Divinity: Original Sin - Review Roundup #2

Here is the next round of reviews for Divinity: Original Sin that I could find this week.

PCGamesN - 9/10

When I play Divinity: Original Sin, I’m back in my parents’ study, gleefully skipping homework as I explore the vast city of Athkatla. I’m overstaying my welcome at a friend’s house, chatting to Lord British. And it’s not because the game is buying me with nostalgia, but because it’s able to evoke the same feelings: that delight from doing something crazy and watching it work, the surprise when an inanimate object starts talking to me and sends me on a portal-hopping quest across the world. There’s whimsy and excitement, and those things have become rare commodities. Yet Divinity: Original Sin is full of them.

Eurogamer - 9/10

I have no hesitation in recommending Original Sin to RPG fans old and new, provided that you're up for a challenge from very early on and don't expect to romp through, Diablo-style. While Skyrim is obviously more freeform and immersive, and the likes of Mass Effect are more cinematic, Divinity: Original Sin is hands down the best classic-style RPG in years. It's obviously not Ultima 8 in name (and that's probably for the best, because the Ultima 8 we got in reality was bloody awful). It is, however, in every way that counts, the best successor ever to those classic journeys to Britannia, and a triumph on its own terms as a modern RPG with no shortage of fresh ideas.

PC Gamer - 87/100

One of the joys of playing Divinity: Original Sin is rediscovering things that RPGs used to do well and eventually lost—creating new experiences in an old mould. That's the nostalgic sentiment that drove it to success on Kickstarter. But what's really exciting about the game is that it proves that traditional RPGs have a lot to teach present-day designers. Freedom, simulation, depth, and respect for the player's choices. There's power in that old blood.

Hooked Gamers - 9.5/10

Long in the making, Divinity: Original Sin offers the beautifully deep intricacies of an old-school RPG that does not in any way feel old-fashioned. What a great and unique experience.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - No Score Given

The journey has been a long one and I’m pleased that the ending is a happy one. At the beginning of these thoughts I said that the role of critic can be kind and fulfilling. That’s because for all of the ideas that I admired in that early build more than a year ago, I suspected that the best of them might fall apart as the game grew in size and complexity. Against strong odds, Larian have fulfilled the early promise and the extra time, effort and money has all been invested wisely. The sausage has become a steak, succulent and flavoursome, and I have a new toy to play with and return to over the coming months and years.

More information.

If this game sells half as well as it reviews, Larian just went AAA.

Except for the idiots at Gaming Trend (who gave Mass Effect 2 95 and Mass Effect 3 93…) it seems to be reviewing high across the board. 86 & 9.2 in metacritic. Bloody brilliant.

If we're looking on ME2 as a shooter with RPG elements, it does deserve a high score.
ME3 93? Okay, first 10 mins were 93. But then it goes down and down and down. Reaches near zero, but is still holding… And then we learn about DLC scam where it drops below zero.

Originally Posted by joxer
If we're looking on ME2 as a shooter with RPG elements, it does deserve a high score.
ME3 93? Okay, first 10 mins were 93. But then it goes down and down and down. Reaches near zero, but is still holding… And then we learn about DLC scam where it drops below zero.

I agree with you, they do deserve high scores. But that they are the two highest scoring titles they've ever reviewed shows they have a strong bias toward certain games. Besides I misread, they didn't award them 93 and 95, they gave them 99 and…99. For what they are I would give ME2 a 90 too, haven't played part 3 though.

To me it just shows they have a tendency to see problems in titles or genres they aren't familiar with, while overlooking them in others. That's pretty natural, but without a decent perspective on things you shouldn't be a game reviewer. I'm of course biased too, D:OS is the best game I've played since…well…Wizardy 8 maybe? Nothing released this decade comes close in my book anyway.

I hope Sven and co. make a billion dollars on this one.

None are more deserving.

Originally Posted by Michael Dean
I hope Sven and co. make a billion dollars on this one.

None are more deserving.

This.

I agree. DOS is all we wanted. All this industry needed : A window of fresh air …

The writing alone blows me away. As I've said before, it's amazing how well they created this game in English. They deserve every bit of praise they get, and all the money, too.

I do still have some minor issues with the GUI, hoping for a patch.

Originally Posted by tomasp3n
If this game sells half as well as it reviews, Larian just went AAA.

Except for the idiots at Gaming Trend (who gave Mass Effect 2 95 and Mass Effect 3 93…) it seems to be reviewing high across the board. 86 & 9.2 in metacritic. Bloody brilliant.

Perfectly valid scores for ME2/ME3, what's your beef with the Shep?

Originally Posted by LongMuckDong
Perfectly valid scores for ME2/ME3, what's your beef with the Shep?

Hah, I was going to say do you have some personal vendetta against science fiction? The Mass Effect games are a wonderful trilogy if you want to role-play in that universe. Don't hate they're popular

Originally Posted by tomasp3n
If this game sells half as well as it reviews, Larian just went AAA.

Except for the idiots at Gaming Trend (who gave Mass Effect 2 95 and Mass Effect 3 93…) it seems to be reviewing high across the board. 86 & 9.2 in metacritic. Bloody brilliant.

Larian already was AAA - their last game, Divinity 2, was literally a AAA game

And by the way, that garbage review at Gaming Trend already got taken down…

Originally Posted by LongMuckDong
Perfectly valid scores for ME2/ME3

Only if you think budget = review score.

Originally Posted by Theartofvincent
Hah, I was going to say do you have some personal vendetta against science fiction?

Do you really think ME is the only sci-fi game out there?

Originally Posted by Theartofvincent
The Mass Effect games are a wonderful trilogy if you want to role-play in that universe.

You probably meant "if you want to shoot through that universe".

Originally Posted by Farflame
You probably meant "if you want to shoot out of that universe".

Especially if you want to shoot from behind a conveniently-placed crate in that universe.

Originally Posted by LongMuckDong
Perfectly valid scores for ME2/ME3, what's your beef with the Shep?

Actually none, they are really good games for what they are. Cinematic shooters with a decent story and some RPG elements. But if you rate them as the all time high point of cRPG's then I'm probably not interested in what you think about other games…

Here's the cache if someone still wants to read the Gaming Trend review
http://webcache.googleusercontent.co…al-sin-review/

Fortunately, Lorian’s Divinity: Original Sin, while still imperfect, might stand amongst the more well made and enjoyable titles.

Being one of the more critical scorers for this title, you might want to get the developer's name right…

Sounds good, will wait a few months until all the features are in.

Daniel.

I realize that reviews are completely subjective, but anyone claiming that Mass Effect 2&3 are in the 90-95% range doesn't have much credibility in my eyes. ME1 was the best of the trilogy by far imo, and I'd score it around 85%.

Gotta say, this quote from the gaming trend article shows the reviewer's ignorance:

"Many a chest remained shut in my heroes wake simply because I didn’t want to spend the 20 minutes clicking around my screen to find the key, and many quests went ignored because I had no idea where to find the characters to drive them forward."

Sounds like he really wants a mindless Diablo-style clicking game. I admit I played this way in WOW - the goal was to level, and the story didn't matter at all. I think this sort of play sucks the souls out of games. You're like a rat in a Skinner box — pressing a lever for one more surge of adrenaline. This is the best game I've played in ages.

Originally Posted by josephwatson
This is the best game I've played in ages.

Agreed.

Edit: and so does the wife.