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The results are in, Breakpoint has bombed.


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Riding on the crest of the Wildlands Wave wasn't enough, Breakpoint has bombed.

One site has reported that Week 1 physical sales* are only 20% of what the Wildlands sales achieved, that's a 1/5 fraction, but it's a little early for sales comparisons.

Critic Reviews are damming

 

PCGamer https://www.pcgamer.com/ghost-recon-breakpoint-review/

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Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a bizarre Frankenstein’s monster of a shooter, ... fundamentally at odds with every second of its own existence. ... completely loses sight of the core experience Ghost Recon is supposed to offer."

 


Games Radar https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/ghost-recon-breakpoint-review/

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"FEELS LIKE A STEP BACKWARDS FOR THE FRANCHISE"

"The systems borrowed from other Ubisoft games are about as fitting for a tactical shooter as a clown suit and a megaphone"

 

 

Gamespot 4/10

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Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a confused mishmash of disparate ideas that struggle to coalesce in an enjoyable way.

 

VG247 1/5

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Ubisoft has failed in two areas where it usually excels here – sequels and open worlds – but there’s still a small glimmer of hope in another area: reinvention. Perhaps this concept will get scrapped entirely for the next one and we’ll go back to the good old days where Ghost Recon was an excellent shooter with its own identity. Right now it’s out of focus, confused, and frustrating. A ghost of its former self.

 

Eurogamer - Avoid

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no amount of collectables or subtle, satisfying gameplay loops can counter this half-baked hotchpotch of magpie'd ideas that neither function properly nor mesh. It's just a broken, swirling vortex of recycled Ubisoft mechanics stamped across a dismal, forgettable world.

 

PC gamer 40/100

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Poorly stapled-on mechanics and a general lack of polish make Breakpoint's open-world tactics simply not worth the time.

 

Metro GameCentral 6/10

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Something of a greatest hits collection of ideas from Ubisoft's other open world games but it also has some fun new ideas of its own… as well as a mountain of glitches and microtransactions.

 

Push Square 6/10

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Robust but bloated, Breakpoint is a mishmash that has its fun moments, but its identity is MIA.

 

Gameblog 6/10

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Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a half-hearted title.

 

* If anyone can find the digital sales, link 'em up.

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Well it's a hell of a lesson learned for Ubi.  Absolutely stupid decisions on their part hurt them.  Online only, looter shooter mechanics, bugs out the butt, crazy microtransactions, unfinished, mixing every game they have ever made into it....add it up and it's a recipe for disaster.  Stupid management decisions who are thinking about one thing...money.  

But all that said...I love the game.  I hope they continue to clean it up and add content because I'm having a blast with it.  Roaming around in these amazing zones and whatnot is awesome.  

The sad part is we won't see another ghost recon for a really long time....and if this one doesn't end up doing well we may never see another.  Very sad.

By the way those scores are just ridiculously low and not fair imo.  But that's just me.

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What can I say, I played both betas, but...after doing everything in the closed beta, the open beta felt kinda pointless, I explored the new areas for a bit(just flying over compounds with the bird to check what loot they have).

I've stopped calling this game Ghost Recon, its just Breakpoint at this point. It is ######, it is ######. Before the release Future Soldier and Online/Phantoms, the franchise has gone to ######. They should go back 12 years and make a GRAW 3.

I spent probably an hour at best watching streamers try to play it, I watched Shroud, DrDisRespect, Lirik and a few others...yet none of them actually enjoyed the game, they just took the Ubisoft #AD money and ran off with it after 3 hours of gameplay.

I'd only spend time playing this game if the full game was free to play.

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On 07/10/2019 at 22:33, BigOlBrain said:

Well it's a hell of a lesson learned for Ubi.

Have they "learned" anything?  Sadly I doubt it.

I was gone from Ghost Recon, and all of its branches, for a long time.

Bought Wildlands in March of 2017 and played it for three days over something like the course of a week.  It took all the way to March of 2019 before I finally turned-on Wildlands to really play through it.  That was long after everything had been fixed.  I was glad I avoided all of the drama.  I enjoyed the single player game, including the wonky Mario Kart Style DLC.  It was worth the purchase price.

Wildlands actually got me excited about Breakpoint.  Been trying Breakpoint for a few days.  Enjoying it so far... my casual play style has minimized the problems with bugs and glitches.

Looks like I might be taking a break and coming back to Breakpoint after some of the drama and fixes are over.

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15 minutes ago, Ick said:

I might be taking a break and coming back to Breakpoint after some of the drama and fixes are over.

That might be the best option, as Ubi showed they will support their games for extended periods recently.

