Ryse: Son of Rome ( Xbox One, PC ) (PC version tested)

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Buttermancan
Posts: 328
Joined: March 26th, 2019, 6:05 am

Ryse: Son of Rome ( Xbox One, PC ) (PC version tested)

Postby Buttermancan » June 19th, 2019, 2:46 pm

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When new console generations are released they often bring with them games that showcase the power of the hardware. This is most certainly the case with Ryse Son of Rome. Nearly 6 years have passed since release and the title still looks fantastic.

Gamers take on the role of Marius, a Roman soldier under the rule of Nero. From the off our protagonist is tasked with defending Rome from the Barbarians (Celts) and these battles take our hero to a variety of stunning locations.

The game is a classic tale of revenge. An early cutscene flashes back in time to Marius visiting his family on completion of basic training. Their brief reunion is interrupted by a surprise attack on Rome and Marius's family is slaughtered in the process.
The acting is good and the facial animations are at times incredible. Unfortunately I found the story dull and didn't care about what was going on. It was all a bit cliched. On numerous occasions cut-scenes stole control away from my play through. It's immersion breaking and boring to have a pre rendered scene deliver the finishing blow to an enemy boss. I got the impression the developers were more interested in making a film than a game.

As a 3rd person perspective Hack and slash game, the combat is similar to the recent batman games though somewhat clunkier to control. You can take on Multiple enemies at once with buttons assigned to attack, block, melee and evade. Timing is the key to success and once you've sufficiently injured your opponents the opportunity to perform an execution move is made available. These look cool but are unsatisfying to perform due to being quick time events. My main gripe with the combat is how repetitive it is, upgrades can be bought to perform different moves but it all feels the same.

Some effort to incorporate Roman tactics of war has been made. One example of this is ordering your troops to adopt the shield wall formation when under fire from archers. Between these attacks you can break formation and throw spears (pila). Other scenarios require you to operate a Scorpio ( a high powered, mounted crossbow). This is an underwhelming experience due to the device locking on to targets for you, thus requiring no skill.

The standout moment of the game see's Marius assume the role of a gladiator in the colosseum. But even here they miss an opportunity by ommiting animals. There isn't a tiger or bear in sight. This comes as no surpruse seeing as the game recycles the exact same enemy types over and over.
Ultimately I found Ryse; Son of Rome to be a shallow, unengaging disappointment that isn't worth your time.

Graphics 88%
Sound Design 70%
Soundtrack 65%
Playability 35%
Replayability 15%
Overall Score :- 39%

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Ryse: Son of Rome ( Xbox One, PC ) (PC version tested)

Postby VideoGameCritic » June 19th, 2019, 9:13 pm

Yeah I remember there was a lot of hype surrounding this one. Then when I played it, I was like "what am I missing?"
Disappointing is right.

Sonicx9
Posts: 1818
Joined: April 27th, 2015, 6:37 pm

Re: Ryse: Son of Rome ( Xbox One, PC ) (PC version tested)

Postby Sonicx9 » June 19th, 2019, 9:36 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:Yeah I remember there was a lot of hype surrounding this one. Then when I played it, I was like "what am I missing?"
Disappointing is right.


Just like the Xbox One and most modern 8th gen games go figure?

Steve
Posts: 101
Joined: May 12th, 2015, 5:34 pm

Re: Ryse: Son of Rome ( Xbox One, PC ) (PC version tested)

Postby Steve » June 20th, 2019, 5:45 pm

It's been a while since I played this game but I remember enough about it to know it was and still is one of my favorite games of this generation.15% seems a very low score for replayability (and perhaps too much of a factor in the average score). I find most single player focused games such as this have low replayability. I enjoyed this game enough to even dig into the multiplayer (and have fun). According to my profile, I put in about 24 hours into this game which seems more than reasonable. I also remember this was one of the few games that implemented Kinect in a non-Kinect specific game that I actually found useful and fun.

It would be immature to comment on platforms and games I haven't played but just as a disclaimer, while Xbox One is my preferred console, I'm not someone who would blindly praise any Xbox release. I haven't played (and don't intend to play) Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, Ashen, Below, etc.

I would rate this game 85%

Buttermancan
Posts: 328
Joined: March 26th, 2019, 6:05 am

Re: Ryse: Son of Rome ( Xbox One, PC ) (PC version tested)

Postby Buttermancan » June 22nd, 2019, 2:06 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:Yeah I remember there was a lot of hype surrounding this one. Then when I played it, I was like "what am I missing?"
Disappointing is right.

Yes it was massively underwhelming. I kept waiting for the fun to start but it didn't

Buttermancan
Posts: 328
Joined: March 26th, 2019, 6:05 am

Re: Ryse: Son of Rome ( Xbox One, PC ) (PC version tested)

Postby Buttermancan » June 22nd, 2019, 2:09 pm

Steve wrote:It's been a while since I played this game but I remember enough about it to know it was and still is one of my favorite games of this generation.15% seems a very low score for replayability (and perhaps too much of a factor in the average score). I find most single player focused games such as this have low replayability. I enjoyed this game enough to even dig into the multiplayer (and have fun). According to my profile, I put in about 24 hours into this game which seems more than reasonable. I also remember this was one of the few games that implemented Kinect in a non-Kinect specific game that I actually found useful and fun.

It would be immature to comment on platforms and games I haven't played but just as a disclaimer, while Xbox One is my preferred console, I'm not someone who would blindly praise any Xbox release. I haven't played (and don't intend to play) Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, Ashen, Below, etc.

I would rate this game 85%



Reviews are subjective. I think it's great you enjoyed the game. I was really looking forward to this title but was disappointed with it. With regards to replayability, it can affect the overall score but it depends on the game. Some titles deliver a ground breaking super enjoyable experience that might not be worth a second play thorugh but still get a high score


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