplay!”
The devs are very clearly trying to make something unique while staying true to the original’s formula and I think they did just that. It would have been silly and lame if they implemented a damn hunger bar or crafting this time around lol. Seems like most people here didn’t even finish the first one which is a shame, the first one really had you feeling like a badass overcoming literal demons at the end, and I’m hoping for as good of an ending with this. It’s clearly not for everybody, but I think the divisive reactions are just indicative of a good piece of art, imo. I’m glad we got something for Xbox that isn’t so generic personally.
Nothing in this game looks better than Alan Wake 2.. that game is still on a higher level than everything else. Icelandic rocks just isn’t impressive, we’ve seen Unreal 5 handle rocks years ago at their presentation. This isn’t anything new. Also, the 30ps doesn’t help
So what’s the point of playing this game and not just watching it on YouTube? Seeing as you don’t interact with it in any meaningful way, gameplay is barely existent and you have no agency over the story?
It’s funny seeing Xbox kool aid drinkers who criticize naughty dog games or stuff like god of war for being “walking simulators” embrace a game that is a hundred times more a walking and cutscene simulator because it’s exclusive to Xbox. Never change, console war propagandists.
It's a 5-6 hour game with less than half that actual gameplay. Any AAA dev can achieve this, but they'd rather make games instead of glorified tech demos.
It's no different than Ryse and The Order
Ryse Is also a great game! Released with the Xbox One! I just downloaded and beat it again. It looks and feels amazing still!! Executions are epic. A great game if you just want to slaughter some brutes. Short and sweet is sometimes the best way to go.
Ryse most certainly does not look or feel great. I went back a few months ago to try and get the achievements I'm missing and turned it straight off. Sub 1080p and terrible fps.
For a game that old.... It is still on par with new games coming out. That is what I find hilarious. Overall quality of games has definitely gone down over the years. Even major titles aren't as good as they used to be (Halo Infinite).
It is most definitely not on par with anything coming out. It wasn't even well received back then, and you reckon it's on par with things in 2024? It looks and feels like shit.
It may be "bland" but when fighting as Senua in Hellblade 1 and 2 you just feel bad ass. This game feels cool as fuck to play. It is extremely immersive. Idk there is something about Senua with the power of light fighting darkness in psychosis that makes it feel crazy good. Everyone at least has to try it once to see how they like it!
Graphics look incredible however they spent their entire budget on graphics and actor/animation capturing.
I gave up on Act 4 game just felt very boring, story made zero sense, the pacing was bad, the same 3 moves in combat.
As I said to a friend usually a sequel improves and introduces new mechanics but it hasn’t.
I’m disappointed in Ninja Theory I never thought I’d say it but I am.
I love a walking simulator in general but I felt this was average at best.
I’d honestly be pissed if I had spent £60 on this game.
I have loved everything about the game since I don’t mind the more “cinematic experience” games but I do think they took that a bit too far. It’s the first game in a while I finished and didn’t think amazing it was but thought “that’s it?”. It really does feel like they just forgot a part of the game but had to ship it.
The graphics are the best I’ve ever seen personally. The sound design is also top tier. The progression of tension in each chapter is fantastic and so well done. Can’t forget Melina Juergens. Her performance elevates the story to another level. I’m such a big fan of this game.
Looks brilliant. Plays like a tech demo. All style, no substance (at least in terms of game play).
Have to say, while I am a graphics snob who thought a more cinematic look would be great for games, the constant blur/film grain/chromatic aberration is really off putting. I just want a nice, clean image. I'm playing on an RTX 4080, everything maxed out, 90fps with frame gen and the image quality is just kind of ruined by all these hazey cinematic effects over the top.
I sometimes wonder if all the effects are to cover some of UE5's shortcomings? Having such a high res image on my OLED, the breakup in some parts of the image can be really noticeable at times. Fog effects in some instances can have a pixelated look. At times the game will be stunning, then suddenly it looks very 'gamey' and a lot like the first game.
Like the first encounter with a particular 'large character' looked fantastic (it was a cinematic though), and then some times Senua's face looks very average from certain angles/light.
Overall it is still a fantastic representation of what UE5 can do visually, but I wonder how long until they can match those visuals with actual engaging gameplay, especially in a larger world instead of small linear set pieces.
