@@jsan4505 Meaning if you want to trigger him, shit on his new baby in some way. The guy is a classic example of "I spent so much time on this thing, so I MUST defend it to death despite the potential merits of any criticism levelled." He also seems like a general curmudgeon, to boot - a fun mixture.
Just how old is this game? I checked the steam reviews today and the dev is still, even today, defending the game against negative reviews. I somehow admire the dedication.
I remember trying to play this game multiple times without it hooking me, then I bit the bullet and made a combat-centric build that was recommended for beginners. Ended up loving it a ton, one of the best CRPGs ever.
Ah yes this game, my most vivid memory of it is asking for advice about a loremaster character I was building in the Steam community forums and immediately getting insulted out of the blue by some guy who was weirdly offended at me for not min-maxing absolutely everything The true Steam forums experience
@@Axonteer And games like this tends to be the worst of the worst. The ones where a large portion of the playerbase has a smug sense of superiority over those who don't play it (the "right" way). But look at it from the bright side, at least few places can be worse than the steam community for Grimoire : Heralds of the Winged Exemplar, and once you've experienced that, things can only get better from there.
@@AFnord if some even go as far as insulting you, theyre outright wrong. Im still answering question on the steam discussion from time to time. I wont say that you are wrong, but if you missed this and that you wont be able to progress further and will eventually quit playing the game. The game is really that hard for beginners and the devs didnt do much to alleviate this, and so we did
I got this on launch day due to the insane development tales that followed it. Never finished it, but I was consistently perplexed and impressed by it.
Great video as always. Really looking forward to what you have next in store! The death of the Author bit gave me flashbacks to early 10s when I used to mingle on RPG Codex' forums quite often. Glad I got out of there, wish it was sooner rather than later.
I've been following this series from the beginning and it's been years now holy shit seems like it wasn't that long ago. I personally can't really play crpgs all that much but I seem to get more enjoyment out of watching you talk about them. Also much respect for the Palestine advert as it were
Disco Elysium is a game I hope you review because of how much I love it, and want others to play it. Underrail is a game I hope you review because I cannot understand it.
I enjoyed this game and put 20 hours in, but never finished it. Fantastic game, I loved the setting. The writing was a bit too dry for my taste but I'd like to revisit it again one day
Vince can be crude, but as a huge CRPG fan I understand where he was coming from. This was before the CRPG revival and the indie dev boom. The genre was dead at the time. Most of us who loved the genre were starved for a game that would cater to our very specific taste. I think a lot of us were getting angry at the devs, and by extensions the players who funded them, who had forsaken us.
What is it he's sent us? HOPE. This series is my single favorite thing on this platform. I gleefully cherish your insight on this niche but transformative genre of video game. I thank you for all the hard work you put into this.
It's a shame it did not hook Chris. AoD went straight to being one of my all time favourites when I first played it. Ended up doing back to back playthroughs trying the various factions with talker/fighter/thief/hybrid to attempt to see as much of the world as I could. Definitely recommend giving it a go if you haven't played it yourself. The developer also released Dungeon Rats, set in the same setting, full party control but entirely focused on combat. It's a linear prison escape, but I quite liked that one too.
Ikr And I still can find something new even after i sinked in 200+ hours Some people are not really into turn-based combat and lore-reading game i guess
Trying to piece together what I need to do to reach the ultimate ending during the early playthroughs to finally doing it has been one of my most satisfying gaming moments. It was sort of like playing an Outer Wilds type of game on top of the actual game.
This video is amazing, you came so far from the beginning of this series, very good structure, interesting analysis instead of just summarising the plot. I love it.
Regarding the reading all the books in the game, I actually did that in Oblivion, sat in my characters house and spent several real life hours reading every book I had. I found it pretty interesting.
Yes, I find a lot of the Elder Scrolls books to be quite interesting. The books are mostly stories, so the world building and lore is provided in a roundabout and more entertaining way.
Finished this game easily half a dozen times with vastly different endings and paths throughout and I found it was fantastic. Yes, it appears harsh at first sight, but in reality it just makes you play by the rules you set for yourself on your character sheet. I've seen many reviews put this down to difficulty, due to games nowadays being created with a different mindset. Simply put, if you create a character that cannot ride a bike, this game will not stop you trying, but your character is going to fall and break things at every corner. I'll have to disagree with you on some stats not being feasible, there are checks for everything some at max, some at lesser, but depending on conversation/play-routes, they'll come up or not. It's mainly indicative of playstyle, and this game was absolutely set for mine.
That game been sitting on my steam library for years, i should give it a shot, but i remember starting it when i got it and almost immediately feeling lost...
It's still worth a playthrough, but this is one of those games where (and I'm going to get lynched by the fans of the game for saying this) there's no shame in looking at a guide if you get stuck. The game seems to have either lacked proper testing, or the developers just did not want to listen to the testers when they pointed out issues with quests and certain mechanics, and so it can at times feel a bit aimless.
A pure talker merchant or a pure fighter merc build is usually recommended for beginners. Although you will get to see less content. And playing a hybrid build that can do both need alot of testing and effort to do, in this case though, a walk-through guide will save alot of time
There are some factual inaccuracies in this video but an easy one to correct is the claim that Charisma is a dump stat. High charisma is actually essential for the talkiest ending in the game - you can be as logical as you like but some people will only listen to your raw force of personality. It also makes reputation far more forgiving - charisma can make the difference between your transgressions locking you out of a questline or not, or letting you access special services or the best endings from your faction. Finally, charisma also provides you with many free skill points - easily more than 100, with about 70 easily available in Teron to characters everyone can visit. These are via dialogue checks which are locked if you have too-low charisma. Having 7 charisma is competitive skill points wise with high intelligence. But which is better (or even if you should take both) depends on your character. Neither can be accurately described as a dump stat.
I enjoyed Age of Decadence, more than you did by the sound of it, but yeah, it very much felt like someone's pet project. There was a lot of passion put into it, but at times it felt like the author of it had been very defensive about their pet project and did not want anyone to touch it, so they either did not test things properly, or they felt like the opinions of the testers were "wrong" and they did not need to change a thing. Which, seeing the comments left by the author on forums and in interviews, is probably not too far off from reality. He seems very defensive about his game. I do think that many games are a bit too controlling and don't let the players fail, but a lot of people who say that they want no hand-holding seem to miss an important point. Most of the games they say they like when they say that they don't want any hand-holding are games that are just very good at hiding their hand-holding. It's easy to spot hand-holding when you've got glowing map markers and text that explicitly tells you "go here, do this", it's far less obvious when the hand-holding is done through good level design, well written dialogue that gives you enough hints to progress and natural but gentle introduction of mechanics and concepts.
