Junkerjoerg
Really good and interesting rendition of WW2 Warfare in a card game. The battlefield consists of 3 lanes, the two HQ lanes and then a front, which interacts in many way with cards and invites to use different strategies. Each round you collect credits that you use to play cards, move units and attack. The goal is to attack the opponents HQ until its HP reach 0, simple enough.
Cards are divided into several categories with their own characteristics (tanks can move and attack, artillery can shoot freely over the map without getting damaged, so can bombers but they are stopped if a plane guards the lane etc etc.)
After 50 hours i can say there seems to be a healthy amount of build diversity, that reflect certain war doctrines in an interesting manner. It's also not difficult to collect a competetive deck yourself, so you can try out various things.
You can copy your opponents deck easily, which is what i did to build a very interesting seeming japanese "mill" deck. Took me around 10 hours of playing, building my own decks etc. to collect the placeholder cards as to then assemble said deck, which made me climb ranks and got me various "Cool Deck!" emotes.
It's just a very satisfying, well balanced and in terms of monetization fair game, that also a lot of times plays out in a way that makes it feel like a proper battle being fought out on the battlefield.
Cards are divided into several categories with their own characteristics (tanks can move and attack, artillery can shoot freely over the map without getting damaged, so can bombers but they are stopped if a plane guards the lane etc etc.)
After 50 hours i can say there seems to be a healthy amount of build diversity, that reflect certain war doctrines in an interesting manner. It's also not difficult to collect a competetive deck yourself, so you can try out various things.
You can copy your opponents deck easily, which is what i did to build a very interesting seeming japanese "mill" deck. Took me around 10 hours of playing, building my own decks etc. to collect the placeholder cards as to then assemble said deck, which made me climb ranks and got me various "Cool Deck!" emotes.
It's just a very satisfying, well balanced and in terms of monetization fair game, that also a lot of times plays out in a way that makes it feel like a proper battle being fought out on the battlefield.
A surprisingly good, charming and cozy action game, with a yet again surprisingly solid and surprisingly unoffensive story that is carried hard by very good set pieces incl. boss battles but particularly wonderful music and scenery. There's a lot of lore here that, while not very interesting in itself, gives the setting and the cast a sense of credibility, if that makes sense. Hearing about the past adventures of the party, instead of starting at zero, made me curious to learn more and get properly immersed in this world. Pay-off wasnt great but made for a nice change of pace when exploring the glossary entires and fate quests. Not too bad.
The combat system is extremely tight. You use variations of two attack buttons which also interact contextually with other actions, including 4 skills you can take with you to individualize your playstyle. It feels good, precise and fun regardless of whether you play a ranged character or a melee character. There are loads of variation with the various characters you can play and have in your party - and progression too is motivating, with the mastery, crafting and sigil system, although the game was not able to keep me grinding beyond the 50 hours i spent with it because in terms of content it starts becoming very repetetive.
I had little expectations, which made my enjoyment even greater. Due to its wonderful and refreshing art, both visually and musically, which underlines the engaging and motivating gameplay loop, this is a more than solid jrpg that i loved spending time with and in.
The combat system is extremely tight. You use variations of two attack buttons which also interact contextually with other actions, including 4 skills you can take with you to individualize your playstyle. It feels good, precise and fun regardless of whether you play a ranged character or a melee character. There are loads of variation with the various characters you can play and have in your party - and progression too is motivating, with the mastery, crafting and sigil system, although the game was not able to keep me grinding beyond the 50 hours i spent with it because in terms of content it starts becoming very repetetive.
I had little expectations, which made my enjoyment even greater. Due to its wonderful and refreshing art, both visually and musically, which underlines the engaging and motivating gameplay loop, this is a more than solid jrpg that i loved spending time with and in.
2019
Good levelling, nice QoL features, great skill customization - but it suffers from little lasting value, a stale repetetive and slow endgame that doesnt see meaningful changes to your character if youre not willing to invest massive amounts of time into farming.
Wait for it till its done and the DLC is out. This game is buggy as hell.
but... its a damn good crpg, even with all the bugs, i had an absolute blast. I can not echoe the sentiments that Act 4 and 5 are rubbish, its true that Act 2 and 3 are the peaks of the game but i felt particularly the final part of the game and the little story beats were quite well done.
The combat is broken in a satisfying way, until you get too overpowered. For the last 10 hours i was able to resolve even the boss battles (ignoring scripted enemy turns) in a single turn, having 2 officers + bolter Argenta simply breaks the game if your characters are set up right. The tension in combat that existed for the first 40 hours, evaporated in the end. Nonetheless it is quite fun to dig into all of the mechanics to get your party composition to fly.
But what really makes this game shine is the atmosphere, i would go as far as to say that i have not yet played a game that represents and sells the 40k universe as well as Rogue Trader. I used to be interested in 40k before hand, playing mainly Dawn of War and the Gladius 4X game, but i never really felt that attached to the human empire, it felt a bit tacky to me. But this game made me realize what the setting is really about, by the end of the game i was a paranoid dogmatic who'd rather let a bunch of people die than allow for the slightest opening for chaos to take roots in my demesne. While Chaos is portrayed as a proper threat, that gives credence to all the fanaticism and paranoia that is omnipresent in the empire, what the game kind of lacked was to give us a proper reason as to why Chaos is so alluring. They tried, sort of linking class struggles to it, but i never really felt intruiged to join chaos, it was very obvious that chaos was bad, and the question (for a sane playthrough) was to navigate between keeping chaos at bay and not being too much of a genociding fascist.
But that aside there is a lot of very detailled wonderful writing that, if one loves reading (a lot), really make the setting and all its intricacies shine. Its easy to make fun of 40k but damn, this setting has a lot of deep lore. Absolutely loved and one of the reasons as to why this is one of my favourite cRPG's of all time.
Especially after the Netflix-level writing of Baldurs Gate 3, which made me abandon it in horror, after 20 hours, this game felt like coming home, to where i belong.
The story is okay, it has some good beats, its not very dramatic, but actually surprised me a little in the end. It does a pretty good job at showcasing the universe and building up characters, but its nothing to etch itself into my mind. Reminds me a little of Wasteland 2, another game i loved but that had a story that didnt really make that much of an impact. I think what a story in a game does, is make me care about what i'm doing and this happened not in the way of the plot, but in the way the game manages to bind me emotionally to the fate of the koronus expanse. All i did was for the purpose of making life better there, and the game feeds this very well. Regarding the companions i have to say i quite liked the majority of them (including those 2 who i sadly had to execute to stop chaos from (potentially) corrupting their weak minds) and found them memorable, particularly Pasqal, Yrlet, Heinrix and Argenta stood out to me.
The reactivity in this game is both great and a little lackluster, you can resolve an endless amount of situations differently, primarly through dialogue, and this can change stuff in a serious manner, but in other ways it often feels like the world does not really acknowledge what you do. Major events occur, for example in regards to companions, and you cant hold conversations about it. Major revelations are left uncommented aside from the very dialogue concerning it. That was quite disappointing, although with the scale of the game (took me 90 hours) it is forgivable.
In conclusion: This game is a buggy mess, it has balance issues, it doesnt have an extremely exciting plot, the structure isnt executed perfectly. BUT man did i get sucked into it, the atmosphere of this thing is really something. When i feel that a game is actively expanding my horizon by allowing myself to fully immerse in a foreign, complex world, think and live through its rules and realities, thats when i become very happy. And Rogue trader absolutely did that for me!
88/100
but... its a damn good crpg, even with all the bugs, i had an absolute blast. I can not echoe the sentiments that Act 4 and 5 are rubbish, its true that Act 2 and 3 are the peaks of the game but i felt particularly the final part of the game and the little story beats were quite well done.
The combat is broken in a satisfying way, until you get too overpowered. For the last 10 hours i was able to resolve even the boss battles (ignoring scripted enemy turns) in a single turn, having 2 officers + bolter Argenta simply breaks the game if your characters are set up right. The tension in combat that existed for the first 40 hours, evaporated in the end. Nonetheless it is quite fun to dig into all of the mechanics to get your party composition to fly.
But what really makes this game shine is the atmosphere, i would go as far as to say that i have not yet played a game that represents and sells the 40k universe as well as Rogue Trader. I used to be interested in 40k before hand, playing mainly Dawn of War and the Gladius 4X game, but i never really felt that attached to the human empire, it felt a bit tacky to me. But this game made me realize what the setting is really about, by the end of the game i was a paranoid dogmatic who'd rather let a bunch of people die than allow for the slightest opening for chaos to take roots in my demesne. While Chaos is portrayed as a proper threat, that gives credence to all the fanaticism and paranoia that is omnipresent in the empire, what the game kind of lacked was to give us a proper reason as to why Chaos is so alluring. They tried, sort of linking class struggles to it, but i never really felt intruiged to join chaos, it was very obvious that chaos was bad, and the question (for a sane playthrough) was to navigate between keeping chaos at bay and not being too much of a genociding fascist.
