Recent reviews by Darth Rand

Fun and Intresting Concept, playing as a Metrocop and showing everything from their perspective.
Great Combat, More Challenging than regular Half Life.
Good Soundtrack, not great but good.

Too many Puzzles, some are fun but some are weird and all the puzzles in the Final Area only made it annoying.
At times it is not clear at all on where to go, minor complaint but all other Half Life games makes it very clear where your supposed to go.
Too Bright for my taste at times(Looking at you Stalker in Chapter 3, and the turrets)
Too Short, Only 4 Chapters and with so much of the game spent underground or alone it leaves something to be desired.( Thankfully a Sequel exist :D )

At the end of the Day for being a Free Mod it is Great and definently worth playing if your a fan of Half Life.

All of the Baldurs Gate Goodness now with a Higher Focus on Gameplay and less focus on story.

Creating your own party is fun and with all the Subclasses added with the EE there's limitless customisation options for your party

Same amazing game play we all love( some of us?) from Baldurs Gate, sometimes even more challenging with intresting enemies.

Great Soundtrack Great Looking Areas with Amazing Atmosphere.
Dispite it's age the game looks phenomenal( If you overlook the Character Sprites)


The Story doesn't do it for me, wouldn't call it bad but it makes you care less for the story when your characters don't feel important to the story and
just feels like a band of mercenaires who are at the right place at the right time.

While i and challenging but there's times where the game doesn't feel fairly balanced, especally when some boss fights scale with your level.(Minor Nitpick for me but still)
And at the end of the day i find BG 1 & 2 more fun, also if you can't get in to the combat and find if fun that basiclly kills half the enjoyment you might have from this game.

While creating your Party anyway you like is fun, your characters have 0 Banthers and no personally whatsoever.
Big Negative for me since lots of the times, the characters and their personalities makes any rpg much more enjoyable and in games like Mass Effect or Dragon Age can pretty much carry the entire game on their back.
The lack of intresting characters to intract with and have banther with makes the game dull at times.
And when your main character doesn't feel important whatsoever it makes you care less about em and the story and what happends in general.



Dispite my issues, if you like the gameplay of DnD games like Baldurs Gate do yourself a favor and buy this game.
If you owned the Original buy it anyway, Great Remaster of a classic game and the only thing which would make me want to return to the Original was if this
Somehow stopped working.

A Free DLC Deluxe Edition for having played the game on early access?
Name any game company that would give out a Free DLC for 9.75, i'm waiting ^^

Never Stop being amazing Larian <3

IF Steam had an acual a "Mixed" rating for reviews i would rather give SOD a Mixed Rating because i don't think this is a bad DLC.
It's fun for the most part but i have several Problems with it and can not give it a good Rating.
For me this is sadly a very much a mixed bag, not a bad DLC but it leaves a lot to be desired.

At the core it's still the same Baldurs Gate Gameplay we love, challenging combat, new and intresting Areas, nice new gear and one thing i love about these games is the feeling of everything getting bigger.
Your facing newer and bigger enemies and obstacles all the time, in the beginning of BG1 your fighting Wild Animals, in SoD your fighting groups of organized Figthers, Rogues etc and litteral armies.
It's also refreshing to see enemies use Potions and acually try to backstab you since you only see that with Mods or sometime in ToB.
(Also Bonus to Beamdog for acually making Infravision Matter somewhat and just making some wolves attack a deer in the wild, makes the game seem more alive)

On par with the Original Soundtrack, i like the Bg1 and 2 soundtrack more but still an amazing soundtrack.
Shoutout to the Main Theme, The Dragonspear Battle Theme and the Final Boss Theme.

Having to fight lots of enemies is nice and feels epic at times but there's times when it feels annoying, especally if you play on higher difficulties.
(The Elite group of Crusaders in the North-West of Dragonspear castle can burn in Avernus, and may Lathander help you if you reach the Final Boss and didn't bring enough +3 Weapons)

Almost every enemy is copy pasted from Icewind Dale... is it to much to ask unique enemies(might be a nitpick but still)

Depending on which party you take in BG1 and if you import your save file or not some of your equipment will disappear if you don't plan ahead.
Companions which aren't avaiable later which run of with your EQ if you don't strip them.
Imoen holds her EQ hostage since there's no way to recruit her.
Also if you brought for example Edwin or Dynaheir along temporarily in Bg1, well now they will have 0 spells above lvl 3 unless they had some spells before.
So if you decided to bring Xan or Quayle along instead as Mages now all the time you spent
teaching them spells won't matter in SoD.
This severely hurts your party and is just bad design when all your EQ magically disappears from the game.
(Even Worse when the Final Boss can only be killed by +3 Weapons and you lose a +3 Weapon)

