This title is SO frustrating. It is beautiful to behold. The GUI was masterful for its day, but the title is broken without mods and even with the All Sacred "Circle of 8" mod. It is MERCILESS. One can't even properly rest a party before it is ambushed. This occurs long BEFORE you even reach the temple. I dearly want to love this game, but it is a slog, and that's regardless of how tactically minded one is. You can prepare for every contingency, but it won't matter. Something will appear to utterly surprise you, and one won't be able to pivot in time to counter. Do yourself a favor, get Low Magic Age instead. It is nowhere near the graphical fidelity of ToEE, but it gives you a fighting chance, where your decisions DO matter. It is thus fun and rewarding. This game, modded up to the hilt or not, is not that. Stay away.
The start of "The Age of Decadence" is extremely promising, but then hits a tactical brick wall that is extremely frustrating to surmount. The RPG-elements are enticing and exciting, but end up proving to be third rate in comparison to a severe lack of tactics because of the limitations of map design and sensible tactical options. It becoms maddening to experience after reloading a scenario six or more times. Later in the game, one has to stumble around the map to find The Exact Single Sweet Spot in order to win a fight. This is NOT fun to experience, especially when one thinks that certain tactical approaches SHOULD work - it won't matter. Try it a thousand times, you'll lose untill you find The Magical Position, and THEN you'll win (oftentimes barely). I don't mind games that are challenging, but this title is imposing a harshness through the wrong means, as most of the time the maps APPEAR to offer up a range of tactical approaches, when in reality, they don't. It's evident that a lot of hard work went into producing this title. I appreciate the graphics, the sound effects, etc., but the combat system needs to be significantly revised to get it to a "4" in regards to its rating. I'd give this title a 2.5/5 stars, but the Rating System won't permit that. If you enjoy slamming your head into a wall of tactical limitations, then this title's for you.
GREAT game. Well, sort of... In terms of gameplay mechanics, especially the expanded role playing options and crafting, this game is several steps ahead of its predecessor. However, in terms of basic fundamental story lines, it's unfinished. And badly so. It was my final Lucasarts game that I ever bought "brand new," and I posted a thread on the company's website, declaring that I would never, ever, buy another Star Wars title till the customer's word of mouth was well established. I've kept to my word ever since. Because of the default unfinished state, it's worth only 2 stars. Once "The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod" is installed, it's worth 4 stars. I wouldn't even consider playing this title without it. Get it here: http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-sith-lords-restored-content-mod-tslrcm and enjoy the game as it was MEANT to be played.
Tactical game lovers rejoice! Door Kickers is one of The Best tactical titles I have ever played, and that's saying a lot from an avid fan of X-Com, Jagged Alliance, SWAT 3 & 4, Rainbow 6, and more... This title has it all. The implementation of equipment is perfect. The fog of war is perfect. The level of tactical options per map is broad and the resulting consequences are always rewarding, and that's even if the consequences are terrible for the team! If one does something stupid, then one deserves the just desserts, however foul they might taste. The level of immersion is as deep as the tension, and the replay option is a VERY nice bonus. Few things are more satisfying than sitting back and watching one's performance played out like a masterful film. And the online community is robust, supplying new maps, equipment, effects, and more. Seriously. Buy. This. Title. You won't be disappointed!
By any measure, an AMAZING game that is a "must-own" title. To me, its greatest strength lies in its mission editor. Some of you might think, "Shouldn't its main strength be the missions and campaigns and online features ALREADY made for it by the developers?" Yes, these ARE already well done, but the game's mission editor is so easy to use, that it sucks you in to one's younger days, when one played with their military action figures in one's backyard sandbox. It's a LOT of fun to use, and much more rewarding than accidentally losing an action figure's tiny gun in the dirt! There are two mods for AI that elevate the game to a whole new level: Group Link 4 Special FX Edition and Zeus AI. They're easy to install, and EXTREMELY easy to use in the editor - and the results! In less than an hour's time, I've created one mission that I can play endlessly, because the AI get distributed dynamically throughout the urban environment, and they put on an amazing fight. They'll occupy and patrol one building for a while, before they'll leave it to patrol another. The tension is incredible, as the AI will even outflank you using the terrain as concealment, and then start blasting your flanks from the cover of a structure. The tension's so heavy that my heartbeat picks up as I'm approaching the likely engagement range of the city. But even if you don't design your mission to be "super-dynamic," it will still be far more dynamic than any Call of Duty game out there, because the AI's decisions are NOT scripted! One can literally memorize every spawn point and trigger in the Call of Duty series, and in my opinion, becomes very boring very quickly. The online community has created 1,000's of amazing mods. Each new island is a wonder to explore and behold (Lingor is one of my favorites!). Those players who are addicted to the Counter Strike and Call of Duty type of play styles are going to have to radically change their attitude and approach to military gaming for this game. It can be much slower paced due to the stakes that are involved, after all, you have just ONE life to live! This game is much more about using your BRAIN than just finger-twitching. Seriously, the CS and CoD style is arcade-like when compared to what one needs to be successful in ArmA II. That said, TRY this title at all costs. There's a learning curve involved, so don't give up right away, as the very satisfying reward will come after one learns the hard necessities that this title simulates. One of The Best games I have ever owned!
This game is a wonderful addition to the Thief universe. It really brought steampunk to all new levels of thoughtful design. The modding community has released literally hundreds of mods and missions for this game, with a good number of them rivaling even the best ones crafted by the game's original designers. Don't hesitate to get this title. A true masterpiece of taught tactical tension. Simply brilliant.
TERRIFIC game, with a deep story that's convincingly told, and a nearly unlimited range of RPG options with solid consequences on every level. This title is an Experience, and must buy! Some terrific mods for this game as well. Still, the title's "perfect" as is, and doesn't require them to become an instant classic.
Forget all of the flashy modern titles out there--if one wants to experience close quarters, tactical, DYNAMIC (that means that you're NOT glued to one pre-designed path <insert any lame Call of Duty or Medal of Honor title here>) and nail-biting combat, then THIS title is for you. Its AI is superb. You literally cannot ever have the same experience twice. Even when playing MP maps against the bots, they will OWN you. Weapon ballistics are realistically modeled: that means rounds can pass through materials and bodies (watch out for innocent civilians and/or arrested criminals and terrorists as rounds can pass through the bad guys and right into them!). SWAT 4 was graphically superior, but the AI was much weaker than what's featured here. SWAT 3's AI is topnotch, and it's inexcusable that more modern titles have AI that's far below what was accomplished here. The only drawback to me is the lack of true iron sights. I wish that the .exe could be cracked and this one feature made plausible. But still...this game rules. The command system takes a bit of getting used to. Perhaps two hours of committed playtime, but is WELL worth it. This is a demanding game on the brain, which makes it all the more rewarding to play. If you don't have it yet, get it NOW. Thanks GOG for saving a great title that deserves to be played!
