How do you guys feel about games like Dark Spire, Etrian Odyssey, etc.?
I haven't gotten much into Dark Spire, but it's mostly Wizardry-based. Etrian Odyssey is pretty nice, and even makes you map your own dungeons using a special in-game graph utility, but I haven't gotten far in that game either.
Your thoughts on the state of the genre?
Your thoughts on the state of the genre?
"People are easily amused by quotes." - Some guy with a cool-sounding name
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dragonbait
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 12:21 am
- Location: Under the Ruins of Yulash
Hi,
Dark Spire and Etrian Odyssey are both Nintendo DS games. I have not tried Etrian Odyssey, but I have tried Dark Spire.
I like Dark Spire. It is the closest thing to the old Wizardry games that we have to date. You can choose between an old style Wizardry look/feel, and a newer updated comic-book-ish style, depending on what you want.
I picked up multiple copies of the Dark Spire for the DS as at the time they were selling for $5 bucks a piece (NEW) at the local Gamestop. What a deal! Nowadays you can only find them on Ebay and Amazon.
I have to admit I have not gotten all that far in the game, but Yes, i do enjoy it quite a bit. It is VERY reminiscent of the old BT/Wizardry games.
Here is a link to the official Dark Spire site.
http://www.atlus.com/darkspire/
Etrian Odyssey looks equally promising. However it has a very cartoonish Japanese RPG feel to it which might put off some people. I have to include me here, but the gameplay looks to be very good. Perhaps better than Dark Spire?
Here's a link to Etrian Odyssey
They made 2 Etrian Odyssey games to date.
http://www.atlus.com/etrian/
Both Dark Spire and Etrian Odyssey were made by the company "Altus"
Dark Spire and Etrian Odyssey are both Nintendo DS games. I have not tried Etrian Odyssey, but I have tried Dark Spire.
I like Dark Spire. It is the closest thing to the old Wizardry games that we have to date. You can choose between an old style Wizardry look/feel, and a newer updated comic-book-ish style, depending on what you want.
I picked up multiple copies of the Dark Spire for the DS as at the time they were selling for $5 bucks a piece (NEW) at the local Gamestop. What a deal! Nowadays you can only find them on Ebay and Amazon.
I have to admit I have not gotten all that far in the game, but Yes, i do enjoy it quite a bit. It is VERY reminiscent of the old BT/Wizardry games.
Here is a link to the official Dark Spire site.
http://www.atlus.com/darkspire/
Etrian Odyssey looks equally promising. However it has a very cartoonish Japanese RPG feel to it which might put off some people. I have to include me here, but the gameplay looks to be very good. Perhaps better than Dark Spire?
Here's a link to Etrian Odyssey
They made 2 Etrian Odyssey games to date.
http://www.atlus.com/etrian/
Both Dark Spire and Etrian Odyssey were made by the company "Altus"
Have an XBox 360, so I haven't played either of those.
Currently, I'm playing Final Fantasy XIII. Previous, I had played Dragon Age.
Enjoyed both of them, though my used copy of FF13 would be more enjoyable if it came with an instruction manual.
My biggest complaint with those two is that the battles move very fast and it's near impossible for me to keep track of everything going on in a battle; everything is in real time. I can only assume a lot of other RPG's work this way, and that the majority of gamers (teenagers) can keep up (I turn 36 next week, I'm getting old).
Somethings I think the sidequests in these games take away from the story, though then again, I'd teleport to Arboria prior to entering Malefia to level up, or hunt those illusion-spawning mages in BT2 to gain cheap EXP, so I guess this has been going on for a while.
My favorite RPG from the past decade was Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic. One very neat feature it had was that you could look up the actual battle dice rolls and see exactly how the battle went.
Currently, I'm playing Final Fantasy XIII. Previous, I had played Dragon Age.
Enjoyed both of them, though my used copy of FF13 would be more enjoyable if it came with an instruction manual.