The Story is a letdown, there wasn't any need for a story between BG1 and BG2 to begin with, even some small spoilers for BG2
And there's plotholes and things that doesn't make sense:
Why does Sarevok have a group of followers in the beginning when in the original game there's almost no one left to follow him, every other person in the Iron Throne curses him and he's actively being hunter by Mercs in the end.
"The Hooded Man" feels like he was "shoehorned" in just because Beamdog knows everyone loves him, a cameo or a few lines for him would have been cool.
But appearing all the time just to talk mysteriously doesn't add anything.
Caelar is also boring antagonist and her Crusade doesn't add up.
It makes zero sense for her to get an entire army to just ravage the Sword Coast out of nowere(especally if the Main Character is Good Aligned)

The Writing in general is on the same level as the rest of the new content added to EE, pretty bad... acually really bad and Possibly the Worst compared to the New Quests and Areas added to the Original Game.
While MOST Companions are at least Okay it leaves a lot to be desired both for Npcs, Companions and dialogue options for your PC.

Voice Acting is anywhere from... somewhat good, to mediocre to almost Bad.

(Big Negative for me Here, Long Rant Warning)
Plus for getting the original voice actors, while again their writing isn't nearly as good as the original... most stay true to their old character(except Safana who was completely missunderstood by Beamdog)
Nothing against the new companions, i appricate the effort of adding new ones but there really should have been more options for companions here, your very limited in your options for a party compared to BG1.

SoD has the smallest list of companions of the entire Saga:
Want a Warrior to stay in the Frontline: Minsc and Khalid only, no Paladin no, Kagain.
Pure Fighter? Your only option is Khalid
Multiclasses? Only Glint, the Original Bg1 had tons of Multiclassed people
Archers? Corwin, Khalid & Minsc again. Coran and Kivan has moved on, so has Shar Teel
Thieves? Safana and Glint. Would it be to much to ask for a Third option?(Montaron, Tiax & Alora, Imoen?)
(Also Missed opportunity to not have Skie as a companion to redeem herself)
Clerics/Druids? Yes we have Viconia, Jaheria and Glint but is it to much to ask for Branwen as well or Yeslick?
(Baldurs Gate 2 doesn't have many Clerics or Thieves to choose from ether but makes up for it with adding some very intresting Characters.)

Nothing against the companions mentioned but this leads to you taking the SAME companions every time.
One of the best things imo about BG1 is all the diffrent companions you can take, it makes for so much replay value and adds so much
customisation and lots of options to make your party, Sod greatly lacks in this deparment and cuts out half of the companions...
And it's even worse that some companions like Khalid, Jaheria or Neera won't even join you about 1/3 through the game.

Also big minus that some companions are MISSABLE and can be KILLED BEFORE YOU EVEN GET THEM INTO THE PARTY, very possible if you play on Very Hard or Insane.
If you didn't bring ex Jahiera and Khalid with you for a long time in Bg1 they will start at a low level and might get annilated
before you can even add them to the party.
Unless this has been changed in a patch but this shouldn't be a thing to begin with and there's some serious "Lore" issues here when you consider what happends to some characters in BG2.

Romances also feels like they were added because the game needed to have romances.
Some people you romance doesn't even get a line and just forget about you at the end of the game like they all of a sudden stopped exisiting.
And when your romancing someone like Vici or Neera in SoD they have no memory of it in B2... huh.

Another thing i loved about many RPGS like BG1&2 is all the freedom you have to explore and you can do (almost) any quest whenever you want and never miss an area.
Not the case in SoD, the game cuts you off from other areas at one point in the game, so if you missed a quest... tough s__t reload and redo hours of gameplay or deal with it.
I'm sorry but who thought this was a good idea?!
Freedom to do anything at any time is what makes many Old School RPGS like BG1&2, TES, Divinity games and Sacred so fun to play... this alone is enough to make me not give SoD a positive Review.
(Also makes it a HUGE pain in the ass if you want to collect all achievements)

While i wouldn't say it's a Bad Game or a Bad DLC, it is worth playing through and i had fun playing it.
But the reason i give it a negative review is that most of the memories i have from playing this aren't every positive, gameplay wise is it still fun.
But the issues with the Story, Characters and writing really brings this game down for me.
In the end it's still worthy of at least buying on a sale, but while i'v played the BG1 through loads of times i have very little reason to play through SoD again.

You can find Hundreds of Portraits online and download them for free and even add your own with a simple Screenshot from another game or a Snipping Tool + Windows Paint 3d hence the negative Review.

That being said it's at least fairly cheap and worth getting on a sale i guess but even then that's a stretch.

The Only Thing in SoD that acually "Holds a Candle" to the Original Games.
Imo not as Good as BG2s soundtrack but still great.

