Recent reviews by svensson1066

Apparently, there have been some bug fixes. I just bought the game and have encountered none of the ones mentioned in the reviews I've read.
So far, this game has the classic Dark Future vibe of WH40K with all the Lexikon elements correct. This is not a fast 'run-and-gun' game, all combat is turn-based procedural using square grid maps.
Thus far the story is well worth playing and the NPCs are beginning to develop personalities of their own instead of just staying within their archetypes.

If you're a fan of the Traveller tabletop game, this is a session of Traveller with the serial numbers filed off.
More importantly:
- No live service system
- No loot boxes or microtransactions
- If you've played FallOut 4 and Skyrim, then you'll be at home.
- Bethsoft has returned to what made us love them in the first place: A wide open world, a deep RP experience, rich characterizations, NPCs fully voiced, etc.
There are some negatives, just with every other game in the world:
-- Some of the facial animations are pretty rough.
-- There are places where more tutorials would help. Ship modification and building being a glaring example.
-- Just as if you were playing Skyrim and FallOut 4, you won't be able to do some things at the start of the game because you're not experienced enough to have the skills. OTOH, the beginning sequence isn't an hour long... it's only about 20 minutes. If you need to retconn your character, it's easy to do.

This is, essentially, a combination of Diablo and World of Warcraft. Without Blizzard, asthmatic 13 year olds, or getting ripped off in the auction house.
The mechanics are easy to master, the game runs smoothly on most reasonably up to date computers, and there isn't many bugs at all.
The only advice I would give is to download a stash inventory mod. But other than that, it's a very solid standalone game.

So, I've got about 15-16 hours into the game at this point. This is my take on it.
First off, I rate this as a BUY if you're into RPGs. The story thus far seems solid and there are good rpg elements to gameplay.

Before you buy, know this:
- This is a fixed perspective isometric game. If you're looking for something more advanced than that, this is not what you're looking for.
- Because of the fixed perspective, you can sometimes lose your characters on the screen. This isn't a glitch, but a simple fact of life in a game of this sort.
- The game has a dark theme and mood.
- The lighting is also very dark and moody.
- Combat is brutal, cover is vital, gear quality is important and weapon skill specialization is absolutely necessary. This is not the game for your standard jack-of-all-trades character.
- Save early, save often. Quick-Save and Quick-Load are your friend.

This game harkens back to the early days of the Fallout franchise, FO 1 and 2. That being said, it lacks the sense of humor that was present in FO, and is in many ways a more realistic 'post apocalyptic' or 'industrial wasteland' kind of feel.
I've just about finished Chapter One, and I'm enjoying my time thus far. Yes, I did have hit the forums for some tactical advice [which I have shared above] and once that was cleared up things have moved along much better.

If you've played Divinity: Original Sin II, then you're familiar with the interface. For those of us 'raised' on BioWare and Bethesda games, using WASD moving the camera not the character and the constant use of the mouse to pan the camera takes a bit of getting used to. But once you've gotten into that habit, things are fine.
The game plays much like any other open world RPG, and the quest lines are both interesting and at time frustrating. There is no magic 'glowie' telling you where things are... you have to suss out what 'the answers' are yourself.
This is DnD 5e, and that takes some getting used to for us Auld Skool Geek types. But the tutorial is very helpful if you take the time to pay attention to it.
The art is beautiful and consistent. The natural environments feel like nature, the ruin environments feel like ruins, and the underground is dark and foreboding...
There are some things I don't like... For 95% of the game, it is your character's skills that matter and your party isn't much help with it. For example, if you don't have skill at Sleight of Hand, your Rogue can't help you open a lock. That can get frustrating.

It's just what you'd expect from a Black Isle Game.
Not as sophisticated visually as most games in the modern era, but ground breaking in its time. And STILL with some of the best RPG writing out there.
And there's Minsc. Yeah, Minsc is a thing. Trust me.

This is a great iteration of the Civ franchise, and I actually like this version over Civ 6.

The visuals are just... frikkin' wow.
This is my first venture into the AC franchise and I have to say that I'm impressed. As of right now, I'm a VERY happy history junkie gamer.

I'm a huge fan of open world RPG's, especially those that allow for modding and customizing. The mod community is very active and you can find nearly endless replayability if this is the type of game you're into.

A worthy sequel to PoE.
It is very easy to use this game as your introduction to Eora, but more depth will be found playing the game as a sequel to Pillars. The consequences of previous actions provide a wealth of story and a great many adventure leads.