Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) Review: Equal Popularity!
At the time this review was written, it is almost uncomfortable if you have never heard of Playerunknown's Battlegrounds before, have you ever tasted it or not. How come? Over the past half year, he has been one of the hottest talks ever. A game that does not actually carry a truly revolutionary concept, is still in the Early-Access stage, but continues to be an unstoppable concern and popularity. Many feel that with the fact that one of the "favorite" games many Youtuber giants consider significant for that matter, though not only that is the reason. An addictive and solid gameplay for an unfinished game is also an effective driving wheel.
So slowly but surely, the game is also often referred to as "PUBG" is also emerging as the new king of Valve's digital distribution portal - Steam. Starting from successfully attracting the attention of millions of million gamers to subdue the class game DOTA 2 and CS: GO as a game with the number of players along with a sharp difference. One thing that deserves thumbs up is the commitment of the developer - Bluehole Studio to ensure this momentum does not stop and end failure, like many Early Access games in the past that also got through the same phase. Working hard with a variety of features and injecting new maps to enjoy, PUBG finally officially released from the beta a few days ago. Through a "giant" update of 12 GB, he finally entered the final version. The same version that we finally made, JagatPlay, finally got this one game.
So what exactly is offered by Playerunknown's Battlegrounds? Why are we flying as games with commensurate popularity? This review will discuss it more deeply for you.
What is PUBG?
This may be the question that comes to the minds of many gamers who do not feel interested in tasting this South Korean developer concoction game, regardless of its unstoppable popularity. Simply put, PUBG is a competitive multiplayer game that makes "Battle-Royale" the main genre. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Battle-Royale itself is a popular Japanese classic movie in 2000 ago, adapted from a novel output of 1999. He tells the story of a group of young people stationed on a remote island by the government with one primary goal - asking they fight to death with each other. Each of them gets a random supply box of weapons. And as time went by, the "battle" area was also scaled down to make sure the teenagers met each other and killed each other. Battle-Royale into a classic series that seems to be no stranger to many gamers who grew up in the 2000s.
Of course, this is not the Battle-Royale that Bluehole Studio automatically adapts to. What they are offering here is a new multiplayer competitive game series that carries a similar concept in gameplay, which believes it or not is something that has been adapted in the past, but never worked. PUBG loads 100 people battles simultaneously in a large area, all of which come without any provision. Each of them must strengthen and arm themselves with whatever they find in the existing arena, from a frying pan to a melee weapon, a body armor to withstand a small amount of bullets, to heavy-caliber firearms. Sometimes, you can also find water or land vehicles for extra mobility. Next? Like the movie version that became the basis of inspiration, this game ended straightforward. You "just" need to endure to the end, and be the only survivor in the middle of this fierce battle. There is not much opportunity to hide in one place, because the area where you can move will also continue to be reduced as time goes by. What you find is a huge arena that will continue to force you to confront one another.
Plunge into one area and have to survive to the end, PUBG is a straightforward game.
You can play it solo or team (duo / squad).
Straightforward, nothing else offered by PUBG in addition to this one sensation. The complexity factor will of course increase according to the mode you choose. In addition to playing Solo, you can also play in Duo format (2 people) and also Squad (4 people), either randomly or by inviting friends from your Friend List. Playing in a cooperative format like this is more difficult, not only because your opponents will now move in a certain strategy format, but also the fact that you now have to think more about your own safety. Do you have to share resources? Do you have to move together right now? Do you need to surround other teams in sight using certain tactics? In fact, the smallest thing like where you jumped at the beginning was already need its own coordination. Playing this mode along with friends you already know rather than random will indeed make the ending experience more exciting and intense.
Playing it in a team format certainly needs extra coordination.
The presence of new features such as the ability to skip objects may sound simple. But once in the gameplay, you can see the new potential that he presents.
After several months of Early Access, the move to version 1.0 does offer maps and new features. One of the essential features of the essential is the ability to jump over the existing hurdles through simple action, having previously been done manually. On paper, it may sound insignificant, but when fighting in the arena, you will be able to feel how important this new feature is. For starters? With this function, you can now jump over building windows and enter the room for strategic reasons or just for a surprise. This opens up so many alternative options that make the "camper" in the house for example, can no longer stay silent and sit guard the entrance / exit only. More consistent and faster shifts also allow for more effective movement.
The items you find are still dependent on the "random" element.
