Rating: 
Summary: Great First timer
Review: I have played alot of D&D back when dirt was young. Since then I grew up, had kids of my own, and watch them play D&D games that had whole different rules then when I played.
I was truely unimpressed with many of the computer games to date, many were too difficult to understand how to make a correct character or were first person shooters. This game takes care of that yes it is somewhat mindless going from monster to monster but where this game exceeds is the multiplayer.
I enjoyed the scenery and the point of view, the large map and the zoom on both. The game itself has some merit but the story line is thin.
I am sick of first person shooters, I hope this game will be enjoyable to you as it was for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story boring features
Review: Great story line and thats about the only good thing this game has. Its graphics and game play is nice but managing a group of 3 people gets to be a pain and character appearance is mediocker. There are only few spells and two different types of spells and stats are done for you as you progress. The spells should change or become more insteanse as they level up not stay the same as a puny ball. Melee atacks are good but its hard to level up sometimes to get the stats to use a found weapon. Overall this game gets 2...
Rating: 
Summary: BEST GAME EVER!!!
Review: I am a Zelda fan. I love RPG games. Although I never really got involved with many games of this type, and certainly never finished them, I really LOVE DS!! I really want to finish it, to see every conrner of this beautiful game! Its 10/10 graphics and sound make this game unbelievable. The only problem I found with it, is its lack of story. Another incredybly good point about it, is its character control. Maybe for a lot of gamers it will be difficult to adapt to, but the most you use a weapon, the most you get proficient with it. Let's say you equip a guy with nothing but large wizard scepters. The most he uses them, he will be able to throw spells from it, and do swing it around like some sort of ninja. The detail level is simply awesome! I woul recommend this game to anyone who likes to focus on action, graphics, sound and beauty of a RPG game, instead of worrying about what to upgrade what. Really EXellent
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Diablo style clone. Gameplay could be better.
Review: Well I just started playing this game and it's fun if you like Diablo style game(which I do). The graphics and music are terrific.This is a good keeper while we wait for the next hit game to come out from Blizzard. This game isn't quite as good as Diablo in terms of gameplay but the graphics are definately better. The only thing is I can't play this game as long per sitting as Diablo. The problem is that the continous shifting of the camera angles makes me kinda sick to my stomach after about half an hour of gameplay and I have to stop. I could simply view stuff from the overhead map but then I'm missing out on all the details of the game's great graphics. I wish they had designed the game a bit better so that you didn't need to keep turning the camera angle so much. So far I like this game from Microsoft but it's not the best RPG game out there nor is it anywhere nearly as good as the titles that come out from Blizzard such as Diablo or Diablo II. If you haven't already played Diablo or Diablo II try those games first. You will enjoy them more if you like these kind of games. I give this game 3 stars for the great graphics and music but the gameplay isn't as good and that's why I knock it down 2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Some pros and cons
Review: .
Pros:
1. Great graphics, one of the best I have seen, this makes looking at it, worth it at the least.
2. Great interface design, highly intuitive. Imagine being able to control 8 characters with ease. This is something many games can't do properly, like Baldur's Gate. I think they just set the standard here. The inventory system, the mule concept, passing items between characters, the best design I have seen. Cons:
1. Too many monsters, need to balance this. It becomes work, and it isn't fun anymore.
2. Monster AI needs more work. Easiest way to beat them, is to take one little step forward at a time. This way, you can deal with only a few enemies at a time.
3. Hard to level up and get nice stuff. Diablo 2 is much much better here. However, the concept of which skill (such as the bow, spell or magic) you use more often is the skill that actually improves is a good one. I just wish you could assign stat improvements on strength, dexterity etc, yourself.
4. Story disappears somewhat... eventually all you do and remember is to hack away at the many many monsters. Diablo 2 is better here.
5. Lack of "character appeal" on the part of the Heroes. This is probably due to the fact, you get too many additional partymates early in the game. Of course, you also need the additional help considering there is a huge monster population. Diablo 2 is much better here. Bottom line:
It's worth looking at, but I got tired of playing this game fast. When Dungeon Siege II comes out, I am sure to buy it, just to see if they have "improved" on the game. The game does have a lot of strong points they can build on.
Rating:
Summary: right fit
Review: This game has the right fit between awesome graphics and good gameplay. It avoids a lot of the tedious details that you get in some of the other games, but still gives you the control you want. Like Morrowind, you improve based on what you use. It's not photorealistic, but it's damn beautiful. Pick it up used if you have to, but don't miss it!
Rating:
Summary: Poor Game by Big Game Maker
Review: I pre order this item something I will never do again. I will wait for real reviews on a product. Ok it's a two disk cd set so i figured at least 60- 90 hours of play time nope I bet the game in 28 hours. My one big complaint is you don't really control your charater like in Baldur Gate. The most you really to is click where you want them to go. They Auto fight. Story was pretty weak. Never buy a pre order game again is all i have to say
Rating:
Summary: Un-involving
Review: Let me start by saying that this game has some of the best graphix and sound I have seen/heard. I also like the "seamless" gameplay and the lack of load time. Character developement is very weak though, to develope strength use a sword, a bow for dexterity, and magic for intelligence (yep, that all). Game play is real linear and get real boring after about 30 minutes and there's no strong story to help the lack of gameplay and character developement. This game had alot of potential to be one of the best RPGs of all time, but instead just falls short. It's more of an action game than an RPG. Stick to Diablo2 or get Morrowind instead if you can get it to run on your system, or wait for Neverwinter Nights.
Rating:
Summary: Nice graphics and some good sound, but nothing else.
Review: Another RPG game that falls way short. Bear in mind, this review is for the single player version only. I'm not ambitious enough to get into the multiplay mode when other games take interest from this one. GRAPHICS. (4 of 5) The graphics in this game are obviously the best it has to offer. I'm very impressed with the 3D technology involved giving nice renderings even when zoomed in close. Each of the items a character carries has it's own rendering. Each helmet, weapon, armor, etc changes your 3D model when equipped. That is very nice, but provides for some humor when you put certain helmets on Dwarves, they look like bicycle helmets. The background scenery is also very good providing what some would call "awe inspiring". AUDIO. (4 of 5) A nice soundtrack and some great effects with the EAX turned on. You get a nice echo effect while in the assorted caves and cellers. COMBAT ENGINE (4 of 5) For the first game using the engine, I found very little I could complain about. It does seem to be a little bit weighted to hack and slash. Mages are pretty weak and getting high level spells doesn't seem to help much as the low level spells advance as the magic level advances. GAMEPLAY (3 of 5) Very good here. All of the buttons and hotkeys are quick to learn and you can start slashing in no time. But as far as providing good gaming entertainment... Give me Diablo2. It's item generating module is FAR better. STORY (1 of 5) I play RPGs for a good story line. This one can be summed up in a couple paragraphs. As a friend of mine put it, the story is "on rails." There's no need to read any of the dialog (what little there is) or use your cognitive skills for any of it. No hunting for clues or anything.. just stay on the path and kill whatever gets in your way. OTHER RAMBLINGS. Maybe I'm missing something by not going to multiplay, but fans tell me single player is better. Hmmmm. I almost gave this game a 4, but only because of graphics and sound. But when I think of a RPG, I look for much more. Also, the publishers and makers of the game claim that your inventory automatically arranges itself for efficiency. I saw several instances where I couldn't pick up an item that is 4 slots tall by one wide when I have 4 empty slots in inventory. I still have to manipulate to pick these items up. The pack mule is a nice addition, but I prefer to have an 8th character providing some melee action. FINAL RECOMMENDATION. Don't expect too much from it if you buy it. It will provide you some entertainment, but if you are a diehard RPGer and enjoy the Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment kind of games, leave this on the shelf for somebody else.
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding RPG/Adventure Game
Review: Let me just start by saying BUY THIS GAME. Ok, now for the reasons: Graphics:
These graphics are truly great. The characters actually look like real people, unlike most game characters. The scenery is great. Everything has an immense amount of detail, from the glimmering water to the snow-capped mountains. Also, the ability to click "view" and see your character close-up with the option of turning them around up to 360 degrees, is really cool. Also, this is not one of those games that basically just tells you, "you have an axe even if looks exactly the same as every other weapon," DS is more like "you have an axe. you can see it. it looks like an axe. now go kill something with it." ALso, the weapons and armor have a huge amount of detail and are very aptly named. For example, the "rusty bangle armor" has rust on it and the "damaged sword" looks like it is damaged. Voices:
The voices are decent, but nothing special. It doesn't really matter though, since nothing anyone says is even slightly important. Everything they say is something you can easily figure out for yourself. The NPCs must think you're like [dumb] or something. Oh well. Battles: The battles are really fun in DS. You control every aspect of it and can have your characters do whatever you want with one or two mouse clicks. You can have all eight of your party members attack eight different enemies if you want. ALso, you can see the action and if you zoom in a little, you can see that sometimes someone with a sword will be going all karate-style with it on the bad guys. They'll swing it back and forth and spin it around and stuff. Pretty cool, no? Gameplay: Great. That's all I have to say. Alright, I lied. I'm gonna say more. The gameplay is amazingly easy to learn and control. You can switch weapons, armor, have your characters trade items, etc. in only a few seconds. However, there is one problem. If a donkey (packmule) is highlited (you're moving him) and he sees a bad guy, he will run like hell ALL THE WAY back to where you don't want to be and you can't stop it from doing that. Then you have to go on a search-and-rescue mission for the stupid packmules. Damn donkeys. All in all, though, the controls are really really good. Lastly, Replay Value: Not much, but you can play the game again if you missed or didn't complete any of the "quests" the first time. Some of the quests are kind of stupid though. For example, one blacksmith conveniently "forgot his axe" in an area heavily guarded by enemies and he wants you to go get it. What a moron. I wish there was an option that could make you say to him: "you lost it.... i'm not gonna go die just to get your stupid axe. why don't you go cry to your mommy about it" or something like that. In conclusion, besides a few minor areas of the game that could have been better, this game is really good and definitely worth the money you'll pay for it. Also, I haven't experienced or even heard of any glitches like freezing or anything like that, so you won't play for a long time without saving and then have it erase everything. Again, BUY THIS GAME if you want to have a lot of fun for a long time.
| 
