Codex Review RPG Codex Review: Divinity: Original Sin 2

[Darth Roxor]

bamboozled yet again

 

[HeatEXTEND]

 

[Malpercio]

It's certainly a step down from the original, but it's nowhere close to a disaster. If DOS1 didn't exist, no one would bat an eye. It's a decent RPG that doesn't live up to its processor, but infinitely better than a lot of that came out recently.

 

[Eyestabber]

so its time to come out: yes i've been receiving huge paychecks for all muh revios

So devs pay you to shit on their games/ give backhanded praise? Wow. Are you fulfilling some REALLY specific kink of theirs? Review BDSM, huh?

Every day, man. Every fucking day we stray further from God.

 

[Pequod]

Dex is not being paid off.
Roxor is a chronical NEET because he cant find a job as a gaym riter because of things like this.

Notice how he never slanders glorious proud polish CD PROJECT products!

 

[Tigranes]

For the record, I certainly would have preferred to publish a more positive review of D:OS 2 (more representative of the community's opinion) but unfortunately no one stepped up. The game came out almost six months ago, there was plenty of time. We didn't have a choice between a positive review and a negative review, we had a choice between a negative review and no review.

That said, Larian have gotten enough praise and they definitely deserved this.

*shrug* if I wrote a review, for example, it would be more positive generally, but it would have the same criticisms.

I think it's up to the reader to learn about the game from the review, then decide whether the reviewer's interpretation of final quality matches with their own predilections.

 

[Zer0wing]

For the record, I certainly would have preferred to publish a more positive review of D:OS 2 (more representative of the community's opinion) but unfortunately no one stepped up. The game came out almost six months ago, there was plenty of time. We didn't have a choice between a positive review and a negative review, we had a choice between a negative review and no review.

That said, Larian have gotten enough praise and they definitely deserved this.

Fire all your reviewers except DR, next month is PoE2 month.

 

[Crescent Hawk]

I mean Larian has the tech and passion. But all their games seem like Elex stuck in a bad B fantasy spellforce grade kind of level. They really deserve this success sure, and I am not asking for grimdark or edgy shit like Twitcher. I just hope they do something more bold, instead of another Dragon Commander. What I mean by bold I have no idea, CD is already making a cyberpunk game... I don't know maybe Larian should make post apo game, or better yet how about a historical rpg? AssCreed is a successful franchise, and I still have a bad taste in my mouth from lionheart legacy of the crusader, fuck that seemed like a fun setting, but what a accident that was.

 

[Bocian]

Ok. Go make your own game bruh. You obviously have enough time on your hands.

Here we go, reddit threw the ultimate argument at you.

 

[Darth Roxor]

so its time to come out: yes i've been receiving huge paychecks for all muh revios

So devs pay you to shit on their games/ give backhanded praise?

its rival devs paying to shit on their competition

 

[Zerth]

Considering all the enthusiasm over this game and after earning the RPGCodex 2017 GOTY. It's kinda odd that a guy that didn't bother in finishing the game, was the only one to show up and willingly write a DivOS2 review for the codex so far.

I mean, as a matter of fact, this really doesn't hold a favorable statement about all DivOs 2 advocates. Are they really being honest with themselves regarding this game?

 

[Fenix]

Yeah, I admit I played DOS2 only 10 hours or maybe little more, then decided to wait A LITTLE for fixing bugs - tha't what Ithought.
So I gave it 4 out of 5 or was it 3 out of 4? just in advance...

I admit I made a mistake.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Considering all the enthusiasm over this game and after earning the RPGCodex 2017 GOTY. It's kinda odd that a guy that didn't bother in finishing the game, was the only one to show up and willingly write a DivOS2 review for the codex so far.

Funny of you to mention this, because actually that was how the review ended in v1. I decided to pull it out tho because it was a bit too masturbatory

 

[Fairfax]

The guy who wrote the last PoE review is a former staff member you noob.

And?

But yeah, I was planning on giving that to Prime Junta if he agrees.

There you have it.

 

[Ol'man]

The revue should add 2 things.

I.
Their """official""" reason for the deterministic hits was more tactical play with plans and setups that have a chance to work out. Chess like.
I assume that the creation of armor followed because you had to stop the mass of disables somehow.
But than why tack on an absolutely batshit insane initiave system? That I believe was added late in EA?
Banner Saga's design decision makes sense even it doesnt play well but Here...
Then again, asking for reason in game with that stat bloat and that itemization is pointless. At least one can shit on them.

II.
Some more words about the """characters""" because Larian actively REFUSED to let you make a squad because their story/ies are oh so greate.

In DOS:2 beta initiative was determined by wits+level without the you-go, they-go, you-go system live has. This led to everyone pumping wits and your entire party going before the opponents (there was no randomization, it was just your wits>their wits = your turn).

It was actually worse/boring than the current system, that also sucks, because your entire team went first, CC'd any meaningful target, and that was the fight. Testers never used the current system.

 

[Eyestabber]

So tested shit was replaced at the last moment with untested shit? Sounds like solid design to me.