So here's the PUBG, a competitive multiplayer game, which can be played solo or in groups, where you have to fight to survive as long as possible in the arena. Randomness is still something that plays an important role here because you can end up lucky to get a series of weapons and essential equipment when you fall for the first time, or end up unlucky and find nothing, making you a prey waiting to be pounced. But the pure gameplay assignment PUBG offers is one of its main strengths.
100 people in one big arena, you'll never meet a similar battle scenario. Makes it hard to feel repetitive.100 people in one big arena, you'll never meet a similar battle scenario. Makes it difficult to feel repetitive.
The question is of course one, why is this game so popular? PUBG is actually not the first game to apply this battle-royale genre. There are many other popular games that try to get into the same market, like The Culling for example, but end up sinking quickly after reaching a high level of popularity quickly. After diving through several hours of gameplay that still has not led to victory to date, there are some things that we think contribute to this addiction sensation. First? Of course because he is a multiplayer game that contains 100 people at the same time, in a vast arena. That not only is the concept of an open world that opens up opportunities for so many strategies and movements, but because a battle scenario of 100 people will never produce the same experience from one battle to another. What you get, like so many other competitive multiplayer games, is a game that never feels the same, however much you try.
Bluehole Studio also makes this game has a reward mechanism that feels more valuable than the punishment you should bear. The only punishment you have to "bear" after death is shame and regret that you are not careful, that's all. You can go directly to the main Lobby (either solo or Squad) or watch your friend's action and chat (Duo / Squad) after being killed. If you want to proceed directly to the next game that servers now support for different regions to ensure a faster and solid multiplayer experience, you can do so. And during this process, how bad your performance is, you will still be "rewarded" with a number of in-game currencies that can be used to purchase lootboxes that contain a variety of cosmetic items that can be used. The good news? Bluehole is also quite "generous" to distribute the lootbox.
High reward and minimal punishment keep you coming back.
How did you end up dead? The "Death Cam" feature finally arrives at this 1.0 feature.
The presence of feature 1.0 also adds some extra functions that make this experience more interesting. First? Is Death Cam. No longer have to mess around with a sense of how you ended up dead and who actually took your life, "Death Cam" will show the action clearly. For you who want to record it for example, this game also provides Replay feature which will automatically record your last moment for you to download.
It also offers enough space to strengthen and refine your abilities.
But above all these facts, is the feeling that you always have room to grow and learn from each of your mistakes that keep you wanting to go back to PUBG. That there is so much room for applying various strategies, learning to control the bullet path you shoot, learn more effectively to collect loot at the beginning, learn to determine timings when to run or wait, or just to test your luck drop in the next battle. With a minimal punishment system and high rewards, there is no reason to continue to jump back, back, and back. And so far, he ended up being an effective strategy.
Fantastic Audio Design
Not only is it a hint, the audio system and the silence that makes the playing experience more intense.
If there is one thing that we think deserves a thumbs up and often fails to talk about by many as one of PUBG's charms is its fantastic audio design. Like most games, many gamers may be more tempted to talk about implementing Unreal Engine 4 as a base that feels more optimal in the final version - 1.0 when compared to the Early Access version, for example. In fact, audio plays a role that is so important in this game.
As a competitive multiplayer game that carries a massive arena with no clear clue where your opponents move, hide, and act, for example, audio is the only clue you can take advantage of. Although accuracy about the sound of the weapon may still be questioned by some gamers, but these voices become a kind of marker and reminder, as well as clue for you to take the next maneuver. From just hearing gunshots and vehicles in the distance to get a picture of the source of potential threats, and then decide whether you should react or not, to just the sound of footsteps in a house that can clearly help you prepare for the enemy. Hearing and watching the sounds that appear throughout the game, will help you survive.
So from it anyway, a sensation that you rarely find in multiplayer-based action games surfaces. Situations where silence will make you hear more clearly the sound source and also the potential to react more quickly, resulting in an atmosphere of tension that will consistently be present. You will automatically try to stand up and move as quietly as possible to ensure that this audio clue is not missed or simply ignored, and ends up being one of the reasons why you are losing. When the silence arrives, when you can feel how your chest is trying to breathe in as hard as possible to notice the potential threats coming, when it also PUBG audio design stole your heart.
Need Completions!
Although optimization does feel better in the final version, but PUBG needs a lot of things to be improved and refined.
