Board 8 > The Callisto Protocol Review Zone

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://opencritic.com/game/13372/the-callisto-protocol/reviews
https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/the-callisto-protocol?ref=hp

What happens when former Dead Space devs make their own studio and try to create a their own Dead Space clone? Well you get Callisto Protocol which is exactly that! I wasn't really expecting anything more that that, but it seems reviewers were as we only got a 75 through 23 reviews so far. When this was first announced it was going to be part of the PUBG universe and I wish they had kept that because I love PUBG that would have just been goofy.

Dextero - 5/5
A wonderfully exhausting exercise in futility is probably the best way of describing The Callisto Protocol as no matter the strength of my own resolve, I was constantly on edge and reveling in those fleeting moments where the game allowed me to breathe following yet another life-threatening fight.

The constant fear and dread incited by the phenomenal visual and sound design are only complemented by the compelling story. The Callisto Protocol is, hopefully, the start of an exciting new franchise, and is another sign that survival horror is anything but dead.

Shacknews - 8/10
The Callisto Protocol is a deeply immersive sci-fi horror experience that firmly grabs you at the start and doesnt let go. While this immersion shows its cracks during the transition into new areas, its not enough to ruin the overall experience. The Callisto Protocol is an impressive first outing for Striking Distance Studios, and the latest entry in the pantheon of excellent sci-fi horror stories.

IGN - 7/10
The Callisto Protocol is a supremely atmospheric and action-heavy tour through a spectacular slaughterhouse set in distant space. Its largely linear design makes for minimal backtracking, meaning it trims the fat while leaving no shortage of bone and gristle to rip and tear. However, it also betrays its survival horror roots by regularly tipping the balance of power too far in favour of the player, and while theres plenty of murderous fun to be had using giant grinding mechanisms to make mulch out of mutants, such cheap thrills come at the high cost of puncturing any tension and dread that the tremendous art and audio design work so hard to invoke. Aside from the meaty melee combat, theres also the overriding sense that theres not a lot here that hasnt been done before and theres disappointingly little to do once youve beaten the campaign. Thus The Callisto Protocol is a satisfyingly gory spiritual successor to the Dead Space series, but its ultimately more of a striking modern mimic than a scary new mutation.

Game Informer - 6/10
These various problems aside, though, The Callisto Protocol is still doing a lot of what Dead Space did, for better and worse. And to that end, there are moments of fun, even if, in contrast, theyre light on genuine terror. Im okay with The Callisto Protocol being another version of its spiritual predecessor, but it struggles to nail even the basics. As a result, Im underwhelmed, annoyed, and disappointed. If you wanted anything more out of this second crack at making a new sci-fi IP in survival horror, or something markedly different that acknowledges just how far gaming has come since 2008, The Callisto Protocol is not your answer.

I really wanted this game to do well but like most original IPs of late, it fails to set the world on fire.

Was The Last of Us (or Horizon to a much lesser extent) the last big original IP or am I forgetting something?

Obviously not counting Elden Ring as a new IP

Dang

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

Was The Last of Us (or Horizon to a much lesser extent) the last big original IP or am I forgetting something?

Well, Fortnite is the biggest one, but if you're counting Horizon as big, then Overwatch, Five Nights at Freddys, Bloodborne, Rocket League, Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight and Subnautica,

I think Id rather just replay DS2

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

I really wanted this game to do well but like most original IPs of late, it fails to set the world on fire.

Was The Last of Us (or Horizon to a much lesser extent) the last big original IP or am I forgetting something?

Obviously not counting Elden Ring as a new IP

off the top of my head, Splatoon came out after Last of Us

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

I really wanted this game to do well but like most original IPs of late, it fails to set the world on fire.

Was The Last of Us (or Horizon to a much lesser extent) the last big original IP or am I forgetting something?

Obviously not counting Elden Ring as a new IP

Cyberpunk 2077 bay-bee

Destiny was the previous fastest-selling original game.

Can't forget the massive Ring Fit Adventure either. And Ghost of Tsushima

Maybe I shot myself in the foot here by using Horizon as an example. I meant something on the level of say a Red Dead Redemption or like I already mentioned, The Last of Us. I'm not counting Demon's, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro or Elden Ring because those games are too similar to be given the distinction of brand new IPs. If those count then obviously Elden Ring wins by a landslide.

https://youtu.be/bkktCkDNYPw

5 from GameSpot. Ooof. This might be more divisive than Sonic Frontiers!

I just went to AV Club and right at the top is William Hughes absolutely panning it.

Mostly Negative on Steam currently due to performance issues, uh oh!

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

Red Dead Redemption

You mean the sequel to Red Dead Revolver?

Cyberpunk 2077 is far from being an original IP. The Cyberpunk franchise has existed since the 80s.

Eh, 2077 is the first video game in said universe, and it has a fair amount of original content. I'd say it counts as spawning a new franchise, though I can see arguments either way. I'd be tempted to count something like Baldur's Gate as an original game franchise too.

Seems like the game is going to go the Sonic Frontiers approach and get some post launch content that will make the experience better at least

maybe itll look more interesting when the Dead Space remake gets closer

LiquidOshawott posted...

Seems like the game is going to go the Sonic Frontiers approach and get some post launch content that will make the experience better

Sonic Frontiers is giving out a bunch of free content while CP is making a bunch of paid DLC.

MacArrowny posted...

Sonic Frontiers is giving out a bunch of free content while CP is making a bunch of paid DLC.

Its crazy that the Witcher 3 had like 30 pieces of free DLC, as well as two sizeable expansions, and CP is only getting one DLC

Cyberpunk absolutely does not count, especially with the way theyve been expanding on the franchise in other media.

You dont need to go too far back from there to find a huge original AAA title though as Ghost of Tsushima came out just five months before.

Also since Destinys record came up it should be noted that Destiny had the dollar record but Watch Dogs sold more copies at launch. Kind of funny that they came out in the same year. And they both disappointed in terms of quality!

Anyway, thats just the big big big sellers, there are plenty of well-received original games coming out both from big publishers (Triangle Strategy this year for instance) as well as loads of smaller games.

LightningStrikes posted...

Triangle Strategy this year for instance

I think the term big new IP is being used very very liberally here looking at many of the examples and Triangle Strategy lol of all things being mentioned put the nail in coffin

This is like me asking who is the last big star in pro wrestling since Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar? And then someone one comes up mentioning Ricochet.

you're making it clear that nothing is a big new IP to you anymore anyway

If elden ring isn't a new ip then neither Is callisto protocol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psetdjz01mI

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

I'm not counting Demon's, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro or Elden Ring because those games are too similar to be given the distinction of brand new IPs.

Sekiro isn't like the Soulsborne Ring games. And all 5 of those are considered separate IPs, therefore Elden Ring is the answer to your question

Eden Ring is a new IP by definition. It's not part of the Souls series. It just had all of the fame and expectations of Fromsoft ARPGs since before launch. It's also weird to count "spiritual successor" games as not new IPs. I guess Calisto was somehow a PUBG spinoff at one point but I think they dropped it.

But if you want to talk brand new game series that aren't derived from anything previously made by any of the developers, then sure, none of those qualify. You end up trying to determine the success of breakout indie games because the AAA space has always been jam-packed with sequels.