Redfall landed on Xbox Game Pass earlier this week, and it's safe to say it's been a pretty controversial launch on the whole. 30FPS is the only way to play on console, the game has arrived with a litany of bugs and glitches, and to be quite frank, a lot of folks are straight up disappointed in Arkane's latest title.
Having said all that, we thought we'd give you the PX community a little bit of time to try the game out, get to grips with what Arkane is going for here, and just generally gauge your own thoughts and opinions on this important Xbox Game Pass release.
So... what do you think? Is Redfall as poor as the presses say? Is 30FPS unplayable? Or, are you having fun with what the Arkane Austin team has crafted with Redfall?
Our own review here at Pure Xbox landed somewhere in the middle. We had major issues with game's AI and felt that generally speaking Redfall doesn't match up to Arkane's previous efforts, but, we still thought the game was decent at 30FPS and didn't run into anywhere near as many bugs and glitches as some folks seem to be.
We do understand the criticisms levelled at Redfall, especially considering this is a $70 release from an Xbox first party studio, but we think there's a good game hidden underneath some dodgy AI and questionable co-op design decisions.
But, what do you think about what you've played of Redfall so far? Are you hugely disappointed, or surprisingly pleased with the game?
Leave your launch week thoughts on Redfall down below.
Comments 97
Obviously it isn't great. It feels unfinished and unfocused, as everyone has said, BUT I expect there to be a patch at some point that improves the frame rate, enemy AI and enemy density, which would actually make it a decent time at least. I never saw Redfall as being as vitally important as a lot of people did, so that's just me
Don't hate it and its fun enough but its mediocre at best and i'm very glad i'm playing it through GP. As a big AAA 1st party release MS needs to do far better.
I have to disregard the fact that it's on Game Pass. I think that just absolutely distorts the fact that you can walk in a store and buy a copy on a shelf for $70. I think this is bar none, the absolute worst video game ever sold at $70. I don't care if it's more accessible via a subscription, I want great games. I don't think many of us would have given this game the time of day were it not on Game Pass.
It’s a mess, buggy, low quality, graphics are poor, world is poor, gun play poor, enemies poor, AI poor, lacking in about every department a game could. 30fps is the least of its worries tbh.
It should not have released in the state it did. It is not fit for public use. Every negative review has been on the mark. It’s being panned everywhere by both critics and Xbox owners.
But of course the usual people will defend it. It’s a AAA current gen only title priced at £70, yet doesn’t feel current gen, or worth a fraction of that price. But Gamepass you say?! A bad game is still bad, and your paying for it in your sub.
Plus accepting this in the state is showing it’s ok for developers to release in this state, when it isn’t regardless of who/what console they release on.
The sooner Starfield/FM release people can hopefully build back up some trust in MS… I believe FM will be great on release.
@SplooshDmg nailed it right there.
terrible game, bad graphics, looks like an indie game with AAA budget, 30fps only for multiplayer game, cutscene only slideshow like a power point presentation lol . what a mess, uninstalled it
I like Redfall
I actually cancelled gamepass because of it. No longer worth me having it and I've been a supporter since day one. I'm tired of the lackluster games being released on it.
Maybe once Forza comes out I will get it again....maybe.
Haven't got round to playing it yet so I can't say too much.
But I will say from what I've seen on YouTube and reviews that I've read that it's a massive dissapointment to those who either subscribed to gamepass specifically for this game and to those who paid £70 for the game. Id be demanding refunds.
Surely this is Bethesda's worst game by far with a 56 metacritic rating.
When comparing it to other recent co op shooters it is average. I had this expectation going into Redfall so I wasn't too surprised by what was released. It seems like other people were expecting a lot from the narrative/story which is never the case with these "co op that can be played single player" games. A lot of the non-bug related criticism seems to come from misguided expectations. The game released is exactly what was shown in trailers.
I rolled credits on a solo playthrough as Jacob, I give it a score somewhere around 7.5/10. It is fun if you know what to expect. If you thought this was going to be game of the year material then you were misguided.
Ranking a few recents from the genre
Tiny Tina wonderland
Far cry 6
Borderlands 3
Rainbow 6 extraction
Redfall
Saints row
Back 4 blood
The anacrusis
Crap game but the games media definitely decided to dogpile on it. In a weird way they would have benefitted from sending early review copies. Games journalists are cowards in general, and many of the 2s and 4s would have been 6s on release day. Look at reviews for Cyberpunk on launch vs days later from reviewers who didnt get a prerelease copy. They get emboldened by the tide.
I'm with more than 5 hours in the game so far. The game have issues, I can't deny that, but I'm having a good time playing it. Gameplay is fun and story is nice. I'm enjoying secondary missions too, but now I'll start focusing on the main story more.
