Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (November 15th 2019)

[Hero-of-Time]

Reviews have hit and it looks like the game is great for most but a little too rough for others. 

IGN Review

Easy Allies Review

Eurogamer Review

Press Start Review

Polygon Review

Games Radar Review

Shacknews Review

Powerup Review

Gamespot Review

I'll be picking my copy up later. 

Also, last night the X019 show opened with a fantastic live action trailer for the game.

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Hero-of-Time

[Happenstance]

I'm gonna wait and see if they manage to smooth out the frame rate and fix the glitches with later patches before I decide if i want it. At the moment it doesn't seem like a game i want to buy at full price.

[Ronnie]

Brilliant reviews, can't wait.

[Ganepark32]

Genuinely happy to see that this has reviewed well. I was a bit sceptical as to whether it would all come together but Respawn look to have done a good job overall. Sure, there seem to be a few blemishes to the final product but hopefully they're not things that'll be difficult to patch out quickly.

Regardless, I've picked the game up this morning. Was only going to be picking one between this and Pokemon but I've ended up grabbing both so that's my weekend sorted (along with watching the final series of Man in the High Castle). Looking forward to getting stuck in, though I suspect like all EA games, the install time will be ridiculous off of disc, so it'll most likely be an afternoon of catching them all (or the abridged all).

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Ganepark32 said:

Looking forward to getting stuck in, though I suspect like all EA games, the install time will be ridiculous off of disc, so it'll most likely be an afternoon of catching them all (or the abridged all).

Can't take my word for it as my brother installed it for me before I got back last night, but he said it was only a 5-10 minute install. 

My paranoia about how long EA games take to install is why I asked him to install it for me in the first place, so it was kind of funny to learn that 

[Ronnie]

Bit worrying to hear of the performance issues, hoping they're not too bad on the Xbox One X (and also that they patch it for everyone else obv) 

[Ganepark32]

3 hours ago, Julius said:

Can't take my word for it as my brother installed it for me before I got back last night, but he said it was only a 5-10 minute install. 

My paranoia about how long EA games take to install is why I asked him to install it for me in the first place, so it was kind of funny to learn that 

It took about half an hour with the update on my Xbox One so not anywhere near as bad as some of the past EA games (specifically Battlefield 1 and 5 as well as Titanfall 2).

I've managed to play through the opening and while the game didn't make the best impression to start with (it took 3 times for the game to actually play the opening cutscenes after starting a new save, had to hard reset the console as it just kept showing the shot of the sky with the rain and the moon at the beginning of said cutscene but with no music or anything), what I've played so far has been pretty good.

Even on a base Xbox One the game looks fantastic. They nailed the aesthetic and the characters, especially what I'd guess are new alien types (I've not seen any of the new movies or cartoons or other star wars stuff so I'm somewhat out of the loop), look great. There have been some noticeable stutters at times, especially when climbing up things, but nothing especially bad. Some of the animations don't look as smooth as they could do either, particularly those for platforming and even running about (Cal looks like he need to get to a bathroom quick with how wide a gait he was walking with) but in fights, it's more or less as smooth as butter.

Control wise, it handles well. It does feel a bit like playing the original Uncharted in the platform sections (a bit floaty and imprecise but forgiving) and feels like a mix of God of War 2018 and a Souls game on combat, which is fine for me. Just need to get used to deflecting shots and timing parries and evades but that'll come with practice.

So yeah, so far, the initial impression are good based off of the opening from me, which felt very Uncharted-esque in how it all played out. Looking forward to playing more later this evening and exploring the first planet.

[Julius]

Credits are rolling after 15-20 hours! 

While it took a while too long to get going  for my tastes - the story and characters didn't really click for me for the first 10-15 hours - I really ended up enjoying the game in the end, and what I would consider the final act (the last 5 hours or so) is excellent. The music is great for the most part, though a little too derivative at times, and the sound design is, as always, as immersive as it can be. There are winks and nods to all corners of canon, but what makes it so great in this case is that I can't recall an instance where I felt like it was out of place or forced.

In terms of gameplay, Stig really wasn't kidding about the God of War and Soulsborne influence...seriously, this feels like a Star Wars-themed God of War/Metroidvania amalgamation, and it works great - for the most part. 

