Eschalon: Book III - Review @ Strategy Informer

My oh my, I'd like to sit this reviewer down and make them play the first 5 Wizardry's......then you might get to talk about difficult in a crpg. I played Eschalon 3, the only complaint I'd have was that I thought it was a bit short. It certainly wasn't too difficult, not at all. I guess if you went from playing Mario Kart to this, perhaps the learning curve was a bit much. =p
 
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You can play rogue it's just not as easy, tried in book 2 and beaten it slower than warrior or mage but it was doable with some build tweaks(adding alchemy or divination so you can consistently buff yourself for example).Harder than most other classes yes but never super-hardcore as review describes it, and once you hit point where you can afford some good items and where hp regenerats faster on rest game becomes easier.

He also should have tried other classes and builds, it doesn't look like he finished so he did review with very little time spent with game and that is just wrong.

You played rogue *first*, with maximum challenges, and you finished the game, and didn't even consider it too difficult? I'm impressed.

If not, your argument is kinda pointless. Sure, it's much easier to play through the game as a rogue, if you have first finished it with an easier class. But reviewers can't really play the game through multiple times, with different classes. A game *should* be balanced. If it has shitty balancing, then it's a flaw in the game. Shitty balancing is not a flaw in the reviewer.
 
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You played rogue *first*, with maximum challenges, and you finished the game, and didn't even consider it too difficult? I'm impressed.

No I completed book I 2 times before that and book II once before that, but this is book 3, so reviewer should completed 2 previous so this would be his 3rd attempt with basically same gameplay.


Sure, it's much easier to play through the game as a rogue, if you have first finished it with an easier class.

Again Ecshalon is easier than it's role models or even modern games like underrail or ToME(I know this is roguelike but it's designed more like regular cRPG set to hardcore).If he played games like those he should be able to fair well with anything Eschalon throws at him.


But reviewers can't really play the game through multiple times, with different classes.

But he can start new game when he sees his build isn't working.And book III is short so you can completed several times it takes you to complete regular RPG.And from what I can see he didn't finish game so he made review on several hours of experience.

But reviewers can't really play the game through multiple times, with different classes. A game *should* be balanced. If it has shitty balancing, then it's a flaw in the game. Shitty balancing is not a flaw in the reviewer.

Balancing is off but it's not "shity" and classes are flexible so it's easy to make hybrid rogue so which ever class you make you can make viable build with it.Many games that are considered all time classics had some balancing issues and useless classes it doesn't necessary make it a bad game.
 
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I don't believe the author is here, is he? We're discussing his review.

I tend to agree with his assessment about a straight rogue being extremely difficult. Try taking pierced weapons, skullduggery, lockpicks, and cartography as your first skills, with hardcore rules. You'll be crying if its your first playthrough of any of the games in the series. Especially if you decide to try some challenges and pick alchemist and the true thief. Okay, now you can never be caught stealing, never bash open or spell blast any container, can't buy potions but only make them from ingredients, etc. That type of game will beat most everyone who doesn't know the system very well indeed. Pierced weapons are daggers only for most of the game and they do two damage. If you assume that dexterity is the primary stat for a rogue and don't invest enough in strength and endurance, you're toast.

However, I also agree with everyone who says if he would have tried a handful of builds for a couple levels, he would have found much easier ways to play the game. I will almost always play a mage. If playing a mage sucks, I'll ditch a game rather than play a class I don't prefer. Maybe this guy likes the traditional rogue.
 
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The challenges really should be for a second playthrough when you totally understand the game and its mechanics. The only one I achieved was the 400+ kills, I had 500!! :)
 
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I was going to wait a while to buy EB3, but after reading this review I'm getting it right now as I type this.

Two reasons, first because most of the 'negatives' pointed out in the review appeal to me. And secondly, out of protest against sophomoric reviewers.
 
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It's definitely worth getting. If you're tight for money, you might wait for a sale, but this is a pretty solid game. I don't like it as much as Corwin, but I've been playing it off and on for a couple weeks. For those keeping track at home:

Easiest: Elemental Magic
Easy: Healer - Divination Magic
Normal: Paladin type
Doable: Warriors and Rangers
Hard: Rogues
Insane: Rogues w/no magic :)


Remember Mages need Intelligence to learn lots of spells, but they're mostly powered by perception. Endurance is calculated at the time you get it and does not raise retroactively. You can't start with 9 endurance and then raise it to 20 at level 15 and all of a sudden get a bunch of HP. If you want lots of HP-anybody but mages and priests, then you gotta get endurance at startup.
 