_["There was a lot of passion put into it, but at times it felt like the author of it had been very defensive about their pet project and did not want anyone to touch it, so they either did not test things properly, or they felt like the opinions of the testers were "wrong" and they did not need to change a thing."]_ I don't think you're necessarily wrong, but to be honest, I don't think that's necessarily a problem either. There are two ways of looking at a game. As a product, or as a work of art. No doubt it's a bit of both, but it's perfectly plausible that you decide to prioritise one of these views above the other. A product certainly aims to reach the widest possible audience, but a work of art aims to realise the best version of its proposition - the best version of itself. In this sense, player suggestions can be totally wrong because they are deviating from what the game is intended to be. You're not necessarily trying to please consumers, you're producing something for a specific purpose - and in that sense, only the opinions and suggestions of people who are looking in the same direction as you are are relevant to what you're doing. The others will not only be, but necessarily must be, ignored completely, so as not to detract from the purpose of your work. The goal of art does not necessarily have to be to reach the widest possible audience. There's nothing wrong with the works that want that, but equally, there's nothing wrong with the ones that don't want to either. In fact, many works are brilliant in their own way precisely because they break with these traditions and decide to go against what is expected and abandon the idea of pleasing most people. And then, they manage to reach their own narrow, specific audience. Not every game is for every player, just as not every book is for every reader, not every song is for every listener, and so on. And I feel that we often forget that games are, yes, art, and in their artistic expression, the importance of their vision can (and sometimes should) be above the individual or group preference of prospective players. And it's perfectly valid that you don't like the result. But perhaps, this was the goal all along.
Could you maybe make a video on the Expeditions games next? They are isometric turn-based crpgs that take place in different time periods and places, Conquistador takes place in 1500's central america, Viking takes place in Denmark and Britain during the viking age (obviously) and the upcoming Rome game seems to be taking place across the whole Mediterranean during the Roman Republic. They are some of my favorite rpgs but they are really overlooked, I would be very glad if you made a video about them!
Chris may make videos about cRPGs, but doesn't understand anything about genre history. He can't comprehend how it was in 00s when the genre you loved stopped being made. He doesn't understand how it is to see franchises you loved raped and then get applauded for it by general public and gaming journos, all while gaming journos making fun of everyone who complains about it. When any design principle or combat type you hold dear gets attacked by a mainstream, only because some fat businessman wants to make more money, it's natural to be angry about the whole thing. Even if the situation has gotten better in the last decade and in some way we may say that we have won, the trauma we have acquired during that period will remain in many of us forever. I also can't understand how the guy can't see that VD giving tips to people who doesn't like/understand his game is a sign of kindness and taking care of customer, not combativeness. VD even helps people who have pirated his game. Most devs are only interacting with people who praise their games and ignore people who are critical. VD treats everyone who is interested in his game as worthy of his time. He always cares more about his customers than about himself, I remember when he was once appalled at the suggestion of featuring screenshoots of his game without UI( to make it look more attractive and earn more $), because he believed that doing so would constitute manipulating customers.
not even crpg fans. alot of people had to deal with " your favorite type of game is archaic and should not exist anymore. i remember back when lost odyssey came out and during the game spot review the reviewer went " we don't need these types of games anymore " turn based jrpgs." now that we have mass effect." it's disrespectful to dismiss an entire genre because you think they are old and should no longer be made.
You're being overdramatic. "raped", "trauma"? Seriously? Also, he isn't against the developer giving tips to players, he's against him being a dick about it.
@@LasherTimora But VD isn't a dick when he gives tips, he is an excellent example of a dev who cares about people who buy his games. I am not being overdramatic when describing my feelings, stop gaslighting me.
You've actually encouraged me to check it out. It's been in my GOG list for bloody long enough but just never been motivated to push through the opening scenes and cludgy combat. Knowing it's short and rewards laser-focused playthroughs helps alot. Respect as well on coming down hard on this particular game with this particular fan-base and also including a Palestinian relief endorsement, makes for a more interesting than usual comments section!
The amount of virtue signaling over an "ableist slur" is insane holy shit. Didn't watch past that rant but thank you for glowing recommendation, went and bought this and Colony Ship (which I didn't know even existed) on GOG.
I have around 80-ish hours played in this game and have all the Steam achievements. It is a good game with good writing, but certain aspects of it can make the game extremely frustrating. If you spread your skill points around too much you will only end up failing at everything you do. For anyone who wants to play this game I would strongly recommend playing through it as a mercenary for the first go. A combat-centered character can get what is considered one of the best endings, and the playthrough will give you a certain level of meta-knowledge that makes playing a civil character like Merchant or Loremaster much easier. You can actually complete the game without killing a single person, but it's hard it accomplish if you're going in blind on your first playthrough. Also, charisma is not a dump stat. It's best used in tandem with intellect but you can't talk your way out of half of the game's situations with a low charisma. But your umbrage towards Vince is funny if not potentially hypocritical. I don't agree with how he responded in that interview, but you spent several minutes ranting about him, and then proceeded to color your impressions of the game based on your dislike of Vince. You mock the guy for not letting things go but you repeatedly bring the subject back to him. You act as if Vince was the sole creator of the game, and it wasn't a studio that created it. In the future, I suggest you don't have "death of the author" as a section in your videos because it's apparent that struggle with its meaning while you nitpick based on your dislike of a single person.
@@EveryAllman People aren't always trying to win woke points. Many people legitimately find ableist language offense and hurtful. I do not understand why anyone saying they dislike something that they view as harmful is just trying to win "woke points." How is understanding how those words make people feel and deciding not to use them and disagreeing with the use of them by others a bad thing? How is knowing someone is hurt by the words you use, then saying them anyway an admirable thing? Being respectful of others is about as inoffensive as you can be. It is hard to separate the author from the work when the basis for his want to make this game was derived from his hate of modern RPGs and their hand holding. The author's harmful language and attitude is directly tied to the creation of the game. Everyone in the U.S. has their right to free speech to say what they please. He has his free speech to be upset about comments made and you have your right as well. His is critique is based on known statements by the creator while yours is based on speculation and assumptions. His critique is based upon the creator using language that is offensive to others and puts others down while your critique is based upon wanting people to be able to use language that is offensive to a group of people that are frequently looked down upon and used as an insult. (I do recognize other places in the world have different laws. I am using U.S. free speech as a basis because that is the law that I know. If shown conflicting laws elsewhere, I would amend my statement. But, based on U.S. law, this is the flow of free speech.) A criticism of something said in the past does not prevent the use of their free speech. Everyone has their right to say what they please (within certain legal bounds) and then people have their right to free speech to judge their statement and make a decision based on that. If the majority find something offensive and discourage the use through withholding support, that is an entirely valid response. This is the way that free speech works. Getting upset about someone's free speech from years ago, when used correctly like this instance, can be a great way to make people aware and allow them to make their own judgments about what they want to support. Should Chris have brought the creator up later in the video to continue talking about the creator's harmful online presence? Maybe not. But I would still prefer him being aware and making us aware of the controversy surrounding the game he is speaking on rather than brushing it aside. Those issues can be close to the heart and I'd rather not support people who are offensive to me when I have a choice.
