Shroud of the Avatar - Review @ Sirius Gaming

HiddenX

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Sirius Gaming reviewed Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues:

Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues Review – Choose Your Path

Shroud of the Avatar is a role-playing game developed by Richard Garriot, Starr Long, Chris Spears, and Tracy Hickman. The game is depicted as the successor to the Ultima Series from Origin Systems, Inc.

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The game environment is not that bad, it has a weather and night/day system. The snowy part of the map needs improvement though, as well as smoother trees and rocks. Because even when my graphic settings are at the highest setting, the low quality shows. The graphics aspect of the game needs to be improved as it will also be a huge factor in the game aside from the combat dynamics and interface.

All in all, this game is okay but really needs improvement when it comes to the user interface and the combat dynamics as what I have mentioned earlier. In spite of that, I would still play it because there are still more in this game that I need to explore.

Score: 6/10

Pros
  • Weather system
  • Good crafting system
  • Interesting map travel
  • Trading system
  • Good loading screen art
Cons
  • Lack of combat dynamics
  • Weapons not showing when stowed
  • Old school damage floaters
  • Mediocre graphics
Thanks Farflame!

More information.
 
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Kind of a boring and rather weak review. It doesn't really talk about anything. Just "you can do this, this, and this" and it doesn't really say what it did or didn't do to deserve the score it got. There's no mention at all of the story, which is the biggest draw of RPGs for a lot of people. I'm not defending or bashing the game (I've played it and kind of have mixed feelings about it and have concluded it's not for me), but he just kind of glosses over everything about the game. If I'm reading a review for a game, I want some details. How does the combat work? How's the story? What are the quests like? Is there crafting? How does it work? The review is just really, really shallow and doesn't touch on most of the game. It's like they just spent an hour playing and then maybe an hour writing this. =/
 
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Though the story is a little interesting, it has you going down three paths of virtue, courage, love, and another. It is nothing as immersive as the original Ultima games. I backed this game from its early days. I have seen it grow and am sorry to say that the release build didnt have much more than some betas. The game play is choppy and the graphics are okay but nothing of what you would expect from a game release in today's day and age. Surely nothing so glorious as to impede my above average system. The load times between screens is horrendous taking you immediately out of any immersion the game did have. The monster AI is not that great and the combat system is clunky. The game did not reset at release so you already have "maxxed" out player owned guild halls.The crafting system is complex and that is a gem within this lump of coal. The character experience system is another gem. Gaining experience in skills that you use and losing experience in skills that you don't. You can also choose which skills you want to maintain but not increase. That is a unique take on character customization, but not nearly enough to save the state of the game.

My score and recommendation is 5/10 and wait until the game is on sale before you buy it. Paying full cost will disappoint you!
 
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lets just face the truth...

its premium trash!

all the money this company devoured went obviously NOT into the game!
the millions were just soaked up in this bloated "management" section full of great "EX" designers.

lets take this shroud and let flow it down on the corps of the used, abused and mutilated avatar and just let him rest in peace...
 
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Amen, gotta say I think Turian just about nailed the whole project and its' woes. I doubt that even with years of patches or updates anything worth actually playing will ever come of it.
 
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With years maybe, but it won't happen. And, even if it did, I'm certainly not in a mood to wait that long...
 
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With years maybe, but it won't happen. And, even if it did, I'm certainly not in a mood to wait that long…

Some of the initial backers have already been waiting years for something they found worth playing. =(
 
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