Trails in the Sky is a trilogy, Trails of Cold Steel is 4 games. Trails in the Sky is a very different game than Trails of Cold Steel. I loved ToCS but I didn't care much for TitS. They happen in the same world but other than that they are not related. You may find a reference here or there in a book you read about something that happened in the other game but that's about it.
Last game you finished, tell us about it
- Thread starter JemyM
- Start date
-
- Tags
- games mini review
Trails in the Sky is a trilogy, Trails of Cold Steel is 4 games. Trails in the Sky is a very different game than Trails of Cold Steel. I loved ToCS but I didn't care much for TitS. They happen in the same world but other than that they are not related. You may find a reference here or there in a book you read about something that happened in the other game but that's about it.
- Joined
- April 12, 2009
- Messages
- 23,459
Unlike wolfling I adored the first TitS. TitS2 however is more of the same, with same characters, same trashmobs, same locations, same everything, horrible, I suggest skipping it. Tits3 is again great.
I cared a lot about those two of three Tits games.
But I didn't care much for ToCS. It's a great game, honestly it is, but there is no "sauce" in the story. Because the overall game is great and honestly it's the best PC port I've seen in my life I'm buying it's sequel hoping the story matured.
I cared a lot about those two of three Tits games.
But I didn't care much for ToCS. It's a great game, honestly it is, but there is no "sauce" in the story. Because the overall game is great and honestly it's the best PC port I've seen in my life I'm buying it's sequel hoping the story matured.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 23,459
Bioshock infinite.I found this game quite a bit of fun. I had played it once before when it first came out but enough time had passed that I had forgotten the details. I won't go into details about the story which is fairly well developed. The gameplay is (imho) a typical shooter with a few twists but the package of a whole is a lot of fun with well develeoped maps et all.
-
What I did play this time around was the DLC package. Burial at sea part1 didn't really grab me but part 2 is a fantastic exercise in stealth and highly recommended. Both are well narrated story with a bit of twist and whatever. Highly recommended (esp part 2).
The third dlc is just a series of round shooters. Nothing to see there
-
What I did play this time around was the DLC package. Burial at sea part1 didn't really grab me but part 2 is a fantastic exercise in stealth and highly recommended. Both are well narrated story with a bit of twist and whatever. Highly recommended (esp part 2).
The third dlc is just a series of round shooters. Nothing to see there
I finished Ember this past weekend. Here’s my Steam review for anyone who might be interested in this one:
“Always on the lookout for RPGs, I picked Ember up a while back during a sale. I didn't expect much as the visuals and ui are vaguely reminiscent of a phone game. I guessed it was going to be pretty game without much depth which I could breeze through on some rainy weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty damn good 30 hour long rpg which clearly was put together with quite a bit of love and attention to detail.
Pros:
Solid story and good soundtrack
Good graphics, reminded me of Torchlight
Very well written NPC dialogue
Books throughout world are actually enjoyable to read!
Seamless transition between zones with no loading screens
Very detailed and believable game world
Good challenge, even at later levels
Cons:
Initial loading from start menu takes a while...probably due to no loading between zones.
While I liked the graphics...some might find them a little too cartoonish
Wish they had included fishing/mining animations
Loot was good and plentiful...but felt a litle samey after a while
Crafting was thorough and servicable...but the crafting log being seperate from the actual crafting screen was annoying.
Verdict:
While not quite as deep as a Baldurs Gate or similar old school RPG, this one was actually significantly better than I expected. I was continually surprised at the clever little details and touches which the developer added throughout the game which made the world feel special. The writing was great and contained a lot of humorous and thoughtful dialogue. I spent about 30 hours going through the main story and enjoyed every minute of it. I got this on sale..but I feel there is plenty of value here to justify the full $10 asking price. This is a great game which may not be getting the attention it deserves from RPG fans. I definitely recommend giving it a chance!”
“Always on the lookout for RPGs, I picked Ember up a while back during a sale. I didn't expect much as the visuals and ui are vaguely reminiscent of a phone game. I guessed it was going to be pretty game without much depth which I could breeze through on some rainy weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty damn good 30 hour long rpg which clearly was put together with quite a bit of love and attention to detail.