My biggest complaint with those two is that the battles move very fast and it's near impossible for me to keep track of everything going on in a battle; everything is in real time. I can only assume a lot of other RPG's work this way, and that the majority of gamers (teenagers) can keep up (I turn 36 next week, I'm getting old).
Somethings I think the sidequests in these games take away from the story, though then again, I'd teleport to Arboria prior to entering Malefia to level up, or hunt those illusion-spawning mages in BT2 to gain cheap EXP, so I guess this has been going on for a while.
My favorite RPG from the past decade was Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic. One very neat feature it had was that you could look up the actual battle dice rolls and see exactly how the battle went.
Excellent active project for iPhone and iPad: http://www.silversword-rpg.com/the-news/
Dungeon Master successor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HnTeQFBIq0
Dungeon Master successor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HnTeQFBIq0
"People are easily amused by quotes." - Some guy with a cool-sounding name
For those who have iOS devices, Silversword RPG is now fully released: http://silversword-rpg.com/
For those who have a Nintendo DS, the Etrian Odyssey series is at 3 games.
And for Dungeon Master fans, the Legend of Grimrock continues to make steady progress and seems to have an Ultima-style runic magic system: http://www.grimrock.net/
I'm trying to remember this one Wizardry clone, but I can't find its website... it appeared on TIGSource once a long time ago, and it was probably in Japanese.
For those who have a Nintendo DS, the Etrian Odyssey series is at 3 games.
And for Dungeon Master fans, the Legend of Grimrock continues to make steady progress and seems to have an Ultima-style runic magic system: http://www.grimrock.net/
I'm trying to remember this one Wizardry clone, but I can't find its website... it appeared on TIGSource once a long time ago, and it was probably in Japanese.
"People are easily amused by quotes." - Some guy with a cool-sounding name
Legend of Grimrock is out now, and is quite good. It's not much like the Bard's Tale series - definitely more of a Dungeon Master/Eye of the Beholder successor, but it's still a great game. Proof that you can apply modern high quality graphics to an old school game concept and get something amazing.ssfsx17 wrote:And for Dungeon Master fans, the Legend of Grimrock continues to make steady progress and seems to have an Ultima-style runic magic system: http://www.grimrock.net/
Etrian Odyssey IV will be out soon... unfortunately, for the Nintendo 3DS only. I have too many electronics in my life as it is, and the only other game for the 3DS that looks interesting is Crimson Shroud.
Legend of Grimrock now has Steamworks support, so you can share scenarios with others.
Silversword is still getting updates to this day, and there are rumors of DLC or a sequel. Unfortunately, my iPad is getting on in years, and I don't plan to get a new one, so I will have to miss out on a sequel if it has higher system requirements. But, it is nice that it has good touch controls.
DOS-Box and other emulators have been ported to Android, so you can try to play the original Bard's Tale series as they were meant to be played, but it is difficult without having at least a full keyboard which includes arrow keys and F-keys. I've been trying to play BT3 on the train every day, but it's very slow going.
Legend of Grimrock now has Steamworks support, so you can share scenarios with others.
Silversword is still getting updates to this day, and there are rumors of DLC or a sequel. Unfortunately, my iPad is getting on in years, and I don't plan to get a new one, so I will have to miss out on a sequel if it has higher system requirements. But, it is nice that it has good touch controls.
DOS-Box and other emulators have been ported to Android, so you can try to play the original Bard's Tale series as they were meant to be played, but it is difficult without having at least a full keyboard which includes arrow keys and F-keys. I've been trying to play BT3 on the train every day, but it's very slow going.
"People are easily amused by quotes." - Some guy with a cool-sounding name
Re: Your thoughts on the state of the genre?
Well, I see this board is as lively as ever.
Aethra's Chronicles, an old DOS game, is pretty good. It's not very similar to the Bard's Tale at all, except for being heavily based on a pen & paper role-playing system, and allowing you to create up to three party members, but if you are able to enjoy the Bard's Tale then you will probably enjoy this one too.
Realms of Arkania has a 3-D remake on Steam. It's horribly buggy and I cannot seem to make it work consistently, but it's there. I would describe it as what happens when you add a load of rules depth to the Bard's Tale. It's a first-person game in which you create six party members with a lot of customization, but combat is based on a tactical square grid. It's even harder than the Bard's Tale, due to having a time limit on the main quest, and requiring that you know the ins and outs of the pen & paper system that it's based on.
Wasteland 2 is approaching release soon. Only the personnel are in common with the Bard's Tale. Gameplay-wise, it's a lot more like a cross between the original Wasteland and the combat of Fallout 1 & 2. But it is there, and hey, if Wasteland can be revived, then maybe The Bard's Tale can be revived properly too.
Etrian Odyssey series is still going strong, but all the latest games in the series require a Nintendo 3DS. I have enough junk in my room and I don't need to add another thing on top of that. I also have a rule of never buying a new platform just to get a few games. It is the year of the Glorious PC Gaming Master Race and I need to stay the course.
In general, this seems to be the year of revival of classic games. Elite: Dangerous, Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Edition, Shadowgate, and others are also released or will be released imminently.
Aethra's Chronicles, an old DOS game, is pretty good. It's not very similar to the Bard's Tale at all, except for being heavily based on a pen & paper role-playing system, and allowing you to create up to three party members, but if you are able to enjoy the Bard's Tale then you will probably enjoy this one too.
Realms of Arkania has a 3-D remake on Steam. It's horribly buggy and I cannot seem to make it work consistently, but it's there. I would describe it as what happens when you add a load of rules depth to the Bard's Tale. It's a first-person game in which you create six party members with a lot of customization, but combat is based on a tactical square grid. It's even harder than the Bard's Tale, due to having a time limit on the main quest, and requiring that you know the ins and outs of the pen & paper system that it's based on.
Wasteland 2 is approaching release soon. Only the personnel are in common with the Bard's Tale. Gameplay-wise, it's a lot more like a cross between the original Wasteland and the combat of Fallout 1 & 2. But it is there, and hey, if Wasteland can be revived, then maybe The Bard's Tale can be revived properly too.
Etrian Odyssey series is still going strong, but all the latest games in the series require a Nintendo 3DS. I have enough junk in my room and I don't need to add another thing on top of that. I also have a rule of never buying a new platform just to get a few games. It is the year of the Glorious PC Gaming Master Race and I need to stay the course.
In general, this seems to be the year of revival of classic games. Elite: Dangerous, Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Edition, Shadowgate, and others are also released or will be released imminently.
"People are easily amused by quotes." - Some guy with a cool-sounding name
Re: Your thoughts on the state of the genre?
Elminage Gothic is now on Steam. It is a Wizardry-like, which makes it a Bard's Tale-like two degrees removed. In fact I'm not sure how the game gets away with being so similar to Wizardry, although I guess the license must be owned by a Japanese company or something by now.
"People are easily amused by quotes." - Some guy with a cool-sounding name
Re: Your thoughts on the state of the genre?
Legend of Grimrock 2 (Dungeon Master-like) and Might & Magic X: Legacy have been released some time ago. Torment: Tides of Numenera (Planescape: Torment-like) is coming soon.
May help tide you over until THE BARD'S TALE IV KICKSTARTER GOES LIVE!!!! YEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
May help tide you over until THE BARD'S TALE IV KICKSTARTER GOES LIVE!!!! YEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
"People are easily amused by quotes." - Some guy with a cool-sounding name
-
dragonbait
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 12:21 am
- Location: Under the Ruins of Yulash
Re: Your thoughts on the state of the genre?
It's great that Bard's Tale IV is in the works. Although, I'd prefer it be first person view like Bard's Tale I-III were and I have this feeling that it may instead end up using the same engine as the new Wasteland 2 (isometric view Baldur's Gate style). I hope they instead stay true to the look and feel of the Bard's Tale trilogy. But if not, well the Legend of Grimrock games look pretty cool.