So is this game actually good?

[Awathorn]

Is this game good. YES!

 

Did I expect more? Yes.

 

Do I regret spending my money? No.

 

(+)

- decent story and writing

- beautiful visuals

- excellent music

- fun combat, most of the time

- possible success will bring us more games like this, maybe even BG3 one day

 

(-)

- weird or just bad mechanics and design choices

- game brings nothing new to the table

- story is decent but not that great, same goes for overall writing, companions etc. 

- sometimes reminds me not of BG and PST, but other more recent, less successful games

- some bugs

- some half-done features ruining the experience (ex. Stronghold)

Edited April 5, 2015 by Awathorn

[Katarack21]

 

 

It's rather clear you already have you opinion set

You don't say?

Edited April 5, 2015 by Katarack21

[Hebruixe]

Interesting poll. I'm not sure what the results mean. Maybe that people click before reading? Lol.

 

The negativity on the forums is far from an accurate representation of overall playerbase satisfaction. The complainers are what you call a vocal minority. In other words, most players who love the game don't bother to visit the forums, because they're busy playing it. But the (comparatively small) playerbase that is unhappy with the game races to the forums to make a stink. Visit any other game's forums...it's always the same, nothing to see but nerd rage and spoiled tears.

 

Anyway, I'm super happy with Pillars of Eternity. It didn't live up to some of my expectations but it definitely exceeded others. The gameplay is as fun to me as Divinity: Original Sin, which is an exceptional title. I absolutely love character creation and party building systems. The "new" classes like cipher and chanter are unique and interesting...the "old" classes like wizard and fighter feel vastly upgraded. I wish there was more open world to explore and random encounters to tackle. But the scripted dungeons and bounty hunts offered long hours of entertainment -- enough to keep me happy. The quality of the content makes up for its limited quantity in my opinion. So yeah. I think $40 was a steal.

[rkade8583]

 

The same thing can be said about why people like certain games. 'I like it because of the atmosphere.' (l0l). I like it because I can have sex with dogs. 'I only enjoy games where I can mass murder kids.' 'The best game is one where you can play a gay character' (nothing wrong with that but it's as dumb as saying 'I like games where I can play heterosexual characters only'.

 

In essence, people are varied and varied tastes.

In which game you can have sex with dogs ??!!

 

Tell me I have to know!

 

 

Haha, I was really shoked when I voted with "yes" and saw the huge number of "NO!!!"'s popping up... it was then that I realized the question in the poll is actually different from the one in the thread title but anyways, here's why I love PoE

The OP is a troll for doing it ,if  he hasn't done it ,there should have been only 2 votes for the "bad game" options  and not 8.

 

I'm not a troll. Like I said earlier in the thread, the poll was a last-second idea after I'd written the meat. When I tried to change the title, I couldn't. I'm sorry.

[Tanred]

 

The mechanics and bugs are because unity - well why should I care? Was there a developer that forced Unity on Obsidian? No. Did backers insisted on Unity? No. It was Obsidian's choice and if it was a bad one then it's their fault. There are plenty of game engines in Unity price range or even free.

 

The bugs and unpolishing is due lack of funds and time - well again. Why should I care? Was there developer that forced the timeline on Obsidian? No. Did they get less money than they wanted? No. In fact they got 4 times what they asked. It's scary to even think what state would the game be if they only got 1 mln they asked for. Obsidian decided how much money and how much time they need. They as always didn't manage to hold neither the funds nor timetable. But this time at least they have don't have the scapegoat (developer) for it. It's really no wonder why developers are hesitant in funding their projects.

 

 

I think you mean publisher?

[rkade8583]

 

 

 

It's rather clear you already have you opinion set

You don't say?

 

Just because I have my opinion set about my own, personal experiences doesn't mean I don't want to hear yours. Otherwise, why would I have asked? I know genuine people are hard to come by on the internet but come on, man.

 

I enjoyed reading your rant. I disagree with some of it, true, but most of it was personal so that's to be expected. I do agree with you about the Sawyerisms and I will add that Chris Avellone needs to find a new DM to study under because, while I suck at RTwP games, I do NOT suck at turn based games and his contribution to Wasteland 2 was the longest pain-in-the-ass slog I've ever gone through in a TBS game and I play Giant Marathon games on Civ 4 (Realism Invictus) for fun.

 

He's a damn good writer when he's not being cryptic. I'll give him that.

[ComplyOrDie]

I'm in the game is too easy camp, but I voted no I'd gladly pay more, because frankly it's a triumph, I hope they sort things that personally interest me out but whatever, I just hope I can go back to the older IE games without wishing I was playing this. Wish I'd backed a higher tier, would definitely if they Kickstart another.

Edited April 5, 2015 by ComplyOrDie

[CoM_Solaufein]

Its the best 2D game to come out since Baldur's Gate 2. I wish companies would stick around with 2D RPGs. 3D is fine, but I always liked 2D games.

[rkade8583]

My eye likes 2d as well

[aenemic]

The game is great, I wish I could have donated more and gotten a physical copy.

 

And it certainly makes for a promising future for Obsidian and gaming in general.

 

If it's one thing I've learned about gaming, music and film over the years it's to trust my gut, find out for myself wether I'll like something or not and pretty much not read much into what people post online and avoid reviews in general.

 

Oh, and I wonder how many people get confused about this poll. You ask one question in the thread title, then kinda turn it around in the poll. I for one almost clicked one of the "yes" options before I took a closer look

Edited April 5, 2015 by aenemic

[Odd Hermit]

Has its fair share of issues(so did the infinity engine games...) but I definitely got more than what I paid for. 

