Preview Bard's Tale peaks at GameSpy

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Bard's Tale (2005); InXile Entertainment

There's <a href="http://www.gamespy.com/previews/february04/bardstalemulti/">a preview</a> of <A href="http://www.inxile-entertainment.com/">Bard's Tale</a> over at <A href="Http://www.gamespy.com">GameSpy</a> talking about the odd little title that pokes fun at the CRPG fantasy genre. Here's a taste:
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<blockquote> Like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you'll have a certain amount of choice in The Bard's Tale. However, your paths won't be those of good and evil, but rather…good and wiseass. Furthermore, there will be many events that seem small but play a large part in your tale should you trigger them. For example, you'll meet a puppy early on in the game. He'll approach you twice and you have the option to tell him to piss off both times. If you show some kindness to the pup then he'll tag along. At first he's there for ornamental purposes, but grows smart enough to dig up treasure for you, and eventually becomes strong enough to help you fight. There are also a few plotlines and plot twists that only occur if the dog is your companion. </blockquote>
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You know, a novel concept might have been not having direct involvement in combat at all for the Bard, but oh well.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.gengamers.com">GenGamers</A>

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm, I think dialog will end up being.

'Avast ye Bard, thine King is in trouble, verily. Dost thou help?

1.Yes
2.No
3.FUCK YOU FUCKING FUCK FUCKED FUCKING JERK'

*No is selected*

'Avast ye Bard, thou must have a change of mind?

1.Yes
2.No
3.FUCK YOU FUCKING FUCK FUCKED FUCKING JERK'

*FUCK YOU FUCKING FUCK FUCKED FUCKING JERK is selected*

'Avast ye Bard, thou must have a change of mind?

1.Yes
2.No
3.FUCK YOU FUCKING FUCK FUCKED FUCKING JERK'

*player randomly selects No and Fuck ... and 79 tries later..*

'Avast ye Bard, thou must have a change of mind?

1.Yes
2.No
3.FUCK YOU FUCKING FUCK FUCKED FUCKING JERK'

*Yes is chosen and the quest begins!*

 

[dipdipdip]

That's a lot like any given conversation in FOBOS -- lots of go-nowhere dialogue choices and cursing.

 

[Whipporowill]

You know, a novel concept might have been not having direct involvement in combat at all for the Bard, but oh well.

Not THAT original - consider Etherlords for instance.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

I'm talking about the Bard just being around when it happens, not controlling anything to fight for him.

 

[Whipporowill]

Automating gameplay = teh w1n

As you discover new weapons, you won't have to wait to go back to town to trade them in. If it's worse than your current weapon then you'll automatically get its value in gold. If it's better than your weapon then your old one will be converted to gold and you'll wield your new arm.

Add that to DS and you'll not have to do anything at all

 

[Nightjed]

hmm, the game's story sounds interesting but it seems like the game takes most of the choices away for you "for the sake of the jokes", maybe its just the way the gamespy dude wrote it, shrug

... omfg ... i was going arround the game's flash website and i "accidentaly " went though the maid's boobs with the cursor without clicking and she bitched at me ... i did it two more times and it sent me to a sexual harrasment site :shock: i didnt even click, its worse than those real life ugly paranoid women

 

[Greenskin13]

*Yes is chosen and the quest begins!*

Actually, this sounds just like the beginning of Final Fantasy 9.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

*Yes is chosen and the quest begins!*

Actually, this sounds just like the beginning of Final Fantasy 9.

That sounds like 90% of console RPGs.

 

[LCJr.]

For example, you'll meet a puppy early on in the game. He'll approach you twice and you have the option to tell him to piss off both times. If you show some kindness to the pup then he'll tag along. At first he's there for ornamental purposes, but grows smart enough to dig up treasure for you, and eventually becomes strong enough to help you fight. There are also a few plotlines and plot twists that only occur if the dog is your companion.

Not another fucking dog. I'm getting really, really sick of dogs in games. Was having some kind of dog fetish a job requirement at Interplay?

 

[Kamaz]

Is the BardsTale going to be only console game? Or also PC as a platform ir planned? Searched over their site but could not find anything. [Except for their strange FAQ that was, of course, good and funny but did not clear anything - maybe it was so intended?]

