I know some of y'all love them numbers but wait and see....what? The reviews are out. Read or watch them and form an opinion on if you want to buy it or not.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Starlink: Battle for Atlas Review thread
- Thread starter Kiraly
- Start date
Yea that's what I mean. Wait for more impressions and gameplay footage on YouTube/Twitch. Rather than a Day 1 blind buy for $60. I don't have the luxury of putting down that much money on easily forgettable experiences anymore.
It's funny because it's true. 64 shouldn't take longer than 35 min to get through any path and the original is even shorter.
Looks solid, I have similar concerns about how repetitious flying around and shooting stuff is going to be as everyone else. I'll probably wait for a sale since Im already majorly backlogged.
If you want pretty much everything, the extra $20 will be a lot cheaper than buying the physical versions of the extra stuff. The regular digital edition is more than enough to do everything in the game though.
The only real tactics are the elemental types of enemies and weapons. Pretty much each enemy has an elemental type they are weak to. The regular digital edition comes with every elemental type and siege weapons that help with some of the content.
Watched a few reviews and was kind of surprised at the outcome, expected much worse for this one.
Not liking the fact that some came away feeling the combat and gameplay loop is rote outside of a few larger battles, but the more focused galaxy spanning adventure with elements of NMS is beyond what I expected here. Not needing the toys is nice to know too.
Though honestly I feel I should probably just reinstall Tie Fighter...
Not liking the fact that some came away feeling the combat and gameplay loop is rote outside of a few larger battles, but the more focused galaxy spanning adventure with elements of NMS is beyond what I expected here. Not needing the toys is nice to know too.
Though honestly I feel I should probably just reinstall Tie Fighter...
So if anyone has played the game can they speak to these claims:
I loved No Man's Sky and even with faults it was ambitious so I am not sure how true this statement can be. Same with the Mass Effect and Elite: Dangerous claims.
Can anyone speak to them? From what I saw in the previous nothing seemed to be like NMS.
I loved No Man's Sky and even with faults it was ambitious so I am not sure how true this statement can be. Same with the Mass Effect and Elite: Dangerous claims.
Can anyone speak to them? From what I saw in the previous nothing seemed to be like NMS.
Let me ask you something: how do the RPG element of game works exactly? Since everything is unlocked from the get go, I assume it's just leveling and stats? Do you unlock different skills or something like that? Also, do the weapons and aircrafts level up individually?
Also, if everything is already unlocked, doesn't that kind of kill the sense of progression? A review comparing the game with Destiny threw me off a little, since from what I understand the game doesn't have any actual loot.
I'll find out tomorrow, but the only aspect I see from No Man's Sky is how you are able to travel from planet to planet and fly into their surface without any type of loading.
This will be a hidden gem this gen. The game look really solid and you don't actually care about toys aspect of the game to enjoy.
There's a planetary system with several whole planets you can fly into and between one another without loading, with realistic time of day.
Yep! The story itself is linear, but even that's open in how you approach it
You can't unlock any of the pilots, weapons, or ships without either buying the physical or digital versions. They can't be unlocked in game.
Each pilot gains experience when you use them, when they level you get an ability point to use to improve that particular pilot. The ships and weapons gain experience as well but not sure what's that does yet. Each weapon and ship has mod slots that have enhancements for each. The only real character progression are the pilot ability trees and mods. You can also work on unlocking improvements on your base ship.
The destiny thing doesn't make sense because the only loot the game has are mods. You're not looting better ships or weapons.
Thanks!
Ah, so the main customization is through mods and skill trees. Not bad, as I thought there wast any customization at all.
What do you mean by base ship? Can you dock and get out and walk around and stuff in a big ship?
I'm not familiar with Freelancer, so can't help you there. Sorry!
I think the game is just okay. Finished it in about 20 hours and got the platinum (mainly because the plat was fast and very easy). It's a pretty forgettable experience because the game doesn't really excel at any one thing and it's lacking in charm.
Good:
- Some of the planets are quite exotic looking and neat. They look a little like a cool NMS planet roll.
- The combat in both space and on the ground is pretty good when things get intense. Especially in later planets it even becomes a bit demanding in how you combo your shots, use special abilities and spec your ship. I liked that.
- If you have the digital version and all the weapons, it's fun to experiment with different possible combinations. A couple of different combinations worked well for me and the effects of using them look nice.
- Taking down Dreadnoughts and Primes (bosses in this game) is pretty cool and goes through various phases.
