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Quantum Break Review Thread

As always, people angry or salty at review scores are merely seeking validation for their own pre-conceived notions of a video game, which is not the purpose of a subjective review.

This game looks alright and I'd likely find enjoyment out of it but I agree with some early posts - after watching a decent chunk of footage from the early stages, I am getting heavy vibes of The Order: 1886, in that they both feel like responses to Uncharted 1 or Mass Effect 1 or games from another generation.

If a game is going to score high on review scales these days I feel like it has to offer more than that.

If I had an Xbox One I'd be eager to play it but the 75-80 score seems fair and having read the more negative reviews the criticisms seem valid.

I do not understand this comparison. I have heard it for many, MANY months now and it makes as little sense as the first time I heard it as it does when I read it from your comment.

The Order: 1886's developers saw gameplay as a side effect of story. That was literally their line, gameplay was there because it had to be there, not because it was truly a priority and you can see from the game that game design suffered as a result. From all that I've read, Quantum Break is actually very enjoyable, gameplay wise and the story is interesting.
 

Ledhead

Member
Reviews look quite good! Don't have an Xbone but I love Remedy and their past work. Looks like they delivered another solid game!
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
queit a few high scores. quite a few low scores. not much inbetween. like alan wake, will quantum be a decisive game?
 

Spaceking

Member
From the reviews perspective, it seems like QB is a hybrid and a new form of content beyond its time.

It looks like an experiment to me. I don't know if successful, but an experiment nonetheless. And it takes a lot of courage to do that in this day and age of big budgets.

Maybe in the future we'll appreciate the efforts from Remedy.
 
I do not understand this comparison. I have heard it for many, MANY months now and it makes as little sense as the first time I heard it as it does when I read it from your comment.

The Order: 1886's developers saw gameplay as a side effect of story. That was literally their line, gameplay was there because it had to be there, not because it was truly a priority and you can see from the game that game design suffered as a result. From all that I've read, Quantum Break is actually very enjoyable, gameplay wise and the story is interesting.

It's not a direct comparison from game to game, the bit you omitted from the bold explains why I am mentioning it in the same sentence.

The comparison goes as far as "they are both first party games that feel out of place in 2015/2016".
 

Rodelero

Member
Wait, hold up.

Are we going to sit here and pretend that 78 isn't a fantastic aggregate score for a game? Not calling you out specifically for this, but I've never gotten why we're so obsessed with games getting less than 80 on MC.

1) MC is a terrible way to judge a game
2) If you're rating on a 10 or 100 scale, 50 is an average game that does nothing new or special and hits all the expected notes in a genre.

Really I'm sick of 79 being treated like a 50, and suddenly 80 is this must own gem of a game.

"Quantum Break is ranked in the top 33.7% of games scored on OpenCritic
Based on 41 scored reviews, 46 critic reviews total."

It isn't a fantastic score in any sense of the word. It translates pretty well to "Above Average" or "Good". It doesn't translate to "Great", and it certainly doesn't translate to "Fantastic".

That doesn't mean the game is bad, but if we start talking about scores beneath 85 as fantastic we've lost it completely. Other than that, sure, 78 isn't massively different to 80, and Metacritic is mostly irrelevant.
 

Strootman

Member
Sounds live a game either you love it or hate it.

Just like alan wake, and just like what I was expecting. Can't wait to play it.
 

shandy706

Member
I'm gonan enjoy the game nevertheless of the scores it gets, but i absolutely adore Remedy, so it would be nice to see it reach an 80, 78 just doesn't look as good :p

Don't let it bother much, only the idiots are going to harp on it. Keep my post in mind.

Quick run through of reviews...should be close

Number given /10 in the OP.

10s = 6
9s = 24
8s = 29

7s = 4
6s = 4
5s =
4s = 3

Can't wait to play on Tuesday.

Over 80% of the reviews are an 8 or better in OP. That's well over what one could call the Majority.

Replay:
Moderately High

Very happy to see Game Informer say that.
 

Velkyn

Member
"Quantum Break is ranked in the top 33.7% of games scored on OpenCritic
Based on 41 scored reviews, 46 critic reviews total."