If quality is being ignored just because "it's on Gamepass" then very soon all games on gamepass would resort to this quality and that's all you'll be left to play with on the service. Let's not forget that the game is also being sold at Full price which is just day light robbery at this point given what the game has turned out to be.
@UltimateOtaku91 Sir I'd have to correct you here, the metacritic score is 59 not 56. Big difference.
From my perspective, I have only played the 'opening' section - but never really encountered a big issue, it seems 'typical' of many 3rd Party AAA games on the Market.
Going by DF's analysis, its inherited a LOT of Issues from UE4 - inc traversal stutter, although is at least 'better' than some 30fps games as it does have 'good' frame pacing apart from stutters.
I have opted to wait before venturing out to far from the Fire station until some patches/fixes are in place. I'm not 'waiting' specifically for the 60fps patch but I do expect that will require better CPU utilisation as even the 'best' CPU is unable to deliver 60fps without any 'stutter' or frame rate drops. Better optimising and 'the Coalitions' experience with UE4 could really help. I don't think its as bad as Gotham Knights and Jedi Survivor doesn't seem to be 'better' from a technical perspective either.
As for Story and/or the way its presented, I can't really comment yet. I do think it has a LOT of potential, but let down by execution. If the AI is 'fixed', bugs/glitches fixed, frame rate fixed etc, I don't think it would be a 90+ on metacritic, but maybe a 7-8/10 as all those things 'break' the flow and interrupt the immersion. It distracts from the 'Story' and its a story that seems to require you paying attention to the environment and details so 'issues' affect that more. Its easier to follow if its more 'linear' and presented via 'cut-scenes' so the 'state' of the game doesn't help. Environmental details you 'miss' because the texture hasn't loaded really screws up the environmental story telling Arkane are known for.
In my opinion, its just another in a LONG list of games that are definitely not worth the £70 asking price. I just hope it doesn't take as LONG as Cyberpunk has to get it into some semblance of a 'finished' game - but I can list 'numerous' games that have released over the past year or more with poor frame paced 30fps games, traversal stutter, bugs/glitches, visual issues, 'Performancer' modes that only hit '60fps' if you look at the Sky, missing modes/features (New Game +, Photo-mode, Co-op/Forge, Performance or additional modes, RT patched in after, etc etc) at launch.
We expect 'better' from 1st Party, but in reality, I don't think 'Redfall' is particularly 'bad' when you factor in the state of MANY AAA games on the market. Not that I am 'excusing' Redfall, I don't think Jedi Survivor was 'ready' to release either - game breaking bugs on platforms, traversal stutter, Shader Compilation stutter on PC etc etc
This is why I refuse to pay £70 for ANY game - none are worth that to me - even if they 'released' PERFECT 10/10 on Metacritic. They ALL have some issues - even H:FW had 'bugs/glitches' missions that 'broke', some issue with its reconstruction technique. Its often better to wait, spend 'less' on it as prices drop and get a much better, more complete experience.
Fortunately, Game Pass has meant I haven't 'wasted' £70 on Redfall only to be 'disappointed' and having to wait for fixes to play it as 'intended'. I can 'dip' in periodically as 'patches' fix things and still have my '£70' I can buy other games to play instead. There is a lot of potential and didn't have any 'glaring' issues putting me completely off in my 'short' 1-2hrs I have spent in the game so far. I doubt it would have had the attention, the scrutiny and/or backlash it has had if Arkane were still '3rd' party and would have just been yet another 'game' released too soon...
@Chaudy Its 56 on PC so I wasn't totally wrong lol I don't get why each version gets it's own score.
@UltimateOtaku91 lol yeah it's slightly higher on the Xbox not that it matters given how the game has turned out to be on console and PC.
@Chaudy You would think PC would be the higher one given that PC is more powerful so would surely run the game better and look slightly better.
30fps for the PC version just doesn't make sense.
@UltimateOtaku91 yeah true just shows that optimisation was never a priority for the development team. I guess they had too many problems with the game engine. Only they really know the real story.
I have 18 hours so far and although it has many problems, I can't wait to get back each time. And I have a big library of unplayed games on many machines plus Game Pass. Truly bizarre.
WAY better game than I expected. It's not a Triple A title, but it is a lot of fun. Story, gameplay, audio is very good. Graphics are disappointing, but certainly not game breaking. I think the review scores that IGN and Gamespot gave are a little harsh (4). I would say it's a solid 7.
There are always games that get torn apart in reviews that you see people come to it's defense and praise it for what it is (Wanted Dead for example) but I'm barely seeing anyone defending Redfall and that really says a lot about it.
