Wizardry 8 Review

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(More customer reviews)Wizardry is epic.
This reviewer is 23 and has played many, many role-playing games. After a while, you become jaded, and get picky about your likes and dislikes. Sometimes games seem to just blend into one another and they aren't all that unique and distinguishable.
This one is different. It has to be - it is expected. It's a Sir-Tech game, after all. It's Wizardry.
In the 1980s, the big three were Wizardry, Ultima, and Might and Magic. I've always felt Wizardry was king of 3d, Ultima of top-down/isometric, and Might and Magic was just a runner-up.
Wizardry is "classic" or "old-school." There is (of course) an excellent story, above-average music, fine gameplay, and decent graphics (the 3d engine is impressive - it draws you in but I'll leave it at "good" and not "amazing") - the monsters are the best graphics in the game with their animations - and they are awesome. Couldn't get much better there. But what makes Wizardry 8 classic are not these features (enjoyable as they are)...
Wizardry 8 is about characters - the essence of role-playing. It features extensive character generation (and brings back the "good ol' days" before fast-food generation of bland characters became standard. There are so many races and classes, so many combinations to try, so many statistics to become involved with (should I allocate points towards Wizardry to improve my mages' spell points, or stock points to make less of his spells fail? should I have my rogue become an expert lock-picker or better at pickpocketing first? or should I put points in other places...) Fighters can get lots of strength, Priests piety, etc. There are many standard attributes (strength, intelligence, piety, vitality, dexterity, speed, senses, etc), and then combat categories to put points in -- close combat, ranged combat, dual strike -- weapons: from bows and slings to maces and swords and axes -- to characteristics like mythology (the higher the more you know about your enemies), artifacts (exactly what is this cloak I just picked up and what does it do?), to scouting ("monsters approaching!!") This process is extremely interesting and sucks you in whenever you advance levels. After all, you have six characters to flesh out and differentiate. Character generation in the first place is great.
This is the essence of why Wizardry is the best CRPG. You completely control all levels of your characters (you form a party of six with optional NPCs being recruited later). You pick your characters' pictures, statistics, names, and even personalities. You literally create personal roles to play for hours and hours (and hours).
A side note on personalities - they are awesome. There are personalities to pick for each character such as aggressive, kindly, chaotic, eccentric (definitely one of the most entertaining), cunning, and laidback. Once chosen, your characters speak tons and tons of lines of dialogue echoing their personalities. The eccentric mage (if you so choose), may refer to himself in third-person. Wonderful. Lines are spoken throughout the game in all instances - just adventuring, combat, winning a battle, someone dying (comments on who has dibs on a dead character's stuff is pretty funny), a great attack made, a miscast spell that affects your party - our hero has made a horrible mistake..
The combat is also great. Wizardry is combat-intensive. It is generally turn-based (but can be continuous) -- you pick your characters' options a round starts - monsters go, you go - determined by speed, level, etc. It involves elements of strategy, from setting up, to choosing actions for your characters and watching them unfold after your options are chosen. Many classes can cast spells ranging from affecting a single enemy to a group - classics such as fireball and magic missiles - to spells that affect conditions of monsters: nauseate them with Noxious Fumes, make them go nuts with Insanity, freeze them with Web...and enemies are intelligent. They will circle your party if they can to attack your lowly mage hiding in the back. Try working your way out of that one...
Experience is gained, levels are upped, points for statistics are distributed...all while adventuring in a wonderful world with great people. The NPCs were labored over. They all have unique voices and personalities as well, and respond to questions you ask via either keywords typed in or selected from their dialogue or a keyword box. It reminds me of talking to people in real life - a favorite is a woman in the first town, very Midwest and small town who is really nice to you and loves to gossip. Reminds me of an aunt in Indiana I have. NPCs voice their reactions to events in the world and have opinions on just about any topic you can think of asking them about. The combination of EXCELLENT (EXCELLENT!!!) voice-acting and writing make these interactions extremely enjoyable. They really add to the atmosphere of the game.
From the graphics, to writing, gameplay, combat, voice-acting, storyline, character interaction, even interface (yes, it is one of the best ever - easy to use, uncomplicated to learn, logical), this game is hands-down a complete winner. It is the best CRPG I have ever played and I have played them for well over 15 years.
For those people who have played things such as Diablo, the Baldur's Gate series, Planescape:Torment, Icewind Dale, you will love this game. It includes the best elements from some of those games and makes them all even better in a 3D world. It also reminds me of the classics (Bard's Tale, The SSI Gold Box games, etc.) It has definitive elements of Wizardry that are completely unique - from combat to NPC interaction - and the whole thing put together will suck you in and hours will pass before you know it.
BUY THIS GAME!
The only thing you will regret is not having more time to play.

