Wizardry 8

This game came to my attention through Ssethtzeentach's review, and it wasn't until I saw a friar slapping the shit out of a group of drones that it clicked with me and I must play more.

I loved the Wizardry series ever since I played the first one on the original NES, and I adored Wizardry 7/Gold. I looked forward to Wizardry 8, more and more with each glimpse released. When I finally played Wizardry 8, though. I was disappointed. The character advancement and such were okay. What I truly hated was the system whereby all monsters in an area are automatically made to equal your character. To me, it made any efforts to level your characters rather pointless. If the monsters are always going to equal you, going up any levels and/or power is kinda silly.

This is still the best blobber ever made.

First, tips on maximizing your enjoyment. Get the Cosmic Forge Editor and enable your NPC's to enter all areas of Wiz 8. I hated the fact that some NPC's would just leave your party when entering an area they didn't like and dropping all their gear. Secondly, I haven't tried it but I will be getting the combat speed mod as others on GOG reviews indicated. Battles are LONG, even on easy. Don't expect to play this game unless you have at least an hour of time per session. Thirdly, take your time and absorb the atmosphere, story, and intricate combat/magic system/character skill system. Very rewarding and keeps the carrot dangling in front of you as you try to work to get your first fireball spell or Powerstrike skill. Lizardman...Yaahhhh. Wiz 8 is an amazing game considering the bread and butter of the wiz series was grid based gaming and dungeon crawling exploration. I'm pretty sure Sir-Tech knew they were going under and still succeeded in creating an innovative game that, exploration wise, is completely different than its earlier games. I finished wiz 1,2,5,6,7,8 and made it half through wiz 3. If you're new to the series, I'd say just stick with wiz 6,7,8 and for more challenge, do them in that order and port your characters. Only drawback is some new classes in wiz 8 and you'd have to switch classes sometime in 8. These games are known to be tough. but at least the 'ASH' ailment no longer exists. You will feel like a champion when you progress but also feel like it is expected of you. Like getting to the playoffs, but knowing your goal is getting the trophy. The automap feature allows notes which is awesome, like Ultima Underworld style, and auto journals keep quest notes organized and up to date. I have the original box/cd version but my brother lost the first disc! Just bought the GOG version. Gonna rock it again!

This may be the most replayable game I've ever spent time with. There's always another party and party mix to nursemaid through. Immersive, too. You get to believe in your characters, you really do. You play through the story like a long, long dream.