Lots of content
Lots of customisation
Varied Warframes
Frequent updates add more to the game
Nice voice acting
Lots of varied weapons
Archwings are fun to play
Deep lore
Everything can be made by grinding...
Frequent events mean that all players will have something to do
Daily rewards
Good controls
Can play solo easily
Mods allow you to make your character truly your own
Varied game modes...
Weak Points:
Frequent updates and overhauls can make the game overwhelming or plain confusing when going back on the game after a while
Solar map can be confusing
...Except for slots for the Warframes and weapons you gain by grinding
Frequent events make it difficult for new/returning players to gain a foothold in the main game
Can be buggy
Customer service is variable
Difficulty spikes
Mods fusion can be overwhelming and not very attractive to do
Syndicates have no way of you balancing them all, but still ask you to
...Some better than others
Nitpicks:
Updates don't update in Steam
In-depth Review:
Release Dates:
World Wide: March 25th, 2013
Controls: changeable in game
I've put off reviewing this game for quite a long time. Not that I haven't played enough no, I've got 150 hours in it via Steams counter (though due to having to have the game running to update, the actual playtime is slightly less) so I think I've got enough experience to review this game properly. It's more due to the updates really as they just change so much that by the time I finish the review it would be out of date. First, there were the big updates such as giving us a ship to walk around in, removing the stamina bar, changing the solar map (twice), introducing quests, changing melee and more, the game was just changing so often that a review was impossible. It seems to have calmed down now though so I thought it would be the perfect time to review the game.
The game is heavily focused on combat, be it ranged or melee, with both being done surprisingly well. The guns have a nice balance between 'realism' and enjoyment, allowing for lots of enemies to be downed but it too still be a struggle (giving you a sense of achievement). It also compliments the movement based attack system very nicely, with you being able to hit a head-shot on someone while doing a bullet jump towards a wall. It genuinely feels good to play. Melee has an extra depth to it as well, with you being able to solo melee with improved combo's and the ability to channel - increasing your damage for a bit of energy and making enemies disappear in a stream of particles
Talking about movement, it's definitely improved with time, from the original stamina bar based format to the now free-flowing, parkour-esque style we have today. You can now jump all around the map, with little to no limitations in how you progress. You can take your time, breaking every box in search of some extra Salvage or you can bullet jump through the level, ignoring extra enemies until you get to your objective, it's incredibly open-ended. I personally, do a bit of both, jumping through the level but feeling the compulsion to beat every enemy possible (at least until I'm overpowered and am forced to retreat).
Graphically, the game has varied landscapes to showcase effects such as snow and jungle in Earth to the Grineer ships in Mercury and the Void, a particle filled light showcase and has the graphical ability to meet the expectations of these areas. Dynamic lighting, detailed textures and bright colours, all available to most consumers and the scalability allows most computers to run the game no problem. Sound wise the game is also polished with unique voices for the main characters and enemy types, realistic (as possible) sound effects, and recognisable music.
The basic story is that you have been awakened by the Lotus to defeat a threat, otherwise known as Vay Hek and the Grineer. To do this you have to climb inside your portable robot suit of awesomeness, otherwise known as a Warframe and go out in the Solar System to relinquish control of the planets and moons from the aforementioned Grineer as well as the Corpus, Infected and more. The story and lore are expanded upon with an ever continual addition of quests, of which I won't spoil here (not only because I haven't completed them all), and Digital Extremes is starting to flex it's cinematic muscles from the original 'just talking in a voice over and left to do', which has to be a good thing.
For all you collectors out there, this game has plenty to offer you. 31 Warframes as of the time of writing, lots and lots of weapons, pets, sentinels, Archwings and more, all of which get inputted into a nice little menu which tells you your most played equipment, as well as what you have mastered. Most are relatively easy to get as well, provided you put in the effort, making the game fresh with each new weapon. Swapping from the Gorgon (a heavy machine gun) to the Cernos (a bow) suddenly opened up an entirely new style of play. The Warframe abilities as well, offer much versatility for completing missions - swapping from melee based Excalibur to the Jack-of-all-trades Oberon was interesting, to say the least.
However, I will say, that you need to prepare to grind. Quite a lot. The daily rewards are a helpful lift to get some of the resources, but most will take time. Also, if you do want to speed up the game at all, I'd suggest asking players/checking the Wiki - some are quite tricky. You can spend Platinum (the premium currency) to get resources and finished products faster but I'd save them, as the only Platinum-only thing is space. Space to store your Warframes and weapons. An annoyance yes, as the game leads you on to say you can get everything for free but then denies you the space to store them. But Digital Extremes has to make a living somehow I suppose.
Solo play and clans. One thing I do like about this game (which is part MMO) is the easiness to play solo. Once you've built up in experience, soloing levels is quite easy and fun to do, allowing you to play at your own pace and discover the secrets of your Warframe as well as the level. Of course, this game is meant to be played with friends, and it's great fun to play with them (or a public team which is what I tend to do) but it's nice to know you can just pop on and complete a level without having to rely on the schedules of others. Another thing you can do is build or join a clan, which gives you extra machines to build stuff, as well as a place to organise mission teams or hang out. Save your Forma if you want to build a clan though, as it costs quite a lot to get enough rooms and equipment to be serviceable.
I haven't gotten through half of what this game has to offer including: Syndicates (teams you can fight for and gain items or fight against and gain destruction by the hands of them), Mod Fusion (confusing at first and perhaps not the most attractive thing to do, but needed), Pets (who doesn't want a murderous Kubrow by their side and name them Jeffery) and much much more. By best advice would be to download this game (it's free) and just have a go. You won't regret it.
Conclusion: overall, I love this game and everything in it, even if it's a tad overwhelming if you leave it for a couple of months. If you force yourself to just jump in I promise you will have a fun time.
Rating: 90%
Thanks for reading, Satamer.
P.S. You can check my YouTube videos of Warframe to see the evolution of the game (and my voice!) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEiMmdLcgOvL69w9lB_wjJOZ1wQ982t9W as well as join our clan at gamesappsandreviews
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