I know the Before You Buy videos are usually pretty good but this one was excellent. Felt like y'all managed to cram so much critical information in 11 minutes with all of it feeling concise and well-explained. Even though you could've probably just said "This game is just Final Fantasy XV without the Final Fantasy."
THESE sort of reviews are why I sub to your channel. You are fair, and thought out with your reviews and not the generic trolly meme buzz word nonsense I see so many naysayers in comment sections use to describe games. You say what you like, and what you don't, and give games a fair shake
It’s honestly sad with a 70$ price tag, wanting you to waste so much money for a lacklustre story, boring gameplay with terrible graphics for a 2023 title
Love the before you buy series! They are so helpful :) While I agree with all the points of critique made, I am a sucker for fast paced magic. I played the demo and enjoyed it dispite all the issues, so I’m still gonna play this one and enjoy it - but am also hoping the forspoken studio takes a few notes for future titles. Hehe
I only got into this channel in the last year, and I've found you're as positive, and optimistic about a game as possible. But to see you right out of the gate delcare Forspoken as a booger had me taken aback! Wow! I've never seen you politely lay into a AAA title like this before!
Well it was exactly that, they just scrapped something up and called it a game P.S. Scrapped something on a tech demo they made, I perhaps didn't make myself very clear
@@Grayson030 I can agree with that. The enviroment and dialog were the quite bads while the combat and mobility were pretty good in the demo. If they focussed/worked on combat encounters with normal enemies, better NPCs and enviromental storytelling, it would've already improved so much.
That's what it feels like. They put a tech demo years ago, it got popular, they decided to capitalize by making a game from it but it's just corporate stuff. There's no vision, no substance, it's paper thin with how much they stretch the little it has going on for it and what illustrates this the most imo is how empty the world is. Say what you will about the quality of Ubisoft's works but compare this game with how rich their worlds are, it's night and day. Very disappointed.
I was hyped for this game after the combat in the trailers. Downloaded the demo as soon as it was announced. Played it for about 30 minutes and realized I dodge a major bullet
I think the combat is the real highlight here. The effects are solid and the way Frey blends the elements is really well done. Conceptually, it's awesome. I don't know how it actually feels to play the game, but it looks really nice visually
this is exactly why I only watch your reviews still. You always find positive and negative points and tell it how it is. No matter the brand. I've found some of my most favourite games because of you.
The thing that I noticed that was initially weird to me was that in the demo she had 2 weapons and like 5 specials attached to each weapon, but it was so hard to switch special moves--also there was no dodge. This is a big thing to point out bc when you analyze FF7 remake's combat, and DMC 5, the amazing combat you see can be seamless switched easily. Barrett controls different from Cloud, but they both use 2 buttons and a shortcut to do special moves quickly; Dante seamlessly changes weapons while never truly pausing combat. Also DMC and Ffvii remake uses face buttons which spamable; Forspoken hold the trigger like a shooter--even in Fromsoft's games they never have you spam back triggers. Last in FFvii sometimes you need the spell list but not every single time you want to switch your ideal special
I can say I’ve beat it and they don’t show you the full extent of the combat capabilities in the demo I tried first and enjoyed there is a quick switch for both sides of abilities and they show you the level three growth for each and include those things you wish you could do as parts of exploration overall I do see where they could’ve done way better and could made the game more appealing to others rather than those who just like combat
i had a bad feeling this game wouldn't be as good as it looked. still deserves recognition for its animations though, some of the coolest character animations ive ever seen.
I actually like a superhero games where it wasn't from MARVEL or DC like infamous and prototype I wish this game to be a underground hit but sadly it doesn't
This is probably one of the most scathing reviews Gameranx has ever put out. I love this channel you guys are always positive even when you don’t like a game. Definitely appreciate the honest take
I love that Gameranx is always so honest, and even in the worst of games they can find good things to say, but even in the best games they also give fair criticism. I can always completely trust the 'Before You Buy', when they say it's good, it's good, and when they say it's bad...it's going to be bad. I don't buy games anymore without watching these reviews.
@@christophermartin3504 No I think it's, because this game didn't know what it wanted to be. To make an open world more insufferable than a cookie cutter Ubisoft (point of fact I actually have been a fan of Ubisoft since the AC:2 and even they atleast pepper things to do through out the map, even though a fair ammount of these quests are fetch quests same with Far Cry, but all this off topic is to say this game was super disappointing and the voice acting or I suppose the script was terrible, but like Jake said even the delivery of a terrible script only compounds the issues and make them more grueling.
