SoZ review

[janjetina]

I assure you, I'm doing everything in my power to get PS:T, however I want to buy a BOXED copy.

I got mine on eBay, and it was quite expensive, but still worth every penny.

I'm weird like that. With the inevitable release of a NWN 2 collection I'm trying to gauge which way to go.

Some folks here are saying buy it for the add-ons, and then other are saying NWN 2 is good too.

My question still wasn't answered: How are the characters in NWN 2? Feral? Bunny? DI?

Quantitatively, there is quite a lot of character interaction, but I found the characters one-dimensional and good only for a few occasional laughs - there is no depth to them, but most of them are slightly annoying, but bearable. There are a few places where the game shines (the trial, for example), unfortunately, most choices are fake (e.g. the outcome of the trial having no bearing on the rest of the game). Considering dialogues and character interaction, NWN 2 tries to follow Baldur's gate 2.
Unfortunately, there is an insane amount of horrible filler combat present, especially in the first chapter, so the game gives the impression of a hackfest.
Overall, I think that NWN 2 was inspired by Baldur's gate 2 in terms of scope and character interaction, but they failed miserably with respect of the relative amounts of (horrible hack and slash) combat and non-combat interaction.

Anyone who says

"MotB is one of the top 3 rpgs of the 21st century"

is just a clod who thinks that a half-assed developer like Obsidian is the pinnacle of rpg making.

Their games are just playable at best compared to the complete retardness of devs like Beth. And most of their relative success is owned to their pseudo-Biowarian pedigree ( I know it hurts, but it's the truth).

Dialog, writing in MotB suck and so does the "spirit eater" mechanic which surely consumed whatever left of yours.

Pathetic storyline (what a shocker) with a ridiculous ending (as usual) that makes pretty much all the suffering you endured to play the entire game pointless.

Though your posts stink to high heaven due to fecal matter overflow, I am still interested which three RPGs published in 2001.-2008. you consider better than MotB, and which presently (de facto) functioning company is currently "the pinnacle of RPG making". Your inability to form coherent sentences makes me doubt that you are able to answer that question, so if your future post indicates the existence of the higher intellectual functions, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Disconnected]

While I'm glad the reviewer seemed to like the game overall, it doesn't seem like he got very far at all.

Could you please ditch Atari soon? SoZ is sounding damn good.

 

[The Feral Kid]

Though your posts stink to high heaven due to fecal matter overflow.

Then you should position your tongue back were you had it again to stop the overflow. If you move it slightly to the right this time I'd be delighted.

 

[fastpunk]

Oh? Well, shit, now I'm confused. When somebody says to me lots of dialog and lots of C&C my ears always prick up.

It's lite when it comes to C&C, don't expect Fallout. Fact of the matter is that NWN2 is a linear game. On the upside, you have some skill checks in dialogs and plenty of interactions with NPCs. More on that later in this post.

Perhaps the generic fantasy setting is perhaps the biggest hurdle I'll face. The only fantasy setting I've enjoyed recently was TW, because it was both low fantasy and very dark in tone.

It's not the biggest hurdle you'll face. The biggest hurdle will be getting over the boring, unnecessary dungeon crawls that sadly, are many in number. Most of them are concentrated in Act I, which is why people say that it gets better after that. In Act II the story starts to pick up and the game becomes generally more focused.

How about character progression and plot structure? I'm a sucker for interacting with my party and the NPC's we "meet".

The NPCs you'll meet are many. Odds are you'll find 2 or 3 that you'll like. But then again you'll also find a few you'll hate. It's a mixed bag but there's generally plenty to discuss with them. Party members interject during dialogs with their own opinions and they interact with each other too. In terms of character depth, they're kind of the same level with BG2 characters, but with generally better written dialog lines. And finally, I'd say it's worth noting that some of the NPCs actually evolve during the game, provided that you do some of their background quests and have enough influence over them.

