In many ways this fleshes out Cyberpunk adding a shiny new ending, it doesn't expand the game - not really (seeing as how all the main gameplay revisions are included in the free downloadable patch - although first person drivinng is still atrocious). Dogtown is dark and murkey with little to explore outside the main quest- which for me took a while to get going. There's 9 new gigs - and the pitched street battles to wrestle control of dropped crates with goodies can be fun. But it's lacking. The atmosphere is there but playability can be limited - how to approach some missions is a little too prescriptive and the section ripped from "alien isolation" on one of the branching paths is nothing short of irritating. In places - the agency is removed a little too much for storytelling purposes. And the platforming at the start of the DLC -a huge mis-step. So why 5 stars? In a word - narrative. In the base game characters were a means to an end. True, there were some choices along the way but I didn't really care about any of them. Vox pops giving you gigs to do, other characters merely a means to move the story on. With Phantom Liberty CDPR have managed to write characters that I actually gave a damn about and a story I could get immersed in. Once you're past the initial presidential rescue things get a lot more interesting with a decision to be made about who to trust and who to betray later on (oh if only there could have been more of this in the main game). The narrative branches - with somewhat bittersweet endings (one that ends the game in a satisfactory way from a storytelling point of view) - made me feel I was truly in a sci-fi epic and its with this I can overlook all the other minor annoyances and gameplay quirks. And yes, there were moments when I wondered it the eddies had been worth it. Overall, I think the pay-off was woth it. Is it essential? no, but it is a worthwhile experience - when it gets going.
Plus no key rebind options. Not at all comfortable or playable for us lefties.
After 3 patches - guys //// really? Loses points for that alone.
As a fan of the "shock" games I was looking forward to playing this remaster. The remaster is enjoyable, well it would be but the constant crash to desktop renders the game unplayable. A huge disappointment. Brought on sale so I'll hang on for the original.
It's only on the GOG release that I've seriously sat down and made an effort to play this game. It's a mixed bag... but incredibly enjoyable. If you stick with it. The Circle of 8 modpack is a must. Easy to install - Win 7 - it tweaks the game so more of the crippling bugs are absent. It also rips up the (ludicrously low) level cap. The plot is simple. Go to village. Find temple. Slay bad guys. Although the first village is in danger of putting folk off the game altogether. The inhabitants of Hommlet are a fickle, tedious lot and don't waste much time in giving a raft of dull, uninspiring quests to fix their soap-opera lives. "I'm an adventurer!" "Really? Old man grumpy is grumpy ever since his wife died. Maybe you could hook him up with the widow up the road" or "clear out the very small grove of a couple of spiders". Meandering side-quests and dull conversation options mean this is no Baldurs Gate. Don't expect a story-driven epic here - unless you want to be disappointed. Treat it as a dungeon crawl and you'll have a far better time. Character creation is lengthy with plenty of options(for D&D newbies the manual is essential) although some may miss the additional races and classes that come with later rule sets. The inventory screens and spells are functional at best. Not a game-breaker, but their simplicity feels a little jarring. Graphics while your party or exploring their surroundings are excellent. 3D models on 2D backgrounds. Incredibly well detailed and animated with all customizations showing up on your party (although losing characters behind walls is nothing short of irritating). The backgrounds are richly detailed and incredibly well done. Pathfinding can be atrocious on occasions. And the music - an interesting synth based score which occasionally seems out of place - is also refreshing from the standard fantasy fare. What makes this work... is the combat system which is nothing short of excellent. The early fights can be frustrating but stick with it past that... and there's a gem here. Zombies and clerics can be turned to fight for your cause. NPC's can be recruited (although they're a bunch of greedy bastards so it's doubtful you'll shed any tears when they meet their demise). Creatures can be summoned to create a small army. Tactical options abound and a radial menu (which takes a little getting used to if you've been weened on a diet of hot bars) makes considering your options and selecting your next move a breeze. Positioning your party, balancing your ranged and melee fighters whilst protecting your (excellently animated) spell casters who are bombarding the enemy while employing a range of tactics to unbalance, confuse, pummel and ultimately decimate your opponent. Battles are fantastic. On more than one occasion it feels more like a game of chess (on steroids). There are comments the game is short. I'm no D&D veteran so I feel I'm getting my moneys worth (read: I'm a hopeless player). Aside from CO8's sterling work there are no other additional modules or adventures which is a shame. Despite its faults this game does deserve more. Can a game be redeemed by its a combat system alone? I think it can. It's a dungeon crawl. Nothing more. I still want to burn Hommlet to the ground (sadly the game won't let me do that although I can ruthlessly slaughter it's inhabitants without mercy - a fate I think they deserve). But the exploration of dungeons and plotting the take down of the next batch of minions lifted from the monster manual is addictive, fun and satisfying. Just don't let Hommlet put you off. It does get better.