Now that I see gameplay this really reminds me of the last Final Fantasy I played, especially with the fighting and the fight grading system, which takes you out of the immersion.
It’s crazy to think you only have 7mil subs every gamer in the world has seen your videos. They are super helpful. You’ve saved use millions. Thank you
I literally do not buy a game until I see the before you buy out by you guys. Thank you Jake and to the behind the sences team. I love you guys for doing the hard work. Much love.
Don't listen to replys and waste your time on the demo it's not a good game wether we like it or not my hopes were high for this one but nope it's what it's
I didn't feel this was an informative review tbh. I'm none the wiser about what parts were cringy or what kind of open world collectathon felt more egregious than the hundreds of other games doing the same thing.
@@rushpan93 what parts are cringey is almost entirely subjective. Some people’s favourite shows are almost entirely cringe to me. And the open world is as he said- camps of enemies to fight, mini bosses, etc. I guess we’re simply after different things from our reviews. My tastes align quite a lot with Jake’s, and so his opinions on a more intuitive level are often pretty good indicators as to how I’m likely to also feel.
I just felt like there weren't ever any enemies that felt too dangerous to take on However I do like that there were moments where they're was a ton of enemies at once and hitting a big aoe spell was so satisfying
I’m glad they put out a demo and I liked it quite a bit but not for $70. I’ve been saying for years now that since everything is connected to the internet these days every game releasing *should* put out a demo before release.
@@PinHeadSupliciumwtf yea ok bud, so you’ve never seen a trailer that looks awesome but the finish product turned out bad? Literally anyone could get caught.
The problem with this game is they were so focused on trying to "wow" people such that they forgot that you need all the elements to work together to make it a great game. I was really excited when it was originally showcased as Project Athea I think with the PS5 showcase, looked like an attempt at something unique which doesn't always happen nowadays. Hopefully it's not the end and they can try again at some point after learning from their mistakes here.
Well i think Forsaken is just a side quest for Square. Because they're developing a lot of games in a short time. Especially the FF7 Remake Saga and FF16.
@Daniel Hizkia I guess, I'm just disappointed because I really thought it could have been something potentially special and unique but it didn't get the love it needed. After the first gameplay reveals I'm surprised they were okay with showing that and would have taken a delay if it meant they fixed some of it's issues but probably the development and costs were too far down the line. Would just be sad if they don't have another go at something similar with more work put into it
their first mistake was using ff15's engine to make this. that engine is dated, always janky and never really run smooth. should've used unreal or even better decima from guerrila
You and Falcon genuinely effect my purchases and when I’m afraid I might be missing out on something awesome but don’t wanna gamble , I hope that developers and stuff actively listen to you guys because as a 30+ demographic myself I take y’all’s advice
The level of hype I had for this game leading up to its release was crazy! Pre ordered it and I only just finally got around to it now after hearing mediocre reviews and boy oh boy did they hit it on the head in this video. Reeeeeally wish I waited for the Before You Buy on this one. Keep up the great work guys!
Watching the gameplay it kinda reminds me of Infamous. If they went more into that (no health bars for small enemies except bosses) I feel like it would work more
Yes, It reminds me too, especially infamous second son. But infamous city is filled with details, npc, Object and more. You can basically climb a building and there's 3 shortcut for 3 power lying everywhere. I think what this game lacks is the richness of the map. This looks so empty and "unalive"
For infamous, the effects, the skills set and the powers are beyond beautiful and really polished. The attack really makes you feel like you are in the game, which is badass. For forspoken - I feel nothing when I play the demo. I dont like their art styles and effects compared to Infamous
I was really looking forward to this game. I've put in close to three hours into the demo and I'm still loving it. I think the combat and traversal are great. I don't expect to love the characters or the story. I'll probably pick it up when it goes on sale, though, 'cause $70 ain't it.
Did you get it? The deluxe edition is 47 rn and includes two DLCs coming up, I think that’s a solid price so I’ll probably pick it up plus the gameplay is awesome when you know how to switch it up
I'm interested to know how long this game is to complete? Just seems like they made a story that suited a much more intimate and dense approach but they ended up with these huge baron areas to run through, purely for the sake of giving room for you to parkour through? Do you have to engage with the open world stuff to get through the game or can you just mainline it?
I played it for like 6 hours yesterday. First couple hours are slow as molasses, it's a little buggy, but I really have fun with it. Get it on discount.
