tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post3785104692216935265..comments2024-03-28T04:44:28.648-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: One More Skyrim PostingCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42321703139392444832018-10-02T20:25:05.209-04:002018-10-02T20:25:05.209-04:00No need to backtrack; poor Rom only found it compe...No need to backtrack; poor Rom only found it compelling for the first 100 hundred or so hours. Since Skyrim I doubt there have been 4 or 5 games that caught me in its spell--the Xcoms, Dishonored, Witcher 3--so strongly. Is it better Baldur's Gate 2? Not for me but I sure had a heck of a time for many hours.Grinderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16861457025711685946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74891194408926229122018-10-02T16:34:04.533-04:002018-10-02T16:34:04.533-04:00No mockery intended - I felt that way about Oblivi...No mockery intended - I felt that way about Oblivion, until I didn't...Romhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424138564206888866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54995087430238560822018-10-02T16:31:44.891-04:002018-10-02T16:31:44.891-04:00Ah, this old entry that taught me the important le...Ah, this old entry that taught me the important lesson not to rush to superlatives too soon, because people will still mock you for them a decade later.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76186003282455164212018-10-02T16:20:28.009-04:002018-10-02T16:20:28.009-04:00Like Oblivion, I found Skyrim compelling for a hun...Like Oblivion, I found Skyrim compelling for a hundred or so hours, while never being able to shake a feeling of (usually mild) disappointment that it wasn't better. In both games I ended up getting bored and rushing to the end, long before I'd exhausted the games' content. In Skyrim there were at least two cities I didn't ever visit. <br /><br />These couple of posts have reminded me, though, of how much I love Morrowind. I just started a new game last night and it holds up beautifully (janky combat aside). It just feels so much more hand-crafted than the two sequels. Romhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424138564206888866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-30621186825596949132015-06-10T22:03:47.407-04:002015-06-10T22:03:47.407-04:00I can't play it though. The screen resolution ...I can't play it though. The screen resolution is a b!tch to fix.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-712636476047340472015-06-10T20:43:23.746-04:002015-06-10T20:43:23.746-04:00Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss section, whi...Dark Souls' Artorias of the Abyss section, which comes for free with the PC version, has what is probably my favourite single dragon battle of all time. The thing won't even bother to land until you actively force it to come down to your level - it'll just do a convincing imitation of a bomber jet with unlimited flamethrower ammo. Once you finally manage, you get to experience one of the most interesting and complex boss fights in a game series known to a large extent for its interesting and complex boss fights.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the PC version is a bit rubbish, but there's mods out there that help make it better (dsfix being the main one).waretaringonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34501874797041382002014-12-17T19:31:04.116-05:002014-12-17T19:31:04.116-05:00Oh, but the Skyrim hate is ever more hilarious to ...Oh, but the Skyrim hate is ever more hilarious to read the farther we get from the moment of release. Ahahaaaa. I actually think people saying Oblivion was "literally unplayable" or Skyrim is "the worst CRPG of the 2000s" or whatever are more akin to conspiracy theorists (as in chemtrails/lizard people), rather than people prone to needless hyperbole (as in Obama-Socialist [oh, how I wish he were actually a socialist]). They just take objectively untrue things and run with them without a moment's reflection.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65456627946384546022013-10-21T13:35:11.085-04:002013-10-21T13:35:11.085-04:00I agree. I can fully understand why you wouldn'...I agree. I can fully understand why you wouldn't think <i>Skyrim</i> is the best game, or even in the top 20%, but to suggest that it's a "bad" game, or not enjoyable at all, is just being contrary--the equivalent of people who say that President Obama is a "socialist."CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-58900112854113886522013-10-20T14:53:37.540-04:002013-10-20T14:53:37.540-04:00I've played computer games all my life - and t...I've played computer games all my life - and today, I'm not an addict ANYMORE... I can look at this whole thing with some distance (and society is much more acceptable of gaming, so gaming loses some of its cult status). And to read such vitriol is just amazing... quite