Just need to vent. This game is a strong contender for the worst game I've played this year. Where do I start...

The Bard is a totally unlikeable character.
The game tries to be funny, but isn't.
Combat is monotonous button mashing.
Where you point the mouse when trying to hit an enemy, doesn't matter. The Bard will slash whoever he wants (usually not the enemy I want). When that enemy dies, but I'm in a middle of a combo, he will slash at the dead enemy instead of switching automatically to another.
Your ally hits whoever he wants: There's no "target that one!" button, or at least I don't know what that button is. This is especially infuriating at the Fnarf boss. The boss spawns enemies infinitely, and if I go near him, he teleports away. That's why I'd like the ranger to focus on the boss, but nooooo
Speaking of which, I can't hit the boss because I have no bow. The game didn't tell me to go get a bow, or where I could get it.
Controls are stiff.
Voice acting is bad.
The narrator sounds bored.
Cutscenes are too plentiful and boring.
The story is boring.
Everything is boring.
Everything about this game sucks.

1/10. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!!!

Congratulations! You are the worst troll in the history of internet.

I bought it on sale, so 4 games in 1 not bad.

I'm trying the newest one of the 4, I'll let you know how I feel about it.

edit:
The 2004 game seems uninspired, I wonder how those older apple trilogy compares to it.

I was HOPING this game was more BARD/MUSIC oriented, but it is not.
They could of done SO much with story revolving around a traving bard,
you know, a weak combatant through into combat situations, etc.

Now where was I?... Oh yes, the bard was making an ass of himself... and oh yes here it is...

Probably my only gripe with the game is it doesn't really have any background music, and I need something in the background. However I've beaten the game on the Xbox years ago and I rather enjoyed it. Most of the comedy happens to be in cases of alternative dialog, like when he fails. I'd like to know what all dialogs there are, but I'm not that big a fan to play through every single combination.

The game has 3 endings (that I recall), I'll avoid spoilers.

The okay ending: You beat the 'badguy' of the game, the world goes relatively back to normal, you get paid and that's about it.

The Bad ending: You beat the 'goodguy' of the game, the world goes to hell, but that's okay because the bard's every wish is granted pretty much involving coin and cleavage.

The funny ending: You walk away and avoid both. This is the best ending in my opinion. Watch the undead dancing and pretty much picking up where they left off except as undead. He's more like a rouge. I agree, bad focus for a main character. Actually you're told to get a bow as a recommendation. Curiously it's right behind the bar in the upper left corner. I've been playing bow & lute, and if you have the firefly summoned they never seem to actually harm it so it's a good distraction.

Playing quite a bit with the bow though, you're fighting monsters 'off screen'. This means you attack and charge your bow at a distance and then release 3 volleys of attacks killing things before they even notice you (although any closer and they attack you so I don't know..). It's playable, I don't remember what I used the first time through. They take getting used to. Actually voice acting was pretty good. A bit sappy and silly, but there's far worse voice acting. As for the narrator, he doesn't sound bored so much as given up on a lost cause, like he's watching his son and 'what's he going to do now?' I wouldn't go that far. Maybe on a reply it was more annoying than the first time through.


As for rating it. If it had background music, I'd give it 6/10 (3/5 stars) but without it, 4/10 (2/5 stars).

I wanted to like it, I really did. I was excited at the concept of the original creators having another shot at the series... and then, well, I agree with all the harshness. Its one of the few games I've ever completely regretted buying, and I bought the Xbox version as soon as it came out, played for an hour or so and never touched it again. It just felt like a terribly unfunny Baldur's Gate Deadly Alliance / Fallout Brotherhood of Steel (console version) clone.

Getting the original trilogy (that I played 3 of to death on the Apple IIe back in high school?) That was worth spending the money here. ^^

I can't disagree with very many of your bullet points... and yet I really like the game.

I wouldn't say it's not funny though. I think people are pretty jaded these days with humor. Like if it doesn't make you fall out of your chair and lose your bladder it's not funny. I found the humor quite amusing, and it's refreshing to play a character who really doesn't care about the fate of the world either way. It gets old, but the first few chosen one corpses and the ensuing song did have me laughing quite a bit.

I'm also enjoying the different choices of minion and the attempt to support different playstyles. It doesn't always come together, but at each encounter there is usually a strategy that will make the encounter fairly trivial. If you have the wrong set up for an area though the game will piss you off.

I just finished this game and I gotta say, I really enjoyed it. The gameplay was fine, nothing amazing, there is more variety later in the game than at the start, but it's still pretty plain.

I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the Scottish setting. I thought the game was very funny (for a video game). I disliked the bard to start off with but he grew on me. I enjoyed the story and particularly how it played on video game tropes.

What interests me most is your view on the comedy. Some of your complaints, like complaining about the narrator sounding bored, the bard being unlikeable, the voice acting being bad, suggests to me that maybe you just didn't "get it".

I think its hard to find a video game that does comedy well. I'd be interested in your views on a game (or games) that do comedy well.