G4techTV hates ToEE
G4techTV hates ToEE
Review - posted by Vault Dweller on Sat 5 June 2004, 15:16:44
Tags: Temple of Elemental Evil; Troika GamesG4 TechTV posted a review of a game apparently called Dungeons & Dragons: Temple of Elemental Evil, giving it 2/5 and bitching about frustrating interface and bugs.
If you squint just right and view the screen out of the corner of your eye, you'll see the shadow of a very good game. As the first computer implementation of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 rule set, ToEE does an excellent job of translating the new pen-and-paper game. Troika also obtained the rights to the Greyhawk world of Gary Gygax, one of the most cherished and detailed fantasy settings this side of Middle-earth. Players guide a party of up to five characters (pre-generated or built with a detailed and satisfying creation system) through a series of quests in and around the eponymous temple. Although there are some side quests, most of the action is a dungeon crawl through the deceptively large temple. A large pool of mercenary and other non-playable characters (NPCs) are available to fill three other party slots.
Unfortunately, even ignoring the bugs, ToEE has some serious problems. The minimal plot (superficially different based on your party's pre-chosen alignment) is largely superfluous, which is a shame given the setting. It's a dungeon crawl with a pretty face -- a poor use of the license. The world seems static and empty. NPCs, even those integral to the main story, have little to say of interest. Party banter, given its own toggle in the game options, consists of a handful of stock phrases coupled with a dozen vapid, sight-specific comments such as "This place will be hard to get into."Yep, ToEE's party banter sucked. Nobody stopped during a battle to tell me about some mental issues. No romances or leg humping either.
If you squint just right and view the screen out of the corner of your eye, you'll see the shadow of a very good game. As the first computer implementation of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 rule set, ToEE does an excellent job of translating the new pen-and-paper game. Troika also obtained the rights to the Greyhawk world of Gary Gygax, one of the most cherished and detailed fantasy settings this side of Middle-earth. Players guide a party of up to five characters (pre-generated or built with a detailed and satisfying creation system) through a series of quests in and around the eponymous temple. Although there are some side quests, most of the action is a dungeon crawl through the deceptively large temple. A large pool of mercenary and other non-playable characters (NPCs) are available to fill three other party slots.
Unfortunately, even ignoring the bugs, ToEE has some serious problems. The minimal plot (superficially different based on your party's pre-chosen alignment) is largely superfluous, which is a shame given the setting. It's a dungeon crawl with a pretty face -- a poor use of the license. The world seems static and empty. NPCs, even those integral to the main story, have little to say of interest. Party banter, given its own toggle in the game options, consists of a handful of stock phrases coupled with a dozen vapid, sight-specific comments such as "This place will be hard to get into."