Once I finally get a ps5 I'm definitely going to check this out because I do think the combat looks cool. But it definitely won't be the first game I get, first will be demons souls, dead space remake and probly returnal... But I'll definitely try it out
I actually enjoyed the demo for the combat and traversal but was hoping when the full game came out, the world would be less empty and that the story would be good. After all these reviews I still want to play it but only once it’s on sale or free on extra
@@Unknown_Genius oh I ain't defending this game, just saying that since it's a new game it's supposed to be around 60€ (ik it's around 80 CAD). But since most 'AAA' developers have raised the launch prices from 60 to 70-80 heck even 90 ( wink wink MWII), it comes off as no surprise that this game is similarly priced. What is bad though, is that for that price we as consumers are not getting much, quality or maybe even quantity wise, so it seems.
100% agree. I liked the demo and even the low scores didn’t totally scare me off, but reviewers consistently saying that the story wasn’t interesting and the protagonists were unlikable burned my excitement. It’ll be on sale eventually
the full game is so much better than the demo. theres actually a lot of cool stuff in the open world. its no where near as empty as it was in the demo. honestly you should give it a go. the begining IS slow, but once you can start exploring and get new spells, its A TON of fun
I wish I watched this video before I picked up my copy at my nearest Gamestop. I have only reached the settlement where my character finally changes clothes and is looking open to side quests. I gotta say I have to agree with how slow the initial part of the game was before you get sent to Athia. It felt like Spider-Man, but without the powers. Very underwhelming. When I fought the dragon, I thought the controls were a little too familiar. I guess it goes to show you no matter how pretty a game is, a compelling story and fluid control schemes, all the little things do matter. How a game is put together--it truly matters. After playing for a few hours a few days ago, I haven't picked it up since. It's cool on paper, but something about it doesn't make come back to it the way Horizon Forbidden West or God of War Ragnarok did. I hope I don't feel the same about Dead Space Remake, because I think i'm going to try to make an exchange.
I will say the pacing in the story and sluggishness of the game definitely doesn’t do it any favors but if they just adjust and work towards refining it. It could be an amazing game. The combat is awesome and if they adjust and continue to improve upon leveling up, gear, and skills. It will be a hit. But that’s just my opinion.
I've played a lot of beat em ups in my days...including games like Bayonetta, Dante's Inferno, DMC, etc. The combat was clunky, but workable, and there is a genuine satisfaction when you get a decent flow going...the zombie peasants are always great training dummies to get a feel of the controls. But the motivation to keep going is just not there...she genuinely doesn't like being there, and despite her circumstances back home still wishes to return...and as the main character you have to hear this a lot...eventually I grew numb to it all...and this was all just on the Demo alone! The gameplay will escalate from there, there's no doubt, and way more awesome combos, and abilities to be had...but...it's just so...self destructive...by the end of it, I really stopped caring altogether, and that's an accomplishment, not a good one, but impressive nonetheless.
I 100% agree with your opinion. I really wanted to like this game a lot. When we first heard of it looked like it had such great potential. And i gotta say i love the sprinting. Compared to other RPGs it‘s so satisfying to have such power in each step. I also enjoyed the parcour but something about it always feels a bit off. It‘s like you never have full control of the character and there always is this little bit of randomness in what she is going to to, jump up from the wall do a flip or away from the wall, make the camera turn or not and so on. The thing with the battle system aswell, it generally is nice and the bossfights can be quiet exciting but since you have such fast movement most enemies don‘t seem like a real threat and the are just bullet sponges that only become dangerous because you get tired of playing it safe. Another thing is the fighting often doesn‘t feel satisfying, you just keep on firing little fireballs at roughly the right direction, but you never really get satisfying feedback like a perfect headshot in some fps games as example.
I really wanted it to be good, the whole idea of chaining magic and combining it thrilled me cause I was looking for a nice game with a great magic system. The demo disappointed me and now I’m setting my hopes on the Hogwarts game. I just hope that game is good and doesn’t disappoint cause I don’t have money to be spending on games often.
