Geocore Reviews

I really wanted to like Geocore, but I'm dissapointed that the current state of the game. I just can't recommend anyone who loves Descent to even pay even at a discount (like during the current sale). I do hope that it will get better, but for now I can't deal with the twitchy control on any input device.

If you're a Descent fan and find this game for under US$ 5.00, give it a try. This was ONE GUY'S labor-of-love homage to the Descent legacy, made while players were being strung along for years, by the "Descent:Underground" and "Descent (2019)" vaporware projects (thankfully, we eventually at least got "Overload"). Lacking the support of a whole production studio, this game lacks Overload's polish and drama, and some technical glitches remain. But taken on its own merits, and taken for what it is rather than what "Descent:Underground" promised, it is a worthy companion to the legacy.

I love this type of game and have high hopes for this one. I play Elite Dangerous mostly because I played the old version of this game on ps1. The game needs to be spread by word of mouth so the pvp can take off. Its cheap to buy and delivers. I wish so badly that the creator of this wins the powerball and starts the next big space sim that combines Star Citizen and Elite Dangerous. This is the guy I would trust with it.

The game seems to function as intended. But, as of this review, the early access quality really shows. Booting into single player has very little direction for new players, while the mechanics are true to classic Descent and the graphics are passable for an indie title, there is a lot to be desired I find. This is not helped by the multiplayer oriented loop, which requires an active playerbase.

I purchased GEOCORE back in 2017 and really enjoyed how much like DESCENT is was. I was sitting here in 2023 and said to myself, "I haven't played GEOCORE since 2017? I guess it's time to play it!" The game is STILL in Early Access and hasn't been updated since ...2021. There was a single player campaign that looked like the promo video, but that is now gone, as in basic linux support unless you play off your OS drive and used compatibility mode....which makes it NOT Linux compatible in my opinion. No reason to try it on my Winwoes drive as I'm sure it's the same. The single player mission I tried playing was..... a joke. I was on top of a proceduraly generated....surface... of something that reminded me of the surface of the Death Star. A voice tells me that there's a generator that's out in section "C-4" and to go check it out... but I have no way to figure where that is ...or if it's even part of the game and I can actually find and investigate. While the surface of this... Small Moon that is really a space station... resembles the Death Star, my ship is no longer a fast, sleek killing machine, but rather..... welll... I think I made someone mad and they gave me the slowest thing they could find sitting around! Again., no map... no boost and slower than some peoples ability to accept that TRUMP LOST. This is not the game I played at all 6 years ago and it looks like there's no continuing development happening. Elon will probably sell Twit'r before this is finished, so save yourself a few bucks and just skip it. To say I'm disappointed and wish I could get a refund is an understatement, but then I've been disappointed by others before, and this is no exception, but at least I can save you, oh wonderous reader, a few bucks you could use to get some STARBUCKS or a burger or some other game that is worth your hard earned cash. And if you're a fan of the Twit or the Traitor... there's a generator over in section C-4 that's out. Go check it out....

I really want to advocate for this title, but unfortunately, it seems that the developer has moved on to other endeavors (no updates since 2018.) As of right now, it generates random levels in single-player which you just sort of... go through until you die? I haven't found an end to one yet, and likely won't. The weapons you're given seem fine, but the aiming feels sluggish even after increasing the mouse sensitivity. If you're looking for a 6DOF game to play, there are better offerings on Steam: - ZeroGrave - Overload - Retrovirus - Forsaken Remastered

[h1]Early development, only the bones are here, but they look like strong bones[/h1] Nice 6DOF game, classic gameplay, but not much meat on these bones yet. Buy if you want to support the development, but not much to do ingame yet. Multiplayer (which is the plus for me) is temporarily off, I will add my impressions on it once is up again. So far, the game and controls are Ok, but there's not much content, and bot's AI could be improved. Graphics are ok, but far from AAA.

Being early access it's hard to tell. But the groundwork is certainly there. This is one title Descent/Forsaken fans need to keep an eye on. I've only just started playing, and the price is certainly hard to beat at this point. Geocore has the nostalgia phasers set to kill for sure.

For an alpha game, this has really smooth gameplay. Although the single player levels are very copy-past, this will hopefully improve in moving to the final game. Gameplay with oculus DK2 is very smooth and enjoyable. Only wish the menu’s where in 3d as well. Controls and gameplay is very descent like.

So, obviously it's impossible to ignore that there are two major 6DOF shooters with bigger budgets also in development - the multiplayer oriented Descent: Underground and the singleplayer focused Overload, the latter made by lots of ex-Parallax people - i.e., the people who pioneered the genre. Geocore's focus is somewhere in-between the competitors mentioned above, designed by a long-time competitive Descent fan it nails the feel of the movement of one of these games. It's primary focus does seem to be multiplayer, and goes for a bit more of the pure old school Descent feeling, avoiding Descent: Underground's different ship classes and progression mechanics. Everybody starts with the same stuff - at the moment you even start with every single weapon on-board from the get go, though I wouldn't be surprised if that changes down the line. The multiplayer really hasn't caught on as of the time of this writing though, and you're unlikely to find any other players unless it's during a developer hosted event. The times I've managed to find matches, it's been running well, though currently the weapon feedback leaves a lot to be desired. Projectiles kinda just vanish when they hit something, leaving very little indication of if you're doing any damage or not. The game also has a singleplayer component called patrols, which is fairly basic though a decent diversion and a way to test out your settings, these missions mainly consist of narrow corridors punctuated with mini-boss arenas and color coded keys, not really offering any of the intricate and vast tunnel networks of the original Descent nor Overload. The environments in general are pretty drab looking, mostly just consisting of metallic surfaces with occasional machinery, colored lightning and the odd rock surface every now and then. The visual sameness sometimes makes it hard to make out enemy robots from the backgrounds. I think a little visual variety could go a long way in making this game stick out a bit more, though I wouldn't expect it to ever quite get the polished look of D:U nor Overload considering their respective budgets. There's a pretty good soundtrack in there too. Nothing particularly revolutionary, mostly going for the same kind of vaguely Front Line Assembly or Skinny Puppy sounding tunes that you'd find in the Descent series. All in all, with the two big competitors in mind it's hard to recommend this, especially in this early access state, to anybody but the biggest fans of 6DOF shooters, but there is a pretty good foundation in here, however in need of more refinement, especially on the visual side in terms of environment variety and shading. I'm still giving it a thumbs up, but I'd recommend you check in on it's development over time before making up your mind.