@@EveryAllman so you're changing your criticism to all people as a whole instead of chris Davis in particular? Because your comment was clearly directed to him rather than just generally. I didnt ignore your point on Hollywood being bad. Clearly actions are worse than language and I agree their abhorrent actions deserve severe punishment and people should avoid their works. I did address this is in my response through saying you assumed he watched them. There is zero evidence of him watching those kinds of movies. He could avoid every problematic actor/actress/director/producer out there and you have no idea. Dont base your criticism on assuming he watches those films. That leap makes no sense and leaves you with no ground to stand upon other than "he might watch those movies, which may give me a chance to have a gotcha moment." Everything is based on assumptions with no evidence. If you are referring to people as a whole, then yes, they might critique one person then watch another who has done bad things. Many people put their blinders on to love those that they know have committed deplorable acts. It is an issue with the cancel culture fad as opposed to people genuinely trying to hold people accountable for their actions. All that said, you can't assume that a particular person falls into that category without having a lot more information. Your criticism of Chris Davis in this area is unjustified.
Should you ever get around to covering Dungeon Rats (if that one even counts) and Underrail (highly recommend this one), you'll have covered all of the CRPGs I've played. Neat overlap, that.
I remember I played this game way back in 2015, I thought it was really fun if very hard but rewarding, an amazing setting seriously in all of fiction, I hope they do ok and will definitely buy their next game.
I am not a huge fan of the transitions here. its a little jarring to have your usual semi-stream of consciousness narration combined with weird breakpoints and EDM music.
That is exactly the reason, why i stopped going to several forums and abandoned some games. While at age of 19-22 we were playing in CSL with some friends now i just dont have the concentration and the reaction time anymore. If 90% of a community tell me to "git gud" and throws around smth about IQ or "not a real gamer" i just lose interest due to gatekeeping. Thank you for the series, love your game choices, especially planescape.
Great to see another episode in this series! I found your channel through your CRPG videos and they helped me get through packing a difficult move. Take care
I pray to every god I know of you plan on covering Underrail in some form. Like, there's no way "indie attempts to capture the magic of the classic CRPGs" isn't a thing in your pipeline.
Game seens interesting despite it's problems, will give it a try whem i actually manage to finish my steam+gog list (so maybe never). With a new crpg coming out here and there, i do wonder if you will ever manage to end the series hehehe. Amazing work man, keep it up!
Hi Chris, huge fan of this series and your content, I love it. There IS an isometric CRPG I'd recommend that may be missing from your list. It's not a well-known title, because it was by a Russian developer and was only lightly promoted... Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul. It even has an expansion pack that wasn't ever localized to English, so I've never had a chance to experience it. But the game had some pretty unique and clever systems for its time, particularly the crafting. Take care, looove your content!
Nice review but it feels very insistent on one issue, so I have to ask: were you insulted at some point by the developer "Vince", and are you holding a grudge? It's strange that you take the time to review this one that you obviously don't like much - seemingly the least of the series, but may skip Colony Ship that you find interesting because he's misbehaving.
I admit that i dont agree 100% with what vince says, but i give him mad praise for sticking to his guns and not mincing words when dealing with people like you, that dislike the "aesthetics" of what he says (be it a word he uses or the way he formats a sentence) so much you let that change your perception of the actual substance of his arguments. You admitting at 7:47 to want to "skip" a work of art for reasons unrelated to the work itself already make me dismiss your opinion and competence as a critic, it's one thing to impar special significance on a work due to the author's own history, i.e how digibro did in: th-cam.com/video/hJ10frXiTzw/w-d-xo.html , it's another to lose yourself in your own judgement of others It's not "death of the author" shit, it's "stop expecting people living up to your volatile and collectivistic sense of 'goodness'" shit Regarding the game: i definetly think its best played by starting off with a "concrete" concept of your char's personality and goals, otherwise it can def feel more point-and-click-esque than a proper rpg, but the game's niche: your characters interactions with his enviroment and how this affects the world around you, is executed better than any other game i've ever played, even Disco Elysium felt more rail-roady at times (though it is much better written)
Yep. I didn't fully agree with Vince either, but he certainly didn't mince words. It felt to me that Chris seems to have let what Vince said color his entire view of the game.
Wait, so a gamemaker can call people who aren't leet enough for his liking "retards" and that's okay, but a reviewer can't dislike an opinion expressed by a creator of the work he's reviewing and question how said opinion might influence said work? Huh. Git good at thinking, son.
@@Apolita1987 Oh really? So the fact Chris is trying to literally cancel the guy on Twitter is OK and simply "disliking an opinion" by the creator? Because Chris most certainly isn't just disliking the creator. He's gone so far as to lambast the guy on Twitter and try and get people to dogpile on the guy for something he said years ago.
@@coffeefox5703 I'm not on Twitter, I wouldn't know. But Chris' video has around 7,500 views. Not exactly Joe Rogan numbers. And he's not making stuff up or digging up private messages. This is something "Vince" said publicly. And if other people are going along with it, it means they agree "Vince" is an asshole based on his own statements. Besides, if "Vince" is as a cool a badass as he likes to act, he can surely handle it. Unless, of course, he's actually one of them coddled snowflakes who like to dish it out but can't take it.
I half expected to see Mr. Weller down here in the comments calling you a moron for this review, which might have honestly been a good proof of your video's quality. Sadly, he seems to have either been deeply buried or not yet found the video. The video is, however, still very astute and good. Deserves more views. :)
Yeah I remember this game getting shilled hard because it was made by an active RPGCodex member. I dunno, I found it to be more of a CYOA game than an RPG, and some of the game over choices felt more arbitrary than "it's this way because it's supposed to be hard." The setting was cool though.
never finished it, at most i could do some basic quests in the first city, i think i got out once? all of this in 11 hours. must have made like 10 or more saves trying different builds and stuff. I dont remember ever doing this sort of things with an rpg, having every single save feel truly unique by almost pure gameplay. This game is truly something else
Myth of the open world. Do anything, go anywhere. But unless you want to finish the game, you'd better do this super specific thing in this specific place. Even if there are no key NPCs, there are key things you need to do.
+1 for the Outer Wilds recommendation. I played it a few weeks back because of a random comment on reddit and went in blind. What a game! What an experience! Absolutely fantastic, definitely one that will stick with me for years to come. My only regret is that I can never play it blind again.