It isn't a fantastic score in any sense of the word. It translates pretty well to "Above Average" or "Good". It doesn't translate to "Great", and it certainly doesn't translate to "Fantastic".

That doesn't mean the game is bad, but if we start talking about scores beneath 85 as fantastic we've lost it completely. Other than that, sure, 78 isn't massively different to 80, and Metacritic is irrelevant.

I was maybe a bit unclear; maybe fantastic was the wrong word choice. I blame the caffeine not kicking in fast enough.

What I was driving at though is that 78 isn't a score to turn up noses at, but people do anyway.
 
Never really saw the hype and visibility this game got, I thought recent remedy games like Alan Wake and MP3 were just decent 'play through once and forget' games.

And of course I'm seeing people point out the uselessness of scores in this thread.

Never change review threads...never change lol
He definitely doesn't seem bothered, lol.
 

Theorry

Member
Never really saw the hype and visibility this game got, I thought recent remedy games like Alan Wake and MP3 were just decent 'play through once and forget' games.

And of course I'm seeing people point out the uselessness of scores in this thread.

Remedy didnt make MP3.
 

kmg90

Member
I've only read a few of the reviews and I've seen a lot of mention of the streaming problems... How is that possible? I mean they are hosted on Microsoft's cloud servers right?

I'm really curious at what consumers will experience day 1 if limited number reviewers have an abysmal experience.
 

Rodelero

Member
I was maybe a bit unclear; maybe fantastic was the wrong word choice. I blame the caffeine not kicking in fast enough.

What I was driving at though is that 78 isn't a score to turn up noses at, but people do anyway.

I suppose it depends on their circumstances. Between this month and early May, I had four retail games I was looking at very seriously, Dirt Rally, Uncharted 4, Dark Souls 3, and Quantum Break. If this game was reviewing around 90%, I'd probably be preordering it. Given the reviews that I've read and the general consensus I'm seeing, it's now shifted from the "maybe at launch" to the "wait for a sale" pile for me. If I didn't have my eyes on other games, the review score wouldn't seem so important.
 

Velkyn

Member
Well, Finnish games might not bomb, but FInnish products and companies in general do. ;D

That being said, to say that QB is bombing is kind of an atrocious statement at this point.

This is the sentiment I was trying to tackle in my post. Some people considering anything under 80 a critical flop makes no sense to me, but it seems like it's becoming a popular opinion more and more over the years. Hell, it's been worse in the past: who remembers "8.8Gate?"
 

psychotron

Member
"Jeff hates everything" a favorite point for people to make when he doesn't like a thing they haven't played.

He literally was just praising the division a few weeks ago.

Nah, I've disagreed with his reviews more and more as time has passed. Obviously my post was hyperbole soaked, lol. I'm sure he doesn't hate everything.
 

shandy706

Member
Never change review threads...never change lol

Explain your comment. I've always disliked the use of Metacritic. In fact the fact that some businesses base pay/bonuses (at least I've heard they do...shrug) on it is sickening. It's why I couldn't care less about Metacritc for any game.

Explain how you would describe someone harping on a game based on metacritic when an OP has 59 scores of 8-10 and 11 scores of 4-7.

I await a well thought out response ;)
 

Velkyn

Member
And of course I'm seeing people point out the uselessness of scores in this thread.

Look, I don't really have a horse in the race here, QB has always been in the "maybe" pile for me. I just think it's weird to see people going "C'mon 80!" like they're clutching a bunch of betting slips in their fist at the track.
 
Explain your comment.

Explain how you would describe someone harping on a game based on metacritic when an OP has 59 scores of 8-10 and 11 scores of 4-7.

I await a well thought out response ;)
You dont need a well thought out response and im not giving you one because i take all reviews into consideration not just the good ones or the bad. Theres obviously a reason those 11 gave the scores they did im not ignoring it just because i want the game to be good
 

zsynqx

Member
You dont need a well thought out response and im not giving you one because i take all reviews into consideration not just the good ones or the bad. Theres obviously a reason those 11 gave the scores they did im not ignoring it just because i want the game to be good

There are way more than 11 if you actually go on MC and aren't cherry picking them from the OP.
 

cakely

Member
Those initial impressions really fooled me into thinking this was going to be a top-tier game.

