Mr. Magniloquent

While I don't disagree, consider that the talking suit is not being honest. Focus on the "false choice" aspect. Most games only provide binary choices anyway, Bioware included. Attempting to provide the illusion of greater choice is a development hassle. The dishonest corporate response is just a cover for them saying they don't want to rise above themselves. It's also a multiplayer driven action game. Temper your expectations of plot accordingly.

The only war McStain had a problem with, was the one he faced combat in. The man was an unashamed warmonger. Everywhere he has participated has involved war, ruin, destruction, and death. He worshiped state power, and is a vile human being for the things he has done to millions. The only real question is, do all of his ISIS buddies in Syria get an invitation to the funeral? Good riddance.

I've followed this game casually, but it's one of the few games that I'm genuinely excited about. If launch reviews go well, I will not only buy it...but actually play it immediately rather than wait a year for patch/expansion/enhancement. This game is basically what "grognards" have been asking for for close to 15 years. Let's hope that they deliver.

I didn't kickstart Star Citizen, but I hope it succeeds, too. It actually has the real potential to be what it promised to be. The ambition is admirable. Even if it does succeed, I won't be able to play it because...I don't have enough time to play/enjoy a game like that. Even still, it will be an incredible sight to behold and be a landmark piece of "art". The Eve Online creators must be sweating bullets.

D:OS is good for several reasons. Combat is free-form, reactive, and engaging. Adventuring and exploration is well provided for. It doesn't take itself seriously. The combat is interesting. Sure, it can become an elemental soup--but it doesn't have to. Even when it is, the chaos is sublime. This game gives the player lots of options. What you do with them is your choice. The adventuring is great. In that the game doesn't take itself very seriously, it presents many interesting and varied circumstances, puzzles, and quests that keep the actual game play fresh. Throw in Larian's cherished commitment to player agency, and we've got quests that can be solved many different ways. Even if by breaking them, should you choose. The world is wonderfully detailed and reactive to those choices as well. Maybe not always in terms of plot, but certain in terms of ripping off that merchant, or breaking into homes. While the writing may be weak, and the silly humor becomes weary, the lack of seriousness creates an atmosphere where Larian is totally concerned with FUN. The game is as much about shenanigans as anything else. If Larian called it an adventure game instead of an RPG, most every criticism would fall mute. You get some wacky situations with wacky solutions from game play mechanics than can sometimes be...wacky! There is lots to do, multiple ways, and the vast majority of it is fun. You know, that thing entertainment used to be, before it became a substitution for reality. If you're not having fun with D:OS, it's because you're looking for something other than fun.

Amen, brother. It certainly feels like around 2010 every company out there (especially tech) decided to switch to a model of ensnaring and holding you captive, rather than make and sell things you want. Everything is about trying to pull you into an ecosystem of relentless cross selling in perpetuum. Don't own your car, lease it. Don't own your phone be on our automatic upgrade plan. Don't own that software, license it. Want to use that scanner you just bought? You have to accept all of the mal/spyware packaged with the interfacing application in order to do so. HEY YOUR PRINTER IS 87% AWAY FROM BEING EMPTY. BUY SOME MORE TONER FROM ME!!!! I'm glad I know how to use Windows registry to tame software that would otherwise break if you pulled it apart any other way. Sadly, anything after Windows 7 is pure malware, so all of that registry knowledge will die as I transition to Linux, and await Vulkan. I haven't used steam for years, despite it being installed. I struggle to think of what games I even have on my steam account. The most attention is when I occasionally have GoG check my library for cross-overs--not that I miss anything which hasn't transferred yet.

Reflexifly answering would be: Baldur's Gate 2 Fallout 1 & 2 (Tie) Planescape: Torment Picking only three is brutal, and I have to make some honorable mentions. Vampire Bloodlines: The Masquerade Betrayal at Krondor

Unofficial Patch , Widscreen/Resolution Mod, and The Camarilla Edition. The first two are obvious, but Camarilla edition makes many gameplay changes that enhance gameplay quite a bit.

I get the sense that Deadfire is begging to be set free of the archetypes and formally made into a classless system even more than PoE1 did. So many of these class distinctions either railroad you into a contrived style, or paradoxically being a distinction with barely any difference. Seems overly complicated. Just go with prerequisited talent trees and be done with it.

Shaken Pillars Seeds of doubt bear fruit, bitter from disappointment. Hope springs eternal.

I have a question for anyone with experience regarding Open Gaming Licenses--particularly with D&D. I know for 5th edition they have updated it. I've been developing my own RPG for a long time with unique mechanics, setting, creatures, etc. That being said, I have leaned on the D&D bestiary, because it's superb. Does anyone know how they are handled?

