Romier S Posted June 13, 2021 Report Share Posted June 13, 2021 So happy to see this. The first is a gem of a game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFo Posted June 13, 2021 Report Share Posted June 13, 2021 I loved the first one. So happy to see this coming to Game Pass on day one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted June 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2021 Switch is getting this via Cloud play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted December 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2021 The fantastic gameplay reveal from last nights show! Whooter and Dan B. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted June 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted June 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2022 I forgot this was a 2022 title as well. Man, the second half of this year is shaping up wonderfully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted June 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2022 Angry the Clown 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFo Posted June 23, 2022 Report Share Posted June 23, 2022 I'll be there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted August 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted August 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted August 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2022 Angry the Clown 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted August 21, 2022 Report Share Posted August 21, 2022 On 8/19/2022 at 6:24 PM, Romier S said: I’m calling it: The boy dies in this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry the Clown Posted August 23, 2022 Report Share Posted August 23, 2022 On 8/21/2022 at 10:43 PM, Josh said: I’m calling it: The boy dies in this one. I'll see that, and raise you Amicia in an act of self sacrifice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted August 23, 2022 Report Share Posted August 23, 2022 7 hours ago, Angry the Clown said: I'll see that, and raise you Amicia in an act of self sacrifice. yes, i had considered that but by getting rid of the boy they can develop a more action-oriented game where she doesn’t need to escort him anymore. Plus she’ll be out for revenge, allowing for a more aggressive play style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted September 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted September 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFo Posted September 13, 2022 Report Share Posted September 13, 2022 Some very kind words from Neil there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted October 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2022 This is out tomorrow. The console versions are officially capped at 30fps for their default mode running at 1440p on Series X/PS5 and 1080p on Series S. The game does support a 120hz/40fps VRR mode on all three consoles (with LFC) at the same resolutions. It's likely to be my preferred method of play. Reminder that this is a current gen only release. It's not cross-gen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFo Posted October 18, 2022 Report Share Posted October 18, 2022 Man, I really want to play this as soon as possible, but I really want to get through a full replay of God of War (2018) before Ragnarok comes out. Maybe after? It sounds like this is a much longer game than the first one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted October 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2022 I just reached Chapter 3 on the Series X. I ordered this on the PS5 but my Amazon delivery is running late so I decided to get started on the Xbox and it'll give me a good point of comparison on performance. A few things are readily apparent: There is a demonstrable leap in quality on the visuals front that will leave you slack jawed right as the games opening pans down on its mountain environments. It's just gob smackingly beautiful! The quality of the work done on the materials (wood, stone, clothing, etc) is right up there with the best of the best and Amicia and the rest of the cast have undergone a substantial upgrade in animation and facial quality, etc. God bless the invention/implementation of these 40fps/VRR modes. It *feels* so much better than the standard 30fps and while it's not 60fps, given the quality of the visuals on display this is an excellent compromise. I truly hope it becomes a standard as we inch ever forward towards more current gen only titles. I don't mind a well implemented 30fps in my games but if there's a better option when 60 isn't possible? It should be there. Did I mention the music yet? Oh I didn't? Well here you go: "No Turning Back" in particular is an early track that plays during an escape sequence in chapter 1 and man, it got my blood pumping. It's just one of those exquisite moments where visuals/gameplay/music harmonize into an experience that makes you think "Yeah, this is why I play games!". Olivier Derriviere is already high on my list of folks who are working in the game soundtrack space thanks to his incredible work on "Streets of Rage 4" along with the original "A Plague Tale: Innocence". Not to mention older titles like "Remember Me" and "Vampyre", but he just keeps getting better and better. I'll post more as I move through the experience but it's great to see that Asobo Studios continue their upward trajectory as one of the marquee technical studios out there between this and their work with Flight Simulator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted October 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 I played through the first chapter on the PS5 last night. I have to say that the image quality and general performance between the Series X version and the PS5 is nearly identical. However, you can feel the framerate dips a bit more on PS5 in the 40fps/VRR mode. There’s a scene where Amicia and Hugo fall through a floor in a castle and the resulting alpha effects and detail in the scene produce a more prolonged drop in framerate. That’s a cutscene though, right? Well, the bigger issue happens later in the chapter when Amecia must sneak through some very dense tall grass areas to escape some enemies. Eventually, the field gets set on fire and the controls absolutely feel a bit “heavier” on the PS5 version. It’s just less a bit less responsive than the Series X which is able to brute force those scenes better thanks to its more powerful GPU. I’ll reiterate that for most of my play time, the two versions performance was near identical and if the PS5 is your only option and you can play the game using the 40hz/VRR mode? It’s an extremely good way to play the game but what if you have both options? I’d say go for the Series X here. I bought the game on PS5 and it’s paired with my physical edition of Innocence that I own but my first playthrough will be on the Series X for the most optimal experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFo Posted October 21, 2022 Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 I’m looking forward to the Digital Foundry video on this one. I’m surprised it’s not ready yet, but it’s the busy season for them, so they can be forgiven if they’re a bit behind on all the new games they need to cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted October 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2022 Some screenshots I took… Dan B. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldDarth Posted October 25, 2022 Report Share Posted October 25, 2022 Romier S 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romier S Posted October 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2022 I finished this one up a few nights ago. It's a game of much wider scope. Environments have been widened allowing for more possibilities in dealing with encounters which is excellent. I only wish Amecia was given a bit more to play with in her tool set to match the expanded world. She still has all of her tricks from the original game but its been made impossible to eliminate helmeted enemies now (All you can do is really stun them) for example and she still lacks any real one on one combat so you're left wanting a bit on the skill side. It's all still very fun to play and the forced combat encounters at the end of the game aren't nearly as frustrating here thanks to the expanded environments/options available. Just use what you have wisely and you'll get through it just fine. This is also a darker and more emotional story. At a high level it works well to engage you in the lore of the Macula which is deepened quite a bit here. From a narrative perspective though? It feels a bit disjointed. The pacing feels off and it often feels as though the story is resetting itself constantly just as it starts to get going. Villains are introduced and dispatched without much fanfare and even some allies feel underutilized. I think the overarching story is a good one but the writing could have used another pass or two here as you will come away feeling as though there are substantial gaps that seemingly happen off screen. I will say that the finale makes up for a lot of the perceived failures on the story front. It hits hard and the what the game asks of you will leave you in a bit of shock. There's not much else to say on the visuals and music. It's top class stuff. Perhaps there's some criticism to be leveled on the animation front which still feels a bit stilted/unnatural. Animation transitions especially are problematic but its very few studios in the industry that can produce the type of animation quality I'm talking about and they likely have substantially more budget to work with than Asobo had with this game. What they've accomplished here is absolutely stellar and I'll say again that Olivier Derriviere is quickly becoming one of my favorite composers in the gaming space. This is a no brainer for fans of Innocence, really. It's a bigger, more expanded game and whatever issues it does have are easily forgivable thanks to the heart/emotion that the story brings. I'd certainly recommend it. By the way, the end credits... stinger teasing a modern day Macula carrier is an /extremely/ exciting prospect. I really hope they get to make that game in the future! Whooter and Angry the Clown 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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