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Control - supernatural third person action-adventure from Remedy

sullynathan

Arcane
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Messages
6,473
Location
Not Europe
Graphically intensive game that has a lot of latency in menus.

I can see why someone will think it's boring, an office with body guards/ police is a relatively mundane setting for a game.

The shooting is good though and the movement.
 

fantadomat

Arcane
Edgy Vatnik Wumao
Joined
Jun 2, 2017
Messages
37,083
Location
Bulgaria
Soooo i finished the game and it feels pretty gud.

The game is very pretty,even on low/medium it looked great. It is also very well optimized,it run on at least 60 all the time and even dropped GPU consumption when left in a single frame,it is very well put up,also not a single bug in the whole game. It is very rare to play a fully finished game in this game. The level design is pretty competent even if most of places are kind of the same grey offices and industrial rooms filled with pipes and such. The use of the assets is pretty impressive because they never felt the same or illogical. There are three office like levels and one industrial. They are pretty big and you end up opening new paths and areas through out the game. It is like the older games where you find new item or ability that opens up a new path. Speaking about this the map is pretty shit sadly, it is very unclear about elevated part that mix with lower parts of the level and feels like a mess. Also it doesn't add locked rooms and you can't add a pin note to it. There is a decent amount of secrets also.

The gameplay is great fun for me with a few interesting bosses. The fighting is great with some frustration about the hitboxes. It is very fast passed focused on dodging projectiles and being on the move,there is no cover mechanic and most of the cover is destructible,it serves to hide out from projectiles from time to time,but not to spend the fight in it. You have a bunch of standard weapons and abilities that are unlocked during the game. But they are well implemented with a few interesting takes on them. There is a pistol(the best weapon),shotgun,assault rifle/uzi,powerful one charging shot weapon,something like rocket launcher and something called launcher that i never found. In the ability sector you have telepathy that is best weapon of the game,it allows you to pull and throw items at the enemy,there is shield that is absolutely useless,mind control that is also useless,levitation that is great and dodging that is also great,the RPG part comes from upgrading the abilities,very generic/serviceable. Once you get all the abilities the battle becomes great fun.
The worst part of the game is the mod part,you get to add mods to your guns up to three times as you upgrade them. They go up to level 5 and have some random stats,they all have predetermine effect but say level 5 upgrade could have from +20% to +25% of that effect,not a big deal. The problem comes that you could craft them after you upgrade your craft skills,but is very expensive and random. You can choose to craft a level 5 weapon mod but not exactly which type of mod. Same with mission/container loots. By the end of the game i still was using the level 1 mod for damage because the game was spamming me with all the useless ones and i had no way to upgrade or create a new more powerful one. Most of those mods are useless garbage that i didn't even bothered with putting on a empty slot,you get pretty fast what is useful and what not. Another thing i noticed is that i never got how you get the schematics to upgrade/create the weapons. I just run with it,didn't found that launcher i wrote earlier and some of the weapons never got to be upgraded.

The writing on the other hand is.....terrible and excellent at the same time. Anything with dialogue is total garbage,most of the living NPCs are meh at best,the Fin janitor is a chad tho! The main story is pretty good,but sadly the protagonist is not,thus could make it annoying for some people. Anything about files/notes,hotline and video/audio is great writing,there quite a few interesting things to be find while exploring the game. The cases such a nice read that i kind of felt that the game should have been about exploring such cases :). Also the atmosphere is great,the whole game have a solid direction/vision about what it wanted to be and how it should look,it is pretty interesting the name "Control". The game does have that thing that makes you keep on going in search for the key to the mysteries put in front of you. The setting i also found very interesting,it is filled with strange mysteries about all kind of things. Now that i think about it,it feels like a good Sci-Fi novel. The Videos and the Hotline are particularly good,it gave the feel of an old noir/sci-fi film,the acting in them is gud and they were the only likeable character in the whole game. If you cut out all the melodrama and you played the game as the former director...it would have been grand!

As the whole the game feels like a mix of RE,PREY and some old school shooters. It is well made with clear vision and good writing(outside NPC dialogue) that rewards exploration with some good stories. Also the game comes pretty close to art in a way,it is strange for me to like such a thing,it just well implemented. As a whole i do recommend it to most codexers. You will like it if you are looking for a solid shooter or solid sci-fi story or some strange artsy experience or a good exploration game.

Oh and the game is pretty 4th wall breaking,many times it talks directly to the player,it is cleverly done thanks to the theme of the game.
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
p5aipsD.png
 

sullynathan

Arcane
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Messages
6,473
Location
Not Europe
Lot of scifi mumbo jumbo at times but you can tell it's tongue in cheek. Putting the game at fullscreen was the problem for low framerate cutscenes/ loading screens/ menus, borderless fixes it.

