After seeing the dismal reviews, I hesitated on whether or not to buy
Wanted: Dead. But I figured games media doesn't have the best track record with action games, especially rough ones, so I jumped in. I'm glad I did.
The game is fucking sick. Here's way more info than anybody wants on the game:
First off, I think the reviews are accurate. The game is rough, but more than that, I suspect most players just won't enjoy its combat loop. Even the first level is full of basic mooks who can and will one-shot you if you don't respond to their attacks properly, and the checkpoints aren't always kind. It's a combat system that will frustrate most people, but if you're the type to shrug off failure and say "go next," then you might find it as exhilarating as I do.
Wanted: Dead feels built to constantly push you into taking greater and greater risks. You can hide behind cover and shoot for a relatively safe approach, but bullets aren't plentiful enough to do that forever, and melee enemies are fast, tanky, and aggressive enough to get in and close the gap. Even against gunners though, rushing in for melee is viable. Bullets don't hurt much, and the game cribs Bloodborne's rally system, so going for melee will usually counteract the extra gunfire damage you start taking.
But melee enemies pack unblockable attacks that will kill you instantly. You can counter them with a shot from your handgun (which functions more like a melee attack than a gun), but it introduces extra risk once combat gets up-close and personal. However, most melee attacks are blockable, but once you unlock the parry followup, it suddenly becomes far more rewarding to parry, since the parry's unlockable followup usually cuts off a limb (which gets even better with another unlock that gives executions on all delimbed enemies; both unlocks are early in the skill tree). It makes you want to go for the risky plays even when the enemies are busting out less threatening attacks. It's risk/reward that makes you want to take every risk you can.
Until all of this stuff starts to click, the game can feel messy. But once it all comes together, the game's real strength starts to emerge: its sense of flow. It's not about doing tons of cool moves or a variety of techniques; it's about playing by the book, doing the right things at the right time, all while being a knife's edge away from death. It refuses to let you feel safe, and maintains a constant tension through that.
Then I finished the first mission and got to the police station where the devs went nuts pouring in unnecessary window dressing that is just so charming.
Just look at this cat!
And then you get
another cat to go with this unnecessarily detailed cafeteria food.
Just look at this fish head!
They did not need 4 fake vending machine logos for the hub, but hey why not!
I don't want to overhype this. It's not a masterpiece by any stretch. It's rough. I've already crashed once. Not everybody is going to vibe with it.
But I'll be shocked if this doesn't become a cult classic. For the right audience, it does so many things right. It's great. Video games are cool sometimes.