This game you linked looks more like some alternative Syndicate :D You beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing. I was young when I played some of Syndicate, which was still quite a few years after it came out. It was bit unwieldy and difficult to manage in real time. I never made it past the first level. OT: I played Syndicate on shareware CD-ROM that had alot of great stuff on it. Alone in the Dark, Raptor: Call of the Shadows, Rise of the Triad, One Must Fall 2097, Magic Carpet and much more. So awesome. All of them were full games--you just couldn't save! Let to some intense play, and major heart-breaks. Good times.

Just finished Tyranny. Played a diplomatic mage party, anarchy route. Tyranny was significantly better than PoE. Story was better, world was more interesting, companions of more consistent quality, better "stronghold", better dialogue, reactivity, loot, etc. It's only real sins were being spawned from the ribs of PoE and having a tiny budget. Combat was not quite the drudgery it is exclaimed to be, even if it's not excellent. I still blame any of those failings on being inherited from PoE, though. Overall, I enjoyed it. I know this because I actually took my time on it--which I have very little of these days. I also made an effort to play through it, rather than dabble. It's too bad they weren't able to further expand on the game's length. I would have liked to see more of it.

I read it. Decent read. Entries are concise and informative. About as comprehensive as one can be without attempting to be an actual encyclopedia. Excellent resource if you're looking for RPGs but have some doubts about older games.

Hrm. Based on your original post, you would probably enjoy Magicka 1 and Magicka 2 very much. The first is far better, though they seriously increased the difficulty and toned down the fun when they re-balanced it just before releasing the sequel. Magicka 2 lacks the charm of the first, has an inferior spell list, but greater mobility. The gameplay changes have both pros & cons, but is generally considered lesser. They obviously wanted it to be a MOBA game on consoles, and the second game suffers for it. I'd also recommend Gauntlet if you like the fantasy arcade style play. If you're willing to dip your toe out of the fantasy genre, then Everspace has outstanding arcade/rogue-lite gameplay. If you're wanting to stick with fantasy and spellcasting, but don't mind a slower pace, then check out Chaos: Reborn. It's a remake of a game from 1985. I think I might slightly prefer the original, but Chaos: Reborn is an excellent game of wizard chess. Not for the faint of heart though.

GoG is like Jergal. All things will eventually be subject to his realm. It's the better choice--particularly if you're back-logged.

There are so many things I'm in agreement with in this thread. It's always nice to be in good company. I'll try and focus on things that haven't been written about. NWN 2 OC - Eliminate everything. Instead have something akin to Ammon Jerro's story, where the player walks around the plans and is put in positions to compromise themselves in pursuit of the original Blade of Gith.

Arx-Fatalis had a great map. Getting into the thick of it may be a touch slow at first, builds very quickly. Almost every zone had three or so ways to get into it. Hidden passages galore. Lots to discover, with great use of elevation. The entire game is basically one dungeon, with your only restrictions being your ability to survive what you get yourself into. I had basically spelunked the entire game before I payed much attention to the actual plot. It was just a joy to explore. Very rewarding to play a mage/thief hybrid and sneak, steal, and infiltrate your way through the game in such a manner that would be considered "breaking the game" by modern standards.

I've almost exhausted GoG. Most every game I ever loved, many heralded games (old and new) I never played, and several funded indie games are now sitting in my library. Nearly everything was acquired dirt cheap too. Many of the games will likely never be installed until I am retired. Some are installed, but I haven't the time to play. Fewer still have been started but are incomplete. My collection is superb, which makes my backlog equally horrendous. I suppose I'll have time to play all of these games when I'm dead. By that time I'll have to buy the updated compatible versions from Good Ancient Games. *sigh*

Bought the Gauntlet (Slayer edition) Reboot on GoG for a deep discount awhile ago. Often host Endless Mode cause it gives me the best chance to play with other users. I've noticed though that things go great until other players jump in. I recently gave it a go in a private game, and smashed the leaderboard's previous record of Level 37 with my new record of 45. All of the top leaderboards have 2-4 players, but I smashed it all solo wizard. I was really hoping to get to Level 50, but the challenges get really absurd by past level 35. I think I might be able to make it to 50, but won't likely try for some time, as it took me....4 hours to beat the last record. I just don't have that kind of time anymore.

