** Flat out, is it my imagination, or is Wizards and Warriors REALLY underrated?! **

Seriously, I rarely hear about Wizards and Warriors. It's all Baldur's Gate-this and other games based on the same engine OR raves about Final Fantasy (Diablo 2 is not a RPG, so I am not including it)
W&W is certainly not perfect but it is head and shoulders above all the other RPGs out there. Do any of you think that there is a better RPG out there?

[Sazerac]

Not really sure. Comparing W&W to Final Fantasy or BG2 is like comparing apples to bananas. Yes, they're both fruit, but from that point the similarity stops.

The thing that always gets me (and I hear this among the BG crowd more than anything) is how that they claim that if a game doesn't do THIS or THAT or whatever arbitrary criterion they or someone else has said it has to have, that it's NOT a true RPG and shouldn't be taken seriously. That, IMO, is just downright silly. As I said, I hear this more from the ones who play the AD&D (Forgotten Realms) games, who treat those games more like a religion than anything else. If a game isn't based in the Forgotten Realms universe, then strike it down, man, it's not a "real" RPG.

There was a post from a long time ago on the General Discussions forums as to what was the best dragon. Well, there was all sorts of discussions about the dragons in AD&D, so as to balance it out, I brought up Erathsmedor and posted a screenshot of him. Well, you wouldn't believe the outcry about it..."That's not a dragon! He looks spastic...what is that, some sort of CARTOON?" Fine, whatever. I've learned not to expect to make a silk purse out of an old sow's ear.

So don't pay attention to what the nay-sayers think.

Wizards & Warriors is a very good game. It would have been a great game had Activision not rushed it out the door and given Bradley, et al, a chance to put the final touches on it (like the multiplayer option, enforcing the Sacred Oath, getting a couple of bugs tweaked here and there. But overall, I'd say it's the game I've enjoyed the most over the past year...and still do. As far as games go, Wizardry 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant still holds the title for best RPG I've ever played. Time will tell if Wizardry 8 will unseat that from its position.

Cheers,
-Sazerac

[Mandrake42]

I believe it is definatly underated, I actually avoided it on first release simply due to all the bad press it got (I dont have much money so I cant afford to buy bad games) So when it came out here in Australia recently at budget price (About $5 US) I thought, "Heck I can put up with a terrible interface for that price". Anyway apart from a few teething problems of getting it running (I had to update some drivers but how many games do you have to do that for?) my overall thought has been "What was everyone complaining about? This is great". I have a few minor gripes but at the price I paid I just cant find them to be an irritation. Hell if I had payed full price for this game Id still be happy. Its deep and enjoyable with a great rules system backing it.

I cant seem to understand any of the criticisms I read. Sure the interface is a little clunky but not as bad as I was lead to believe (After a day on it I fly around and perform every action I want without a hitch). I think the graphics are pretty damn good, not the pixelated horror I was told to expect. The game does dump me to the desktop very occasionally but hell for $5 I can live with a few reloads. As was pointed out in another post, if this game hadnt been rushed out the door by the producer I feel confident all of these kinks would have been ironed out. I cant help but wonder if it would have recieved a better reception from the press if it had been released finished. Anyway. Its not my favourite RPG (Thats a tie between Ultima 7, Fallout 2 and Planescape Torment) but its damn good and Im having a hard time keeping away from it long enough to finish this post.

Im hoping that this budget release and the availability of the patch will introduce the game to a late audience and more people can get to see just what D W Bradley and his team have accomplished. It may be to late to give them the profit they deserve but at this stage a little appreciation cant go astray.

[This message has been edited by Mandrake42 (edited 10-28-2001).]

[Yazee]

Sadly, some people have tried the game and gave it exactly 10 minutes before they de-installed it!
I´ve lurked on other forums due to my interest in Wizardry 8 and you wouldnt believe how many posts there dizzed it, mostly to having had problems in the first few minutes!
I hate to say that, but if we really dont have the necessary attention span, then how do those people get along with PoR2?
Or with the Kinks in BG1+2?
The one thing that Wizards+Warriors really made me want to know is:
What is David W. Bradley doing right now?
An artist as talented as him is shurely up to something!


[This message has been edited by Yazee (edited 10-28-2001).]

[Bladud]

I have played a number of the Forgotten Realms games. Even so, I have spent more time playing W&W than I have with any of the other rpg's. I find the advancement system and quests what makes this game better than the others. This game is more that just hack and slash, there are quests, riddles, and other great activities apart from hack and slash. For me this gives it a better placement. As to the comment about attention span limits that prevented people from being able to appreciate what we enjoy in this game. They will have major problems with PoR. (I can't play it until I figure out why my mouse wont work). That kind of problem would have been the only thing to have turned me off from this game. It didn't happen...so I love it!

[Wyvern]

Very under-rated!!

I freely admit that I have become increasingly picky about my games over the years. Back in the middleages when I had delusions of perhaps being a sysop of a gaming forum and actually making some $ doing so, I played lots of different games. These days I find very few that I *really* enjoy. W&W was a delightful exception! I just don't have the time to play games as I once did so when I do devote time to a game I really have to like it! I admit also that I have been lucky, I've experienced none of the "bad" bugs in this game and have enjoyed the "good" bugs (also known as undocumented features).
Now I'm hoping that Wizardry 8 will be as good! (crossing wings)

Wyv

[frostg1ant]

Let's see...

I have BG2 SoA, BG2 ToB, Diablo 2, Diablo 2 expansion, Summoner, Arcanum, and Pool of Radiance 2 on my bookshelf. Guess which game is getting all my attention right now?

Wizards and Warriors

I don't know why, but this game just has more to it IMO. The other games listed are fun in their own right, but I love the immersion and the extra effort put into various areas of W&W. It feels rich and detailed and it brings a smile to my face every night. Isn't that what it is all about?

frosty

[Davros]

Yup, very underrated - loved the game and all its' quirks. First person and turn based - those are key elements in am RPG.

------------------

Ironworks Revolutionary Splitter wannabe
Founding Member, and General Demands Adviser of the O.R.T.

[Mandrake42]

They dont even need to be first person! Turn based is a must in games where you control a party though. Or a system like BG where you can pause at any time to give orders.

I still cant believe they bagged the graphics in W & W. The more I play it the more I like them. The depth of the game world is great with good use of 3d sound, lots of life that is independent of the things you can fight (Rats, roaches, glowbugs, birds, fish,lil bouncy animals that I cant get a pointer on to identify) day night sequence.....the feeling you are part of a living world is great.

[adam warlock]

yes indeed after finished playing 'Myst' I wanted another role-playing game
so I went to the store and search for a long time...
oh Sure I've heard of BG1, BG2, etc... but W&W caught my attention because of the screenshots the box provided. W&W shows you an entirely different perspective of their world. so I brought it.


very underrated indeed!