Avadon: The Black Fortress

Big game, lots of flavor text, but I lost interest about halfway through, and by the end I got so tired of playing that I just set the difficulty to "casual" and face-rolled everybody. I think the problem I had was that I felt railroaded by the game despite having seemingly tons of options available. For example, in any given dialogue, you might have four different things you can say, but in reality there might be only two different outcomes (and often there's only one outcome) no matter what you choose. Granted, there might be something tweaked ten hours later in the game (and of course the ending will be different) but there's no sense of immediacy. And I'm not going to replay the entire game so I can pick option #3 in the forty-fifth dialogue so that I can see what happens later. That's just tedious. I also didn't like the skill trees. You're basically locked into a certain progression --after a certain point in the game, you're most likely going to have 6 ranks in skill XYZ and seven ranks in skill ABC ... I just didn't feel like there was much customization. And it's hard to see a significant difference from one skill to the next. I fiddled around with the intelligence stats and the different skill levels and could barely come up with a significant difference in damage for different builds of my Sorceress character. And unlike Geneforge, where you have only one character build to experiment with, in Avadon you've basically got all the classes available at any given time, so there's no point in trying to replay the game as a Shadow Walker instead of a Sorceress -- you've already fiddled with that skill tree and maxed out that character's abilities. Having said all that, I still think Avadon is a fun game. The dungeon design is excellent, the encounters are often interesting and unique, and there are lots of little tweaks (like having a junk bag for useless sellable inventory) that definitely make the game easier to play.

I did not expect to much, since some of the reviews here where quite negative. First of all: The controls might not be as polished as in other games, but I think they are rather good. I don't care if other games close the inventory with the second press on I -- it is not *that* important. There are always things that could be better. Some positives to counter the critics: a) the inventory system is rather good (I have seen many that where not halve as good) b) Have the critics here ever tried the path-finding? I think it is really neat that I can point on a position far away on the map and unless no big obstacles or enemies are in between, your party will find the way. That is a big relief when you have to travel the same map several times -- just lean back. Of course it would be still better to have a time-warp facility ... but who wants to be impudent? Also the story and the whole content is rather deep (deeper than I expected after reading the critics). Of course it is no Bioware classic, but where do you find one today? I want to say: "Hey guys, what do you want? This is a three head company!" The big games are made by dozens or even hundreds of people. Of course there is more polishing possible and much more work goes into storytelling, side-quests etc. ... Such things can not be done to the detail by small companies today. But the story is rather rich and new. Anybody who likes complex RPGs and turn-based combat, should give this one a try!

Do not play, or set a timer, if you are easily addicted to games like Avernum or Geneforge, you will lose all sense of time. Graphics are average at best, but it has the old time feel to it that many modern RPGs seem to be missing, an emphasis on the story and the mechanics of the game. I've only loaded this game up twice, but both times I have completely lost track of time finding myself still playing at 6 am. This is really bad when you have work in a couple hours.

Is a solid CRPG, with simple graphics, little to no music and combat mechanics that are simple compared to others like baldur's gate, in fact, I think it feels like a slow paced diablo But don't let the simplistic nature of the design deceive you, it is actually a pretty enjoyable game, and here are some good points about it: - your skills and spells use mana and act on cooldowns, no need to rest to refresh that high level spell that can only be used once per battle - all the characters have a minor healing skill that helps to keep them alive in a pinch, and outside of combat you regenerate health pretty quickly - There are different paths on the skills trees, and the game encourages you to choose a playstyle, make that glass cannon or a tank that regens faster than he takes damage - There are walls of text to read, I like when game embelish their descriptions, for me this certainly makes up for the simplistic graphics - Related to that is the story, from the very beginning you start questioning if you really are part of the good guys. more than once I wondered if my actions could have changed the outcomes of certain events, probably not, but is a good illusion of choice and consequence - And I make up for the lack of music just by playing a random playlist on the background In the end I think is a hard sell for newcomers, but a nice library addition for fans of the genre

One of Spiderweb software's latest and newest entries to the series. Following a more "bioware" type model where you have an avatar and a small party of two fleshed out companions (which you can switch freely from a pool of five), you enter into the troubled world surrounding Avadon as a Hand of the Black Fortress. Like all Spiderweb titles, the strength is in writing and the world. Things never feel certain, and at times it is hard to tell if you are part of the problem or the solution. The simple UI allows for smooth gameplay and massive amounts of exploration. I found the story compelling as we ask ourselves how much power would we give to an agency to make us feel safe? When does the enforcement of law and order cross over into evil? Overall, a great experience, and I highly recommend this as an entry point into PC RPGs and Spiderweb Software.