Bad
- Utterly charmless cast of characters. I know it's a children's game, but I doubt any kid will be rooting for any of these people. Most of the characters are also barely present in the story and it's clear Mason is the main character.
- It's a typical Ubisoft game in that the map is full of icons indicating activities. It's things like capture a base or defend a spot for abit. Ubi has actually done a decent job in diversifying those activities in recent games. However, Starlkink is more like an Ubi game from a couple of years ago. There are only a handful and different activities spammed over and over. These activities also barely change throughout the game, you're doing pretty much the exact same things at the end of the game. They should have diversified them at least a little. The game gets repetitive fast because of this, and it also makes the different planets feel samey.
- The enemy variety is almost... non-existent. You'll be fighting the 'cyclops' enemy 90% percent of the time, it's just weak to different elements sometimes. There are less than 10 different enemy types. It's pretty shocking.
- The game overall has a content problem that also extends to the missions. On PS4 without Starfox there's only the main campaign and one true sidequest (with cut-scenes). Otherwise, the missions are of the randomly generated kind where you're killing or fetching something. Why aren't there more true sidequests?
- Toys to life aspect is a bit of a scam imo. It's a cool thing, but if you only have a toy or two the game is going to suffer a lot mainly because of a lack of weapons. If you can't switch them around it will become even more repetitive. The digital version with all the stuff is a much much better deal.
Good:
- Some of the planets are quite exotic looking and neat. They look a little like a cool NMS planet roll.
- The combat in both space and on the ground is pretty good when things get intense. Especially in later planets it even becomes a bit demanding in how you combo your shots, use special abilities and spec your ship. I liked that.
- If you have the digital version and all the weapons, it's fun to experiment with different possible combinations. A couple of different combinations worked well for me and the effects of using them look nice.
- Taking down Dreadnoughts and Primes (bosses in this game) is pretty cool and goes through various phases.
Bad
- Utterly charmless cast of characters. I know it's a children's game, but I doubt any kid will be rooting for any of these people. Most of the characters are also barely present in the story and it's clear Mason is the main character.
- It's a typical Ubisoft game in that the map is full of icons indicating activities. It's things like capture a base or defend a spot for abit. Ubi has actually done a decent job in diversifying those activities in recent games. However, Starlkink is more like an Ubi game from a couple of years ago. There are only a handful and different activities spammed over and over. These activities also barely change throughout the game, you're doing pretty much the exact same things at the end of the game. They should have diversified them at least a little. The game gets repetitive fast because of this, and it also makes the different planets feel samey.
- The enemy variety is almost... non-existent. You'll be fighting the 'cyclops' enemy 90% percent of the time, it's just weak to different elements sometimes. There are less than 10 different enemy types. It's pretty shocking.
- The game overall has a content problem that also extends to the missions. On PS4 without Starfox there's only the main campaign and one true sidequest (with cut-scenes). Otherwise, the missions are of the randomly generated kind where you're killing or fetching something. Why aren't there more true sidequests?
- Toys to life aspect is a bit of a scam imo. It's a cool thing, but if you only have a toy or two the game is going to suffer a lot mainly because of a lack of weapons. If you can't switch them around it will become even more repetitive. The digital version with all the stuff is a much much better deal.
Last edited:
Oh right, there's non-Star Fox characters in this. Seriously though, I may need to pick up the digital version of this as it looks interesting.
Cool keeps us posted with some impressions if you do get it.
I am very interested in this game.
Starlink's original characters looked like a weird bunch.
Jason is a very boring design by committee protagonist.
A lot of the aliens designs seem to clash and it doesn't seem too appealing which seems to be some of the issues with the game itself.
I do wonder how much star fox helps, eurogamer said the star fox mission is one of the best parts of the game
Jason is a very boring design by committee protagonist.
A lot of the aliens designs seem to clash and it doesn't seem too appealing which seems to be some of the issues with the game itself.
I do wonder how much star fox helps, eurogamer said the star fox mission is one of the best parts of the game
Easy Allies review sounds more like an 8. Was surprised to see them give a 7.0.
In fact, from every review I've read, this game seems like a classic 8, which can be further elevated depending on how interested you are in Star Fox and space opera dogfighting.
Since I like Star Fox and am itching for a Freelancer like experience, I'll probably be getting this.
In fact, from every review I've read, this game seems like a classic 8, which can be further elevated depending on how interested you are in Star Fox and space opera dogfighting.
Since I like Star Fox and am itching for a Freelancer like experience, I'll probably be getting this.
Wow, I knowing Ubi has predictable Trophy lists but that's a very fast Plat you've done! You're probably within the Global top 50!