But that aside there is a lot of very detailled wonderful writing that, if one loves reading (a lot), really make the setting and all its intricacies shine. Its easy to make fun of 40k but damn, this setting has a lot of deep lore. Absolutely loved and one of the reasons as to why this is one of my favourite cRPG's of all time.
Especially after the Netflix-level writing of Baldurs Gate 3, which made me abandon it in horror, after 20 hours, this game felt like coming home, to where i belong.
The story is okay, it has some good beats, its not very dramatic, but actually surprised me a little in the end. It does a pretty good job at showcasing the universe and building up characters, but its nothing to etch itself into my mind. Reminds me a little of Wasteland 2, another game i loved but that had a story that didnt really make that much of an impact. I think what a story in a game does, is make me care about what i'm doing and this happened not in the way of the plot, but in the way the game manages to bind me emotionally to the fate of the koronus expanse. All i did was for the purpose of making life better there, and the game feeds this very well. Regarding the companions i have to say i quite liked the majority of them (including those 2 who i sadly had to execute to stop chaos from (potentially) corrupting their weak minds) and found them memorable, particularly Pasqal, Yrlet, Heinrix and Argenta stood out to me.
The reactivity in this game is both great and a little lackluster, you can resolve an endless amount of situations differently, primarly through dialogue, and this can change stuff in a serious manner, but in other ways it often feels like the world does not really acknowledge what you do. Major events occur, for example in regards to companions, and you cant hold conversations about it. Major revelations are left uncommented aside from the very dialogue concerning it. That was quite disappointing, although with the scale of the game (took me 90 hours) it is forgivable.
In conclusion: This game is a buggy mess, it has balance issues, it doesnt have an extremely exciting plot, the structure isnt executed perfectly. BUT man did i get sucked into it, the atmosphere of this thing is really something. When i feel that a game is actively expanding my horizon by allowing myself to fully immerse in a foreign, complex world, think and live through its rules and realities, thats when i become very happy. And Rogue trader absolutely did that for me!
88/100
Nach vielen Jahren habe ich die Kampagne eines meiner prägendsten Kindheitsspiele mal wieder durchgespielt. Schon im letzten Jahr hatte ich ein wenig in den Multiplayer geschnuppert und mich davon überzeugt, dass die Jedi Duelle in diesem Spiel immer noch so gut sind, wie ich sie in Erinnerung hatte. Ehrlich gesagt sogar besser.
Über die Kampagne kann ich das gleiche leider nicht sagen. Schon als Kind hatte ich gehört, dass jene in Jedi Outcast deutlich überlegen sei. Eine lose, schwache Geschichte, mageres Level-Design, schwache Charaktere: Das sind die Vorwürfe und sie alle treffen auf Jedi Academy zu. Wieviel besser Jedi Outcast ist, kann ich jedoch nicht sagen, ich habe es bis heute nicht gespielt.
Damals aber haben mich die genannten Schwächen wenig gekümmert, denn das Gerüst dieses Spiels ist einfach unfassbar gut. Die Freiheit im Kampf, ob mit dem Schwert oder in der Bewegung, ist genial, das ganze Spiel lädt zum experimentieren mit seinen Möglichkeiten ein und diese sind wirklich vielfältig, so dass der Spieler keine Probleme haben sollte, einen eigenen Kampfstil zu entwickeln und im Laufe des Spiels zu verfeinern. Wallruns, Sprung-Attacken, Rollen, Machtblitze usw. - Wer diese Elemente meistert kann sich filmreif durch die Kämpfe schnetzeln. Und das macht nicht nur unheimlich viel Spaß, sondern offenbart auch eine spielmechanische Komplexität. Rumfuchteln kann jeder, aber wer sich die Mühe macht, kann noch so viel mehr, was auf den höheren Schwierigkeitsgraden auch einen wichtigen Unterschied macht. Darum haben mich damals auch die lahme Geschichte und die kurzen Levels nicht gestört. Und auch heute muss ich sagen, dass die Mängel gar nicht so schwer wiegen. Man tourt durch eine Vielzahl von visuell sehr unterschiedlich und ansprechend gestalteten Levels. Diese sind in ihrer spielerischen Gestaltung bieder, bieten nur wenig Tiefe und reale Abwechslung, überzeugen aber mit dem Charme des Settings und manchmal doch mit ansprechenden Ideen. Diese Ideen sind aber oft nicht perfekt umgesetzt. Der Kampf gegen Boba Fett ist eine nette Sache, aber die finale Phase ist eine Wiederholung der vorherigen und darum viel zu leicht gewonnen. Solche Momente in denen der letzte kreative Funke fehlt um wirklich prägnante Momente, abseits der grundsätzlich genialen Spielmechanik, zu schaffen, ziehen sich durch das ganze Spiel. Konstant denke ich mir: Das hätte man so leicht so viel besser machen können.
Die mangelnden Höhepunkte sind das eine, und wie gesagt, die Spielmechanik ist der Trumpf, aber dennoch, den dieser Gedanke hat mich die ganze Zeit begleitet: Man stelle sich vor, wie viel mehr aus diesem Spiel herausgeholt hätte werden können, wenn die "Nebenmissionen" (die den Großteil des Spiels ausmachen) sinnvoll verknüpft und mit mehr Aufwand in die Haupthandlung eingebunden wären. Das ist nämlich so gut wie gar nicht der Fall. Teilweise enthalten manche Level kein bisschen Handlung außer den Text-Briefings vor und nach den Missionen. Wirkliche Anreize zur Erkundung bieten die Levels auch nicht. So stellt sich schnell eine Routine ein, die dazu verleitet ohne Rücksicht durch die oftmals sehr schönen levels zu preschen.
Die inflationären Jedi-Kämpfe gegen Ende des Spiel helfen auch nicht dabei der Ermüdung entgegenzuwirken. Es fehlt schlichtweg an einer spannenden, packenden Handlung, ein komplexeres Leveldesign und ein wenig mehr Weitläufigkeit sowie Erkundungsreize um dem Verflachen des Spielerlebnis entgegenzuwirken. Und als Laie scheint mir: Das wäre drin gewesen. Ein möglicher Grund dafür ist leicht gefunden: Jedi Academy kam gerade ein mal en Jahr nach dem Vorgänger raus. Es hat wohl sicherlich mindestens an der Zeit gefehlt um die Kampagne dieses Spiels auf ein anderes Niveau zu heben. Irgendwann muss ich mir dann doch nochmal Jedi Outcast anschauen, denn vielleicht ist das ja das Jedi Academy von dem ich träume.
Zurück zum Spiel und damit zur außergewöhnlich dämmlichen Handlung von Jedi Academy:
Spoiler: Am Anfang des Spiels überfallen die Jünger von Ragnos, Yavin 4, durchsuchen Luke's Archiv um Orte der Macht zu entdecken und machen sich dann auf die Suche nach ihnen. Die Jedi, angeführt von Luke Skywalker, folgen ihnen und versuchen dies zu vereiteln. Dann haben die Jünger genug gesammelt und versuchen Ragnos wiederzubeleben. Wir besiegen die Jünger entweder als Jedi oder als Sith. Ende.
Und damit habe ich nicht grob die Handlung zusammengefasst sondern den tatsächlichen Verlauf fast komplett beschrieben. Der einzige Handlungsstrang der sich in diesem Spiel entwickelt, befasst sich mit dem Mitschüler und "Freund" Rosh, ein Charakter der dermaßen schlecht geschrieben und nervig ist, dass er schon wieder sympathisch wird. Denke ich an Jedi Academy, muss ich unweigerlich an Rosh denken. Rosh ist ab dem ersten Moment, in dem er bemerkt, dass der Spieler (Jadon) ein Laserschwert besitzt und er selber nicht, eifersüchtig. Diese ausgeprägten, sich ab der allerersten Sekunde offenbarenden Minderwertigkeitskomplexe, sorgen dafür, dass er sich ständig darüber beschwert von Kyle Katarn, seinem Lehrmeister, ausgebremst zu werden , darum schließt er sich nach wenigen Missionen den Sith an. Wir besiegen ihn, er entkommt, dann, gegen Ende des Spiels, sollen wir ihn retten, aber es ist eine Falle. Als wir ihn aufgespürt haben, erkennt er seine Schuld an, zeigt Reue und bittet Jadon ihn zu retten, aber Jadon, also der Spieler, ist dermaßen wütend auf seinen "Freund", mit dem er, zumindest in den gezeigten Szenen, ca. 3 Sätze ausgetauscht hat, dass er nun zur dunklen Seite wechseln kann, so es der Spieler will. Tut man das, wird man auf Knopfdruck zu einem megalomanischen, machtgierigen Mörder, tötet Rosh und stellt sich sowohl gegen Sith als auch Jedi um die absolute Macht des Szepters von Ragnos zu gewinnen. Schlechter kann man den Konflikt von Licht und Dunkelheit der Macht im Star Wars Universum kaum umsetzen.
