W♥M

Divinity: Original Sin II on the iPad

Read More Larian Studios I have been hyped about Baldur’s Gate 3 since Larian Studios announced their teaser in August 2019. I’ve already mentioned that I was a massive fan of Black Isle Studios …

You know I’m a big fan of Larian Studios, the Belgium company that is currently developing Baldur’s Gate III (which I already pre-ordered) and the successful Divinity series. While I haven’t loved the original games from 2002, I came around with 2014’s Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel Divinity: Original Sin II.

Sadly, I haven’t beaten either of the Divinity: Original Sin saga, but from all my hours of gameplay, I love it. So much that I’ve decided to spend $25 to see how Divinity: Original Sin II will work on my iPad Pro 12.9. I saw that it supported Bluetooth controller and keyboard, but I will likely just use touch to play.

In the past, I’ve played around with Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II on the iPad, but those games originally came out in 1998 and 2000 (and yes, I bought and played them back then).

With Divinity: Original Sin II, which originally came out in 2017, on the iPad, I was just eager to see a semi-recent, modern game on the iPad. We all know that Apple have never been known for video games… so I’m glad to see companies, like Larian, take a chance.

So, for some bad news, those with older iPads, they cannot run the game. The game will run on iPad Pro 2018 to 2021 (basically any iPad with the A12 Bionic chip or later). The other bad news is that the game will take up at least 18GB of storage, so if you have an 32GB iPad, it’s going to take up half your space!

Even many users might feel that $25 is expensive (especially for an iPad app), you have to understand that this is a first-class game. I’ve played the PC, I’ve paid $50 for the game originally, so $25 is really bargain, in my opinion…. But it’s true, $25 is a million times more expensive than the typical $1.99 iPad.

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

About the Game The realm of Sarkoris was destroyed when Areelu Vorlesh, a scholar and practitioner of forbidden magics, opened a rift to the abyssal planes of existence, and hordes of demons invaded the world of Golarion. Led by the evil Demon Lords Deskari and Baphomet, the abyssal forces crushed all who stood against them, turning Sarkoris into a demon‑infested land now known as the Worldwound. Join the Crusade against the demonic invasion and rise as a new hero wielding unimaginable powers in this classic CRPG. The fate of this world lies in your hands. Read More Pathfinder As I’ve previously mentioned, I pre-ordered and looked forward to playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker. The game came out on Tuesday (September 25), and by Friday (September 28) ..… Cyberpunk 2077 For some odd reason, Best Buy, allowed me to pick up my pre-order for Cyberpunk 2077 video game for the PC. The game is not officially out until ..… GOG As you know, I’m a huge GOG (Good Old Games) fan and was very excited about the news of GOG Galaxy 2.0 in June 2019. I have been using the GOG Galaxy …

I’m probably going to regret this (again), based on my previous experiences with Owlcat Games’ Pathfinder: Kingmaker in Oct 2018. I pre-ordered Kingmaker and was hit with game-stopping bugs, as part of their 100+ bugs on launch day. It was clear that the game was not ready for launch. Eventually, Owlcat was able to fix the numerous problems and was able to save their reputation (at least in my eyes).

The most famous disappointing game launch in recent memory was for Cyberpunk 2077… which left a permanent scar on developer CD Projekt. While the game was not such a problem on PC (which is where I purchased the game), it was problematic for Xbox and PS4 (which was almost unplayable on the aging platform).

Anyway, the upcoming sequel to Pathfinder: Kingmaker, called Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, will launch on PC on September 2, 2021, with the console versions (Xbox, PS4) to be available later next year. Yes, I pre-ordered the game so I can start playing as soon as possible.

I did enjoyed Pathfinder: Kingmaker, but it does take getting used to the way the game may seem really harsh. The game is based on an off-shoot of Dungeons & Dragons rulesets, so at times it can seem unfair … but it’s because the game is observing a random d20 dice roll. While games such as the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 have implemented “second chances” or other modifications to make the game enjoyable… I do not believe Pathfinder will do this. They will strictly follow the rules.

Am I concern that Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous will be full of bugs when it launch this week? A little big, but I feel that it probably won’t be such a big deal. This is because the sequel is using the same Kingmaker game engine… and the developers have already ironed out all the kinks in the engine over the two years of development.

