I concur. The interesting thing is that the reality of the character actually annoyed many players. They'll call the guy whiny. But man, the few scenes where you get to characterize your past with Raymond and Duncan just feel great and I only wish there was more of that. I can see an alternate SR:HK where you have to search your memories and investigate the city yourself to discover Raymond's past, instead of relying on Kindly Cheng. It would be a very different game though.
and I am glad I played it. I just started the second game (Dragonfall) and my first impressions are really bad (the terrible German alone is like waterboarding). Not sure yet whether I will continue with Dragonfall or start with Person 3 Reload
Both Dragonfall and Hong Kong blow the original Returns campaign out of the water in every way. These games include much more party member character exposition and hub exploration and are much more complete RPGs with a heavier focus on the social roleplaying aspect. Whatever grievances you have with DF, I highly suggest you give the game a fair chance, before dropping it, because it is very good and Hong Kong is even better.I just finished Shadowrun Returns aka. Dead Man's Switch and I liked it a lot. It was the first Shadowrun game I played and I didn't really know what to expect, but the game drew me right in with the great premise and excellent writing. The hunt for the Emerald City ripper was a blast and the best part of the game. The story gets a bit weird after that but it is still good and I smiled at the resolution of the Dead Man's Switch quest because it fit Sam's character so well.
The combat was okay but not very deep and some classes seem fairly useless. Also, the game feels low-budget and there is not a lot to do in each scene but this could actually be in the game's favor since it creates a very nice flow. I have never played an RPG where the plot unfolds so fast and this was a nice change in this often so wordy genre. There was one thing I hated though:
The combat against the bug spirits in the endgame is a disaster. You have to land your shots perfectly otherwise the bug regenerates and you have to do it all over again. And this is with just two AEGIS launchers that only hold two shots and need one action point to reload. Once this mechanic hits, combat becomes extremely tedious and the nice flow is lost. No idea why they thought this would be a good gimmick for the end game.
Overall
I thought Returns was written well but Dragonfall was one of the best written RPGs ever. Then again I played in English. Try in English if you can, it's a straight upgrade over Returns.Overall
I don't remember much from Hong Kong, just the disappointment after the phenomenal Dragonfall. I think it was the humdrum story and setting that bummed me out.
I agree about the endgame fights in Returns, the last 10% of the game was probably just not playtested. The art style was too cartoony, as well: if you look at official Shadowrun art, compared to that the video game is a Disney movieI just finished Shadowrun Returns aka. Dead Man's Switch and I liked it a lot. It was the first Shadowrun game I played and I didn't really know what to expect, but the game drew me right in with the great premise and excellent writing. The hunt for the Emerald City ripper was a blast and the best part of the game. The story gets a bit weird after that but it is still good and I smiled at the resolution of the Dead Man's Switch quest because it fit Sam's character so well.
The combat was okay but not very deep and some classes seem fairly useless. Also, the game feels low-budget and there is not a lot to do in each scene but this could actually be in the game's favor since it creates a very nice flow. I have never played an RPG where the plot unfolds so fast and this was a nice change in this often so wordy genre. There was one thing I hated though:
The combat against the bug spirits in the endgame is a disaster. You have to land your shots perfectly otherwise the bug regenerates and you have to do it all over again. And this is with just two AEGIS launchers that only hold two shots and need one action point to reload. Once this mechanic hits, combat becomes extremely tedious and the nice flow is lost. No idea why they thought this would be a good gimmick for the end game.
Overall
Pretty much. Dead Man's Switch, whether the devs intended it as such or not, was basically a test run for the systems that the subsequent 'full' games of DF and HK employed.
I am playing in English but the problem is that the writers include German words in the dialogue that are often mistranslated. For example, almost nobody would use the word "Liebchen" in everyday conversation (this is something for poetry) but it is used constantly by Dietrich (referring to Monika). It seems like they grabbed an English word and found the first German translation in a dictionary, not knowing or caring how the word is used. It makes everything seem very artifical and strange if you know any German.I thought Returns was written well but Dragonfall was one of the best written RPGs ever. Then again I played in English. Try in English if you can, it's a straight upgrade over Returns.Overall
ironically, competent studios always do this. Watch_Dogs 1 was just a tech demo for 2, Assassin's Creed 1 was setting up the plot for 2, Starfield is just testing mechanics for the next Elder Scrolls, etc.