Great video as always, I'm really glad they put out a demo. I'm in the same mindset, i really loved the combat and traversal, but i think its missing connection to the character and a story that's memorable. Clearly they put so a lot of work, as a showcase piece, its beautiful in terms of graphics. I may pick it up at a later time on a sale, but for now I'm good. Keep up the great work. :)
i was seriously looking forward to this one, so i'm glad that i watched this video. these 'before you buy' videos are often quite honest and as another commenter said, the fact that you're struggling to come up w/ positives to the game is quite telling. hopefully the devs will take the criticism and work on improving the game - if they do i would consider trialling it then, but it seems to be a waste of time and storage so i won't bother
Got the game myself before watching this as I wanted to have my own option of the game, but I agree with 98% of what you said in this video. The worse thing is the side-content al the story. The Story: The main problem I have is whilst the story does seem interesting, all you have is the main story. There's no real side-quests that help you to explain the world in itself. You might have about three or so side-quests before you go to the next story, but that's it. In other games, you have a good mix of main story and side-stories/quests that explain the world, even have something to do before doing the main story again. Don't get me wrong, like main stories, but when, I do like to have a break between doing main stuff, but this game has nothing to give you a break from the main story. Unless you want to do the side-content, but I get to that in a moment. At the end of the day, whilst the story does get interesting, it could have been so much better. The Side-Content: Okay, I know that all games that have repeative side-content, but at least some of them try to make them as different as possible so you do enjoy it, and when you have enough of doing the side-content you can take a break by doing side-quests and main story. They even give you a reason to go back to some of the areas that you left, like later on give you side-quests to go back to the areas and so give you a reason to do some more of the side-content. But they don't have that in this game. Most of the side-quests are on the way to the main story, and so doesn't give you a reason to the past areas. So far in the game, I'm going after the third boss now, I have left a lot of the side-content behind me, as it was getting too repeative for me. I only stay in one area to get new spells, level up my spells and do the main story, I only do the side-content if I run across them. I'm normally do 100% playthrough, but with this game I don't think I well, as there's no side-content that'll make me go back to the areas I went to in the past. I'm only playing the game for the game-play and the parkour, as I really like it and want to play more of it. Just wished the story was much better and had more side-quests/stories...
Thank you for the vid. I actually bought the game today and i totally agree with the silly cutscene every few steps you take. At first i tried to read all the lores they provide but i stopped after i start exploring the world. Lol. Running around is fun tho.
Very glad I watched the video and have read the comments from people who have played the game. I loved the combat in the demo and feel like I will love the skill progression. Shame the story falls a bit flat but I will definitely be waiting for a decent sale before buying it. I'm not too desperate to play it.
If you want to play a game about an outsider visiting an alien world, I'd recommend Outcast. It's certainly very dated (even the remaster), but I imagine that it (the remaster) should be good enough.
I'm definitely waiting for a sale or something. I didn't hate the demo but it would be a decent time killer if I'm bored and don't have a lot of time to play something I want to really get into.
Joe Pesci joke was a good one man. I’m a little curious about this game I kinda wanna try it but I’m an old dude that’s fairly easily entertained haha. The movement in this looks kinda cool though.
I bought the game and have had a ton of fun playing it. I don't regret it. I really liked this video. Could definitely tell you played it. Some people just jump on a bandwagon and hate on something because it's the popular thing to do. I have even gotten hate just for liking something that wasn't popular to like.
Watching her traverse the environments, I'm just more inclined to go back and start Shadow of War. I do like the upgrading based on combat challenges. Ragnarok had similar that I ended up maxing out even though I don't think they ended up adding much in the long run; just ends up being a little awkward when you're fighting an enemy and spamming him with 20 back dodge attacks, definitely makes the combat less organic that way, but I think it's a cool way to give the player that constant sense of progression.
Spamming back dodge are playing right it seems you guys are trying to play as a close combat mage not really what this game is about you reposition yourself get out of the way and attack are just running up and staying at the enemies feet?
I love before you buy series. It’s something I always watch before buying. It saved me 50% on Gotham Knights. I wanted it day 1 but after a before you buy, I waited for a sale. Same with Forspoken, looks like I’ll wait for the sale because $70 is steep for a game like this.
@@NissanSkylineVR30 Save your money, buy a sure mastercrafted title AKA Hogwarts legacy instead. Since it has a lot more to offer than Forspoken in gameplay terms trust me.
I would give it a chance if given an opportunity but I have a Xbox(also I wouldn't pay $70 but that is for most games because I'm on a budget), so not likely anytime soon if at all. I'm sure that I would enjoy something about it or at least get inspiration. As stated it looks like it have a lot of really interesting and neat ideas.
I always watch these before a purchase, I did end up purchasing a copy, I will say 1st if you have a gaming monitor minimum 1440p 120Hz you can change the setting in the game menu to run 120Hz. Second it becomes way more fun we you unlock power sets. If your on the fence give it a try. It’s not anthem I promise lol. Before I discovered power sets 4/10 after solid 6.5/10
After the first initial game trailer, I was looking forward to this one. It had a good foundation, bu now that I've seen a few reviews, the structure of the game seems like it lacks something. A bigger, stronger story maybe? Unforgettable characters and antagonist(s)? The idea is there, but like you said, they dropped the ball somewhere and it became this less intriguing story.
