Zorba the Hutt
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2012
- Messages
- 1,865,661
Wondering if this is a Codexer on Steam:
Am I alone? AoD is the greatest RPG I've ever played.
Am I alone? AoD is the greatest RPG I've ever played.
Am I alone? AoD is the greatest RPG I've ever played.
Starting with Fallout 1, I've been playing many RPGs, and AOD is no doubt the best among those.
What is a RPG about? To me it's all about immersion. A cyber experience that is realistic and plausible for me to play the role of a character, pondering over each decision and carefully navigating the world as if it were real.
There is a strong ongoing trend of casualization in RPG and qualities I seek in RPG have long disappeared for many years. Most of so called AAA RPGs have an abhorrent level of writing, flashy but shallow characters with no depth, plots that are either childish to the point of cringeworthy level or that contradicts itself within the game, an extreme hand holding and accommodations to let gamers do whatever the hell they want even if it is going for the final boss at level 1. For that reason, Mass Effect2&3, Dragon Age 2, and (especially) Skyrim didn't have an appeal to me.
I can't get much immersion from an ancient evil hellbent on world domination, prophecies of the chosen one(which always happens to be you), and a superhero main character who can do everything at his/her whim without so much as a minor setback as a consequence.
To make an analogy of these settings in real life, it would be as if there were an evil alien invasion to conquer earth, second coming of Jesus(which happens to be me, by the way), and I having an sexual intercourse with every woman I lay my eyes on and winning every lottery I purchase. Does that make sense? No, that's plain ridiculous. Then why should we be treated as such in video games? I know it's a fiction, but give me a plausible one that I can actually believe and immerse myself in.
I don't want an ancient evil without a plausible explanation. I don't want every female character to sleep with me when I click a dialogue with a heart icon on it. I don't want to be the stupid chosen one foretold by prophecy. I don't want to be a superhuman capable of miracles. I don't want characters that speak as if they were in a elementary school theatricals(go away Skyrim).
I want villains to have reasons for their actions and act smart. I want everyone with brain to have their own agenda instead of being a decoration to the grand journey of the main character. I fully expect character to deceive and backstab me should they see my vulnerability or weakness, and I don't expect a divine punishment that magically leads those who wronged me to my path so I can reclaim the stolen money. If I've been tricked and they ran away, so be it. I want factions to have more interactions without player's intervention. I want choices to matter. I want the game to smack me full in the face if I make wrong decisions and I want situations sometimes presented without obvious answers.
Where most RPGs failed to do these, AOD did all of these perfectly and more.
On top of being the ideal RPG I dreamed of, the game adds brutal and realistic combat, multiple ways to solve quests, meaningful skill checks that far surpasses what was shown in Fallout 1,2 and New Vegas, great plot variations.
AOD is the single best game in terms of plot diversity; there is not a game that comes even close; neither Alpha protocol, the Witcher, DA, or ME.
I can see how much effort has been put for the 12 years of the development and in that respect this game is unique; I don't know if I will see a game like AOD again.
The only grudge I have against this game is the long development time. I do not like dungeon crawlers so I am not really looking forward to the sequel. It may take another 10 years for the folks at the Iron Tower Studio to produce something of AOD calibre, or perhaps never if the game doesn't sell better. It makes me sad that a hidden diamond such as AOD is not recognized by broader audience. This is a game that should sell at least half a million copies since there must be millions of hardcore RPG fans around the world. Iron Tower will most likely remain indie considering the sales figure revealed in the post release update, and I am truly sad that I won't have another experience like AOD for many years even if Iron Tower keeps making great games.
For those who enjoyed the game like me, you should try Expeditions:Conquistador. It provides a similar experience to AOD although AOD is much deeper and diverse.
Is it just me or is there anyone who shares my sentiment?
I will say it one more time: Age of Decadence is the greatest RPG ever among over 100 RPGs I've played in lifetime; it's even better than games that I loved and enjoyed such as Fallout 2, Baldur's Gate 2, Planescape:Torment, Arcanum, Vampireasquerade, Neverwinter Nights Mask of the Betrayer, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Witcher, Skyrim, Wasteland 2, Divinity Original Sin, and many more.
Starting with Fallout 1, I've been playing many RPGs, and AOD is no doubt the best among those.
What is a RPG about? To me it's all about immersion. A cyber experience that is realistic and plausible for me to play the role of a character, pondering over each decision and carefully navigating the world as if it were real.
There is a strong ongoing trend of casualization in RPG and qualities I seek in RPG have long disappeared for many years. Most of so called AAA RPGs have an abhorrent level of writing, flashy but shallow characters with no depth, plots that are either childish to the point of cringeworthy level or that contradicts itself within the game, an extreme hand holding and accommodations to let gamers do whatever the hell they want even if it is going for the final boss at level 1. For that reason, Mass Effect2&3, Dragon Age 2, and (especially) Skyrim didn't have an appeal to me.
I can't get much immersion from an ancient evil hellbent on world domination, prophecies of the chosen one(which always happens to be you), and a superhero main character who can do everything at his/her whim without so much as a minor setback as a consequence.
To make an analogy of these settings in real life, it would be as if there were an evil alien invasion to conquer earth, second coming of Jesus(which happens to be me, by the way), and I having an sexual intercourse with every woman I lay my eyes on and winning every lottery I purchase. Does that make sense? No, that's plain ridiculous. Then why should we be treated as such in video games? I know it's a fiction, but give me a plausible one that I can actually believe and immerse myself in.
I don't want an ancient evil without a plausible explanation. I don't want every female character to sleep with me when I click a dialogue with a heart icon on it. I don't want to be the stupid chosen one foretold by prophecy. I don't want to be a superhuman capable of miracles. I don't want characters that speak as if they were in a elementary school theatricals(go away Skyrim).
I want villains to have reasons for their actions and act smart. I want everyone with brain to have their own agenda instead of being a decoration to the grand journey of the main character. I fully expect character to deceive and backstab me should they see my vulnerability or weakness, and I don't expect a divine punishment that magically leads those who wronged me to my path so I can reclaim the stolen money. If I've been tricked and they ran away, so be it. I want factions to have more interactions without player's intervention. I want choices to matter. I want the game to smack me full in the face if I make wrong decisions and I want situations sometimes presented without obvious answers.
Where most RPGs failed to do these, AOD did all of these perfectly and more.
On top of being the ideal RPG I dreamed of, the game adds brutal and realistic combat, multiple ways to solve quests, meaningful skill checks that far surpasses what was shown in Fallout 1,2 and New Vegas, great plot variations.
AOD is the single best game in terms of plot diversity; there is not a game that comes even close; neither Alpha protocol, the Witcher, DA, or ME.
I can see how much effort has been put for the 12 years of the development and in that respect this game is unique; I don't know if I will see a game like AOD again.
The only grudge I have against this game is the long development time. I do not like dungeon crawlers so I am not really looking forward to the sequel. It may take another 10 years for the folks at the Iron Tower Studio to produce something of AOD calibre, or perhaps never if the game doesn't sell better. It makes me sad that a hidden diamond such as AOD is not recognized by broader audience. This is a game that should sell at least half a million copies since there must be millions of hardcore RPG fans around the world. Iron Tower will most likely remain indie considering the sales figure revealed in the post release update, and I am truly sad that I won't have another experience like AOD for many years even if Iron Tower keeps making great games.
For those who enjoyed the game like me, you should try Expeditions:Conquistador. It provides a similar experience to AOD although AOD is much deeper and diverse.
Is it just me or is there anyone who shares my sentiment?
I will say it one more time: Age of Decadence is the greatest RPG ever among over 100 RPGs I've played in lifetime; it's even better than games that I loved and enjoyed such as Fallout 2, Baldur's Gate 2, Planescape:Torment, Arcanum, Vampireasquerade, Neverwinter Nights Mask of the Betrayer, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, The Witcher, Skyrim, Wasteland 2, Divinity Original Sin, and many more.