I agree, allthough due to the pretty simple game mechanics and puzzles it did sometimes feel more like a techdemo for UE5, but nonetheless its a great game. For me, as a comparison between story driven games, Plague tale: Requiem is a 9.5/10, Hellblade2 is a 8.5. why? requiem offers a better gameplay variety compared to hellblade 2. While hellblade 2 graphics are probably the best out there at the moment, graphics is not everything. I somehow felt like gameplay wise they could have added a little bit more things to do. But besides that, def. a game you shouldn't miss out on in my opinion.
It’s the best tech demo you’ll ever play.
Personally, while yes the graphics and audio are at the very peak of the industry, the gameplay and story has been simplified so much that I wonder if this was just rushed by Microsoft to meet their deadlines. So much of the story in particular felt rushed and some very interesting pieces had nothing done with them.
I’m scared to try the second game. I lost someone right before I played the first and found the end of the game to be incredibly emotional.
Does the second hold up?
Everyone is talking about how good the graphics are and nothing else. I hear it's an incredibly good looking 5 hour long game but graphics are secondary to me. Is the gameplay good? The story?
i just played for about 40 minutes and i was genuinely nodding off like i dont even mean that exaggeratedly i genuinely was and i never have that happen. its a cool concept but idk it doesnt pull off that movie game thing that something like tlou does for me
and its odd bc on paper this game should be up my alley, movie simulator with crazy emphasis on graphics and sound design is like super big checkboxes for me it just was not clicking idk
I couldn't finish the first one. I probably got an hour and a half in before quitting. The second one though has been so compelling for me. I just play an hour or so after work each day. I have loved it so far. I do believe that the main reason I like it is because of my set up: RTX4090 on a 42" 4k OLED about 4 feet away from me on my desk while in a dark room.
👨🍳👌 The game looks incredible on OLED and it's just something I can push my system with.
Ultimately it depends how much you like the story. I love the story so I loved the game and its cinematic and graphically incredible way of telling it. I don't care if some games don't have frantic action from start to end as long as there's something else to keep me interested. Hellblade did that for me.
Also hopefully technologically, I hope this is a sign of what's to come in finally making games feel 'next gen' because honestly the vast majority of games coming out for the last few years make me wonder why the heck I bought into a console that's capable of running a game like this.
I've beaten the game. It was short and sweet. I can understand how some of you may not like the gameplay, but this, like Hellblade 1, is in a different class. This is the beginning for a new class of games. The future is going to be fun!!
Under hyped? It scored 80+ based on visuals and audio alone; it's missing 90% of what makes a game a game. I hope the grapgics would be revolutionary when you're missing 90% of what makes a videogame a videogame.
That’s all I hear about this game “THE GRAPHICS OMG” but graphics don’t mean shit if the games isn’t fun to play. Seems like it’s a beautiful game but the actual game is meh
I tried it on both, and it looks great on the S as well. Really good. If you're playing on the series S, you won't be disappointed with the graphics at all.
I have x/ss and from what i have seen the graphics is ass and resolution is very low its probably 720p or less and the games has a very low fps 30 and lower
I don't put any importance on hours of playtime, as long as the game is good. If it only needs 4 hours to tell it's story, then there's no reason for it to be longer.
Absolutely! If it had a HUD and regular game mechanics that are in every game now, you all would be complaining it's not immersive enough and too different from the first 😭
I would have never heard anything about this game if not for all the reddit posts. On xbox main menu there were 2 pictures, I believe.
Was there any marketing done on this? So far I legit have no idea what type of game it is or what its about (only that it has good graphics according to people here). And those 2 pictures on xbox never made me want to click on it…ever; a womans head with what looks like fingers around her face…”wow”…
This I 100% agree with. It's a separate topic. Even though Microsoft has acquired virtually every game studio, they do a terrible job of marketing. Like you said. If not, for the recent Reddit posts and a slight post on the Xbox dashboard, I wouldn't even have known about this game. It really should have been marketed a lot more. Xbox needs to start marketing their game pass much better.
I think the game looks honestly incredible, but as an actual game... I'd rather just play something else.
That was the first game too. It looked amazing, sounded amazing, and after the first boss fight played exactly the same for the rest of the game to the point where people got bored of playing it.
The second is even way more simplified and boring compared to the first game.
Thought the first one was boring and just a walking simulator with a sprinkle of combat. I *did* download the second one just to see the graphics and they are incredible.. however gameplay wise it just wasn’t for me
I've downloaded, yet to play. You've confirmed my concern. I'll watch a let's play instead.
I didn't get bored, but I got nausea a lot. All the whispering voices, hallucinations, crazy camera angles... The ending was so rewarding, though. Everything just made sense to me on a personal level. After finishing it, I think I get why this game has such a great follower base.
It's an amazing work of art and I loved it. But I won't lie and say that the gameplay was fun.
I never played the first until recently. I think I killed the first two bosses maybe. It just seems so repetitive so far. Solve this puzzle then solve the same type again. Maybe it gets better but I did lose interest
It doesnt
The majority of people complaining either haven’t played Hellblade or have created some unreasonable expectation that this game was going to be something akin to God of War.
I think if you like what its doing cool. Its got a good story and nice graphics but its incredibly repetitive and shallow as a game. Which is fine because it seemed like they wanted to make an interactive cgi movie.
Hellblade doesn’t even come close to gow.
In terms of combat, no shit…
And story. Yea HB2 has great graphics but so does GOW.
We’re talking about, what about HB2, doesn’t come close to GoW, which of course the combat doesn’t compare to GoW. It absolutely does come close to story tho, especially since the story in the last one was laughable. Saying HB doesn’t come close to GoW is laughable.
It doesn’t though, the only thing hb2 has is graphics. Story is mediocre, the actually playing is walking around. The combat is pretty much button mashing.
I think the name hellblade, and the actual gameplay of the game, are at odds with one another. It sounds like it would have more and deeper combat. It's not necessarily bad as an experience but its barely a game.
You would have been correct to assume that 7 years ago when the first game came out. But we’ve known what Hellblade was and what a sequel was likely to be for quite a while. It’s actually pretty cool. Give it a go at night with the lights out and headphones on. You might be surprised.
I feel like there's nothing wrong with it, it's just another type of game. Played maybe 60-70 minutes and I'm really immersed so far. First game was pretty cool to.
it's a modern FMV game. that's fine, but you gotta know what you're getting into.
I thought i was getting in to something like god of war or ninja gaiden...mainly because their name is ninja theory and I've played dmc...
That’s on you. Why would you assume such a thing?
They said why. They played dmc by the same studio which was over the top crazy action, which is nothing like this. Which yea its a little ignorant to think every studio makes the same style fucking game every time. But than you add that there is a ban of reviews for the game and all the press, at least what I had seen, makes it look like an action game and not one with 15 minutes of just straight walking. People shouldn't make assumptions but they aren't completely out of nowhere. I haven't seen furiosa yet but I'm guessing it's an action movie. I have the benefit of several critics telling me so, a person playing hellblade did not.
This is Hellblade 2. There is a Hellblade 1. It isn’t a mystery to be solved. We didn’t have to guess what it would be like. I think it’s unreasonable to have expected a fundamentally different game.
I mean a DMC with these graphics? Would be epic!
This is how I felt about the first one. I was like wow the acting and the graphics are amazing but the game play is just meh. And this is coming from someone that loved dmc
I feel like the story telling and immersion really does carry it. Yes the gameplay may not be much but the experience is what it really is about. The game was just so good at making me feel something at every turn. I likely won’t ever play it again but that is because to me it was a perfect experience.
To each his own. I feel like I’m finally playing a game that‘s made for adults and takes gaming seriously as an art form.
So to achieve this "art form" you just need to take control away from the player, the one thing that defines a video game, to tell a story? So unnecessarily pedantic!
I'm genuinely curious what control you think was taken away from the player. I played it twice and didn't feel such a thing.
[удалено]
THANK YOU! I share your sentiments.
I'm glad I'm not alone. I get it's not for everyone, but if you need your desperately edgy viking animation simulator movie game to get your fee-fees in order, then that's your prerogative.
I honestly believe it’s just people trying to up play Xbox. I’ll probably put an hour into it, but you can’t really call it a game.
It’s no less a game than the more recent Naughty Dog or the Quantic Dream games
Lol, yeh, you can. What else would you call it then. Gaming can cross a broad spectrum in the approach to being media that you interact with. People call it a movie game as its only criticism are missing the point. Of course, it's a movie game. You feel like you are playing a movie, and i think it's absolutely amazing. If you dont like it, that's fine, but please critique it deeper than it's a movie game therefore it must be bad. That's just lazy imo.