@UltimateOtaku91 They collect the scores based on which version is reviewed. Xbox sites review Xbox versions for example so they collate those together.
I can understand why this reviewed 'worse' on PC as settings alone don't 'help' to set the game up to your hardware - essential for PC games. I can understand why they are less 'happy' because even a decent Ryzen CPU struggles to deliver a 'locked' 30fps with UE4's 'traversal' stutter and even the 'best' PC you could buy/build won't offer a 'locked' 60fps.
PC is a 'different' platform with different requirements. The player is expected to 'optimise' the game to their hardware. A 'serviceable' menu for Console is acceptable, but on PC, it needs to be more transparent, how it 'affects' the game, the resources etc so if they share the 'same' menu, it maybe fine on Console, but completely useless on PC - therefore the Console review could be misleading.
At the end of the day, a Review is still just an opinion and Metacritic collects a variety of opinions and averages them out. I could take the 'best' Redfall review (90 - by 'We Got this Covered') or take XboxEra's 85, or IGNSpain's 80 for example. 3/5 (60 on Metacritic) could be a 7/10 on another scale which also brings 'averages' down - so its not a 'perfect' system.
Despite the 'low' average, the console version has nearly 2x more reviews at '60' or above than below, 7 of which are 75 or above out of 55 reviews.
I'd rather play this 'today' than Forspoken but Redfall is a 'major' disaster because its 'first party' and therefore higher expectations, much more scrutiny with more people now going to check it out than would have if Arkane had remained 3rd Party...
@UltimateOtaku91 Redfall is sitting at 31% on Steam, and of course that is only reviews from people that actually bought this mess. I think PC reviewers tend to be a lot more critical of things like performance issues. TLOU1 being prime example. A commendable 88 on Meta for PS5 and an outstandingly bad 57 on Meta for the PC version. PC reviewers typically aren't shy to start slashing points off for avoidable performance issues, that console reviewers tend to maybe just ignore. Looking at you, Jedi: Survivor.
@SplooshDmg spot on.
I consider this game worse than Forspoken, that’s how bad it is.
Very bad release, definitely deserves the many low scores!
@Fenbops As it stands right now, Redfall is up for whatever the game equivalent of the Golden Raspberry award is. If something else comes along in 2023 and threatens to take that Razzie away from Arkane, then God help us all.
It’s not great, that can be seen. I’m still enjoying what is there - I’m just about to enter the second area, so can’t make a judgement on the whole experience just yet.
There are many issues with the game. I’ve encountered numerous bugs, such as being frozen on the spot, unable to move (the game telling me that I’’m “in the air” in onscreen text. I’ve also had a few hard crashes.
From a design point of view, it is a strange single player game. With no Xbox friends, and no matchmaking, it’s a solo option only. It feels like it would be a lot more fun in co-op.
The lack of NPCs in the world is notable. The lack of NPC dialogue, aside from quest-givers also stands out. The lonely traversal of empty spaces is unexciting. Confrontations with the poor AI in the open world doesn’t feel challenging. Graphically, it’s very hit and miss. Sometimes it can look fine, other times it looks decidedly ropey. Always online/no quick resume is an annoyance. The missions are fairly bland and lacking in variety. There also doesn’t feel like there are enough of them. Standard difficulty is too easy in single player. The vampire nests are also a bit pointless. They can quite easily be completed through stealth and their layout sometimes repeats. I’ve also had to replay a cleared nest because it didn’t register that it had been cleared. The time limit to find the exit at the end of the nests also feels too short - I’ve not noticed whether you lose the collected loot if you don’t reach the exit, presumably this is the case?
The main annoyance for me is the apparent lack of mission marker. Why do I need to add the blue ping marker to every mission objective? This feels like it’s simply something that’s broken. It’s a huge frustration to dip into the menu at the start of each quest.
However, there are things to like and enjoy. The premise and world are nicely thought out. It’s a shame to see the story regulated to lore items throughout the world. It feels like it would benefit from more active NPCs in the world - there isn’t a single instance of finding any other survivors outside the fire station in the first section. Whilst this is fully explainable, given the world is populated with vampires, it does create the feeling of a lifeless play-space, rather than a real world, which is a shame, as the design work in realising the town makes it feel like an authentic space. It’s also refreshing not to have deep menus bogged down in stats.
It doesn’t seem at all like the experience it was expected to be. It remains to be seen whether it will be patched and updated, or left to wither. It would be a shame to let this world and premise die, as the foundations are there for something great. Some NPCs in the world and some dynamic events occurring would help to add some life to the experience.
