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[Colorful Vocabulary]

Yep, about what I expected. Rental it is.

 

[Acquiescence]

Dang, I wasn't expecting rave reviews, but I'd have thought it would receive a better response than that. Deciding now whether to cancel my pre-order or not. Given the still-absurd prices of next-gen games here, I could easily sell my £27 PS4 copy of the game for a profit if I keep it sealed.

Or I could just say reviews be damned and just play the game. Might enjoy it regardless.

 

[Daffy Duck]

Dang, I wasn't expecting rave reviews, but I'd have thought it would receive a better response than that. Deciding now whether to cancel my pre-order or not. Given the still-absurd prices of next-gen games here, I could easily sell my £27 PS4 copy of the game for a profit if I keep it sealed.

Or I could just say reviews be damned and just play the game. Might enjoy it regardless.

That's assuming you can find someone willing to buy it.

 

[aries_71]

I seem to recall this game was built with the Unreal engine. Any word on resolution and framerate on Xbox One and PS4?

 

[Dusk Golem]

Every review so far (from lowest rated to highest rated):

A game where sadly the idea is a lot better than the execution, especially given the low budget visuals and mediocre script.

Metro - 3/10

Frustrating and unrewarding crime solving surrounded by inconsistent gameplay systems.

CVG - 5/10

Murdered: Soul Suspect has some neat concepts, but it is not a success. A few elements of its supernatural murder mystery may hold your interest, but it ultimately feels hollow because it lacks any real challenge or entertainment in solving that mystery.

Escapist - 2.5/5

It's really sad to see Murdered: Soul Suspect die on its feet. There's some interesting characters and backstory, as well as some really great visuals (depending on what or who you're looking at), but the game's strengths are haunted by mediocre gameplay and substandard production values. You won't feel any cleverer having solved Soul Suspect's mystery, nor will you feel tested by its combat; it's a death that's all the more depressing because of how quickly you'll forget it.

GamesRadar - 2.5/5

While a welcome break from the tired retreadings that define most games, Murdered: Soul Suspect finds itself in a precarious place where narrative value, above all else, is of chief importance. But while the deadlike denizens of Salem might sound right for this sort of game, the absence of compelling characters keeps what’s otherwise an interesting idea from landing any staying power.

EGM - 5.5/10

There are some great concepts in Murdered: Soul Suspect, but they feel undercooked or underutilised, and the lack of demand for any real input from us makes Murdered feel like a pick-a-path game where there’s only one path. It scrapes by on the power of its central whodunnit mystery, but I can’t help but feel that Murdered: Soul Suspect is ten hours worth of unfinished business.

IGN - 5.5/10

I gave it a huge chance and pushed through the bitterness of everything listed above, but it was at that point I’d detected that Airtight Games had sprung a leak in its hull, and it’s a real shame. The concept and setting here were ripe for out-of-left-field explosiveness, but due to a lack of direction and capitalisation, and likely a small budget, all we’re left with is a lifeless game that fails to live up to its potential.

AusGamers - 6/10

It's still a great looking game, and the core narrative is a fun, if underdone and derivative one. It's simply disappointing that this game had a reasonably large budget, and in the process it lost some of its identity and seems to be shoehorned into some very unnecessary and destructive mechanics. This game would have been far better off being made for a fraction of the budget by a small team willing to take real risks.

Digitally Downloaded - 3/5

Murdered: Soul Suspect is definitely a qualified success. The richness of the atmosphere and charismatic lead performances pulled me through the story. That paired with a solid, no-frills investigation mechanic helped mitigate some of the technical problems and the sadly tacked-on demon hunting sequences. It's a distinctly average experience, but it has enough going for it that I'm glad I was able to conquer the bugs and see it through.

Shacknews - 6/10

That said, the mystery at the heart of Murdered really is excellent, and putting the pieces together crime scene by crime scene should satisfy many an armchair sleuth. The hidden ghost stories are well worth finding, and though Ronan is a bit of a dull fish, the people who surround him are worth getting to know, however briefly. With some truly great ideas and some unfortunate choices, Murdered: Soul Suspect and its ghostly hero is neither heaven nor hell, but something in between.

Joystiq - 3.5/5

Murdered: Soul Suspect is awash in tropes, but somehow, that's part of the charm. It's a pulpy detective tale remixed as a classic ghost story, and it works as a sort of playable B-movie. It's linear and mechanically simple, but it flows well and keeps a fast pace, at least as long as I wasn't chasing down demons. Supernatural Salem was a rich, sad, beautiful place to visit, and as it turned out, Ronan was the perfect tour guide.

