The First Templar - Review @ IGN

Dhruin

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This is the second review of The First Templar we've seen from a major site and IGN has hammered the game, with a 4/10 score. "Not good", would probably summarise their view:
Looks aside, the major appeal of The First Templar is its story and combat. Unfortunately the story is weak and clichéd, with all the predictable twists and turns I'd expect out of a cheesy action film. The characters aren't particularly interesting, and there isn't enough dialogue between them or background given to the world to make it more than an excuse to put you in a bunch of different environments.

No matter how varied the environments are, though, the levels boil down to the same thing. Your character is funneled down one long path, forced to fight waves of imbecilic enemies and be beaten over the head with the solutions to any puzzles before them. Combat is basically a button mashing affair, where you can generally beat everyone around you just by swinging away like a mad man. Some later fights do force you to block and dodge, but this is mostly because they throw a ton of really dumb enemies at you, rather than presenting enemies that are genuinely challenging and fun to fight.
More information.
 
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finally some1 who makes sense
 
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Hmm... I bought the game and have a totally different view of it. funny though, because my score wasn't terribly different. I give it a 6/10, and I posted my little mini-review in the currently playing thread.

I think the level design is good, not bad. It's an action game, not a "go here and there questing" game. Therefore the levels do their job - funneling you through the mission without a lot of backtracking. And while the graphics aren't state of the art, they aren't bad.

And yes, combat can be won with button mashing, but it doesn't have to be. There are a lot of moves to unlock and employ. And consider this: If it required more than button mashing, it would get criticized for not being accessible. There's no happy medium nowadays.

As for the plot and characters, yeah they are a little shallow, but it's a casual game. I don't think anyone, including reviewers, loaded this up and expected it to be on par with The Witcher or Dragon Age. Jeez, can gamers not use their imagination anymore? Is no one capable of filling in the blanks? Does everything have to be spelled out on the screen?

Anywho, I'm enjoying it!
 
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The reviewer said it looked bad graphically, but looking at the video I dont think the game looks that bad at all. Looks like a fun weekend action title to pick up when it hits bargain bin or sale price, I wouldnt pay more than 10-15 bucks for it.
 
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The reviewer said it looked bad graphically, but looking at the video I dont think the game looks that bad at all. Looks like a fun weekend action title to pick up when it hits bargain bin or sale price, I wouldnt pay more than 10-15 bucks for it.

It really isn't bad! That's what I don't get. It has dynamic shadows, light shafts, good textures, I just don't get what everyone's beef is. The biggest legitimate complaint against the graphics would be the backgrounds on some levels, like Cyprus and The Siege of Acre. The distant ships and islands look like 1960's Hollywood backdrops on a sound stage. I find it kind of charming though! So far every interior level has been very sound graphically. I guess the water could use some help, but again, it's not a deal-breaker. As I mentioned in the currently playing thread, some mundane animations are non-existent, but it seems the devs concentrated heavily on the combat. There are some pretty cool finishing moves.
 
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Errr, why aren't waves of enemies fun to fight?
 
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iv'e played about 2 hrs. It's not the worst game i've ever played. It's linear , not very many quests and the combat would be like a neutered witcher 2 combat.( no magic, not as many moves, you can block and dodge.). I started out with 2 warrior types and have replaced one of them with a thief type now. You always play with one companion.The story is about the search for the holy grail it's ok so far.

It's your basic console action game on pc.If you could pick it up for half price and had some time to kill after the witcher 2 and before skyrim it wouldn't be bad, their are definitely worse games out there. Just don't expect to much and you could end up enjoying it.
 
looks like playing w/ the thief would be fun, sounds like she starts pulling backstabs on the enemy while your clanking away on them
 
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The funny thing about the review is most of their comlaints could be said about da2 also but they gave it an 8.5. I guess kalypso doesn't pay as wellas bioware.

I neversaw waves of enemies they definitely don't spawn on top of you like da2. You can see them in the distance.

I just got the thief so I haven't played her much but seem like she has some cool abilities. Oddly enough the leveling up system is very similar to tw2 even looks the same. 4 branching directions pick your skills.
 
looks like playing w/ the thief would be fun, sounds like she starts pulling backstabs on the enemy while your clanking away on them

There is an unlockable move with Celian (the knight) where he can grab and hold someone while Marie (the thief, but assassin is better term) takes them out. Again, you can toggle between the two at any time. She is very useful for taking out archers, as she can throw her dagger at the expense of 'zeal', a sort of expendable special move fuel.

Incidentally I'm six hours into the game and just fought a true duel with a boss character. I have to admit it was very cool. I'll stop short of 'epic', but still, it was cooler than the duel in TW2 prologue. The camera can be controlled at all times, but during the duel it automatically followed the combat very well, rotating around like a movie scene without messing up your ability to control your character. I'm playing on normal difficulty, and the battle was tough. I died three times before figuring out the right combination of blocks, stunts, and slashes. The more I play the more I am appreciating the combat mechanics of this game.
 
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