The only vessel in the game that cannot be destroyed are the colonial warships. They can, however, be totally neutered by destroying all of their turrets. The Corvettes can be tougher to handle for new players, especially if you are new to using the Scout, which lacks the maximum energy capacity to take them down without using consumables. Using secondary weapons (missiles) will make them tremendously easier. The frigates are most easily destroyed by closing range on their aft and taking out their hard points--particularly the "blast generators". It will take skill, but can be done with a basic ship without perks if you're a good enough pilot. I'm a big fan of Everspace, and consider myself an expert at it. One thing in particular that I enjoy about it, is the arcade nature of each zone. I can get in 15 minutes of satisfying gaming, unlike many RPGs where you have barely even begun to play after 15 minutes. I've been playing this game for a while (and I mean I got it while it was in alpha) I've heard people say that they have destroyed warships. What bugs me is that I don't get a sense of progression, weapons don't get better. Each ship you unlock isn't better than the default one, and most of the skills are trite. I mean, what's the ****ing point of even trying. Arcade is really hitting the nail on the head with this one, it feels like Tetris. You just play to kill time and have fun but beating it is optional and not worth the time. I bought it late in beta. It was so polished that the full release didn't honestly change much. I'm surprised you don't feel progression. Having a ship with all, or even half of the perks fully upgraded is a tremendous difference in quality of life. Particularly when you get the crafting perks upgraded, you're very reliably using the best weaponry the game offers. While there are some weapons and items that are objectively better, the creators have taken pains to emphasize difference in play-styles, and accentuating pilot skill over itemization. This makes dog fights really fun. As towards the ships, the developers wanted a "different but equal" philosophy. The scout is relatively fragile, lacks endurance, and has less equipment, but is screaming fast, ultra maneuverable, and has access to a few good tricks. The gunship is it's inverse, and the default interceptor is a balance in between. While I liked the game, I didn't start loving until I unlocked the Scout. Easily the best and most enjoyable ship to fly. I have not yet purchased the DLC with the new ship, so I cannot comment on it.

The only vessel in the game that cannot be destroyed are the colonial warships. They can, however, be totally neutered by destroying all of their turrets. The Corvettes can be tougher to handle for new players, especially if you are new to using the Scout, which lacks the maximum energy capacity to take them down without using consumables. Using secondary weapons (missiles) will make them tremendously easier. The frigates are most easily destroyed by closing range on their aft and taking out their hard points--particularly the "blast generators". It will take skill, but can be done with a basic ship without perks if you're a good enough pilot. I'm a big fan of Everspace, and consider myself an expert at it. One thing in particular that I enjoy about it, is the arcade nature of each zone. I can get in 15 minutes of satisfying gaming, unlike many RPGs where you have barely even begun to play after 15 minutes.

This looks like an improvement over the original, for sure. The apparent influence of Storm of Zehir is a major positive for me--something I was hoping to see more of in PoE 1. I may take a look at it when it's released; whereas before, I didn't care at all.

I never finished PoE either. I was in the wilderness on my way to Twin Elms fighting...adragons? I just couldn't find a a reason to care. Saved, quit. Ended up uninstalling. There were several principle problems I had with PoE: I didn't like the mechanics, class style, or abilities. I understood what they were trying to do. I think there definitely was potential, but it didn't succeed. It was a bastardized MMO crunch masquerading as "not-D&D". When I first started playing, I thought they were alright, and was encouraged. Then it became tedious, particularly as very few of the abilities or spells impressed me. ​The story was boring. I was at first intrigued, and I would have loved for them to stay with the mystery of the souless children longer. I had very little interest in the watcher, flashbacks, or the villian. Furthermore, I found the quests unmemorable and most of the NPCs uninteresting. ​The world didn't interest me. It was not-D&D. Unlike PST which delightfully subverted what we love about D&D and medevil fantasy troupes, PoE just took the joy and charm out of it. It struggled to create its own identity because it ultimately never "maned up" and left D&D's house.​ ​Music was meh. ​I wanted to like it. I wanted to like it so badly. The aesthetic was right. The choose your own adventure panels were right. Half of the NPCs (Grieving Mother, Durance, Eder) were great. The principles it aimed for were right. I had thoroughly completed everything available, read everything, yet I just couldn't care. One zone away from Twin Elms and I just couldn't be bothered. I still want to believe, but as it stands I don't like Josh Sawyer's preferences. To me the standard-bearer for modernizing the best of old school RPGs has shifed from Obsidian to Larian's Divinity: Original Sin.

The value of "Vancian" spells is that you can have extreme powerful and unique spells because they are so highly conserved. This system can become problematic in the CRPG environment when combat is constant, and magic is reduced to a combat skill exclusively. Make the spells worthwhile but limited in quantity, and players complain of idleness. Make the spells worthwhile and bountiful, and players complain of balance. Make the spells mediocre but plentiful, and it defeats the point of magic. I find the best systems are the ones were magic is versatile and potent, but has a drawback mechanic. Systems like FATE which feature backlash mechanics, or cost your stamina/health like Betrayal at Krondor tend to work the best. That being said, I have accepted that for any person which fancies great wizardry should just skip right past whatever Josh Sawyer touches.