Vampyr - Reviews

Vampyr has now been released on Steam and the reviews have started showing up.

PCGamesN

What’s struck me most about my time with Vampyr is that it manages to turn you into a predator through its mechanics as much as it does with its storytelling. It does collapse under its own weight by the end, but the fact that it so effectively seduces you, almost trance-like, into roleplaying a villain makes it worth biting into.

RockPaperShotgun

I’m frustrated that Vampyr falls just short of truly combining a smart choose-your-own-adventure game with a meaty action one. It’ll never happen, but a director’s cut that thins the sombre exposition and eases the medical busywork, injects more pep, and makes decisions decisions, rather than often either a roulette wheel or a railroaded path, would create a dream combination of darkness and light. Nonetheless, as a sprawling midnight world of tight fights and atmospheric exploration, this is a fat vein I keep returning to.

Eurogamer

Pressing in the left stick on consoles triggers Jonathan Reid's Vampire Sense, which renders the world as he sees it, in black and white save for the liberal splashings of blood that line London's darkened streets, and the bright beating hearts of the everyday folk he has promised to protect. But had Vampyr taken time to fully flesh out all those moral grey areas for the rich narrative vein they presented, rather than treat them as a resource to prop up an unremarkable combat system, it could have been a pretty special game. As it is, even with lashings of the red stuff, Vampyr ends up decidedly beige.

PC Gamer

There’s a lot of interesting, high concept stuff in Vampyr, and I love how Dontnod has used the tropes of vampire fiction to create a simulation of life as a vampire. London makes for an atmospheric setting, with buildings looming ominously through the fog and a dark, oppressive feel to the cobbled streets. But it feels like a game at odds with itself, veering wildly from compelling, dialogue-driven storytelling, to flat, uninspiring action, and back again. I never really fell in love with Reid either, a grim, relentlessly self-serious chap whose charisma seems to have been sucked out of him along with his humanity.

More information.

Wow, I was definitely not expecting such a negative reception for this game.

The Metacritic average is around 75 so far, so the reception isn't really that bad. It's a lot better than what people were saying about V:TM-B when that was released.

Looking forward to sinking my teeth into this. Pun intended.

Fuck these mainstream reviewers. They don't know shit. The game is great, as was Kingdom Come, also critically "mixed".

This reminds me of the reception to ELEX and I'm definitely going to get that one, eventually. I have some games I have to finish first.

Originally Posted by Silver
This reminds me of the reception to ELEX and I'm definitely going to get that one, eventually. I have some games I have to finish first.

ELEX has "mostly positive" on Steam, this one has "Mixed", lots of negative user reviews.. it's still early though so..

Forgive me for not taking too seriously any review that calls for "more pep" in a game, especially one about vampires. This is one I knew some time ago I would have to play for myself.

I rarely pre-order games anymore, but I did this one, because I suspected it would be like this. Scores in the 60s -- from the so-called gaming press and from players, as well -- don't scare me much. I often find myself in the minority opinion. Some of my favorite games have been, and continue to be, reviewed poorly.

Originally Posted by Paul
Fuck these mainstream reviewers. They don't know shit. The game is great, as was Kingdom Come, also critically "mixed".

Absolutely true.
Instead of looking at average reviews, it is best to pick out some reviewers themselves that you know are mostly on par with your own tastes and see what they say.

So, why do everyone have high expectations for this? Is the developer someone special.. ?

From what I've seen, it seems totally uninteresting. A mediocre action game.

Originally Posted by Maylander
So, why do everyone have high expectations for this? Is the developer someone special.. ?

Their last game was Life is Strange, an adventure game that was extremely well received (over 110K reviews on Steam, only around 4K of which were negative, for example), so that's probably a big part of people anticipating it.

Originally Posted by Maylander
So, why do everyone have high expectations for this? Is the developer someone special.. ?

I have a mildly cynical theory on this:
As per hardcore RPG aficionado standards, Vampire:Bloodlines is the gold standard.
I think many of us are waiting for a game similar to VtM:B.

Just like the original, we actually know that it will be a rough ride.
But we love the underdogs of the genre, so it is a great excuse for us to go against the mainstream, proudly telling, that "yes, this is our game, fuck y'all".

And here comes the cynical part:
Who cares about the game's actual qualities?
Our Mission Against Mainstream is more important than such trivialities.

The bottom line: this game might be all right, great even. Or, a bombastic disaster, like Numenera was (is).
It is too early to tell.

Personally, I'll wait for a discount and will try out myself.

Originally Posted by vurt
ELEX has "mostly positive" on Steam, this one has "Mixed", lots of negative user reviews.. it's still early though so..

Yep, on Steam Vampyr is rated "mostly positive" now with 72%.

Originally Posted by Capt. Huggy Face
I often find myself in the minority opinion. Some of my favorite games have been, and continue to be, reviewed poorly.

Well, if you liked a game and it had a rate of only 51% on Steam (which would be pretty bad), you'd still be in the majority.

Originally Posted by Avantre
Their last game was Life is Strange, an adventure game that was extremely well received (over 110K reviews on Steam, only around 4K of which were negative, for example), so that's probably a big part of people anticipating it.

Right. That makes sense. I never tried Life is Strange myself, but I know it has quite a few fans.

Originally Posted by duerer
I have a mildly cynical theory on this:
As per hardcore RPG aficionado standards, Vampire:Bloodlines is the gold standard.
I think many of us are waiting for a game similar to VtM:B.

Fair enough, but have they ever cited VtM as an inspiration? To me it seems to be a completely different type of game and genre.

It is not widely streamed.
By streamers' mouth, the emphasis is on story, it is huge storywise. The action side is weak on the other hand.

[QUOTE=duerer;1061507398]I have a mildly cynical theory on this:
As per hardcore RPG aficionado standards, Vampire:Bloodlines is the gold standard.
I think many of us are waiting for a game similar to VtM:B.

For me gold standard is Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain not sequels just first part,
the best game I've ever played about vampires and probably the best one I'll ever play.

Originally Posted by Maylander
So, why do everyone have high expectations for this? Is the developer someone special.. ?

Originally Posted by duerer
I have a mildly cynical theory on this:
As per hardcore RPG aficionado standards, Vampire:Bloodlines is the gold standard.
I think many of us are waiting for a game similar to VtM:B.

Originally Posted by Maylander
Fair enough, but have they ever cited VtM as an inspiration? To me it seems to be a completely different type of game and genre.

To clarify, I was referring to the RPG community expectations, not the developer's inspiration.

Well, the RPS reviewer said the opposite of Chien's streamers, and herein lies the rub for me in not paying much attention to reviews of games I'm actually interested in.

Duerer, I'm not so sure I agree with your titled cynical view, though I sure as hell have carried a little torch for another Bloodlines.

Morrandir, you got me there. I wish I could test all these theories by actually playing the game, but I just put my gaming rig in the mail today for a warranty repair.

Eurogamer

Pressing in the left stick on consoles triggers Jonathan Reid's Vampire Sense

I've reverted to teenager and I'm gonna press my stick… Well… Won't say on what.

Did any review bother to mention anything about rumored annoying respawns? I kinda don't want to analyze reviews for phones and handhelds…

Originally Posted by Capt. Huggy Face
Well, the RPS reviewer said the opposite of Chien's streamers

RPS reviewer is not earning $ by streaming. A streamer will care only for stalling the game in order to milk more money. A (pro) reviewer wants to fastrun the game, write an article and ruin some other game playthrough next by skipping sidecontent.
While generally I can't stand RPS and their reviewers any more, unlike streamers those reviewers at least write what a fastrun player wants to know.

If you fastrun gamer, do not play RPG-s

Originally Posted by duerer
To clarify, I was referring to the RPG community expectations, not the developer's inspiration.

Sounds like projected expectations then. Similar to what I did when first heard about Star Citizen, and was essentially hoping for Freelancer++.