As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen the evolution of hero shooters from their humble beginnings to the behemoths they are today. Concord, Sony’s latest foray into this genre, is reminiscent of a cosmic melting pot where Overwatch and Guardians of the Galaxy have left their DNA.
Firewalk Studio’s Concord is Sony’s newest addition to their strategy of increasing live service games in their software catalog. This multiplayer hero shooter features an array of playable characters, each with distinctive weapons and skills. It’s a solid and entertaining game within the genre, but it doesn’t offer much in terms of innovation or advancement as the hero shooter category becomes more crowded.
Fight across the cosmos
In simple terms, Concord is a multiplayer-only first-person shooter game where teams of five engage in combat across various maps and game types. The game modes essentially encompass both kill-focused and objective-based scenarios. After getting killed, players respawn or remain out until the round concludes if they’re playing an objective mode. However, some may find that it lacks originality since it resembles familiar first-person shooter elements, which could be disappointing. Nonetheless, Concord offers unique twists on established ideas in each of its game modes.
Concord effectively motivates players to stick around and experiment with various characters by using the Job Board, which categorizes tasks into daily, weekly, and seasonal divisions. It’s neatly organized and always offered something for me to focus on. Moreover, these tasks are linked to cosmetic rewards, enabling you to personalize your Freegunners’ attire, weapon designs, accessories, and additional items.
The actual shooting in Concord is solid. Of the game’s 16 playable characters (referred to as Freegunners), only a portion of them shoot traditional firearms. The rest are equipped with unique weapons that can deal damage or disrupt enemies. I played a lot of Teo when first jumping in, as he’s more of a generic soldier build—equipped with an assault rifle, frag grenade, and a smoke bomb. After familiarizing myself with the controls, I became a Haymar main. The angsty sorceress fights with a crossbow and deploys magical fire to blind enemies and restrict areas.
Additionally, there are characters such as 1-Off who wield a colossal vacuum as their main weapon, capable of sucking up enemy projectiles. There’s nothing more infuriating than finding yourself in the heat of a heated gunfight and hearing that vacuum roar on the opposite side of the battlefield. Firewalk masterfully ensures that each character has a unique role during combat.
The unique qualities of these characters are reflected in their distinct appearances as well. Concord boasts a vibrant cast with characters from various races, genders, ages, and even some intriguing sci-fi styles. This diversity adds depth to the world’s creation and gives off an atmosphere where everyone feels like misfits struggling together in a harsh galaxy.
Meet the Freegunners
One way to rephrase the given text in a natural and easy-to-read manner is: To make a successful hero shooter like Overwatch, it’s essential to create lovable characters for players to connect with. Since there isn’t a story mode available, this connection is fostered through supplementary materials that reveal the characters’ origins, motivations, and relationships within the game roster. Concord achieves this by presenting weekly cinematics whenever you start the game, which highlight different Freegunners onboard the Northstar as they traverse the galaxy.
Concord’s CGI cutscenes are beautifully animated, really enhancing the game’s AAA quality. Yet, there’s an odd contradiction when characters who appear affectionate in one scene are later fighting each other in your next gameplay session. It’s also peculiar that you can’t rewatch these scenes within the game itself, potentially reducing player engagement with them. However, they can be found on the PlayStation YouTube channel.
As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled to be at the start of Concord’s journey in Season 0. The brief cinematics we’ve seen so far have done an excellent job of introducing characters and forging their relationships. I can’t wait to see these narratives integrated into gameplay, perhaps through the introduction of new maps or innovative game modes. If PlayStation remains committed, there’s a world of potential just waiting to be tapped!
All too familiar
Throughout my journey with Concord, I found myself constantly sensing an ardent longing for transformation within it. It’s no understatement that Sony has observed the immense financial potential of live service games and yearns to claim a portion of this success. However, Concord seems like a melody composed from the most cherished elements of various popular entertainment offerings from the last decade.
In my initial assessment, I likened Concord to a blend of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Overwatch.” This comparison was intended to highlight the variety of both narrative and mechanical aspects within the game during the Beta. However, it’s disheartening to find that there’s not much depth beyond this surface-level similarity. Concord appears to be heavily influenced by Overwatch’s success, but it makes only small strides to expand upon Blizzard’s established foundations.
Follow the Northstar
I enjoyed my gaming sessions with Concord. The shooting mechanics felt smooth, and the game’s pace allowed me to easily jump in for a quick match before leaving. However, I’m unsure if being ‘just fine’ will be sufficient to thrive in the competitive world of live-service games in 2024. Concord seems to lack originality and distinctive character, which leaves me wondering about Firewalk Studios and PlayStation’s strategies for future development.
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2024-08-30 21:57