ELEX 2 is Awful... I Love It | Complete Review (Spoiler-Free)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 มิ.ย. 2024
- On almost every level, ELEX II disappointed me... and yet, I can't stop playing. Guess we'll chalk it up to me being a complete sucker for open-world ARPGs? Regardless, I hope you enjoy this short, spoiler-free review!
Music: Bet On It - Silent Partner; Commander Impulse - DivKid; Smokey's Lounge - TrackTribe
#ELEX2 #PC #review #gaming #ELEXII #arpg
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have you played the first game?
this is the same developer that made the Gothic series.
I never played the Gothic series! Though I had a lot of people recommend Gothic 2 to me in the comments, so it's on my (mile-long) list of games to play :)
This game reminds me of another game that the same effect, was poorly reviewed, had obvious flaws all over it, but I couldn’t put it down for a long time… 2 worlds 2
Yes, another classic "Eurojank" title. There's just something about 'em ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The first one was also terrible but I loved that shit
@@sk8erdudedudedude agree! Lol
There a bunch of other amazing Eurojanks... Mars War Logs, Bound by Flame, Technomancer, Greedfall, Divinity 2, Arcania Gothic 4, Drakensang, Sacred 2
@@mr.sinjin-smyth sacred 2 and greedfall got both in my library lol
I remember their first game Gothic, when I started playing it I was like what the hell is this piece of shit game? But when I started descending down the path towards the valley where the old fortress is, something changed. There is something about the environment, the atmosphere, the music that captivated me. When I went inside the fortress, it was like a real living breathing world. People with their own schedules, washing their faces in the morning, going to jobs, full voice acting and things that Skyrim did 10 years later. Even to this day I consider Gothic to be the best video game ever made.
I love hearing stories like this-the moment a game wins you over for life. Powerful stuff! Curious as to how you think Gothic 2 stacked up to the prequel, as many people in the comments have recommended it to me.
Whats funny is Elex 2 contains EVERY problem that Gothic had 20+ years ago. This is because PB rejects all criticism, literally and they refuse to improve
@@MEGAthemicro Gothic 2 is the best RPG ever made.
Ive been playing it almost non-stop for the last week and agree with almost everything you said. I loved Elex 1 and I love this janky ass game too. There is something about PB games that just ticks all the right boxes for me. There are just no other games that satisfy my inner explorer / loot goblin tendencies in the same way.
Thanks for commenting and glad to hear you feel the same! It's such a hard game to review-I had almost nothing good to say about it and still semi-recommended the game lol.
that's because PB make great rpg games they are janky on the technicality level but rpg wise are better than most garbage the industry throw at us
@@aligmal5031 it’s true. If they could fix combat theirs games would be some of the best. They have charm but that’s not enough to succeed a ton these days in gaming.
I don't know why he said you're stuck with just a lead pipe for the first few hours. I found a sword on a dead Berzerker literally in the first few minutes. I needed to level up like once to have the stats to equip it. I found a better sword probably 20 minutes later.
Sounds like you may have benefited from a Day 1 patch, because there were absolutely no low-req weapons in my first 10 hours of play, seriously.
Where can i get armour after i became albs commander? I'm totally lost, please somebody help :(
Sorry for the delayed response-did you ever find it? If not, I'll try and help you.
Where i can find armor in the thumb nail?
Just so you know, people are still looking for it:
th-cam.com/video/5PWfVVIaHBQ/w-d-xo.html
This was a great review. I'm digging the way you break everything down. That Kramer bit was hilarious. Solid job on the photoshop of the painting.
Thank you! Glad you liked the format. I'm just happy I finally got to reference Seinfeld in a review lol.
For real. I just stumbled on to this reviewer and it was the Kramer bit that sold me. Lolzzz. Good solid review. To the point. A few slick jokes peppered in for some comedy. Good stuff
@@gregorybrokaw5056 Glad you liked it :) thanks for watching!
Thank you for attracting public attention to Ukraine and review of this game. I am in ukrainian army since the beginning of war, and just gain an opportunity to check out Elex 2. I love previous one, and hope to enjoy this one as well!
Hi, Irop! You're very welcome, and thank YOU for your sacrifice. My heart is with the people of Ukraine during this difficult time. I'm glad you're finally getting a chance to relax and I hope you enjoy the game!
@@MEGAthemicro Thanks for kind words! The start is quite well, and i hope it'll be great till the end) Electricity is unstable because of war, but nothing will stop me from gaming and working for our victory! Good bless you and all free people of the world)
The quest/pacing is defendable, but I do know what you mean. The way the world changes and the chapters work, in chapter 1 when the aliens are just now starting to invade, it’s a scouting force. They’re building their forward bases and gathering intel. They aren’t a huge problem yet as far as traversal, and as Adam stresses, you need to find more out about them. They’re a mystery entity and how to combat them effectively is supposed to be a mystery while maintaining that they’re extremely dangerous. A lot of the quest add to the flavor of “humanity” so to speak. They add to a living world with things other that matter to people other than what you’re supposed to care about as a protagonist. Is this world they’ve created that earns them forgiveness with the usually funny bugs/glitches and sometimes awkward design choices like the inventory ui or how dialogue is hit or miss on quality. Kinda like old bethesda and how the buggy mess’s they would create were forgiven by the enjoyment and wonder of exploring the world and getting involved in the more interesting quest not directly related to the impending doom.