Of course, despite all the things he's offered in version 1.0 a week ago, PUBG itself is still not perfect. The good news? At least from the last few updates offered, the developers seem to understand that. They understand that this is the momentum of success that they should not underestimate. There was a gastric ball they had to keep on the field, requiring it never to touch the ground, no matter what. Keeping track of issues, bringing updates to patch, and also promising ongoing support in the coming years does reinforce a wave of optimism, that at least until there are more fantastic battle-royale games in the future, PUBG will last for a very long time.
So far, they did a fantastic job. Better optimization feels more significant than when in Early Access, complete with visual enhancements that also look much more modern and pamper the eyes, especially from the effects of existing environmental lighting. But it must be admitted, there are still many problems that still have to be taken seriously. Although we ourselves have never met directly, but reports about cheaters and bots continue to surface, threatening the preoccupation of playing gamers who are already dedicating their time to this one game. Active action is already done, but not enough. Server problems that still appear when in the crowded hours are also understandable, but not necessarily ignored. Following the popularity and money that keeps pouring in, PUBG has a tough job.
https://twitter.com/TheBattlEye/status/946407552778211328
- TheBattlEye
Hitbox that still feels inconsistent so one source of frustration for us.
But for us personally, if you have to choose one thing that is still disturbing the game is a hitbox problem that seems still not exactly consistent. That taking into account physics and distance though, bullets coming out of your muzzle can end up not generating any damage for no apparent reason. Though you've clearly placed this target behind your viewfinder with dozens of bullets sliding in a split second. Sometimes finding them safe and instead turning your kills is a pretty annoying experience. The need to simplify user-interface for faster inventory settings is also needed, given the diverse situations demanding that you react and act effectively within seconds.
Apart from these problems, seeing the commitment shown by Bluehole Studio, we ourselves believe that this one studio will not be crazy enough to leave PUBG just like that. Improvements and improvements in the future seem to be a sure thing. So the question now is what kind of profit-pulling method they will apply later, especially considering the release price of the final version that is retained the same as the Early Access version that is affordable. Will they sell Lootbox containing cosmetic items like DOTA 2 or Overwatch? Or will we deal with a paid Season system like Rainbow Six: Siege? Let's wait.
Conclusion
With an affordable price for a super popular game and capable of offering gameplay time from hundreds to thousands of hours without being easily repetitive, there's no reason not to glance at the phenomenal game with this amazing multiplayer experience.
So apart from all the imperfections that are still he stretcher, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds indeed deserve to appear as one of the phenomenal game in 2017 this year. That all the fantastic stats he's managed so far this year is the result of a solid combination of elements as an online-based multiplayer game, not just a matter of hype. A straightforward action game that asks you to survive and survive, in unequal battle situations, with such minimal punishment systems, addictive gameplay, lootbox systems containing only cosmetic items, and consistent update support. Reinforced at an affordable price, it's like a temptation that keeps calling your wallet to not just glance, but jump out and get into Steam to make it part of your game library in the end. It is a hype that is worth it.
However, PUBG remains an imperfect game. It will end up being a product that continues to evolve for Bluehole Studio to continue to be improved and developed in the future. But for now, there are some issues that are worth talking about, from server unpreparedness in peak hours, cheater problems that still continue to dominate the conversation, to what we feel directly - a hitbox that still can not be relied upon. There is also a significant problem on the content side that is currently still limited, although potentially, can continue to be developed to be a variety of extra fantastic content, from items to new gameplay modes.
With an affordable price for a super popular game and capable of offering gameplay time from hundreds to thousands of hours without being easily repetitive, there's no reason not to glance at the phenomenal game with this amazing multiplayer experience. Hopefully Bluehole Studio consistently maintains this momentum by continuing to engage the community for feedback itself.
Advantages
Beginner gamers who are just curious can even enjoy it directly as long as he is familiar with third person shooter game control scheme.
-The audio design is fantastic
-An exciting and thrilling multiplayer experience
-Straightforward
-It takes a strategy to win
-Lootbox contains only cosmetic items only
-The price is quite affordable
-Easy to master even beginner gamers
Deficiency
ni is a game that still needs a lot of improvement and refinement.
-There are still technical issues left
-Need a more accurate hitbox
Suitable for gamers: who have a reliable internet connection, need addictive multiplayer games
Not suitable for gamers: who want a realistic shooter experience, not happy with open battles across vast areas