I'm guessing you're selling the game now?
I'll probably buy the Switch one, but I would like to know what differences the PS4 Pro and X have.
Thats about what I expected. Will grab it at some point, but will wait for a sale and until I've played some of the other stuff I've already got on the go
Two more reviews to check out. I wrote one for Gaming Age and gave it an A: Gaming Age Starlink Review
We also posted a review up at Nintendo Times and it got a 9.5 out of 10: Nintendo Times Starlink Review
Starlink is an incredibly addicting game, especially for those who love to explore and collect. I'm really surprised at how well the game turned out!
We also posted a review up at Nintendo Times and it got a 9.5 out of 10: Nintendo Times Starlink Review
Starlink is an incredibly addicting game, especially for those who love to explore and collect. I'm really surprised at how well the game turned out!
I often wondered what a Ubisoft open world game which you could carry around with you would be like. "Addictive" was the first thing which sprang to mind!
What are the pilot skill trees like? Interesting? I need details!
I will wait on the patented Ubisoft price drop. Hopefully Star Fox being in it won't make it too much.
I do want to see more on the Switch version in splitscreen as I know my kids would love to play this together. Not sure I'd buy the toys to life version unless I found an amazing deal. Don't need that stuff in the house
I do want to see more on the Switch version in splitscreen as I know my kids would love to play this together. Not sure I'd buy the toys to life version unless I found an amazing deal. Don't need that stuff in the house
Is the XBX version worth for the better graphics and performance or the Star Fox content is a must?
I will wait on the patented Ubisoft price drop. Hopefully Star Fox being in it won't make it too much.
I do want to see more on the Switch version in splitscreen as I know my kids would love to play this together. Not sure I'd buy the toys to life version unless I found an amazing deal. Don't need that stuff in the house
I do want to see more on the Switch version in splitscreen as I know my kids would love to play this together. Not sure I'd buy the toys to life version unless I found an amazing deal. Don't need that stuff in the house
As your pilot gains XP he/she/it will level up earning you a skill tree point. Each pilot has four base skills, each of which can be increased up to three times. You'll need to assign points to a set number of those skills before you can move onto the second tier, and eventually the top tier. These are passive traits, so you'll increase things like damage or defense.
I had more fun messing around with all of the ship and weapon mods. You're constantly collecting them and once you unlock the skills for your main base of operations ship (the Equinox) for every three of the same ones you pick up you can then pay to morph them into a higher rarity with better traits. These have direct impact on your own ship - so you can fly faster, have more boost, increase defense, lower the recharge time for weapons, and a whole host of other stuff. I found the customization part of the game to be really fun.
I can see how some will find the exploration and collecting of materials to be boring after a few hours, but for some reason I didn't mind it. I liked scanning all of the various wildlife and collecting the metals, veggies, etc. Obviously some people like to stay on the main path and will miss out on a bunch of optional stuff, but I really liked to spend my time on each planet fully exploring and solving small puzzles and whatnot. Does it get repetitive? Absolutely! Having said that, it was a good kind of repetition and I never felt forced to grind or anything.
They have interesting abilities, but they aren't necessary to enjoy the game. The Nadir is a cool, fast asymmetrical ship (the two wings are different). Shaid's ability allows her shop to go invisible for a time, Kharl creates a forward facing absorption shield which is neat, Eli does a McCree-like targeting attack.
So if those sound cool, go for it ... You can buy them individually, too, if you don't want to sound $20. Digital is definitely the best deal - but I wanted some ships, so I got the switch starter, Nadir w/ Shade, and Kharl.
Pilot abilities video:
Great write up, cheers. These kinds of collectathons are great for a portable - you can do a bit of grinding in the train to work etc, then do the meaty stuff at home on your tv.
Cool reviews, makes the game sound even more like something I'll really end up enjoying. Sounds great for short gameplay sessions which I love using my Switch for.
I didn't dismiss the core elements though? I said it's a great concept, but does grow repetitive.
There is a large ship in space your team is pretty much stationed in. You can't dock and walk around in it, but you cutscenes take place in there from time to time.
Thanks for all this info! Did you play the physical or digital version?
I played the game for review, so I didn't do it in a single day or something haha. It's digital as well (with some physical toys to test that aspect).
Just genuinely thought it was quite a negative review overall. Just re-watched after my comment and it definitely leans that way.
I also had a relative negative impression of the game based on the review. You make some solid points when saying that it looks more like a third person shooter. And that sucks because being constantly on a ship while almost immobile the ground feels weird and borderline ridiculous.
