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That transition to dialogue at the end was beyond even Oblivion levels of hilarious. The way the monster just stood there listening patiently just fucking killed me.
Gran Turismo is the only reason I've bought any consoles for the last 20 years. Taking willpower not to go buy a new PlayStation. Since I know it will collect dust when I'm done with GT7.
The unbalanced world is an absolute plus. You really feel getting more powerful. Other games just spawn tougher mobs for you so you're basically always the same. Post-Morrowind Elder Scrolls games are notorious for that. In Morrowind you could literally become a god while in Oblivion the first rat felt like the last demon lord.
The "unbalance world" is the whole point of these games! You cant just go anywhere or fight anything you want as a low level weakling. It feels more scary too to explore witch is fucking cool but then you come back when stronger and it feels amazing.
I'm so glad you've succumbed to it eventually. I loved the first one, same as all the other games from PB apart from Gothic 3. I've been looking forward to this one for the last 5 years. Nice review!
gothic 3 is such an underrated gem kinda sucks that alot of ppl hate it :( and if you hate because it doesn't work properly and not because of the story or gameplay ect then download these in that order and it will work great 1 gothic 3 patch 1.75 2 gothic 3 patch 1.75 update 3 g3 questpaket 4update2_volversion (for fan made quests) 4 qp update for patch 1.75 ( a patch for the fan made quests) 5 cm 3.1 6 mini mod pack 7 4gb patch
How likely are we to get patches and updates for the things that Mack mentioned in the video? If the problems will be fixed in 3 or 4 years, I'm fine with waiting.
@@aligmal5031 Ali, I have discovered Gothic back in 2002 and since then I have been eagerly awaiting their every game and played them on release day. Gothic 3 was a mess, true, but I could look past that. For me G3 wasn't really a good Gothic game, you know? The quests weren't interesting, the world was too large for it's own sake. It felt disjointed, lacked personality. I can tell you that I felt Arcania was a better "Gothic" game than G3. And that's saying something :( Risen games and Elex all have that personality, intricate quests, characters. Even Risen 2, as much as it is a rather large departure in its Pirate-focused design. But boy I love those soundtracks. Kai Rosenkranz and Björn Pankratz both have done an outstanding job. BTW thanks for the suggested QuestPaket - maybe it's time for me to sometimes revisit G3 - it's been 16 years after all... God I'm old :D
This is about what I expected, it's a Piranha Bytes game and it does what it says on the tin. I think I'll grab this one despite the jank, as I always love these despite their flaws, it's just simple and honest gameplay. Thanks for the review
yeah screw the story and hand holding.. the fun part was always just stumbling upon a lair of very dangerous creatures then seeing if you could get in, steal their loot and then make it out alive.
I love their world-building and the choice and consequence they provide for the player, but they seriously need to sort out their janky combat. The games would be so much better if they just addressed that one thing. Having said that, I loved the first one, despite its flaws, and I'll buy this one too.
i always love the stories, they are pretty good at story telling. As someone that played all the pyrana bytes games, from gothic to elex, it is always clunkey but there is something there! something powerfull there! I always buy em and ive never regretted it.
I dont see "very little level balancing" as a downside, it's literally how piranha bytes games are always designed on purpose. It's to have a less streamlined, hand-hold approach like most new games have. You get ur ass kicked and come back later for revenge, it gives you a feeling of progress/accomplishment, it's boring as hell when you just follow a path and kill everything in the way
Their older games used much more sensible difficulty zoning so you could make sense of areas to visit later. Meanwhile the balancing in Elex 1 in terms of enemy difficulty placement felt completely random which I guess is the product of the (imo) counterproductive size of the world.
This is true I agree with you but I also think there should be so.e sort of clue as to how tough an enemy will be. Some areas generally being harder than others or etc
I've played both Gothic games, then Risen was the last one but it just felt like the same game all over again. Now I see this Elex, it's still the same clunky mess. They really need to improve this after 2 decades.. seriously
I hope you give elden ring another try once its fixed. The balancing thing you talked about here reminded me of it. Never quite sure which enemies are going to one shot you.
Did not expect that! You're basically in line with the fans of the developer's games. The games are janky as all hell and the production value is at times laughable, but even so, there's this kind of magic to the atmosphere that makes you wanting to play it more. And unlike games like Skyrim or Fallout 4, you actually DO get rewarded for pushing on in Elex. Whether it be from the story/quests, or from the progression, or whatever else.
I'm glad you stuck through it to get to enjoy it. I had the same experience with elex 1. Start it. Hate it. Quit. Retry later. Spend first 5 hours running around not fighting and just looting because fighting sucked too much. The game grew on me. Didn't put it down until I was done.
Elex has to be janky, it's an gamer's game for gamers.. No public testing, no marketing meddling, no measured audience reactions BS, no targeted demo , no NFTs or dopamine circle-jerks, just an actual passion project and it shows. Bunch of folks made their D&D tabletop session into a game, played it and what the heck, sell it..for what its worth.. I bet it's the same as Elex 1, first you really don't know what, where or why but once you get a hang of things, it's an really great open-world old-school game(no hidden agenda's, no selling microtransactions, no loot boxes, nothing of the sort, just an honest B+ game). And, let's be honest here, when was the last time anyone enjoyed AAA+++ game(and, what the heck does that even mean, just marketing)? It's all forced and phoney(and, don't get me started with horrible obnoxious marketing campaigns that turn even an good game into an bad one).
It would be so cool if more people would think like you. We would get better games again. I respect them, that they did not go for the mainstream bullshit. It's a janky game, but a good/fun and honest one.
@@snaski2738 Slight joke about how "good" games were once an monthly thing, then yearly and now we maybe get one good one per generation of consoles, rest are just derivatives.. I get development cost, but no one asked for 100mill marketing campaigns or even worse for what is basically crap(and, at the end if the day, these are just games, not second jobs or "careers" outside development). Good product always got recognized all over world even before UA-cam.
I loved Elex 1 so much so I'm glad this got a sequel! Yes it's rough, but these guys really care about the games they make. They aren't following trends or milking people for DLCs, they're just making the games they want to for their staunch fans it seems.
@@NORWOODShadow not all their games gothic 1 and 2 are great for their time risen 1 and 3 are less clunky than elex and gothic 3 with patches in working great
The original Elex has been my favorite open world game despite all its clunkiness. There's something about Elex that I can't explain but it's just magical. I can't pin point what exactly it is, whether it's the world, atmosphere, characters, etc, or some combination of them but the end result, while very flawed, was pure magic. Seems like Elex 2 is following the exact same route. Not much seems to have changed, which is unfortunate as Elex had many things to improve on, but it seems like it still maintains the original's magic, which is a good thing as many sequels don't live up to their predecessors. A small note on your comments regarding balance, it's not that the game lacks balance it's the Piranha Bites special of starting extremely weak and slowly but surely growing ever stronger to emphasize your growth as a player and character throughout the game. It's so unlike most games that it just feels off, but once you understand that it's intentional you learn to appreciate this design. Same goes for the open world itself. It doesn't restrict you at all regarding where you can or can't go, which is a good thing, as most open world games aren't truly open world because they level cap you or divide you into different zones based on your progression. In the original Elex you could decide to take on the albs, who were some of the toughest enemies in the game, right from level 1 if you so chose, but than unless you're an absolute god at the game you get 1 shot and die. That's not lack of balance, instead it's absolute freedom to explore an open world game. It's up to you as the player to determine what your character is and isn't capable of doing, through both common sense and trial and error.
You described EXACTLY why I love PB games. The feeling of crawling your way inch by inch up the food chain and the satisfaction of stompin the bastards that made your early game hell
To sum up Piranha Bytes games in a nutshell: They always come with many technical issues, mediocre graphics, but somewhat an enjoyable experience, because you can feel how passionate the developers are at their work.
When you said: "I love it and I don't know why". That is the feeling I had since I ever played Gothic 1 first Piranha Bites game as my first game ever at age of 10. Most people of my age have their first game Oblivion but I was introduced to gaming world and to love for RPG via Gothic. Since then I played all their games. They all share the same feeling. Open world with lots to do and discover, but everything is walled not by content but by difficulty and level of mobs. So you many times go around some mobs and think what could be there for loot ... but you can't go there. Ever since I played Gothic 1 I fell in love with their games especially with Gothic 3 .... I can't wait for their remake of Gothic 1.
@@Charok1 I don't think it's mediocrity at all - it's unique - and I am a massive gothic fanboy - also loved Risen (less so their later ones) - their approach to game making is very different - but there is something in the aesthetic of it all that I have always enjoyed
For anyone who's wondering which enemies are too dangerous to you just look for the scull icon to the left of enemy's health bar (it doesn't say if you will die in 1 or 3 hits, but as general indicator it helps)
Getting rid of carry weight in a looter-shootery action game is great IMO. That's one of the things I don't like about Borderlands or Cyberpunk: every 10 minutes or so of action means my inventory is full. 🙃 Lots and lots and lots and lots of running to drop off vendor trash. Or not running: crawling. _Full inventory speed. Immersive heavy backpack. Aaaaaah! 🛎_
I wouldn't call cyberpunk a looter shooter. It's an open world story driven game. Enemies MAY drop their weapons but they're not shitting out 10 weapons at once like borderlands
@@Cypeq I hear Mack say there's 70 hatchets in his inventory and I start to think about looter-shooters. It may be too specific a term for a broader set of mechanics; plenty of games have the [carry too much and go slow], such as Skyrim. But RPGs in general are a subjective genre: what's an RPG vs an "action game", and so on: I suppose I'm thinking of looter-shooter-ism a similar way. If you disagree, I'm probably just wrong. 🤷♂️
Just don't pick up the worthless stuff, or bear in mind the price to weight ratio when you pick things up (if you're in it for the money). Many valuable items have no weight so you can hoard them like crazy. And recent 1.5 patch in Cyberpunk made even more weightless (such as grenades, I believe).
Mack just understands the Piranha Bytes magic :) The games are clunky, yes. But they have soul and a strong identity. PB really cares about creating a compelling and immersive game world.
Elex 1 was one of my favorite rpg's ever. The exploration, freedom of who you can kill, the combat while clunky rewards learning it, excellent story, and the non hand holding (high level and low lvl enemies in eevery zone) made it a great playthrough. For some reason the whole is way better than all the individual parts and I can't wait to play Elex 2
I dont get the complaint about "unbalanced world", I see it as a positive, things dont revolve around you. Other then that, absolute banger of a review!
Honestly Piranha Bytes is one of the best developers.. not because of graphics or anything, but because of putting alot of love and thought into their games, I got sucked in for hundreds of hours into Gothic series from 1 to 3, and I got some of my favorite gaming experiences I EVER had. Elex is something you definitely don't want to miss if you look for some fun immersive game.
Gothic 1+2 are the best openworld A-RPGs to this date. While modern Piranha Bytes games still pertain some of their old magic, their first two games still are two school grades above the rest. They are timeless masterpieces and i love them so much.
Anyone who's played a Piranha Bytes game knows what they're getting into, and you either enjoy it or you don't. I think they make fantastic RPGs despite the rough edges.
The problem with this developer is that they specialize in Jank. I feel as if they have no plans on improving and with every game they just hire a new set of 17 year olds to make the game. One giant Jankfest. At this point I'm beginning to think they have a setting in their engine labeled from "1 - To Jank".
I have a soft spot for these “middleware/AA” games. And this Developer makes some of my favourites. Looking forward to picking it up when I clear my backlog.
While I never really liked the gameplay, the World of the Elex games I've always found interesting to explore, with it's odd juxtaposition of Fantasy/medieval elements, Sci fi technology plus Mad Max esc settings sort of clashing with each other, almost like three separate time periods crashed into one another.