At least I hope that’s the case… if not, I’m sure you’ll hear from me, complaining about all the bugs.

Anyway, as a special bonus to those who pre-ordered the game on GOG, Owlcat will offer these items in your game:

Silver Tongue Amulet

Free Dancer’s Boots

Owlcat Pet

Skins for three animal companions

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: Diablo II

Read More Blizzard Sure, I said I have stopped buying Blizzard games because of their online requirements. For a long time, I refused to buy Diablo III because you have to have an online connection to play the game. ..…

If you follow gaming or tech news, there’s a massive sexual harassment suit, filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing against Activision Blizzard. The lawsuit brought to light the terrible working condition under the Blizzard house.

While it’s disappointing to hear about such things, it doesn’t change the fact that I still have a soft spot for Blizzard, thanks to their game-changing action RPG Diablo. I got the demo from PC Gamer in 1996 and was hooked. I love the first game, and have since bought all the Diablo games, including Diablo II and Diablo III (despite my protest in 2012). Originally I refused to buy Diablo III because of their online requirements… but since that time, my internet connection has been reliable.

Of all the Diablo games, Diablo II was my least favorite. I didn’t like the fact that you couldn’t “save” and reload, like the first game. I guess the game was different enough that I just never got into that game.

Now that Diablo II: Resurrected, a remastered version of Diablo II, is coming out September 23, 2021, I was happy to revisit the title. Perhaps my view of the game has changed over time.

I pre-ordered the title a few months ago, so that means that I can participate in the Open Beta version of the game on August 13, 2021. The beta will only allow you to play Acts I and II, but I think that will be plenty (for me) until the full release.

So far, I’ve put in a ton of hours into the game already, I’m already well into Act II and will ultimately complete the beta prior to the official game release. This is great, I hope my progress will carry over with the retail release. What I’ve experience is that the game is pretty much done and ready for release. There are some sound bugs (audio cutting out) and twice I got disconnected from the Battle.net servers. The game also crashed the first time I launched it, but overall, it seemed pretty good for a “beta”.

The constant always-on internet connection requirement of Diablo II: Resurrected is quite annoying. Once you’re disconnected from your game session, you’ll have to start from the beginning of that stage. It’s the nature of the randomness of Diablo II, no two game sessions are the same… so if you’re disconnected from one session, you’ll have to start over again. This would prove catastrophic if you died on a certain level and needed to recover your body. If you’re disconnected, that means your body (and gear) is lost forever.

Since loving Diablo II again… it made me very excited about Diablo 4.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com

Weekend Gamer: A Plague Tale, Ultima, and Syndicate

Weekend Gamer here. Here are a few more free games to add to your digital library.

Read More Epic Games I guess all that waiting was worth it, as currently, the game is free on the Epic Game store. I know a lot of people hate on Epic, saying they’re a bully, saying that they’re …

A PLAGUE TALE: INNOCENCE
epicgames.com

I’m very excited to see that A Plague Tale: Innocence, a game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Focus Home Interactive, is currently free on the Epic Game store.

I’ve always wanted to check out this horror/survival game since it came out in May 2019, but have always resisted on buying it, because I’m just not a fan of steath games. I entertain buying the game on the Nintendo Switch in July 2021, but due to the Switch’s lack of power and hardware limitations, the game requires an always-on internet connection to get it to run properly.

Although I happily added the free game to my Epic Game library, I probably won’t have the time to play the game. I’ll probably initialize the download today and probably check it out later.

Anyway, all these free games from Epic is good for gaming fans … but there are concerns.

First of all, according to PC World, Chinese company Tencent owns 40% of Epic Games. The fear is, based on China’s anti-free speech, human rights issues, and cybersecurity, that somehow the Chinese Communist government can use this data against Americans. I am worried, but until it’s proven that Epic is doing wrong… then I’m fine with accepting their free games.

The other concern is a report that mentioned that Epic have spent $500 Million Dollars on free games… and won’t turn a profit until 2027, according to PC Gamer. I personally doubt they can turn a profit. Epic can write off these loses because they’re making so much money on their flagship Fortnite. However, what happens when that game is out of fashion?

