Avadon - Review @ GameBanshee

Brother None has penned a detailed review of Avadon for GameBanshee. Ultimately, he enjoyed the game but was bothered by a number of design choices, such as this one on linearity:

This kind of well-paced story is really hard to tell in anything but a linear narrative, which restricts some of the freeroaming known from Avernum and Geneforge. This is an understandable tradeoff, but I personally feel Avadon went a bit far in it. Locations can not be unlocked before an NPC does it for you, and the only NPCs that can do so are typically main plot-related NPCs or followers, with the story structured to see you constantly return to Avadon to be sent to the next area of the game's choice. Even within individual maps the entire experience of exploration is excessively guided, with frequent use of unpickable doors or impassable portcullises guiding you until the game feels the need to open them for you. There are some secrets to find, but for instance paths through dense shrubbery can only be found by quest-related NPCs opening them for you. Compared to Avernum, it feels very restrictive.

More information.

A fair and accurate review.

I find myself agreeing in most points and most certainly with the bit quoted above and the
review's conclusion.

Mr Vogel can indeed do better with the next installment and can find a better balance between keeping the system reasonably accessible and providing more depth and
substance. I will be certainly keeping an eye on future developments.

Too long, not enough interesting for its contents. He should learn be more efficient in his writing, that's about the writer of this article.

For the conclusion quoting Avernum 6 as an outstanding RPG, well correction, A6 got an award at this web site but nothing more, it's not an outstanding RPG. At least Avernum 1 is a lot better. Make a pool from Avernum fans and we will see.

Eh? Thought is was very interesting, and quite the right length. Very fair and informative.
But then diagreeing with Dasale quickly became a habit

Originally Posted by GhanBuriGhan
Eh? Thought is was very interesting, and quite the right length. Very fair and informative.
But then diagreeing with Dasale quickly became a habit

Welcome in the club. That said I have been honest and think I clearly wrote I didn't read it really.

Only visually it is badly done, look at those gigantic sections.

But yep I don't know much about writing, just read some stuff on the net, sometimes. And as everybody know I prefer answer posts without reading them, afterall they are so boring to read so why bother?

Originally Posted by Dasale
For the conclusion quoting Avernum 6 as an outstanding RPG, well correction, A6 got an award at this web site but nothing more, it's not an outstanding RPG.

Oh well. If Dasale says so then obviously it becomes factually incorrect to call it outstanding.

Originally Posted by Dasale
At least Avernum 1 is a lot better. Make a pool from Avernum fans and we will see.

I'm not sure why a pool of Avernum fans would dictate my opinion. Furthermore, I called it outstanding, not the best of the series (though I think it is). You're talking as if Avernum 1 being better would negate its outstandingness.

I don't think Avernum 1 is better either.

Times change there was a thread working as a vague pool and Avernum 1 wins easily. But not that many people posted if I remember well. I quote there was a new thread and a real pool and well not many votes but not that few and Avernum 1 is quite forgotten now. Currently Avernum 2, 3 and 6. I haven't played 3 but in no way I would compare 2 to 1.

But anyway "outstanding" for Avernum 6 makes me smile, ha well. I don't have the patience for reading your wall about Avadon and even less because I feel all this paranoia about old school thing is ridiculous and I know you share it.

Avadon 2 - coming to a cell phone near you.

Originally Posted by Dasale
I don't have the patience for reading your wall about Avadon

Then shut up and bother some other thread.

Thanks for the review, it was well-written and in-depth. I didn't mind the lenght of it, on the contrary, I welcome it. I much prefer longer, thorough reviews that are more than just short snippets with precious little actual info and loads of screenshots.

Originally Posted by skavenhorde
Then shut up and bother some other thread.

+1 (Do we have an ignore button here? I Can't find it if there is.)

Originally Posted by Lurking Grue
+1 (Do we have an ignore button here? I Can't find it if there is.)

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Thank you!