Honestly I wasted my money on this over-hyped game. I like my RPGs, I like my text based cRPGs like Planescape, Pillars of Eternity, ones that enrich the story. But this one felt really hollow. The damage system and modifiers (like you soak someone and lightning does more damage, if you hit them with fire they get "warm" instead of igniting for example.) is brilliant, no question about it. However, the game itself and story specifically is almost too sandbox. I would appreciate if it held your hand for a bit then broke into sandbox but I spent the first chapter thinking "so what am i supposed to be doing exactly..?" logically- clearing the areas around the town, except the enemies are staggeringly difficult early on and can be too challenging depending on what kind of characters you chose. The character design (pick your own class, develop anyway you want) is a great idea, two main characters is cool too. The companions are mediocre at best that join your party. I didn't find them interesting at all. The story is fed to us through dialogs, kind of like planescape or pillars, I love both those games, but this one is dull and not very engaging. Not nearly enough cutscenes either, those can really improve the feel of a game. Without them, the game felt bland and unrewarding. I guess what I'm getting at is they have amazing ideas and as far as sandbox goes you can fill your boots with a beach-worth, but it was just so hard to enjoy and at the premium price (this game cost like $50 even after a year of release, it was ridiculous) I feel like I got ripped off entirely. It felt like a beta, which based on Larian's track record is no surprise as Kingdom's of Amalur: Reckoning felt like an unfinished MMO, a really fun one, but an incomplete game, same with this one. I wish I had a much better answer but my opinion is: it's boring. I'm used to RPGs getting me hooked, but for the first time I actually can't appreciate this one.
I was really excited for a release from Obsidian with yet another Pillars of Eternity engine but found myself left wanting. I'll break this review down for simplicity. The characters were interesting, as to be expected from Obsidian's work. I liked the two faction leaders serving Kyros (everyone's boss), as well as the companions you can add to your party. My gripe is that there is only 4 characters per party which in practice you'll find quite limiting. The variety of 6 characters really makes a difference in pillars of eternity in comparison, I mean you almost *need* a tank and healer so that's literally 50% of your party as opposed to 33% in pillars. The combat I found challenging compared to PoE, took me a while to get used to it. I don't know how anyone can do these games on Path of the Damned, I struggled on Normal and had to use Easy to get past bosses. Pillars was a struggle too but because I had more party members filling various roles, it tended to balance out a bit better. The story was alright, I was kind of disappointed with the ending, I exclaimed "that's it?" when I beat it after 15 hours with a good chunk of side quests completed. The interface seemed weak and didn't take full advantage of the Pillars options we're used to, fast forward has to be hotkey activated and manually controlled if combat breaks out. The writing and environments are great. No complaints. The spell crafting system and weapon crafting is a great idea but I literally ran out of "game to play" before I got anything accomplished from it. If the game was longer I might have appreciated it more. Great idea, wrong game to implement it in. My overall impression was this game felt really "rushed" and unfinished. Not what I expect from Obsidian. I was disappointed in many ways. It had quality, but no quantity. Save your money, buy it on sale. It's like temple of elemental evil is to baldur's gate 2.
By far one of my favorite action-RPG's. Troika and Activision team up for a second dose of the World of Darkness in VtM: Bloodlines. The gameplay is primarily first person but incorporates 3rd person elements as well. The third person is useful for melee combat situations, whereas an SMG toting vampire would benefit from first person mode. Despite sounding strange, it works wonderfully. Character development is well executed, improve the basics such as strength or perception. Delve points into firearms, seduction, or computer hacking. Finally invest points in your clan's unique vampire powers. There are sufficient XP and side-quests to make for a worthwhile experience each playthrough. The story and characters are all well fleshed out and voiced dialog is well done. If you haven't played it yet but enjoy games like Deus Ex, System Shock 2, or Borderlands; it's right up your alley and you owe it to yourself to play it.
I finished the first and second episode. It's a strangely unique game, plays like a 3rd person adventure, similar to: telltale games, longest journey, life is strange, indigo prophecy etc. The designers incorporated some mini games and a lot of mouse movements/gestures. Originally this game was designed for the Xbox Kinect system so it used body movement, in this case: you're moving your mouse to recreate the gestures. The characters are just plain weird. Seriously. I suppose that's the endearing factor; you don't see many games with such an oddball character base. The story is simple, but is delivered well. The standard tale of a hero who wants to avenge his wife's murder. The delivery is well done and is similar to the movie Memento, using trinkets to warp to their origin and searching for clues. It's really confusing, half the game will be spent scratching your head. Audio delivers with voice acting of all dialog and fitting music. I wouldn't say the acting is top notch, but it's on par. Visuals are great in the comic book style they use. The game played well without any hiccups or crashes. I probably wouldn't replay this any time soon until the next season comes out. Wasn't a bad investment though for it's price. If you enjoy adventure games, you may like this. I've been gaming for over 10 years and can say the one thing about this game is: it's unique. The only game that's close to it that I've played is Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecies. If you're looking for a more "hands on" experience and like interactive stories, I'd say it's money well spent.
A setting like Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale with a modernized infinity engine style gameplay and the writing of Planescape: Torment. It's like everything Bioware did in their hayday rolled into one awesome game backed by thousands of fans. Yet another positive review 5/5 and all that- but really, it's 100% legit. Amazing game, do yourself a huge favor and get it, you will not regret this purchase! The attention to detail, voice acting, heck, everything about this game is 100% pure solid gold. I haven't been this engrossed in an RPG in over a decade. The cRPG lives on, and it's called Pillars of Eternity.
The title says it all, really. The game is a work of art in itself, and the world is unique and by the end of it I was genuinely glad to have played through the story. Like most reviewers have mentioned, they needed a walkthrough, I wasn't much different. The game's puzzles can be illogical. Still, while it has a slight child-like feeling it was worth playing and a lot of work was put into it by Daedalic.
This game is awesome. The graphics are completely dated and the controls are old school keyboard driven. But the story, characters, and twisted events are incredibly well done. This game is downright horrific, and I'm not talking like Dead Space or Fear. I'm talking Silence of the Lambs type stuff. The game is very realistic as far as story and character writing goes, and takes you on an emotional journey as you experience Susan's life. The voice acting is excellent, with just the right emphasis and tone in every line. The music is good too, lot of rock to it with vocals. The game is general quiet other than ambient sounds, but the music picks up just at the right time for that theatrical effect. You'll find yourself cringing at certain points, like watching a horror movie. The killers in this game are some really twisted individuals and you'll feel a real disgust for them. Most of the puzzles are easy in this game, which works out pretty well as 90% of the enjoyment is progressing the story, more so then bashing your head on a wall solving a plethora of puzzles. It plays like some kind of movie, where you get sucked in and can't wait to see how it all ends. If you enjoy well written dialog and an exceptional story, then I highly, highly, recommend this game. Seriously, stop reading this and buy it, you can thank me later.
Absolutely loved this game. It has dated graphics, but the story and game play is superb. The biggest thing for me was the setting: A sort of dystopian future with a real grimy cyberpunk feel to it. It's not overly challenging with puzzles for an adventure game, but not easy enough to call it a spoon-fed adventure. The story is unprecedented, it's almost like a good book, you'll find yourself hooked on it and eagerly playing to see what happens. At the end of the game, I was in awe, reflecting upon what was one of the best games I've ever played, and yet never heard of. It's also worth mentioning the music is top notch with many memorable tracks. "Sayuri" being my favorite. Completely sets the atmosphere. If you don't own this, and like adventure games, and Cowboy Bebop (if you've seen the anime, you're in for a treat, as there are in-game cameos of the characters!) Get it right away!
