Control: Ultimate Edition

 PlayStation 5
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 358 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 268 out of 358
  2. Mixed: 57 out of 358
  3. Negative: 33 out of 358
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  1. tjhillman
    Feb 16, 2021
    7
    Visually and technically this game shines on the PS5. The lighting and art styles are mesmerising, and the third person shooting, combined with a variety of telekinetic powers, make for some of the most fluid, fast-paced action sequences I’ve ever experience in gaming.

    The game is quite challenging, as it follows a Dark Souls checkpoint-based progression system and lacks difficulty    Visually and technically this game shines on the PS5. The lighting and art styles are mesmerising, and the third person shooting, combined with a variety of telekinetic powers, make for some of the most fluid, fast-paced action sequences I’ve ever experience in gaming.

    The game is quite challenging, as it follows a Dark Souls checkpoint-based progression system and lacks difficulty options (aside from assist options). Some sequences can feel frustratingly difficult and repetitive. Alongside this frustration is an obscure map design that makes navigation a chore.

    The major downfall of this game is it’s storytelling. Whilst the lore of the supernatural world they have created is fascinating and well presented, the main character delivers countless inner-monologues that provide unnecessary expositions. These only serve to ruin the tension of the story and lead to countless eye-rolls. After trudging through Jesse Faden’s clumsy writing and delivery, hoping for an interesting endgame narrative reveal/twist, I was instead severely underwhelmed by its mediocrity.

    Overall, a very enjoyable gameplay experience that shows off the fancy next-gen tech, however if you’re looking for a quality narrative experience, this isn’t it.    … Expand
  2. FurionPS4
    Feb 8, 2021
    6
    At first, when I started playing this on my PS5 I thought wow this game is amazing. The action, the characters, the art style and graphics all are top class; but then came the mapping and maneuvering around the environments that ruined everything.

    Honestly I get a head ache every time I have to find a location in for a simple mission. I literally spend more time figuring out how to find    At first, when I started playing this on my PS5 I thought wow this game is amazing. The action, the characters, the art style and graphics all are top class; but then came the mapping and maneuvering around the environments that ruined everything.

    Honestly I get a head ache every time I have to find a location in for a simple mission. I literally spend more time figuring out how to find a mission than actually doing the mission, and in the end to just speed things up I just go on google or youtube to watch a map guide. If players are going on google to figure understand your map you failed as a developer. If it's not a puzzle or a hard boss, a player should not be on google looking for answers. You fail as a developer when ever a player is stuck not because of an amazing puzzle or a hard boss, but because of poor design choices and lazy execution. The goal of gaming is to have your hands on the controller, not on a keyboard looking up google answers. If the map itself was intentionally a puzzle I think it would have felt like that, but in reality the map itself is an unintentional hinderance to the game and the experience.

    I've been gaming for a long time, and I think the map in Control is probably the worst map I've ever played with in a modern game. I kind of wish they never put it in, at least that way I could have conditioned myself to just use the building signs to find my way. Sadly it's too late and the bad taste of this game has ruined the experience for me. They shouldn't have put the map in if they were going to be lazy about it.

    I wanted to get platinum on this and it has an easy trophy collection but I just don't think it's worth the headache. Not enough variety with monsters and the bosses either and this makes it super repetitive. The repetition of gameplay wouldn't be an issue if the momentum and rhythm in the story wasn't so affected by its horrible mapping system. IT feels like a train that never reaches full speed.

    If they make Control 2, I'll definitely be interested because it has potential. Hopefully they don't put in a map next time and think of something more creative.    … Expand
  3. HTGamer
    Mar 7, 2021
    7
    Control is a game developed by Remedy, of Max Payne and Alan Wake fame. At its core it's a 3rd person shooter with sci-fi/paranormal elements, but the story itself is lacking.

    You take control of Jesse Faden, a woman who enters the premises of the FBC, an agency where paranormal things happen, and is appointed as Director not even 1 hour after she entered the building for the first    Control is a game developed by Remedy, of Max Payne and Alan Wake fame. At its core it's a 3rd person shooter with sci-fi/paranormal elements, but the story itself is lacking.