I liked Wildlands from the start, the whole open world thing and freedom of choice was fantastic. Most of the bugs were squashed with an almost fanatical effort from the dev team to resolve early issues. If they do the same with Breakpoint it will be an enjoyable game I'm sure. Too late for those awful critic reviews though.

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6 minutes ago, Rocky said:

That might be the best option, as Ubi showed they will support their games for extended periods recently.

I liked Wildlands from the start, the whole open world thing and freedom of choice was fantastic. Most of the bugs were squashed with an almost fanatical effort from the dev team to resolve early issues. If they do the same with Breakpoint it will be an enjoyable game I'm sure. Too late for those awful critic reviews though.

Boy, I think you have that zeroed in.  I had long forgotten the early problems with Wildlands when I opened it back up two years later,  I noticed almost zero glitches and enjoyed the story and gameplay.

I guess it is too late for a "fanatical effort" to fix problems could result in a turn-around for Christmas sales?  Once the reviews are out there they never come off the internet or get "updated".  The damage is done I suppose and you can't save the sinking ship?  Gamers deciding what to buy have already moved on to the next title never to look back at a game that has been fixed and improved.. 

Edited by Ick
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Rock Paper Shotgun is the only critic that gave the game a fair shake. 

I was there in the beginning and feel like I know as much or more then most on all topics related to Ghost Recon and this game is Ghost Recon and it is fun.

The original is just that. Most of the people playing this version either weren't born yet or were just children. My son being one of them and he and his friends are having as much fun as this old guy and my friends.

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1 hour ago, NightCrawler said:

Rock Paper Shotgun is the only critic that gave the game a fair shake. 

Yeh I get that Breakpoint can be fun, and plenty of people are enjoying it - but I couldn't find a Rock Papers review other than their YT one, which calls it a mess and shambolic.

Despite all the neg press, I'll be investing a shed load of hours to get the most out of it I can!

 

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4 hours ago, Ick said:

Have they "learned" anything?  Sadly I doubt it.

I was gone from Ghost Recon, and all of its branches, for a long time.

Bought Wildlands in March of 2017 and played it for three days over something like the course of a week.  It took all the way to March of 2019 before I finally turned-on Wildlands to really play through it.  That was long after everything had been fixed.  I was glad I avoided all of the drama.  I enjoyed the single player game, including the wonky Mario Kart Style DLC.  It was worth the purchase price.

Wildlands actually got me excited about Breakpoint.  Been trying Breakpoint for a few days.  Enjoying it so far... my casual play style has minimized the problems with bugs and glitches.

Looks like I might be taking a break and coming back to Breakpoint after some of the drama and fixes are over.

They understand that they are losing money I bet.

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Sharing my thoughts here after 25 hours of gameplay.

1. Game is a MEDLEY of almost every feature seen at the shooting genre.

2. To fully enjoy GBR you must have it as your main game for some time.

3. The first dozen of hours is the “preparation” for the endgame experience.

4. Small bugs are annoying but didn't interfere in the gameplay.

5. Set correctly your expectations about the Ghost Recon Series and all its future possibilities.

For details on these top lines and full review, check this link.

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Nice review format on your site.

I'd go further than saying BP is a medley of other shooters, because it involves gameplay elements not often seen in shooters, ie RPG and social hubs.

I'm not in is as far as you, so for me it is still a bit of a confusing interface, and gear score still strikes me as a pointless mechanic other than to restrict players from raids..

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thanks Rocky. 

One of the first games I reviewed was Division 2. A lot of game elements on GBR reminds me of Division 2, the gear score and disabling weapons are one of them. I can't say what's the agenda behind Tom Clancy's franchise but "recycling" game elements on to your own game brands have never been something appreciated by the gaming community.

I have already heard comments of players that GBR is Division 2 just without the bullet sponge mechanism. I wouldn't go so far, but I understand the feeling behind the comment. No need to say is a game with AAA price tag on it. 

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I had a full weekend with it.  They certainly don't explain much and what they do explain in-game they don't explain very well.

YouTube videos helped quite a bit.  I had to watch several of them again AFTER playing a few hours.  After getting some in-game time I was able to understand the YouTube instructional videos much better.

Is Ubisoft assuming that every player is in a social network with other gamers?  It seems Ubisoft has built a game with the expectation that people on your friend list will help you understand the product.

The only advice I would give is... when the little icon appears on your  menu that tells you "there is something new" ALWAYS check it out.  This, more than anything else, will help you understand more about the inner-workings of everything from mission objectives to gear.  For example, I had no idea how important the objectives tab is for "completing" missions.  You have to go into the objectives tab and click on the green button to "finish" certain missions.  I just followed the yellow "new info" tags until I got all the way to the mission where I had the three pieces of evidence... I just needed to click "resolve" to clear everything out so it would advance to the next mission.