All good points! While I still believe that a more consistent, immediate threat presented by the aliens would've made the game's first third more compelling, it did allow you to experience the game world at an enjoyable pace. Thanks for commenting :)
Is it out now? It's says March 1, but in my library it says March 2.
Steam is telling me that it unlocks in ~14 hours. So probably 12:00 PM EST on 3/1.
@@MEGAthemicro I see, so you had the early access? You think they already fixed the bugs?
@@sonnyr.3842 I received a "review copy" of the full game from the publisher, THQ Nordic. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if the devs give us a significant day one patch tomorrow.
Great review, thanks man. It took me multiple attempts to get into Elex, but when I did.. I loved it! Can't wait for this one.
Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy it :)
@@MEGAthemicro loving it so far!
I don't even understand the story, is it a parellel world Elex? is it supposed to link to the first game?
It's an almost direct continuation of ELEX, but Jax has been in isolation for a couple of years.
I am so READY for this, I simply cannot wait for the 1st, this is one of my most anticipated games... Thank you for spoiler free review!
Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoy your playthrough(s) :)
Looks great! Already preordered and can't wait to play it tomorrow.
I hope you enjoy it! And thanks for watching/commenting :)
This game, just like the first, has a hidden charm that is indescribeable. This review made me ponder on what I even like about the game and I couldn’t think about anything but the characters the setting and how satisfying it is to become a demigod by the end of PB games.
Dude... I felt so dumb writing the script for this video-loving E2 but having no real overtly positive thing to say about the game. Your comment, and others like it, have helped me validate these confused feelings lol.
How do I get berserker magic I join them but can’t find a teacher
I didn't end up joining the Berserkers, sorry :( but here is a list of teachers: www.neoseeker.com/elex-2/guides/Teachers
Aw it’s ok I figure it out finally it was driving me crazy lol
This is exactly what I went through during my first Elex 1 play through. Clunky yes but the stories good and as some charm
Yep, sounds about right!
Question how did you get the game for free?
Publishers will typically give out a set number of "review copies" to journalists, content creators, etc. I was very lucky to receive one, as ELEX 2 is the biggest launch I've ever covered.
@@MEGAthemicro did you have to apply for something like that? I am also a content creator
@@Rednation Wow, you sure are! Sorry, just checked out your channel-nice ELEX content :) Yes, you can either contact the publisher directly or go through sites like Keymailer to apply for codes.
@@MEGAthemicro awesome as far as contact the publishers do I just go to a website
@@Rednation Yes, pretty much every publisher's website will have a contact email or form you can fill out to request a game/explain your plan for coverage. Sometimes you'll get a response, most times you won't lol. Good luck!
A lover of low budget 1980s b-movies a game such as ELEX 2 brings me great joy with its open world design and no sense to rush things. Only thing i wish it had was a first person view but the third person camera is much more enjoyable than many other third person games i have played.
Thanks for the great review MEGA the micro and Happy Holidays ☕
Thanks for watching and happy holidays, Arcturus! Despite its flaws, I'll always have a big, dumb soft spot for ol' ELEX 2 :)
Just finished in about 50 hours. I basically did all the side quests first 30 hours .Which I enjoyed a lot . The last 20 hours I did the main quest . Which is a little repetitive and boring. Over all game play wise it was a improvement over the first one. A little more polished then the first. Pus I was playing it with the latest patches. The combat a lot better. The graphics are a little better but not perfect of course. The second play through I will try to mix up the side quests with the main quest. Time I get the unlimited jetpack . I'm basically done playing it.
Thank you for the detailed review :) I haven't yet had the time to revisit ELEX 2, but I'm very happy to hear that they've improved the combat. Sounds like it might be worth another go!
What I gather from many of these reviews for E2 is the jank is part of the charm. This was the same for Deadly Premonition on NSwitch. This coming out after Eldin Ring wasn’t smart. Still, I’ll try E2 soon.
Yes, it definitely falls into the "so bad it's funny" category. As you note, however, R.I.P. this launch date :/
That's pretty bad when you say your game being glitchy and bad is charming lol
First saw a purple skyand dog near the start after the cutscene you can go back up after getting jet pack and fight the three who where chasing you another one in the tunnel after you escort Ivan to the morkans and then return to the tunnel.
Good point. But have you found anything more significant than a dog in the opening hours? Just curious, as I didn't.
Elex is my absolute favorite Piranha Bytes game and this looks more of the same so I'm stoked! Can't wait to play it tonight 💯💥🤟
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it :)
Preach!
Piranha Bytes are developing a very special kind of game, you will love it or hate it. I love their games since the first Gothic, but even I have to say that they made some strange mistakes with Elex 2. My main problem with Elex 2 seems to be small, but for me it's huge, the new face of Jax. The game in general looks not as good as Elex 1, but the face of Jax is just a No-Go for me. Furthermore, at the present moment, the performance on PS5 is not acceptable and I hope that there will be a patch soon. Don't get me wrong, the game is definitely worth to play, but Piranha Bytes has to put more effort into the console version.
Yes, the character models in ELEX 2 stood out to me as particularly bad. Like... PS3-era bad. Hopefully the performance improves for you after some patches.
