Played this a few years ago and liked it at first but just became bored of it being the same old same old. Traveling is anywhere is a pain in the A*** as you clear a hostile checkpoint of enemies to find they have respawned 2 minutes later and the same battle ensues over and over. The claim of being open world is a little overblown as it feels more like a series of connected tunnels with some open areas. The combat is fun at first but it just becomes something that gets in the way going between missions and can have a negative effect as your weapon health will suffer greatly. There are good ideas here but they just don't work for me.
The look and feel of this game sucked me in right from the first few minutes of playing. You're not the heroic knight crushing enemies from the start, you are a lowly peasant whose world gets turned upside down in the worst way. This game is not for the casual gamer, it rewards practice and patience in spades. I actually got a good way into my first play through before I figured out how a lot of stuff worked and it was me that was making it difficult for myself! Fighting is probably the hardest thing I found to get my head around. You have to be smart and equip yourself with the appropriate level of equipment for your current skills just as you would in real life. Load yourself up with heavy plate and a bastard sword at the start and you will get your ass handed to you quick. There are so many things that you can do and it can seem daunting at first Hunting, Alchemy, weapon maintenance, etc but once you play it all becomes natural and easier as your skill improves. You can lose yourself in this wold so easily as it is beautiful, trotting over fields and over hills just taking in the view. The life going on in towns and villages can easily be taken for granted but if you stand back for a minute and look around, the small details in this will amaze. Simple things like people waking up in the morning and washing and then going about their daily work just make this feel alive. I could rhapsodise about this game and make this into an essay. Suffice it to say this game has a lot going for it if you take your time and enjoy the experience.
Maybe it's nostalgia on my part, but I still find this game massively entertaining. I still love to pull this one out of the bag now and again and blast some pig cops. This is one of those games that proves shiny graphics and overblown theatricals are not required to make a good game. If you have never played this game get it now, you won't be disappointed. If you are fussy about how your games look, then download and stick on the Hires mod. Makes it look fantastic!
