Hard Reset

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 372 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 211 out of 372
  2. Mixed: 116 out of 372
  3. Negative: 45 out of 372

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  1. Qwertie
    Mar 30, 2012
    7
    A fun shooter with solid gameplay. It feels old-school like Quake or UT, but upgraded with some very good-looking modern graphics and a few original twists. Why old-school? There are several secret places on each map (Duke Nukem 3D), the weapons are futuristic (UT), you run around faster than in many new shooters and you often have to move around a lot to evade a horde of robots withA fun shooter with solid gameplay. It feels old-school like Quake or UT, but upgraded with some very good-looking modern graphics and a few original twists. Why old-school? There are several secret places on each map (Duke Nukem 3D), the weapons are futuristic (UT), you run around faster than in many new shooters and you often have to move around a lot to evade a horde of robots with circular saws closing in on you. I think the main weakness of this game is not how short it is, but how poorly the story is presented. The comics seem cool, but they don't clearly communicate what the heck is going on. So when I reached the end of the game, I had no idea it was the end because the story left a lot of loose ends and I still didn't really understand what was going on. Another dumb quirk in this game is that your character feels very large and can't crouch. That would be okay except that the game has a lot of fences that are raised 4 feet off the ground (so you could get through IF ONLY you could crouch), and nooks that any normal person could fit through, but you can't because your body is so frickin' big. Kudos to the devs for providing an FOV control (unlike many other games, I won't have to dock this one for prohibiting peripheral vision), and for working well in Stereoscopic 3D. And as many others have mentioned, there are really lots of weapons (2 times 10) although it's hard to earn enough XP to acquire all of them.… Expand
  2. omearaee
    Sep 16, 2011
    7
    It's a fun but short FPS. The story is a little underdeveloped and the levels a little too linear. The comics however were interesting and I liked the environments, there is a lot of detail. Overall it's a quick and amusing game, not great but not bad for the money.
  3. Elsingo
    Nov 11, 2011
    7
    A realy fun FPS game with fun to find secret areas, upgrade system is a nice touch but i would have liked more kinds of enemies. Thanks to the game being dark it actualy managed to get me scared a few times.
  4. lunaticneko
    Dec 29, 2011
    7
    Upgrades, actions, explosions, what you can expect from a modern action game. Story is illustrated by comic transitions, which I find to be quite artistic. However, the major downfall is that the story is not prominent enough. It does not stand out.

    While the game has great, simple upgrade mechanics, which is similar to what you would find in casual and Flash games, the game suffers from    Upgrades, actions, explosions, what you can expect from a modern action game. Story is illustrated by comic transitions, which I find to be quite artistic. However, the major downfall is that the story is not prominent enough. It does not stand out.

    While the game has great, simple upgrade mechanics, which is similar to what you would find in casual and Flash games, the game suffers from uneven difficulty. I mean, the lower enemies and cannon fodders can be easily dispatched with shotguns while standing still, but when the bigger enemies come, they come charging as pairs, drive you into a corner and kill you instantly with no means of escape.

    The upgrade system is funded by a kind of non-currency that accumulates into upgrade points, similar to how you earn experience and gain a level. This game suffers from another pit that it tries too hard to hide those "exp" pickups in extremely hard-to-reach places, staggering the game by minutes each time it happens. It also rewards player wrongly: being an action game, players should be more substantially rewarded by killing enemies faster, more brutally, or many at a time, etc. However, it rewards pickup scroungers like I said earlier too much.    … Expand
  5. dawgman67
    Apr 15, 2012
    7
    Ok I just finished this game after 16 hours of gameplay on the normal difficulty. It wasn't too bad of a game. Pretty much what I expected after playing the demo. The visuals are great. It's a very colorful game. The action for the most part if fast paced though can get repetitive after awhile. There are 2 major bosses that take a while to beat. There are 2 major bad points in theOk I just finished this game after 16 hours of gameplay on the normal difficulty. It wasn't too bad of a game. Pretty much what I expected after playing the demo. The visuals are great. It's a very colorful game. The action for the most part if fast paced though can get repetitive after awhile. There are 2 major bosses that take a while to beat. There are 2 major bad points in the game. 1 the storyline sucks. Doesn't make much sense and I found myself just daydreaming why the story was being told between levels. 2 the ending leaves a lot to be desired.