I’ve been a PlayStation gamer since forever and only purchased a Series S last year, predominantly to play Flight Simulator and to have access to the future Bethesda games. It’s somewhat of a disappointment that Redfall has turned out to be not quite as expected.
I shall see it through to the end.
I'm torn between trying it now to experience how bad it is or waiting until its fixed. Tough call considering its free on my £15 a month subscription service. Or is it so broken its unplayable and not worth the time?
@StonyKL
I wouldn’t say it’s broken. It has some bugs, some glitches, some crashes. This sounds bad, but it’s still a playable experience (I’ve been playing on Series S).
I wonder how “fixed” the game can be. Some of the major issues are fundamental design choices. Whilst these could be addressed, perhaps in a similar way to Fallout 76 - by adding more into the world - unlike that game, this is not a live game that warrants continued support.
A 60fps patch may be forthcoming, but there is more that could be done to improve the game beyond the increase in performance.
It's certainly not bad. Not great either though. I'll keep at it.
It's not of the quality I expect from Arkane, but I'm still having a blast with it.
Others have mentioned the numerous and unacceptable technical issues. It is a train wreck of a game that should never have been released in the state it is in. 30FPS is the least of the issues it has.
But even if you put all the technical issues aside, it still isn't a very engaging game. What makes an open-world game interesting is that there are things to engage you in the world and make you want to explore it. Redfall doesn't have this at all.
Honestly, I think this game would be more fun and have less technical issues if it wasn't open world.
@Vacuumator thanks I might give it a go. With such low expectations and seeing most of the bugs online already I may not find it disappointing
@Sebatrox you do know it’s not free right?
Enjoying playing redfall I resubcribed to gamepass for this game glad I did having great time with it don't really care what others as saying I like it
It’s not bad, bout a 6.5/10. It’s about as good as i expected it to be. I don’t know why they hyped it up so much. It was never gonna be a 9+/10. I just hope Starfield isn’t being overhyped an is average at best. That would be tragic for Xbox!
The more I play it, the more flaws I find. It's a pretty rough early beta build. But there is potential. Arkhane would have to shift gears entirely from Live Service. If it was me, I'd target long term goals of online/offline couch co-op. Live service has been done to death. But I can't recall the last truly great offline co-op shooter. And since 343 has butchered the Halo legacy of co-op, why not take up the mantle? Redfall has the potential of a truly great party game. But currently, it's the most rudderless AAA launch title I can remember. It makes Cyberpunk 1.0 look like a GotY candidate.
me likey but that host only progression makes no sense.
I want someone from Arkane to explain to the community why this is necessary. Maybe someone from the purexbox community has some good reasons.
@SplooshDmg
>I don't think many of us would have given this game the time of day were it not for Game Pass.
you're invalidating your own argument. coulda shoulda woulda.
What matters is what is.
@gooba I'm saying if we saw the reviews and they were asking $70 for this as the only way to play it, I doubt most of us would be running to the store to buy a copy. I for one wouldn't have had the chance to see this dumpster fire first hand without being able to just install it on Game Pass. Me being able to try the game did it zero favors.
@SplooshDmg
>I'm saying if we saw the reviews and they were asking $70 for this, I doubt
and my argument is: but they're not. at least not exclusively.
All the rest doesn't matter. At least for that part of your argument.
@gooba Okay, and my argument is just because it's on Game Pass doesn't get it a free pass for being a piece of crap. It's a piece of crap if it were literally free, and it's a piece of crap for $70.
@SpareCube be way cheaper for you just to buy forza though rather than game pass. I only buy games I’m interested in rather than bothering with game pass. For example I love the master chief collection and I know I’ll be playing it for hours and hours so I just bought it. No need for any subscription
It's honestly terrible. There are so many things wrong with it that I don't think patches are going to make it playable or fun. Aside from a million technical issues, it's just a poorly designed game. It makes me a little worried for Starfield, but there is no way it can turn out as bad as Redfall. They just need to move on from this garbage and chalk it up as a learning experience.
I tried it on PC so frame rate wasn't an issue but even on ultra settings it looks like a game from 2 generations ago and isnt particularly good to play. I had a bit of fun for an hour or so but it feels unfinished and messily designed, the AI is utterly woeful whether that be its inability of simply walking without getting stuck or the vampires which just walk in a straight line towards you.
If I'd have paid £60 on Steam, I would have refunded it pretty quickly
Seems cheap how enemies walk ima straight line to attack you I wish they would crawl and go on ceilings you know , make the game more horror the tone is too mixed up
I love how so many sony fanboys keep saying it's worse than forspoken, they are completely different games so comparing them makes no sense, it's like saying assassin's Creed is better than forza.
