So, this game is hard to compete with as far as actual combat and gameplay go. You don't just hack-n-slash (though there's plenty of that too), you literally have to climb giant beasts to fight them. SO cool. While the world graphics are quite nice, the character graphics are a bit, I dunno, odd? Proportions aren't quite what I hope for, but the story and gameplay make that part of the game almost instantly not matter. This is not a game for youngsters, by the way. Aside from the gore, some of the female armors are risque to say the least; something you'd expect to see on a beach, not a field of combat. Using a sidekick in the game was obviously meant to be new, novel, and unexpected, but the deadpan nature of your cohort makes them feel plastic and ruins a bit of the atmosphere of the game. All that being said, I've bought this multiple times. If you like Skyrim, or Two Worlds, then you want to add this to your collection. Worth full-price. (And...its modable.)
Even if you never want to play the sequel to this game, I recommend that you buy this. Not a lot of games are worth full-price, but this one certainly is. The combat can become repetitive, but with all the different things you can do in the game, even though there's a lot of the same type of fighting, it's an absolute blast to play. You have the power to mix it up, go stealth one mission, go full-on Rambo on another one, and then snipe the next. And honestly, some of the kills in this game are shocking to see. They did a good job. Look forward to higher levels. Some of the stuff you get to do later on in the game is unexpected and exactly the kind of thing you hoped would happen. (They put a whole new spin on steeds. Riding into battle is actually fun, not just maddeningly frustrating like so many 'fight while on a mount' games out there.)
This sequel to Shadow of Mordor lives up to its predecessor's feel. In fact, it lives up to it so much that it's alot like playing the same game. (Sorry about that part.) Still! Holy smoke, the combat is out of this world! The graphics are supreme, the storyline is very clever, the world is wide open and gorgeous, and you continue to play the good guy, using the bad guys to your advantage. I don't want to spoil where the story goes for you, but expect a wonderful ride with things to look forward to as the game progresses. Oh - it's hard, by the way. I hope you have good reflexes; you're going to need them. SO fun.
So, we all bought this game for the unrated content, yes? But then, the actual gameplay isn't great. There are some tricks and surprises, and the storyline is pretty good, frankly, but I was looking forward to all the - uh - graphics...you know? Graphic? And then, I found that playing through the game wasn't worth the wait to get to the good stuff. I love Good Old Games for releasing games like this, and I'm likely to buy it's successor (Succubus), but I've uninstalled this one. Still, if you're into very very adult content games, and you have a stick-to-it attitude, I think you'll enjoy it. Know in advance that you have to do terrible things in the game to progress. I was hoping it was all about fighting demons, and while there's some of that, having to do brutal things to helpless people in order to offer a sacrifice... Blech.
For its day, this game set the bar for RPGs (along with Bard's Tale). Even now, with Skyrim and Dragon's Dogma, Arena is still a game worth playing. Open world, great action, graphics - old but still entertaining. If you're looking for a decent old school RPG, Arena is a great bet. Plus, you get to see the foundation of all the future games getting laid out. They did GOOD.
I liked this game for the first few hours, but having to start again every time and then go through the same levels again gets old. Some games pull it off, but this isn't action-packed enough to warrant that. You don't get stronger every time, you just figure out a bit better how to get further in, and that's disappointing. There's simply not enough novelty in the game to keep my attention. BUT - the sailing is SO well done. Very realistic. And, if you don't mind a bit of repetition as you learn how to play and overcome obstacles, you'll probably love this game. The combat isn't bad at all, and there's more to it than just 'run around and survive'. You've got to be clever to win it, and that's never a bad thing.
It's hard to sum up all the amazing things about this game. I sank 800 hours into it it, and then started at the beginning and put another 800 hours in. (Sheesh. Embarrassing but true.) Graphics = 9/10 Combat = 9/10 Storyline = 10/10 Open World = SO very open world. Oh my gosh. Modable = 11/10 (I know, 11 is more than 10, but with the number of mods out there, this game reaches gorgeous critical mass.) Monsters = 9/10 I have literally bought and played this game a half dozen times, upgrading at every turn. I loved modding it almost as much as playing it, though, with the Anniversary Edition update, they screwed up a bunch of the Special Edition mod compatibility. (Sigh.) You'd think they know...KNOW...that this game used to be the Mount Everest of all RPGs (closely followed by Morrowind - modded of course), and that they'd go out of their way not to blow up all the modding opportunities, but they were careless in that regard, making modding something you need to do very carefully, and that's a bummer. That's it. my one complaint has to do with making the game difficult to mod. If you're just downloading and playing it - you're in for a treat. Maybe twice. :D
From the ads, I thought this game would be right up my alley, but it's relatively cheesy. Cookie-cutter quests. "Go into the (input level name) and get the (input item name) and bring it back to me." Sort of like listening to someone play Mad-Libs who has no sense of humor. HOWEVER - if you like games like Eschalon, then this is probably right up your alley. The game makers know it's not Skyrim, and they priced it appropriately. I still have it installed, and am likely to play it again sometime. I'm not sad I bought it.
Meh - I bought it on sale, so I'm not complaining, but... The instructions the game give you during missions are not awesome. The first big level was hard to navigate correctly because the instructions were most definitely not clear. The voice acting is decent though, and I'm a big fan of that. The storyline has been done before, but the actual stealth part of the game is pretty fun. Worth owning, but not worth paying full price for.
I was quite excited to buy this game originally, but once I actually started playing it, I found it very cookie-cutter dungeon crawler with a twist - it's amazingly easy to the point I got bored and uninstalled it. However, that being said, if you liked Diablo and Diablo II, I recommend this. Especially if it's on sale.
