The enemies (and of course, the NPCs) in Borderlands 2 are brimming with personality as well. More so than any other game I've played. Just look at how cool the psychos, marauders, hell even the robots and creatures are in it!
I can't help but to wonder if that's partially the result of companies overworking their staff to the point where they're borderline burnt out and can't come up with anything decent and/or creative because it'd take too much time.
@@theninjaassassin4468 The Psychos in Borderlands were so good, that devs even made a playable Psycho character, who, by the way, has one of the most awesome trailers even outside of Borderlands 2 universe. Its briliantly hilarous.
@@liFE-gt6or I did. The gameplay trailers looked good, and skillup did a pretty positive pre-release impressions video about how awesome the combat was. The shooting IS good, it's just that everything else is mediocre at best and most of your time won't be spent shooting things.
Micro-transactions have no place in full priced games, let alone Single Player full priced games. Cosmetics are in-game costume that only have value while you play the game. You should earn them in game via gameplay; that way you are playing the game more to actually earn them and playing some more to show it off. You should NOT have to pay to skip that experience.
Right? Like who is buying this stuff? Why would you even care about cosmetics in a single player game? Who are you trying to impress? So many questions.
@Natty Bennett Yeah especially because you can earn it in game very easily with the copious amount of cash the game throws at you. Weird no one talks about that part.
@@kpjlflsknflksnflknsa wrong. its like paying for A PICTURE of a tattoo that can be taken from you at any time for any reason because you dont even own it.
Avalanche did the open world part. Well, there's your problem. Avalanche is only good at making open world games vast as an ocean and deep as a puddle that get very repetitive very fast.
Mad Max a great game tho. The open world fitted the style of gameplay. ( Challenges , car cobat , exploration ). It was empty but it was a wasteland so what did you expect? Mad Max has other problems ( Not interesting NPC for example ) . The open world is not one of them
@@zoisantonopoulos7999 I loved Mad Max as well, especially that $15 price tag, but it copied cookie cutter open world mechanics without improving on them.
Wait, the people that made Just Cause made this? Everything makes sense now. To be fair though, just cause is a game series you have to have a good imagination with, otherwise you're not going to get your full enjoyment and stop playing them. This game however......yeeeeeaaaahhh, it should have been linear or like Tomb Raider, with a combination of open-world and linear.
@@Governor.exee1 It really depends on how much you enjoy the combat and how long it stays interesting for you. Fun game to just kinda tune out to and have some fun, but I can see why SkillUp didn’t find it to be the most grabbing story and game overall when he plays so many.
@fabian vermeulen He doesn't know what he's talking about? - Does the open world feel barren? - Are you gated from the main story until you complete a certain amount of grindy side missions? - Is the main story done within the timeframe he gave? - Are the npcs samey? Do they lack personality? - Is the driving bad on PC? - Are there cosmetic microtransactions? He didn't say it was a bad game. He said that you should be aware that the combat is what's going to carry you through, and that wasn't enough for him personally.
@fabian vermeulen He literally called it a good game at the end of the video. Word for word, that's what he said. At least watch the video in full before you spread misinformation.
@fabian vermeulen Yikes, I don't agree with removing comments. But a bug-free game isn't something i'm going to be happy with, that's the standard - despite what many companies these days would try to make us settle for. If you like it, you like it and that's good. It doesn't look like a bad game and I actually intend to pick it up in the future. But I still think his review is fair enough. I'm curious - how are the load times? Sony consoles are known for absurdly long loads and I wonder how it stacks up here.
@@Spr1ggan87 'everyone' isn't disappointed. Just the usual bunch of journalists and critics who would rather see a game fail than to give it fair shot because it doesn't adhere to their political ideology or isn't the kind of have they like but refuse to let someone else who does like it perform the review instead of them.
Spr1ggan meh, it sounds like you dont ‘unlock’ the map in rage 2 tho.. and if the gameplay is like Doom for the most part.. thats hella one-note.. point and click shooting, with an emphasis on blowing an enemy half way across the screen (which i never liked personally).. no stealth.. or good melee.. i bet most will complete this game with their shotgun only for the most part, but you get what im saying... then the world they’ve made which is one and done, is empty, except the markers.. which leads to little exploration and finding nodes/icon points yourself, if thats true... i could go on, but this is getting long.. seems ubisoft may just do it a bit better? But i havent played rage2 and ive been considering it.. one thing journalists do, is rush through a game.. so they’ll most likely miss 75% of the game around them... if not more.. which was true of all of the reviews of days gone ive seen.. which is sad, because Days Gone is fucking kick ass! Keeps getting better and better!
@@Spr1ggan87 "suddenly disappointed" nah Just finally waking up to the idea that fluff shouldn't make up such a significant portion of the game. Bethesda's been doing it since what, before Morrowind? I only became aware of it with Fallout 3 because that was the first game I actually focused on the story, but it seems like Bethesda's been "small story, BIG padding" for a good while now. Also, people aren't really letting Ubi get away with it as much, either. Especially when they tie progression to side content and use the grind to leverage xp microtransactions on you.
They cut out the rest to sell it as DLC. It's why it finishes so abruptly. (Just a conjecture, but a convincing one given the state of the AAA industry)
Hey, man. I wouldn't try to stop you from buying, just wanted to chime in with my experience. Problem is, in my opinion, not that Rage 2 implements the formula, it's that it implements it poorly. Very, very poorly. It's like here is what you can do in any other open world game but worse.
Getting bored with recent huge open world sandbox games whether it's Sony exclusive or not. It's getting oversaturated now. I'm totally okay with Yakuza's style of open corridor, exploring the city, at least they're fun with lots of variety things to do but I'm kinda bored with huge open area like God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn and Day's Gone. It's just ruining the pacing.
Well after playing Skyrim or Fallout it ruined my taste in opened world games. I cannot stand playing games like gta or far cry, maybe red dead is exceptional that’s due to the immersion but eh it’s rather dry after a while.
If thats all you want to get out of it then yeah. Most weapons and abilities are pretty fun. If you like a Doom type combat feel give it a shot. Those who aren't sure about the game probably wont have long a long wait till its dirt cheap.
The combat and music are the only thing carrying the game. It's a solid 7 but not worth the $60. I enjoy the time I've put into it, but the open world is so boring. $30 or less is a good price for this. If i knew what i knew now i would've waited myself.
@@cyberpunkdenton9497 Yeah an IGN writer made an article about how rage 2 was coming out, but you wouldnt know it because the marketing has been so bad.
The Girth not to mention the canvas bag controversy, Bethesda’s PR department is pretty good at representing their “don’t give a fuck” attitude with everything
If you're talking about it from the side of micro-transactions, its there because people are greedy and need cash. If you're asking it as in "Why would anyone want to customize appearance of their equipment in a singleplayer game?", hell, I don't even know. Some people prefer to have options, no? Same as in multiplayer games. Not everyone uses skins just to show them off to other players.
For me the DNA this game gets from DOOM is enough for me to enjoy the hell out of it. Of course, I payed like $7.50 to redbox it for three days, so, my investment is minor.
@@ghfjfghjasdfasdf - You can get everything of worth out of this game in 3 days easily.. Its a lot cheaper renting and completing it than buying it and getting ripped off on a trade in. Same for about 90% of the games coming out atm.
@@ghfjfghjasdfasdf you'd like r/patientgamers Me, I will be on the next big thing in two years, I won't want Rage 2 then, I want it NOW for cheap, and redbox is perfect for that. You can get games ON release day and beat them over a weekend for under $10. Perfect system, imo.
Nothing beats waiting a couple years and getting a sealed y-fold copy of a game for $10-20. You own the physical release, in cherry form, and didn’t have to beta test it like all the other cucktards. Win/Win
I understand that. But with Bethesda as a publisher, expect lots of "extras" for you to purchase. Bethesda is worse than EA imo. At least EA has to be greedy because of investors. Bethesda is just greedy because they want to be.
Ever since your first Anthem Review, I've really enjoyed watching your videos and I really think you have the best review content on this platform. It's really easy to follow your line of thinking, everything is methodical and organized, and you're not afraid to go against the flow to say the good things about really bad video games, and the bad things about really good videogames. Every video flows like a documentary and you've really done a great job.
Oh, I remember this game. It's one of the most enjoyable first person shooter experiences I've had in a game in a while. Story was bare bones as hell and the forces driving was basically only fun when you would play chicken with other cars only to do you power slide right in between two of them at the last second, but really fun nonetheless.