It's almost as if they're are saying "your bad game is worse than our bad game so Sony wins"
So sad
I've had a lot of time with Redfall and was very forgiving at first, I think it's because I'm a big horror fan and liked the atmosphere and shooting vampires and I still do but the cracks are more than evident after 7+ hours of play.
These Xbox 360 graphics, textures and performance in a AAA first party Xbox series x game are unacceptable and there really is no other way to put it and Microsoft really didn't have the wiggle room for such a failure and I don't know who but someone needs to be demoted or fired for allowing this game to release in this state and ask full price.
In terms of bugs I've encountered very few and nothing anywhere close to game breaking so there's a plus, the world is very fun to explore but the combat is so boring at times and the vampires are just not scary in the slightest and feel more like hotel Transylvania than Salem's lot.
Despite everything I'm saying I have still been able to squeeze some enjoyment from it but I think that a lot of that comes down to the atmosphere of the town (which is something the game has going for it) and the fact that hunting vampires just feels cool.
This game is 100% NOT beyond saving in my opinion, the 60fps will go a long way in improving the feel of the game and if they fixed up the textures, filled out the town a bit more with NPC's and more varied side quests, tweaked the A.I and made improvements to co-op this could easily be a fun little game worth everyone's time.
@UltimateOtaku91 Opencritic clumps all versions together, Metacritic does it separately. There’s pros and cons to each approach. If you have an awful PC or Switch port that gets 20 points lower for example should that lower the score on Console/Xbox? Each has its merits
I only played for half an hour or so to see if it was AS bad as reviews said. Far too early to have a full judgment but I did have a range of bugs from textures not loading in, AI not working, items floating in the air etc. even in that short time… it’s definitely not ready.
That all said it does feel like a dogpile, which I’m not a fan of. But it’s not just Sony fanboys, there are plenty of Xbox fans that are really disappointed. But I don’t think that’s just Redfall I think this is just the final straw from a lot of recent disappointment and Redfall has taken a lot of that heat.
I still think Xbox is going to have a great not-E3 showcase and have a strong end to this year. I just pray that Starfield hits as hard as we all hope. Chin up Xbox homies, todays not your day but it will come.
@Sebatrox why do you have to always bring Sony up? This game has NOTHING to do with them. It’s a poor game from Bethesda/Microsoft. It doesn’t matter what any other game has/hasn’t got in it this is about Redfall.
You can champion MS all you like/defend all you like no matter how sad it is. You may not think Redfall is bad, and that’s great that you like it. But we have all tried it, and the general consensus among players/critics is it’s a bad game, for a host of reasons. Even the head of Xbox has come out and said it isn’t up to scratch.
Sometimes it would do you some good to see the other side. Because blind loyalty isn’t great. Criticism where it’s due is fair. When Xbox get it right they get their praise, I.e pentiment. When it’s messed up, they get criticism, just like any other release would.
@Sebatrox MTX's are an in game economic system, so that's a while different story and debate, and there's a debate to be had questioning the ethics of a lot of it. But we've discussed this, you aren't changing my mind, and I'm not changing yours. There's really no point to this. If it's bad enough that the head of the company basically went on an apology tour, it's bad enough for me to call it a crap game. I'm not making apologies for it, I'm not looking for the silver lining because it's on Game Pass. Until Xbox quits doing this crap, I'm going to yell at them.
Removed - flaming/arguing
@Sebatrox You having fun with Redfall isn't a problem, but you always bring playstation games into arguments bashing them. Take forspoken for example you're always putting it down yet here you are enjoying a worse game (by metacritic) and don't like people saying its crap.
The roles have reversed, and if you don't like it then maybe in the future it will prevent you from bashing playstation games for no reason.
Removed - flaming/arguing
I’m having fun with it. Feels like a blend of Arkane, borderlands and the division. Had a blast with a friend. Some funny bugs and performance issues.
Removed - flaming/arguing
@themightyant Hmm Open critic seems to be more harsh that way, as you say the switch does have a few bad ports that work perfectly on xbox/playstation so wouldn't be fair to bring the overall score down. I think Metacritic has it spot on but they need to fix their user score system to include people must log in via an playstation/xbox account to validate they actually played the game.
Removed - flaming/arguing
I'm enjoying it. Is it polished? No. Will it be? Yes. Are there an overabundance of haters for no reason or just want to cry over the 30 fps? HELL YES!
@armondo36 Agree with you 1,000%. But people really wanted and hoped for new IP. Having a new franchise in Xbox world be very welcome.
@SpareCube Or you could just straight up buy Forza and save yourself of having to pay a monthly subscription? That's smart thing to do.