Anyway, for now, enjoy the free A Plague Tale game. The promotion ends on August 12 at 10am. The next free Epic game will be for Rebel Galaxy, which is free August 12 through August 19th. The sequel, A Plague Tale: Requiem, is set to be released in 2022.

Read More EA Ultima VII The Complete Edition Even if you're not into PC gaming, you can't ignore what a good deal this is. The Humble Bundle Origin #2 Bundle ends in five days. …

ULTIMA UNDERWORLD/SYNDICATE
gog.com

Last month, major game publisher Electronic Arts, asked GOG to remove their games Ultima Underworld and Syndicate from their store.

The move was seen as a move to make these games exclusive to EA’s Origin game store. For those that already purchased the game on GOG, it probably wasn’t good news.

I’ll be 100% honest and say that I would never buy these old games from EA directly. That’s because Origin has DRM-restrictions over its games. And to be completely honest, I probably wouldn’t have bought these games on any platform.

I won’t deny their importance to the gaming genre, I mean the Ultima series inspired many games that came after… but they’re just very old games. The graphics and game mechanics are very dated and the only reasons why you would want these games is out of nostagia. I totally understand, I’ve have bought old Might and Magic games, because I remember playing them when I was younger … but could never commit to playing them in the modern age.

Anyway, I am assuming GOG cut a deal, behind closed doors, with EA to make these games available to GOG customers. To celebrate, for a limited time (until September 3rd), all four games are free: Ultima Underworld 1+2, Syndicate Plus, and Syndicate Wars.

It’s awesome that they are free, but as I previously mentioned, I’m not so sure I’ll be playing them any time soon. There are later versions of Ultima that I would rather play first…

P.S. All this talk about old dungeon crawler games, made me want to revisit my Forgotten Realms Achive Collections (I purchased them during a sale a few years ago). I’m going to play Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor for the first time.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Weekend Gamer: Steam Deck

Read More Steam Speaking of Steam, it took some convincing, but I've decided to go all-in on the gaming distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation. Sure, I'm still a fan of GOG (and still buy their games) … Nintendo Switch I’ve wanted the Nintendo Switch since I first heard about it last October 2016. The system launched in March 2017, but it immediately sold out everywhere. …

Weekend gamer here. This weekend, we will look at Steam’s Steam Deck (not to be confused with Elgato’s Stream Deck).

For some months, I’ve been eyeing on the handheld AYA Neo as a Windows-based portable gaming device. It was touted as the “World’s First 7nm Handheld Gaming Device” and was funded on Indiegogo with over $2 million. People were calling this the Nintendo’s Switch killer.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of crowdfunding project, AYA Neo only produced enough units for their backers. Obviously, I didn’t buy an AYA Neo.

Recently, in response to Nintendo’s lackluster announcement of the Switch OLED, Steam announced their Steam Deck portable gaming handheld.

So, why fans aren’t that excited about the Switch OLED? It is because the upcoming console offers no speed improvements (the internals are exactly the same as the initial release in 2017). When I finally got a hold of the system in March 2017, I noted that “the biggest problem isn’t that the tablet is underpowered.”

It was underpowered in 2017, so it’s inexcuseable to release the same underpowered unit 2021. Basically, for $350, you get an OLED screen upgrade and better kickstand for the new Nintendo Switch. I think if you own the original Switch… there’s no reason for you to rush out to get the new one.

Despite how fans feel and how I feel, I know the Switch OLED will sell gangbuster. It’s a fact, people love Nintendo, so it doesn’t really matter what product they sell, people will buy it and love it.

Steam Deck is supposed to be a much faster alternative to the Switch. The other advantage that Steam will have over the Switch is that if you have a vast Steam library of games… you can simply carry that over to the Steam Deck. Sure, you’re not going to get the latest Mario or Zelda game, but there are plenty of games on Steam/PC that are never going to make it onto the Switch.

Pricing seems reasonable, the Steam Deck starts at $400 and goes up to as much as $600 for the top-end model.

Now for some concerns. Steam, or the Valve Corporation, has never ever produced a good hardware product. Their Steam Machine, which was a line of gaming computers, based on Linux, were not very good, and its poor sales reflected as much. I ended up abandoning on buying the Steam Machine, based on owning the Steam Controller and realized it was poorly designed. As I mentioned in Jan 2016, “[the Steam Controller] pretty much sucked at being a controller”.

