Review from a long time RPG fan

[Bronze65]

Hi everyone!

 

First time poster, long time lurker.

 

I've played just about every RPG under the sun. And I will always compare every RPG to the crowning glory, that in my opinion, is one of the best RPG's ever made - Baldur's Gate 2 (with a close runner-up to Planescape: Torment).

 

I have been very excited for the release of Deadfire for a long time since I mostly enjoyed the first. 

 

After having almost finished it, I wanted to share my thoughts with all of you. I'll keep it short and simple. Please keep in mind, these are all personal opinions. Not facts.

 

The good:

1.) Wow, is this game pretty. Love the graphics - even on low settings, it still looks really good.

2.) I enjoy the music!

3.) Companion interactions have been great. 

4.) I've actually enjoyed sailing around in a ship.

5.) The game has been fun to explore and poke around in - I've sailed every inch of the Archipelago.

6.) I like the menu system and moving things around, gear, equipment and such was very easy. I didn't mind the 5 man team vs. the 6 man.

7.) I enjoy the little book like cut scenes that you have to pass certain checks to get through.

 

The bad:

1.) I personally think Eothas makes a poor antagonist. Yes, he did what he did at the start. But you don't really see it, so you don't have any real emotional investment. And yes, he's stomping around, but I never really felt anything about it. At the start of BG2, Jon tortures you, kidnaps your sibling and is an all around jerk from the beginning. I hated him right off. I've always felt a good RPG should be like a good book and make you experience a gamut of emotions.

 

2.) Ship combat. Feels like it takes a really long time, so I resorted just to ramming ships and fighting ship battles.

 

3.) Man the bugs. Some of which are incredibly game breaking. I've experienced three major ones so far that I was able to avoid from having to reload, but I can't finish some quests now because of it.

 

4.) Combat feels too easy, though I know that's being addressed - even against red three skull opponents, I always end up winning. Granted, I'm playing classic mode, the middle of the road difficulty. But even then, it should be a little difficult.

 

At the end of the day, I think it's a pretty good game that needed more time under the microscope. In my opinion, still doesn't dethrone my favorite RPG though.

 

Thanks all!

[Jayngo]

Nice review from a long-time cRPG fan. Stating from the beginning that BG2 is your all time favorite RPG gives you instant points in my book.

 

Your assessment sounded fair (something SO lacking on the internet these days). While I have a long way to go to beat the game, I'm looking forward to more. I have a lot to explore still and can't comment on all your points. Here are some of my comments:

 

The good:

1) The game is beautiful. Completely agree. I would love to see all the old Infinity Engine games get updated like this!

2) The music is growing on me. I'm really big into video game soundtracks and the first PoE blew me away. This one is slowly getting better (still need more ambient sounds!)

3) Completely agree!

4) Agree. It's growing on my more now.

5) I have enjoyed exploring. Just wish there was more "meat" to some of the maps so far.

6) Menu system is great! 5 man party is not great!

7) COMPLETELY agree!

 

The bad:

1) N/A

2) I have zero problem with ship combat. In fact, I make it a point to sink ships. To me it's more fun than boarding and fighting 12-14 enemies.

3) It's Obsidian. It's a cRPG. Totally expected this. It will get better.

4) I'm fine with the combat. While I enjoy encounters, I prefer the exploration/story aspects of cRPGs.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Jayngo

[Purudaya]

I agree with all of OP's points. The main thing missing from PoE2 was a strong antagonist: Thaos from PoE1 (absent though he was most of the time) at least made you feel like you were tracking someone who had personally taken something from you. Yes, Eothas destroyed your keep and took a part of your soul, but not out of malice - he's more like a force of nature. Chasing after him was like chasing after a hurricane or a tornado, and a fairly sympathetic one at that. A secondary kith antagonist like a pro Eothasian fanatic trying to prevent you from reaching him would've made the main narrative a lot more compelling - s/he could've been the person to raid your ship at the beginning instead of some inconsequential pirate, for example.

That said, PoE2 is still a strong contender against Mask of the Betrayer for best post BG2 RPG imo, especially once the bugs, difficulty, and balancing issues are worked out (and once the DLCs are released). The world-building is top notch, the quests are numerous/varied/interesting (albeit short), and Neketaka is by far the best RPG city since Athkatla, hands down.

[wih]

1.) I personally think Eothas makes a poor antagonist. Yes, he did what he did at the start. But you don't really see it, so you don't have any real emotional investment. And yes, he's stomping around, but I never really felt anything about it. At the start of BG2, Jon tortures you, kidnaps your sibling and is an all around jerk from the beginning. I hated him right off. I've always felt a good RPG should be like a good book and make you experience a gamut of emotions.

 

I also think the main quest should be made more personal. This was an issue with the first game also. Maybe things feel somehow abstract because of the souls thing and the gods. Somewhat hard to identify with these things.

Edited May 22, 2018 by wih

[omegazen]

 

2.) I enjoy the music!

 

If you liked this music, listen to the POE1 soundtrack, it's so much better imo. This game features some of the same music from the first game, but some of the tracks were just not as nice or fantastical

[SonicMage117]

 

 

2.) I enjoy the music!

 

If you liked this music, listen to the POE1 soundtrack, it's so much better imo. This game features some of the same music from the first game, but some of the tracks were just not as nice or fantastical

I do like the haunted scores.