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Review: The Surge 2 (PlayStation 4)

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The Surge 2

In a bid to survive, explore the sprawling, devastated Jericho City. Fight ferocious threats in brutal, unforgiving combat, slashing and tearing the limbs off your opponents to steal their equipment.

Pros:

  • Decent graphics.
  • 9.71gb download size.
  • Platinum trophy.
  • ARPG gameplay.
  • Four save slots.
  • Invert axis and sensitivity slider.
  • Character creation-Gender/randomize/hair/skin/eyes/nose/ears/outfit and choose one of 6 roles-mining wars vet, search and rescue, Creq operator, field agent, smuggler, and manager.
  • Dark souls like-die and drop scrap and one life to retrieve it. The twist here is you have a time limit and a distance meter.
  • Stamina system for combat, blocking and running.
  • Target set limbs on an opponent to carve basically.
  • Massive boss fights.
  • Online and offline modes.
  • Tags-spray helpful/unhelpful icons to warn/help/destroy other players.
  • Med Bay-checkpoint and where you craft and upgrade gear. Level up and increase stats.
  • Crafting plans, weapons, gear, materials and scrap randomly drop from enemies.
  • A fascinating bright world full of secrets and shortcuts.
  • The game overall is brighter and more lived in.
  • The story is well told and plays a lot in the foreground.
  • Drone-your sidekick you can use, install different mods to change how it works from shooting to healing to banners and spraying tags.
  • Can bank scrap at med bays for safekeeping.
  • Scrap-used for leveling up and buying items.
  • Combat is a lot faster.
  • Set items in regards to gear which can grant additional benefits.
  • Fast loading times.
  • Revenge-you can see enemies that are brighter than others that recently killed another player, killing them gives bonus loot. As you avenged someone.
  • Audio logs to find and listen to.
  • Tense atmosphere.
  • Decent voice work.
  • PlayStation 4 Pro options-pick performance or quality.

The Surge 2

Cons:

  • No word on the roles and if they actually do anything.
  • Tutorial tips are sporadic.
  • The slowdown in places.
  • A lot to take in initially.
  • Difficult.
  • Slow to start.
  • Doesn’t explain the whole tag/spray system or have a quick icon guide.
  • Enemies hit really hard even the adds.
  • You have no map on you and need to interact with them in the world, it’s a messy concoction of lines, neon, and blobs.
  • No guidance on where to go and what to do.

The Surge 2

  • 8/10
    Graphics - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Sound - 8/10
  • 7/10
    Accessibility - 7/10
  • 8/10
    Length - 8/10
  • 9/10
    Fun Factor - 9/10
8/10

Summary

The Surge 2 is a huge step up from the previous game. It has Dark souls elements like before but for me, the story is a lot more prominent and is the main focus. The first game felt more like a big boss rush with bits of story thrown in. Here in the Surge 2 world, it’s brighter, more lived in and just feels more natural, all the way down to enemy placement feeling real. Combat is still fast and frantic but again I found gear and weapons are a lot easier to come by so combat is constantly changing. Boss fights are still a pain in the ass but it has to keep the pressure on. I didn’t like how hard all enemy types hit, its a lot more unforgiving than other games in the genre with combat being a lot of dodging. Having a drone companion somewhat makes you feel less alone and can help in a pinch, it’s just a nice fallback. Loading times are better and enemy types are plentiful and varied. The start is slow as you work out what’s what and how the game works, hitting story markers pretty sh the story forward but are also presented in a cool way and give loot so you get an incentive to keep pushing forward. The now common Labyrinth world design has never been stronger and with new traversal means like hooks and ropes mean you can really go all over the place. The Surge 2 is a better game overall than the first game but still has a few little niggles and pacing issues with pockets of enemies popping up for no reason other than to extend the playtime. I had a few random bugs or dying cheaply as I attempt to carve parts but overall the surge 2 is an excellent game and well worth checking out.

Jim Smale

Gaming since the Atari 2600, I enjoy the weirdness in games counting Densha De Go and RC De Go as my favourite titles of all time. I prefer gaming of old where buying games from a shop was a thing, Being social in person was a thing. Join me as I attempt to adapt to this new digital age!