I bought and played this game after it won GOY. I really loved the game and it was one of the best (and most frustrating) games I have ever played. After logging about 80 hours I came up with 5 suggestions for the sequel (and I guarantee there will be a sequel):
1) Improved Tendency System - It was difficult to understand and a little convoluted. It was a shame that it was hard to enjoy one of the most important plots elements in the game. A more user friendly system would allow players to better understand their choices and consequences better. Often there was no way to exactly tell if your world and character tendencies were white, neutral, or black even after looking at your the archstones icons in the menu. They should show your character faction point increase or decrease when you complete an action (like WoW), as well as add a white/black character meter (e.g. +7 through -7).
2) Tool Tips for Foes & NPCs - First, I think the ability to leave messages on the ground was a great mechanic so I'm not saying take that away. But without going online to look at a walkthrough (or getting killed countless times) how was I supposed to know that you had to be about 30 character levels to beat the red eyed knight in 1-1? I'm not saying dumb it down Diablo-style but maybe some "basic" tool tips to improve gameplay that say: a) this foe is +10 or -10 levels from you b) type of foe and/or NPC names (I had to go online to figure out who was who) c) "alignment" of NPCs (so you know possible repercussions of killing them). I admire the hardcore, uncompromising style of this game but I think they could make it more playable without taking away from the core game play. Put it this way, I hated using a walkthrough at times but I almost felt like it was a necessity if you wanted to finish the game in a "reasonable" amount of time.
3) Improved GUI - Was it me or did it seem to take forever to find what you were looking for in your inventory? Maybe they could have separated the consumables into different categories? How about a better system to compare weapons and armor? And they should add words next to all the icons on the menus so they are self-explanatory. I don't mind reading the manual but they should improve this.
4) Improved Dialogue & Story - This is where I felt the game suffered a little from being an import and lacked a little polish. I think the dialog was a little a little clunky and the plot could have been expanded. Sometimes I had no idea where to go next. Occasionally you would have to jump around and backtrack in different worlds to get a specific result. Also, maybe they could also add a few side quests and a quest log along with more concise dialog.
5) Lack of Loot in NG+ - I think the game does have replay value because of the diverse character styles, high level caps, and because the game does have a lot of depth. HOWEVER, the biggest complaint I had is that there is no new loot or spells in Next Game+! The only way to improve your character is through add more stat points! Once again, I look the Diablo-style replay because you can get never-ending, brand newloot upgrades on the harder difficulties.
Other then that I thought the game was outstanding. The bosses were incredible and my heart literally would start pounding each time I started a new battle. The graphics and sound were top notch I loved playing on my big HDTV with the sound turned up. The online play was very cool and creative. It would be cool if you could choose specific people to play with but in some ways the current system made it very unpredictable. Or maybe they improve Co-Op mode so that it is more rewarding for Blue Phantoms to help other players. If you like Action RPG's then it is worth checking out.
Overall, I just I think this game was close to being perfect "10" but falls short. That is why I am already looking forward to the sequel
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