Bard's Tale

[EvilElitest]

I just got this game for the PSII, is it any good? I enjoy the humor of it, but i feel it could have been pulled off better and the above angle is really annoying

Is there another game for the computer

Anyways, what do you think
from
EE

[Hadrian_Emrys]

It was alright, though I admit that most of my enjoyment of the game came from being able to summon a Vorpal Rat. :smalltongue:

Edit: The mechanics could have been a LOT better, it makes for a much better rent than a buy. That said, I found the humor of the thing tended to bounce back and forth between annoying and actually quite clever.

[Tirian]

It was short -- I got through it in ten hours and that's unlocking everything. The gameplay was interesting, but the story was very largely stupid. The goal was obviously to be a parody of CRPG tropes but it was far more awkward at that then, say, later games in the Leisure Suit Larry series.

And I don't know what possesses people to claim that it has anything to do with the legendary 1985 game. Absolutely nothing at all. The new game features a bard as the principal character, the old game is a Wizardry clone that features a Bard class (although, ironically, you are better off not creating one).

[EvilElitest]

So better in theory than in reality
from
EE

[Hadrian_Emrys]

Quite. It's sad, because the premise could have lead to great things if it was only done well.

[EvilElitest]

Quite. It's sad, because the premise could have lead to great things if it was only done well.

I was upset that they used teh Dark Alliance graphic modul for a parody. Bad form
from
EE

[Tirian]

If you already bought it, then go ahead and play it. If nothing else, you can appreciate how they were trying to do something interesting, and evidently it does appeal to some people. And the lead character is voiced by Cary Elwes, which is a point in its favor. But, no, I rented the game and don't have the slightest desire to ever play it again.

But one of my gaming pet peeves is knowing that I'm setting myself up for a betrayal but the game is too linear to allow me to not walk into the trap. Props for making the indigenous religion the good guys, but then you lose them for making me fight them for the first 98% of the game anyway because I need to follow the instructions of a woman just because she is offering to have sex with me.

Part of the interest of the game, I imagine, is that the principal character is a snarky anti-hero, so much a cad that the omnipresent narrator is annoyed that he has to tell his history. Not original, but not cliche either. But the point of a ROLE-PLAYING GAME is that the player gets to choose the role, not that the player has to watch the consequences of the role that the writers have chosen for you.

Now that I think back on it, I think that my greatest pleasure was how the witch would yell "SUCCOR!" to heal you.

[EvilElitest]

so it could have been great, but wasn't. I think Bioware handles snark better
from
EE

[Pronounceable]

It wasn't exactly a roleplaying game, not any more than Diablo in any case. And it was quite enjoyable. Especially the Bard has a certain appeal. A good premise is always worth a playthrough.

And Vorpal Rat is by far the most awesome thing ever...

[JadedDM]

I liked the game at first. But toward the end, it kind of degenerates into mindless dungeon crawls again and again. You get to the point where you finish one dungeon crawl, only to walk into another one.

But I loved the voice acting.

[EvilElitest]

I liked the game at first. But toward the end, it kind of degenerates into mindless dungeon crawls again and again. You get to the point where you finish one dungeon crawl, only to walk into another one.

But I loved the voice acting.

I liked the voice acting too, along with the scotish theme, but it seemed to much like Dark Alliance
from
EE

[North]

I really liked it actually. Its one of the few games that Ive actually finished. And Cary Elwes! He did such a great job in the voice acting.

[Manga Shoggoth]

I liked the game at first. But toward the end, it kind of degenerates into mindless dungeon crawls again and again. You get to the point where you finish one dungeon crawl, only to walk into another one.

You see? Exactly like the original.

(Except, of course, the original was extremely good for its day...)

[Tirian]

(Except, of course, the original was extremely good for its day...)

Heck, the original is pretty darned good for this day too. It'd be boring if you sat down with a full walkthrough in front of you, but if you just have a list of spells and a map of Skara Brae and a bunch of blank pieces of graph paper like we did back in the day, it's a progressively fulfilling challenge.

And I don't think that there is anything "mindless" about the later "dungeons" (which are actually towers) at all. The monsters are much harder, strategies for defeating them are more complex, and mapping becomes more of a challenge. There is a certain tedium in walking from the tavern to the far-flung corners of the city, but frankly I was just as bored twenty years later running across a continent in Everquest. Prettier, but who cares?

[Manga Shoggoth]

Heck, the original is pretty darned good for this day too. It'd be boring if you sat down with a full walkthrough in front of you, but if you just have a list of spells and a map of Skara Brae and a bunch of blank pieces of graph paper like we did back in the day, it's a progressively fulfilling challenge.

I think you missed my point...

Actually when I got home last knight I dug out my old copy of Bards Tale III to have another go... You face screaming death in the form of one kobold!

Ah, those were the days...

[TheEmerged]

It was enjoyable enough, but not successful enough that I felt the desire to play it a second time. I did go through the ending multiple times, just to see how all the minions react to the final question and to see all three endings.

As for the argument that it's not a roleplaying game? It sort-of qualifies under the litmus test I use. The main problems are that it's terribly linear, and no matter what you do you're playing a role with an established character (you can basically choose only HOW snarky you are).

As to the original series though, I laugh every time I hear someone say it was "counterproductive to have a Bard in your party". All I'll say about that is, not exactly.:smallcool:

[Woot Spitum]

I liked it, but it is a game that I enjoyed for the humor and style rather than the gameplay.

[Elliot Kane]

I have to admit I like it, even though it's incredibly combat-heavy. The humour is well done and while the ending is obvious almost from the start it's still a pretty fun game.

The songs regularly made me laugh out loud. They are just SO funny!

I have the PC version, though, and I'm not sure what difference that might make.