[rkade8583]

Oh, and I wonder how many people get confused about this poll. You ask one question in the thread title, then kinda turn it around in the poll. I for one almost clicked one of the "yes" options before I took a closer look

I know... I'm sorry.

[Daemonjax]

2D games like this can look really good because their art assets aren't limited to "how do we make this texture tile-able so we can re-use it 1000 times".

[RaedricAteMyWolfCompanion]

As a newcomer to the game, i'm absolutely positive about my first-hand experience of the game, so much to do! 
However, even though it's not a game changer at all, then i would have loved an increased variety of the customization possibilities as goes for the characters, mind you i'm not talking about classes etc, but the appearance of the characters. 
Maybe even a multiplayer part, where you would be able to do co-ops and pvp's  

[Valmy]

It is a triumph and a joy. If you have ever enjoyed games similar to this one you should absolutely get it. It is not perfect but most of the problems I think come from inventing a new system of mechanics and so forth and should get better with x-pacs and sequels.

 

Money well spent.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Valmy

[Katarack21]

I've enjoyed the hell out of this game. It's not perfect; there are things about it I don't enjoy. The keep is rather disappointing, I don't care for the chanter class, etc.

But the game is great. The combat is engaging and fun, the system is very deep but you don't need that depth to enjoy the game so it's only there if you want it. I love the setting a great deal; I find the world fascinating and want to explore other parts of it. The NPC companions are engaging and pleasant; there are some great lines now and then, and I *like* the fact that they are well-rounded characters with depth and complexity instead of the bright, vivid archetypes of the original IE games. I didn't "purchase" the game because I'm a backer; I invested in the company and they gave me a copy in return.

But my investment paid off; I'm really happy with what they did.

[luzarius]

Your voting poll sucks.

 

This game is unbelievably good. I have ridiculously high standards too.

 

The only problem I've found is that it needs more voice acting.

Edited April 6, 2015 by luzarius

[Sabin Stargem]

Eh...it kinda falls short for me.  I expect that further patching, expansions, and mods would make it much better.  My mistake was playing it so early.

[Banquetto]

I feel like I scammed Obsidian by only paying $20 (Kickstarter early backers tier) for a game that I'm enjoying every bit as much as the previous Infinity Engine games, all of which I paid full box price for.

[rjohnn]

Surpassed my VERY HIGH expectations.

[NerPan]

Absolutely falled in love with this game....i missed that kind of feeling

[Rosveen]

I backed for $78 in total: $50 reward tier + additions. That makes it the most expensive game I've ever bought (you guessed it, I don't buy collector's editions).

 

Is it the best game I've ever played? No. I doubt it will even make it on the list of my favorite games, but I'm enjoying it all the same. I think the setting has potential and I'm eager for a sequel. There are clearly many underdeveloped gameplay elements, I hope Obsidian will improve them now that they're more financially stable, especially if they decide to do another Kickstarter for extra money injection. I don't regret backing it in the slightest.

[Mungri]

My expectations are set by the following games:

 

BG 1&2

Morrowind

Guild Wars

Path of Exile

 

Few other games have had such a hold on me as those.

 

Pillars of Eternity just beat them all.

[Stun]

I think that this game is awful because there aren't any toilets anywhere..

Games that have bottomless inventories do not need toilets.

 

Anyway, This poll is silly; jarringly misworded; mis-timed; Mis-placed; mis-sampled; and seeks to promote negativity by asking only the people who disliked the game to "tell us why". So I'm not going to vote. Instead, I will give my review and then let anyone who give's a **** try and figure out how I stand on this poll.

 

 

OK, My review. Where to begin. Yes. The New Game Honeymoon is over. Which means I will not be giving this game any passes with its glaring flaws, but neither will I understate what it does so well. I will not forget that the Devs deliberately sold me this game by citing the IE classics, nor will I ignore the fact that their budget was just over 4 million.

 

 

Alright. The game is Gorgeous for any Era. The Dungeons, villages and wilderness maps drip with atmosphere. The attention to detail is mind-blowing. Character building is the most diverse and dynamic of any game since Icewind Dale 2. The music is neither good nor bad. It's average. Voice acting is below average. Companion personalities are average (literally average by IE game standards. they're better than BG1 and BG2, but not as good as PS:T. They're somewhere right in the middle). The game's plot/narrative is above average. The game setting is Average. Exploration is Excellent. Combat is below average. The reputation system is above average. The bestiary is excellent.

 

Loot Itemization sucks monkey balls. (was this supposed to be a spiritual successor to Diablo?). The mega dungeon lacks a soul and is probably the game's biggest let down for me. (Shame on you Obsidian. Did you not take inspiration/cues from Durlag's tower and watcher's keep like you were asked?) The Stronghold is hollowborn. And it Felt like it was designed by a single developer going on a tear over the course of 1 weekend (amiright, Tim?). The game's pacing is a tragedy. A catastrophe even. People have reported hitting the cap in act 3. I'll one-up them. I'm here to report that I hit the cap in act 2. The pacing has other problems as well. The game feels like it can't decide whether to be combat heavy or story heavy. In dungeons and wilderness maps, there's an encounter every 3 steps. In the city there's hardly any combat at all. This is not a balance. One doesn't cancel out the other. Instead, it makes the game feel conflicted...and mis-paced

 

 

Overall, I'm still going to call PoE the 6th IE game. But If someone were to put a Fine Arquebus to my head and force me to rank it, I'd place it near the Bottom of the 5. It's better than Icewind Dale 2. But it *doesn't* beat out Bg1, BG2, PS:T or IWD1.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Stun

[vetiver]

I wish I had paid more for the game to get it in a box. It's absolutely fantastic and here's hoping Obsidian releases several expansions and sequels. I'll be buying them all and I don't even have time for computer games anymore.