It still looks fun, though. I'll definitely be playing it but not on day one.
 

Carn82

Member
biggest Dutch news website nu.nl; i did a quick translation/summary:

regarding TV segments:
Great production values, but do we really care whether the bastard security guard of the evil mega corp Monarch has been friendzoned by his beautiful blonde colleague?'

regarding powers / gameplay:
'using your powers is great, but using them often isnt necessary'

regarding puzzels:
'simple and repetive, making them feel like filler'

branching storyline / 'time ripples':
'no significant impact on story, minimal differences in outcome'

Conclusion:

'Among all the graphical beauty and impressive design Quantum Break is nothing more than a mediocre shooter with super powers.

Some battles are fun and intense, especially if you use your powers. But these moments fly by quickly, and the enemy AI is lacking. The ' TV series ' is incredibly poorly written and is held afloat because of the great actors.

pros:
- graphics
- shooting sements

cons:
- story is weak and badly written
- most weapons arent interesting

6/10 (or 3/5)

http://www.nu.nl/reviews/4239724/review-xbox-one-game-quantum-break-voelt-flinterdun.html
 

lcap

Member
I haven't played the game yet but I have it preordered and will proudly play it the day it arrives here.

I fell really sad when people complain about linear games being 'short' experiences (as in 7-10 hours long) and cost $60 as if game length equates the quality of the experience. I try my best to not judge these comments but diminishing the quality of a team's really hard work ONLY because of a game's length is really toxic.

Not every game has to be groundbreaking and bring huge innovations to the medium to be a great game. This game clearly is a labour of love by a team that, despite the whole industry pushing that games must have 'multiplayer', padded-in content, open world and other shennanigans to succeed they have crafted an unique experience, that I'll surely replay from time to time.

I'm not really criticizing any review or specifics, but it really shows how score-based reviews have problems and should be reconsidered, which I really liked how Eurogamer and others did.

I really hope publishers don't lose faith in making more linear and focused experiences like this.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Looks pretty solid, though reviews are more mixed than I'd have thought.

I'll pick it up down the road. Too much on my gaming plate right now, and it's not really a day one purchase game for me anyway since it seems short and it's the type of game I'll only play once. So I'll grab it when it's $40 or less this summer.
 

Trup1aya

Member
Quick run through of reviews...should be close

Number given /10 in the OP.

10s = 6
9s = 24
8s = 29

7s = 4
6s = 4
5s =
4s = 3

Can't wait to play on Tuesday.

Over 80% of the reviews are an 8 or better in OP. That's well over what one could call the Majority.

Wow, I knew some of the larger sites were heavily weighted, but I'm kind of shocked that they have this much weight.

The vast majority of reviews are 8+ but the MC score doesn't suggest it. If these score are correct, An unweighted average would have it at 81% if I'm not mistaken.

Makes me feel kinda bad for all those companies that have MC clauses in their publishing contracts. The deck is stacked.
 

Peterpan

Member
After watching ACG's video, I can say I will probably love the game. Seems very much like a Remedy game. Comparison to Alan Wake gives me confidence.
 

shandy706

Member
You dont need a well thought out response and im not giving you one because i take all reviews into consideration not just the good ones or the bad. Theres obviously a reason those 11 gave the scores they did im not ignoring it just because i want the game to be good

Well, if you're as honest as you say, then good on you. I ignore the review scores...I've loved games with bad scores and disliked games with good scores. This is a Remedy game, I put it on level with ND..I'll end up buying and playing it either way.

It won't matter if it's Zelda U, Uncharted 4, or this game. If a game reviews with 80 or 90% 8-10s and the thread gets "Well I knew it would be divisive" or "This game just looked average" due to 9 or 10 "lesser scores"...that's some annoying crap.

I suppose you have Sony and PC/X1 hardware and are looking forward to this and the upcoming releases this year like myself?
 
This game will bomb then, I guess?

I think the Open Critic puts things into perspective. Although on paper 76-78 isn't a bad score, why would someone buy a game reviewed like this when 37.1% of games are rated better than it?

When we factor in typical software attach rates, and the reality that the average consumer is only liable to purchase (on average) between 2-4 games per year. That limited selection of purchasing options is going to be occupied by games that received a better reception, games that more people, and in turn their friends are likely to be playing, etc.

It's all great debating the distribution of scores an individual title got, and saying 'well, it's mostly 8!' but that doesn't mean anything without consideration to the distribution of scores other titles receive throughout the industry. This under performance wouldn't be a problem if it weren't a seemingly high budget triple A, but it is.

That's just my view though, I'm open to the possibility of being wrong...
 

papo

Member
From the reviews perspective, it seems like QB is a hybrid and a new form of content beyond its time.

It looks like an experiment to me. I don't know if successful, but an experiment nonetheless. And it takes a lot of courage to do that in this day and age of big budgets.

Maybe in the future we'll appreciate the efforts from Remedy.

To me the most promising reviews read as if they were successful in combining the Game/TV mediums, but that both the game and TV and nothing out of this worlds, mostly by the books.

I for one like this because I think TV and games go hand in hand. Games can never be art as movies, but they can as long form TV shows.

Looks pretty solid, though reviews are more mixed than I'd have thought.

Not really. The majority of the reviews are positive, most of them 8s and above. I can't believe people are saying mixed just because two of the more "famous" outlets gave it a low score.
 
Well, if you're as honest as you say, then good on you. I ignore the review scores...I've loved games with bad scores and disliked games with good scores. This is a Remedy game, I put it on level with ND..I'll end up buying and playing it either way.

It won't matter if it's Zelda U, Uncharted 4, or this game. If a game reviews with 80 or 90% 8-10s and the thread gets "Well I knew it would be divisive" or "This game just looked average" due to 9 or 10 "lesser scores"...that's some annoying crap.

I suppose you have Sony and PC/X1 hardware and are looking forward to this and the upcoming releases this year like myself?
Yup just got my Xbox two weeks ago(thx to my lady) and already had ps4 and wiiU(this one is pretty dusty right now until zelda tho)
 

Coolade

Member
After watching ACG's video, I can say I will probably love the game. Seems very much like a Remedy game. Comparison to Alan Wake gives me confidence.

ACG is the first place I go for reviews these days. You won't find much better.
 

Trup1aya

Member
This game will bomb then, I guess?

I think the Open Critic puts things into perspective. Although on paper 76-78 isn't a bad score, why would someone buy a game reviewed like this when 37.1% of games are rated better than it?

When we factor in typical software attach rates, and the reality that the average consumer is only liable to purchase (on average) between 2-4 games per year. That limited selection of purchasing options is going to be occupied by games that received a better reception, games that more people, and in turn their friends are likely to be playing, etc.

This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't a seemingly high budget triple A, but it is.

That's just my view though, I'm open to the possibility of being wrong...

People games that aren't rated well all the time. Statistically, so long as the game is decent, ratings don't appear to be as important is brand awareness and marketing.

Some of the highest selling games this gen don't have great ratings. Destiny, WatchDogs, and the Division come to mind.

Likewise great ratings don't alway mean great sales numbers...
 
Are there any reviews for the PC version specifically? Am I wrong in thinking they announced the PC version was day and date with the Xbone launch?
 

Velkyn

Member
This game will bomb then, I guess?

I think the Open Critic puts things into perspective. Although on paper 76-78 isn't a bad score, why would someone buy a game reviewed like this when 37.1% of games are rated better than it?

When we factor in typical software attach rates, and the reality that the average consumer is only liable to purchase (on average) between 2-4 games per year. That limited selection of purchasing options is going to be occupied by games that received a better reception, games that more people, and in turn their friends are likely to be playing, etc.

This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't a seemingly high budget triple A, but it is.

That's just my view though, I'm open to the possibility of being wrong...

And this is exactly where I'm coming from. The "boom or bust" mentality that permeates the industry is extremely worrying. It leads to a very risk-averse industry where people bank on "safe bets" and lots of "me-too!" projects. I'm not saying that there's going to be a crash like some like to say, but something has to give. Things can't stay like this forever.
 
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