The Ryse: Son of Rome (Xbox One) Thread - £5 download code

Brerlappins little hat wrote:Now they just need to announce Forza as being controlled via a butt plug and theres nothing interesting left on xbonestorm.

Buffalo wrote:Resi 6? What happens on easy mode there?

Alvin Flummux wrote:

Buffalo wrote:Resi 6? What happens on easy mode there?

On the easiest difficulty, it does all the QTEs for you. Needless to say, I avoided that setting like the plague.

PsychicSykes wrote:Genius from Crytek. The majority of early adopters will be those who are attached to their Gamerscore. So what better game for them than one which plays itself? This attach rate for this in the first few months is gonna be through the roof. I almost admire their cunning plan.

Alvin Flummux wrote:Hopefully that's just for the game's Easy difficulty, a la Resi 6, and that harder modes do not include that. Otherwise it's very much a press A to win, but don't worry if you don't because we'll do it for you affair.

"Whoever it was we were fighting, we looked good while doing it. Ryse is a handsome game, with densely-packed and richly-detailed battlefields where both sides wage war as far as the eye can see. The air's thick with debris, smoke and (more dangerously) a deluge of arrows from far-away archers; Ryse is certainly happy to show off its next gen credentials.

The combat system , though, is a throwback to the Xbox 1 (not One) era. At a glance it seems to revolve heavily around quick-time events, but this isn't the case.

When you engage the enemy, a prompt appears above their head in the manner of a QTE, but this is only a 'best choice' suggestion; meeting it rewards you with a brutal combo animation, but other attacks are just as likely to connect. While well-meaning, the prompts just give the impression of a QTE game where failure doesn't necessarily mean failure; the system needs tightening up if Ryse's battles are to have the substance to match its spectacle.

One of Ryse's innovations is that as a general, you can bark orders to your subordinates either by pressing LB or by barking the command at the Kinect sensor. At one stage we organised our troops into a phalanx formation to get past a team of archers roosting in the ramparts above; an effective way to keep casualties to a minimum since deceased soldiers are not replaced during combat. During the demo these orders were pre-canned but it's hinted that you'll be able to decide contacts as the game opens up later in the campaign.

Is there a companion app? You bet your tin-plated ass there's a companion app! Ryse's seems more superfluous than most, even by E3's snake belly-low standards. It provides us with a timeline charting our progress through the level, hints and tips (for a linear hack and slash game!) and a video feedback option which makes it easier to upload gameplay clips."

Eurogamer wrote:Is it worth participating in Xbox One exclusive Ryse?

It's just as easy to bash Ryse, Crytek's hyper-real, ultra-violent Roman Empire brawler, as it is to shield bash one of its barbarian enemies with a press of the Y button.

Such is the fleeting nature of any experience with a video game at E3, the industry's annual get together in Los Angeles. Presentations are prepared so explosions pop out of giant screens, key pillars are memorised so press leave with the right message, and development teams tune demos so difficulty is near non-existent.

So, I always try to pull my punches when it comes to casting the hammer blow of judgement down on an E3 demo - particularly if that judgement is a negative one. But in Ryse's case, it's hard to.

The eye-wateringly violent combat has been designed with the key phrase "mashing to mastery" in mind. This key phrase, however sickly sweet, comes from a good place. Indeed Blizzard's long-standing development mantra "easy to learn, difficult to master" is one that's resulted in some of the greatest games of all time.

But let's be honest, using the word "mashing" in the context of a game that at first glance appears to be little more than an unsophisticated collection of quick time events is more likely to but the brakes on the core gamer hype train than give it the boost Microsoft's marketers so desperately wanted out of E3.

And, oddly, sometimes you don't even need to mash the buttons. Ryse's protagonist, the young Roman soldier Marius Titus, is determined to make mince meat out of his enemies whatever the player's mood. If you fail to press the required button in time with the button prompt for one of the game's gory executions, you won't fail. Titus is still a "Roman badass", producer James Goddard tells me, even if the player is not.

