Part 1 is rambling about how the game came to be in my possession, scroll to Part 2 for the review and final judgement.
Part 1
Games based in World War II have a very big place in my heart. I’ve played many games set during WW2 and similar to other reviews here, I enjoy Payday very much. It goes without saying the idea of a game similar in design to Payday, also from Starbreeze andPart 1 is rambling about how the game came to be in my possession, scroll to Part 2 for the review and final judgement.
Part 1
Games based in World War II have a very big place in my heart. I’ve played many games set during WW2 and similar to other reviews here, I enjoy Payday very much. It goes without saying the idea of a game similar in design to Payday, also from Starbreeze and 505Games, in which you play as special operatives trying to disrupt the Nazi warmachine instead of heisting is an idea that I’d assumed would be a great combination. It reminded me of the sadly canceled Brothers in Arms: Furious Four in a way; a game which, despite veering hard away from the realism and squad based tactics I loved in earlier BiA entries, I mourned the loss of. When this game was released, with zero visible advertising, I thought it fairly normal. Many games don’t receive much ad space if they aren’t from a heavy hitting dev/publisher and Payday aside, this was a new franchise from these studios. Between work and school, the game slipped my mind because of its lack of presence and games media attention. Then, a week ago, I was bargain hunting at the local Target and found a copy of Raid for $8.74 on clearance. I was happy to see it and quickly grabbed it. Is almost $10 a lot for a year old game with most-likely zero player base because of how little I’ve heard of it and which most likely sold poorly to be on Target’s super stingy clearance list? Yes, I agree, it is. But having not even seen the game at any of the local or slightly further GameStop stores or my local indie game store, Game On in Miller Place(if you live on Long Island, check them out. Best in Suffolk by a mile), I decided $10 was close enough to what I’d pay after shipping on a non-prime Amazon order and grabbed it.
Part 2
Let me begin by stating my disappointment. I was severely disappointed with this game. Immediately upon starting the tutorial something felt off. Aiming is remarkably stiff and for some inexcusable reason raising one of either vertical, horizontal, or aiming sensitivity raises all the other sliders the exact same amount. Vertical aiming and horizontal aiming, even set to the same sensitivity move remarkably different. One whips across like lightning, the other is oddly sticky and slow. When you aim down sights oh my god good luck even trying to sight up a shot. This game is legitimately the hardest FPS I have ever played when it comes to lining up shots. If you even attempt to be accurate I wish you luck. Using the assault class’ M1 Carbine to start was a poor choice, go automatic or shotgun ASAP. There is no happy medium on the sliders for ADS, too fast or too slow are your options. The AI is, shall we say, abysmally dumb. The safehouse is very cool. It’s similar to the safehouse in Payday 2 and can be given decorative installations and art pieces. But this is essentially my highlight of the game.
Nazis will line up like sheeple following each other out of cover and five feet in front of you. Your teammates, if you can’t find any partners(I couldn’t) to Raid it up with, are doorknob intelligent. Have fun trying to revive them while getting roasted alive by OP flamethrowers that absolutely murder you in a second. I can’t say if playing this game would be better with friends, I imagine it would, but I’ll likely never know. Movement is clunky, weapons do little damage and feel puny, the AI makes Rogue Warrior look masterful, and the graphics are ho-hum at best. There’s a good amount of content here; lots of raids, guns, cosmetics, and what an awesome concept. But the lazy design repeated over and over in every level makes unlocking more content an absolute chore.
After several hours with this game I found myself having to force myself to sit down with it again for a second session. You should never have to force yourself to pursue your hobbies. I wanted to love this game very much, but it made it entirely impossible due to its flaws. There’s very little fun to be had here, and it pains me to say that. Maybe if an ounce of the effort that went into other Starbreeze titles like Payday 2 or The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay(yes I know they developed those and only published this, but their name is still on that box so I don’t wanna hear it!)then I could recommend it. But I obviously cannot. Final personal rating: I am disappoint.… Expand
Raid: World War IIYour Score0 out of 10User Score
