RPGWatch Feature - Blade of Destiny HD Review

@Kordanor, thank you. Got a free copy.

Thanks! A nice addition to my game list, although I'm planning to pick up the remake soon. The Codex opinions makes me want to buy it more...

I give it a few more month for patching - bought it on realease day.
My backlog is long enough.

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Well, I won't blame the entire Codex, but alot of people there seems to have a general negative attitude towards life. I do like alot of people on those forums too though, it's just that they have to many members that write like 12-year olds and quite a few pure Trolls.

I'm definitely with the Codex on this one. Which has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a member since many years there. No, really, it doesn't.

Graphics that are just on this side of bearable (I do not know a single person who would seriously claim this "game" has a better atmosphere than the original).

Even at the current state, countless bugs that will make your time playing the game at least annoying many a time (with quest-breaking bugs still in).

Changes to gameplay mechanics that just outright break balance (I've read that archers don't even get a penalty when surrounded… wtf, even D&D has this).

And there remains the fact that no developer or publisher who releases a product like that deserves any kind of support. Not on release, and not years afterwards, no matter how much time they spent trying to fix things. They have lost all credibility and respect from my point of view. I haven't even read a "we fucked this up because …" response from them. Just the usual MMO-dev attitude of releasing something broken, hoping that people will tag along while the game gets finished. With posts

This review is more fair than other reviews, as it does indeed describe the actual game instead of focusing just on the bugs. But on the other hand, after playing the game myself (well, I tried), I can only say that the review seems to turn a blind eye on many things that make this game bad.

Kudos to the hard work put in by the gang at Crafty Studios.

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The hard wo… WHAT?!
Hard work it would have been to finish the product before releasing it. What they are doing right now is the least the customers should expect. They are doing their job far too late. That does not deserve kudos at all. It may save them from being bashed even more.

And I say all of that as a developer myself (before you ask, there's nothing to show yet). So, when our product is released, feel very free to judge it on those rules as well. I wouldn't dare showing myself publicly when I would have released something in that state (not if I could have prevented it, and they could have).

TheSHEEEP said:

countless bugs… annoying… no developer or publisher who releases a product like that deserves any kind of support.

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You do realize you're describing another game? The one you've probably bought both DLC afterwards. The one you've voted to get GOTY award everywhere.

Oops, I do realize now you're from codex. Please continue with whatever, sorry I've mentioned anything. And please, put me on ignorelist, I won't mind.

Meanwhile, still haven't started RoA remake, not that I'm scared of it, but the time is short.

joxer said:

You do realize you're describing another game? The one you've probably bought both DLC afterwards. The one you've voted to get GOTY award everywhere.

Oops, I do realize now you're from codex. Please continue with whatever, sorry I've mentioned anything. And please, put me on ignorelist, I won't mind.

Meanwhile, still haven't started RoA remake, not that I'm scared of it, but the time is short.

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Well he is a Codex member Joxer some of the watchers with posts under a 100 usually turn out to be one. Don't try talking sense to him.

Anyway Fluent thanks for another article it's refreshing to see another opinion that isn't just bashing the game, and following the hive mind.

Codex have every right to thrash developer and publisher, no game should be released like this.Fact that they didn't make game from scrath makes it even wores imagine what would have been if they tried to make game of similar complexity on their own.

And Joxer I know how much you hate Skyrim but that game wasn't broken in any way.In very early version I completed every major quest like with only small annoyances so situation isn't really comparable.

Codex or not, I think TheSheeps makes good points.
We don't have to agree on everything he says but imho his opinion is as valid as anyone elses.

In the end the question is: Should you give second chance to a developer which scammed people once?

So, whoever hates on these developers, you must work at Crafty Studios and know exactly what happened behind the scenes that caused them to release the game in the state it was, right? Please, let us all know, then.

And what type of "scam" is it when the person who is supposedly "scamming" you is putting in hard work to make the game better? Lol. Sounds like a pretty poor "scam"if they are spending more time, money and human resources to make the game better. The whole point of a scam is to take the money and run, isn't it?

Couchpotato said:

Anyway Fluent thanks for another article it's refreshing to see another opinion that isn't just bashing the game, and following the hive mind.

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You're welcome. And I'm glad most of you enjoyed it.

Fluent said:

So, whoever hates on these developers, you must work at Crafty Studios and know exactly what happened behind the scenes that caused them to release the game in the state it was, right?

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It's simple, their money run out.And instead of putting in more money or going for alpha funding they published game and use people paying full price as beta testers.