Mash the buttons, then, and exciting stuff will just happen. Hammer X for sword slice after sword slice, bash Y for the odd shield attack, sit back, relax, and gawp in wonder as pain etches into your enemy's insanely detailed face. Camera shake, slow motion, that "thuum" of audio made cool by The Matrix: it's all there in the video game version of TV's Spartacus.

This experience, this easy-going blood bath, is for those who just want to f*** s*** up after a hard day's work. They don't want the frustration of death or the annoyance of having to repeat a QTE after a mistimed flash of X. They want to feel ultra powerful. They want to live the power fantasy of the Roman badass. And to those people, I say: fair enough. Go for your life.

But what about those who don't mind the odd bout of frustration? What about those who like to earn the power fantasy of the Roman badass? What about me?

This is, according to Microsoft's producers, where the "mastery" comes in. Ryse's combat is based on timing and it rewards you for nailing it. Back to that execution button prompt: press the appropriate button with "Legendary Timing" - that is, within the first couple of frames of the on screen message's appearance - and you'll be rewarded with whatever perk is associated with that execution. It might be a combo multiplier, extra experience points or even some health points. Oh, and you'll get even more violent visuals - a more dramatic camera shake, slower slow mo, bloodier blood spurts. You might even leave your sword in your opponent's neck just a little bit longer.

The first time you use your shield to deflect an enemy enemy blow you might fluff the timing. The second time, you might do the same. But master it and you'll spin your opponent around, increasing the window of opportunity to follow up with an attack.

There are elements of strategy buried deep beneath Ryse's casual veneer. Its progression system sees you unlock these execution moves over time, and you set the associated perks. There were eight executions in the E3 demo, but the final game will have over 100, so it'll take some time to learn all the animations to a point where you can combo attacks without much fuss. Eventually, as the executions and the animation blends become more familiar, you enter a strange kind of numb fighting zone, and you cut through the scores of barbarian bandits as effortlessly as Gerard Butler slices and dices poor Xerxes' minions in Zack Snyder's equally hyper-real action flick 300. Mashing is fine, but mastery gives you benefits.

"You don't have to do anything," Microsoft producer James Goddard, a video game combat specialist who is consulting on the project, tells me. "You'll just kill the guy because you're a Roman badass. Do you get your perk stuff? No. You didn't participate."

Really, then, Ryse is unlike any QTE game I've ever played. The QTEs don't risk failure, rather, they present an opportunity to do better. They're like in-game hints, flashing on-screen promises of increasingly cinematic (brutal) Roman combat. Ryse is a game where good timing makes a handful of barbarians as threatening as a gaggle of puppies, each wearing spiky collars.

It's a glossy experience, but is it a bad one? I was apathetic about Ryse after playing its E3 demo. Its combat is more inconsequential than offensive. I get why it's an Xbox One launch title. It ticks all the right next-gen boxes for Microsoft. It uses the new Kinect in an add-on kind of way: you can bark orders to your fellow soldiers in "leadership" encounters, such as taking a catapult or shuffling into defensive formations, and you can call in arrow strikes, which is their actual name (Ryse is Call of Duty with swords and shields instead of guns) by shouting at your telly instead of pressing buttons on the controller.

There's Smartglass integration in the form of a real-time strategy guide, which gives you hints as you play (not that you'll need them) for that essential second screen experience. And the up close and personal, "six inches to six feet" CryEngine 3-fuelled graphics are technically striking. Microsoft's producers say the number of AI-controlled soldiers running about on screen at once wouldn't have been possible on the Xbox 360. If you see a Roman soldier trading blows with a barbarian in the distance somewhere, you can run over to them and interrupt their rendezvous with sword strikes of your own.

Hammering home the point that Ryse in its current form wouldn't be possible on current generation hardware, Microsoft producers say silly things like, "the smoke billowing from the distant tower requires as much memory as the Xbox 360 has", and, "Titus' eyeball includes more technology as an entire character in an Xbox 360 game".

