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[Omnistalgic]

I'm so pleased with how these reviews are going. From the sound of things, people who thought GR1 had problems are still going to have problems with GR2 and people who loved GR1 and are going to love GR2. I loved GR1 and thought many of the problems people had with GR1 were matters of user error (like trying to use gravity kicks on every enemy or having open world fatigue from playing other, lesser games), so an enhanced version with a lot more content sounds fantastic.

I don't know how anyone could have issues with GR1, even on Vita, it was a classic IMO.

 

[Tagyhag]

This is definitely making me want to pick it up more. But I do wonder if you can enjoy this one without really liking the first.

 

[『Inaba Resident』]

This is definitely making me want to pick it up more. But I do wonder if you can enjoy this one without really liking the first.

Doubtful, imo.
Going off of the reviews it doesn't seem like they made this one to appeal to the people who didn't like first one but rather to appeal to the people who loved it instead.

 

[LotusHD]

This is definitely making me want to pick it up more. But I do wonder if you can enjoy this one without really liking the first.

If you straight up hated the first game, then I doubt the sequel would change your mind. Unless you hated it for not being relatively short or something lol

 

[get2sammyb]

This is definitely making me want to pick it up more. But I do wonder if you can enjoy this one without really liking the first.

What didn't you like about the first?

 

[Griss]

I don't know how anyone could have issues with GR1, even on Vita, it was a classic IMO.

The basic issues I had (while still enjoying the game) were:
-Boring quest design and overreliance on waymarks;
-Boring combat and enemy encounters, boring enemy designs;
-Boring open world with nothing to 'do' outside of the quests and trials.

That's quite a list of flaws. The atmosphere, music, story, characters and the unique gravity mechanic carried me through the game but without improving all of that stuff I disliked in a major way I was never going to be into the sequel.

I always thought that the fact that the Rift Planes were by far the best part of the first game was a pretty damning indictment of the open world and the quest designs therein. The gameplay is better suited for 'levels' rather than a big open world with nothing in it, imo.

The 'you didn't know how to play it' dismissal of criticism of the game really boils my blood, too.

 

[Kindekuma]

Good news! Glad the reviews are very positive.

Gonna link this thread in the OT when it releases.

 

[vivekTO]

Just noticed two of the characters are named after Hindu goddesses, i guess we're going to see another Symmetra controversy.

Naming your characters based on goddess doesn't reek controversy , Untill unless the appearance of them is also matched to the said goddesses and is presented in some Horrible Manner , Than it may offend some people like me Tbh.

 

[LotusHD]

The 'you didn't know how to play it' dismissal of criticism of the game really boils my blood, too.

I don't blame you lol

Good news! Glad the reviews are very positive.

Gonna link this thread in the OT when it releases.

Neat.

 

[onemanasylum]

The basic issues I had (while still enjoying the game) were:
-Boring quest design and overreliance on waymarks;
-Boring combat and enemy encounters, boring enemy designs;
-Boring open world with nothing to 'do' outside of the quests and trials.

That's quite a list of flaws. The atmosphere, music, story, characters and the unique gravity mechanic carried me through the game but without improving all of that stuff I disliked in a major way I was never going to be into the sequel.

I always thought that the fact that the Rift Planes were by far the best part of the first game was a pretty damning indictment of the open world and the quest designs therein. The gameplay is better suited for 'levels' rather than a big open world with nothing in it, imo.

The 'you didn't know how to play it' dismissal of criticism of the game really boils my blood, too.

Pretty much very open world game is it not?

 

[LotusHD]

Pretty much very open world game is it not?

He's not talking about the sequel I think.

 

[Dantis]

I was expecting it to average mid 70s, so it's done a bit better than I expected.

Sounds like everything I disliked about the first one is still there though, chiefly that it's not actually fun to play.

 

[sh4mike]

Reviewing much better than I expected given key gameplay flaws remain unchanged.

From Jim Sterling:
"Since it follows Gravity Rush‘s blueprint so closely, any complaints one might have had about the original game can be leveled at its sequel in totality. Unfortunately nothing’s been done to really improve the fundamental gameplay between installments. This means that certain fights are still infuriating as Kat’s unwieldy attacks fail to land, and the overall premise of gravity shifting remains wasted on fairly mundane mission objectives.