Im Bezug auf die Haupthandlung ist der Handlungsstrang um Rosh aber nichts als eine Kleinigkeit.. Rosh war nicht nur mir vollkommen egal, sondern ist auch für die Ziele der Jünger vollkommen irrelevant. Er ist unsympathisch und für die Sith vollkommen nutzlos. Entscheidet sich der Spieler aus Hass gegen Rosh zur dunklen Seite der Macht zu wechseln, wirkt das eher lustig denn packend. Und Tavion, die wahre Feindin, sehen wir bis zum letzten Kampf, weniger als 30 Sekunden. Das ganze ist einfach schlecht erzählt, flach und anspruchslos. Sehr schade.
Ich fasse kurz zusammen: Man hat ein grandioses Fundament, der Rest ist eher nicht so gut bis schlecht. Aber nicht zu vergessen: Die Vielfalt und das ästhetische Design der Levels wird dem Setting absolut gerecht und gemeinsam sorgen sie, mit der klassischen Star Wars Musik, für eine passende Atmosphäre die zu gewissen Teilen über die schlechte Handlung hinwegtäuschen kann und dafür sorgt, dass dieses Spiel trotz allem Star Wars zum Leben erweckt. Abseits von Rosh erinnere ich mich in dieser Kampagne nämlich nicht an Tavion oder Ragnos oder Alora, sondern an das Level mit dem Zug und dem Gewitter, dem schönen Wasserfall-Level mit den Türmen, die Waffenfabrik im idylischen Grasland.
Das alles ist aber im Grunde nur die erste Hälfte des Spiels. Der Multiplayer ist, aufgrund der Schwächen im Einzelspielermodus, der wahre Kern. Alle Stärken werden hier nochmals stärker und das tolle: Der Multiplayer lebt! (Stand 2024)
Zwar gibt es keine Massen an Spielern mehr, aber sowohl für Vanilla als auch für die beliebtesten und tollen Mods, gibt es Anfängerfreundliche Communitys, die dieses spielmechanische Juwel am Leben halten. Und selbst wenn einst der letzte Server verschwunden ist, lohnt sich dieses Spiel mindestens für gemeinsame Runden mit Freunden.
Zusammenfassend ist dieses Spiel meinen Erinnerungen nicht gerecht geworden, entpuppt sich aber trotz allem immer noch als ein wahrer Klassiker, der vor allem für MP-Enthusiasten einen Blick wert ist. Im Singleplayer können die schöne, stimmige und vielfältige Gestaltung der Levels, so wie die geniale Spielmechanik über sprödes (spielerisches) Leveldesign sowie die unheimlich schlechte, zumeist abwesende Handlung hinwegtäuschen. Es hat sich bis heute nie besser angefühlt ein Laserschwert zu schwingen, also sollte alleine das ein Grund für interessierte sein, in dieses Spiel reinzuschauen.
Den Vergleich mit Jedi Outcast, kann ich bis jetzt noch nicht liefern, werde ich aber einstweilen sicher nachreichen.
81/100
Über die Kampagne kann ich das gleiche leider nicht sagen. Schon als Kind hatte ich gehört, dass jene in Jedi Outcast deutlich überlegen sei. Eine lose, schwache Geschichte, mageres Level-Design, schwache Charaktere: Das sind die Vorwürfe und sie alle treffen auf Jedi Academy zu. Wieviel besser Jedi Outcast ist, kann ich jedoch nicht sagen, ich habe es bis heute nicht gespielt.
Damals aber haben mich die genannten Schwächen wenig gekümmert, denn das Gerüst dieses Spiels ist einfach unfassbar gut. Die Freiheit im Kampf, ob mit dem Schwert oder in der Bewegung, ist genial, das ganze Spiel lädt zum experimentieren mit seinen Möglichkeiten ein und diese sind wirklich vielfältig, so dass der Spieler keine Probleme haben sollte, einen eigenen Kampfstil zu entwickeln und im Laufe des Spiels zu verfeinern. Wallruns, Sprung-Attacken, Rollen, Machtblitze usw. - Wer diese Elemente meistert kann sich filmreif durch die Kämpfe schnetzeln. Und das macht nicht nur unheimlich viel Spaß, sondern offenbart auch eine spielmechanische Komplexität. Rumfuchteln kann jeder, aber wer sich die Mühe macht, kann noch so viel mehr, was auf den höheren Schwierigkeitsgraden auch einen wichtigen Unterschied macht. Darum haben mich damals auch die lahme Geschichte und die kurzen Levels nicht gestört. Und auch heute muss ich sagen, dass die Mängel gar nicht so schwer wiegen. Man tourt durch eine Vielzahl von visuell sehr unterschiedlich und ansprechend gestalteten Levels. Diese sind in ihrer spielerischen Gestaltung bieder, bieten nur wenig Tiefe und reale Abwechslung, überzeugen aber mit dem Charme des Settings und manchmal doch mit ansprechenden Ideen. Diese Ideen sind aber oft nicht perfekt umgesetzt. Der Kampf gegen Boba Fett ist eine nette Sache, aber die finale Phase ist eine Wiederholung der vorherigen und darum viel zu leicht gewonnen. Solche Momente in denen der letzte kreative Funke fehlt um wirklich prägnante Momente, abseits der grundsätzlich genialen Spielmechanik, zu schaffen, ziehen sich durch das ganze Spiel. Konstant denke ich mir: Das hätte man so leicht so viel besser machen können.
Die mangelnden Höhepunkte sind das eine, und wie gesagt, die Spielmechanik ist der Trumpf, aber dennoch, den dieser Gedanke hat mich die ganze Zeit begleitet: Man stelle sich vor, wie viel mehr aus diesem Spiel herausgeholt hätte werden können, wenn die "Nebenmissionen" (die den Großteil des Spiels ausmachen) sinnvoll verknüpft und mit mehr Aufwand in die Haupthandlung eingebunden wären. Das ist nämlich so gut wie gar nicht der Fall. Teilweise enthalten manche Level kein bisschen Handlung außer den Text-Briefings vor und nach den Missionen. Wirkliche Anreize zur Erkundung bieten die Levels auch nicht. So stellt sich schnell eine Routine ein, die dazu verleitet ohne Rücksicht durch die oftmals sehr schönen levels zu preschen.
Die inflationären Jedi-Kämpfe gegen Ende des Spiel helfen auch nicht dabei der Ermüdung entgegenzuwirken. Es fehlt schlichtweg an einer spannenden, packenden Handlung, ein komplexeres Leveldesign und ein wenig mehr Weitläufigkeit sowie Erkundungsreize um dem Verflachen des Spielerlebnis entgegenzuwirken. Und als Laie scheint mir: Das wäre drin gewesen. Ein möglicher Grund dafür ist leicht gefunden: Jedi Academy kam gerade ein mal en Jahr nach dem Vorgänger raus. Es hat wohl sicherlich mindestens an der Zeit gefehlt um die Kampagne dieses Spiels auf ein anderes Niveau zu heben. Irgendwann muss ich mir dann doch nochmal Jedi Outcast anschauen, denn vielleicht ist das ja das Jedi Academy von dem ich träume.
Zurück zum Spiel und damit zur außergewöhnlich dämmlichen Handlung von Jedi Academy:
Spoiler: Am Anfang des Spiels überfallen die Jünger von Ragnos, Yavin 4, durchsuchen Luke's Archiv um Orte der Macht zu entdecken und machen sich dann auf die Suche nach ihnen. Die Jedi, angeführt von Luke Skywalker, folgen ihnen und versuchen dies zu vereiteln. Dann haben die Jünger genug gesammelt und versuchen Ragnos wiederzubeleben. Wir besiegen die Jünger entweder als Jedi oder als Sith. Ende.
