At least at the start of the expansion, this is a new high point for World of Warcraft. Proof that Blizzard still has plenty of juice to squeeze out of it. Proof that even when the Legion is relegated to farm status, there’ll be many more adventures to have, and that they’ll be worth the wait. And proof again that while Blizzard can’t hope to please everyone, it’s not going to stop trying its best.
Much like Mass Effect III’s wonderful Citadel expansion, this last outing is as much a victory lap, to remind us of the good times and end in the right spirit.
With Siege of Dragonspear, Beamdog has come on a long way. It’s not perfect, either at matching the style or being a great new RPG in its own right, and future games will need some heavy QA loving. But, as the company’s first big attempt to both follow in BioWare’s wake (the presence of former BioWare people notwithstanding), it’s a good start and at least a good first step to one day giving us that Baldur’s Gate 3 we’ve been waiting so long for – another nostalgia trip, but with a slightly more practiced eye on the future.
The feeling I couldn’t get away from – though it is just that – was that this was meant to just be the Automatron building mode with a very quick quest bolted on to explain its addition, with the bump in Season Pass cost demanding it hastily be re-written as a full adventure in its own right. That means we get more, but most of it just going through the motions instead of offering anything that feels notably different, and certainly nothing as memorable as heading to Big MT in New Vegas or even the spaceship abduction or recreated war of Fallout 3.
Technical frustrations aside, this is a fantastic piece of work.
What it offers though is a solid combat system backed up with enough different flavours, little moments of triumph, pats on the head and surprises amongst the very, very quickly familiar terrain to be compelling, like a big bowl of popcorn sprinkled with chocolate.
Hearts of Stone reminded me exactly what I loved about it the first time around, and all I could think when the credits rolled was how much I look forward to firing this game up in a few more months and concluding both Geralt's final adventure, and one of the PC's finest RPGs. Give or take a few giant bloody spiders. Grr.
After a series like Blackwell, there's going to be plenty more waiting for whatever comes next.
Be that as it may though, this is still a good crack at the Quest for Glory formula that, like Roehm, has little stomach for infamy but doesn't do a bad job at reluctant heroism. If you remember the original games fondly, you're almost certainly going to enjoy it, even if it doesn't quite reach their level. If you've never played them, the whole set of originals can be had for ten bucks at GOG.com (with a VGA remake of the second available elsewhere). It's impossible to recommend playing Quest for Infamy before or instead of those, but do keep it in mind for when you're done, and enjoying the knowledge that there are, finally, more games like them both out and on the way.
In time, it may prove the definitive Sims, the last gasp for the series or anything in between. For now though, while its primary changes are good, the trade-off is hard to recommend.
It's a flawed masterpiece, but make no mistake, it absolutely is a masterpiece – one of the best RPGs ever created, and a true tribute to Sapkowski's stories.
Like so much of the game, it dreams of being epic, but ends up just feeling slight – RPG action that would love to be in the same company as The Witcher and Dragon Age, but instead has to sit with the likes of Game of Thrones: The Game in the pile of adventures that are better than they feel they have any real right to be, past their terrible openings at least, but which offer little reason to burn money or the midnight oil on.
Armikrog fails as an adventure, a story, a Neverhood successor, and on any other level you might have hoped for.
Oxenfree isn't a horror game with a message, but it's still got lots to say.
At the moment, it's hard to recommend actually buying it. It's not hard, however, to imagine that the few months when it should have remained Early Access will be able to make the difference - to file off the rough edges, add the missing features, and create a dungeon experience that can appeal to both the hardcore fans out for a challenge and more casual Keepers looking for the darkly dripping horrors of a place to realise their evil whims.
Smart and commendably weird, InXile's homage to Planescape Torment doesn't exceed its inspiration but certainly does it proud.
A welcome opportunity to return to one of the all-time greats, even if the remaster doesn't hit the same heights as the adventure.
An impactful exploration of mental health issues that presents a very different kind of horror.
In keeping so close to the Baldur's Gate/Infinity Engine template, Pillars of Eternity can't help but inherit a few old flaws, and it would have been nice to see a bit more personality of its own shine through its carefully traditional design and shell. That said, what most stands out is just how well it manages to modernise the experience of playing those games and stand apart from them as an epic adventure in its own right. It's an RPG with design firmly rooted in nostalgia, but one that absolutely doesn't rely on it to be enjoyable today. Instead, it's both a great reminder of why those games worked so well, and a brand new adventure well worth the hours upon hours (upon hours upon hours) that it takes to pick away at its secrets and its world.
An essential sandbox for anyone with an interest in space, rocketry, or explosions.