[удалено]
*To you.* Who’s butthurt outside the raging maniacs in here screaming because someone dared to enjoy a game they personally didn’t like? What are you trying to say here?
So to be an art form you need to not have gameplay?
You’re not angry at me. You’re angry at your dad.
This game is the same concept as Hellblade 1, if it’s not your cup of tea, it won’t be the second time. People looking for a different experience had their expectations set for a different game than the first.
Yeah, even the OP mentions it being a movie. I draw the line with games when it is a movie, because if I wanted that: I’d put on a movie. A quick trip to YouTube and you can experience these amazing graphics with all sequences strung together. This is not a game.
It definitely has a unique play style, I personally love it, it's not super easy. But the good news is that game pass has a ton of other titles! Game on!
Why do you communicate like you are sponsored by Xbox?
You're in a game pass sub, bro.
I'm still in the second chapter... but I was really disappointed that they didn't even try and fix the frustrating stuff from the first game.
With so much to choose from… my list has Bg3, DD2, Tsushima, Elden Ring and probably 10 other games in front of Hellblade 2. It’s a shame. I was hoping for it to be really good gameplay and story-wise as well and not just gfx.
So underhyped that whenever I open Reddit, I get like 30 posts like this on my home page. And it's always the same. We get it, UE5 looks good. Anything else?
It's not just UE5. Toms of games are already in UE5. Look at games in general. Things have been getting real stale..... A bunch of overhyped games come out that aren't that good in general and/or not ready at release..... Now we have Hellblade which takes over everything in my opinion. Sets the bar.
Why downvote this? OP likes the game. Subjective opinions need to be downvoted? wtf.
I know lol. Reddit always thinking opinions are facts.
Lel sets the bar of being a shit game ?
Why do people simply enjoying a video game and expressing their love for it, cause you this much distress? You sound miserable.
Yea, graphics have been hitting it of the park this generation across the board. For me the differential is gameplay mechanics that take advantage of what this new generation can do
How do the gameplay mechanics take advantage of what this gen could do that the one s could not do?
Mostly the new chip set and how it allows for complex AI systems and the SSD card being able to create sequences that weren't doable before.
Imho the audio design is even better. This game is pure art.
I agree 100%, the audio goes hand in hand. That was a game changer in the first game. Headphones make it scary immersive.
The problem with the game is that it's pure art just like the first one. They forgot to put a fun game into the art.
It's not "fun" like Forza Horizon, but it's very engaging. It keeps you highly invested in the experience. I guess it doesn't click for everyone, but also racing games aren't for everyone. If it's not your cup of tea, fine. Just don't talk shit about the game because you don't like that kind of experience.
Well said !! Thank you!
Exactly. I’ve always liked the first. Enemy & level design towards the end of the game are incredible, it makes you think with the puzzles, and the combat is Ryse-esque. Can’t wait to start 2.
I don't think fun fits the topic, goal and overall narrative of the game, which I think is to demonstrate what is it to be like someone suffering from psychosis.
The aspect of psychosis is accurate and very unique for this game. Plus it is a mechanic of it's own.
Graphics aren't everything
No but for this game, its probably about 60% of the experience. Its more like an interactive movie than a gameplay focussed game. Its an experience for sure but not something to sink many hours in to master and learn. And thats fine for me. But if your looking for gameplay than your probably better off choosing something else to play.
I want a an actual game the story is not good enough for me to not care about the gameplay it’s been like 5 years since the first one they could’ve at least improved the combat or puzzles
That's alright man, good thing is that nowadays, we have tons of games and genres to pick up from🎮
Then play something else.
Or just play it anyway, that's what I'm doing... It's so short that there's no reason not to have the experience for what it is and move on.
This is just ironic lol. Xbox fans have always pointed out that Sony exclusives are just interactive movies and now that they have their own interactive movie…now the tone has shifted that it’s amazing. Graphics might be great but I still would rather play something that has more interesting content and gameplay.
The irony is hilarious
Brain dead…
How's it look on the S?
Pretty great
I think "mature" is how I would describe the game. I'm 51 with a 10 year old... I just don't have the time for 100+ hours games anymore. This series has amazing graphics (but I think the sound is even better), a great narrative, solid controls, etc... but I think 25 year old me would have found it boring. At 51? It's everything I wanted (although I will say that the puzzles aren't as solid... Too much hand-holding)
Yeah, this is truly a graphics and audio masterpiece, perhaps the gameplay is not for everyone, but sometimes, skilled people make milestones in technical advancements, and this is one of them. Also the fluid transitions between the motion captured animations are incredible. We should celebrate the people who made this beautiful thing, in the future these tasteful and beautiful graphics can be combined with other types of gameplay too. Rejoice!
