An honest review from a non fanboy

[Lock]

My favorite game, or RPG, of all time is Baldur's Gate 2. Nothing has ever come close to surpassing its excellence in storytelling, immersion, sound and overall design. I've played every CRPG that came out since, and although many people might disagree with this, the only games that ever came close for me were The Witcher 2 and (yes) Skyrim. I kind of liked Dragon Age: Origins, but it just didn't grip me. I even liked Dragon Age 2, but again, it didn't grip me enough. I liked Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas, but after playing Oblivion, they just felt like more of the same. Mass Effect 1,2 and even 3 were great, but they were not RPG's in the same way The Walking Dead is not an RPG. I've played Diablo 2 & 3, and they were fun hack&slash games, but nothing more. I've played Avernum and Abadon, but even though they came out a decade later, they felt older than the Baldur's Gate series and so I couldn't enjoy them as much. I've played many more game, but nothing ever came close.

Now as a Belgian myself (sorry about last night US people), I remember being all hyped up when Larian released Divine Divinty more than a decade ago. I bought it, played it, and... I didn't like it. It lacked all the good qualities the Baldur's Gate series had. An epic story with personal stakes, excellent companions with their own personal stories, and quests which would take you all over the world and would take weeks to complete. Divine Divinty was "meh". It tried, it did it's best, but it never came close to the brilliance that Baldur's Gate (or even Fallout) was. I remember Larian promoting it as if they combined Diablo 2 with Infinity Engine games. This was simply not true. It wasn't a bad game, not at all, it just wasn't great. The misplaced "humor" and unepicness caused me to not finish the game and simply to forget about it after 20 hours or so.

Almost a decade later, Larian released Divinity 2. It had exactly the same problems as Divine Divinity, and this time I didn't like it at all. The story made no sense, there were literally no interesting characters and moving from a topdown RPG to a 3rd person action adventure was completely the wrong way to go. Next came Dragon Commander, not an RPG, but again, they promoted it as a hybrid between an RPG and an RTS. I didn't like it at all, it had the exact same problems.

I have no clue as to why, but when Larian announced Divinity: Original Sin, I got real excited. A promise to go back to the days of the old infinity games. An epic story! Memorable companions! Top down perspective! Turn based combat! New graphics! This was almost to good to be true. I'm not for the whole Kickstarter, Steam Early Access, idea. In my opinion it doesn't work and I still have to see the first game that gets released through these mediums which is actually good. Against my better knowledge I decided to buy it anyway. This couldn't go wrong right? They promised all the right things...

And here we are, and after 15 hours in, I can safely say that Larian did it again. Once again they made a mediocre RPG which promises to capture the same feeling the old infinity games did, but fails in the execution. It's quite easy to pinpoint where this went wrong: the writing. Again; a dull story which nobody will remember in a few weeks. Bland characters you don't really care about. And a journey that will take you through 4 kind of the same maps with not that much to do. Where is our epic villain? Who doesn't remember Jon Irenicus? What about Minsc and Boo? Did Cyseal have a serial killer who escapes you but turns up 30 hours later in a different city? Divinity Original Sin doesn't have any of that. It's a pretty nice dungeon crawler with a sort of decent combat system and filled with forgettable characters and quests. I'm 100% positive that if they hired the right writers, this could have been a game of epic proportions. But once again they failed to attract the right talent and what we are left with is a game filled with "funny" dialogue where your actions have no consequences and your companions are the stereotypical "imma gud fiter" or "Im a very intelligent wizard". After all this negativity it might sound like I hate Original Sin, I don't. It's a good RPG, and I will finish it in the following weeks, but it is by no means the revelation it was supposed, or could, have been.

If you want a true successor to the old CRPGS, I suggest you watch Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity, that looks like the game (I for one) have been waiting for all these years. But still, congrats on a nice game Larian, I hope it sells well and that it brings enough money to the table for you to hire a decent writing team for your next game.

7/10

[darqart]

"You cant get into the same river twice". What that means to me is that everything changes over time. The river flows past and the water is not the same. The experiance i had playing a game 10 years ago will not be the same if i replayed it today. My take on this game is that I will enjoy it for what it is and not expect it to be the same as some other game. Every game has it merits and short comings, this game is no different. The other games mentioned in this discussion also have good points and bad points.

Is this game worth playing on its own merits??? I would say yes. Is it worse or better then such and such game??? That is such a subjective question that cant really be answered because each person has thier own likes and dislikes.

I played fallout 1 and 2, fallout tactics and fallout 3 and new vegas. I liked all of them and enjoyed them for what they were. 1 and 2 were one type of game. Tactics was completely different. Fallout 3 and new vegas were very different games compared to the first two. That does not mean they were better or worse, just different.