 

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2 hours ago, Ick said:

You have to go into the objectives tab and click on the green button to "finish" certain missions.  I just followed the yellow "new info" tags until I got all the way to the mission where I had the three pieces of evidence... I just needed to click "resolve" to clear everything out so it would advance to the next mission.

 

Huh, I never knew this!? The missions UI seem a whole lot more confusing than in Wildlands, not just different, which would be ok, but very different and confusing interface.

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So I've been watching players on Youtube and they seem to be absolutely loving this version of Ghost Recon. 

Critics don't know Jack. But I wonder how many new fans they've discouraged from buying what some gamers are saying is the game of the year.

By gamers, I mean people who play not people who complain. That's right I said it, I'm calling you out. Play the damn game a few hours then tell me it's garbage and I'll call you a liar!!! You didn't like any games of this genre.

 

Disclaimer...not pointing this at any persons in particular. Mostly a rant on the professional critics.

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51 minutes ago, NightCrawler said:

So I've been watching players on Youtube and they seem to be absolutely loving this version of Ghost Recon. 

Critics don't know Jack. But I wonder how many new fans they've discouraged from buying what some gamers are saying is the game of the year.

By gamers, I mean people who play not people who complain. That's right I said it, I'm calling you out. Play the damn game a few hours then tell me it's garbage and I'll call you a liar!!! You didn't like any games of this genre.

Disclaimer...not pointing this at any persons in particular. Mostly a rant on the professional critics.

 

I mostly agree.  I think it's a great game.  I only have a few things that really bug me.

1) PC optimization for resolutions over 1440p....not too hot.

2) The map and mission system are confusing imo.

3)  Polish in general.

Other than those few things I think it's a great game.  I don't think the whole looter shooter thing was necessary but it doesn't bother me really. 

I think a lot of bad press comes form the stupid decisions from management. 

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this at times feels like a mission Sam Fisher should be doing.. after a rough start the game has really won me over

 

PROS (to me):

-map is more dense and varied, it recycles building much less than Wildlands with many more buildings u can enter.. with some complex indoor environments

-drones arent as overwhelmingly present as i feared

-TONS of options as how to set up HUD and even as to how missions and map are discovered

-QRF system is better

-lots of improvements wanted for Wildlands are here

-the loot and crafting systems are there, but in a way that allows u to bypass or ignore them completely..( u only want one specific weapon? find the blue print and buy a higher level every once in a while).... crafting is not needed because shop is cheap and easily accessible (for now)

-side missions have enough narrative to push u to complete them

-the map and information is organized and presented in very helpful ways to minimize confusion

-the more up close camera better balances out the 3rd person situational awareness

-the injury system is decently thought out and implemented

-the challenge is there and the enemy “alarmed” state isnt all knowing like in Wildlands

-Melee/knife kills implemented exactly as i always wanted... sneak attacks are quiet but not too quick, knife kills on aware enemies take longer thus exposing u to being spotted or keeping u in line of fire .. etc etc

 

CONS:

-lack of squad, though its coming.. the general amount of enemies u confront plus general geometry might need balancing

-not as many weapons as wildlands 

-not as much “out of the box” gear available, though again requested stuff is there

- micro transactions are there on cosmetic stuff.. though to its credit the game doesnt beat u over the head trying to sell it to u

-resetting weapons when u want to level it up

- whoever made this game watched Lone Survivor and Sicario too much and the Wolves Sicario-ish theme sucks

-u cant dismantle multiple weapons at once

 

 

overall a very pleasant surprise after the initial bad impressions at the start of the game... might prefer it to Wildlands if the momentum keeps up..

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I love Ghost Recon. I bought Breakpoint on pre-order. Even bought the Nomad figurine. I realized I loved Wildlands, not Breakpoint.

I played the pre-launch and the Beta, and I have 100+ hrs in game, lvl 30 and gear lvl 225. Main quest and all side quests done solo. And I then realize I cannot fully explore Aurora because the game DEMANDS you need to coop to raid. So the raid and raid bosses and their loot is not optional playing solo. Also the main quest is really really short, and when you have done all the side quests there are only faction quests left. Except Ubisoft decided to put a cap on Battle Points. So if you have a day off work you can not grind Battle Points for loot. No no 400 pts pr day max. Yes you player, you buyer who paid for the game.

The crafting part is just ridiculous. You are running around accidently picking flowers and roots and nuts but I have never ever crafted any of those. And I never will. I am not going to use use them. Ever. I am playing an elite soldier, not some florist or herbalist. If I wanted to craft potions I would be playing WoW or some stupid grind game. I am not playing the Witcher I am playing Ghost Recon!