Pros:
Solid story and good soundtrack
Good graphics, reminded me of Torchlight
Very well written NPC dialogue
Books throughout world are actually enjoyable to read!
Seamless transition between zones with no loading screens
Very detailed and believable game world
Good challenge, even at later levels
Cons:
Initial loading from start menu takes a while...probably due to no loading between zones.
While I liked the graphics...some might find them a little too cartoonish
Wish they had included fishing/mining animations
Loot was good and plentiful...but felt a litle samey after a while
Crafting was thorough and servicable...but the crafting log being seperate from the actual crafting screen was annoying.
Verdict:
While not quite as deep as a Baldurs Gate or similar old school RPG, this one was actually significantly better than I expected. I was continually surprised at the clever little details and touches which the developer added throughout the game which made the world feel special. The writing was great and contained a lot of humorous and thoughtful dialogue. I spent about 30 hours going through the main story and enjoyed every minute of it. I got this on sale..but I feel there is plenty of value here to justify the full $10 asking price. This is a great game which may not be getting the attention it deserves from RPG fans. I definitely recommend giving it a chance!”
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2017
- Messages
- 170
Carnifex
SasqWatch
I liked Ember a great deal and will likely replay it at some time in the future unlike some games say, like, Original sin two. I went into Ember with quite low expectations and was pleasantly surprised for the entire time that I played it.
I completed Willy Nilly Knight on Friday, it was really a fun game. Maybe a bit short, only took me twenty hours or maybe a bit less to play it through. If they do an expansion for it, I'd get it because the base game was fairly priced for the enjoyment it provided.
I completed Willy Nilly Knight on Friday, it was really a fun game. Maybe a bit short, only took me twenty hours or maybe a bit less to play it through. If they do an expansion for it, I'd get it because the base game was fairly priced for the enjoyment it provided.
Personally I thought Ember was a pile of shit (mostly due to horrible simplified mechanics; though the maps/story were 'ok'). Once I fully understood what had been implemented it became obvious why it was so cheap. Anyway each to their own; but I would rate it a 3 and while I finsihed the game I iwll never replay it.
prey: I thought this game was very well done. It reminded me of a much longer much harder system shock (2). The story was reasonable; the presentation was reasonble. However (imho) it has some real balance issues (I played on normal).
You will die a *lot* and after a while it gets annoying. The mini-game (hacking) could use some adjustments but there are mods to make it easier (i did not use any mods).
-
There are a few bugs (I could not complete the kirk remmer (sp) sub quest). I had one crash; and twice controls became 'wonky' and I had to save and restart to fix (not sure if this was due to clipping issue or something else).
-
THe puzzles can be very difficult even with map markers (puzzles basically consist of go here and do that - whether it is retrieve an item or find a specific person).
-
Character upgrades and enhancements were quite reasonable and very selective for at least 2/3 of the game (what I mean by selective is you can only make a few choices; you can't simply max out your character (ala elder scroll games). I think around 2/3 point I checked what my character build should have (must take options) and found i had 9 out of 10 and the 10th didn't interest me - so while my character was far from optimal (comment on constant dying); it was not totally lame. I did not use guids but i did google a bit when i had problems finding or reaching an objective (and some of the solutions were such that I would never have gotten them on my own (like break the ceiling).
-
I don't like to recommend or not recommend games (unless they are total trash like ember ); but I do think this game is extremely well done.
-
If I were making changes - there are a few plot holes I would fix or clean up and I would reduce damage you take (so you stop insta dying).
-
Items were plentiful - oh one major hint:
watch the entire credit at the end - what comes after the credit is worth the price to admission (no clue if this depends on ending you pick as I only picked one ending for my play - but might do another from last save - haven't decided).
-
While not the most enjoyable game I played in 2017 (ok ok it is 2018 but lets count it towards 2017); I think it is probably the best conceived game with regards to structure and objective.
-
[edit] - you don't have to watch the entire credit - you can skip them via esc and still get the tidbit at the end.
You will die a *lot* and after a while it gets annoying. The mini-game (hacking) could use some adjustments but there are mods to make it easier (i did not use any mods).