 

[jiujitsu]

I loved the Icewind Dale games. It's kind of funny that I'll be heading back to Chult as in IWD2... It all sounds good. Character development wasn't totally lacking in those games either. Characters you play, yes, but NPCs in the world had some pretty good depth. I especially loved the lore and stories told within the game. The story of the Black Raven and of Duke Kholsa Ehld were my favorites. The first time I played IWD2 I was disappointed because I just got finished playing BG/BG2 twenty times and was expecting the same character dialogues and such, but I got over it and developed the ability to appreciate other aspects. There isn't one type of "slam dunk" RPG formula.

 

[Darth Roxor]

In fact, I've found occassions to use almost every one of the skills.

The difficulty rating for encounters does not scale to match your party's level. So be careful where you go.

Exploration on the Overland Map is a lot of fun

the enemies you encounter are going to be smarter and utilize better tactics, making combat more of a challenge.

The music in the game is exceptionally good.

These lines sound particularly promising for me. Especially the first one - I hate when certain games have stats that are utterly useless.

 

[Warden]

Some folks here are saying buy it for the add-ons, and then other are saying NWN 2 is good too.

My question still wasn't answered: How are the characters in NWN 2? Feral? Bunny? DI?

How about reading a review or two, using your own head and deciding for yourself? This whole "please codex help me" thing is a bit repetitive..
As much as the MotB praise is exaggerated, the OC scolding is exaggerated as well. The thing I hate about the OC are forced companions (and I really really hate that) and linearity. The thing I don't like about MotB is its linearity as well - people seem to forget that in the praising frenzy. What do I do with the fucking "C&C" when I can't choose which area of Rashemen do I explore first?

But, whatever you do, don't listed to the fecal kid.

And Lestat, you're a big piece of shit. Don't mention my name in vain.

 

[The Feral Kid]

And Lestat, you're a big piece of shit. Don't mention my name in vain.

It wasn't in vain, he merely mentioned you as my brother. It's just that you inherited all the cretin genes.

 

[Warden]

It wasn't in vain, he merely mentioned you as my brother. It's just that you inherited all the cretin genes.

So you say your parents are afflicted with cretinism? I already knew that.

 

[Jaesun]

Shut up, Warden.

Don't feed the troll.

 

[Warden]

I'm a cretin.

Me too.

Oh gee. Always the same spammers..

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

The Feral Kid VS Warden? Can it beat the epic struggle of Roqua and Bryce in terms of homosexual undertones?

 

[Warden]

First of all, misquoting me is libel, that is against the law.

Sorry.

Second of all, you're gay haw haw

So is the poster who quoted your "I'm a cretin." post to confirm his identity.

 

[The Feral Kid]

The Feral Kid VS Warden? Can it beat the epic struggle of Roqua and Bryce in terms of homosexual undertones?

He's not as good in the sack as your Mom, as you know.
But he makes a tasty potato pie.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Oh? Well, shit, now I'm confused. When somebody says to me lots of dialog and lots of C&C my ears always prick up. Perhaps the generic fantasy setting is perhaps the biggest hurdle I'll face. The only fantasy setting I've enjoyed recently was TW, because it was both low fantasy and very dark in tone.

How about character progression and plot structure? I'm a sucker for interacting with my party and the NPC's we "meet".

As far as c&c/dialogue/npc interaction goes, I'd say it's better than anything Bioware has done since BG2 (which I haven't played yet). Also, it leads directly into MotB.

 

[zenslinger]

I'm a former RPG junkie who gets back into playing every once in a while. I have never achieved the level of interest that I had with BG2 and PS:T, but that may have more to do with me than with the quality of the games, character interaction, et cetera.

I played most of the NWN OC about a year ago. Recently I got interested in playing again. (Apparently my urge is annual because my last save games were from early November 07). I started MotB. I thought the story and characters were good, but not compelling enough to overcome my dislike of epic-level play. To me, when every fight is a welter of Meteor Storms and Sunrays and such, and I can't see my characters, it's not as much fun. I also just lose track of all the special abilities and such. I have to admit the environments were cool in MotB, but there's something a little off putting about having a god with 400 hit points in my party.