funny, actually. Oblivion unplayable on the PC? Ridiculous... Everything that is popular attracts polarization. For example, I refused to watch Titanic because I didn't want to join "the conformist majority". It's actually quite a good movie... And Skyrim is still a great game. It's still massively popular, at least here in Germany. It's still considered the king of RPGs. Every game that makes you play it for 200+ hours can't be bad...Alexander Sebastian Schulzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15135338616598357444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-70460362138398246312013-01-04T16:31:21.563-05:002013-01-04T16:31:21.563-05:00Yes, my wife and I have played through it twice. I...Yes, my wife and I have played through it twice. I did enjoy it for the reasons that you state, although I didn't like the combat. I understand it was better on the PC version, but we played the X-Box version.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-64095781638076494672013-01-03T06:15:35.918-05:002013-01-03T06:15:35.918-05:00Slghtly off-topic here (and I apologise if this ha...Slghtly off-topic here (and I apologise if this has cropped up before!) but have you considered playing Dragonage Origins? I suggest that it would be right up your tree given the depth of characterisation for party memebers and npcs and the interesting moral choices that you have to make during the game.Red_Cardinalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12119321537913665046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50013528379275183922012-10-31T20:32:33.321-04:002012-10-31T20:32:33.321-04:00I typically play an orc, but with light armor and ...I typically play an orc, but with light armor and focusing on stealth skills. I like the idea of playing against stereotype.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45924034866165399352012-10-31T18:49:18.736-04:002012-10-31T18:49:18.736-04:00Just out of curiosity, what race did you choose? ...Just out of curiosity, what race did you choose? I'm a High Elf guy myself, but it annoys me that I'm still just as tall as other characters when in first person view.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-23158937022792267642011-11-17T17:28:12.333-05:002011-11-17T17:28:12.333-05:00Ahh the honeymoon period.
I have often gotten a g...Ahh the honeymoon period.<br /><br />I have often gotten a game and gone through a honeymoon period of thinking it is absolutely awesome, only to find it utterly boring after my caffeine and initial euphoria run out. Or they have something nice (like a unique take of combat) that makes me love the game at first but then I find out that new nice thing is the only thing the game has going for it and after about the 50th time it is no longer enough to carry the game.<br /><br />Not saying that is the case here as I haven't played this game yet, but I can understand an initial gushing over a game only to change your feelings later.UbAhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447678457902055799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54813153952025780462011-11-16T23:08:58.603-05:002011-11-16T23:08:58.603-05:00Dumb mistake on my part. I didn't mean "m...Dumb mistake on my part. I didn't mean "more role-playing choices than any previous CRPG." I meant "more role-playing choices than any previous ELDER SCROLLS GAME."CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12515525042879600712011-11-16T23:08:14.326-05:002011-11-16T23:08:14.326-05:00I'll let you know for sure after I get back to...I'll let you know for sure after I get back to it this weekend. Perhaps I was a little too gushy after a fairly limited amount of gameplay. What I can say is that most of the quests in Whiterun offered a heck of a lot more role-playing choices than in any previous CRPG, and the dialogue between the NPCs was so realistic that I just kept running around to listen to them and make sure I didn't miss any juicy gossip. I still maintain the fight with the dragons and giants are the best I've ever experienced.<br /><br />But maybe after a few more hours, I'll come to feel as you do. I've run hot and cold on CRPGs before. I'll try to save any more superlatives for the end.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45398775250671595792011-11-16T19:49:45.382-05:002011-11-16T19:49:45.382-05:00I can hardly put into words how shocked I am to re...I can hardly put into words how shocked I am to read you say this is possibly the best CRPG you've ever played. Just wow. Especially because by this point you're very well-versed in the RPG genre and have played far more of them than most RPG connoisseurs. I mean I like the game, but I would struggle to even call it an RPG, let alone a good one. The combat is extremely simple and basic and lacks the variety of even the other Elder Scrolls games that come before it. There are no choices and consequences. None. There might as well not be multiple dialogue choices because 99% of the