State of Decay 2 reviews are less than stellar
By Matt Conway
The latest Microsoft exclusive, State of Decay 2, is falling short of its massive hype and expectations.
The key to any console’s success is its exclusives, as these titles are the ones that distinguish each console from its competitors. While Sony has God of War and Nintendo Super Mario Odyssey, Microsoft has struggled to create that uniquely successful game. Many thought it would be Sea of Thieves, but its lack of actual content overshadowed the great idea on paper.
That leaves Microsoft putting all its chips on State of Decay 2 , a sequel to one of their most successful Xbox Arcade releases. The open world zombie game looked to improve on its predecessor with improved gameplay and the addition of co-op, making it one of the most hyped titles of 2018.
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Well the wait is over, with reviews currently pouring in. With a 68 OpenCritic score and a 69 Meteoritic rating, it’s safe to say the reaction is decidedly mixed. Here are some excerpts from a few reviews:
"State of Decay 2 isn’t a bad game but it doubles down on too much of the first game’s failings. For newcomers, the repetitive combat and mission variety, glitches and lack of polish can be a turnoff but the base-building and survivor management manage to shine."
"The State of Decay concept still holds plenty of promise but this sequel is so broken that laughing at its bugs and glitches becomes its primary source of entertainment."
"“State of Decay 2 made me sad, but mostly bored.”"
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With these results and the already middling reviews for Sea of Thieves, Microsoft can’t be too happy right now. While they ambitiously tried to craft two unique games, both seem to suffer from a multitude of technical snafus. While I enjoyed my time playing the original State of Decay, it appears that the weak spots of that game have been more magnified by its more ambitious sequel. While these reviews aren’t great, I am sure many of these technical problems can be fixed in the coming weeks, with most ambitious titles coming out in a similarly unfinished way.
State of Decay 2 will be released on Xbox One and PC officially on May 22.