I've played this 3 days - fairly long sessions.. Probably over 20 hours played now and I've yet to be bored even once and I think the next mission is the last one in the campaign. I went into it knowing nothing about it and I've just gone with the flow of the game, not going towards the campaign specifically, but whatever catches my interest in the general areas on the way to the next campaign mission. I've absolutely loved it. Alot of the upgrades (which there are many of) are completely tied to side mission stuff and if you just go through the story... Yeah I could imagine it can get boring with such a limites toolbox of destruction. I guess I just accidentally played the game in the most enjoyable way - as every time things have started to slow down, I've got the next weapon or ability - or half a dozen new perks. That in turn makes me excited to run into any combat out there to try and flow those tools together in an even more satisfying way than before and it's just incredibly fun. Shame so many people think it falls flat. Honestly after the first 2 days of playing and thinking it has been great, I was shocked to see how bad the reviews were, since I've loved it so much. But true, it's no story driven game. But if you want alot of action gameplay, RAGE 2 offers it in a great way.
I had this same experience. Someone asked me what i thought about Rage 1 and i thought it was terrible. I still loved the game though. So i was excited about Rage 2 but hadnt been following it. So when i jumped in i was thrilled and having tons of fun, but the reviews were terrible. I didnt get it. Skyrim is critically acclaimed, and this is SORT OF the same thing, but with guns. People are saying the world is empty. Nothing in it. Skyrim was the same way. You could argue that there was more 'stuff' in the open world but for the most part you ran everywhere in Skyrim and nothing was going on. So i dont really get it. Maybe its because that came out 8 years ago and we are massively spoiled? I think Skyrim is incredible, dont confuse that. Im only saying that Rage 2 has plenty going on with it, it just might not be what youre looking for.
Would have loved an extended Rage 1 w/ updated story, larger world etc etc. Seems like a hard skip indeed. May try it on a sale. Shame cause iD and Avalanche deserve the support.
"classic FPS" nice joke. Rage 1 was ID's worst game at the time. The only ones who would call it a classic are the same one who call MW2 a classic. Nothing from the game would have you believe these were developers of Doom or Quake. Rage 2 at least tries to bring back the power fantasy that made classic ID great.
Man if they gave us another Borderlands 2 that would be awesome but gameplay wise its looking like a clear improvement overall on the borderlands gameplay loop.
I played through both Borderlands games (didn't really like the Pre-sequel) and really didn't enjoy them that much. So if you could share your opinion that'd be great. 'Opinion' as in: Why are you hyped about more-or-less the same game?
@@TheSorcerer1 Because we're all desperately trying to relive our memories of being younger and playing games with our friends and we thing the sequels will bring all those good memories back and we'll have just as much fun as we used to until we realise it really is the same thing again and we have higher standards for video games now and we're all a little dead insideand nothing will be as good as it was when we were young.
Everything you said here was spot on. That said, I got this on gamepass and the combat is so good that I'm completely willing to overlook the myriad flaws with the plot and open world setting. I've been having an absolute blast with it and I think it's worth it at a discounted rate (or free with game pass). Plus it's one of the best looking games I've ever played tbh. I think overall its a decent game with major pros/cons and I think it just really needed more polish. It could've been something really special with a bit more care and effort.
Idk man quality over quantity. I like long campaigns but even that I didn't like FFXIII be ause the story was just poorly developed. There are tons of short games (maybe you like fps so that could be the reason why it's welcoming) and you can easily get more of those sotrywise. Guess it's like saying "hey I'm not gay but sex y sex so it's welcoming"
you are on point there...the company is at least savvy enough to not pour money down the drain on marketing, they'll grab as many early over-priced sales as possible, then the game will sink into the back catalogue....meanwhile they push FO76 and get ready for microtransactioning the hell out of the next Elder Scrolls.
Gameplay is bonkers fun, level design is mediocre, driving is barebones, story is forgettable, mechanics are boring aside from weapons and SOME powers. They really needed some creative personal on mission structure and driving. Car combat was really forgotten. No customization or unique enemy vehicle scenarios. This game needed to keep adrenaline pumping. Shooting reved it up and everything else slowed it down.
Filipe Saramago let me guess. Auto/google translate. Bonkers=crazy=loco. Mechanics in game boil down to shoot all bad guys in this camp, repeat. Enemies have no unique quirks to mess with player. Vehicle combat in this is on par with gta, which is ass.
I found the gameplay to be really generic, like any other pew pew shooter which has the complementary hit markers along with threat indicators and run + gun shooting. The weapons don't feel special or unique either. Or maybe I am just tired of shooters. I only play dota 2 these days.
@@RenegadeVash what translation are you talking about? Did you use a translator to put your comment in English? Otherwise saying that mechanics, which are part of gameplay are boring but the gameplay is fun and not boring makes no sense at all... Are you confusing gameplay and mechanics? As an example, shooting a gun is a mechanics, how it feels, etc. How often and in which occasions you shoot the gun is gameplay
I find it ironic that everyone wants to compare Rage 2 with Borderlands, Doom and Mad Max, and yet almost no-one seems to be comparing it to the most obvious game - the first Rage. I'm not surprised in all honesty, because most people didn't even play the orignal Rage, and out of those that did, only a minority thought it was anything special. I'm with you as being one of those 5 people who thought it was actually an excellent game, and it annoys me that the developer and publisher have generally acted like the orginal Rage never happened, and when it is mentioned, they try to downplay its relevance (for example, mocking the ending and making almost no attempt to cater to original fans). As for the sequel, I hope that the really fun combat will carry me through the tedious open-world aspects of the game, but I'm not expecting it to make anywhere near as much of an impact on me as the original did. I guess we'll wait and see, but I feel the disappointment of that small minority who actually saw something special in the original, and have instead been greeted with a generic open-world soft-reboot.
4:25 you forgot to mention that there was another cutscene that wrapped up the story after the credits. I’m pretty sure the devs threw the credits in there like that as a joke to mock the ending of RAGE 1.
Ralph, you've got some great insights and I love your editorial style, but I have to say I prefer the more concise format you're using here. Short, sweet, and to the point :-)
A 10 hour game, with forced grinding, that’s repetitive, forgettable levels,poor story and characters, that’s $100 in Australia. Hard pass from me, not nearly worth it. Thanks for keeping me informed 👌
You need to do like, a couple of 5 minutes long activities to progress the story. You don't need to level up like with AC: Odyssey in order to progress, which took hours upon hours. I don't mean to defend the game blindly, but '' forced grinding '' is pushing is far as hell.
@@gelul12 Grind is fine and even welcome if it is enjoyable. People play Warframe to grind out new weapons/frames in a simple gameplay loop. The thing is those players find the grind enjoyable, that the game has a great gameplay loop that keeps them coming back. Hell Looter Shooters are currently one of the most popular genres out there and the entire point of them is to grind in a fun gameplay loop. Grind is not necessarily a bad thing. It is not good to demonize it since a fun grind in games leads to a good game. It is bad when it is repetitive and not fun. Many people hate grindy games though, which is fine. That does not eliminate it's place in games and the market though.
It's like 3-4 different activities copy and pasted throughout the map to look like 'lots of stuff to do'. Ubisoft does this a lot as well. Yakuza games on the other hand are the best in terms of open world activities.
same, and i usually like the open world-y tropes, i am that compulsive gamer that likes clearing maps. but i just flashbacked to the repetitive grind of Mad Max and, much like that game, i put it on the "wait for a hard sale" list
Rage 2 is an absolute delight to play. Great summer game. Going to be revisiting this one several times over the next few months. Definitely worth my money.
Finished game in 14-ish hours and really enjoyed the combat. Mission design and all side content are generic though. I'm not one for a game must have 40 hours of content to justify $60, but what is here is barebones on top of being a short game. There are zero creative missions or memorable moments. The mobility and shotgun carried me through the game. I took my time and still finished the game under 14 hours. Once all the expansions and patches are out this game will be an easy recommendation at $30 or less.
Yeah for real though. This is the skill up curse game has to be exactly how he thought it shoulda been to be good he's thrown so many amazing games a I do not recommend or title like this then no one cares about the game anymore
@@bp4861 thats fair, but he explains why he bounced off of certain titles, and he highlights what he enjoyed. As a person who loves the Ubi formula, who likes mindless looting and shooting, I can love the games without really disagreeing with the critiques in general.
@@bp4861rage 2 is like 10% good combat 90% boring driving though dead wasteland between combat Definitely, it's skill up's weird standards making him dislike the game
This is no DOOM 2016 clone in a wasteland. The way this games systems work, aggressive play is not only highly satisfying, but rewarded. If you thought it’s a gunplay game, wrong, as it’s so much more. I’ve never felt like such a bada_ss before in an FPS. The story mode is not very long. The main gist is exploration, building up your powers, skills, abilities and weapons, and wrecking face. This is the kind of game you will want to get good at. The more in the groove you can be, the better you understand the flow of the hyper aggressive systems, and put it to use, the more like a total bada_ss you’ll become. Try the game on Normal. You’ll see what i mean. But Nightmare and Ultra Nightmare are where the game systems shine, because you’ll have to bring everything you’ve got. And if you do, you’ll destroy even the hardest settings. Including the Ironman mode. One life.
