First of all I'd just like to take a second to say WOW, I just spent a good 20-30 minutes typing up a response on my iPad, and it died on me before I could hit the post button. Now my post will not feel original to me as I type it because I will just be re-hashing all my previous laid out thoughts and it will never turn out as good as it was the first time around. Interestingly, there is a tinge of irony to that last statement as I think sometimes these isometric cRPG's that we all love so much suffer from a similar issue. But enough rambling, time for the purpose of this post!
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With Original Sin 2 recently released to wide critical acclaim, Pillars of Eternity 2 just around the corner, and Wasteland 3 on the horizon, I feel like it is time to cast necrothread to bring this post back to life to reflect on Round 1 of the cRPG renaissance and preview Round 2.
Unfortunately, I don't have a ton new to add to Round 1, as I never ended up going back to finish Wasteland 2 or Original Sin, despite a Director's Cut and Enhanced Edition, each of which also saw some limited playing time. I still intend to do this some day, when I have the time and energy and am not being bombarded by other interests. I did, however, end up finishing Pillars of Eternity and gobbled up as much of the side content as possible in about 85 hours with the vanilla release. Though I put in a few more hours with the expansion, I also never finished it. Overall, I loved Pillars and think it has received its share of flak from time to time due to some unfair comparisons people's fond memories of Baldur's Gate 2. Ultimately, I personally believe Pillars stands tall (see what I did there?) as the proud winner of Round 1 of the isometric cRPG renaissance.
Round 1
Pillars of Eternity>Original Sin>Wasteland 2
While it's obviously really early into Round 2, we've started with an absolute whopper! I've put about 85 hours into Original Sin 2 and I have to say with a high degree of certainty that it puts all the games from Round 1 to shame. In fact, taking out my personal sentiments, this game is quite possibly the perfect RPG for a fella like me: Interesting characters, fabulous storytelling, incredible writing/voicework, brilliant quests, and of course the best tactical turn-based combat in RPG history! I absolutely adore this game!
Now that I'm done gushing about Original Sin 2, does anyone out there think a Round 2 heavyweight can top it? I think it's going to be quite the challenge, but if I had to pick one with a chance, I'd go with Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. Obviously I liked POE a lot, my Round 1 champ. Now that they have the engine in place, this time around they have been able to dedicate all of their time to the game itself. Obsidian also always manages to craft games that intrigue me. I'm also a sucker for the ability to continue my adventures by importing my previous hero/adventurer. Baldurs Gate II anyone?? If any game has the chance to live up to those lofty standards, it has to be this one.
Or did Original Sin 2 already surpass those standards?
Wasteland 3 will definitely have its work cut out for it. InXile still needs to land with that smash indie RPG hit in my opinion. I really have liked what I've seen from early videos, though. I definitely have a soft spot for post-apocalyptic settings, so it will have that advantage baked in from the get go.
What do you guys think about how Round 1 turned out? How do you think Round 2 will end up?