    You take control of Jesse Faden, a woman who enters the premises of the FBC, an agency where paranormal things happen, and is appointed as Director not even 1 hour after she entered the building for the first time. You are introduced to several characters, and there is some decent world building with the Hiss and whatnot, but the central plot is unimaginative to say the least. It's almost as if it was an afterthought. Jesse Faden is one of the least inspiring protagonists I have seen in a videogame in recent times.

    Graphics are great, even though the art style is not very much to my liking. This game was heralded as having the most advanced Ray Tracing graphics when it launched on PC back in 2019, but the PS4 version was 5hit with lots of sub-30 fps gameplay. The PS5 version of the game is a step above the last gen one, and gamers have the option to select at any time between 60 fps without RT or 30 fps with RT, both modes at 1440p. I went with the 60 fps mode because the 30 fps mode seems to be jerky with bad frame pacing. Also loading times are greatly reduced. Beyond the technicalities, I have to say that the maps are horribly designed, the minimap is a mess, but at least the directional signs on the walls actually helped me understand where I am and where I have to go.

    Gameplay is a standard 3rd person shooter, but the star of the show are the superpowers of Jesse. You can launch any object near you at an enemy while waiting for your weapon ammo to regenerate, you can levitate, mind control enemies, and a few more tricks. The environments are littered with destructible objects flying around when you use your powers. Surely it's a spectacle. The boss fights are nothing great design-wise, but at least they can be challenging when accompanied by mobs. There are a few puzzles every now and then. And the game supports the Dualsense controller's haptics and adaptive triggers in a subtle way.

    Sound is minimal on traversal, but during fights the score picks up nicely. I recommend playing with headphones, because the game's atmosphere demands it.

    Last but not least, I wanna praise the PS5's UI feature called Activities. For every mission there is a card containing 3 pages of information and clues. So if you are stuck somewhere you can open Activities and read the information or watch a video (there are 3 videos for every mission). You can find even the solutions for the puzzles if you can't figure them out. It's a brilliant alternative to opening your phone or PC and searching for walkthroughs online.

    All in all, Control Ultimate Edition is a great remaster of a good game packaged with both DLCs. I got it for free with PS Plus, and although it's no GOTY I enjoyed it enough to recommend it.    … Expand
  4. wallee
    Feb 5, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Story - It’s confusing and uninteresting. I’ve read beginning of everything I picked up until quarter of the game and I just don’t bother reading them anymore. There’s literally zero characters development if you expect them to show you on cutscenes. Half way through the game I just don’t bother anymore and just rush through the mediocre gameplay. Graphic - It’s okay, don’t expect any “wow” scenes. You’ll see only office stuffs throughout the whole game. Same colors, same tables, fire extinguishers, files, computers, chairs, office furnitures basically. Nothing really fancy at all. Only thing they did well here is the physics of environment destruction. And the laziness of putting real life characters video instead of render in 3D which really turn me off. Music - This is the worst. I kinda feel like I’m listening to one music from start to the end of the game which was pretty annoying. I turned on my own Spotify while playing this game. Gameplay - it was fun beginning until I just rotate spamming two buttons R1 and R2 while watching their cool down. Main story’s enemies are dull. Side mission’s enemies are too strong and you better go back after completing the main game. The RNG drops are uninteresting. I’m limited to only two weapons at one time. What makes it worse is the weapons are sharing the same cool down which force you to have no choice to swap to only R2 for launch attack. You can hide with R3 but I didn’t use it for my entire game, it’s pretty much useless. The map is ridiculous and confusing. It sucks that I can only view the particular map floor while my character is on the same floor. It doesn’t show any signs/blockage. You can’t even put any signs of mark for your own. It should have map direction indicator for quests on stupid map unless they show better map signs. Overall, I don’t think that I’ll miss anything if I never play this game. I can just watch the entire youtube play through. Maybe you’ll like it if you favor corporate works.… Expand
  5. MacG
    Feb 5, 2021
    5
    Really disappointed after all the critical hype this game received. Gameplay is extremely repetitive, gunplay is pretty average and the powers you receive are fairly entertaining at first but have been done better elsewhere. Very generic environments, graphically the game is okay but nowhere near worthy of the praise received by reviewers. The story is extremely dull and not remotelyReally disappointed after all the critical hype this game received. Gameplay is extremely repetitive, gunplay is pretty average and the powers you receive are fairly entertaining at first but have been done better elsewhere. Very generic environments, graphically the game is okay but nowhere near worthy of the praise received by reviewers. The story is extremely dull and not remotely engaging. Objectives are not always clear and the map is terrible (luckily signs directing you to other areas are more helpful).

