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Max Killen
Exalted Potentate
Joined: 04 Dec 2001
Posts: 1112
Location: Why not Minot? |
| Why all the bad reveiws, this game is fun. |
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I bought the game a few days ago and then read all the reviews. Almost every review implied that the game sucked, big time. Granted, it was a little frustrating without the automap feature; but after bringing the game up to date with the latest patch which added the automap feature, the game is not frustrating any longer.
This type of game has my name written all over it. I like hack and slash. I like the monsters; the bats are a little annoying though. The first time I saw one, it came in so fast, I almost crapped my pants.
I am only in the castle; but I am having fun. The game appears to run well. Oh sure, you can't change your characters' face or hair, but so what.
I had a little trouble with the disarm trap feature. I even applied enough points to bring the odds of disarm up to 99% and the chests would still blow up in my face, so I had to resort to doing something I rarely do, I looked in the manual. Sure enough, I was doing something wrong. Now I can open almost any chest (sometimes it pays to look at the instructions).
I think I messed up though. One of the first cell doors that I tried to open wouldn't, so I bashed it a few times and now the lock is jammed. So I am starting over, figuring that all doors are meant to be opened and knowing my luck, the door that is jammed is probably a key door hiding all the treasures.
I like the points awarding system. You have to have a strategy going when you award your points.
I only have a little dagger so far; but I think later in the game, I might be able to find the infamous Nellik's Sword, but then again, we all know there is no such thing as the infamous Nellik's Sword....or do we? |
Sun Jul 17, 2005 4:53 pm |
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TheCleric
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 11 Jan 2002
Posts: 230
Location: Upstate NY, USA |
Assuming that you really want an answer to your question, let me simply say that many people are upset because; 
1. The game was obviously released unfinished. (Non-functional Character Creation, No Automap initially, "Junk" inventory didn't work initially, Missing or non-functional skills, just to name a few). 
2. The released game was not as advertised. This game was advertised as having "Artic Lands", "Caves" and different terrains. It's advertised as having many side-quests (all are plot or guild related). It advertises that there are "Many" NPC's, some of which will join and aid you (not and not). Many spells not implemented. Other issues as well.
3. Many people have reported several game-stopping bugs, which still have not been addressed. (Save often and in different slots).
Essentially, many people had high expectations for this game (based on interviews, advertising, the manual, the official web-page) etc. To have so many of the things people expected to find either not be there, or be there but not be working, has made many people very upset and bitter. 
If you can go into the game with no expectations (and read the forums to avoid the bugs), it is a relatively fun hack-n-slash romp. But those expecting it to be all that it was supposed to be, will likely never be satisfied because there is simply too much missing for the Dev's or the Publisher to be willing to spend the time or money to complete it. As it is, we don't even know if there will be another patch because nobody's saying.
Anyways, that's about the best answer I can give to your question.
Good Hunting! |
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Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:10 pm |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
I'd echo everything TheCleric said, although I'm a little more negative on some aspects.
It's simply the most unfinished game I have ever encountered. I thought the Fargrove sewers were pretty good (is that what you mean by "castle"?) but by the time you get to Arindale and look at the empty buildings with no furniture and one lone elf standing in them, you'll realise what I mean.
None of the promised RPG depth is there. I spoke to Bradley personally on the phone and discussed DL for around an hour last November; none of the branching story, complex dialogue, varied locations, different NPC reactions or independant NPC motivations that he described exists at all.
Leaving that aside and assuming you approach the game with no expectations, I find it poor to mediocre at best. It's really a 3D Diablo with added puzzles. The class/skill system looks very interesting at first, until you realise there's no depth to it and every character turns out pretty much the same. Each of the 4 - 5 classes you can achieve (lets leave aside that class requirements don't actually work) grants you one skill and some invisible attack/defence bonuses. It's fun early in the game to use points immediately but after a while you'll realise there's only a couple of new skills to look forward to adding in the whole game.
Let's say you to want specialise. Ranged characters are poor because the ranged weapons suck. Fighters get the only combo in the whole game by level 5...other than adding heavy armour, there's nothing else to develop your character. There's no genuine specialist Thief skills, so that's out. Magic - ah, finally some depth. Only half the spells don't work and the slow recharge rate means you'll have to rely on a bunch of melee.
So, you'll end up being a melee fighter with some magic to make it interesting. Every time. If you compare it to Diablo, you'll see Diablo has very deep and branching skill trees, so new skills and combos are added all through the game.
