Hard Reset - Not Bad, Not Bad At All

I downloaded the demo via Steam. Not quite sure what to make of the game yet, since the demo is kinda small and limited.

Must say, though, overall it looks and feels quite good. An old school shooter, developed exclusively for the PC. Think Serious Sam and Painkiller set in a dystopian cyberpunk universe.

In the demo, your opponents are robots, who rush at you blindly. You have two type of weapons in the demo: a plasma gun and an assault rifle.

Weapons and armor can be upgraded via upgrade stations. That's nicely done. In dispatching enemies you can use the environment to your advantage. Lots of explosive barrels, etc. to kill the robots with.

Graphics are nice, although textures are blurry if you look at them closely.

I played everything on the ultra setting and the game ran smoothly.

The game delivers its "story" via cartoon storyboards - these look kinda cheap and low rez. I suspect that just as in Painkiller and Serious Sam the story is just a flimsy hook.

Not sure whether I'd call it a triple A little, but it could be a fun little old school shooter.

The one negative is that it doesn't have quicksave. However, that can be easily fixed by bringing down the console and binding the quicksave command to a key. F9 loads the save.

The other negative is that progress seems strictly linear. Finally, the city is empty and the HUD is huge. The latter can probably be fixed.

For the last human city I was going to expect more life in it, whats with all these lights on if no-ones around :evil: anyway with their next title I hope they put more life into it, make more complex levels, and update the graphics so they can have in game cutscenes.

For the last human city I was going to expect more life in it, whats with all these lights on if no-ones around :evil: anyway with their next title I hope they put more life into it, make more complex levels, and update the graphics so they can have in game cutscenes.

NoodleFighter

This game is like a Ferrari with a 3 cylinder under the hood. Tons a flash and style but totally lacking potential.

Again, EYE is cheaper, much more engaging and atmospheric.

[QUOTE="NoodleFighter"]

For the last human city I was going to expect more life in it, whats with all these lights on if no-ones around :evil: anyway with their next title I hope they put more life into it, make more complex levels, and update the graphics so they can have in game cutscenes.

vfibsux

How exactly what I'm looking for is modern?

The game was a bit like Switzerland, It was pretty but had no atmosphere.

Opinions vary....I know people who hate ice cream and pizza. Go figure.

In my opinion people are missing the point of this game, if you want a modern era shooter you are in the wrong place. Go read the interviews with these guys and see what this is about, and why many old school gamers are enjoying it.

This game is like a Ferrari with a 3 cylinder under the hood. Tons a flash and style but totally lacking potential.

Again, EYE is cheaper, much more engaging and atmospheric.

VeryBumpy

EYE? Are you serious? That's like comparing the original Deus Ex to Serious Sam or Painkiller. It makes no sense at all.

And for what it's worth, EYE looks and plays like CRAP. It's just AWFUL and feels like an incomplete, alpha version of a game. They made an ambitious game out of it and it falls short in almost every area. The reviews speak for themselves.

In my opinion people are missing the point of this game, if you want a modern era shooter you are in the wrong place. Go read the interviews with these guys and see what this is about, and why many old school gamers are enjoying it.

vfibsux

Yep. So many people today are clueless about these types of games, it's hilarious. It's as though they don't even know what they're getting themselves into and expect something entirely different.

I thought it was a good run. Great looks, nice interfacing with the upgrade terminals. The HUD was too big but passable. I didn't dig the linear level but I'm sure later on the game will open into some more OG style levels. The one thing I did really dig was how visceral it gets in the middle of a crazy firefight with 100 little robot bastards chasing you!

[QUOTE="NoodleFighter"]

For the last human city I was going to expect more life in it, whats with all these lights on if no-ones around :evil: anyway with their next title I hope they put more life into it, make more complex levels, and update the graphics so they can have in game cutscenes.

vfibsux

When putting debating about what consitutes an Old School Shooter aside, I fully agree with Ricardo. Hard Reset is just fun. I think it brings alot of innovation to the genre with its upgrading and transforming weapons as you really can build your own playstyle without having to learn a lot of weapons. I find switching between modes and weapons works really well when I've played a little bit and its different from anything else in any other fps.

I do agree though that I would have like to have seen the levels a little more open-ended. I'm thinking something like old school doom style areas in which you have a lot of twisting and winding connected pathways to adventure, but Hard reset does make up for it with its excellent pacing. As long as the full game offers the same basic experience but with more cool enemies I know I will enjoy it when it comes out.

I reckon opinions will change once the full game is out, the demo was way too short and very breifly shows what the game to offer.

When I saw the trailer at the end shows there's more to it

I got pumped by the images of the bosses at the end. There's always those small and weak cannon fodder at the beggining, so I'm very interessed in seeing what the strong enemies look like (and in killing them of course =D ). These days if a shooter has more than 5 different enemies it's already a lot. I just wish the weapon selection and movement were faster.

This game is like a Ferrari with a 3 cylinder under the hood. Tons a flash and style but totally lacking potential.

Again, EYE is cheaper, much more engaging and atmospheric.

VeryBumpy

I loved E.Y.E also. But E.Y.E isn't for every one.

I loved the the HR Demo. It looks good, and is just fun. But Like some one else said, I thought the city would have a little more "life" in it. Maybe there is in the full game?

if I want to play "old school", I will load up my "old school" games I already own.

I don't need developers taking steps backwards, or telling me how "old school" is supposed to be when I have already played "Old school" hundreds of times over and know what it is.

Seems like it could be a decent game, but it just seems so pointless and lazy on the part of the developer, I think I will skip it. The demo was a snoozefest.

Just a warning, word is this game is very short, like under 5 hours long.

Just a warning, word is this game is very short, like under 5 hours long.

VeryBumpy

likeI said, lazy developer. I am sure the multiplayer is equally lazily done, yet people will eat it up because it is "old school deathmatch"...at least for a week, before they go back to other, funner, more innovative games.

if I want to play "old school", I will load up my "old school" games I already own.

I don't need developers taking steps backwards, or telling me how "old school" is supposed to be when I have already played "Old school" hundreds of times over and know what it is.

Seems like it could be a decent game, but it just seems so pointless and lazy on the part of the developer, I think I will skip it. The demo was a snoozefest.

mrbojangles25

That's a pretty pathetic excuse considering almost no games today do anything different from one another anyways. They all fall into a particular genre, and they all do essentially the same things. Don't pretend that this situation is different than any other new title, because it really isn't. And if you disagree, I would love to hear what you've played because even the best games from this and last year - Deus Ex, The Witcher 2, and so forth - have been the same crap we've seen before in one way or another. This game combines oldschool combat (fighting hordes of enemies) with a beautiful new graphics engine and more complex layers on top with the weapon and gear modifications you can "purchase" with upgrade points. The demo was a snoozefest? I certainly wasn't thinking that as I ran for my life in the last section, spraying electricity everywhere and watching barrels and cars and enemies violently explode. And that was clearly a beginner's section of the game intended to introduce you to the mechanics. If that short demo bored you, I don't know what to say. Maybe you should just get out more and take a break from gaming all together.

Oh, and less than $30 for 4-5 hours of gameplay isn't bad at all. The game is just $26 if you pre-order. There are many more expensive games with equal length, so I don't think it's a bad deal or laziness on the end of the developers at all.

Loved the demo, put over 2 hours into it playing it on the different difficulty levels and trying different weapon upgrades.

Pre-ordered it.

Don't know how people can call this lazy but praise games like arma2 and eye.

It does what it sets out to do, and it does it well.

I can't post the link for some reason but in the steam forums a developer has confirmed that the game is actually 7 hours long.

I can't post the link for some reason but in the steam forums a developer has confirmed that the game is actually 7 hours long.

Roris0A

[QUOTE="Roris0A"]

I can't post the link for some reason but in the steam forums a developer has confirmed that the game is actually 7 hours long.

Elann2008

Aye I tend to think that too because it is categorically true. And I am keeping my reservations about Hard Reset but with some leeway because the developer said they got that number from about 40 people. They didn't say from who exactly but I would assume that they were playtesters. Also that 4 hour number is speculated that its coming from seasoned reviewers who played on easy and just did speedruns in order to meet their deadlines.

Overall I think when adding things up it's in favor of being 7 hours but like you said some gamers will finish it much faster. A lot of people like me finished the game on insanity pretty easily while a lot of others couldn't so it will be interesting to see what our first play run will be like.

and no DRM either, so they say anyway

Played the demo, loved it. It has good shooting mechanics, an interesting upgrade system, destructability, good graphics and delicious combat. I'll get this game for sure, but at this point, €25-30 for an apparently short game may be a bit too much for me.

if I want to play "old school", I will load up my "old school" games I already own.

I don't need developers taking steps backwards, or telling me how "old school" is supposed to be when I have already played "Old school" hundreds of times over and know what it is.

Seems like it could be a decent game, but it just seems so pointless and lazy on the part of the developer, I think I will skip it. The demo was a snoozefest.

mrbojangles25

[QUOTE="mrbojangles25"]

if I want to play "old school", I will load up my "old school" games I already own.

I don't need developers taking steps backwards, or telling me how "old school" is supposed to be when I have already played "Old school" hundreds of times over and know what it is.

Seems like it could be a decent game, but it just seems so pointless and lazy on the part of the developer, I think I will skip it. The demo was a snoozefest.

THA-TODD-BEAST

That's a pretty pathetic excuse considering almost no games today do anything different from one another anyways. They all fall into a particular genre, and they all do essentially the same things. Don't pretend that this situation is different than any other new title, because it really isn't. And if you disagree, I would love to hear what you've played because even the best games from this and last year - Deus Ex, The Witcher 2, and so forth - have been the same crap we've seen before in one way or another. This game combines oldschool combat (fighting hordes of enemies) with a beautiful new graphics engine and more complex layers on top with the weapon and gear modifications you can "purchase" with upgrade points. The demo was a snoozefest? I certainly wasn't thinking that as I ran for my life in the last section, spraying electricity everywhere and watching barrels and cars and enemies violently explode. And that was clearly a beginner's section of the game intended to introduce you to the mechanics. If that short demo bored you, I don't know what to say. Maybe you should just get out more and take a break from gaming all together.

it's true that shooters have become pretty boring. Stalker and Crysis were the last shooters i was really looking forward to. Stalker particularly. Besdies BF3 (it's multiplayer, so i don't really count it), there's simply nothing interesting on the horizon.

downloading the demo now.

