I wonder what ever happened with The Crossing. It looked promising.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/15/valve-an...ossing-on-hold/

Well well. I'm still useless at melee combat but a mix of stealth and magic is serving me alright. I've just started seeing some orcs. The story is actually not bad here - the delivery (e.g. hallucinatory dreams) are pretty good. It's a pity the bad voice acting lets it down.

Well well. I'm still useless at melee combat but a mix of stealth and magic is serving me alright. I've just started seeing some orcs. The story is actually not bad here - the delivery (e.g. hallucinatory dreams) are pretty good. It's a pity the bad voice acting lets it down.

I sucked at melee at first too, until I got the idea. Thus I enjoyed the later playthroughts much more than the first.

 

I like the story too, even if it is really clich

Edited January 25, 201016 yr by Slinky

Well well. I'm still useless at melee combat but a mix of stealth and magic is serving me alright.

 

The trick is to hit and run with power attack.

 

Failing that, creep up on some enemies and use the charm spell so they spot your minion before they spot you. Then pick them off with power attacks when they focus him.

Ghouls are pretty brutal in melee combat. Even one on one they're hard, and there's an area where there are 6 at once, I believe... the game's practically begging the player to use all the conveniently placed traps & spikes. But then you get the Lightning Shield and melee becomes trivial.

 

The story could've been way better if the connections with HoMM were developed more.

Ghouls are pretty brutal in melee combat. Even one on one they're hard, and there's an area where there are 6 at once, I believe... the game's practically begging the player to use all the conveniently placed traps & spikes. But then you get the Lightning Shield and melee becomes trivial.

 

The story could've been way better if the connections with HoMM were developed more.

Lightning shield and heal spell both feel like cheats. I usually don't use them, depending on the difficulty and situation.

 

Wasn't the whole HoMM stuff added rather late in the deveploment? I don't personally mind, I haven't ever played any of the HoMM games. Well, I did try HoMM3 but it was pretty clear it wasn't my cup of tea.

I think I played one of the homm games, chessboard style RTS combat and each level consists of a world map and a set of objectives ?'

 

I didn't like it much either.

Spiders are hard. They never seem to kill me (can they at all?) but I always drop to between 1 and 10 health and they take so many power strikes to kill.

^Fire traps are my friend against spiders. Those things really freak me out... I hate that Shelob's lair level.

 

Wasn't the whole HoMM stuff added rather late in the deveploment? I don't personally mind, I haven't ever played any of the HoMM games. Well, I did try HoMM3 but it was pretty clear it wasn't my cup of tea.

I don't know, but the main antagonists of Dark Messiah both feature in HoMM V + expansion, Tribes of the East (the HoMM games before that aren't on Ashan). Since Dark Messiah offers the conclusion of the storyline, I expected more.

Edited January 25, 201016 yr by virumor

Wasn't the whole HoMM stuff added rather late in the deveploment? I don't personally mind, I haven't ever played any of the HoMM games. Well, I did try HoMM3 but it was pretty clear it wasn't my cup of tea.

 

Nah, the game was intented from the get-go to be linked with the new HoMM universe, which also includes HoMM 5 + Expansions and the puzzle-game Clash of Hearoes. It's HoMM 5, however, which started development before the new universe was finalized and thus lacked a real feeling for the universe, but the expansions were better for this I heard.

 

I don't know where exactly the story of Dark Messiah takes place in it, but I know that the cannon ending is the evil one...

I don't know where exactly the story of Dark Messiah takes place in it, but I know that the cannon ending is the evil one...

Cool,

Does Sareth set big daddy loose in the world, or does he go rampage on he's own in the canon end?

 

Edited January 25, 201016 yr by Slinky

I think

he sets his daddy loose, but I'm not sure...

I think

he sets his daddy loose, but I'm not sure...

Thanks. Hopefully Arkane makes DM2 some day. They are making some first person RPG, but it might be anything.

Thanks. Hopefully Arkane makes DM2 some day. They are making some first person RPG, but it might be anything.

I'd prefer Arx Fatalis 2.

It could also be a Might and Magic, a "real" one Ubisoft is planning to expand itself in RPGs (and sports games, but it's unrelated), and Arkane is a good choice for such a game : their relationship with Ubisoft is good since Dark Messiah and they have the experience with Arx Fatalis.

I just get really disoriented with these kind of games, first person perspective with frenetic melee bashing. I'm pretty useless at Morrowind / Oblivion melee combat as well, I have no idea what's happening, I have no idea how far away he is and I just slash wildly. Been enjoying sneaking up and kicking them down from heights, or reading their patrol patterns, smashing oil jars and setting them all on fire (I got two mages to suicide that way). They did take a few notes form Thief to their benefit.

I think

he sets his daddy loose, but I'm not sure...

Well,

at least you get Xana I guess.

It could also be a Might and Magic, a "real" one Ubisoft is planning to expand itself in RPGs (and sports games, but it's unrelated), and Arkane is a good choice for such a game : their relationship with Ubisoft is good since Dark Messiah and they have the experience with Arx Fatalis.

How would you know the relationship between Arkane und Ubi are good? DM completely bombed, so I doubt they'll work together again.

It could also be a Might and Magic, a "real" one Ubisoft is planning to expand itself in RPGs (and sports games, but it's unrelated), and Arkane is a good choice for such a game : their relationship with Ubisoft is good since Dark Messiah and they have the experience with Arx Fatalis.

How would you know the relationship between Arkane und Ubi are good? DM completely bombed, so I doubt they'll work together again.

 

Did it really bomb? The reviews were decent for it. I know it wasn't a blockbuster, but it seemed fairly popular.

Yes it was well received in the press, but it was a commercial flop.

 

Arkane almost went out of business twice since then. But now they have a publisher for a new undisclosed project, so I'm looking forward to it's announcement.

Oh, btw, Arkane also has an Austin studio, led by Harvey Smith (Lead designer of Deus Ex), He's working right now on an immersive FPS-RPG.

 

This = double win!

At Harvey Smith

iPhone games rake in the bucks for a fairly minimal development cost.

I know, but do you really announce that you're working on the awesomest game ever and also 7 casual puzzle games for the iPhone?

What's wrong, Purkake? The FPS is his main game, and the IPhone game a side-project. Nothing wrong there.