Und damit habe ich nicht grob die Handlung zusammengefasst sondern den tatsächlichen Verlauf fast komplett beschrieben. Der einzige Handlungsstrang der sich in diesem Spiel entwickelt, befasst sich mit dem Mitschüler und "Freund" Rosh, ein Charakter der dermaßen schlecht geschrieben und nervig ist, dass er schon wieder sympathisch wird. Denke ich an Jedi Academy, muss ich unweigerlich an Rosh denken. Rosh ist ab dem ersten Moment, in dem er bemerkt, dass der Spieler (Jadon) ein Laserschwert besitzt und er selber nicht, eifersüchtig. Diese ausgeprägten, sich ab der allerersten Sekunde offenbarenden Minderwertigkeitskomplexe, sorgen dafür, dass er sich ständig darüber beschwert von Kyle Katarn, seinem Lehrmeister, ausgebremst zu werden , darum schließt er sich nach wenigen Missionen den Sith an. Wir besiegen ihn, er entkommt, dann, gegen Ende des Spiels, sollen wir ihn retten, aber es ist eine Falle. Als wir ihn aufgespürt haben, erkennt er seine Schuld an, zeigt Reue und bittet Jadon ihn zu retten, aber Jadon, also der Spieler, ist dermaßen wütend auf seinen "Freund", mit dem er, zumindest in den gezeigten Szenen, ca. 3 Sätze ausgetauscht hat, dass er nun zur dunklen Seite wechseln kann, so es der Spieler will. Tut man das, wird man auf Knopfdruck zu einem megalomanischen, machtgierigen Mörder, tötet Rosh und stellt sich sowohl gegen Sith als auch Jedi um die absolute Macht des Szepters von Ragnos zu gewinnen. Schlechter kann man den Konflikt von Licht und Dunkelheit der Macht im Star Wars Universum kaum umsetzen.
Im Bezug auf die Haupthandlung ist der Handlungsstrang um Rosh aber nichts als eine Kleinigkeit.. Rosh war nicht nur mir vollkommen egal, sondern ist auch für die Ziele der Jünger vollkommen irrelevant. Er ist unsympathisch und für die Sith vollkommen nutzlos. Entscheidet sich der Spieler aus Hass gegen Rosh zur dunklen Seite der Macht zu wechseln, wirkt das eher lustig denn packend. Und Tavion, die wahre Feindin, sehen wir bis zum letzten Kampf, weniger als 30 Sekunden. Das ganze ist einfach schlecht erzählt, flach und anspruchslos. Sehr schade.
Ich fasse kurz zusammen: Man hat ein grandioses Fundament, der Rest ist eher nicht so gut bis schlecht. Aber nicht zu vergessen: Die Vielfalt und das ästhetische Design der Levels wird dem Setting absolut gerecht und gemeinsam sorgen sie, mit der klassischen Star Wars Musik, für eine passende Atmosphäre die zu gewissen Teilen über die schlechte Handlung hinwegtäuschen kann und dafür sorgt, dass dieses Spiel trotz allem Star Wars zum Leben erweckt. Abseits von Rosh erinnere ich mich in dieser Kampagne nämlich nicht an Tavion oder Ragnos oder Alora, sondern an das Level mit dem Zug und dem Gewitter, dem schönen Wasserfall-Level mit den Türmen, die Waffenfabrik im idylischen Grasland.
Das alles ist aber im Grunde nur die erste Hälfte des Spiels. Der Multiplayer ist, aufgrund der Schwächen im Einzelspielermodus, der wahre Kern. Alle Stärken werden hier nochmals stärker und das tolle: Der Multiplayer lebt! (Stand 2024)
Zwar gibt es keine Massen an Spielern mehr, aber sowohl für Vanilla als auch für die beliebtesten und tollen Mods, gibt es Anfängerfreundliche Communitys, die dieses spielmechanische Juwel am Leben halten. Und selbst wenn einst der letzte Server verschwunden ist, lohnt sich dieses Spiel mindestens für gemeinsame Runden mit Freunden.
Zusammenfassend ist dieses Spiel meinen Erinnerungen nicht gerecht geworden, entpuppt sich aber trotz allem immer noch als ein wahrer Klassiker, der vor allem für MP-Enthusiasten einen Blick wert ist. Im Singleplayer können die schöne, stimmige und vielfältige Gestaltung der Levels, so wie die geniale Spielmechanik über sprödes (spielerisches) Leveldesign sowie die unheimlich schlechte, zumeist abwesende Handlung hinwegtäuschen. Es hat sich bis heute nie besser angefühlt ein Laserschwert zu schwingen, also sollte alleine das ein Grund für interessierte sein, in dieses Spiel reinzuschauen.
Den Vergleich mit Jedi Outcast, kann ich bis jetzt noch nicht liefern, werde ich aber einstweilen sicher nachreichen.
81/100
2019
This review contains spoilers
In truth (aka imo) this game is the next step in the evolution of cRPGs, but I wonder if there are even any studios capable of evolving or modifiying what this game brought to the table of the genre. I am happily surprised by the quality of writing that Owlcat's Rogue Trader has but in the end it can not really compete with what DE does, even though i wouldn't say that there is less text in that game than here.
Sadly ZA/UM itself has, as it seems, been crushed by politics of greed and power, what a bitter irony, so i am not expecting them to be able to build upon the foundation of their own (can this even be said anymore?) masterpiece.
Also, i don't consider the esteemed Larian Studios to be ones who are to do it. I appreciate that they took inspiration from DE's little dice-roll animation, but while the world of gaming kneels before Larians masterpiece and cant stop talking about the supposed "new, likely irrepiclable level of RPG and AAA gaming", my own experience of Baldurs Gate 3 (i have stopped after 30 hours) showed me a game with very mediocre writing, very little meaningful content and a narrative that borders on trolling. But that for another time.
When i speak of the supposed (by me) evolution of the genre that DE brings to the table, I am speaking of course of it's attribute and dialogue mechanics, that achieve to make a combat-less rpg one of the most engaging playing experiences i've ever had. While this game is not branching in its story-line and many of the alternative routes end in little but very charming side quests, no other game has given me as much power over actually forming, shaping and evolving my character. Having played two times through this, once with a more physical brute-ish character and once with a more mentally gifted build, i was beyond impressed as to how different the game feels, but as i said, not necessarily plays out, and that despite of (Spoiler) Harry DuBois being such a unique(ly damged) odd-ball that it should be impossible to make him feel any distinct from himself, just through differing dice rolls during dialogue. ZA/UM managed to pull it off. And that is also in great part due what i consider some of the best writing ive ever come across in the medium of video games. The schizophrenic mess of voices, that represent your attributes and guide you through all of the encounters that this game has to offer, arguing amongst themselves while doing so, only came alive because the writing team on the studio is just so strong that it managed to create an amazing level of coherence and consistency throughout all of the many dialogues and descriptions. Considering the absolutely maniacal range of moods, atmospheres and characters this game goes through, i consider that a historical achievement within the sphere of video games.
Of course the mechanic that your character build influences your dialogue options is not new, but to center the entire experience of the game on it, remove combat alltogether and turning those attributes themselves into characters that reveal become differing narrative coices, has given the writers of this game the space and freedom to go wild. They handled it to a level of perfection.
While there is a certain political focus and bias in this game, the narrative does not fall into the trap of dedicating itself to a cause or a pedagogic mission, it can not even force itself to decide whether it is for or against existence.
The center of this game is the hollowness and simultaneous beauty of life, every one in revachol is struggling to survive in their own manner and even the bad guys are given their due by the writers. There is a tension in the world regarding the political and social circumstances that could easily lend themselves to be twisted into a manifesto in the form of a game, but after all this Revachol itself is the suffering leftover of a world in which ideology has failed. Yet Ideology can not die and continues to shape the lives of citizens how barely scrape by. To now go into spoiler territorry, the "supposed antagonist" summarizes my impressions wonderfully. This man who only appears at the very end of the game commits a murder, but what are his motives? There is the political dimension: Here is one of the last fighting communist revolutionaries, who has removed himself from the grasp of the system, who has stayed loyal to his duty and cause, who has turned, with pride, against the comforts of a civilized life within a capitalistic society; but there is also the human creature, that as we get to know it, reveals a certain hollowness, a certain convenience to this defiant stance. The person that Kim and Harry confront is not a proud soldier, an upright revolutionary who has carried himself through the hardships of seclusion through his utmost ideological commitment, no, they meet a deserter, who in truth has lost all faith in the revolution, a bitter, rotten and wounded creature that has, been strongly motivated by jealousy regarding the women he desired and voyeurishly peeped on from his hideout, jealousy of her lover whom he shoots while they are having sex, punishing her from giving herself to such a man. While there is the rational justification that said man was a mercenary and a likely mass-murderer, the so-called deserter himself does not seem convinced of his arguments and is easily moved by the player to confess his feelings for Klaasje. He can not hide to himself his demise and disintegration. The deserter is isolated, alone, unloved and unapproved.
But then there is also a third motive, that underscores one of an easily overlooked emphasis of the writing in this game: A mysterious mind-controlling cryptoid has been influencing the murderer for years. How accountable was he even for his act? How much control do we have over our lives, and what do we even know about living?