Personally, I'm INCREDIBLY tired of the money sinks that are monthly subscriptions in our faces 24/7, 365.
@UltimateOtaku91 frankly I don’t care about user score. I’ve rarely seen it fairly represent a game, and if it did I’d think like a broken clock or Michael Pachter by basic logic it has to be right sometimes. I read nothing into it.
A ridiculous number give games 0 or 10 with very little nuance. It just seems to attract moronic behaviour and stupid comments. I’d scrap it, or make it a simple binary would you recommend yes/no as that’s what a huge proportion do already.
It’s also been shown by pewdiepie and others to be hugely susceptible to social engineering. One large YouTuber encouraging their fans to bomb a game and it’s down or vice versa
Many have suggested confirming actual players before… and it sounds good on paper but this is not easy at all and has many many difficulties and problems in implementation.
Removed - flaming/arguing
Removed - flaming/arguing
@GuyinPA75 it comes down to what Arkane does. This game with fixed controls, 60 fps, and a patch to add more and possibly smarter enemies actually wouldn't be a bad game at all. I'm expecting a big patch in the next few months, Arkane is a very important studio for Xbox. This isn't the last word on Redfall.
Buying or playing this game is encouraging devs to release buggy crappy Games so please be a good customer and gamer and erase this game from your console and stop playing this crap to show them that we deserve better than this.
It's bad, like REALLY bad. Reminds me of those cheap knockoff/movie license games that have two lines of code and are sold as "amazing" experiences lol. Terrible AI, it feels super stiff to just run around, it's buggy and simply doesn't feel fun after about an hour or two.
If I remember correctly, this was in development BEFORE Microsoft bought Zenimax, and if rumors are to be believed, this was supposed to be canceled. Alas, we ended up with this t*rd..
Seems unfinished. Atmosphere is interesting, controls are weird (sensitivity is all over the place), I miss some kind of aiming assist on controller because I am not that good at shooters with controller. Game reminds of Borderlands 2 I used to play on my 10 years old PC but Redfall somehow manages to do everything worse. With this kind of graphics I don't really know why it's capped at 30 FPS on a machine like Series X. Charging insanely high full price for half-made product like this is sadly a modern standard when consumer becomes beta tester and only that consumer can stop this approach by game studios.
It had great potential and some really cool ideas and style. It feels rushed and unfinished with no major game breaking bugs but several minor ones and the core themes don’t feel fully developed. They should have delayed it, it could have been amazing. As it stands there is fun to be had and I’m enjoying it.
For a game pass game game 6/10
For a £70 retail release 4/10. I agree with the above comments that this is possibly the worst £70 game ever made. Not a good look for one of the first few games sporting the £70 price tag.
Personally I like the game for what it is and I am having fun with it hunting the achievements.
If they patch it and finish it ironing out the many bugs it could be a good game. As it stands it’s ok.
If you know what you’re getting into and your expectations suitably set - there is fun here, you just have to look past the various issues.
In the long term Xbox need tighter quality control or they will fade into obscurity, get left behind and ultimately become like Sega.
Phil Spencer needs some of the Original 2001 Xbox fighting spirit. Back then they came out swinging, edgy and were pushing it to the max. Xbox was experimental with quality through and through, not afraid to take on the competition. The newcomer standing up to giants.
Now they are like a fat corporate old man, laying on the sofa, the fights all gone. What’s happened?
Xbox need to turn it around and start putting out quality games again. They need hit after hit. Come on Phil wake up, now is the time to start fighting.
Totally went off topic but we need strong competition for great games.
Redfall is not a great game it’s sadly average and buggy. Fun in places, not what Xbox needed or deserved.
It's Just okay..never expected to play much ofit even before the poor reception
Removed - flaming/arguing
@SplooshDmg I don’t know if it’s the worst game, but I totally agree about disregarding GamePass. I think GamePass has done a fantastic job of convincing people that games are “free” and if they’re bad then “oh well, I didn’t pay for it”. That mindset is like a get out to jail free card which can (will?) lead to mediocre games down the road.
@FatalBubbles I dunno, I think it's def the worst that has been sold for $70 (so far). I'm sure we could easily find some worthy $60 candidates that would give it a challenge, though. I'm also open to suggestions of what other $70 titles you think might actually be more rubbish. That $70 is supposedly reflective of all extra work and resources that went into it, and well, I'm having a hard time seeing it here.
And yup. Honestly, I don't care about Redfall. I'm not mad about Redfall itself. I'm mad about the precedent here. There are so many people proving that the critics of Game Pass aren't just blowing smoke. This is not good enough for a major 1st party title from a prestigious studio, and everyone apologizing for it are just giving credence to 'good enough for Game Pass'. I think the quality of Game Pass has really diminished lately, and a lot of the bigger titles have really underwhelmed. I'm upset because I'm a fan of Xbox and I love their studios and properties. It's makes me so freaking mad that they just keep doing stuff like this.