 

[Zer0wing]

It all looks like musings of a mischievous teenager. If you are looking for serious eroticism it's not that.

Was there any RPG with erotic writing not done by teenager horndog? Like, ever?

 

[Grampy_Bone]

For the record, I certainly would have preferred to publish a more positive review of D:OS 2 (more representative of the community's opinion) but unfortunately no one stepped up. The game came out almost six months ago, there was plenty of time. We didn't have a choice between a positive review and a negative review, we had a choice between a negative review and no review.

Maybe everyone thought Roxor had dibs?

 

[Gellus25]

It's always fun seeing the reactions on Codex reviews, the same old "I disagree but I have no arguments against it" followed by the same shallow answer, repeated in multiple different forms:

"The Codex is so negative and doesn't like anything" (doesn't explain why the review is wrong)

If they say something different, it's usually even more shallow and meaningless, like:

"A bunch of people like it so it's good and if you disagree, you're wrong" (of course, doesn't explain why the review is wrong, the fact it's popular is apparently evidence enough)

Good to see the tradition is alive and well

 

[Blaine]

For the record, I certainly would have preferred to publish a more positive review of D:OS 2....

I'm shocked and astonished, absolutely flabbergasted and nonplussed.

This is totally unprecedented and I never would have guessed it in a million years.

You're a veritable cornucopia of surprises, utterly mercurial, defying expectations at every turn.

 

[thesheeep]

EVERY TIME YOU LEVEL UP YOU HAVE TO GO ON A PILGRIMAGE TO CHECK VENDORS FOR 36 ITEMS TO REPLACE YOUR PREVIOUS SET. EVERY SINGLE TIME. THIS IS THE FIRST RPG THAT ACTUALLY MANAGED TO MAKE ME GO "OH SHIT, I LEVELED UP AGAIN. FUN IS OVER"

Why though?

The game is not difficult enough to warrant this kind of autism. I remember some of my party members having level 4-5 items well into act 3.

You either exaggerate or didn't play on Tactitian, because having more than one or two under-level items equipped makes (some) Tacitian fights a total nightmare due to number inflation.

so its time to come out: yes i've been receiving huge paychecks for all muh revios

Wait, so Larian paid you to shit on their game?
Or was it someone else?

In DOS:2 beta initiative was determined by wits+level without the you-go, they-go, you-go system live has. This led to everyone pumping wits and your entire party going before the opponents (there was no randomization, it was just your wits>their wits = your turn).

It was actually worse/boring than the current system, that also sucks, because your entire team went first, CC'd any meaningful target, and that was the fight. Testers never used the current system.

Well, I can see how not having any randomization in that messes things up (even though it would STILL be preferable as then at least, it wouldn't be a dump stat), but why the hell didn't they introduce randomization instead of that absurd you-go-they-go nonsense?
They really swallowed that "RNG is bad" pill, huh?

 

[Blaine]

If a player is pumping Wits, that means he's not pumping something else. The logical conclusion is that if pumping Wits is far more powerful than any other avenue, then the mechanic needs some retooling. Instead, Larian pasted on a Band-Aid to artificially ensure that only one character at a time can ever go first and that both teams will alternate, while failing to address the underlying issues.

Gee, if only we had some other turn-based, team-based tactical computer and video games whose developers handled initiative and turn order with grace and aplomb to look to...? Nah, there haven't been any. Can't think of a single one, never been done before.

 

[Suicidal]

EVERY TIME YOU LEVEL UP YOU HAVE TO GO ON A PILGRIMAGE TO CHECK VENDORS FOR 36 ITEMS TO REPLACE YOUR PREVIOUS SET. EVERY SINGLE TIME. THIS IS THE FIRST RPG THAT ACTUALLY MANAGED TO MAKE ME GO "OH SHIT, I LEVELED UP AGAIN. FUN IS OVER"

Why though?

The game is not difficult enough to warrant this kind of autism. I remember some of my party members having level 4-5 items well into act 3.

You either exaggerate or didn't play on Tactitian, because having more than one or two under-level items equipped makes (some) Tacitian fights a total nightmare due to number inflation.

I did play on Tactician and no, I don't exaggerate. I distinctly remember finding new pants somewhere in the second half of the game (think it was act 3) and thinking who I should give them to and then noticing one of my guys having level 5 green pants that give +30 HP. In fact, most of my equipment was always at least 2-3 levels behind my current level. The only time I shopped for new gear was a few times on the ship in act 3-4 and a few times in act 4 city, one of which was right before going to the final dungeon and boss.

Some fights were very difficult and perhaps had I been constantly upgrading my gear they would have been easy, but most of the time I was still plowing through the game without much effort.

 

[Bumvelcrow]

I mean, as a matter of fact, this really doesn't hold a favorable statement about all DivOs 2 advocates. Are they really being honest with themselves regarding this game?

I don't know about everyone else, but I only voted for D:OS2 in order to look cool. I will be voting for PoE2 for the same reasons. When you're as lacking in cool as I am you have to take your opportunities.

 

[V_K]

They really swallowed that "RNG is bad" pill, huh?

If they did, they wouldn't have left the stupid randomized loot in.