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Gravity Rush 2 is responsible for it's own lack of success
- Thread starter psychedelic
- Start date
A lot of people demanded "more things to do" and secondary missions after the first game, and they answered... not very well. Some ill conceived mechanics, a mind-boggling obession with stealth, the difficulty was too harsh sometimes (remember that frisbee mission) for what should be some funny/cute interlude between main missions and give people excuses to fly around.
Still, loved the game to bits, one of my favourites this gen.
Still, loved the game to bits, one of my favourites this gen.
Really liked both games, despite some flaws. I actually started by disliking the first one on the Vita, because I found the controls not very good, but when the remastered came out, I couldn't put it down until I finished, all challenges and DLC included. The second one I think improved some parts, but the story was a bit messy.
But this scene makes it all worthy:
This reminds me I still have to play the DLC for GR2...
Also, screw Sony for not advertising this game properly
But this scene makes it all worthy:
This reminds me I still have to play the DLC for GR2...
Also, screw Sony for not advertising this game properly
It is a really good game and a damn good sequel, but for some reason I ended up liking the first one the most. I guess it has to do with the game missions feeling more condensed and shorter.
I'm surprised Sony even greenlighted a sequel and they didn't bother to market the game, specially for a game developed for nearly 5 years, its kinda shocking.
I'm surprised Sony even greenlighted a sequel and they didn't bother to market the game, specially for a game developed for nearly 5 years, its kinda shocking.
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Are people really thinking that the game lack of success is due to technical issues? The game could have solved all supposed issues mentioned here and it still won't succeed commercially for one simple reason: it's a niche game. Do you think the average consumer who plays GTA, COD, Assassin's Creed, etc... Would care about a blonde cute anime girl that flies? Probably not. Just like how okami on ps2 sold only 270,000 copies and viewtiful joe on ps2 sold only 46,000. Great games but sadly people see the covers or only just the first 10 minutes and think these games are for 9 years old kids when these games are so much better and highly praised.
This. I feel in love with the game and played it until I got the platinum. Gravity Rush 2 marketing or lack thereof is the issue here. Nobody knew it was coming out outside of the faithful and so nobody bought it. But the game itself is an absolute blast. Easily one of the better games of this generation.
Just the other day a friend of mine who bought them both recommended the first one and said that the second is a straight up terrible
Not really that shocking: they did the same thing with Vita.
Sadly, this is where i'm at.
GR1 was a great, dense package.
GR2, having dropped the shackles of the Vita version, increased scale, but imho to the detriment of the overall product.
I really don't get this forum at all....
one week we have a thread saying the game is on sale for <$10 and how everyone highly recommends the game and how much of a steal it is for the quality the game priovides.
few weeks later we have threads like this saying how much of a disappointment the game is and wouldn't recommend it.
one week we have a thread saying the game is on sale for <$10 and how everyone highly recommends the game and how much of a steal it is for the quality the game priovides.
few weeks later we have threads like this saying how much of a disappointment the game is and wouldn't recommend it.
Absolutely loved the first one (Got the platinum on both Vita and PS4) but the second just didnt click with me.
The leveling system was worse, taking much longer to unlock abilities and it made the early game much worse because of it. Ended up only playing for around 5-7 hours i think before moving onto something else.
The leveling system was worse, taking much longer to unlock abilities and it made the early game much worse because of it. Ended up only playing for around 5-7 hours i think before moving onto something else.
Gravity Rush 2's traversal is incredible. Diving and freefalling into another area or breaking the sound barrier with a jolting shift up high all feel great. I didn't use fast travel much because why?
I think adding more side missions after the first mostly just had time trials (aside from the DLC) was a good idea, but half the side missions could have been cut simply for not being good. Some were fun. Ex: I loved lifting people up and throwing them to some vendor to get him business. It was a lot of fun to use the slide mechanic and to do it in that hilarious way cracked me up. Other insta-fail "stealth" missions needed to go.
Overall, it's a good game, but it does have very noticeable flaws. If you are able to avoid the bad side missions, you can have a really good time.
