Concord Review

Summary

Concord, a sci-fi hero shooter from Sony, offers charming characters and solid class-based gunplay, despite a lack of innovation. With a roster of 16 unique characters, each with their own weapons and abilities, it provides enjoyable gameplay. However, it suffers from a generic selection of game modes and a weak narrative. The competitive playlist 'Rivalry' and character variants add depth, but the game could benefit from a more engaging story and distinctive game modes to set it apart in the genre.

Takeaways

• 🎮 Concord is a sci-fi competitive hero shooter from Sony that plays it safe with charming characters and beautiful cutscenes.
• 🔍 Despite the lack of innovation, Concord is enjoyable with its class-based, gunplay that is rock solid and carries the game.
• 🎯 The game features a variety of game modes including Deathmatch, Trophy Hunt, and Clash Point, but lacks novelty.
• 👥 Each of the 16 characters has unique strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities, offering a diverse roster.
• 🔧 The weapon selection is limited but finely tuned, ensuring each weapon feels responsive and distinct.
• 🎖️ Rivalry mode in Concord encourages players to master multiple characters by not allowing the same character to be used in consecutive wins.
• 🌟 Character variants with unique perks and appearances add depth and strategy to the gameplay.
• 📚 The game's story is underdeveloped with only two cutscenes and a reliance on drip-fed lore through the Galactic Guide.
• 🗺️ The 12 designed maps are well-crafted with complex pathing and varied environments, though some are larger than necessary for 5v5 combat.
• 🚀 Concord has potential to become a standout hero shooter with its solid FPS gameplay, but currently lacks a signature game mode and a compelling story.

Q & A

What is the game 'Concord' described in the script?

Concord is a sci-fi competitive hero shooter developed by Sony, featuring charming characters, beautiful cutscenes, and ability-based PvP combat.

How does the gameplay of Concord differ from other hero shooters?

Concord's gameplay is characterized by its class-based gunplay, a diverse roster of characters with unique abilities, and a competitive playlist called 'Rivalry' that encourages players to master multiple characters.

What are the different game modes available in Concord?

Concord offers game modes such as standard Deathmatch, Trophy Hunt (a kill confirmed mode), and Clash Point (a zone control mode), although the script notes that these modes lack novelty.

How does the 'Rivalry' mode in Concord work?

In 'Rivalry' mode, players are not allowed to select the same character again if they win a round, encouraging the use of a minimum of four different characters over a best-of-seven match series.

What is the significance of character variants in Concord?

Character variants in Concord come with a unique perk and altered appearance, offering slightly different gameplay experiences and allowing players to use the same character in multiple rounds for strategic variety.

How does the script evaluate the weapon selection in Concord?

The script praises the weapon selection for being slim yet responsive and finely tuned, with each character having one or two options that feel unique and distinct.

What is the script's opinion on the originality of Concord's characters?

The script finds the characters in Concord to be immediately charming and well-balanced, with compelling powers, although it notes that not all characters feel original.

How does the script describe the maps in Concord?

The script describes the maps as well-designed, featuring complex pathing and varied terrain that requires learning and strategy, although some maps are noted to be larger than ideal for 5v5 combat.

What is the script's critique regarding the story and narrative in Concord?

The script criticizes the lack of in-game storytelling, noting that the game relies on short snippets of lore and cutscenes to develop its narrative, which it finds to be a poor substitute for a more immersive story experience.

What does the script suggest as areas for improvement in Concord?

The script suggests that Concord needs a more engaging story and a signature game mode to set it apart from other hero shooters, as well as more content to support its live service evolution.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 'Concord' - A Solid Hero Shooter with Charming Characters

Concord, a sci-fi hero shooter from Sony, offers a safe yet enjoyable gaming experience with charming characters and beautiful cutscenes. Despite a lack of innovation, it excels in class-based gunplay, making it fun to play. The game features a standard deathmatch, trophy hunt, and clash point modes, all of which are familiar but well-executed. The weapon selection is limited but finely tuned, and each character's abilities are diverse and well-balanced. The game introduces a competitive playlist called 'Rivalry' that encourages players to master multiple characters by not allowing the same character to be used in consecutive rounds. This mechanic promotes team communication and strategy. However, the game's story is underdeveloped, with only two cutscenes and a reliance on external lore snippets, which may not be enough to engage players in the long term.

05:02

🌌 'Concord' - Maps and Modes Review

While Concord's game modes lack originality, its maps are well-designed and offer a variety of environments that require strategic gameplay. The maps feature complex pathing, cover mechanics, and unique routes that cater to different character abilities. However, some maps are larger than necessary for 5v5 combat, leading to longer respawn times. The game's modes, such as 'Signal Hunt' and 'Area Control', are generic but not unenjoyable. The game's character variants, which can be unlocked by completing objectives, offer minor changes that provide additional combat options. Despite the lack of a compelling narrative and a need for a signature game mode, Concord's strong FPS gameplay and character design make it a promising title in the hero shooter genre. The game's future success will depend on its live service evolution and the introduction of more engaging content.

Keywords

💡Concord

Concord is the main subject of the video, a sci-fi competitive hero shooter game from Sony. It is characterized by its safe approach to the genre, featuring charming characters and beautiful cutscenes. The term is used throughout the script to discuss the game's mechanics, modes, and characters. It's highlighted as a game that, despite not offering much in terms of innovation, is enjoyable to play due to its class-based gunplay and well-rounded characters.

💡Hero Shooter

A hero shooter is a genre of multiplayer video games where players control a character with unique abilities, typically in team-based competitive gameplay. The video discusses Concord as a contender within this genre, emphasizing its gameplay elements such as class-based Gunplay and the use of special abilities by characters. It compares Concord to other hero shooters and discusses how it fits within the genre's conventions.

💡Cutscenes

Cutscenes are short animated sequences used to advance the narrative or provide background information in a video game. The script mentions that Concord features 'Gob smackingly beautiful cutscenes' which serve to render the characters charming but also highlights an inconsistency where characters fight in the game despite being allies in these cutscenes.

💡Class-based Gunplay

Class-based gunplay refers to a game mechanic where players choose from a set of predefined character classes, each with distinct weapons and abilities. The video praises Concord for its class-based gunplay, noting that it 'overwhelmingly Nails' this aspect, providing a rock-solid foundation for the game. It mentions that each character has a unique set of weapons and abilities that feel responsive and well-balanced.

💡Game Modes

Game modes are the different ways a game can be played, each with its own rules and objectives. The script discusses Concord's game modes, such as Deathmatch, Trophy Hunt, and Clash Point, but criticizes them for being 'by the numbers' and lacking novelty. It contrasts this with the game's strong character design and gunplay, suggesting that the game modes do not live up to the potential of the characters.

💡Rivalry

Rivalry is a competitive playlist in Concord that introduces a unique twist to the hero shooter genre. As described in the script, in Rivalry, players are not allowed to select the same character again if they win a round, encouraging the use of a variety of characters and promoting team communication. This mechanic is highlighted as a novel aspect of Concord that sets it apart from other games in the genre.

💡Character Variants

Character variants are slightly different versions of existing characters with unique perks and altered appearances. The video explains that these variants can be unlocked by completing specific objectives during matches, offering players more options in combat and a way to personalize their gameplay experience. Variants are counted as separate characters in Rivalry, adding depth to the game's competitive aspect.

💡Narrative

Narrative refers to the story or plot of a game. The script points out that Concord lacks a strong narrative, with only two cutscenes to provide lore. It discusses how the game's strategy is to slowly reveal story snippets over time, which the reviewer finds insufficient, especially given the potential of the characters. The lack of narrative is presented as a missed opportunity to enhance the game's immersive quality.

💡Maps

Maps in a video game refer to the virtual environments where gameplay takes place. The script praises Concord's maps for their design, mentioning that they feature 'lots of zigs and zags,' cover mechanics, and complex pathing that requires learning. It also notes that some maps are larger than necessary for 5v5 combat, which can lead to delays in getting back into the action after respawning.

💡Live Service

A live service game is a type of video game that is continuously updated and supported with new content over time, often after the initial release. The video suggests that Concord, as a live service game, has the potential to grow and improve, with the reviewer expressing hope that future updates will address the game's current shortcomings, such as the lack of a signature game mode and a more engaging narrative.

Highlights

Concord is a sci-fi hero shooter from Sony with charming characters and beautiful cutscenes.

The game's class-based gunplay is rock solid, making it enjoyable to play.

Concord features a variety of game modes, though they lack novelty.

Each character in Concord has unique strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities.

The game's weapon selection is limited but finely tuned, offering a responsive feel.

Concord's characters are balanced and diverse, with abilities that change combat dynamics.

The competitive playlist 'Rivalry' forces players to use different characters, promoting strategy and team communication.

Character variants in Concord offer unique perks and appearances, adding depth to gameplay.

Concord's story is minimal, with only two cutscenes and a focus on drip-feeding lore.

The game's maps are well-designed with complex pathing and varied terrain.

Concord's lack of a signature game mode is a missed opportunity to stand out in the genre.

Despite a non-existent story, Concord's PVP gameplay is engaging and enjoyable.

The game has potential to grow with a live service roadmap and additional content.

Concord is recommended for those interested in hero shooters, despite its current shortcomings.

Transcripts

new signal zone

unlock grab a copy of OverWatch off some

dusty GameStop shelf and rub it under

the musky armpit of the Guardians of the

Galaxy's Peter Quill and you might have

something close to the feeling of

Concord as competitive hero Shooters go

this sci-fi Contender from Sony plays it

quite

safe complete with immediately Charming

characters rendered in Gob smackingly

beautiful cutcenes and ability based p

VP combat that never addresses why those

characters are fighting one another when

they're clearly allies in said cutscenes

but just because it doesn't offer much

in the way of innovation doesn't mean

Concord isn't fun to

play I've sunk over 40 very enjoyable

hours into the sweaty shooter and it

overwhelmingly Nails its class-based

Gunplay that rock solid foundation

certainly carries it quite a long way

but with only a few by the numbers game

modes and no killer features to shake up

the genre it's still has a lot of

growing to do during its live service

Evolution you and your squad will form a

five-person team of superpowered

characters each with their own unique

strengths weaknesses and special

abilities and then bring them to Bear

against an opposing team in a variety of

formulate game modes those include a

standard Deathmatch mode the best of the

best right here a kill confirmed Mode

called trophy

hunt and a Zone control Mode called

Clash point to name a few none of which

possess even the slightest hint of

novelty but being overly familiar isn't

necessarily a bad thing if you've got

best-in-class Gunplay and awesome

characters with compelling powers to

back it up and boy Concord has got both

of those down

packed Concord sagely keeps its weapon

selection very slim with just one or two

options given to each character by

default and no way to cust I that but

the upshot here is that every single

weapon feels incredibly responsive and

finely tuned and no two characters have

weapons that feel at all similar the

arena controlling old lady Duchess

wields the submachine gun that's

devastating at close range while the

sneaky and tactical Veil mostly relies

on this long rrange sniper rifle to take

out enemies from

afar while not all of these Larger than

Life Brawlers clicked with me

immediately like cleaning robot one off

in his vacuum based weapons that push

and pull both enemies and gunfire around

the map or baz and her knife throwing in

melee focused ways but given enough time

with each of them I was able to

appreciate and even develop an affinity

4 this incredibly balanced and diverse

roster of

characters all 16 options feel really

good to use once you figured out their

tricks and combining them with the four

other characters on your team to serve a

specific purpose whether it be

charitable support character DPS king or

damage absorbing tank is a a lot of fun

to play around with few more happy

customers similarly the abilities that

complement their weapons are fantastic

diverse and have very generous cooldowns

completely changing the way combat plays

out depending on which character you're

playing as the floating Fireball

chucking heyar can blind opponents for a

period of time and make them pay for

standing in the same spot too long while

the rampaging ogre Starchild can close

distances quickly with his charging

attack and smash the ground to do heavy

damage around him not all characters

feel quite as original like how ta Teo

is the world's most generic Soldier and

comes equipped with a smoke grenade and

cluster grenade as his two Powers but

those Bland options are few and far

between plus they serve as an easy

starting point for

newcomers learning each character using

their abilities to counter the team comp

of your opponents and juggling the

madness on the battlefield with

top-notch Gunplay was just as fun in my

first match as it was in my 30th and I

certainly can't say I felt that way

about most hero Shooters I've spent time

with ah look at us go don't stop now

you'll have to get comfortable with the

roster 2 because one of the few novel

twists conqueror brings to the genre is

the way its competitive playlist called

rivalry works unlike the Casual

playlists where you can choose whichever

character you please so long as someone

else on your team hasn't already

selected it in rivalry you cleverly

aren't allowed to select the same

character again if you win around while

using them yes indeed since matches go

to the best of seven rounds that means

winning one will push you to get outside

of your comfort zone and use a minimum

of four different characters not only is

this a neat way to force people to

master more than just one or two options

it also encourages communication with

your team between rounds to ensure

you've got proper coverage to play out

whatever strategy you're trying to pull

off as your options get Slimmer that

choice is supported by another

interesting Wrinkle In concord's

character variance slightly different

versions of existing characters that

come with a unique perk and an altered

appearance which can be unlocked by

completing specific objectives during

matches for example the Gunslinger

Lennox can normally reload his weapon by

dodging while the variant you can unlock

for him loses that ability but gets more

ammo for all of his weapons instead

though each variant offers mostly minor

changes they definitely provide a

meaningful thing to chase that offers

more options in combat perhaps more

importantly they also give you the

opportunity to fudge the numbers a bit

in rivalry since variants count as

separate characters on your crew and

therefore let you play as the same

characters in multiple rounds with 16

likable characters front and center

you'd think story would be a major Focus

but sadly this is an area that's

woefully lacking with just two cutcenes

right now to flesh out small bits of

lore concord's strategy is to slowly

drip feed players with short Snippets of

story over a long period of time now

let's establish Roots glass subsidized

by the galactic guide a matap filled

with nodes where you can read about the

locations and characters I've spent a

fair bit of time scrolling through the

sizable library of short descriptions

and though much of It is Well written

it's a pretty poor substitute for

in-game storytelling that I worry won't

come often enough to keep me invested

great characters squandered by a

complete lack of narrative is basically

a Hallmark of the hero shooter genre at

this point but it definitely doesn't get

any easier to swallow that especially

bitter pill if developer firewalk sticks

with building out the Galaxy over time

it could end up being a major draw but

for now it's extremely thin and also

quite disconnected from the PVP action

you spend all your time with and a

pretty big waste of a cast that has lots

of potential set your

expectations low concord's game modes

are much less inspired than its

characters as well of the six currently

available none of them possess more than

a modum of originality for example

signal Hunt is a king of the hill mode

where you fight to control one spot on

the map until it moves elsewhere and

area control is well a Zone control mode

where you fight over control of three

static zones I'm just getting warmed up

while none of these milk toast ideas are

especially offensive it certainly

highlights a major issue with Concord a

lack of any signature game mode that

sets this hero shooter apart from the

other options out

there love it or hate it overwatches

spin on its iconic escort mode made it a

defining selling point even if that idea

was admittedly borrowed from Team

Fortress 2 before it meanwhile Concord

has a handful of the world's most

generic modes I intrinsically understood

and was preemptively bored by before I

even played them that's a pretty big

Miss for a hero shooter that already

badly lacks ways it sets itself

apart the 12 designed Maps shake out a

lot better than the Bland game modes

though and I largely enjoy running

around concord's Arenas with which

feature lots of zigs and zags cover

mechanics complex pathing that require

spending time learning the map and some

routes that only more mobile characters

can easily reach due to the pretty

intense Heights the vast majority of the

stages

reach on the water loged planet of

Leviathan you'll fight inside of giant

dead sea creatures in the water hazard

map and battle through labyrinthine

hallways in the shock risk map while on

the dying planet of a car you'll blast

enemies to bits as you dance around the

skeletal REM s of some long forgotten

Kaiju really my only issue is that some

of these maps are a tad larger than 5v5

combat calls for and that means it can

take quite a long time to get back in

the action after each respawn aside from

that though I've had a great time

figuring out the best paths and team

strategies across each

Arena Concord isn't the most Innovative

or content heavy hero shooter you could

play but with such fantastic competitive

gameplay 16 compelling characters to

master and 12 well-designed Maps it's

got the makings of something that could

go the distance in the months and years

to

come in fact it's a testament to its FPS

chops that even while it has a virtually

non-existent story and a serious need

for a signature game mode I still found

myself losing dozens of hours to its PVP

charms hopefully the live service road

map will do its thing and show this

promising shooter the love it needs to

become something truly special but right

now it's at least good enough for me to

recommend trying

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