I just upgraded my gun but it's disappointing that switching forms doesn't hold individual shots. You'll still be stuck recharging if you used all your shots.
 

DalekFlay

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
14,118
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New Vegas
Couple more hours in. Combat gets more interesting with a few powers but it's not THAT different from other third-person shooters so I'm not going to give it a blowjob. Props for not being super easy though, and I never saw a difficulty option so who knows if there is one. Not saying it's hard really, but it does require your attention. I like that there's no quest marker, and you can turn off most of the HUD. I love that you can go completely different ways from where you're supposed to and find actual cool stuff. The dodge power I got was not part of the main path at all, for example.

Visually it's truly stunning, both in graphics and design. I'm sure ray tracing looks nice but native 1440p and max everything else looks super, super nice too. I tried ray tracing with DLSS running the game at 720p or so and it looks okay, the reflections are cool, but it looks way worse overall. Game really needs 60fps, reading that the consoles can drop to 20fps or less makes me laugh. Dodging, shooting, throwing objects and hiding behind cover all in quick succession demands a nice steady framerate.

Things I don't like would be the upgrade system, which is all over the place with weapon mods, crafting, personal upgrades, perk style add-ons and more. It feels overly complicated without much benefit, which I guess is better than being a dumbed down pointless endeavor but it could have found a happy medium. Also even with ray tracing off there is some noise in the lighting effects sometimes, which I find mildly ugly, but overall the game still looks great.
 

orcinator

Liturgist
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Messages
1,704
Location
Republic of Kongou
For me it felt like the combat got less interesting as you get all the cool stuff. Part of that was because the encounter design is trash and while the levels look nice the actual design involves big ol rectangles with the player on one end and a bunch of retards with guns on the other. TK being retard OP and also mandatory since half of those retards with guns have armor doesn't help. Shame because the game does have some enemies that can spice up an encounter but it doesn't seem to use em all that much (I'm currently in the containment zone)

It feels overly complicated without much benefit, which I guess is better than being a dumbed down pointless endeavor but it could have found a happy medium.
The RPG elements in Control are shit and the game would be better if they were removed entirely and replaced with being able to find the upgrades around the map. Removed alongside that dumb timed quest shit.
 
Last edited:

DalekFlay

Arcane
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Joined
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Messages
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New Vegas
Remedy does what Monolith could not and turns a game set entirely within an office building style structure into a visual splendor. Random art design shot (max settings except no ray tracing or AA):

9A90D72E411CE7B0B18E4249FF3AED0E52C98FBC
 

orcinator

Liturgist
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Messages
1,704
Location
Republic of Kongou
Finished it (assuming there's no super secret final boss/ending)
C- for effort.
It does a bunch of interesting things but the execution just isn't there. There's a framework for something good here but it's wasted on boring encounters where a bunch of retards with guns try and charge you while you just swat them with your overpowered telekinesis throws.

The TK has no real limit besides using up energy which recharges quickly, does high damage that can one shot most minor enemies or leave them weak enough to be taken down by a few shots from your gun, locks onto enemies so you don't have to aim and automatically picks up nearby objects; it'll even rip a chunk off the floor and use that if there's nothing around, it's neat from a technology standpoint but makes combat even more braindead. It's also your only offensive power and as the game goes on enemies with bullet resistant armor shields start showing up more and more so you're pretty much forced to use it, on the flip side enemies that can dodge thrown objects are very rare.
Said rare enemies can actually make an encounter interesting but the vast majority of encounters consist of a bunch of dudes with guns that die as soon as you see em (even if you feel like shooting them for once).
 

Shackleton

Arcane
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Dec 29, 2011
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Knackers Yard
Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture
Finished it (assuming there's no super secret final boss/ending)
C- for effort.
It does a bunch of interesting things but the execution just isn't there. There's a framework for something good here but it's wasted on boring encounters where a bunch of retards with guns try and charge you while you just swat them with your overpowered telekinesis throws.

The TK has no real limit besides using up energy which recharges quickly, does high damage that can one shot most minor enemies or leave them weak enough to be taken down by a few shots from your gun, locks onto enemies so you don't have to aim and automatically picks up nearby objects; it'll even rip a chunk off the floor and use that if there's nothing around, it's neat from a technology standpoint but makes combat even more braindead. It's also your only offensive power and as the game goes on enemies with bullet resistant armor shields start showing up more and more so you're pretty much forced to use it, on the flip side enemies that can dodge thrown objects are very rare.
Said rare enemies can actually make an encounter interesting but the vast majority of encounters consist of a bunch of dudes with guns that die as soon as you see em (even if you feel like shooting them for once).