-
There are a few bugs (I could not complete the kirk remmer (sp) sub quest). I had one crash; and twice controls became 'wonky' and I had to save and restart to fix (not sure if this was due to clipping issue or something else).
-
THe puzzles can be very difficult even with map markers (puzzles basically consist of go here and do that - whether it is retrieve an item or find a specific person).
-
Character upgrades and enhancements were quite reasonable and very selective for at least 2/3 of the game (what I mean by selective is you can only make a few choices; you can't simply max out your character (ala elder scroll games). I think around 2/3 point I checked what my character build should have (must take options) and found i had 9 out of 10 and the 10th didn't interest me - so while my character was far from optimal (comment on constant dying); it was not totally lame. I did not use guids but i did google a bit when i had problems finding or reaching an objective (and some of the solutions were such that I would never have gotten them on my own (like break the ceiling).
-
I don't like to recommend or not recommend games (unless they are total trash like ember
); but I do think this game is extremely well done.-
If I were making changes - there are a few plot holes I would fix or clean up and I would reduce damage you take (so you stop insta dying).
-
Items were plentiful - oh one major hint:
watch the entire credit at the end - what comes after the credit is worth the price to admission (no clue if this depends on ending you pick as I only picked one ending for my play - but might do another from last save - haven't decided).
-
While not the most enjoyable game I played in 2017 (ok ok it is 2018 but lets count it towards 2017); I think it is probably the best conceived game with regards to structure and objective.
-
[edit] - you don't have to watch the entire credit - you can skip them via esc and still get the tidbit at the end.
Last edited:
Carnifex
SasqWatch
It occurred to me this morning that I never spoke on finishing Elex, which I did at the end of January. Now, I remember not thinking much of the game at release, two friends at that time were playing it and told me I should really give it a shot.
So, I got it as either a birthday or Christmas gift in December, and gave it a go the next month. The first thing that made an impression on me was the inherent difficulty, or at least I found it quite hard, as I'm simply not the best at action types. I persisted, and the payoff was excellent.
My first stop was with the berserkers. Now, these folks are right up my alley, wearing their swords/hammers/pikes/lances right on their sleeves!! However, quite a few of them seem to believe in magic or some kinda hooey, and as I don't cotton finger-wigglers, eventually I went looking for new friends.
Next stop, the blatant criminal-types, the so called Outlaws. Now, these could have been my kind of folks as well, except they seem to have a penchant for mild-altering substances. Like the former clan, I did some work for them and eventually went looking for new friends once again, and found....the clerics.
Now, on paper these seemed the least likely group that I'd be affiliated with. Kidnapping folk, brainwashing them, that's just not cool in my book. But maybe in this world that's what is required, because this is the faction I eventually sided with.
The combat is tough, but the story makes it entirely worth slugging out. I had serious difficulty sticking with just a sword, but later on I worked a bow into my combat rotations, and that helped immensely. Softening up the opposition with a few arrows before kissing them with my blade was quite satisfactory.
For me, the only PB games that I found superior to this one was the very first Risen, and Gothic the second. Really, if you enjoy a mixture of sci fi and fantasy, Elex should be quite satisfying.
So, I got it as either a birthday or Christmas gift in December, and gave it a go the next month. The first thing that made an impression on me was the inherent difficulty, or at least I found it quite hard, as I'm simply not the best at action types. I persisted, and the payoff was excellent.
My first stop was with the berserkers. Now, these folks are right up my alley, wearing their swords/hammers/pikes/lances right on their sleeves!! However, quite a few of them seem to believe in magic or some kinda hooey, and as I don't cotton finger-wigglers, eventually I went looking for new friends.
Next stop, the blatant criminal-types, the so called Outlaws. Now, these could have been my kind of folks as well, except they seem to have a penchant for mild-altering substances. Like the former clan, I did some work for them and eventually went looking for new friends once again, and found....the clerics.
Now, on paper these seemed the least likely group that I'd be affiliated with. Kidnapping folk, brainwashing them, that's just not cool in my book. But maybe in this world that's what is required, because this is the faction I eventually sided with.