Quests are relatively formulaic and side missions in particular can grow repetitive before too long. For a series about commanding gravity itself, Gravity Rush is still a series about inconsequential racing, memory games, and triangulation exercises. There’s just not much imagination or variety in the missions available, which is extra disappointing when you consider just how much potential Kat’s abilities have."

All GR1 fans should be pleased, at least. Enjoy.

 

[Griss]

Pretty much very open world game is it not?

No, it is not. I love open world games.

Open world games succeed when they do one of two things:
-Make traversal of the topography of the world interesting, fun or rewarding
-Are filled with interesting things to find or do that involves the gameplay in some way

In GTA, driving around the world and being chased by cops over a massive terrain is the point of the game, and requires an open world.
In The Witcher 3, stumbling upon a castle/cave/ and uncovering the mysteries inside and fighting enemies / gaining loot as a result is the point of the game and requires an open world.
In Infamous, using your powers to zip around a massive map filled with different ways to interact and build up speed is the fun of the game. See also Assassin's Creed and its parkour or Sunset Overdrive.

But what does it bring to Gravity Rush, really? There's nothing to find that's not some marked trial, no interesting environmental storytelling to just stumble upon and lead you on some interesting adventure. There's no interesting traversal of the map itself as you can just fly everywhere. There's no real reason or justification for it. It's as weak an open world as I've ever seen.

That said I'm aware that people have massively different ideas on what an open world is for and what it should be.

He's not talking about the sequel I think.

I wasn't but the demo leads me to believe that it'll be the exact same. From the Eurogamer review:

"So while a good chunk of Gravity Rush 2 plays out in fresh locations, they feel, mechanically, very much like the locations from the first game. One floating city is a lot like another, even if Gravity Rush 2's attempt is far more colourful and teeming with pedestrians."

 

[LotusHD]

I was expecting it to average mid 70s, so it's done a bit better than I expected.

Sounds like everything I disliked about the first one is still there though, chiefly that it's not actually fun to play.

Err, the way you phrase that makes it come off as you thinking it's a fact, rather than it being just your opinion lol

Well, that's how it looks anyways

That said I'm aware that people have massively different ideas on what an open world is for and what it should be.



I wasn't but the demo leads me to believe that it'll be the exact same. From the Eurogamer review:

"So while a good chunk of Gravity Rush 2 plays out in fresh locations, they feel, mechanically, very much like the locations from the first game. One floating city is a lot like another, even if Gravity Rush 2's attempt is far more colourful and teeming with pedestrians."

Hmm, well like you said, different ideas and all. It succeeds in the former imo due to being able to traverse everywhere so freely. May not have surprises on the level of say games like Witcher 3, but it aces the one common problem I have with most open world games, in that they're often a chore to try and fully explore. The traversal methods the other games give you, just never felt good enough to me, just serviceable. Of course not every game can have justification for doing something less grounded that would alleviate that, but meh. For GR though, part of the fun of the game is just flying around, even if you don't expect to find any hidden things and what not. When all is said and done, I doubt I'll come out thinking "This did not need to be open world", which is something I've begun to say more and more lately.

 

[muteki]

I don't really see GR1 as an open world game, you have very little interaction with the world at all. The environments are more like a set of distinct levels that just happen to be occupying the same space. I don't really see that as a positive or a negative, there are just some things missing for me to really feel like the world itself was important enough to the gameplay the way it is in other games.

Could be the way I played, to go from A to B was almost always "fly up, fly over, fly down" so everything in-between was just obstacles to fly around. If I walked around more I'd probably feel differently, but why would I do that when I can control gravity?

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Admittedly I'm a bit too lazy to look through all the reviews to see this, but what do they say about pro support? Is it just 4k support, or is there something for 1080p players?

 

[Griss]

I don't really see GR1 as an open world game, you have very little interaction with the world at all. The environments are more like a set of distinct levels that just happen to be occupying the same space. I don't really see that as a positive or a negative, there are just some things missing for me to really feel like the world itself was important enough to the gameplay the way it is in other games.

Could be the way I played, to go from A to B was almost always "fly up, fly over, fly down" so everything in-between was just obstacles to fly around. If I walked around more I'd probably feel differently.

You know what, that's fair. And that's why I enjoyed the first one - because I didn't really see it as an empty open world so much as a big ol' level as well.

