Fuse

[jacobed]

I don't think the cartoony graphics would have helped it. It's just so eh, everything about it is. Yeah it plays smoothly and fun with friends but at the end of the day. You're just shooting uninteresting enemies with uninteresting characters and a confusing boring plot. They should have gone further, make every gun unique. Each character much more unique. Can't blame the blandness on just the graphics

 

[Nathan]

It's definitely not the graphics. Fuse's current gameplay, with Overstrike's aesthetics, would have been just a generic. I think it all went downhill when they reworked the weapons and came up with the Fuse element. Everything got uber-violent, and I can't say for certain that the gameplay would have been any different, but I get the feeling the game got even more shooter heavy because of it.

 

[jacobed]

Yes agreed. It seems like they only went halfway. If you're going to rework the weapons, do them all and be creative with them. Not just one per person

 

[zenith16]

I think it was the fact they went too serious(which wouldn't have have been a problem if there other elements to even things out better) and they kept calling them agents/ operatives.

But agent's/operatives do alot more then shoot things every minute of every day and that's what shot them in the foot as well. They should've added more spy /espionage elements variety wise like some under cover stuff . I don't mind having powerful weapons, but it's been done too often and they were other things they could have played with there as well co-op wise. The problem was identity which this was lacking from others in this genre . what could have been done to set it apart from those other shooters of the same type beside's the pixar look? if they didn't want to do that.

 

[Nathan]

Yes agreed. It seems like they only went halfway. If you're going to rework the weapons, do them all and be creative with them. Not just one per person

I don't really mind that you only get one unique weapon per character. I think the problem is that there seems to be almost no variety and every missions is apparently the same, from beginning to end.

This is what Destructoid had to say.

By the end of the game, I was able to predict the basic structure of almost all battles, laid forth as thus:

Step one: Enemies don't notice the players. The players take a handful of them out with stealth kills until they're spotted for arbitrary reasons.

Step two: The enemies' HP bars are whittled away wearily until everybody's dead (expect to duck behind cover after every few shots fired, as apparently you're more fragile than any single opponent).

Step three: A larger armored enemy will appear that needs to be shot in the back and takes ages to kill. Upon death, it drops a heavy weapon of some variety.

Step four: The heavy weapon is used to kill a second wave of mooks that conveniently show up for the single purpose of being killed by the heavy weapon.

That's pretty much an exact description of the Demo. If the entire game is really like that, it's no surprise people get bored. I wish the co-op elements would have extended beyond the weapon combos, and that they would have just tried to do more. I really think this game would have been a lot more interesting, treated as a spy game, with different gameplay elements, instead of making it a pure cover based shooter.

Maybe something along the line of Hitman or Deus Ex, just as a co-op game. Having the option to infiltrate an enemy base and finish the entire Mission unseen, or just storm it guns blazing. Or trying to sneak in, only for one of your teammates to get discovered and then you have no other option but to shoot your way out.

 

[zenith16]

Deus ex game play approach variety would have worked for this the best. there's tons of replay value there and done on a co-op would have made this unique. which what people were kinda expecting from Insomniac since most see them as innovators. And gadget's that don't necessary have to do with killing but are useful for your missions too. they could have incorporated fuse in that latter part too.

 

[Havok83]

Insomniac excel telling a single player experience and I think their next title should have them go back and create a single player tale. Fuse seems very generic which is dissapointing since they were able to create such great lore, envirnoment and characters with the Resistance and Ratchet series

 

[zenith16]

All they did was mess up with their execution. let's hope they learn from it and trying another co-op down the road. I don't mind them doing single player but they shouldn't completely give on some thing like this. But one thing's for sure they should should take a look what was Sony was doing with the agency and found someone that wrote spy novel's hell hire the person that writes burn notice for all I care, now that the show is ending) and did what Ubisoft does and research those people that actually do the jobs of espionage. hell just head to the NSA or CIA, both tv shows and movie studio's up here do this as well. don't just slap a name on cause it's sounds cool to use.

 

[Havok83]

I hope not. They excel at single player. Co op just doesn't seem to be their thing and if they do it again, Id rather it be supplementary to the single player experience like on R3 rather than build an entire game around it like they did here or in R&C A4O

 

[Nathan]

They already seem to be hinting at a sequel though.

