Well, I finished Wizards and Warriors for the first time this evening. The game surprised me because I did not expect to have so much fun or see so much depth in a game that I had given up on.

Let me explain. I got this game back in 2000 when it came out. I battled through the numerous bugs and eventually got all the way to the Stout Mines. Then, for some reason I can't recall - maybe boredom, maybe another real life issue, I stopped playing.

Since then, other games got my attention and I forgot about W&W. It stayed in my closet for a long time and I had no desire to play it again because I was annoyed with the bugs and other clumsy things about its interface (like the guilds).

Anyway, cut to a few weeks ago. I'm looking for a new RPG to play and I've done pretty much all of the recent ones. I am on the Ironworks and I notice that the W&W forum is still alive and kicking after all this time. I figured if some sharp people at Ironworks are STILL talking about this game, then maybe it *is* worth more of my time. I recalled reading that a patch had been released that fixed many issues. So I grabbed that as well as a Ross Ridge's fan patch that lets you run W&W at high resolutions with an ATI card.

And besides, I still love party based games with puzzles, lots of character buildings, and first person perspectives. If Wizardry 7 & 8 were amongst my favorites then I sure figured I should give W&W another chance.

So I was off to play again.....

I guess the thing that impressed me about this game is its scope. The game just feels "epic" and the combination of voice acting, music, narration, and the various dungeon locales really add to this.

The story is very cliched. Chosen ones must defeat evil, etc. But the game never turns it into a parody. It is very serious about presenting this story and the various characters you meet are well written and make you feel a part of the story. And this is what is important in a game. It doesn't matter so much that the story isn't clever or novel. Because it is happening to *you* and you're not reading about it as a 3rd person. This is why setting up those light beams in the Shrine of Aenapus had so much suspense, why exploring the Collasium gives you the feeling of a noble treasure hunter, or why freeing the Lich from his torment really makes your character feel like she has earned the right to be a Valkyrie.

They got the atmosphere of this game *right*.

Also, this game has some really inspired dungeon designs. Every locale has its own "motif" that is consistent throughout that dunegon. The puzzles were for the most part, very well done. Mostly logical, and some that appeared to be trial and error bur revealed logic when studied further (for example, the pull chain puzzle in Shurgeon Castle Treasury).

Making good puzzles seems to be going by the wayside in modern games. I hope this art isn't totally abandonded.

Now of course, there were problems and interface annoyances but so much has been covered regarding this, so I'll leave it out of my post.

So, kudos to D.W. Bradley and the W&W team. I know its really late coming, but I'm glad I came back to W&W to discover its hidden charms.

Now its onto my next game with only 4 chars (from the previous run):
Ranger, Valkyrie, ZenMaster, and Assassin.

[ 10-01-2003, 11:24 PM: Message edited by: elkston ]

Congrats on finishing the game! And I have to admire your analysis as well [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

A good engaging story can overcome the lack of glitz and glamor in today's games. I truly enjoy games where you can become part of the story, where your characters becomes your friends and companions, and together, you go off and do things.

And yes, technical glitches can send you running away (thank Kerah for the patch [img]smile.gif[/img] ), but they can be overcome as well.

Good on you, [img]graemlins/cheers.gif[/img] , and keep us posted on the future adventures... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Well done elkston!

Like B. said, great analysis!
I have encounter many games, that would be nice to play
and after few hours I notice that story telling spoils whole game :(
So many games that would be top hit's if creators would have seen little more trouble and imagination with game story...

I can't wait W&W II, was it Dungeon lords?

Well done elkston. [img]smile.gif[/img] Yes there are some technical glitches in the game but non too serious IMO. And the interface varies from game to game so it takes a little time getting used to it.

Olli, I doubt Dungeon Lords will be W&W2. I don't think it has anything in common with Gael Serran or W&W apart from the fact that D.W. (aka Wyvern :D ) is leading the work.

If you want an awesome RPG to pass the time I recommend Temple of Elemental Evil. Totally astounding game! :eek:

yea, congrats elkston! [img]graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]
there are many gliches that are very annoying and irritating, but there ARE still some bugs that are helpful in other ways, such as the money bug.... [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] and haf u tried Baldaur's Gate 2? i *heard* that it's quite a nice game, party-based with puzzles, best suited for you right? :D

Gongratulations from me as well. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

You are so right when stating that well created puzzles are something of a rarity these days. Mostly I tire from playing more recent role playing games.

I still love the puzzles of The 7th Guest even though it is from 1993.

Thanks for the comments, guys.

To Willow:

You have a smiley next to a hint that "Wyvern" is D.W. Bradley. Is that an inside joke or is it a fact that was confirmed?

LionHeart:

Yes, I played BG2 (but not 1) and enjoyed myself. Like I said, I have finished most of the "recent" games.

When I started BG2 I had only superficial knowledge of D&D and was afraid this would hinder my enjoyment. But, I learned everything I needed to know from the game and had a blast in the process. It set me up to play the other D&D games like the IWD series and more recently TTOEE (though that required a bit more learning due to a rules change).

One CRPG series that I don't see talked about on IronWorks much is the Gothic series: Gothic I and Gothic 2. Along with Wizardry 8, these are my favorites of the more modern offerings. Richly detailed 3d world, 3rd person "over the shoulder" perspective, full voice acting, interesting characters...
can't go wrong. Gothic 2 is coming out in the USA on Ocotober 28th, but the same english version was released in the UK in June of this year, and many fans have imported it from sites like gogamer.com

Congrats, elkston!!!

W&W is a much better game than many originaly thought it was. Sometimes it's best not to rush to judgement, unfortunately game reviewers usually have deadlines! ;)

Hope you will stick around the board and play W&W again!

Wyv

Congratulations! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

Well, it's like W&W to me ;)
I saw some screenshots about it and hope D.W continues
good work like he/she done with W&W...

And elkston,
That D.W thing is long story...
WillowIX claims that Wyvern is D.W.
It took several months me to imagine are Wyvern female or male...http://www.ironworksforum.com/ubb/no...ons/icon20.gif

WillowIX. say D.W is Wyvern,
Wyvern doesn't know that and think ( well, thought oneday ) that Bungleau is D.W
And I claimed once I'm D.W...

So you never know who is really D.W in this forum,
and he/she can have several nics... HUH!