So, even as a pure action game it's pretty ordinary because after you achieve the combo attack at lvl 5, there's very little to look forward to after that. And you'll end up using those same attacks over and over and over.
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Tue Jul 19, 2005 12:21 am |
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the mighty stamar
High Emperor
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 602
Location: arcata ca, humboldt county |
well the game starts out and puts you right in a dungeon so it gives you a good impression.
Youll notice somethings a little wrong when u hit fagrove and you realize how big the city is, i mean with multiple loading points even... and all there is in it is 5 stores one side quest ( there are some side quests in the game but like 3-4 total) and guards walking around.
Ok so the city sucks no big deal. but the real clincher for me is the miles of open land between the cities that suck. lol. Wandering around lost in a large world populated with... well nothing but random monsters. swim through huge pointless lakes and over mountains with nothing in them and get lost.
Thats what killed it for me. The dungeons are great but theres just miles of nothing and hours you have to experience it.
Unfinished is a weird way to describe it. Its barely begun never mind unfinished. The dungeons are a lot of fun they are sort of like wizards and warriors. but the rest is just not there
It is like not even beta test time yet.
all that said, i like it more than some games ive played recently but less than most.
Its better than temple of elemental evil but much worse than vampire masquerade. I can think of a lot of games much better including wizards and warriors. Its way more advanced really its just older graphics. |
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Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:28 am |
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the mighty stamar
High Emperor
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 602
Location: arcata ca, humboldt county |
btw though the automap patch is very good it makes a big difference.
Its worth 5 points to me to make it about a 65% game. saves a lot of time wandering through the wasteland unstarted area of the game. |
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Tue Jul 19, 2005 11:38 am |
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txa1265
Magister of the Light
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 390
Location: Marlborough, MA USA |
I played DL twice, and it still resides on my system ... haven't bothered uninstalling yet.
The first time, I enjoyed the challenge, really enjoyed the puzzles and dungeons, but was pretty annoyed at how empty and unfinished it was. It was a shell of a game. I played a mage, battlemage by necessity as Dhruin mentions, but primarily a mage. I killed myself getting funds to stock up heavily on 'Nova' spells, which are some really cool spells (the effects are good as well). But the magic system itself - in terms of recharge, etc - is atrocious when looking objectively after the fact. The hoops I made myself jump through were rediculous.
My 2nd time I was a Paladin, and I no longer revelled in the game. The abusive respawning monsters were just stupid. The empty towns were annoying. The lack of ... aw, crap I could go on for hours!
I gave the game 60% at GamerDad, and while I know it got a higher rating here, and that Dhruin would likely give it a much lower mark, I stand by that score. Because I *did* have fun, because I thought that the dungeons and puzzles *were* well done, and because I saw a framework for a decent game. I can see the 30 - 40% scores, because the game deserves to be ripped for being very unfiunished, but the 0-10% are just punitive scores in my opinion - about as valuable as giving a 100% for *any* game.
Perhaps my biggest disappointment was *not* that it was unfinished - don't get me wrong, that was quite disappointing - but rather that even finished, it would never be more than 'good', I could not see it as more than 80%, even with full towns and true side-quests.
Mike
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Tue Aug 09, 2005 11:56 am |
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Mystery_Guy
Village Dweller
Joined: 31 Jul 2005
Posts: 20
Location: U.S. |
I agree with TXA (He always made great posts on the typhoon boards, BTW). I had some minor enjoyment with the game, but after awhile, it just wore me out.
I started the game with the idea of making a dwarf paladin. Spent a lot of money getting lightning spells and healing...ended up being a deathhlord. I got to the naga temple, but after that, I just grew bored with it. Combat was always the same. Rush in, combo-combo-combo...potion quick key...comb-combo-combo...potion quick key.
I expect that kind of combat from diablo (Which I still enjoy now and then), not from what was billed as a "Dungeon crawler with depth".
The game still sits on my HD...waiting...hoping for a "super-patch" that adds in everything I want. But as TXA said, even with everything, it's a 70-80% game. Sad, but true. |
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Mon Sep 12, 2005 4:10 am |
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ToddMcF2002
Leader of the Senate
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 317
Location: Boston MA |
I can't believe someone said this game is better than Temple of Elemental Evil. That is a great game. Sure it has bugs but considering the complexity of the game and the state of it fully patched its a fantastic game. Its a huge shame more people don't give it a fair shake. Its definately the closest thing you'll get to a real PnP DnD session.
Damn just thinking about ToEE and DL at the same time is a sin. Man I wan't to go play ToEE!
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"For Innos!" |
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Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:18 pm |
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