I absolutely enjoyed The Surge 2. I thought the combat is more satisfying than Dark Souls, even. And the body parts tied progression system made it more replayable.
@@El-Duderino-His-Dudenessagreed. The way an enemy staggers back when their flow is completely disrupted, allowing you to deliver a critical blow without fear of counter? Amazing. Did you know that you can parry the attacks of enemies you aren’t actively targeting? For example: you can target an enemy with a gun and parry an attack from a spear at close range, which lets you launch across the battlefield to the enemy with the gun and slap his shit.
This game is amazing. It could have been bigger and better, but what it offered was well executed. One of the better souls-like games. Great review bro!
Im currently replaying Surge2 because i never played the DLC and the thing i love most is the fact that i can obtain armors with no random element involved, i just need to rip the armor piece i want from the enemies body
I love this game! The combat is so engaging. It never gets old. Once you get the hang of the weapons it tends to get a lot easier. I love the environment cuz it's futuristic and it goes away from the cliche settings of souls like games
The Surge is definitely underrated. One of my favorite games of all time. It was just so highly enjoyable. It leaves you wanting more. I would love a The Surge 3. The game is just slick. It improved heavily on The Surge 1 and imo stands strong among the Soulslikes. In fact it might be disingenuous to merely call it a Soulslike, because it has enough of its own unique features to stand on its own.
Surge 2 is one my top Souls-likes. The level design is incredible and reminds me of the interconnectedness of DS1. Secrets, lore, and equipment all over the place. Atmosphere and combat are both top notch. I REALLY liked it. Ended up going to NG++ to get all the boss weapons. Really unique twists on the combat are cool too. Fantastic game. Edit: did you know there are alt-kills for each boss that can drop special weapons/armor pieces? I thought it was a very cool touch, and I didn't hear you mention it. Each boss has a few different drops on kill depending on how you kill them.
Literally, genuinely my thoughts exactly! I honestly believe it is a more true sequel to the original Dark Souls than either DS2 or DS3, in large part due to that awesome "Folded" AKA interconnected level design with awesomely placed shortcuts.
Great game, one of my favorite soulslike games, probably my favorite aside from the From Software titles. The combat system is so fun and engaging, the level design and overall aesthetic is excellent, and there are so many different armor and weapon options that can provide a lot of variety. I think my two main complaints are the story, which I found to be lacking despite having an awesome premise and overall lore, and the godawful character creation. Really hope they make another, or some other soulslike game with a non-fantasy setting.
Big fan of both games, with the original edging out slightly over the sequel purely for the setting and story. I would love to see this franchise be made into a trilogy!
I remember when this game first came out a few years after I finished the first. I can officially say that I was OBSESSED with both of them, and the release of the second was the first thing I ever pre ordered.
It had some issues at launch and only got ironed out after that. That might have held it back. Story was better in the first one. I think it is the best souls-like. Gear game, visuals, combat are on point. Metroid aspects are pretty good. NG+ is above average and greatly adds bang for buck. Falling from ledges is PITA. Only competition out there is Nioh 2, but that's a very different beast. Surge 2 is easy 5/7.
Indeed, the upside? Well, DECK13 is working on a new IP that is also going to be a challenging Soulslike Action-RPG, however it will be making some new innovations to improve and innovate upon the template they established from Lords of the Fallen to The Surge & The Surge 2. DECK13 said they've done this with the goal of expanding and improving the amount and depth of player choice. I'm sure it'll be good and interesting, and they've been working on it in full production for going on 3 years. We're likely to see something from it sooner than later.
This game has the best combat in a Soulslike that wasn't made by From. I had so much fun with it. I just wished there was more location variety and the world was bigger, even though the looping level design and incredible shortcuts made up for some of that. I think many people skipped out on this because The Surge was boring and forgettable and most people probably saw that there was a sequel and went "who even asked for this?"
Just started playing this game today. I was so impressed!! I’ve been playing nothing but elden ring since it released, and this was a great change of pace! The combat feels incredible.
@@Stalker950-l3x if you're still looking for a reply, the story is alright but nothing too special, the combat is amazing, i honestly have to say it has my favorite combat in any single player game ive played. the finishers make fighting enemies feel unique in almost every encounter. the parry system is amazing aswell if you play on mouse and keyboard, i love the feeling of swinging my mouse in a direction to parry. If you havent played it, wait for it to go on sale or something, and i think its on xbox gamepass aswell.
In the game, there is an implant right at the start called the directional block analyzer. This helps you parry. But it’s not necessary for the parry system. You can parry even without that implant, which honestly in my opinion makes combat even more engaging because you need to actively learn each enemy’s attack patterns, as well as how to parry them.
I'm replaying it as we speak, for the third time ever, and first in over two years. Back then I felt it was really good, now I think it's absolutely brilliant. So much diversity, options, flawless combat. I think it's Deck13's magnum opus.
I didn’t expect how much I’d like this game, I’ve been shying away from FPS and third person games over the years, enjoying games like Factorio, Rimworld, Cities Skylines, and Project Zomboid. But Dark Souls 3 captivated me deeply years ago and I have a strong affinity for horror games and movies, a favorite of mine is Dead Space. More obscure games that hold a special place for me are Korsakovia (Half Life 2 narrative mod), Dark Orbit, Amnesia, etc. The Surge 2 has felt so good to me. I feel it had the right mixture of dystopian that’s more akin to Bioshock 1&2 than high fantasy space future games that my interest trails off from exponentially. The combat is so satisfying and fun and I don’t feel like it’s an easy game, the first boss was probably the toughest but once I got past trying to parry every move and act defensively (learning to balance out my offense to build battery) things got easier, but I’d still know when to avoid enemies. I love this type of level design, I’d rather be boxed in by tough enemies than hit an invisible map barrier or just cornered off piece of map.
I thought I remembered it getting mediocre reviews when it came out which prevented me from playing but I just started it for the 1st time and it's legit
Nah, you might be thinking of the developer's (DECK13) previous 2 games which were also Soulslikes (The original Surge and Lords of the Fallen.) which both were somewhat mixed in their receptions, especially LOTF. However, The Surge 2 interestingly enough I am almost certain on Metacritic and Open Critic received slightly better reviews than CODE VEIN, however it just didn't have the marketing power of CODE VEIN (Which I also like to be fair.) though for me The Surge 2 had more interesting level design, atmosphere and the combat was superior to CV IMHO. *Edit*: Oh, and on that topic another prominent YT content creator in the Soulslike community, FightingCowboy actually publicly stated that he enjoyed The Surge 2 a good bit more than CODE VEIN, which I remember meant a lot to me at the time because he is not easy to please especially when it came to Soulslike games,, and even more impressive because he hated the first Surge.
I have the surge 1 augmented version. I didn't know that the game was underrated over these years. The only time I saw the game was when the developers were showcasing it in a games conference. I thought it was cool back then, and It reminds me of a cool psp game that somehow resembles the gameplay here.
Saw this on sale for $10, never heard of it or seen it before, watched the preview video for it and I figured for such a cheap price I'd give it a shot, it's an absolute gem, story is stupid but the combat is so fun I didn't mind
tl;dw - YES! This game deserves a lot of praise for being one of the most approachable Souls-likes even with the addition of extra mechanics. Fun Souls.
Ps plus gave the surge for free at witch point I tried and fell in love with the game I pre ordered the surge 2 and loved it as well game was awesome and hope there will be another some day very surprising that it was so underrated
Was pleasantly surprised how good this game is, can't believe I initially went with Code Vein over this, must of had a brain fart and assume Namco=FromSoft.
I would say from someone that played the first one first there are a Couple good things i can give the 2nd one. 1) The Armor Types were fixed up making the Goliath Gear Sets feel Tanky as they were meant to be since "The Surge 1" had the Sentinel Armor the Tankiest Armor type but with Medium Stability and the Goliath Armor was the Medium Tankyness with High Stability which made a little sense but not much and the passives were good but more Niche than the Sentinel Armor. 2) "The Surge 2" gave us more Weapons than the Original 5 being as follows; One Handed, Single Rigged, Two Handed/Staves, Twin Rigged, and Heavy Duty. They did take out the Bunny Hop Strat which made the Twin Rigged Weapon Type be the best Weapon in the game because of its Combos and DPS that would wildly out class the other types other than Heavy Duty being the strongest Tank Buster Weapon. Allowing more Versatility is great but there are quite a Couple things I did have issues with it in the end because of how much they took out of "The Surge 1" that kinda ruined the game as a whole tbh. 1) They took out the Level Progression, AKA the Weapon Profession, which allowed you to gain more and more damage the more you used a specific Weapon Type and the Proficiency Bonus you would have to that Weapon Type entirely. I understand why in a way because they did try to promote PVP but the thing is that it became a flop and there was no PVP in the end so i would say that the Devs should of brought it back. 2) They made the versatility of your Augments out and left out a lot of interesting difficulty in the game making you have to really manage your Core Power with the Augments to things like your HP, Stamina, and Energy as well as making sure you had enough Core Power to be able to equip the Armor as well making you to be more careful as well as making it a more Difficult Challenge if you aren't trying to think on your Resources from Medbay Station to another. Even the DLCs of "The Surge 2" didn't even try to cover those things, sure they brought old Armor Sets and Weapons from "The Surge 1" but even then some of the Armor Sets that were in "The Surge 1" that isn't apart of the DLCs were done horrible injustice. Take it from someone that has a little near 1k Hours on "The Surge 1" and about 40h on "The Surge 2"
I can say for sure that the surge series is very under rated I’m still hoping for a 3rd sequel especially after that huge cliff hang we got helping warren escape Jericho with the evidence of AID wrong doing again the kids me personally I like the first surge more there was lots of tiny details I enjoy like when running with a heavy weapon warren would lean forward and after running he’ll slow down by leaning back stuff like that and returning of old armors like the Black Cerberus armor yes based on my name you can say I’m a fan boy I loves the Black Cerberus boss in the first surge his armor was amazing and I loved the MG judge I enjoy bunching up enemies and using the special combo that launches an arch of electricity I was happy to see the armor return in the 2nd surge but hated how every AID member was wearing it after the defeat of major shield it took away that achievement of getting a unique armor like it was in the first surge and I hated that the judge didn’t make a return not even the adjudicater what we got was the urban enemy armor set a repainted pink multicolor mess of an Cerberus armor that welded a even pink multi color judge it had the electric field at the end of the blade but didn’t have the special arc combo huge let down and there been no further updates or dlc added to the game so after beating it and messing around in new game plus getting pissed off at the techogenesis nano enemies I would later find my self uninstalling the game it was practically taking up Xbox memory for other games at the time getting update after update and content drops
I haven’t played this in ages but I remember being broken af using cerberus set along with all the best implants and fyi implants can be equipped beyond the slots shown onscreen as long as you have enough power down side is you can never unequip and it doesn’t show them on screen but yeah I had a lot of fun with it just like first one
Solid video, I only played through the first few hours of the surge 1 but the map design got me lost too much to keep going, maybe the sequel can handle it better
@@AshroYT I'd say Surge 2 is much more easier for newer crowd, surge 1 just a tad bit too hard right from the get go vs the weapon selection in 2 to pick and customize. Plotwise I wouldn't worry too much since you're playing a new character that you get to create
@@MrGreenToS I saw some gameplays surge 2 seems more interesting than 1... As u said I don't wanna try hard games just looking for some fun plays so maybe trying surge 2 works out for me
@@AshroYT It can still be hard, especially some of the later bosses, but you'll discover a lot of shortcuts to bypass harder zones or make grinding for gear just a bit easier.
@@sebicmiel4221 Well, that's true for now at least. *However, the developer (DECK13) is working on a new Soulslike IP (They have been since Surge 2's launch in September 2019.) We don't know it's name, but based on the one poster-like image they revealed for the announcement of them working on this new IP gives the impression that they might be actually trying their hand at a Fantasy Soulslike setting again, at least that's the vibe I get from this image. Not classic/predictable fantasy like Lords of the Fallen, but something different. In fact, I thought of Darksiders for some reason when I saw the image, soo...Dark Fantasy/Post-Apocalyptic in a alternate universe? I'm sure it'll be really cool though, DECK13 has just been getting better and better at their formula for these Soulslikes after each passing game they develop.
I got the surge 1 with ps plus lang time ago but never played it before. I downloaded it 2 days ago and I have played it in 2 days now and I love it. And now I can see the Surge 2 premium edition is on sale on PS5 so new I know what to play in the weekend!!!
I don't really understand why some people say The Surge series level design is bad or badly implemented...it's a Metroidvania Souls-like inspired title, for fuck's sake! You gotta navigate and explore to unlock shortcuts and keep progressing. Where TS makes it tight and small, TS2 expands it in a huge world where you easily get lost just by exploring, lol. But it is not a bad thing anyway, you just gotta pay attention where you need to go and to do what.
There needs to be a Surge 3, if they focus on the story to make it more of an immersive experience and fine tune a couple of things in the gameplay (which I agree combat-wise is better than DS3) bringing also more enemy types into it, it would be an absolute classic.Though if it were up to me I'd go all in and make an open world out of it.
Found the Surge and Surge 2 on ps now. Easily one of my favorite franchises of all time. I really think a third game is much deserved. The Dark Souls comparisons really hurt this game or I would have picked up the first and 2 game at launch. I’m somebody that does not like Dark Souls games and this was the perfect alternative. Turns out I like these types of games I just don’t really care for magic and medevil type atmospheres. The dark sci-if horror vibe of the surge and surge 2 had me hooked. Deck 13 is supposed to have some big announcements this year. The longer we wait the more I worry The surge 3 isn’t happening.
The Surge 2 is the best game In the genre since Dark Souls 1. It’s a masterpiece. The limb targeting and directional blocking are light years ahead of anything From Software have done.
The game is great but the presentation just doesn't strike you. It feels floaty and the graphics are bit blurry looking, there is little to give the visceral feel of defeating your opponent, it isn't as "present" as popular games. To give an example, it's like how some games have shotguns and some of them give a good feeling and some just doesn't. Whether it's the sounds or animations, something is missing.
I honestly found to be Surge series to be more engaging than the Souls series. This was mainly due to the combat and looting, which felt smoother than the somewhat scuffed, clunky souls combat. Bloodborne has the same feeling, which lets me compare and consider them fairly similar in terms of gameplay.
The Surge 2 was a big improvement over the Original despite me still loving the satisfying but jank gameplay of the first. The story definitely was a weak point but the combat and tearing limbs including some pretty good boss fights did it for me. It's a solid recommend 🔥
The gameplay was fun but the map designs were horrible. I felt lost in areas I had been in repeatedly and just felt like I was going in circles repeatedly.
i felt that way when i started playing the surge 1, then once i realized that everything is interconnected i started to pay more attention to the areas and it just clicked, the design is amazing once u know your way around.
So would people recommend the game even to someone that hated The Surge 1, like myself? The original had this sluggish movement and animation system that made combat and movement in general just ultra... not frustrating, the game was fairly easy as far as I remember, but definitely _annoying_ .
I adored the 1st and 2nd. The 1st had better atmosphere but the 2nd excelled in everything else. Outside of From this is the best Souls developer by a wide margin. Can't wait to see their new game.
only negative side to surge 2 is its storylines, other than the main story to some extent.. otherwise this is a very well made game for souls type fans
Code vein would have been above this for me if the dlc wasnt just a few extra dungeons, atleast the packs on the surge give you some new armor and weapons and theres an actual expansion
@@JimmyPizzaDelivery Ah yes, because gitting gud totally replaces the joy of playing with friends. You know how many times I've replayed Souls just because they've coop and pvp? Games without coop/pvp just don't have as much staying power. Maybe 100 hours at most if you really like it and go completionist. But games with multiplayer can easily give you 1000+ hours
Surge 2 is a good game but they completely missed the ball as far as tone and atmosphere in this one. The first one took place in some sort of decaying industrial area and it even sometimes gave off horror vibes. It was great Surge 2's gameplay, level design and combat are better but the bright colors, the modern city setting and characters looking like they belong in Fortnite kinda brought it down for me. It looks a bit too "clean", in my opinion. Sterile, even. The main thing FromSoftware does extremely well is atmosphere. Just look at Bloodborne or Sekiro. Its also the thing other "Souls like" have the hardest time replicating.
@@AshroYT I love both, however many people don't like the first game. The first game has more interconnected levels, while the 2nd feels more like and interconnected world. 2nd has better boss battles too. Both are super cheap these days, so if you play the first and don't like it, you haven't lost much.
The only thing I dislike about the surge 2 is the colourful comedic tone, I much prefer the bleak hopeless atmosphere of the first game. Though saying that the surge 2 has my favourite parry in any souls-like.
The parry feels absolutely incredible to use. Super fluid, doesn't interrupt the flow of combat, just lets you keep wailing on your opponent. I never got into Souls like parry system until this one.
Yea I thought the exact same thing. I loved both Surge games. Hell, I was even one of the few who actually liked Lords of the fallen. I wonder if there is going to be Surge 3 or LotF 2...
@@NinesIng not sure about surge 3, but apparently lotf 2 is a thing. I never played lotf. Loved nioh 1&2, all souls games, surge 1&2, sekiro, mortal shell and hellpoint. Never played code vein. You recommend lotf now?.
Agreed - suspect that's a big contributor! Regarding LotF2 - apparently that's going to be a thing - there was an announcement ages back and I even made a short video on it - haven't heard anything since then so I hope it's still happening
@@kasv4103 It's a much slower game but I found it pretty decent. If you managed to get through Hellpoint (I found it a bit raw for my liking), I don't see a reason not try LotF. :)
I'm only comparing it to the first game, and I'm finding it inferior in every way. The controls are clumsy and unresponsive. The graphics also look cheaper than the first game. The crafting and upgrade systems, though following the same general method as the first game, again just have a cheapness to them. I was hoping for an upgraded version of the first game, instead I've got a clumsy, rough, cheap version of its predecessor. It truly is the Dark Souls 2 to Surge's Dark Souls 1.
The Surge is one of the few Soulslike genre that understand what makes Souls great. What makes the second iteration flop is technical issue. Me personally hates the color. It's too dark, too bright, overcontrasted, but at the same time washed-out. I hear it's because they change to Vulkan without preparation. I have not finished The Surge 2 because of t his. It's a shame because The Surge 1 has this beautiful dark but rich graphics.
Is this game hard for newcomers to the genre?The only souls like game I’ve ever played is reboot God of War? Love God of War but I don’t think a true souls game is the one for me. Is this game still worth buying having said all that?
Ahhh the Surge 2, the game i wanted to love, but fell short in some areas though all in all i agree, had a good time beating it - the flipworld idea was ace! Overall i'd say its worth 15 20 quid for sure! I will just say.... my goodness gracious me Brother Eli, whoever designed that clown lacks imagination that NPC is single handily made me want to stop playing multiple times over haha. Good review, WB bro! :)
I just could never get into the aesthetic of the game, sure it looks nice and well made, but the armors and the style isn't attractive. Like your character's armor is an exo that wear on top of your red shirt and blue trousers.
I don’t think Surge 2 really holds up to surge 1. The only thing that is better is the moment to moment gameplay. But there are a plethora of issues that dumb down this game. Bad environment design, with the right jumps you can skip sections of entire levels. Basic clipping issues with pieces of gear. One of the questline is entirely broken if you don’t do it in a certain way. And this game really chugs hard on my ps4 pro. And the story, by god the story. Awful. And the environment just doesn’t have the same dread or atmosphere as before.
Even though FromSoft's Soulsborne titles are objectively superior games, I have gotten a lot more enjoyment out of Lords of the Fallen, Surge and Surge 2, and I find their replay value is off the charts.
I absolutely enjoyed The Surge 2. I thought the combat is more satisfying than Dark Souls, even. And the body parts tied progression system made it more replayable.
Out of any Souls like, it has the most satisfying parrying system.
@@El-Duderino-His-Dudenessagreed. The way an enemy staggers back when their flow is completely disrupted, allowing you to deliver a critical blow without fear of counter? Amazing.
Did you know that you can parry the attacks of enemies you aren’t actively targeting? For example: you can target an enemy with a gun and parry an attack from a spear at close range, which lets you launch across the battlefield to the enemy with the gun and slap his shit.
This game is amazing. It could have been bigger and better, but what it offered was well executed. One of the better souls-like games. Great review bro!
Thanks dude - hope you're doing well sir!
Im currently replaying Surge2 because i never played the DLC and the thing i love most is the fact that i can obtain armors with no random element involved, i just need to rip the armor piece i want from the enemies body
I love this game! The combat is so engaging. It never gets old. Once you get the hang of the weapons it tends to get a lot easier. I love the environment cuz it's futuristic and it goes away from the cliche settings of souls like games
The Surge is definitely underrated. One of my favorite games of all time. It was just so highly enjoyable. It leaves you wanting more. I would love a The Surge 3. The game is just slick. It improved heavily on The Surge 1 and imo stands strong among the Soulslikes. In fact it might be disingenuous to merely call it a Soulslike, because it has enough of its own unique features to stand on its own.
Very underrated, I loved it, improved so much on the first one that I didn’t care for as much but wasn’t awful.
Surge 2 is one my top Souls-likes. The level design is incredible and reminds me of the interconnectedness of DS1. Secrets, lore, and equipment all over the place. Atmosphere and combat are both top notch. I REALLY liked it. Ended up going to NG++ to get all the boss weapons. Really unique twists on the combat are cool too. Fantastic game.
Edit: did you know there are alt-kills for each boss that can drop special weapons/armor pieces? I thought it was a very cool touch, and I didn't hear you mention it. Each boss has a few different drops on kill depending on how you kill them.
Literally, genuinely my thoughts exactly! I honestly believe it is a more true sequel to the original Dark Souls than either DS2 or DS3, in large part due to that awesome "Folded" AKA interconnected level design with awesomely placed shortcuts.
Some shortcuts really impressed me
@@grndmst9 I guess if world design is your most important metric then yeah
Great game, one of my favorite soulslike games, probably my favorite aside from the From Software titles. The combat system is so fun and engaging, the level design and overall aesthetic is excellent, and there are so many different armor and weapon options that can provide a lot of variety.
I think my two main complaints are the story, which I found to be lacking despite having an awesome premise and overall lore, and the godawful character creation. Really hope they make another, or some other soulslike game with a non-fantasy setting.
Big fan of both games, with the original edging out slightly over the sequel purely for the setting and story. I would love to see this franchise be made into a trilogy!
I remember when this game first came out a few years after I finished the first. I can officially say that I was OBSESSED with both of them, and the release of the second was the first thing I ever pre ordered.
It had some issues at launch and only got ironed out after that. That might have held it back. Story was better in the first one.
I think it is the best souls-like. Gear game, visuals, combat are on point. Metroid aspects are pretty good. NG+ is above average and greatly adds bang for buck. Falling from ledges is PITA.
Only competition out there is Nioh 2, but that's a very different beast. Surge 2 is easy 5/7.
just replayed after elden ring. LOVING Surge 2!!! just a fun game!
The surge is my favorite in the entire genre.... I just want more
One of my best game and absolutely loved the combat system....wished Deck13 continued the series
Indeed, the upside? Well, DECK13 is working on a new IP that is also going to be a challenging Soulslike Action-RPG, however it will be making some new innovations to improve and innovate upon the template they established from Lords of the Fallen to The Surge & The Surge 2. DECK13 said they've done this with the goal of expanding and improving the amount and depth of player choice. I'm sure it'll be good and interesting, and they've been working on it in full production for going on 3 years. We're likely to see something from it sooner than later.
This game has the best combat in a Soulslike that wasn't made by From. I had so much fun with it. I just wished there was more location variety and the world was bigger, even though the looping level design and incredible shortcuts made up for some of that. I think many people skipped out on this because The Surge was boring and forgettable and most people probably saw that there was a sequel and went "who even asked for this?"
Just started playing this game today. I was so impressed!! I’ve been playing nothing but elden ring since it released, and this was a great change of pace! The combat feels incredible.
How is it?
@@Stalker950-l3x if you're still looking for a reply, the story is alright but nothing too special, the combat is amazing, i honestly have to say it has my favorite combat in any single player game ive played. the finishers make fighting enemies feel unique in almost every encounter. the parry system is amazing aswell if you play on mouse and keyboard, i love the feeling of swinging my mouse in a direction to parry. If you havent played it, wait for it to go on sale or something, and i think its on xbox gamepass aswell.
In the game, there is an implant right at the start called the directional block analyzer. This helps you parry.
But it’s not necessary for the parry system.
You can parry even without that implant, which honestly in my opinion makes combat even more engaging because you need to actively learn each enemy’s attack patterns, as well as how to parry them.
@@Volcr4m Thank you very much! I haven´t tried it out yet.
@@sorensiris1381 i did my first playthrough with that implant, doing a 2nd playthrough without it and its a completely different game
I picked it up last year on sale, I kept dying at first but I stuck with it and eventually beat it! Hope they make a Third
I'm replaying it as we speak, for the third time ever, and first in over two years. Back then I felt it was really good, now I think it's absolutely brilliant. So much diversity, options, flawless combat. I think it's Deck13's magnum opus.
I didn’t expect how much I’d like this game, I’ve been shying away from FPS and third person games over the years, enjoying games like Factorio, Rimworld, Cities Skylines, and Project Zomboid. But Dark Souls 3 captivated me deeply years ago and I have a strong affinity for horror games and movies, a favorite of mine is Dead Space. More obscure games that hold a special place for me are Korsakovia (Half Life 2 narrative mod), Dark Orbit, Amnesia, etc.
The Surge 2 has felt so good to me. I feel it had the right mixture of dystopian that’s more akin to Bioshock 1&2 than high fantasy space future games that my interest trails off from exponentially. The combat is so satisfying and fun and I don’t feel like it’s an easy game, the first boss was probably the toughest but once I got past trying to parry every move and act defensively (learning to balance out my offense to build battery) things got easier, but I’d still know when to avoid enemies.
I love this type of level design, I’d rather be boxed in by tough enemies than hit an invisible map barrier or just cornered off piece of map.
I thought I remembered it getting mediocre reviews when it came out which prevented me from playing but I just started it for the 1st time and it's legit
Nah, you might be thinking of the developer's (DECK13) previous 2 games which were also Soulslikes (The original Surge and Lords of the Fallen.) which both were somewhat mixed in their receptions, especially LOTF. However, The Surge 2 interestingly enough I am almost certain on Metacritic and Open Critic received slightly better reviews than CODE VEIN, however it just didn't have the marketing power of CODE VEIN (Which I also like to be fair.) though for me The Surge 2 had more interesting level design, atmosphere and the combat was superior to CV IMHO.
*Edit*: Oh, and on that topic another prominent YT content creator in the Soulslike community, FightingCowboy actually publicly stated that he enjoyed The Surge 2 a good bit more than CODE VEIN, which I remember meant a lot to me at the time because he is not easy to please especially when it came to Soulslike games,, and even more impressive because he hated the first Surge.
I have the surge 1 augmented version. I didn't know that the game was underrated over these years. The only time I saw the game was when the developers were showcasing it in a games conference. I thought it was cool back then, and It reminds me of a cool psp game that somehow resembles the gameplay here.
Saw this on sale for $10, never heard of it or seen it before, watched the preview video for it and I figured for such a cheap price I'd give it a shot, it's an absolute gem, story is stupid but the combat is so fun I didn't mind
I love the surge games. Surge 1 was ruined by the awful boss fights but surge 2 rectified that.
Definitely an underrated gem.
Surge 1 worth playing or shud I try surge 2 directly
@Ashro Gaming what did you decide? I'm downloading both right now.
tl;dw - YES!
This game deserves a lot of praise for being one of the most approachable Souls-likes even with the addition of extra mechanics. Fun Souls.
Ps plus gave the surge for free at witch point I tried and fell in love with the game I pre ordered the surge 2 and loved it as well game was awesome and hope there will be another some day very surprising that it was so underrated
Perfect combat, best parry system for me, enjoyed throughly.
Very underrated, I loved this game.
Was pleasantly surprised how good this game is, can't believe I initially went with Code Vein over this, must of had a brain fart and assume Namco=FromSoft.
I would say from someone that played the first one first there are a Couple good things i can give the 2nd one.
1) The Armor Types were fixed up making the Goliath Gear Sets feel Tanky as they were meant to be since "The Surge 1" had the Sentinel Armor the Tankiest Armor type but with Medium Stability and the Goliath Armor was the Medium Tankyness with High Stability which made a little sense but not much and the passives were good but more Niche than the Sentinel Armor.
2) "The Surge 2" gave us more Weapons than the Original 5 being as follows; One Handed, Single Rigged, Two Handed/Staves, Twin Rigged, and Heavy Duty. They did take out the Bunny Hop Strat which made the Twin Rigged Weapon Type be the best Weapon in the game because of its Combos and DPS that would wildly out class the other types other than Heavy Duty being the strongest Tank Buster Weapon.
Allowing more Versatility is great but there are quite a Couple things I did have issues with it in the end because of how much they took out of "The Surge 1" that kinda ruined the game as a whole tbh.
1) They took out the Level Progression, AKA the Weapon Profession, which allowed you to gain more and more damage the more you used a specific Weapon Type and the Proficiency Bonus you would have to that Weapon Type entirely. I understand why in a way because they did try to promote PVP but the thing is that it became a flop and there was no PVP in the end so i would say that the Devs should of brought it back.
2) They made the versatility of your Augments out and left out a lot of interesting difficulty in the game making you have to really manage your Core Power with the Augments to things like your HP, Stamina, and Energy as well as making sure you had enough Core Power to be able to equip the Armor as well making you to be more careful as well as making it a more Difficult Challenge if you aren't trying to think on your Resources from Medbay Station to another. Even the DLCs of "The Surge 2" didn't even try to cover those things, sure they brought old Armor Sets and Weapons from "The Surge 1" but even then some of the Armor Sets that were in "The Surge 1" that isn't apart of the DLCs were done horrible injustice.
Take it from someone that has a little near 1k Hours on "The Surge 1" and about 40h on "The Surge 2"
Absolutely loving these games played and finished surge 1 last week and got sequel straight away amazing game
I can say for sure that the surge series is very under rated I’m still hoping for a 3rd sequel especially after that huge cliff hang we got helping warren escape Jericho with the evidence of AID wrong doing again the kids me personally I like the first surge more there was lots of tiny details I enjoy like when running with a heavy weapon warren would lean forward and after running he’ll slow down by leaning back stuff like that and returning of old armors like the Black Cerberus armor yes based on my name you can say I’m a fan boy I loves the Black Cerberus boss in the first surge his armor was amazing and I loved the MG judge I enjoy bunching up enemies and using the special combo that launches an arch of electricity I was happy to see the armor return in the 2nd surge but hated how every AID member was wearing it after the defeat of major shield it took away that achievement of getting a unique armor like it was in the first surge and I hated that the judge didn’t make a return not even the adjudicater what we got was the urban enemy armor set a repainted pink multicolor mess of an Cerberus armor that welded a even pink multi color judge it had the electric field at the end of the blade but didn’t have the special arc combo huge let down and there been no further updates or dlc added to the game so after beating it and messing around in new game plus getting pissed off at the techogenesis nano enemies I would later find my self uninstalling the game it was practically taking up Xbox memory for other games at the time getting update after update and content drops
I haven’t played this in ages but I remember being broken af using cerberus set along with all the best implants and fyi implants can be equipped beyond the slots shown onscreen as long as you have enough power down side is you can never unequip and it doesn’t show them on screen but yeah I had a lot of fun with it just like first one
pretty sure cerberus set was in the first game, not the second.
@@jmc2830 its in both. they added it in a free dlc with a new color scheme in a post launch update.
I’m playing this for the 3rd time now on ps5. Wish there was a re master version and please do a ps5 part 3 with co op For boss fights
Solid video, I only played through the first few hours of the surge 1 but the map design got me lost too much to keep going, maybe the sequel can handle it better
Surge 1 worth playing or shud I try surge 2 directly
@@AshroYT I'd say Surge 2 is much more easier for newer crowd, surge 1 just a tad bit too hard right from the get go vs the weapon selection in 2 to pick and customize. Plotwise I wouldn't worry too much since you're playing a new character that you get to create
@@MrGreenToS I saw some gameplays surge 2 seems more interesting than 1... As u said I don't wanna try hard games just looking for some fun plays so maybe trying surge 2 works out for me
@@AshroYT It can still be hard, especially some of the later bosses, but you'll discover a lot of shortcuts to bypass harder zones or make grinding for gear just a bit easier.
finally playing it now and wow, loving it, especially the healing mechanic and armor and weapon collecting - a solidly fun 8/10!
I've had it for over a year and still haven't played it. I really need to get to it.
I'm playing it now and having a blast it may be my favourite soulslike next to nioh 1 and 2 (after dark souls ofcourse)
Fantastic game and a damn shame that there won't be any more.
Why not?😳
@@sebicmiel4221 Well, that's true for now at least. *However, the developer (DECK13) is working on a new Soulslike IP (They have been since Surge 2's launch in September 2019.) We don't know it's name, but based on the one poster-like image they revealed for the announcement of them working on this new IP gives the impression that they might be actually trying their hand at a Fantasy Soulslike setting again, at least that's the vibe I get from this image. Not classic/predictable fantasy like Lords of the Fallen, but something different.
In fact, I thought of Darksiders for some reason when I saw the image, soo...Dark Fantasy/Post-Apocalyptic in a alternate universe? I'm sure it'll be really cool though, DECK13 has just been getting better and better at their formula for these Soulslikes after each passing game they develop.
@@grndmst9 woah thank you man😊
You're right DECK13 keeps getting better and better☺️☺️
@@sebicmiel4221 No problem man! Anytime.
@@grndmst9 i'm currenly on my first NG+ run in The Surge 2.
I love it😄😊
Both surge games are underrated, the rig concept works and makes sense, especially when combined with the implant and cut system.
I got the surge 1 with ps plus lang time ago but never played it before. I downloaded it 2 days ago and I have played it in 2 days now and I love it. And now I can see the Surge 2 premium edition is on sale on PS5 so new I know what to play in the weekend!!!
I don't really understand why some people say The Surge series level design is bad or badly implemented...it's a Metroidvania Souls-like inspired title, for fuck's sake! You gotta navigate and explore to unlock shortcuts and keep progressing.
Where TS makes it tight and small, TS2 expands it in a huge world where you easily get lost just by exploring, lol. But it is not a bad thing anyway, you just gotta pay attention where you need to go and to do what.
I got lost SO many times, but that isn't the games fault, it mine for being useless 😂
The combat of this game is a good middleground of Dark Souls and Nioh combat.
slept on this game and just started playing it. love it so much! best souls-like i’ve played, hands down.
There needs to be a Surge 3, if they focus on the story to make it more of an immersive experience and fine tune a couple of things in the gameplay (which I agree combat-wise is better than DS3) bringing also more enemy types into it, it would be an absolute classic.Though if it were up to me I'd go all in and make an open world out of it.
Found the Surge and Surge 2 on ps now. Easily one of my favorite franchises of all time. I really think a third game is much deserved. The Dark Souls comparisons really hurt this game or I would have picked up the first and 2 game at launch. I’m somebody that does not like Dark Souls games and this was the perfect alternative. Turns out I like these types of games I just don’t really care for magic and medevil type atmospheres. The dark sci-if horror vibe of the surge and surge 2 had me hooked. Deck 13 is supposed to have some big announcements this year. The longer we wait the more I worry The surge 3 isn’t happening.
Surge 1 worth playing or shud I try surge 2 directly
@@AshroYT I would say just play Surge 2. Better movement and more variety in environments.
@@questlazy122 K thanks
@@questlazy122 is this game fun to play? We get bored?
The Surge 2 is the best game In the genre since Dark Souls 1. It’s a masterpiece. The limb targeting and directional blocking are light years ahead of anything From Software have done.
The game is great but the presentation just doesn't strike you. It feels floaty and the graphics are bit blurry looking, there is little to give the visceral feel of defeating your opponent, it isn't as "present" as popular games. To give an example, it's like how some games have shotguns and some of them give a good feeling and some just doesn't. Whether it's the sounds or animations, something is missing.
I honestly found to be Surge series to be more engaging than the Souls series. This was mainly due to the combat and looting, which felt smoother than the somewhat scuffed, clunky souls combat. Bloodborne has the same feeling, which lets me compare and consider them fairly similar in terms of gameplay.
Thanks, this reminded me that I was gonna try it eventually.
This game is amazing. Severely underrated. I think one of the reasons nobody is playing this game is because the first surge flopped bad
Surge 1 worth playing or shud I try surge 2 directly
The Surge 2 was a big improvement over the Original despite me still loving the satisfying but jank gameplay of the first. The story definitely was a weak point but the combat and tearing limbs including some pretty good boss fights did it for me. It's a solid recommend 🔥
The gameplay was fun but the map designs were horrible. I felt lost in areas I had been in repeatedly and just felt like I was going in circles repeatedly.
Hahaha SO glad it wasn't just me doing that!!
i felt that way when i started playing the surge 1, then once i realized that everything is interconnected i started to pay more attention to the areas and it just clicked, the design is amazing once u know your way around.
Surge 1 was better imo The atmosphere and the feeling of solitude made the game more immersive and the universe more dangerous
Surge 1 was so good. The combat is so satisfying. Think it'd time to pick this up too
This is one of my favorites after Skyrim and fallout.
I've just downloaded this, wanted to watch a review before playing. Thanx.
So would people recommend the game even to someone that hated The Surge 1, like myself? The original had this sluggish movement and animation system that made combat and movement in general just ultra... not frustrating, the game was fairly easy as far as I remember, but definitely _annoying_ .
I only played The Surge 1 for a bit, I liked it but it didn't wow me. I just got both complete editions of 1 and 2. Hopefully I don't regret it.
So how'd you go?
This game was an AMAZING game. Shocked so few players have played it.
I adored the 1st and 2nd. The 1st had better atmosphere but the 2nd excelled in everything else. Outside of From this is the best Souls developer by a wide margin. Can't wait to see their new game.
Surge 1 worth playing or shud I try surge 2 directly
You've never played Nioh?
only negative side to surge 2 is its storylines, other than the main story to some extent.. otherwise this is a very well made game for souls type fans
Gonna start playing today 🕹️ Thanks
Code vein would have been above this for me if the dlc wasnt just a few extra dungeons, atleast the packs on the surge give you some new armor and weapons and theres an actual expansion
This is also on Xbox game pass. Thanks for this, I think I'll give it a try. =)
On sale now for 10$ ps
The problem is no co-op Nioh and dark souls has online co-op
The problem wasn't ever Co-op, you just needed to... git gud lol
@@JimmyPizzaDelivery Ah yes, because gitting gud totally replaces the joy of playing with friends. You know how many times I've replayed Souls just because they've coop and pvp? Games without coop/pvp just don't have as much staying power. Maybe 100 hours at most if you really like it and go completionist. But games with multiplayer can easily give you 1000+ hours
Surge 2 is a good game but they completely missed the ball as far as tone and atmosphere in this one. The first one took place in some sort of decaying industrial area and it even sometimes gave off horror vibes. It was great
Surge 2's gameplay, level design and combat are better but the bright colors, the modern city setting and characters looking like they belong in Fortnite kinda brought it down for me. It looks a bit too "clean", in my opinion. Sterile, even.
