ELEX ELEX II - Jax is back

[Cohesion]

Who is he and who was waiting for his review?
Never asked for this. Especially video. Text review or GTFO.

EDIT: 2+ hour video review. Fuck this zoomer insanity. Where is proper written journalism? I'd waste 2 hours watching this shit if I was paid. You're doing it for free and boosting his channel and making him money. SMH.

 

[Nikanuur]

They actually made all the assets from the ground up iirc. That's a mistake imo. The problem isnt the map design (believe or or not they are still pretty good, but lacking the variety elex 1 had)

However the art direction is a step down from elex. Everything is higher fidelity and detail, but (including the nightmare faces) they look like a downgrade from elex

The main problem is the technical issues it released it, more shallow faction and interaction. They sell it as having more choices and going independent like new vegas, but the factions are shallower than elex 1.

The story direction is completely fucked up too. They never had high brow story but the beats of elex 2 is awkward.

The combat is actually shallower than elex 1. It's my main beef with the game. In elex, jank as it is, the combo timer system is interesting, as it build up, allow you to perform powerful finishers, etc. Elex 2 use the tap for light attack, hold for heavy attack and stopped there. They took the most interesting thing about elex 1's combat instead of improving it.

Combat is now more along the lines of the streamlined light hit, heavy hit, dodge, block, etc.
We can use different jet pack abilities to add more variety.
Everything is way more responsive than in any other PB game prior to Elex 2.
One can dance around the enemies successfully with fast weapons, hit and run, depend on ranged kitting and jet-packing around, bait enemies into momentum, and follow with a heavy hit. In short, there's a great variety of combat approaches in general.

Verdict: A critique focused on how one thing taken away (the combos, which more often than not ended in thin air due to the clumsy-funny direction lock) made the combat shallower.

 

[Alienman]

Who is he and who was waiting for his review?
Never asked for this. Especially video. Text review or GTFO.

EDIT: 2+ hour video review. Fuck this zoomer insanity. Where is proper written journalism? I'd waste 2 hours watching this shit if I was paid. You're doing it for free and boosting his channel and making him money. SMH.

It's a good video though. Glad I never wasted my time on it, after really liking Elex. The retcons are crazy by themselves.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

Yeah, I don't know what Piranha Bytes issue is. None of the theories I have heard so far sound completely correct.

They can't make two good games in a row: Gothic 1 and 2, and NotR.

All the talent left after G1/G2: Risen is really good, and so is ELEX.

It's really sad, maybe some german speaking codexer could go and yell at them at their forums. Such a waste of talent, because whenever they do manage to put it all together, there is no one else who makes open world games like that.

 

[Serious_Business]

The Pirana Bytes cycle is some low tempo shit. You just kind of limp around in these games with your dick in your hand, pick up some flowers in some sordid corners and whatnot, then join a group of low-energy fucks who all speak in a monotone and have the one-thousand yard stare. Then you get tossed in some dark hole and have to fight your way out to the final boss in a long sequence that will permanently damage your cognitive faculties : you get out and get smacked on the head, loose all your experience, become level one again, and here you go again bucko, just fucking go at it. Gobble that shit right up. It never ends. It's a rough ride, but I hear that in the new games you have romance options. You can just expand yourself in there I bet, I mean it's fucking exhausting to have sex when you're so tired. With maximum cold are you even capable of having sex? It's a serious question. Well, just rub something somewhere I guess

 

[Sweeper]

The Pirana Bytes cycle is some low tempo shit. You just kind of limp around in these games with your dick in your hand, pick up some flowers in some sordid corners and whatnot, then join a group of low-energy fucks who all speak in a monotone and have the one-thousand yard stare. Then you get tossed in some dark hole and have to fight your way out to the final boss in a long sequence that will permanently damage your cognitive faculties : you get out and get smacked on the head, loose all your experience, become level one again, and here you go again bucko, just fucking go at it. Gobble that shit right up. It never ends. It's a rough ride, but I hear that in the new games you have romance options. You can just expand yourself in there I bet, I mean it's fucking exhausting to have sex when you're so tired. With maximum cold are you even capable of having sex? It's a serious question. Well, just rub something somewhere I guess

When you put it like that, the game really does seem like a simulation of what it's like being German.

 

[Dedicated_Dark]

So, wtf! Elex 2 has fucking level scaling now!! And not even threshold leveling like Skyrim, it's fucking Oblivion levels of garbage! Wtf happened.
Every fucking thing is fucking

 

[Ravielsk]

So, wtf! Elex 2 has fucking level scaling now!! And not even threshold leveling like Skyrim, it's fucking Oblivion levels of garbage! Wtf happened.
Every fucking thing is fucking

There is a mod to disable it but it still speaks volumes about that they even included it in the first place. The lack of level scaling and solid progression was always a hallmark of PB, them essentially nuking both from their latest game only further proves why THQ would want to shut them down.

