Info about Quantum Break:

Official game description:
In the aftermath of a split second of destruction that fractures time itself, two people find they have changed and gained extraordinary abilities. One of them travels through time and becomes hell-bent on controlling this power. The other uses these new abilities to attempt to defeat him – and fix time before it tears itself irreparably apart. Both face overwhelming odds and make dramatic choices that will determine the shape of the future. Quantum Break is a unique experience; one part hard-hitting video game, one part thrilling live action show, featuring a stellar cast, including Shawn Ashmore as the hero Jack Joyce, Aidan Gillen as his nemesis Paul Serene and Dominic Monaghan as Jack’s genius brother William. Quantum Break is full of the vivid storytelling, rich characters and dramatic twists Remedy Entertainment are renowned for. Your choices in-game will affect the outcome of this fast-paced fusion between game and show giving the player a completely unique entertainment experience.  
FEATURES:  
• In-depth, fast-paced narrative experience crafted by Remedy Entertainment  
• Top quality live action show that is directly impacted by choices made in-game  
• Stellar cast of actors  
• One story told many ways  
• Time-amplified action gameplay  
• Navigate epic scenes of destruction as they skip and rewind in broken time

Release date: Sep 29, 2016

Categories: Third-Person Shooter, Story-driven Gameplay, Time Manipulation, Choice-based Narrative, Live-action Interactive Movie, Science Fiction, Action-Adventure

Feature scans:
- Proton/Linux: score 30; verdict: Minor Tweaks Required; summary: The game has some compatibility and performance issues on Linux, but these can be mitigated with specific tweaks such as using Proton GE and switching to Vulkan API or using DXVK. Overall, the game is playable on Linux with some adjustments.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The Steam Deck experience for this game is marred by several technical barriers. Key issues include the necessity of a stable internet connection for streaming live-action episodes, significant performance problems such as frame drops and stuttering, and the need for workarounds to achieve a smoother gameplay experience. Frame rate issues, particularly the game feeling locked at 30fps, are also a common complaint. Additionally, the integration of TV episodes within the game is poorly received, often leading users to seek alternative methods for viewing this content.

- Hardware Profile:
  - Summary: Performance varies significantly across hardware cohorts, with higher VRAM systems experiencing optimization issues and frame drops, while lower VRAM systems report a mix of satisfactory performance and visual issues.
  - Sample size: 46 (2% coverage)
  - Audience skew: Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
  - Windows 12-15GB VRAM (negative, 16 reports): Users report severe frame drops and optimization issues, particularly in later acts of the game.
  - Windows <8GB VRAM (positive, 15 reports): Users generally report satisfactory performance, though some mention visual issues like motion blur.
  - Windows 8-11GB VRAM (mixed, 11 reports): Performance is inconsistent, with some users experiencing frame drops and others finding the game runs well.
  - Caveats: 46 of 2549 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is mostly Windows-based.
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $7.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that while the game is considered worth it even at full price by some users, many others feel that a discounted price of around $7 to $15 is more appropriate. The game's short length and some of its flaws are often cited as reasons to wait for a sale. The frequent mentions of the game being worth it at around $8 on sale indicate that this is a commonly accepted fair price point among the community.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 9.0h
  - Story completion: 9.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes direct mentions of playtime. The first quote mentions 18 hours to get everything in the game, which suggests a longer playtime for completionists. The second quote implies a significant time investment in replaying and watching videos. The third and fourth quotes discuss the length of the game, with the fourth quote specifically mentioning 9 hours to complete the game. These quotes help to estimate the typical playtime for different types of players.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Quantum Break has a slow start with repetitive combat and poor gunplay mechanics, but the experience improves as players unlock more time-bending powers and get immersed in the story.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Unlocking time-bending powers
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive combat; Poor gunplay mechanics; Long loading screens; Interruptions by live-action episodes
  - Unlock drivers: Unlocking time-bending powers; Story immersion
  - Conditions: Focused gameplay; Exploration of narrative; Engagement with time powers
- Player Archetypes:
  - Story-Driven Shooter Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Engaging narrative and fluid gameplay
    - Playstyle: Enjoys linear but open exploration, appreciates unique mechanics like time travel.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: Remedy fan; shooter enthusiast
    - Reference games: Alan Wake; Control
  - Cinematic Experience Seeker (sale)
    - Motivation: Immersive cinematic experience
    - Playstyle: Prefers long cinematic sequences and stunning visuals, tolerates less emphasis on gameplay.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: movie buff; casual gamer
    - Reference games: Heavy Rain; Detroit: Become Human
  - Narrative Appreciator (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Compelling and well-paced narrative
    - Playstyle: Tolerates gameplay flaws for a compelling narrative, enjoys time travel and mystery elements.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: story lover; narrative enthusiast
    - Reference games: Life is Strange; Tell Me Why