I am not going to feel sorry for greedy publisher, or developer that hope they can remake game in less than a year(when it was announced in January game was in very early alpha).

So, should they have picked the money to finish the game from the money tree, or what?

Who knows, the project may have been scrapped altogether if they didn't do what they did. After all, if the money runs out and there's no more development, that means no game. If that was the case then I'm glad they did what they did to get the game released.

Fluent said:

So, should they have picked the money to finish the game from the money tree, or what?

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Publisher fund games, if they can't fund year of development they really should shut down and give it to people with more money and competence, or they could just gone to alpha funding like all other kids but that is potentially less profitable option.
So I am not going to feel sorry for greedy people.They tried to make quick money on someone else work and they failed boo hoo.

Fluent said:

If that was the case then I'm glad they did what they did to get the game released.

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This game was released long ago and there is version on GoG that might be ugly now but unlike this version it's actually working.

Would it be cool with you if I sold a second hand car to you but don't tell you that the whole thing will inevitably break after a couple of days which I am well aware of? And when you come to me complaining I tell you "well, I am broke, had to pay for my dental care. But don't worry, in 6 months I will take care of repairing it".

They released it as unfinished product. By putting the box into the shelf they are implying that the game is "finished", which it wasn't. It also wasn't mentioned on the box or in any online sale that "you are buying an unfinished product which is basically not playable".

If they released it as early access, like they did with Might and Magic X, or if they just released it online with a big note that the game is not finished yet, that would have been fine with me. But the way they did it, it was a scam from my point of view. And by showing them gratitude now, you are basically telling them that you don't mind if they do the same with their next product.

Don't get me wrong. I agree that the game can be good as of now and you can show recognition for that.
But on the other hand I can understand people like TheSheep who don't want to forgive the developers and I find it unfair to just put him aside as "hater".

I agree that it's a good thing that the developers are taking care of fixing the game now instead of abandoning it. But as I said before, this wasn't what they sold in the box. I bought a 4X strategy game called "Legends of Pegasus" a while back. Was also released as totally unfinished product. Luckily I got my money back on steam, because before they could fix the game, the company entered bankruptcy - and the game was never "finished". Personally I won't buy anything from Kalypso now right at release but instead wait for reviews.
Same goes for Funcom, a MMO company which tends to release unfished games which only get enjoyable after a couple of months.
You could argue that you should wait for reviews anyways, yes. But again, with releasing the game it's implied that the game is finished besides of a couple of bugs, which are always there.

I have a question on the 'no penalty for archers in melee' complaint… is that an issue with the game system or the game? If the game system (TDE is it?) doesn't have it, then I don't see why the game not having it would be a problem. If the game system does have it, and the developers didn't add it to the game, it would be a valid complaint I guess, but not 'breaking', after all, as long as the NPCs play by the same rules it's not breaking balance.

wolfing said:

I have a question on the 'no penalty for archers in melee' complaint… is that an issue with the game system or the game? If the game system (TDE is it?) doesn't have it, then I don't see why the game not having it would be a problem. If the game system does have it, and the developers didn't add it to the game, it would be a valid complaint I guess, but not 'breaking', after all, as long as the NPCs play by the same rules it's not breaking balance.

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The disadvantage in the old ruleset that RoA uses is that you don't get a chance to parry with a ranged weapon. There might have been negative modifiers for hitting in melee too, can't remember. In the newer editions, you'd get a chance to evade instead (a score that is usually lower than the parry score).

Kordanor said:

They released it as unfinished product. By putting the box into the shelf they are implying that the game is "finished", which it wasn't. It also wasn't mentioned on the box or in any online sale that "you are buying an unfinished product which is basically not playable".

If they released it as early access, like they did with Might and Magic X, or if they just released it online with a big note that the game is not finished yet, that would have been fine with me. But the way they did it, it was a scam from my point of view. And by showing them gratitude now, you are basically telling them that you don't mind if they do the same with their next product.

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This.

The nature in which they handled the release is fairly unforgivable in my mind. It makes Dungeon Lord's release look well considered and professional in comparison. (and I say this as someone who got some sort of fun out of that game)

I agree with TheSHEEEP, Nameless One, Kordanor and Shagnak. No sob background story compensates for the fact we were offered unplayable and fully priced game under the guise of fully finished product. If that's not a con job, I don't know what is.

PS I enjoyed your review Fluent. I have NOT enjoyed the way we were treated by Crafty Games (under the circumstances quite a fitting name).