Recent reviews by Randwarf

Used to love monaco 1, but this does not capture the feeling of the original game. I think my main issue is that maps so far feel insanely linear (i did only play the first two maps to be fair), feeling less than a stealth heist but as a puzzle/maze, making you think one room at a time. Maybe the design gets better, but those two maps have put me off from continueing. On top of that, even though I like the 3D design, i feel like it takes away from the experience, making it more difficult to plan out where I have to go

I loved the game, but SONY does not recognize my country, Lithuania, as real.

EDIT: I guess they reverted that policy. Game is good

I really can't grasp how they managed to butcher the upgrades and builds in DRG:S, when they were so great in DRG... At the current stage I can't recommend the game, it's just not fun

It's a really fun little game for what it is. I'd love to have more content (you keep getting the same events, enemies and bosses with 0 variability), but the way you build your deck and ships by combining 3 different pilots makes up for it somewhat.

Yea I think it's pretty good

23-08-19 Edit: I finished the game, it didn't change my opinion on the review below - the ending was rushed, unsatisfying. Larian Studios did not care to polish the last half of the game the same way they did with the first... Romance path, choices made, followers, none of it ultimately matters, it's Mass Effect red-green-blue all over again :)

[This is more of a burnt out rant than anything really]

The game is really good, don't get me wrong. There's plenty to explore and do and etc., you've seen it all in other reviews. However, it may just be my own controversial personal opinion, but I can not find the motivation to finish the game. Currently, my last save left me at the end of 3rd act (what I believe to be the end of the act at least) with two massive boss fights ahead of me. I have no desire to spend multiple hours on those fights since I am really not invested in the mediocre villains of the story. At all.

I think the main problem with why I feel this way is that I expected Baldur's Gate 3 to be more similar to Disco Elysium - open world, plenty of side content with a dialogue system that genuinely allows me to shape my character's identity. Instead, BG3 is rather linear, moving you from act to act, railroading you to various areas, and barring you from going back at certain points. The side content is there, but it usually ties back into the main storyline, meaning you really need to finish it either way to get the "optimal" ending, before you venture out to a following act. This also creates an awful pacing issue, where right before progressing to a different act, I found myself going through the quest journal and finishing random tasks, making sure I was not leaving any untouched threads before the game locks me out of them, which definitely contributed to my burndown.

The dialogue system itself was forgettable. Your choices usually include intimidation, persuasion and deception options, which all ultimately give you the same result, so you just pick the one you have the highest bonus to. The result itself is usually just the ability to skip combat or receive a fancy trinket. Rarely, if ever, the social check options unlock new information, lore or anything similar. Next, you have the class-based options, the flavour text of the game. Many mention these when it comes to replayability, but they surely can't change the story in a drastic way? I would need a second playthrough to see how much impact they truly have. Lastly, your background choice has completely 0 use in dialogues, you'd think a noble would be better at interacting in high society, but nope. Ultimately, none of the options builds a unique character... Well besides the approval system, in a sense.

When you make a choice in dialogue, it may trigger an approval change with your companions (usually only the ones in your party, even though your companions can literally read your memories). It can go up or down, but I found it hilariously easy to keep them all satisfied and I would have to deliberately try to make one of my followers hate me. This meant that during the celebration party towards the end of Act 1, EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER was willing to romance me... It honestly cheapens the experience of building a romantic relationship. In my playthrough, I went with Gale. He's a lovely guy and I found his companion quest intriguing. But the romance had roughly... 3 unique scenes... Otherwise, your romantic partner is completely ignored both story and gameplay-wise. Another issue with relationships is that there is barely any platonic development between you and your companions.

Felt nauseated playing the game

Is it immersive? Yea. Is it beautiful? ♥♥♥♥ yea. Is the story boring, characters get no screentime and have no personality besides one character trait each? Yea, unfortunately... Are the gun fights boring and mission shoot outs uninspiring? Absolutely... Depending on what youre looking for, you might either love or despise Red Dead Redeption 2

EDIT: Having forced myself to finish the game, I have to say that the epilogue is leagues better than the main storyline - hidden behind 50 hours of mindnumbing horse riding between the pointless "one more job before we retire" heists that never go right, where you have no say in what goes, hides a little gem of actual character development in John's farm. The game just doesn't respect the player enough to provide the same quality of story up until that point...

Literal steaming pile of ♥♥♥♥

I see people comparing Pentiment to Disco Elysium, but it's definitely more similar to Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth