GunZ 2: The Second Duel
- May 1, 2014
- Masangsoft
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"GunZ 2: The Second Duel is a fast-paced online action shooting game that offers complete freedom of movement, allowing players to climb walls and exploit the environment for tactical advantages. With unique classes, each featuring distinct passive and active skills, players can choose to become a silent assassin, a shielded roamer, or a flame-throwing devastator, creating a varied and dynamic combat experience."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- gameplay544 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Gunz: 2 has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over the removal of beloved mechanics from the original game, such as the k-style and various movement exploits that contributed to its competitive nature. While some appreciate the new graphics and smoother mechanics, others find the gameplay to be overly simplified and lacking depth, leading to a less engaging experience. Additionally, issues like poor matchmaking, lag, and a dwindling player base have further hindered the overall enjoyment of the game.
“Gunz:2 plays exactly how Masangsoft wanted the original Gunz to be played; you can tell as you play it, all the mechanics and buttons are tight and responsive, and it plays how Gunz 1 tutorial asks you to play.”
“The gameplay is great, really fast-paced and highly competitive; however, I have encountered some major problems.”
“The gameplay is super fun and the graphics are okay.”
“The gameplay itself is a poor version of what Gunz 1 had to offer; no k-style or any strategy whatsoever, just some mindless shooting and hack-slashing.”
“The very small popularity that the first one had was due to a unique type of gameplay called 'k-style' and they totally removed it; it's total garbage.”
“They have ruined the flow of the old gameplay and it is way slower paced.”
- graphics255 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players acknowledging a significant improvement over the original GunZ, featuring better character models and environments. However, some users criticize the graphics for being subpar compared to modern standards, with issues like lag and optimization problems on lower-end PCs. Overall, while the visuals are generally appreciated, they are often overshadowed by gameplay concerns and a lack of player engagement.
“The graphics are amazing and I love the character complex themes.”
“The game has clean mechanics in multiplayer, better graphics, and faithfully recreated the beloved castle/church map of the first game.”
“The graphics, music, content, gameplay love it so far.”
“The graphics are not great even on the best settings, yet they are drastically different on high than the low setting which is, in all honesty, an affront to the eyes.”
“The game looks way worse than the original GunZ game graphic-wise and play-wise.”
“Despite how well GunZ 2 is by itself, I would really recommend picking up M20 Gaming's private server for the first game, since it's the most vanilla to the original and if you can handle old graphics you'll get a better playing experience.”
- story183 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the attempt to introduce a narrative and campaign mode, while others criticize it for being lackluster and unbalanced. Many users miss the engaging quest system from the original game, feeling that the new missions are repetitive and overly reliant on microtransactions for revives. Overall, while the story mode offers some enjoyable moments, it is often overshadowed by gameplay issues and a desire for more depth and variety.
“From the second I completed the first story mission, I was in love.”
“The story mode missions give you a finite amount of respawn tokens, which adds a layer of challenge and strategy to the gameplay.”
“The campaign has an acceptable story for a competitive TPS but could have had more.”
“The player models are already made, the story is written, and a linear path is already set for you to just follow.”
“The 'story' mode also seemed kind of... umm 'crappy' for lack of a better word.”
“The npcs in story mode seem to kill you in one or two hits, which I feel is a load of crap.”
- stability101 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with many users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and lag issues that significantly hinder gameplay. While some players appreciate the unique mechanics that arose from the original game's glitches, the sequel's attempt to eliminate these has led to a frustrating experience, with frequent crashes and matchmaking problems. Overall, the game is seen as unstable and in need of substantial improvements to reach a playable state.
“Apart from a smooth, bug-free engine, a good storyline and plot, why does anyone play video games?”
“I admit that it is bug-free (so no K-style or butterfly techniques).”
“Game doesn't even work; not only is it dead with not a single active person, but you try to run solo quests and it glitches out and doesn't even let you progress.”
“This game is a really buggy and bad rip-off of the original GunZ: The Duel.”
“It's a buggy, sloppy, laggy mess of a game and will probably be dead within half a year in its current state.”
- music55 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its catchy and modern style, particularly during key moments like boss fights, while others find it lacking compared to the original game's soundtrack. Many appreciate the audio's fit with the gameplay, though some criticize the repetitiveness and limited variety, especially in menu tracks. Overall, while the soundtrack has its fans, it does not universally meet the expectations set by its predecessor.
“I will give this game the soda boy's approval stamp and all I have to say is that when you fight the final boss, the music is so catchy that I had to illegally download the soundtrack for the game so that I can listen to it.”
“The music has a very modern style to it, a mix of club and hard rock music, depending on the level.”
“Overall, I would say the audio is appropriate - the audio fits the action, none of the sound effects are too jarring or badly sampled, the announcer is fun, and the music is pretty good.”
“The soundtrack is lacking.”
“It bears mentioning that the menu music is really annoying.”
“Music is bad; it still is early access, so I'm hoping it gets better, but right now it is total garbage!”
- optimization30 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received widespread criticism, particularly for its poor performance on lower-end systems and NVIDIA graphics cards, leading to significant lag and stuttering gameplay. Many players report that even high-end PCs struggle with frame rates and graphical fidelity, resulting in a lackluster experience reminiscent of older console games. While some acknowledge the potential for improvement in future updates, the current state of optimization is deemed unacceptable by a majority of users.
“My games always run smoothly.”
“Pretty awesome graphics, optimized performance.”