Completely agree. I have so many gripes with this game, from ugly character faces, clipping, lagging, bad close range combat, attrocious dialogues... still, I LOVE THE GAME. I played Elex 1 and Jax really grew on me. I love exploring the world, sneaking by and stealing proverbial cushion from under npcs seats.
But this game would have been a so much better with better character models. The dialogie scenes take me out of the flow, whenever I see those ugly mugs.
Great comment. Who knows, maybe the devs will patch in a 3D model texture update one day? (Hey, one can dream.)
Honestly it's one of those rare games where everything feels earned.... even if you use glitches 🤣. Its awesome. Love the Elex series
I'm actually enjoying this game more than I ever thought I would until I got hard locked in a mission where I'm forced to get a blueprint from someone who won't talk to because I accidentally stole from someone in their faction
I guess you can kill him/her to get the blueprint.
Yeah, did you ever try what Peter recommended?
@@jpeti666 you can't I tried. I ended up just reloading a save from a few hours back, she doesn't actually have the blueprint but she tells you where to get it if your friendly with the clerics
This game has given me the closest experience I had when I first played skyrim.
That must be a wonderful feeling! I'm jealous. Glad to hear that ELEX 2 delivered for you.
You totally sold me lol. I'm getting Rogue Warrior vibes by how hilariously bad but fun it looks.
Lol that's a deep cut! But yes, despite its insane number of flaws, ELEX II is still a pretty fun time :)
How did this sell you? Made me regret buying it honestly.
@@hull_k0gan641 I like broken, shitty games. They just fascinate me lol.
@@MEGAthemicro Rogue Warrior is the best! So terrible. I love me a truly terrible but still fun game.
Cant wait to play this tomorrow and shelf Elden Ring. Loved the first Elex. Nothing but smiles playing this game, because it doesnt take its self too serious. Its just good cheap thrills.
Nice! I love how hyped people are for the game in this thread, despite my score. Hope you enjoy it :)
You're having a laugh aren't you? Elex 1 was great fun despite being a clunky mess of a game I enjoyed it, will get Elex 2 also. However, I have been playing Elden Ring non-stop for the last 4-5 days and it just gets better and better and is totally addictive to me and a fantastic game. I sure won't be shelving it for Elex 2, that would be insane to me.
@@distantthunder12ck55 I wish i was, but i have been playing this non stop, and i actually enjoy it more than ER. I wont be playing Elden Ring till they fix the stutter. I like substance more than flash. Story line with good writing, is more my thing. ER doesn't have any story that has me invested or that i find interesting, so i don't really care to continue on leveling, for the sake of leveling.
@@klubstompers "Story line with good writing is more my thing".....and you like this game? Lmao
@@alec57 Yep, been playing this and FNV off and on.
Nice Review! If you haven't, do yourself a favor and play at least Gothic II, from the same devs. Its 20 years old but still holds up, and my favourite RPG of all time.
Thank you! I think I owe it to PB to give Gothic II a try, as many folks in these comments have brought it up as proof of what the devs are/were capable of. Thanks for the recommendation :)
lets be honest. most of us have at least a little Eurojank dna in us. Hence the mysterious fondness and resonation
I, apparently, am just now discovering mine. It's a strange, beautiful feeling. I hate it.
Thats how it was and always will be. Either you love or Hate it. For my Part -> Money well spend for a Game that the Devs put a Lot of Heart into.
Right on, hope you're still enjoying it :)
Lot of heart but couldn't get one aspect of the game right? Makes sense. Delusional fans man
And here I am remembering that I somehow enjoyed the first game and I was sober when I played it.
Lol a "drink whenever something janky happens" ELEX drinking game could be a fun (and deadly) time.
Wow!
Games like this have a special place in my heart!
Indeed! Nothing wrong with embracing your inner "Eurojank" :)
In hell*
Lol I thought you were describing Elden Ring at the start
Lol... it's amazing how FromSoft STILL sucks at PC optimization a decade later :(
Piranha bytes are still better game developers then much some of the triple a developers. L
P.S. i laughed at the end. You practically said that elex 2 is horrible, but you're looking forward to playing more of it. I like your sense of humor. Lol
Haha thank you :) yes, for all its faults, I still enjoyed my time on planet Magalan.
It's a piranha bytes game, every game they make is exactly the same. Loaded with jank but somehow fun
Yeah... amazing to think that they've been doing it moderately successfully for literal decades.
To do list,
1) watch MEGA the micro's review on Elex 2
2) Like
3) Subscribe
4) Turn on notications
Done, done, done and double done.
To-do list:
1) Troll through my new comments
2) Stop on seeing Duke Von Vagabond's
3) Smile :)
4) Smash the heart button
DONE x4!
Shoot, you never know what'll take off! Nice job m8!
Man, so true! Bookended it with two reviews averaging 500 views lol. Thanks for watching :)
@@MEGAthemicro haha, it's a roll of the dice to know how to break through the algorithm; either that or people are shockingly thirsty for ELEX 2 :o your quality is consistent either way, just know that!
