I’m going to get fired for this article. No, not because we at TheGamer all have to fall in line and express the exact same identikit opinion about every game that releases, but because I'm going to admit some things that game journalists should never dare to.
Let's kick things off with the biggie: I don't really care for 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dishonored. I played it, sure, it was okay, but I've not got the patience, even in the great sandbox of Dunwall. I can admire what developer Arkane did with it – looking at all the paths and options still blows my mind. How did they come up with these ideas, let alone implement them into a coherent game? But, it's not for me.
For obvious reasons, I didn't get on with the sequel either. I'm not even sure I finished it. Because of this, I didn't even bother with Prey. Games journalists and Arkane are like Kratos and beheading: they just love it so much. I guess I'm the odd one out. I've learned to appreciate Arkane without playing its games. I've watched YouTube playthroughs and NoClip documentaries, read interviews and analysed design philosophies, all while not caring to jump in myself. Don't fire me, please.
I tried again with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Deathloop, hoping that the focus on shooting your way through its timeloop would appeal to my FPS-addled brain. It didn't click, but I immediately felt how good the gunplay was. I felt the kick of the shotgun seemingly in my shoulder. The sniper rifle was cumbersome, powerful. The assault rifle might have been my favourite, though. So often bland and middle of the road, the 'regular' option, Deathloop's feels like the automatic death-dealing brute an AR should be. There's plenty of power fantasy in the game, but the guns let you know who's boss.
The DualSense definitely helped with this, emphasising every pull of the trigger with a click of effort. I loved Deathloop’s gunplay, but I didn’t lov൩e Deathloop.
Enter Redfall. The game that everyone loves to hate. I’m not saying the hate isn🌳’t warranted – I don’t think it’s a great game – but there are definitely parts I enjoy, and Arkane’s signature gunfeel is back with a bang, a zap, and a stab.
I think a lot of people overlook the gunplay, how the weapons feel and fire, in Arkane games because they’re so distracted by, well, everything else. The sandboxes and stealth, the abilities and alternatives. The Arkane stuff. While Redfall has 168澳🌸洲幸运5开奖网:a sprinkle of that classic Arkane ♎level design, it doesn’t have most of the rest, aꦅnd that’s why people are disappointed. I unde🃏rstand your frustrations. But as someone who has never really ‘got’ Arkane games, the criticisms of Redfall spoke to me. It’s a shooter where the little numbers go up? I love Apex Legends, so that’s alright by me. There are far fewer stealth and ability options? Well, I always found them tedious. Please don’t fire me.
Redfall’s not perfect. I’m not eve🐬n sure it’s great. But I’m enjoying it, and that’s thanks to the guns. They’re all unique in both their uses and how they feel through the gamepad, and there’s nothing I love more in a shooter. I’ve also got to mention the stake mechanic. A sprinkle of Arkane ingenuity means that most weapons have stakes affixed to them like bayonets – a brilliant idea for a game about hunting vampires – and you must use them to finish off any bloodsucker you come across. The result is a fantastically violent stabbing animation, savage and guttural in equal measure, and the perfect finisher for Arkane’s vampiric gunplay.
It’s amazing what developers can do to differentiate weapons from one another. The rumble of the pad, the little screen shake to simulate recoil, the sound design for each gun. It all adds up, and Arkane is an underrated master at building a fun and unique arsenal in all of its games. I’m greatly enjoying testing out all the armaments in Redfall, although it’s 168澳洲幸运5开奖网🦹:maki⛎ng me wish I hadn’t sold my PS5, because a DualSense would feel delicious🅷 on the fingers.
I’m not here to defend Redfall – it’s not great as a solo player, the world is barren, and it’s far 🧸too easy for starters – and I’m not even going to say it has the best gunfeel in Arkane’s catalogue, as that crown goes to Deathloop. But, in the absence of all those Arkane trademarks that you all love so much, maybe hop in and shoot some vamps. Get a feel for the assault rifle. Headshot a villain from across the map. Blow pellets of lead into a Shroud. Get a feel for Redfall’s guns, and try playing it as a shooter instead of an immersive sim. You never know, you might have fun.