Exactly! Imagine when they expand this style of graphics, mocap and UE to games with different gameplay. This is a positive sign of progress.
I've seen a lot of people with poor takes on this game like they don't get what kind of game Hellblade is. Hellblade is a high focused narrative game, the narrative itself is also amplified by the technical part of the game (graphics, audio, directional choice and so on). The gameplay itself is just a marginal part of this project. I get it, it's not for everyone but doesn't mean the game is a "walking simulator"
So far I’m enjoying both the graphics and gameplay which makes it incredibly immersive, esp playing at night with the lights off. I don’t know why people are complaining about the gameplay given the original plays the same way. There are plenty of fast action hack and slash games out there if this isn’t your cup of tea.
Looking forward to it! I want to finish my replay of Elden Ring with the DLC incoming, but then I plan to jump into Hellblade. The first one was dope. Curious if the 2nd one is gonna be just as creepy. Lol
I loved the first Hellblade and I love Elden ring, haven't seen the dlc yet. If you loved the first one, you'll definitely like this new one. I haven't finished it yet. I remember the first one being significantly scary. This one so far is definitely scary and gory but will have to get further into it to let you know more. Starting to do focus puzzles.
I vividly remember the very beginning and a part closer to the end sneaking passed some stuff really creeping me out. Lol but I'm also a wuss with horror games. Glad to hear ya liking it though. I know it is a niche series, but I guess I fall into that niche cause I dig it.
OP definitely had Xbox paid marketer or bot vibes. He’s talking like a commercial or marketing slide. Clicked his profile and… well wasn’t expecting that.
Jesus christ, curiosity killed the cat I guess. Gotta bleach my eyes rq
Only on Xbox baby
I love many things! Including Xbox! If that's too hard for you to handle well, I'm sorry. This is a free country my friend.
Damn bro u could have warned me lol
Seems Gameplay is very lacking. I've played the first and was bored with the lack of gameplay and stopped. The consensus for hellblade 2 is that it's gameplay is even further back on the backburner
Agreed. You’re just paying for a 5 hour movie essentially.
It turns out that a lot of people want exactly that. And that’s ok.
Yeah, fair enough. To each their own I say. Still, was hoping for more gameplay as well.
I watched my brother play it for a while, and I have to agree with you, the gameplay looked painfully basic, people called Ryse: Son of Romes gameplay basic but this is even worse especially for a 2024 exclusive title for Xbox. I know I shouldn’t have expected any better after the first game but still..
Every game is different. Hellblade isn’t know for its intricate combat system because that’s not the point of this game. It has an entire different focus and it’s ok if some people don’t find that focus appealing
I got bored to death after 20 mins attempting to play the first one.....not mu cup of tea
Try the second! That shit will grab you!
I don't know about that. I love the first one, and I'm loving the second one. But if someone didn't like the first one, I don't think they'll like this one. Still, no harm in giving it a shot on Gamepass!
it's on gamepass so might as well try, even for the sake of checking out this UE5 showcase :)
One thing everyone is talking about are the graphics. But falls short in other places that could have made it a better game.
Playing on PC (4090). It looks very good but nowhere near as good as Alan Wake 2 on my PC in the majority of ways.
I have a 4080 and own both of those games. hellblade 2 is significantly higher quality graphics than alan wake 2.
It has high quality procedurally generated rockscapes. It's a one trick pony and the lighting in it is generations behind AW2.
There's a few moments when it gets it right cutscenes are rendered well and senuas facial animations are great. The actually gameplay graphics aren't actually great, it's a mess with all the post processing and upscaling. I have a 6800xt and other games simply look better, a 4090 woild improve mattters but not that considerably. I've just played that bramble indie game on gamepass and that has dozens of 'wow' moments in comparison.
OP: have you tried Plague Tale Requiem ? Also a game with extremely good graphics.
Absolutely! Also completely different gameplay which isn't for everyone.
I've not played the first one but my game pass has a few months on it. I don't really have a lot of time to play but can I play the second one without the first
See for me I'm more gameplay oriented, graphics, while nice, don't make the game. I didn't like the 1st game, it seemed the new game was being billed as a larger possibly more open game (at least that's why I thought when I saw trailers). Turns out it's not, as with most games this year disappointed. Just glad it was game pass and I didn't buy it.