The Pale, a mysterious force that warps and even consumes reality is an everpresent factor in everything that happens in this game. Before it, the characters of this world shrink down to nothing. Those who traverse it, who touch it, are haunted by revelatory and deranged visions, it is a destructive truth that consumes everything and everyone it touches. And yet it attracts people, lures them to it. I think i need another playthrough to develop a proper understanding of it, but it is a fascinating facet of the world and its decisive differentiation to ours: It makes explicit that there is no assurance in existence, that there is not even a solid foundation to what we consider reality and that truth and madness have a close relationship to one another. The cryptoids hidden existance is part of this thematic cluster that proposes a giant question mark regarding all the things that can not be quantified, that are not related to unions, corporations, goverments and the homo sociologicus. This fascination with what lies beyond, this emphasis on the esoteric really lends additional validity to this games writing and is executed amazingly.
In addition to the incredible strength of this games writing and the unique character progression system that guides you through different branches of said writing, I also really appreciate the length of this game. Most games are extremely padded out, as to convince uncritical customers that they have gotten a proper return for their investment. Many of these games are beyond dried out by the time the ending roles around and many games i would consider master pieces suffer from having a length that is not appropriate with what the game has to offer. Disco Elysium is not one of those games, instead it is a tight, relatively short rpg package that feels just right. There is no padding whatsoever and if one cared for it, one could probably finish this game in about ten hours without attempting to actually speed run it.
What remains a little frustrating are its technical issues but while there were minor yet actually only half-functional elements (selecting equipment and tracking uncompleted skill checks) even on my second playthrough, 3 years after release, this can not really diminish the quality of this experience.
Great writing is hard to hope for in our times, especially since many gamers seem more than happy to praise writing-heavy rpg games where the writing seems to be done by an AI that has been fed a lot of Marvel movies and mediocre netflix shows. But i sincerely hope that this execution of a combat-free RPG will inspire many of game designers to do similiar, many talented writers to consider this medium as a whortwhile outlet for their talents.
As anyone who has read through this will have noticed, I can barely contain my enthusiasm for this game. My subsequent rating won't come much as a surprise, as this game has, by the time i played through it a second time, become my favourite game yet.
95/100
Sadly ZA/UM itself has, as it seems, been crushed by politics of greed and power, what a bitter irony, so i am not expecting them to be able to build upon the foundation of their own (can this even be said anymore?) masterpiece.
Also, i don't consider the esteemed Larian Studios to be ones who are to do it. I appreciate that they took inspiration from DE's little dice-roll animation, but while the world of gaming kneels before Larians masterpiece and cant stop talking about the supposed "new, likely irrepiclable level of RPG and AAA gaming", my own experience of Baldurs Gate 3 (i have stopped after 30 hours) showed me a game with very mediocre writing, very little meaningful content and a narrative that borders on trolling. But that for another time.
When i speak of the supposed (by me) evolution of the genre that DE brings to the table, I am speaking of course of it's attribute and dialogue mechanics, that achieve to make a combat-less rpg one of the most engaging playing experiences i've ever had. While this game is not branching in its story-line and many of the alternative routes end in little but very charming side quests, no other game has given me as much power over actually forming, shaping and evolving my character. Having played two times through this, once with a more physical brute-ish character and once with a more mentally gifted build, i was beyond impressed as to how different the game feels, but as i said, not necessarily plays out, and that despite of (Spoiler) Harry DuBois being such a unique(ly damged) odd-ball that it should be impossible to make him feel any distinct from himself, just through differing dice rolls during dialogue. ZA/UM managed to pull it off. And that is also in great part due what i consider some of the best writing ive ever come across in the medium of video games. The schizophrenic mess of voices, that represent your attributes and guide you through all of the encounters that this game has to offer, arguing amongst themselves while doing so, only came alive because the writing team on the studio is just so strong that it managed to create an amazing level of coherence and consistency throughout all of the many dialogues and descriptions. Considering the absolutely maniacal range of moods, atmospheres and characters this game goes through, i consider that a historical achievement within the sphere of video games.
Of course the mechanic that your character build influences your dialogue options is not new, but to center the entire experience of the game on it, remove combat alltogether and turning those attributes themselves into characters that reveal become differing narrative coices, has given the writers of this game the space and freedom to go wild. They handled it to a level of perfection.
While there is a certain political focus and bias in this game, the narrative does not fall into the trap of dedicating itself to a cause or a pedagogic mission, it can not even force itself to decide whether it is for or against existence.
The center of this game is the hollowness and simultaneous beauty of life, every one in revachol is struggling to survive in their own manner and even the bad guys are given their due by the writers. There is a tension in the world regarding the political and social circumstances that could easily lend themselves to be twisted into a manifesto in the form of a game, but after all this Revachol itself is the suffering leftover of a world in which ideology has failed. Yet Ideology can not die and continues to shape the lives of citizens how barely scrape by. To now go into spoiler territorry, the "supposed antagonist" summarizes my impressions wonderfully. This man who only appears at the very end of the game commits a murder, but what are his motives? There is the political dimension: Here is one of the last fighting communist revolutionaries, who has removed himself from the grasp of the system, who has stayed loyal to his duty and cause, who has turned, with pride, against the comforts of a civilized life within a capitalistic society; but there is also the human creature, that as we get to know it, reveals a certain hollowness, a certain convenience to this defiant stance. The person that Kim and Harry confront is not a proud soldier, an upright revolutionary who has carried himself through the hardships of seclusion through his utmost ideological commitment, no, they meet a deserter, who in truth has lost all faith in the revolution, a bitter, rotten and wounded creature that has, been strongly motivated by jealousy regarding the women he desired and voyeurishly peeped on from his hideout, jealousy of her lover whom he shoots while they are having sex, punishing her from giving herself to such a man. While there is the rational justification that said man was a mercenary and a likely mass-murderer, the so-called deserter himself does not seem convinced of his arguments and is easily moved by the player to confess his feelings for Klaasje. He can not hide to himself his demise and disintegration. The deserter is isolated, alone, unloved and unapproved.
But then there is also a third motive, that underscores one of an easily overlooked emphasis of the writing in this game: A mysterious mind-controlling cryptoid has been influencing the murderer for years. How accountable was he even for his act? How much control do we have over our lives, and what do we even know about living?
The Pale, a mysterious force that warps and even consumes reality is an everpresent factor in everything that happens in this game. Before it, the characters of this world shrink down to nothing. Those who traverse it, who touch it, are haunted by revelatory and deranged visions, it is a destructive truth that consumes everything and everyone it touches. And yet it attracts people, lures them to it. I think i need another playthrough to develop a proper understanding of it, but it is a fascinating facet of the world and its decisive differentiation to ours: It makes explicit that there is no assurance in existence, that there is not even a solid foundation to what we consider reality and that truth and madness have a close relationship to one another. The cryptoids hidden existance is part of this thematic cluster that proposes a giant question mark regarding all the things that can not be quantified, that are not related to unions, corporations, goverments and the homo sociologicus. This fascination with what lies beyond, this emphasis on the esoteric really lends additional validity to this games writing and is executed amazingly.
In addition to the incredible strength of this games writing and the unique character progression system that guides you through different branches of said writing, I also really appreciate the length of this game. Most games are extremely padded out, as to convince uncritical customers that they have gotten a proper return for their investment. Many of these games are beyond dried out by the time the ending roles around and many games i would consider master pieces suffer from having a length that is not appropriate with what the game has to offer. Disco Elysium is not one of those games, instead it is a tight, relatively short rpg package that feels just right. There is no padding whatsoever and if one cared for it, one could probably finish this game in about ten hours without attempting to actually speed run it.
What remains a little frustrating are its technical issues but while there were minor yet actually only half-functional elements (selecting equipment and tracking uncompleted skill checks) even on my second playthrough, 3 years after release, this can not really diminish the quality of this experience.
Great writing is hard to hope for in our times, especially since many gamers seem more than happy to praise writing-heavy rpg games where the writing seems to be done by an AI that has been fed a lot of Marvel movies and mediocre netflix shows. But i sincerely hope that this execution of a combat-free RPG will inspire many of game designers to do similiar, many talented writers to consider this medium as a whortwhile outlet for their talents.
As anyone who has read through this will have noticed, I can barely contain my enthusiasm for this game. My subsequent rating won't come much as a surprise, as this game has, by the time i played through it a second time, become my favourite game yet.
95/100
2021
Refined a mixture of existing game elements into arguably a new genre that has seen a lot of progression since its initial release. That being said, Vampire Survivors lags behind and seems quite of hollow compared to its new competitors. But even without comparing it to other games and just judging it on its own, there is very little meat in this game that does not consist of working through the unlock list. The synergies are too one-dimensional to allow for complex theory crafting, the different characters too similiar, the stages too undercomplex to make me want to stay in them beyond the first clearing.