Thank you so much! Guess I'll just keep trying to put out quality reviews and hope one pops off every now and then :-)
finihsed it today yeah pretty much summs up my feelings i encoutner less bugs probably into a few patches and personlly i think the quest were really good until the last 20% ish of the games there you just have to kill 60 Alp mechs wtf. the thing piranjabits games do better then any other games are the feeling of growth. no other RPG makes you feel so bad at the start and so godlike at the end. but yeah Combat UI and even the main story are a 2/5 at best. still played 55 hours within 1 week so i guess it work eh ^^
Agreed, the sense of progression in Elex 2 is likely its strongest feature. Thanks for the comment-glad to hear it's a little less buggy than the 1.0 monstrosity I reviewed 😂
I normally don't pre-order or buy on release day, for ELEX 2 I make an exception. I also make an exception for Rune Factory 5 and Star Wars Lego.
Very cool, I hope this game lives up to your hype!
The situation is the same with the veteran gamers, like with the Cyberpunk and Fallout... If somebody did play with the first, ancient and fundamental games, such as Gothic saga and Risen and with Elder Scrolls and Witcher serials... the mentioned adecuate new games are horrible in the firstlook...
Well said. It's like with music-first listens are often the hardest because of what we have (or haven't) heard before.
I've already bought it , literally downloading it now , so , all my questions I've been searching answers for , are about to be my own findings, regardless , , PS4 it's something new , ya know , fresh ,
Love your kind of humor 😂 and love the game 😃
Aw, thank you so much! Hope you enjoy your playthrough :)
great content , new sub sure many more to come...
Thank you so much! Really appreciate it :)
Just finished this game. The ending is a goddamn trainwreck. The one mission I thought was well written was when Jax has to team up with someone he hates for an investigation and that story goes on for awhile and potentially ends with some character development.
lmao how can it be that PB did better faces 5 years ago? Definitely gonna buy next time it's on sale
This is most PB games to some degree. Busted and bad by every rubric yet somehow satisfying despite all that.
Very Well made Video. Although I did enjoy elex 1, 60€ is just hilariously overpriced. Im passing on this one.
Thank you very much! Yes, I think ~$30 would be the time to buy.
@@MEGAthemicro bought it for 33$ couple of days ago at g2a. i cannot explain why i love this shit
Came from steam I don't care for elex at all but I like your content style so you've earned yourself a subscriber
Woo! Thank you very much, sir. Welcome :)
Well i loved the first one 😅so I’m hyped 😎
Hey, all I'll say is that if you liked ELEX you'll probably love ELEX II :)
Other then elden ring I anticipated this to be great, while I don't disagree with what you said about the game. Like you, I'm still loving it and playing it lol
Yes, it's definitely a "more than the sum of its parts" kind of experience, isn't it?
I've had this on my wish list for a while and got notified today that it's available. I'm headed home but I guess I'm in no rush to buy it now. Disappointing.
Sorry to disappoint :/ I will say that if you liked ELEX, you're probably guaranteed to like ELEX 2-it's more of the same, if not a little better.
Don't get me wrong - I used to love Piranha Bytes' early RPGs (Gothic 1-3) but even back then they used to feel dated. And what we get today is more of the same but with -better- modern graphics, nearly no improvement to the gameplay, while the world feels even less atmospheric.
In conclusion - I have no idea who in the right mind would buy Elex 2 for the base price. I got Elex 1 once it dropped to 10 bucks and that's the max price I recommend it for.
Got it for $32.99 at Green Man. Not a bad deal.
Nice deal, as I've been telling people that'd I'd feel okay recommending ELEX 2 to people at ~$30.
Great comment. Wait for a sale, folks!
The kramer of games is all i needed to hear im buying it
Who wouldn't play a Kramer RPG?
Ok I want to play this game but I know I’ll probably regret it. I spent about 15 hours with Elex 1 before I just couldn’t do it anymore. Honestly if they would just give you more loot to find like more weapons and such much earlier I would have kept playing it. Sounds like this one’s just as annoying in that regard.
Yes, it's a huge grind to your first decent weapon. I was an hour in getting 70 STR req swords that probably require 75+ hours to equip lol. The real killer is that there are diminishing returns on attributes-once you hit 30, every ability point counts for 0.5, which really slows things down.
If you do end up giving ELEX II a go, I recommend focusing on exploration first and progression second. Good luck!
@@MEGAthemicro Good Lord, that just baffles me. It’s like the devs are TRYING to make annoying design decisions 😂
This is my most anticipated RPG of 2022, so I’m super excited. Loved the first game! I love Piranha Bytes RPG’s & they’re personally my fav! ✌️
I hope it delivers for you! If you loved ELEX, I can't imagine you won't love ELEX II just as much if not more :)
@@MEGAthemicro Elex 1 was my favorite rpg game too. So I'm looking forward to it
@@glodusmuspell9069 Nice, I hope it lives up to your hype!
@@murderonthemind678 yea playing an actual RPG to Elden Ring fake vibes RPG means you have a problem. It’s called being smart in a world of dummies lol. 😂
@@murderonthemind678 man you don't know what's true rpg is. You as school boy have a problem. We ain't
They also choose the perfect timing to release it, with elden ring!!!
I know :( my heart goes out to these poor devs lol. That said, ELEX 2 is apparently selling decently well: store.steampowered.com/search/?os=win&filter=globaltopsellers
@@MEGAthemicro hope so, good luck to them, but I'm not buying it
Another review after getting to play Elex 1 again with a friend.