My other concern is that Steam is so big, they don’t really have a customer support department. Don’t believe me ? Try talking to a real person at Steam… you can’t. As I mentioned in Jun 2017, “there’s no way to contact Steam.”

I guess we can wait and see when the Steam Deck comes out. Due to the lack of inventory availability, I still don’t own a PS5 or Xbox Series X. I am going to assume the Steam Deck might be extremely hard to come by.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Solasta: Crown of the Magister

Synopsis Wizards of the Coast granted Tactical Adventures a license to use the Dungeons and Dragons SRD 5.1 Ruleset, furthering our vision of making the most faithful video game adaptation with the Tabletop Ruleset! Solasta: Crown of the Magister will bring the thrill, tactics, and deep storytelling of tabletop games. As you play, you'll feel yourself reaching for your dice and miniatures. It's time to dive into the world of Solasta. Roll for initiative! Created and written by lifelong fans of Pen & Paper RPGs, comes Solasta: Crown of the Magister. Read More Baldur’s Gate I have been hyped about Baldur’s Gate 3 since Larian Studios announced their teaser in August 2019. I’ve already mentioned that I was a massive fan of Black Isle Studios, the original maker of the PC Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale games …

It’s E3 week (June 12th-June 15th). The Electronic Entertainment Expo took a break last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s back… although it’s mostly live-streams with some small in-person coverage. Hopefully it’ll be back to normal next year.

E3 is still a big deal in the gaming industry, and already in its first day, we’ve gotten to see Far Cry 6 new trailer, Ubisoft’s Avatar game trailer, Mario + Rabbids sequel for 2022, Sparks of Hope is coming in 2022, and we’re getting a director’s cut of Death Stranding on the PS5.

Sadly, since I (and many gamers) have still not been able to own a PS5 or Xbox Series X… any games announced on the latest gen consoles, I just have no interests.

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve somewhat become a Nintendo Switch and PC gamer, because, say what you will, but anyone can walk into a store and buy a Switch or gaming PC.

The last game I purchased and enjoyed was Solasta: Crown of the Magister. This is a turn-based RPG by Tactical Adventures, available to purchase on GOG or Steam. The game uses the Dungeons and Dragons SRD 5.1 Ruleset, which is something that I’ve enjoyed since the version 3.0 rules. I believe this is one of, if not, the first game to use the new rules, so I was very excited to see the new changes and how it’s presented in a video game. I think it translates well, especially represented by the 20-sided die that is displayed whenever the game calculates if you hit or miss an enemy.

Unlike Baldur's Gate 3 (which also uses Dungeons & Dragons rules), Solasta is more tactical/strategy than role-playing… so if you’re more interested in building your characters and exploration… Solasta isn’t for you.

So far, I’m very early in the game, only visiting the first outpost… but I’m having a good time. Like many strategy games, you never really want to pause/save in the middle of battle, until you finally win. Some battles can take very long to play out, due to the turn-based style, so the game can be very time consuming, even though you’ve only entered in one or two fights. This also means that this isn’t a random casual game you can pick up and leave in three minutes… you really need to dedicate the time to really play a game session.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Genshin Impact

Read More Games When The Witcher television show came out last year on Netflix, there was a massive uptick on newfound fans playing the game again. That’s because, like the game, the show was very well done and had a compelling story. …

According to some people, Genshin Impact is the biggest game in the world.

I don’t normally play “phone games”, but I recently upgraded my iPad and wanted to check out the game that everyone is talking about. I remember hearing about how much this game was a clone of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which was my favorite game of 2017).

So, you know what? Genshin Impact is pretty good! They basically took the best part of Zelda, such as cooking, gliding, climbing, and sense of discovery. And the best part is that the game is free. There are some “free-to-play” mechanics, like loot boxes, disguised as “wishes”… but it’s to be expected when you play these sort of games. However, from what I’ve experienced so far, you don’t really need to spend any money to enjoy the game. I’m sure as I progress further in the game, that might not be the case.

Also, there are some things in the game that I wish I understood better when I started playing the game. I started leveling up as fast as I could, only to realize that I can’t go beyond level 20, unless I “Ascend”. This ascension requires some resources that can only be earned by doing all the quests in the Adventure Guild… If I had known this, I would have had started on this path. I guess making mistakes is part of the game. If I had known, I would have taken a different approach.

