I think I'd heard of this game being really good, but upon playing it myself I find it nothing but extremely odd. The puzzles are kind of a mixed bag. I'm not the sharpest tool in the toolbox, but I generally can figure something out with enough information. This game does not provide much critical information. Most of the time I was running around exhausting dialogue and "evidence" just to get someone to tell me something I hadn't heard before. The story is also very weird in that it doesn't seem to make much sense. Kathy is a rebelious woman who seems to have not been in contact with her family in a very VERY long time but suddenly after learning her paternal grandfather has passed away is very VERY interested in digging up everyone's dirty laundry in a town she hasn't visited since she was probably 7. Much of the story is just very hard to buy into and it might just be me, but I would think these things would stand out. It's definitely not the most interesting P&C game and I don't think I'd reccomend it.
I don't quite understand how much of a sleeper this game is. I had never heard of it until I happened across it in a sale. This game is one giant archeological and linguistic mystery upon mystery upon mystery. The game has a very natural progression on what you find and what you learn. The pace is absolutely perfect so you can immerse yourself in the setting and the story. I truly love how complex the RP elements are as well as completely in love with the entire experience of learning the language of the game. This game has a TON of replayability and is a must buy for any history, language, and archeology nerd. Even if the game is entirely fictional, the entire process of finds and puzzling out what something means is addicting. Trying to find out how best to navigate the challenges of the setting is also amazing. There are also nuances that only show up the more you replay that are genius. This game is truly unique and one of a kind and I cannot rave about it enough.
This game is fun and there are a lot of clear cut goals that you can tackle methodically. Nothing in this game happens quickly so more often than not it will teach you patience of some sort. Generally with these type of sim games you expect it to get easier to do tasks, but not so much in this game. I think the biggest downfall is that nothing ever becomes convenient. You can't build something that makes it so you can carry more things around. You always have to travel on foot absolutely everywhere. At some point I didn't see the point in continuing. It is a fun game in the short term, but in the long term it becomes an incredible slog. If you just want a quick fix then this is the game for you, but I wouldn't reccomend this if you want something to sink your teeth into.
It has taken me many tries to try and complete a Bethesda game in general. So far the only one I've managed to complete is Fallout 4. I constantly hear about how 3 and NV are supposedly the best so I have tried to play them both on console and PC. Well, console is alright, but I just couldn't really enjoy it. I tried playing this on Steam and it did NOT want to play and was a nightmare just to launch. Finally, after all this time the GOG copy (of course) plays just swell. (Thank you GOG) Fallout 3 is a very entertaining game, if a bit messy? Trying to put a linear storyline in an open-world game without limiting where the player can go and when makes for some immersion breaking experiences. I accidentally skipped a majority of the major storyline and was somewhat disappointed. Either way I just kept exploring and eventually reached the level cap, which in my opinion, shouldn't exist and is the biggest detriment to this game in it's entirety. There is really nothing worth doing in the wasteland after you realize you can't level up anymore. I digress, the game is very good and a staple of Betheda style games. However is somewhat falls short of coherency and consistency as with others of their like.
DS1 is about as basic as you can get with this style of game. It is a bit difficult to figure out the party mechs, but it's at least not an impossible game. I find it severely lacking in RP elements and thus after a while extremely boring. DS2 is a definite improvement over DS1 in that the party mechs are smoother and the RP elements and overall story are good. However, it still couldn't keep my interest past a certain point and it begins to feel stale. As much as everyone dislikes DS3 because it is nothing like the first two, I think it is actually the better of the three. There is story, there are actually differences in the story depending on who you play as, and overall it's a very pleasant game. I actually think the DLC was almost better than the base game. To be fair, I think if you enjoy this type of game, then GOG is the best place to buy it. I have purchased 1 and 2 through Steam and other platforms and it has been a nightmare to try and get them to work. Here, they at least work without any greater finagling on your part.
I really enjoy the game so far. The choices all have a very nice bit of personality to them. I do feel like the interactions between characters is a little cheesy or forced but it's easy to forgive in my case. My one true hangup is the time management part of the game. I find it hard to focus on exploring the map and doing general adventure activities when I am constantly called back to my barony to solve some sort of issue. Most of which I feel should be easily done by the representitives without direct input. I know you can turn that to auto-mode but for my first playthrough it felt wrong to do so.
The game builds itself up extremely well. I got sucked into the story and the setting almost immediately. Everything is phenomenal until the end where it basically makes all your effort pointless. A trend in stories that is definitely up there on my list of pet peeves. If you just want a good P&C game to play then why not, but if you are someone like me who is interested entirely based on the story then I cannot reccomend this game.