    All in all a decent game and for what I paid $5 on steam it was a nice stop in between more advanced games like Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3.    … Expand
  6. corder299
    May 6, 2012
    7
    It's a good FPS with decent gameplay and nice graphics, and good ideas like the weapon / stuff upgrade system. 6 hours to finish it (normal difficulty) can seems a bit fast, but as levels / enemies tends to be a a little repetitive it is enough.
  7. wdcr0ck
    Jan 3, 2012
    6
    Hard Reset looks great. It's packed with bad guys and a diverse set of weapons for you to use on them. The levels are challenging and bad guys swarm from multiple directions. There's a story somewhere in the game but it seemed half baked and wasn't compelling. The final boss battle is a handful...but after that...the game just stops. The story never wraps up. While you'll have aHard Reset looks great. It's packed with bad guys and a diverse set of weapons for you to use on them. The levels are challenging and bad guys swarm from multiple directions. There's a story somewhere in the game but it seemed half baked and wasn't compelling. The final boss battle is a handful...but after that...the game just stops. The story never wraps up. While you'll have a bunch of weapons to use, there is no cover system in this game. Don't plan on crouching behind crates for protection. At best, you can sidestep oncoming bad guys.

    It was fun but once you finish, you won't be back for seconds.    … Expand
  8. saleks
    Nov 4, 2011
    7
    To summarize, I loved the short demo and bought the game upon release. Unfortunately what I got was just a longer tech demo. This game just does not feel involving nor does it have enough variety in it to be called a full reelase. Many things are right - challenging and fast old-school combat, boss fights, pretty graphics and fluid engine. But many things are wrong - too many invisibleTo summarize, I loved the short demo and bought the game upon release. Unfortunately what I got was just a longer tech demo. This game just does not feel involving nor does it have enough variety in it to be called a full reelase. Many things are right - challenging and fast old-school combat, boss fights, pretty graphics and fluid engine. But many things are wrong - too many invisible walls in unexpected places, failed weapon selection system, checkpoint saving system, weapons despite upgrade are limited to perhaps choice useful in combat with other just being a demo, overall very short game and lack of variety in either enemies or environment. I wish developers great luck and REALLY hope to see a full-scale release from them. As for now, my cravings for good old school shooting will have to continue to be filled by good old Painkiller and Doom 3.… Expand
  9. JimCorbett
    Apr 4, 2012
    7
    I thought Hard Reset was a fun game and i've played a ton of shooters. I played through it multiple times, beat it on Insane difficulty. But there were still many flaws with it. The enemies were very repititive, making the levels (which are decently long) boring. The campaign is short (About 7 hours completion time the first time through on Normal difficulty). The bosses were awesome-lyI thought Hard Reset was a fun game and i've played a ton of shooters. I played through it multiple times, beat it on Insane difficulty. But there were still many flaws with it. The enemies were very repititive, making the levels (which are decently long) boring. The campaign is short (About 7 hours completion time the first time through on Normal difficulty). The bosses were awesome-ly huge. Some of the most jaw dropping bosses i've seen since Shadow of the Colossus or the end boss of Jak 3. The weapons aren't balanced, some will be far more effective to use and others are seemingly worthless. They claim that the action is "fast paced" but your movment speed (especially strafing and the VERY short sprint) are quite slow for an arcade shooter. I have a higher-end PC and my framerate still chugged at times when the enemies got close or explosions were a plenty. Now, my 2 biggest problems with the game: 1) Enemies can damage you through walls. You can sit inside a shipping crate and missiles will hit the outside top of the crate and you will take damage from it. In once of the boss battles you hide behind statues while the boss shoots missiles at you, you can take damage from rockets hitting the opposite side of the statue. There is one part of the game where you ride a glass elevator and you can get inside while enemies are chasing you. I successfully go inside with the door closed and those enemies were able to melee attack me but i was unable to shoot them as they were on the other side of the wall. 2) The story. It was **** I played through 10 times and i can still only tell you the very basics of the story. The main problem with it was not that it wasn't a decent story, it was the way it was presented. Instead of making real cutscenes with their awesome graphics the devs put their hearts into, they made a **** comic. Really? A **** comic? It was god awful. Bottom line is Hard Reset has a lot going for it and can show a lot of promise in the future if the devs fix the issues of the first.… Expand
  10. GolovA
    May 15, 2012
    7
    Very nice graphics. However, the graphics do not set the atmosphere: no enemy contrast, bad level design, impossible Normal mode - i could not pass through a mission in normal mode, the difficulty is really unbalanced.
  11. epeternally
    Oct 12, 2011
    6
    Hard Reset starts out with nice ideas, and then completely fails to live up to them. When I first heard about the game, I was expecting something similar to DOOM, complete with the cleverly designed levels that characterized the first and second entries in that series. Instead, this game is basically Serious Sam, right down to the 'run at you and explode' enemies. Only that doesn't workHard Reset starts out with nice ideas, and then completely fails to live up to them. When I first heard about the game, I was expecting something similar to DOOM, complete with the cleverly designed levels that characterized the first and second entries in that series. Instead, this game is basically Serious Sam, right down to the 'run at you and explode' enemies. Only that doesn't work well with the relatively gritty aesthetic of Hard Reset compared to the haphazard and off the wall entertainment of the Serious Sam games. And even compared to the straightforward running and gunning of Serious Sam, I would say Hard Reset's levels are still underwhelming. Objectives are nothing more than excuses to guide you from point to point, killing the same enemies over and over again along the way, and secrets are almost always obvious. As I just mentioned, the enemy variety is sorely lacking and, other than having to dodge the ones that charge at you, none of them force you to change your play style. I think that the weapon upgrade system is great in concept, it makes the idea that your character is carrying around a bunch of weapons make a little bit more sense, and allows player choice rather than developer choice in terms of which weapons come next. Unfortunately, none of the weapons are overly worth playing with. I used the machine gun that you start out with almost exclusively for the entire game, occasionally throwing in mines as well. Hard Reset isn't a bad game, but it's not a wonderful one either, even taking into account the $30 price tag. It's full of unfulfilled promises and the ending comes out of nowhere and doesn't really resolve the game's minimal plot.… Expand
  12. Toffenuff
    Nov 28, 2013
    7
    As many have said before, this is definitely a return to the old-school fast-paced throwing waves of enemies at your face types of FPS games. No puzzles, no random other crap. Just moving through levels, checking off objectives, and shooting enemy robots for a good chunk of the time. Weapons (and the upgrade system for them) are pretty cool and the whole ambiance/atmosphere is pulled offAs many have said before, this is definitely a return to the old-school fast-paced throwing waves of enemies at your face types of FPS games. No puzzles, no random other crap. Just moving through levels, checking off objectives, and shooting enemy robots for a good chunk of the time. Weapons (and the upgrade system for them) are pretty cool and the whole ambiance/atmosphere is pulled off well. Graphics are fairly good too with some neat effects. Some decent variety in enemies.

    Absolutely linear plot (that was meh... in my opinion) with a passable disgruntled badass main character. The UI never quite felt right to me but honestly didn't really care much since this was a rather fun game and you spend more time shooting than looking at the UI elements. Though not exactly my favorite type of game, I'd say it was worth the few hours I spent doing the campaign.    … Expand
  13. krabboss
    Sep 17, 2011
    5
    A rather mediocre game that seems to be given more leniency than is usual simply because it's PC exclusive. There isn't a lot to see here, really. It definitely harkens back to the FPShooters of the past, but not entirely. Its gameplay is as simple and repetitive as the old shooters, but the level design is definitely modern in that it's mostly linear and scripted - essentially the worstA rather mediocre game that seems to be given more leniency than is usual simply because it's PC exclusive. There isn't a lot to see here, really. It definitely harkens back to the FPShooters of the past, but not entirely. Its gameplay is as simple and repetitive as the old shooters, but the level design is definitely modern in that it's mostly linear and scripted - essentially the worst of both worlds for me. This definitely isn't the boost of adrenaline the FPS genre needs (which is how a few people I've met have described it) but at this point I don't know what is. Runnin' and gunnin' has never made for great gameplay, at least for me.… Expand
  14. badrain
    Sep 18, 2011
    6
    I hoped for a great game. I played the demo, it was pretty decent. But what about the full product? .. It's mediocre at best. Offcourse, it's arcade shooter fun. But it has so many annoying flaws. First of all - the story. It's totally dumb. You can skip the cutscenes as fast as the game loads and jump into action without knowing or caring about the story. It just does not matter, it'sI hoped for a great game. I played the demo, it was pretty decent. But what about the full product? .. It's mediocre at best. Offcourse, it's arcade shooter fun. But it has so many annoying flaws. First of all - the story. It's totally dumb. You can skip the cutscenes as fast as the game loads and jump into action without knowing or caring about the story. It just does not matter, it's rubbish. Graphics are cool, right. But there's only one landscape to watch - cyberpunkish city. You'll get tired of it very soon. Guns are fine and the idea of modules/modifications is pretty cool. But you cant really use the full potential of that idea... the modules switch kinda slowly. All your hopes for a fast pacing shooter and using all your arsenal at the proper moment... it all ends, when you're stuck in a corner with enemies all around you, trying to change your gun from rocket launcher to shotgun... and ending in blowing up yourself up... And guns are not the only problem. Even your character seems slow, unable to avoid most of the attacks. Strafing, jumping - it does not matter. You'll end up getting shot/sliced/rammed... Comparing this game to glorious Painkiller is a bit off. That's not Painkiller. It's not trying to be.
    It has its good moments - believe me, killing waves of robots and finding a way to use environment against them ... is fun! But overall the game is good at pissing you off. And the game ends before it starts - 4h of gameplay? ... Developers promise to patch the game and some dlc are in the making. Maybe then i will try to replay the campaign... But for now? Just 6/10.    … Expand
  15. neck
    Sep 26, 2011
    5
    Everything is mediocre about this game. The graphics are mediocre, the sound is mediocre and the gameplay is below-mediocre. It's a linear shooter. You got a gun. You shoot things. Very simple, really. Sure, you can upgrade your gun and everything, but that doesn't change the fact that you're just running from point A to point B, destroying this and that. The story is also kindaEverything is mediocre about this game. The graphics are mediocre, the sound is mediocre and the gameplay is below-mediocre. It's a linear shooter. You got a gun. You shoot things. Very simple, really. Sure, you can upgrade your gun and everything, but that doesn't change the fact that you're just running from point A to point B, destroying this and that. The story is also kinda non-existent.