The main thing FromSoftware does extremely well is atmosphere. Just look at Bloodborne or Sekiro. Its also the thing other "Souls like" have the hardest time replicating.
Surge 2 is excellent 👌
I also thought the 1st Surge game was great once you understood the game - VERY underrated
Surge 1 worth playing or shud I try surge 2 directly
@@AshroYT I love both, however many people don't like the first game.
The first game has more interconnected levels, while the 2nd feels more like and interconnected world. 2nd has better boss battles too.
Both are super cheap these days, so if you play the first and don't like it, you haven't lost much.
@@aFLYER1980 👍
Honetly the first and second Surge are my favorite soulsBorne(ekiro) style game!!!
The only thing I dislike about the surge 2 is the colourful comedic tone, I much prefer the bleak hopeless atmosphere of the first game. Though saying that the surge 2 has my favourite parry in any souls-like.
The parry feels absolutely incredible to use. Super fluid, doesn't interrupt the flow of combat, just lets you keep wailing on your opponent. I never got into Souls like parry system until this one.
This game is super fun and super underrated.
I ❤ the surge and the surge 2 both are awesome games. Play both!:)
Great game I just wish it was longer
The surge 2 is amazing I loved it better then 1 but I still loved 1 it’s a love hate thing 🥰
Hello there . 😂
The number of players compared to other games probably because of the others having online mechanics.
Yea I thought the exact same thing. I loved both Surge games. Hell, I was even one of the few who actually liked Lords of the fallen. I wonder if there is going to be Surge 3 or LotF 2...
@@NinesIng not sure about surge 3, but apparently lotf 2 is a thing. I never played lotf. Loved nioh 1&2, all souls games, surge 1&2, sekiro, mortal shell and hellpoint. Never played code vein. You recommend lotf now?.
Agreed - suspect that's a big contributor! Regarding LotF2 - apparently that's going to be a thing - there was an announcement ages back and I even made a short video on it - haven't heard anything since then so I hope it's still happening
@@Onos i hope you do dying light 2, horizon 2 and elden ring. Onos. You helped me platinum nioh 2. So looking forward to your tips and gameplay.
@@kasv4103 It's a much slower game but I found it pretty decent. If you managed to get through Hellpoint (I found it a bit raw for my liking), I don't see a reason not try LotF. :)
I just kept dying over and over in the first part :(
Same😢
I'm only comparing it to the first game, and I'm finding it inferior in every way. The controls are clumsy and unresponsive. The graphics also look cheaper than the first game. The crafting and upgrade systems, though following the same general method as the first game, again just have a cheapness to them. I was hoping for an upgraded version of the first game, instead I've got a clumsy, rough, cheap version of its predecessor. It truly is the Dark Souls 2 to Surge's Dark Souls 1.
The Surge is one of the few Soulslike genre that understand what makes Souls great. What makes the second iteration flop is technical issue.
Me personally hates the color. It's too dark, too bright, overcontrasted, but at the same time washed-out. I hear it's because they change to Vulkan without preparation. I have not finished The Surge 2 because of t his.
It's a shame because The Surge 1 has this beautiful dark but rich graphics.
Is this game hard for newcomers to the genre?The only souls like game I’ve ever played is reboot God of War? Love God of War but I don’t think a true souls game is the one for me. Is this game still worth buying having said all that?
New God of war reboot/pseudo sequel is more like Last of us than Souls or the original GOWs
I beat Ezra shields in 3 minutes took like 3 tries to get his mechanics down tho
Ahhh the Surge 2, the game i wanted to love, but fell short in some areas though all in all i agree, had a good time beating it - the flipworld idea was ace! Overall i'd say its worth 15 20 quid for sure!
I will just say.... my goodness gracious me Brother Eli, whoever designed that clown lacks imagination that NPC is single handily made me want to stop playing multiple times over haha.
Good review, WB bro! :)
I just could never get into the aesthetic of the game, sure it looks nice and well made, but the armors and the style isn't attractive. Like your character's armor is an exo that wear on top of your red shirt and blue trousers.
Adam Smasher simulator
I don’t think Surge 2 really holds up to surge 1.
The only thing that is better is the moment to moment gameplay. But there are a plethora of issues that dumb down this game. Bad environment design, with the right jumps you can skip sections of entire levels. Basic clipping issues with pieces of gear. One of the questline is entirely broken if you don’t do it in a certain way. And this game really chugs hard on my ps4 pro.
And the story, by god the story. Awful.
And the environment just doesn’t have the same dread or atmosphere as before.
I played several hundred hours of Surge 1. I didn't play half of 2.. thought it was terrible
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
What did you not like about The Surge 2?
Even though FromSoft's Soulsborne titles are objectively superior games, I have gotten a lot more enjoyment out of Lords of the Fallen, Surge and Surge 2, and I find their replay value is off the charts.
Wtf, I can understand The Surge due to its unique gory system for gear and sci fi dystopian setting... But Lords of the Fallen? That game was so bad
Great play while the ds3 servers are down
just gave up on the first boss.... dont care much for trying in this game... too small map, fed up with repetative enemies
5/5 souls like gameplay with a 2/5 environmental told story.
Such a great game 👍
It's definitely more fun than souls and you have fair chance
surge 2 was very good
The Surge 2 is probably good on console but on PC the performance is just shit & I don't recommend.
Too bad they decided to make that other nonsense instead of a Surge 3
It’s too goofy looking. Turned many people off I’m sure
Game is garbage.