This game is like those old 80s horror flicks.... It's so bad its actually good. I really mean that in a positive sense. I am massively enjoying this game.
Goggles it and one of the first reviews by "gaming outlets" reads: a bonkers RPG hampered by unpleasant characters. They couldnt hack the meanies with the rude words that captivated our mack
This puts me in mind of an episode of Sex in the City where one of the foursome is dating a guy who just slobbers all over her when they kiss. When she breaks up with him, she tells him it's because he's a terrible kisser. His response is "yeah, that's my thing." Piranha Bytes has had every opportunity to clean up their signature jank, but they don't, because it's their thing.
Mack, the combat is not that spamy if you know how to use it. Use the kick to throw enemies on the ground and drain their stamina , etc. This way you could fight much stronger opponents.
So glad you looked beyond its obvious flaws & you could see that this is a brilliant franchise. Most will probably fall at the 1st fence. Others will say "right I cant do this quest. I need to go away & come back when im stronger". Its a game for old skool gamers
I have this, and it is super fun, and looks a lot better than any review video i have seen. Im at a super smooth 60fps 4k max settings. Combat gets a lot better when you skill up, and get better weapons. This game, is like getting new content for the old games we love.
I love this review . A review from a real gamer. Don’t need flashy shit. Give us a damn open world and let us do what we want to do. I’ll buy this once I finish the first one.
i love the balancing in elex and gothic. you DO feel more powerful later on when you take on enemies that used to be deadly before. not like most other games where it always feels like you didn't advance at all because the enemies just level up with you
the part about how the world isn't like a movie set, hit me hard! i wanna play the game just for that reason! but then i just realized my system cant handle it so i might have to settle for the first one :(
love me some piranha bytes games ...been a fan since Gothic series...they just know how to build worlds and all the jankiness is a must imo...great game, will get for sure !
Yeah I felt exactly the same with the first one.. it had so many clunky issues but t was just such a fun game once you got into it.. picked this up yesterday but did not get chance to try it out and was hoping for more of the same.. by the sounds of it thats exactly what i will get :) PB are kinda known for their clunky games that just suck you in.. the Gothic series are a perfect example.
That's how you play PB games, your first expression is something like "wtf this game sucks", then you give it another shot, and next thing you know you've been playing it for 100hours+.
theres a unique, traditional and actually good reason why you come across characters that will stomp you, its not lack of balance, its their traditional world building that many of us really like, to understand check a video called, a love letter to gothic s open world design
Well, that sums my issues with Elex 1. If I didn't know this was a review of Elex 2, i thought it was an old review from 1. It's nice to know they fix none of the issues of the previous installment.
"Lame story and a janky, disjointed mess, and I just can't stop playing it!" Ha ha. Best review I've seen in a long time. I'll buy a ticket to that mess too. Thanks for the review.
"Shit good game" sums up almost all Piranha Bytes games. They really are rare in putting passion in their games. Every title they own are proper RPG's and you can't stop playing them. I remember I played Gothic 1 and I had to press Ctrl + Arrow Up just to attack. Not to mention rotating your attack properly. And.. poured my hours into that game.
OMG MAC WELCOME BACK!!!! I absolutly loved this review. In the beginning you had me thinking, OK I reckon I am going to refund it. Then you hit me with the curve ball! Great review and OMG the ending was hillarious. It's so nice to have ya back. Thank you for a great review. Even if you would have thumbed it down, I was onboard with ya. I sure hope you read this one as I was a bit rough on you the Elden ring one. Anyhow, cheers from an old Pong player :)
So it still has that Gothik DNA that the first two Gothik games from German developers Piranha Bytes had - clunky, great worldbuilding, no handholding and fun. Would be fun to check out.
That's how pirahna bytes games are, on a technical level very lackluster but they make up for it with a believable world, characters and awesome stories. I really wish gothic 1 and 2 would be remastered at some point, the exact same games but with better (modern) controls and graphics updates but No changes to the world or story.
So excited for this Game. While Risen and Elex never reached the amazement I felt with Gothic (which I sure replayed about 15 Times) Piranha Bites Games just have their own magic to it. While for sure they have bugs and feel clunky, you just feel that it's a real game from developers that really love what they are doing with the limited resources they have. And others mentioned it already - the balancing in these games is what I love about them the most. Leveling up and then go back to areas where your ass got kicked a few hours ago just feels too good. You just can do whatever you want but you always have to be aware of the consequences. Great that you found enjoyment in this one, mack!
If you haven't already, try Gothic 1 and 2, the masterpieces of Piranha Bytes, RPG-gems that are often overlooked in the western gaming world (but are highly popular here in Germany and eastern Europe). It seems you felt the good ol 'Ruhrpott-Fantasy' and you liked it, so you'll probably like Gothic aswell, they have that, but better, at least imho. Its brutal, its dark and everyone is an arsehole or worse and the whole world just makes sense, the people in it and everything, the immersion is off the fcking roof. It is a bit clunky aswell, but the combat actually works once you've gotten used to it and you have the same thing like in Elex, where nobody levels with you so in the beginning, you get your cheeks clapped by every little bird thing and in the end, you can be the arsehole yourself. I could probably write whole paragraphs about it, but one has to try it oneself. G1/2 are my nostalgia gems, but I think they stood the test of time quite well; there are patches online and I'd actually recommend playing it in german with english subtitles cause the english sync seems to be horribe (I'm german so I'm biased doe but I've seen ppl play it in English having fun too, mostly due to some really ridiculous voices and accents lo)l. Elex 1 (havent played 2) had bits of that atmossphere and brilliance that Gothic had, thats why I enjoyed it, but G1/2 are on a whole different level.
great review! try part 1 its pretty great. esp. if you enjoyed this, safe bet! somehow i was not patreon this month. i will fix! hope your arm is better Mac.
the Elex series is here to kill the idea that 'gameplay is king' by having terrrrrible gameplay, but everything else is decent to outstanding. and im here for it.
You are the most honest and fair reviwer on the whole interweb :D :))))) Great review ! I Thank you for this review !!! I am sick of all the people seeing all the bad in the game and not seeing any of the good but you nailed it ! A really fair review ! Beers are on me :)))) ! loved Elex 2 ! Also I subscribed ! Cheers brother !
Thank you for making me have to clean my monitor after spitting out my coffee this morning on that last Mutant Bug conversation. Glad you're back doing reviews and being hilarious as always.
Is the Elex series made by the same guys behind the Gothic series. Elex 1 is pretty good if you install the community patch and some fog removal patch. The game can be a bit clunky but it oozes atmosphere, I played Elex 1 for 85 hours and rarely ever fast traveled. Its one of those games where you end up enjoy exploring and doing your own thing.
After desperately looking for good games on steam, i bought this on sale after this review. And tbh through all the negatives i still keep playing the game and cant stop almost 10 hours in i guess i got my moneys worth ($24). I love the radar/minimap, points you in a general direction then you better figure your path out. These kinds of gps/ radars are my favorite cause its not a cookie crumb trail you mindlessly follow
I put 56 hrs in, then had my quests reset on me somehow. They were completed but I would have to run around and finish all the dialog sequences all over again, or I can load to 46 hr save. I think I'll restart. It's very hard to find a replacement for this game. The atmosphere and freedom are the draws for me
Rough , buggy and frustrating , yeah thats a typical PB game. And yet there is something about them that draws me in. Honestly I think it's because PB is still staffed by a lot of gamer nerds and even if you find some of their choices odd you know it comes from passion for gaming. Like a mod team but with more money.
You are supposed to look for the skull next to the enemy health bar, This tells you that they are levels above and that you should come back later. It was the same in the first game. There is no level scaling, you pick your battles carefully and return to harder ones when you are ready. It gives a real sense of progression and its great.
Yeah I thought that too but then I started wrecking skulls when i got better gear so it's very hard to judge if you can beat them until you actually take a swipe at them and see what happens.
@@WorthABuyreviews fair enough. To be honest, looking back it was all trial and error. Eventually i got to know the enemies and figured which were best to avoid. I really enjoy this system though, Its much better imo than enemies constantly scaling. As i said, i think it feels more rewarding.
That spider was really well behaved
He waited you to finish your conversation then sliced you in half 😂😂😂
that isnt a spider, its some weird thing
@@Ralphunreal it's Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya how =can you not understand that it's Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya Goombaya
yeah, loved that as well, strange mutant bug politely waiting while you talk, then roaring and killing you, i laughed my ass off xD
@@darthducker3346 Well, still better than something killing you while you are stuck in a cutscene with no way to skip.
And you already know, you will have to listen to the entire conversation again, after you die.
That transition to dialogue at the end was beyond even Oblivion levels of hilarious. The way the monster just stood there listening patiently just fucking killed me.
MUDCRABS
I hoping to see something of that level of quality in the Rings of Power.
You're not the only one I died from laughter from that ending.
still, it stopped. I have been killed mid forced-cutscene one to many times to appreciate that kind of death.
Patiently waited for him to finish his dialogue so he could end him rightly.
Well worth watching this all the way through for some hilarious in game moments.
Reviewing Gran Turismo 7?
@@darthraider450 Yes really looking forward to that
@@WorthABuyreviews looking forward to it 😎
the end of the video. had me in tears. i was gasping for air
Gran Turismo is the only reason I've bought any consoles for the last 20 years. Taking willpower not to go buy a new PlayStation. Since I know it will collect dust when I'm done with GT7.
I almost died laughing in the last scene.
You're lucky - I actually died
@@VolTheProducer rip
@@VolTheProducer rest in peace and take care of yourself bro!
Ha ha, one of the most hilarious things I've seen in a a game for quite a while.
Same 🤣🤣
The unbalanced world is an absolute plus.
You really feel getting more powerful.
Other games just spawn tougher mobs for you so you're basically always the same. Post-Morrowind Elder Scrolls games are notorious for that. In Morrowind you could literally become a god while in Oblivion the first rat felt like the last demon lord.
The "unbalance world" is the whole point of these games! You cant just go anywhere or fight anything you want as a low level weakling. It feels more scary too to explore witch is fucking cool but then you come back when stronger and it feels amazing.
I'm so glad you've succumbed to it eventually. I loved the first one, same as all the other games from PB apart from Gothic 3. I've been looking forward to this one for the last 5 years. Nice review!
gothic 3 is such an underrated gem kinda sucks that alot of ppl hate it :( and if you hate because it doesn't work properly and not because of the story or gameplay ect then download these in that order and it will work great
1 gothic 3 patch 1.75
2 gothic 3 patch 1.75 update
3 g3 questpaket 4update2_volversion (for fan made quests)
4 qp update for patch 1.75 ( a patch for the fan made quests)
5 cm 3.1
6 mini mod pack
7 4gb patch
I'd say this review is spot on having played Elex 1. Clunky mess of a game but so much fun.
How likely are we to get patches and updates for the things that Mack mentioned in the video? If the problems will be fixed in 3 or 4 years, I'm fine with waiting.
@@aligmal5031 More quests to get the game to run than is in the game.
@@aligmal5031 Ali, I have discovered Gothic back in 2002 and since then I have been eagerly awaiting their every game and played them on release day. Gothic 3 was a mess, true, but I could look past that. For me G3 wasn't really a good Gothic game, you know? The quests weren't interesting, the world was too large for it's own sake. It felt disjointed, lacked personality.
I can tell you that I felt Arcania was a better "Gothic" game than G3. And that's saying something :(
Risen games and Elex all have that personality, intricate quests, characters. Even Risen 2, as much as it is a rather large departure in its Pirate-focused design.
But boy I love those soundtracks. Kai Rosenkranz and Björn Pankratz both have done an outstanding job.
BTW thanks for the suggested QuestPaket - maybe it's time for me to sometimes revisit G3 - it's been 16 years after all... God I'm old :D
This is about what I expected, it's a Piranha Bytes game and it does what it says on the tin.
I think I'll grab this one despite the jank, as I always love these despite their flaws, it's just simple and honest gameplay. Thanks for the review
yeah screw the story and hand holding.. the fun part was always just stumbling upon a lair of very dangerous creatures then seeing if you could get in, steal their loot and then make it out alive.
Yup, same here hooked since gothic.
As you say they are what they say on the tin.
Always a good adventure awaits.
I love their world-building and the choice and consequence they provide for the player, but they seriously need to sort out their janky combat. The games would be so much better if they just addressed that one thing. Having said that, I loved the first one, despite its flaws, and I'll buy this one too.
i always love the stories, they are pretty good at story telling. As someone that played all the pyrana bytes games, from gothic to elex, it is always clunkey but there is something there! something powerfull there! I always buy em and ive never regretted it.
PB games are always full of character, a great change from all the vanilla crap that’s churned out nowadays. I’m on this 1. Nice one Maccy boy
I dont see "very little level balancing" as a downside, it's literally how piranha bytes games are always designed on purpose. It's to have a less streamlined, hand-hold approach like most new games have. You get ur ass kicked and come back later for revenge, it gives you a feeling of progress/accomplishment, it's boring as hell when you just follow a path and kill everything in the way
Their older games used much more sensible difficulty zoning so you could make sense of areas to visit later. Meanwhile the balancing in Elex 1 in terms of enemy difficulty placement felt completely random which I guess is the product of the (imo) counterproductive size of the world.
This is true I agree with you but I also think there should be so.e sort of clue as to how tough an enemy will be. Some areas generally being harder than others or etc
I've played both Gothic games, then Risen was the last one but it just felt like the same game all over again. Now I see this Elex, it's still the same clunky mess.
They really need to improve this after 2 decades.. seriously
I hope you give elden ring another try once its fixed. The balancing thing you talked about here reminded me of it. Never quite sure which enemies are going to one shot you.
@@smithers4420 there is, you look for the skull logo next to the health bar
Did not expect that! You're basically in line with the fans of the developer's games. The games are janky as all hell and the production value is at times laughable, but even so, there's this kind of magic to the atmosphere that makes you wanting to play it more. And unlike games like Skyrim or Fallout 4, you actually DO get rewarded for pushing on in Elex. Whether it be from the story/quests, or from the progression, or whatever else.
I'm actually impressed he identified the hidden qualities of the game besides obviously knowing nothin about the developers.
right? i admit i was surprised as well, though he didn t realize why they put some really strong characters in some places
I'm glad you stuck through it to get to enjoy it. I had the same experience with elex 1. Start it. Hate it. Quit. Retry later. Spend first 5 hours running around not fighting and just looting because fighting sucked too much. The game grew on me. Didn't put it down until I was done.
Same.
Yep just like elex1, going to buy it when the price drops
The combat was actually sort of fun when you realised its all about timing.
You didnt say one good quality about the game lmao
@@HeadShoht haha I'm not doing a review. I loved the game in the end though. That's all that's important
Elex has to be janky, it's an gamer's game for gamers..
No public testing, no marketing meddling, no measured audience reactions BS, no targeted demo , no NFTs or dopamine circle-jerks, just an actual passion project and it shows.
Bunch of folks made their D&D tabletop session into a game, played it and what the heck, sell it..for what its worth..
I bet it's the same as Elex 1, first you really don't know what, where or why but once you get a hang of things, it's an really great open-world old-school game(no hidden agenda's, no selling microtransactions, no loot boxes, nothing of the sort, just an honest B+ game).
And, let's be honest here, when was the last time anyone enjoyed AAA+++ game(and, what the heck does that even mean, just marketing)?
It's all forced and phoney(and, don't get me started with horrible obnoxious marketing campaigns that turn even an good game into an bad one).
Elden Ring better.
It would be so cool if more people would think like you. We would get better games again.
I respect them, that they did not go for the mainstream bullshit. It's a janky game, but a good/fun and honest one.
@@noonerelevant2583 ?
@@snaski2738 Slight joke about how "good" games were once an monthly thing, then yearly and now we maybe get one good one per generation of consoles, rest are just derivatives..
I get development cost, but no one asked for 100mill marketing campaigns or even worse for what is basically crap(and, at the end if the day, these are just games, not second jobs or "careers" outside development).
Good product always got recognized all over world even before UA-cam.
Your absolutely right . I love even Spiders games. They are like BioWare light. Don’t have the budget but still putting heart to a original game.
I loved Elex 1 so much so I'm glad this got a sequel! Yes it's rough, but these guys really care about the games they make. They aren't following trends or milking people for DLCs, they're just making the games they want to for their staunch fans it seems.
seems cool. did the first one clunky aswell or?
Shame their talent doesn't match their passion. All their games are clunky as hell but have a charm about them
@@MrSongib the first one is more clunky due to smaller budget but it's fun
@@NORWOODShadow not all their games gothic 1 and 2 are great for their time risen 1 and 3 are less clunky than elex and gothic 3 with patches in working great
@@MrSongib I've recently played elex 1. I can tell you, I adapted to the clunkyness after some time and then everything flew as a breeze
The original Elex has been my favorite open world game despite all its clunkiness. There's something about Elex that I can't explain but it's just magical. I can't pin point what exactly it is, whether it's the world, atmosphere, characters, etc, or some combination of them but the end result, while very flawed, was pure magic. Seems like Elex 2 is following the exact same route. Not much seems to have changed, which is unfortunate as Elex had many things to improve on, but it seems like it still maintains the original's magic, which is a good thing as many sequels don't live up to their predecessors. A small note on your comments regarding balance, it's not that the game lacks balance it's the Piranha Bites special of starting extremely weak and slowly but surely growing ever stronger to emphasize your growth as a player and character throughout the game. It's so unlike most games that it just feels off, but once you understand that it's intentional you learn to appreciate this design.
Same goes for the open world itself. It doesn't restrict you at all regarding where you can or can't go, which is a good thing, as most open world games aren't truly open world because they level cap you or divide you into different zones based on your progression. In the original Elex you could decide to take on the albs, who were some of the toughest enemies in the game, right from level 1 if you so chose, but than unless you're an absolute god at the game you get 1 shot and die. That's not lack of balance, instead it's absolute freedom to explore an open world game. It's up to you as the player to determine what your character is and isn't capable of doing, through both common sense and trial and error.
You described EXACTLY why I love PB games. The feeling of crawling your way inch by inch up the food chain and the satisfaction of stompin the bastards that made your early game hell
Elex 2 is a great RPG really got my interest and the combat isn’t too bad although it is clunky 8/10
To sum up Piranha Bytes games in a nutshell: They always come with many technical issues, mediocre graphics, but somewhat an enjoyable experience, because you can feel how passionate the developers are at their work.
The game is worth every cent... gameplay aside, the story is so immersive you can't stop playing the game. had 35h of gameplay in 4 days :)
Is it like witcher 3?
@@mrheck5311 Not really, but the game is excellent nonetheless :)
I had 70 hours of gameplay in the first week of Elden Ring, it's way the hell better than this and Mack shit all over it lol
@Jéster yes because it has something other modern fakes don’t. Hard to explain in a short UA-cam comment .
When you said: "I love it and I don't know why". That is the feeling I had since I ever played Gothic 1 first Piranha Bites game as my first game ever at age of 10. Most people of my age have their first game Oblivion but I was introduced to gaming world and to love for RPG via Gothic. Since then I played all their games. They all share the same feeling. Open world with lots to do and discover, but everything is walled not by content but by difficulty and level of mobs. So you many times go around some mobs and think what could be there for loot ... but you can't go there. Ever since I played Gothic 1 I fell in love with their games especially with Gothic 3 .... I can't wait for their remake of Gothic 1.
Their games are janky as fuck like budget RPGs from the late 90s, but I still play them and for some reason enjoy them.
I played Elex 1 for 90 hours. Piranha bytes and Spiders have made some of my favorite rpgs.
It's such a pure Piranha Bytes game - the combat/NPCs/Exploration has barely changed since Gothic - it's like a classic game reincarnated
you say that like their mediocrity is a good thing
@@Charok1 you're saying it like there's someone else making games like that.
@@Charok1 I don't think it's mediocrity at all - it's unique - and I am a massive gothic fanboy - also loved Risen (less so their later ones) - their approach to game making is very different - but there is something in the aesthetic of it all that I have always enjoyed
For anyone who's wondering which enemies are too dangerous to you just look for the scull icon to the left of enemy's health bar (it doesn't say if you will die in 1 or 3 hits, but as general indicator it helps)
Getting rid of carry weight in a looter-shootery action game is great IMO. That's one of the things I don't like about Borderlands or Cyberpunk: every 10 minutes or so of action means my inventory is full. 🙃 Lots and lots and lots and lots of running to drop off vendor trash. Or not running: crawling. _Full inventory speed. Immersive heavy backpack. Aaaaaah! 🛎_
I wouldn't call cyberpunk a looter shooter. It's an open world story driven game. Enemies MAY drop their weapons but they're not shitting out 10 weapons at once like borderlands
@@jackcutter2 and neither does elex fit into that description.
@@Cypeq I hear Mack say there's 70 hatchets in his inventory and I start to think about looter-shooters. It may be too specific a term for a broader set of mechanics; plenty of games have the [carry too much and go slow], such as Skyrim. But RPGs in general are a subjective genre: what's an RPG vs an "action game", and so on: I suppose I'm thinking of looter-shooter-ism a similar way. If you disagree, I'm probably just wrong. 🤷♂️
Just don't pick up the worthless stuff, or bear in mind the price to weight ratio when you pick things up (if you're in it for the money). Many valuable items have no weight so you can hoard them like crazy. And recent 1.5 patch in Cyberpunk made even more weightless (such as grenades, I believe).
Mack just understands the Piranha Bytes magic :) The games are clunky, yes. But they have soul and a strong identity. PB really cares about creating a compelling and immersive game world.
They really put voodoo on their games!
clunky? no! no! nooooooo! it`s officially known as euro-jank! (it`s special)
Elex 1 was one of my favorite rpg's ever. The exploration, freedom of who you can kill, the combat while clunky rewards learning it, excellent story, and the non hand holding (high level and low lvl enemies in eevery zone) made it a great playthrough. For some reason the whole is way better than all the individual parts and I can't wait to play Elex 2
I finished the first one and I loved it. Getting this one for sure.
Piranha Bytes games are among my favorite eurojank games ever. Elex 1 was fun.... I am really looking forward to playing Elex 2.
Lol best ending to a Mack video I've seen in a while 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I dont get the complaint about "unbalanced world", I see it as a positive, things dont revolve around you. Other then that, absolute banger of a review!
Honestly Piranha Bytes is one of the best developers.. not because of graphics or anything, but because of putting alot of love and thought into their games, I got sucked in for hundreds of hours into Gothic series from 1 to 3, and I got some of my favorite gaming experiences I EVER had. Elex is something you definitely don't want to miss if you look for some fun immersive game.
You might get something out of going back and trying their Gothic games, or even Risen 1 at the very least, if you enjoy the way these guys do things.
It would be nice if Mack did some retro reviews for Gothik and Gothik II. I’d love to hear his opinions.
Gothic 1+2 are the best openworld A-RPGs to this date. While modern Piranha Bytes games still pertain some of their old magic, their first two games still are two school grades above the rest. They are timeless masterpieces and i love them so much.