This 'open ended game' sounds very much like a dozen different linear storylines going in the same general direction and the player is free (although unadvised to) switch between them if they so wish. So deeply linear in fact that the developer can spout of the exact sequence of events for the specific storyline that stuck player should have been experiencing.
the reason some even like this is due to it skill gateing you. so if you have a bad build you can't finish the quest and thus have to restart. it was made for rpg codex who really hate any form of rpg that lets you not lock yourself out of content.
Well you really sold me on this game with the opening comments. A game that is non-linear with no hand-holding sounds great to me. I don’t go in for that “get gud” mentality but I’m also a bit sick of reviewers and TH-camrs wanting games to be fast and simple so that they can race through the game and get their review out. If the lead developer is a bit of a jerk … not sure I care.
You got the facts kinda right, but I completely disagree with the conclusions. I would omit it but you have spent a lot of time on it before actually saying what the game is, so... Everyone has the right to think bad about other people. And everyone has the right to express their opinions. If people would be allowed to tell only good things about each other everyone would think that they are perfect and would stop improving and start to devolve. And yes, the game is somewhat hard for new players *because it's original and somewhat realistic" That's how real life works: to be successful you have to specialize. If you have 10 slightly developed skills you will almost always lose to a specialist in his respective field. Having the right specialization for the kind of work you are going to engage in is part of the challenge. What you seem to didn't get is that worldbuilding is really a story in this game. When you play the game you are told 2 intertwined stories: of current events and really important story of the past. And to fully understand current events and "win the game" you must get the story of the past. Some books do stuff like that, with 2 (or more) lines, but stories in the games are usually very primitive... because asking to think is almost a crime nowadays.
Sounded to me like he got it, but there's 'story' (wide view, includes overarching tale; setting; backdrop etc) and then there's 'narrative' (the way a story is told: narrow view; personal stakes; emotional engagement; tension; pacing). Ultimately it's a question of presentation and it sounds like AoD has a brilliant story framework but some issues with the delivery on that second part. Also Chris acknowledged specialization was clearly the way to go and his problem with it was it *wasn't* a challenge.
I have to disagree on nearly every critique the video makes, most notably about the quality of the writing, which I consider at least very good to great. I won't write an essay in a u2b comment, but believe me when I say it: you should form your own opinion. Whether you find this game good or bad, if you're an RPG fan, it will be a thought-provoking experience.
Chris I have a bone to pick. First off I have a developmental disability and I completely agree with Vince about modern day RPGS being dumbed down. Reading his comments, they reek of frustration at the modern day state of video games, not of hatred at people like me. While I do not agree with his use of English I do agree with his message regarding the dumbing down of the industry. Framing him as a bigot while not understanding his anger is a pretty bad take Chris. I'm not having a crack but try to understand why a man would say these things regardless if they are hurtful or not. Context does matter considering the sate of the industry.
This game was a great disappointment to me. It was ugly, and not in a nice retro way, and the story was not engaging. After a while I was only playing for the lore, and even that wasn't enough to continue. Watching your video, I realised that there wasn't actually much more about it than what is already hinted in the first hours of gameplay, so I am glad to have stopped playing when I did.
Oh come on. A) It is entirely legitimate to voice one's opinion on rpg's, even when you make them. B) That comment is not toxic at the level which warrants the "I can't even say this out loud!". C) Most importantly, how do you justify dedicating so much of a review of an artistic creation to your own perception of controversy?
had vince just used another word like morons , idiots, or stupid people chris would barley even had cared. but he used the r word in a certain context and now vince is a horrible person.
When the developer taking their time responding to criticism instead of trying to find the underlying problem and fixing the game, you get The Age of Decadence.
Another guy that doesnt like roleplaying in a roleplaying game. And you didnt finish a combat playtrough... then how are you going to have the knowledge to do actual hibrid builds like a smart legionary that goes into leadership instead of beeng just a grunt? The story is your playtrough since there are so many differences that can happen. Like crowning Miltiades.
Damn, I was fully expecting to see a response from the dev in the comments!
He's too busy working on Colony Ship
@@jsan4505 Meaning if you want to trigger him, shit on his new baby in some way. The guy is a classic example of "I spent so much time on this thing, so I MUST defend it to death despite the potential merits of any criticism levelled." He also seems like a general curmudgeon, to boot - a fun mixture.
Ahhhh I'm so glad this series is continuing and that you're still at it, Chris!
Just how old is this game? I checked the steam reviews today and the dev is still, even today, defending the game against negative reviews. I somehow admire the dedication.
I remember trying to play this game multiple times without it hooking me, then I bit the bullet and made a combat-centric build that was recommended for beginners. Ended up loving it a ton, one of the best CRPGs ever.
Nice
Quite rare that a game reward you for playing a dumb brawny mc XD
Ah yes this game, my most vivid memory of it is asking for advice about a loremaster character I was building in the Steam community forums and immediately getting insulted out of the blue by some guy who was weirdly offended at me for not min-maxing absolutely everything
The true Steam forums experience
steam forum are for guides only 😂
yea, the toxicity of the steam forums makes me wear an full hazmat suit just for trying to research a problem i have in a game.
@@Axonteer And games like this tends to be the worst of the worst. The ones where a large portion of the playerbase has a smug sense of superiority over those who don't play it (the "right" way).
But look at it from the bright side, at least few places can be worse than the steam community for Grimoire : Heralds of the Winged Exemplar, and once you've experienced that, things can only get better from there.
@@AFnord if some even go as far as insulting you, theyre outright wrong. Im still answering question on the steam discussion from time to time. I wont say that you are wrong, but if you missed this and that you wont be able to progress further and will eventually quit playing the game. The game is really that hard for beginners and the devs didnt do much to alleviate this, and so we did
LMAO
I got this on launch day due to the insane development tales that followed it. Never finished it, but I was consistently perplexed and impressed by it.
Thank you for always adding captions when you release a new video ! :)
I'm glad to see you are still enjoying these videos Chris. I'd listen to you review anything though, I love your mindset.
He could review bread and make it interesting.
@@agroed As long as its not white.
Ah yes the famous assassin Super Hans, he finds drugs really moreish.
Great video as always. Really looking forward to what you have next in store!
The death of the Author bit gave me flashbacks to early 10s when I used to mingle on RPG Codex' forums quite often. Glad I got out of there, wish it was sooner rather than later.
forums are still great for people who do not want to be subjected to mental slavery, aka censorship. Glad you did what was right for you though.
@@akoyash9964 I like oppression, it builds grit, character and strength. Good stuff chump!
@@idnintel Imagine thinking being on fucking RPG Codex is a stand against censorship
@@LonelyKnightess blah blah - do what you want, no one cares.
