What a shambling, charming wreck the Guild series is. I stumbled across this game when it first came out and I had no idea what I was in for: A mixture of satisfying economic simulation and oddly poignant dynasty building, wrapped in an absolutely shambolic mess of an engine. The sequel is possibly the high mark of the series in terms of features and implementation, but with its increased fidelity it lost some of the charm of the original. The Guild is a game in which small town politics and intrigue mingle with managing a (fairly modest) business empire. It is trees of upgrades and wondering if your kids will survive so you have a successor. It's a game where you choose your favorite out of your three kids to pick up the reins once you die (death winds up being quite poignant in this game somehow) and then follow the two you didn't choose as they try to build lives of their own: Did you give them a good enough inheritance to where they become respected citizens or do they become destitute? It's awful and great to see. It cannot be stated loudly enough how incredibly rough this game is technically. It sometimes feels tied together with shoelaces and gum, so a high tolerance for jank is important. But persist past that and you'll see a game that tries to do something unique and beautiful, giving you hints of genuine insight into a time when the values in life were dramatically different.
I had very low expectations of this one, especially as it came out during the prequel nonsense years. In actuality the prequels were almost worth it (almost) just to see this game get made. Excellent shooting, great atmosphere that feels authentically star wars, really great voice acting with memorable characters. Possibly the best Star Wars game to come out since the prequels.
This game surprised me so much. I was not a particularly big fan of the first GK, and the third was a chore to play (I felt), but there is something about GK2's naturalistic approach to both appearance and subject matter that made me thoroughly engrossed. Good enough acting, but with a great script (Have you ever heard of the language of death?), and puzzles that never annoyed me but kept the story going. I would recommend GK2 to anyone who likes a good supernaturally themed adventure.
It baffles me that a game that defined the genre has yet to be bettered, by sequels or imitators. Thief 2 blew my expectations away. It is a prime example of developers both realizing what they have, and listening smartly to the feedback of the community. Thief 2 has larger, more complex levels, few if any monsters and zombies, and a superb sense of art deco style. It's as gorgeous sounding as its predecessor, better looking, better playing, and takes the player to some wonderful locales. It's a superb, timeless game.
It feels wrong to only award this incredible game 4 stars, but I feel I have to to validate the 5 I give its sequel, which is a timeless, amazing game. When Thief arrived, it blew me away, and I played the first few missions over and over again. But the fact is I could never bring myself to finish it. The game became infused with magic, zombies and monsters, and it lost something. I'll always be eternally grateful to Thief, it gave me such incredible inspiration, and such tense moments huddled at my monitor in the dark with my headphones on. It was the game that justified EAX, and it defined a genre. But it doesn't reach the amazing heights of its sequel, and for that, in retrospect, I have to penalize it.
While Baldurs Gate 2 is an accessible, exciting, rich and enthusiastic experience that is never less than spectacularly entertaining, my heart lies with Torment as the defining Infinity engine game. If you are prepared to exercise your brain and your imagination, this is rich, luxurious fantasy with some of the most memorable RPG characters you can imagine, and a player character progression like none other. You'll never forget the first time you engage in surgery on yourself to gain new insight into your own past, or the time you explore the experience-crystals of the Sensorium. An objectively strong candidate for the best western RPG ever made.