    It's priced at 30$, wait for it to be priced at 15$ or less.    … Expand
  16. comacoma
    Sep 13, 2011
    5
    We all love painkiller. This is NOT painkiller. Mid-level outdated visuals (besides very colorful and flashing and sparkling and damn I can't see sh** and it's fun), some silly script in comics, ridiculous length (not so ridiculous price though), only two guns - one shoot lead and other shoot sparks (not so original, eh?). Where's the REAL old-school BFG? Where's the arsenal of fun toys toWe all love painkiller. This is NOT painkiller. Mid-level outdated visuals (besides very colorful and flashing and sparkling and damn I can't see sh** and it's fun), some silly script in comics, ridiculous length (not so ridiculous price though), only two guns - one shoot lead and other shoot sparks (not so original, eh?). Where's the REAL old-school BFG? Where's the arsenal of fun toys to kill bad guys with? Not to mention strange map-design - tunnels of invisible walls, lack of physics (and I mean it) and all this first-timers failures. Game is fun while it lasts (5 hours, or maybe 8 if you wanna beat it two times). and then... Go play Painkiller.… Expand
  17. Randomname90293
    Oct 4, 2011
    5
    An average circle-strafer fps. The best thing Hard Reset has going for it is that it makes us appreciate how far fps's have come since the mid to late 90's when this type of game play was common place. The game play is fun for a little while but quickly grows tiresome with no variety and little challenge. It must have seemed like a good idea to the developers to dredge up this simpleAn average circle-strafer fps. The best thing Hard Reset has going for it is that it makes us appreciate how far fps's have come since the mid to late 90's when this type of game play was common place. The game play is fun for a little while but quickly grows tiresome with no variety and little challenge. It must have seemed like a good idea to the developers to dredge up this simple archaic game play to try and capitalize on the current vocal pc minority decrying anything and everything new and cash in on their angst-ridden faux nostalgia.… Expand
  18. Midnight
    Sep 24, 2011
    6
    "Meh". That is honestly the one word that I can use to describe this game. The visuals are pretty nice, the guns sound cool, but it honestly just screams mediocrity. There are only a few types of enemies, all of which are easily taken down by the incredibly powerful RPG that you can unlock about 1/3rd of the way through the game (meaning about 2 hours in. It's really very short) that also"Meh". That is honestly the one word that I can use to describe this game. The visuals are pretty nice, the guns sound cool, but it honestly just screams mediocrity. There are only a few types of enemies, all of which are easily taken down by the incredibly powerful RPG that you can unlock about 1/3rd of the way through the game (meaning about 2 hours in. It's really very short) that also doubles as a sniper rifle with a single upgrade. The game is very boxy and linear, even though it flat out says "You don't always have to take the obvious path", since there usually is only one path.

    People often say this game is brutally difficult, but on Normal it was incredibly easy. So keep that in mind if you want a challenge.

    And now, my biggest problem: The story. I don't know what they were thinking. It's like they made the game, decided that they needed a story after all, and then wrote it up over a coffee break. They leave practically everything unexplained, and the game just suddenly ends. Big boss battle that has nothing to do with the overarching "story", and then the credits roll with absolutely no conclusion at all.

    Honestly, play this if you're really very bored. Other wise, let it pass.    … Expand
  19. Ears14U
    Oct 30, 2011
    6
    Hard Reset is a pretty good game. You had better be ready for a game that does tax your graphics card. The graphics are great, and the sound. The game is a pretty good fps, although I would wait until it goes down in price for a quick grab from Steam. It is a relatively "dark" themed story, which seems to be the norm? these days? I have to be honest and say that I have seen much betterHard Reset is a pretty good game. You had better be ready for a game that does tax your graphics card. The graphics are great, and the sound. The game is a pretty good fps, although I would wait until it goes down in price for a quick grab from Steam. It is a relatively "dark" themed story, which seems to be the norm? these days? I have to be honest and say that I have seen much better fps's out there, so just wait for a sale and you won't be disillusioned.… Expand
  20. Seorl
    Oct 4, 2011
    6
    I had read a lot about hard reset before buying it. It had no DRM and it was supposed to be a call back to the older FPS games. I played the demoa head of time and loved it. The graphics were great, the guns seem powerful, and the gameplay controls were responsive. Then i hit the real snag in my review.

