Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Launches May 21. It will be a digital-only and release costing $49.99. |UP| Preinstall Available now & new pics.

On Demand

Veteran
Icon Extra
30 Jul 2022
1,830
2,961
Over 5 years of development and multiple shows with nothing but behind the scenes footages. The result of that is the full game being only a couple of hours and digital only?

Talk about waste of time.
 

KiryuRealty

Cambridge Dictionary High Priest of Grammar
28 Nov 2022
6,646
8,166
Where it’s at.
So this is just what I thought just a better looking Hellblade 1 smh it's going to be the same restrictive game world and combat loop. Fucking waste but I told ppl it wouldn't change much!
Only hardcore fanboys and shills ever claimed it would be any different than the first. The long dev cycle is completely ridiculous for what they’re making and goes to show what a shit job Phil and Greenberg have done managing MS’ slate of development studios.
 
24 Jun 2022
3,954
6,890
Apparently this game's budget was only $15 million? Gonna be honest, I'm EXTREMELY curious to see how the game turns out on that budget. FWIW the 1st Hellblade had a budget of $12 million and while a modest AA game at most scope-wise (for its genre type), if that, visually it "punched above its weight".

However Hellblade 2 despite also looking quite good, doesn't have the visual punch it did back in 2019, partly because so many amazing-looking games of comparable or much bigger/more ambitious scopes like Plague Tale: Requiem, Horizon Forbidden West, GOW: Ragnarok, and Alan Wake 2 have released in the meantime. So it won't have the same impact visually the first game had.

And the scope seems like it's roughly the same as the first game, too, so they have to hope the story and acting are REALLLY good to carry the experience. At this point I'm looking at Hellblade 2 more as a linear cinematic point-and-click or visual novel experience with some combat sections here and there. Lots of older story-based point-and-click/visual novel games did that, like Private Eye-doll (fun game BTW) and Snatcher (also fun game). Hellblade 2 seems like more a modern iteration of those games.

Now I'd be quite impressed if the game were more mechanically deep in game structure, interaction, choices etc. while still keeping the same fidelity and on a $15 million budget, because that'd be something I could really commend. But if it's just more Hellblade 1 with slightly prettier visuals, I guess that'll be "alright". Still commendable in a way, just much less so, even if it's a relatively low budget compared to many other bigger games in similar genre space to it.
 

arvfab

Slayer of Colossi
23 Jun 2022
3,219
4,439
Apparently this game's budget was only $15 million? Gonna be honest, I'm EXTREMELY curious to see how the game turns out on that budget. FWIW the 1st Hellblade had a budget of $12 million and while a modest AA game at most scope-wise (for its genre type), if that, visually it "punched above its weight".

However Hellblade 2 despite also looking quite good, doesn't have the visual punch it did back in 2019, partly because so many amazing-looking games of comparable or much bigger/more ambitious scopes like Plague Tale: Requiem, Horizon Forbidden West, GOW: Ragnarok, and Alan Wake 2 have released in the meantime. So it won't have the same impact visually the first game had.

And the scope seems like it's roughly the same as the first game, too, so they have to hope the story and acting are REALLLY good to carry the experience. At this point I'm looking at Hellblade 2 more as a linear cinematic point-and-click or visual novel experience with some combat sections here and there. Lots of older story-based point-and-click/visual novel games did that, like Private Eye-doll (fun game BTW) and Snatcher (also fun game). Hellblade 2 seems like more a modern iteration of those games.

Now I'd be quite impressed if the game were more mechanically deep in game structure, interaction, choices etc. while still keeping the same fidelity and on a $15 million budget, because that'd be something I could really commend. But if it's just more Hellblade 1 with slightly prettier visuals, I guess that'll be "alright". Still commendable in a way, just much less so, even if it's a relatively low budget compared to many other bigger games in similar genre space to it.

The 15 mio. budget maybe only refers to the travel expenses of the team to Iceland
 
D

Deleted member 223

Guest
Still looks good.

Like the fact that they've not made her super strong.... just strong enough for a female in that role (physically speaking), with the movement that goes along with it. Solid finesse touch animation wise.

Digital only tho.... :sick:🤮🤮

It's MS tho... fucking it up somewhere is what they do.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Dr Bass

The doctor is in
Founder
20 Jun 2022
2,040
3,448
Didn't the original cost 29.99 for the same length? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kuzon

Dr Bass

The doctor is in
Founder
20 Jun 2022
2,040
3,448
Apparently this game's budget was only $15 million? Gonna be honest, I'm EXTREMELY curious to see how the game turns out on that budget. FWIW the 1st Hellblade had a budget of $12 million and while a modest AA game at most scope-wise (for its genre type), if that, visually it "punched above its weight".