Only Minus here is that the Tavern Music is missing, still an amazing soundtrack <3

As someone who really enjoys challenges in video games i find it hard to find a game or gamemode that's hard and challenging but also fair and fun without being too annoying or to cheap throughout,
sure there's difficulty modes, hard parts here and there in some games but almost nothing matches what Dark Souls is.

+
The Difficulty:
I think it's common knowledge to most people who call themselves gamers that this game is hard,
harder than most games that you will play nowadays.
At first it seems really hard, and you start to wonder if your cut out for this game,
although the first boss was a lot more challenging compared to most first bosses you beat him without to much trouble.
Then you get to Undead Burg, even normal enemies are challenge and start to kill you fast,
somehow you make it through and face the second boss, your first true test, somehow you manage do slog through it... then you get to the third boss... and it totally f__ks you... you ragequit for a week or two, or months.
Then you come back, try again, you start to get better and realize the game isn't as hard as you would think, but it brutally punishes you for being rash, not taking it slow and greeding for damage... and for not focusing.
Even when you'v gained some levels, gotten through Blighttown and Anor Londo, if you go back to some Areas cuz you missed some items and start to get cocky and just spam buttons randomly the game will slap you across the face and send you back to your bonfire.

It's not as Hard as you might think and some would say this game isn't even that hard once you learn it, but ether way few games feels as satisfying to get through as the Souls games does.

World and Level Design
While Dark Souls 1's combat is a bit slower than the other two games it makes up for it with in my opinion the best world and levels of the Souls games, realizing that the game is as non linear as it is,many of the areas are connected and that there's shortcuts here and there makes the world feel more "alive"
And on the topic on non Linear Levels you can go where you want to Areas where you aren't supposed to go and get certain items and upgrades earlier than you would normally.
(For your own Sanity: Don't go to the Catacombs at the beginning unless you know what you are doing)

Almost every level has a different "mechanic", "hazard" or obstacle(Sometimes challenging and at least okay, sometimes not) making no level feel similar to what you went through before, and even when there's one mechanic which starts to feel annoying (Looking at you Crystal Cave) it makes it more satisfying when you finish the area.

Soundtrack:
I do like how for the most part the game doesn't have any music playing, it gives the game a special feel and atmosphere.
When the music does kick in during the fights it's really epic and a few of the boss themes are some of the best i'v heard in a game, and because most areas in the game doesn't have music you appreciate it more when it does play.

World and Level Design
While Dark Souls 1's combat is a bit slower than the other two games it makes up for it with in my opinion the best world and levels in the series, realizing that the game is as non linear as it is,many of the areas are connected and that there's shortcuts here and there makes the world feel more "alive"
And on the topic on on Linear Levels you can go where you want to Areas where you aren't supposed to go and get certain items and upgrades earlier than you would normally.
You can even (while not recommended) kill every NPC you want, the world is yours to explore and do

Almost every level has a different "mechanic", "hazard" or obstacle(Sometimes challenging and at least okay, sometimes not) making no level feel similar to what you went through before, and even when there's one mechanic which starts to feel annoying (Looking at you Crystal Cave) it makes it more satisfying when you finish the area.

Soundtrack:
I do like how for the most part the game doesn't have any music playing, it gives the game a special feel and atmosphere.
When the music does kick in during the fights it's really epic and a few of the boss themes are some of the best i'v heard in a game, and because most areas in the game doesn't have music you appreciate it more when it does play.

The Online System:
(At the time of posting this review the Servers are offline but i will still share my thoughts)
While i have mixed feelings about the PvP (due to the cheaters), the Co-Op aspect which Dark Souls offers if you go online is fantastic, if your having trouble at a boss you can bring a friend in and have them help you or vice versa, check hints leave by other players to know what ahead, check bloodstands to know how and where people have died which is amazing and something i haven't seen in any other game.

Sadly not everyone who does PvP play fair and Cheaters exist, some play with uber stats and some might get hacked items into your inventory and might get you "softbanned" if your unlucky, keep that in mind if your gonna play online.
And remember: NEVER PICK UP ANYTHING FROM SOMEONE YOU DON'T KNOW.
But even then there is ways around it, play hollowed or Offline.

~
The Combat:
If your used to the faster combat in Bloodborne and DS3 the original Dark Souls will feel very clunky and not as fun, i wouldn't say it's bad but it might take some time to get used too.

Story and Lore:
While the series has some intresting characters, story and lore once you get into it the game tells you very little of it when you play through it, what you do find out is from the item descriptions.
Then again that's also the beauty of these games, it doesn't hold your hand at all and make you sit through long exposition and cutscenes but want you to figure it out for yourself.
But i wouldn't call it the selling point of the game.