The Assassins Creed class system gives you benefits as a sniper or stealth or assault or whatever class they will come op with, but it takes away the freedom of being an elite badass like you were i Wildlands, having the perk you could use it with witch ever weapon you choose. This means you will have to go to inventory and change perks to deal with Droids, and change back to whatever you prefer to fight humans. Item wheel in Breakpoint is like the perks irritating to manage, because you have to manually go to inventory to change items to mines, rocket launcher or C4 or whatever the situation requires. Item wheel is simply too small, and all perks should active once you put skill points onto it.

The Division loot system is awful. Picking up new weapons with a higher gear lvl is a stupid waste of time. I am all yellow, but when crafting new weapons the game assumes I was asking for a blue or a purple item 10 times before it delivers a yellow. And then the added benefits are random and usually extremely unuseful since you want handling/range/accuracy. Also Divisions bullet-sponge system is implemented in the robot-droid. Shoot their armor to exploit their weakpoints or shoot them when they reveal their weak spot. Bad call Ubisoft. Bad call.

The Splinter Cell part is good though. I like the part where you are able to move dead bodies to avoid detection, a bit that I missed in Wildlands. The stealth operative suits Ghost Recon great, but at the cost of initial sniping abilities and assault skills for when crap hits the fan, it just do not work. Nomad is an all round bad ass. Ubisoft should keep him like that. Drop the roleplaing crap.

Edited by MightyTaur
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1 hour ago, MightyTaur said:

I love Ghost Recon. I bought Breakpoint on pre-order. Even bought the Nomad figurine. I realized I loved Wildlands, not Breakpoint.

I played the pre-launch and the Beta, and I have 100+ hrs in game, lvl 30 and gear lvl 225. Main quest and all side quests done solo. And I then realize I cannot fully explore Aurora because the game DEMANDS you need to coop to raid. So the raid and raid bosses and their loot is not optional playing solo. Also the main quest is really really short, and when you have done all the side quests there are only faction quests left. Except Ubisoft decided to put a cap on Battle Points. So if you have a day off work you can not grind Battle Points for loot. No no 400 pts pr day max. Yes you player, you buyer who paid for the game.

The crafting part is just ridiculous. You are running around accidently picking flowers and roots and nuts but I have never ever crafted any of those. And I never will. I am not going to use use them. Ever. I am playing an elite soldier, not some florist or herbalist. If I wanted to craft potions I would be playing WoW or some stupid grind game. I am not playing the Witcher I am playing Ghost Recon!

The Assassins Creed class system gives you benefits as a sniper or stealth or assault or whatever class they will come op with, but it takes away the freedom of being an elite badass like you were i Wildlands, having the perk you could use it with witch ever weapon you choose. This means you will have to go to inventory and change perks to deal with Droids, and change back to whatever you prefer to fight humans. Item wheel in Breakpoint is like the perks irritating to manage, because you have to manually go to inventory to change items to mines, rocket launcher or C4 or whatever the situation requires. Item wheel is simply too small, and all perks should active once you put skill points onto it.

The Division loot system is awful. Picking up new weapons with a higher gear lvl is a stupid waste of time. I am all yellow, but when crafting new weapons the game assumes I was asking for a blue or a purple item 10 times before it delivers a yellow. And then the added benefits are random and usually extremely unuseful since you want handling/range/accuracy. Also Divisions bullet-sponge system is implemented in the robot-droid. Shoot their armor to exploit their weakpoints or shoot them when they reveal their weak spot. Bad call Ubisoft. Bad call.

The Splinter Cell part is good though. I like the part where you are able to move dead bodies to avoid detection, a bit that I missed in Wildlands. The stealth operative suits Ghost Recon great, but at the cost of initial sniping abilities and assault skills for when crap hits the fan, it just do not work. Nomad is an all round bad ass. Ubisoft should keep him like that. Drop the roleplaing crap.

I totally agree with that, the cap on the battle rewards is complete crap because we all have time where we can grind and time where we cant. It has turned into a reward for playing daily and not rewarding the grind.

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10 hours ago, MightyTaur said:

The crafting part is just ridiculous. You are running around accidently picking flowers and roots and nuts but I have never ever crafted any of those. And I never will. I am not going to use use them. Ever. I am playing an elite soldier, not some florist or herbalist. If I wanted to craft potions I would be playing WoW or some stupid grind game. I am not playing the Witcher I am playing Ghost Recon!

This gets said a lot. 

And I don't think it gets said enough.

 

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