However Hellblade 2 despite also looking quite good, doesn't have the visual punch it did back in 2019, partly because so many amazing-looking games of comparable or much bigger/more ambitious scopes like Plague Tale: Requiem, Horizon Forbidden West, GOW: Ragnarok, and Alan Wake 2 have released in the meantime. So it won't have the same impact visually the first game had.

And the scope seems like it's roughly the same as the first game, too, so they have to hope the story and acting are REALLLY good to carry the experience. At this point I'm looking at Hellblade 2 more as a linear cinematic point-and-click or visual novel experience with some combat sections here and there. Lots of older story-based point-and-click/visual novel games did that, like Private Eye-doll (fun game BTW) and Snatcher (also fun game). Hellblade 2 seems like more a modern iteration of those games.

Now I'd be quite impressed if the game were more mechanically deep in game structure, interaction, choices etc. while still keeping the same fidelity and on a $15 million budget, because that'd be something I could really commend. But if it's just more Hellblade 1 with slightly prettier visuals, I guess that'll be "alright". Still commendable in a way, just much less so, even if it's a relatively low budget compared to many other bigger games in similar genre space to it.
There is no way they spent only 15 million over 6 years for a team of their size.
 

Box

May contain Snake
6 Apr 2023
3,500
3,759
Insane how Ryse didn't get a follow up but Xbox always launch a new IP and leave it behind, something Sony gets credit for is sticking by the game no matter how bad it is until it's dead in the water, sometimes it works like Killzone1 was a flop but 2 and 3 were good until SF was the end of it all, just an example that Xbox needs to understand is sticking by a good game even if it doesn't sell 10mil copies


Don Mattrick is the legend of video games in the past 50yrs :censored:

Sony is just as guilty, look at Legend of Dragoon and thr many other ps1 and 2 IPs that never got a sequel despite selling decently.

Bloodborne is a good recent example too
 
  • Like
Reactions: Alabtrosmyster

Dr Bass

The doctor is in
Founder
20 Jun 2022
2,040
3,448
I just watched the dev direct segment on this.

This is just my opinion but I'm not really into the whole super edgelord darkness stuff. It's not "mature" or cool. It's actually just dorky. At least with the way they handle it. It's not hard to make content that is cynical and hopeless. It's the easiest approach possible. So yeah ... I think the game looks silly. And while the graphics are good they definitely aren't a step above other stuff out now.

And then they literally came out and basically said "this game is short" in the intro. What have they been doing for six years? Seems like complete mismanagement and a waste of time and money for MS.

Personally, not interested in the slightest. I think Avowed looks like it would contain more potential fun, and I don't see much special there, either.
 

Alabtrosmyster

Veteran
26 Jun 2022
3,387
2,932
I just watched the dev direct segment on this.

This is just my opinion but I'm not really into the whole super edgelord darkness stuff. It's not "mature" or cool. It's actually just dorky. At least with the way they handle it. It's not hard to make content that is cynical and hopeless. It's the easiest approach possible. So yeah ... I think the game looks silly. And while the graphics are good they definitely aren't a step above other stuff out now.

And then they literally came out and basically said "this game is short" in the intro. What have they been doing for six years? Seems like complete mismanagement and a waste of time and money for MS.

Personally, not interested in the slightest. I think Avowed looks like it would contain more potential fun, and I don't see much special there, either.
These people have to be disconnected, Sony and others have released 30-40hours story driven games, with the open world ones topping 60.

I'd say, a great 10-12hours is better than a bad long game... But that doesn't look promising so far, so we shall see.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PS_ROCKS

Gediminas

Boy...
Founder
21 Jun 2022
7,446
9,147
You guys doing the same to this game as xbots done it with the The Order.
Don't be like xbots.

god of war sony GIF


The Cycle Ends Here. We Must Be Better Than This.
 

Alabtrosmyster

Veteran
26 Jun 2022
3,387
2,932
You guys doing the same to this game as xbots done it with the The Order.
Don't be like xbots.

god of war sony GIF


The Cycle Ends Here. We Must Be Better Than This.
Nah, the Order deserved all the backlash it got for its gameplay/story/boss battles and all the praise it got for its graphics and technical prowess.

The studio also under delivered when it came to game mechanics, in interviews prior to the release they promised the use of physics for destructible environment and well... the game was stiff to control and the environments were some of the least interactive I have ever seen.

Thankfully I got to play it to the end for free, bought it used a few days after launch, played it and resold it for the same price (this is the magic of physical releases)!
 

voke

Veteran
10 Jan 2023
2,559
3,301
First one was good. I thought this sequel would be the AAA successor but that's fine that it isn't.