Favorite Wizardry?

[Tanuvein]

Yea, I made another one

 

Too little talk of the classics here.

 

Anyway, my favorite is actually Wizardry 8. All the pre VI games had trouble holding my interest, and VII is the only one that can rival 8. However, I liked the characters of 8 more, even if VII was probably more innovative.

 

I, however, admit I have not played Wizards and Warriors or Wizardry for PS2. How are those, by the way?

[Darque]

Never heard of it.

[Llyranor]

8 was the only one I played. My fav RPG of 2001. Very fun. I love the combat and personality systems.

[Feargus Urquhart]

I played 1, 5,7 and 8. I remember 1 the most because of the time I put in on it with a friend of mine in front of his dad's PC when we could use it. 5 was my favorite because of the somewhat more refined gameplay compared to the earlier ones and it was still the simple dungeon that you decended into. I liked it better than 7 and 8, because I felt like I was getting lost in those ones. 7 was almost too big - it was crazy how big of a world they were able to get on a couple of floppy's.

 

I was really looking forward to 8 and it even looked like Black Isle was going to publish it at one point while I was there. After it came out I played it for quite a while, but got frustrated once I started hitting the large battles that seemed to take a ton of time waiting for things far away to either finally get to you.

 

The one thing I've always like about the Wizardry games is the character system. I'm just a big geek, but I really liked how you could change classes and how in 8 the gun that one of your characters had would improve with your level and skill.

[Darth Barth]

I, however, admit I have not played Wizards and Warriors or Wizardry for PS2. How are those, by the way?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Wizards and Warriors was pretty decent.

 

Its funny you mention the PS2 Wizardry: Tales of the Forsaken Land. Lately, I'v been trying to find more info on the Japanese exclusive Wizardry games. Wizardry is big in Japan. Below are some games that have never been seen the occident.

 

Wizardry Gaiden I: Suffering of the Queen, Wizardry Gaiden II: Curse of the Ancient Emperor and Wizardry Gaiden III: Scripture of the Dark were all released for the original Gameboy. No pictures because 1) they're hard as hell to find and 2) its friggin original Gameboy. And the boxart sucks bigtime.

 

 

Wizardry Empire I: Princess of the Ancient and Wizardry Empire II: Legacy of the Princess released for Gameboy then re-released for Playstation and PC it seems from this shot.

 

 

Wizardry Empire III: Ancestry of the Emperor is being released for PS2 and Gamecube in Japan. Starfish has some info on their website. Caution, it is in Japanese. Empire information can be accessed on the left hand sidebar. http://www.s-f.co.jp/top.htm

 

 

Another offshoot, Wizardry Summoner was released for Gameboy Advance and was later remade on PS2. Pictures below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wizardry: Tales of the Forsaken Land was released as Busin: Wizardry Alternative in Japan. A prequel was released called (look at picture, duh)

 

 

 

 

There are a few more games but they are just ports of old games; nothing else original that I can tell. If I a am wrong, please help me out here! Also, some advice: if you want to replay the old Wizardry games, find the fan translations of the Super NES versions.. they play much better than the originals and are easy on the eyes. The first remake is called Wizardry: Story of Llylgamyn (Wiz 1, 2, and 3) and has been fully translated. The second is called Wizardary: New Age of Llylgamyn (Wiz 4 and 5) and has not been dejapanesed yet.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I was really looking forward to 8 and it even looked like Black Isle was going to publish it at one point while I was there.  After it came out I played it for quite a while, but got frustrated once I started hitting the large battles that seemed to take a ton of time waiting for things far away to either finally get to you.

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I got through a novel and a half reading during the waiting times

 

I never really got onto the Wizardry bandwagon. I think I played Bane of the Cosmic Forge (if thats one of them).

[Enoch]

I  never really got onto the Wizardry bandwagon. I think I played Bane of the Cosmic Forge (if thats one of them).

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Bane of the Cosmic Forge was #6. Its probably the one that I've spent the most time with. Got stuck towards the end, though. I've played 6-8.

 

#7 (Crusaders of the Dark Savant) was frustrating in that there were hidden timers in the game (and, as Feargus mentioned, a huge world to explore). If you didn't get to quest item X before an unknown amount of time, one of the other factions in the game is assumed to have found it first. This got me frustrated enough to quit halfway through.

 

#8, as mentioned above, had its problems, but was mostly fun. The strongpoint of the whole series has to be the huge variety of well-balanced character classes & races. This made party construction and development particularly entertaining.

[Tsel]

I only got to play Wizardry 8.

I didn

[Ellester]

I

[pulp]

Wizardry 7, definitely.

