Xenus 2: White gold
- November 30, 2016
- Deep Shadows
A victim of its own ambition, White Gold tries too much, and falls apart with bugs aplenty. Its real pretty though.
Get on SteamXenus 2: White Gold is an open-world shooter taking place in a vast Tatar society in Central Asia. As a former Spetsnaz operative, players must complete missions, gather resources, and navigate the political landscape to uncover a conspiracy. Gameplay includes tactical combat, vehicle usage, and various side activities such as hunting and horse racing.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique open-world experience with a variety of quests and factions, allowing players to explore and engage in different ways.
- Despite its bugs and rough edges, many players find the game to be incredibly fun and memorable, often comparing it favorably to more polished titles like Far Cry.
- The game features a diverse array of weapons and vehicles, along with a deep relationship system between factions that adds depth to the gameplay.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and technical issues, including crashes, corrupted saves, and audio problems, which can significantly hinder the experience.
- Players often find the controls and user interface to be clunky and unintuitive, making basic actions frustrating and cumbersome.
- The game's graphics and animations are considered subpar, with many textures being low resolution and overall visual quality being inconsistent.
- story33 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a mix of engaging side quests and a main narrative that some players found lacking in depth and coherence, often hindered by bugs and translation issues. While the open-world design allows for exploration and interaction with numerous NPCs, many users reported broken quests and frustrating gameplay mechanics that detracted from the overall experience. Despite these flaws, the charm of the story and the variety of quests can still provide enjoyment for those willing to navigate the game's janky execution.
“The main story is not that long and one could be done with it in about 10 hours, but there are lots of various side quests which help build relations with factions and, of course, give rewards. The best thing is that they make you explore the whole beautiful world, for which you can use cars, quads, boats, planes, and helicopters.”
“There are plenty of NPCs in this game to talk to, whether they have a side quest or are just there to chat.”
“The game is janky and the story doesn't make that much sense with broken translations, but it's all part of the charm.”
“I would've liked to call it a game but this thing contains so many bugs that ruin the story missions, virtually making the game unplayable.”
“And the English translations sometimes are so confusing and hilarious that you just give up trying to understand what they're saying when they're giving you the missions.”
“Having a main story quest tied to an upgrade you're supposed to get sucks.”
- stability16 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- -12 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its severe stability issues, with players reporting numerous bugs, audio glitches, corrupted saves, and broken quests that significantly hinder gameplay. While some appreciate the game's ambition and uniqueness, the overwhelming consensus is that the multitude of glitches makes it nearly unplayable, overshadowing any potential enjoyment. Overall, it is described as a "buggy mess" that lacks the necessary polish to be considered a stable gaming experience.
“I believe too much emphasis is placed on bugs. I would rather play ambitious, fun, and unique titles like this one, even if they have some issues, than the generic, relatively bug-free but bland games that are released these days.”
“The game runs smoothly without any major issues, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the experience.”
“I've encountered very few bugs, and the overall stability of the game enhances my enjoyment.”
“However, this game is now a buggy mess on new rig.”
“First, lots of users experience obnoxious audio glitches that might as well make the game unplayable.”
“In addition to it, I also got a large bouquet of various other glitches and errors during playthrough, whole list of which won't fit even on the toilet paper roll, but most memorable were: corrupted saves, broken quests, special conditions which screw up whole quest line, inability of the game to clear cache and crashes as a result.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of enjoyable mechanics, tactical shooting, and an open-world environment that encourages strategic mission planning. However, it is marred by numerous technical issues, including bugs and crashes, which detract from the overall experience. While the RPG elements and diverse factions add depth, some players find the gameplay repetitive and the transport physics lacking.
“This is a very enjoyable mechanic and makes you carefully consider the order in which you do missions.”
“8 different factions conflicting with each other, which you can work for, decent RPG system with NPC conversations and interesting leveling system, great shooting gameplay that doesn’t let you be a one-man army and implies a tactical approach, plus an open world of 20x20 km of South American jungles, several types of firearms, and nearly all kinds of military vehicles.”
“The gameplay is an open-world combo of RPG/FPS which I think works perfectly here.”
“Despite countless gameplay bugs, it probably crashes your PC on launching.”
“Well, first of all, some gameplay solutions are questionable. Guns perform quite the same, there are a lot of the same assets on the map, and transport physics are mediocre, but the main big problem is the bugs.”
“Contains technical problems such as game errors, crashing, and gameplay errors in terms of objectives.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the stunning visuals at higher resolutions, particularly in tropical settings, while others criticize the less polished character models and animations. Many users note graphical glitches and bugs, which detract from the overall experience, and express disappointment with limited graphical options compared to previous titles. Overall, while there are moments of beauty, the graphics are seen as inconsistent and in need of improvement.
“It can look pretty gorgeous played at 4K resolution with HDR, and the stunning tropical locations enhance the visuals significantly.”
“The graphics, the story, the characters, and the voice acting are all a lot better than Cyberpunk 2077 and Last of Us 2 combined. 10/10.”
“World graphics look good, although the human models and textures could use improvement.”
“Voice acting in the first cut scene was just bad, but it did make me laugh. World graphics look good, but human models and textures are not so good. Gameplay was also not great; something felt off with the gunplay, and having no sound effects did not help.”
“The graphic settings are also less than the original; you have no options in-game to turn off bloom or motion blur.”
“Driving is a little bit clunky, and the map is just a static graphic with no way to zoom in and out.”
- humor11 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as quirky and creative, often reminiscent of a chaotic vacation vibe akin to GTA, with a mix of psychedelic experiences and absurd scenarios. Players find the janky translations and bizarre dialogues amusing, even if they can be confusing, contributing to the overall comedic charm of the game. Despite some rough edges, the humor is a standout feature that enhances the immersive experience.
“It is still janky and whatnot, but it does improve over Boiling Point and is just as hilarious as the last.”
“Imagine doing coke, getting high, having the psychedelic colors going on, and then going swimming in a cave... it's epic. Act like a tourist, do gang stuff... it's like GTA on vacation but more funny, quirky, and unique.”
“The writing has some funny stuff in there too.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality, with players noting that it enhances the exploration experience, particularly during daytime and nighttime. While it may not reach the iconic level of soundtracks like Skyrim, it still provides a captivating and immersive ambiance that contributes positively to the overall gameplay.
“The music in this game is fantastic; I wouldn't say it's 'Skyrim quality,' but it still holds some standards when you are exploring.”
“The daytime music gives it that beautiful ambience, just like Skyrim, when exploring the world.”
“The night time soundtrack, specifically the track 'From Past to Present,' is great as well.”
“In fact, the only good thing I can say about the driving is the music loop.”
“(specifically the soundtrack 'From Past to Present.') The nighttime soundtrack is great as well.”
“(specifically the soundtrack 'From Past to Present.') The nighttime soundtrack is great as well.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is notably lacking, particularly when running on older DirectX 9 technology, which struggles to support its ambitious design. Users recommend performance adjustment guides to improve the experience, highlighting a disconnect between the game's aspirations and its actual performance capabilities.
“This game is an excellent example of great ambitions, good ideas, low budget, and weak performance.”
“Yeah, now I have a much better PC, and it's clear that the optimization struggles are evident. Being on DirectX 9, it feels like the game is trying to do more than the old API can handle, similar to Crysis, for example.”
“I strongly suggest checking out this guide for adjusting performance settings and extras.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is noted for its unique features and distinctive setting, contributing to an engaging and immersive experience for players.
“The game has some unique features in terms of atmosphere and setting.”
“The immersive atmosphere draws you in and makes you feel part of the world.”
“The haunting soundtrack perfectly complements the eerie visuals, creating a captivating atmosphere.”