Elex 2
Jax:
The dumbing down of the MC in some cases is jarring. Take the green house glass domes. In Elex 1 he knew what they were, in Elex 2 he doesn't. Also in other circumstances his reactions make no sense giving his own upbringing as an Alb. Just look at how Albs treat children in Elex 2 and then imagine baby boot camp _with_ forced Elex consume for little Jax. No.focus on emotional control, jist on science, tech and military. He sgould not be surprised that Makar doesn't know what a toy is or how it's used. I'm pretty sure he never had one while growing up as an Alb himself. He also should have known about the effects of saltwater on the human body. These are some small things that do not fit the character at all. Instead a comment on "old times" when eating protein/energy bars would be fitting and how he "didn't really miss them at all".
Caja:
Can't say much here. Her character development actually fits the boots she's walking in. However, her reaction to Dex and his fate (final or not is to be seen in Elex 3 hopefully) is sub par. She's his mother, for Christs sake! I get it, PB is bad at emotions, but this is unacceptable.
Nasty:
Well, what can you say. She's nasty and angry and sullen and vicious and a plain pain in the posterieur. Her behaviour towards the faction leaders make no sense other than deliberately punishing Jax for chosing Caja over her. A bitter and sadistic bitch that bitches on everyone and you just don't know what might set her off.
Nyra:
What a wasted character. The 3rd wheel on the romance waggon. He personal quest isn't that great either. What would have worked better, would have been her being an official liaison from the Depot to keep an eye on this 6th power faction, especially when they find out Dawkins is with them. Nyra would have been forced on Jax more like Bully and the clash and reconcilliations would have worked pretty well there, even as basis for a possible romance.
Bully:
Actually quite a nice character edition. However, you notice real quick that Bully is a softie as he favours creation choices over destruction ones, which doesn't really fit a hardened Outlaw under direct command of an ahole like Baxter. Actually... everyone seems to favour these except Nasty. There is way too less diversity in there.
Fox:
Can't complain. A new character that is a bit like the petulant teen rebelling against its parents and superiors in general. Still... he grows. Would have been nice to have him grow some more.
Falk:
Our favorite (only) cyborg. Always cheerfull and always putting his foot in it. His quest to become more human is adorable untill it isn't and that makes him terrifying. A good character.
Crony:
What can I say. Crony is the best. Especially as his responses seem to develop and change depending on Jax own dialogues and actions. ...I love Grandma's vanilla secret.
A lot of characters also are wasted.
Krull could have been used as a quest giver at least. Same for Cajas guards and the two hunters.
Those two guys running from one faction to the next in search for money, fame and fortune? Why couldn't we hire them to help Gardock keep the Bastion up and running. Maybe then the holes in the roof would have been fixed.
Also if you save Ivan, we could have maybe gotten a quest to help her make friends.
And Victor from the Morkons could have saddled us with a man from his own rooster to keep him informed and make sure we don't do anything he deems unacceptable. That way we could have maybe gotten a Morkon companion. Bonus if it actually would have been a follower of Kriiton playing double agent.
So many missed opportunities and that's not even going into the general main and side quests.
Frankly, this game needs a DLC. I know PB isn't big on DLCs, but with a great chunk of the map just being inaccesible, despite obvious structures there that scream exploration, I feel like this game just wasn't finished.
Also the whole atmosphere in Elex 1 was/is better. Elex 2 looks for the most part like it could be taking place in the woods outside my town. I miss the distinctive alien worldly parts of Elex 1. Take the coastline for example. And the desert has become green way too fast. 6 or 7 years since the end of Elex 1 and it looks like the forest/jungle has grown for at least 50 to 100 years. I get it, magic and stuff, but please. In general the landscape diversity, the colors, the overall feel of the world is much, much better in Elex 1. Same goes for abandoned buildings, like the factories. Where Elex 1 had elaborate multi level buildings, the best you can get here is a 2 story house. This gets driven home especially at the Old Brewery in Tavar. When exploring becomes a chore instead of a treat, you know it's not all right.
And they wasted the exploration opportunity with the Tomsontown skyscrapers especially. And how come all windows are still intact everywhere, but god forbid they had doors. In Elex 1 windows were broken and mostly non existent after 166 years. These unbreakable windows severely detract from the after apocalypse atmosphere.
So many things to criticize. I hardly know where to start.
The only thing that made me enjoy this game are the sidequests and that I like the main character. The Alb quests concerning Skibor and Zarik and the one with Vakis are some of my favorite quest in the game. I do hope in Elex 3 we get to meet (and beat) Nero again and the quest concerning the puppet maker just has to be continnued.
I also hope we get to returm to Edan, Goliet, Abessa, the Domed City, Xacor and the Ice Palace. I want an Alb Glider and I hope Zardom is still alive and allied with Dawkins. And Jax needs to develop new dark Elex abilities and I'm not sure how this singularity stuff will end. I only see 3ways for Magalan not to be completely f*ed over. Blowing the singularity up or diverting it somehow or time travel.
We also see a lot of mana mutants surging in the after game of Elex 2, which could lead to the fact that despite nit being as emotional destructive as Elex, Mana as one of it's forms isn't as benign as the Berserker think, especially with world hearts growing more powerfull and then being left "alone". There was always a cloud of poisen surrounding the world hearts in the jungles of south Edan.
