Im not here to post hate, I'm just here to express my thoughts and feelings on a game and hopefully just chat with some people back and forth.
That said I know posting some more critical views of the game in here is like going into a lion's den wearing a meat suit. Still I'm going to keep on keeping on.
Story: The story in this game had me swinging like a pendulum do. Loving some moments, hating others. However it's not the good kind of hate, I hate when a trusted party member betrays me, but it still made my experience with the story more involved. That was not the same feeling of hate in DS.
In DS the moments of hatred were aimed at the nonsensical characters and their being. Higgs to me was very intriguing in the beginning, only to have no idea why he is in this story at all even at the end. He is not a foil to the main character he's just a bad guy for the sake of being bad. He was definitely the most disappointing character and that says a lot when stacking up against Amalie.
Heartman is an arrogant ass for the sake of being arrogant. Diehardman whose voice is magnificent in this game lacks depth as well, even the ending didn't make me feel he had 3 dimensionality. Amalie, while her purpose was cleared up in the end, the entire time I was playing the game I felt no connection to her or to the mission, it was just something the game forced on the player.
BB, I feel conflicted about them. In one hand I did grow to care for it as the game was progressing, however I never felt like there was more for me to dig into besides the fact that Sam had this attachment to it for no reason, just because. They could have done so much more to develop bb, maybe placing it in real danger and having us make choices along the way to strengthen the bond. The ending again was pre-scripted nothing I could do about it wether I had an attachment or not.
Cliff was a super compelling character, honestly all credit goes to Madds, I'd watch him in anything. His role was executed well and the clips spanned throughout the game give him depth and believability that he is a person.
Fragile carries the heck out of this game in everything else that isn't Madds. She was the reason I did anything, I stuck around to see if I could see more of her and her courageousness. Still I'm bummed as she is sidelined for much of the game in favor of these other characters who offer nothing in terms of depth.
In a sequel I would really focus on developing characters that can be relatable or at least believable in their humanity.
Gameplay: Loved it with some asterisks here and there. Loved the idea of package delivery through a harsh land. Loved the balance features, loved the ordadek, loved the small improvements to the gear as time went on.
The asterisks however are like bits of sand that get stuck inside your boot when you went to the beach and now you're stuck in traffic and you can't nudge the dang bits out.
Why is there a high budget on music yet provide no way to enjoy that while on long treks. People end up putting on a podcast or something anyway? (I know a lot of people will say that it's on purpose to heighten the moments music comes on) that however is extremely subjective. Wether I will feel the same sense of emotions you do is unpredictable, allowing a method of music play in game wouldn't have hurt anyone's experience since it's not forced on you, but rather optional.
Zip lines, love the concept, dislike the execution, the way online works makes this a very strange set up with no way of knowing if others will help or have already helped with building their own zips. Make online integration better and make transit lines better by showing max range to connect within the map.
Invisible walls. Remove them. I tried climbing the area behind the wind farm. I got to the top I saw the other side, yet the game said no. Completely destroyed my sense of realism and investment, it happened once more when I climbed the highest mountain and tried to get to the roboticist.
Combat: It works, it's tense sometimes, once guns enter the foray it's a cake walk.
Music: Chef's Kiss. I own the OST Vinyl. BB's theme, perfection.
Final Thoughts: I think this game was rushed or there was just too much emphasis on getting actors to play roles.
I bought the art of book and saw so much potential. Potential for design in the clothing, the facilities, the world, and the monsters. So manu ideas that I was wondering where it changed. And I think it changed when Hideo focused on getting his actor friends in the studio. There was a great concept art of sam being all geared out but it was blocking his face, so no go.
I don't understand why we had to have Norman Reedus be Sam. Why couldn't we have built our own character, our own backstory, our own porter? Cooperation would have felt more fluid and genuine, it's you cooperating, not just a bunch of Sam's...
The other features in the game feel unpolished, the links, the stats, the garages. It all feels like an after thought that was crammed with no real reason to exist. I played the game without ever using them, going to show how little they actually mattered.
I wanted to like this game, I out a lot of time and effort into it, but at the end of the day I just can't recommend it. The few bits of genius here and there do not excuse the massive failings in many sections.
At the end of the day, I felt stranded. Stuck between what could have been, with the art book, the OST, and fond memories of Fragile.
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