I was seriously considering buying <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> until my friend allowed me to try it out for a day.
I made it just past the first act, deleted the game from my hard drive, and gave the cd's back to my friend.
I will not bash the game, though I will say that it is not for me.
I enjoy tactical combat (read: "combat that emphasizes tactics and grants a multitude of options to prevail") and love to be intellectually challenged by a game. Having said that, some of the design decisions of <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> truely left alot to be desired from the combat. The game itself is highly level based (not unique among action RPG's) insomuch as you can devestate hoards of level 2 skeletons at level 5; however, try to fight a level 6 or 7 monster at level 5, and you will see the gameover screen VERY quickly.
Unfortunately, the skill system does not facillitate a multitude of options and ultimately pigeon-holes the player into certain skill paths. Sure, there are many options, however, you will realistically invest in a specific combat skill and pray that your enemies will lack the resistances to said skill.
The different levels of gameplay: tactical, action and hardcore are all misnomers. Tactical combat is VERY challenging and has a very very small learning curve; this game mode comes with the assumption that you will hit the magic "quickload" key multiple times as an enemy's luck can kill you instantly. Action combat is hard enough to facillitate the regular use of the pause key... making it much more like an "easier" tactical mode. Hardcore... well... if you are immensely masochistic, you would enjoy this mode.
I have played the original <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> and found the inventory system to be average/good; <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> 's inventory system is clearly a regression from <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> 's. This is all due to the previous posters' comments, so I will not reitterate them.
In closing, I feel that <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> has potential, however, two things will have to occur for me to grant the game a 7/10 or an 8/10:
1) free up more skill paths in the beginning of the game, and devise a way to allow melee characters to transfer some of their damage from certain melee skills onto other melee weapons. Being pidgeon-holed into "crushing" weapons after getting an awesome axe is very frusterating; perhaps if the damage points from the "crushing" skill could transfer over to the axe albeit in a reduced ammount? It would produce a range of weapons that the melee character can use and would ammount to a greater choice. Do I go with my invested weapon or a different type of weapon with lesser damage (granted by my already invested skill points)?
2. balance the game for its difficulty. I enjoy a challenge; however, <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> in its current state is more frusterating and monotonous than fun.