There is quite a lot to explore story wise for Elex 3 and I do hope they don't botch it. Because as much as I like Elex 2, Elex 1 is the better game, even with the more clunky fighting dynamics.
Magic:
Berserker >>>>> everyone else. Really, high level Fire Rain is OP and Alb magic sucks. All you need to do as a Berserker is chug in some Mana Potions that you can craft yourself or buy by the dozens and you are golden. Don't even need any other weapon any more. Albs have to siphon the Elex energy of fallen enemies. Not only does their magic sick in comparison to Berserker, they can't even chew down some Elex to restore their reserves. What kind of BS is that!
Morkons are close range specialists and I hardly played them, so no comment here, but I get the feeling the combination with the Outlaws abilities stim use is favorable over pure Morkon play. But only stimmcreation as Outlaw skills? Why not reduction of upgrade costs for enhanced weapons and the skill to add effects to weapons.
I do not want them to nerf Berserker Magic, but make Alb magic better. Also, the Clerics 2 skills are good, but just 2? I get it that you don't get the whole offensive skill side again, but the weapon and defense enhancement ones would have been a nice addition.
The Menu in Elex 2 is another thing. The icons and such are great, but the overall structure of the Menu in Elex 1 was better. A combination of the two would be good. And the highlighting of the chosen item should be better. Grey and grey isn't really doing it. Also on PS4 you can not really see the colors of the numbers when hacking.
Weapons are nerfed in fight animation and versatility. Especially the guns have been all reduced to single shot. No special ammunitions like explosive bolts or radiation shells. Bows have better draw and aim dynamic though and shotguns are f*ing awesome in close and medium close combat.
For close range weapons... just choose one and be done. No difference in animation between axes, swords and clubs. The variety is bigger and upgrading no longer needs higher attributes, but still... lack of individual combat animation for the various weapon types also hints towards a rushed job. I mean, you do not stab someone with a mace. They got it right in Elex 1 so why not in Elex 2?
The eye-icon when in stealth mode is nice.
Not being able to somehow get ALL faction armors for Cleriks and Outlaws despite joining them as secondary factions is BS. You should be able to buy any Outlaw armor, even the lower level ones (I don't mean the faction less ones.) at the crater. I know they are useless when you join, but just for completion sake. Same for the Clerics. I understand them running low on equipment, but they might habe been forced to leave stuff behind after the former dropped in the Hort.
I'm pretty sure I can find more to complain. But I do so only because I love the game still and just want the next one to be much, much better.
PS: When it comes to romaces and hownto do emotions: please, PB, ask some who actually knows about this and how to show it in/on a character, because _that_ was pathetic.
Amazing write-up! Thank you so much for this-it somehow made me nostalgic for a game I didn't particularly enjoy lol. You should review games :)
@@MEGAthemicro
Thanks.
I forgot some things:
1. Jetpack is awesome! Especially with the ability to upgrade and fighting. Hands down one of the best things in Elex 2.
2. The secret item you get when finding all the map pieces is worthless when you get it unless you cheated with a goodle search for the locations. Finding them by just exploring makes the reward nearly obsolete. They should have given unlimited jetpack fuel as reward instead.
3. Despite there being update 1.05 there are still some side quest breaking bugs, like for "A forgetful outlaw".
4. I played the german version on PS4 and multi language (at least english in addition to german) would have been nice. It's 2022, how hard can that be? Subtitles can be switched, but spoken language is locked to german. But I think this time dialogues are equally bad in both languages. 😓
PS: Was disappointed at Elex 1 for not having additional languages either, as I found through internet that english dialogues are much better and much more fluid than german ones, which is a real shame. I mean PB is a german company, so I expected the dialogues to be fine, but comparing them to the english version... what the f* were they thinking?
It's awful, I love it. Heh, that's my PB game! I pre-ordered, only game I have ever pre-ordered.
Nice! Hope you have an awesome time with it :)
Wise man (sseth) said that PB makes the same game all over again. And I will play all of them.
A man of culture, I see.
It's hard to explain, but to me Piranha Bytes games have something hardly any other game has: Soul. Despite all their shortcomings, I love their games, the only one of their games I don't like is Gothic 3, because the soul is absent in that one.
Well said :)
So exactly like elex 1, perfect
Haha exactly!
IMO the Elex series is PBs worst... yet here I am.... getting info before I start, all the while knowing better because I played the first one...They are just "different" than the other offerings, even with the jank
Damn, from the trailer you'd think this was a certified hood classic. But looking at the actual gameplay just makes me even more depressed
Yeah :/ I think ELEX earned its status as "certified hood classic" (lol) but this sequel falls short of such lofty praise.
Huh, thanks for the review!
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching :)
I always had a soft spot for games with a lot of jank attached, you can kinda get at what the devs were trying to do. And seeing them fail provides a funny and somewhat enjoyable experience to be honest!
Yes, that's a perfect little summary of my feelings :)
There a bunch of other amazing Eurojanks... Mars War Logs, Bound by Flame, Technomancer, Greedfall, Divinity 2, Arcania Gothic 4, Drakensang, Sacred 2
Excuses for a terribly developed game. That's all I hear. When Cyberpunk has a ton of issues, it's a huge problem, but when a game like this has similar issues, it's funny and enjoyable? You people will reach for any excuse to defend giving bad developers your money.
I got it for 5 bucks its quite good for that price
Heck yeah it is, nice grab.
The very peak of PB games isn't actually a pb game but a mod for it, Archolos - a brand new game made from the gothic 2 engine.
Its the best, no contest. They took the best PB game and made it better.
If your reading this and love gothic 2 go play Archolos, its easy to install and only adds to gothic 2 without taking anything away, other gothic 2 mods manage to ruin the feel of it but not Archolos.
Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out.
It looks just like Elex 2, I'll wait for a giant sale
Yes, I'd feel comfortable recommending this game to people around the $30 mark.
yea i played the first and loved it somehow , dont ask :P
Hey, my thoughts exactly! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Elex ist tough love. It beats you down especially in the beginning. The combat feels awful especially with a low level character but it's so rewarding when you can finally beat the shit out of everything.
Yes, if you make it through the first ~30 hours (a big ask, admittedly), the game really does start to open up. Fast forward to 100+ hours and you're a complete god. But that's PB games in a nutshell, right?
Feels fine for me. Love PB games. Play on hard mode
the biggest problem is it released after elden ring
That certainly didn't help! Though I did read that ELEX 2 still sold fairly well in its opening week(s).
I refuse too pay what they are asking for... Oh well gonna have to wait a few yrs before it's on a complete sale.
I respect your patience! And, in this case, I think you're better off waiting-devs haven't released a patch since April :(
Just waiting for the new timesplitters game
Any year now!
It's funny cus i loved risen 2 and 3 and arcania gothic tale the worst of the worst and still loved them...... why?
Why do we do it to ourselves? 😂
But it seems that I'm a masochist cus i also love games like: venetica, divinity 2 dragon knight saga, etc...
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Just finished elex 1 and loved it. Really disappointed that they just had a rinse/repeat of the story. I wanted to start the game off with a united people ready to face an alien invasion....
Agreed. The foundation was laid in ELEX for an exciting sequel that hit the ground running. To have players start from zero (and then essentially REPEAT the prequel!) is why I gave the plot a bad score.
This like prime Unity engine game
I think Piranha Bytes made this with their in-house engine, which explains the... unique (?) graphical bugs lol.
i love Nioh 2, i diss The hype of the dead world of elden ring, and i loved morrowind, i love BG3, so on and on, but i alo like Elex2 i never played `Elex 1`
People like the voices on Elden R LOL?? its fricking bad? And THE `` OPEN WOLRD`` ITS NOT A SANDBOX or creative TO BE CLEAR on Elden Ring.
Vs all older NPC good games. Now Nioh 2 has no world like that at all, and still it sammuray Eldwen Ring in Combat, Graphics, enemy change all the time, fantasy world maybe u never seen like Nioh 2. So i compare the souls game Nioh and Elden R. Elden ring Sux. and still i dont compare Nioh 2 vs Elex2, HOWEVER: i do compare elden ring vs Elex 2 and only cuz its to be a open world! Also I can compare Nioh vs Elden R, cuz its a better soul game Period.Also i only had about 20-30 times the game did stutter fps in a sec. After 80 hours playing Elex2, no other performance issues
Part of the gradual performance improvement in ELEX you've experienced is because your CPU memory hard loads the file of whatever you encounter the first time. After you've seen it before, the next load goes more smoothly, explaining why you're flying along after so many hours.
@@MEGAthemicro what you meant: flying along after so many hours? Flying around in elex 2 , Nioh 2 or Elden ring or this page topic? Bets regard’s’.
@@MEGAthemicro actually I play many games a day and I take a break when I get tired of a game, then I comeback to the game agin and love it for many new hours. That’s for all games.
And Elex 2 is not 10/10, but to give that to Elden ring (IGN and others too) makes elex 2 a 10/10 too, because at least it’s not boring to play. Clunky fighting, it’s not to bad. I love it hard. I say a 7/10. (If u think about all the crazy crap games get a 5-6-7 out of 10.
I have no issues with performance.
Ofc i can’t comparison to combat or other games like nioh 2. The story on elex 3 , the tone of listening to a Npc voices talk is very good here. Feel un fake like most these day’s. Graphic are more appealing than many similar games. Oki I don’t like that I can’t character my self like other RPG. Look like I want and lots like that. But it’s still fun. And most games are not worth the price (not all games) . Ofc Unless it’s online good reasons.
Elex just has a completely unique setting and lets you essentially choose what game you want to play. But jesus the gameplay is something to endure. At least Taliesin Jaffe is a much better VA.
Wow, thank you for introducing me to Taliesin Jaffe-had no idea how prolific he was.
Guess am gonna skip the whole dialogue since my motivation to play this game is just combat and exploration
Yeah, I think it's safe to say that you won't be missing much :/
Hey man Jax is still suffering from Elex withdrawal give ‘em a break
That's a fair point! Not that it makes him a good protagonist, but I could've/should've included a little note about that.
Launching the game playing the first few minutes i was not impressed at all , the next day i was totally addicted even tho all the negatives , and there is plenty
Yep! ELEX 2 and I have a weird love-hate relationship... and I just keep coming back for more lol.