The artstyle is effective but not impressive, although the music is great. So there's a lot that's not really too convincing here.
But what it does in a great manner and what i perceive to be the main draw of this game and its siblings is creating a spectacular drama contained within (30/15 Minutes). From fighting with ease, to scraping by, close to death, perhaps even using up revivals as the build just doesnt click, moving with great precision and attention to save those last little bits of hp, as you slowly collect levels, slowly grow in strength again until suddenly your build starts snowballing. This and its many different variations that one experiences as one moves through the game, combined with the constant although not quite challenging cognitive task of planning out your build during a run can make this game very exciting and especially when one is now, and one doesnt just scale within a run but also outside of it, before one reaches that point where one is merely working oneself through the unlockables, the game is quite strong.
That's also why it has proven to be such a solid foundation for its off-spring to continue to be succesful. A aimed attack, dash, items, ability traits and multiple evolutions among other things, show how to upgrade the formula effectively to increase the mechanical and cognitive challenge and satisfaction. So while it is commendable that the game keeps being updated with patches and DLC, it can't really evolve to a better version of itself without reforming its mechanics.
65/100
The artstyle is effective but not impressive, although the music is great. So there's a lot that's not really too convincing here.
But what it does in a great manner and what i perceive to be the main draw of this game and its siblings is creating a spectacular drama contained within (30/15 Minutes). From fighting with ease, to scraping by, close to death, perhaps even using up revivals as the build just doesnt click, moving with great precision and attention to save those last little bits of hp, as you slowly collect levels, slowly grow in strength again until suddenly your build starts snowballing. This and its many different variations that one experiences as one moves through the game, combined with the constant although not quite challenging cognitive task of planning out your build during a run can make this game very exciting and especially when one is now, and one doesnt just scale within a run but also outside of it, before one reaches that point where one is merely working oneself through the unlockables, the game is quite strong.
That's also why it has proven to be such a solid foundation for its off-spring to continue to be succesful. A aimed attack, dash, items, ability traits and multiple evolutions among other things, show how to upgrade the formula effectively to increase the mechanical and cognitive challenge and satisfaction. So while it is commendable that the game keeps being updated with patches and DLC, it can't really evolve to a better version of itself without reforming its mechanics.
65/100
2023
For me a definite improvement over Vampire Survivors, that hints at the dormant potential in this new genre ( I do believe it deserves this term).
We have a wonderful artstyle that hits the diablo aesthetic perfectly, an inventory system with unique and interesting equipment pieces, we have branching upgrade lines for the abilities that are integrated as unlockables into the quest system in motivating ways. I found myself much more engaged in trying out the different characters and different builds than in vampire survivors.
That being said, the game doesnt have much to offer beyond that, and for me, this is the kind of stuff that i enjoy for 20 or so hours before it starts to feel meaningless and like a grind. Theres not much to take away from the experience aside from tinkering with builds and spontaneous high-speed theorycrafting while selecting your upgrades during a run, the high of making a build -click- wears thin eventually and i think that in the future quality over quantity in the encounters is the way for this genre to grow.
72/100
We have a wonderful artstyle that hits the diablo aesthetic perfectly, an inventory system with unique and interesting equipment pieces, we have branching upgrade lines for the abilities that are integrated as unlockables into the quest system in motivating ways. I found myself much more engaged in trying out the different characters and different builds than in vampire survivors.
That being said, the game doesnt have much to offer beyond that, and for me, this is the kind of stuff that i enjoy for 20 or so hours before it starts to feel meaningless and like a grind. Theres not much to take away from the experience aside from tinkering with builds and spontaneous high-speed theorycrafting while selecting your upgrades during a run, the high of making a build -click- wears thin eventually and i think that in the future quality over quantity in the encounters is the way for this genre to grow.
72/100
2023
Nach 20 Stunden Spielzeit kann ich sagen, dieses Spiel ist richtig gut und wird immer besser. Eine inhaltlich sinnvolle Weiterentwicklung der älteren Battlefield-Teile, die zwar graphisch nicht viel her macht, aber dafür umso mehr mit gut durchdachtem Gameplay punktet. Riesige, intensive, unübersichtliche Schlachten mit viel Zerstörung, mit viel Dynamik sorgen für hervorragende Atmosphäre und Runden. Der einzige Makel ist für mich die Geschwindigkeit. Es geht zu schnell, es gibt zuviele Respawnmöglichkeiten und dadurch wird es sehr hektisch und unübersichtlich. Der neue Invasionsmodus hat da ein wenig Linderung geschaffen, aber im großen und ganzen wird dieses Spiel immer einen Ticken zu schnell für mich sein. Ich vermisse die Tage aus BF2 als die Maps größer, dezentraler (außer Karkand) und langsamer waren und man nur beim SL oder an der Flagge respawnen konnte. Das wäre gerade bei dieser großen Menge an Spielern wirklich eine sinnvoller "Rückschritt" zu alten Tugenden. Aber so schlimm wie bei den neuen Battlefield Titeln ist es lange nicht. Unterm Strich macht dieser Shooter einfach unheimlich Spaß.
2019
Deckbau-Roguelite mit komplexem gameplay und sehr starker Sogwirkung, dass aber in der B-Note nicht so gut abschneidet. Für Leute die es lieben sich in die tiefsten Feinheiten eines Systems einzudenken, sicherlich ein Fest. Für mich war aber die Gegnervariation und Dungeonvielfalt zu gering, als dass ich mich beim 10 Mal über ein Deck freuen konnte, dass zwar auf eine andere Art und Weise, aber innerhalb der gleichen Herausforderung das Spiel bricht. Die Lust immer noch einen weiteren Lauf zu starten und mich durch die Progressionssysteme zu arbeiten ist zwar groß, aber ab einem gewissen Zeitpunkt fühlt es sich für mich so an als würde ich Zeit töten.
Mit besserem Art design und mehr Variation abseits der Karten- und Reliktvielfalt (die aber zugebenermaßen riesig ist) würde mich dieses Spiel mehr packen. So habe ich zwar in einer Woche 30 Stunden reingehauen, bin aber auch mehr als gesättigt und froh weiterzuziehen.
Mit besserem Art design und mehr Variation abseits der Karten- und Reliktvielfalt (die aber zugebenermaßen riesig ist) würde mich dieses Spiel mehr packen. So habe ich zwar in einer Woche 30 Stunden reingehauen, bin aber auch mehr als gesättigt und froh weiterzuziehen.
2018
I really struggle to admit how much i liked this game in the end. This was my first Forza and everything that I held in prejudice against this series, especially regarding the Horizon-series, came true in the very first minutes of the game. Instead of celebrating the history of motorsports and cars, the game starts out with this completely vapid appraisal of life as an infinite festival of fun, which I, the player, will now partake in. I felt immediately repelled by the tone that was set in the opening sequence. It felt like i was listening to one of those youtube advertisements clips inbetween videos. Games can be a purely hedonistic pleasure but to be so open and blunt about it, felt quite tasteless to me, especially if one considers with how much passion and love Gran Turismo approaches the matter. This made me expect a game that would be just as superficial as its initial self-appraisal.
To some degrees this is true. This theme of Infinite Fun as one would expect ties into endless monetization schemes, which go further here than i have ever witnessed in another full price title before. I was actually forced to watch two advertisements for its DLC inbetween races, with no option to skip (!). Thats pretty low.
Aside from that most of the progression in this game is tied to Lootboxes, which you can of course buy with real money. Now its not as bad as I expected it would be, because the game still is quite liberal in rewarding the player with cash and cars, but if not for some money gifted by the game via the mail system, my progress would definitely have been slower. So there is some incentive here to spend money as to open more lootboxes.
Additionally the radio channel talking segments and occasional phone calls, while not as horrible as i have seen in other racing games, nonetheless contribute to this tone of youthful, exaggerated superficiality and idiocy, which got on my nerves quite a bit.
The game takes place in Great Britain and the map looks and drives amazing, there's a lot of beautiful design and craftsmanship here, and without a doubt is by far the best racing open world i have ever raced in (this being my first Horizon game). But why not use that beautifully crafted work to make that place come alive by telling something about it's history? There's a lovely miniature Edinburgh here that is barely utilized as anything else but a backdrop for (the worst) races. There is an attempt made by having a series of British Car History missions but even there the tone sort of ruins it, because it turns into this exaggerated advertisement of the brand that you're driving during the mission. Everything is amazing, exciting, awesome etc. People just wont shut up about it, instead of talking sensible.