    I'm a casual gamer (i play all kinds of games, but not for hours on end anymore), and    I had read a lot about hard reset before buying it. It had no DRM and it was supposed to be a call back to the older FPS games. I played the demoa head of time and loved it. The graphics were great, the guns seem powerful, and the gameplay controls were responsive. Then i hit the real snag in my review.

    I'm a casual gamer (i play all kinds of games, but not for hours on end anymore), and have a lot of interruptions in life. Hard reset has no way to do your own manual save points. This forced me to re-do many many parts of the game over and over again because I couldn't sit down long enough to get to the next checkpoint. On top of that, the game won't save the upgrade credits you find along the way if you do happen to die or have to close down the game between plays and you didn't hit a way point. Without the upgrade credits, you can't upgrade your weapons. This forced me to try to remember all of the upgrade locations and frustrated me even more when/if i died. This completely soured my game experience. A simple manual save option would have greatly improved my rating of this game and should they ever add it in a patch, my review will be revised.    … Expand
  21. y3ivan
    Dec 23, 2011
    5
    Painkiller meets Blade runner. Huge boss fights and arcade shooter, pretty much like Bulletstorm only not at the same quality of development. Game length is short with 3-4hrs. Overall the game is a :/
  22. cdr_virus
    Dec 28, 2012
    6
    REVIEW BY CD0.......... Hard Reset sets the introduction of Flying Wild Hog Studios. Putting you into a future setting, with a war dividing man and machine. PROs- Hard Reset captures the intensity of most top notch shooters. Allowing you to customize your weaponry with power ups, that are scattered around it's futuristic metropolis. The game shines with stunning graphical capabilities, asREVIEW BY CD0.......... Hard Reset sets the introduction of Flying Wild Hog Studios. Putting you into a future setting, with a war dividing man and machine. PROs- Hard Reset captures the intensity of most top notch shooters. Allowing you to customize your weaponry with power ups, that are scattered around it's futuristic metropolis. The game shines with stunning graphical capabilities, as explosions rumble and electricity ignites beautifully. Showing an array of over the top mayhem, the AI is intelligent and deadly. Showing no mercy by strategically charging you position no matter your location, even separating their numbers to ambush you from front to back. Mainly the same minions of enemies in the opening, Fly Wild Hog studios does gravitate to more elaborate combinations of enemies towards the mid eventually. The length isn't extremely short, but scavenging for useful items thoroughly will still leave you with under 10 hours of game-play. The campaign has some direction and feel, with a few noteworthy turns. CONS- Fly Wild Hog Studios has done an attempt at making a franchise shooter, to say a few hiccups along the way would be an underestimate. The AI is unbearably difficult at the insane setting, making the game more of a job then entertainment. Hit detection was a major problem through my walk-through, to the extent of dead on and still the conclusion of a miss was absurd. The voice acting is humerus in the beginning, but as the story drags its feet. It becomes annoying to the point you just want no dialogue till the conclusion. Such repetitiveness of enemy units in the same formation is overlooked in the first few hours, but as the 4th and 5th hour enter. The game becomes so repetitive that it will leave you with the feeling you just played the same outcome of the last fight and the last fight and so on. The story is weak, and lacks emotion and character. Other than the character of being an annoying muscle head of common sense, with the sum of his vocab being minimally lost in a few swear words and couldn't you have thought that in your head like questions. CONCLUSION- A good game for a one time play, the price point is questionable on what it gives. The graphics and mayhem are the strong suites, along with the sophisticated weaponry that has multiple secondary functions. Impressive take on the first go for their studio, but it can't get my full appeal without fixing the important aspects that basis of any shooter. Hit detection is must, and without it, even on an easy setting the game feels fickle. BOTTOM LINE- Hard Reset gets a 6.9 out of 11 by CD0… Expand
  23. Amigian
    May 20, 2012
    6
    Hard Reset is a decent game, the balance isn't perfect, but you have to give these guys credit for at least throwing some interesting ideas out there. The upgrade system is implemented quite well, there are some tough choices to be made, and what upgrade paths you choose will ultimately affect how difficult the final boss will be to bring down.
  24. IlBodoz
    Dec 9, 2012
    7
    hard reset is a good fps old school, with fun and fast gameplay, a very beautiful graphics for its time (2011), but the storyline is annoying and little interesting, the ambients are too similar between them as the enemies.
    perhaps the true problem is the little variety of situations both in the plot and gameplay
    it's fun.. but for how long ? for now i'm quite satisfied.. but only    hard reset is a good fps old school, with fun and fast gameplay, a very beautiful graphics for its time (2011), but the storyline is annoying and little interesting, the ambients are too similar between them as the enemies.
    perhaps the true problem is the little variety of situations both in the plot and gameplay
    it's fun.. but for how long ?
    for now i'm quite satisfied.. but only because i've paid this game 3    … Expand
  25. dannyhl2
    May 9, 2014
    7
    It's a great game with so many great ideas but yet has so many problems.....