Oh, and less than $30 for 4-5 hours of gameplay isn't bad at all. The game is just $26 if you pre-order. There are many more expensive games with equal length, so I don't think it's a bad deal or laziness on the end of the developers at all.

THA-TODD-BEAST

i don't know... that 4-5 hours should be pretty phenomenal for that price. Amnesia was $15 and gave you 10 hours of the best possible horror you can have in video games. that's what i call a good value.

I loved the environments felt very Bladerunner (the intro showed lots of rain I wished they had put some rain into the game would have gave it lots of atmosphere). The guns where ok, one of them looked like Tom Servro from MST3K but nothing to scream and shout about. The enemy was bland (small robots and slightly bigger robots don't do it for me.)

But this was based on a 20 min demo, I will have to see some player reviews before I commit to buying!

I'm 32... what is it with all the talk about "old school"? Quake 2 is far superior to this. Calling new games "old school" implies that the developers are ignorant and or lazy. People should be pushing the genre not wasting time reminiscing and if they do they better make sure the game is good. Serious Sam worked because it was over the top and a fun run and gun, this is just... mediocre.(well that's my opinion)Grey_Eyed_Elf

thank god, I thought I was the only one lol

Guess its an age thing (I am 27)

I'm 32... what is it with all the talk about "old school"? Quake 2 is far superior to this. Calling new games "old school" implies that the developers are ignorant and or lazy. People should be pushing the genre not wasting time reminiscing and if they do they better make sure the game is good. Serious Sam worked because it was over the top and a fun run and gun, this is just... mediocre.(well that's my opinion)Grey_Eyed_Elf

Developer does their own thing....must be lazy! How dare they not conform to the Call of Duty formula! Same exact BS argument used against Nintendo with every game they release, yet every one constantly scores high. Video games would've been long dead if "pushing forward" was the only thing devs tried to do. Then we'd have no fun at all.

I don't see how it makes developers ignorant or lazy. If everyone is doing the exact same thing, or "pushing the genre forward," then there would be no damn difference between the genre anymore. That pretty much sums up the market today. It has barely evolved past the basic/old school formula, except in very few games. I'd say it's even taken steps back. All they've added are NPCs, QTEs, overly dramatic cutscenes, and more bullcrap just to extend the game length. It's meant to be an FPS with an old school approach, not a carbon copy of Doom or Quake.

[QUOTE="Grey_Eyed_Elf"]I'm 32... what is it with all the talk about "old school"? Quake 2 is far superior to this. Calling new games "old school" implies that the developers are ignorant and or lazy. People should be pushing the genre not wasting time reminiscing and if they do they better make sure the game is good. Serious Sam worked because it was over the top and a fun run and gun, this is just... mediocre.(well that's my opinion)ChubbyGuy40

Developer does their own thing....must be lazy! How dare they not conform to the Call of Duty formula! Same exact BS argument used against Nintendo with every game they release, yet every one constantly scores high.

I don't see how it makes developers ignorant or lazy. If everyone is doing the exact same thing, or "pushing the genre forward," then there would be no damn difference between the genre anymore. That pretty much sums up the market today. It has barely evolved past the basic/old school formula, except in very few games. I'd say it's even taken steps back. All they've added are NPCs, QTEs, overly dramatic cutscenes, and more bullcrap just to extend the game length. It's meant to be an FPS with an old school approach, not a carbon copy of Doom or Quake.

Quiet you! Leave me be while I play the newest Zelda game, "Ocarina of Time" err I mean... :P:)

(I'm kidding!)

Quiet you! Leave me be while I play the newest Zelda game, "Ocarina of Time" err I mean... :P:)

(I'm kidding!)

MythPro1

HEY!...Ocarina of Time 3D is awesome! Amazing how fresh the game feels with just a simple visual update. Wish we got more games like it TBH.

I thought this game was going to be drm free? It apparently uses steamworks.
If they release it on GOG I'll buy it right away. Otherwise not interested.

7.0 here on GS! Review. I'm waiting for some user reviews though.

7.0 here on GS! Review. I'm waiting for some user reviews though.

flipin_jackass

Looking all the reviews, they run the gamut from 8.0 to 7.0 with a pretty even spread, with a 9 and a 6 outlier.

I'm not going to comment on the game until I get to play it when it unlocks tomorrow, but the developer does seem to be extremely proactive on tackling issues that people are bringing up (they've already changed a few things in the final game based on demo feedback from people on the forums.)

likeI said, lazy developer. I am sure the multiplayer is equally lazily done, yet people will eat it up because it is "old school deathmatch"...at least for a week, before they go back to other, funner, more innovative games.

mrbojangles25

Lazy developer that created a new engine for the game from scratch?