mjwilliams84

A very good 'spruce up' of easily my favourite game of all time. Sure there were a few launch bugs (some of which have yet to be ironed out) and the new dialogue isn't in the same league as the older material, but this is a classic game given new life and for that is to be applauded. Any fan of the series will revel in the immersion and atmosphere of the original replete with all the worthwhile changes from Baldur's Gate 2. Newcomers will find the embodiment of a classic, story-driven isometric RPG before the shamefully barren period that followed it.

This review is already rubbish, simply because humans haven't developed the communicative skills with which to describe BG2's sheer brilliance. The best RPG ever made, without a doubt. This game literally took over my life: I cared for and wanted to know the characters within it, I longed to fulfill my destiny and actually felt incredibly sad when I reached the end. Even to this day the beautiful hand-drawn backdrops and masterful voice acting are in a league of their own, the combat is a D&D player's dream and the storytelling only ever rivaled once (not surprisingly by another Bioware title, Planescape: Torment). There is literally nothing even slightly below perfect that can be said about BG2. You can pick it up right now at ****, it's fully supported and priced at one tenth of it's real value. This is the pinnacle of Bioware's creativity. Its not A classic, rather THE classic.

I'll get out of the way the fact that I have no interest at all in this late, industrialized period of Japanese history, and move on to how much I still absolutely love this game. The technological advances not only add more units and building options, but actually create a wonderfully immersing backdrop for an already heady, atmospheric campaign. Choose to side with the Emperor or Shogun in a time of political and martial upheaval, and decide to try and maintain the traditional approach to warfare or embrace the new. The added units make ranged combat the order of the day, and with the addition of powerful artillery and naval support create a very engrossing battlefield experience. The campaign map is much bigger than Shogun 2, and looks more detailed with the railroads and surging industry of towns as they grow. The AI is good (although still able to be outwitted fairly easily) and for the most part it runs well without errors. Ignoring Sega's absolutely criminal approach to DLC (which does not affect the quality of the game in itself), I recommend it highly to strategy fans, irregardless of previous Total War experience.

Good combat system, a fairly well-designed skill system that leaves you juggling constantly, and decent presentation. For me, that's where it stops. The storyline and voice acting are verging on spoof, the difficulty levels of late game are nowhere near challenging enough, and it's incredibly short. Once you've finished it two or three times there really is no need at all to ever play it again. Overall a big letdown, in fact I'd hugely recommend Diablo 2 over this, regardless of technical advances.

A wonderfully rich and immersive historical strategy, definitely worth a look for anyone interested in medieval grand campaign games. It feels like more of an RPG than any previous Paradox title, and encourages you to feel an affiliation with the wealth of characters from your dynasty and surrounding historical figures. Play as anything from a lowly count to the Kaiser himself, ensure your family line survives amidst religious and political turmoil, and try to keep in check the myriad of plots and intrigue your subjects will throw at you. A truly addictive game that will devour your spare time.

Revamped areas, two new races, new instances/battlegrounds and a general streamlining of the levelling process make Cataclysm a fairly decent expansion to the series. However, as much as Blizzard sugarcoat it, it still results in a lack of end-game content if you're not in a huge raiding guild. This alienation of the player base that prefers playing in small groups or solo is unforgivable in a game that promises so much. The new heroic mode provides a few hours of challenge which sadly doesn't last once you've seen them all at least once. Battlegrounds are, as ever, down mainly to pot luck (being in a decent server group) or the gear you have on. Level to 85, check out the areas, talents and instances, but don't expect anything much different from previous offerings or even anything particularly challenging. What was once an endless grind to the next piece of gear has stayed relatively unchanged.

Superb Multiplayer, buggy Singleplayer (especially when using WASD controls), a horrendously cheesy script and poor characters. Doesn't advance the series in much other than storyline, so if you're a fan of the previous games it's worth playing. If not, checking it out for the impressive Multiplayer doesn't warrant the pricetag.

Simply cannot give this game anything lower than a 10. My first attempt to play a 'Total War' game seriously, and utterly superb in every aspect. Beautifully presented, it has an addictive campaign map with a plethora of building, research and advancement options, and a battlefield system which appeals to the tactical/historical purists and the casual gamers alike. Each campaign you play develops stories that feel personal to your clan, generals develop their own traits and personalities, and the game constantly throws engaging challenges and diplomatic intrigue your way. Just. One. More. Turn.

Mass Effect 2 has the feel of directing a multi-million dollar blockbuster. You don't create your own character nor roleplay it per sÃ, you just guide and direct the epic sci-fi story as it unfolds. Superbly written characters, a much improved cover/shoot combat system and streamlined stats make it a very worthy time-sink indeed. Highly recommended for fans of RPG and FPS-centric games alike.

Enjoyable from 0.5 hours in to finish. The start of the game is woeful. Apart from that, the feeling of speed, motion and exploration are rendered well in a rich historical backdrop. I found the storyline attempted to be too grand and a bit silly at times, and despite best efforts the repetitive missions are still a bugbear. The gameplay makes up for it however, and judged on it's merits, make this a good bit of light fun.

Pure stealth was relatively untouched before Thief came out, and it's a testament to how good it is that it's now almost a genre of its own. Incredible atmosphere, ambience and suspense make this one of or even the greatest game I've ever played. It encourages you to remain a sigh on the wind, a flicker of darkness in peripheral vision, an anonymous, undetected shadow. Combine the low fantasy, pseudo-mechanical medieval backdrop with the tense, nail-biting gameplay, and the result is an utter masterpiece. Play it properly and they'll never even know you were there.

A script and dialogue to rival Planescape: Torment. That's the highest praise I could ever give a game. Play it through and be prepared to be engrossed, captivated, and moved in equal measure. As far as a sidenote in terms of gameplay, its rather micro-managed combat can take a bit of getting used to, but is ultimately rewarding and challenging. Looks great, plays great, reads even better. Utterly superb.

Thoroughly disappointing sequel to a fantastic RPG. Fans of Origins and/or anyone interested in immersive, character-based roleplay should avoid this like the plague. Gone are the multiple choice dialogue options of true RPG classics, replaced by the dialogue wheel seen in Mass Effect. While that works in the epic setting of what is effectively a sci-fi blockbuster, it doesn't here. Its shallow, poorly written characters and script are totally forgettable. Seldom does your choice of action or speech affect anything at all. The environments themselves would look average 10 years ago. Areas that look awful in the first place are re-used many times over. The one saving grace is the combat, but with so many other faults, it's barely worth mentioning. The bullet-point nature of this review feels apt, as the disappointments hit home one after the other. As a friend of mine put it; "About as gripping as a lubed-up hand with no bone structure." Colour me shocked and appalled, Bioware.