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Hellblade 2 | Review Thread

What Scores do you think Hellblade 2 will get?

  • 50-59%

    Votes: 2 0.9%
  • 60-69%

    Votes: 6 2.6%
  • 70-75%

    Votes: 23 9.9%
  • 76-79%

    Votes: 44 19.0%
  • 80-85%

    Votes: 90 38.8%
  • 86-90%

    Votes: 47 20.3%
  • 90-94%

    Votes: 10 4.3%
  • 95-100%

    Votes: 10 4.3%

  • Total voters
    232
  • Poll closed .
Oof? lol. We’re fucked if an 8+ is an oof. That’s a win, bro.
I wouldn't say it is an oof, but this is an arthouse game that is supposed to review really well and be a GOTY contender. I think many gamers thought it would be bigger in scope(only 6-7 hrs), when it is just Hellblade 1 with amazing graphics
 
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Darsxx82

Member
Notes similar to the first, average 80s. As always in this type of game, some like it more and others less... What everyone agrees on is that it's an incredible visual wonder. I'm sure I'll enjoy it just for that and because I'm looking forward to a short game that bets on the narrative after finishing Dead Island 2.
 
Look at who gave the 100's...

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Yeah but then you have the sites that will under rate it so it evens out.
 

DForce

NaughtyDog Defense Force
If it settles in the low 80s then that's not a bad score. I think that's good in my opinion. The pricing on this game seems reasonable based on the length of this game.
 

Gaiff

SBI’s Resident Gaslighter
I was expecting them to improve the combat and puzzles, as these were mediocre in the original game.
A real shame it's basically the same walking simulator, even if it has better graphics and sound.
It was clear there was absolutely no improvements from the first gameplay videos.
 

Calverz

Gold Member
Was neogaf going to do reviews? I vaguely remember something about this being discussed?

I had no expectations for this game. I only played through the first game about 2 weeks ago and it felt like an Indy game to me with good graphics for the time. I always assumed this would be more of the same with improved visuals.
 

Denton

Member
Just read super positive (9/10) czech review on zing.cz

Seems like more of an experience than a "videogame" but if you gel with it, you gel with it hard.

Which is what I expected really.

Another czech site Vortex.cz also gave 9/10.
 
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It all depends on expectations, I guess. I'm sure HB2 is solid, it's just not a breakthrough win (especially in image) that Xbox is in dire need right now.
This game was made by a team of 80 it's not a big game by any stretch. As a technical showcase its knocked it out of the park and has put massive budget AAA studios to shame, mission accomplished I say.
 
I was expecting them to improve the combat and puzzles, as these were mediocre in the original game.
A real shame it's basically the same walking simulator, even if it has better graphics and sound.

Yeah for all the talk by Phil about letting their studios be creative I’m not seeing it to be honest. Still, I enjoyed the first and will probably still like this.
 

winjer

Gold Member
Yeah for all the talk by Phil about letting their studios be creative I’m not seeing it to be honest. Still, I enjoyed the first and will probably still like this.

The first game was a unique experience when it was doing the story and dialogs.
But it ground to a halt whenever there were puzzles or combat.
Those sequences were so bad, that I considered giving up several times.
I had to push myself trough all that to see the ending.
I don't know if I'm going to be able to go through the same slog again.
 

midnightAI

Member
Bit of a marmite game it seems, so a metacritic score isn't particularly helpful here.
Pretty much, but was also to be expected, same as the first game (and this is a sequel with minimal changes to gameplay really, graphically outstanding, but thats expected also as the first one was, thats what linear single player allows)

Also, its about time someone beat The Order 1886 graphically (again, very linear single player, something which is few and far between now unfortunately as I actually like those types of games as a break from the countless open world/sem open world games)
 
The first game was a unique experience when it was doing the story and dialogs.
But it ground to a halt whenever there were puzzles or combat.
Those sequences were so bad, that I considered giving up several times.
I had to push myself trough all that to see the ending.
I don't know if I'm going to be able to go through the same slog again.

The puzzles were the big negative for me. Absolutely hated them.
 

Darsxx82

Member


Definitely a visual wonder... For that alone, it deserves to be played.
I’m almost embarrassed to think about how much time I spent enjoying the visual fidelity in a digital representation of a rock. The world in Hellblade 2 is gritty, mountainous and rocky. It’s as close to photo realism as I’ve seen in a game and it’s truly spectacular.

The same applies to the character models and animations. It’s no exaggeration to say that from the first minute of Senua’s Saga to the last I was blown away and often in disbelief with what I was seeing. So much so that I often found myself becoming distracted with the feature-rich photo mode. I frequently used it to check out the tiniest of details such as the realism of the scars on Senua’s face, or the way her eyelashes are realistically placed.

After playing Senua’s Saga for the past few days, every other game looks like it’s aged 10 years. Despite the world being made up of linear pathways, and the characters being — well, characters — this by far is the most believable and realistic video game I’ve seen in my years.


 
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Matt_Fox

Member
"A joyless slog of barely interactive entertainment and a muddled portrayal of mental illness… that just so happens to have the best graphics ever on a video game console."

The grumpy guy gave it 5/10 but that last line - I'm sold!
 

midnightAI

Member
This game was made by a team of 80 it's not a big game by any stretch. As a technical showcase its knocked it out of the park and has put massive budget AAA studios to shame, mission accomplished I say.
massive AAA studios don't tend to make this type of game (linear, single player, sub 8 hour game (that took 7 years to make mind), with main focus on graphics)

I'm not knocking this game by the way, I'll play it and enjoy it, but I know what it is
 
So how much would it get without the art and theme, pretty much sure it would be 10 points less in average…

And even if the score is correct, is it enough for a game so long in development and being Microsoft’s big exclusive?
 

midnightAI

Member
"A joyless slog of barely interactive entertainment and a muddled portrayal of mental illness… that just so happens to have the best graphics ever on a video game console."

The grumpy guy gave it 5/10 but that last line - I'm sold!
I actually dont mind that personally, just means they arent swayed by pretty things when its supposed to be a game, if there is very little game there, or the game isn't enjoyable then they should rightly reflect that in the score. How many times do we hear that gameplay is the thing that matters most? Isn't that why most Nintendo first party games get very high scores?
 

Kurakasis

Neo Member
On the metacritic front page, I see reviews from Carol Quintaine, CD-Action and Dot Esports, the hell kind of reviewers are these? These websites have not even given great scores, it is just so weird that pubs are willing to give keys to every tom, dick and harry with a website.

CD-Action is one of the most popular video game magazines in Poland
 

Elios83

Member
Reviews comfirmed what was clear since the beginning.
If you're interested in a great game this is not the product for you.
If you want a short interactive graphical showcase focusing on representation of mental issues you'll like it.
 

Jadsey

Member
I didn't like the first game and probably won't touch this one.

But I'm glad it's not a dumpster fire and looks like it will settle in the 75-79 range. This is pretty good for Xbox and they needed a win!
 
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