I was gonna give this game a shot because it looked fun and I still have a little bit of hope in Bethesda. Thank you for showing me those microtransactions, which I wasn't aware of. I will not buy this game.
@@angelus877I don't care how unintrusive they are. I can't stand the practice of microtransactions in full priced single player games as a matter of principle.
@@AelfricBlack your principles are illogical and old fashioned considering games remain the same price they have always been despite inflation going up by atleast 50% and game development getting much more expensive. If people like you continue to pass on games just because of microtransactions you will soon enough find yourself only having free-to-play games that have TONS of microtransactions. For every game like God of War that does AMAZING there are 10 others that strive to just break even. Remember that in 20 years when 90% of games are F2P.
@@angelus877 The effects of inflation and increased development cost are mostly canceled out by the fact that the games industry consumer base has grown massively over time. Yes it costs more to make games but they still make a shit ton of money because they sell to way more people than they would 10-15 years ago. Also companies no longer need to spend anywhere near as much money on making physical copies and shipping them out to places because the vast majority of people buy games online. Using a company's online launcher/store is much more profitable for them than if you bought a physical copy from Gamestop or something, especially with that increased consumer base. Plus they can refuse refunds, and they can constantly shove advertisements in the consumers' faces. These companies are smart, they know how to make more profit without increasing prices and they've been working hard at exactly that for over a decade. I don't usually pass on games just because of microtransactions (might wait for a sale tho), but companies like Bethesda, EA, and Activision have done plenty to deserve the disdain and mistrust people like Simone hold against them. I can't respect anyone who defends companies like them. Great games with microtransactions will still sell well, we've seen this proven plenty of times. And none of us knows what the games industry will look like in 20 years, it's douchey to act like you do.
I always love your reviews Skill Up, however, having around 8 hours so far played in the game, I am finding it absolutely enjoyable, for the exact reason you're giving it demerits. I think the thing that sets us apart, as you mentioned, is that if you actually _do_ the exploration and pink/yellow side missions as you are going through the game rather than rush through the campaign, it can be really enoyable. Again, you did mention this, and I am saying I agree with you for those that like to multi-task the markers with missions.
i don't mind games like agents of mayhem or this kind of story im more of a simple kind of game that will barely sold game like godfather 2 and play it anyway and that its interactive entertainment so its not like so many movies now a days so there's that
Yeah. All the criticisms I've heard for this game seem to be repeats of Rage 1. I was hoping that Id Software would learn and make Rage 2 better, but I guess I was wrong. smh
@@CoercedJab eh depends if you like mindless killing sure, but if you've been there done that, it'll be too shallow to truly dive into...play the first page if you have an xbox360/ps3, this rage 2 is another example of crappy modern reboots
Imo the combat really does it for me, I love the monster nests, you have to balance checking where the nests are whilst bobbing and weaving between around 30 enemies, knowing if you kill one, two will take its place, high octane combat.
I know that longer reviews are your thing, but I really appreciated this shorter review. There's a reason journalism are all about brevity and being concise. People don't have a ton of time to devote to all their favorite things or people. It was really nice hearing your thoughts on this game and not needing to listen to a half hour of mostly irrelevant fluff. You got straight to the point and gave your thoughts - the good, bad, etc. Great review!
@@ghosface353 i mean yeah lol you can via a redbox kiosk. Granted its usually only a certain select of games. And yes, lots of people still rent dvds/blurays, its only like $1 per night lol. Is that not a thing anymore?
NCNSGAMING Now THAT sounds like a plan! I enjoyed the 1st Rage. Nothing amazing, but I enjoyed it. Was hoping to AT LEAST get the same outta it’s sequel.
I had a helluva good time playing this game over the weekend. I went in with 0 expectations or hype and was blown by how fun the combat is. That being said, this is a perfect rental or wait for sell game. Still really fun though.
This is The Review that makes me question all the other skill up reviews. He had a bad take on this one. Or at least different tastes than myself. He is not the reviewer for me. Rage 2 is fantastic and well designed. I love the open world. And the driving feels great: wheel-physics based like mudrunner or snowrunner. Boring is the last descriptor I would use for driving around the open world.
I literally am (probably) about to beat the game, and watched your review as you started your comment on grinding to get everything to stop is the day that I decided to stop going overboard. There’s nothing to the overall package to grind for it (unless you need to build your group) . I’m a father of soon-to-be one-year-old twins and to grind with this stuff and realize nothing comes to it is certainly frustrating. But yeah, the shooting/abilities get you sucked in, which is why I can complain as I got this on game pass! Thanks for your review man. This is why I subscribed!
For all its faults the shooty pew pew is so fun that it kept me going through the whole game... I honestly stopped listening to whatever tf the npc were saying and was just exited to get to the next point for more pew pew...
I found the combat to be superior to doom because it does not devolve into shooting dozens of rockets at humongous enemies with the classic shotgun etc being basically useless. If anything rage really manages to translate its awesome flowing gameplay against many enemies into its later stages and boss fights
IMO this game's problem was the arcade feel and non-serious attitude which is a huge tonal shift from the Rage 1 which had a good world-building and somewhat okay story and great gun and vehicle based game play. Instead they went full Bulletstorm, abandoning all the important aspects that made Rage 1 a good game. *Bulletstorm, even though is a critically acclaimed game, it didn't sell much. Bulletstorm is a non-serious game with a boring story that goes nowhere with no world-building and guns with gimmick that send bodies flying upwards with ragdoll physics which are made to sound funny with background commentary. The Bulletstorm elements are very strong in Rage 2 from the very 1st trailer released.
Been getting into this on gamepass. For that service, it’s perfect. Not the best game ever, but some good hours of solid fun, with enough surprises to keep the interest up a while. And it basically works, which is a lot more than I can say for outriders and dark alliance, the most recent 'big game' releases.
I picked it up too with pretty high hopes after seeing a lot of the previews. I pretty much agree completely. When it's fun, it's pretty damn fun, but that's not often enough to keep me playing for more than 30 min. at a time. I'll prob. keep it installed and come back to it once a week or so.
@@R3GARnator Sure, I get what you are saying, and I love fun open world games as much as the next person. But as I was watching this, I couldn't help but think how bored I was of this same tired repetitive setup. The combat might be great, but the open world formula isn't fun. It's the skeleton, not the meat. And if the meat isn't good enough, all you are left with is a skeleton when you really want the whole cow. If that makes any sense.
If you shoot the towers with the guns on your car, it goes much faster. It's also important to unlock the He's On Fire voice over and turn it on while you play
Recently subbed to your channel- your reviews are the most thorough and honest game journalism I’ve seen in a long time. Sites like IGN can’t hold a candle to what you’re doing. Your Days Gone review convinced me to check the game out despite the mixed critical reception and I’ve been having a blast with it (despite the fact that it is definitely flawed in some key areas). Thanks for what you do!
Its actually a really fun game so much goes on in the open world and the combat is the best since doom 2016. Guess nothing impresses reviewers anymore.
If by "so much going on" you mean the same 3 side activities copied pasted across the entire map, then yes. But some of us would like a bit more variety. Busy work doesn't equal quality content to most of us.
@@Palaquack59 no actually what I mean is stuff going on in the world. People trying to race me, a location that looks cool so I have to check it out, find a data pad about the guy who died there and found his buried treasure. Or how about finding a mutant merchant that travels the map literally selling cheat codes. Oh and it's more than "three" types of activities but you wouldnt know that because you haven't played the game. Next please
I just beat Rage 2. I don’t think it deserve the metascore of 67. The gameplay was brilliant. However, I found the world to be boring, with hollow characters and a story that was subpar at best. Maybe the devs should have just made a full on DOOM clone. Rage 2 wasn’t a bad game. I personally give it a 7/10
I love this game as I did with Mad Max, lots of similarities. Just got the PlayStation Platinum trophy completing everything. About to download the dlc 😁👍
I feel like this is a fair review if you are a hardcore gamer who spends hours every week playing games but if you are anything like me (family, job, other interests) and you just want to have a blast when the opportunity arises then this game is the shit. In fact there are not enough games like this in my opinion.
Same. I've been on the ball with new games this year (even anthem), but this game made me hesitate and hearing this is nice since I got both Farcry New Dawn and Blood Dragon on sale and haven't had a chance to play them yet, so its good to know they will be great replacements for this after I'm done with Days Gone.
