Hellblade 2 Review, 1000xResist, Crow Country - The MinnMax Show
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- On this week's episode, Ben Hanson is joined by Haley MacLean, Jacob Geller, Kelsey Lewin and Michael Huber to unpack our full review thoughts on Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 from Ninja Theory and what it means for Xbox. Then Kelsey and Jacob rave about 1000xResist and Huber gushes about the Resident Evil throwback Crow Country. Then we answer questions submitted on Patreon by the community and award the iam8bit question of the week! You can win a prize and help make the show better by supporting us on Patreon and leaving a question! / minnmax
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To jump to a particular discussion, check out the timestamps below...
00:00:00 - Intro
00:06:04 - Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2
00:37:56 - 1000xResist
00:51:07 - What is the best looking game available now
00:54:53 - Crow Country
01:05:15 - Thanking MinnMax's biggest supporters
01:12:13 - Community questions
01:59:28 - Get A Load Of This
Huber's GALOT - gamerant.com/resident-evil-1-...
Haley's GALOT - • The Fairly Odd Parents...
Hanson's GALOT - • We Worked on the Playb...
Kelsey's GALOT - neopets.com
Community GALOT - t.co/auKbJkzo0z
Disclosure - Games discussed on MinnMax content are most often provided for free by the publisher or developer.
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Glad to hear JeffM has had his kid and is back in the mix, but don't let this be the last we hear of Huber on the MinnMax show! He's been a wonderful stand-in and always brings a fun perspective and energy to the conversation.
My first impression of Huber was he was too happy all the time. Now anytime Huber is on, I'm happy all the time ❤
Love seeing Huber on the MinnMax Show!
thursdays are good days
I'm looking forward to watching this properly after I finish 1000xRESIST. I've been absolutely blindsided by how incredible the game is.
Haley is the best! Love everything she’s on!
HUBER!
I laughed when Jacob said Ellie taking off her shirt was the most impressive thing hes ever seen
52:10 Ben and Haley's reaction lol
I think Jacob has his rationale backwards wrt the trade offs of combat depth vs cinematic vision. It's not that they weren't willing to give up X in order to get Y. It's that X reinforces key story themes and character arc themes and Y contradicts them. Having Senua juggling enemies with DMC style combat means it's now targeting a power fantasy but that is 100% antithetical to what is happening with her character both internally and her role as this story plays out. She is supposed to feel vulnerable and barely surviving every combat encounter. Their vision here wasn't based on tickling your dopamine receptors like every other game is. I think sticking to their vision is not a trade off at all, rather it's to their credit and the betterment of the holistic experience that they pulled off the feeling they aimed for imho.
HUBER HYPE! We love seeing Huber!!!!!
a friendly argument that culminated in jacob shouting “let the masses be exposed to art, ben” was a highlight for sure
Classic Jacob 👌
I'm concerned I'll never know how this whole thing opperates
Gotta have Huber be 100 percent on Minnmax!
HUBER HYPE!!!
LOVIN' MINNMAX MORE THAN EVER
and yeeah didnt actually think _that_ was even possible, but you've done it again, Ben & The Maxers, it all keeps GETTING BETTER, more Games, more Friends!!
i'd LOVE a spoilercast about 1000xRESIST, feels like there's like hours and hours of things to unpack.
30:45 Jacob, I hate to break it to you, but Microsoft isn't the only company that wants to see the line go up. That's literally every company. 🤷♂️
The studio head said they did not start working on this game till 2020. So about 4 years instead of 7 years of dev work.
You can't do performance capture in a pandemic.
Really keen to hear the take on Hellblade 2, as the reviews seem to be SO mixed on it so far....[May play it later this weekend].
Still smooth, Ben. Didn’t even notice you didn’t ask how this whole thing operates.
Hanson you really are working a patreon sub out of me , if we keep getting huber over here im going to have to give you cash.
Bonus if you manage to snag some more Kyle Bossman appearences.
I wanna add my voice in support of Huber becoming a fully fledged cohort! I know there's probably some budget/scheduling complexity with adding a new cohort, but if it's possible to make it work without negatively affecting the others I would really love to see it. He's so good here
I love that everyone refers to Ninja Theory as Team Ninja.
Heads up about 1000xResist, it seems like there’s some memory leak issue, which caused som pretty big performance issues for me until I closed the game and reopened it and it was all fine. Just don’t keep the game on overnight and you should be good
Is there autosave ?
late game Jiao is my favorite 1000xRESIST voice acting in the game. some amazing line reads from her
The "spine" line was so good
Microsoft flight sim is also very very good looking
I do wonder why the order was slammed in reviews when Hellblade 2 is being celebrated by critics despite both being very similar. I enjoyed both games, but it’s interesting to see critics slam one over the other even though they’re cut from the same cloth. I will admit though the stealth sections and ending of The Order did tick me off.