I've been following this series from the beginning and it's been years now holy shit seems like it wasn't that long ago. I personally can't really play crpgs all that much but I seem to get more enjoyment out of watching you talk about them. Also much respect for the Palestine advert as it were
Im soo happy to see new video from you. Thank you
Disco Elysium is a game I hope you review because of how much I love it, and want others to play it. Underrail is a game I hope you review because I cannot understand it.
I finished my first Disco Elysium playthrough a few weeks ago. Can't wait to go back and play it completely differently. Absolutely brilliant.
I enjoyed this game and put 20 hours in, but never finished it. Fantastic game, I loved the setting. The writing was a bit too dry for my taste but I'd like to revisit it again one day
Vince can be crude, but as a huge CRPG fan I understand where he was coming from. This was before the CRPG revival and the indie dev boom. The genre was dead at the time. Most of us who loved the genre were starved for a game that would cater to our very specific taste.
I think a lot of us were getting angry at the devs, and by extensions the players who funded them, who had forsaken us.
just wanted to say that I really love your isometric crpg videos
What is it he's sent us?
HOPE.
This series is my single favorite thing on this platform. I gleefully cherish your insight on this niche but transformative genre of video game. I thank you for all the hard work you put into this.
It's a shame it did not hook Chris. AoD went straight to being one of my all time favourites when I first played it. Ended up doing back to back playthroughs trying the various factions with talker/fighter/thief/hybrid to attempt to see as much of the world as I could. Definitely recommend giving it a go if you haven't played it yourself. The developer also released Dungeon Rats, set in the same setting, full party control but entirely focused on combat. It's a linear prison escape, but I quite liked that one too.
Ikr
And I still can find something new even after i sinked in 200+ hours
Some people are not really into turn-based combat and lore-reading game i guess
Trying to piece together what I need to do to reach the ultimate ending during the early playthroughs to finally doing it has been one of my most satisfying gaming moments. It was sort of like playing an Outer Wilds type of game on top of the actual game.
@@lavisak massively into those kind of games. This just isn't a good one. If there's going to be that much text on screen it should, you know, good.
Honestly my favorite series to see pop up in my sub box, thanks you for dedicating the time to make it
This video is amazing, you came so far from the beginning of this series, very good structure, interesting analysis instead of just summarising the plot. I love it.
I largely enjoyed playing Age of Decadence but I think this is a very good summary of its shortcomings.
Regarding the reading all the books in the game, I actually did that in Oblivion, sat in my characters house and spent several real life hours reading every book I had. I found it pretty interesting.
Yes, I find a lot of the Elder Scrolls books to be quite interesting. The books are mostly stories, so the world building and lore is provided in a roundabout and more entertaining way.
Happening across the call to action in the middle two years later feels like somehow even better timing
Finished this game easily half a dozen times with vastly different endings and paths throughout and I found it was fantastic. Yes, it appears harsh at first sight, but in reality it just makes you play by the rules you set for yourself on your character sheet. I've seen many reviews put this down to difficulty, due to games nowadays being created with a different mindset. Simply put, if you create a character that cannot ride a bike, this game will not stop you trying, but your character is going to fall and break things at every corner. I'll have to disagree with you on some stats not being feasible, there are checks for everything some at max, some at lesser, but depending on conversation/play-routes, they'll come up or not. It's mainly indicative of playstyle, and this game was absolutely set for mine.
That game been sitting on my steam library for years, i should give it a shot, but i remember starting it when i got it and almost immediately feeling lost...
It's still worth a playthrough, but this is one of those games where (and I'm going to get lynched by the fans of the game for saying this) there's no shame in looking at a guide if you get stuck. The game seems to have either lacked proper testing, or the developers just did not want to listen to the testers when they pointed out issues with quests and certain mechanics, and so it can at times feel a bit aimless.
A pure talker merchant or a pure fighter merc build is usually recommended for beginners. Although you will get to see less content. And playing a hybrid build that can do both need alot of testing and effort to do, in this case though, a walk-through guide will save alot of time
There are some factual inaccuracies in this video but an easy one to correct is the claim that Charisma is a dump stat. High charisma is actually essential for the talkiest ending in the game - you can be as logical as you like but some people will only listen to your raw force of personality. It also makes reputation far more forgiving - charisma can make the difference between your transgressions locking you out of a questline or not, or letting you access special services or the best endings from your faction. Finally, charisma also provides you with many free skill points - easily more than 100, with about 70 easily available in Teron to characters everyone can visit. These are via dialogue checks which are locked if you have too-low charisma. Having 7 charisma is competitive skill points wise with high intelligence. But which is better (or even if you should take both) depends on your character. Neither can be accurately described as a dump stat.
I enjoyed Age of Decadence, more than you did by the sound of it, but yeah, it very much felt like someone's pet project. There was a lot of passion put into it, but at times it felt like the author of it had been very defensive about their pet project and did not want anyone to touch it, so they either did not test things properly, or they felt like the opinions of the testers were "wrong" and they did not need to change a thing. Which, seeing the comments left by the author on forums and in interviews, is probably not too far off from reality. He seems very defensive about his game.
I do think that many games are a bit too controlling and don't let the players fail, but a lot of people who say that they want no hand-holding seem to miss an important point. Most of the games they say they like when they say that they don't want any hand-holding are games that are just very good at hiding their hand-holding. It's easy to spot hand-holding when you've got glowing map markers and text that explicitly tells you "go here, do this", it's far less obvious when the hand-holding is done through good level design, well written dialogue that gives you enough hints to progress and natural but gentle introduction of mechanics and concepts.
_["There was a lot of passion put into it, but at times it felt like the author of it had been very defensive about their pet project and did not want anyone to touch it, so they either did not test things properly, or they felt like the opinions of the testers were "wrong" and they did not need to change a thing."]_
I don't think you're necessarily wrong, but to be honest, I don't think that's necessarily a problem either. There are two ways of looking at a game. As a product, or as a work of art. No doubt it's a bit of both, but it's perfectly plausible that you decide to prioritise one of these views above the other. A product certainly aims to reach the widest possible audience, but a work of art aims to realise the best version of its proposition - the best version of itself.
In this sense, player suggestions can be totally wrong because they are deviating from what the game is intended to be. You're not necessarily trying to please consumers, you're producing something for a specific purpose - and in that sense, only the opinions and suggestions of people who are looking in the same direction as you are are relevant to what you're doing. The others will not only be, but necessarily must be, ignored completely, so as not to detract from the purpose of your work.
The goal of art does not necessarily have to be to reach the widest possible audience. There's nothing wrong with the works that want that, but equally, there's nothing wrong with the ones that don't want to either. In fact, many works are brilliant in their own way precisely because they break with these traditions and decide to go against what is expected and abandon the idea of pleasing most people. And then, they manage to reach their own narrow, specific audience. Not every game is for every player, just as not every book is for every reader, not every song is for every listener, and so on.
And I feel that we often forget that games are, yes, art, and in their artistic expression, the importance of their vision can (and sometimes should) be above the individual or group preference of prospective players. And it's perfectly valid that you don't like the result. But perhaps, this was the goal all along.
@@ThinkBeyondOrdinary Very well said.
Chris I love your content keep it up man.
Could you maybe make a video on the Expeditions games next? They are isometric turn-based crpgs that take place in different time periods and places, Conquistador takes place in 1500's central america, Viking takes place in Denmark and Britain during the viking age (obviously) and the upcoming Rome game seems to be taking place across the whole Mediterranean during the Roman Republic. They are some of my favorite rpgs but they are really overlooked, I would be very glad if you made a video about them!
5:10
"ableist slur"
Really?
And then he proceeds to go on about how bad of a guy he is for using an “ableist slur” for like 3 more minutes.
>im not comfortable reading the next bit because it contains an ableist slur
🥶🥶🥶
Chris may make videos about cRPGs, but doesn't understand anything about genre history. He can't comprehend how it was in 00s when the genre you loved stopped being made. He doesn't understand how it is to see franchises you loved raped and then get applauded for it by general public and gaming journos, all while gaming journos making fun of everyone who complains about it. When any design principle or combat type you hold dear gets attacked by a mainstream, only because some fat businessman wants to make more money, it's natural to be angry about the whole thing. Even if the situation has gotten better in the last decade and in some way we may say that we have won, the trauma we have acquired during that period will remain in many of us forever.
I also can't understand how the guy can't see that VD giving tips to people who doesn't like/understand his game is a sign of kindness and taking care of customer, not combativeness. VD even helps people who have pirated his game. Most devs are only interacting with people who praise their games and ignore people who are critical. VD treats everyone who is interested in his game as worthy of his time. He always cares more about his customers than about himself, I remember when he was once appalled at the suggestion of featuring screenshoots of his game without UI( to make it look more attractive and earn more $), because he believed that doing so would constitute manipulating customers.
not even crpg fans. alot of people had to deal with " your favorite type of game is archaic and should not exist anymore.
i remember back when lost odyssey came out and during the game spot review the reviewer went " we don't need these types of games anymore " turn based jrpgs." now that we have mass effect."
it's disrespectful to dismiss an entire genre because you think they are old and should no longer be made.
Damn dude. 'Acquired trauma'? Geez. It's just videogames.
You're being overdramatic. "raped", "trauma"? Seriously?
Also, he isn't against the developer giving tips to players, he's against him being a dick about it.
@@LasherTimora But VD isn't a dick when he gives tips, he is an excellent example of a dev who cares about people who buy his games. I am not being overdramatic when describing my feelings, stop gaslighting me.
Best comment in this video
Tip. Check the conundrums regarding age of decadence VS. Underrail at rpg codex
You've actually encouraged me to check it out. It's been in my GOG list for bloody long enough but just never been motivated to push through the opening scenes and cludgy combat. Knowing it's short and rewards laser-focused playthroughs helps alot. Respect as well on coming down hard on this particular game with this particular fan-base and also including a Palestinian relief endorsement, makes for a more interesting than usual comments section!
Pathfinder Kingmaker critique? After all, Wrath of the Righteous is around the corner.
that will be good
So glad you're still doing videos man. Hope you still find enjoyment
The amount of virtue signaling over an "ableist slur" is insane holy shit. Didn't watch past that rant but thank you for glowing recommendation, went and bought this and Colony Ship (which I didn't know even existed) on GOG.
There's also Dungeon Rats which is basically a tactics game by the same dev (combat is an updated version of AoD's and it's set in the same world).
@@onforfsake I'll check it out, thanks.
I have around 80-ish hours played in this game and have all the Steam achievements. It is a good game with good writing, but certain aspects of it can make the game extremely frustrating. If you spread your skill points around too much you will only end up failing at everything you do.
For anyone who wants to play this game I would strongly recommend playing through it as a mercenary for the first go. A combat-centered character can get what is considered one of the best endings, and the playthrough will give you a certain level of meta-knowledge that makes playing a civil character like Merchant or Loremaster much easier. You can actually complete the game without killing a single person, but it's hard it accomplish if you're going in blind on your first playthrough. Also, charisma is not a dump stat. It's best used in tandem with intellect but you can't talk your way out of half of the game's situations with a low charisma.
But your umbrage towards Vince is funny if not potentially hypocritical. I don't agree with how he responded in that interview, but you spent several minutes ranting about him, and then proceeded to color your impressions of the game based on your dislike of Vince. You mock the guy for not letting things go but you repeatedly bring the subject back to him. You act as if Vince was the sole creator of the game, and it wasn't a studio that created it. In the future, I suggest you don't have "death of the author" as a section in your videos because it's apparent that struggle with its meaning while you nitpick based on your dislike of a single person.
@@EveryAllman People aren't always trying to win woke points. Many people legitimately find ableist language offense and hurtful. I do not understand why anyone saying they dislike something that they view as harmful is just trying to win "woke points." How is understanding how those words make people feel and deciding not to use them and disagreeing with the use of them by others a bad thing? How is knowing someone is hurt by the words you use, then saying them anyway an admirable thing? Being respectful of others is about as inoffensive as you can be.
It is hard to separate the author from the work when the basis for his want to make this game was derived from his hate of modern RPGs and their hand holding. The author's harmful language and attitude is directly tied to the creation of the game.
Everyone in the U.S. has their right to free speech to say what they please. He has his free speech to be upset about comments made and you have your right as well. His is critique is based on known statements by the creator while yours is based on speculation and assumptions. His critique is based upon the creator using language that is offensive to others and puts others down while your critique is based upon wanting people to be able to use language that is offensive to a group of people that are frequently looked down upon and used as an insult. (I do recognize other places in the world have different laws. I am using U.S. free speech as a basis because that is the law that I know. If shown conflicting laws elsewhere, I would amend my statement. But, based on U.S. law, this is the flow of free speech.)
A criticism of something said in the past does not prevent the use of their free speech. Everyone has their right to say what they please (within certain legal bounds) and then people have their right to free speech to judge their statement and make a decision based on that. If the majority find something offensive and discourage the use through withholding support, that is an entirely valid response. This is the way that free speech works. Getting upset about someone's free speech from years ago, when used correctly like this instance, can be a great way to make people aware and allow them to make their own judgments about what they want to support.