The Price
There's been many people saying that the "Remastered" version is overpriced, it's just the DSfix mod slapped on the original version, the improvements over the original port are minimal etc.
And to be fair yes this could have all been included in a patch, but let's not forget that the original PoD edition was a bad port to begin and had no Anti Cheat system of any kind, crappy PvP scaling system, ridiculous resolution and the controls were a mess.
So in my opinion, yes you might be paying for what is a patch but it's worth it in my opinion( unless you want to pay even more money for a crappy port which you have to fix yourself)

At the end of the day no matter how you look at the Remastered Version VS the Old Version at the core this is still a fantastic game and doesn't deserve the negative reviews.

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Usually hard but fair... but not always...
Most of the levels are ether Great, Good or Tolerable but there's still some annoying levels where your one dodge away from falling down a pit...

And while most bosses are fun and challenging there's some which are ether meh, boring or annoying Looking at you guys, Bed of Chaos and Kapra Demon

Final Verdict:
I have lots of games which i would want to play again blind but Dark Souls is definitely at the top of the list.

The feeling of despair and hopelessness when you get stuck and your not sure if you can do this, and after so many struggles you finally do it and beat the boss/area.
At the end of the day however it's not for everyone, no matter how many positive reviews it gets there's some people who will be turned off, no doubt by the difficulty.
But i would recommend anyone who calls themselves a gamer to try this out, don't be afraid, you will die... A LOT, it might take you 20-30 tries to get past some bosses and sometimes you wonder how you will even succeed.
But for me there's nothing i have played which makes me feel more accomplished or has made me more happy when i finally overcome something than the Dark Souls games.

10/10
Thank you From Software for this amazing game, Would Prepare to Die a million times again.

After Divine Divinity, Beyond Divinity and Divinity: Original Sin i already love Larian to death but Divinity Original Sin 2... wow Larian you really outdid yourselves here.

Story: Check
Characters: Check
Graphics: Check
Sound and Music: Check
Replayability: CHECK
Gameplay: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ CHECK!!

And even though it's in early access there are not that many bugs around, sure you'll run into one sooner or later but it's usally a minor inconvinence.

While you can only play through the first act it's enough for me to love this game and to call it one of the best games i have played in the last 3 years.

RPGS and RTS games are two of my favorite game genres, and combining the two was like a dream come true when i first played this game as a kid, and after all these years this game still stands as one of my Top 5 Games of all time.


+

Class Customization:
This is the reason why this game skyrockets up my favorite games list, theres so many ways you can build your character in this game its insane.
And with the ammount of weapons and spells there is in Spellforce no matter how many times you play this game every playthrough feels diffrent.

Gameplay:
While it's RTS elements isn't the best i'v seen its still very unique, all the races feel diffrent
and have diffrent strengths and weaknesses.
The in the beginning of the game where the RTS element comes in it might seem very simple but halfway through the game some maps get really complicated and you have to use your resources well and really have a plan.

Story:
The Story while it's not really one of the games best traits its still fairly good and keeps you fairly intrested in whats going on(for the most part) and there's definently some suprises here and there.

Soundtrack:
While its not the best iv heard this game has a great soundtrack and fits very well with the situation
from a peaceful walk on Icy Mountains to a large and epic battle.

Lengthy:
Like i mentioned before there is so many ways you can build your character and that alone gives lots of replay value.
But the game itself is also long, 3 campaigns(Of which the Original Order of Dawn Campaign alone takes a while to complete), loads of sidequests to keep you busy and like i mentioned before some of the later maps get complicated and
can take you a really long time to finish.

-

The Voice acting in this game is all over the place in terms of quality, most of it is okay but there is some mediocre voice acting and even horrible acting, some of the voice actors sound bored, intrested or just doesn't give a ____ about what they are doing.

This game can get really repedetive at times, it takes a while to set up your base and sometimes just trying to walk from A to B feels like it takes all day.
And while i enjoy the most quests in this game some of them will have you wander around multiple maps for hours.

(Warning: Kinda Long Angry Rant Ahead)
While i love the Character Customization in this game and i especally love playing a mage in this game because of all the things you can do with your mage and how many spells there are.
What i DON'T like is the fact that you have to find about 90% of the spells yourself.
The fact that you have to find them isn't what bothers me( i like it when a game makes you work for your stuff rather than "Spoonfeeding" it to you), what bothers is that most of the spells are dropped randomly from monsters or found in chests.
It also doesn't help that sooner or later a spell will become useless and you will have to find a higher level of the spell and sometimes the game might decide to ♥♥♥♥ with you and never give you the spell.
(You can grind for spells from certain enemies and reload and save over and over again before opening a chest until you get the spell you want but it's still a pain in the ass.)
Long Story short playing a Mage in this game is really fun ONCE you find the spells you want.

Final Verdict:

10/10

This is one of those games i can play dozens of times and never get tried of, i'v never seen a game which combines and RTS and an RPG so well and at the same time have some of the best character customization i'v ever seen.
This game is very well worth the money.