Microsoft Senua's Saga: Hellblade II - Information Thread, update (05/24): "Can Xbox Series S (and Steam Deck/ROG Ally) handle Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2?" (Digital Foundry technical analysis)

[Keyser_Soze]

 

[stepee]

Reviewing very similar to the first, so that’s good! Seems much more divisive this time though despite hitting a similar overall meta, the people who are annoyed by it seem extra annoyed by it. But this has a lot more hype behind it than the AA original so that makes sense. Excited to try this later.

[Best]

I just downloaded it but the reviews are what I expected. I didn't like the first so I'm thinking the same here. 

[Spork3245]

28 minutes ago, best3444 said:

I just downloaded it but the reviews are what I expected. I didn't like the first so I'm thinking the same here. 

 

Supposedly the graphics are insane so you might like this one slightly more

[Best]

1 minute ago, Spork3245 said:

 

Supposedly the graphics are insane so you might like this one slightly more

 

I just passed an introduction type area. Yes, these are simply breathtaking visuals lol. Photo-realistic stuff here. Holy shit. 

[skillzdadirecta]

7 hours ago, Xbob42 said:

I was hoping the combat would be much improved over the awful combat in the first game.

 

But it appears that interactivity in general is something Ninja Theory abhors.

Oh damn... this is gonna be like Alan Wake 2 isn't it?

 

Does anyone have any idea how long this one is? The first one was pretty short.

[Spork3245]

4 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Oh damn... this is gonna be like Alan Wake 2 isn't it?

 

Does anyone have any idea how long this one is? The first one was pretty short.

 

I think people are saying about 8-10 hours on average

[Best]

I think I can comfortably say this is the best visuals on Xbox. It's litteraly photo-realistic. The combat has been extremely basic but really immersive. 

 

Also, PLAY this with headphones on! I am hooked already so I think I'm just playing through it now. 

[Best]

@Biggie Do yourself a favor and play this for 25 minutes. It's worth downloading just to see the truly stunning presentation. It looks like a CGI you control. 

[Biggie]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

@Biggie Do yourself a favor and play this for 25 minutes. It's worth downloading just to see the truly stunning presentation. It looks like a CGI you control. 

Fuck that 

[stepee]

Everyone definitely needs to play this with headphones or earbuds it’s quite essential for these games. I’m going to use the pulse pods.

[Best]

6 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Fuck that 

 

Are you scared of it or something? I'm asking seriously. If not, I advise you to try it out just on a technical level. The headphones make it ridiculous. 

[Biggie]

58 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

Are you scared of it or something? 

Yes

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

3 hours ago, best3444 said:

Also, PLAY this with headphones on! I am hooked already so I think I'm just playing through it now. 

 

1 hour ago, stepee said:

Everyone definitely needs to play this with headphones or earbuds it’s quite essential for these games. I’m going to use the pulse pods.

 

Headphones Required - Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II’s Binaural Audio Is Like Nothing You’ve Ever Heard - Xbox Wire

NEWS.XBOX.COM

---

Hellblade’s extraordinary audio design made for an unforgettable experience. Audio director David Garcia Diaz shows and tells us how.

 

[Best]

5 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Yes

 

Ok. Yea, even the beginning is really brutal and claustrophobic. But it seriously has the best graphics I've ever seen. 

[Best]

Ok yea, the reviews are a mix bag but it's only 8 hours long! So I will beat this starting tomorrow just to enjoy the best visuals on console. 

[stepee]

I mean it’s an 82 meta, I’d probably lean more towards the reviews are good than a mixed bag

[Biggie]

2 hours ago, stepee said:

Everyone definitely needs to play this with headphones or earbuds it’s quite essential for these games. I’m going to use the pulse pods.

Fuck that 

[jaethos]

The binaural audio in the first game didn't work for me, it was just stereo. I basically had to choose between front stereo in her head voices with surround sound everything else or just stereo everything with headphones. I went with headphones, but, after using a full surround sound setup for well over a decade, being stuck with stereo was disappointing. 

 

I loved the first game overall. I was hoping they would make the voices work with surround sound for this game though. I guess I'll see what I think about it once I start it up.

[Dre801]

Press and Hold Up:  The Videogame.   Pretty though.

[stepee]

Oh thank goodness it has photo mode at launch. This is going to be a 50 hour play through now

[stepee]

Yeah it’s pretty fucking insane looking lol. Even though it’s an Xbox game it has me thinking how if you are a console only gamer @Phaseknox had the right idea as he’s going to go in right when current gen is really getting going and end up with a more powerful console for it and the whole leap is going to be so much more exciting.

[stepee]

man I hate to be THAT guy but I think I might have to play this one on apple vision 

[Keyser_Soze]

 

[Best]

Ok, going to really sink my teeth in right now. I read a lot of reviews saying the story is not one of it's strong points. If it has visuals this good I couldn't care less. 😆 

[AbsolutSurgen]

So read a couple of reviews, summary:

1)  Only 6 hours long

2)  Combat is super simple

3)  Puzzles are so simple a child could solve them

4)  Story is not good.

