That's right! I've got my mind set to complete several RPG reviews before the year is up!
As far as numbers go though... Probably only one more this month, and then I have to start working on the Dragon Quest series. I've never really played those games, so this should be most exciting! Back to the review at hand.
Titan Quest is an action RPG released on the PC back in 2006. They then released an expansion called Titan Quest: The Immortal Throne in 2007. I've played through the entirety of Titan Quest with a friend, and we're slowly working our way through the expansion and should be finished with that soon. (Hopefully before I finish this review.)
Now, in general, I was planning to avoid Action RPGs because they are generally a dime a dozen anymore. The idea of turn-based combat is all but forgotten in your general RPGs that are released. A handful of series is keeping that alive (Disgaea and such, Pokemon, and a few I might not be thinking of), but in general, Action RPGs are definitely more common. I have nothing against action RPGs, but not very many of them rise above the others. Thankfully, Titan Quest has risen above the common folk and made itself known! Without further ado, let's get the title piece in here.
Recurring Fantasy Presents Recurring RPG Reviews
#2 - Titan Quest: The Immortal Throne
For the sake of details, I'll inform you of the following.
I've put in over 30 hours of this game. All of that time was playing the story on multiplayer with my friend. (HEY GW!) We have attempted to play the game a few times before, but this was the only successful time because I didn't have high speed internet until recently. (Long story, too boring. I live in the country.) I've only personally tried a few of the builds, but there's a lot more variety to consider. This is a PC only title, so I apologize to the console folks. Now, let's get on to the show.
Now, I'll have to edit my usual review format a bit to conform better to the game. Basically, it'll go something like this.
The game takes place across multiple areas in the ancient world. To be more specific, you travel through Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, and the Silk Road/Asia. There are a lot of differing areas as you travel throughout the world. You go through basically any kind of topography you can think of. Plains, forests, woods, mountains, hills, deserts, swamps, and a lot of other places to see as well. It's a smorgasbord of variety!
The only downside is that variety is sometimes really spread out. The first portion of the game felt like it was just Greece and full of satyrs. SATYRS EVERYWHERE! According to Titan Quest mythology, the world was actually ruled by Satyrs instead of people. I am being sarcastic here, but there was a period of time where Satyrs were like every other group of enemies. That ends the only real complaint with the setting though.
So to reiterate what I thought of the game setting... It's a nice change up from the general fantasy medieval you get with this kind of game. Greek mythology and you travel across some very different countries with very differing enemies. There's a few points where it seems one type takes over, but apart from that, I really enjoyed the setting. Next we look into... THE STORY!
To be fully honest, I was busy with the action and hanging out with my friend that I never caught the full story. However, I've looked around a little to get a general idea of what it is. Basically, it goes something like this. (FYI, I'm going through this pretty quick, so it's going to be a rough version.) You are just a random person passing through the small village of Helos. The land has recently been ravaged by monster attacks, and you take up arms to fight your way through them. As you fight your way from one major city to the next, the story is revealed throughout multiple NPC interactions. Through a group known as the Order of Prometheus, you learn that a minor Titan (read your mythology here) known as a Telkine severed the link between mankind and the gods. Your main goal in the game is to defeat the multiple Telkines throughout and repair the line of communication between mankind and the gods.
Keep in mind, that's the rough version of it. I'd have a better one, but when you play it with a friend, you tend to be more focused on the action going on versus reading every paragraph the NPCs present you. Regardless, it's a pretty interesting story based from the Greek Mythology source. The game is pretty long, and the story is quite a journey throughout the world. I guess it'd just be nice if I spent more time enjoying it.
Regardless, I'd say the story definitely gets a pass for both interest and length. It makes good use of the mythology material it uses, and it's good enough to enjoy if you actually read it. Probably one of the only downsides that comes with doing multiplayer. (Or with someone who has played it a couple times and you want to keep up with them. XD) The story has its place, but now we adventure into the game's aesthetics to see and hear what it is all about!
