Saw TOEE at Sams for 17 bucks.
I’ve read the posts on just how buggy the game is, but $17 seems like a good deal, even if its not entirely fixed.
Should I get this?
Also, anyone interested, XIII PC is $33 and NWN Gold PC is $17.
I think it’s definitely worth it at $17… the first patch fixes all the egregious bugs. (That I’m aware of, anyways)
Then again, I thought the game was almost worth it at the $55 price tag, so maybe I’m just a fanboy.
It’s extremely monotonous and difficult, unless you’re a D&D veteran in which case it’s probably pure bliss. Bugs aren’t a problem with the patch, though.
Come now Mr. Nahr, don’t spare Troika’s feelings - personally I think you’re really understating the mind-numbing effects of the game.
I’ve been thinking of getting this game too. I really like RPGs. Baldur’s Gate, Planetscape Torment. Heck, I went back and replayed Knights of the Old Republic as evil recently.
So with the bugs fixed, is this a good game? I’m not a hard core D&D guy, I just like good stories and fun. ;)
It was actually $10 at Amazon last Friday (see http://www.gametab.com/newsdeals.php?fuse=168). Didn’t even have to think twice about picking that one up. ;) But a good deal at $17 too, I’d say.
It’s not a story-heavy game, Brad–more of a dungeon crawl. I loved it, even though it’s not the sort of RPG that I typically enjoy. I ran this module back in high school, though, and Troika’s game stays very faithful to the original module–that’s a large part of the appeal, for me. I do like the combat system quite a bit. I’d love to see Troika do a game with Arcanum’s depth in this engine.
The games best part is the combat system. It does a good job of bringing the turn-based system of D&D to the computer. The story is barebones. More along the lines of a Icewind Dale than Baldur’s Gate.
Huh? It’s a straight dungeon crawl, sure, and I guess that could be monotonous for some – but it really isn’t any worse, say, than Icewind Dale. And it isn’t that difficult. There are some tough fights, sure. And I’m not any kind of D&D veteran.
I’ll admit I haven’t finished it… got to around level 9-10 and kind of lost interest. But at $17 it’s a steal.
If you enjoy tactical turn based combat, then the game is worth the price. If you dont, then its not. The story is extremely thin, and the gameplay is limited to the combat and character development via stats, feats and gear.
Personally, I liked the game a lot, even loved it. Its the best tactical D&D game to ever hit a computer. That being said, the state it was released in was a slap in the face to PC gamers everywhere. It was the single buggiest game I have ever played in terms of bugs that I noticed affecting me. Troika and Atari should have been punished in some way beyond just low sales.
The patch helps, but there are still annoyances and rules bugs. Allegedly the lead coder is working on another patch (the last one…) in his free time over the holidays that will presumably be released sometime in January.
olaf
I’d like to add something for Brad. TOEE is not a story-based game. Some other posters have said as much, but I’d like to emphasize this point… the dialogue is so badly written, so incredibly lame and contrived, and the “quests” such as they were, were so poorly designed, that I simply couldn’t stand any conversation with NPC’s. Run into town, sell crap, talk to the necessary people to activate new areas, then run out of town.
However, given that limitation, I found the combat engine to be very well done, and combat itself was not too difficult (although I admit I am a D&D veteran) and a hell of a lot of fun. Plus, the amount of EQ and its power is about right, and the leveling up system is a lot of fun. Visually, most people agree that the game is stunning, so long as you don’t mind rendered backgrounds.
So… I thought it was an incredibly lopsided game, but as long as you go into it with that mindset you should have a good time. Oh, because of the game’s lopsidedness, you’ll probably have the most fun playing a party that’s designed to kill everything that moves.
I agree with the other posters and in particular with Olaf. It’s a suberb tactical combat game. Not quite as succesful as an RPG (it’s great on stats and skill development, but very thin on story). Overall I liked it a lot and it’s one of my favorite games of the year. I highly recommend it.
ToEE is D&D combat done right. Bioware take note.
In that case, aren’t they probably just fine with continuing to do it “wrong”?
Yeah, I don’t think Bioware needs any advice on making RPGs right now… but I agree with the ToEE lovers that the D&D implementation, particularly the combat system, was great. Nice graphics, too.
Heh. There’s more to why Bioware’s games are successful than their combat engine. But my feelings on this stem from the fact that I just started playing the two NWN expansions after having finished ToEE, and the fact is that the combat is just flat-out boring compared to that of the other game. At least IMO.
Amen.
After “awakening” to the mind-numbing boredom of KOTOR, I’ve really found myself on the anti-Bioware side. Talk about a shovelware dev house.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -Mark Twain
don’t you mean
-Mark Twain-
?
Amen.
After “awakening” to the mind-numbing boredom of KOTOR, I’ve really found myself on the anti-Bioware side. Talk about a shovelware dev house.[/quote]
If you found KotOR “mind numbing,” I truly pity your jadedness.