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Broken Sword seriesEpisode 2 Thoughts?(16 posts)(16 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted April 19, 2014
So…What does everybody think of episode 2?
Posted April 19, 2014
I've been thinking about that, myself, and to be honest I don't know. Since the episodes got merged, I can't think of episode 2 as a standalone experience, like I did with episode 1.

Overall, I think it's a good return to form for Revolution, I really missed a 'true' Broken Sword. It may have its shortcomings, has some bugs running on some set-ups (that's the major flaw of PC gaming, there is so much variety in combinations of hardware and software that a bug-free game is virtually impossible to make), but the humour is still there, the writing is as stellar as it ever was, the puzzles may feel a bit dumbed-down but, in all honesty, we've been playing these kinds of games for decades, now, I think we just got good at p&c puzzles. Plus, there were overly frustrating puzzles in old games that we force ourselves to remember fondly, but were ultimately just bad game design. I have no problem with the puzzles in 5.

I know my thoughts are a bit vague, but I'm avoiding spoiling any aspect of the game to people who have yet to play or finish "episode 2", so there you have it. In my opinion, Broken Sword 5 is the best Broken Sword in years, way better than 3 and 4, and on par with 2. The first one is still the best, in my opinion, though that may be due to my rose-tinted nostalgia spectacles. If any newcomer to the series starts with 5 and thinks it's the best, I can most definitely understand why. It's certainly an awesome game, and a true to form Broken Sword, I, for one, am glad they forewent the episodic format and made it into a full, integrated game, so I can't really say much about "episode 2". What I can say, though, is that Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse is a bloody excellent piece of video gaming, and any self-respecting point & click adventure fan shouldn't miss it.
Post edited April 19, 2014 by groze
Posted April 19, 2014
I definitely think BS5 is the best Broken Sword game since the 2nd one. Obviously not as great as the first one, but the first one was also kinda a product of its time. The story and presentation of the first Broken Sword are what works in its favor and frankly, it will be nearly impossible to top it. I definitely think, in some aspects, BS5 is better than BS2. For example, the voice acting in the 5th one is immensely better. I don't know her name, but the woman who voiced Nico was great, much better than the actress in the second one. The interaction between George and Nico is great.
Posted April 19, 2014
Like the others posts, BS5 is quite good, as Quetzalcoalt (Smoking Mirror if i'm right).

The first one remains my favorite, the story and the characters were really good. This one got some good places, nice people (it's sad we don't see more of Navet), the easter eggs and cameo were funny
The 2nd half of the game is really Broken Swordish, puzzles very interesting and 99.9% logical.

The "real" problem of this game is the first part too long (and too short in the same time), too easy (the most interesting puzzle was the neon sign) and too serious (but it's corrected by the 2nd part), and except one or two characters no one is in the 2nd part.

I'm glad to be a baker of this sequel, can't wait to play another one if it's still in 2D.
Post edited April 19, 2014 by Lord_Britania
Posted April 19, 2014
Spoiler alert...
Yeah, I was kinda surprised nearly nobody from the first half of the game makes an appearance in the second. Navet, Moue, Laine… They all have pretty significant parts in the first half, but they aren't used at all in the second half. Oh, and Henri's wife… I actually thought she would play a bigger role in the second half. The Medovsky character confused me. It seemed like the game designers were planning on giving him a bigger role…I don't know if Revolution rewrote the script to whatever…I was just never sure what his intentions were. Was he working separately from Langham? Or were him and Langham partners? If not, why would Medovsky want the painting in the first place?
But that is all nitpicking. Episode two was very enjoyable for me, was paced very well, was easy to follow, had more difficult puzzles than the first part. However none of the puzzles were super-difficult or too vague. I think the two puzzles which give me the most trouble was the whole "putting the paper clip on the back of the cockroach" thing and the music of Ava Marie. But like I said, nothing was too frustrating and I didn't spend longer than 15 or 30 minutes stuck. Even in the chapel where you found the Tablua, the puzzle where you are trying to match the symbols was logical. Once you figure out what you have to do with that, it's pretty easy. The hint system is also a great idea. I love adventure games, but I also don't like being stuck in an area or location aimlessly clicking on things for hours. The hint system is ingenious in the way that it gently nudges you in the right direction at first before completely spilling the beans. Honestly, most of the time you'll just need the first clue and you can figure it out from there.
I look forward to playing the whole game now when I have the time. I think it'll be a great experience, with how the first half was paced rather slow, then rapidly escalates in tension and pacing as you reach the game's midway point. All in all, the second part is unabashedly Broken Sword. Fans of the genre will not be disappointed by the experience.
Posted April 19, 2014
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DSDallago: [snipped for spoilers ;) ]
I couldn't have said it better myself, quite a in-depth review you have, there!

I think that if and when they make another entry in the series, it's definitely going to be 2D. Maybe a sequel to 4, chronologically, but with this style, I honestly have no clue, all I know is that they proved the Broken Sword series is far from being dead and forgotten, even if "professional" reviewers and journalists have been quiet on their lukewarm reception of the game. Point & click fans, Revolution fans, Broken Sword fans all like the game a lot, and that's what ultimately matters.

Now let's hope for that Beneath a Steel Sky 2 to become a reality, as well! ;) I don't even care about state-of-the-art graphics, they can make a graphically pleasing 2D adventure game just by using development kits like the Adventure Game Studio, as long as they get the game out.
Post edited April 19, 2014 by groze
Posted April 19, 2014
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DSDallago: [snipped for spoilers ;) ]
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groze: I couldn't have said it better myself, quite a in-depth review you have, there!

I think that if and when they make another entry in the series, it's definitely going to be 2D. Maybe a sequel to 4, chronologically, but with this style, I honestly have no clue, all I know is that they proved the Broken Sword series is far from being dead and forgotten, even if "professional" reviewers and journalists have been quiet on their lukewarm reception of the game. Point & click fans, Revolution fans, Broken Sword fans all like the game a lot, and that's what ultimately matters.

Now let's hope for that Beneath a Steel Sky 2 to become a reality, as well! ;) I don't even care about state-of-the-art graphics, they can make a graphically pleasing 2D adventure game just by using development kits like the Adventure Game Studio, as long as they get the game out.
I gotta think, especially if BS5 comes out as being a general success, that they'll continue to make more of them. I don't know how large the fan base is for the series, but I do know that the base is very passionate about the games. Revolution deserves to be commended for the production of BS5. They gave the fans exactly what they wanted. It FELT like an authentic Broken Sword game, not something that was slapped together half-assed. Even the retread characters, like Moue, the Hendersons, and the goats were done very lovingly, and stayed true to how we all remember them. Revolution's handling of the Hendersons in BS5 was great. That could have very easily rubbed the player the wrong way… Especially after what I viewed as their botching of Lady Piermont in the first episode. Lady Piermont just seemed out of place there in Hobb's loft. It didn't feel right. But the Hendersons were handled much better. They naturally fit into the scene and they acted just like I remembered them from the previous games. It just felt right to see them there. And the goats in episode 2 I thought were just an homage to the history of the Broken Sword games. It made sense that, after causing George and the player so much misery in BS1 and earlier in BS5, the final goat ends up helping George and Nico Maybe you can criticize some of the puzzles (I'll admit it, there were a few puzzles that I thought were rather silly) or the bugs or the choppy animation at spots, but I genuinely enjoyed myself playing it. It was Broken Sword.
Posted April 19, 2014

Post edited September 29, 2018 by Fairfox
Posted April 19, 2014
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the_voivod: Since Rev have already created the models for a lot of characters in #5, perhaps they could re-use them in a sequel (especially since a lot of the characters were underused (a single scene or two) or didn't reappear after the first part) and keep the costs down somewhat.

Edit: Also, despite part 1 of the game being a little too easy and too focussed on just a few central locations, I found I actually missed a lot of that when it came to part 2. Sure, the second half was tougher and had more exotic areas, but it kind of left me wanting to go back to the gentler first half. No idea if that makes sense.
Yeah, the first part was much more relaxed than the second part.
Posted April 20, 2014
I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy the second part as much as the first one. That it has been released in two parts is probably the reason for that. I expected the same depth, interactions, nostalgia, tension and humour as the first part, but it fell a bit short of that. The gameplay was too focussed and lineair, it was not possible to visit different locations or even switch rooms very often. There was less smalltalk this time, the Hendersons notwithstanding. Nico’s role was too limited, whereas she had a lot more to do in the first part (and Broken Sword 1). One of the puzzles was a real brainteaser, but overall the puzzles were more straightforward than in the first part (where I had to check the hints occasionally, hardly ever this time).

If there will be a Broken Sword 6, then it should be release as a whole, not in parts. I probably would have enjoyed the second part more, if the separation was not there. That’s a lesson learned for me.
Post edited April 26, 2014 by Eitot
Posted April 21, 2014
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t.tiemann: I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy the second part as much as the first one. That it has been released in two parts is probably the reason for that. I expected the same depth, interactions, nostalgia, tension and humour as the first part, but it fell a bit short of that. The gameplay was too focussed and lineair, it was not possible to visit different locations or even switch rooms very often. There was less smalltalk this time, the Hendersons notwithstanding. Nico’s role was too limited, whereas she had a lot more to do in the first part (and Broken Sword 1). One of the puzzles was a real brainteaser, but overall the puzzles were more straightforward than in the first part (where I had to check the hints occasionally, hardly ever this time).

If there will be a Broken Sword 6, then it should be release as a whole, not in parts. I probably would have enjoyed the second part more, if the separation was not there. That’s a lesson learned for me.
I can definitely see where you were coming from. I'd try to replay the game from start to finish and see if it improves the experience in your eyes. You'll probably catch things that you might've missed or forgotten about. At least I did. I definitely think BS5 is at the level of BS2…Maybe a little better, maybe a little worse. Time will tell.
Posted April 23, 2014
I did not like it.
I LOVE broken sword 1+2, never played the parts after that because of the bad look.
Really high hopes for this one, but with all the wait for "episode 2" on top..No, wasn´t worth it.

To the developers: Did you guys ever played the first 2 parts? So when you were developing this one, did you go like "yea, this one is really better!"?

Animation was pretty poor sometimes, people were "gliding" more than walking and the cutscenes?! Why? Does anyone like this style?!
Overall I think this could have used a couple more months of finetuning, but then again, everyone was already pissed because it was released in two parts anyway..Puzzles were really annoying sometimes, ave maria in the church? WTF?

I get really sad when I think about how many awesome broken swords we might have had if revolution just concentrated on what they showed with the first two parts - storytelling and atmosphere.

edit: almost forgot: Really, really bad job on the voices this time. I played it in German and I was looking forward to the old familiar voices. Ok, new voice for Nico, happens, but why are they sounding like they are shouting most of the time? George lost a lot of his charme and sounds simply stupid, trying to be funny or something. Are you targeting a younger group with this? Bad, bad, bad.
Post edited April 23, 2014 by simonster83
Posted April 23, 2014
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simonster83: I did not like it.
I LOVE broken sword 1+2, never played the parts after that because of the bad look.
Really high hopes for this one, but with all the wait for "episode 2" on top..No, wasn´t worth it.

To the developers: Did you guys ever played the first 2 parts? So when you were developing this one, did you go like "yea, this one is really better!"?

Animation was pretty poor sometimes, people were "gliding" more than walking and the cutscenes?! Why? Does anyone like this style?!
Overall I think this could have used a couple more months of finetuning, but then again, everyone was already pissed because it was released in two parts anyway..Puzzles were really annoying sometimes, ave maria in the church? WTF?

I get really sad when I think about how many awesome broken swords we might have had if revolution just concentrated on what they showed with the first two parts - storytelling and atmosphere.

edit: almost forgot: Really, really bad job on the voices this time. I played it in German and I was looking forward to the old familiar voices. Ok, new voice for Nico, happens, but why are they sounding like they are shouting most of the time? George lost a lot of his charme and sounds simply stupid, trying to be funny or something. Are you targeting a younger group with this? Bad, bad, bad.
Eh, I disagree. I played the English version and I thought the voice acting was superb. Nico sounded the best she has sounded since the first one, and George is the same as he's ever been. I can sympathize with your point about the puzzles….A few of them (Dressing up like Henri in Bijou's apartment, using the cockroach to repair the fusebox at that place in Spain, the Ava Marie puzzle) were really abstract and out of place, all of the other puzzles fit the situation and were pretty logical if you just sat there and thought about it. Even that symbol puzzle in the chapel, though pretty difficult, was logical and could be figured out if you just sat there and thought about it. I don't know if maybe something got lost in translation for the German version. I'd recommend playing the English version, since you seem to have a pretty good grasp of the English language. See if you think differently. I'm not saying BS5 is a masterpiece…It's not. But it is easily the best one since the second one. And if I remember correctly, BS2 was NOT viewed very favorably when it was first released. Only in the past four or five years has that game improved in the eyes of people. Time has been very kind to BS2
Posted April 24, 2014
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simonster83: I did not like it.
I LOVE broken sword 1+2, never played the parts after that because of the bad look.
Really high hopes for this one, but with all the wait for "episode 2" on top..No, wasn´t worth it.

To the developers: Did you guys ever played the first 2 parts? So when you were developing this one, did you go like "yea, this one is really better!"?

Animation was pretty poor sometimes, people were "gliding" more than walking and the cutscenes?! Why? Does anyone like this style?!
Overall I think this could have used a couple more months of finetuning, but then again, everyone was already pissed because it was released in two parts anyway..Puzzles were really annoying sometimes, ave maria in the church? WTF?

I get really sad when I think about how many awesome broken swords we might have had if revolution just concentrated on what they showed with the first two parts - storytelling and atmosphere.

edit: almost forgot: Really, really bad job on the voices this time. I played it in German and I was looking forward to the old familiar voices. Ok, new voice for Nico, happens, but why are they sounding like they are shouting most of the time? George lost a lot of his charme and sounds simply stupid, trying to be funny or something. Are you targeting a younger group with this? Bad, bad, bad.
I know that opinions vary, but I think you are too harsh. It’s a project with a limited budget and a heavy weight on its shoulders, and I thought it did surprisingly well. The game mechanics did not get in the way at any time, neither was the game frustrating at some point, like many other games nowadays. We can argue about the depth or creativity of the story, but I found it to be more thrilling than the one of Broken Sword 2. In my opinion, we should stop comparing this game so meticulously with its predecessors. When you have high opinions of the former game, it will simply be difficult to please you. What I see is a solid game with a good story, beautifully drawn graphics and decent voice acting, for a modest price.

Perhaps we’ll see a director’s cut someday.
Post edited April 26, 2014 by Eitot
Posted May 06, 2014
I'm glad to see all the positive marks for BS5. The more people who love it, the better chance we'll get a BS6. My game tastes are a little different from some. That's just me. No right or wrong answers, as they say. I played episodes 1 and 2 in one continuous go, because I always wait until the full game is available to begin. Both episodes were decent. I liked BS5 and was thrilled to see it come out. Unfortunately, I didn't *love* it the way I loved the four previous installments.

For anyone interested, I offer my personal thoughts in my BS5 REVIEW (SPOILERS) thread here on the GOG board. Like I said, my tastes are a little different than some. My review is lengthy, but I welcome your thoughts. Again, personal tastes, no right or wrong.

At any right, I hope sales will be strong enough to bring us BS6 - and maybe I'll get a little more Nico in it. For me, not enough Nico in this one. Not enough character development compared to the previous games. But a worthy game, nonetheless.
Post edited May 06, 2014 by hscott2hughes
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Broken Sword seriesEpisode 2 Thoughts?(16 posts)(16 posts)
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