This game was initially released in 2006 (with the expansion in 2007), so the graphics are a tad bit dated. Even with that in mind, many of the game's landscapes look pretty good. There is a great variety of environments as you explore the game, and many scenes are just darn pretty. It's a fairly lively world with a lot to see as you walk through it. Words really don't do it justice, so I've supplied some in-game screenshots that I've taken as I played through! I had a good grouping, but I've picked five specific ones for your viewing pleasure.
Embedding them into the post won't work super well, so I've included one of the better images. You can view them all at the imgur link I included above and here.
Now, this screenshot gives you a look into a good idea of how the game looks, and the collection of screenshots lets you see that there is a decent amount of variety as far as the game goes. Like I stated, it is a bit older now, but the environments feel very full and look very nice. There is lots of wildlife and differing areas to see. Heck, it's pretty enough to want to explore it as is. The environments alone get a pass from me. Of course, aesthetics also includes the sound portion of the game.
Now, unfortunately once again, I played this game with the music muted in place of my own music. Why? Just bad decisions on my part, if you ask me. (Sadly enough, I replaced video game music with random REMIXED video game music from OCRemix.)
ANYWAYS! I went ahead and took time to listen through the soundtrack via Youtube. (Listen here.) It's your typical orchestra video game soundtrack. I can enjoy a good orchestra soundtrack for a game, and really, from what I can tell, this really fits the overall setting and tone of the game. It's not going to get you to jump up and go crazy though. While the music does fit the tone of the game, it's not really music I'd go out of my way to hear or even consider hearing as a remix. It fits the game, and that's what it is supposed to do. Therefore, I'm going to say it passes as well. I wouldn't call it flying colors, but it'd get at least up in the top percent. Now we get into the longest (and best) portion of Titan Quest...
The gameplay! This is the important part, and it's also one of the best parts. Titan Quest is an action RPG. You run around with the mouse, click to attack, and you have a huuuuuge assortment of items, armor, weapons, and spells to use. There's so much that I don't know where to start at. I plan to cover leveling and battling later, so I guess I should look over everything else first. Let's start with some character basics.
Now, I'll get around to what leveling does a bit later. As for now though, the game has 9 core classes. (Original game had 8, and Immortal Throne added 1 more.) Each one brings a special selection of abilities, spells, and growth to the table. These include:
You've got enough types and styles of equipment to allow full customization without feeling like your character has to be covered head to toe with something for every square inch. If I remember right, you have body, legs, head, arms, weapons/shield in hands, two rings, an artifact, and a necklace.
If you've ever played this style of game, you know it's generally hack and slash with magic mixed in. This genre of games has gone through many different gameplay styles. Most of the time, I feel they don't seem to make the cut because they generally just become button mashing ridiculousness and hordes upon hordes of overly similar enemies. Now, while Titan Quest might suffer from a lack of variety of enemies, the combat is rarely (beyond the beginning) just a constant slash fest.
With all the weapons to choose from, there are multiple ways to do regular attacks. The main separation of weapons seems to be small but quick, slow but powerful, and long range. There are a few that separate it all, but it's still in the same general area of those three. I stuck to maces and short swords for most of my playthrough while wielding a shield in my other hand. With it being the style of game it is, you have to make use of a lot of hotkeys, or you'll end up in the dust. I tend to make little mistakes when I do things, so I aimed at making my character focused on passive abilities and one stun attack. Even with my simplistic setup, I was doing pretty well. I didn't dish out as much damage as my friend, but I held my own.
Now, although I'm talking about battles, I'll also make mention of enemies as well. Battles generally devolve to around 3 types: Generic enemies out in the field, Heroic rank monsters, and boss/sub-bosses. Nothing special to say about the generic mobs of enemies that reside all over, but I would like to give a special mention to the Heroic ranked ones.
Basically, as you explore, you'll ever so often run into a special "hero monster" who has a heightened strength and ability of the average monster. (I believe they're all set, but glossing past that point.) They're easily double the difficulty of their normal counterparts. However, they're also worth more experience! I think they're a nice addition to a normal monster setup. There's really not a lot to say about the boss/sub-boss monsters in the game though. They take a while to get to them, but none of them were really that hard apart from the final boss for Titan Quest. (Haven't quite finished Immortal Throne yet.)