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I really don't understand what everybody's out to get the current reviewer.
He DID say it was above his league, and he meant it in a good way.
I think it is one of the better reviews. by the way i finsihed the game as warrior. it was too short!!
 
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I take it back. The bastard gave it 6. It's an 8.5 game for sure.
 
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Rikus, if a game is above your league, then you shouldn't be reviewing it!! I try to avoid reviewing action type games cause I don't really enjoy them; that's only fair to the game and its developers.
 
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Corwin, buy FarCry3, start playing it and then say you don't enjoy action type games.
It's not action type games you dislike. It's no brain needed games.
 
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joxer, I used to play lots of action games when i was younger. today, my instincts suck, and my rhythm is much slower. plus, the drive to go shoot some 3d character is less motivating than being in a good story or find a way to develop your character.
that's why turn based games are much more fun to me.
the fact that you like something doesn't mean everyone else has to also.

and corwin- totally, I corrected myself:
I take it back. The bastard gave it 6. It's an 8.5 game for sure.
 
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Well I didn't. And even today my instincts and rhythm don't suck.
But I can't find any fun in games that need no thinking anywhere at all. And from all I've read here, Corwin also dislikes such stuff.

It's true that not everyone has the same taste, but at least I do explain what I like and why I like it. Those who like brain on shut down mode games so far didn't make an acceptable explanation what feels so good in playing such games and what feels wrong in games where you need to think.
Just like this reviewer you're talking about. Above his league? WTF is he talking about there? That DC/Marvel superheroes only and not normal people can enjoy the game?
 
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At some point it became just tedious to spend time to learn improve your skills in an action game. It doesn't matter the action game requires thinking beside pure action skills, the problem is the lack of motivation to train your action skills. Moreover with age reflex lower making action more difficult.

Lower the difficulty is often a false solution because it will most often degenerate into a boring action where you'll tend apply a short set of OP action tactics.

And it leads to turn based games. I still have few time real fun with some action games, but it's more and more rare.

But I think there's more than that, there's hurry players and slow players. It's not about finishing fast or not a game, it's about enjoying taking your time when you play a game. Some enjoy and some don't. The first will fit much better turn based games, the second much less well. Myself I always been a slow player enjoying taking my time in games, hence always enjoyed more turn based even when my blood was still not too grey and not too tired. :)
 
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Joxer, while it's true that I like thinking games, one of the reasons I dislike action games is that at my age I no longer have fast reflexes. Twitch gaming is beyond me; I no longer react quickly in situations which need it. It's not much of a problem when playing say DDO with a group from here, but in an SP game I'd get killed far too quickly, often before I realised I was under attack!! :)
 
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Joxer, you must understand. Methusaleh was Corwin's younger brother ;)

EB3 was pretty good. I'd give it a 7 or so. Too short to go higher. The primary thing that keeps it low is that you don't have the time to develop non-combat spells to a respectable level. Because you can train skills to level 8, most skills are not effective until they're in the mid teens. For example if you want foraging to actually find alchemical ingredients instead of low quality food, it'll need to be around level 17. There is not enough game to do this and still get your major combat skill to the 30s.
 
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Just like this reviewer you're talking about. Above his league? WTF is he talking about there? That DC/Marvel superheroes only and not normal people can enjoy the game?

heh, you said the reason yourself:
It's true that not everyone has the same taste, but at least I do explain what I like and why I like it. Those who like brain on shut down mode games so far didn't make an acceptable explanation what feels so good in playing such games and what feels wrong in games where you need to think.

he said it-if you dont fancy RPG games, and arent aware of the Subtleties that compose a good rpg- done become a critic of RPG!
its like a movie critic who has no idea about wines and starts reviweing quality wine.

im sure he played some of the new rpg's and thought he has a clue. also-he most probably didnt play or finish the previous installments of eschalon.
 
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