Because while I'm positive on this game as a whole, there are definitely some flaws which I hope Respawn will be given the opportunity to iron out in the future, as I enjoyed the game. Look, the controls aren't the tightest, and the technical performance of the game is a serious issue (note, I'm playing on a base PS4): constant frame rate drops, the game pausing to load the next area, some egregious pop-in (i.e. the design of some characters' faces, important details in cutscenes, etc.), and the game actually stopped and came up with an error on what I would call the final level. Way to kill momentum 

I don't feel Pokémon's call just yet, and I'm bummed to be saying goodbye to this game after waiting for so long and having such an interesting time...so I guess I'm trophy hunting for the first time in a long time tomorrow!  I've got a lot more to say about the game, but I'm going to take tonight to sleep on it before I dig into my thoughts and flesh them out. That'll probably be tomorrow. 

But, I suppose, the key question for now: would I recommend this game?

I'm going to be honest: if you're a Star Wars fan, of any degree, you're probably going to have a good time with this game, and there are absolutely parts you will want to see and experience without having spoiled for you. 

[Hero-of-Time]

The lack of a fast travel option in this game is absolutely baffling and infuriating. I've just defeated a boss and looked at where I need to go next....all the way across the map again. I've knocked off the game out of frustration.

It's bad enough having to walk back to your ship and having to revisit planets and travel through a bunch of areas you've already been through countless times before, without making you going back and forth during your first time on a planet.

If developers are going to make these large open worlds that require multiple visits, at least make it fast to get around. The shortcuts are nice but they don't completely remove the feeling that you've been there and done that.

@Julius how long have I left to go? 

Spoiler

I've just defeated the giant bat boss and got my climbing claws.

Gotta say, I think the Tomb Raider style gameplay they've went for has hurt the game, at least for me. They should have stuck to a more linear and tighter adventure like they done with The Force Unleashed, which I think was much more fun to play than this has been. I imagine there would have been less technical issues as well.

[Ronnie]

After the endless traversal and FOUR cutscenes that play every time you fast travel in Death Stranding I'd have thought you'd never want to use that feature again @Hero-of-Time 

Are you a fan of Metroidvanias in general? Personally I love them so I don't think I'll mind running around/exploring etc, I think that's the point. If you can zip around at will the urge to explore would be taken away for a lot of people.

Looking forward to finally diving into this, probably tomorrow when I have more time. I was listening to Kinda Funny point out the faults, but otherwise rave about it, and I can't wait. 

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, Ronnie said:

After the endless traversal and FOUR cutscenes that play every time you fast travel in Death Stranding I'd have thought you'd never want to use that feature again @Hero-of-Time 

Are you a fan of Metroidvanias in general? Personally I love them so I don't think I'll mind running around/exploring etc, I think that's the point. If you can zip around at will the urge to explore would be taken away for a lot of people.

Looking forward to finally diving into this, probably tomorrow when I have more time. I was listening to Kinda Funny point out the faults, but otherwise rave about it, and I can't wait. 

Death Stranding is a Kojima game. Cutscenes come with the territory. Plus, whether you like the game or not, DS is a very polished and well made game. This on the other hand....  

As expected, the game runs poorly on base consoles and isn't that flash on X or Pro either. Clearly it needed more time in the oven. Probably got pushed out the door before it was fully baked to go along with The Mandalorian and the new film.

I've not had any hard crashes but I have experienced lots of texture pop ins and frame rate issues, especially when arriving in a new area.

 

[Julius]

1 hour ago, Hero-of-Time said:

The lack of a fast travel option in this game is absolutely baffling and infuriating. I've just defeated a boss and looked at where I need to go next....all the way across the map again. I've knocked off the game out of frustration.

It's bad enough having to walk back to your ship and having to revisit planets and travel through a bunch of areas you've already been through countless times before, without making you going back and forth during your first time on a planet.

If developers are going to make these large open worlds that require multiple visits, at least make it fast to get around. The shortcuts are nice but they don't completely remove the feeling that you've been there and done that.

@Julius how long have I left to go? 

  Where I'm at... (Hide contents)

I've just defeated the giant bat boss and got my climbing claws.

Gotta say, I think the Tomb Raider style gameplay they've went for has hurt the game, at least for me. They should have stuck to a more linear and tighter adventure like they done with The Force Unleashed, which I think was much more fun to play than this has been. I imagine there would have been less technical issues as well.

Probably 5 hours or so from that point. Hopefully you'll find the story is really about to pick up, and there's a bit less of the needless backtracking - honestly, all of my favourite story moments happened not too long after that and continue until the game's end, so hopefully you have a good time with it!  how have you found the story so far?

Also, 100% agree on the fast travel point. Getting back to the ship is a bit of a chore during the main story, though it's not too bad when the environment changes or new enemies are introduced and there's a reason to traverse it again, and whilst I agree @Ronnie that it's to push the exploration aspect, it seems a little odd to me that there isn't an option for that post-game. Like, not even between save points? It's a bit baffling, and it's forcing me to go through some areas again for my trophy hunt where I'm finding out some pretty odd things about the game. For example, and I'll keep it vague: chase music remaining when traversing through an area where there is no longer a chase happening! 