I think games like these should adopt camera system like God of War(2018) to make them more immersive and story setup like that as well, it would make the world worth connecting to, a good story immersion is important for a lot of people which will make you actually play the game instead of just looking at it and dropping it after a few hours.
Just got the game, man the first game in a long time to be able to actually make me jump, just like back then, my first dead space being 3, I hope they remake 2 and 3 just like this now, that would be so awesome, and I still haven’t beaten this new one yet
I think a lot of people just didn’t fiddle with the accessibility settings. The gameplay is so much smoother with auto dodge, and stamina recharge cranked up. If you want a tougher game, play the Fromsoft catalogue.
Quite an achievement when the only positive thing people have to say about the game is that they let you try it before hand so you’d know you didn’t have to buy it
The demo was good on their part in the sense of releasing it. Wish more games would follow suit, like back in the day. Wasn't too impressed with it myself
For all Square Enix's faults, they are good at releasing demos. They even released a demo for Balan Wonderworld so everyone had prior warning how bad it was.
Considering the whole comment section is filled with variations of "I was excited about the game but after playing the demo I lost interest", this is probably one of the last times we'll see a demo.
Pre-ordered, been playing since yesterday, game is fine and I've been having fun. Half of the hate it gets isn't warranted, the other half can be applied to almost any game out there these days 🤷♂️
I agree. For me it’s really fun and the world is great to explore and find items. Story is good and I’m interested to find out why the Tanta went crazy. I don’t know why people are judging it so hard especially the dialogue. People just seem to have a hate boner for some reason. I have a feeling this is going to end up a sleeper hit like Days Gone.
I was really excited for this game since the time it was called project Athia but after playing the demo it just didn't feel as I thought it would feel when I could play it
Like always it is refreshing to get an honest viewpoint or take on a game. It saves a lot of frustration when we feel the same way and feel bad at times. Keep up the great work like always!
I think Il get this to play while waiting for SH2 remake to come out lol. I just need some mindless open world carnage, this look like fun with a few beers etc. I like the look of the upgrade system and not looking for too much of a challenge either so this looks like it fits.
I think it looks cool enough to try on gamepass or pick up for like $20 one day. There seems to be so much potential which really sucks that it didn't come together
Somehow....this game manages to feel emptier than Elden Ring- which makes FANTASTIC use of this fact (being sparse with NPC's). Thanks for the great, and always-thorough reviews!
Mostly because I watch anime but I am burnt out on isekais. Traversal and combat just look unintentional and oddly floaty in the footage. Glad to see the review! Much Appreciated.
Thanks for another amazing video. I have tried the demo on PS5; I feel disappointed. I was hyped for some new approach using magic and sort of parkour but the game lacked something. Once you get in battle you feel you lose your view of the details of the enemy, it also took a lot to go somewhere if you jump of the ridge, barely could climb high and that got me off. Slow in the beginning and it didn’t pull me in like GOWR or HZDFW. Switching between magic spells felt too confusing and off somehow. I was so excited but in 30 minutes I felt it is time to delete it.
@@mizaelhernandez471 Infamous also has really fluid traversal but was limited by last gen hardware. With the current hardware a new infamous game would be amazing.
@@mizaelhernandez471 i played Second Son a lot, and seeing the swaps between spells in Forspoken reminds me of the different normal/AOE/missile powers we saw in the Infamous series. Also I think the magical parkour looks and feels like a next-gen Infamous mechanic. Edit: side note, which fool told you there will never be another Infamous game lol
I'm really hoping for a remaster and PC release of the Infamous series. I was thinking a collection with the PS3 games, and one for the PS4 games. If they ever do this, it will probably be in the lead up for a PS5 Infamous game.
@@ThatSoddingGamer personally I think they'd be better off doing full ground-up remakes, especially with Infamous 1 and 2. They fall victim to that old green/brown environment style of those times, they'd need significantly more than a reshade and 60fps mode to be worth a PC release these days imo.
I think you gave a very fair review. I agree with most of what you said but I’m enjoying the game. It probably boils down to personal taste. I like the game . . . you don’t . . . you gave a fair honest review which I think is all anyone can ask.
Was very much on the fence about getting this after a few other reviews. Glad I waited for y’all. Think I will wait for this to be on sale. Thanks guys!