Polygon - 7/10

Although a little bland at times, Soul Suspect's storyline kept me gripped and it's a genuinely beautiful game. You'd think walking through objects would look glitchy and gross, but it makes the game totally worth playing just for that feature itself.
Soul Suspect explores some new ideas and executes them with precision and without giving anything away, I highly recommend you play this one all the way to the end for its highly satisfying conclusion.

3News - 3.5/5

Murdered: Soul Suspect is a solid release that will definitely scratch the itch of any aspiring Hercule Poirot. Ronan is an intriguing lead-character and his supporting cast each have their own quirks. The game will keep you glued to your controller throughout, even if the game is slightly on the short-side. An unforgettable, enjoyable experience that we hope to see more of in this new generation.

Flickering Myth - 8/10

(Google Translated) Verdict: A pleasant surprise. Adventurní game with some stealth nipples, which is based mainly on good treatment of the story and a few non-traditional game mechanics. Man pity length that makes the story but get bored. Some might discourage a slower pace due to the total absence of action or a little formulaic gameplay, because every investigation is conducted according to the same template. But despite all the complaints, I can say that for me it was not the best game I've played on my PS4.

Eurogamer.cz - 8/10

This game is unlike anything else on the market, so if you enjoy a good story, while doing missions for the recently deceased all while trying to solve your very own murder from beyond the grave… Then this game is something you have to pickup.

Fanboy Feed - 8.4/10

Amidst a release schedule of sequels and games where all you do is shoot people in the face, Murdered: Soul Suspect is a breath of fresh air. Sure it sounds a little silly that you play as a ghost-cop, but its story and hands-on investigation sequences make for a compelling and unique experience you won’t find in any other AAA title releasing this year.

MMGN - 8.5/10

Overall, Murdered: Soul Suspect is a bit of fresh air in a gaming world where sequels are prevailing. It’s not balls-to-the-wall action, but it certainly is perfectly paced, well written and a joy to experience. You won’t be upset if you give it a try.

Stevior - 8.5/10

Murdered: Soul Suspect is one of the most surprisingly good games I’ve played in a long time. It manages to sell its bizarre premise and builds a solid, moving story out of it, and the plot-propelling investigations add immensely to the detective feel. Walking around as a ghost is clever and entertaining, and it even manages to inject variety into some of gaming’s most overused elements.

VentureBeat - 89/100

Murdered: Soul Suspect has no pretensions. It is a linear mystery story, told well. You might not find much replayability here, but the six or so hours it takes to wander through the plot plus a few extra hours to find all the collectables is plenty entrancing. That a game can deliver a strongly directed mystery narrative, engaging clue-finding gameplay that actually makes you feel involved in the discovery process, and never feel padded or old is rather special. While some more additional content and a tiny bit more polish would not have gone astray, Murdered: Soul Suspect elegantly delivers on its promise of telling a strong mystery story through an interactive format.

OnlySP - 9/10

Kotaku - No

Shopto:

When starting Murdered: Soul Suspect I wasn’t really expecting too much but by the end I just wanted more. Despite not being the most technically impressive game in the world, Murdered: Soul Suspect is an immersive and impressive experience. Sometimes a game surprises you and this is one of those times.

 

[CaptainSlow]

What happened to your console?
How is the process and turn around time?

Well, my console and Kinect turn on, but no matter what TV, HDMI cable, or TV input I use all I get is a "No Signal" message on my TV.

I have it plugged into the right HDMI port on the back of the console. The weird part is the system is running just fine. I can load up SmartGlass and connect to the console and open and close apps, turn off the console, or do anything else I could do with my controller but I just can't see it.

I tried the whole hard rebooting thing and did the picture reset hard boot with no luck. I've googled it but I haven't seen anyone else have this problem. I sent it in today so it's going to get to the service center on Wednesday/Thursday and then hopefully get in back 2-3 weeks later.

I just bought Wolfenstein and Watch_Dogs 2 days ago too...

 

[ekim]

My gut tells me, that this game is getting better scores from European outlets - especially German reviews will be good. We love adventure games here.

 

[Card Boy]

Every review so far (from lowest rated to highest rated):

The average from all those unless my maths is wrong or i missed a number is 58. Quite a feat to get a worse score than Face Noir.

 

[Dusk Golem]

The average from all those unless my maths is wrong or i missed a number is 58. Quite a feat to get a worse score than Face Noir.

It averages out to 67% exactly.

 

[SeanTSC]

The average from all those unless my maths is wrong or i missed a number is 58. Quite a feat to get a worse score than Face Noir.

I count a total of 127.3 there of 19 scored reviews which is a 6.7 average with all of them weighted the same (unlike Metacritic which weights sites differently).

 

[Card Boy]

I count a total of 127.3 there of 19 scored reviews which is a 6.7 average with all of them weighted the same (unlike Metacritic which weights sites differently).

Yeah i got it wrong I counted 110 lol.

 

[peakish]

Eurogamer 6/10, likes it well enough.

And it's that underdog likeability that rescues Soul Suspect from the lower reaches of the score table. It's a Good 6, that delightful strata of games that stumble in the technical aspects, but compensate with personality and charm, somehow all the more enjoyable for their imperfections. I can't pretend that Soul Suspect is a particularly great game, but I do know that it's the sort of game I'll still remember - and remember fondly - in five years' time, which is more than can be said for most of its glossier rivals.

 

[Cave Johnson]

It's like one of those concepts that require a more ambitious design and budget. Metro's review made it sound like it was left out of the baking oven too early. Goes to show that developers lack the talent to pull this off otherwise it makes no sense of being "different" for the sake of different sake.

 

[simplythebest]

Maybe they are trying to point out that reviews shouldn't be trusted, since more often than not, niche games get shat on because the writers didn't get their doritos' check.

Now, I don't know whatever this Murderered: Soul Suspect is good or not, but I sure wouldn't trust "game journalism" to tell me.

 

[dragonbane]

Dang, I wasn't expecting rave reviews, but I'd have thought it would receive a better response than that. Deciding now whether to cancel my pre-order or not. Given the still-absurd prices of next-gen games here, I could easily sell my £27 PS4 copy of the game for a profit if I keep it sealed.

Or I could just say reviews be damned and just play the game. Might enjoy it regardless.

I think you should give it a go. You will probably like the story and be slightly annoyed with the gameplay I would guess. Still should be able to get entertainment out of it. It has some Heavy Rain/Fahrenheit flair you are going to appreciate.

 

[CosmicGroinPull]

Yikes. I was quite interested in this.

 

[Prime crotch]

I got my copy on the cheap, so I'll check it and see whats up

 

[Sojgat]

Eurogamer review is actually pretty encouraging. Think I'll give this a shot.

 

[Szadek]

Dammit,I was looking forward to this game.
I will wait for a price drop.

 

[TitusGroan]

Hmm... I get the impression that rather than being an out-and-out 'bad' game, this is more the sort of game where you can either really enjoy it for it is, or dislike it for what it isn't. It clearly isn't a game with a lot of production values behind it, but personally, I would never let that alone deter me from trying something. Many of the best games of the last five years have lacked the glossy polish we expect from AAA mega-blockbusters. the game's focus seems to be the story and mystery case, and if it does those things well, then perhaps a lack of budget won't seem so egregious.

Maybe this comparison is unwarranted, but I remember Zombi U getting similarly slated for a lack of polish and unconventional design, yet that's a game which many now hail as one of the best survival horror games of the last few years.

I'm going to wait and see on Murdered, simply because I'm not entirely convinced that review scores will paint an entirely accurate picture of this game. It'll be interesting to see the consensus when the game comes out and Gaffers play it for themselves. Part of me thinks it could be another Zombi U style cult favourite, the other part wonders if it won't end up like Beyond: Two Souls- appreciated for what it tries, but generally dismissed for what it does wrong.

 

[Shaanyboi]

This sucks...

 

[Ganondorfo]

Its normal to get this kind of reviews, because I havent heard of this game except for the little hype thread on Neogaf. So everytime a game doesnt get a lot of coverage/hype weeks before release, you know its going to get a very mediocre average.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Given how Square seem to have cut their losses on this one its probably shit. However will keep my eye on impressions

Could be a case of a quality game (NieR) being shat on by the media part II.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

Any word on length?

 

[Jimmyfenix]

Given how Square seem to have cut their losses on this one its probably shit. However will keep my eye on impressions

Could be a case of a quality game (NieR) being shat on by the media part II.