Bloomin Onion I’ve played all of them that aren’t on pc. Maybe you are playing the game wrong dude, I haven’t had a dull moment with it yet. I’m Constantly blowing shit up and causing chaos across the wasteland
I think this "Forced Grinding" comes across differently based on how someone plays the game.. You focused main story and hit that block (which yes, probably sucked). Where as in my case I have done some story missions, but usually stop and 100% each map event as I naturally pass or run into them on my way to the next mission etc, and have not had the issue you did. So I guess I can see the criticism, but surprised you portray it as being the only way someone will experience the game. I have personally already had more fun in about 8 hours of play than I had with Farcry New Dawn. I basically rushed through that game in 10 hours the week before Division 2 cause I needed something to play, and just felt burned for the $35 or whatever I paid for it. I agree there are things that should be better here... but imo it reminds me of older games, where things were more simple and just focused on playing the game.. and having fun, and putting it down when you are finished, and for me, it has been great at that! Not sure that it is worth full price or not, but for the $40 (-$8 in rewards points, yaaaaaaa) It has been a great time so far.
Your take on the combat hook really reminds me of Agents of Mayhem for me, I loved the gameplay and combat so much in that game that it carried my across the gaps in the story and presentation.
I remember when you just used to play the division 1. and man I'd never see this future of you being someone who reviews games. and man I'm so glad you do because you help me so much from wasting my money. or waiting out a game or just buying it. and I thank you man. no homo ;)
@@thishandleistacken wasn't that the whole point? To tell people this game rly isn't worth it? For what it's worth I'm glad he spoiled the end. Now I don't have to dredge thru that generic story to find out :D
5:23 I live in southern Florida.. and this guy's shoulder fan looks like the perfect thing for the summer down here. When the tourists go home, they do so because the nice 75°, low humidity Florida winter is over, and the brutal reality of summer sets in. The power goes out sometimes, too.. and that fan ..I can't stop thinking about it! lol I'd need one on each shoulder, though.
I just finished the game: 1. Best looking sandbox shooter on last gen period. 2. Beter than Farcry 4, Primal and maybe even Farcry 5. 3. Different approach to shooter games that pays of. 4. Thanks to those fast combats i wanted to play that game even if side mission are very similar to each other. 5. Immersion can kill game experience like it did in RDR2 i loved the story but i hated the gameplay that's why RDR2 was a big disappointment. This game was fun and relaxing.
To be fair, the grunts in Halo had more personality than most NPC characters these days.
The enemies (and of course, the NPCs) in Borderlands 2 are brimming with personality as well. More so than any other game I've played. Just look at how cool the psychos, marauders, hell even the robots and creatures are in it!
I loved the grunts. I felt bad killing them because in halo 1 and 2 they were kinda cute in a way.
I can't help but to wonder if that's partially the result of companies overworking their staff to the point where they're borderline burnt out and can't come up with anything decent and/or creative because it'd take too much time.
@@theninjaassassin4468 The Psychos in Borderlands were so good, that devs even made a playable Psycho character, who, by the way, has one of the most awesome trailers even outside of Borderlands 2 universe. Its briliantly hilarous.
Tooooo beeeeee faiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr✊🏻
We were really spoiled by those original Halo NPCs like the grunts and Marines. They sure don't make them like they used to.
If they did, it'd be time wasted on NOT slicing the game up into something that can be later sold as DLC.
Justin Reschke genuine question did anyone have any expectations for this game? This game had next to no hype behind it..
The only other game that has decent enemy banter that I remember is Borderlands 2.
@@liFE-gt6or I did. The gameplay trailers looked good, and skillup did a pretty positive pre-release impressions video about how awesome the combat was. The shooting IS good, it's just that everything else is mediocre at best and most of your time won't be spent shooting things.
In Halo 1 I would feel bad if any of my marine buddies died. I'd repeatedly start from the last checkpoint until I was able to save them.
Microtransaction cosmetics in a single player game? LOLOLOLOLOLOLL
Key word "cosmetics"
MTs exist everywhere because gamers buy them everywhere. We need to start blaming ourselves.
Micro-transactions have no place in full priced games, let alone Single Player full priced games. Cosmetics are in-game costume that only have value while you play the game. You should earn them in game via gameplay; that way you are playing the game more to actually earn them and playing some more to show it off. You should NOT have to pay to skip that experience.
@@ItsRawdraft2 keyword is microtransactions... And also singleplayer
Right? Like who is buying this stuff? Why would you even care about cosmetics in a single player game? Who are you trying to impress? So many questions.
Why have paid cosmetics in a single player game? You can't even show it off lol
@Natty Bennett Yeah especially because you can earn it in game very easily with the copious amount of cash the game throws at you. Weird no one talks about that part.
The real answer is that the sort of person who'd buy stuff like that has an actual disorder they need help with, not cruel exploitation.
Because people are stupid enough to buy it.
Not defending IAP, but not everyone buy stuff to show it off to other people. I bought some horses and armor in AC Odyssey just because I like them.
@@kpjlflsknflksnflknsa wrong. its like paying for A PICTURE of a tattoo that can be taken from you at any time for any reason because you dont even own it.
2:18 I simply love how he shot the mannequin thinking it's an enemy.
R.i.p yapyap you will be truly missed.
And don't forget poonflip the flippiest poon I ever knew.
@@Koops_0 F
Hunh... thought the dudes name was dabdab...
Best scene lol
10/10 shotgun
5/10 game
Accurate
pretty much, damn shame it is
Shotgun is too good, it blast the ending in pieces
Not if you use the different weapons and abilities.... but for Skill up he seems to use just a shotgun... now that's boring
7.5/10 game
Avalanche did the open world part.
Well, there's your problem. Avalanche is only good at making open world games vast as an ocean and deep as a puddle that get very repetitive very fast.
Mad Max a great game tho. The open world fitted the style of gameplay. ( Challenges , car cobat , exploration ). It was empty but it was a wasteland so what did you expect? Mad Max has other problems ( Not interesting NPC for example ) . The open world is not one of them
@@zoisantonopoulos7999 agreed, but still no excuse for a boring open world. Loved Mad Max for what it is though.
@@zoisantonopoulos7999 I loved Mad Max as well, especially that $15 price tag, but it copied cookie cutter open world mechanics without improving on them.
Wait, the people that made Just Cause made this? Everything makes sense now. To be fair though, just cause is a game series you have to have a good imagination with, otherwise you're not going to get your full enjoyment and stop playing them.
This game however......yeeeeeaaaahhh, it should have been linear or like Tomb Raider, with a combination of open-world and linear.
Disagree. Avalanche can, and does, make super fun games that are no more repetitive than any other video game (which of course, they all are).
"It's fine. ...and that's OK."
The most savage criticism you're ever going to hear
.... no it's not?
It all comes down to personal taste...I thought that this game was soooooo much better than FC New Dawn
@@stefanhell3521 Same rage 2 is fucking awsome in my opinion
@@Governor.exee1 It really depends on how much you enjoy the combat and how long it stays interesting for you. Fun game to just kinda tune out to and have some fun, but I can see why SkillUp didn’t find it to be the most grabbing story and game overall when he plays so many.
Oh my God, this sounds like the Coke thing all over again.
Good when sipping small samples, Bad when you drink the whole can.
I'd have liked to try New Coke; should've reintroduced it as a spin-off, like Diet or Zero, after the backlash died down.
...Coka cola is good...
A 15 minute review by skill up. You know what's up.
Had to watch it twice to get my fix
Yea it's what happens when he doesn't get a review code lol
@fabian vermeulen He doesn't know what he's talking about?
- Does the open world feel barren?
- Are you gated from the main story until you complete a certain amount of grindy side missions?
- Is the main story done within the timeframe he gave?
- Are the npcs samey? Do they lack personality?
- Is the driving bad on PC?
- Are there cosmetic microtransactions?
He didn't say it was a bad game. He said that you should be aware that the combat is what's going to carry you through, and that wasn't enough for him personally.
@fabian vermeulen He literally called it a good game at the end of the video. Word for word, that's what he said. At least watch the video in full before you spread misinformation.
@fabian vermeulen Yikes, I don't agree with removing comments.
But a bug-free game isn't something i'm going to be happy with, that's the standard - despite what many companies these days would try to make us settle for.
If you like it, you like it and that's good. It doesn't look like a bad game and I actually intend to pick it up in the future. But I still think his review is fair enough.
I'm curious - how are the load times? Sony consoles are known for absurdly long loads and I wonder how it stacks up here.
A 10 hour open world story w hours of forced grinding??
That’s a bold move Cotton, let’s see if it pays off!
More like a 5 to 7 hour story and 10 to 15 max of open world bs
DJ Cinquegrani A dodgeball reference? You sir, are a man of exquisite taste
@@Spr1ggan87 'everyone' isn't disappointed. Just the usual bunch of journalists and critics who would rather see a game fail than to give it fair shot because it doesn't adhere to their political ideology or isn't the kind of have they like but refuse to let someone else who does like it perform the review instead of them.