2:44🤣🤣🤣😂
The end scene was pure fken good lmfaooo
Anyone who's played a Piranha Bytes game knows what they're getting into, and you either enjoy it or you don't. I think they make fantastic RPGs despite the rough edges.
The problem with this developer is that they specialize in Jank. I feel as if they have no plans on improving and with every game they just hire a new set of 17 year olds to make the game. One giant Jankfest. At this point I'm beginning to think they have a setting in their engine labeled from "1 - To Jank".
Part of the charm
They basically make the same game every time since Gothic
@@thomasfalcon6350 Yeah, but Gothic 1, 2 and the first Risen were good. They've never stepped out of their own shadow and it makes me sad.
So you're a janker then...
Its probably to keep the costs down.
I have a soft spot for these “middleware/AA” games. And this Developer makes some of my favourites. Looking forward to picking it up when I clear my backlog.
While I never really liked the gameplay, the World of the Elex games I've always found interesting to explore, with it's odd juxtaposition of Fantasy/medieval elements, Sci fi technology plus Mad Max esc settings sort of clashing with each other, almost like three separate time periods crashed into one another.
@2:44 "Honest, I'm just trying to help this sheep over the fence---that's all".
This game is like those old 80s horror flicks.... It's so bad its actually good. I really mean that in a positive sense. I am massively enjoying this game.
Goggles it and one of the first reviews by "gaming outlets" reads: a bonkers RPG hampered by unpleasant characters.
They couldnt hack the meanies with the rude words that captivated our mack
Elex helped me get through almost dying to Covid. I'll always cherish my time with Elex.
elex cured my herpes too good game
@@bdub8627 I heard that's how Magic Johnson cured his Aids finally too!
Yup...sounds like Elex. Can't wait to play it, but still working on the first game.
Can't wait to watch this. Love your reviews you crazy bastard
This puts me in mind of an episode of Sex in the City where one of the foursome is dating a guy who just slobbers all over her when they kiss. When she breaks up with him, she tells him it's because he's a terrible kisser. His response is "yeah, that's my thing." Piranha Bytes has had every opportunity to clean up their signature jank, but they don't, because it's their thing.
I absolutely adore the pyranha bytes clunkyness
Mack, the combat is not that spamy if you know how to use it. Use the kick to throw enemies on the ground and drain their stamina , etc. This way you could fight much stronger opponents.
best ending ever. polite and patient monster. had a good mom.
Funny that the monster was waiting patiently until your conversation was over.
So glad you looked beyond its obvious flaws & you could see that this is a brilliant franchise. Most will probably fall at the 1st fence. Others will say "right I cant do this quest. I need to go away & come back when im stronger".
Its a game for old skool gamers
I love these kind of games. I have more fun with these than most AAA games.
I have this, and it is super fun, and looks a lot better than any review video i have seen.
Im at a super smooth 60fps 4k max settings.
Combat gets a lot better when you skill up, and get better weapons.
This game, is like getting new content for the old games we love.
The ending is hilarious! That alien just standing there watching the conversation happen.
Man I loved the first one. I'm glad this one turned out like it. The jank is part of it man. I can't imagine Elex without it.
Your review sounds exactly the same way I felt about Risen, another Piranha bytes property.
I love this review . A review from a real gamer. Don’t need flashy shit. Give us a damn open world and let us do what we want to do. I’ll buy this once I finish the first one.
Attending a Billy Idol concert during the post apocalypse. 10/10
i love the balancing in elex and gothic. you DO feel more powerful later on when you take on enemies that used to be deadly before. not like most other games where it always feels like you didn't advance at all because the enemies just level up with you
the part about how the world isn't like a movie set, hit me hard! i wanna play the game just for that reason!
but then i just realized my system cant handle it so i might have to settle for the first one :(
love me some piranha bytes games ...been a fan since Gothic series...they just know how to build worlds and all the jankiness is a must imo...great game, will get for sure !
Yeah I felt exactly the same with the first one.. it had so many clunky issues but t was just such a fun game once you got into it.. picked this up yesterday but did not get chance to try it out and was hoping for more of the same.. by the sounds of it thats exactly what i will get :)
PB are kinda known for their clunky games that just suck you in.. the Gothic series are a perfect example.
That's how you play PB games, your first expression is something like "wtf this game sucks", then you give it another shot, and next thing you know you've been playing it for 100hours+.
theres a unique, traditional and actually good reason why you come across characters that will stomp you, its not lack of balance, its their traditional world building that many of us really like, to understand check a video called, a love letter to gothic s open world design
3:13 That made me fucking crack up man.. Love the scousser accent too! LMFAO
Holy s**t that ending murdered us both.
Well, that sums my issues with Elex 1. If I didn't know this was a review of Elex 2, i thought it was an old review from 1. It's nice to know they fix none of the issues of the previous installment.
I find that Jank is often a sign that there was passion put in by the developer.
these types of reviews are the reason I stay subbed to you mac
It may be buggy, clunky and low tier, but what it lacks in production value, it makes up for with heart.
"Lame story and a janky, disjointed mess, and I just can't stop playing it!" Ha ha. Best review I've seen in a long time. I'll buy a ticket to that mess too. Thanks for the review.
I loved the 1st game. I am really happy to get this one. I normally wait for sale, but this one - I won't wait 😍
Thanks for adding that last bit of clip at the end, made me lol
I wasn’t expecting Mac to say he loved it half way through the review. Mac is hilarious 😂 😂😂
Ive JUST posted the location to the sunglasses makes seeing loot items EASY Hope it helps mack
Bloody love this review! I've just ordered it because of this! Thanks mate!
I had EXACTLY the same feeling with the first one. Clucky as *** but soooo addictive and great overall.
"Shit good game" sums up almost all Piranha Bytes games. They really are rare in putting passion in their games. Every title they own are proper RPG's and you can't stop playing them. I remember I played Gothic 1 and I had to press Ctrl + Arrow Up just to attack. Not to mention rotating your attack properly. And.. poured my hours into that game.
OMG MAC WELCOME BACK!!!! I absolutly loved this review. In the beginning you had me thinking, OK I reckon I am going to refund it. Then you hit me with the curve ball! Great review and OMG the ending was hillarious. It's so nice to have ya back. Thank you for a great review. Even if you would have thumbed it down, I was onboard with ya. I sure hope you read this one as I was a bit rough on you the Elden ring one. Anyhow, cheers from an old Pong player :)
So it still has that Gothik DNA that the first two Gothik games from German developers Piranha Bytes had - clunky, great worldbuilding, no handholding and fun.
Would be fun to check out.
That's how pirahna bytes games are, on a technical level very lackluster but they make up for it with a believable world, characters and awesome stories. I really wish gothic 1 and 2 would be remastered at some point, the exact same games but with better (modern) controls and graphics updates but No changes to the world or story.
It's not a bad game. It has some really good moments. Maybe because it's from the same developers that made the fantastic Gothic games...
So excited for this Game. While Risen and Elex never reached the amazement I felt with Gothic (which I sure replayed about 15 Times) Piranha Bites Games just have their own magic to it.
While for sure they have bugs and feel clunky, you just feel that it's a real game from developers that really love what they are doing with the limited resources they have.
And others mentioned it already - the balancing in these games is what I love about them the most. Leveling up and then go back to areas where your ass got kicked a few hours ago just feels too good. You just can do whatever you want but you always have to be aware of the consequences.
Great that you found enjoyment in this one, mack!
When ever a cutscene starts I feel like my TV just gave out the way the screen turns black 😭
If you haven't already, try Gothic 1 and 2, the masterpieces of Piranha Bytes, RPG-gems that are often overlooked in the western gaming world (but are highly popular here in Germany and eastern Europe). It seems you felt the good ol 'Ruhrpott-Fantasy' and you liked it, so you'll probably like Gothic aswell, they have that, but better, at least imho.
Its brutal, its dark and everyone is an arsehole or worse and the whole world just makes sense, the people in it and everything, the immersion is off the fcking roof. It is a bit clunky aswell, but the combat actually works once you've gotten used to it and you have the same thing like in Elex, where nobody levels with you so in the beginning, you get your cheeks clapped by every little bird thing and in the end, you can be the arsehole yourself.
I could probably write whole paragraphs about it, but one has to try it oneself.
G1/2 are my nostalgia gems, but I think they stood the test of time quite well; there are patches online and I'd actually recommend playing it in german with english subtitles cause the english sync seems to be horribe (I'm german so I'm biased doe but I've seen ppl play it in English having fun too, mostly due to some really ridiculous voices and accents lo)l.
Elex 1 (havent played 2) had bits of that atmossphere and brilliance that Gothic had, thats why I enjoyed it, but G1/2 are on a whole different level.
great review! try part 1 its pretty great. esp. if you enjoyed this, safe bet! somehow i was not patreon this month. i will fix! hope your arm is better Mac.
the Elex series is here to kill the idea that 'gameplay is king' by having terrrrrible gameplay, but everything else is decent to outstanding. and im here for it.
You are the most honest and fair reviwer on the whole interweb :D :))))) Great review ! I Thank you for this review !!! I am sick of all the people seeing all the bad in the game and not seeing any of the good but you nailed it ! A really fair review ! Beers are on me :)))) ! loved Elex 2 ! Also I subscribed ! Cheers brother !
Thank you for making me have to clean my monitor after spitting out my coffee this morning on that last Mutant Bug conversation. Glad you're back doing reviews and being hilarious as always.
Is the Elex series made by the same guys behind the Gothic series. Elex 1 is pretty good if you install the community patch and some fog removal patch. The game can be a bit clunky but it oozes atmosphere, I played Elex 1 for 85 hours and rarely ever fast traveled. Its one of those games where you end up enjoy exploring and doing your own thing.
Damm it, you nailed it. To the point, great review. Love it.
The monster at the end is looking at you thinking "hurry the phukk up."
Excellent review, thanks.
mack, enemies that are above you have a skull next to their healthbar
Killer bug creature on the background: Get on with it will ya!
Play the 1st one!!
why dont you talk about perks, weapons, spells, armors? a lot of talk about u like it or dislike it, clunky. i want to know what features it has.
After desperately looking for good games on steam, i bought this on sale after this review. And tbh through all the negatives i still keep playing the game and cant stop almost 10 hours in i guess i got my moneys worth ($24). I love the radar/minimap, points you in a general direction then you better figure your path out. These kinds of gps/ radars are my favorite cause its not a cookie crumb trail you mindlessly follow
great review ! I have almost the same experience playing this. It's clunky but I love playing it...
I put 56 hrs in, then had my quests reset on me somehow. They were completed but I would have to run around and finish all the dialog sequences all over again, or I can load to 46 hr save. I think I'll restart. It's very hard to find a replacement for this game. The atmosphere and freedom are the draws for me
Rough , buggy and frustrating , yeah thats a typical PB game. And yet there is something about them that draws me in. Honestly I think it's because PB is still staffed by a lot of gamer nerds and even if you find some of their choices odd you know it comes from passion for gaming. Like a mod team but with more money.
You are supposed to look for the skull next to the enemy health bar, This tells you that they are levels above and that you should come back later. It was the same in the first game. There is no level scaling, you pick your battles carefully and return to harder ones when you are ready. It gives a real sense of progression and its great.
Yeah I thought that too but then I started wrecking skulls when i got better gear so it's very hard to judge if you can beat them until you actually take a swipe at them and see what happens.
@@WorthABuyreviews fair enough. To be honest, looking back it was all trial and error. Eventually i got to know the enemies and figured which were best to avoid. I really enjoy this system though, Its much better imo than enemies constantly scaling. As i said, i think it feels more rewarding.
1:49. Use sunglasses. Either find them or buy them for 2500 crystals. They highlight EVERY item that can be picked up. Even behind walls and trees.