Hard Reset Redux

I first heard of the original Hard Reset only about a year ago, and I played it for the first time only a couple of weeks ago. Don't know why I did not hear of it sooner; maybe I am 'old-school' but it is an excellent game. I find it innovative, a great shooter, with some strategic planning in it, more than later Doom games Others have compared it to negatively here. I find the levels not to be too repetitive or depressing either... I've had more fun playing this so-far, and am quite far into the Redux now, than I have had for a very long time. The regular price is more than fair, though I was given an unexpected discount when I ordered it here: THANKS GOG! Also, I did not get too far into the original version previously, as I just began when I purchased this version; but I am also somewhat fussy about graphics, especially in an upgraded version, and the 64 bit run direct from the folder or with a shortcut looks at least as good as the original... GOG'S launchers usually launch 32 bit I think, for compatibility or in case of retro and virtual systems, so they will launch. The 32 bit version Redux does look like crap actually on my 64 bit machine, but this is no problem with the x64 exe and runs very smoothly... Finally, the sound is also the best I have ever heard in any shooter; the immersion is amazing in every way. The game requires some exploration for nano for upgrades, but is not terribly difficult. It is not a rail-shooter, and not open-world, but falls neatly between the classic Dooms and Bioshock series, as Others have said, for what it does do; and I liked Doom and Bioshock, but not the story-line so much as this one, that's scifi: something like Deus Ex as a full-blown shooter. What's not to like?! Lol. So I HIGHLY recommend 'Hard Reset Redux' to anyone who likes great shooters -- this one IS.

I bought this mainly because I liked the Shadow Warrior Remake (2013) so much. Actually, to some degree, my expectations were fulfilled, as technically and game play wise, the games are quite similar. As with Shadow Warrior, the environment is destructible and can be used against your enemies. Controls work perfectly fine, weapons are diverse and fun, there is the right amount of secrets. Still, Hard Reset Redux is not nearly as good as Shadow Warrior. The whole story is bizarre and pointless, instead of pretty cut scenes you get weird comic style panels and suddenly the game is over without a real ending. Instead of diverse locations, it's more or less all the same dark dystopic alleys and factories. So yeah, you can play and enjoy it if your into old school shooters with modern graphics and it's not a bad game at all, but it's not really noteworthy either and just too short and generic to be a must have.

A simple, but exciting and energetic shooter that is perfect for relaxing after work, beautiful graphics and you don’t need an rtx 4090 to play the game as is now common with mediocre and crooked AAA companies. Buy and enjoy.

While it's not exactly Cyberpunk 2077 levels of visuals, I do think this is a game that does the general cyberpunk aesthetic well. It's generally fast-paced, has secrets (just opportunities for extra upgrade points), and has one of my favorite game features: permanent upgrades. If you played/like Shadow Warrior (2013), this has several similarities. The weapon system is also somewhat novel--depending how you count, it's 11 weapons (a sword, and then 2 weapons that each have 5 distinct modes, and most also have alternate fire modes to be purchased). The 2 main weapons (conventional rifle and plasma rifle) draw from separate ammo banks that are shared among each of the 5 configurations of that rifle. They're pleasant to look at, and I could probably watch the conventional rifle switching modes continuously and have fun on its own. There are some differences from Hard Reset: Extended on Steam, but nothing that would make me go back to that and its DRM. As others have pointed out, if you beat that version on Normal, you can tackle this one on Hard. The music slaps (or at least is setting-appropriate) throughout, but especially "Final Fight." The worst thing I can honestly say about this game also applies to Shadow Warrior (2013)--there are certain places, generally going down stairs or ramps, where if you sprint/dodge, you will fall enough to die instantly, while thinking "I could have survived that fall in *real* life!" If that's the worst thing I can say about it, I think it's done pretty damn well.

I bought the Disc release back in 2015 or so. Shortly after that, to support the developers, I bought the Steam version as well. However none of these versions supported my hardware fully and did not recognize my switchable GPU. So if you waned to run it on a Laptop that has dual GPUs it would always only detect the weaker Intel Graphics. That is a bug that fortunately got fixed in the Redux version. The savegame system is also much better now. If these things are important to you, then you should really only get Hard Reset Redux. It's a great game in both versions. Always loved this strong Blade Runner kind of atmosphere of the ingame world. Especially at the beginning.