I got my key to get into Banner Saga but I won't have time to go for a couple of days.
I was tempted when this was on Kickstarter but never pulled the trigger. Let us know what you think once you get some time in the game.
The head-to-head match based FreeToP multiplayer version is out now, and their initial server overload issues seem to be finally coming under control.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/219340/
I played a couple matches last night - and lost both. While not extremely complicated, the straightforward turn-based tactical combat is fun and I can see this as something I can regularly enjoy, especially since they're supposed to keep adding available troop types as they continue to work on the single-player game (due out later this year).
I think most people are looking forward to the singleplayer, some in the hopes that it will have a bit of a King of Dragon Pass narrative style role-playing experience mixed with the tactical turn-based battles. That would certainly kick ass. But in the meantime, this is there (and free) to play against others. It's a bit reminiscent of Blood Bowl multiplayer minus the terrible net code that often de-syncs the players, and is much easier to learn & play.
I'm not a multiplayer guy (other than PBEM), but I checked this out and I like the combat engine. I hope the single player campaign turns out to be halfway decent.
This unlocks on Steam today.
If you haven't pre-ordered already, Gamefly has it at the same pre-order price as everyone else ($19.99), but if you apply the code GFDJAN20, that drops to $15.99, which is pretty much my "Why not?" price point.
Previews make this sound like King of Dragon Pass with turn-based tactical battles, which is A-OK in my book.
[edit] When I registered my key with Steam, I got a message that it was not available for download yet (which I expected), and in fact that's what the product page says. Except once I closed the dialogue box, it started downloading, so if you already have a key, give it a shot.
feedback tales!!!!!
Turns out that was a pre-load. Drat!
Says it will unlock in two hours. I've "pre-ordered" and will take a look at this, too.
Funny I just saw this on Steam and didn't know what it was. But it looked intriguing.
I've already pre-loaded it. Might even find some time to try it out today :P
Curious as to what everyone thinks...
It unlocks in 20 minutes. I'll see if I can get some lunch going then fire it up.
Kewl.
OK, I've got about 40 minutes of play time on this.
This is mostly a story game with some RPG-like dialog. There is also combat, which resembles some of the earlier D&D games - Temple of Elemental Evil comes to mind with the tiles and the initiative.
You get dumped into the middle of the story. It unfolds and you figure things out, but it can be a bit jarring to be plopped into the game and start making choices without understanding the consequences. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you should prepare yourself to start doing things without knowing why. For instance, the game opens and you are almost immediately thrown into combat without knowing why or who you're helping. After it's over you're filled in.
The game has a lot of side-scrolling elements. There appears to be a very big back story. I just glimpsed the world map and it appears to be rather large with lots of description.
I'm not madly in love with this game but I see room to grow and perhaps come to love it.
Looks like a cartoon version of Skyrim. Hope I'm wrong and it's a winner.
I only played for a few minutes but looks like it might have potential.
Lots of backstory and such you can read about (especially on the map screen).
And while the game's tutorial/hints/tips are lacking, it does slowly let you learn how to properly play and what to do.
Is it set in its own universe or is it based on something series of books or previous games or something?
Quote from: Sir Slash on January 14, 2014, 03:04:53 PM
Looks like a cartoon version of Skyrim. Hope I'm wrong and it's a winner.
It plays nothing like Skyrim. It's much closer to an old school RPG like Temple of Elemental Evil or Baldur's Gate. But with a completely different mythos.
Back when this was on Kickstarter I was tempted to jump in but never pulled the trigger. I'll be interested to see what y'all think once you are able to put more time into.
I played the multi-player combat thing on Steam for a bit. It's kinda fun but it didn't have a huge amount of variety. What it really needed was a single player campaign to tie the battles together instead of the turn-based multi-player arena combat, which is all they've had available up until now.
I still held off on purchasing this one just because I'm not sure how much variety is available in the campaign. I got the impression that it is a canned string of encounters, despite the description saying your decisions can all change the path you take. I'm concerned it will just be a small progression tree with few branches in regards to campaign paths.
So I'm waiting for some more playthroughs and impressions. I already have buttloads of games yet to play so my pc game purchasing addiction has been somewhat cured lately. The EU4 DLC also comes out today so it may get earlier attention unless Banner Saga's campaign really is like King of Dragon Pass, which I doubt.
Quote from: Sir Slash on January 14, 2014, 03:04:53 PM
Looks like a cartoon version of Skyrim. Hope I'm wrong and it's a winner.
It's no more an open-world game than any other choose-your-own-adventure. Yes, there are branching points where you have to decide how to proceed, but form what I've heard it's pretty linear.
Quote from: tgb on January 14, 2014, 04:53:11 PM
Quote from: Sir Slash on January 14, 2014, 03:04:53 PM
Looks like a cartoon version of Skyrim. Hope I'm wrong and it's a winner.
It's no more an open-world game than any other choose-your-own-adventure. Yes, there are branching points where you have to decide how to proceed, but form what I've heard it's pretty linear.
It's like you and Nefaro say - lots of linear plot with encounters where you have choices on how to respond. Your choices do seem to have an affect on the game.
Aside from the tactical combat there is also caravan movement - movement between points on the map. You have supplies which are consumed as you go. Choices to rest or push on. Sometimes encounters offer choices that may help you gather additional supplies. I also see where you have choices which influence whether you gain additional fighters. I'm not sure how these impact the game, but there is definitely a dual game here.
That said, it seems mostly to be a plot on rails, but the story is compelling and the setting is fresh. It continues to grow on me.
Not trying to start a flame war, but this RPS review is the reason I go there for news only. It is simply unreadable to me. Not everybody has 20 minutes to waste just trying to get to the bottom line.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/21/banner-saga-review/#more-185595 (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/21/banner-saga-review/#more-185595)
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on January 21, 2014, 05:00:06 PM
Not trying to start a flame war, but this RPS review is the reason I go there for news only. It is simply unreadable to me. Not everybody has 20 minutes to waste just trying to get to the bottom line.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/21/banner-saga-review/#more-185595 (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/21/banner-saga-review/#more-185595)
Is that even a review? It looks like a goddamn mess. Do they have high school kids writing terrible plays in place of their reviews lately?
I've never seen one that bad there. I must not visit the place often enough to find these big turds. :D
I've played about three hours of the game and am enjoying it for what it is. It's pretty, there's lots of lore, the map is cool, and the turn-based combat isn't boring me yet. It interests me more than Space Hulk has been able to.
That review would take me longer to parse than play the damn game. I don't mind reading long-form articles, but that's just a couple of dudes engaging in an extended wank.
That was a painful-to-read preview. The highlights I picked up from skimming it:
- The backstory is beautiful and engaging.
- The combat gets kinda tedious.
- The two parts of the game don't seem to fit together that well.
The review at Gamespot had it 7/10. Said it was 10 hours long which may not be enough for a lot of people.
Quote from: Sir Slash on January 22, 2014, 10:58:03 AM
The review at Gamespot had it 7/10. Said it was 10 hours long which may not be enough for a lot of people.
Less actually.
I believe I got it in less than 10.
Though I didn't try to start the game again in order to get a better/different ending and all the achievements (keeping certain characters alive, or not having them kill humans/giants, etc...)