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[JanusTwoface]

Quickly, everybody! Legend of Grimrock is something like $3. I either need a glowing recommendation or a scathing critique.

Here's hoping. It was the only game on my Wishlist still on sale, so I just picked it up myself. No idea when I'll actually get around to playing it, but the idea sounds intriguing enough. Figure it should be worth at least an hour or two someday.

[Darkmere]

Quickly, everybody! Legend of Grimrock is something like $3. I either need a glowing recommendation or a scathing critique.

The controls made my brain hurt. The magic system kinda sucks. There's only 1 official dungeon, it's always in the same configuration, and the traps were HAR HAR HAR game-enders that you couldn't always spot before you fell into them, so compulsory saving every minute is mandatory.

105 minutes played, then quit forever.

[kcwong]

Quickly, everybody! Legend of Grimrock is something like $3. I either need a glowing recommendation or a scathing critique.

The controls made my brain hurt. The magic system kinda sucks. There's only 1 official dungeon, it's always in the same configuration, and the traps were HAR HAR HAR game-enders that you couldn't always spot before you fell into them, so compulsory saving every minute is mandatory.

105 minutes played, then quit forever.

The controls are classic old school maze walking RPG style - think of all those old SSI titles, old [A]D&D games like Ravenloft, early Might and Magic, etc. - WASD to move, mouse click for attack/menu/pick up, which fits me like a glove.

Magic system is a 3x3 grid of runes. Each time you need to cast spells, you open the grid and manually activate the runes in the correct order. It's at most 4 runes for a spell, and with the skill system you won't be casting a lot of different spells, so the runes are easily remembered. A full party of 4 mages would require a lot of clicks, but a normal party with a single mage is just fine.

The official game only has 1 dungeon, and due to the requirement of hand-crafted puzzles, random dungeon is impossible. The game can use mods - the toolkit is already released.

Traps aren't game enders... in fact, I gleefully jump down each and every pit trap I found, because there are often stuff down there and the pit may be the only access. And I think you need to check your eyes if you can't spot the trap doors... <_< they are clearly depicted as a light yellowish tile, with a vertical line indicating a gap down the middle.

Legend of Grimrock is a salute to that old school style gaming, and it does the job perfectly.

[Shadowlord]

I concur with kcwong. Now, maybe you'd have a problem with the magic system if you can't be bothered to experiment at all, or can't remember anything, but it's really not that much of a problem.

(I only got a few dungeon levels into it, personally, but I have no real problems with the game.)

[Darkmere]

I never played those old games. I think they went overboard on it and used clunky interface features for nostalgia purposes, when streamlining could have made for better gameplay. Using QE in addition to AD was my issue with movement. Even that wouldn't be a problem if the game weren't real-time turn-based. I also didn't mean trap doors, I meant traps. Like the... snail-things near the start where you solve a puzzle to open a grate... which shuts behind you and makes a dead end if you go through it. Yeah, there's a way around it, IF you know what's there before you step through. Releasing a map editor later doesn't excuse only having one campaign.

I guess it's a nostalgia thing. I just found it frustrating and over-hyped.

[Levi]

I think they went overboard on it and used clunky interface features for nostalgia purposes, when streamlining could have made for better gameplay.

Agree so much.  It was faithfully clunky, but that didn't make it any better of a game.

[nenjin]

IMO there's just not enough flesh on the game. The magic system and what it offered pissed me right the fuck off; they had an excellent template to use in the Dungeon Master series...and what we actually got was about 1/2 the spells of the same, boring ass elemental mentality that dominates in every other RPG. Your choices are "FIRE? LIGHTNING? ICE?" There's a grand total of two attack spells per element, a shield spell per element, enchanted crossbow bolts and arrows, and one or two things like invisibility. The magic system is so limited it struck me as completely under-delivered.

Same thing with the character system. It's simple, limited, boring and inflexible. It manages to not have the same emergent qualities of play as Dungeon Master, opting instead for a linear, class-based list of upgrades that are effectively "Stat + Number."

Aesthetically, it's great. Mechanically, I found it to be boring as shit. I like old school dungeon crawlers, but like most games today, they went balls to the walls on the visuals and whatever was left over was put into mechanics. Dungeon Master and Dungeon Master 2 manage to be more complicated AND replayable games.

[Catastrophic lolcats]

When I first heard about the magic rune system I assumed it was going to be Magicka-esce. Combining elements to create spells that correspond to the elements used. However I was disappointed to find out it was just a linear set of spells with basic combinations. I really want to see more Magicka/4 Elements inspired magic. Sure there's always that one broken combination but half the fun of magic should be exploring and discovering for yourself. 

I also found that wizards didn't seem all that great in the game. They were a down-right liability in the start. I had a much easier time with two warriors and two rogues, one focusing on bows while the other throwing weapons. Made the first few levels a lot less tedious.

[Shadowlord]

Wizard spells like the early fire/ice spells do affect every unit in a unit stack at a time, however (so you can fireball an entire skeleton phalanx instead of just swinging at the guys in front), so they're more efficient for taking out stacks.

I won't argue that it wasn't too simple, but I stopped playing mainly because I got bored with it and the puzzles. (I didn't look up any guides on the spells or anything else, however, so I don't know what they all were, besides the ones I found myself through experimentation, which would only be the low-level ones, which were mainly an ice, poison, fire, and air attack, and a light spell and a dark spell (I think?), IIRC)

[kcwong]

Getting a point in all the spell school is your down fall... you have to focus on one school to unlock the later spells, and gain spell power.

There isn't enough skill points to go around - the most you can do is one major school, full spellcraft or some spellcraft with a minor school. More if you feed your wizard all the skill books.

[Knight of Fools]

Endless Space is 50% off and is having a free weekend.

Is it worth giving a try, at least?

[Mephansteras]

Endless Space is 50% off and is having a free weekend.

Is it worth giving a try, at least?

I like it. It's not an amazing in-depth 4x, but it's fun and enjoyable.

[BigD145]

Endless Space is 50% off and is having a free weekend.

Is it worth giving a try, at least?

No, but that's just my opinion. Buy it if you want all ship combat to be determined by playing roshambo.

[Shades]

Endless Space is 50% off and is having a free weekend.

Is it worth giving a try, at least?

It's fun for a couple of hours or so, lacks any depth or re-playability though. Which is a shame cause on the surface it feels like it should be great.

[Levi]

Endless Space is 50% off and is having a free weekend.

Is it worth giving a try, at least?

Totally worth a try.  It gives off a pretty good first impression I think, but third impression might not be as good.   

It might be worth mentioning that if you are playing it multiplayer, it used to go hideously and quietly out of sync all the fricking time.  To the point where once an entire faction was alive for one player and dead to the other person and planets switching sides.   

It has had at least two patches since I tried it so maybe that is fixed...

Diplomacy was pretty whacked last I tried as well.  One game I was allied with everyone, excluding my roommate, but I wanted to prevent him from getting a some victory.  So I declared war on him, and none of the factions went with me because they didn't want to go to war with him.  Then I individually asked each alliance if they wanted to join my new alliance(consisting of just me) and they all said yes and declared war on him for some reason.  He was pretty ticked that it was that easy to get everyone to change sides.