The Medium

recyclops · 27-01-2021 4:31pm #1

Glad to see this getting favourable reviews and a welcome addition to the genre it seems.

its in my eyes the first big series X game ( whilst also being on PC) so will be interesting to see how it performs

The split screen mechanic looks fairly good and blooper teams previous outings have been solid enough especially observor. Its almost the perfect game for gamepass.

digital foundry breakdown is fairly decent too

Retr0gamer · 27-01-2021 4:54pm

Was Observer good? I was but off Blooper teams games because Layers of Fear was a complete pile of luke warm ****e.

This seems interesting but hoping they have moved past cheap jump scares.

Skerries · 28-01-2021 2:27am

https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-medium-cannot-run-with-constant-60fps-on-the-rtx3080-even-at-1080p-high-rt-off-settings/

it makes a 3080 cry

ZiabR · 28-01-2021 10:14am

I have it pre installed a few weeks now but I am still going to say while this is a Series and PC only game (at the moment) it again is not a true next gen game. Much of its development was without a Series S or X development or test kit so they were developing it on PC hardware. Then they had to race to try and optimise it for the new consoles.

It looks like an interesting game but if I'm honest, it does not seem to be optimized very well. Its running on Unreal 4 and it seems to be too heavy on PC and Series X. The game is not overly taxing and the resolution drops significantly in certain scenes again pointing to the game not really being optimised properly. That coupled with a locked 30 FPS with frame drop issues as confirmed by DF. The developer has acknowledged the DF findings are are looking into the reason for the frame drops with a fix coming in a future patch.

I will give the game a go, its only 7-8 hours long anyway but I would say this is a next gen game in its infancy state. What I mean by that is its a hybrid game, not developed truly on nextgen hardware. Still great to have a timed exclusive on Microsoft but I fully expect it to come to PS5 in the next 12 months as a port.

Skylinehead · 28-01-2021 2:03pm

Skerries wrote: »

https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-medium-cannot-run-with-constant-60fps-on-the-rtx3080-even-at-1080p-high-rt-off-settings/

it makes a 3080 cry

Sure it'll run on Medium settings.

:pac:

brady12 · 28-01-2021 7:49pm

Played very a hour of it . Enjoying world and story so far but I'd say it helps I haven't played a walking simulator in ages

murpho999 · 28-01-2021 9:22pm

ZiabR wrote: »

I have it pre installed a few weeks now but I am still going to say while this is a Series and PC only game (at the moment) it again is not a true next gen game. Much of its development was without a Series S or X development or test kit so they were developing it on PC hardware. Then they had to race to try and optimise it for the new consoles.

It looks like an interesting game but if I'm honest, it does not seem to be optimized very well. Its running on Unreal 4 and it seems to be too heavy on PC and Series X. The game is not overly taxing and the resolution drops significantly in certain scenes again pointing to the game not really being optimised properly. That coupled with a locked 30 FPS with frame drop issues as confirmed by DF. The developer has acknowledged the DF findings are are looking into the reason for the frame drops with a fix coming in a future patch.

I will give the game a go, its only 7-8 hours long anyway but I would say this is a next gen game in its infancy state. What I mean by that is its a hybrid game, not developed truly on nextgen hardware. Still great to have a timed exclusive on Microsoft but I fully expect it to come to PS5 in the next 12 months as a port.

You mention DF and they said the game is next gen because of the demands of the the split screen with two different environments which is different to a normal split screen game.

I'll have go at it tonight and over the weekend as I like the genre.

one armed dwarf · 28-01-2021 11:51pm

So far I would say it's a fairly unscary walking simulator, well the split world gimmick looks cool I suppose. I'm on PC.

If this is the Series X first proper next gen spooky game well then it's no Condemned Criminal Origins.

BeerWolf · 29-01-2021 4:15am

Skerries wrote: »

https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-medium-cannot-run-with-constant-60fps-on-the-rtx3080-even-at-1080p-high-rt-off-settings/

it makes a 3080 cry

Use it for benchmarking!

recyclops · 29-01-2021 9:03am

one armed dwarf wrote: »

So far I would say it's a fairly unscary walking simulator, well the split world gimmick looks cool I suppose. I'm on PC.

If this is the Series X first proper next gen spooky game well then it's no Condemned Criminal Origins.

What a launch game that was. Only played first hour or so, very much a team blooper game so far.

[Deleted User] · 30-01-2021 9:09pm

Everyone still waiting for the first "truly next gen" , this is not it but I have to say its a real pleasure to play on the series x. Ray tracing is used in moderation, so you're not walking around on an ice rink or newly polished marble floor. It has a very uninterrupted flow to it too. I can only imagine if this was on last gen you would be driven demented with it stopping to load every 2nd room you walk into.

I like the game, I'm really becoming a fan of the walking sim genre. It seems to be really finding its feet (no pun intended!)

[Deleted User] · 30-01-2021 11:37pm

Only started it, and it feels very old school 2000's in it's vibe but one tiny detail that popped out at me was when you go to the funeral home office and walk in front of the windows, there is traffic passing outside and the odd person with an umbrella all with reflections on the wet ground. We are not talking super next gen visuals here but that attention to detail did strike me.

[Deleted User] · 02-02-2021 12:20am

I think I'm about half way through it and it feels like it's dragging it's feet. Might be wrong but can see where the story is going to a point and the split screen mechanic is a cool feature but I don't they are getting the best out of it they possibly could have.

It's very much a late 90's survival horror without combat thats really a walking sim. The puzzle elements and split screen are very easy to work out and don't make up for the lack of combat, not that the game needs combat but just makes me want more to do than walk around picking up stuff to flesh out the story and solve a few easy puzzles and that one stealth section.

recyclops · 02-02-2021 12:23am

Just finished up. Blooper team just get around 2/3 in and fall at final hurdle.

Impressive looking game all the same and not an absolute waste of time. Like Blair Witch perfect gamepass game, like said above some sort of combat would have helped not just shielding

[Deleted User] · 02-02-2021 12:42am

recyclops wrote: »

Just finished up. Blooper team just get around 2/3 in and fall at final hurdle.

Impressive looking game all the same and not an absolute waste of time. Like Blair Witch perfect gamepass game, like said above some sort of combat would have helped not just shielding

The visuals for the interiors are absolutely nailed, my partner is from a different east European country but I've been in old city apartment blocks there and some official buildings of that era and it's spot on.

The €50 asking price to buy the game is crazy. Reports are they made the dev cost's back already but I really doubt that's from sales. They had EU and Polish government grants as well as GamePass money.

ZiabR · 02-02-2021 10:38am

Enfilade wrote: »

The visuals for the interiors are absolutely nailed, my partner is from a different east European country but I've been in old city apartment blocks there and some official buildings of that era and it's spot on.

The €50 asking price to buy the game is crazy. Reports are they made the dev cost's back already but I really doubt that's from sales. They had EU and Polish government grants as well as GamePass money.

100%, its down to Game Pass. A €50 price tag for a 7 hour game is very steep. Its an easy game to just play though, not very taxing on the brain. Worth a playthrough if you have Game Pass.

brady12 · 05-03-2021 3:23pm

Did anyone finish this and think it wasn't boring as ****?

recyclops · 05-03-2021 4:28pm

Finished it, traditional blooper team affair being drip fed narrative as it goes along, fine for a wet weekend and perfect for gamepass, as narrative walking sims go its very good.

I think maybe it was marketed wrong, once any comparisons arise between a game and silent hill there is bound to be problems, if this had enemies and shooting it may be better as tension really doesnt come into it at all.

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