 

I got really hooked onto CRPGs after that -- before, I only dabbled. The world was so big I took the better part of a year, playing on and off, exploring everywhere.

 

Some of the best areas/dungeons I've come across in any game are in Wiz 7. Heh, Munkharama was a blast.

[DemonKing]

I played 1, 5,7 and 8.  I remember 1 the most because of the time I put in on it with a friend of mine in front of his dad's PC when we could use it. 

 

He he - I remember going over to the house of a guy I didn't even like that much after school so we could play Wizardry I on his AppleIIe - we each controlled 3 characters in combat, so it was kind of multiplayer, I guess! I remember we used to reboot the computer whenever one of our characters died because otherwise you had to lug his corpse back to town (the only place to save) and resurrect the bugger.

 

After that I didn't have access to a computer that could play any Wizardry title until I got my first IBM compatible around the time Wizardry VI came out. That remains me all time favourite because I never liked all the silly lasers and spaceships added in 7&8.

 

I've got the old Interplay Wizardry compilation lying around somewhere but it is pretty hard to play some of the old game given the lack of automap and quicksaving these days - although the combat is still great!

[Tanuvein]

I've got the old Interplay Wizardry compilation lying around somewhere but it is pretty hard to play some of the old game given the lack of automap and quicksaving these days - although the combat is still great!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I agree - I can deal without a quicksave, and in newer games, I can do without an automap. But in the old ones, you simply had no idea where you were a lot of the time without a map, since the tiles were all the same.

 

Also, I liked VI-8 the best because of the added elements of sci fi. It gave it a real unique feel.

 

I know VI didn't actually contain much (any?) sci fi stuff, but it was the first in the story, so I count it as well.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Also, I liked VI-8 the best because of the added elements of sci fi. It gave it a real unique feel.

 

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Never play Might and Magic?

 

No idea which one came first.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I loved Wizardry 8.

The only real hard part of the game was the first time I hit

[mkreku]

I voted for Wizardry VII, because that's probably the most difficult game I've ever played. Also, I think it's the high point of D. W. Bradley's gaming career so far. We'll soon see if Dungeon Lords can top that one.

[Tanuvein]

Also, I liked VI-8 the best because of the added elements of sci fi. It gave it a real unique feel.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Never play Might and Magic?

 

No idea which one came first.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yea, Iv'e played and beaten IV (I think) through VII.

 

I actually just ordered VIII and IX

[DemonKing]

I know VI didn't actually contain much (any?) sci fi stuff, but it was the first in the story, so I count it as well.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

One of the endings had you finding and climbing into a spaceship that then took off, but that was the limit re: sci-fi stuff in Wiz6 (thank god).

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Why do people have such a huge problem mixing magic and technology?

[Tanuvein]

Cause its too awesome for some people.

[Tsel]

As Tanuvein implies here, I never had a problem with it neither.

It makes perfect sense to me.

Why couldn't the two co-existing?

It seems perfectly feasible.

 

Tsel

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

As Tanuvein implies here, I never had a problem with it neither.

It makes perfect sense to me.

Why couldn't the two co-existing?

It seems perfectly feasible.

 

Tsel

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Me either.. I remember the forge expansion for HOMM being cancelled because it generated so much negative publicity and HOMM being niche we were a bit more reliant on the fan base than is healthy.

 

Ended with a boring old elemental town.

 

I remember the first time I came across a radioactive area in M&M I was quite mystified. But it only deepened my resolve to uncover what was going on.

[DemonKing]

Why do people have such a huge problem mixing magic and technology?

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I think my basic problem is that it is that if magic exists, then the need for technology is not so great - for instance if a wizard can teleport or fly he doesn't need an airplane, and vice versa.

 

Look at Wizardry 8 - it makes no sense that a bunch of guys with swords can take on a civilization which can design a bomb capable of destroying a planet and win...even if they have fireball spells.

 

The only time I've seen magic and tech work well is when a magic-based civilization evolves upon the ruins of an old tech-based one and the tech is very limited and mysterious, eg: Hugh Cook's sadly out of print "Chronicles of an Age of darkness" books.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I think my basic problem is that it is that if magic exists, then the need for technology is not so great  - for instance if a wizard can teleport or fly he doesn't need an airplane, and vice versa.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That really depends on whether or not everyone can use magic. It's like in the FR to be a mage takes years of training. To use a lantan device requires flipping a switch.

 

Unless you have an entire populous of mages and magic is inherent , then technology will always be a factor because there will always be more non mages than mages. And the fact there are so few mages overall will mean that mass produced magic devices wont be possible. In many ways it makes a world with static tech that much more unrealistic than one that mixes both.