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[Raziel]

Metacritic (Xbox Series X) - 64
Metacritic (PC) - 74

Eurogamer - No score

The Ascent's arcology setting is splendid, if heavily derivative - shame that all you can do here is gun and grind.

Game Informer - 7.25/10

The Ascent has issues, but those issues don’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the game. I won’t write my thesis on its commentary on capitalism, but I’ll fondly remember my co-op sessions where I tore through this cyberpunk world. That being said, the shallow RPG elements, lack of meaningful narrative, and exploration frustration were constants that really dragged the experience down. Neon Giant has made a solid foundation to build on, and I hope we can see future installments grow into something truly worthy of ascension.

Gamespot - 6/10

Even if The Ascent was fully functional and balanced in a way where building up a character to become the ultimate Indent warrior felt great, there's the fact that so much of the game is designed to feel like servitude. As you climb the superstructure housing all of Veles, you serve a progression of masters, and the payoff for the game's central mystery--where did the mysterious group running Veles suddenly run off to?--isn't nearly enough to offset the hopeless grind. Your bosses insult you when you go on your task, ignore you when you've done well, and provide no rewards for success. For so much of the play time, The Ascent feels like, well, an uphill battle.

IGN - 7/10

The Ascent’s satisfying gun-tastic action-RPG gameplay loop mixes with its beautiful cyberpunk aesthetic to create an overall enjoyable experience. Neither its story nor its characters are all that memorable, and its enemy encounters can stumble toward the end, but its gunplay and ultra-violence in a neon-soaked world combine to craft a co-op-friendly game you don’t see every day.

Metro GameCentral - 3/10

A deeply disappointing co-op shooter that squanders its excellent graphics on a bland and repetitive attempt to make a sci-fi Diablo.

PC Gamer - 84/100

A lovingly crafted action RPG with challenging, satisfying gunfights and an extraordinary cyberpunk setting.

TheSixthAxis - 8/10

The Ascent has got all the grimy character that you would want from its sci-fi cyberpunk setting, and there's a great combat system to go with it. Simply put, The Ascent deserves your attention.

Windows Central - 70/100

The Ascent is a solid evolution of the twin-stick formula, offering some of the most detailed and impressive visuals the gen has to offer so far. However, The Ascent needs a couple of polish passes as of writing, due to bugs and other glitches. Additionally, the game suffers from a lack of testing, with balance problems and structural issues that weaken the latter half of the game.

Xbox Achievements - 65/100

A grim, dystopian future shock, The Ascent is an action-packed ARPG brimming with guns and ultra-violence. It's enormous fun, especially in co-op, but bothersome bugs and repetitive quests unfortunately put a dampener on things.

 

[mejin]

Disappointed AF. What happened?

I was sure this wasn't just another simple game to feed GP.

 

[Warnen]

Love that line quoted from Metro review. When I watched ACG review I said to myself that looks like a sci-fi Diablo but in a positive way. Not expecting much but gonna give it a try after work tonight. ACG made it looks interesting for sure.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Surprisingly low scores. I was watching Karak's review and thinking to myself 'I'm definitely going to play this when I buy XSX later on this year'. Looks awesome and I like it's not only a shooter, but has some exploration and rpg bits as well.

 

[MOTM]

Eh not a masterpiece but definitely still worth trying.

 

[FranXico]

It looks alright.

 

[catvonpee]

I'm kind of bummed to see this getting such low scores. But my favorite game of recent years has a 74 on Metacritic, so I don't really care what a game scores. If it's fun, it's fun. Looking forward to playing it.

 

[samoilaaa]

 

[Fbh]

A bit disappointing. Just based on the trailers I was expecting this to be one of the surprise hits of the year

 

[GhostOfTsu]

The score is definitely disappointing after all the hype but the graphics look amazing so I'll play it anyway on GP.

 

[Tg89]

About where I expected it to land. Didn't realize there was so much hype behind this, always looked kinda bad.

 

[R6Rider]

That 3 out of 10 tho.

 

[CatLady]

Well this is surprising and unfortunate. It's also makes me glad I have Game Pass so I didn't just blow $70 on a mediocre game. Will try it anyway since it costs me nothing extra, but I suspect I'll be back answering the call of the skies soon.

 

[DarkMage619]

I'm glad it's on Game pass so me and my friends can all play and see what we think. These games are almost always more fun with friends. Too bad the scores aren't higher but it's all subjective anyway. I'm going to jump in today.

 

[kretos]

why is the xbox version 12 points lower than pc version?

 

[Kuranghi]

I think people oversold it in their own heads, Karak makes it sound like a bloody good time and I'm excited to have fun for 10-20 hours. I don't mind if its not amazing, it looks like it does what I want it to do well.

Well this is surprising and unfortunate. It's also makes me glad I have Game Pass so I didn't just blow $70 on a mediocre game. Will try it anyway since it costs me nothing extra, but I suspect I'll be back answering the call of the skies soon.

Nah its 20 of your finest currency, 70 would be madness.

Get the furballs out of your ears lady!

I know that doesn't really fit here but I've been wanting to say it for a while just because I think it sounds really funny

 

[Bladed Thesis]

Every reviewer I trust is strongly recommending it but the amount of reviews negative are all interesting. I'm always going to play for myself first but interesting to see the average where its at.

I'm still hyped after seeing ACG ad Skillup confirm what I liked about it.

 

[Dusktildawn48]

The digital foundry dude loved the game too. And lol @ those last gen load times.

 

[Bladed Thesis]

why is the xbox version 12 points lower than pc version?

The 9 middle reviews posted for the XSX version are posted for PC. Only 5 of the 15 positive reviews for the game have been posted for Xbox. Also, the 3/10 metro review which was for XSX and PC has only been posted for XSX so far.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I wasnt that pumped for the game anyway as the game doesn't even have rearranged map layouts each time you replay the game like diablo. It has the same map layout.

But since the game seem meh, I'll save myself the download.

I'll stick to some FS 2020.

 

[RiccochetJ]

Skill Up and Karak seem to really like it. They are two reviewers that I look to a lot because their tastes tend to align with mine the majority of the time so I'm quite optimistic.

 

[Kuranghi]

why is the xbox version 12 points lower than pc version?

The corporation took 12 points for themselves, those bastards.

 

[CatLady]

Every reviewer I trust is strongly recommending it but the amount of reviews negative are all interesting. I'm always going to play for myself first but interesting to see the average where its at.

I'm still hyped after seeing ACG ad Skillup confirm what I liked about it.

Yeah, I'm watching ACG's review right now and feel much more encouraged, since he is the reviewer I respect the most.

 

[Kuranghi]

Skill Up and Karak seem to really like it. They are two reviewers that I look to a lot because their tastes tend to align with mine the majority of the time so I'm quite optimistic.

Karak is a major world design/environmental storytelling nerd so maybe that was a big factor for him. Watching him walk around talking about how they used assets to perform environmental storytelling in Mad Max for an hour I was like:

...and then I reinstalled the game to go and look at & listen to everything he talked about because I'm a big nerdface

 

[JackMcGunns]

why is the xbox version 12 points lower than pc version?

That's why everyone should avoid just looking at the scores. The game is probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I know I'm in.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Not suprised in the slightest.

 

[CrimsonSquall]

Damn. Im sad for the Xbox gang. I actually thot this woulda been a sleeper for yall. Looked good

 

[MagiusNecros]

Wish I could be sad about a good looking Diablo esque isometric twinstick looter shooter that offers M/KB and gamepad support for just $30 pineapples while everyone else wants to get you to buy 60 pineapples.

Looks like a whole bundle of fun if you ask me.

 

[Captain Toad]

Ugh. Another one.

 

[Schmick]

Damn. Im sad for the Xbox gang. I actually thot this woulda been a sleeper for yall. Looked good

Huh? Shouldn't people of the Xbox gang play the game and decide for themselves? It may very well still be the sleeper you are talking about. For them anyway.

 

[Son_of_Zardoz]

I expected it to score a little higher but not much, just seeing how small the studio was. Not knocking them at all--I am still really looking forward to playing it. As long as the shooting is fun/feels good that's all I need. Coop games are my fav and we need more of them.

 

[Captain Toad]

Well this is surprising and unfortunate. It's also makes me glad I have Game Pass so I didn't just blow $70 on a mediocre game. Will try it anyway since it costs me nothing extra, but I suspect I'll be back answering the call of the skies soon.

Nobody would have spent $70 on this. That's likely why it was launched on GamePass.

Games like Ender Lilies and Death's Door show more faith. I bought Ender Lilies full price on Series X and have no regrets. I may do the same for Death's Door. This game doesn't even look worth my time to download although I'm already paying for GP.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

First Dark Alliance and now this. What’s going on? I thought the game looked promising. Downloaded it, but didn’t get a chance to try it yet.

 

[PumpkinPie]

How disappointing! I had a reminder set in my calendar to buy this today

 

[Topher]

Metacritic of 7.5 is a good score. Not every game has to be an 8 or 9 to be enjoyed.

 

[Plantoid]

Bummer, will give I a try nonetheless, it's free after all

 

[Punished Miku]

I mean ... I get to try it out tonight for free so I guess I'll let you all know?

Looks pretty good to me. I wasn't expecting a majorly compelling narrative or anything. If it looks good and plays well, I'll be into it. Guess we'll see.

 

[Kuranghi]

Not suprised in the slightest.

Ugh. Another one.

Back! Back, you Sony fiends!

 

[Captain Toad]

Metacritic of 7.5 is a good score. Not every game has to be an 8 or 9 to be enjoyed.

Is 64?

A 70ish score SHOULD be decent, but we know gaming scores are very heavily tilted to the high numbers. Even a low 80 concerns me.

 

[Hendrick's]

Skill Up and Karak seem to really like it. They are two reviewers that I look to a lot because their tastes tend to align with mine the majority of the time so I'm quite optimistic.

Agreed. I am a little surprised by the low scores, but am going to form my own opinion. Game Pass makes it a must play regardless. Let’s see how much of this is just the Xbox tax talking.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Yikes

 

[Uiki]

Overhype, underdeliver.

 

[Topher]

Is 64?

That 64 is due entirely to the metro review. Does anyone really put that much faith into a metro review?

 

[Tokio Blues]

Remember when they gave a 9.5/10 to that great and astonishing game, that was also crafted in cyberpunk world? What was its name.... something 2077.

 

[sircaw]

I think the art and setting of the game are brilliant.

 

[CrimsonSquall]

Huh? Shouldn't people of the Xbox gang play the game and decide for themselves? It may very well still be the sleeper you are talking about. For them anyway.

I mean I didnt tell them not to play it. It just looks like it aint what it was lookin like

 

[ANDS]

That 64 is due entirely to the metro review. Does anyone really put that much faith into a metro review?

Said this in the other thread. No it isn't. METRO would have to be weighted heavily for it to be solely responsible for that score.

 

[M1chl]

Not every day could be yet another 90+ exclusive on the table, it's fine.

I sometimes, think I funnier than I am

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

Its a top down rpg with twin stick shooter mechanics. It's not going to review superb because it's a really niche game that will appeal to the people who love the genre but be okay to those who don't. I'm not worried about it being "okay" at all since this game appeals to my taste I know I'll love it which is okay. At times like this I just remember that Divinity original sins II and the witcher 3 have the same metacritic despite DOS II being a superior game in every way but one...its not third person. So just chill and enjoy the game. 70's is a good metacritic score not great but good. Especially for a niche game.

 

[Stuart360]

The only review that matters -





John from DF loved it too.

We consistently give 'professional reviewers' shit all the time for their silly politics, awful gaming ability, crying about games being too hard, not finishing games they review, etc, etc.
Yet we seem to give them so much credit in these threads.

User reviews, and reviews from people like ACG, are the ones we should listen to. Thats all i listen to anyway.