[Lock]

引用自 darqart：

"You cant get into the same river twice". What that means to me is that everything changes over time. The river flows past and the water is not the same. The experiance i had playing a game 10 years ago will not be the same if i replayed it today. My take on this game is that I will enjoy it for what it is and not expect it to be the same as some other game. Every game has it merits and short comings, this game is no different. The other games mentioned in this discussion also have good points and bad points.

Is this game worth playing on its own merits??? I would say yes. Is it worse or better then such and such game??? That is such a subjective question that cant really be answered because each person has thier own likes and dislikes.

I played fallout 1 and 2, fallout tactics and fallout 3 and new vegas. I liked all of them and enjoyed them for what they were. 1 and 2 were one type of game. Tactics was completely different. Fallout 3 and new vegas were very different games compared to the first two. That does not mean they were better or worse, just different.

Extremely well said man. Even though I don't fully agree with it, you do make perfectly good sense.

[hairyscotsman]

This game is innovative. PoE will not be innovative in terms of gameplay. It will be innovative in escaping the chains of d&d but not much more. I was sure PoE would be my GOTY but I think it will be this one.
This game is cleverly made. I love the conversation system, the classless character progression and the element combinations.
I'm looking forward to PoE too though. Vive la difference!!

[dragonx`]

I'd never played any divinity games before but this game is one of the best SP games I've played.

[Crimsan]

I haven't played Original Sin yet, and I will check it out, because I'm also the kind of person who wants to give these games a chance. I do feel the same way about Divine Divinity and some of the games you mentioned that i've played.
I sink so many hours into them only to get burned out and most of the time don't even bother to finish them. Keep waiting and be patient I suppose, I'm still a gamer, so video games haven't truely failed me yet. I do play classics more than anything else today hahaha..

[Lock]

引用自 VanZant：

I haven't played Original Sin yet, and I will check it out, because I'm also the kind of person who wants to give these games a chance. I do feel the same way about Divine Divinity and some of the games you mentioned that i've played.
I sink so many hours into them only to get burned out and most of the time don't even bother to finish them. Keep waiting and be patient I suppose, I'm still a gamer, so video games haven't truely failed me yet. I do play classics more than anything else today hahaha..

That is a really valid point you have there. I also have so many RPG's in my collection which I just never finished because I got burned out and they couldn't surprise me anymore. I hope this will change soon.

[Certified Fentanyl Dealer]

OK, I can all gather you don't like the story/writing.

What of the gameplay though? That's kind of important.

[Horrorscope CC97]

引用自 Rackjaw：

I think I'll really like this game if I can get through the slow beginning. I personally have extremely low standards for stories in videogames (because my favorite books put the best game story to shame in every way) ... so I don't really mind a weak story in a game.

We must be seperated at birth. I'm not against a good game story and enjoy a good one, but a good game story is like a bad tv episode at best. Reading and Motion Pictures just kill game stories imo. But where games have it, drum roll.... Interactivity. So I tend to like great game play mechanics and then hope for nothing insulting in the story dept. That said, there are a lot of people that somehow get into game stories as if they are dope, I sort of envy them.

[Lock]

引用自 Dr. Cripples：

OK, I can all gather you don't like the story/writing.

What of the gameplay though? That's kind of important.

The gameplay is actually quite fun. The only problem is you have to get through a whole lot of bad writing to actually get there. If you like turnbased games, this is right up your alley. A lot of tactical posibilities too. Make it rain and use lightening on enemies to electrocute them. Shoot fire barrels (I dont know why they exist though?), to set enemies ablaze. And it also has friendly fire. The combat is pretty wel though out, but it does have its fair share of bugs and problems too. The fact that you can pick up everything you see, is a nice gimmick but gets tiresome real quick, because you basically have to move everything that isnt nailed down, just to see if you havent missed anything underneath.

[Lock]

引用自 Horrorscope：

引用自 Rackjaw：

I think I'll really like this game if I can get through the slow beginning. I personally have extremely low standards for stories in videogames (because my favorite books put the best game story to shame in every way) ... so I don't really mind a weak story in a game.

We must be seperated at birth. I'm not against a good game story and enjoy a good one, but a good game story is like a bad tv episode at best. Reading and Motion Pictures just kill game stories imo. But where games have it, drum roll.... Interactivity. So I tend to like great game play mechanics and then hope for nothing insulting in the story dept. That said, there are a lot of people that somehow get into game stories as if they are dope, I sort of envy them.

I agree to a certain extent, but have you ever played Biosock Infinite? In my opinion that game has one of the best mindblowing stories ever, better than most books or movies even.