The combat is tough, but the story makes it entirely worth slugging out. I had serious difficulty sticking with just a sword, but later on I worked a bow into my combat rotations, and that helped immensely. Softening up the opposition with a few arrows before kissing them with my blade was quite satisfactory.
For me, the only PB games that I found superior to this one was the very first Risen, and Gothic the second. Really, if you enjoy a mixture of sci fi and fantasy, Elex should be quite satisfying.
Thrasher
Wheeee!
Prey was one of the highlights of last year.
I played it without taking but 1 alien neuromod, to keep all the turrets on my side. They we good distractions and actually killed things. Fun to use them to set up ambushes.
Next time I would go full alien neuromods.
I played it without taking but 1 alien neuromod, to keep all the turrets on my side. They we good distractions and actually killed things. Fun to use them to set up ambushes.
Next time I would go full alien neuromods.
BoboTheMighty
SasqWatch
Eh? Well I did had a catch up with some of the games after exams kicked off, so finished a few.
Sort of from bottom to top.
I think I was cleaning my PC and somehow found Fallout I in one of the xxx folders, don't know how it ended up there, played 3/4 of it a while back, so did a restart. Overall, pretty damn disappointing in nearly every aspect: storytelling, characters, main story and quests, rpg progression, world design,...pretty much everything poor, except for some of the more open quest design and combat being able to cure insomnia. Also they massively reused the assets from the game in Fallout II, the games are nearly identical.
Elex was also pretty disappointing, dropped it after 15'ish hours or so. Usually need either story or world or gameplay to keep playing, and it felt too weak/unrefined at all three.
What then?
Syndicate ( 2012) was pretty mediocre, solid FPS ( Great gun sounds though), run of the mill cyberpunk story, nearly went blind from all the bloom.
Tyranny was o.k-ish, though I did enjoy it more than PoE. More focused, better c&c and characters had more kick to it, but definitely felt they running this on budget, espec in second half.
Satellite Reign was a pretty solid RTS, great aestethics, really nailed feel of the setting in game mechanics. Story needed more ( or any) unique misssions, so it kind of dragged off eventually.
FF XIII-2? Played it a few hours, until some point I had to find a way to travel through time to stop a giant tomato from destroying the world. No time for this, better to leave this incomprehensible quirkiness to wolfing&Zloth and play FFVIII again.
Enderal, pretty good surprise. Well designed world( more corridored), sort of like more vibrant, rich Oblivion, with distinct areas with very different ambience, good exploration when it comes to item placement. Story is ok, bit, ahem, inspired by others, but carried by a couple of well developed characters. Char progression is hi/miss...on one hand, perks are better structured, some new add ons, and it rewards specialization more. On the other, whole thing with books is just tedious/mess, and feels less intuitive( skills/perks). Some areas could have been more developed, still...pretty impressive for mod team. Surprised this didn't caught attention of Sony/Xbox or some publishers.
Dreamfall saga, probably the best I've played recently. First was great, charming old adventure game, well paced, likeable MC, variety of locales. Second big letdown in every respect, with third they improved in practically every respect, really rounded up the series, lived up to it's name. Have to admit almost cried a couple of times( almost being the keyword here)
Sort of from bottom to top.
I think I was cleaning my PC and somehow found Fallout I in one of the xxx folders, don't know how it ended up there, played 3/4 of it a while back, so did a restart. Overall, pretty damn disappointing in nearly every aspect: storytelling, characters, main story and quests, rpg progression, world design,...pretty much everything poor, except for some of the more open quest design and combat being able to cure insomnia. Also they massively reused the assets from the game in Fallout II, the games are nearly identical.
Elex was also pretty disappointing, dropped it after 15'ish hours or so. Usually need either story or world or gameplay to keep playing, and it felt too weak/unrefined at all three.
What then?
Syndicate ( 2012) was pretty mediocre, solid FPS ( Great gun sounds though), run of the mill cyberpunk story, nearly went blind from all the bloom.
Tyranny was o.k-ish, though I did enjoy it more than PoE. More focused, better c&c and characters had more kick to it, but definitely felt they running this on budget, espec in second half.
Satellite Reign was a pretty solid RTS, great aestethics, really nailed feel of the setting in game mechanics. Story needed more ( or any) unique misssions, so it kind of dragged off eventually.