Of course, all I've done is describe my own experience a bit while explaining the basics of it. But what do I think of it? Battles are fun and not always straightforward. Most monsters don't pose too much of a threat on their own, but a few of them will surprise you here and there. The heroic rank monsters pose a decent challenge, and they generally come in a group! If you are fighting alongside a friend, the game's just darn near perfect for battles. However, doing this by yourself, you might run into problems if you are playing a single ranged character or a full on magic user. Regardless, I definitely enjoyed the battles.
I realize that "other stuff" is a very broad term, but I figured it would leave a section open for anything I might want to comment on that didn't fit up above easily. Now what to comment on... Multiplayer comes first. For me, this game was pretty much made when I could play it with a friend. Honestly, it's probably the ONLY reason I fully played through it. We had a great time saving Greece and the rest of the world! Just sad that I built an awful character. Without him though, I can't see myself having nearly as much fun. I would have probably listened to the in-game music and actually paid attention to the story though... Of course, that's pretty much any game once you played it several times, like he did.
Other things I'd comment on would be the variety of monsters. Now, there's quite a selection of mythical beasts/creatures as you play through the game. However, there were a few times where I felt smothered by a specific kind being overly used. (Satyrs in Greece was probably my #1 annoyance.) Also, I laughed at the thought of "archer zombies" that appeared during Egypt. (Seriously, Zombie Archers are a type of enemy, and you can see them here.) Not bad! Just funny.
Let's see. What else can I think of... Side Quests! The game has a pretty good number of Side Quests to go along with the main quest. The best part about them? They don't feel stupidly overwhelming in number. There's a good amount of them that you encounter as you journey, and very few of them require you backtrack much more than just returning to the quest giver. I'm definitely a fan of that because the warp system can sometimes be lacking.
The game only has a handful of major warp points. There are several "save" spots where you revive when you die, but actual warp points are few and far between. Each area of the game only has them in the major towns. That's great and all, but if you miss activating them (I did several times), then you have to either walk back there or hope your partner is on top of things. (He definitely was... Thanks GW!)
I can't really call that a complaint, but I can say that I felt like an idiot every time I did it. They do allow you to place a personal portal wherever you are to warp to one of the towns though, so I can forgive them for the lack of warp points. No Town Portal Scrolls needed! (Yeah, screw you Diablo!) And that's really all I have for extra. To summarize: They're minor points, and only the first one (about single player versus multiplayer) has any real relevance to my score.
I have spent more than enough time writing this up. It's finally time to look over the PROS and CONS, and then I'll unleash my review rating!
I've put in over 30 hours of this game. All of that time was playing the story on multiplayer with my friend. (HEY GW!) We have attempted to play the game a few times before, but this was the only successful time because I didn't have high speed internet until recently. (Long story, too boring. I live in the country.) I've only personally tried a few of the builds, but there's a lot more variety to consider. This is a PC only title, so I apologize to the console folks. Now, let's get on to the show.
Now, I'll have to edit my usual review format a bit to conform better to the game. Basically, it'll go something like this.
- Setting
- Story
- Aesthetics
- Gameplay (Broken down into)
- System & Leveling
- Exploration
- Battles
I've switched up the order of things to make it all run better. The setting of the game isn't going to be graded so much as it will be explained so you know. Apart from that, I've switched up to bring the story first, aesthetics second, and then we dig down into the juicy tastyness of gameplay. It's going to be the largest part of this review (as with most of my reviews), so just be prepared for a loooot of things to be said there.
I've eliminated characters as a category because the character is who you play in this. It's not a person with a previous history outside of whatever you make for them. I could throw in a personal made up history for my character and my friend's character. I might do that if there is room and for fun! However, that would purely be for fun, and it's going to take a backseat for now. Enough of that... Let's get the settings down!
The game takes place across multiple areas in the ancient world. To be more specific, you travel through Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, and the Silk Road/Asia. There are a lot of differing areas as you travel throughout the world. You go through basically any kind of topography you can think of. Plains, forests, woods, mountains, hills, deserts, swamps, and a lot of other places to see as well. It's a smorgasbord of variety!
The only downside is that variety is sometimes really spread out. The first portion of the game felt like it was just Greece and full of satyrs. SATYRS EVERYWHERE! According to Titan Quest mythology, the world was actually ruled by Satyrs instead of people. I am being sarcastic here, but there was a period of time where Satyrs were like every other group of enemies. That ends the only real complaint with the setting though.
So to reiterate what I thought of the game setting... It's a nice change up from the general fantasy medieval you get with this kind of game. Greek mythology and you travel across some very different countries with very differing enemies. There's a few points where it seems one type takes over, but apart from that, I really enjoyed the setting. Next we look into... THE STORY!
To be fully honest, I was busy with the action and hanging out with my friend that I never caught the full story. However, I've looked around a little to get a general idea of what it is. Basically, it goes something like this. (FYI, I'm going through this pretty quick, so it's going to be a rough version.) You are just a random person passing through the small village of Helos. The land has recently been ravaged by monster attacks, and you take up arms to fight your way through them. As you fight your way from one major city to the next, the story is revealed throughout multiple NPC interactions. Through a group known as the Order of Prometheus, you learn that a minor Titan (read your mythology here) known as a Telkine severed the link between mankind and the gods. Your main goal in the game is to defeat the multiple Telkines throughout and repair the line of communication between mankind and the gods.
Keep in mind, that's the rough version of it. I'd have a better one, but when you play it with a friend, you tend to be more focused on the action going on versus reading every paragraph the NPCs present you. Regardless, it's a pretty interesting story based from the Greek Mythology source. The game is pretty long, and the story is quite a journey throughout the world. I guess it'd just be nice if I spent more time enjoying it.
Regardless, I'd say the story definitely gets a pass for both interest and length. It makes good use of the mythology material it uses, and it's good enough to enjoy if you actually read it. Probably one of the only downsides that comes with doing multiplayer. (Or with someone who has played it a couple times and you want to keep up with them. XD) The story has its place, but now we adventure into the game's aesthetics to see and hear what it is all about!
This game was initially released in 2006 (with the expansion in 2007), so the graphics are a tad bit dated. Even with that in mind, many of the game's landscapes look pretty good. There is a great variety of environments as you explore the game, and many scenes are just darn pretty. It's a fairly lively world with a lot to see as you walk through it. Words really don't do it justice, so I've supplied some in-game screenshots that I've taken as I played through! I had a good grouping, but I've picked five specific ones for your viewing pleasure.
 |
| The Hanging Gardens of Babylon The other screenshots are available at http://imgur.com/a/j0I4h |
Now, this screenshot gives you a look into a good idea of how the game looks, and the collection of screenshots lets you see that there is a decent amount of variety as far as the game goes. Like I stated, it is a bit older now, but the environments feel very full and look very nice. There is lots of wildlife and differing areas to see. Heck, it's pretty enough to want to explore it as is. The environments alone get a pass from me. Of course, aesthetics also includes the sound portion of the game.
Now, unfortunately once again, I played this game with the music muted in place of my own music. Why? Just bad decisions on my part, if you ask me. (Sadly enough, I replaced video game music with random REMIXED video game music from OCRemix.)
ANYWAYS! I went ahead and took time to listen through the soundtrack via Youtube. (Listen here.) It's your typical orchestra video game soundtrack. I can enjoy a good orchestra soundtrack for a game, and really, from what I can tell, this really fits the overall setting and tone of the game. It's not going to get you to jump up and go crazy though. While the music does fit the tone of the game, it's not really music I'd go out of my way to hear or even consider hearing as a remix. It fits the game, and that's what it is supposed to do. Therefore, I'm going to say it passes as well. I wouldn't call it flying colors, but it'd get at least up in the top percent. Now we get into the longest (and best) portion of Titan Quest...
The gameplay! This is the important part, and it's also one of the best parts. Titan Quest is an action RPG. You run around with the mouse, click to attack, and you have a huuuuuge assortment of items, armor, weapons, and spells to use. There's so much that I don't know where to start at. I plan to cover leveling and battling later, so I guess I should look over everything else first. Let's start with some character basics.
Now, I'll get around to what leveling does a bit later. As for now though, the game has 9 core classes. (Original game had 8, and Immortal Throne added 1 more.) Each one brings a special selection of abilities, spells, and growth to the table. These include:
- Storm - Lightning and Ice Magic for offensive and defensive purposes.
- Defense - Boosts defense actively and passively.
- Nature - Gives a variety with healing, summoning, and nature-y skills.
- Hunting - Focuses on bow and spear skills. Lots of range power.
- Rogue - Typical rogue setup. Quick strikes for hit and run tactics
- Dream - Mindblast your foes with... your mind! (Psionics is the best word IMO.)
- Spirit - Blast your way through undead and even summon a Lich. FUN!
- Warfare - Physical power house. Nuff said.
- Earth - Earth and Fire Magic for destructive power!
For the first part of the game, you only have one core class attributed to your character. Whenever you each level 8 though, you gain a secondary class. The two classes combine to make you a distinct combo class. I won't list all of these, but suffice it to say, there are 45 combo classes available to your character. (Can't do a combo of two of the same class.) Keeping in mind that each class has a plethora of skills to learn, that's quite a bit of customization!
Of course, your character's class is just one of three major parts of your character. You also have equipment and stats. The game has three basic attributes: Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. These three attributes affect everything from HP and MP to your DPS, armor, and much much more. Each class works with and boosts at least one (if not two) of the three attributes. I like that the game keeps to the three basic attributes. Then we come to equipment...
You've got enough types and styles of equipment to allow full customization without feeling like your character has to be covered head to toe with something for every square inch. If I remember right, you have body, legs, head, arms, weapons/shield in hands, two rings, an artifact, and a necklace.
Now, as far as I'm concerned, I hate the whole "drop system" in these kinds of games. I mostly just had bad luck, but I hate the idea of playing for dozens if not HUNDREDS of hours to wait for that ONE overly ridiculously rare drop. And even then... You might get something that you can't even make use of. Seriously game, screw you! That's probably my only real complaint of the equipment system. Otherwise, I'm very much okay with it.
So far, I like everything about the system. There's a lot of room for customization, so you can basically create anything you want from the available options. A great variety of equipment and abilities means being able to tailor your character to be anything from a swordmage with passive boosts or a bowsman who can shoot fire. It's all great!...unless you mess up. Before I go into this flaw, lemme give a brief explanation into how leveling up goes down.
When you level up, you are able to boost two attributes out of five (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, HP, or MP), but you also gain four points you can spend towards leveling up your core class or buying abilities. Now this is what allows for so much customization and choice, but you have to choose your two core classes wisely. You can respec the points given towards abilities. (Respec-ing is basically like buying out of your abilities to regain the points to spend elsewhere. You lose the current abilities but the points are spendable wherever you wish.) It costs a lot to do it, but it's possible to reset a lot of your abilities.
However, if you don't like your class choices, you're basically screwed with in-game mechanics. It's possible to use an out-of-game program to change things, but it really sucks if you made bad class choices early on and couldn't tell until it was way later. I did Storm and Spirit but was trying to play a swordmage style of character... I messed up completely though. I was our group's tank (more or less), but I wasn't that much better than my partner at taking damage. I ended up using an external program to change Spirit to Defense. Worked out a LOT better in my favor, and ended up letting us keep pushing through.
As far as leveling goes, it's basically the perfect example of what Action RPGs should be. You can choose exactly what you want to level up, and the dual classes means you have plenty of ways to spread out the points. The game has a way to respec all the points at a huge cost, but I'm unhappy that there isn't an in-game way to change your class. I can understand why there isn't, but it'd be nice to have at least one way to change it around. We've only got two more sections to discuss before I wrap this up. So let's look at BATTLING!
So far, I like everything about the system. There's a lot of room for customization, so you can basically create anything you want from the available options. A great variety of equipment and abilities means being able to tailor your character to be anything from a swordmage with passive boosts or a bowsman who can shoot fire. It's all great!...unless you mess up. Before I go into this flaw, lemme give a brief explanation into how leveling up goes down.
When you level up, you are able to boost two attributes out of five (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, HP, or MP), but you also gain four points you can spend towards leveling up your core class or buying abilities. Now this is what allows for so much customization and choice, but you have to choose your two core classes wisely. You can respec the points given towards abilities. (Respec-ing is basically like buying out of your abilities to regain the points to spend elsewhere. You lose the current abilities but the points are spendable wherever you wish.) It costs a lot to do it, but it's possible to reset a lot of your abilities.
However, if you don't like your class choices, you're basically screwed with in-game mechanics. It's possible to use an out-of-game program to change things, but it really sucks if you made bad class choices early on and couldn't tell until it was way later. I did Storm and Spirit but was trying to play a swordmage style of character... I messed up completely though. I was our group's tank (more or less), but I wasn't that much better than my partner at taking damage. I ended up using an external program to change Spirit to Defense. Worked out a LOT better in my favor, and ended up letting us keep pushing through.
As far as leveling goes, it's basically the perfect example of what Action RPGs should be. You can choose exactly what you want to level up, and the dual classes means you have plenty of ways to spread out the points. The game has a way to respec all the points at a huge cost, but I'm unhappy that there isn't an in-game way to change your class. I can understand why there isn't, but it'd be nice to have at least one way to change it around. We've only got two more sections to discuss before I wrap this up. So let's look at BATTLING!
If you've ever played this style of game, you know it's generally hack and slash with magic mixed in. This genre of games has gone through many different gameplay styles. Most of the time, I feel they don't seem to make the cut because they generally just become button mashing ridiculousness and hordes upon hordes of overly similar enemies. Now, while Titan Quest might suffer from a lack of variety of enemies, the combat is rarely (beyond the beginning) just a constant slash fest.
With all the weapons to choose from, there are multiple ways to do regular attacks. The main separation of weapons seems to be small but quick, slow but powerful, and long range. There are a few that separate it all, but it's still in the same general area of those three. I stuck to maces and short swords for most of my playthrough while wielding a shield in my other hand. With it being the style of game it is, you have to make use of a lot of hotkeys, or you'll end up in the dust. I tend to make little mistakes when I do things, so I aimed at making my character focused on passive abilities and one stun attack. Even with my simplistic setup, I was doing pretty well. I didn't dish out as much damage as my friend, but I held my own.
Now, although I'm talking about battles, I'll also make mention of enemies as well. Battles generally devolve to around 3 types: Generic enemies out in the field, Heroic rank monsters, and boss/sub-bosses. Nothing special to say about the generic mobs of enemies that reside all over, but I would like to give a special mention to the Heroic ranked ones.
Basically, as you explore, you'll ever so often run into a special "hero monster" who has a heightened strength and ability of the average monster. (I believe they're all set, but glossing past that point.) They're easily double the difficulty of their normal counterparts. However, they're also worth more experience! I think they're a nice addition to a normal monster setup. There's really not a lot to say about the boss/sub-boss monsters in the game though. They take a while to get to them, but none of them were really that hard apart from the final boss for Titan Quest. (Haven't quite finished Immortal Throne yet.)
Of course, all I've done is describe my own experience a bit while explaining the basics of it. But what do I think of it? Battles are fun and not always straightforward. Most monsters don't pose too much of a threat on their own, but a few of them will surprise you here and there. The heroic rank monsters pose a decent challenge, and they generally come in a group! If you are fighting alongside a friend, the game's just darn near perfect for battles. However, doing this by yourself, you might run into problems if you are playing a single ranged character or a full on magic user. Regardless, I definitely enjoyed the battles.
I realize that "other stuff" is a very broad term, but I figured it would leave a section open for anything I might want to comment on that didn't fit up above easily. Now what to comment on... Multiplayer comes first. For me, this game was pretty much made when I could play it with a friend. Honestly, it's probably the ONLY reason I fully played through it. We had a great time saving Greece and the rest of the world! Just sad that I built an awful character. Without him though, I can't see myself having nearly as much fun. I would have probably listened to the in-game music and actually paid attention to the story though... Of course, that's pretty much any game once you played it several times, like he did.
Other things I'd comment on would be the variety of monsters. Now, there's quite a selection of mythical beasts/creatures as you play through the game. However, there were a few times where I felt smothered by a specific kind being overly used. (Satyrs in Greece was probably my #1 annoyance.) Also, I laughed at the thought of "archer zombies" that appeared during Egypt. (Seriously, Zombie Archers are a type of enemy, and you can see them here.) Not bad! Just funny.
Let's see. What else can I think of... Side Quests! The game has a pretty good number of Side Quests to go along with the main quest. The best part about them? They don't feel stupidly overwhelming in number. There's a good amount of them that you encounter as you journey, and very few of them require you backtrack much more than just returning to the quest giver. I'm definitely a fan of that because the warp system can sometimes be lacking.
The game only has a handful of major warp points. There are several "save" spots where you revive when you die, but actual warp points are few and far between. Each area of the game only has them in the major towns. That's great and all, but if you miss activating them (I did several times), then you have to either walk back there or hope your partner is on top of things. (He definitely was... Thanks GW!)
I can't really call that a complaint, but I can say that I felt like an idiot every time I did it. They do allow you to place a personal portal wherever you are to warp to one of the towns though, so I can forgive them for the lack of warp points. No Town Portal Scrolls needed! (Yeah, screw you Diablo!) And that's really all I have for extra. To summarize: They're minor points, and only the first one (about single player versus multiplayer) has any real relevance to my score.
I have spent more than enough time writing this up. It's finally time to look over the PROS and CONS, and then I'll unleash my review rating!
PROS
- Greek and Other Mythologies are cool and well used.
- Good and interesting story that fits the setting.
- Very pretty and lush environments.
- Great variety of equipment and weapons.
- Excellent level up system with a lot of customization available to you.
- Selection of classes is insane, and the combination of such gives you a lot to choose from.
- Fun battles that aren't always just "slash slash slash"
- A great co-op experience.
- Enough Side Quests to keep you entertained without making them just an insane pile of hundreds.
CONS
- The soundtrack is good, but I don't feel amazed by it. This is a very light con mind you.
- It'd be nice of the drop mechanics were improved a bit. I'm not sure HOW, but I'd at least like more variety and more often. This is less against this game though and more against this style of loot in general.
- Needs at some sort of single time method of changing your class. It could even cost a huge amount of gold and I'd be happy with that!
- I can't see myself having as much fun on single player.
- At a couple of times, the variety of monsters seemed lacking.
My Rating - 8 / 10
Now, I gave it a pretty good rating, but why didn't I give it a perfect? I considered making it a 9, but I feel the lack of wanting to play Single Player brings the score down that much. I had enough fun with the game to keep it fairly high up, and I really liked the co-op experience overall. The story is interesting enough to keep you into it without just dragging you down with story details. Character customization is just massive and allows you to build what you want. Battles are involved without feeling too over the top. It's just a great example of Action RPG for the PC. And I didn't mention it before, but the game will easily keep you busy for 25 to 30 hours without trying! More so if you play through it a couple times and try to do it all.
And thus ends this review. Going to be honest, I feel I did better on the previous review, but I honestly did have more fun with this game. On top of that, I actually fully played through this! (Immortal Throne withstanding) The real flaw with this review is the length of time I spent working on it. I could have just finished it in a few days, but I ended up stringing it over a couple WEEKS. That's just ludicrous, and I feel stupid for taking that long. It's hard to focus on one big thing when I don't get as much free time as I'd like though.
Regardless, thanks for reading! Look forward to more Recurring RPG Reviews in the future! However, keep in mind, I recently started Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, so any RPG reviews will be pushed back as I play through that during my free time. YAY FOR ALMOST THERE!
Final Side Note - If you loved Titan Quest and/or liked the idea of this game, then you should go and check out Grim Dawn. It's the same style of game as Titan Quest, and it's even being worked on by the same team! They've improved the system and created a whole new world to go with it. Bear in mind, the game isn't fully released yet, and it's currently going through alpha testing. However, if you like, you can always buy into the alpha or beta testing by doing a preorder on this page. (The game did crowdsourcing, so that's why their current buy model is set up like it is.) That is all.
~May the Crystals Guide Me~
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