    It's a painkiller style of game ,so the enemy are suppose to be fast and brutal, but the stamina bar of the character is set so low or just drained so fast that make this game feels sloppy and hard---you can't even evade the attack from the little robot horde with sprinting--- and the damn high contrast (/dark)    It's a great game with so many great ideas but yet has so many problems.....

    It's a painkiller style of game ,so the enemy are suppose to be fast and brutal, but the stamina bar of the character is set so low or just drained so fast that make this game feels sloppy and hard---you can't even evade the attack from the little robot horde with sprinting--- and the damn high contrast (/dark) environment just make this game even harder for me to aim the enemy !!! So basically this is game is for some really hardcore gamer , if you don't have any idea of what a painkiller game on hard is like ---- stay the hell away from this game !!!    … Expand
  26. MustisTheCat
    May 10, 2013
    7
    A spiritual successor to Painkiller. Moving, shooting and some more shooting. There are only two weapons but with some upgrades. There is a nice steampunk mood to it, the enemies are various. Some very stupid, some quite smart. It mainly looks like this the whole way to the end you enter an arena, shoot swarms of enemies, take some medipacks and powerups, upgrade some stuff and go to theA spiritual successor to Painkiller. Moving, shooting and some more shooting. There are only two weapons but with some upgrades. There is a nice steampunk mood to it, the enemies are various. Some very stupid, some quite smart. It mainly looks like this the whole way to the end you enter an arena, shoot swarms of enemies, take some medipacks and powerups, upgrade some stuff and go to the next arena. Overall very simplistic gameplay but fast and satisfying. Lots of lightning and blur, nice textures here and there, nice looking maps, few ok bosses and that`s it. The story is so generic that it would not make any difference if they did not include it at all. Adequate for gamers looking for pretty fast arcade shootemup game.… Expand
  27. hassenpheffer
    May 9, 2013
    5
    An unbalanced, so-called "throwback" to the early FPS. That may be the general idea but in doing it keeps all the failings that those old school games had like crap controls and repetitive gameplay. The best thing about Hard Reset is that is looks great. Very detailed environments, stunning lighting and fluid character/enemy movement. It's unfortunate that those pros are nixed by its cons:An unbalanced, so-called "throwback" to the early FPS. That may be the general idea but in doing it keeps all the failings that those old school games had like crap controls and repetitive gameplay. The best thing about Hard Reset is that is looks great. Very detailed environments, stunning lighting and fluid character/enemy movement. It's unfortunate that those pros are nixed by its cons: limited controls with no ducking or action activated options, sticky floors/corners where the character constantly gets stuck (or usually trapped) on corners and debris, limited upgrading of boring weapons, short sprints (that can't be upgraded) and annoying gameplay. It's frustrating and ill-conceived and the narrative is propelled by unoriginal comic-book art story and horrid voice-over work. It does have its fun and challenging moments but the designers thought that the more crap thrown at you makes the game more "challenging". The music is good and the foley work is great as well. Too bad. This could've been something great. Half-assed indeed.… Expand
  28. keefbaker
    Jan 1, 2014
    7
    Looking at this game you could be forgiven for thinking this is an attempt at a deus ex clone, but the truth is it's much closer to a very pretty serious sam where you shoot lots and lots of robots. Fun, old school but ultimately runs out of steam. Or at least does for me.
  29. asdgqw23
    Aug 14, 2013
    5
    Fun to play, gets old quickly. You think that this game has split in different themes, but no. It is always the same and it gets boring really quick. Enemies are all the same and boss fights are not anything special, cool them are, I give you that. If you are looking for oldschool hardcore fps, pick up serious sam or Painkiller. This is just monotonous boring fps.
  30. Hack
    Jul 18, 2016
    6
    Played on: i5 3570k @ 4.3GHz, GTX 970 @ +100/+300, 8GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz, Samsung 850 Evo, Windows 10 64
    Price paid: 99p
    Time to finish: 5 hours 50 minutes Recommended?: Yes, only when on sale though Yeah, not bad overall. The gunplay was satisfying, the weapon upgrades were a lot of fun to use, the enemies were fairly varied and the final area was really well done and enjoyable. They    Played on: i5 3570k @ 4.3GHz, GTX 970 @ +100/+300, 8GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz, Samsung 850 Evo, Windows 10 64
    Price paid: 99p
    Time to finish: 5 hours 50 minutes
    Recommended?: Yes, only when on sale though

    Yeah, not bad overall. The gunplay was satisfying, the weapon upgrades were a lot of fun to use, the enemies were fairly varied and the final area was really well done and enjoyable. They didn't reinvent the wheel but the game is fun to play for the most part and it's not too long either which to me is a plus, a lot of games these days tend to overstay their welcome. I also enjoyed their comic book style cut-scenes.

