Reviews

BySteven Carter
OnApril 4, 2007

Jade Empire: Special Edition Review

Jade Empire: Special Edition is an enjoyable RPG with a deep and engrossing story and unique character development system that actively reward exploration. Unfortunately, its console origins have burdened it with limited enemy and item variety, awkward interface, and restrictive camera.

BySteven Carter
OnNovember 9, 2006

Neverwinter Nights 2 Review

While the main campaign shipped with Neverwinter Nights 2 isn't the most involved and suffers from bugs and performance issues, the game itself looks much better than the original and features a great implementation of the D&D ruleset with a lot of options for character development. And seeing how this particular series is famous for its premium and user-created campaigns, both of those are fantastic things.

BySteven Carter
OnOctober 9, 2006

Neverwinter Nights: Wyvern Crown of Cormyr Review

What was supposed to be the last premium module for Neverwinter Nights, Wyvern Crown of Cormyr is a bit too linear and dreary for its own good. Still, it does feature an impressive new rural tile set and a jousting mini-game that's fun despite the clunky use of horses. So if it's grim you're looking for, you might enjoy this module.

BySteven Carter
OnSeptember 28, 2006

Neverwinter Nights: Infinite Dungeons Review

As its name implies, Infinite Dungeons, the latest premium module for Neverwinter Nights, goes all-in on replayability. And while it delivers on that promise with infinite dungeons, infinite monsters, and infinite quests, there isn’t anything to hold it all together or make it enjoyable to play.

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BySteven Carter
OnAugust 28, 2006

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach (Second Look)

Revisiting Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach half a year after its initial launch shows that its developers are clearly willing to address community concerns and expand and upgrade the game's content. It's still not exactly packed with stuff to do once you reach the level cap, but it's definitely on the right track. Also a bit worrying is the fact that the game is getting less and less faithful to D&D 3.5 edition rules.

BySteven Carter
OnAugust 9, 2006

Titan Quest Review

Another valiant effort to dethrone Diablo as the king of action RPGs, Titan Quest, like many others before it, fails in this task. But for all its bugs, poor balance, and sleep-inducing qualities, it does have nice graphics, good attention to detail, and lots of options for character development. So if you're someone who really enjoys these kinds of games, there's a good chance you'll like Titan Quest as well.

ByVal Hull
OnMay 23, 2006

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review

The latest entry in The Elder Scrolls series – Oblivion – is visually appealing and features attractively structured environments, well-organized interface, strong AI in combat, excellent dungeons, good writing, and attractive music. On the other hand, its world is static, and you have no real reason to explore it, while its puzzles, skills, and gameplay were all dumbed down. Add to that a poor collision model, subpar AI outside of combat, and an intrusive, over-controlling DM for quests, and you get an enjoyable but somewhat shallow experience.

BySteven Carter
OnApril 12, 2006

Daemonica Review

Daemonica is what happens when you take your average RPG murder-mystery quest and expand it into a full game. It may look like an RPG, but in reality, it's an adventure game you'll probably be done with in a dozen hours. And if that' fine with you, then chances are you'll enjoy Daemonica's occult storyline and characters. It's different and engaging, but has the level of polish you would expect from a budget title.

BySteven Carter
OnApril 8, 2006

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach Review

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach is an MMORPG utilizing a variation of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition rule set that takes place in that game's Eberron setting. The D&D 3.5 edition rules are well-implemented here and offer lots of ways to build characters. This alone should be enough to attract some players to this project even despite its less than stellar quest design and sub-par interface. Right now, though, its long-term viability remains uncertain as there just isn't that much content there.

BySteven Carter
OnFebruary 20, 2006

Dungeon Lords Collector’s Edition Review

The Collector's Edition of Dungeon Lords attempts to turn the game's disastrous launch version into something more palatable while infusing it with fun combat, creative dungeons, and lots of classes to try out. And for what it's worth, it does a pretty good job of that. However, it being sold as a separate $40 purchase can feel like an insult if you already got burned by the vanilla release. Especially since the Collector's Edition is still poorly balanced, rough in some areas, and could use yet another patch.