Should Chris have brought the creator up later in the video to continue talking about the creator's harmful online presence? Maybe not. But I would still prefer him being aware and making us aware of the controversy surrounding the game he is speaking on rather than brushing it aside. Those issues can be close to the heart and I'd rather not support people who are offensive to me when I have a choice.
@@EveryAllman so you're changing your criticism to all people as a whole instead of chris Davis in particular? Because your comment was clearly directed to him rather than just generally.
I didnt ignore your point on Hollywood being bad. Clearly actions are worse than language and I agree their abhorrent actions deserve severe punishment and people should avoid their works. I did address this is in my response through saying you assumed he watched them. There is zero evidence of him watching those kinds of movies. He could avoid every problematic actor/actress/director/producer out there and you have no idea. Dont base your criticism on assuming he watches those films. That leap makes no sense and leaves you with no ground to stand upon other than "he might watch those movies, which may give me a chance to have a gotcha moment." Everything is based on assumptions with no evidence.
If you are referring to people as a whole, then yes, they might critique one person then watch another who has done bad things. Many people put their blinders on to love those that they know have committed deplorable acts. It is an issue with the cancel culture fad as opposed to people genuinely trying to hold people accountable for their actions. All that said, you can't assume that a particular person falls into that category without having a lot more information. Your criticism of Chris Davis in this area is unjustified.
Really glad you are still uploading, I love your videos
Great as always, 10/10, would watch again
Should you ever get around to covering Dungeon Rats (if that one even counts) and Underrail (highly recommend this one), you'll have covered all of the CRPGs I've played. Neat overlap, that.
I remember I played this game way back in 2015, I thought it was really fun if very hard but rewarding, an amazing setting seriously in all of fiction, I hope they do ok and will definitely buy their next game.
Was waiting for the next isometric crpg vid! Thanks
I am not a huge fan of the transitions here. its a little jarring to have your usual semi-stream of consciousness narration combined with weird breakpoints and EDM music.
That is exactly the reason, why i stopped going to several forums and abandoned some games. While at age of 19-22 we were playing in CSL with some friends now i just dont have the concentration and the reaction time anymore. If 90% of a community tell me to "git gud" and throws around smth about IQ or "not a real gamer" i just lose interest due to gatekeeping. Thank you for the series, love your game choices, especially planescape.
"ableist slur", give me a break.
Do you plan to cover Neverwinter Nights?
I think he specified in his death and return of isometric crpgs that he doesn't consider that isometric
Great to see another episode in this series! I found your channel through your CRPG videos and they helped me get through packing a difficult move. Take care
Well he's not wrong, if you get stuck in a part of a game then just git gud it's that easy.
just don't be depressed amirite 😎
@@monstergelo1072 exactly, and when on the prowl just be yourself
I pray to every god I know of you plan on covering Underrail in some form. Like, there's no way "indie attempts to capture the magic of the classic CRPGs" isn't a thing in your pipeline.
Super Hans is an awesome name for an assassin!
Game seens interesting despite it's problems, will give it a try whem i actually manage to finish my steam+gog list (so maybe never). With a new crpg coming out here and there, i do wonder if you will ever manage to end the series hehehe.
Amazing work man, keep it up!
please continue, love this series!
Loving this series
Hi Chris, huge fan of this series and your content, I love it.
There IS an isometric CRPG I'd recommend that may be missing from your list. It's not a well-known title, because it was by a Russian developer and was only lightly promoted... Evil Islands: Curse of the Lost Soul. It even has an expansion pack that wasn't ever localized to English, so I've never had a chance to experience it. But the game had some pretty unique and clever systems for its time, particularly the crafting.
Take care, looove your content!
Och god we are back! Chris I missed you
Virtue signal accepted - move along citizen.
We live in a dystopian hellscape where TH-camrs have the right to call out behavior they disagree with. Truly Orwell's nightmare.
@@jasonfenton8250 disagreeing and trying to cancel a person thus destroying their career are two different things.
OH yeeeeah guess whose back!
Nice review but it feels very insistent on one issue, so I have to ask: were you insulted at some point by the developer "Vince", and are you holding a grudge? It's strange that you take the time to review this one that you obviously don't like much - seemingly the least of the series, but may skip Colony Ship that you find interesting because he's misbehaving.
I admit that i dont agree 100% with what vince says, but i give him mad praise for sticking to his guns and not mincing words when dealing with people like you, that dislike the "aesthetics" of what he says (be it a word he uses or the way he formats a sentence) so much you let that change your perception of the actual substance of his arguments.
You admitting at 7:47 to want to "skip" a work of art for reasons unrelated to the work itself already make me dismiss your opinion and competence as a critic, it's one thing to impar special significance on a work due to the author's own history, i.e how digibro did in: th-cam.com/video/hJ10frXiTzw/w-d-xo.html , it's another to lose yourself in your own judgement of others
It's not "death of the author" shit, it's "stop expecting people living up to your volatile and collectivistic sense of 'goodness'" shit
Regarding the game: i definetly think its best played by starting off with a "concrete" concept of your char's personality and goals, otherwise it can def feel more point-and-click-esque than a proper rpg, but the game's niche: your characters interactions with his enviroment and how this affects the world around you, is executed better than any other game i've ever played, even Disco Elysium felt more rail-roady at times (though it is much better written)
Yep. I didn't fully agree with Vince either, but he certainly didn't mince words. It felt to me that Chris seems to have let what Vince said color his entire view of the game.
Wait, so a gamemaker can call people who aren't leet enough for his liking "retards" and that's okay, but a reviewer can't dislike an opinion expressed by a creator of the work he's reviewing and question how said opinion might influence said work?
Huh.
Git good at thinking, son.
@@Apolita1987 cope.
@@Apolita1987 Oh really? So the fact Chris is trying to literally cancel the guy on Twitter is OK and simply "disliking an opinion" by the creator? Because Chris most certainly isn't just disliking the creator. He's gone so far as to lambast the guy on Twitter and try and get people to dogpile on the guy for something he said years ago.
@@coffeefox5703 I'm not on Twitter, I wouldn't know. But Chris' video has around 7,500 views. Not exactly Joe Rogan numbers. And he's not making stuff up or digging up private messages. This is something "Vince" said publicly. And if other people are going along with it, it means they agree "Vince" is an asshole based on his own statements. Besides, if "Vince" is as a cool a badass as he likes to act, he can surely handle it. Unless, of course, he's actually one of them coddled snowflakes who like to dish it out but can't take it.
That jab against Real Madrid xD, but that team in 2000-2003 was legendary.