Spr1ggan meh, it sounds like you dont ‘unlock’ the map in rage 2 tho.. and if the gameplay is like Doom for the most part.. thats hella one-note.. point and click shooting, with an emphasis on blowing an enemy half way across the screen (which i never liked personally).. no stealth.. or good melee.. i bet most will complete this game with their shotgun only for the most part, but you get what im saying... then the world they’ve made which is one and done, is empty, except the markers.. which leads to little exploration and finding nodes/icon points yourself, if thats true... i could go on, but this is getting long.. seems ubisoft may just do it a bit better? But i havent played rage2 and ive been considering it.. one thing journalists do, is rush through a game.. so they’ll most likely miss 75% of the game around them... if not more.. which was true of all of the reviews of days gone ive seen.. which is sad, because Days Gone is fucking kick ass! Keeps getting better and better!
@@Spr1ggan87 "suddenly disappointed" nah
Just finally waking up to the idea that fluff shouldn't make up such a significant portion of the game.
Bethesda's been doing it since what, before Morrowind? I only became aware of it with Fallout 3 because that was the first game I actually focused on the story, but it seems like Bethesda's been "small story, BIG padding" for a good while now.
Also, people aren't really letting Ubi get away with it as much, either. Especially when they tie progression to side content and use the grind to leverage xp microtransactions on you.
They cut out the rest to sell it as DLC. It's why it finishes so abruptly. (Just a conjecture, but a convincing one given the state of the AAA industry)
The first game ended abruptly as well...
Disgusting DLC trash.
@@65firered The first game ended abruptly because they ran out of money and time to actually finish the game..
@@andreasernst1568 But it's was made by id under Bethesda. What were they doing?
Considering how Bethesda has been acting the last six months I'd easily believe that's what happened.
I've been having a blast with this game.
"You killed Yapyap!" 😂
Never forget YapYap the 1243424nd, a.k.a. "The Jerk Store Grunt".
Weirdly I had a feeling it would be like this, most open world games follow a similar formula for a reason
Hey, man. I wouldn't try to stop you from buying, just wanted to chime in with my experience. Problem is, in my opinion, not that Rage 2 implements the formula, it's that it implements it poorly. Very, very poorly. It's like here is what you can do in any other open world game but worse.
They need to kill the formula, it's killing games
Getting bored with recent huge open world sandbox games whether it's Sony exclusive or not. It's getting oversaturated now.
I'm totally okay with Yakuza's style of open corridor, exploring the city, at least they're fun with lots of variety things to do but I'm kinda bored with huge open area like God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn and Day's Gone. It's just ruining the pacing.
Well after playing Skyrim or Fallout it ruined my taste in opened world games. I cannot stand playing games like gta or far cry, maybe red dead is exceptional that’s due to the immersion but eh it’s rather dry after a while.
So it's basically killing a lot of things with a very nice shotgun but it gets boring quite quickly.
If thats all you want to get out of it then yeah. Most weapons and abilities are pretty fun. If you like a Doom type combat feel give it a shot. Those who aren't sure about the game probably wont have long a long wait till its dirt cheap.
@@candycabngfl
True enough, IL be grabbing it when it's about £20 in a couple of months. No hurry.
@@bricktop. same, going to pick it up in a few months,or whenever I don't have anything else to play.
The combat and music are the only thing carrying the game. It's a solid 7 but not worth the $60. I enjoy the time I've put into it, but the open world is so boring.
$30 or less is a good price for this. If i knew what i knew now i would've waited myself.
@@Artis_OTS 30 dollars is fair but skiillup undersold the combat. The story is garbage but the combat is really amazing
Can’t wait for Bethesda to respond to SkillUp with “who are you anyway” lol
They have done that before!?
@@cyberpunkdenton9497 Yeah an IGN writer made an article about how rage 2 was coming out, but you wouldnt know it because the marketing has been so bad.
The Girth not to mention the canvas bag controversy, Bethesda’s PR department is pretty good at representing their “don’t give a fuck” attitude with everything
There's this British guy, journalist, his thing is he's always mad, and he's got a hard-on for me....
cosmetic stuff in a single player game ?
why, lol ?
As Angry Joe would say, it's there "Because FUCK YOU, GIVE ME MORE MONEY!"
Skins/customisation is always good as long as it's free.
@@EraVulgaris- I guess but in a first person shooter?
@@acewolfgang276 Gun skins, vehicle skins, changes to the gun model (parts missing etc.), player home customisation.
If you're talking about it from the side of micro-transactions, its there because people are greedy and need cash.
If you're asking it as in "Why would anyone want to customize appearance of their equipment in a singleplayer game?", hell, I don't even know. Some people prefer to have options, no? Same as in multiplayer games. Not everyone uses skins just to show them off to other players.
"You killed Yapyap!"
For me the DNA this game gets from DOOM is enough for me to enjoy the hell out of it. Of course, I payed like $7.50 to redbox it for three days, so, my investment is minor.
I honestly think the combat is so good and the progression so well tied to critical game play systems that it's well worth it's asking price.
You paid $8 to rent a game for 3 days... why? 😆
Jesus, the GOTYE will be $20 for a sealed y-fold in a couple years.
@@ghfjfghjasdfasdf - You can get everything of worth out of this game in 3 days easily..
Its a lot cheaper renting and completing it than buying it and getting ripped off on a trade in. Same for about 90% of the games coming out atm.
@@ghfjfghjasdfasdf you'd like r/patientgamers
Me, I will be on the next big thing in two years, I won't want Rage 2 then, I want it NOW for cheap, and redbox is perfect for that. You can get games ON release day and beat them over a weekend for under $10. Perfect system, imo.
Nothing beats waiting a couple years and getting a sealed y-fold copy of a game for $10-20. You own the physical release, in cherry form, and didn’t have to beta test it like all the other cucktards.
Win/Win
Anything from Bethesda is Buyer Beware. They lost me as a customer when they decided to sell "not paid mods".
Bethesda published this game. They did not develop it
@@snarp408 Bethesda still has their dirty hands in it. Ngl, I am not excited for Doom Eternal or Elder Scrolls VI.
I understand that. But with Bethesda as a publisher, expect lots of "extras" for you to purchase. Bethesda is worse than EA imo. At least EA has to be greedy because of investors. Bethesda is just greedy because they want to be.
@@deceptionswrath3710 When you forget that avalanche did the same dirty shit to just cause...
Ever since your first Anthem Review, I've really enjoyed watching your videos and I really think you have the best review content on this platform. It's really easy to follow your line of thinking, everything is methodical and organized, and you're not afraid to go against the flow to say the good things about really bad video games, and the bad things about really good videogames. Every video flows like a documentary and you've really done a great job.
Oh, I remember this game. It's one of the most enjoyable first person shooter experiences I've had in a game in a while. Story was bare bones as hell and the forces driving was basically only fun when you would play chicken with other cars only to do you power slide right in between two of them at the last second, but really fun nonetheless.
By fps experience, I mean combat if that wasn't obvious. Combat is fun as hell.
I've played this 3 days - fairly long sessions.. Probably over 20 hours played now and I've yet to be bored even once and I think the next mission is the last one in the campaign.
I went into it knowing nothing about it and I've just gone with the flow of the game, not going towards the campaign specifically, but whatever catches my interest in the general areas on the way to the next campaign mission. I've absolutely loved it.
Alot of the upgrades (which there are many of) are completely tied to side mission stuff and if you just go through the story... Yeah I could imagine it can get boring with such a limites toolbox of destruction.
I guess I just accidentally played the game in the most enjoyable way - as every time things have started to slow down, I've got the next weapon or ability - or half a dozen new perks.
That in turn makes me excited to run into any combat out there to try and flow those tools together in an even more satisfying way than before and it's just incredibly fun.
Shame so many people think it falls flat. Honestly after the first 2 days of playing and thinking it has been great, I was shocked to see how bad the reviews were, since I've loved it so much.
But true, it's no story driven game. But if you want alot of action gameplay, RAGE 2 offers it in a great way.
I had this same experience. Someone asked me what i thought about Rage 1 and i thought it was terrible. I still loved the game though. So i was excited about Rage 2 but hadnt been following it. So when i jumped in i was thrilled and having tons of fun, but the reviews were terrible. I didnt get it. Skyrim is critically acclaimed, and this is SORT OF the same thing, but with guns. People are saying the world is empty. Nothing in it. Skyrim was the same way. You could argue that there was more 'stuff' in the open world but for the most part you ran everywhere in Skyrim and nothing was going on. So i dont really get it. Maybe its because that came out 8 years ago and we are massively spoiled? I think Skyrim is incredible, dont confuse that. Im only saying that Rage 2 has plenty going on with it, it just might not be what youre looking for.
I played this ... And i really hate open worlds with boring side content and boring ...
Thank you so much for paying full price and beta testing the game for me.
I will enjoy the GOTYE for $20 for a sealed y-fold in 1-2 years.
❤️
I'm enjoying the game as well.
Sarcasm well hell! Good to hear a report like this. I’ll at least give it a go then and see what happens!