Another thing I wish I had known was that you really need certain characters (with different powers), in order to unlock some dungeons. The game does give you certain characters to keep as an introduction, but you can also unlock various characters by redeeming “Wishes”. If you do 10 wishes, you’re guaranteed a 4-star character… so, in my experience, I just save up my 10 wishes and do it all at one time.

The only negative that I can give is that the game requires you to be online all the time. This means if you disconnect with its server, your progress won’t be recorded or the game won’t work. Since it’s a popular online game, they’re subject to hacks. Recently, the game publisher miHoYo announced two-factor authenticity (which as of this writing did not work for me).

Since my iPad had a faster processor and updated internals, playing Genshin Impact on a touch screen is pretty good. Trying out the game on Android, on my aging Moto Z4 (from 2019) proved disastrous. My phone could play the game, but it had a lot of lagging and various issues that I did not experience on my iPad… it could be that the game was not optimized for Android.

Surprisingly the game is not available on the Xbox or Nintendo Switch yet, but it’s available on all major platforms, including Windows, iOS, Android, and PlayStation 4 (available on PS5 as backward compatible). It’s free, so give it a try, if you think this might be fun.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Cyberpunk 2077

Read More Games When The Witcher television show came out last year on Netflix, there was a massive uptick on newfound fans playing the game again. That’s because, like the game, the show was very well done and had a compelling story. …

For some odd reason, Best Buy, allowed me to pick up my pre-order for Cyberpunk 2077 video game for the PC. The game is not officially out until December 10, 2020, on a variety of platforms: Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and even on Google’s Stadia. The best part is that if you have an Xbox Series S/X or PS5, Cyberpunk 2077 will run on the new console.

To understand why this game is one of the most overhyped game since their announcement in May 2012, you have to understand that it is mostly based on the game developer, CD Projekt Red. They made the Witcher game series, and, by far, their finest hour with Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Even though I personally own Witcher 3 on the PC, I have gone back and re-purchased them on the PS4 or Xbox, simply because I love the game and wanted to help support the developer.

When the hit Netflix show, based on the books (and video game) of The Witcher came out in December 2019, it introduced a whole new generation of fresh gamers to CD Projekt (they boast that Witcher 3 had a 554% sale increase that month!) It is that new fanbase, combined with the old school fanbase that drove the massive interest in CD Projekt’s next game, Cyberpunk 2077.

Based on hearing that they’ve hired Keanu Reeves to play Johnny Silverhand, and seeing early game footage using REDengine last year, Cyberpunk 2077 became one of the highest anticipated games of all time.

Unfortunately, Cyberpunk missed a few release dates. Originally set for April 2020, it was delayed to September. Naturally, everyone understood because of the COVID-19 situation. However, when September rolled around, CD Projekt delayed the game to November (just in time for the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles launch). Of course, they missed the November launch, and ultimately, they locked in December 10, 2020.

That’s where we come in… I picked up the game a few days early, and already downloading the massive game as I write this. I’m very excited to finally play this game… however, I already know that there are a ton of bugs, according to various game reviewers with early access to the game. I’m sure with ongoing patches, the game will be nothing less than amazing, but at launch, there’s bound to be some game-breaking bugs. Still, I don’t care. This is CD Projekt’s new game, after Witcher 3, and I am just very excited to try out something new from this game developer.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Read More Games I have been hyped about Baldur’s Gate 3 since Larian Studios announced their teaser in August 2019. I’ve already mentioned that I was a massive fan of Black Isle Studios, the original maker of the PC Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale games… so naturally …

Since many of us are stuck at home in isolation, because of the pandemic, we’ve had to turn to movies, video games, and toys, to keep us entertained. And it shows with record numbers of PS5 and Xbox Series S/X selling out instantly. More than ever, people are buying and playing video games at home.

Recently, I purchased one of the biggest Triple-A game called Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, mostly thanks to enjoying Ubisoft’s previous two releases, Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (both games earning high praises from me).

What AC does really well, since its original conception in 2007, was that it created the medieval past amazingly well. The game does a great job re-creating buildings and real historical figures from the past. Sure, at times, it takes creative liberties, but for the most part, it does a great job.

