Mr.Fitz
Published
11/18/23
Black Skylands Steam Deck Review
FPS - 60fps with occasional drops in fps when flying or loading in new material id note that ive seen it drop to 28fps before but the frame drop is so brief and inconsistant that its hardly noticeable to proclaim its "unplayable".
Final Thoughts - This game runs fine and definetly playable. Definitly plug and play and I personally would put in the "Platinum Tier" but I understand why it would stay in the "Gold Tier". Overall I really have no complaints here. To me its runs awesome.
Its an easy setup so long as your okay with changing the default resolution and finding a custom controller configuration.
Trigger behavior was set-up weird. Changed it to have hold to aim down sights
Game runs 90fps on my oled Deck with no noticable drops. Great if you just want to kick back and play the campaign for some nostalgia. I did not try to play online with there public servers nor did I try to play on a local server with other deckers/PC's so i have nothing to report on that content. Game deserves to be platinum the campaign and spec-ops. Overall - 10/10
I personally feel that "Typical Gamers" dont want to deal with any hassle whatsoever. The Rockstar sign in might scare gamers away.
Purchased thru Steam but uses the Rockstar Launcher, Internet is needed for installation but shouldnt be needed after to operate
Target FPS - 60fps with frame drops as low as 30 fps around Vinewood, Pacific Bluffs, and when explosions are present on screen.
Pickup & Play - After Initial Setup and Graphic Settings, Yes.
User Experience - No Setup for controls were needed, everything felt good.
Pros: Game looks Fantastic and feels great to be able to play GTA V on the go or in Handheld form. GTA V Online is even better.
Cons: Framrate dips are noticeable but not irritating. "Typical Gamers" will probably look away from the intital setup.
Final Thoughts - Im actually stunned this Game isnt Platinum or even Verified when games like Monster Hunter World, Satisfactory, Supraland Six Inches Under, Cyberpunk 2077, or even Subnautica all have "Native Tier" or "Platinum Tier" ratings or even Verified on deck when all of which run either equal/worse than GTA V. The only flaw thats noticable to me is the intial setup process which is just using the sub Rockstar Launcher forcing the user to use the internet to log in and configuring your graphics settings. I feel like if i handed my deck over to a "Typical Gamer" who's played these games before and had them play GTA V first, then made them try Valheim, they'd probably have some words to say too. Gta V Personaly should be Verified and or evenPlatnium rated, it felt so nice to play this so easy with little hassle and then to play online after with friends felt just as easy. My expierence has only been expierenced in Gaming Mode, not Desktop Mode. I did not try to use a bluetooth/usb gamepads during my testing. Overall - 10/10
Preferred to be played with Keyboard and Mouse (Via Bluetooth or Dock) but is definitely playable with a Custom Deck Controls Layout.
Target FPS: 60fps locked with a 1 to 2 frame loss when there's alot on screen.
Pickup & Play: Yes
User Experience: Fantastic, very fluid and no confusion.
Pros: Works as it should!
Cons: None here!
Final Thoughts: When I first got my hands on the Steam Deck back in July 2022, this was actually one of the first games I tried to see what the user experience felt like. Most of my experience was played in desktop mode with Keyboard and Mouse using the Steam Dock. The reason I preferred desktop over Gaming Mode because I noticed a familiar small bug where the mouse gets boxed in an invisible square forbidding to move outside it. This bug has been fixed and is no longer an issue. Playing handheld still isn't my preferred choice but the doesn't mean it's not possible, infact it works perfectly fine as a Pickup & Play with occasional peeks at the Steamdeck Controls Layout.
Overall: 10/10