I liked Rage 1, put aside the open world. It felt like the classic FPS I loved.
Not one of the trailers seemed nice to me. Simply didnt look anything like Rage 1
Rage 1 is a much better game than this from what I've seen.
Had moments in Rage, and generally liked it. Good that I bought it.
Would have loved an extended Rage 1 w/ updated story, larger world etc etc. Seems like a hard skip indeed. May try it on a sale. Shame cause iD and Avalanche deserve the support.
"classic FPS" nice joke. Rage 1 was ID's worst game at the time. The only ones who would call it a classic are the same one who call MW2 a classic. Nothing from the game would have you believe these were developers of Doom or Quake. Rage 2 at least tries to bring back the power fantasy that made classic ID great.
So everything ID made was amazing? Yet everything they didn't touch was terrible? Why is anyone surprised here?
I will wait till its on sale. Im truly waiting for Borderlands 3!
Man if they gave us another Borderlands 2 that would be awesome but gameplay wise its looking like a clear improvement overall on the borderlands gameplay loop.
I played through both Borderlands games (didn't really like the Pre-sequel) and really didn't enjoy them that much. So if you could share your opinion that'd be great. 'Opinion' as in: Why are you hyped about more-or-less the same game?
My nigga finch real nigga
@@TheSorcerer1 Because we're all desperately trying to relive our memories of being younger and playing games with our friends and we thing the sequels will bring all those good memories back and we'll have just as much fun as we used to until we realise it really is the same thing again and we have higher standards for video games now and we're all a little dead insideand nothing will be as good as it was when we were young.
why borderlands 3 is so boring!!!
Got this on game pass this week, having a great time with it
Everything you said here was spot on. That said, I got this on gamepass and the combat is so good that I'm completely willing to overlook the myriad flaws with the plot and open world setting. I've been having an absolute blast with it and I think it's worth it at a discounted rate (or free with game pass). Plus it's one of the best looking games I've ever played tbh. I think overall its a decent game with major pros/cons and I think it just really needed more polish. It could've been something really special with a bit more care and effort.
So i would say we can learn from these and make a better game.
Inb4 Jason Schreier reveals that bethesda has been slaving Skyrim modders to make rage 2
As an older gamer with family/job. A 10 hour campaign is welcomed. I’ll finally have time to finish a game or campaign lol. Cheers
Idk man quality over quantity. I like long campaigns but even that I didn't like FFXIII be ause the story was just poorly developed. There are tons of short games (maybe you like fps so that could be the reason why it's welcoming) and you can easily get more of those sotrywise.
Guess it's like saying "hey I'm not gay but sex y sex so it's welcoming"
this could explain why the marketing seemed weak, just wasnt anything else to show after the initial trailers
you are on point there...the company is at least savvy enough to not pour money down the drain on marketing, they'll grab as many early over-priced sales as possible, then the game will sink into the back catalogue....meanwhile they push FO76 and get ready for microtransactioning the hell out of the next Elder Scrolls.
The marketing was all over the place, it’s just that many people didn’t really care.
Very underrated game.
Gameplay is bonkers fun, level design is mediocre, driving is barebones, story is forgettable, mechanics are boring aside from weapons and SOME powers.
They really needed some creative personal on mission structure and driving. Car combat was really forgotten. No customization or unique enemy vehicle scenarios. This game needed to keep adrenaline pumping. Shooting reved it up and everything else slowed it down.
"gameplay is no let's fun"..."mechanics are boring" what!?
Filipe Saramago let me guess.
Auto/google translate.
Bonkers=crazy=loco.
Mechanics in game boil down to shoot all bad guys in this camp, repeat. Enemies have no unique quirks to mess with player. Vehicle combat in this is on par with gta, which is ass.
I found the gameplay to be really generic, like any other pew pew shooter which has the complementary hit markers along with threat indicators and run + gun shooting. The weapons don't feel special or unique either. Or maybe I am just tired of shooters. I only play dota 2 these days.
@@RenegadeVash what translation are you talking about? Did you use a translator to put your comment in English?
Otherwise saying that mechanics, which are part of gameplay are boring but the gameplay is fun and not boring makes no sense at all... Are you confusing gameplay and mechanics?
As an example, shooting a gun is a mechanics, how it feels, etc. How often and in which occasions you shoot the gun is gameplay
@@marcusrat4466 I hope you don't get burnt out from Mobas then, no opposing motives, just hope you don't get burnt out on Mobas
Sounds like this should've had a co-op option, like Borderlands.
sounds like ure gay brother.
@@Drothen- ur mom is fat and slime
Yeah this game could definitely benefit from co op
Rage 1 was so much more atmospheric and the shooting was great
I find it ironic that everyone wants to compare Rage 2 with Borderlands, Doom and Mad Max, and yet almost no-one seems to be comparing it to the most obvious game - the first Rage. I'm not surprised in all honesty, because most people didn't even play the orignal Rage, and out of those that did, only a minority thought it was anything special. I'm with you as being one of those 5 people who thought it was actually an excellent game, and it annoys me that the developer and publisher have generally acted like the orginal Rage never happened, and when it is mentioned, they try to downplay its relevance (for example, mocking the ending and making almost no attempt to cater to original fans).
As for the sequel, I hope that the really fun combat will carry me through the tedious open-world aspects of the game, but I'm not expecting it to make anywhere near as much of an impact on me as the original did. I guess we'll wait and see, but I feel the disappointment of that small minority who actually saw something special in the original, and have instead been greeted with a generic open-world soft-reboot.
Come on Bethesda, a sequel to Prey 2017 would be much appreciated
I can't think of a more underrated game in the last 10 years tbh
Prey was boring af not gonna lie. Arkane's version of bioshock was a miss
.....or even better revive that Prey 2 that got cancelled. That look amazing.
I'd prefer the bounty Hunter in space version.
Meh
4:25 you forgot to mention that there was another cutscene that wrapped up the story after the credits. I’m pretty sure the devs threw the credits in there like that as a joke to mock the ending of RAGE 1.
This guy looks like Charlie Sheen and Corey Feldman's love child
Now that you mention it...
Same hair even lol!
Corey was to young to have a baby when they screwed, so it's not possible.
Ralph, you've got some great insights and I love your editorial style, but I have to say I prefer the more concise format you're using here. Short, sweet, and to the point :-)
A 10 hour game, with forced grinding, that’s repetitive, forgettable levels,poor story and characters, that’s $100 in Australia.
Hard pass from me, not nearly worth it.
Thanks for keeping me informed 👌
WITH MICROTRANSACTIONS FOR COSMETICS
You need to do like, a couple of 5 minutes long activities to progress the story. You don't need to level up like with AC: Odyssey in order to progress, which took hours upon hours. I don't mean to defend the game blindly, but '' forced grinding '' is pushing is far as hell.
@@p-o2938 grinding is bad. if i wanna work ill go to my job. Games are an Escape and not a job
@@gelul12 Grind is fine and even welcome if it is enjoyable. People play Warframe to grind out new weapons/frames in a simple gameplay loop. The thing is those players find the grind enjoyable, that the game has a great gameplay loop that keeps them coming back. Hell Looter Shooters are currently one of the most popular genres out there and the entire point of them is to grind in a fun gameplay loop.
Grind is not necessarily a bad thing. It is not good to demonize it since a fun grind in games leads to a good game. It is bad when it is repetitive and not fun. Many people hate grindy games though, which is fine. That does not eliminate it's place in games and the market though.
@@haruhirogrimgar6047 like i said its not my thing and it sucks most Games use the mechanic these days. But thats me. i hope it fades fast.
2:57 the moment I saw that I barfed. Yep that's the open world design of today, map full of busy work.
It's like 3-4 different activities copy and pasted throughout the map to look like 'lots of stuff to do'. Ubisoft does this a lot as well. Yakuza games on the other hand are the best in terms of open world activities.
same, and i usually like the open world-y tropes, i am that compulsive gamer that likes clearing maps. but i just flashbacked to the repetitive grind of Mad Max and, much like that game, i put it on the "wait for a hard sale" list
Wow. A review and no fair warning that the ending was going to be spoiled. Thanks.
Rage 2 is an absolute delight to play. Great summer game. Going to be revisiting this one several times over the next few months. Definitely worth my money.
Brandon Campbell it’s a fantastic game people are too goddamn spoiled these days.
@gildas wantier Oh, look: an unsolicited, negative comment from a random elitist on RUclips. I'm Shocked. SHOCKED!!!!
So when some reviews said the campaign felt short at about 10 hours, they were generously including the 4 hours of faction grind in the middle?
Finished game in 14-ish hours and really enjoyed the combat. Mission design and all side content are generic though. I'm not one for a game must have 40 hours of content to justify $60, but what is here is barebones on top of being a short game. There are zero creative missions or memorable moments. The mobility and shotgun carried me through the game. I took my time and still finished the game under 14 hours. Once all the expansions and patches are out this game will be an easy recommendation at $30 or less.
Call me crazy but I funking love this game! The look and the feel of it is great, not to mention the combat!!
Youn are not crazy for liking something good.
This is a fantastic game! Underrated gem!
Yeah for real though. This is the skill up curse game has to be exactly how he thought it shoulda been to be good he's thrown so many amazing games a I do not recommend or title like this then no one cares about the game anymore
@@bp4861 thats fair, but he explains why he bounced off of certain titles, and he highlights what he enjoyed.
As a person who loves the Ubi formula, who likes mindless looting and shooting, I can love the games without really disagreeing with the critiques in general.
@@Ryattt81 specifically this game is decent. I got it for free on PSN, and I like it so far!
@@bp4861rage 2 is like
10% good combat
90% boring driving though dead wasteland between combat
Definitely, it's skill up's weird standards making him dislike the game
This is no DOOM 2016 clone in a wasteland. The way this games systems work, aggressive play is not only highly satisfying, but rewarded. If you thought it’s a gunplay game, wrong, as it’s so much more. I’ve never felt like such a bada_ss before in an FPS.
The story mode is not very long. The main gist is exploration, building up your powers, skills, abilities and weapons, and wrecking face.
This is the kind of game you will want to get good at. The more in the groove you can be, the better you understand the flow of the hyper aggressive systems, and put it to use, the more like a total bada_ss you’ll become.
Try the game on Normal. You’ll see what i mean. But Nightmare and Ultra Nightmare are where the game systems shine, because you’ll have to bring everything you’ve got. And if you do, you’ll destroy even the hardest settings. Including the Ironman mode. One life.
I was gonna give this game a shot because it looked fun and I still have a little bit of hope in Bethesda. Thank you for showing me those microtransactions, which I wasn't aware of. I will not buy this game.
I've played this for 12 hours and honestly wasn't even aware there were microtransactions, it has a store in the options menu, nowhere else.
And all the skins are EASILY obtained in game without additional purchase.
@@angelus877I don't care how unintrusive they are. I can't stand the practice of microtransactions in full priced single player games as a matter of principle.
@@AelfricBlack your principles are illogical and old fashioned considering games remain the same price they have always been despite inflation going up by atleast 50% and game development getting much more expensive. If people like you continue to pass on games just because of microtransactions you will soon enough find yourself only having free-to-play games that have TONS of microtransactions.
For every game like God of War that does AMAZING there are 10 others that strive to just break even.
Remember that in 20 years when 90% of games are F2P.
@@angelus877 The effects of inflation and increased development cost are mostly canceled out by the fact that the games industry consumer base has grown massively over time. Yes it costs more to make games but they still make a shit ton of money because they sell to way more people than they would 10-15 years ago. Also companies no longer need to spend anywhere near as much money on making physical copies and shipping them out to places because the vast majority of people buy games online. Using a company's online launcher/store is much more profitable for them than if you bought a physical copy from Gamestop or something, especially with that increased consumer base. Plus they can refuse refunds, and they can constantly shove advertisements in the consumers' faces. These companies are smart, they know how to make more profit without increasing prices and they've been working hard at exactly that for over a decade.
I don't usually pass on games just because of microtransactions (might wait for a sale tho), but companies like Bethesda, EA, and Activision have done plenty to deserve the disdain and mistrust people like Simone hold against them. I can't respect anyone who defends companies like them. Great games with microtransactions will still sell well, we've seen this proven plenty of times. And none of us knows what the games industry will look like in 20 years, it's douchey to act like you do.
I always love your reviews Skill Up, however, having around 8 hours so far played in the game, I am finding it absolutely enjoyable, for the exact reason you're giving it demerits. I think the thing that sets us apart, as you mentioned, is that if you actually _do_ the exploration and pink/yellow side missions as you are going through the game rather than rush through the campaign, it can be really enoyable. Again, you did mention this, and I am saying I agree with you for those that like to multi-task the markers with missions.
i don't mind games like agents of mayhem or this kind of story im more of a simple kind of game that will barely sold game like godfather 2 and play it anyway and that its interactive entertainment so its not like so many movies now a days so there's that
If you played the first one the ending shouldn't be a huge surprise. It ended very abruptly as well.
Yeah. All the criticisms I've heard for this game seem to be repeats of Rage 1. I was hoping that Id Software would learn and make Rage 2 better, but I guess I was wrong. smh
@@angelscross9026 except, the first one actually had an atmospheric and immersive world, this is just Farcry and Doom 2016 had a baby....meh
@@gabrielrodriguez4411 that makes me want to buy it because I've never played either of those but a combo sounds good
@@CoercedJab eh depends if you like mindless killing sure, but if you've been there done that, it'll be too shallow to truly dive into...play the first page if you have an xbox360/ps3, this rage 2 is another example of crappy modern reboots
That only means they don't react to criticism
Imo the combat really does it for me, I love the monster nests, you have to balance checking where the nests are whilst bobbing and weaving between around 30 enemies, knowing if you kill one, two will take its place, high octane combat.
I know that longer reviews are your thing, but I really appreciated this shorter review. There's a reason journalism are all about brevity and being concise. People don't have a ton of time to devote to all their favorite things or people. It was really nice hearing your thoughts on this game and not needing to listen to a half hour of mostly irrelevant fluff. You got straight to the point and gave your thoughts - the good, bad, etc. Great review!
Just rent it on redbox, 3 nights for $7. Easy to beat within the deadline and a definite great time with no commitment lol
Wait, you can still rent games in America? Next someone will say you can still rent DVD/blu-rays.
You can
@@ghosface353 i mean yeah lol you can via a redbox kiosk. Granted its usually only a certain select of games. And yes, lots of people still rent dvds/blurays, its only like $1 per night lol. Is that not a thing anymore?
I'll probably buy after they release their dlcs and they do an edition that includes them.
NCNSGAMING Now THAT sounds like a plan! I enjoyed the 1st Rage. Nothing amazing, but I enjoyed it. Was hoping to AT LEAST get the same outta it’s sequel.
I had a helluva good time playing this game over the weekend. I went in with 0 expectations or hype and was blown by how fun the combat is. That being said, this is a perfect rental or wait for sell game. Still really fun though.
I love how honest a voice you are. You tell the good, the bad and your own bias, then leave us to decide. Exactly what I want to watch. Thanks.
This is The Review that makes me question all the other skill up reviews. He had a bad take on this one. Or at least different tastes than myself. He is not the reviewer for me. Rage 2 is fantastic and well designed. I love the open world. And the driving feels great: wheel-physics based like mudrunner or snowrunner. Boring is the last descriptor I would use for driving around the open world.
Excellent review as always! Quality work my good friend, absolutely astounding video!
Where is my 50 minute saga?! Still wuv you. ❤️
Me: it's nearly 11pm in my Place, need to sleep.
Also me: Oh, Ralph has uploaded a Video, well let's sneak peek in it
I literally am (probably) about to beat the game, and watched your review as you started your comment on grinding to get everything to stop is the day that I decided to stop going overboard. There’s nothing to the overall package to grind for it (unless you need to build your group) . I’m a father of soon-to-be one-year-old twins and to grind with this stuff and realize nothing comes to it is certainly frustrating.
But yeah, the shooting/abilities get you sucked in, which is why I can complain as I got this on game pass! Thanks for your review man. This is why I subscribed!
You know something is up when a SkillUp review has a total duration of a typical SkillUp intro
For all its faults the shooty pew pew is so fun that it kept me going through the whole game... I honestly stopped listening to whatever tf the npc were saying and was just exited to get to the next point for more pew pew...
the combat is really goddamn amazing, probably some of my favorite in the last 5 or so years other than doom 2016
I found the combat to be superior to doom because it does not devolve into shooting dozens of rockets at humongous enemies with the classic shotgun etc being basically useless. If anything rage really manages to translate its awesome flowing gameplay against many enemies into its later stages and boss fights
Initially is not about using the shotgun the whole entire time use your abilities mix things up.... that's how the game is suppose to be presented....
IMO this game's problem was the arcade feel and non-serious attitude which is a huge tonal shift from the Rage 1 which had a good world-building and somewhat okay story and great gun and vehicle based game play. Instead they went full Bulletstorm, abandoning all the important aspects that made Rage 1 a good game.
*Bulletstorm, even though is a critically acclaimed game, it didn't sell much. Bulletstorm is a non-serious game with a boring story that goes nowhere with no world-building and guns with gimmick that send bodies flying upwards with ragdoll physics which are made to sound funny with background commentary.
The Bulletstorm elements are very strong in Rage 2 from the very 1st trailer released.
just causes world was always boring imo
@Starwarsfan247 he didn't mention the story. He said the open world was boring, which I would agree for a multitude of reasons.