it's a lite Gothic 3. Doesn't really add a great deal to the world (actually it's now shrunk). Sure it looks great (which is nothing to do with the original game), but it tends to (frustratingly) lag in places. Most the time NPC's kept telling me that "surely I had something to do". That's the problem. I kept looking for an NPC to give me something to do, except I decided to venture out into the world instead of check around for NPC quest givers on my own doorstep. Gothic 3 had a feeling of things going on which you could become a part of if you wanted to. Forsaken Gods has the feeling of a world that is telling you to "sod off" because it's quite happy ticking along without you. That sense of exploration has been replaced by the annoyance of trying to find the NPC-quest giver. I've found one and I'm following a trail of breadcrumbs to the crazy birdman who annoys on of the townsfolk by luring birds to his roof. Dull. In Gothic 3 I was wiping out a rebel base because I'd decided that there was a better future with the Orcs. In Gothic 3 I start out in the middle of a fight. Rebels overthrowing Orcs and reclaiming their home. In Forsaken Gods I wake up on a bed with some wild idea about uniting the land under a single banner. In all fairness work by the community on the EE makes it slightly more palatable. But there's a sense of it's a long way from a true "Gothic" game and the departure of Pirahna Bytes from the series signalled the death of it. I'm playing it out of curiosity. But I can't recommend it. Play Gothic 3 instead. Or Risen.
The simplistic revenge plot is a excuse to run around and blow & shoot stuff up. Varied environments. Bizarre urban atmosphere and excellent gunplay. Single player is a tough nut to crack but a great run n' gun from the late 90's.
The first - and best - stealth-em-up game with an original setting, immersive atmosphere and an education in all round sneakiness. This has gameplay in spades which still stands tall today (one hell of an achievement for a 14 year old title). Legging it round the manor corridors after accidently jumping on an uncarpeted floor with the cries of "C'mere you taffer" from the portly guard who gives up the ghost after I take a dive into a stream in the garden outside, holding my breath underwater where I can't be seen, I take my revenge by tip-toeing after him, lurking in the shadows, crouching in doors, waiting motionless in archways while he continues on his patrol route, before stepping out and clubbing him on the back of the head with my blackjack, picking up his unconcious body and deposting it in the corner of a cellar concealing him in the shadows. I make my way back to the room upstairs to help myself to the prize. This is the drama of Thief. Unsurpassable.
As a movie this would make for an average afternoons entertainment - as a game this is a shameless clickfest of hotspots with the occasional puzzle to advance the meandering plot. Repeatedly clicking on characters to watch the next FMV instalment is a test of stamina. The cast are also a moody bunch, taking the hump after Curtis has already apologised for some slight, or moping over the murder of a colleague before cheerfully announcing that they're off to enjoy the latest instalment of their social life. With an inventory which is more to do with show & tell the most baffling puzzle is why Curtis' office colleagues don't punch his lights out when shown the next picture from his photo album which he insists on carrying around with him. Still, it's all here. Evil corporations, an S&M club, grisly murders, a secretive boss, a haunted past and a tormented protagonist coming to terms with his own amnesia and emotional upheavel (yes, you get to sit through therapy) topped off with the most well trained rat in the world. Gold star for the horrific visions, the worst being the game accurately replicating my morning at the office just before the supernatural plotline kicks in.