FF XIII-2? Played it a few hours, until some point I had to find a way to travel through time to stop a giant tomato from destroying the world. No time for this, better to leave this incomprehensible quirkiness to wolfing&Zloth and play FFVIII again.
Enderal, pretty good surprise. Well designed world( more corridored), sort of like more vibrant, rich Oblivion, with distinct areas with very different ambience, good exploration when it comes to item placement. Story is ok, bit, ahem, inspired by others, but carried by a couple of well developed characters. Char progression is hi/miss...on one hand, perks are better structured, some new add ons, and it rewards specialization more. On the other, whole thing with books is just tedious/mess, and feels less intuitive( skills/perks). Some areas could have been more developed, still...pretty impressive for mod team. Surprised this didn't caught attention of Sony/Xbox or some publishers.
Dreamfall saga, probably the best I've played recently. First was great, charming old adventure game, well paced, likeable MC, variety of locales. Second big letdown in every respect, with third they improved in practically every respect, really rounded up the series, lived up to it's name. Have to admit almost cried a couple of times( almost being the keyword here)
To be honest I also didn't finish FFXIII-2 but I lasted a while longer. FF8 is the worst FF in history though, ok tied with FF15 but still.
- Joined
- April 12, 2009
- Messages
- 23,459
Kingdom Come Deliverance
I'll go my classic short list.
Took me 117 hours to complete almost everything that's possible to complete. This means I left unsolved a few quests that can't be solved at all (at least I don't know a workaround that wouldn't screw my game). Also, as quests have different possible outcomes, some of possibilities I haven't experienced which is not a biggie as I want to replay it anyway.
Top notch:
- inengine cutscenes coreography*
- active props like trebuchet*
- costimography*
- the story and substories just keep you going for more, characters are fantastic
- the world full of activities and not empty, a middlefinger to grindlovers
- sound and sound editing
- absolutely amazing and engaging castle siege reconstruction I've never seen in any other game
Mediocre:
- Music
- Ingame economy
- Quite a few fetch quests that could have been easily avoided and reworked differently
- Fishing got cut out so you can't take use of fishing spots (still you can loot fish from traps)
- Not enough nudity (okay, modders will fix this)
Horrible:
- Fire animation is so bad it feels like stolen from the old (original) Doom
- No hairworks in year 2018
- Almost all quests are bugged as if those were directed by Bethesda
- Crapload of other bugs like corrupted saves, everyone yelling your name, etc
Not sure what to think of, but then again I don't care about it anyway:
- Melee combat is fun but uses QTE in it
- Ranged combat is hard at start but with some practice you'll pwn everything
If it wasn't bug-o-rama I'd call it a nearmasterpiece, but I can't forgive competing with Skyrim's number of bugs so:
8/10
If you didn't buy it yet, do wait for the patch.
Me? It's so damn good I want it's sequel. As soon as possible!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* - this ain't CGI but a cutscene in engine:
I'll go my classic short list.
Took me 117 hours to complete almost everything that's possible to complete. This means I left unsolved a few quests that can't be solved at all (at least I don't know a workaround that wouldn't screw my game). Also, as quests have different possible outcomes, some of possibilities I haven't experienced which is not a biggie as I want to replay it anyway.
Top notch:
- inengine cutscenes coreography*
- active props like trebuchet*
- costimography*
- the story and substories just keep you going for more, characters are fantastic
- the world full of activities and not empty, a middlefinger to grindlovers
- sound and sound editing
- absolutely amazing and engaging castle siege reconstruction I've never seen in any other game
Mediocre:
- Music
- Ingame economy
- Quite a few fetch quests that could have been easily avoided and reworked differently
- Fishing got cut out so you can't take use of fishing spots (still you can loot fish from traps)
- Not enough nudity (okay, modders will fix this)
Horrible:
- Fire animation is so bad it feels like stolen from the old (original) Doom
- No hairworks in year 2018
- Almost all quests are bugged as if those were directed by Bethesda
- Crapload of other bugs like corrupted saves, everyone yelling your name, etc
Not sure what to think of, but then again I don't care about it anyway:
- Melee combat is fun but uses QTE in it
- Ranged combat is hard at start but with some practice you'll pwn everything
If it wasn't bug-o-rama I'd call it a nearmasterpiece, but I can't forgive competing with Skyrim's number of bugs so:
8/10
If you didn't buy it yet, do wait for the patch.