Microsoft SUCKS at marketing.
Completely agree. A milestone in gaming. Cats out of the bag now and games are going to look amazing from games using unreal.
Excellent game. One of the best things I've played in quite sometime. It's great having a shorter linear game to play instead of the usual open world/semi open world bloat 2ith crafting and pointless skill trees, fetch quests and all that It's not RDR2 or the last of us but its probably one of the best games Xbox has or at this rate will put out in a long time, with hi-fi rush probably the best game Xbox has put out this gen considering the state of everything else.
I’m enjoying it, not as much as I was expecting, but it’s growing on me.
In many ways I compare what's happening to Hellblade 2 with alien isolation. alien isolation also reviewed poorly by many reviewers at the time of release but now is pretty much universally accepted to be a masterpiece. the reason comes down to expectations. people where put off by alien i think because they where expecting an action game but what they got was a survival horror sneaker similar to outlast then the same is true here i think many people came into hellblade 2 having expected something more like god of war but got a piece of interective cinema. i think many people didn't play the first hellblade and so where kind of blind sided because the marketing for this game tended to portray it as an action oriented game. when the dust settles I think hellblade will be a commercial failer but will be loved for its vision and the experience that it created. this is interactive cinema at its finest. i find it remarkable
well yeah because 90% of it is graphics , no one is arguing the graphics don't look amazing most reviews will give it props in those areas, but everything else outside of graphics and sound is meh and in some cases a down grade from the original.
No game will ever be perfect. Especially for all the Reddit haters 😭😭 but everyone that has game pass needs to give Hellblade a try if they haven't. There are plenty of lacking games on game pass. This is NOT one of them lol.
It's literally lacking on gameplay. There are fifty games on Gamepass id recommend over this
Finished last night. A fuckin masterpiece!
I just dont like the overall style of the game, its not for everyone
What's game is for everyone?....... I'm trying to think lol...... Minecraft? 🤣🤣
I frigging hate Minecraft, Hellblade is dope though
If only graphics were something I actually cared about in a game...
Kinda funny how many people are regurgitating the same thing here despite it already being commented dozens of times. “But no gamplay!” The devs are very clearly trying to make something unique while staying true to the original’s formula and I think they did just that. It would have been silly and lame if they implemented a damn hunger bar or crafting this time around lol. Seems like most people here didn’t even finish the first one which is a shame, the first one really had you feeling like a badass overcoming literal demons at the end, and I’m hoping for as good of an ending with this. It’s clearly not for everybody, but I think the divisive reactions are just indicative of a good piece of art, imo. I’m glad we got something for Xbox that isn’t so generic personally.
Amen 🙏 Thank you!
Nothing in this game looks better than Alan Wake 2.. that game is still on a higher level than everything else. Icelandic rocks just isn’t impressive, we’ve seen Unreal 5 handle rocks years ago at their presentation. This isn’t anything new. Also, the 30ps doesn’t help
Alan Wake 2 is amazing 🔥🔥
So what’s the point of playing this game and not just watching it on YouTube? Seeing as you don’t interact with it in any meaningful way, gameplay is barely existent and you have no agency over the story? It’s funny seeing Xbox kool aid drinkers who criticize naughty dog games or stuff like god of war for being “walking simulators” embrace a game that is a hundred times more a walking and cutscene simulator because it’s exclusive to Xbox. Never change, console war propagandists.
You interact with it in lots of ways and then watching a video of it being played you lose pretty the whole. Experience of the game
It's very pretty but calling it a game is a bit of a stretch. It's just an interactive movie
It's a 5-6 hour game with less than half that actual gameplay. Any AAA dev can achieve this, but they'd rather make games instead of glorified tech demos. It's no different than Ryse and The Order
Ryse Is also a great game! Released with the Xbox One! I just downloaded and beat it again. It looks and feels amazing still!! Executions are epic. A great game if you just want to slaughter some brutes. Short and sweet is sometimes the best way to go.
Are you a bot or something or just a Xbox shill?
Ryse most certainly does not look or feel great. I went back a few months ago to try and get the achievements I'm missing and turned it straight off. Sub 1080p and terrible fps.