But I think I would have enjoyed it more if there HAD been something to find out there beyond two disappearing NPCs.

Anyway, the people who claim that the first one was open world, fair enough, but to claim it was a good open world? I can't see it at all.

 

[jayu26]

Admittedly I'm a bit too lazy to look through all the reviews to see this, but what do they say about pro support? Is it just 4k support, or is there something for 1080p players?

4K support automatically means downsampling for 1080p players.

 

[Shoeless]

Really looking forward to this, though I'm a bit puzzled by the release date. Why is it coming out on a Friday and not a Tuesday?

 

[Dantis]

Err, the way you phrase that makes it come off as you thinking it's a fact, rather than your opinion lol

Well, that's how it looks anyways

I'm not really sure what you're looking for here.

My point was that the reviews I was skimming through mentioned the core gameplay feeling shallow and not fun. That's what I was referencing.

If someone sees that post, believes it to be objective and then cancels their preorder, that is a silly person and not my fault.

 

[LastMinuteHero]

Nvm

 

[onemanasylum]

No, it is not. I love open world games.

Open world games succeed when they do one of two things:
-Make traversal of the topography of the world interesting, fun or rewarding
-Are filled with interesting things to find or do that involves the gameplay in some way

In GTA, driving around the world and being chased by cops over a massive terrain is the point of the game, and requires an open world.
In The Witcher 3, stumbling upon a castle/cave/ and uncovering the mysteries inside and fighting enemies / gaining loot as a result is the point of the game and requires an open world.
In Infamous, using your powers to zip around a massive map filled with different ways to interact and build up speed is the fun of the game. See also Assassin's Creed and its parkour or Sunset Overdrive.

But what does it bring to Gravity Rush, really? There's nothing to find that's not some marked trial, no interesting environmental storytelling to just stumble upon and lead you on some interesting adventure. There's no interesting traversal of the map itself as you can just fly everywhere. There's no real reason or justification for it. It's as weak an open world as I've ever seen.

That said I'm aware that people have massively different ideas on what an open world is for and what it should be.



I wasn't but the demo leads me to believe that it'll be the exact same. From the Eurogamer review:

"So while a good chunk of Gravity Rush 2 plays out in fresh locations, they feel, mechanically, very much like the locations from the first game. One floating city is a lot like another, even if Gravity Rush 2's attempt is far more colourful and teeming with pedestrians."

Agree to disagree, many open world games imo are literally just quests, and the rest of the extras is nothing more then filler, that gets old quick. The Witcher didn;t have much in the way of hidden dungeons/settlements at all, most involved quests.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

4K support automatically means downsampling for 1080p players.

But there's nothing aside from that in GR2, like RotTR's 3 PS4 Pro modes?

 

[LotusHD]

I'm not really sure what you're looking for here.

My point was that the reviews I was skimming through mentioned the core gameplay feeling shallow and not fun. That's what I was referencing.

If someone sees that post, believes it to be objective and then cancels their preorder, that is a silly person and not my fault.

Lol, I didn't say anything about someone canceling their preorders over you...

Just said how your post came off, that's all.

 

[Unknown?]

No, it is not. I love open world games.

Open world games succeed when they do one of two things:
-Make traversal of the topography of the world interesting, fun or rewarding
-Are filled with interesting things to find or do that involves the gameplay in some way

In GTA, driving around the world and being chased by cops over a massive terrain is the point of the game, and requires an open world.
In The Witcher 3, stumbling upon a castle/cave/ and uncovering the mysteries inside and fighting enemies / gaining loot as a result is the point of the game and requires an open world.
In Infamous, using your powers to zip around a massive map filled with different ways to interact and build up speed is the fun of the game. See also Assassin's Creed and its parkour or Sunset Overdrive.

But what does it bring to Gravity Rush, really? There's nothing to find that's not some marked trial, no interesting environmental storytelling to just stumble upon and lead you on some interesting adventure. There's no interesting traversal of the map itself as you can just fly everywhere. There's no real reason or justification for it. It's as weak an open world as I've ever seen.

That said I'm aware that people have massively different ideas on what an open world is for and what it should be.