Different people saying things. =P
I think adding more side missions after the first mostly just had time trials (aside from the DLC) was a good idea, but half the side missions could have been cut simply for not being good. Some were fun. Ex: I loved lifting people up and throwing them to some vendor to get him business. It was a lot of fun to use the slide mechanic and to do it in that hilarious way cracked me up. Other insta-fail "stealth" missions needed to go.
Overall, it's a good game, but it does have very noticeable flaws. If you are able to avoid the bad side missions, you can have a really good time.
Different people saying things. =P
Stealth mission is shit, but I don't remember there being that many of them.
It's crazy how many people lamented the mission designs when your usual AAA open world missions aren't any better at all.
It's crazy how many people lamented the mission designs when your usual AAA open world missions aren't any better at all.
User Warned: "Lazy Devs" Rhetoric. Please review our FAQ.
What other superhero game this year with bad/lazy mission design and insta-fail stealth sections received critical acclaim? HMMMMMM
edit: lmao at that warning, the purpose of the OP is knocking bad/lazy mission design?
edit: lmao at that warning, the purpose of the OP is knocking bad/lazy mission design?
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My barrier to entry was no 60fps option. A game about traversal feeling janky in motion (to me) just put me off. I love the concept and hope they revisit it.
The game is really beautiful with its stunning visuals and art direction. It has one of the best soundtracks of the generation, its gameplay is really fun and story is cool. Many characters are really charismatic, and has one of the best main characters of the generation. Even if a few things were better in the first one, it's a really awesome game.
I'm pretty sure that with a big marketing push this game would have been a huge success.
I'm pretty sure that with a big marketing push this game would have been a huge success.
The stealth missions while being poor, are completely overstated and exaggerated in their difficulty and number. There are only a few in the game and they are relatively easy.
I think if you go into Gravity Rush, 1 or 2, expecting a typical super hero fantasy, you are going to be disappointed. Toyoma has a history of working with survival horror games and that pedigree is apparent in GR ; which in many ways, while it is a "super-hero game", is a subversion of the genre with its emphasis on removing control from the player (like survival horror games). Even the ability to shift gravity is a wholly clunky experience in concept, let alone gameplay. You simply fall in one direction. It isn't graceful, even if it is fun to use. These are intentional design decisions that are reflected through other means be it through ancillary gameplay, story, and thematic elements.
I don't think this is true. It may not have flopped the way it did, but GR was never going to be a huge success. It's too niche of a title with characters and gameplay concepts that go against the grain of typical AAA game development. It was always going to maintain a cult status.
That said, while I'm thankful we even got a proper sequel to a Vita exclusive title on better hardware, I don't feel Sony did enough to market it. It didn't warrant a huge push but shit at least give it a mention at your E3 conference. GR2 was just kind of there with a booth but don't said very little about it. They did market it in Japan where it did relatively well, tho.
I think if you go into Gravity Rush, 1 or 2, expecting a typical super hero fantasy, you are going to be disappointed. Toyoma has a history of working with survival horror games and that pedigree is apparent in GR ; which in many ways, while it is a "super-hero game", is a subversion of the genre with its emphasis on removing control from the player (like survival horror games). Even the ability to shift gravity is a wholly clunky experience in concept, let alone gameplay. You simply fall in one direction. It isn't graceful, even if it is fun to use. These are intentional design decisions that are reflected through other means be it through ancillary gameplay, story, and thematic elements.
I don't think this is true. It may not have flopped the way it did, but GR was never going to be a huge success. It's too niche of a title with characters and gameplay concepts that go against the grain of typical AAA game development. It was always going to maintain a cult status.
That said, while I'm thankful we even got a proper sequel to a Vita exclusive title on better hardware, I don't feel Sony did enough to market it. It didn't warrant a huge push but shit at least give it a mention at your E3 conference. GR2 was just kind of there with a booth but don't said very little about it. They did market it in Japan where it did relatively well, tho.