@SplooshDmg I would vote for Babylon’s Fall as the worst $70 game.
@FatalBubbles Oh! That's a good point. I forgot that one was $70. Yeah, you're probably right. Okay, so Redfall is probably the second worst game ever sold for $70.
@SplooshDmg it’s definitely one of the worst ones
@SplooshDmg your comments about gamepass quality are absolutely spot on. In the June 2022 showcase there was a number of new xbox games pass games announced. Of course not all of them have been released yet. Here's a list of 11 showcase day 1 new releases on Game Pass and its metacritic score
1. Pentiment - 86
2. A Plague Tale Requiem - 85
3. Grounded - 82
4. Wo long - 79
5. As Dusk Falls - 77
6. Minecraft Legends - 71
7. Last Case of Benedict Fox - 69
8. Ravenlok - 68
9. High on Life - 67
10. Scorn - 64
11. Redfall - 59
Only 3 out of the 11 have scored above 80, there are 2 games that fall between 75 and 79. Meaning 6 games (over half relased) have scored rather poorly, mostly in the high 60s or low.
I picked the showcase releases because that's a huge marketing event for Xbox and they supposedly pick the best games coming to the service in the next 12 months but it highlights a quality issue. Of course we've had some other good games release on the service that were not part of the showcase like Hi-Fi Rush and this doesn't include Persona games because they aren't brand new games but overall seems to show a quality problem or at least a inconsistency issue.
@Chaudy Interesting stuff, thanks for posting.
I actually thought High On Life was pretty good and worthy of higher than 67. On the other hand I didn’t enjoy HiFi nearly as much as most people apparently would have it nowhere near the mid to high 80s.
My point being, a metacritic score isn’t the end all be all but obviously the higher the score, the higher the odds it will be better received by players.
@Chaudy I wouldn't say quality issue,on the list you have 10 good games from a wide range of studio and pricing and from what I recall these 10 games are in a good playable form, the lower critics are mainly because of the narative or personnal taste affair. But on this list There is one AAA game that doesn' t even deserve 59 and it's Redfall, big budget, graphical glitch, ai broken, barebone story mess that should have been on the 80 side.
@Chaudy While Meta isn't the be all end all, it matters wether people like it or not. Phil even said they do mock reviews before this stuff releases and expected to be like twenty points higher. So they're obviously paying attention to it. Fan boys will do mental gymnastics to cope for why blah, blah, blah. The matter is, the market at large doesn't care. If you have to explain to someone why they should try the game because x, y and z, the product failed to convince the customer on its own.
Jim Ryan is a tool, but I remember when they did the big PS showcase he said, "Enough of me, we'll let the games do the talking." The games Xbox are securing aren't doing that. There's way too much Phil talking, and not enough games talking. Starfield has got to be that game. I'm a hardcore Todd fan, and Starfield has to be that game. I really really hope that snakeoil salesman truly understands now how huge the microscope for a 1st party title is, and he delivers like he did back in gen 7. Xbox really needs it.
@SplooshDmg totally agree, I do think Starfield will be very good as a game, but technically probably a mess for 3-6 months. Just really hope that the game is enjoyable to play in that time. (I think it will be).
Or after the disappointment of Redfall release 30fps etc, would MS be brave enough to delay it if it needs more fine tuning?
I found the control seemed weird. It seems like I'm pressing to look around, nothing happens. Then am suddenly jerked round. Some odd delay.
Honestly I’ve never really cared about Arkane and what they make. Never played the Dishonored's (tho I just checked and we got the Definitive Edition last month for PS Plus so maybe I’ll check it out.) Played a little Prey but honestly fell off it pretty hard it just kinda frustrated and bored me. And Deathloop honestly is the one I’ve liked the most for it’s style and characters. All of this to say I was genuinely kinda interested in Redfall for it’s world. Not surprised to learn it’s mediocre tho because I feel they barely showed it off. Could care less about stuff like frames and all that BS.
I played less than 30 minutes. I thought was ok. I'm not a fan of shooters, so won't be playing again. Just played to see what it's like.
I've enjoyed my time with it so far. I've played it about 12 hours so far. I like the atmosphere of the game and there is room for improvement. It isn't the worst game I've ever played.