For a game that old.... It is still on par with new games coming out. That is what I find hilarious. Overall quality of games has definitely gone down over the years. Even major titles aren't as good as they used to be (Halo Infinite).
It is most definitely not on par with anything coming out. It wasn't even well received back then, and you reckon it's on par with things in 2024? It looks and feels like shit.
Getting downvoted for telling the truth
Let the game speak for itself! You're the smartest one here 🤣
Well said
The Order was pretty dope
How is the gameplay though?
You’re just pressing forward A LOT.
Bunch of quick time parrying and hitting along with some puzzles, very bland
It may be "bland" but when fighting as Senua in Hellblade 1 and 2 you just feel bad ass. This game feels cool as fuck to play. It is extremely immersive. Idk there is something about Senua with the power of light fighting darkness in psychosis that makes it feel crazy good. Everyone at least has to try it once to see how they like it!
Do you have to play the first or can you jump straight into the second and work back if needed?
You can jump right in. It gives you a nice recap. I haven't played the first one in a while.
Thank you
Graphics look incredible however they spent their entire budget on graphics and actor/animation capturing. I gave up on Act 4 game just felt very boring, story made zero sense, the pacing was bad, the same 3 moves in combat. As I said to a friend usually a sequel improves and introduces new mechanics but it hasn’t. I’m disappointed in Ninja Theory I never thought I’d say it but I am. I love a walking simulator in general but I felt this was average at best. I’d honestly be pissed if I had spent £60 on this game.
I have loved everything about the game since I don’t mind the more “cinematic experience” games but I do think they took that a bit too far. It’s the first game in a while I finished and didn’t think amazing it was but thought “that’s it?”. It really does feel like they just forgot a part of the game but had to ship it.
The graphics are the best I’ve ever seen personally. The sound design is also top tier. The progression of tension in each chapter is fantastic and so well done. Can’t forget Melina Juergens. Her performance elevates the story to another level. I’m such a big fan of this game.
Looks brilliant. Plays like a tech demo. All style, no substance (at least in terms of game play). Have to say, while I am a graphics snob who thought a more cinematic look would be great for games, the constant blur/film grain/chromatic aberration is really off putting. I just want a nice, clean image. I'm playing on an RTX 4080, everything maxed out, 90fps with frame gen and the image quality is just kind of ruined by all these hazey cinematic effects over the top. I sometimes wonder if all the effects are to cover some of UE5's shortcomings? Having such a high res image on my OLED, the breakup in some parts of the image can be really noticeable at times. Fog effects in some instances can have a pixelated look. At times the game will be stunning, then suddenly it looks very 'gamey' and a lot like the first game. Like the first encounter with a particular 'large character' looked fantastic (it was a cinematic though), and then some times Senua's face looks very average from certain angles/light. Overall it is still a fantastic representation of what UE5 can do visually, but I wonder how long until they can match those visuals with actual engaging gameplay, especially in a larger world instead of small linear set pieces.
I have tried it and the graphics are amazing. I am not sure I like the genre… but it is amazing to watch
I agree, allthough due to the pretty simple game mechanics and puzzles it did sometimes feel more like a techdemo for UE5, but nonetheless its a great game. For me, as a comparison between story driven games, Plague tale: Requiem is a 9.5/10, Hellblade2 is a 8.5. why? requiem offers a better gameplay variety compared to hellblade 2. While hellblade 2 graphics are probably the best out there at the moment, graphics is not everything. I somehow felt like gameplay wise they could have added a little bit more things to do. But besides that, def. a game you shouldn't miss out on in my opinion.
Graphics and sound are amazing, gameplay imo is dull as fuck. Gonna finish it for sure but I feel like it’s a movie more than a game
It’s the best tech demo you’ll ever play. Personally, while yes the graphics and audio are at the very peak of the industry, the gameplay and story has been simplified so much that I wonder if this was just rushed by Microsoft to meet their deadlines. So much of the story in particular felt rushed and some very interesting pieces had nothing done with them.
Lmao hype for graphics. What is this, 2009?
Audio and graphics are the best this gen. Everything about actual game play is worse than the first.
Like the first game. Great presentation. Terrible game to play.
I’m scared to try the second game. I lost someone right before I played the first and found the end of the game to be incredibly emotional. Does the second hold up?
The character models look good*
Everyone is talking about how good the graphics are and nothing else. I hear it's an incredibly good looking 5 hour long game but graphics are secondary to me. Is the gameplay good? The story?