Before we get into Valhalla, you have to look at the two previous games… which sets up in Egypt with Origins and follows the story of Layla Hassan. If you saw the movie or even played any of the AC games, you know how we got to access the past, by using a machine called the Animus.

I don’t so much cared about the future in these games, but it does make for connecting one game to another. After Origins, we arrived in Greece with Odyssey… easily one of my favorite games when it was originally released in 2018. Odyssey seems to step away from the stealthy game play of the original games… and focused more on combat with its Spartan/Athena fighting style. Of course, the game developer still allow you to play stealth, if that is how you want to play.

It would seem with Valhalla, that Ubisoft concentrate more on melee combat. Which, to be perfectly honest, I don’t have an issue with it, since it fits the Viking’s berserker style of fighting (can you see an assassin Viking?)… The other thing that I’ve noticed with Valhalla, is that it allows the player to turn down the stealth difficulty!

While I love Valhalla, it’s pretty much the same as Odyssey and Origins. I would recommend you wait for a sale on Valhalla… in fact, if you haven’t played the previous two games, I would recommend getting those two games first (usually on discounts). I just can’t justify the $60 price for Valhalla, not when you can get Odyssey for $20. However, if you enjoyed the previous games, sure, pick up Valhalla … it will be right up your alley.

NOTE: Normally, I prefer to buy and play my games on my PC. My computer is ten times better than the PS4 or Xbox, but, unfortunately, if you want to play on the PC, you have to use Ubisoft’s U-Play launcher… which I absolutely hate. I ended up buying it on Xbox, as it promises an easy free upgrade path to Xbox Series X, should I ever buy the new console. I’m not sure the status of PlayStation’s backward compatible program, so I’m not sure if Valhalla would work on the PS5, at the time of my purchase decision. Plus, the fact that PS5 games will retail for $70, it doesn’t sit well with me.

Assassins Creed Valhalla Rognarok Edition (Best Buy Exclusive)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Early Access: Baldur’s Gate 3

Read More Games First, I’m very happy to hear that Larian Studios will be making Baldur’s Gate 3. The last Baldur’s Gate game came out in 2000, so it’ll be a good 20 years since the last game (considering that BG3 probably won’t launch until 2020). …

I have been hyped about Baldur’s Gate 3 since Larian Studios announced their teaser in August 2019. I’ve already mentioned that I was a massive fan of Black Isle Studios, the original maker of the PC Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale games… so naturally, I wanted to see more Dungeons and Dragons games.

As promised, Larian Studios offered fans early access to their game-in-progress. The final game won’t be officially released for another year (to be honest, I think it’ll be two years before they can release it to the public). The early access to the game only grants you part one of the game, which will get you about 20 hours of gameplay. From what I’ve heard, there final game will have three parts, so you’re looking at a massive 60+ hour game.

The game came out in early access on October 5, and by October 10, I had already reached my level up cap (you can only get to level 4) and got to the end of the map. Sure, there are tons more area to explore, so I’ll have to backtrack and hit all the areas I didn’t see. However, seeing as I can’t progress grow anymore at level 4, I feel like there’s no point in continuing.

So far, there are six original characters created for this game, and they can join your party on this adventure. You can only have a maximum of four in your team, so any excess characters will have to go to your camp to wait it out until you return for a long rest. My favorite character to hear is Gale, as the voice actor does such an excellent job in his dialogue delivery.

Now for the bad news - if you want to get in early access, you’ll have to pay full price of $59.99. You do get the full game when it comes out, but it’s a steep price to pay for an incomplete game (at least for now). I wish they would’ve given us a little discount.

The other bad news is that the game is rough. There are bugs all over, not to mention visual glitches or camera locks. Plus, cross saves doesn’t always work correctly. All normal things you might expect for an advance look at the game. Also, if you’re unfamiliar with D&D rulesets you may be frustrated with no help from the game.

The last bad news is that your early access game might not be able to carry over the final release. I personally don’t mind this, as I’ve made plenty of mistakes and wouldn’t mind replaying it to correct them (or make a different choice). However,

Otherwise, if you don’t mind roughing it and love Dungeons & Dragons, you need to check out the early access to Baldur’s Gate 3. You can buy it at my favorite digital game retailer, GOG.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic