Quantum Break concludes the failed TV show/game cross-over experiment

FENIX Bazaar writes: We won’t see another videogame and TV show crossover, at least not as intrinsically connected as Quantum Break. The fact of the matter is it doesn’t work as it was sold.

[miyamoto]

"Quantum Break concludes the failed TV show/game cross-over experiment"

Hey! I called that first! That's my analysis.
http://n4g.com/news/1886287...

Remember Night Trap on the Sega CD?

Meanwhile, it's not all doom and gloom as I hope those other attempts on this episodic form of video games storytelling holds a lot of promise with games like The Walking Dead, Life is Strange and Until Dawn.

[naruga]

just not meddle games with movies its a f..ing rule {even anime have failed wich are far more closer to games}

[Erik7357]

Okay lol this game was well critically acclaimed and was graphically stunning so I see nothong failing....people on here saying how it's bad probably don't have the game.

People n4g talk more about games more than they play them half the time and bass their opinion off the dumb articles they read on here rather than actually playing it. Because if you did that you wouldn't be saying this game failed.

I loved it and I liked the fact that my decisions in the game changed the TV show.

[starchild]

It's not a rule. That's BS. Putting limits on art is stupid in the first place. If you don't like what's on offer simply don't buy it. But trying to limit and prevent others from enjoying what they like is a douchey attitude.

Moreover, I actually enjoyed the hell out of the transmedia experience Quantum Break offers and so did many of the reviewers.

So can you guys kindly stop trying to shove your opinions of this game down everyone's throat?

[Magnes]

@starchild um n4g is a site dedicated to people posting comments/opinions on games if you want only positive opinions of what you like you are in the wrong place. I have no opinion of the game yet but I can say that the comments here have helped me decide what to do. Most comments say QB is worth playing. Is it on the short side, most comments even positive ones indicate it's short. I've decided to buy it when it's cheaper and don't rush out. I'm glad people post Thier opinions not based on getting agrees then I might as well ask Major Nelson if it's a good game.

[PrinterMan]

Fries1223; Graphically stunning? Ummmm, not so much. Low resolution, some poor textures and a poor framerate at times. Decent but not overwhelming.

[Tony-A]

I just think it's funny how MGS4 had too many cutscenes, but this game makes a whole frikkin television show and people show all the support!!

Haha jk but it was just funny to me.

[moenia]

Printerman- Yes it is graphically stunning . If you have played it you would know this.

[miyamoto]

The root of it all is that this game was specifically designed with the Xbox One's failed and derailed TV, TV, TV heavy concept and ideas.
They focused more on the TV presentation aspects, shoehorned them in this game, rather than focus on great game play.

[starchild]

@Magnes

I don't have a problem with people having different opinions than mine. I see countless opinions on N4G every day that I don't agree with and I don't say a thing, (or I politely discuss the topic).

But when people start aggressively pushing their opinions on others and treating their opinions as facts (especially on something so highly subjective as game preference) it becomes offensive and needs to be called out.

Having an opinion is one thing, but HOW you express it matters too.

If I make the statement "blondes are better than brunettes" many people would feel that I am stating my opinion as a fact and leaving no room for differing opinions. A better way to phrase this would be "I prefer blondes to brunettes".

Another example would be if I stated "Uncharted is a much better series than God of War". It might just be my opinion, but the language I used makes it sound like I think it is a fact, and my statement might very well offend God of War fans (or those that don't like to hear opinions stated as facts). It would be much better to say "I've enjoyed the Uncharted series much more than the God of War series".

It gets even worse when people say things like "it's just a crappy game, deal with it". In such an example the person is not only stating an opinion as a fact, but is also trying to antagonistically force his opinion on the other person.

There's also something to be said about the inherent difference between praising something and attacking something. Most people naturally take less offense at someone expressing positive thoughts about something rather than when they are criticizing something.

For example, most people would probably not take offense if I say something like "my wife is such a beautiful woman". Even if I am technically using language that might make it seem like I am stating it as a fact, most people will tend to interpret it as a harmless opinion I have about my wife's attractiveness. On the other hand, if I tell someone "your wife is such an ugly woman" most people would point out that I am wrongly stating my opinion as a fact and being extremely rude to boot.

[mEATgrinder]

Go play No Mans Sky then

[keegamer80]

I'm enjoying quantum break. I also have no mans sky preordered.

[Blaze929]

can someone tell me why this failed or what was wrong with it? I enjoyed the episodes and how the decisions you made effected what you saw.

Articles like this are why game companies don't wanna try anything new anymore and keep giving us the same old ish.

Loved it in Alan Wake and I hope they continue in Alan Wake with the live action tie-ins. Ignore these type of "opinions" Remedy. Real fans actually love it.

[sammarshall102]

I hope a vocal minority doesn't ruin these experiences in the future

Alan Wake 2 with Quantum Break's graphics wow!

[dantesparda]

I would not call QB's graphics "wow", they are extremely low res looking and the ghosting from the reconstruction is horrible, has little to no anisotropic filtering and the pop in due to the LOD is horrendous. Film grain, chromatic aberration, tearing and low res shadows. I think the game looks much better in Youtube videos than it does in real life and I would know since I own the game.

[moenia]

I own the game too and you must be playing another game. Quantum Break is one of the best graphics I have seen.

[dantesparda]

Nope, sorry, Im playing the same game and like i said, its a low res, fizzy/fuzzy as hell. And the ghosting artifacts and pop in are horrendous in my opinion. And the game even tears and drops frames.

[mark_parch]

i hope remedy don't listen to some of these comments. i really enjoyed quantum break and thought the live action stuff worked really well. hopefully they will use it again in future titles

[-Foxtrot]

They should have went a different way with this in my opinion

Have a 3 episode mini series which acts as a prequel to the game. Release it a month before the game comes out with an episode every week. Let us get to know the world and characters

Then have the game. Full on gameplay no live action bollocks

Then have a 3 episode mini series after launch which acts as an epilogue a month before a huge DLC expansion with again each episode releasing weekly.

Boom...done

[Aenea]

Yup, this sounds way, way better and works as advertising too when they are released for free.

[starchild]

That's the same old way of doing things we've seen before. Where it's totally separate and not in sync with where you're at in the game.

I was waiting for a game to do it like Quantum Break and I think it turned out great.

[ShowanW]

people are scared of chance and change.

a bunch of minds stuck in a stasis of how ALL videogames should be.

thank you remedy for taking the chance.

i love every bit of it...

[CYCLEGAMER]

@starchild
I agree and I am deeply saddened that MS closed down their T.V./movie studios. I really liked the live action stuff from Ryse, Halo, Quantum Break etc.... I honestly feel like the future of gaming that I was looking forward to has been halted or stopped by fanboys and people who are afraid of change or things being different.

[jb227]

@melman

I don't see how the "future of gaming" lies in television. I'm all for experimentation w/in the mechanics and storytelling of the game itself, but being forced to put the controller down for long stretches & entirely switch mediums is just a poor prospect for the vast majority of gamers interested in playing a game.

I'm sure a fair amount of people dug the live action & more power to them, but I honestly think the game would've turn out better on the whole, even for those that enjoyed the show, if they had saved any experimentation for the game itself, and focused that narrative w/in the game world as opposed to pushing it into an entirely different non interactive medium.

That is what separates gaming & gives it its entire identity: it requires input, tv does not. There is no real way to mix the two w.o one or the other suffering.

[t-hall785]

No one forced you to watch anything. Everything they've done tv show wise was completely optional.
I totally feel you melman. On to the same old stuff with better graphics.

[vickers500]

Thats your opinion jb. If you don't like it, then play the hundreds of thousands of other "input only" games out there and stop bitching about this one. You and your ilk are exactly like those who try to get japanese games censored. "I dont like this, change it for meeeeee!" How about no. How's about you play something else, and let someome who wants to try making something new, try it, without whining like a little girl online about how you think all games should be essentially the same thing.

I haven't played qb, but the concept of live action tv replacing cutscenes is a fantastic idea. Tv these days have some of the best stories you can find, everyone is always complaining about how awful storytelling in gaming is, marrying the two is a great idea to fix some of those problems. Then again maybe you're one of those people that don't want stories in games at all. That's fine, but again ,there's plenty of crap, storyless games out there just for you, go play those, and don't voice your crappy opinion to devs who god forbid might actually listen to people like you and go back to doing the same tired old boring crap they've been doing forever. Stop standing in the way of potential progress/innovation, please.

[Dario_DC]

It would just make the real problem with this game more obvious, you have about 4.5 hours of gameplay MAX (fights, platforming and a couple of time puzzles). The rest of the time is the TV series (about 90min), cutscenes, walking around listening to radio chat, listening to the memories and reading a ton of long emails, that's not gameplay to me.
I actually think that most people that defend this game haven't played yet! Alan Wake is amazing this is not even close to it.

[CYCLEGAMER]

Not true, I spent 11.5 hours going through the game, without doing "everything". The cutscene's AND live action stuff accounts for about 2.5 hours of the game MAX...do the math.

This might be the first game I have seen where people are actually factoring in cutscene time. It is despicable.

Is it because this is a MS game?

[jb227]

@melman

"This might be the first game I have seen where people are actually factoring in cutscene time. It is despicable.

Is it because this is a MS game? "

You must not have been around for The Order reviews...everyone pointed out the lengthy cutscenes for that game as well and none of them were as long as QB's live action. That was a Sony game.

You also must not have been around for MGS4 that had extremely long cutscenes, and people had issues with that. That was a Sony game.

You also must not have been around for all of the discussions about games like Heavy Rain "not being actual games" and how they were "just movies". Even games like Uncharted which were fully interactive & not much different in anything other than tone compared to other TPS franchises...that was criticized for being "too cinematic" & "On Rails". All were Sony games.

The difference between those complaints and this one is that those criticisms actually hold water in this case. QB's live action aren't really traditional "cutscenes", they require zero interactivity & they stop the game for a half hour every other hour or so. Sure you can skip them but you then get lost in the game's narrative.

It isn't "despicable" for gamers to complain about a relative lack of actual "game" in their game and being forced to sit their controller down or completely ruin their narrative experience, it's actually pretty understandable. You may not have cared, but I can't even recount all the times I was told games like Heavy Rain & Uncharted "weren't actual games" even though they required constant input from the player & there was never a stretch longer than 5 minutes or so where you weren't physically controlling a character.

[Kingdomcome247]

I have 30+ hours invested in my hard plathrough. Granted I absorbed every collectible, 100% achievement completion, and spent a good 1-1.5 hours on the final boss. Sure, people can maybe blow through it in 8 hours, but they didn't take the time to appreciate the little details that Remedy stuffed into every nook and cranny, and they didn't experience the game as intended. Remedy poured their hearts into this, and it shows if you take the time to slow down to absorb the world, and if you learn to set aside your traditional cover mechanic shooter habits for a moment. I won't refute someone else's opinion, but I'll maintain
mine, and that is that Remedy have crafted something truly special, and it's now one of my top ten games of all time.

[Dario_DC]

@MELMAN: there's no way you got 9 hours of gameplay unless reading emails, listening to the memories and cutscenes are gameplay to you? You had to die A LOT or just looking at walls for sure.

@Kingdom: 30 hours? 3 playthroughs at least to do that!
1.5hours to kill the boss? Even on hard this game is easy! Even though the Boss is cheap and sends you a ton of enemies.

I would like to check your gamer tags I'm calling bulls**t!
Hell, even Radbrad finished the game (minus the TV part) in 5 hours!

[Kingdomcome247]

Savedbygrace247 is my GT. I want you to screenshot it and link it. It will say 40+ hours, but that counts a few times that the console was left on a few hours. Real play time is a little North of thirty hours. Once again I absorbed everyhing. I probably spent 3+ hours positioning screenshots, and just playing with my powers and being wowed by their effects. RadBrad? I actually enjoy the guy myself, but he's the worst example and exactly the type of individual that my comment was referring to. If he has to walk more than 100ft in games he cuts the video. Not to mention his hard cuts with no outro at every video's end. The guy speeds through everything. No, the final boss on hard isn't easy. I imagine the RadBrad playthrough that you watched was your only experience with the game.

[tinynuggins]

It's the opposite actually. Majority of the reviews have been positive and it was the highest selling new IP for MS this generation. I'd call that a successful experiment. Now it's time to take what they learned from this go and make it even better next time.

[Goldby]

Final Fantasy Brotherhood and Kinsglaive come to mind.

[jb227]

Totally agree, that would obviously be the best bet.

I have nothing against a live action component, it's when it is forcibly integrated & making me make a decision between watching tv when I'm in the mood to play a game, or becoming lost in the story & losing investment in the game I am playing.

I love narrative in video games, I'm w/ the optional collectibles, I'm with decent length in engine cutscenes, but it really stops there for me.

[bartender64]

Sorry, dude, you are not forced to anything as if you only just want to play the game, you do that. The live action is optional and you can skip them, and when you want to watch them, you go into the timeline and select the episode if you want and missed it. I don't get what the big deal is. You don't lose anything, and you're not forced to anything either.

[jb227]

@bartender

Sure you "can" skip them, just like you can skip most traditional cut scenes...that's not the point...the point is, if you do skip them you will be lost...if you save them for later they will be pointless because you already saw the outcome in the actual game.

I'm not forced to do anything, but in order to understand the narrative, you might as we'll be. It wouldn't be as bad if they were broken up into 5 minute chunks & sprinkled throughout the campaign, but that's not the case. You obviously do lose the entire story & flow of the game, so yes, you are basically "forced" to watch them, & if you don't you "lose" the plot.

[EDKICK]

@Dario_DC your a moron or a liar if you think this game is 4h30m period you can't possibly beat it in 4h30m. I just beat it at 11h30m. The true low end I've seen is 8h.

[Dario_DC]

It has about 4.5 hours of GAMEPLAY you moron! I said GAMEPLAY! Learn how to read! I also said if you add up cutscenes, TV show, the memories, emails, etc the game is way longer BUT to me that's not GAMEPLAY!
Just go check Radbrad playthrough on YouTube and see how long it took him! I can give you proof of people that finished in less than 4!

[moenia]

For just gameplay Uncharted probably has about the same. Why is it not a problem then?

[The 10th Rider]

I think a better way to do it would be to take a game like the Last of Us, and insert unlockable episodes that tell the backstories of side characters and fill in the blanks (during time jumps or whatever) in the plot. That would have been fantastic for the Last of Us.

[The 10th Rider]

They wouldn't have to be full length episodes either. You could have a ten minute short on the back story of a side character, and next have a 40 minute full length story telling a story in-between a time jump in the plot

[FallenAngel1984]

It was a project too ambitious to be executed so properly that it could be a trailblazer game in this industry.

[Erik7357]

What was not executed properly about it? Because it was very well made.... It was well critical acclaimed and sold well....so other than the stupid comments on n4g and a few articles it's pretty damn successful.

All the people on here saying it failed don't give any reason probably because they never played the game or just didn't watch the TV show.

People on n4g spend more time talking about games than playing them tbh...

[uth11]

Critically acclaimed? The reaction seemed pretty split, lots of high marks, lots of low marks, for an average of 77 metacritic. One of those "love it or hate it" type games.

[zerogotit]

@uth11 200+ positive reviews compared to about 60 negative is not exactly "pretty split"

[NarooN]

@zerogotit

It's also not "critical acclaim". An over 30% disparity between positive and negative reviews is not critical acclaim.

[starchild]

Having critical acclaim doesn't mean a game didn't receive any low scores. You guys are thinking of the term "universal acclaim".

Quantum Break had lots of critical acclaim. 69 out of the 91 reviews on metacritic are positive.

[giovonni]

No one can give a proper answer because some are too busy listening to what reviewers have to say instead of playing it. I have played the game all the way through twice, and the story to tv series was actually really good. The controls outside of the cover system and feel or lack there of, weren't good either. However, the over game was a blast to experience.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Far from a failure I'll tell you that.

[Eonjay]

Far from a blockbuster too. There seems to be this idea that if a game isn't gangbusters that its a failure. if that were the case, we would only have Call of Duty to play.

[Free_Fro]

failed? The game has done well critically and commercially..
The game has failed you..
But not the majority..

-
xo

[Overload]

I got bad news for you.

http://m.neogaf.com/showpos...

Quantum Break sold more than Dirt Rally though.

[Wallstreet37]

lol hahahah

We all know Microsoft will pad QB numbers with the pc version numbers as well, thats what they always do and claim some false victory.

[MasterCornholio]

That can't be right. There was an article a short while back that said the game was doing extremely well in the UK.

[Christopher]

I'm betting most people are getting QB digitally on XBO in the UK and U.S. considering you get free games and PC copy as well. I wouldn't look at retail as a sign of failure of the game.

[moegooner88]

Expected tbh, PS4 has a much larger install base in the UK. Not sure how that's bad news.

Chris :and yeah my copy is digital, so were the ones my friends bought.

[butchertroll]

@Christopher

Quote :

I'm betting most people are getting QB digitally on XBO in the UK and U.S. considering you get free games and PC copy as well. I wouldn't look at retail as a sign of failure of the game.

...

Is that Xone owner excuse when some Xone exclusive sold in small numbers? Digital sales??? C'mon! Dude, The Order sold more when the PS4 install base were smaller than Xone install base for QB is today in UK. But hey, but digital sales for The Order.... Bloodborne numbers were over 40k in launch week with also smaller PS4 install base, but, but digital sales man.

@mooegooner

Quote :
Expected tbh, PS4 has a much larger install base in the UK. Not sure how that's bad news
....

What expected? Did you know that PS4 install base for The Order and Bloodborne were smaller then ( under 2 mil. ). Xbone install base is now over 2 mil. and QB sale numbers are lower. Don't mention "digital sale" excuse for QB. It's also applied then to Bloodborne and The Order even their sale numbers are bigger.

[DLConspiracy]

Well if the game didn't beat a PS exclusive it's a failure. Never mind digital sales or even worldwide. We'll compare all games success off the back of anything PS from here on out. It's the only way to shadow any game release.

I guess this also means that Dirt Rally is a horrible game that should be thrown away since it sold on 3 platforms and didnt beat QB. compared to QBs 2 platforms. Good to know.

@butcher.

As far as the install base. PS4 had about 22.3 million consoles out in march 2015 worldwide weeks after the Order released in Feb 2015. Wasn't it like 13 million xbox one conaoles sold worldwide that you guys keep saying since last year? So... half the install base of PS4. Cant imagine it would be better numbers or % difference in the UK over ps4. Make up your mind.

[butchertroll]

@DLConspiracy

Dude, did you noticed in Overload post's that link is referred to UK? No? Read again, man.

And i talked about UK sales.

Cheers!

[DLConspiracy]

@butcher

"Dude" did you read my entire comment? No?

Here's where I say the % of Xbox vs ps4 in UK can't be better.

"Cant imagine it would be better numbers or % difference in the UK over ps4."

Cheers! To reading. :p

Also, WHY are people posting The Orders Numbers anyway? Overload and everybody else constantly post comparisons to state its a failure. Fro (the original commentor) didn't mention any comparisons and spoke of failure In a very general way.

The point is PS4 has a bigger install base everywhere so you can't compare exclusives. The only thing Xbox has beaten ps4 in is online players for destiny.

[Kribwalker]

Yep, a guy on neogaf has all the sales info and is 100% correct smh, same with vgchartz now? Quit using fake stats overload, your fanboyism is really starting to show through

[butchertroll]

@DLCconspirary

he only thing Xbox has beaten ps4 in is online players for destiny.

....

Is it? Do you have some numbers at least?

Anyway, i didn't say nothing wrong with PS4 install base for The Order before vs. Xbone install base for teh QB today. That's fact. Let's say also Alan Wake sold better in launch week in UK.

[DLConspiracy]

@butch

The amount of PS4s then vs now in the UK are still more than Xbox then and now. So what is the difference? If there are millions more PS4 console owners vs Xbox console xbox able to buy a game on a system.. then it is wrong to not point that out.

But, let's ask you a question that you will never answer me on. Wtf do you care?

You don't own an Xbox, you don't plan to play the game. So why do you and overload constantly need to hate on it? I mean I may like Xbox but I will never act like you guys do towards a game. Especially if I haven't played it. You guys can't just allow that the PS4 is 20 million consoles ahead of Xbox be OK. You have to destroy the entire Xbox brand in everything. Games, USB ports, Storage. You name it. Why? So you can continue to feel like a freaking winner? Hers your crown. You won, so let's all grow up and stop acting negative towards everything. Ok?

People like the game it sold well enough. Move along. You don't get to have an opinion about a game you haven't played. You get to say I want to play because x, y and z or I don't want to play because x, y and z. Move on.

Also yes destiny Xbox consistent online players did beat playstation at some point. Can you handle that? Are you going to be ok that the ps4 lost 1 thing?

[yomfweeee]

Care to point us to those sales numbers to back up your commercial success claim?

[343_Guilty_Spark]

The show is actually pretty well done and it integrates perfectly. Let's face it there are some things film can do that video games cannot at this stage. There are certain things video games can do in terms of interactivity that film cannot do. If you actually play the game you'll see that these two mediums can coexist. Btw this wasn't a direct reply Free_Fro I'm just saying I don't get the hate for this game on this website...it's very vicious hate.

[UltraNova]

Why do you act so surprised? You realy dont understand why after all that " very vicious hate" The order 1886 received not that long ago for the exact same reasons(long cut scenes, limited gameplay)?

This is how it works, you just have to learn to accept reality.

"There are certain things video games can do in terms of interactivity that film cannot do. If you actually play the game you'll see that these two mediums can coexist."

Agreed on the first part.

Why do TV and VG have to coexist? I mean they[gaming industry] really cant come up with a new innovative way of evolving games?

Look I love story based games, I love long well made cutscenes but I would hate to see this become 'a new thing' because it means resources will be taken away from the evolution of video game interactivity/gameplay only to allocate them in forgettable TV-like parts.

Granted, we need games like the Order and Quantum Break every once and a while but we sure don't need them often and we want them vastly improved if we are to ever embrace them.

[DigitalRaptor]

I sniffed. I smelt damage control.

The hate isn't vicious. It's just incidental. They should have done in-engine cutscenes, saved the resources, hired better game designers and focused on the more important essence of a third-person shooter. For a game of this genre, the combat points are too few and far between, the animations are poor quality, and mechanics... let's not speak of this. This game couldn't match your baseline expectations, so technically you should be treating this game like it belongs in your toilet.

http://n4g.com/news/1802321...
http://n4g.com/news/1800108...
http://n4g.com/news/1752915...
http://n4g.com/news/1769213...
http://n4g.com/news/1769201...
http://n4g.com/news/1780636...

Maybe, just maybe these people aren't the problem.

[Kingdomcome247]

The game belongs in the toilet? Wow.

[ScorpiusX]

Hope more are conceived, won't know if they work if no one tries.

[moegooner88]

*Checks UK games charts, and review scores* Failed, lol right.

[Sunny_D]

With that thinking, you better believe that when it comes to overall most games in the same vein. Funny how people are still trying to call QB a success when games in the same vein get overlooked or criticized in the past.

[TricksterArrow]

Defiance already did something similar. It also failed. :/

[Eldyraen]

Defiance was awesome at first, lacked reason to keep playing though. It was the only game like it on consoles. Not the best game by any means but my friends and I had fun for a while which is what matters most.

Tv show lasted longer though but haven't watched them all but will one day.

[Wallstreet37]

Loved the defiance show! IT was good. I was upset to see it end.

[76erz24]

Quantum Break was an excellently paced video game in which the sum of its parts were far superior to the parts themselves. The tv show was fine and the later episodes were quite good, but on its own doesn't work whatsoever. The shooting gameplay is tight and fun as hell, but by no means deep and revolutionary. The platforming and story parts work as changes in pace from the shooting and tv. The game never has you doing the same thing for too long. I highly disagree, as a cross media experiment, Quantum Break worked very well. As a game it was decent, as a tv show, it was very par the course and ordinary. But together it created a one of a king experience and a borderline must own or at least try for gamers with it available to them. We need more games to take risks, not denounce ones that are risky but imperfect.

[Jazzuri]

Absolutely, otherwise what will be left when every other game is a clone of another.
QB is an all round brlliant package. The only thing I don't like is that it will end. I just hit Act 5.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Beth's story is amazing.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Well, what it initially was going to be vs what it became certainly changed. As far as this game goes, I think it works fine. I have enjoyed the TV shows so far. It has a good production quality to it and ties into the game nicely.

[corroios]

The game didnt failed, but its not groundbreaking and will not set any kind of standard.

It got too much hype and in end its a good game, but nothing more.

The fact that is short and got low replay value its hard to overcame. The lack of MP is also a big problem.

Maybe Remedy can do a better job with Alan Wake 2.

[Eldyraen]

Lack of multiplayer? Seriously?

No one asked for it as far as I know and it definitely didn't need it. Technically replay value is tied into Choice A or B so sort of agree but I'll play it again eventually for sure. I enjoyed the game a lot but hoping it runs fine on my PC once I get my code as its been iffy so far for some with One/w10 games.

And Alan Wake's replayability is even lower as basically any thriller loses a huge appeal once you know what's about to happen. I would probably go for a new AW first though and expect a QB reference or two in it now.

[Jazzuri]

Multiplayer is slowly killing off single player story driven games.
So no to multiplayer for me I much prefer the time, effort and dollars be put into the single player mode.

[Eldyraen]

I loved the live action take on "bad guys" (which were not all bad), more than the actual "bad guy" gameplay choices aspect. It was interesting seeing the other side of the coin.

The story so many hate is also a fresh take on time travel and the circular nature of Time and the repercussions made by what can happen when you tinker with it. It's not my favorite time travel based SCIFI story but it had me interested all the way through.

My biggest complaint is probably recoil being ridiculously annoying on Hard. Well that and last fight.

[Kingdomcome247]

That last fight on hard was a monster. See my comment above. Lol.

[2cents]

I am clearly in the micro demographic that thought Quantum Break was awesome. Loved the pacing, story, gameplay and look.

Each to their own.

Edit: Playing the hardline approach now :) Evil!!!!

[starchild]

I'm sure you were being a little sarcastic with that "micro demographic" part, but with how hard certain people on N4G are trolling the game a person could be forgiven for coming to that conclusion. Of course, we know that the majority of reviewers did love the game.

Not that it would change my opinion one bit if every reviewer loved it or every reviewer hated it.

I agree with your opinions of the game. That's how I felt about it too.

[2cents]

Hey Starchild (love the name!)

Yep, I was being a little sarcastic. But as I get most of my gaming news from N4G I do feel that is sort of the case with this game.

Quantum Break is already in my fav game list of all time!

[Kribwalker]

More then 69 of 92 reviewers loved the game on metacritic so it'd put you in the majority. This site is a Sony hotbed though as you can see even with all the ad money Sony is throwing down on this place (I see consistent Sony game and VR adds from the site bot here) so here you could be in the minority.

[butchertroll]

Quote :

Yep, a guy on neogaf has all the sales info and is 100% correct smh, same with vgchartz now? Quit using fake stats overload, your fanboyism is really starting to show through

....

Numbers are correct from GAF ( 28k for QB in launch week ). Otherwise you would get bann.

In the end Quantum Break (Xbox One) fell short of Alan Wake first week opening.

[2cents]

Quantum break deserves to be played by any fan of gaming, sci-fi and fiction. Some games ae greater than the platform that they release on and I feel that this is one of them.

Sony fans who are gaming fans should really give it a go... on pc :)

[t-hall785]

Loved it. Read every email, listened to every radio broadcast, watched every episode. All the people speed running through it just to give an opinion didnt do themselves justice. Took my time with it and I'm at the end now. Even played with my headphones on so i couldn't get distracted in any way. Masterpiece in my opinion. Hopefully this article is completely wrong and we get a sequel. I'll have my digital preorder money (that doesnt count towards retail sales) waiting impatiently. Best game I've played this year so far.