I don't mind the pseudo-open world, reminding me a lot of last year's God of War in many ways, but you're right H-o-T: it feels a bit rushed, and nowhere near polished enough. While I think this and BFII's redemption are some of the best things to come out of EA in quite some time, it's still clear that their bottom line is being prioritised over the quality of the game. It really could e waited until January/February with the amount of Star Wars we've got going on right now, but you're 100% right; they want those boosted tie-in sales. Also, some of the character models look like they've returned from earlier EA Star Wars games, and boy do they look like early PS3 models. 

@Hero-of-Time I know you love your trophies, but I've got to warn you, some of these trophies are absolute nonsense  one or two are phrased in such a way which leads you to believe that a certain action might unlock it, but you actually have to do something entirely different. And while I'm quite enjoying the hunt for chests, echoes and secrets, the 100% holomap completion trophy is some next level kind of garbage - I'm having difficulty figuring out what exactly I've missed out on the map in certain locations, even after referring to other players' maps!

I'm going to stick with the hunt for now, but we'll see how long my fuse is I guess 

Edited November 17, 2019 by Julius

[Hero-of-Time]

Thanks for heads up, @Julius.

I forgot to mention the character models during my last post. Yeah, they are very uneven. Some of the NPCs look pretty rough but luckily you don't have to stand and look at them for too long.  

Like you, I also came across some oddities whilst backtracking and exploring. There was a section where Stormtroopers were waiting to ambush me but they were set up as if I was coming from the original direction and not behind. The game clearly loads them up in their original position all the time. It was hilarious casually walking up behind them. 

This is something I've noticed when respawning enemies. They seem to remain in their original patrol routes and it makes it very easy to take them out when you know exactly where they are placed.

I am enjoying the story but then I was always going to. It's a Star Wars story involving Jedi. It's my kinda scum.  

As for the trophies, I'm honestly completely burnt out on them at the moment. I haven't even bothered checking them on this or Death Stranding. It's been quite nice not worrying about them. 

[Ronnie]

23 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Death Stranding is a Kojima game. Cutscenes come with the territory.

Four of them though, every time you fast travel, after walking to your base every time? The name of the guy behind the game shouldn't excuse pointless busywork, although that seemed to be the case in a lot of DS reviews.

13 minutes ago, Julius said:

It really could e waited until January/February with the amount of Star Wars we've got going on right now

I would have loved that.

I have an X but it sounds like the technical problems are pretty annoying even on that. I might wait for a patch, they've said they're working on one atm. I'm obviously incredibly excited to play the game but I can wait a week or two.

Maybe you guys can help please, I was listening to Kinda Funny talk about the game and Greg mentioned that a big story moment happened at the work bench on the ship where you customise things, and it felt really jarring to him. He kept it vague thankfully, but Barrett then mentioned how he knows the bit Greg was talking about but that because he went a different route through the game, for him it happened in much more epic circumstances. Any idea what they might be talking about and any vague instructions to maybe get the latter? 

 

 

[Hero-of-Time]

@Ronnie maybe I've not reached it yet but I can't think I'm any big moment that happened at the ship's workbench. There was a moment that happened on a workbench on one of the planets and I know that can be experienced earlier by choosing to go to one of the planets earlier than expected. Maybe that's what they were discussing?

[Ronnie]

3 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

@Ronnie maybe I've not reached it yet but I can't think I'm any big moment that happened at the ship's workbench. There was a moment that happened on a workbench on one of the planets and I know that can be experienced earlier by choosing to go to one of the planets earlier than expected. Maybe that's what they were discussing?

Sorry it might not have been the one on the ship, I just assumed that was the only place where you could customise. Yeah maybe that was what they were talking about

[Hero-of-Time]

4 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Sorry it might not have been the one on the ship, I just assumed that was the only place where you could customise. Yeah maybe that was what they were talking about

If that is the event they are talking about then you want to head to the planet of Dathomir when you first get the opportunity, rather than the planet the marker is telling you to go to. Apparently it's a big jump in difficulty if you go there before you are supposed to but the exp you get from defeating the enemies there at that point of the game is pretty substantial. 

[Ronnie]

2 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

If that is the event they are talking about then you want to head to the planet of Dathomir when you first get the opportunity, rather than the planet the marker is telling you to go to. Apparently it's a big jump in difficulty if you go there before you are supposed to but the exp you get from defeating the enemies there at that point of the game is pretty substantial. 

