Drakensang - Review @ Games Examiner

Dhruin

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The first English web review of Drakensang we know of is up at Game Examiner, with a score of 82%:
While Drakensang might not be the most beautiful RPG you've ever seen, the graphics suffice, and it has much more depth than its low price tag of $29.99 suggests. While I normally cringe at the thought of voice acting in a lower-budget game, the voice overs in Drakensang are actually well done. And, while the writing isn't going to win any awards, it's as good or better than most RPGs.
Drakensang also has a way of really pulling you into the adventure and giving you a sense of story. As you approach the inn, you'll overhear an amazon woman arguing with the inn keeper, and on your way to investigating the mystery of the dark forest, you'll come across two bandits carrying a chest and arguing about which of them should carry the chest next. These small details really breath some life into an old school RPG.
Thanks, Avantenor!
More information.
 
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Well, I could have written that and more based solely on the Demo!!
 
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I was thinking the same thing, Corwin! He didn't mention anything that you couldn't learn by playing the demo. I'm glad something is coming out though. I liked King's Bounty, but it got pretty boring for me after the 1st couple islands. I need something a little deeper to sink my teeth into. I'm really hoping that I kill a few hundred hours in Drakensang. Fallout 3 was pretty good, but I enjoy swords and sorcery many times more than post-apoc.
 
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It will take weeks, if not months, until we see the first review from somebody who has finished the game. ;) (Not taking into account that our review will come rather quickly when my cough and cold is gone.)

A few 100 hours is unrealistic. Maybe 60-80 hours on a normal run through in the slowest combat mode. Another 20-40 hours if you look under every rock. I'm not sure how big the replay value is when you know the story.
 
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I'm not sure how big the replay value is when you know the story.

I was very tempted to restart the game immediately after finishing it, with a completely different party setup. First time I was fairly focused on bows and some nature magic (myself as Ranger, Forgrimm as a "Dwarven Wall", streetwise Dranor and druid-like healer Gwendala), next time I'm going to try out a lot more magic-heavy classes, which I didn't experience a lot yet. Likewise with professions. And different approaches to some encounters

But I decided to wait a couple months before I do that, to let the story fade a bit.

Not sure how long I played from start to finish, I took a long break right after the second Dragon quest began, although that's when the story picked up a lot.
 
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I was pleasantly surprised at the voice acting too, but that's such a small part of what I look for in a game. Ordinarily I read the subtitles myself and skip to the next line. Honestly I could altogether do without voice acting save for cutscenes

Is it true that when you leave an area, you can't return to it?
 
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Generally yes. There are ca. 3 hubs you can return to, usually the biggest cities.
It was a pragmatical decision. The budget was too tight for such a game. They had to cut some corners. Leaving the areas open would have meant to find some meaningful purpose for them, which would have cost resources they decided were better spent elsewhere.
It's not as big a deal as it sounds though. All areas combined are absolutely massive. Plus, you cannot accidently leave an area. The game asks for confirmation.
 
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It was on Gamestop yesterday, but it sold out. I saw it on Amazon too. It should be in stores today. I'm not sure about digital downloads yet.
 
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I was very tempted to restart the game immediately after finishing it, with a completely different party setup. First time I was fairly focused on bows and some nature magic (myself as Ranger, Forgrimm as a "Dwarven Wall", streetwise Dranor and druid-like healer Gwendala), next time I'm going to try out a lot more magic-heavy classes, which I didn't experience a lot yet. Likewise with professions. And different approaches to some encounters

But I decided to wait a couple months before I do that, to let the story fade a bit.

Not sure how long I played from start to finish, I took a long break right after the second Dragon quest began, although that's when the story picked up a lot.

I always say the same thing but never get to doing it. Every Wizardry game I finish I've always said "I'll play again with this other idea of a party I have". Either I never do it, or if I do it, I quit after 8 hours or so, there's just so much replay value in playing the same story with different classes (as opposed to having different stories and endings)

It was on Gamestop yesterday, but it sold out. I saw it on Amazon too. It should be in stores today. I'm not sure about digital downloads yet.
If it sold out I would be really glad, hopefully it sells well and developers stop thinking traditional RPG is a dead genre.
 
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I am just surprised at the low price, after playing the demo, I did not come away thinking that this is a budget title
 
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It's not, but THQ / Eidos don't seem to put much trust in the game. ;)
 
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After playing Drakensang, I didn't feel the urge of replaying it so soon. I enjoyed it very much, but I think my party was so balanced that I saw all facets of gameplay. I had all kinds of characters in my party, and got a lot our of my mage spell-system wise.

Also, while individual NPCs have different reactions in some situations, they are very few. Occasionally, they make a comment triggered by a location you enter. The comments are well written, but not worth replaying with other characters IMO. Also dialogues for your PC won't change if you choose a different race or class, which might be the most annoying feature of the game.

As you see, I thought that this game was not perfect at all. However, I really, really hope that it does well financially. It is a good game, and the development team is so nice and so dedicated - it would be great to see what they can do with a bigger budget.
 
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Gamestop says shipping on the 23rd in the US, Amazon says it's available, but if you look closely at the shipping information it actually predicts 2 to 4 weeks before shipment.

Don't think it's actually available yet.
 
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It's not, but THQ / Eidos don't seem to put much trust in the game. ;)

Shame on THQ, but it just adds to my very, very negative opinion I have about THQ.
 
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Gamestop says shipping on the 23rd in the US, Amazon says it's available, but if you look closely at the shipping information it actually predicts 2 to 4 weeks before shipment.

Don't think it's actually available yet.


Actually, my local Gamestop said that they had ONE copy coming in, and that it was in shipment and should be at the store tomorrow. I put my $5 on it to hold it. I'm thinking that the orders by the game stores and online retailers are just low and that it's basically insta-backordered in many places.

Though it took a while for me to warm up to it (wasn't terribly thrilled upon my initial impression), I'm happy that I stuck with it. I really liked the mechanics of the old Realms of Arkania games, but the graphics were so muddy (even back then) that I always found them a bit cumbersome. This looks to hold true to the mechanics, has some great charm of its own, and appears to be quite a deep game.

Guess I'll know more tomorrow.
 
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Cool, maybe I'll call my local retailer then.

*Both my shops were supposed to get it today, likely tomorrow. Glad I just finished KOTOR 2. Gonna make a Death Mage character I think.

Anyone know much about the class?
 
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