    If you have PS Plus give it a try and decide for yourself but I would be very reluctant to buy, even on sale.    … Expand
  6. Schueli
    Aug 18, 2022
    7
    Ganz ansehnlicher und spaßiger Shooter mit speziellen Kräften. Etwas unübersichtlich leider und die Karte ist ein Graus. Ansonsten aber empfehlenswert.
  7. ninja1048
    Sep 3, 2022
    7
    No me atrapo lo suficiente, no lo termine. Si bien es un buen juego , no logro atrapar al 100 porciento
  8. Gyns23
    Aug 17, 2021
    6
    Played for free with PS Plus. Theres a lot of things in this game that I really like, the powers, the gameplay, the physics...but theres also a looooot of things I dislike, imo the narrative and story are boring and nonsense, I also dont like the scenarios and the audio in spanish its a joke.
  9. Bonfera
    Mar 25, 2022
    7
    It's a polished well made game, good controls and fun. not a 10 but solid!!
  10. moviesfoodlife
    Feb 26, 2021
    7
    Really good game for the most part and really good story. However, there were challenging puzzles (not ones where knowing the solution necessarily helps) that often ruined the gaming experience. The game is so great even without them, so why put them in? I needed to use the game cheats in the menu, immortality to be specific, because I am usually pretty good at gaming but I couldn’t stopReally good game for the most part and really good story. However, there were challenging puzzles (not ones where knowing the solution necessarily helps) that often ruined the gaming experience. The game is so great even without them, so why put them in? I needed to use the game cheats in the menu, immortality to be specific, because I am usually pretty good at gaming but I couldn’t stop dying no matter what near the beginning. It didn’t make the game any less intense or fun, however, just less annoying. The DLCs, while big, suck even more, with puzzles even worse than in the main campaign. Definitely check this out (the PS5 ultimate edition) on a huge discount or for free though. Also, don’t miss out on some of the good side missions, especially small ones in the middle of a main mission that give you more cool abilities.

    Also, THE MAP SUCKS!!!!!!!    … Expand
  11. JohnClaymore
    Jun 27, 2023
    6
    Mediocre gameplay with a lot of repetition. Story has some good elements, but the protagonist constant comments and mary sue attitude detriments the overall experience.
  12. ihearthawthats
    Nov 10, 2021
    6
    Hours Played: 11 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 35/68 (53%)
    Worth My Time: Yes, at least one playthrough. Worth My Money: Yes, if heavily discounted. What I Like: Oozes personality and style. Story well told in a variety of ways. What I Dislike: Gameplay feels lacking in a variety of manners. Combat feels stiff, exploration feels repetitive, progression feels narrow. How It Stacks    Hours Played: 11 Hours
    Trophy Completion: 35/68 (53%)

    Worth My Time: Yes, at least one playthrough.
    Worth My Money: Yes, if heavily discounted.

    What I Like: Oozes personality and style. Story well told in a variety of ways.

    What I Dislike: Gameplay feels lacking in a variety of manners. Combat feels stiff, exploration feels repetitive, progression feels narrow.

