Newsflash: Stuff that is realistic is not always stuff that is fun.
Caveat: Haven’t played the game, though I want to when it’s patched and preferably on sale. And I don’t have anything against challenging games. One thing that has been hard for developers to understand from the beginning of computer games though is that by and large gamers want challenges that are, well, challenging within the context of an entertainment environment. Stuff that is challenging in real life often has very tangible or at least meaningful rewards–mastering an instrument, learning to play a sport, becoming fluent in another language–that make the challenge and occasional frustration worth it. Games have to work really really hard to offer a reward that is worth making a gamer become frustrated, in ways that the real world analogues of such activities often don’t. On top of that, stuff that is ultimately intuitive or instinctual in real life–based on basic physical or mental traits of homo sapiens, for instance, are damn hard to duplicate in a game with mouse and keyboard or a controller.
I’m really interested to see how this game shakes out over time. I love the idea of a more realistic and challenging medieval RPG than the norm, but so far even the most glowing reviews here have not made me convinced the game gets the balance between challenge and enjoyment quite right.