
We've been pretty excited for Necromunda: Hired Gun since its reveal. While it's only being developed by a small team, the scale seemed impressive and the combat had us intrigued. Our review code came through yesterday on the game's launch and we're sad to say that it's probably best avoiding this one - for now at least.
While we're still working on bringing you a review in the near future, we have to talk about the game's issues, namely with its performance. We're currently playing through the game on Xbox Series X and it's borderline unplayable with a strange frame rate issue that is plaguing every level. Interestingly, we were told ahead of playing the game that the game's performance may be pretty low on some missions, but so far it's been every single one.
The game is expected to run at 60FPS, and for the most part it does that. A handy FPS counter can be enabled in the game, which shows the frame rate jumping between 55-60FPS at any given moment. Yet, while it's running at 60FPS, it also looks as though it's hitting 30FPS. It's a weird issue to explain, but it gives every frame a sense of jankiness and a sense that the environment is vibrating. Having the two frame rates clash can be pretty nauseating, especially for those who are susceptible to motion sickness.
Here's an example below which shows the issue in action. It's best seen towards the end when looking at a chest. It's as if you can see every frame in action instead of it being smoothed out.
A patch has been promised "very soon", but it still begs the question as to why the game was launched in this state. A physical release of the game isn't intended to arrive until the end of June, and we'd like to hope the issues are resolved and printed on the discs for those who may not have access to the internet.
It seems to be an issue with the frame pacing rather than the frame rate, and speaking to our friends over at Push Square who are also playing the game, they've also ran into consistent issues regarding FPS. The user reviews on the Xbox Store are filled with players claiming they've demanded a refund as they've been hit by similar issues. Players have also shared the same sentiment on social media, so it seems to be a pretty universal issue.
As it stands, we can't in good consciousness recommend picking up Necromunda: Hired Gun until there's some evidence of change. It's a shame, as buried underneath the performance problems seems to be a game that's genuinely fun. It's a bit janky, but it's important to remember it's not a AAA release. The shooting feels like it could do with some tightening, but all the elements are there for a pretty fun ride. Unfortunately, it's stuck in a state of being migraine inducing with its staggering frame rate, making it a game to avoid picking up at launch.
Have you picked up Necromunda: Hired Gun already and ran into any issues? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments 17
Thought about picking this up with my rewards credit glad I didn’t now! I’ve only recently started Doom Eternal so seems like too similar of a game(that was never going to live up to id’s god tier FPS with or without performance issues!) to pick up.
Nearly preordered this, glad I didn’t now. May still get it once it’s been patched and the price drops.
Imagine a world where you but a product and it's actually in the final state and ready for use. Crazy i know. Do we need to go back to cartridge games to fix this?
@Krzzystuff There are still a few games and studios that launch in a mostly finished state but these are no longer the norm sadly.
@Deadcow people need to stop with the pre orders. Let them show you the game first before they get a sniff at your cash. They need to earn it and it seems that many are forgetting that. Just cuz you're making a game doesn't mean you deserve money.
If necessary stagger the realease. If it works on PC and you need to gat cash flow launch that first and the launch the console version once it's ready. It will likely hurt sales a bit in the end but a lot less than what the current state will hurt them.
Wish I had known this before buying the game. Gameranx on YouTube did a before you buy segment, and it looked like an interesting game. After firing up the game on my Xbox Series X it was clear there was a serious problem; aiming is horrible and it feels weird to play. Hopefully this issue gets fixed soon as I am not eligible for a refund.
The frame stuttering is terrible on Series S
I had to stop playing the game after about 40 minutes as I was feeling sick.
I'll have to wait for a patch until I try this again
I was able to get a refund this morning. Glad I dodged that bullet.
I mean, it's Streumon. I expected some level of Eurojank from one of their games.
There's little things in a bunch of places, but the worst part is definitely how it gets pretty framey in places seemingly at random. That's just.... I mean, I'm not a fps wh*re by any means (ffs, I grew up with an N64. You're gonna have to be PRETTY TERRIBLE nowadays to be notable. Like "worse than Goldeneye" levels of terrible, lol), but it is annoying how it just shifts into "horrible stutter" and pops back out into "smooth sailing" with no predictibility. Especially since that kind of thing can cause some people mild motion sickness or headaches.
Still having a fun time with it on my XB1s after adjusting some aim settings at least, but I do hope they iron out the issues sooner rather than later since a) fast & arcadey FPS games should have smooth action, b) this kind of thing always puts off way too many gamers from buying and c) no game - especially AA releases - need this kind of thing.
One S user here, and boy is it a mess. I've had the game freeze for five seconds or longer during intense sequences, not to mention frequent stuttering and frames being all over the place. Also, the resolution will drop down so low in some menus with no action going on that the text becomes literally unreadable, and I'm not being hyperbolic.
That being said, the game does look rather nice at times and I've been having fun with it anyway. Can't wait for a patch, though.
@ultraviolet gah you made it that long? I made it to the first firefight right after you open that chest and I couldn’t do it. I’m also on series s and it wasn’t an instant nope and they didn’t even argue the refund, gave it instantly lol.
@GreyGhost117 I like the game, so I'll wait until it's running smoothly and give it another go
@ultraviolet I liked what I saw in previews and all that so I’ll wait until it’s fixed and try it again. I don’t mind waiting. If it was anything but frame rate issues I would have kept playing, but that stuff gives me the worst headaches now.
"Having the two frame rates clash can be pretty nauseating,..."
In every sense of the word. Necromunda, why do you have to be like this? 🤨
@Krzzystuff How would cartridges fix this?
@gingataisen you have to have a finished product....you can't patch it so no launching half baked games
@Krzzystuff You can on Switch.
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