Hard Reset Redux is the graphical and gameplay upgrade to Hard Reset for the PC and consoles. The 2011 game was notorious for being really difficult because of the limited movement and hard hitting enemies that are bullet sponges on the higher difficulties. I loved the old game because of its' fast paced action as well as its unforgiving gameplay, despite its' faults.

I played the Redux on Insane and have just started the Exile levels at this time of writing.

Overall it is a decent update gameplay wise, but there seems to be a number of things that I feel are pointless or don't really integrate well. I'll start with the changes I noticed that were good:

• The enemies are no longer bullet sponges (except for the grenadier) which definitely makes the game less tedious
  
• The dash and sprinting mechanic from the Shadow Warrior reboot makes it much easier to dodge dangerous melee attacks. You also seem to have infinite sprint.
  
• The damage of the little saw bots has been toned down so you don't die in one hit, which could happen very easily in the original
  
• Some of the enemy spawns have been changed which I think adds to the variety compared to the original
  
• The new human enemies I found were a pretty cool addition
  
• There is now music in Survival Mode
  
• Game runs flawlessly on an FX-8350 and R9-270X on Ultra

The Redux is also moderately easier than before; the game seems to tolerate alot more mistakes and I have only died twice so far.

These are things I think are negative or pointless changes:

• The "Cyber Katana", although a cool enough weapon, I found was pointless because melee in a game like this is somewhat dangerous plus trying to switch between all 3 weapons is somewhat annoying
  
• The updated graphics are barely noticable, even on ultra
  
• The weapons are alot more clunkier to use; it takes a little longer to switch between the various modes and sometimes they are not responsive (like the smartgun lock-on)
  
• Some of the weapon animations are missing or are just less fluid. Compare the new grenade launcher with the original and you'll see what I mean.
  
• Some of the grunts from Shadow Warrior's Lo Wang have been added (such as when dashing or using the katana) which is really misplaced
  
• Very minor nitpick, but the gui's used to unlock doors and whatnot, is no longer interative like in Doom 3, which the original game used
  
• Another minor nitpick, but in survivial mode, there is no longer any damage or enemy health modifiers.

I have also encoutered a bug where the game would alt-tab and say it crashed, but it actually didn't and was able to continue like normal. This didn't happen in the old game but it did in Shadow Warrior. There have been mentions of becoming frozen at the upgrade machines but I haven't experienced that.


All in all, I'm sorry to say but this Redux hasn't really done anything groundbreaking. There have been some good changes but I feel they do not warrant a whole new remake of the original. If you liked or hated the original and loved Shadow Warrior then try it out and form your own opinion on it. If you haven't played the original, you'll probably find this alright, but I recommend you grab the original first. However, if you are a Hard Reset purist or just hate the idea of remakes like this, then don't pick it up (except if you can get the discount)

As for me, I think I'll stick with the original.

Hard Reset Redux is the graphical and gameplay upgrade to Hard Reset for the PC and consoles. The 2011 game was notorious for being really difficult because of the limited movement and hard hitting enemies that are bullet sponges on the higher difficulties. I loved the old game because of its' fast paced action as well as its unforgiving gameplay, despite its' faults. I played the Redux on Insane and have just started the Exile levels at this time of writing. Overall it is a decent update gameplay wise, but there seems to be a number of things that I feel are pointless or don't really integrate well. I'll start with the changes I noticed that were good: [list] [*] The enemies are no longer bullet sponges (except for the grenadier) which definitely makes the game less tedious [*] The dash and sprinting mechanic from the Shadow Warrior reboot makes it much easier to dodge dangerous melee attacks. You also seem to have infinite sprint. [*] The damage of the little saw bots has been toned down so you don't die in one hit, which could happen very easily in the original [*] Some of the enemy spawns have been changed which I think adds to the variety compared to the original [*] The new human enemies I found were a pretty cool addition [*] There is now music in Survival Mode [*] Game runs flawlessly on an FX-8350 and R9-270X on Ultra [/list] The Redux is also moderately easier than before; the game seems to tolerate alot more mistakes and I have only died twice so far. These are things I think are negative or pointless changes: [list] [*] The "Cyber Katana", although a cool enough weapon, I found was pointless because melee in a game like this is somewhat dangerous plus trying to switch between all 3 weapons is somewhat annoying [*] The updated graphics are barely noticable, even on ultra [*] The weapons are alot more clunkier to use; it takes a little longer to switch between the various modes and sometimes they are not responsive (like the smartgun lock-on) [*] Some of the weapon animations are missing or are just less fluid. Compare the new grenade launcher with the original and you'll see what I mean. [*] Some of the grunts from Shadow Warrior's Lo Wang have been added (such as when dashing or using the katana) which is really misplaced [*] Very minor nitpick, but the gui's used to unlock doors and whatnot, is no longer interative like in Doom 3, which the original game used [*] Another minor nitpick, but in survivial mode, there is no longer any damage or enemy health modifiers. [/list] I have also encoutered a bug where the game would alt-tab and say it crashed, but it actually didn't and was able to continue like normal. This didn't happen in the old game but it did in Shadow Warrior. There have been mentions of becoming frozen at the upgrade machines but I haven't experienced that. All in all, I'm sorry to say but this Redux hasn't really done anything groundbreaking. There have been some good changes but I feel they do not warrant a whole new remake of the original. If you liked or hated the original and loved Shadow Warrior then try it out and form your own opinion on it. If you haven't played the original, you'll probably find this alright, but I recommend you grab the original first. However, if you are a Hard Reset purist or just hate the idea of remakes like this, then don't pick it up (except if you can get the discount) As for me, I think I'll stick with the original.