Review RPG Codex Review: Darth Roxor on Disappointment, thy name is Pillars of Eternity

[Kiste]

What are you talking about? The Swamp Forest was a good area.

It was a confusing as fuck mess of annoying corridors, invisible walls and blocked off sections and it took far too long, considering that it was essentially a side area to the city and during all that time the main storyline was basically on hold. Giving you interesting things to do outside the main story is all good and important but fucking sidetracking the main story for the biggest part of the game just fucking sucks and that was the impression I had while playing TW1.

Which brings me to another point. So they had this great source material, which is pretty unconventional when it comes to fantasy, and they turn it into a game. And the first thing they did? "HEY! I've got an idea! Let's do a fucking swamp area and also a big sewers map LIKE EVERY OTHER GENERIC RPG IN HISTORY! ". Yeah, I hate swamps and I hate sewers. Not only have they been done to death in CRPGs, no one would ever want to go there and neither do it. Fuck swamps and fuck sewers.

 

[DeepOcean]

PoE is way better than BG1 and it's not even close.

Replay BG 1 with haste to know how much you are wrong. They are alot more similar than you think, I had deja vus of Gnoll Stronghold all over PoE but, at least, on BG 1 when it tried presenting a nasty fight, it was a nasty fight, what you can't say of PoE. Besides... Melicamp the chicken and the cursed Girdle of Masculinity/feminility made me laugh while Eder the half melancholic passive guy and Aloth the repressed homosexual elf made me so bored...

 

[Sensuki]

What are you talking about? The Swamp Forest was a good area.

It was a confusing as fuck mess of annoying corridors, invisible walls and blocked off sections and it took far too long, considering that it was essentially a side area to the city and during all that time the main storyline was basically on hold. Giving you interesting things to do outside the main story is all good and important but fucking sidetracking the main story for the biggest part of the game just fucking sucks and that was the impression I had while playing TW1.

Which brings me to another point. So they had this great source material, which is pretty unconventional when it comes to fantasy, and they turn it into a game. And the first thing they did? "HEY! I've got an idea! Let's do a fucking swamp area and also a big sewers map LIKE EVERY OTHER GENERIC RPG IN HISTORY! ". Yeah, I hate swamps and I hate sewers. Not only have they been done to death in CRPGs, no one would ever want to go there and neither do it. Fuck swamps and fuck sewers.

Corridors? What? There weren't many 'invisible corridors' in that area and the Swamp Forest had lots of content relative to advancing the plot.

The Sewer wasn't that big either.

 

[Kiste]

Corridors? What? There weren't many 'invisible corridors' in that area and the Swamp Forest had lots of content relative to advancing the plot.

I didn't say "invisible corridors". Also, fuck the plot in the swamps. After fucking around for hours you get to fight two villains who, after you defeat them, pull out some alchemical batman knock-out gas gadget and RUN AWAY! That's not advancing the plot, that's treading water. Fuck this and fuck everyone who claims this game had "good writing".

But yeah, I get it. You liked the swamp, I hated it. Let's keep it at that.

 

[DeepOcean]

I have to ask, why did the codex feature such a praising apologetic review of Wasteland 2, which was arguably a mediocre product,

Tell me some here aren't bet on sucking that fucking greaseball's snake oil salesman dick.

Blame VD, the same guy that was to give 11/10 to PoE instead of Roxor. He makes AoD, fucking good game and is apologetic towards Wasteland 2, now I know why Tim Cain liked Oblivion so much. The world works on strange ways.

 

[Volrath]

PoE is way better than BG1 and it's not even close.

Replay BG 1 with haste to know how much you are wrong. They are alot more similar than you think, I had deja vus of Gnoll Stronghold all over PoE but, at least, on BG 1 when it tried presenting a nasty fight, it was a nasty fight, what you can't say of PoE. Besides... Melicamp the chicken and the cursed Girdle of Masculinity/feminility made me laugh while Eder the half melancholic passive guy and Aloth the repressed homosexual elf made me so bored...

BG1 was utter shit.

 

[DeepOcean]

PoE is way better than BG1 and it's not even close.

Replay BG 1 with haste to know how much you are wrong. They are alot more similar than you think, I had deja vus of Gnoll Stronghold all over PoE but, at least, on BG 1 when it tried presenting a nasty fight, it was a nasty fight, what you can't say of PoE. Besides... Melicamp the chicken and the cursed Girdle of Masculinity/feminility made me laugh while Eder the half melancholic passive guy and Aloth the repressed homosexual elf made me so bored...

BG1 was utter shit.

Agree, it is a pity PoE is too.

 

[Volrath]

If I have to compare the two: BG1 was explosive diarrhea, while PoE was a very firm turd where you can't help to admire the sheer craftsmanship of it for a bit after you've shat it out. You'll forget about it after you flush it down the toilet though.

 

[Athelas]

Wouldn't the explosive diarrhea be more memorable? Unless explosive diarrhea is a frequent occurrence for you, in which case you have bigger things to worry about.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

If I have to compare the two: BG1 was explosive diarrhea, while PoE was a very firm turd where you can't help to admire the sheer craftsmaship of it for a bit after you've shat it out. You'll forget about it after you flush it down the toilet though.

Next poll in the PoE subforum?

 

[valcik]

BG 2 must be a retention then. Shit can't flow properly, being interrupted by unskippable cut-scenes and party banters.

edit: I'll try to be rest spamming.

 

[Sensuki]

You must be rest spamming.

 

[Volrath]

Wouldn't the explosive diarrhea be more memorable? Unless explosive diarrhea is a frequent occurrence for you, in which case you have bigger things to worry about.

Nah man, explosive diarrhea is something you try to imagine never happened.

 

[DeepOcean]

Now this thread is the place the RPGCodex found the fun Sawyer lost.

 

[Lady_Error]

No, this thread now sounds like this:

 

[Linden]

Ironically, the main problem with PoE is that it has no soul. People say Forgotten Realms is generic, but that is just not true. FR oozes atmosphere and history, and good games will build on and make use of that (see MotB.) Rashemen, the Moonshae Isles, the Red Wizards of Thay, Lathander - just hearing these names invokes a multitude of thoughts and feelings. The setting is what makes a story work and the Free Palantine Of Dyrwood has got nothing on the Sword Coast. Defiance Bay has got nothing on Athkatla.

It is unfair to compare a new setting to an old and established setting. But even so, this is a problem for PoE.

 

[Sensuki]

No, this thread now sounds like this:

Someone needs to make a Sawyer one of these

 

[Stompa]

Ironically, the main problem with PoE is that it has no soul. People say Forgotten Realms is generic, but that is just not true. FR oozes atmosphere and history, and good games will build on and make use of that (see MotB.) Rashemen, the Moonshae Isles, the Red Wizards of Thay, Lathander - just hearing these names invokes a multitude of thoughts and feelings. The setting is what makes a story work and the Free Palantine Of Dyrwood has got nothing on the Sword Coast. Defiance Bay has got nothing on Athkatla.

It is unfair to compare a new setting to an old and established setting. But even so, this is a problem for PoE.

PoE's setting has potential, it just made the same mistake all those D&D-based games set in Sword Coast do - picked the most boring part of the world. Anywhere would be more interesting than limp-dicked version of Murrica that doesn't even have a frontier feel. Aedyr, the decadent and collapsing empire, sounds great. Vallian Republics as well, since not-Venice is not something usually seen in RPGs. Even Rauatai, the place that I can only describe as "islands of blue orcs with guns", sounds better than all of the Dyrwod.

 

[hiver]

For those that didn't know, when you move your recovery is slowed by 50%

It's not stated anywhere in the game, but we found it in the game code.

If you previously just used a ranged attack it's slowed further again.

ALL Movement is punished during combat, whether by recovery slow or disengagement attack.

whaaaat?

and i went and made posts about how they should improve movement during combat and how engagement should be given only to fighters... ffs!

while the whole design of the game was opposite to that.


didnt i just waste all that time and effort for nothing.
wow...just wow..

 

[Anac'raxus]

Ironically, the main problem with PoE is that it has no soul. People say Forgotten Realms is generic, but that is just not true. FR oozes atmosphere and history, and good games will build on and make use of that (see MotB.) Rashemen, the Moonshae Isles, the Red Wizards of Thay, Lathander - just hearing these names invokes a multitude of thoughts and feelings. The setting is what makes a story work and the Free Palantine Of Dyrwood has got nothing on the Sword Coast. Defiance Bay has got nothing on Athkatla.

It is unfair to compare a new setting to an old and established setting. But even so, this is a problem for PoE.

The FR are familiar. Just like vampiric swords are familiar. Draining hatchets and faux Gaelic are not familiar. It's really as simple as that.

 

[Black]

There's a lesson here, Roxor. If you ever write another review keep in mind it doesn't matter whether you make good points or not but whether you tone police yourself every sentence. Otherwise your readers may get triggered.

 

[uaciaut]

First review thread i've seen reach 60+ pages of replies. Not the first time i've seen people go full retard over what they love/hate about the game, exaggerating it to no end and then saying the others are wrong about it. Can't say PoE didn't bring codex people together.

 

[Kiste]

There's a lesson here, Roxor. If you ever write another review keep in mind it doesn't matter whether you make good points or not but whether you tone police yourself every sentence. Otherwise your readers may get triggered.

It's not about people "getting triggered" , it's about the simple fact that people tend to dismiss sometimes even good points if they're cloaked in obvious hyperbole. People have a bunch of rules of thumb that operate on a psychological level that lead them to make very quick and rough judgement calls. So when you confront readers with hyperbolic nonsense, then they will immediately place your article in the bullshit category, no matter how many good points you make along the way. That's something you should keep in mind when writing a review, at least if you want to be taken seriously.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

First review thread i've seen reach 60+ pages of replies. Not the first time i've seen people go full retard over what they love/hate about the game, exaggerating it to no end and then saying the others are wrong about it. Can't say PoE didn't bring codex people together.

 

[Hatred]

There's a lesson here, Roxor. If you ever write another review keep in mind it doesn't matter whether you make good points or not but whether you tone police yourself every sentence. Otherwise your readers may get triggered.

It's not about people "getting triggered" , it's about the simple fact that people tend to dismiss sometimes even good points if they're cloaked in obvious hyperbole. People have a bunch of rules of thumb that operate on a psychological level that lead them to make very quick and rough judgement calls. So when you confront readers with hyperbolic nonsense, then they will immediately place your article in the bullshit category, no matter how many good points you make along the way. That's something you should keep in mind when writing a review, at least if you want to be taken seriously.

The review should scale to your level ?