There is a depth of gameplay here that is unmatched in my vast recent PC gaming memory. The degree to which you can customize your character(s), with individual Talents, Abilities, and Skills allows you to create truly unique character builds. And the problems you'll face along the way have multiple solutions. Where one character may pick locks, another may simply bash through them with expendable weaponry. And while a smaller, quicker character might obtain temporary poison resistance to enter a room with a gas cloud and collect it's goodies, a stronger one might simply move a heavy object on top of the vent that is the source of the poison. No matter the situation you face, if you think about it long enough ... there's probably a way your current character can overcome it. And while the main storyline may not offer anything earth-shatteringly original, there are enough interesting side quests to keep you guessing and to provide a few twists ... and they way that these are often related to one another (and sometimes to the main quest as well) shows that a lot of thought went into their creation. If you're not careful, you'll soon find yourself thinking about this fantasy world as if it were real! But the real hook for me in this game are the wonderfully detailed turn-based battles. Whenever your party happens among hostiles or aggravates them in some way, a fight sequence ensues. Automatically, the fight will involve everyone present in your party, as well as all hostiles in the area (some of whom may not have been previously visible to you) and any NPC friendlies in the vicinity as well. Each participant takes their turn in succession in each battle round, in a manner not unlike the Heroes of Might and Magic series, if you are familiar with it. Except, unlike HOMM, there are no grids here to guide or limit you. And, unlike any game in recent memory, your surrounding environment will likely play a HUGE role in determining the outcome. Shoot a water barrel (or make it rain) to douse your foes in liquid, and then send a pulse of electricity their way. Or douse the floor their standing on with oil and subsequently light it on fire. But watch where you're standing ... because your enemies might very well do the same! And all the while, do remember that poison has a tendency to explode when mixed with fire, water+fire = steam, steam + sparks = static, zombies and other undead are not only immune to poison but may very well be healed by it, enemy magii can resurrect their dead just like you can, etc. etc. Spell effects, terrain, surrounding obstacles and special abilities can all be combined in seemingly infinite ways on both sides, making every large battle an intricate puzzle to be solved. Just brilliant! But all of this depth comes at a cost. There is a steep barrier to really "get into" this game, as your characters and gear will not initially be anything special, and gold is scarce. This may make the game seem to be very difficult at first for RPG newbies. It doesn't do a lot in the way of "hand-holding" to get you going. You're told WHAT to do, not necessarily HOW to do it. And if your previous RPG experience has been limited to continually clicking the left mouse button until something dies (a la Diablo) you're in for some tough sledding! Not to knock the many hack and slash dungeon crawlers out there. I own and have played and enjoyed pretty much all of them. But that's not the kind of game Original Sin is. One quick thing to realize is that there is an extensive crafting system within this game. The landscape (and shops) are teeming with very ordinary (and seemingly useless) items which can be cleverly combined (provided your character is so inclined) to make other useful or valuable items. This can serve both as a source of inexpensive armor and weaponry, or even a source of income .. as you can fashion items that may not be useful to your character but are valuable nonetheless and can be bartered or sold. And the fact that you can barter with just about anyone you encounter (not just shopkeepers) is helpful (and very interesting) as well. If all else fails, there are also online guides and walkthroughs available. But for me, finding my way around the problems is really the fun of it all ... and this game provides plenty. And if you're an oldschool LAN-party type, there's yet another bit of throwback goodness: This game will allow you to create and save LAN games with a friend (or in my case, my wife ... who's just as enthralled with this game as I am) using your own PC's and your own network ... and nothing else. No network timeouts due to flaky internet connections, no troublesome DRM issues, none of that. stomer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars (3) 5.0 out of 5 stars 5 star 3 4 star 0 3 star 0 2 star 0 1 star 0 See all 3 customer reviews Share your thoughts with other customers Most Helpful Customer Reviews 11 of 11 people found the following review helpful 5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest games in recent memory. Don't miss this unsung masterpiece! October 6, 2014 By Computer Keith First off, this title is available in download form both on Steam and GOG. I happened to purchase it on Steam, and see very little reason not to do so ... unless you just happen to be a collector of Games in box form (as I am). I have subsequently obtained a UK Import version (as listed) for my collection -- but the box remains unopened. I've played previous games in the Divinity series and thought they ran the range from "slightly better than average" to "pretty good". It's an enjoyable series that's worthy of your time if you're an RPG fan, but not something I find myself going back to time and again. Original Sin is something else entirely! There is a depth of gameplay here that is unmatched in my vast recent PC gaming memory. The degree to which you can customize your character(s), with individual Talents, Abilities, and Skills allows you to create truly unique character builds. And the problems you'll face along the way have multiple solutions. Where one character may pick locks, another may simply bash through them with expendable weaponry. And while a smaller, quicker character might obtain temporary poison resistance to enter a room with a gas cloud and collect it's goodies, a stronger one might simply move a heavy object on top of the vent that is the source of the poison. No matter the situation you face, if you think about it long enough ... there's probably a way your current character can overcome it. And while the main storyline may not offer anything earth-shatteringly original, there are enough interesting side quests to keep you guessing and to provide a few twists ... and they way that these are often related to one another (and sometimes to the main quest as well) shows that a lot of thought went into their creation. If you're not careful, you'll soon find yourself thinking about this fantasy world as if it were real! But the real hook for me in this game are the wonderfully detailed turn-based battles. Whenever your party happens among hostiles or aggravates them in some way, a fight sequence ensues. Automatically, the fight will involve everyone present in your party, as well as all hostiles in the area (some of whom may not have been previously visible to you) and any NPC friendlies in the vicinity as well. Each participant takes their turn in succession in each battle round, in a manner not unlike the Heroes of Might and Magic series, if you are familiar with it. Except, unlike HOMM, there are no grids here to guide or limit you. And, unlike any game in recent memory, your surrounding environment will likely play a HUGE role in determining the outcome. Shoot a water barrel (or make it rain) to douse your foes in liquid, and then send a pulse of electricity their way. Or douse the floor their standing on with oil and subsequently light it on fire. But watch where you're standing ... because your enemies might very well do the same! And all the while, do remember that poison has a tendency to explode when mixed with fire, water+fire = steam, steam + sparks = static, zombies and other undead are not only immune to poison but may very well be healed by it, enemy magii can resurrect their dead just like you can, etc. etc. Spell effects, terrain, surrounding obstacles and special abilities can all be combined in seemingly infinite ways on both sides, making every large battle an intricate puzzle to be solved. Just brilliant! But all of this depth comes at a cost. There is a steep barrier to really "get into" this game, as your characters and gear will not initially be anything special, and gold is scarce. This may make the game seem to be very difficult at first for RPG newbies. It doesn't do a lot in the way of "hand-holding" to get you going. You're told WHAT to do, not necessarily HOW to do it. And if your previous RPG experience has been limited to continually clicking the left mouse button until something dies (a la Diablo) you're in for some tough sledding! Not to knock the many hack and slash dungeon crawlers out there. I own and have played and enjoyed pretty much all of them. But that's not the kind of game Original Sin is. One quick thing to realize is that there is an extensive crafting system within this game. The landscape (and shops) are teeming with very ordinary (and seemingly useless) items which can be cleverly combined (provided your character is so inclined) to make other useful or valuable items. This can serve both as a source of inexpensive armor and weaponry, or even a source of income .. as you can fashion items that may not be useful to your character but are valuable nonetheless and can be bartered or sold. And the fact that you can barter with just about anyone you encounter (not just shopkeepers) is helpful (and very interesting) as well. If all else fails, there are also online guides and walkthroughs available. But for me, finding my way around the problems is really the fun of it all ... and this game provides plenty. And if you're an oldschool LAN-party type, there's yet another bit of throwback goodness: This game will allow you to create and save LAN games with a friend (or in my case, my wife ... who's just as enthralled with this game as I am) using your own PC's and your own network ... and nothing else. No network timeouts due to flaky internet connections, no troublesome DRM issues, none of that. THE WAY GAMES WERE ALWAYS MEANT TO BE PLAYED! In short, this game creates a very rich and detailed world that's very addictive and engaging to explore. And I'll date myself again by adding that it's just about as close as anyone has ever come to adding a 21st century, 3-D graphical presentation to a NetHack like fantasy world. There's really that much going on here to where that venerable text only title comes to mind. And that's saying a whole lot!
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