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It's been over a week since it came out and I'm surprised that no one here has said anything about what might be the greatest RPG in over a decade.
If you consider yourself an ol`skool RPG gamer, you've certainly played Baldur's Gate, Planetscape Torment, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights or Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magicka Obscura. (And if you're a more recent RPG gamer, you've most certainly played Fallout: New Vegas, FO3 doesn't count.)
Those were games of peerless epicness, but in all this time, all we've seen of that particular strain of RPGs was the failed attempt to cater that legacy which we all now know as the Dragon Age series.
And now, here comes PoE... Developed by Obsidian, Published by Paradox and Funded by Kickstarted. Those three facts alone put in on the GOTTA PLAY list. And unlike many other Kickstarted failures, this one delivers just what the fans paid for: A fantastic RPG, with a deep and rich storyline, a beautiful world to explore, a challenging combat system, and a fascinating plot to unveil....
From the very first moment you create your character, you are given so many choices you just don't know what to do. Each of the six races divides into yet more sub-races, each with their quirks, talents and social effect. Then, you have to choose your background; from where did you come, what do you do, and why did you set on this journey? And unlike other games, these choices aren't merely cosmetic or for extra skill points, in this world, people will react to your character depending WHO s/he is; race, origin, religion (If you play Priest class. I think Monk class too), and even the way you react in conversations matter. The classes themselves are also amazing; from standard ones like Fighter, Rogue and Wizard, to the more unique and complex ones, like the Chanter, Cipher and Paladin. Every class is different and some play in radically different ways. And make sure you choose your skill points well, as you will never be able to change them; leveling up doesn't increase them in this game, so choose them carefully.
Once the story starts, you'll find yourself gripped by Obsidian's signature epic storytelling; you'll not just want to play to fight and explore, you'll want to find out what's gonna happen next, and every choice you make can drastically change the story's outcome.
The combat system is perhaps one of the most challenging ones I've ever seen....
If you come from the TES school of thought of ''Just grab the biggest sword and the heaviest armor and charge headlong into battle'', you'll find yourself losing quite often, if not always. In this game, every fight is a challenge, as every type of enemy has different weaknesses and resistances; that sword which mowed down wolves easily might not even scratch an armored opponent, and even that cool enchanted weapon that has been helping you for a long time might be powerless at the face of a sub-standard random encounter.
In this game PLANNING is vital. You have to know thy enemy (with the help of the Bestiary you fill as you encounter your foes. Although that only applies to monsters, human enemies are a case-by-case thing, usually based on what kind of weapons and armor they use.), know what hurts them and what doesn't. You have to be flexible with your strategies, too; that trick which helped you fell that humongous ogre might not help you against a bunch of bandits, even if they're weaker than the ogre.
Man, there's so much more to say... But to not make this OP into an over sized post, I'll simply sum it up as: Just play it, you'll love it.