    Hard Reset does have some major flaws though, the first is the voice acting and dialog, it's best described as cringe-worthy and amateur, there was only one major character that wasn't laughable, and sadly it wasn't the main one. I can't tell you just how bad it was, you need to experience it for yourselves. Another big problem was a surprising one, performance, I couldn't maintain 60fps on any visual preset, drops into the 40s were common on the major boss battles and even some smaller events, I can only imagine how poorly this ran on 2012 hardware. The final complaint was the constant micro-freezing whenever the game autosaved which was often enough to annoy me. So there you have it, Hard Reset is an OK shooter that does have some fun moments but suffers with performance issues and comically bad voice work, for 99p I'd say it's well worth a shot if you're bored and have run out of better games to play.    … Expand
  31. SuperkenGaming
    Jun 13, 2016
    6
    Hard Reset Redux
    Decently Fun, but super repetitive
    Hard Reset Redux is the extended version to Hard Reset released in 2011 nearly doubling this games length and of course extending the story... that is if you can actually follow what’s going on… Something about AI gone wrong and you have to save the city they occupy... I’m not even sure... If you’re playing Hard Reset you’re playing    Hard Reset Redux
    Decently Fun, but super repetitive
    Hard Reset Redux is the extended version to Hard Reset released in 2011 nearly doubling this games length and of course extending the story...
    that is if you can actually follow what’s going on…
    Something about AI gone wrong and you have to save the city they occupy...
    I’m not even sure...
    If you’re playing Hard Reset you’re playing for the gameplay…
    And this game can be great fun at times…
    You get 3 weapons in this game... a rifle...a plasma gun, and later a katana…
    But both the rifle and the plasma gun all have 5 variations that you can unlock as you collect xp from secrets or just by killing enemies...
    As you progress through the game your meter will fill up and give you a skill point to spend on either a new weapon, a weapon upgrade, or gear upgrade…
    And these weapon upgrades are really all there is to keep the game feeling fresh and ultimately what keeps it even the slightest bit engaging…
    There are a few enemy variants that you can take down with any weapon, but you’ll clearly fall in love with one weapon type to deal with a certain enemy over another, for example I like using the shotgun on explosive enemies.. And I loved using the katana on pretty much everything else.
    I easily had the most fun with the katana... but the fact that I had a favorite weapon for every enemy type tells you a lot about how much weapon variety actually matters in this game…
    That is such a refreshing feeling, where I feel like in most first person shooters I can get away with anything and it doesn’t matter… but here it does
    unfortunately after you’ve played with all of the variants for a while, the game really starts to get boring and feels like it drags out way too long…
    Hard Resets biggest issue is hands down the level design…
    Every levels is activating switches while you kill everything between you and the switch…
    And every level really looks nearly identical…
    and honestly without having known that the game would be the same throughout, I was already unimpressed the moment the game started, as It looked like a dated bargain bin game
    Its gray and boring, but there are some cool nail-biting sections towards the end of the game if you can manage to drag yourself through 7 hours of the same thing to get there…
    You practically see all there is to see in level 1, minus a few boss fights thrown in there…
    Hard Reset Redux offers a great deal of fun with its weapon variety,
    But if you don’t like feeling like you’re stuck in a demo level for 8 hours, you’re better off looking for your fun elsewhere
    I give Hard Reset Redux a
    6/10    … Expand
  32. urielejh
    Oct 27, 2014
    7
    Hard Reset [Extended Edition]

    When I first heard about the game in question, I was a bit doubtful. A sci-fi themed game in an action-oriented/arcade style gameplay. It would have seemed to put together all of the stereotypes but, after sometime from its debut, I decided to try and play it; found on some sale for a very few bucks. The graphic and the art style are sleek and polished; the    Hard Reset [Extended Edition]

    When I first heard about the game in question, I was a bit doubtful. A sci-fi themed game in an action-oriented/arcade style gameplay. It would have seemed to put together all of the stereotypes but, after sometime from its debut, I decided to try and play it; found on some sale for a very few bucks. The graphic and the art style are sleek and polished; the cyber-filled world quite unique and well made; the sound compartment surprisingly well done. So, you're gonna ask "what about the downsides"? 'cause I can say, they're there.

    The game's self-professed "old school" (and I shall open a discussion topic about that, perhaps) mechanics are just dull and flat as you basically run through a mega-hallway - that is the world it-self - divided into chunks of areas, that I'm gonna call "arenas", where you are flooded by hordes of enemies and you don't have an "escape route": the door/passage/you-say-it that you've just passed through will suddenly close/crumble/whatever and you'll have to figure out how to kill'em all without dying. That's wouldn't be of any concern if played at low-level but, if like me, you play through a hard difficulty level.. prepare to die and suffer a lot: enemies will just take forever to die, literally; even the smaller-cuty ones, will lasts for too much what you'd expect. Boss fights? Repetitive - as every other fights - and frustrating.