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Wizardry 8 is an epic fantasy RPG that picks up where Wizardry 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant left off. Fans of the series will recall that all hell had broken loose at the end of Wizardry 7. The Dark Savant had taken flight with a device called the Astral Dominae, an incredibly powerful artifact containing the secret of life itself. Following him are two powerful races, the T'Rang and the Umpani, as well as your own brave party of adventurers. Everyone is headed to Dominus, a world on the cusp of the Cosmic Circle, birthplace of the Astral Dominae, and home of the Cosmic Lords. Many paths will converge on Dominus, and many long-hidden secrets will be revealed.
Newcomers to the series will enjoy a special beginning just for those who haven't played the previous game. Whether you're an old Wizardry adventurer or new, you'll enjoy a unique, well-developed role-playing world of unusual depth and freedom. The game is not strictly linear: if you're smart enough and tough enough, you can go wherever you want. You can team up with some of the factions you'll meet--and then double-cross them, if it suits your fancy.

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The Last Remnant PC Review

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(More customer reviews)Had to ship from the UK but it was worth the extra 2 weeks. The only ones I could find in the US were 4 times as much $$$ for the same game. Updates on steam as soon as you install with US updates.

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Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the best game I've played in a long time. I just happened to find it on Steam and can't believe i've never heard of it. Its like a cross of fable and the witcher, but more fun than either, and you can switch between dragon and human form at the touch of a button! The voice acting is very good, the quests are fun, its Long, Im 25 hours in and just got my dragon form wich makes it almost like a new game now that i can also fly. You can make potions, enchant and charm all your gear and weps, wich there are plenty of. Many different sets to aquire, but dont worry you can still get your stats up piecing random gear together. Its not open world, but more sandbox style with different zones that are pretty good sized. Like fable when you spend skill points theres a little video clip and explanation of what you gain from that skill. At the start you need to choose from mele, ranged, or mage, but you can mix and match skills how ever you want. That leads to one of my few gripes, only 8 hotkey slots. Not enough room to fit special attacks And all the pots u want, but you can pause and drink one from inventory so not a huge deal. One of my favorite thing is there is no fall damage. I guess they figured since you get to morph into a dragon there was no point to it. Thats fun too, jump off tall tower and freefall for a bit, then poof, your a dragon. Only problem is you cant attack ground units in dragon form, but if you could youd have way to big an edge and the game wouldnt be as fun. Theres 4 difficulty settings, from casual to nightmare, im playing at level 2 and am finding combat a little easy, but i still die once in a while. The mindread talent is a new and fun skill. For the price of some xp u can mindread someone and see if they are hiding something, or gain skill points from their knowledge. This though requires some patience because lets say you aquire a password to someones hidden treasure, that doesnt mean said treasure is anywhere near the person it belongs to. Ok i could ramble on more but lets just say there are way more things to like than dislike about this game. If you like fantasy rpgs then you do not want to miss this one. When i started playing i thought this was gonna be another Risen, wich i didnt really enjoy, but Divinity 2 is everything risen wasnt. Hope this helps if your on the fence about buying it.

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Darkspore Review

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(More customer reviews)Alot of people are comparing this to Diablo II, but I don't really think thats fair. While Diablo 2 has 7 different playable characters there were many, many possible builds you could create. This game boasts 100 different playable heros, but there are really just 25 different heroes with a measly base attack, 2 abilities, a third 'genesis' ability that alternates depending on which of the 4 different color variations of a hero you are using, and a passive ability.
I included Torchlight in the title of my post because thats what the levels feel like. There are about 5 or 6 different stages with slight variations that you fight in. It really feels like a multiplayer Torchlight. They try to add a story, but its horribly explained in game and you're not really playing through it. A computer pops up every once in a while and gives you a history of stuff that happened, but it doesn't personally engage you.
Speaking of the multiplayer, if you're not the ideal level for a stage, you can go back to previous stages and play them again in hopes of getting better gear. Unfortunately, you will need to plan on doing that alone. In an effort to make it more "fun" to play with your friends, your hero will be nerfed to a point where you are substantially weaker than your friend, despite having far superior gear. Basically, only play with friends or never play with friends, because once you shoot ahead of them you will be at a huge disadvantage. The matchmaking system is pretty bad too, you may or may not get the level you want to play, and once the matchmaking system finds one person the game pretty much always starts after that. You can't tell it to always find four people or try to search a little longer.
Often times in Darkspore you will run across mini-bosses that are impossible to beat. They may spawn with an ability that limits the damage they can take and they regenerate. They can have up to 4 of these random abilities, and just these two alone can be nasty. You can't always flee from these enemies, as far as I can tell they will chase you indefinitely, and the portals the transport you through the area won't allow you to enter them with enemies nearby.
Darkspore was very fun playing through the first 24 levels (1-1 to 6-4), sadly after that, it starts getting very hard and oftentimes impossible to advance. A little bit of play-testing on the developers' parts before they released this game would have discovered the major problems the game has now. In my opinion, re-releasing a Diablo 2 with slightly better graphics than what it has now would blow this game away, and I would not advise my friends to buy this game. For 50 bucks, buy a real MMO. This game is only worth 20 in my opinion.

