Bias a bore
The truth is that this game delivers just what it promised; The D&D 3.5 rules in the palm of your hand. It's all here in the best way it can be done on such a device. Simple, straight forward, recognizable to the initiated. In short, perfect.
Are the graphics the best I've seen? No, but it's up there with the best I've seen. There's a lot of info to put into this game even before you get to the interface and graphics. If a small (very small) sacrifice has to made to accommodate the rules system this time around, so be it. It's called room for improvement on the next game. (Please, tell me there will be a next game!)
For those of us that are initiated in this style of game, both on the console/computer and table top, this game is a triumph. It's as close as you can get to the Table Top game in the digital world. All the tactics and choices are there. From delaying your action to casting all the coolest spells to full on slash and bash options. It even simulates how hard it really is to sneak attack a foe. If the interface feels "clumsy" or "clunky" it's only because there are so many possibilities within the D&D rules it's hard to put enough of them in to make it feel "real" while keeping true playability. I'd like to see the Gamespot reviewer try it. So far I haven't had any trouble with the controls and they have not slowed down my play or interfered in my complete enjoyment of the game.
Lets try to focus on the real issues. This is a $50 game where I'm from and the first two things I look for in a purchase (and I'm sure the majority of gamers do too) is "Am I going to like this game enough to spend the hours on it?" and "How much true re-playability does it have?". In other words, Value! This game has tremendous value! Sure, the adventures aren't gonna change but your play through it will. 13 classes, 6 races, 9 alignments and numerous other variables. This means I can play the same game over and over and get almost infinite possibilities for replay. How about a single class party? That's 13 play-throughs right there. How about doing it with each race? That's 78 play-throughs. THAT is re-playability!! I'll be playing this game for months! (Ok, so I'm a geek, sue me )
The real review is this. Are you a true gamer geek? Old school RPG fan? Love the tactical games? Don't care about being able to bash buttons to kill things? Want a game that makes you think about what you are doing instead of mindless key bashing? Then this is for you. Otherwise you might want to move along and go play Halo or something. This game is everything it advertised itself to be and more. Just because it's not a remake of the usual button bashing styles in this genre doesn't make it less worthy of support and praise.