liked: Unfamiliar setting. Often several ways to solve problems. The Numenera & some of the technology. Merciful download size for a modern game (compared to the likes of Doom, which I still can't afford to download). The ending. Understand why many didn't like it, but I found it to be a good conclusion. disliked: Having to travel through several maps to rest. No great struggle or moral dilemma for most of the game, just errands. The artwork; stodgy design, indistinct lighting. Belabored, odd-looking character animation. Writing often read like the padded parts of a novel you'd normally skim over. No day/night cycle. Unremarkable music & audio. Very basic fx. Combat is slow & awkward. would like to have seen: A more otherworldly feel to it, eg: Wayne Barlowe's Hell, Fantastic Planet, Machinarium, or a Beksinski landscape. Visionary art-direction. Same goes for sound... actually its more important; artwork can be experienced in a totally different way by just changing the soundtrack. Gameplay options change with your dominant tide (better replay value). Less tedious combat & recovery - making inevitable things (like going to town and resting) quickly implied should always be an option. Otherwise the game just wastes real-world time with no payoff. Combat could feel more brutal, unpleasant and sordid. Make the player doubt their decision to fight. Great example is the last battle of Icewind Dale II; wished I could swap sides and fight my way back to raze the ten-towns after that encounter.
liked: strangely intense at first, the challenge of optimization, the feeling that what you're doing is wrong, the music, its fast - zero lag, starts instantly. disliked: brutal requirements for endgame tech (when the game becomes a chore), limited interaction with aliens, no nuclear power (except for suit), no way to develop renewable resources besides electricity. would like to have seen: go native; pursue an alien biotech path.
liked: * challenging at first. * trying to game the system. * some of the dialog and philosophy is interesting. disliked * feels rushed; lots of cut'n'paste going on. * never really in control; always running errands for others. * steal without consequence. * combat is ponderously slow, even with fast mode. * leveled npcs and loot. would like to have seen * a more versatile magic system. see legend (1992) aka: The Four Crystals of Trazere. * completed game. * non-leveled npcs/loot instead of artificially blocked regions - if you go there too early you just get one-punched. * automation options, eg: heal when below 50%, guard mode, always taunt, use party buffs only. * create laws in your territory, hire people to govern, see the consequences. * given the above, more towns. * stamina based APs instead of cool-down: attack as fast as possible then catch your breath, or pace it. * option to switch off environment fx.