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging sci-fi story with time travel (weight 0.64): The game features a captivating and complex sci-fi story with unique time-travel elements. Players appreciate the intriguing plot, solid characters, and well-blended storytelling.
- Impressive graphics and visuals (weight 0.54): The game is praised for its stunning visual effects, detailed environments, and high-quality graphics. The visual presentation is considered impressive and visually beautiful.
- Unique blend of gameplay and live-action (weight 0.53): The game innovatively combines gameplay with live-action TV episodes, creating a unique and engaging experience. This hybrid format is seen as a bold and exciting experiment.
- High-quality acting and characters (weight 0.3): The game features strong performances from a well-chosen cast, including familiar actors. The characters are compelling, charismatic, and well-developed.
- Enjoyable and fun combat (weight 0.22): Players find the combat system enjoyable and satisfying. The gameplay is described as fun and engaging, with a well-paced combat loop.
- Engaging live-action episodes (weight 0.21): The live-action episodes add depth and context to the game's lore. These high-quality episodes enhance immersion and provide a unique narrative experience.
- Time manipulation powers (weight 0.19): The time manipulation abilities are a standout feature, providing fun and unique gameplay mechanics. Players enjoy using these powers and find them amazing.
- Impactful player choices (weight 0.11): The game offers replay value through impactful player choices. Decisions made by players affect the story and endings, adding to the game's depth.

Common complaints:
- Clunky and unresponsive controls (weight 0.31): Many players reported issues with the game's controls, describing them as clunky, unresponsive, and poorly executed. This includes problems with movement, combat flow, and overall gameplay feel.
- Poor optimization and technical issues (weight 0.27): The game suffers from optimization issues, including poor performance, low FPS, and technical problems. These issues affect both gameplay and cutscenes.
- Repetitive gameplay elements (weight 0.22): Players noted that the gameplay can become repetitive, with similar tasks and scenarios repeated throughout. This includes both general gameplay and combat-specific repetitiveness.
- Aiming and shooting issues (weight 0.14): The game has problems with aiming and shooting mechanics, including inconsistent aim placement and simplistic shooting mechanics, which detract from the combat experience.
- Frequent and long cutscenes (weight 0.14): The game features frequent and long cutscenes, which can be tedious and disruptive to the gameplay flow. Some cutscenes also have slow loading times.
- Unsatisfactory and abrupt ending (weight 0.12): The ending of the game was described as unsatisfactory, abrupt, and leaving more questions than answers. Players felt it was not a fulfilling conclusion to the story.
- Minimal impact of player choices (weight 0.11): Players found that their choices had little impact on the game's ending or overall story. This limited the replayability and made the game feel less engaging.
- Poor PC port (weight 0.1): The PC port of the game was criticized for being poorly optimized and rushed, leading to various technical issues and bugs.
- Limited enemy variety (weight 0.1): The game features few enemy types, leading to repetitive combat scenarios. Enemies also lack tactical depth, making combat feel monotonous.
- Short game length (weight 0.09): Players noted that the game is relatively short, with a shorter gameplay duration than expected. This left some feeling that the game was not substantial enough.
- Difficulty spike in final boss (weight 0.08): Players experienced a massive difficulty spike during the final boss fight, making it frustrating and challenging compared to the rest of the game.

Gameplay feedback:
- Time travel mechanics central (weight 0.54): The game heavily features time travel and manipulation mechanics, including time-bending abilities for combat and puzzle-solving, as well as a narrative focused on temporal paradoxes.
- Live-action episodes integrated (weight 0.42): The game includes live-action episodes that are integrated with gameplay, creating a unique blend of interactive and passive storytelling.
- Choices affect narrative (weight 0.35): Player choices significantly impact the story and its outcomes, adding a layer of interactivity and replayability to the narrative.
- Story-driven and linear gameplay (weight 0.27): The gameplay is primarily linear and story-driven, with a strong narrative focus and cinematic storytelling elements.
- Dynamic combat system (weight 0.24): Combat involves dynamic use of time manipulation abilities, strategic movements, and a variety of enemy behaviors and tactics.
- Unique storytelling format (weight 0.24): The game features an innovative format that combines gameplay with live-action TV episodes, creating a unique and immersive experience.
- Third-person shooter mechanics (weight 0.23): The game employs third-person shooter mechanics, combined with time manipulation abilities and a variety of enemy types.
- Save system issues (weight 0.06): The game's save or checkpoint system is noted to be poor or underdeveloped, affecting the player experience.

Performance notes:
- Optimization issues prevalent (weight 0.26): Many players report significant optimization problems, affecting performance on various hardware setups.
- FPS drops and frame rate instability (weight 0.15): Frequent FPS drops and frame rate instability are common issues, particularly in later acts of the game.
- Impressive graphics and visuals (weight 0.14): The game is praised for its visually impressive graphics, including top-tier lighting and character models, especially on powerful hardware.
- Cutscenes suffer from low FPS (weight 0.12): Cutscenes frequently experience low frame rates, often locked at 30 FPS, leading to a choppy viewing experience.
- Frequent stuttering issues (weight 0.12): Players experience constant or occasional stuttering, affecting the overall gameplay experience.
- Buffering during content streaming (weight 0.11): There are issues with content buffering, particularly during live streams and video playback.
- Demanding on hardware (weight 0.1): The game is noted for being demanding on hardware, though it runs better on modern systems with decent performance achievable on medium settings.
- Good performance on Steam Deck (weight 0.1): The game runs smoothly on Steam Deck, especially after adjusting settings, though it may cause overheating.
- Motion blur and graphical bugs (weight 0.08): Issues with motion blur and various graphical bugs, including lighting problems, are reported.
- Long load times reported (weight 0.06): Some players report excessive loading times, which can be mitigated by accessing the internet for certain content.
- PC port technical issues (weight 0.05): The PC version has several technical problems, including bugs and optimization issues due to a rushed port.
- Poor mouse controls (weight 0.05): Players report buggy and poor mouse controls, affecting the gameplay experience.
- Resolution detection issues (weight 0.05): There are problems with resolution detection, leading to display and performance issues.
- Character movement and camera bugs (weight 0.05): Bugs related to character movement speed and camera issues are reported by players.

Recommendations:
- Great story and narrative (weight 0.33): The game is praised for its high-quality cutscenes, good acting, and deep storytelling, making it a great choice for those who enjoy narrative-driven experiences.
- Buy on sale (weight 0.25): Many reviewers suggest purchasing the game during a sale due to its price point, making it more accessible and worth the investment.
- Recommended for Remedy fans (weight 0.22): The game is highly recommended for fans of Remedy's previous works, such as Control and Alan Wake, due to its connection to these games and Remedy's signature storytelling style.
- Recommended for time travel fans (weight 0.08): The game is recommended for fans of time travel stories and those who enjoy a mix of TV show and video game elements.
- Technical issues and optimization (weight 0.08): Reviewers caution about the game's optimization and technical issues, suggesting that it may not run smoothly on all systems.
- Not for complex gameplay (weight 0.06): The game is not recommended for those expecting deep consequences from choices and complex gameplay, as it frequently takes control away to show videos.
- Watch story on YouTube (weight 0.06): Some reviewers suggest watching the story on YouTube instead of playing the game, indicating that the narrative can be enjoyed without gameplay.
- Hope for a sequel (weight 0.05): Some reviewers express hope for a sequel with improved gameplay, indicating that while the game is enjoyable, there is room for enhancement in future installments.

Other player notes:
- Tip for fixing FPS drops (weight 0.03): A reviewer provided a tip for fixing FPS drops, which could be useful for other players experiencing performance issues.
- Mention of Steam Deck (weight 0.02): A reviewer mentioned the Steam Deck, possibly indicating interest in playing the game on that platform.
- Personal invitation mentioned (weight 0.02): A reviewer mentioned a personal invitation that is unrelated to the game itself.
- Desire to buy a Nissan (weight 0.02): A reviewer expressed a desire to buy a Nissan car, which is unrelated to the game.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.21): Players are frustrated by a range of technical issues, including game crashes, save bugs, and performance problems such as frame drops and optimization issues. Combat mechanics and controls are also major pain points, with complaints about unbalanced combat, poor shooting mechanics, and unresponsive controls. Additionally, the integration of live-action episodes disrupts gameplay flow, and the lack of certain language subtitles has been a source of frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.19): Players enjoy the game's unique blend of gameplay and live-action storytelling, praising the engaging story, graphics, and acting. The innovative gameplay mechanics, including time manipulation and cool powers, are highlighted as particularly enjoyable. The seamless transition between gameplay and live-action elements, along with the high production value, contributes to a fun and immersive experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.12): Players express disappointment with various aspects of the game, including weak and repetitive gameplay, underdeveloped characters, and story elements that do not live up to their potential. Technical issues such as poor optimization, low FPS, and performance problems further contribute to the disappointment. Additionally, the lack of a sequel and unfulfilled potential in the game's mechanics and narrative are noted.
- Excitement (weight 0.08): Players are excited about the game's unique mix of gameplay and live-action storytelling, as well as the engaging story and fun abilities. The time manipulation mechanics and the innovative narrative structure are particularly highlighted as sources of excitement. The potential for a sequel and the overall high production value also contribute to the players' enthusiasm.
- Appreciation (weight 0.05): Players appreciate the game's unique blend of gameplay and live-action episodes, as well as the excellent story and character development. The high-quality graphics, visual effects, and overall game quality are also noted. The game's ambition and unique touch, along with the well-crafted mechanics and narrative, are highly valued by the players.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.04): Players are satisfied with the game's engaging and complex sci-fi story, as well as the enjoyable time manipulation mechanics. The high-quality storytelling, performance capture, and overall positive experience with the game contribute to their satisfaction. Despite some flaws, players find the game worth playing and enjoyable.
- Impressed (weight 0.03): Players are impressed by the game's high-quality graphics, visual effects, and detailed environments. The innovative blend of gameplay and live-action storytelling, along with the impressive facial animations and cinematic presentation, are particularly noted. The game's unique concept and high production value contribute to the players' admiration.
- Frustrated (weight 0.03): Players are frustrated by technical issues such as game crashes, buggy optimization, and poor performance. The mandatory TV show segments that disrupt gameplay flow and cannot be skipped are a significant source of frustration. Additionally, sluggish controls and annoying bugs contribute to the overall frustration with the game.
- Admiration (weight 0.02): Players admire the game's gorgeous visuals, innovative blend of gameplay and live-action, and the performances of actors like Lance Reddick and Martin Hatch. The game's unique storytelling approach and well-crafted mechanics are also highly regarded. The depth of the side characters and their stories, along with the high production value, contribute to the players' admiration.
- Excited (weight 0.02): Players are excited about the game's combat mechanics and the unique proposal of mixing game with series. The connection to the series and the enjoyable time manipulation mechanics are particularly highlighted. The potential for different story branches and the overall fun and innovative gameplay contribute to the players' excitement.
- Engaged (weight 0.02): Players are engaged by the game's complex and rewarding narrative structure, as well as the strong story and character development. The detailed and immersive story, along with the well-crafted music and exciting plot, keep players engaged. The perfect and emotionally engaging story, presented with Hollywood flair, is particularly noted.
- Positive (weight 0.01): Players have a positive experience with the game's solid story and phenomenal acting. The enjoyable story progression and engaging gameplay mechanics contribute to the overall excellent game experience. The interesting story mechanics and the enjoyable combination of live-action and game elements are particularly highlighted.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are pleasantly surprised by the game's great story and plot, which held up well almost 10 years after release. The interesting gameplay mechanics and the unique blend of gameplay and live-action storytelling contribute to the players' surprise. The game's ability to exceed initial expectations is particularly noted.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.01): Players are enthusiastic about the game's unique blend of gameplay and live-action episodes, as well as the high production value and interactive elements. The unique storytelling approach and detailed collectibles contribute to the players' enthusiasm. The game's unique and challenging gameplay, along with its cinematic qualities, are particularly highlighted.
- Sadness (weight 0.01): Players express sadness over the mention of Lance Reddick's passing and the lack of continuation in the game's story. The emotional impact of these aspects contributes to the players' sadness.
- Joy (weight 0.01): Players experience joy from the game's narrative and graphical aspects, as well as the overall quality and features. The cinematic qualities and unique gameplay mechanics contribute to the players' joy. The enjoyable story, characters, and visuals are particularly highlighted.}