One of the big PC releases of 2006 is finally here, and I've been quietly looking forward to it since E3...
Well, first off, the real bad.
Since it was built on Source (HL2 engine) it is integrated with Steam, which creates a whole new world of problems. The installation sprayed files all over my hard drive, completely fragmenting everything. Not only that, but after the lengthy installation completed (including installing loads of random programs I've never heard of) it connected to Steam and installed the whole thing again. It took approximately an hour before I could play the game, including the few seconds it took to remove the six shortcuts it put on my desktop. Hurray!
I bought the retail version after hearing nasty stuff about the Steam release. If you've downloaded the game (legally, from Steam) and are experiencing problems, reverify the installation in Steam and it'll download the files they forgot to include on the initial release. Also, when a set piece fails to trigger in the opening level, do a search on the official forum and it'll explain how to run the no-clip command to get through. Awesome stuff. Luckly these two things don't happen in the retail release.
Finally, being Steam and Source...and Concept will love this - stuttering ahoy!
That's the nastys out of the way, now for the good stuff!
The game is pretty excellent so far. Everything is in First Person and it all animates really well. Set-pieces in first person have always been done quite poorly (bar Breakdown by Namco, which had some great ones), but here they are pretty sweet. The fantasy setting is very unoriginal, but it feels pretty solid and the graphics are typical of Source.
Absolutely the best thing about the game is the combat, which is really impressive so far. Imagine Oblivion but with an extra layer of interactivity. You can swing swords in all directions, plus power attacks etc - also grab bows, knives, magic etc - but the cool stuff comes with the envrionment.
Just now I was in a house when an enemy broke in and ran up stairs to my location. I knew he was coming so waited at the top of the steps. He was pretty reluctant to come all the way up, but when I did I gave him a quick kick in the face, sending him tumbling down...I run down, but he gets up. For about a minute or two we have a nice sword fight up and down the stairs (you can also block, adding to depth). Eventually I manage to get all the way down and notice a fire place, so after moving myself into position - all while the fight is going on - another kick in the face sends him into the fire. Woo! Very satisfying.
When against multiple opponents I've found myself using just about everything I can find to help me. You can pick up boxes and really throw them at the enemy (Powerstone style!), sending them flying. You can hit an enemy so hard they get completely stunned and try and limp away. You can lop peoples heads off, spurting blood everywhere. You can kick people into spikes, you can break parts of the envrionment to send barrels above onto them.
Though the game itself is extremely linear (so far), the actual combat is pretty open. It's clear what is interactive and what isn't, and by all means it isn't so free you can do anything you want, but it works. On top of this, the game is also an RPG - your character to begin with starts out as a jack of all trades, but as you go on you earn experience, which you can add onto various Fighter, Mage or Thief attributes. Likewise you can pick up better weaponary etc. It's simple, but has worked so far.
There is also a fairly extensive multiplayer mode, standard death match, plus class-based CTF (TFC style), and what looks like a pretty epic Crusade mode with Human Vs Undead. Even in multiplayer you get to go up levels, increase skills etc.
Well, first off, the real bad.
Since it was built on Source (HL2 engine) it is integrated with Steam, which creates a whole new world of problems. The installation sprayed files all over my hard drive, completely fragmenting everything. Not only that, but after the lengthy installation completed (including installing loads of random programs I've never heard of) it connected to Steam and installed the whole thing again. It took approximately an hour before I could play the game, including the few seconds it took to remove the six shortcuts it put on my desktop. Hurray!
I bought the retail version after hearing nasty stuff about the Steam release. If you've downloaded the game (legally, from Steam) and are experiencing problems, reverify the installation in Steam and it'll download the files they forgot to include on the initial release. Also, when a set piece fails to trigger in the opening level, do a search on the official forum and it'll explain how to run the no-clip command to get through. Awesome stuff. Luckly these two things don't happen in the retail release.
Finally, being Steam and Source...and Concept will love this - stuttering ahoy!
That's the nastys out of the way, now for the good stuff!
The game is pretty excellent so far. Everything is in First Person and it all animates really well. Set-pieces in first person have always been done quite poorly (bar Breakdown by Namco, which had some great ones), but here they are pretty sweet. The fantasy setting is very unoriginal, but it feels pretty solid and the graphics are typical of Source.
Absolutely the best thing about the game is the combat, which is really impressive so far. Imagine Oblivion but with an extra layer of interactivity. You can swing swords in all directions, plus power attacks etc - also grab bows, knives, magic etc - but the cool stuff comes with the envrionment.
Just now I was in a house when an enemy broke in and ran up stairs to my location. I knew he was coming so waited at the top of the steps. He was pretty reluctant to come all the way up, but when I did I gave him a quick kick in the face, sending him tumbling down...I run down, but he gets up. For about a minute or two we have a nice sword fight up and down the stairs (you can also block, adding to depth). Eventually I manage to get all the way down and notice a fire place, so after moving myself into position - all while the fight is going on - another kick in the face sends him into the fire. Woo! Very satisfying.
When against multiple opponents I've found myself using just about everything I can find to help me. You can pick up boxes and really throw them at the enemy (Powerstone style!), sending them flying. You can hit an enemy so hard they get completely stunned and try and limp away. You can lop peoples heads off, spurting blood everywhere. You can kick people into spikes, you can break parts of the envrionment to send barrels above onto them.
Though the game itself is extremely linear (so far), the actual combat is pretty open. It's clear what is interactive and what isn't, and by all means it isn't so free you can do anything you want, but it works. On top of this, the game is also an RPG - your character to begin with starts out as a jack of all trades, but as you go on you earn experience, which you can add onto various Fighter, Mage or Thief attributes. Likewise you can pick up better weaponary etc. It's simple, but has worked so far.
There is also a fairly extensive multiplayer mode, standard death match, plus class-based CTF (TFC style), and what looks like a pretty epic Crusade mode with Human Vs Undead. Even in multiplayer you get to go up levels, increase skills etc.
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