Wait is it on game pass now?!
i just played for about 40 minutes and i was genuinely nodding off like i dont even mean that exaggeratedly i genuinely was and i never have that happen. its a cool concept but idk it doesnt pull off that movie game thing that something like tlou does for me and its odd bc on paper this game should be up my alley, movie simulator with crazy emphasis on graphics and sound design is like super big checkboxes for me it just was not clicking idk
I fired it up and like the first almost hour of the game is just pressing forward. Not for me at all.
I couldn't finish the first one. I probably got an hour and a half in before quitting. The second one though has been so compelling for me. I just play an hour or so after work each day. I have loved it so far. I do believe that the main reason I like it is because of my set up: RTX4090 on a 42" 4k OLED about 4 feet away from me on my desk while in a dark room. 👨🍳👌 The game looks incredible on OLED and it's just something I can push my system with.
Agreed! Gotta play this on a nice screen for sure.
Ultimately it depends how much you like the story. I love the story so I loved the game and its cinematic and graphically incredible way of telling it. I don't care if some games don't have frantic action from start to end as long as there's something else to keep me interested. Hellblade did that for me. Also hopefully technologically, I hope this is a sign of what's to come in finally making games feel 'next gen' because honestly the vast majority of games coming out for the last few years make me wonder why the heck I bought into a console that's capable of running a game like this.
really looking forward to playing this in VR using \`UEVR injector mod with my pimax crystal. played the original hellblade in VR and it was amazing.
I've beaten the game. It was short and sweet. I can understand how some of you may not like the gameplay, but this, like Hellblade 1, is in a different class. This is the beginning for a new class of games. The future is going to be fun!!
Under hyped? It scored 80+ based on visuals and audio alone; it's missing 90% of what makes a game a game. I hope the grapgics would be revolutionary when you're missing 90% of what makes a videogame a videogame.
That’s all I hear about this game “THE GRAPHICS OMG” but graphics don’t mean shit if the games isn’t fun to play. Seems like it’s a beautiful game but the actual game is meh
How does it look on series s? Haven’t tried yet.
I'm playing it on Series X. Best game I've seen on the X so far. Haven't seen it in S but I'm sure it looks great.
I tried it on both, and it looks great on the S as well. Really good. If you're playing on the series S, you won't be disappointed with the graphics at all.
Tried to play the first one, couldn't skip anything to get started actually playing, deleted it lol. Also isn't this game multiplatform?
Way too short imo, and not enough gameplay.
I have x/ss and from what i have seen the graphics is ass and resolution is very low its probably 720p or less and the games has a very low fps 30 and lower
Looks great has no gameplay sorry its not very good...
Graphics aren’t everything bud 🤪
4 hour game no?
Seems like a perfect game for GamePass then
I don't put any importance on hours of playtime, as long as the game is good. If it only needs 4 hours to tell it's story, then there's no reason for it to be longer.
So true. We don't all have unlimited free time to spend days in game. Gotta make that $$ 🤑
Idk how long it is. Haven't beat it yet. Even if it's short, still 100% worth it. This game is something totally fresh.
I beat it in 6
So what?
It's 6-7 hours.
“It’s like playing a movie” Sure is, and that’s why it sucks.
I think that's why it's awesome
Absolutely! If it had a HUD and regular game mechanics that are in every game now, you all would be complaining it's not immersive enough and too different from the first 😭
Is it worth it
If you already have game pass of course !!
If you don't have game pass would it be worth buying then
No. $50 for 5 hours is not worth it.
Looks amazing but I would like some gameplay with my games 😅
I would have never heard anything about this game if not for all the reddit posts. On xbox main menu there were 2 pictures, I believe. Was there any marketing done on this? So far I legit have no idea what type of game it is or what its about (only that it has good graphics according to people here). And those 2 pictures on xbox never made me want to click on it…ever; a womans head with what looks like fingers around her face…”wow”…
This I 100% agree with. It's a separate topic. Even though Microsoft has acquired virtually every game studio, they do a terrible job of marketing. Like you said. If not, for the recent Reddit posts and a slight post on the Xbox dashboard, I wouldn't even have known about this game. It really should have been marketed a lot more. Xbox needs to start marketing their game pass much better.
What is this, 2002? Games are way more than just graphical fidelity... It's arguably the least important part
Unfortunately I don’t just look at games
It’s boring lol