I wasn't but the demo leads me to believe that it'll be the exact same. From the Eurogamer review:

"So while a good chunk of Gravity Rush 2 plays out in fresh locations, they feel, mechanically, very much like the locations from the first game. One floating city is a lot like another, even if Gravity Rush 2's attempt is far more colourful and teeming with pedestrians."

But there's nothing to do in GTA either outside the story except boring crap.

Anyway I expect Yakuza 0 to get reviews in this range too

 

[DriftingSpirit]

Hmm, well like you said, different ideas and all. It succeeds in the former imo due to being able to traverse everywhere so freely. May not have surprises on the level of say games like Witcher 3, but it aces the one common problem I have with most open world games, in that they're often a chore to try and fully explore. The traversal methods the other games give you, just never felt good enough to me, just serviceable. Of course not every game can have justification for doing something less grounded that would alleviate that, but meh. For GR though, part of the fun of the game is just flying around, even if you don't expect to find any hidden things and what not. When all is said and done, I doubt I'll come out thinking "This did not need to be open world", which is something I've begun to say more and more lately.

Agreed.

 

[muteki]

You know what, that's fair. And that's why I enjoyed the first one - because I didn't really see it as an empty open world so much as a big ol' level as well.

But I think I would have enjoyed it more if there HAD been something to find out there beyond two disappearing NPCs.

Anyway, the people who claim that the first one was open world, fair enough, but to claim it was a good open world? I can't see it at all.

Yeah, I think if you approach the game as if it is open world, you will probably be disappointed compared to others. It is not a good "open world game". The NPCs are just bodies to fling around, the transportation either has no purpose and is just for looks (the airships) or becomes pointless once you can fly far enough (the trains). There are no shops either, or interiors at all really.

But as an action game with a lot of freedom and some great art and good story it excels. And it is crazy impressive as a handheld title at that.

 

[ironmang]

Really looking forward to this, though I'm a bit puzzled by the release date. Why is it coming out on a Friday and not a Tuesday?

It's coming out Wednesday in NA.

edit: hmm maybe not. I guess Friday has been becoming a standard lately. I know Pokemon Sun released on a Friday. May be related to people buying it on payday before the weekend lol.

 

[DriftingSpirit]

It's coming out Wednesday in NA.

It is coming out Jan 20th and that is a Friday.

Edit - Posted before your edit.

 

[LotusHD]

Yeah, I think if you approach the game as if it is open world, you will probably be disappointed compared to others. It is not a good "open world game".

But as an action game with a lot of freedom and some great art and good story it excels.

I think that's a good way of looking at it; a game that gives you a lot of freedom.

 

[jayu26]

But there's nothing aside from that in GR2, like RotTR's 3 PS4 Pro modes?

Rise of Tomb Raider is an exception, don't turn into some sort of model for what to expect from Pro modes.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Man, the map looks massive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewlic9MYVss

 

[mollipen]

From Jim Sterling:
"Since it follows Gravity Rush‘s blueprint so closely, any complaints one might have had about the original game can be leveled at its sequel in totality. Unfortunately nothing’s been done to really improve the fundamental gameplay between installments. This means that certain fights are still infuriating as Kat’s unwieldy attacks fail to land, and the overall premise of gravity shifting remains wasted on fairly mundane mission objectives.

This isn't 100% true. Lunar style gives your attacks homing capabilities, which absolutely helps the "fail to land" argument from the first game. It's not a revolutionary fix from what came before, and it still doesn't work in all situations, but I think for those who had a problem with that kind of stuff in GR, it's a marked improvement.

 

[ironmang]

It is coming out Jan 20th and that is a Friday.

Edit - Posted before your edit.

Ya I clicked on the wiki to see where it was coming out Friday. Thought I read someone here mentioning it coming out on the 18th which I assumed meant NA.

 

[DriftingSpirit]

Man, the map looks massive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewlic9MYVss

Not watching but I'm glad people are liking the map.

 

[LotusHD]

Not watching but I'm glad people are liking the map.

Moreso than previous open world games I've played, it really just feels like you're in a whole new world lol

 

[Servbot24]

Man, the map looks massive.

Boo. Hype down. :/

 

[LastMinuteHero]

Man, the map looks massive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewlic9MYVss

I already posted this but it's pretty cool how the buildings in the background materialize as you get closer to them

 

[Griss]

Agree to disagree, many open world games imo are literally just quests, and the rest of the extras is nothing more then filler, that gets old quick. The Witcher didn;t have much in the way of hidden dungeons/settlements at all, most involved quests.