 

[Dodo1610]

PB's main problem was that they did not understand their target demographic. They actually thought they were still competing with other mainstream popular Open-world RPGs from Ubisoft, Sony and Beth and had been making games for the casual audience. PB wanted to make games for people who would never buy them and the people who wanted games in the old Piranha Bytes style were alienated by their design decisions. Just look at Elex 2 atrocious father-son story somehow Björn thought their games needed to become a Nu God Of War knockoff.
There was also zero chance that this would change with Elex 3 Björn said in his video after ELex 2 release that he still believed Elex 2 was one of their best games and that they will continue this path.

It's really sad, maybe some german speaking codexer could go and yell at them at their forums. Such a waste of talent, because whenever they do manage to put it all together, there is no one else who makes open world games like that.

We have been doing that since they announced Risen 2, without any noticeable effect, I mean even their CEO was pretty active there for years.

 

[Nikanuur]

PB's main problem was that they did not understand their target demographic. They actually thought they were still competing with other mainstream popular Open-world RPGs from Ubisoft, Sony and Beth and had been making games for the casual audience. PB wanted to make games for people who would never buy them and the people who wanted games in the old Piranha Bytes style were alienated by their design decisions. Just look at Elex 2 atrocious father-son story somehow Björn thought their games needed to become a Nu God Of War knockoff.
There was also zero chance that this would change with Elex 3 Björn said in his video after ELex 2 release that he still believed Elex 2 was one of their best games and that they will continue this path.

We have been doing that since they announced Risen 2, without any noticeable effect, I mean even their CEO was pretty active there for years.

Maybe you are right and maybe you are using a hyperbole in a futile attempt to give something at least a little bit of meaning. Who knows, right?

At any rate, not many movies or games use the trope of a 12-year-old son sacrificing on his own free will for the sake of the whole world and the father trying to come to terms with it. Come to think of it, I actually haven't seen it anywhere prior to this game.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

So, wtf! Elex 2 has fucking level scaling now!! And not even threshold leveling like Skyrim, it's fucking Oblivion levels of garbage! Wtf happened.
Every fucking thing is fucking

"You know that one single thing we used to handle better than almost anyone else, "progression" in a RPG? Why not throw it in the garbage bin and start doing the worst possible alternative, instead?" - Modern Piranha Bytes, probably

 

[otsego]

I finished ELEX and enjoyed it and put 60hrs into it, even though near the end it was just clapping easier tasks just to close the story off so I could finish the main.

The start to ELEX 2 was reallllyyy rough and I found I spent more time looting random items from random locations for hours instead of advancing the plot.

Now that I've stopped doing that and have opened up each faction I feel the game is a lot better than it was at the start (typical for PB games) but something feels stripped out... I realize a lot of people on the Codex didn't really like ELEX but I thought it had a bit of soul similar to Gothic 1 and 2, and ELEX 2 feels like the soul is stripped out in some attempt to appeal to more people... which only served to appeal to nobody.

I'm enjoying it for what it is, and I'm sure I'll dump 60 hours to finish it, but it is clear that they learned nothing and lost their way with this one.

PS. What the FUCK is this inventory?

 

[Zlaja]

I realize a lot of people on the Codex didn't really like ELEX

Those infidels are in the minority. Plenty of us Elex bros in here. Anyway, you're right that the sequel feels somewhat uninspired. It's still a fairly competent action-rpg, but the game feels both too samey and worse in numerous ways. I will list below what dissapointed me during my playthrough:

- At first it seems factions are deeper thank to the opportunity to backstab them, but PB didn't do much with this and the end result was the opposite.

- NPCs are worse both graphically and personality wise. Didn't care for a single one.

- The way they included scaling and enemy respawns doesn't belong in a PB game. Stick to the fucking formula for this.

- Main characters infection and his endless whining about it. How more people haven't mentioned this is puzzling, 'cause it's infuriating.

- Most beasts and all human enemies are too slow with their melee attacks, which makes fighting single opponents way too easy.

- Putting together a resistance camp, independent of your faction choice, was a boring rehash of what you did in the first game.

- All companion quests were fucking terrible and repetitive.

There's some other minor stuff, but those are my main gripes with it.

 

[Nikanuur]

Anyone who doesn't like Elex 2 has bad judgement.
I have it from the highest authority of such matters–me. Therefore I am right.
There, you can rest in pieces.
Muhahaha HEHEHA HA HA EHEHEH!

 

[Cryomancer]

Yep. Basically people who don't like Elex 2 either wanted a Gothic 1/2 tier great game or don't like the setting. The game is great.

 

[Konjad]

"Great" is an overstatement, but it's decent.

 

[Old One]

I just finished Elex 2 and I liked it. Overall it's not as good as Elex 1, but then again a few things about it are better.

I don't have any problem with the changes to the factions. They all seem plausible to me, especially as I joined the Zerkers in the first game. Morkons are weird, but they seem to fit a sort of 1970s underground cult horror movie aesthetic, which is okay.

My main complaint is that Elex 2 is too story driven. It's like story Story STORY all the time, quest after quest after quest. I had to force myself to ignore the fake time limits and just explore for fun.

Also, there are very few underground dungeons, which are a hallmark of the best PB games. Even Elex 1 had a several decent ones. The purple towers are all a bit boring and bit the same. I want some proper dungeons with secret doors and stuff.

Anyway, I'm glad I played it and I didn't have any trouble finishing it. I don't know whether I'll play it again though.

Sad there probably won't ever be a final chapter. Magalan is a decently interesting setting.

 

[Tweed]

Yep. Basically people who don't like Elex 2 either wanted a Gothic 1/2 tier great game or don't like the setting. The game is great.

No, sorry. I've played every PB game up to ELEX. I wanted ELEX, but better. I got ELEX, but much worse.

 

[toro]

Yep. Basically people who don't like Elex 2 either wanted a Gothic 1/2 tier great game or don't like the setting. The game is great.

No, sorry. I've played every PB game up to ELEX. I wanted ELEX, but better. I got ELEX, but much worse.

Cryomancer is just retarded. Please ignore him.

 

[darkkom]

Now I'm deciding whether to start playing ELEX 2.
So Codex opinion is needed - is this the worst Piranha game?
I've played all the games from Piranha. But I only like Gothic, because it was fun to play at every moment of the game.
I like the setting of Risen 1-2-3 and the first ELEX, but the plot and the gameplay are not as addictive as in the first Gothic. During my playthrough, I took long breaks for a year or two until I became interested in the game again.
If there is a consensus that ELEX 2 is the worst game, then it's better to skip it.

 

[deama]

Now I'm deciding whether to start playing ELEX 2.
So Codex opinion is needed - is this the worst Piranha game?
I've played all the games from Piranha. But I only like Gothic, because it was fun to play at every moment of the game.
I like the setting of Risen 1-2-3 and the first ELEX, but the plot and the gameplay are not as addictive as in the first Gothic. During my playthrough, I took long breaks for a year or two until I became interested in the game again.
If there is a consensus that ELEX 2 is the worst game, then it's better to skip it.

I think it's considered OK from what I was following. Definitely a disspointment from 1st game, and I don't believe the sales were good either.

There was a good long review about it from a piranha bytes vet I watched that might spare you time, if you can afford to put it on as a podcast in the background or something:

Here's a tl:dr of it though:

Elex 2 is a mixed bag that improves some aspects of the original while falling short in others. The combat and movement mechanics are more fluid and responsive, with improved jetpack features and UI elements. However, the game suffers from reduced role-playing depth, a bland world design, and a tedious main quest. While the first half offers engaging faction quests and exploration, the second half loses steam. Despite having more development time and resources, many features were unnecessarily changed or removed, and technical issues plagued the launch. The result is an "okay" game that fails to reach its potential as a sequel.

 

[Nikanuur]

Elex 2 is a mixed bag that improves some aspects of the original while falling short in others. The combat and movement mechanics are more fluid and responsive, with improved jetpack features and UI elements. However, the game suffers from reduced role-playing depth, a bland world design, and a tedious main quest. While the first half offers engaging faction quests and exploration, the second half loses steam. Despite having more development time and resources, many features were unnecessarily changed or removed, and technical issues plagued the launch. The result is an "okay" game that fails to reach its potential as a sequel.

And I have found this review to be mixed bag that improves some outlooks while falling short in others.
The dude doing the review is just full of it. Exaggerating things and criticizing stuff that happens sometimes as if it's everywhere. Lying in a calm, composed manner :D
And talking down Elex II exploration is a sign of a mental disease, no less.
What a douche.

 

[cvv]

So Codex opinion is needed - is this the worst Piranha game?

You'll have people saying it's worse than Hitler, others will praise it.

My personal beef with the game is this - it's almost exactly the same as E1. It's mostly the same map, the same assets, mostly the same gameplay (except the combat, which is worse, and the jetpack, which is awesome), the same itemization, same character development, same type of quests.

But all that could be forgiven if the game didn't reek of apathy and creative burnout. It feels so tired, you can almost see the devs being totally checked out behind the monitor.

Archolos is also mostly the same as Gothic 2 (it's technically a mod) but it's fucking awesome. Play that instead.

 

[Cpt. Dallas]

it's almost exactly the same as E1. game didn't reek of apathy and creative burnout.

Archolos is also mostly the same as Gothic 2 (it's technically a mod) but it's fucking awesome. Play that instead.

All of that. E2 is pretty mediocre and unless you get it cheap, love the IP and have played absolutely everything else the time is better spent elsewhere.

 

[Doktor Best]

Just play Drova or Archolos instead.

Pyranha Bytes unfortunately died a slow death of dementia right infront of us and we didnt realize because we loved them so much and forgave the shortcomings.

Let them rest in peace now.