    How It Stacks Up: Decent port, but not sure if it's worth playing if you already played it on PS4 unless you're a huge fan. Remedy is a good studio that certainly deserves praise, but the quality just can't compare to Sony's first party offerings.    … Expand
  13. Pandapitch
    Jan 10, 2022
    7
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  14. Richard4949
    Jun 29, 2022
    7
    There’s a lot of good and a lot of bad with this. It’s got one of thr worst stories ever. Trust me, remedy even knows it’s awful. It makes no sense, and it’s so poorly written. The game gets very repetitive enemies-wise, and it’s unforgivingly hard. With all that being said, the controls are super tight and thr action is fun. The haptic feedback is amazing and the shooting is solid likeThere’s a lot of good and a lot of bad with this. It’s got one of thr worst stories ever. Trust me, remedy even knows it’s awful. It makes no sense, and it’s so poorly written. The game gets very repetitive enemies-wise, and it’s unforgivingly hard. With all that being said, the controls are super tight and thr action is fun. The haptic feedback is amazing and the shooting is solid like returnal. The levitating is also so well done. Simply put, the gameplay is very good. The graphics are decent but nothing special. A couple of the puzzles are Also very random and not intuitive at all. It’s a good game, but I don’t see it being this award winning game the critics raved about… Expand
  15. Vujica
    May 27, 2022
    7
    Graphically the game looks nice (although not extraordinary special) but overall it just lacks "soul". The story telling is one of the great misses. It doesn't have the suspense you would expect and that it potentially could have, but also sometimes it is puzzling (in a bad way) what the board and the previous director are saying. This is so unnecessary.. The characters, and especiallyGraphically the game looks nice (although not extraordinary special) but overall it just lacks "soul". The story telling is one of the great misses. It doesn't have the suspense you would expect and that it potentially could have, but also sometimes it is puzzling (in a bad way) what the board and the previous director are saying. This is so unnecessary.. The characters, and especially Jesse, never connect to the player. There are no ups and downs, just the steady (and repetitive) stream of hiss and missions. The environment is also soulless, even though that might be the intention because of the bureau of control, it is somehow always neutral and boring.

    Some checkpoints are well intended, but poorly placed, which sometimes leads to frustration, as many others have noted.

    This doesn't make it a bad game, just a very average one. It is a pity because the game has so much more potential. The levitating, lifting and throwing of things and the controls are phenomenal. For me it is a fun game, but one that I will forget about now that I finished it. It is a good buy when on sale, but not worth the full price.    … Expand
  16. RIVERPLATE14
    Jun 13, 2023
    7
    How can it be that they don't put an indicator to know where to go? When I started playing it I said "this game is wonderful" but as the first missions went by I realized that it's totally boring, I spend hours going through the map without finding the place where I have to go to progress, I haven't been angry in a while so much with a game but I'm not going to give it a bad score becauseHow can it be that they don't put an indicator to know where to go? When I started playing it I said "this game is wonderful" but as the first missions went by I realized that it's totally boring, I spend hours going through the map without finding the place where I have to go to progress, I haven't been angry in a while so much with a game but I'm not going to give it a bad score because of this.
    I was looking for a good game to forget my problems and I came across this game that drives you crazy    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
34
#34 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. PSX Extreme
    Oct 4, 2023
    86
    By combining elements of Neo-Noir, urban fantasy, and conspiracy theory science fiction, Remedy’s Control offers a lot for anyone looking for a piece of medium with a good dollop of old and experimental game mechanics mixed with fun combat and a great story. While the combat could use a little tweaking, there’s no denying how much the folks over at Remedy value and respect the lore and characters they’ve created. Here’s hoping the sequel improves upon this foundation and gives us something truly amazing.
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  2. CD-Action
    Oct 12, 2021
    85
    My first experience with Control was underwhelming due to my base PS4 not being powerful enough to do this great game justice. Now I wish I waited for the next-gen version. The Ultimate Edition finally looks and runs as it should (however, if you want ray tracing, you’ll have to accept 30 FPS) and also offers two expansions that tie the story to Alan Wake. [04/2021, p.34]
  3. Cubed3
    Jun 22, 2021
    80
    Control is an amazing experience that is befitting of the next gen consoles. It has killer Ray Tracing features, unfortunately hampered by their implementation, and a rock solid performance mode which feels amazing. The truly twisted dystopian world of the FBC is one that will persist in player's memories for a long time with its strange otherworldly places, alongside its humanising story. Highly recommended to all PlayStation 5 owners looking for an action-adventure with some real depth and fun combat!
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