I think I'm about halfway through MotB but doubt I will finish it. SoZ appeals to me a lot because of the lower levels. I don't think I will miss the party interaction aspect of things. Even for BG2, it was mostly the icing on the cake. Combat and the sense of progression is the soul of it for me. That and some sense of danger, so I'm looking foward to the death system.

So, SoZ downloading now. I would kind of like to finish one of these games; maybe this will be the one.

 

[Darth Roxor]

So, SoZ downloading now.

Gah, I hate the fact that I'll have to do it this way too. It's released here somewhere around january/february and there's no fucking way in hell I'm gonna wait for it so long. Probably gonna buy it when it comes out though.

 

[SuicideBunny]

Gah, I hate the fact that I'll have to do it this way too.

digital distribution, you dolt, not piracy.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Gah, I hate the fact that I'll have to do it this way too.

digital distribution, you dolt, not piracy.

oops

Well, I'm not quite used to digital distribution, so it doesn't cross my mind too often.

 

[Demnogonis Saastuttaja]

What do I do with the fucking "C&C" when I can't choose which area of Rashemen do I explore first?

What do you mean? After defeating Okku you get to go either to Wells of Lurue (small area, though), Ashenwood or Sunken City, and after Sunken City, you should be able to go to the academy if you for whatever reason don't want to go to Ashenwood. Or does my memory fail me?

Though it's linear all right, since you will go to all of these places. Not that there's anything wrong with it since the places are pretty cool, but in the OC it really hurts, especially any replay value. The OC has some cool skenes, fights, dungeons etc. too, but it takes really damn long to get to them and you can't really skip almost anything. It also sucked that you'll do the same damn missions no matter if you join the watch or the thieves, I kind of hoped having at least two different paths through the game but nah.

Slow and generic start, bad pacing, choosing and leveling up your party (no multiclassing for them and I didn't like having to take fuckers with me who I don't like at all) and generally easy encounters (the AI mod make them somewhat better, though) are what drag the OC down the most (not speaking about the engine or stuff that will affect any module done with it. The engine is just horrible.). Otherwise, it's good enough that I have actually replayed it. It's better than JE, both KOTOR's, certainly better than either Mass Effect or Oblivion.

So I think SoZ should be pretty good, since it should address to all of those issues (don't know about pacing etc. of course until I play it).

Repeating myself everywhere is so great, I can see what some people get out of it.

 

[zenslinger]

Gah, I hate the fact that I'll have to do it this way too.

digital distribution, you dolt, not piracy.

Eh heh heh -- thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt about what I meant. I did indeed pay the US$29.99 (no tax).

 

[Texas Red]

I'm so fucking tired of games arriving much later than the European release. I'm willing to actually pay this time but I can't.

 

[Barrow_Bug]

Well thanks one and all, it all makes a bit more sense now.

Whilst I've read at least 10 different reviews, articles etc BEFORE asking here on the Codex, your comments are far more effective.

It looks like it's worth taking a look, if only for the add-ons. A lots of folks are saying it's better than the current Bio games (of which I like) so that's a good indication.

I've got some faith in Obsidian to write at least better characters and dialogs than the current mess I'm wading through (I won't say the game's name, but you all know.)

 

[Texas Red]

Well thanks one and all, it all makes a bit more sense now.

Whilst I've read at least 10 different reviews, articles etc BEFORE asking here on the Codex, your comments are far more effective.

It looks like it's worth taking a look, if only for the add-ons. A lots of folks are saying it's better than the current Bio games (of which I like) so that's a good indication.

I've got some faith in Obsidian to write at least better characters and dialogs than the current mess I'm wading through (I won't say the game's name, but you all know.)

Most characters are quite one dimensional(though amusing at times because the game takes a comic approach) but there are a few who are genuinely interesting. All in all I found RPing my character through dialogs with these NPCs to be good fun anyway.