John Lonai

Overall a really solid RPG! The combat is fast paced and fun, the skill trees, attribute points, companion trees, and equipment (with enchantments for weapons) really lets you build your personal play style. The world and characters are fun and there's actually a lot of content to interact with in each area. I will note that I think people have a hard time with how this game is structured. NOT EVERYTHING IS MAPPED, EXCLAMATION MARKED, SPELLED OUT FOR YOU! A lot of the content is , but a lot requires you to just interact, talk, and dare I say it READ!? In order to activate certain content. I personally think this is a good thing! It lets the adventurer interactive with and explore as much as little of the people and land that they want (read the end to see what I mean). I hear people complain that you can't smash all the cups on tables (its not a physics sim) and that there aren't enough NPCs/Interaction. The first is true but has nothing to do with making a fun RPG in my experience. If you need a physics sim there's plenty out there - but why hate on a game that doesn't use it as a gameplay mechanic? The second is just flat out wrong. I'm in the 3rd of the 4 main regions and have talked to sooo many NPC's. I've probably done 25+ side quests so far - all with a good chunk of dialog and player choices. Also, there are tasks and little missions that you just pick up from conversations or reading notes (no big exlamation point). People also say "your choices don't matter", but I don't think they've really "played" the game. I think most of these players mainline the game or run from map marker to map marker, skip through dialogue and notes they find then wonder why nothing appears to be happening. This is a game where you just might miss some of the consequences of your choices if you aren't paying attention. Here is a couple of examples (and there are lots!). I stumbled upon a guard interrogating a merchant bringing goods into the city (again this isn't a quest, just went up and talked to the NPC's) this gave me the option to assist with a search for contraband. I found a grenade but decided not to disclose this to the guard. I thought nothing of this until 2 hours later I was doing a completely different side quest and was trying to smuggle some refugees off shore and guess who came to vouch for me and saved me some gold and a fight?! But the random merchant I didn't turn in. Building on this, the couple I helped smuggle out of town? Well, 10 hours of gameplay later in the third map region I see two NPCs (now in much nicer clothes) hanging around town and realize "Hey! those look like the folks I helped out way back in act one!" So I go up to them (again no exclamation mark telling me to talk to them) and start up a conversation! We chat about what's happened since we last saw each other and then they give me a high rarity heavy armor set! Perfect :)