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I'm also part of the crowd that favours the first over the second. I loved gravity rush remastered so much that I platinumed it - the first (and still only) time I've done that. the game obviously had its quirks and limitations, especially around mission design, but ultimately really endeared itself to me for its charm, both in mechanics (I love good traversal) and especially in art direction and character design. it's a cute, modest, neat little game. I loved the fin de siecle stylings of hekseville, comic art, the general atmosphere
2 is also charming when it wants to be, with the beautiful vibrant sunny colour of Jirga Para Lhao, which sometimes feels distinctly more southern-asian than the franco-german hekseville, but boy the gameplay. things just become such a slog. the mission design really, really lets this game down and turns it into a slog. the story also wasn't strong enough to forgive this, which places too much burden on the art and free roam alone. couple that with the irritating online mechanics which were shut off relatively soon after release, pointlessly and unnecessarily blocking off some aesthetic items forever after the fact - in a game where I would argue aesthetics matter - and the annoyances just started overpowering the charm that had brought me in. I dropped off in the summer with the dumb online thing feeling I had to grind for dusty tokens, resenting being made to feel that way after the missions had already lost me too
it's such a pity because they clearly had an artistic vision but not a mechanical one; the entire gravity rush issue feels like a really fun central mechanic and wonderful style being unfulfilled by a team that couldn't 'find' what to do with it, so we're stuck with very uninspired ps2-feeling mission and challenge design that goes by the numbers. I still think there's a wonderful game to be found and made there,, one that could grow from the tiny niche the series currently holds - but, I think we all sadly expect that gravity rush as a franchise is as good as dead for the foreseeable future granted how sony treated 2's release. the lack of confidence was transparent. RIP kat </3
2 is also charming when it wants to be, with the beautiful vibrant sunny colour of Jirga Para Lhao, which sometimes feels distinctly more southern-asian than the franco-german hekseville, but boy the gameplay. things just become such a slog. the mission design really, really lets this game down and turns it into a slog. the story also wasn't strong enough to forgive this, which places too much burden on the art and free roam alone. couple that with the irritating online mechanics which were shut off relatively soon after release, pointlessly and unnecessarily blocking off some aesthetic items forever after the fact - in a game where I would argue aesthetics matter - and the annoyances just started overpowering the charm that had brought me in. I dropped off in the summer with the dumb online thing feeling I had to grind for dusty tokens, resenting being made to feel that way after the missions had already lost me too
it's such a pity because they clearly had an artistic vision but not a mechanical one; the entire gravity rush issue feels like a really fun central mechanic and wonderful style being unfulfilled by a team that couldn't 'find' what to do with it, so we're stuck with very uninspired ps2-feeling mission and challenge design that goes by the numbers. I still think there's a wonderful game to be found and made there,, one that could grow from the tiny niche the series currently holds - but, I think we all sadly expect that gravity rush as a franchise is as good as dead for the foreseeable future granted how sony treated 2's release. the lack of confidence was transparent. RIP kat </3
but hey, with toyama free maybe we'll get to see a new siren?
Well, i bought both games when they were on sale in 2017. Only played the first though and didn't finish it. I had problems with the gameplay and the mission design. Collecting trash just isn't a very exciting task and having to use her powers to do it made it all the more annoying. I loved the characters though and the way the story was told in a comic like way. The world was also very fascinating. But yeah, after playing it i didn't have any desire to start the sequel.
I agree.
For me this game was a massive dissapointment after the first one, which i considered fantastic on both platforms.
The mission design and pace is really uneven (im actually surprised they didnt follow the formula of the first game), with activities that don't add anything of value to the development of the character and just feel like bad filler content.
And funny enough,
I wasnt convinced by the videos they were showing during the development of the game, and after purchasing it pressured by the closure of the online mode, i wasnt convinced by the game itself.
Probably the worst sequel (that wasnt broken) to a game i've played this generation.
For me this game was a massive dissapointment after the first one, which i considered fantastic on both platforms.
The mission design and pace is really uneven (im actually surprised they didnt follow the formula of the first game), with activities that don't add anything of value to the development of the character and just feel like bad filler content.
And funny enough,
they continued the final story chapter of the first game with a piece of dlc instead of with the main game.
I wasnt convinced by the videos they were showing during the development of the game, and after purchasing it pressured by the closure of the online mode, i wasnt convinced by the game itself.
Probably the worst sequel (that wasnt broken) to a game i've played this generation.
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This is only really true if you pretend like word of mouth isn't a thing. It also can be applied to literally any criticism of any game ever. "To criticise the bugs in FO76 you need to buy and play the game first, so FO76 didn't bomb because it was a buggy mess of a game".
While I personally enjoy the game, I can see why others wouldn't, but I think a lot of this came from the fact that Sony hardly promoted it. It's like Square Enix wondering why Dragon Quest XI didn't sell well in the West. Like, unless you know about Dragon Quest, or follow people who would talk about Dragon Quest, you'd probably never hear about it. It's the same with Gravity Rush, but the word of mouth coming out for it comes from an even more niche market.
I recommended the first game to everyone I could but held off on the second. To take such a wondrous traversal system and neuter it with stealth and platforming missions is just mindboggling. It should be about freedom in the skies as a contrast to the highly depressing and controlled life on the islands but it simply doesn't play to its strengths. Still love Kat though, and 2BKat is the best crossover.
OP you're 100% right. I love Gravity Rush, I love Kat, I love the music, I love the world, I love everything about this game... But actually playing it.
The missions are such a chore to play, they're boring and they barely take advantage of the skillset they have given you. The only good mission I can think of is the one where you raid the air base.
I tried so hard to love this game and I just couldn't. I wish the team had another crack at it because I absolutely adore the world of Gravity Rush.
The missions are such a chore to play, they're boring and they barely take advantage of the skillset they have given you. The only good mission I can think of is the one where you raid the air base.
I tried so hard to love this game and I just couldn't. I wish the team had another crack at it because I absolutely adore the world of Gravity Rush.
Yeah, Sony butchered this wonderful game.
Turning off the servers so soon after release was just another slap in the face.
Nah, I think people advocating Gravity Rush are well aware of it's shortcoming. At least I do. It's like some people can tolerate euro jank and genuinely like some of thise low budget euro rpg
GR have their very japanese jank as well. It just that some of us think the game bring something refreshing along with it. The artstyle, world, lore, characters are all so charming that we wish more people played them.
There's a difference in terms of audience and word of mouth between Gravity Rush and Fallout, come on.
Word of mouth doesn't impact much a game not many people know about in the first place.
It absolutely does. Minecraft and PUBG are two big examples of games that grew to being the biggest games on the planet almost entirely based on word of mouth. All the big marketing campaigns and merch came after they exploded. Not to mention smaller games like Undertale, Super Meat Boy, Flappy Bird. Hell think of basically any very successful indie game, marketing had very little to do with their initial success.
Yeah, from a game design standpoint it isn't the greatest. Many missions don't really utilize the game's strengths and it absolutely will turn off a lot of people. If they managed to make the core gameplay loop as interesting and enjoyable to play as it could potentially be, I think the game would have done a lot better.
As it stands, it's a really awesome world with great characters, beautiful art, fantastic music, and awesome mechanics. I love it, but definitely not for everyone.
As it stands, it's a really awesome world with great characters, beautiful art, fantastic music, and awesome mechanics. I love it, but definitely not for everyone.
GR2 strikes me as a sequel that was made heavily with the existing fans in mind and the belief that more content meant better game.
It carries over all the issues of the original title, doesn't really try to fix them outside of a smattering of small combat tweaks that still don't really stop things from devolving into samey-ness (but still, props to stasis being more useful).
The new styles are neat but spread too far apart, by the time I finally got the last new style I was also done with the game (not helped that the mission where you pick it up is infamous for its craptacular design and camera woes).
Actually hang on, I was done just a bit later doing another stealth mission with zero context for enemy visibility.
I'm hard pressed to think of a game that tries to handicap itself as much as this one, what should've been a surefire improved sequel just bloats itself down with flat out poor mission design to boot.
In the end I advocate for the original title more.
It carries over all the issues of the original title, doesn't really try to fix them outside of a smattering of small combat tweaks that still don't really stop things from devolving into samey-ness (but still, props to stasis being more useful).
The new styles are neat but spread too far apart, by the time I finally got the last new style I was also done with the game (not helped that the mission where you pick it up is infamous for its craptacular design and camera woes).
Actually hang on, I was done just a bit later doing another stealth mission with zero context for enemy visibility.
I'm hard pressed to think of a game that tries to handicap itself as much as this one, what should've been a surefire improved sequel just bloats itself down with flat out poor mission design to boot.
In the end I advocate for the original title more.
I gotta disagree, I think the fault lies in 1) an inherently niche game and 2) Sony not pushing it because of that. It was an improvement over the first in pretty much every single way, except maybe soundtrack.
I liked the start, then got bored in the floating city and ended up dropping it. I liked and beat the first one on Vita.
It is strange. On paper I should like GR2 more but I didn't. I beat and enjoyed 1.
2 just didn't grab me and eventually put it down and didn't return.
I think part of it may be it's a long distance to markers, the story didn't seem to be grabbing me either, at least it was going slow, and really the pace for getting new powers was slow, I can't even remember if I got any, maybe the heavy style?
I think I will want to try picking it up again, but yeah lack of marketting and even when I got it I wasn't grabbed enough to finish it really.
2 just didn't grab me and eventually put it down and didn't return.
I think part of it may be it's a long distance to markers, the story didn't seem to be grabbing me either, at least it was going slow, and really the pace for getting new powers was slow, I can't even remember if I got any, maybe the heavy style?
I think I will want to try picking it up again, but yeah lack of marketting and even when I got it I wasn't grabbed enough to finish it really.
The first one had a cool art design. Combat was bad, enemy design was poor, and story was also blah. It was, however, an acceptable game only because Vita did not have very many big games for it, and Gravity Rush was a showcase for it.
Gravity Rush 2 went to a more successful console, and thus would be buried among much better games. I bought the first, didnt even think about buying the second one. It was on sale a few days ago, maybe even yesterday for like $3.99. I thought about getting it, but then decided against it, because I know I would never play it. it would just sit in my library as my backlog, not to mention new games coming out is more enticing than a mediocre at best game.
It would have had more light shining on it as a Vita title, a console Sony abandoned far too early.
Gravity Rush 2 went to a more successful console, and thus would be buried among much better games. I bought the first, didnt even think about buying the second one. It was on sale a few days ago, maybe even yesterday for like $3.99. I thought about getting it, but then decided against it, because I know I would never play it. it would just sit in my library as my backlog, not to mention new games coming out is more enticing than a mediocre at best game.
It would have had more light shining on it as a Vita title, a console Sony abandoned far too early.
It was a good game for the most part... My issue is that nearly half the game involves stealth missions in a game that was never expected to really have that. GR1 had a total of one stealth mission and that was it.
I plat'd the first on both Vita and PS4, but I just couldn't bother to get those last couple of trophies in GR2 -- despite even finishing every challenge mission.
I plat'd the first on both Vita and PS4, but I just couldn't bother to get those last couple of trophies in GR2 -- despite even finishing every challenge mission.
It's a good game. I love traversing the world and using my gravity shifting powers.
What I don't like are the side missions. They are awful. Specially that one in which you need to find a dog's disc and then throw the disc around.
I haven't finished the game because I have this awful idea in my head that I can't continue the main story until I clear all of the sidequests that appear after a main story mission. After a story mission, there are like 3 or 4 sidequests that unlock and most of them are simply awful.
What I don't like are the side missions. They are awful. Specially that one in which you need to find a dog's disc and then throw the disc around.
I haven't finished the game because I have this awful idea in my head that I can't continue the main story until I clear all of the sidequests that appear after a main story mission. After a story mission, there are like 3 or 4 sidequests that unlock and most of them are simply awful.
I didn't care much for the stealth missions, but other than that I had a blast with the game. I like the gravity shifting mechanic too much not to. I can't get enough of Kat, the world, the soundtrack.
Combat-wise, sticking to projectile launch makes it much easier and fun, even though I love to land a we'll placed, high speed kick :)
Combat-wise, sticking to projectile launch makes it much easier and fun, even though I love to land a we'll placed, high speed kick :)
There is very little about the Grabity Rush games that is actually appealing beyond an aesthetic level. The gameplay had always been mediocre to just plain bad. I think Sony realized this with Gravity rush 2 and just gave up on marketing it, only letting the team complete it to satisfy a few dedicated fans and to not shut down one of Studio Japan's only in-house original projects this generation.
This. I bought both games because I like Sony's AA games (more than their AAA games) like Bloodborne (I know that From developed the game), but never finished the first one. The gameplay is not good at all considering how the game is focused on gameplay over graphics/story.