"ableist slur"
People who are unable need not apply.
hype for pillars of eternity video
i still havnt finished it, but i'll happily have it spoiled to watch the chris davis on it
big respects luv da content keep it coming bub
I half expected to see Mr. Weller down here in the comments calling you a moron for this review, which might have honestly been a good proof of your video's quality. Sadly, he seems to have either been deeply buried or not yet found the video. The video is, however, still very astute and good. Deserves more views. :)
Alternatively, some of the randos getting twitchy and defensive might just be Weller sock puppets.
Okay, no, obviously not. ...unless?
If the review is this good I can't wait to get to Pillars video!
Yeah I remember this game getting shilled hard because it was made by an active RPGCodex member. I dunno, I found it to be more of a CYOA game than an RPG, and some of the game over choices felt more arbitrary than "it's this way because it's supposed to be hard." The setting was cool though.
Can't wait for the next one! great video once again Chris
Yessss my fav series continues
never finished it, at most i could do some basic quests in the first city, i think i got out once? all of this in 11 hours. must have made like 10 or more saves trying different builds and stuff. I dont remember ever doing this sort of things with an rpg, having every single save feel truly unique by almost pure gameplay. This game is truly something else
The graphics of this game remind me of the first Neverwinter Nights and Dungeon Siege :)
Hmmmwould you cover torment tides of numenera in the future as of this writing?
Is Alpha Protocol a true non-linear RPG like Age of Decadence?
Myth of the open world. Do anything, go anywhere. But unless you want to finish the game, you'd better do this super specific thing in this specific place. Even if there are no key NPCs, there are key things you need to do.
+1 for the Outer Wilds recommendation. I played it a few weeks back because of a random comment on reddit and went in blind.
What a game! What an experience! Absolutely fantastic, definitely one that will stick with me for years to come. My only regret is that I can never play it blind again.
Incoming from the creator: "You clearly just hate it because you're bad at it." Thanks for the awesome content, Chris.
Thank you for continuing this series despite its appeal being admittedly so niche.
Always love your retrospectives Chris, and thank you for the "ad", your a good man.
This 'open ended game' sounds very much like a dozen different linear storylines going in the same general direction and the player is free (although unadvised to) switch between them if they so wish. So deeply linear in fact that the developer can spout of the exact sequence of events for the specific storyline that stuck player should have been experiencing.
the reason some even like this is due to it skill gateing you. so if you have a bad build you can't finish the quest and thus have to restart.
it was made for rpg codex who really hate any form of rpg that lets you not lock yourself out of content.
Well you really sold me on this game with the opening comments. A game that is non-linear with no hand-holding sounds great to me. I don’t go in for that “get gud” mentality but I’m also a bit sick of reviewers and TH-camrs wanting games to be fast and simple so that they can race through the game and get their review out. If the lead developer is a bit of a jerk … not sure I care.
Great to hear you chris, cheers!
The dev was right in that interview to be honest.
True
Ikr
Interesting, I was considering playing it, but your remarks about the combat and the writing are good things to know beforehand.
You got the facts kinda right, but I completely disagree with the conclusions. I would omit it but you have spent a lot of time on it before actually saying what the game is, so... Everyone has the right to think bad about other people. And everyone has the right to express their opinions. If people would be allowed to tell only good things about each other everyone would think that they are perfect and would stop improving and start to devolve.
And yes, the game is somewhat hard for new players *because it's original and somewhat realistic"
That's how real life works: to be successful you have to specialize. If you have 10 slightly developed skills you will almost always lose to a specialist in his respective field.
Having the right specialization for the kind of work you are going to engage in is part of the challenge.
What you seem to didn't get is that worldbuilding is really a story in this game. When you play the game you are told 2 intertwined stories: of current events and really important story of the past. And to fully understand current events and "win the game" you must get the story of the past. Some books do stuff like that, with 2 (or more) lines, but stories in the games are usually very primitive... because asking to think is almost a crime nowadays.
Sounded to me like he got it, but there's 'story' (wide view, includes overarching tale; setting; backdrop etc) and then there's 'narrative' (the way a story is told: narrow view; personal stakes; emotional engagement; tension; pacing). Ultimately it's a question of presentation and it sounds like AoD has a brilliant story framework but some issues with the delivery on that second part.
Also Chris acknowledged specialization was clearly the way to go and his problem with it was it *wasn't* a challenge.
Glad to see you back babes, never stop Chris!
Love the work
Attacking Star Citizen, GiT GuDDerS and people who use ableist language within the first 10 minutes? Are you speedrunning breaking the internet?
I have to disagree on nearly every critique the video makes, most notably about the quality of the writing, which I consider at least very good to great. I won't write an essay in a u2b comment, but believe me when I say it: you should form your own opinion. Whether you find this game good or bad, if you're an RPG fan, it will be a thought-provoking experience.
Chris I have a bone to pick.
First off I have a developmental disability and I completely agree with Vince about modern day RPGS being dumbed down.
Reading his comments, they reek of frustration at the modern day state of video games, not of hatred at people like me.
While I do not agree with his use of English I do agree with his message regarding the dumbing down of the industry.
Framing him as a bigot while not understanding his anger is a pretty bad take Chris.
I'm not having a crack but try to understand why a man would say these things regardless if they are hurtful or not.
Context does matter considering the sate of the industry.
This game was a great disappointment to me. It was ugly, and not in a nice retro way, and the story was not engaging. After a while I was only playing for the lore, and even that wasn't enough to continue. Watching your video, I realised that there wasn't actually much more about it than what is already hinted in the first hours of gameplay, so I am glad to have stopped playing when I did.
Oh come on. A) It is entirely legitimate to voice one's opinion on rpg's, even when you make them. B) That comment is not toxic at the level which warrants the "I can't even say this out loud!". C) Most importantly, how do you justify dedicating so much of a review of an artistic creation to your own perception of controversy?
had vince just used another word like morons , idiots, or stupid people chris would barley even had cared.
but he used the r word in a certain context and now vince is a horrible person.
Another Great video in a great series! Love it bud, Keep up the good work!
Man, South Park humor would probably make you throw up if that "ableist slur" offended you.
So has he shown up yet?
Great video again Chris, glad these are still coming!
Really enjoying this series dude, did I miss a pillars of eternity vid somewhere? Or is my Timeline poor.. Superb work sir 🙏🏾
Next video, he says it at the very end.
When the developer taking their time responding to criticism instead of trying to find the underlying problem and fixing the game, you get The Age of Decadence.
I don't play these games so I really love these type of videos where I can get your views as someone who does play them
Another guy that doesnt like roleplaying in a roleplaying game. And you didnt finish a combat playtrough... then how are you going to have the knowledge to do actual hibrid builds like a smart legionary that goes into leadership instead of beeng just a grunt? The story is your playtrough since there are so many differences that can happen. Like crowning Miltiades.
this isnt really game related but for fantasy you should check out malazan book of the fallen. insane series