Yes, I'm only about 5 hours in and I'm pretty bored of the encounters already. It's cool at first, picking up stuff and lobbing it, but it does trivialise 90% of the combat. I was wondering if I'd missed a difficulty setting somewhere because everyone folds like paper when I use TK and I've only died once early on to Tommasi the first time. Maybe if they start throwing more and more goons at me later on it'll improve, but so far orcinator appears to have hit the nail on the head.
 

Belegarsson

Think about hairy dwarfs all the time ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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Uwotopia
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I haven't played much of the game but it does seem to have the same problem with Rage 2's combat, as in it has decent spectacle, looks great in motion and delivers pleasant general feel in control (heh) but has very little substance, and since it isn't punishing you much, there's no reason to play smart and utilize your powers in an orthodox method.

For what it's worth, I think the game deserves commendation for pushing environmental destruction and interaction nearly on immersive sim level. I expected the current gen to receive more games that with dynamic destruction back when things like Battlefield 4's levolution and Red Faction Guerrilla made lots of buzz last gen, but sadly the industry pushed for graphics fidelity instead, even franchises that made their name with EXPLOSIUN!!!! like Just Cause didn't bother to progress their biggest selling point.
 

DalekFlay

Arcane
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New Vegas
Rage 2 had a ton of options and different powers/weapons. That game has a ton of problems but combat variety (or even combat in general) wasn't among them. Orcinator is right that this game has a massive variety problem, because you do the same exact thing every fight and have zero option to do otherwise.
 

Terenty

Liturgist
Joined
Nov 29, 2018
Messages
1,367
Battles in the later parts of the game did pose a challenge to me, i died quite a lot of times and had to use different powers and be always on the move. But yeah, the enemy variety was lacking and in the end i wanted to get it over with
 

Israfael

Arcane
Joined
Sep 21, 2012
Messages
3,580
aid rare enemies can actually make an encounter interesting but the vast majority of encounters consist of a bunch of dudes with guns that die as soon as you see em (even if you feel like shooting them for once).
Hardest encounters have like zero gun-toting enemies, it's more like environmental hazards, screamers, flying bombs and other things that basically put pressure on you. Did you do any bosses, perchance? People who just waltzed through the game without doing side content complain that they have no use of shield, control and so on (but they are actually situationally useful). I'm doing Tommaso fight atm and it's super chaotic (can't really say combat is dull, I had to try different weapons combos to get to the second/third phase more reliably). Actually I wonder how the "journalists" even played the game, i'd say the anchor or even the former would be neigh unpassable for them (that's probably why anything interesting / challenging is tucked away).

PS I've been playing for 18+ hours I guess, and it's seems to be mid-game (mission 8), surprising amount of content from Remedy.
 

Master

Arbiter
Joined
Oct 19, 2016
Messages
1,160
Remedy does what Monolith could not and turns a game set entirely within an office building style structure into a visual splendor. Random art design shot (max settings except no ray tracing or AA):

9A90D72E411CE7B0B18E4249FF3AED0E52C98FBC
Fear didn't take place entirely in one building. It also had run down neighbourhoods, docks, hi tech labs, and warehouses. Funnily, simmilar to Max Payne.
It had better (more pronounced) shadows.

...

Another sucky thing here is the camera rotates around the character, and you always go in a straight line. Its always a bad choice for a TPP shooter, and ironic for a game called "Control", and even from Max Payne devs.
 
Self-Ejected

unfairlight

Self-Ejected
Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Messages
4,092
It also had run down neighbourhoods, docks, hi tech labs, and warehouses. Funnily, simmilar to Max Payne.
Except unlike Max Payne, Fear managed to suck out every milligram of fun out of those levels.
It had better (more pronounced) shadows.
No, it simply had unrealistic hard shadows, and that is not how light and shadows work in real life.
 

Wirdschowerdn

Ph.D. in World Saving
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Nov 30, 2003
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34,457
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Clogging the Multiverse with a Crowbar
I've been playing this for a few hours and I'm quite frankly surprised how it keeps my interest up. I have to take back my previous, unfounded criticism.

The whole structure of the game is a mix between Prey and Dark Souls, but more simplified. The Old House is thoughtfully designed, the combat is punchy, the characters are fun (sans Jesse), and the writing (digging in case files, research files, heck, even the Hotline) is compelling enough to sit through it. So far, so good. Definitely not popamole.

Addendum:

FBC guard after
you shut down the Slide Projector
: A yuge, yuge victory that it was shut down!!

Ahti: "For a Finn, holiday is sacred, perkele!"

Jesse about Ahti: "My guess is he's from Sweden."

And there're countless other nice nuggets burried in this game that makes me smirk. The game's writing definitely rewards those who rummage and listen. Good to see Remedy still haven't lost their storytelling marbles.