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Dragon Age 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have mixed feelings about this game after playing it all day. Some of the things that other reviewers didn't like really don't bother me. For example, I don't mind that you can't pick a few different races this time around. That really only changed the first hour or so anyway. The reworked art style seems much better to me. In the original, although I loved the game, there was nothing spectacular or "dark" about the setting, considering they called it dark fantasy. I think they are closer this time around.
They really dumbed a lot of it down, just like with ME2, and I think that was a mistake in some respects. You can no longer deck out your other party members with the best gear, because the only thing you can do is upgrade their equipment with runes. Want them to use a different weapon or give them better armor? Too bad.
I actually also don't mind the narrative style of the storytelling either, although it does have its drawbacks. The real problems start with the new button-mash style of play. On the one hand the original system did need some fixing. When you'd highlight an opponent to attack, you would have to move into range. Sometimes the target was running towards you at the time, so you'd literally run by him without attacking, then have to chase him down. I think they could have fixed that problem without changing it to a button mash fest. I started with the rogue and after a few hours, frankly, I had to change to an archer. Now I paly a LOT of video games, but when you are hip-deep in darkspawn, having to mash that button hundreds of times will take its toll on your poor hands. And if you've played the rogue set up with dual weapons, you know that means a LOT of button presses. For goodness sakes if its going to be that way just let us hold the attack button in!
The combat is certainly more savage and fun to watch, but when you have to press a button for every single attack, it gets to the point where you can't enjoy it anymore. The original game play let you use strategy and then watch the results of your choices play out. This new system is almost too fast and hectic to be appreciated. They made a similar choice with the path they took after the original KOTOR, which I also loved and still play. When they moved on to Jade Empire they went with the button masher scheme. I was so thrilled when the first DA came out because they switched back to a truly great system, but now they have switched yet again.
Although I think many of the reviewers are being a little harsh in their assessment, I think there is a lot of truth to their comments. I'm enjoying the game, don't get me wrong, but I think they lost focus of the core audience that made the original such a hit. I also really don't like how there is no real connection to the first game. Yes you'll see some of the characters from the original game pop up here and there, but it still seems very disconnected. Its almost like--we know you played the first game, now come play it again--but with a different guy that we will create for you--oh and you have to mash a lot of buttons too.
Surprisingly, some folks are even unhappy with the fact that the main character actually has a voice this time. Frankly I love that. I thought it was REALLY a poor choice the first time around to not give the hero a voice because it really detracted from the epic feeling of the game. So I don't empathize with folks on that point. For what its worth, I also don't like how they stripped down ME2 in terms of skills and leveling, but I still really enjoyed the game.
I'm a little concerned not only about the future of this franchise, but of Bioware in general. When they made a game--I bought it--period. You KNEW it was going to be good. But this is a really shaky installment for the quality that I'm used to expecting from them, and I hope they turn things around if there is another one. I don't feel like the game was "rushed", like many reviewers. I just feel like they stripped it down a bit too much. I think they could have kept the original gameplay mechanics with a couple of fixes and still got the game out just as quickly.
Please, Bioware, think hard about how you move forward. You have never been satisifed making games that are like everyone elses, so please don't start now.
**Update
Now that I've finished the game its time for an update! I've cooled off on some of the criticisms I had early on but gotten a little more irritated with other things, so overall my rating will stay put. But a few things to comment on...
I don't know how some folks can say that the game only lasted 30 hours. The only way you could finish that fast is if you put it on casual difficulty and ignore all the side quests. I put in nearly twice that many hours, so I'm happy with the game length.
Originally I wasn't able to change my other characters' weapons and armor. I had tried initially and it wouldn't let me so I didn't try again until a fellow reviewer told me you could do that a little while into the game, at least as far as the weapons go. You can't change the armor for any of the other characters, aside from buying these stupid little mods for their armor. I thought it was a step in the wrong direction. The cool thing about the first game was that when your main character got a cool new set of armor, you passed on your old set to one of your crew. Not possible here.
The one unforgiveable thing about the game is the repetitive use of maps. You will go back to the same areas over and over and over again. Combined with the whole "stuck in town" feeling of the game, it really detracts from the epic nature of the original game. You were out there exploring the world, seeing new places all the time. Here you're in town and occasionally you go out of town briefly to do something, unfortunately its almost always back to the same three locations.
Another small matter was the lack of the party camp. I really liked that from the first game. All your characters were together in one place and it made you feel like your party was in this terrible mess together. Now you have everyone who has their own house around town--it feels very odd to me for some reason. Why not have them all hang out at Hawke's place?
All in all a very solid game. Takes a while to warm up to some of the changes but for the most part you will. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars if I could, but its definitely not a four star game the way it is. If they had added a little variety in the maps and put a little more work into the plot they could have easily made this better than the first game, even with the changes to the combat system. But now we know how they got the game on the market so fast.

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Dragon Age II is a single player role-playing game (RPG) for play on the Xbox 360. Epic sequel to the BioWare developed 2009 Game of the Year, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II continues the adventure with a new hero, Hawke, and utilizes the choices made by the player to affect a story that spans ten years worth of time in-game. Additional game features include: the ability to choose your character's class and sex, a new cinematic in-game experience, a nonlinear narrative and the ability to import saved information from earlier Dragon Age games.

