Banner Saga makes you make hard decisions. Sometimes, really hard decisions where neither choice seems good.

Well, I've played Aarklash and beat it. Own Blackguards but haven't tried it yet. Probably going to get Banner Saga in the next couple minutes.
As for Aarklash, it's got pretty good active pause-based combat that reminds me of fighting in Icewind Dale.
Only problem is, the entire game is centered around that and it isn't so hot in all the other areas. You get different characters and fair to moderate amounts of customization, but everything else isn't good, and even the combat takes a hit when you get jumped by enemy parties while you're neckdeep in combat with a party that you know is built to be a challenge for your foursome of characters.
When that happens? Might as well kiss your ass goodbye and resign yourself to starting from your last quicksave.
Story's forgettable, voice acting's hit and miss at best, and it ends on a cliffhanger that will in all probability never be resolved in a sequel.

That pretty much describes my entire existence.
Thanks for the summary. Maybe I'll finally give it a try.

Two very simple but rather appropriate words come to mind:

1. Cree...
2. peeeee!

I always thought John, Paul, George and Dingo were well-mannered, clean-cut boys, not Satanists!

LOL I'm a big fan of the game. It looks gorgeous and has a very moody soundtrack. The tactical aspect is fun and just the right sort of deep that it stays interesting but doesn't get overwhelming. Most of the characters you play are fleshed out beyond being "just a guy" - though there are a few random adds that are a bit flat. The best part - you might not even find these based on your gameplay.

It does a wonderful job of making you feel like you really are guiding this caravan across a desolate land. That part of the game has a bit of "Oregon Trail" vibe to it, with some fun choose your own adventure text "quests" mixed in.

And a lot of the game can change based on how you play it.

I've heard people say they find it annoying that some of those "text choices" are more deadly than combat but they never feel random. If you think something could be dangerous - it's probably going to be dangerous and you'll have to live with the consequences. Also, I saw reviews that were turned off by the "shared resource" (XP, gold, ration purchases are all handled with one "currency") - again I really liked the forced scarcity.

Plus, character building is a lot of fun too - again just the right amount of options and choice that will change how you play a character - but not so much as to lead to paralysis (Do I? Should I? Maybe this...).

Thanks, that's what I needed, it's of no interest to me without a strong story.

Edit, from the game card: "Take part in an epic campaign, mixing adventure and tactical combat, following a rich storyline that will transport you into the fantasy world of Aarklash." That didn't seem to jive with the reviews at all. :(

Hope you didn't laugh so hard you wet yourself ;-( ;-)

LOL I went with the long summary too just in case ;)

But for me it really is one of those games that deserves the one word emotional response. Huge fan.

Last note - there is a cliffhanger ending. It stands on its own as is, but is ripe for more. So if that sort of thing ruins a game for you, now you know.

Comments on Blackguards anyone?

Well, it's not the most ringing of endorsements, in spite of my liking the game. :)

Definitely get the first Grimrock before, though. It's more concise and will introduce you to the game. In fact, I enjoy how sparse it is, though the larger vistas and increased loot of the second game are nice too.

Your recommendation for Grimrock 2 is reminding me of Escape Goat. And I hate/love the frigging crap out of Escape Goat. So I know that following your advice is going to be enjoyment mixed with more than a fair bit of pain.

Ho... sad thing...
Here you are, a snowy Stillton !
click click


Heehee, time to go to bed ? :D

Snowy Stilton has returned!

My click-the-avatar Viking snowstorm went awol for a few hours (no idea why) but now he is back and all is right and good in the world! Snowy Stilton has not left the buiiiildiiiing!

Sorry, I got a bit excited there...everything's okay now, honestly...

I found it oddly reassuring to spend time meticulously digging mine shafts in Terraria, occasionally interspersed with moments of joy at finding just the right ore I needed to melt into bars to make into my next weapon, gemstones to adorn a magic staff or a robe, or even a hidden chest in the world/concern or 'not again' (depending on how good my armour and weapons were) at seeing enemies approaching. A good portion of the hours I've played it were probably spent creating perfect horizontal paths of three squares high and long vertical shafts of two squares wide.

(Yes, I have obsessive qualities, thank you for noticing :P)