Must buy games

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 11:21 am

DS does not get my vote of approval. WAIT UNTIL THE PRICE COMES DOWN. I believe the Siege the editor will probably be the best part (and it didn't ship with the game. Building the world and playing with the engine will at least provide some variety. I was sold on the beauty of a game. Ack!!!! Just like Fable and many reviews said, "A pretty version of Diablo".

It gets boring real fast. You can't take away from the graphics, camera control, or sound but the game needs more than that. I'm probably about 1/3 the way through, and I'll finish it. I'm still interested in playing it multiplayer with some folks here but please don't make my mistake. Wait for the price to come down. Perhaps save your cash for IWD2, or do what most of us do. Play BG2/TDD/ToB again. You can't go wrong.

I'm looking forward to IWD2 and NWN.

Also, to our RTS players out there. I'm looking for opinions on Empire Earth, Stronghold, Cossacks, Disciples II, and Battle Realms. Maybe Disciples II isn't a RTS. I thought it was.

Is the No one lives forever a PC FPS?

Vivien · Post by **Vivien** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 12:47 pm

Originally posted by Ned Flanders
DS does not get my vote of approval. WAIT UNTIL THE PRICE COMES DOWN. I believe the Siege the editor will probably be the best part (and it didn't ship with the game. Building the world and playing with the engine will at least provide some variety. I was sold on the beauty of a game. Ack!!!! Just like Fable and many reviews said, "A pretty version of Diablo".

It gets boring real fast. You can't take away from the graphics, camera control, or sound but the game needs more than that. I'm probably about 1/3 the way through, and I'll finish it. I'm still interested in playing it multiplayer with some folks here but please don't make my mistake. Wait for the price to come down. Perhaps save your cash for IWD2, or do what most of us do. Play BG2/TDD/ToB again. You can't go wrong.

I'm looking forward to IWD2 and NWN.

Also, to our RTS players out there. I'm looking for opinions on Empire Earth, Stronghold, Cossacks, Disciples II, and Battle Realms. Maybe Disciples II isn't a RTS. I thought it was.

Is the No one lives forever a PC FPS?

Thank you for the info on Dungeon Seige.

As to NOLF, yes it is. I enjoyed it because you have a female first person character with a really neat english voice. Granted, I didn't play it, just watched

Robnark · Post by **Robnark** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 12:54 pm

NOLF is one of the best FPS games i've played - admittedly my computer is frankly shagged out at the moment, but it still runs beautifully, and it has an excellent balance between weapon damage and health, so it really has that secret agent/commando thang down perfectly.

as single player mode FPSs go, it's the second best i've played yet.

humanflyz · Post by **humanflyz** » Mon Apr 22, 2002 8:44 pm

@Ned Flanders:

I own Battle Realm, and so far, I found it sort of boring and slow. The reason being that the population cap is only 40. I played SC, AOE2, Shogun for a long time. I am used to hundreds of units in battle. To me, 40 units is just not good enough. Battle Realm takes away a lot of the micromanagement in resource gathering and put a lot more micromanagement in unit building. Controlling a small group of units requires careful micromanagement, meaning you MUST use each unit's special ability to its full potential. This requires hours of practice and trial and error. The battles are a lot smaller and you must really start paying attention to your units's HP. The scenary and the structure graphics are very good. The units also have very good animation. However, the units themselves are sort of blocky and pixelated. Multiplayer is fairly short since units are limited. However, there's some problems with balancing between the different factions. The game introduces some fairly innovative concepts. For example, your villagers will automatically appear from a building. You must send each villager to certain buildings and train them. It's a more realistic way of units training. Also, you get points when you kill enemies, and these points can be used to upgrade or research certain technologies. Also, you can mix units. For example, you can send a villager to become a spearman, and then send him into the Alchemist Hut, and then he becomes a cannoer, and then if you send him into the temple, he will learn his special ability. You can create some pretty cool customized units. There's a lot of interactivity with the environment. You can send archers into towers and your line of sight increases. Your units can take advantage from height or using hills as covers. You can build stables to produces horses, and your units can ride them.

Bottom line: A lot of micromanagement in individual units, nice graphics, and some pretty innovative ideas.

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 12:10 pm

@Battle Realms.