Then there are also these scripted show races where i am again supposed to be at awe or excited, this time by racing against a jet or a train or whatever around the map. I can imagine that a six year old really feels excited by stuff like that, I myself felt a little bit silly and a little frustrated when a driving mistake at the very end would force me to restart it, because the missions are scripted as such that you cant really lose or win before the very last 30 seconds of the scripted sequence. On my retry on such a failed mission, i was 5 seconds slower than my previous attempt, but i won because i drove the last segment cleanly. Thats annoying.
In summary, i just really didnt like the tone. It made me desire to play some Gran Turismo and express my affection for cars and motorsports in game that feels equally about it. Of course its likely that most people don't care at all about this or even feel engaged by this casual, light-hearted presentation.
But for me, as im really attentive to tone and atmosphere and really enjoy some quality presentation outside of graphics in a video game, especially when the potential is absolutely there, this proved to be a significant hindrance into letting myself enjoy the game for what it really is: One of the best racing games i've ever played!
I drove with no driving assists, second highest difficulty and the cockpit perspective. And i can say i've never played a racing game that so perfectly bridged the gap between arcade and simulation to create intense and challenging races. Whereas the newer Gran Turismos can feel a little tiring to play without a wheel and without assists, as it just steers that little bit more into the simulation side of things, this game allowed me to transform into a racing god without shying away from punishing me for my mistakes. I had some truly breathtaking races and when things come together, this game truly shines: The music, the scenery, the duels on the track or in the dirt, a whole lot of times everything here clicks and i enter that beloved racing game zone. And even better: The difficulty was just right for me. There were many races in which my slightly tuned up Ford Bronco took the lead in the very last corner, and often times i only came second or third without feeling frustrated about it. If something went wrong, it was on me, but without that feeling of being slightly overchallenged as it can sometimes feel with Gran Turismo.
Its quite exceptional how well this game works with all of its different surfaces too. It feels right, the feedback from the surface is just perfect, and even participating in off-road ice races was not frustrating whatsoever.
Add to this the immense diversity of cars and there was a lot of space for me to experiment in. I had around 7 cars which i drove extensively and developed a sense of connection to, all of them feeling individual and unique, although here the game does not reach the level of quality that Gran Turismo often reaches. The tuning also is quite alright, the design features are well developed. So as far as actually driving this thing with different cars go, i was more than satisfied.
Both the music (Hospital and Timeless radio channels were excellent) and of course the graphics do their part as well to make this a stellar racing game that towers over many of its rivals. And i really can't stress enough just how good this game looks. What an absolute beauty.
If there is one more complaint i have, it would be the progression system. On one side it works quite well and gives a lot of autonomy to the player to approach the game as they want, on the other side i think the fact that after 5 hours of driving all i do is just progress through certain lists, that either give me individual cars or, more frequently, loot boxes left me a bit dissatisfied and unmotivated. The initial progression throughout the seasons happens way too fast in my opinion and there's not really a thread that leads towards a climax, a grand finale, something to orient myself towards for the first 10-15 hours. No, instead the game follows the exact same routine from beginning to end: Gather Influence, unlock new races, except that after a couple of hours you are tied to the server-wide season. I think there's a lot of potential here to elevate the experience for the player, because the seasons feature is really well done, why throw it away so quickly? Why not put more emphasis on the beginning of a new season and slowly and carefully introduce the players to different types of racing?
But then again, if the racing is great, and the driving is great, and the open world and the music is great AND i can play around with a huge amount of different, wrell realized cars to my liking, with an adaptive difficulty that works perfectly: What does the rest really matter?
80/100
To some degrees this is true. This theme of Infinite Fun as one would expect ties into endless monetization schemes, which go further here than i have ever witnessed in another full price title before. I was actually forced to watch two advertisements for its DLC inbetween races, with no option to skip (!). Thats pretty low.
Aside from that most of the progression in this game is tied to Lootboxes, which you can of course buy with real money. Now its not as bad as I expected it would be, because the game still is quite liberal in rewarding the player with cash and cars, but if not for some money gifted by the game via the mail system, my progress would definitely have been slower. So there is some incentive here to spend money as to open more lootboxes.
Additionally the radio channel talking segments and occasional phone calls, while not as horrible as i have seen in other racing games, nonetheless contribute to this tone of youthful, exaggerated superficiality and idiocy, which got on my nerves quite a bit.
The game takes place in Great Britain and the map looks and drives amazing, there's a lot of beautiful design and craftsmanship here, and without a doubt is by far the best racing open world i have ever raced in (this being my first Horizon game). But why not use that beautifully crafted work to make that place come alive by telling something about it's history? There's a lovely miniature Edinburgh here that is barely utilized as anything else but a backdrop for (the worst) races. There is an attempt made by having a series of British Car History missions but even there the tone sort of ruins it, because it turns into this exaggerated advertisement of the brand that you're driving during the mission. Everything is amazing, exciting, awesome etc. People just wont shut up about it, instead of talking sensible.
Then there are also these scripted show races where i am again supposed to be at awe or excited, this time by racing against a jet or a train or whatever around the map. I can imagine that a six year old really feels excited by stuff like that, I myself felt a little bit silly and a little frustrated when a driving mistake at the very end would force me to restart it, because the missions are scripted as such that you cant really lose or win before the very last 30 seconds of the scripted sequence. On my retry on such a failed mission, i was 5 seconds slower than my previous attempt, but i won because i drove the last segment cleanly. Thats annoying.
In summary, i just really didnt like the tone. It made me desire to play some Gran Turismo and express my affection for cars and motorsports in game that feels equally about it. Of course its likely that most people don't care at all about this or even feel engaged by this casual, light-hearted presentation.
But for me, as im really attentive to tone and atmosphere and really enjoy some quality presentation outside of graphics in a video game, especially when the potential is absolutely there, this proved to be a significant hindrance into letting myself enjoy the game for what it really is: One of the best racing games i've ever played!
I drove with no driving assists, second highest difficulty and the cockpit perspective. And i can say i've never played a racing game that so perfectly bridged the gap between arcade and simulation to create intense and challenging races. Whereas the newer Gran Turismos can feel a little tiring to play without a wheel and without assists, as it just steers that little bit more into the simulation side of things, this game allowed me to transform into a racing god without shying away from punishing me for my mistakes. I had some truly breathtaking races and when things come together, this game truly shines: The music, the scenery, the duels on the track or in the dirt, a whole lot of times everything here clicks and i enter that beloved racing game zone. And even better: The difficulty was just right for me. There were many races in which my slightly tuned up Ford Bronco took the lead in the very last corner, and often times i only came second or third without feeling frustrated about it. If something went wrong, it was on me, but without that feeling of being slightly overchallenged as it can sometimes feel with Gran Turismo.
Its quite exceptional how well this game works with all of its different surfaces too. It feels right, the feedback from the surface is just perfect, and even participating in off-road ice races was not frustrating whatsoever.
Add to this the immense diversity of cars and there was a lot of space for me to experiment in. I had around 7 cars which i drove extensively and developed a sense of connection to, all of them feeling individual and unique, although here the game does not reach the level of quality that Gran Turismo often reaches. The tuning also is quite alright, the design features are well developed. So as far as actually driving this thing with different cars go, i was more than satisfied.
Both the music (Hospital and Timeless radio channels were excellent) and of course the graphics do their part as well to make this a stellar racing game that towers over many of its rivals. And i really can't stress enough just how good this game looks. What an absolute beauty.
If there is one more complaint i have, it would be the progression system. On one side it works quite well and gives a lot of autonomy to the player to approach the game as they want, on the other side i think the fact that after 5 hours of driving all i do is just progress through certain lists, that either give me individual cars or, more frequently, loot boxes left me a bit dissatisfied and unmotivated. The initial progression throughout the seasons happens way too fast in my opinion and there's not really a thread that leads towards a climax, a grand finale, something to orient myself towards for the first 10-15 hours. No, instead the game follows the exact same routine from beginning to end: Gather Influence, unlock new races, except that after a couple of hours you are tied to the server-wide season. I think there's a lot of potential here to elevate the experience for the player, because the seasons feature is really well done, why throw it away so quickly? Why not put more emphasis on the beginning of a new season and slowly and carefully introduce the players to different types of racing?
But then again, if the racing is great, and the driving is great, and the open world and the music is great AND i can play around with a huge amount of different, wrell realized cars to my liking, with an adaptive difficulty that works perfectly: What does the rest really matter?