What on earth? My whole problem with the Witcher was that I'd get sidetracked from the main quest for 10s of hours just discovering random shit to do.

See a ship wrecked on the beach? You could be fairly sure there'd be some chest with a letter explaining what happened, which then may or may not lead you to a further location and so on... You could deduce things to discover just by looking at the world in that way.

See a castle in the distance? Wonder what's in there? Bandits? Is it ruined? A monster nest? Nothing? Let's go find out!

Gravity Rush's world has literally nothing to discover in it in that sense. I feel like that's pretty undebatable.

But there's nothing to do in GTA either outside the story except boring crap.

Anyway I expect Yakuza 0 to get reviews in this range too

What? Causing mayhem, cop chases, hijacking planes, car races, skydiving, bloody triathalons, drug running in buggys... there is a metic fuckload of things to do. That is the foundation of that game's success. Almost no one buys it for the main quest.

 

[BRSxIgnition]

Rise of Tomb Raider is an exception, don't turn into some sort of model for what to expect from Pro modes.

Yeah, I guess so, though even TLOU Remastered had modes for Pro owners.

I guess I'm left hoping that the gameplay feels smoother than the demo until the end then.

 

[Shoeless]

Ya I clicked on the wiki to see where it was coming out Friday. Thought I read someone here mentioning it coming out on the 18th which I assumed meant NA.

Oh well, I have it digitally pre-ordered. Hopefully this means Sony will follow the usual unlock schedule, and it'll be playable at midnight on the dot, which is basically Thursday night for me. I can still get a few hours in that way.

 

[Linkark07]

I don't know how anyone could have issues with GR1, even on Vita, it was a classic IMO.

Eh, I had quite an unpleasant experience with Gravity Rush on my Vita. The remastered version fixed many issues for me like controls.

 

[Zolo]

What on earth? My whole problem with the Witcher was that I'd get sidetracked from the main quest for 10s of hours just discovering random shit to do.

See a ship wrecked on the beach? You could be fairly sure there'd be some chest with a letter explaining what happened, which then may or may not lead you to a further location and so on... You could deduce things to discover just by looking at the world in that way.

See a castle in the distance? Wonder what's in there? Bandits? Is it ruined? A monster nest? Nothing? Let's go find out!

Gravity Rush's world has literally nothing to discover in it in that sense. I feel like that's pretty undebatable.

I actually remember once sailing a boat across the coastline to find some guy that was chained to a rock which turned out to be a quest. Still don't know if I ever got all the quests.

 

[Guymelef]

4K support automatically means downsampling for 1080p players.

Not always :\

 

[Vic_Viper]

It is coming out Jan 20th and that is a Friday.

This has been a recent trend. It's actually smart considering you get the entire weekend to play it if you buy it on release.

So tempted to buy this after reading these reviews. I wonder how much you will miss if you haven't finished GR1. Plus that week is already crowded with Yakuza 0 and KH 2.8, my wallet is going to get hammered lol.

These guys really deserve the positive feedback. The game looks great and after The Last Guardian, Sony first party really needed a win (imo)

 

[jayu26]

Not always :\

I must have missed something.

 

[LastMinuteHero]

You can blaze through the first one quite fast if you ignore the sidequest and upgrades

 

[DriftingSpirit]

Moreso than previous open world games I've played, it really just feels like you're in a whole new world lol

Yeah, completely unique. Very little to no direct comparisons can be made this gen.

This has been a recent trend. It's actually smart considering you get the entire weekend to play it if you buy it on release.

So tempted to buy this after reading these reviews. I wonder how much you will miss if you haven't finished GR1. Plus that week is already crowded with Yakuza 0 and KH 2.8, my wallet is going to get hammered lol.

These guys really deserve the positive feedback. The game looks great and after The Last Guardian, Sony first party really needed a win (imo)

I would consider TLG a win in general. Maybe not a big one but it certainly could have turned out way worse than it did.

 

[Karspankey]

I must have missed something.

There are games like The Last of Us Remastered and the Assassin's Creed Ezio Collection that do not downsample for 1080p screen users.