Lionheart - Retro Review @ Netbook Gamer

Dhruin

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Remember Lionheart? It often gets pointed out as one of the most disappointing RPGs ever but, nevertheless, Michael J. Anderson takes another look at The Netbook Gamer. Here's a snip:
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader is an awesome 20 hours of gaming … but unfortunately the game takes more than 40 hours to complete.
In fact, many would suggest you look at Lionheart as two separate games – before and after Barcelona. What happens is that the flow of quests and combat and interesting characters and chatter suddenly changes to almost entirely combat, with a few plot specific quests and characters popping up in each major area. In general, what was once a classic story-driven RPG becomes a combat-centric hack-n-slash game, and what were detailed areas dripping with personality become generic dungeon crawl areas, with some seeming copy-and-pasted to extend the game.
More information.
 
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The descent into a combatfest seems to be a curse of most rpgs with shitty planning: bloodlines, drakensang, risen etc. Perhaps it also has something to do with the fact that reviewers often don't finish the games they review, neither do most gamers finish the games they buy.
 
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Lionheart's lead designer was J. E. Sawyer. The very same person who did the dungeon crawler IWD2.
However, I feel that he designed the second part, the grinding one after Barcelona.
Everything (good) prior to Barcelona smells like Tim Cain and Chris Avellone.
 
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Lionheart's lead designer was J. E. Sawyer.
Everything (good) prior to Barcelona smells like Tim Cain and Chris Avellone.

The heck? Lionheart was made by Reflexive Entertainment. Tim Cain wasn't even at Interplay anymore, and neither MCA nor JE Sawyer were involved beyond "Special Design and Testing Thanks".

Ion Hardie was the lead designer.
 
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Not the best title back then. Maybe one of those titles that are more enjoyable today thanks to the competition.
 
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This game was a huge dissapointment to me. I loved the premise and the beginning of the game was quite good....dang.
 
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The game wasnt bad as a coop romp, but I wouldnt want to play the second half without another human in the room to talk to.
 
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The heck? Lionheart was made by Reflexive Entertainment. Tim Cain wasn't even at Interplay anymore, and neither MCA nor JE Sawyer were involved beyond "Special Design and Testing Thanks".

Ion Hardie was the lead designer.

Ask Josh if you don't believe me. Or Feargie U.
RE did the game development - but the true owner of the project was Black Isle. And Josh was in the lead designer role. At least he said so on long dead Interplay forums.
 
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Wasn't the game simply rushed by the publisher? I thought that was the reason for its second half being lackluster.
 
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Brother None has it right - Josh Sawyer was most certainly not the lead designer, although I'm sure he provided some peripheral assistance. On IWD2, Sawyer had little choice in a sinking ship. I'm sure he would have loved to do a zillion other things but the bosses needed a quick turnaround project that could re-use some art assets.

As for Lionheart, Reflexive made little casual games and this project was simply beyond them. Many fans could see that at the time but many others got excited by the concept (me among them). Reflexive were just never placed to do it right.
 
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As for Lionheart, Reflexive made little casual games and this project was simply beyond them. Many fans could see that at the time but many others got excited by the concept (me among them). Reflexive were just never placed to do it right.
So why were they given the job?
 
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Well, the first part was very good, I read, so that's nothing to complain about.

They just needed more time, I almost assume.
 
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So why were they given the job?

The head of Reflexive was a friend of Feargus Urquhart and - if I remember the story right - they talking over lunch and thought they'd like to work together. I've no doubt there were good intentions all round but my feeling is Reflexive didn't really understand the sort of depth that the Black Isle's fanbase expected and Interplay certainly couldn't afford to maintain a long development.
 
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