    Luckily, here comes the last aspect of the game and a positive one. "Customization". Yes, you can upgrade yourself and your arsenal by using exp points you'll earn killing enemies and picking up special bonuses, let's call'em that way, and spending them at some "upgrade-machine vendor" integrated in the world. You basically starts (and finish) with two weapons, one for each kind like "standard" ammo and power energy; each of them can be upgraded into 4 more weapons for a total of 5 per kind. Every weapon has a primary and secondary mode as well an upgrade. So, you'll have plenty of variety to experiment with though you'll end up using the same two model that best suites you. You can also upgrade your armor/health/utilities, like more health, more resistance to damage, and on..

    So, by the end what happens? Well, later on - and not too late - in the game there were times in which I just wanted it to be over; too repetitive in the mechanics and playing it on hard's just too hard: it is not the smart hard, at all, it is the frustrating one that ruin it all. The world itself is well presented; quite varied plus the good points I've already explained.. but the negatives' quite ruined the feast as the game ain't balanced at all. At all. Summing it all up:

    Graphic: 8*
    Art: 8
    Sound: 8
    Music: 6**
    Gameplay: 6
    Uniqueness: 8

    Partial: 7.3

    F.F.: 75%***

    *not latest gen but still very appealing
    **bland, uninspired and repetitive music score
    ***Frustration Factor: game's far too unbalanced on higher difficulty levels but some situations give relief upon completion    … Expand
  33. marcins
    Jan 16, 2015
    7
    advantages:
    + amazing graphics
    + cool sound
    + futuristic climate
    + fast and dynamic

    disadvatages:
    - no multiplayer
    - too short (about 7 hours main game + 4 hours Exile DLC)
    - only automatic save game, no manual

    mark: 7/10
  34. FrostormNidhegg
    Oct 31, 2019
    6
    Просто шутер. да, мясной, но дизайн врагов убогий - какие-то боевые пылесосы невнятные. Большие роботы просто уроды невнятные. Самые крутые - мелкие шары на рожках с большой дисковой пилой в корпусе - но это слизано с Крикунов, кто смотрел фильм тот поймет о чем речь. А так - два оружия, одно баллистическое второе энергетическое, выглядят оба как говно. В общем, стрельбы и мяса много, ноПросто шутер. да, мясной, но дизайн врагов убогий - какие-то боевые пылесосы невнятные. Большие роботы просто уроды невнятные. Самые крутые - мелкие шары на рожках с большой дисковой пилой в корпусе - но это слизано с Крикунов, кто смотрел фильм тот поймет о чем речь. А так - два оружия, одно баллистическое второе энергетическое, выглядят оба как говно. В общем, стрельбы и мяса много, но выглядит все убого. Причем сама графика неплохая, даже очень неплохая, но визуальный дизайн никакущий.… Expand
  35. Shimmeywill
    Mar 26, 2020
    6
    A mediocre FPS experience with a novel weapon system and decent visuals. Not much else.
  36. Tabbou
    Jan 25, 2022
    5
    Un bon fps à l'ancienne ?

    NON, malgré une histoire intéressante, on est face à un fps avec : -peu de diversité d'ennemis -pas de possibilité de viser -on ne peut pas s'accroupir -un level design pas top ( chemin principal bloqué -> faire un détour pour pouvoir passer etc...) et des maps qui se ressemblent toutes -pas de mini map -marqueurs de quête trop rares -des explosifs et    Un bon fps à l'ancienne ?

    NON, malgré une histoire intéressante, on est face à un fps avec :
    -peu de diversité d'ennemis
    -pas de possibilité de viser
    -on ne peut pas s'accroupir
    -un level design pas top ( chemin principal bloqué -> faire un détour pour pouvoir passer etc...) et des maps qui se ressemblent toutes
    -pas de mini map
    -marqueurs de quête trop rares
    -des explosifs et autre joyeusetés un peut partout, chouette, mais la moitié du temps on se mange des dégats collatéraux    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Best PC Game of 2011
52
#52 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
35
#35 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 49 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 49
  3. Negative: 1 out of 49
  1. Armchair Empire
    Apr 27, 2012
    65
    Hard Reset isn't a bad game, but it's rote old school sensibility has passed me by. I don't have the same kind of reflexes I did 5 or 10 years ago to properly appreciate the twitch elements, so maybe I have to take some responsibility on that front. For me, Hard Reset is unremarkable because it seems about 5 years too late for me.
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  2. Gaming Age
    Nov 17, 2011
    75
    Hard Reset also does a lot of cool things in games that I wish we'd see more of, and it does them well. Interfacing with fictional computer terminals is fun, and scoping the strong art direction does a lot to set the game in a fairly original virtual setting.
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  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 15, 2011
    70
    Short life span but budget price – this science-fiction inspired first person shooter has a lot to offer with stunning visuals and perfect old-school playability. Pity there's not a multiplayer option. [Nov 2011]
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