And in terms of gameplay, they have laid out some solid groundwork. Like I said, it's only a simplified Prey, but it can only get better from, provided they get a bigger budget to work with the next time plus won't shy away from creating deeper systems. Control is AA budget game pushed to the utmost. Recommended.
 

Master

Arbiter
Joined
Oct 19, 2016
Messages
1,160
It also had run down neighbourhoods, docks, hi tech labs, and warehouses. Funnily, simmilar to Max Payne.
Except unlike Max Payne, Fear managed to suck out every milligram of fun out of those levels.
It had better (more pronounced) shadows.
No, it simply had unrealistic hard shadows, and that is not how light and shadows work in real life.
I'm pretty sure nothing in Fear is realistic, such as spliting a guy in half with a shotgun. Which is why its fun? Shadows (soft ones) were overexagerated in a similar way. They enhanced the horror parts, and also the action parts (gunfire shadows).

Control is more realistic, which is...nice?
Good, but then when i see the action, it looks like unrealistic popamole fantasy, so what gives?

I wish this was a survival horror; a cold, clinical Scandinavian psychological kind. With realistic action. With this woman having an actual gun, with five bullets the entire game, having to survive in a Cube like environment with several crazy characters and C&C. Instead i see stupid Marvel shit deflating whatever Lynchian type feel they were going for.

More and more action in games makes me sick. Gfx keeps getting more realistic, yet action is the same retarded shit as ever.
 

DeepOcean

Arcane
Joined
Nov 8, 2012
Messages
7,394
For the destruction of the scenery alone, it is pretty cool, it is ridiculous that with all this technology available today, most developers are too lazy/cheap to implement proper environment destruction. Another positive point is that it doesn't try to force you into hugging a wall, finally third person shooters seem to be abandoning that shit. The two things combined make for a cool shooter. The problem is that this doesn't have the same level of story faggotry of Alan Wake or the same shooting of Max Payne 2 so many people will think this is a meh game for Remedy, what I disagree.
 

Bad Sector

Arcane
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Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
2,223
Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Another sucky thing here is the camera rotates around the character, and you always go in a straight line. Its always a bad choice for a TPP shooter, and ironic for a game called "Control", and even from Max Payne devs.

Pretty much all TPP games do that nowadays since it feels better on a gamepad than the older approach where moving the mouse rotates the character (essentially what Max Payne had). You'll notice that in older games made back when PC was the first platform developers targeted, third person games used a more direct mouse-rotates-character approach (with the camera locked behind the character) whereas newer games released after consoles became the primary target switched to the mouse-orbits-camera-around-player approach. At most you get an "aim" mode, but more often than not that changes your FOV, often adds some dark vignette, has the character cover 1/3rd of the screen and forces walk/slow mode. And it is always a "hold" mode, not a "toggle" one.

The funny thing is that it is so common nowadays in TPP games that you even have indie developers going with the console-oriented approach even when there are no plans for console support or even having gamepad support for their PC version.

There are exceptions of course, e.g. i do not think Bethesda ever bothered to make their third person mode use the orbit approach. Though TBH i do not remember any other case.
 

DalekFlay

Arcane
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New Vegas
No, it simply had unrealistic hard shadows, and that is not how light and shadows work in real life.

Yeah, the quest for super high resolution shadows has always been silly because they don't look like that in real life. I feel like some of this ray tracing stuff is similar, too. The reflections on some surfaces like blood pools is seriously like a mirror, which isn't realistic, and even the floors with their slight distortion look too perfectly reflected. The see through while also reflecting windows look pretty cool though.
 

Israfael

Arcane
Joined
Sep 21, 2012
Messages
3,580
Finished the game, I can't say how much time did i spend on it (for obvious :piracy: reasons), but it was upwards of 20h (probably 25h+), I liked it apart from the last "boss" (I really hate such gauntlets where you have to restart over), but then, if I did not try to kill everything and just captured few dummies and pressed the F button while they distracted other hiss monsters, I'd probably do it in one try. Side content was much more interesting / challenging, hopefully they won't go bankrupt and give us more complicated / challenging stuff. Really liked Tommasi fight, Essej, some puzzles (and the black lady I did not like, it was like the devs wanted to insult the gamers' intelligence as much as possible as she starts giving out "hints" after one minute and prattles non-stop). Graphix can be fixed by hex-editing the renderer, it's possible to disable blur/dof and other blurry shit (not fully, but I guess it's just Remedy's voxel-based illumination at work)
 

luj1

You're all shills
Vatnik
Joined
Jan 2, 2016
Messages
12,869
Location
Eastern block
Is this game any good? Heard some stuff about it

- polished physics engine
- by creator of Max Payne games
- interesting story in the vein of X-Files and Inception
- satisfying combat
- good environmental storytelling via horror elements and immersive ambience
- that it's long

How much of it is true?
 

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