[Kingdomcome247]

Exactly my sentiment. I absorbed every detail, and it's one of my all time favorites now.

[t-hall785]

Me too @kingdom.
And do yourselves a favor folks and play the game on hard like a real gamer would. Good luck beating it in 4 hours. I'm at 24 on my first playthrough. You can probably subtract 2 or 3 from the times i just paused the game to make something to eat or what have you but still...please do not listen to anybody with a negative opinion who beat this game in under 12 hours on normal difficulty.

[2cents]

I do hope for a sequel too.
It really is a shame, this is not an everyman game. These performance and story heavy games are not most peoples cup of tea, but I love this stuff.

I can only wish for another quantum break, hopefully the next outing will be with our favourite writer, Mr Wake!

[t-hall785]

Haven't played alan wake yet (i know shame on me) but after i beat quantam break, then ratchet, im gonna try to squeeze it in before uncharted.

Too many good games this year damnit. But i guess thats a good problem to have.

[neoandrew]

It is not failed, it is great cross over.

[Kingoftherodeo]

the show was good not like it was ass live acting like the last need for speed. i feel like MS should have done a tv show leading before the game came out

[raggy-rocket]

I loved it, I thought the TV was excellent, well-produced and didn't overstay its welcome. Couldn't get enough. Also I think they did a good job of not making the TV show too essential to understanding the plot. I hope to see it done in the sequel. I think it can really work for games that use it well or it works with. It won't work if devs force it, though.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

I agree wholeheartedly. I thought it was great!

[Mikerob2007]

I played the game thought it was somewhat good, Nothing special though maybe a rent for people who dont own it. But i skipped the live tv parts.

[zackdollars]

The only conclusion is that Mattrick's vision of blending TV and games was misguided from the start. I don't know the inside story, but from the outside I see that Mattrick's emphasis on TV had some influence on the development of Quantum Break. I think the original plan was to have a separate TV show in line with the game. But, Mattrick "resigned" and they had to use the TV show in some way. I personally think it works in the game, but I wouldn't do it again. The show is entirely optional.

[nitus10]

For many games cut scenes are usually there to hopefully enhance the story, however if cut scenes are two long the line starts to become blurred between passively watching a show and actively playing a game.

As and example lets look at The Witcher 3 which can have fairly long cut scenes, however in these scenes the main character appears in whatever clothing and weaponry that he wore before the start of the cut scene.

What is interesting about TW3 cut scenes is that they are also interactive such like the player feels they have a part to play as well, unlike most cut scenes that are non interactive but mercifully short and just there to set the mood.

Having extremely long cut scenes with no gamer interaction is not that much different to passively watching a show. Is this a good or bad thing? Well that depend on the person playing the game.

For some who like both passive (movies and shows) and active entertainment (ie. games) then that has great appeal. However for many gamers who prefer to take an active part in the game they are playing having long cut scenes can be very annoying.

Making a cut scene optional is conceding that not every gamer likes long cut scenes and in many ways this is a shortcoming of this style of game.

[audiocafe]

I enjoyed the game overall. Although the TV show portion was optional I felt I needed to watch it for the 'full QB experience.' It was interesting but didn't elevate the game at all. In fact, for me it served as a stopping point in my playthrough and messed the pacing up for me a bit. After watching an episode I suddenly didn't feel like playing the next act until the next day or so. It just sort of killed the momentum I had playing the game portions. I wouldn't go so far as to say that the crossover failed though, for me it was just..there. I will also say that although it had known actors it still felt more like a Syfy original series. I wouldn't miss it if it were never done again.

[jb227]

I haven't played it yet, but that was always my biggest worry...especially for an Action Adventure narrative based game, pacing is absolutely key. I only have a few hours to game each evening from time to time so I like to dictate my own stopping point, but that wouldn't be possible in QB. Seems like you have to commit to an entire act & show in each sitting or you will have to deal w/ being in the mood to play a game only to get about 10 minutes in, then be forced to watch tv.

To me the show could be the greatest thing ever created and it still wouldn't fit inside a game for my tastes. Seems like it'd actively detract from it. Still would love to play the game one day but the tv aspect makes me considerably less excited.

[DopeTech]

I thought it was a great idea, but I don't want every game to be the same.

Damn, what's with the Quantum Break hate, fanboys don't have lives.

[nitus10]

I don't think this is hate.

Basically when you play a game you want to have what is called and interactive experience. When you watch a movie or show then this is commonly called a passive or non-interactive experience.

Marrying up both interactive and non-interactive experiences very much depends on the person, some will like this others won't. Just having the ability to skip the show infers that the developers understand this.

I would go as far as stating that most people who play games prefer active control over just passively watching. This is not to say we should get rid of cut scenes, which in many games are mercifully short, sometimes skippable but mainly there to set the mood.

[trywizardo]

didn't actually play it,but from what i heard its pretty good and a success ...

[Bobafret]

I was admittedly a little turned off by this feature, it's nothing new or innovative. Just let me play the game, is that so much to ask?

[gangsta_red]

Have we learned nothing from the Sega CD era?

[ziggurcat]

i didn't think the live action portion of the game was bad - i actually enjoyed watching the episodes. the only thing is wished there was a bit more.

[Godmars290]

Honestly, how could something have failed when it never really started? Never given a chance?

[kevnb]

If you want to make a game based on its story then the story better be top tier, the problem with quantum break is that it's sorry is so so.

[Scatpants]

I found the story more entertaining than most games.

[Jazzuri]

I've put approximately 12 hours of my time into this game and I only just completed act 4. I've re-played, re-watched and sometimes just sat back in awe. It is a ground breaking game, a game to be savoured and appreciated in it's entirety. Reading and watching everything in the game is of paramount importance, so those who just fly through it won't get the same sense of scope as those of us who do.