time (and that is generous), there is literally no difference in what you say - there is one choice you often get, however. You can choose to do a quest, and receive a reward. Or, you can not do the quest and not receive a reward! Needless to say I completely disagree with you about the quests and think the vast majority of them are simple fetch quests with none of the interesting and well written dialogue, branching story lines, or choices and consequences that great RPGs like Fallout, Planescape Torment, et al provide. <br /><br />The NPCs are dull. Can you honestly tell me with a straight face that you can remember the names of, say, 5 people from the game? I doubt it. I've played it for a good 30+ hours now (as I said, I do enjoy it) and I can't. Why? It's not because I suffer from alzheimer's or because the names are Scandinavian, it's because the NPCs are inconsequential and incredibly dull for the most part, right down to their mediocre voice acting and poorly written dialogue. There was the generic viking, I remember him from his interesting characterisation (he liked women and ale), then there was.. uh.. oh of course, the followers I've had who had unique quests associated with each of them to get to know them and their back stories. Wait, that was another game, because in this one they are all generic, forgettable mercenaries unlike ones you'd find in many great RPGs. Hell, even past Bethesda-associated games like Fallout New Vegas (done by Obsidian, a superior developer, but still) had good, memorable companions and NPCs that didn't seem like quest dispensers.<br /><br />The dungeons, as you've recently discovered, are all linear. And they're all the same. You go through them and along the way to spice things up you'll open chests which will usually contain interesting loot such as 3 gold coins. then at the end after completing a 'puzzle' (a simple 'align these squares that we have told you the correct order to because the correct icons are directly behind them' sort of thing) you encounter the boss who will run at you until he dies (he won't do anything interesting. There won't be special tactics necessary to defeat him. You just swing, or cast fireballs, until he falls down, or you do. Usually him.) <br /><br />It's a better game than Oblivion, certainly. And an enjoyable game in general, but the best CRPG you've ever played? Come on!Sidiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57432652034909401862011-11-16T12:33:28.653-05:002011-11-16T12:33:28.653-05:00I've only explored a couple of dungeons so far...I've only explored a couple of dungeons so far, and I didn't realize they were all linear like that. That takes the wind out of my sails a bit. <i>Oblivion</i> had multi-leveled, multi-corridor dungeons--nothing enormously complicated, but still enough that you felt that you were really <i>searching</i> for things.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85829461900307005722011-11-16T10:48:12.708-05:002011-11-16T10:48:12.708-05:00Skyrim sounds more like an action RPG than a compu...Skyrim sounds more like an action RPG than a computer RPG. Action RPGs are more about hack and slash with spammable skills.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62412654440195982222011-11-16T09:22:57.672-05:002011-11-16T09:22:57.672-05:00I'm liking the leveling system in Skyrim, it&#...I'm liking the leveling system in Skyrim, it's a great improvement over Oblivion's. I didn't feel the class system added anything to that game, and leveling skills by using them (being good at what you do) is great.<br /><br />I do however struggle with each level up. I haven't worked out the level cap. I don't think it's a straight 10 skill improvements -> level up thing. That means I don't know how many perks I can have, which leads me to panic and hoarding a well. Plus some of the perks I want are beyond my skill levels, so no point spending them.<br /><br />I do have problems with the UI. In particular, the mouse position usually overrides the 'obvious' selection. For example, in the inventory screen, as you scroll through categories the one you'd expect to be selected is centered on the screen, and the font is several points larger than those above and below. However, the one you are actually seeing is the one your mouse is hovering over, regardless of what the one in the middle of the screen is. The same thing happens with conversations, where I've scrolled to select a response, but because the mouse was on top of another I ended up saying something other than what I meant to.<br /><br />One thing I disliked about the dungeons is they're predictable. There's never any backtracking, looking for clues or exploration. They hide it with some gorgeous graphics and immersive atmosphere, but all the dungeons are a straight corridor to the main room, then a 'shortcut' out to the beginning (which is one way only, so you can't find it at the start and bypass the dungeon) and you're done. Not much room for alternatives other than kill everything in your path.