I'm looking forward to playing Redfall on my Xbox series S, I preloaded the game a couple of months ago & now that all the fallout has happened IDK if I should just try it out now or wait until it gets patched to take care of all those bugs. I love arkane I love all their games, even beat Arkane Austin's death loop twice. I am EXTREMELY bummed to see this game flop. I'm bummed for Arkane & even more bummed for Xbox. Everyone now is saying Xbox is doom and gloom and going to quit making consoles and blah blah blah. I don't believe they at all, they make billions/year from their gaming sector so even though I believe they need to make more games & they need to focus on quality control as well focus on the Series X|S. Happy gaming ✌️
i play in the hardest mode , so i like it. Bugs i dont care i didnt find any of them so far...
@SplooshDmg @Chaudy Interesting chat. I did a little more research for you. Based off the community Xbox Game Pass Master List Google Spreadsheet which has all the Games ever added, removed, metascore etc. Here are the figures.
In terms of Metascore ALONE this has stayed scarily consistent.
Note: 2023 doesn't currently include many games this month e.g. Redfall, Benedict Fox, Ravenlok, Minecraft Legends etc. which will bring the average down despite Cassette Beasts, Everquest 2 being above average. If we added those unfinalised Metascores then 2023 is nearer 76.5% right now. i.e. Still in the same ballpark.
My take: Of course that doesn't tell the whole story. Not all games are equal. A highly anticipated first party AAA game failing hard like Redfall (currently a 58) is not the same as something like Goat Simulator (also 58). Especially after a AAA first party drought.
However what was very apparent was how much the NUBMER of games added to Game Pass has changed.
Make of all that data what you will. But what is undeniable is that is a HUGE decline in the number of games.
My take: Again stats alone don't tell the whole story, if there were less games but they were massive AAA hits or especially great games it might be OK, but they aren't IMO.
One possible explanation is I suspect Microsoft were planning a massive ABK drop. But even so they might struggle to get anywhere near the 16 - 22 games per month they had previously, regardless this has been going on for about 6 months, which slightly dismisses that idea.
TLDR: It seems to me, until there is evidence to the contrary, that while Microsoft isn't increasing the price of Game Pass yet, they are reducing the value of it by halving the number of games.
I thought Deathloop was a big step down from Dishonored and Prey. Is Redfall much worse than that?
@themightyant Very interesting. It has def seemed like more games were leaving than coming, but this confirms that. But I do think a big part of it is just perception, just that some of the bigger titles haven't really wowed us, and they just sorta stick out because you're looking at them more closely. Like you said though, it appears they are trying to slyly reduce the value of Game Pass, and that really could be a lot of why people are just less enthused with it lately. I'm one of them. I barely look at Game Pass anymore, because I'm just really not seeing as much I want to give my precious spare time to. Oh well. Good digging, though! This is certainly valuable information.
It’s not great. Some devs don’t get why the gameplay loops on looter games work. You needs gear that changes your cosmetic appearance for each piece. It’s creates the psychology of ‘one more run for one more piece’ mentality and hooks the player. This is what Avengers didn’t understand, either.
It’s just okay…
Also the pet semetary version of New England town design is so played out and actual rural New England is a much more terrifying setting…
I'm now about 15 hours into Redfall. Unfortunately, the longer I play it, the worse it gets. It would be a real good game if not for the glitches and bugs. But there are just so many things that really take me out of the experience. The crouch button randomly does not work, not being able to access my inventory/map pretty often, the game crashing and then me having to start a mission over again as a result. That's just a few that I can remember. Not fun. It baffles me that this game was given the green light. If I were Phil, I would resign at this point. No excuse for this.
@SplooshDmg I'm definitely less enthused by Game Pass of late. But I want to put that in perspective. It still offers excellent value for me, just less than it used it when it was hands down the best deal in entertainment. Recently it's just been good imho.
As for games leaving specifically, every year has added more games that it has lost until this year. Net gain each year
Unfortunately this all ties into what I predicted 6-12 months ago whereby subscription services typically EITHER raise their prices OR reduce their value subtly. At the moment Game Pass is both having less new titles added and shrinking.
@Jenkinss Yes, with the day one patch, it is not as bad as the reviewer's pre-release videos.
Redfall...Xbox in general, really, has been fueling all their news. Sites and Youtubers. WTF would they be talking about without them? Ground TotK into the ground? Where's Spider-Man 2 news?
Just from Redfall we had these huge stories:
(and run at a locked 60 fps) because of Redfall
I play on PC and get 100 fps on epic. I like the art style. I am just about done with the story for my first playthrough. Got it on game pass and waiting to see what dlc comes out before I buy the season pass. I have only seen a couple small bugs. It's fun to play and explore with and without friends. I do not believe people gave it a chance. 30 fps on console, it was not that long ago that all games where 30 fps. We played them and liked them!
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...