Anyway, talking 'bout BT - first of all I, of course, liked the idea - Brian Fargo in charge, some olf fallout stuff and like, old legend revival, a game setting, the main hero - really not so much a hero, the humor - .. but..but..but then I read this preview. And it screws up everything. FIrst of all, as I hear, its console. And I dont think that console is the way to go [insert cRPG if you like, but acctually you may leave it as it is], of course, its much more profitable, but..but..but its kinda ..to simple, too shallow? Havent seen any console cRPG with fallout-like depth [if we start speaking of fallout, i havent seen any cRPG to be equal, but at least BaldursGate series, Torment, Arcanum tried..]. Anyway, guess, I am getting of the main plot..where was I? ..oh, yeah..that is, first of all, it turns out it is a console game. Ok..as long as it could make to PC I would try to tolerate it. But then..you know, I hate magic [and even magick], playing as non-warrior character was bright sunburst of hopes for me, but magical songs as weaponry just beat me up. In this case I rather chosse a rusty sword than that stinky "summon monster" skill. I dont like the idea. But..oh well, let it be. The next disappointment was hearing that BT uses DarkAlliance engine [Baldursgate killer, FOPOS ancestor and so on in my mind]. Well, i could even try to live with it..but...did I really see a hack`n`slash words in there? They are aiming in THAT direction? It is not I like. Of course, first Diablo was phun. Yeah, I did it. Three days and nights I fought till death and beat the fucking underworld up. Yeah, I rule..well, back to Fallout again. I think its getting too much hack`n`slash nowadays. As a game developer wannabe I could say I understand - its really easy money, everyone [...stinky teenager..] loves h`n`s and its rather easier to develop. Deep story telling is for geeks [of course], combat RULEZ ...eah, but..I hoped at least one game could be different. Well, wishes die. Lets continue. Oh, yes.. and THAT thing. THAT fucking [excuse mois] thing. The "moving platforms" thing. Jesus. Please. Jesus... Its like console or smth . No more comments. Floating ice pieces. Yeah. Cool. Really cool. My foots are chilling allready. And the last and definetly the least - the worst equipment will be turned into money automatically removing any need for barter. Lads, dont you have anything to say about that? WTF??? [for example]

In conclusion, I would like to thank you for reading this damn-too-long-man-you-could-have-made-it-shorter-and-less-offensive-lad post and excuse myself if I have not understand something correctly. And, by the road [btr], this is my first post in here. Thank you.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Is the BardsTale going to be only console game? Or also PC as a platform ir planned?

If there wasn't a PC version in the works as well, it wouldn't appear on this site.

Brian Fargo in charge, some olf fallout stuff and like,

Brian Fargo didn't have much to do with Fallout. His name only appears in the openning because he was president of Interplay at the time.

old legend revival, a game setting, the main hero - really not so much a hero, the humor - .. but..but..but then I read this preview. And it screws up everything.

Many fans of the original are concerned about the changes listed.

FIrst of all, as I hear, its console. And I dont think that console is the way to go [insert cRPG if you like, but acctually you may leave it as it is], of course, its much more profitable, but..but..but its kinda ..to simple, too shallow? Havent seen any console cRPG with fallout-like depth [if we start speaking of fallout, i havent seen any cRPG to be equal, but at least BaldursGate series, Torment, Arcanum tried..].

I'm not sure Baldur's Gate tried at all. Torment certainly did quite a bit of Fallout's mechanics, but it was far too linear and restrictive in how you approached things due to the story. Arcanum's character system kind of hosed it's likelihood of being as good as Fallout, IMHO.

The next disappointment was hearing that BT uses DarkAlliance engine [Baldursgate killer, FOPOS ancestor and so on in my mind]. Well, i could even try to live with it..but...did I really see a hack`n`slash words in there? They are aiming in THAT direction? It is not I like. Of course, first Diablo was phun. Yeah, I did it. Three days and nights I fought till death and beat the fucking underworld up. Yeah, I rule..

Diablo was fun because it combined a few nice aspects of the Rogue-like games with a novel actiony combat system.

THAT fucking [excuse mois] thing. The "moving platforms" thing. Jesus. Please. Jesus... Its like console or smth . No more comments. Floating ice pieces. Yeah. Cool. Really cool. My foots are chilling allready.

Yup, I hate moving "puzzles" and jump "puzzles" personally. If I wanted those, I'd play Frogger.

And the last and definetly the least - the worst equipment will be turned into money automatically removing any need for barter. Lads, dont you have anything to say about that? WTF??? [for example]

WTF is my thought exactly. Maybe I don't want to use a sword, maybe I'd prefer to use a flail or something else. If it's magic, maybe I prefer the properties of what I have over what I pick up.

The only way for this system to actually work without my preferences interfering with my enjoyment at all is if we vastly limit the types of weapons and armor there are to just one type of weapon - a sword.. And the only bonuses for those swords are the vanilla kind of +1, +2, +3, etc. Ugh.

I

And, by the road [btr], this is my first post in here. Thank you.

Welcome aboard.