I was looking forward to this,, oh well
Sorry to hurt your hype :/
i can relate. the most awful game that i love was mars: war logs and that game makes elex 2 look like uncharted 4/TloU 2 in comparison
Oh... oh, goodness. I just watched some gameplay footage and now I NEED to play it lol.
This video is PERFECT! Jax is a douchebag ….the game is flawed but I love it soo much 💯💯💯
Thank you! Here's to hoping we get an ELEX 3 someday :)
I love watching reviews like this . This game is shit, but i love it
Embrace the jank!
I miss myrtana
I've got Gothic 2 on my list of games to review! Also, great profile pic 🤘🤘
@@MEGAthemicro can’t wait to see it brother🤘
Curious why you keep enjoying this game when it scores so badly on the metrics. Guess it shows a game can have some intangibles that can't be fully captured by the micro-scores, as it's possible 9 out of 10 people would despise this game and you're the 1 of 10, haha.
Great question! I think giving a game a bad score with this format and still personally liking it exposes your individual gaming biases/preferences. Take me: I've been playing third-person, open-world ARPGs for... well, forever! I really gravitate to the structure of the genre-specifically, the ebb and flow between combat and exploration.
I probably should've added an outro to the video explaining as much, but I ran out of time ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Well you know your playing a game from a very small studio, and you know what your getting, so the common expectations for most games are just overlooked. I really enjoyed the lore of Elex1, finding the notes scattered around that let you put the pieces together of what happened to the planet before the apocalypse, and really enjoyed the different factions. It doesn't take its self too serious, and in turn is more real than most games, as far as dialog goes, as well as the overall feel. The lack of detail lets your mind fill in the blanks, which is always better. I will be putting down EldenRing to play this, with a big smile on my face.
I played all the Risen games, and found them very fun too.
Its no mystery.
I think since Gothic 1 their formula is based on a pseudo-autarkic game world. The NPCs are not just quest givers (though they are) but inhabitants of the game world and you need to ally with them to get trough. And when they die they're gone forever (most of them) and the game world changes and reacts. That's immersive.
Compare that with an Assassin's Creed's (Assassin's's creed?) random passerby that's basically the same as a waving flag on a tower, just graphical background. And when you kill a NPCs they just respawn and everything is just like before and nothing happened.
Maybe your metric need's an aspect like "immersion".
Too bad Piranha Bytes don't get their shit together and work on their shortcomings, though.
>Snow
>Ignadon
wat
Fair comment. It's definitely more lava than snow, but the game's quest log places a lot of the Alb quests (including those around their snowy fortress) under the "Ignadon" tab ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
All I see is lazy devs who still can't bother to give people a decent game. Instead of holding them accountable for their actions, people make excuses saying the problems in the game are "charming" and "funny". The fact that you continue to buy these releases and not put any flame to their feet for it is exactly why they will keep producing half assed games like this. Get a grip and stop supporting these guys. Maybe they will learn and fix their mistakes to make a solid game
Good comment-I can't disagree with anything you've said. It's weird, but Piranha Bytes seem to have found a strange niche of gamers that actively want lofty ambitions and poor execution. I'm new to the ELEX/Gothic/Risen franchises, but this seems to have been their M.O. for decades. I don't expect anything to change for ELEX 3 :/
"Despicable. I hate it. Oh fine, come here, you big lug." Pretty much describes the relationship of PIranha Bytes and their players ever since they stopped doing Gothic. You know they're better than this. You want them to be as good as you know they can be. But they just won't. So you just settle for liking them for the good they still have in them.
A lot of people have recommended the Gothic series (and Gothic II, in particular) to me in the comments, so I'll plan on reviewing it when I've got some downtime!
What if it was purple xDD
Probably my favorite part in this silly video :D
This war related comment in the beginning was out of place.
Kinda like Russian tanks in Ukraine?
I think somebody - cough* the narrator in this video - doesn't quite understand this is a Piranha bytes game! They are always Janky. Yet still amazing. So rate it as such.
EDIT: one of the first things I noticed is that the game didn't have 2022 graphics. I also noticed I didnt give a shit lo
Can confirm: am new to PB games. Still... I can't just dismiss ELEX 2's flaws because of the developer's shoddy track record, right? That'd be unfair to the developers that spend time polishing their products.
And now imagine the fun those players back then had with Gothic 1 and 2 which is like Elex WITHOUT almost any of the flaws (for their time!), so nearly "perfect RPGs", and one can understand what people are searching for in their (sub-par) games still today.
This is a high-quality video and I think most ELEX fans know exactly what you mean by the game having next to no redeemable qualities by normal metrics...but ELEX fans aren't normal.
Thank you, friend :) yes, I'm still lol'ing at the number of people in this thread pumped about the rampant bugs.
Love the game so far. Bugs and jankiness be damned. Was a fan of Elex 1 and Elex 2 is just more of that so I'm happy with it. Green Man also had this at a pre-order price of $32.99. That's perfect for me and tempered my expectations a bit.
It definitely is the junk food of open world rpgs in 2022.
Sup, Grimmrok! Just checking back in on some comments I missed-still enjoying the game/jank? :)
Elex 1 is awful and I love it as well. They make great worlds