Ben said he couldn't even finish it. Hellblade 2 is all over the place, critically
Because games journalists don’t want to get slammed with hate mail from the Xbox fanboys for giving yet another Xbox game a 7.. so they threw Hellblade 2 a bone lol
PlayStation tax lol
Hellblade 2 is a contemplative game about mental health with audiences already primed by a similar previous title. The Order sold itself as a bombastic shooter. Expectations about these things matter a lot (and I think the order is a pretty cool game!)
I think it's partially because standards have changed...but also I think narratively people are more interested in what Hellblade is doing.
1:02:25 LMAO everyone in unison reacting to haleys big blunder KILLED ME
I dunno what's better, Haley's shirt of Jacob's mustache
Yes.
Jacob Geller looking like he stepped out of a Tom Of Finland art
i didnt spot any leather, but that handle bar mustache is glorious
I love this comment! yes!! 😍
When I built my last PC, Hellblade was the first game that I got. I didn't like the puzzles, but i thought it was a cool story.
I’m playing it now. I like the story but the puzzles are boring imo. I’m still going to finish it but it has its issues.
hated the puzzles
no idea what the job titles at Minnmax are besides Haley being a community manager but 99% of my interaction with her is as a podcast guest/host/streamer powerhouse for the channel, I have no idea what a cohort is, I feel like I see Leo and Sarah less than everyone else etc
ALL THAT TO SAY, I really hope we keep seeing Huber in minnmax content
Heavenly Sword blew my mind back then with its graphics. Especially the main menu that had Nariko's face on it
Audio feedback for Ben: yep, you can hear the echoey space a bit. I wonder if it could be solved with a closer, quieter mic? Also, felt like there was a touch of hot gain at times. Looks great, depth of field is a classy touch!
Anyone interested in Hellblade should check out an old Game Informer video where Ben Reeves does mo-cap with the lead actress and acts out improvised scenes. It is hilarious.
god i love 1000xRESIST so much. fuckin blew my mind. i'd pitch it as a game made be people who love and understand the CRAFT of cinema, not just emulate the look of cinema. what a powerful piece of media, genre labels don't do it justice. it earns the term CINEMATIC in a way few games ever have.
I'm in Kelsey's boat on Hellblade. Haven't played it and would certainly reserve final judgment for if I ever do, but wow does it sound absolutely miserable based on this discussion.
“Iam8bit is posting this prize out of the kindness of their hearts.” Yeah not sure you can say that in good faith, Ben! They’re doing it for brand exposure 😂
1:24:26
Specifically the Astros had a television monitor in their dugout; they placed a person with a camera in the centerfield stands to observe the signs from the opposing team's catcher and beam that to the monitor.
When the Astros were at bat the opposing team's catcher would make signs to the pitcher, the Astros in the dugout then communicated that information to their batter by various signals, one of which was banging on a trash can.
I really liked the first hell blade game but it seems like HB2 went in the "wrong" direction: more walking, more puzzles, and a weaker story.
I'll still play it eventually but not at 50$
There's more walking but fewer puzzles and combat. The story is quite strong I think.
"How is everyone feeling about Hellblade 2?"
"Uh... Great gowns... Beautiful gowns"
They don't like it?
We need a video game and baseball podcast with Kelsey and Huber
We pitched it for New Show Plus but it didn't win.
Ben brings up Duck Hunt - I think his "conspiracy theory" is probably sort of right. I mean, I don't think Shigeru Miyamoto is the sole force stopping it, but Nintendo in general probably feels shooting animals doesn't go over as well today. Him bringing it up did make me think it be a fun idea to do "Duck Hunt 99" for NSO.
Nintendogs + Cats was the 13th best selling game on 3DS with 4,69M copies sold, I think it was a big success, but the problem is that it only sold a fraction of what the DS game sold, so Nintendo probably thinks it was a sign that the audience for that kind of game was quickly leaving their platform. I do think Nintendo is leaving money on the table by not making a phone Nintendogs game tho, it could be massive, games like Pou became incredibly popular and they are the same format.
hey thanks for another banger ep team :)
Poliwhirl is the $100 in my heart.
The reason for the hub area in 1000xRESIST being hard to navigate is to force you to become familiar with the environment for when changes happen later. You get very familiar with every inch by the end which you wouldn't if you just zipped between key points with ease
BRING BACK “ DO YOU KNOW HOW THIS WHOLE THING OPERATES?” QUESTION!!
I always remember Ben's story from the hell blade trip about the Dev going something like "oh this game isn't fun" like it's more of an interactive way to tell an emotional story than to convey how tight controls are or how fun combat is
No one tell them about Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
In regards to Duck Hunt games, there''s a great VR game (I think they made it available as a regular game) called "Duck Season" that takes a fun horror twist as you keep playing. Even has multiple endings and fun little secrets to find.
Missed joke opportunity on Crow Country... Sara was ravin' (Raven) about this game. You said it Ben, but nobody caught it!
having huber on is always a massive W
Just came back after watching the ending to enslaved. What the actual fuck was that
"I don't believe in nothin no more, i'm going to law school!"
Selling me on 1000x but I got quite a few hours into 13 Sentinels, was a bit confused, moved on to something else and now I only vaguely remember it. I know you can rewatch stuff, but still...
if you're still taking audio critiques, your mic is super boomy on my end! granted, i have studio speakers in front of me, but every time you speak, my room shakes haha. just bringing up the high pass filter a bit should do it!
Hope minnmax can bring in enough funds to have Huber as a more permanent member especially with EZA on the verge of shuttering
It still astounds me the relative low number of subscribers and patreon supporters. minnmax just blows away everyone else in my mind
I just finished Hellblade 2. it was engrossing but didnt have the same impact as the first. People should check it out on game pass but no way I'd pay $50 for it
There is a tiny bit of an echo Ben !
MORR SPORTZ TALK LETS GOOOOO
Hey Ben. Like others said, I can hear the slap back on your audio. Might need a bit more acoustic treatment in the room.
I have to say Hellblade 2 is now the best looking game I've ever seen. Much more realistic than Red Dead or Last of Us. Really enjoying it too. Glad you all talked about 1000xResist, as I just started it!
52:10
Huber hype!!!
Have you thought about making an alternative to Patreon for people living in countries and regions where this site is banned? I wish I could join Discord community, but simply can't because Patreon isn't working in Russia.
Good hellblade 2 discussion. Really unfair having the entire eye of sauron on NT.
Algo
54:41 Yeah. Glad HFW got a shout even if it was spoken over.
It felt like they were really trying not to shit on hellblade 2
Anyone playing Hellblade?
Would love a New Show Plus where Ben just learns about sports from Kelsey and Huber
P.S. Haley you can pause Elden Ring but in typical FromSoft fashion it’s very arbitrary and obtuse.
This was a great episode. The show keeps getting better :)
10:33 What makes a good game? If game does what it promised good and what it promised is fun for target audience then it is a good game. Not every game have to be anyone. These days there are dozens of play-through, reviews and user comments for a game even before its release to help you to decide what is good for you.
No Alan Wake 2 for best looking realistic graphics??
I think my biggest issue with people's criticism of Hellblade II is their want for it to be more of a gamey-video game.
Everyone calls the combat unexciting or like its missing something and that they instead want DMC style combat... I think that'd be jarring for the tone and the whole experience the game is setting. In combat every hit is slow and weighty and you feel like it is Senua giving it her all, like she's near exhaustion.
The goals of Hellblade 2 and its story beats are less clearly defined but it's because it's more a thematic piece on healing and living with mental health and helping others. It's a vessel for themes first and clear narrative beats second.
As someone that played the original just a few weeks ago, Hellblade 1 is harder to go back to than people think. Here, the puzzles are more streamlined and there's no friction with banal puzzles like repeating hallways. It's all tidy and you never spend anywhere too long, the game's always moving forward.
I couldn't be more thrilled with Hellblade II and though its sitting in the 80s in Metacritic I was certainly surprised its still divisive.
It seems like a game that'll go over a lot of people's heads.
The problem with your logic is that the developers chose to put combat in their game. You can’t put combat in your game, have it be mediocre and say “well that’s not what the game is really about”. If they put it in the game it deserves to be critiqued so that gamers can know what they’re getting into. I think you’re excusing it because you like everything else so much. It’s not some deep and psychological mechanic to portray her mental health, it’s just bad combat in some people’s opinion. That said I personally don’t think the combat is bad. Everyone has different opinions.
@@smellywaffels1967 hmm Zelda's mediocre combat says hi.
@@smellywaffels1967 but just because one can critique it for not being fun doesn't mean it's a "bad decision" inherently, which is i think part what op is getting at, like too many gamers expect something to cater to their comforts rather than their discomforts i suppose. i think it's so interesting to see studios experiment with something like combat and not emphasize the player and more marketable notions of "fun".
DmC, Ninja Theory’s best game combat wise, was only good because Itsuno was there to guide, supervise and advise them on how to actually create an engaging combat system.
2:29 Ah, a conversation between a bunch of non-movie fans discovering different sequel titling formats. It's surprising that Hanson couldn't come up with the fact that the sequel to _Jurassic Park_ is _The Lost World: Jurassic Park._ There's also _Rambo: First Blood Part II, My Boyfriend's Back: Wedding March 5, The Concorde: Airport '79, Damien: Omen II, Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2_ and so on. Not to mention stuff like none of the _Dirty Harry_ sequels having the words "Dirty" or "Harry" anywhere in their titles or all the _Planet of the Apes_ sequels being titled "Something of/from the Planet of the Apes".
Man….I just want another Heavenly Sword.
Or an HD Remake.
I really, really love the MinnMax show.
Needs more baffling. Slight echo
Owned TTYD and bounced after chapter 4, just got boring, much prefer the original.
Anyway Senua is by far the pull for us this week, D.I.D Plural system and my word do these games do Psychosis wellllll, about 2 hours into H2 and loooooving it, think it may be even better than the 1st, but beyond sick of people not realising, IT'S NOT DARK SOULS! IT'S NOT A GAMEY GAME, IT'S ART, AN EXPERIENCE, STOP EXPECTING DARK SOULS COMBAT, just enjoy the damn ride and if you don't, then bounce, it's clearly not for you and that's FINE!
EDIT
YESSSSS HALEY, BIGGEST COMPLAINT OF 1 WAS THAT sorry caps lock lol, that the subs didn't do every voice and it pissed us off so damn much, every alter (Not that these are alters) should be subtitles and it was the first thing we noticed with 2, instead of just the "main" voices, everyone gets repped.
Man I adore TTYD, and the original, but I think the sequel is just a better version of the original.
To each their own but TTYD is one of the best Mario RPGs for me. Between that and Mario + Luigi Superstar Saga
It is hilarious that after praising Hellblade 2's visuals like 30 minute or so, they forgot that game exist and did not even consider one of the best looking game ever. Sadly this is gonna be fate of this game. Everyone will forget next week. At the end of the year everyone will be like "did it come this year? Really?"
Hellblade 2 looks and sounds phenomenal but Gameplay is not that engaging or impactful, neither the combat nor the puzzles. In fact they actually took out combat features compared to the first Hellblade. Game is a little over 5 hours, for $50. Being a 5 hour game is not the problem, the problem is that there isn’t much good game there. Visuals and audio are stunning but are all things I can just get from watching a UA-cam video of the game/cinematics on a good Tv with good speakers. It’s not PS fan boys bashing it, don’t make it a console war thing. There may be some people on those extremes but that’s not the general. Gamers in general are stating the objective facts of its flaws as a game. This is great tech demo that should’ve been priced at $15-25 max for the 5 hours of mostly walking, lack of gameplay, less combat than original, and self solving puzzles. Glad it’s on gamepass but the asking price of $50 is why the objective cons people have are more stated than the few pros.
It’s so weird that these conversations always turn to… if Xbox “won” an arbitrary thing?
if microsoft doesn’t want Ninja Theory, then they don’t deserve them. Someone smarter will give money to people willing to take chances creating beautiful work like Hellblade.
And someone else will have to pay for a 7 year gap in releases for a short experience that likely won't sell well either.
@@Echo__plexmaybe Disney?
Just gonna put this out there: LOVED the first Hellblade but ≈ 3 hours into Hellblade 2 and feel like i am still waiting to play the game.
Enemy design, gameplay loop, combat, puzzles, and level design are all notably worse and even more non-existent
How to take risks according to Minnmax-
1. Be young and dumb.
2. Fail upwards.
😅
It's odd that Ben thinks there's not a mainstream market for beautiful gruesome miserable action games in a world where The Last of Us Part II exists.
Difference is tlou is fun to play for the most part
Went to the 1000x resist steam page off the back of Kelsey and Jacob's enthusiasm. How come no-one talks about how irritating the voice of that singer on the trailer is? Jesus, I had to mute it. Almost put me off the game entirely.
Spoiler
INDIKA was way more depressing to me. They deal with actual rape in the game. If you can handle INDIKA you can get through Hellblade 2 no problem
They all look under 24. What could they know about gaming and the industry born in broadband... 😂
Eh? The MinnMax crew are in their late 20s - late 30s.
Please be aware of spoilers on your reviews please? Almost all of it was laid bare
if you are a shallow extrovert person, then you wont enjoy hellblade. this game is for introverts with rich inner thoughts and worlds and imagination. we dont need some action mechanic in the game to run our imagination wild. just a good story will make us happy.
I am introvert and that game sounds absolutely miserable based on this discussion.
Please say this is a joke.
Game good then?
@@burnout713Hellblade does not seem like a Minnmax game tbh
this is epic
Typical lib fooled by random online info without questioning it hahahaha but it's OK Haley that was hilarious