I disagree with just cause 2. Best open world ever. I cant comment on the other games
@@biker3982 yea i agree .... This open worlds need really good side content ...
Personally enjoyed days gone a lot. It was addicting and I couldn’t stop playing. Ended up platinuming it.
Samee
are we sure that shotgun isnt a sniper rifle? jesus christ lol
isnt going through tunnels and clearing areas basically doom 2016?
Been getting into this on gamepass. For that service, it’s perfect. Not the best game ever, but some good hours of solid fun, with enough surprises to keep the interest up a while. And it basically works, which is a lot more than I can say for outriders and dark alliance, the most recent 'big game' releases.
I picked it up too with pretty high hopes after seeing a lot of the previews. I pretty much agree completely. When it's fun, it's pretty damn fun, but that's not often enough to keep me playing for more than 30 min. at a time. I'll prob. keep it installed and come back to it once a week or so.
Looks kinda like Borderlands without memorable npcs or multiplayer.
But with more neon lights
Borderlands is trash
Open world exhaustion. Camps, towers, points on a map... it's all boring now.
Completely ignores the most important aspect, combat
Those elements can work in a well designed game, where they're truly optional. It is used as a crutch for lazy design by Avelanche, however.
@@R3GARnator Sure, I get what you are saying, and I love fun open world games as much as the next person. But as I was watching this, I couldn't help but think how bored I was of this same tired repetitive setup. The combat might be great, but the open world formula isn't fun. It's the skeleton, not the meat. And if the meat isn't good enough, all you are left with is a skeleton when you really want the whole cow. If that makes any sense.
Might have been better as a Bulletstorm game. I really enjoyed that one. Probably also about 6 hours of great, fun gun gameplay.
If you shoot the towers with the guns on your car, it goes much faster. It's also important to unlock the He's On Fire voice over and turn it on while you play
Dont know when it was decided to show face cam in skill up reviews but I support it 100%
RAGE 1 had a much better story than RAGE 2 did, also RAGE 1 took longer to beat and had a longer story.
Only played the demo for the first Rage, that demo now is more deep and interesting than Rage 2. Fuck me I bought this pile of shit for 60 dollars.
And rage 1 seemed short for me..
That's some pretty harsh criticism, considering RAGE 1 had an absolutely shitty story.
Who cares
Recently subbed to your channel- your reviews are the most thorough and honest game journalism I’ve seen in a long time. Sites like IGN can’t hold a candle to what you’re doing. Your Days Gone review convinced me to check the game out despite the mixed critical reception and I’ve been having a blast with it (despite the fact that it is definitely flawed in some key areas). Thanks for what you do!
Its actually a really fun game so much goes on in the open world and the combat is the best since doom 2016. Guess nothing impresses reviewers anymore.
If by "so much going on" you mean the same 3 side activities copied pasted across the entire map, then yes. But some of us would like a bit more variety. Busy work doesn't equal quality content to most of us.
lol
@@Palaquack59 no actually what I mean is stuff going on in the world. People trying to race me, a location that looks cool so I have to check it out, find a data pad about the guy who died there and found his buried treasure. Or how about finding a mutant merchant that travels the map literally selling cheat codes. Oh and it's more than "three" types of activities but you wouldnt know that because you haven't played the game. Next please
Love the honesty in this one. That's something game reviews seriously lacking still to this day. Well done!
I just beat Rage 2. I don’t think it deserve the metascore of 67. The gameplay was brilliant. However, I found the world to be boring, with hollow characters and a story that was subpar at best. Maybe the devs should have just made a full on DOOM clone. Rage 2 wasn’t a bad game. I personally give it a 7/10
I'm glad i bought Yakuza Kiwami 2 on PC rather than RAGE 2
I'm getting really worried about how the next Elder Scrolls game is going to turn out.
Same. Bethesda just doesn’t seem to make them like they used to.
This is published by Bethesda not developed by them even though Fallout 76 was a disaster I trust Todd Howard for TES 6
Getting worried? With bethesda's recent record you should be terrified
@@TheBoss-jc6le after 76? Never again
Fallout 76 was the biggest let down of 2018 and now Rage 2 is the biggest let down of 2019 so far...Good job Bethesda
Good thing ID games is keeping bethesda at bay while working on Doom Eternal
How is Rage a biggest letdown? Doesn't seem like a disaster to me, jus "meh".
Other than elderscolls and early fallout ive never seen an original and good quality bethesta game, maybe wolfenstein
I love this game as I did with Mad Max, lots of similarities. Just got the PlayStation Platinum trophy completing everything. About to download the dlc 😁👍
I feel like this is a fair review if you are a hardcore gamer who spends hours every week playing games but if you are anything like me (family, job, other interests) and you just want to have a blast when the opportunity arises then this game is the shit. In fact there are not enough games like this in my opinion.
as i keep seeing reviews im more convinced i did the rigth decision by skiping this game
Same. I've been on the ball with new games this year (even anthem), but this game made me hesitate and hearing this is nice since I got both Farcry New Dawn and Blood Dragon on sale and haven't had a chance to play them yet, so its good to know they will be great replacements for this after I'm done with Days Gone.
Dude farcry new dawn is shit compared to this game. The dude that made this video is a fool. This game is amazing. Best open world FPS ever made
@@cobrajammin7316 Best open world FPS ever made. And how many open world fps games have you played? One?
Bloomin Onion I’ve played all of them that aren’t on pc. Maybe you are playing the game wrong dude, I haven’t had a dull moment with it yet. I’m Constantly blowing shit up and causing chaos across the wasteland
Last bethesda game i ever buy, robbed by fallout 76 and cut content in rage 2 a single player game. I love the game but this is total bs.
@Gruff White Male Protagonist Not at launch, gonna have to wait and hope that id hasn't been destroyed by Bethesda aswell
What about Doom Eternal?
I think this "Forced Grinding" comes across differently based on how someone plays the game..
You focused main story and hit that block (which yes, probably sucked).
Where as in my case I have done some story missions, but usually stop and 100% each map event as I naturally pass or run into them on my way to the next mission etc, and have not had the issue you did.
So I guess I can see the criticism, but surprised you portray it as being the only way someone will experience the game.
I have personally already had more fun in about 8 hours of play than I had with Farcry New Dawn.
I basically rushed through that game in 10 hours the week before Division 2 cause I needed something to play, and just felt burned for the $35 or whatever I paid for it.
I agree there are things that should be better here... but imo it reminds me of older games, where things were more simple and just focused on playing the game.. and having fun, and putting it down when you are finished, and for me, it has been great at that!
Not sure that it is worth full price or not, but for the $40 (-$8 in rewards points, yaaaaaaa) It has been a great time so far.
Force grind usually just mean boring side content and chore like mission's
It just shows that they knew their story was not long enough at all, so they require you to chore through their filler content.
if its not main story it shouldn't be compulsory
Your take on the combat hook really reminds me of Agents of Mayhem for me, I loved the gameplay and combat so much in that game that it carried my across the gaps in the story and presentation.
I remember when you just used to play the division 1.
and man I'd never see this future of you being someone who reviews games.
and man I'm so glad you do because you help me so much from wasting my money. or waiting out a game or just buying it. and I thank you man. no homo ;)
I guess I'll wait for a steam sale. I'm still enjoying days gone right now anyways. Great review as always!
Lol. Same. Days Gone is so good.
you're gonna show the ending of the game in a review? really? ok i know you only showed a little bit but like nah don't do that
@@thishandleistacken wasn't that the whole point? To tell people this game rly isn't worth it? For what it's worth I'm glad he spoiled the end. Now I don't have to dredge thru that generic story to find out :D
@@thishandleistacken If you don't care about the plot, why care about spoilers?
@@thishandleistacken But isn't it laughably predictable if you already know it before you even start watching it? In that sense he's doing you a favor
Tom Leon do you not know how reviews work
My biggest mistake was playing new dawn a couple weeks before this came out. I've had 5x the fun with new dawn and it's only 40$
Lol trash
5:23 I live in southern Florida.. and this guy's shoulder fan looks like the perfect thing for the summer down here. When the tourists go home, they do so because the nice 75°, low humidity Florida winter is over, and the brutal reality of summer sets in. The power goes out sometimes, too.. and that fan ..I can't stop thinking about it! lol I'd need one on each shoulder, though.
I just finished the game:
1. Best looking sandbox shooter on last gen period.
2. Beter than Farcry 4, Primal and maybe even Farcry 5.
3. Different approach to shooter games that pays of.
4. Thanks to those fast combats i wanted to play that game even if side mission are very similar to each other.
5. Immersion can kill game experience like it did in RDR2 i loved the story but i hated the gameplay that's why RDR2 was a big disappointment.
This game was fun and relaxing.
Definitely better than Farcry 5 imo, not even a close comparison.
Abrupt ending - copy/paste from first Rage.