We’ve already begun expanding what we’ve begun with Fuse. Right now as I write this we’re taking the core concepts behind Fuse and prototyping new stuff…stuff that leverages this bizarre alien substance which is at the heart of the game. No, I’m not talking about DLC. I’m talking about new Fuse experiences altogether.

 

[zenith16]

I hope not. They excel at single player. Co op just doesn't seem to be their thing and if they do it again, Id rather it be supplementary to the single player experience like on R3 rather than build an entire game around it like they did here or in R&C A4O

yeah but you can only learn by doing some times. if your not good at some thing learn from some one who is til you pick it up. in their case hire people who are good at that stuff to work with you in that studio your in.

They already seem to be hinting at a sequel though.

We’ve already begun expanding what we’ve begun with Fuse. Right now as I write this we’re taking the core concepts behind Fuse and prototyping new stuff…stuff that leverages this bizarre alien substance which is at the heart of the game. No, I’m not talking about DLC. I’m talking about new Fuse experiences altogether.

almost didn't see this . well that's even more of a reason to do so. but what i meant was with a different ip. and not so soon. lol

 

[Havok83]

yeah but you can only learn by doing some times. if your not good at some thing learn from some one who is til you pick it up. in their case hire people who are good at that stuff to work with you in that studio.
l

I don't care about co op based games. I was instantly not interested in Fuse when I heard it's premise and the demo did nothing to change that opinion. I only care for it as something extra to add on single player or MP. Games built around it aren't my cup of tea and considering Insomniac aren't good at it, I'd rather they not focus on this bc their talents would better put to use on something else

 

[zenith16]

It's not about a certain fan or fan base caring Havok it's about them branching out and broadening their horizon's and gaining new audience's for their other newer titles/ ip's

They cant just keep catering to the same people only. it doesn't mean they should stop caring about their old fan base ether though.

 

[Havok83]

I only care about myself

 

[zenith16]

Well that's where entitled gamers came from. And I view you as different then those that actually do think that way Havok. But Besides that point their doing no different then what Josh Whedon did after Buffy and Angel he went on to do comic's and he's doing movies now. everything he did I don't see as a hit every time nore did every one else but he didn't stop due to those mistakes of his . There are times where he failed. But he broadened his horizon's and he didn't let anyone stop him even if he wasn't that great at things at first. That's all I'm saying. I'll stop there.

 

[Nathan]

A couple more Reviews.

Giantbomb

Insomniac's trademark creative weaponry gives a little extra oomph to Fuse's otherwise by-the-numbers third-person shooting.

Fuse's gameplay has some good ideas, but they don't carry enough weight in what's otherwise a shooter campaign the like of which you've almost certainly seen before. And it's hard not to think back to the exciting first trailer from two years ago, since many of the shipping game's most outlandish aspects would have been more at home in that highly stylized, wisecracking version that never got made. Fighting in an undersea base and a space station? An exotic Asian assassin who turns out to be someone's ex-girlfriend? A sneering Russian who shoots himself up with Fuse and grows 10 stories tall? It feels like the off-the-wall good ideas Insomniac had for that sillier game have survived, but those ideas are a bit uncomfortably at odds with the serious look and tone of the game as it is now. Fuse plays pretty well, but with smoother execution and a more cohesive identity, it would have an easier time standing out in a genre that, as this generation of consoles comes to a close, is wearing out its welcome more and more.

3/5

Source

joystiq

Fuse review: Shoot first

Ultimately, Fuse can't see the forest for the trees. It assumes the best parts of shooters are when you're slamming on the right trigger, and it glosses over the rest. Breaching animations are emblematic of this overarching problem. Two members of Overstrike 9 place explosive charges on a wall and then, without moving away or reacting to the impending force, simply turn around while the wall explodes just a few feet away.

Fuse's basic mechanics are functional, even interesting, but they're hamstrung by poor AI (on both sides) and boring encounters. Friends make things better, but even then this locomotive doesn't take long to run out of steam. Fuse is satisfactory at best and frustrating at worst, and a bare-bones shooter without any personality or flair.

2/5

Source

Armchair Empire

One of my major gripes with the game is that it feels like Fuse could have had some great competitive multiplayer modes. My other gripe with the game is that you don't really get a sense of who the game's characters are. What makes them tick? What brought them here? How are they emotionally different from on another? There's not much depth in that respect.

