Avencast - Review @ GamesRadar

magerette

Hedgewitch
Joined
October 18, 2006
Messages
7,834
GamesRadar posts their short and negative look at Clockstone Software's Avencast:Rise of the Mage, slamming it for lack of originality and scoring it 4/10:
It isn't even just that the game is inherently broken - somewhere within the battered remains of Avencast's ideas lies a middling story, but the entire product feels terrible. Enemies take too long to kill, the dialogue has the tone of a 12 year-old's fan fiction, and the gameplay is of Flash-game quality, but at a full-price premium.
More information.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
7,834
This review is complete rubbish. This is one of the best action CRPG games I've played in ages. The game is definitely difficult in the beginning, and actually requires some thought to play and advance your character properly. That's what makes it rewarding. I'm about 15 hours into it, and my character is doing just fine and FINALLY ripping through enemies. Yes, it's an action CRPG ala Diablo or Divine Divinity, but you have to actually WORK to build your character and start getting good loot and gaining the ability to be effective in combat. This reviewer strikes me as somebody that likes games where everything is handed to you early in the game. It has good puzzles and a nice interface. My guess is this reviewer probably didn't even make it through the tutorial before writing up this review. Bah. I'd give this an 8/10 personally. Just my opinion.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
852
Location
Columbus, OH USA
Michael Lafferty at GameZone: 7.8 / 10

Avencast has its share of clichés, but still provides a challenge and is entertaining as well. This is a single-player title that would do well to introduce newer players to the genre, but will give veterans a nice old-school experience.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
19,818
Location
Germany
I don't think I've ever read such a short piece that made claims to be a "review". It's a blog-irific comment at best, IMHO.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
7,834
I tried the demo and patched it to 1.08 ... I gotta say, it wasn't my cup of tea either ... felt very tomb raiderish and the engine is possibly even worse than tomb raider ... to each their own, but I wouldn't pay over $9.99 for it, let alone $40.
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Messages
168
Location
PAC NW
Good game. I am level 6 now and still in the first dungeon (the one you got to play in the demo as well) and still think this is a great game. Finally an action RPG that really offers some great ACTION. The fights really are a lot of fun, especially when you're badly outnumbered. The main and sidequests are interesting so far.

Obviously many people will complain about the graphics that aren't state of the art. My advice: go play Crysis and wonder why your QuadCore system with 4GB RAM and the latest (and most expensive) graphic card just wont give you more than 16 FPS with all settings on.... AVENCAST runs smooth and it looks nice (for me). Oh and the spell effects just superb.
 
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
34
I'm still early on but finding it fun so far.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,932
I tried the demo and patched it to 1.08 ... I gotta say, it wasn't my cup of tea either ... felt very tomb raiderish and the engine is possibly even worse than tomb raider ... to each their own, but I wouldn't pay over $9.99 for it, let alone $40.

I don't think you're talking about Avencast. The most recent patch available is a 1.02c Beta patch. There isn't a 1.08 patch for Avencast, as far as I know.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
852
Location
Columbus, OH USA
http://www.avencast.com/downloads/AvencastDemo_patch_v108.exe

This is the newest patch Sir Markus. Not sure where you were looking but you might be missing out if you're playing on 1.02c

I downloaded the demo and I hate it. I always hate demos that throw you into the middle of the game without any buildup. I would have much rather played levels 1-7, than 7 random levels. I quit after finishing the first sequence. I was wondering how I got to be level five after killing a handful of creatures. I was also wondering how I acquired all those spells/skills. Does it have so few crpg features that the story and progression can just be ignored?

To those who have actually paid for this, does it have a story? Do you actually have conversations where you get to pick what you say? I kept feeling like I was supposed to be playing this with a controller. I'm too old to play controller games :)
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
8,821
I don't see any reference to a 1.08 patch anywhere on the web, or on the Avencast website. If you know where one is, send me the link to the page that has info on the patch, not a direct link, because I'm not downloading that. I want to know what I'm downloading first.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
852
Location
Columbus, OH USA
Did anyone pay for this? Or is it just pirates and "reviewers" in here. I'm curious if anyone actually paid $40 for this game. If so, what about the game made you feel like it was worth the money? It looks like an outdated Dark Messiah, but I'm willing to pay for it if there's something deeper on offer.

P.S. To me, a reviewer who didn't pay cash for a particular game makes his/her review of less worth than someone who paid their hard-earned money for a game. That's why I ask....
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
8,821
Well for me, I played the demo, liked it, and ordered it from Amazon. This game was under the radar, but has turned out to be one of my favorite games over the last few years. It's an old school type of hack and slash game, and I guess it's not for everybody. It's fast paced, linear, and pretty much mindless fun. It's like an arcade game. It's not Fallout. But to my tastes, it's a pretty good game.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
852
Location
Columbus, OH USA
Thanks, Sir Markus. It doesn't really sound like my cup of tea, although I want it to be :)
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
8,821
P.S. To me, a reviewer who didn't pay cash for a particular game makes his/her review of less worth than someone who paid their hard-earned money for a game. That's why I ask....

So you are saying that even though I pay for 90% of my games I review, the 10% I get gratis produce reviews of less value? What sort of asinine logic is that? Because I bought Night Watch but got Day Watch through GamersGate for review the review for one is of more value than the other? I dunno ... I demand that I play the whole thing through, making it a significant time investment. For me, 50 hours is worth *much more* than $50 ...
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,932
It's called gratitude, txa1265. You're grateful to get the free game and will likely be more forgiving than for a game you paid money for. It's a simple as that. Have you ever heard the phrase, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth"? I give very little credence to online reviewers at all, but I give a little more weight to ones who pay for their games. I generally form my opinions from the forums here and elsewhere.
Of course, some of that opinion is formed from reviewers that happen to post here too, such as yourself. This wasn't a personal attack, I don't keep track of which users happen to post their thoughts on a website frequently. I couldn't tell you what site you write for, but I appreciate your many, many posts here.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
8,821
Not a pirate here, and yes, 1.08 is the latest demo patch ... and no, my biggest gripes weren't the graphics ... I just felt as if I were playing a 2001-ish version of Tomb Raider with a Lara who could cast spells. The game felt (in my limited time with it) more action/adventure than RPG.

As to the whole credibility issue of online reviewers, I assure you that the recent gamespot incident is the rule as opposed to the exception.

I think reviewers like Mike are the exception ... I have never been let down by any of his recommendations (mostly DS/GBA games). He is good about pointing out that although he liked/disliked a game that fans of/haters of x genre should/should not give it a shot.
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Messages
168
Location
PAC NW
It's called gratitude, txa1265. You're grateful to get the free game and will likely be more forgiving than for a game you paid money for.

Sorry I took offense ... because you are right. I even see it with the site I do reviews for that is not a 'labor of love' (which is how I feel about this place and GamerDad) - I write reviews about all sorts of games, but see some folks who won't do anything unless the game is free.

But to me the problem ends up at folks who are paid for reviews - because if they are getting $200 for a review, it doesn't matter if it was the 2 hour Nancy Drew DS game or the 80+ hour Witcher ... it is the same money. And $100/hour and $2/hour are quite different, so there is only motivation to squish the play-time down.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,932
Back
Top Bottom