[Rando]

引用自 Lockmort：

Hell, Divine Divinity advertised itself as a mix between Baldur's Gate and Diablo. So I think the comparison is easy to make no?

You know that repeating same thing over and over on each page won't make it true ?
Where was it advertised ? There is nothing visible anywhere it would have been put if it were advertised as such. So it was a comment, then an interview, then in some store page, then in a youtube video, then it's advertised as ? What for the next batch of readers ?

You can compare and regret that it's not as you would like it to be, but you can't accuse them for not making a kind of bg meet diablo. They didn't kickstarted nor advertised it as such.

BG was great (and still is), this is not BG. It's good/great in its own way (a way that will not fit everyone of course). Let's play and gameplay video review are more helpfull (but can't beat a demo) than hidden ranting.
Too bad that you missleading people and insisting on non relevent things may make them miss what they could enjoy. They probably will at some point so that's that.

[Horrorscope CC97]

引用自 Lockmort：

引用自 Horrorscope：

We must be seperated at birth. I'm not against a good game story and enjoy a good one, but a good game story is like a bad tv episode at best. Reading and Motion Pictures just kill game stories imo. But where games have it, drum roll.... Interactivity. So I tend to like great game play mechanics and then hope for nothing insulting in the story dept. That said, there are a lot of people that somehow get into game stories as if they are dope, I sort of envy them.

I agree to a certain extent, but have you ever played Biosock Infinite? In my opinion that game has one of the best mindblowing stories ever, better than most books or movies even.

I haven't, I have it... I think I have everything on Steam (jk but feels that way). I haven't got to it because a couple people I talk games with that played it were ho-hum about it. There are some good stories out there, I wont deny that, one I enjoyed and it is even more so how it's told was System Shock 2, you can play and the story is told to you as you play, Borderlands does the same thing, I like that delivery since I can play and listen at the same time. I'll bump it up the list on your recommendation.

Also not talking about TellTale like games, I've heard those are pretty good, haven't tried yet, bucket list material for me.

[Lock]

引用自 Rando：

引用自 Lockmort：

Hell, Divine Divinity advertised itself as a mix between Baldur's Gate and Diablo. So I think the comparison is easy to make no?

You know that repeating same thing over and over on each page won't make it true ?
Where was it advertised ? There is nothing visible anywhere it would have been put if it were advertised as such. So it was a comment, then an interview, then in some store page, then in a youtube video, then it's advertised as ? What for the next batch of readers ?

You can compare and regret that it's not as you would like it to be, but you can't accuse them for not making a kind of bg meet diablo. They didn't kickstarted nor advertised it as such.

BG was great (and still is), this is not BG. It's good/great in its own way (a way that will not fit everyone of course). Let's play and gameplay video review are more helpfull (but can't beat a demo) than hidden ranting.
Too bad that you missleading people and insisting on non relevent things may make them miss what they could enjoy. They probably will at some point so that's that.

Dude, I keep repeating it because you keep asking for it every half hour. Same answer as the last 10 times: it was in the first few of their youtube videos and I read it in their developer diary in one of the first announcements. Like I said before: I dont know which one, go watch them and I'm sure you'll see it.

I'm not misleading anyone, if you ever bothered to read my review I recommend people buying this game if they lower their expectations. See you again in 2 pages?

[Lock]

引用自 Horrorscope：

引用自 Lockmort：

I agree to a certain extent, but have you ever played Biosock Infinite? In my opinion that game has one of the best mindblowing stories ever, better than most books or movies even.

I haven't, I have it... I think I have everything on Steam (jk but feels that way). I haven't got to it because a couple people I talk games with that played it were ho-hum about it. There are some good stories out there, I wont deny that, one I enjoyed and it is even more so how it's told was System Shock 2, you can play and the story is told to you as you play, Borderlands does the same thing, I like that delivery since I can play and listen at the same time. I'll bump it up the list on your recommendation.

Also not talking about TellTale like games, I've heard those are pretty good, haven't tried yet, bucket list material for me.

System Shock 2 was amazing yeah. If you liked that one, I'm sure you're going to like Bioshock Infinite, it's from the same developer. Borderlands 2 was so much fun. And The Walking Dead was just about perfection. Perhaps weird to mention this here, but if you're looking for a really good story in a videogame, I highly recommend buying a PS3 (they're cheap these days) and play the Uncharted games and ofcourse the pinacle of videogame stories: The Last of Us.

[Kain]

Who cares the greatest RPG ever made was Planescape Torment, I won't even compare both games, just enjoy this one by what it is.

Edit - In terms of story that is, gameplay, it was just ok.