I have always loved cooperative games and I feel like in a lot of ways, Fuse is the game I have been longing for. Even with a few shortcomings, Fuse is a terrific game and hopefully it gives rise to a franchise.

8.5/10

Source

GAMESBEAT

Fuse stylishly hits the target but misses the bull’s-eye

Like I said, Fuse is fun. I’ll even say it’s really fun. Today’s big-budget-shooter culture tends to suppress uniqueness in favor of it’s-what-the-people-want convention. And in this maelstrom, many publishers have forgotten that we all play video games to have a good time. Even though nefarious forces have noticeably tainted other parts of the title, Fuse’s spirit shines through its unabashedly likable gameplay.

Making a group of enemies disappear in a chain of miniature black holes with your Warp Rifle is ridiculous. More important, it’s ridiculously entertaining.

78/100

Source

gameinformer

Don't Fight This Battle Alone

I left Fuse with several frustrations sticking in my head. I was bothered by the cutscene situation, the basic AI (both friendly and enemy), a couple of glitches that forced restarts, and the dramatic change in fun factor when playing solo. That said, I can’t deny that I spent a lot of time laughing while playing with three others. If chaotic, over-the-top shootouts are your thing, there’s plenty to like in Fuse amongst the frustrations. Just be sure to bring some friends along for the ride.

7.75/10

Source

Game Revolution

A short Fuse

Had it released several years ago, Fuse would have received a half star higher. Some of its production values have become stale during its lengthy production cycle, particularly the tinny sound effects and mundane plot devices, but the swiftness of the action and its firmly embedded cooperative design rescue the title from further degradation. For better or worse, Fuse yields a standard, inoffensive reaction.

3.5/5

Source

PlayStation LifeStyle

Visually, Fuse will not win any awards, but the character models are highly detailed and the environments will always try to give you something different. Some levels will have repeating enemies, especially mini-bosses, but with the ability to change characters and the unexpected evolution of the game does give it a much needed sense of diversity.

Fuse is by almost every aspect, a solid title. Anyone who decides to pick it up should not have any major complaints, as long as they understand what they are picking up in the first place. Fuse is a standard cooperative third person shooter developed by a top tier developer, but it is not a life altering experience or a game that will stand the test of time for years to come.

7/10

Source

 

[Quasimod0]

The reviews arent too bad

 

[zenith16]

Their playable to good being from places like game informer which 6-7, to mediocre to really bad from place that most people don't head too often like joystiq review 5 -2(latter of which joystiq scored and it's what they said that's important besides the score.) But the word generic that is coming out of the ones that gave better scores and then the mediocre 5 and lower.

example A

• 
  Test Chamber – Fuse
  
  test chamber
  on May 28, 2013 at 06:31 PM
  971 Views
  
  7
  We show off the crazy action and powerful weaponry of Insomniac's new IP.
  ... More

where the word generic was used

 

[Wolvieboy17]

This is actually the exact reason I don't give a score in my reviews... It really gives a false impression. Some people are giving this the same score they gave Army of Two: Devils Cartel and having played both of these games, there is a world of difference in controls and personality.

 

[zenith16]

it's more then the score though, it's what their saying like in that video of test chamber game Informer does if not written. it's just what they are saying.

 

[Nathan]

Fuse: Day One Impressions

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Insomniac's new game Fuse is out today in North America. We'll have more in our full review later, but for now here are a few of my immediate impressions of the game — how it plays, how it looks and where it left me a little cold.

Source

 

[Nathan]

Gametrailer's Review

Kotaku

So many of Fuse's elements—from the squad-based co-op play, to the role-playing elements—seem like the ingredients necessary to make a Good Shooter (according to the almighty focus group, anyway). And indeed, many shooters see adding these same features as a way of keeping up—resulting in very samey titles. Fuse's familiarity is not surprising, although in Fuse's case, the feeling is particularly potent. It's almost like you need more than a palatable feature list to have a worthwhile game.

Source

 

[terry78]

IGN had it pretty much spot on when they said it's like throwing Disney characters into an M rated game.

 

[zenith16]

lol I'm not sure what that statement means. some how I'm sure that would work better then what happened here. Any way EPD.tv/ROTR review will be done later this evening or some time this week. we'll see what they say as well.

 

[Nathan]

All Formats Top 40 debut this week; ‘Fuse’ from EA, new at No37.

Source