I oppose the views of this author and hope REMEDY continue to refine and develop this blend of story telling and gameplay in computer games. An absolutely amazing experience that should not be missed by anyone....

[tigertron]

I think it worked fine. I thought the TV show was great.

[MasterD919]

The Metal Gear series also has extensive cut-scenes and it didn't harm any portion of that series....I don't think live-action cut-scenes or cut-scenes in general are the issue. I think we're simply hearing from all of the people instead that dislike them. Plus, with such a stellar cast at hand- if this doesn't cut it, nothing will.

Gamers and reviewers need to take a step-back and realize that this game is a gem for numerous reasons, cut-scenes included.

[kevnb]

But the long cutscenes in metal gear games were top notch, quantum break is pretty bland in comparison.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Have you played the game at all?

[Scatpants]

I enjoyed the live action episodes, but then I don't whine about everything on the internet.

[Trekster_Gamer]

What is failed is the article. Maybe when the author finishes grade school he could try again.

[Dewitt]

I highly disagree with this article, it worked very well for a ton of people. Seeing real life actors act out your huge decisions and leading to very different consequences. That and blending the two medias so seemlessly, I for one was very impressed with the execution.

[Tsunade]

Well, at least it ended up being average, with metacritics score of 77. It was clearly not the mega hit many were waiting for and the horrible PC port didn't help too.

[Mega_Volnutt]

I'm just waiting for Doom baby. Quantum Break game is great, nothing more.

[SKullDugger]

IMO if this was on the PS4 there would not be as much hate towards the game on this site, bring on the disagrees.

[TheGreyest]

About time somebody admitted this. The TV show part was the thing that turned me off from the game. The action in the gameplay looked cool otherwise.

I knew something was borked in the whole thing once the video clocked in at 75 gigs for an hour and a half worth of footage if you wanted to DL it. That's a boner on a monumental level.

[Gaming4Life1981]

Have you played it? The TV show was actually good and you don't have to download it. I mean I'm not saying you but people want games to be different and then different comes and be like just keep gaming the same.

Gaming has not seen nothing new in a long time it's a about time someone took a risk when most companies don't.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Doesn't sound like he touched it at all.

[trooper_]

There's something called 'different opinions'. Try it sometime.

[Gaming4Life1981]

@spectre

Did you not see where I asked has he played it because it sounds like he didn't when reading his post. So try to comprehend sometimes.

[Gaming4Life1981]

The game did not fail at all as its a good game but it needed to more to be great. Like playing as Paul or Beth at the end of time. The TV show aspect was great and so was the story and game play, that's what makes the game good. Like I said though a lot of the story was in the Intel and emails and they could've been made game segments.

[BlakHavoc]

Why do any of u care whether or not it was critically acclaimed. It got plenty good reviews and some bad ones, it's no different from any other game that will cause some ppl to love it or hate it. Some of u clearly think it was fantastic while others think it sucked, not everyone has to come around to your way of thinking for your point to be valid. Just state what u think of the game without insulting others man lol, f**cking gamers I tell ya.

[dmonee]

Just got my X1 last weekend. Purchased the white box with this game. I had no faith going in that it would be any good. So far I think its good. I don't mind the FMV between acts. Surprised how good the graphicals are. The worst part was how long it took the game to DL, and That's with a fast connection. That's not Quantum Breaks fault. Unless I was in a "Time stutter" and didn't know it..

[Tedakin]

That's subjective. I think QB is kind of brilliant.

[EDKICK]

So Quantum Break is at 77 on Metacritic and is a failure but The Order is at 63 and really wasn't a bad game people just hated on it for no reason. Yea OK.

[MagicBeanz]

So you agree with metacritic then, and if you do you should know 77 is not a "master piece", its not "amazing" its not even "great", its at best good but then again so was The Order. It had pretty graphics and long cut scenes too, well not multiple twenty minute long FMV cut scenes like QB.

[EDKICK]

Never said it should be considered a masterpiece 77 isn't a masterpiece but it isn't a bad game either. Again to use The Order as an example it got 63 as I said and people were saying oh it has so much potential it deserves a sequel and every N4g games that need sequels article The Order is everywhere in the comments. And Quantum Break a new IP at 77 is being called a FAILURE on this site. This site is so biased and hypocritical and so into this immature, stupid console war that anything negative about Xbox gets agreed a ton whether or not it's even true. If you think an interesting new IP selling well and that got plenty of 9's and 10's is terrible or a complete failure your just flat out wrong.

[SovereignSnaKe]

~You know what I love most about Quantum Break? No season pass, no aftermarket dlc (which costs extra), no-microtransactions, no tacked on multi-player, no paywall nonsense. At the end of the day it's a great story driven, no bullshit game.

[Smokingunz]

Thank you fries 1223. This article is such horse shit! This game is really good im on my second olay through.play the game N4G before u hate on it.

[Omeganex9999]

It is a failure for me, I started having a lot of doubts about the game when they announced there were going to be famous actors from TV shows and started making it look like a groundbreaking experience, in between games and movies.

The game fails to be groundbreaking in mixing the two things, simply because none of those two parts is great in itself.

Most of the TV show follows characters I didn't give a shit about from the beginning, and I didn't care at the end of the game either. The story is classic time travel 101 and it offers absolutely NOTHING new. There might actually be something interesting about it, but it's only hinted and, you know what? Buy QB2 to know more!

And the gameplay? There are like 4 or 5 types of enemies throughout the whole game, the boss fights are the same except (let's just add one more of the big bad guy to make it more challenging) for the final one, you don't get any new power after the start of chapter 3 (of 5, leaving most of the game doing the same thing all over again). There is ABSOLUTELY nothing that was never done before.