<br /><br />Combat seems very easy, to the point that it could be easily broken. I played with no specialization in mind; sword and spell for the most part, switching to bow and sneaking when the enemy is not in melee range, shield if they're hitting me too hard and I need to block. The only thing I don't use is dual wield or two handed. And I was mopping the floor with most enemies on Master difficulty. The only issue I had was with a few enemies that would kill me in one or two hits (ice trolls, hags, giants). I'm missing balanced fights were I'm in danger without having to reload the fight ten times.<br /><br />The most annoying thing, though, is the ridiculousness of 'favoriting' the stuff I want quick access to, and having to open a list mid combat to select the power, equipment or spell.<br /><br />See, the thing I'd like to be able to do is buff myself up with some defense spells before firing a few arrows to an enemy, switching to my melee weapon and blast the enemies while I wail on them with my sword, run for cover and heal if the fight is too hard, maybe chug a potion.<br /><br />What I end up doing is choosing a single spell to use all the time, never using the buffing spells, and at most switching between ranged and melee. Healing myself after the fight, and sometimes remembering to chug a potion. Why? Because switching powers destroys immersion, having to open a menu that is ordered in alphabetical order instead of at least a sensible list I can order. The ideal thing would be to have programmable shortcuts to each power and item. Having to pause combat to switch weapons is really annoying, so I don't.<br /><br />Despite these complaints, however, I love the game. I've been wanting to play in a huge gameworld I can explore and mess around in since Oblivion, which I could never finish because the leveling system just killed it for me. Training the skills to max my stats was a chore, and not doing it made me feel like each level up was a waste of potential.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08726787320646220625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39963793150405091152011-11-16T08:01:30.547-05:002011-11-16T08:01:30.547-05:00I still managed to enjoy it un-modded on the Xbox....I still managed to enjoy it un-modded on the Xbox. Admittedly, I compensated for the leveling system by mostly choosing major skills that I wouldn't actually use.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-6866788934757286982011-11-16T07:13:59.607-05:002011-11-16T07:13:59.607-05:00The mods are to the credit of the modders, not the...The mods are to the credit of the modders, not the game.<br /><br />Unmodded Oblivion is basically unplayable. Even the worst RPGs usually at least offer some amusement via exploration. Oblivion with its absurdly aggressive scaling of enemies and rewards ensures you'll have none of that: no matter where you go or what you do, you will only encounter level-appropriate enemies and be rewarded with more of the same crap you already had. You have seen everything in the game as soon as you stumble out of the tutorial dungeon. All of it is just more of the same, every bit of it.<br /><br />I cannot imagine a greater sin for an RPG.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68222270888086309572011-11-16T04:07:38.316-05:002011-11-16T04:07:38.316-05:00"After Oblibion, it's no surprise that th..."After Oblibion, it's no surprise that the public opinion will take some time to sway back. It would be like Hitler suddenly doing something nice. Oblivion was arguably the worst RPG of the decade it came out. "<br /><br />This is exactly what I'm talking about.killias2https://www.blogger.com/profile/00398131197947456691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12298925154500682992011-11-16T00:17:53.774-05:002011-11-16T00:17:53.774-05:00'Nym, I understand that there were things not ...'Nym, I understand that there were things not to like about <i>Oblivion</i>, but I just can't understand how someone would rank it as one of the worst of the decade, especially where there are so many mods (at least for the PC version) to fix the worst annoyances. It remains one of my favorite.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-24763416832075686502011-11-15T18:13:38.050-05:002011-11-15T18:13:38.050-05:00"I think the thing that gets me about the Sky...<i>"I think the thing that gets me about the Skyrim criticisms aren't structured like: "It's good that you guys are enjoying it, but I really need a different kind of role-playing experience, personally."<br /><br />They're more like, "SKYRIM?! CRAPTHESDA HASN'T DOEN ANYTHING GOOD SINCE ARENA!""</i><br /><br />After Oblibion, it's no surprise that the public opinion will take some time to sway back. It would be like Hitler suddenly doing something nice. Oblivion was arguably the worst RPG of the decade it came out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com