First of all I want to say I don't own this game but I'm going to bitch and whine about it anyway. I have supported Gwent from the very beginning but I don't like it any more because the developers didn't develop the game exactly how I wanted it to be developed, they should have listened to everything I said on the forums because even though I have no qualifications in game design I know far more than they could ever dream of knowing. And now they release ThroneBreaker which is a graphic novel card game, basically Gwent, next CDPR will be saying is the Witcher series of games is based on the writings of some novelist. ThroneBreaker is a rip off because although I have free will not to buy the game or any game for that matter they actually expect me to buy this game, to spend my money on it, CDPR are just trying to force me to buy the game because it has 20 new Gwent cards and buying it is the only way I can get them even though I don't play Gwent any more. To top off this disappointing release they make the game challenging, what! How dare they make a game that has consequences if I get things wrong I want to be able to get out of it easily not be told I am fallible, CDPR what were you thinking! I don't understand is why the game does not support ultra wide monitors that 99% of the gaming community do not own, CDPR should have bent over backwards to support a minority of users because we have lots of money to spend on very expensive setups and clearly are more important than the majority of gamers. And my final gripe, how dare CDPR have an exclusive release on GOG a part of their own company, private companies that have their own platform for games should not be allowed to do such things, they should release their games on the platforms that I want and not be so selfish. I have lost all faith in CDPR and GOG for not doing exactly what I want at all times, I think my gripes are fully justified, don't agree with me then you are just blind to the truth.
I've heard lots about this isn't Sudden Strike as it was and to be fair I think we would all be a little disappointed if nothing changed, fans like myself would soon get bored. l have always thought that the game was originally named very badly, there was never anything particularly sudden about it, "The depth has gone in SS4" I hear, if depth means sneaking around with a sniper taking out all the gun crews and then mopping up with Tanks, Armoured Cars and APC's then that depth is pretty shallow in all honesty. Certainly SS4 is different to its predecessors but I have still found it to be testing, it is a good combination of the old tactical style and arcade play, despite what people have said in other reviews the maps are large, they just feel smaller because areas open up as the battle/mission progresses bring new factors into play. What still remains that makes it Sudden Strike for me is one bad tactical move and half your force is taken out by un-scouted artillery or heavy machine gun fire, you still have to be very careful as with the original games it is not very forgiving. Graphically the game looks the best it ever has and the overall game play is entertaining and a little frustrating at times which is just as it should be for a game of this nature, I have not encounter any particularly bad pathing of units which all is too common in other games, I'm sure we are all familiar with shouting at the screen "What you going that way for, stupid units!" so refreshing not doing this for a change. I really like the 3 star achievement system and as a completionist this appeals to me particularly with the extra options for obtaining all three, this does not impeded on the game though as it does not appeal to everyone. Sadly MP leaves a lot to be desired with a lack of map variety and number of maps, hopefully this will change with time fingers crossed. Overall SS4 is a good addition to any tactical game fan collection.
This game is tough so if you want a nice easy RPG then this isn't the game for you, if you want to click you way through dialogue and get to the action this isn't the game for you, you WILL have to read the dialogue if you want to progress, nothing will be handed to you on a plate you will have to work for it. To deal with a some of the criticism, this game is old school so you will make mistakes, find you made bad choices and you may also find your self restarting as you learn how the game works, you may feel you have been rail roaded into making decisions but if you commit to a conversation then its just like real life you cannot back out just because it has become inconvenient. The game is not forgiving, you choices really do have consequences and can effect how NPC's will react to you and what content will become available, one decision can mean that a whole quest line will be missed and for me this is one of the things that is so good about AoD, several play throughs will be needed to fully experience the content. Lore is superb and presented from different perspectives for different character types, the background to the world is detailed and relevant to you adventure often shaping the views of people you meet along the way, AoD is a very political game and how you decide to play one faction against the other is entirely up to you, treachery is not uncommon. Dialogue is interesting and rewarding as often a somewhat innocuous conversation can glean a vital piece of information that you were not expecting or educates you increasing stats or giving you skill points to spend. Combat is tough but somewhat enjoyable and smooth for turn based, to be avoided unless you are geared like a tank. Stats are the be all and end all, you cannot be a jack of all trades in AoD, you will soon figure out what is important for the class you choose so choose wisely. If you like old school RPG's and are looking for something different this is the game for you.