Don't get me wrong, I played it and liked it, I don't think it's short (the length is just fine), I think the way of mixing powers was fine.

Simply, you either have to be a fanboy or be new to videogames to think that QB is a masterpiece who's going to change gaming, since it's not. You can love it, and that is fine, since we are all different and with different tastes, but you have to be objective and realize that it deserves the average it has on metacritic.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

Paul Serene was uninteresting?
Martin Hatch was uninteresting?
Matt Burke?
Beth Wilder?
Jack and Will Joyce?
Hell even Charlie the douchebag and Fiona were interesting.

What game were you playing?

Uninteresting?? Bah!!

[343_Guilty_Spark]

I forgot to add Dr. Amaral...her dialogue with Paul and Jack was VERY interesting.

I can think of several reasons why nearly all the main and secondary characters were interesting. Id post them here but I might spoil the game for others, particularly the ones who make comments in every QB thread but clearly haven't played the game.

On the subject of enemy types. Sure QB could have used more variety but what game doesn't. How many enemy types do you think you'll see in Uncharted 4? Oh, yeah heard there will be Sharks climbing cliffs jumping 50 feet in the air and shooting shotguns. Don't forget the Hamsters shooting explosive arrows. /s

[Omeganex9999]

"Most of the TV show follows characters I didn't give a shit about from the beginning, and I didn't care at the end of the game either"

Bunch of fillers. The main story was interesting, half of the TV show was not.

And there you go showing who you really are. Too bad I didn't mention Uncharted.

Quantum Break is a good game, I enjoyed it and finished it on a weekend because it was fun and good. I would give it a 7,5.

Do you want me to list all the games I considered to be good but not perfect?

The Order 1886, Infamous 1 and 2, No More Heroes 1 and 2 and a bunch of other, cause I'm a gamer and I don't give a shit about the console a game is on.

[PistolsAtDawn]

You should have played it first. I've been gaming for over 30 years on every console and PC....QB IS a masterpiece.

[Omeganex9999]

Then how come a masterpiece has less than 80 on metacritic?

It is not, simply. It's a good game, but it's not a masterpiece. And you people trying to say it is are actually harming the game.

[TeamLeaptrade]

I did like the live action aspect of the game, but it really wasn't needed. I liked seeing other sides of the story. I enjoyed the live action episodes, but I don't think I would have had any problems with they weren't in the game.

I had fun, so I'm happy with it. I don't see something like this being done again though, at least not for a long time.

[kenwonobi]

If the gameplay was good then it wouldn't be a failure. Obviously the gameplay sucks. The TV show crossover to gameplay shouldn't matter much. It must hinder a otherwise boring game that is short enough to make this type of lasting impression. I am completely underwhelmed now by this game.

[WelkinCole]

God forbid someone tries something different. I like it because it is different. Same with The Order.

It's freaking annoying that devs are not going to do SP only games going forward as well as take risks because you lot want every freaking game to have MP and 100+ hrs of replay value with the same old boring formula.

Same time you all complain when you get the same sh!t over and over.

[thelaughingwiseman]

If this game was a Sony exclusive, everyone would be going bonkers and it'd score a 90-something on metacritics and all that shinanegans. For me, I like these type of boundary pushing concepts. Using live action shows that are actually impacted by choices made in game. The show also serves a purpose. It's not a prize you win for beating a level. The show tries to show you more of what the bad guys are doing. The game is showing what the good guys are doing. Great actors involved in this project too. I say, give this game a chance.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Not only was the TV show good...as in if it was it's own series I would watch it...but the game was amazing. I'm seriously not getting the "hate" for the game. The game is all around fantastic, and it seems to me more that the people trying to downplay it WANT it to be bad, and/or haven't played it. I get that some people may have legit complaints about the game...not everyone will feel the same of course...but MOST complaints about the game don't make sense and/or are flat out just wrong.

[vulsker]

Such a shame! I am a little ways in and have rather enjoyed my experience!! I have enjoyed it so much that I really would love to see some more games paced and intertwined with a show like this.

But to each is own!

[Segata]

Go play the Tex Murphy series or half the SEga CD lirary or half the games on the PC in the 90s then.

[vulsker]

Well I def didn't say that I wanted to go play an out dated pixelated game with poorly shot cinematics.

[MagicBeanz]

Did I miss something, when did a 77 on metacritic become "critically acclaimed" or considered a "masterpiece"?

[Petebloodyonion]

So let's see!
More games are coming with online web series.
Halo already as a Tv series.
Sam lakes already said that they wanted to go further with this kind of story telling.
The game is one of the most successful title on the Xbox 1.

But it's a fail concept?

[thelaughingwiseman]

I actually liked this idea. Very refreshing to see episodes in between the segments of the game. The episodes served a purpose to go hand in hand with the progress of the game. Remedy is awesome. I love how they try and incorporate other entertainment media into their games. They don't like to be tied down to "just videogames" they like to push boundaries (Alan Wake as one of those cool Thriller/Paranormal shows, the first Max Payne as a noir graphic novel). This game has a lot of content. I don't play X-box but this is one game I would love for to come to the PS4. Fun story (although not original), different paths to choose, cutscenes impacted by choices (2o minute long :D ), cool characters and actors. I dig the integration of episodes into the game.

[vulsker]

I am absolutely right there with you! I thought episodes so far, were well done and actually had a nice purpose.

[Segata]

Gee what a shock FMV fails a second time. Turns out badly written and low budget videos don't make for great games. That's news to me in 1995...

[EDKICK]

Except this game is the opposite of low budget and badly written. That wouldn't be "news to you" if you have actually played the game.

[Segata]

The TV show is low budget. The cinematography sreams syfy budgets. That would not be news to you if you had eyes.