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Rift Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the version you should get.
If you are looking to buy this game, I recommend getting this Digital Collector's edition for $60.
Unlike what is said in the description, the in game mounts has no levels restriction. You can ride one as soon as you can get one. An extra $10 will get you a mount right off the bat for all new characters that you make. The cheapest mount you can get is about 2.5 plat. I didn't get 2.5 plat until about level 20 from a normal play. I created 3 characters to level 20, and it's pretty much the same pace. Having the mount as soon as you can get to the mailbox is awesome.
Now to the game review...
Coming from someone who has been playing all type of MMORPG games from MUD to WoW and all that are in between. RIFT is a great game by its own rights. It's been a long time since the MMO community has a very successful launch. I'm not going to compare features between this game and that game, but here are the good and the bad from my playing experience.
Default UI is a great. Although many of the goodies are turned off by default, you can easily turn them on through the interface setting. No need to go to addon website to install extra stuff. Things like target of target, AoE auto loot, auto sell gray items, etc. The UI layout editor is very easy to use. I'm actually really happy with it out of the box. It's not perfect, but a great starting point.
Public groups. I thought it was dumb when I first saw it, but there's a plus sign above everyone's avatar. You can click this and invite yourself to create an auto-group with the person. This is great when you see someone doing the quest you're looking to do, you can just auto group and you both and help each other. When you're done, just leave and be on your way. You can turn this feature off if you don't like a random stranger joining you. This also works for Public Group when taking down world events, such as RIFTs and Invasions. If there are multiple public groups, it merges them in to one.
Warfronts. Essentially, it's instance battlegrounds. The queues are very quick since its cross-servers. You need to be at least level 10 to do your first Warfront. There are brackets from 10-19, 20-29, and so on. It's pretty much the same old same old here, so nothing exciting about it. The experience gain is enough that you could level from just playing the warfronts if you choose to. I don't recommend it though, it gets boring pretty fast if playing it back to back... to back. Plus, you'll be pretty weak because you can't get gear efficiently if this is all you're doing.
Rifts and Invasions are pretty cool at first. After awhile it's just a zerg fest. I don't mind doing this, but again, in moderation. The blue and purple tokens you get from it are zone specific, so spend those to get yourself stronger. Not a lot of experience from invasions, so you can't level off of it like you can from warfronts. If you farm the invasion currencies you can buy items to make yourself stronger.
Quests are pretty much a straight shot. What is great about them is that you get pretty decent gears from following quests line. It will continually upgrade your gear as you go along. So this is the most effective way to get decent gear if you're playing by yourself or with a friend.
Dungeons are also pretty much like other games, but a lot prettier! It's hard to describe in words. The first instance is the Realm of the Fae, and the winter top mountain is pretty amazing, a must see! I won't spoil it.
This brings me to another point. The graphic and game effects in this game look very nice. Warrior's cleave bring up dust from the ground looks amazing. If your computer can handle ultra setting, the game is very pretty. I enjoy the graphic a lot. The last game I play that I thought was pretty was LotRO, this beats it.
Sound effects is pretty good, nothing that stands out. The script events and voice over is a nice touch, but nothing special. I turn music off when playing so I can't comment on that.
The loot is pretty also straight forward. The nice touch here is that all souls in the class use the same stat no matter what you're doing. For example, all clerics will use WIS gear. So I won't have to haul STR/DEX gear when tanking, WIS when healing, and INT/DEX when trying to DPS. All cleric uses WIS as the main attribute and that gets converted depending on the souls. If I'm tanking as Cleric Justica my WIS converts to STR for tanking. All I have to worry about is if I want to tank with 2H weapon or 1H and shield. Pretty awesome!
The Classes and Souls system is also nice, because it's very flexible. You can also purchase new roles to swap out from Tank to Healer on the fly. Since you're using pretty much the same gear from one role to another, it's painless.
In my opinion, this game doesn't bring anything new or innovative. It takes all the things other games done well and implement them in a nice package. There are a lot of improvements to be made. Like I said, it's not perfect, but it's a great start.

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Rift is the complete and full-featured MMO experience you've been waiting for! Adventure in the world of Telara as either a noble Guardian or techno-magical Defiant and enter a dynamic fantasy where 8 primal forces battle for control and the landscape is ever-changing. Build your own class using the Ascended Soul system and embark on challenging quests to take your RPG experience to new heights of achievement and excitement! the special edition includes the following exclusive items in addition to the game client DVD: Exclusive in-game digital items: Ancient Tartagon Mount: Available at level 20, this turtle mount increases player speed by 60%. Collector's Satchel: Increases the size of your primary backpack to 24 slots. Bogling Wastrel: This unique pet sets you apart from the other Ascended.

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