No this just seems like an average game. No one has shat on it.

 

[Epcott]

Yikes. Was looking forward to this. Guess I'll either have to wait for the bargain bin or for Redbox to carry current gen.

 

[dragonbane]

Any word on length?

Walkthrough on YT has it at 4 hours and 20 minutes. Media says between 7 and 10. So you can probably take your time with it and try to find all the clues etc. that extend your playtime quite a bit.

 

[Dusk Golem]

Any word on length?

We've heard everything from 4 to 12 hours, but the game apparently has a lot of extra side content and quests. Average seems to be 6-10..

 

[mrhej]

Damn I was hoping it would be good.

 

[Authority]

Reposting,

Murdered: Soul Suspect IOTI Murderded by Metacritic.

 

[The perfect Dark]

Walkthrough on YT has it at 4 hours and 20 minutes. Media says between 7 and 10. So you can probably take your time with it and try to find all the clues etc. that extend your playtime quite a bit.

FOUR HOURS

 

[Yaoibot]

I usually don't allow myself to be swayed by reviews, but this game sounds like dogshit. I've played "bad" games before, that I've rather enjoyed (Knight's Contract, for example--platinumed that gem). But I don't think I'll take the chance on this until there's a massive sale.

 

[Yaoibot]

Reposting,

Its interesting that all the reviews are on the PS4 version. Shows how the multi-platform winds have shifted.

 

[eXistor]

Eurogamer 6/10, likes it well enough.

This is exactly what I'm expecting the game to be.

 

[bryanee]

It doesn't matter what it gets in the reviews I'm still buying it because I'm interested in the concept and I'd like to form my own opinion on the game. I also got it for 30 quid so that's not bad.

 

[Baron_Calamity]

Another one for the steam sale pile.

 

[LiK]

I'll wait for a price drop.

 

[Anung]

Middling to decent reviews. I'm still on board. Hoping for a decent niche title. Not everything has to be omfg nexus 7/10 hype dew.

Plus £30 quid ain't to bad a price either.

 

[truly101]

It will be mine

Spoiler

during the PSN flash sale where its under $10.00

 

[Skele7on]

I may still get this, really annoyed that they didn't quite manage to pull this off.

When I first saw it I was like Ghost Trick X LA Noir amazing.

Still playing through watch_dogs atm so probably pick it up after I finish that.

 

[Canis lupus]

I'll probably enjoy it, sometimes low scoring games are hidden gems like Remember Me and Lost Planet 3.

 

[Authority]

Spoiler

PC Master race FTW.

I wonder how come users in consoles rate it so low while users on PC praise it. This is odd.

 

[matrix-cat]

I still liked the look of the original trailers and gameplay footage enough to give it a go in a Steam sale. Looks like a solid B (well, maybe C) game.

I might be the only person who'll ever say this, but I wish Airtight Games would make a sequel to Dark Void. What that game lacked in, well, gameplay quality, graphical fidelity, story coherence, campaign length, shooting enjoyable-ness, etc etc, it nearly made up for by how sweet it was to play as The Rocketeer. That was a great character (gameplay-wise) in a shitty game, unfortunately.

 

[Lima]

I wonder how come users in consoles rate it so low while users on PC praise it. This is odd.

Because PC users got it for $20 or something.

 

[VE3TRO]

I'm interested in it. Glad I didn't pre-order at full price though since it will probably be 50% in a few weeks. I think the same happened with Thief as well.

 

[Deleted member 20920]

Some of the problems reviews seem to point makes me think that budget may got cut in the middle of the project after Square Enix saw the game hadn't any hype.

From what I remember, the person said that the project was at one time, cancelled. Even before the reveal. They actually resurrected it and then revealed it. Perhaps they were hoping that it could at least bring in some money to cover the losses.

 

[M.Steiner]

I pre-purchased a cheap copy of this a few weeks back so I'll still give it a play at some point and see what I think. Hopefully I won't find it too disappointing/average but if that turns out to be the case then at least I didn't pay full price.

 

[doemaaan]

Damn... no hype and bad reviews... =/

 

[MadAboutEwe]

Unless you enjoy shooting people, driving cars or playing sports, there's not exactly a lot of alternatives on Xbox One.

I enjoyed Murdered: Soul Suspect and feel some of these reviews were expecting too much.

 

[statham]

Still going to grab it, but I'll wait for a couple of pricedrops