But for all Ryse's bells and whistles, the experience of playing it washes over you rather than seeps into your skin. What you're left with is a flashy but basic brawler that benefits from a twist of strategy and a dash of skill. The fuss over the quick time events is a red herring, I reckon. Ryse's combat gets better the more you play along. I just don't think I can be bothered to participate.

KKLEIN wrote:

Eurogamer wrote:"You don't have to do anything," Microsoft producer James Goddard, a video game combat specialist who is consulting on the project, tells me. "You'll just kill the guy because you're a Roman badass. Do you get your perk stuff? No. You didn't participate."

During a panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego, Microsoft Studios and Crytek revealed brand-new story and character details for their upcoming Xbox One exclusive launch title, “Ryse: Son of Rome.” Cinematics Director Peter Gornstein and Producers Michael Read and Justin Robey discussed the creation of “Ryse: Son of Rome’s” storyline and characters, demoed its Xbox SmartGlass application, and shared a behind-the-scenes look at the game’s cinematic performance capture technology.

“Ryse: Son of Rome” follows Marius Titus, a young Roman soldier who must avenge the murder of his family at the hands of barbarian bandits. As he rises through the ranks of the Roman army, Marius’ quest for vengeance will take him to the barbarian-infested shores of Britannia, and eventually straight into the heart of Rome.

Microsoft also announced a new Digital, Interactive Graphic Novel inspired by “Ryse: Son of Rome” – “Ryse: Sword of Damocles” – which is available now online at Xbox.com/Ryse/comic.

Reading and interacting with the Graphic Novel unlocks collectibles that can be redeemed in “Ryse: Son of Rome” post-launch for in-game bonuses that provide an early edge in the game’s multiplayer.

More details about Marius as well as the new characters Crytek revealed at the Comic-Con panel are below:

Marius. The hero of “Ryse: Son of Rome,” Marius is a young soldier with a strong sense of duty who is completely dedicated to Rome and her ideals. Initially eager to fight against Rome’s enemies and expand the Empire, he soon realizes that Rome is vulnerable to an even more insidious threat than the barbarians he faces on the battlefield. Ever loyal to Rome, he resolves to rid the Empire of her true enemies.

Vitallion. A wise and charismatic general who has served Rome for decades, Vitallion has fought in many campaigns and serves as a mentor to Marius. As events transpire he begins to wonder if duty has its limits, and whether self-restraint is always the correct course of action.

Nero. Nero, Emperor of Rome, struggles to maintain his grip on power. He promotes his two sons Commodus and Basillius to powerful positions, letting them take control of the rebellious province of Britannia. Nero feels threaten by all potential rivals and exacts ruthless retribution against anyone who crosses him.

Commodus and Basillius. As governor of Britannia, Nero’s eldest son, Commodus, sees himself as a god, and the people of Britannia as his subjects. His reign is characterized by brutal repression. Nero’s youngest son, Basillius, enjoys anything carnal or cruel. At the Colosseum he delights in watching gladiators kill each other, and lords over the terrified slaves he keeps in his harem in the bowels of the structure.

Boudica. The daughter of King Oswald, the ruler of the Britons. Strong and resilient, Boudica hates Rome, and with good reason: under Roman rule, her people are made to suffer horribly. When her father faces horrific retribution from a perceived insult, it galvanizes Boudica and she rallies her people to rise against their oppressors. Boudica is a principled woman and has the will to go to the ends of the world to save her people.

Oswald. Benevolent king of the Britons. He leads a rebellion against the tyrannical rule of Rome, but when the Romans brutally repress the rebels, Oswald submits to Roman dominance in hopes this will spare his people. His naivety leaves him vulnerable to the Romans.

Glott. Enigmatic leader of the Northern barbarians, rumored to be more beast than man. Very little is known about him except that he is fiercely independent and will make war on both the Romans and Oswald’s tribe.

The Spirit Gods. Immortal spirit, one who watches over humanity, guides Marius. She appears in mortal form, but radiates an otherworldly aura. Another (known in mortal form as Aquilo) seeks the destruction of Rome and allies himself with her enemies.