“Once the servers are optimized and people aren't forced to play this FPS at 250+ ping, the game will appeal to a much larger audience.”
“I can't recommend this game because it is poorly optimized for other GPUs.”
“The engine seems unoptimized, and the frames-per-second drop considerably even on high-end computers.”
“The game needs to be more optimized for lower-end PCs; it just isn't worth overdoing the graphics for the looks and nice effects if you don't have a nice PC.”
- grinding20 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
Players overwhelmingly criticize the grinding aspect of the game, describing it as excessively time-consuming and tedious, often requiring a significant investment of hours to achieve meaningful progress. While some appreciate the variety of gameplay modes and the potential for character upgrades, many feel that the grinding is not rewarding and can lead to frustration, with some suggesting that it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“This game is awful unless you can somehow stand grinding for 5 days to be even decent.”
“The grinding system just to pull this 'slot machine' is a time waster, and that's why I don't even bother.”
- humor18 mentions
- 89 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with players finding moments of amusement in quirky mechanics and absurd situations, such as fighting naked or encountering nostalgic bugs. However, many reviews highlight that the game's flaws, like complicated controls and game-breaking glitches, detract from the overall fun, leading to a lack of consistent enjoyment. While some aspects are funny, the overall experience is marred by issues that prevent it from being truly entertaining.
“The game is perfect and easy, funny to play with friends.”
“Though fighting naked is pretty funny.”
“Similarly hilarious, some of the miscellaneous items for sale - such as a hat that looks like a cat cutely perching on your head, ready to pounce - are exorbitantly expensive for a free-to-play game.”
“Not funny because it's not easy to play and not smooth in gameplay.”
“Not funny or amusing; the glitches are game-breaking.”
- monetization14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The monetization in Gunz 2 has been widely criticized for being excessively focused on microtransactions, with many players labeling it as predatory and a blatant cash grab. Users express frustration over the pay-to-win elements and the necessity to either spend money or invest significant time to remain competitive. While some appreciate the nostalgia and gameplay, the overwhelming presence of monetization detracts from the overall experience.
“Gunz 2 is an awesome thing to see due to nostalgia, and so far I've enjoyed it, but it suffers from an issue that all games suffer from nowadays: microtransactions in order to complete the game.”
“+ hardly pay to win and doesn't shove microtransactions in your face.”
“But the biggest crime is the predatory, greedy, manipulative, and disgusting microtransactions I've ever seen in a video game.”
“I don't want to take a shot at Korean free-to-play games, but this one is bad even by that standard. They don't even try to hide the fact it's just a cash grab attempt.”
“While the multiplayer mode is fairly solid, you're going to have a hard time trying to avoid the monetization in this game, which is very in your face.”
- character development9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the reviews highlight impressive character designs and graphics, with particular praise for the attention to detail in outfits and weapon designs. However, there is a notable limitation in character customization options, and while character development through upgrades and item acquisition is present, it diverges from traditional XP-based progression systems.
“Great graphics, amazing character design and voice acting, movement looks very realistic and fluid.”
“Character design, outfit design, and weapon design seem to have received a lot of attention this time around.”
“I only like the character design, and that's all.”
“As far as character design goes, there's very limited customization as opposed to GunZ: The Duel.”
“The character development and upgrades is a bit different and obviously there are ways to buy your better items if you want to, but the typical route of gaining XP from kills and getting gold will get you those items too.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is rated moderately high, with a score of 7.5/10, largely due to the diverse characters and classes that offer varied gameplay experiences. However, issues with the online host system can detract from the experience, leading to inconsistent playability. While the game has potential for fun, especially with friends, improvements are needed to enhance its overall enjoyment and stability.
“Replayability 7.5/10 - the game's different characters/classes vary so much that every time it's something different. Each person brings a different build to the table, forever changing, and forever being different.”
“One of the best games I've played in a while. No pay-to-win features, it gives bonus daily rewards and everything, providing gold ore and even premium chances. The campaign offers a lot of fun, featuring a lot of replayability with your friends, so far featuring 5 characters and still releasing a lot of content.”
“The game doesn't have official servers yet, but it chooses a host out of the players you're currently with, adding to the replayability experience.”
“I recommend Warframe over this one because the gameplay is much more engaging than this.”
“Once you get to level 20, the game becomes more enjoyable, but it heavily depends on having a good host due to the online host system.”
“Developers: if you want your game to be more replayable, I suggest implementing a system where players get three lives upon starting a quest, and revival coins are an additional feature.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a stark contrast in emotional experiences, with some players feeling overwhelmed and negatively impacted in various aspects of their lives due to the game's chaotic nature, while others describe it as a wholesome and enjoyable family experience. The emotional responses range from frustration and social isolation to joy and bonding, indicating a diverse impact on players' feelings.
“After playing this game for a little over a year, I can say that it has effectively ruined my life socially, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
“Very nice family fun wholesome video gaming experience.”
“The fighting was very chaotic, seeing people stun locking each other and spamming... which made me feel overwhelmed.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in GunZ 2 is described as stunning, enhanced by great looped music, though some players feel it lacks the essence of the original GunZ. Despite some combat issues, the overall experience remains enjoyable.
“The atmosphere is just stunning; the looped music is great, and the 'press any key to continue' phrase is written in a crisp typeface.”
“Other than some combat issues and an overall lack of atmosphere, GunZ 2 does not feel at all like GunZ 1. I admit it was still really fun to play.”