But the visuals and audio are amazing.  Hard to swallow for a full priced game.  

 

14 hours ago, stepee said:

I mean it’s an 82 meta, I’d probably lean more towards the reviews are good than a mixed bag

I mean, PC Gamer gave it a 58, and Gamespot gave it a 6/10 -- isn't that the definition of mixed?

[Best]

1 minute ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

So read a couple of reviews, summary:

1)  Only 6 hours long

2)  Combat is super simple

3)  Puzzles are so simple a child could solve them

4)  Story is not good.

But the visuals and audio are amazing.  Hard to swallow for a full priced game.  

 

I mean, PC Gamer gave it a 58, and Gamespot gave it a 6/10 -- isn't that the definition of mixed?

 

Yea. I said mixed reviews because one outlet gave it a 10/10 and then another gave it a 5/10. 

 

It's on gamepass so there is nothing to lose. The story so far is extremely basic but the atmosphere and immersion are out of this world. Plus even though the combat is simple it is fun and really satisfying. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

17 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

Yea. I said mixed reviews because one outlet gave it a 10/10 and then another gave it a 5/10. 

 

It's on gamepass so there is nothing to lose. The story so far is extremely basic but the atmosphere and immersion are out of this world. Plus even though the combat is simple it is fun and really satisfying. 

I'll be honest, there were a couple of reviews that I read, then got to the score at the end and was flabergasted.  I was wondering how the text was mostly critical, and they get to the end and say 8/10.  That said, there are other reviewers that clearly loved it.

 

It sounds like the perfect game if you already have GamePass.  It doesn't cost you anything, and barely takes any time.  So even if the experience isn't for you, you don't have much invested.

[ShreddieMercury]

This is a game, like Alan Wake 2, that is difficult to analyze using the current language of games criticism.  Its priorities are so different, and it's so uncompromising, that the wildly diverse scores are to be expected. 

 

I played a few hours of it last night.  It's undeniably a slow, cinematic experience first, and rudimentary video game second.  But in terms of its atmosphere, storytelling, and technical presentation, I think it's basically unmatched in the industry.  You can see clearly where compromises had to be made to deliver this specific of an experience.

 

That said, if you enjoyed the first game in the slightest, this is an improvement in every way.  It's bizarre to see fans of the first game online dismiss the second one or say that it's worse.  The combat is simple, but for my money extremely fun and visceral because nobody has ever been able to match animations quite like this.  I think the feedback in fights is very good, and it's just complex enough to be engaging, so I'm again baffled when I read that people think the gameplay is somehow bad.  The puzzle solving is pretty much the same as the first game, but it has been noticeably improved, and there is far less of it, so it doesn't really bother me.

 

Again, the game is a huge improvement on the first one, but it's also more of the same thing.  If you didn't like that one, there is no reason that you'll like this sequel.  That kind of conviction from Ninja Theory should be applauded, because it's obvious that they believe in what they're doing and made exactly what they wanted to make, regardless of what people might want or expect a game like this to be. 

 

If you are wanting a mechanically deep, fast paced action game, stay far away.  But if you're willing to submit yourself to a highly immersive, state of the art movie game, I think this is probably the best anyone's delivered at this scale.

[Best]

Yea I am impressed with this. However it's not the most enjoyable experience just because of the tone of the game. You're constantly in distress with horrifying imagery and inner dialogue. Still nothing matches these visuals and immersion on display here. 

[Keyser_Soze]

1 hour ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Hard to swallow for a full priced game. 

 

$50 isn't full priced.

[Biggie]

5 minutes ago, best3444 said:

Yea I am impressed with this. However it's not the most enjoyable experience just because of the tone of the game. You're constantly in distress with horrifying imagery and inner dialogue. Still nothing matches these visuals and immersion on display here. 

Fuck that 

[Biggie]

Just now, Keyser_Soze said:

 

$50 isn't full priced.

He is Canadian. Probably cost more like a full size game. 

[Keyser_Soze]

54 minutes ago, ShreddieMercury said:

This is a game, like Alan Wake 2, that is difficult to analyze using the current language of games criticism.  Its priorities are so different, and it's so uncompromising, that the wildly diverse scores are to be expected. 

 

I played a few hours of it last night.  It's undeniably a slow, cinematic experience first, and rudimentary video game second.  But in terms of its atmosphere, storytelling, and technical presentation, I think it's basically unmatched in the industry.  You can see clearly where compromises had to be made to deliver this specific of an experience.

 

Sounds like a Harold Halibut situation. Also a good game with not a lot of "gameplay" and heavy story focus.

[Best]

1 minute ago, Biggie said:

Fuck that 

 

Yea this is NOT for you. I was getting sick in the stomach and actually started to panic in one scene lol.