What games are you playing now?

I'd say continue on! I normally don't like dungeon crawlers, but I LOVED Icewind Dale. As several people mentioned, Severed Hands is excellent… do you have the expansion installed? If you are playing with Heart of Winter, make sure you get the free Lore of the Trial Master expansion too.

Echoing others, IWD does start with probably its dullest area, so keep on pushing through and see if the later areas click for you. There's a frozen place much later that I really liked.

Originally Posted by Menigal
Echoing others, IWD does start with probably its dullest area, so keep on pushing through and see if the later areas click for you. There's a frozen place much later that I really liked.

For me Easthaven was one of the most atmospheric starting places. I absolutely loved it. The 2D art is amazing in that place, as is in most of the game. And man, the music … Definitely not dull for me. And goes from great to absolutely awesome in Kuldahar.

Personally I couldn't play IWD, didn't like it at all. I think I abandoned it in some tower with like 13 floors.

Originally Posted by danutz_plusplus
For me Easthaven was one of the most atmospheric starting places. I absolutely loved it. The 2D art is amazing in that place, as is in most of the game. And man, the music … Definitely not dull for me. And goes from great to absolutely awesome in Kuldahar.

Oh yeah, Easthaven's pretty good. I meant the Vale of Shadows as the first proper dungeon-zone. I really need to replay it, especially now that I've got the Enhanced Edition.

What makes the later areas better than the VoS?

I started Icewind Dale so long ago for the story … as I always do … and got disappointed by it being about nothing but combat … well, almost …

oh god help me I'm playing an MMO

and final fantasy

I am playing a final fantasy that is also an MMO

I am my worst self in this moment

Originally Posted by Falksi
What makes the later areas better than the VoS?

If I'm retelling correctly, each area was designed by somebody different, with no major handholding of overall theme beyond basic plot-line, I guess to allow timely delivery. While this sounds bad as it suggest a disjointed result, it actually worked really well for this game as each area provides little chunks of originality, each feeling like a fresh adventure and each showing a different aspect of how RPGs can be cool.

The Ice Temple that's been mentioned, for example, has lots of non-combat options to solve its level-quest. One small area has respawning mobs, like a Diablo level. One area is one big puzzle you need to solve before passing forward, while another area has a traditional puzzle which allows entry to it's main area. Dorn's Deep starts to have an almost Steam-Punk vibe to the area design and is were you can find a really cool plot-twist. Kuldahar itself is memorable for it's quite unique design and one of the best musical tracks in computer game history. I could say lots more, but you still have enjoy combat, and particularly set-piece combat, to actually enjoy the game to take enjoyment from such things.

Originally Posted by lackblogger
If I'm retelling correctly, each area was designed by somebody different, with no major handholding of overall theme beyond basic plot-line, I guess to allow timely delivery. While this sounds bad as it suggest a disjointed result, it actually worked really well for this game as each area provides little chunks of originality, each feeling like a fresh adventure and each showing a different aspect of how RPGs can be cool.





The Ice Temple that's been mentioned, for example, has lots of non-combat options to solve its level-quest. One small area has respawning mobs, like a Diablo level. One area is one big puzzle you need to solve before passing forward, while another area has a traditional puzzle which allows entry to it's main area. Dorn's Deep starts to have an almost Steam-Punk vibe to the area design and is were you can find a really cool plot-twist. Kuldahar itself is memorable for it's quite unique design and one of the best musical tracks in computer game history. I could say lots more, but you still have enjoy combat, and particularly set-piece combat, to actually enjoy the game to take enjoyment from such things.

Thanks for that. Brilliant description without giving too much away, much appreciated.

I think what's got me so far is the pacing of the game. It just feels as if the combat needs to be broken up more with roleplaying. Maybe I've just been conditioned that way because of BG.

Originally Posted by lackblogger
If I'm retelling correctly, each area was designed by somebody different, with no major handholding of overall theme beyond basic plot-line, I guess to allow timely delivery. While this sounds bad as it suggest a disjointed result, it actually worked really well for this game as each area provides little chunks of originality, each feeling like a fresh adventure and each showing a different aspect of how RPGs can be cool.

This is what playing D&D was actually like a lot of the time. You'd go on one adventure in a goblin-infested castle, then run off to a set of underwater caves fighting sea zombies, and the next game you might be exploring a lost city full of frog-men. All of this might be loosely linked together by a treasure hunt, or running missions out of some lord's castle, or even completely disconnected. Since players might change between sessions, and since it takes a lot longer to play a PnP game in general, the individual stories were more important than any larger narrative.

That's one of the big differences between Black Isle/Obsidian and Bioware; Black Isle - Josh Sawyer in particular - clearly spent a lot of time playing PnP games, while Bioware gives the impression that they're coming at it from reading rulebooks and, possibly, the awful novels, with little experience playing traditional RPGs. Of course, if you've never played the same sort of D&D game, it's probably not as obvious.

Doing stuff in Tamriel and not planning on going somewhere else anytime soon (until Dishonored 2 arrives). may be a b**** but still is my favorite Companion (that is, main quest NPC) . Pure b****y fun. So much acid!
The others? Honorable, straight edge noble brutes: not all that much fun to be around (even though I feel safer with one of them guarding my back).

Yeah, I thought he was done very well.

Originally Posted by Thrasher
Yeah, I thought he was done very well.

The voice actor is enough to sell him for me.

Playing Wasteland II for the first time! Quite a feat considering I backed it at the Collector's tier two years ago !!

Really enjoying it! I love the 80's references scattered throughout; recently found a hidden cache of buried video games. I chuckled. If I had to pick out a flaw, it would be how difficult it is to get all your skills covered, with how NPC followers can be hit & miss. A great game overall though.

Playing Icewind Dale: EE, co-op with my dad. Great game thus far and we are both loving the dungeon crawling.

Originally Posted by Fluent
Playing Icewind Dale: EE, co-op with my dad. Great game thus far and we are both loving the dungeon crawling.

I really liked IWD. One of my favorites.

Started playing Heroes of the Storm, Hearthstone and Starcraft. Also playing D3. Yep, I am Blizzard slave

Disciples - Sacred Lands. Yup, the first one. I got it (and the whole rest of the series) with this latest Steam sale, and I haven't played it in years. And it's still as great as I remember it. I'm already on the third mission of the Empire campaign. The mechanics are just timeless. Even though the graphics aren't exactly amazing. But they're decent, and 10 minutes you don't even see them anymore.

All Fallout 4 last week. Gaining all companions and their perks sub-game…

ESO has become a bit too dull for me. My Vet 10 Sorcerer just spams the same attacks mostly, so the gameplay has dulled. Exploration and story / lore is sometimes not enough. All my skills are maxed for PvE. What's left that would be new is PvP and finding groups to do dungeons and high level areas.