I haven't put a lot of time into the game. So far, I'm less than an hour into it, but I wanted to throw something up on the board. I'm not very good at writing this stuff, but hopefully I can give you something that you won't find in reviews.
I have little experience with the top down RPG genre. The Diablo's, Never Winter Nights, Balder's Gates, never did much for me. I understand they are great games... I just was never that interested in playing them. My focus at the time was FPS's and RTS type games. ... so take my impressions with a grain of salt.
Presentation: Through the roof. Brian Fargo does a great job of setting the stage for your character. He puts you in the mood of your character right away. For example, in KotOR or Fable, it was hard for me to do bad things because it wasn't what I really wanted to do. In Bard's Tale, it's much different. Your character is kind of "tainted" already, so you feel like a snarky comment is a natural thing. In fact, being nice seems almost out of character. Basically, you naturally enjoy being an ass. (it'll get you laid right away in the game)
Graphics: I think they look great, but nothing extraordinary. Nice sharp textures and lots of little details (roots, rotted boards, swaying grass, etc.) make it look good. On par with other games in this genre. I've always felt that these top down games looked very nice.
Humor: The humor is so natural in the game. Nothing seems forced down your throat. Just in the Tavern alone, I must have giggled out loud half a dozen times.
I spent a lot of time reloading my game saves to see what effect my nice/snark comments had. Voice acting throughout the game is really what gives the game such a high production value. Cary Elwes is so awesome at staying in character. The narrator also does an excellent job. The heavy medieval English accent helps keep you interested in the story at hand.
Some negatives: I think it's assumed that all RPG's made these days must have you traveling with a party. Bard's Tale is all about you. It's strictly a one man team... but you can summon a variety of things to help you out. Summoning spells or creatures through music is a little confusing. I mean that the menu is confusing... there are icons that represent cratures or spells. But the icons are weird and don't telly you much by looking at them. For instance, a hammer/anvil icon summons a rat.
Should have at least been Live Aware. Minor complaint I know... but I want my friends to see what I'm playing and also to be able to send me an invite.
I have little experience with the top down RPG genre. The Diablo's, Never Winter Nights, Balder's Gates, never did much for me. I understand they are great games... I just was never that interested in playing them. My focus at the time was FPS's and RTS type games. ... so take my impressions with a grain of salt.
Presentation: Through the roof. Brian Fargo does a great job of setting the stage for your character. He puts you in the mood of your character right away. For example, in KotOR or Fable, it was hard for me to do bad things because it wasn't what I really wanted to do. In Bard's Tale, it's much different. Your character is kind of "tainted" already, so you feel like a snarky comment is a natural thing. In fact, being nice seems almost out of character. Basically, you naturally enjoy being an ass. (it'll get you laid right away in the game)
Graphics: I think they look great, but nothing extraordinary. Nice sharp textures and lots of little details (roots, rotted boards, swaying grass, etc.) make it look good. On par with other games in this genre. I've always felt that these top down games looked very nice.
Humor: The humor is so natural in the game. Nothing seems forced down your throat. Just in the Tavern alone, I must have giggled out loud half a dozen times.
I spent a lot of time reloading my game saves to see what effect my nice/snark comments had. Voice acting throughout the game is really what gives the game such a high production value. Cary Elwes is so awesome at staying in character. The narrator also does an excellent job. The heavy medieval English accent helps keep you interested in the story at hand.
Some negatives: I think it's assumed that all RPG's made these days must have you traveling with a party. Bard's Tale is all about you. It's strictly a one man team... but you can summon a variety of things to help you out. Summoning spells or creatures through music is a little confusing. I mean that the menu is confusing... there are icons that represent cratures or spells. But the icons are weird and don't telly you much by looking at them. For instance, a hammer/anvil icon summons a rat.
Should have at least been Live Aware. Minor complaint I know... but I want my friends to see what I'm playing and also to be able to send me an invite.