Thanks for the tip, sorry to be vague. Barrett said something like his story moment occurred out in the field and was epic but Greg said his was at a work bench and felt a bit lame. Weird. I'll probably follow the marker though tbh, regardless. If the game suggests I go somewhere that's where I tend to listen.

[Julius]

Yeah, I'll be giving up on the platinum until they fix the trophies and completion aspects of the game  explored one area of one planet numerous times, still down to 92% exploration for that area, despite having every secret/chest for that area. Same on another planet but that's at 96%. Looked around the maps and it looks like both areas should be complete. 

Still going to clean up a few other trophies and explore a bit more before moving on to Pokémon tomorrow, but that's a pretty broken and confusing mess of a map completion system that they're using, at any rate 

Edited November 17, 2019 by Julius

[Hero-of-Time]

I finished the game this morning. The last 3 hours or so are the best in the game, especially the story beats. At this point in the game it becomes slightly more linear and the story and game are better for it. It flows much more smoothly when this happens.

Spoiler

Sadly, I knew Vader was in the game due to a freaking YouTube thumbnail showing it. Still, his arrival was great.

The ending was a bit weird. We spent all the game trying to get the Holocron only to destroy it.  I suppose given the vision Cal seen it was the best course of action.

A disappointment for me were the boss battles. Stig helped create God of War 3, which has some of the craziest boss battles in any action game, and I was hoping he would have brought that to this game. Sadly that wasn't to be. They aren't bad by any means but I was hoping for something a little more from them.

It's a good game that is hampered by technical issues. As I mentioned yesterday, I would have preferred a tighter more linear experience as I don't think the Tomb Raider style gameplay really brought anything meaningful to the table. 

[Ronnie]

I’m trying to avoid spoilers for this game if anyone happens to hear off a patch going live could they possibly do a quick post in here? Happy to wait another week or two for a more stable/polished game. 

[Hero-of-Time]

31 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I’m trying to avoid spoilers for this game if anyone happens to hear off a patch going live could they possibly do a quick post in here? Happy to wait another week or two for a more stable/polished game. 

Apparently there are a couple in the works, the first of which is dropping soon.

[Julius]

Pretty close to the platinum now, just cleaning up some of the exploration aspects, but it's become a bit of a grind beyond an area I purposefully left for after finishing the game, so I'm going to swap over to Pokémon Sword for now, as I've got a real hankering for some turn-based goodness. 

Going to let the story and game fester in my mind a little while longer before rounding off my thoughts fully, and I also kind of want to see the improvements that the update/s will bring to the game. 

[Hero-of-Time]

Nabbed the platinum this evening.

Its pretty much taken a full day's session to collect all of the collectibles, with one planet being an absolute pain in the backside and taking 7 hours on its own!

No having fast travel + Around 300 items to find = A massive grind.

I was faffing on with lightsaber colours and noticed the PS4 controller light changes to whatever colour you pick. What a nice touch!  

@Julius what planets have you got left to clear up? Most of them can be done in an hour or two but Zeffo is a different beast altogether. The map is a nightmare to navigate and the in game map is a mess to look at.

[Julius]

1 minute ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Nabbed the platinum this evening.

Its pretty much taken a full day's session to collect all of the collectibles, with one planet being an absolute pain in the backside and taking 7 hours on its own!

No having fast travel + Around 300 items to find = A massive grind.

I was faffing on with lightsaber colours and noticed the PS4 controller light changes to whatever colour you pick. What a nice touch!  

@Julius what planets have you got left to clear up? Most of them can be done in an hour or two but Zeffo is a different beast altogether. The map is a nightmare to navigate and the in game map is a mess to look at.

Nice! And yeah, love the DualShock changing colours, definitely a great touch. Love BD-1's light on the back of his head changing with the status of your health, too!

Pretty sure it's one tomb on Zeffo, a very small area on Dathomir, and literally like one tiny room on two of the other planets (both at 98% I think?) which I couldn't for the life of me track down yesterday - I'm guessing they're echo-related, seeing as I've got everything else in those areas  think my plan for now is to take a break from this with Sword, then platinum this before moving onto Shenmue III 

Like we talked about before, I don't mind the lack of fast travel during the main game, so long as there are things to do when you need to backtrack, but man, it's such a pain post-game. Kind of wish they'd let you toggle chests, echoes and secrets on and off on the map too, just so you have a vague idea of which direction you've already fully explored in an area. 

To tell you the truth, as much as I enjoyed this game, I now have a real hankering to play some Force Unleashed!