80/100
2023
Sehr interessantes Fantasy-4X Spiel, dass Potential großartig sein könnte, nur überzeugen seine Einzelteile weder für sich noch in der Summe. Am schwersten wiegte bei mir ein Kampfsystem, dass theoretisch sehr komplex sein könnte, aber in der Wirklichkeit sehr repetetiv und unspektakulär daherkommt. Die scheinbar unendlichen Möglichkeiten in der Entwicklung seines Reiches sorgen nie dafür, dass man seine Taktik komplett umwerfen und anpassen muss, dass man auf ganz unterschiedliche und vielfältige Armeen und Kämpfe stößt. Es handelt sich, und das zieht sich durch alle Bereiche des Spiels, um sehr minimale, sehr glatte, wenn man so sagen möchte, Unterschiede. Nach 5 versch. Partien hatte ich zum größten Teil das Gefühl mit ein und der selben Fraktion gespielt zu haben. Technologien, Helden, Städte, Karten, Gegner, Quests, etc. Alles gleicht sich zu sehr. Das finde ich sehr schade und hat bei mir für eine fortwährende Ernüchterung und dann Langeweile gesorgt.
Sehr viel Spaß hatte ich am Rassen-Editor und seiner Einbindung in das Spiel. Das hat mich ein wenig an Spore erinnert, und visuell so wie im Gedanken kann man sehr unterschiedliche und einzigartige Völker erstellen. Nur, im Spiel selbst fühlt man davon wenig.
Ich werde mir dieses Spiel sicher noch einmal in 1-2 Jahren anschauen. Schafft man es die Balance zu verfeinern, durch DLC und Patches vielfältigere und interessantere Spielweisen zu ermöglichen, könnte dieses Spiel sehr gut sein. So empfand ich es in der Vanilla-Version als ein steriles Spiel, das mehr vorgibt zu sein als es ist.
62/100
Sehr viel Spaß hatte ich am Rassen-Editor und seiner Einbindung in das Spiel. Das hat mich ein wenig an Spore erinnert, und visuell so wie im Gedanken kann man sehr unterschiedliche und einzigartige Völker erstellen. Nur, im Spiel selbst fühlt man davon wenig.
Ich werde mir dieses Spiel sicher noch einmal in 1-2 Jahren anschauen. Schafft man es die Balance zu verfeinern, durch DLC und Patches vielfältigere und interessantere Spielweisen zu ermöglichen, könnte dieses Spiel sehr gut sein. So empfand ich es in der Vanilla-Version als ein steriles Spiel, das mehr vorgibt zu sein als es ist.
62/100
2023
Anspruchsvoller und komplexer Autobattler, der eine hohe Einstiegshürde hat aber dem Spieler sehr viele kreative Freiheiten gibt um seinen Gegner zu bezwingen. Eigentlich ein wirklich tolles Spiel, für alle, die etwas mit diesem Genre anfangen können, aber das Spiel ist einerseits ziemlich häßlich, was auch heißt, dass es keine wirkliche Schlachtenatmosphäre entstehen lässt. Was geschieht wirkt eher steril, was jedoch nicht heißen soll, dass die Gefechte nicht spannend sind, nur, dass die ästhetischen Qualitäten des Spiels nicht viel zu dieser Spannung beitragen. Und dann ist das Meta so weit ich das nachvollziehen kann, etwas das sich von der Fantasie eher unattraktiv spielt. Damit meine ich, dass es sehr schnell nicht mehr um die wirkliche Realisierung einer Fantasie geht, dass man beispielsweise ein Experte in der Kriegsführung mit Lufteinheiten wird z.B., sondern man bewegt sich durch relativ restriktive Entscheidungsbäume, in denen man sich zwar auf viele Weisen entscheiden kann bestimmte Probleme zu bekämpfe oder für den Gegner zu erzeugen, aber am Ende zumeist mit einem wilden Kuddelmuddel an Einheiten und Positionierungen rauskommt.
Das ist vielleicht nicht besonders gut erklärt oder leicht nachzuvollziehen; um es kurz zu fassen: Man baut keine besondere Bindung zu seiner Armee auf, sie ist wenig individuell oder personalisiert.
Das sorgt dafür, dass sich dieses Spiel oft wie anspruchsvolle und anstrengende Arbeit anfühlt. Was im Siegesfall sehr befriedigend sein kann, aber mein Interesse nach ca. 50 Stunden hat abflauen lassen.
73/100
Das ist vielleicht nicht besonders gut erklärt oder leicht nachzuvollziehen; um es kurz zu fassen: Man baut keine besondere Bindung zu seiner Armee auf, sie ist wenig individuell oder personalisiert.
Das sorgt dafür, dass sich dieses Spiel oft wie anspruchsvolle und anstrengende Arbeit anfühlt. Was im Siegesfall sehr befriedigend sein kann, aber mein Interesse nach ca. 50 Stunden hat abflauen lassen.
73/100
The same fundamental issues that have plagued the game ever since i started playing are still present here. There is very little if at all any improvement outside of the match engine and a surprising amount of bugs.
The Match Engine is fun though and has gotten much better in this and the last years version. Nonetheless it is quite frustrating to face the same issues every year, that make the game far too easy and predictable for the human player over the long term.
This will likely be by far my least played Football Manager ever since i got addicted 13 years ago, as i had a nice, satisfying bunch of saves in 2023 and am now looking forward to seeing their first game made in Unity.
I also wouldnt recommend this game for a newbie. The game is so cluttered, the menus so unintuitive and there is so much unneccessary stuff thats thrown at you, that a new player, if he cares about understanding the game will likely need 5 hours of setting his team up before even reaching match day 1.
Me personally, i, by now, holiday 60% of the season, from match day to match day, to emulate the feeling of having a reasonably paced football manager sim that doesnt bother with incessant spam in my mail ordner, for things that could be much more eleganty handled without reducing the complexity of the simulation.
Because of these complaints, and because i expected the last iteration of this generations engine to be a polished masterpiece version, i only give 3.5 stars.
Normally each of these games deserves at least 4 stars, as the scope, realism and dynamic quality of the huge database and the beautiful match engine, that even if it fails in many ways to copy real football, gets so much closer than anything else that has ever tried, make a deep engagement with the game worth hundreds of hours that will create memories that will burn themselves into your mind. And a lot of the hate the community gives to the developers is unwarranted and based on ignorance (It's always the games fault!)
But yeah, i had hoped for a better good-bye.
The Match Engine is fun though and has gotten much better in this and the last years version. Nonetheless it is quite frustrating to face the same issues every year, that make the game far too easy and predictable for the human player over the long term.
This will likely be by far my least played Football Manager ever since i got addicted 13 years ago, as i had a nice, satisfying bunch of saves in 2023 and am now looking forward to seeing their first game made in Unity.
I also wouldnt recommend this game for a newbie. The game is so cluttered, the menus so unintuitive and there is so much unneccessary stuff thats thrown at you, that a new player, if he cares about understanding the game will likely need 5 hours of setting his team up before even reaching match day 1.
Me personally, i, by now, holiday 60% of the season, from match day to match day, to emulate the feeling of having a reasonably paced football manager sim that doesnt bother with incessant spam in my mail ordner, for things that could be much more eleganty handled without reducing the complexity of the simulation.
Because of these complaints, and because i expected the last iteration of this generations engine to be a polished masterpiece version, i only give 3.5 stars.
Normally each of these games deserves at least 4 stars, as the scope, realism and dynamic quality of the huge database and the beautiful match engine, that even if it fails in many ways to copy real football, gets so much closer than anything else that has ever tried, make a deep engagement with the game worth hundreds of hours that will create memories that will burn themselves into your mind. And a lot of the hate the community gives to the developers is unwarranted and based on ignorance (It's always the games fault!)
But yeah, i had hoped for a better good-bye.
2010
Game is a mess, a original, unique mess but still a mess. The troubled development shows, inconsistent acts, combat and mission design that exhausts itself after the first 6 hours and a story that is charming but in truth also not very well written. But it does have its high points and before all of the mysteries resolve (into a disappointing conclusion) it is pretty exciting to follow along all the shifts and twists that spring up.
The combat is original but not very fleshed out, genuine fear of every encounter was replaced with routine and indifference to death, because the game couldnt conjure any new tricks anymore.
Visually the game holds up, while the animations are outdated, it still has a certain charme to it, and the design of the levels and Bright Falls in general is often gorgeous and anything but typical for a video game setting.
I enjoyed my playthrough and while there were many thoughts of missed potential, confusion over some strange mission design choices and a bit of disappointment at the lackluster ending, the game was made with passion to create something that stands in many ways unique, particularly amongst western games.
The combat is original but not very fleshed out, genuine fear of every encounter was replaced with routine and indifference to death, because the game couldnt conjure any new tricks anymore.
Visually the game holds up, while the animations are outdated, it still has a certain charme to it, and the design of the levels and Bright Falls in general is often gorgeous and anything but typical for a video game setting.
I enjoyed my playthrough and while there were many thoughts of missed potential, confusion over some strange mission design choices and a bit of disappointment at the lackluster ending, the game was made with passion to create something that stands in many ways unique, particularly amongst western games.