I did enjoy some of it and i liked the divergence at the start to good or evil. It all starts out quite well with the (already mentioned) innovations providing new tricks to play with. It however quite soon gets stagnant and i must admit i have lost interest in it after about the sixth level.

The multiplayer is a strange affair since you have to kill opponents to gain upgrades (which is a good idea) it also causes the game to stagnate quite a lot and since the evil guy's are by far and away the best species it is pointless playing as anyone else....the main clan are fun with their Samurai but the whole thing diminishes fairly quickly.....i really wanted to like this game but i found the whole thing quite limiting.

If you want more just ask

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 1:44 pm

I've been given to understand that Morrowind should be in the stores in one week. The stores themselves say May 1st, and this deadline is apparently firm. Based on the preview, it should be an RPGer's delight. Not a BG2 style game, but a first person, realtime RPG (though you can still change weapons and ready spells while the game pauses) with incredible graphics and plenty of individual character development--including 300 individually designed dungeons. Of course, some of those dungeons are more like short caves, but still...

Seventy-seven alchemical ingredients. More than a hundred monster types. Forty character skills.

Drool.

ThorinOakensfield · Post by **ThorinOakensfield** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 5:04 pm

Dungeon Siege looks really nice, but then i remember NWN which will kick butt. Medal of Honor looks good too, but i hope they release it on PS2, then I'll buy it along with GTA3, Max Payne and some silly little kids game for my sister.

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 6:00 pm

DS looks great, but it plays like an overlong Diablo. I just got so tired of yet-another series of burial crypt rooms, etc, and of having to lug back goodies to sell. Strategy is basic, and just about always the same.

I spoke earlier today with an editor who just spent a day looking at NWN. He says there definitely is interparty dialog and at least some of the byplay and "character" we all enjoy in BG2's party PCs, and he thinks the development kit is going to be a huge hit. I'm inclined to agree. Morrowind, too, is releasing its development kit to the public.

Witch King · Post by **Witch King** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 6:08 pm

Fable: Re: ? about lawyers, apparently my tirade fell short
I was being silly, in my way.

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 6:18 pm

Morrowind's gone gold, so we'll all have a chance to look at it, soon. I asked a bunch of questions earlier to Pete Hines, the publicity guy for Bethesda these days. He knew all the answers to my detailed questions--we didn't even need to get a product person. Turned out it wasn't so surprising: Pete's logged enormous hours in the beta game, and wrote (or co-wrote, he wasn't clear on that) the strategy guide.

humanflyz · Post by **humanflyz** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 9:08 pm

@fable:

Will Morrowind be a story-driven game or a player-driven game? I just don't like to just wander around and forget the story. To me, a good RPG must include an immersive story. However, it sounds like to me that Morrowind is mainly boasting on its non-linearity and player's freedom. That's why I like BG2, nice balance between plot-advancemend and side quests. I played Daggerfall and found all the exploring and wandering around very tiring.

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 10:25 pm

Originally posted by humanflyz
Will Morrowind be a story-driven game or a player-driven game? I just don't like to just wander around and forget the story. To me, a good RPG must include an immersive story. However, it sounds like to me that Morrowind is mainly boasting on its non-linearity and player's freedom. That's why I like BG2, nice balance between plot-advancemend and side quests. I played Daggerfall and found all the exploring and wandering around very tiring.

Morrowind definitely has a story, and you're a part of it, but you can take all the time in the world to work through it. Instead, you can join guilds and/or houses, perform innumerable quests, etc.

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 10:36 pm

My must buy game, apart from the obvious being NWN

It would be Republic, however judging from the ambitious project goals. I may need another upgrade.

Xan deVir · Post by **Xan deVir** » Tue Apr 23, 2002 11:48 pm

after finishing bg1-soa-tob for the second time I'll paly:
1. Planescape: Torment [I haven't tried it but I'll love it for sure]
2. Return to Castle Wolfenstein [need a better comp for it...]
3. Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix
4. Unreal 2 & Deus Ex 2 & GTA3 [maybe, if they are as good as the first]

CM · Post by CM » Wed Apr 24, 2002 12:59 am

Morrowwind really that good Fable?
hmmm...might have to check this out.