Me? It's so damn good I want it's sequel. As soon as possible!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* - this ain't CGI but a cutscene in engine:
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2009
- Messages
- 23,459
zahratustra
SasqWatch
- Joined
- January 10, 2008
- Messages
- 4,721
Yup, joxer's reviews are short and to the point
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2008
- Messages
- 4,721
You did miss Father Godwin's night of debauchery via persuasion check…
Also, I personally like the music. I kinda wish there was bards/minstrel around though.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2007
- Messages
- 7,313
Finished Avernum III.
Despite the game feeling considerably larger than the two previous games I finished it more quickly - 41 hrs in total, as opposed to 52 hrs for Part I and 63 hrs for Part II. I missed lots of content though (large parts of the map were still unexplored). Unlike the previous games it finishes right after the final quest so you can't keep exploring after the last battle, which is a bit of a shame.
I played on the normal difficulty as usual. In retrospect I wish I'd played on hard. At early levels there was a lot of threat from encounters, but later in the game nothing really challenged me. This felt different to the two previous games, where the Great Quests were still challenging on Normal difficulty even right at the end of the game when my characters were level 30+. In Avernum III i stockpiled Invulnerability Potions for the big finale smack-down mission but in the end I just didn't need them.
Talking of levelling, I mentioned in another thread that I was getting towards the soft cap, which I thought was level 30. I was wrong - I was still gaining skills and talents past level 30. I don't know where the soft level cap is actually set.
The game itself was great fun to play. I find exploring Avernum a very satisfying experience and Part III more than held its end up here. I definitely missed quite a bit of content, including most of the legendary items, large parts of the map, and at least one timed event that I only found out about after finishing. It is huge! And because I knew I was missing content, it was particularly satisfying when I found something hidden (whether a secret lich's lair, a subtle hint about the location of a legendary item, a useful spelltome, or a hermit NPC with an interesting story/quest).
Sound, graphics etc…. very much as expected.
So yeah it's a definite thumbs up from me overall, and I'd happily recommend it to anyone who liked the other games in the series.
Despite the game feeling considerably larger than the two previous games I finished it more quickly - 41 hrs in total, as opposed to 52 hrs for Part I and 63 hrs for Part II. I missed lots of content though (large parts of the map were still unexplored). Unlike the previous games it finishes right after the final quest so you can't keep exploring after the last battle, which is a bit of a shame.
I played on the normal difficulty as usual. In retrospect I wish I'd played on hard. At early levels there was a lot of threat from encounters, but later in the game nothing really challenged me. This felt different to the two previous games, where the Great Quests were still challenging on Normal difficulty even right at the end of the game when my characters were level 30+. In Avernum III i stockpiled Invulnerability Potions for the big finale smack-down mission but in the end I just didn't need them.
Talking of levelling, I mentioned in another thread that I was getting towards the soft cap, which I thought was level 30. I was wrong - I was still gaining skills and talents past level 30. I don't know where the soft level cap is actually set.
The game itself was great fun to play. I find exploring Avernum a very satisfying experience and Part III more than held its end up here. I definitely missed quite a bit of content, including most of the legendary items, large parts of the map, and at least one timed event that I only found out about after finishing. It is huge! And because I knew I was missing content, it was particularly satisfying when I found something hidden (whether a secret lich's lair, a subtle hint about the location of a legendary item, a useful spelltome, or a hermit NPC with an interesting story/quest).
Sound, graphics etc…. very much as expected.
So yeah it's a definite thumbs up from me overall, and I'd happily recommend it to anyone who liked the other games in the series.
Carnifex
SasqWatch
I'm glad to hear such positive things about Avernum the third, I bought it on day one and it is likely to be played in March. To date I've not heard a single bad word about it.
Finished Dishonored 2 - enjoyed greatly. I played through as Emily, and after trying a short session playing as Corvo, I must say I think the powers that Emily has are better (mesmerize, force pull ;-) etc.