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[Araph]

As I await the release of Skyrim (and a computer that can actually run it), I'm looking for good games to fill up my time. I'm looking for games that let you use magic in a unique or customizable way, as well as games that have good combat mechanics. Mount&Blade and Dwarf Fortress are really good examples of what I'm looking for combat-wise. In Mount&Blade (in case you haven't played it), you engage in simulated 3-d combat, complete with aiming attacks, blocking with shields, and realistic arrow flight. In Dwarf Fortress there's the insanely detailed attacks and effects, with organs and tissue being simulated. Both are unique in there own way, and that's the sort of thing I'm looking for combat-wise.

About magic, I'm hoping to find a game that has magic be really customizable, sort of like in The Elder Scrolls games. I haven't found any games really like that, though, so I'm hoping someone here has ideas about it.

Anyone know of any good games like that?

[freeformschooler]

About magic, I'm hoping to find a game that has magic be really customizable, sort of like in The Elder Scrolls games. I haven't found any games really like that, though, so I'm hoping someone here has ideas about it.

Anyone know of any good games like that?

Obviously there's Magicka. There's also a little more obscure DS game called lostmagic (magic system was cool but the gameplay was horrid IMO). I've been searching for similar things.

[FunctionZero]

About magic, I'm hoping to find a game that has magic be really customizable, sort of like in The Elder Scrolls games.

But they removed that in Skyrim.

Anyway, I'd suggest Total Overdose. A bit old GTA-like based on special slow-motion combat moves.

[Araph]

About magic, I'm hoping to find a game that has magic be really customizable, sort of like in The Elder Scrolls games.

But they removed that in Skyrim.

O_O

...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!




Thanks for the suggestions. I'm downloading the Magicka demo now, and I'll check out Total Overdose.

[FunctionZero]

You didn't know about the change to Skyrim?

Should be obvious, going by Bethesda's current trend to cut as much of gameplay away as possible.


Anyway, a quick tip. If the performance in Magicka gets bad, lower the resolution and go windowed. It's a bit badly optimised and is quite senitive to this.

[Flying Carcass]

About magic, I'm hoping to find a game that has magic be really customizable, sort of like in The Elder Scrolls games.

But they removed that in Skyrim.

O_O

...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!




Thanks for the suggestions. I'm downloading the Magicka demo now, and I'll check out Total Overdose.

I'm sure someone will mod in customizable magic within the first month of skyrim's release, as it was a very nifty feature in Morrowind and Oblivion.

[Cthulhu]

The only problem with Magicka is the same as with a lot of similar systems.  You have all these options, but a few of them are so far beyond everything else there's almost no reason to vary.  You can beat the entire game with Steam/Lightning beams, and in versus mode Ice/Lightning/Steam weapon enchants instagib other players.

EDIT:  Of course, that's what makes multiplayer so much fun.  It's a lot like you'd expect an actual wizard duel to be, a flashy maelstrom of ridiculously powerful spells and split-second counters until one person thinks half a second too slow and gets blown apart.

[FunctionZero]

I'm sure someone will mod in customizable magic within the first month of skyrim's release, as it was a very nifty feature in Morrowind and Oblivion.

I doubt it. They probably completely removed it from the engine, so it'd be pretty hard, if not impossible, to simply mod it back in without the source code.

And even if they didn't, there's still the issue of somehow dynamically generating TES entries and getting the new spell system to accept it.

The only problem with Magicka is the same as with a lot of similar systems.  You have all these options, but a few of them are so far beyond everything else there's almost no reason to vary.  You can beat the entire game with Steam/Lightning beams, and in versus mode Ice/Lightning/Steam weapon enchants instagib other players.

EDIT:  Of course, that's what makes multiplayer so much fun.  It's a lot like you'd expect an actual wizard duel to be, a flashy maelstrom of ridiculously powerful spells and split-second counters until one person thinks half a second too slow and gets blown apart.

Only if they can get close enough. With water blasts, airblasts and shields and rocks, it's quite hard and dangerous to get near another player.

[nenjin]

Magicka is fun and interesting but the tactical depth is kind of short lived.

Vagrant Story for the PSX/PS2 has a nice body-part driven, combo-executing combat system that dovetails all the rest of the game play mechanics nicely. (Great game, magic isn't very inventive though.)

[Cthulhu]

The spell I'm talking about creates big spikes of electrified ice in a line.  If it hits you it knocks you down and the lightning kills you before you can get back up.  You can do it from well out of the range of an airblast, and basically the only thing you can do is know it's coming (You can see it on their weapon) and try to dodge.  In the original tournament videos most players would open with that spell on their weapon. 

[FunctionZero]

There's always the protection against lightning.

And I think it doesn't knock you down if you don't have a shield.

[hemmingjay]

Dark Messiah had great combat and magic. The magic system is not particularly deep, but it is one of the most satisfying combat in an RPG to date for many people.

[Ultimuh]

You didn't know about the change to Skyrim?

Should be obvious, going by Bethesda's current trend to cut as much of gameplay away as possible.

Well what's their excuse THIS time?

[Akura]

If you don't mind really old games, try Spellcraft: Aspects of Valor. While the spell list was fixed, more or less every spell could be tweaked by changing the number of ingredients that go into it.

It does suffer from severe Guide Dang It regarding the spell formulas, especially since a certain spell(specifically the healing one) you have to "discover the formula on your own", and is needed to progress the game.

[FunctionZero]

You didn't know about the change to Skyrim?

Should be obvious, going by Bethesda's current trend to cut as much of gameplay away as possible.

Well what's their excuse THIS time?

Hell if I know. Probably related to consoles, as always.

Man, if they'd kept the Morrowind gameplay (and expanding it, even), their games would be so awesome.

With Todd "needs more dumbing down" Howard, that isn't going to happen ever again though.
(It's actually a suprise, given he was the one leading Morrowind too, Unless he wasn't really the one leading it.)