This is really fun ARPG in the vein of Diablo, Grim Dawn, etc. Lots of different character types and customization. Picked this up on sale at $4.49 and it's an absolute steal at that price!
This is Diablo 3 with a WOW skin and that's not a bad thing. I've already gotten through a couple of playthroughs, and there's enough variety here to make me want to re-roll a new build. The only negative is that there may be too much "loot" - you'll spend a lot of time comparing gear which after several hours gets kind of exhausting. Other than that it's great - I purchased at full price ($20) and felt I got more than my money's worth. No brainer for ARPG fans.
I loved Planescape: Torment. When I heard Torment: Tides was coming out, and I was very excited to revisit a world that was touted as the "spiritual successor" to one of the best RPG's in history. Unfortunately, my excitement was not warranted. I really tried to hang in there with this game. I managed to soldier through all the way to what I'm assuming was the end battle. But after dying, I just couldn't do it anymore. The game just isn't fun. The writing is good, and the universe that's been created seems at least somewhat interesting. However, in terms of game play there "is no there there". I don't mind reading flavor text and in-game content in RPG's - been doing that for years. But Torment takes it too far. This game is more like reading a novel than playing a game. As a matter of fact, huge areas of the game take place SOLELY with still photos and large blocks of text. It's like a choose your own adventure game. I do hope the developers get a chance to make a second game in this universe, as there is potential there. Unfortunately, they missed the mark with this effort. It seems rushed and half-finished, and I felt that the producers were more interested in writing a novel than they were in making a game. Maybe they should've done that.
Anachonrox is a very unique experience - there's nothing else really quite like it. It takes JRPG combat mechanics, and combines them with a very Western story with some of the best art direction you'll see in a PC game. The comedy (this is one of the funniest games out there) is so sharp and well-done that the dramatic moments have a very real and potent effect on the player. The voice acting (except maybe the woman who plays the Stiletto character) is top-notch, and the "camera work" is amazing. All that combines to result in a very cinematic universe. I docked the game one star for the somewhat-repetitive combat (it's not THAT bad, but it does get a bit old), the difficulty of switching party members (you can "cheat" with some console commands, but doing so will often corrupt your save game files) and the the bugginess (again, not TOO bad, but the game will crash so save often). You can really feel the passion that went into the making of this game, and it's a real shame there was never a sequel. I'd love the opportunity to revisit this world and these characters. I've read that Tom Hall wants to make another Anchronox game, but won't do so until he can secure sole ownership of the IP. Hopefully he can somehow make that happen. 4 1/2 out of 5.
