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Bard’s Tale 4 Review - An Epic Timeless Tale - The RPG Files - MMORPG.com

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
edited September 2018 in News & Features Discussion

imageBard’s Tale 4 Review - An Epic Timeless Tale - The RPG Files - MMORPG.com

For over thirty years the Bard has been regaling us with with tales of heroism and adventure. Once again adventurers are called upon to save Skara Brae and the land of Caith from evils past and present. Take up your lute, gather your party, and adventure forth, but don’t forget to grab a pint to whet your whistle whilst in the fray. This is our Bard’s Tale 4 review.

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  • DeathtognomesDeathtognomes Member UncommonPosts: 155
    edited September 2018
    nice review but this is abandonware, the developers gave up on making it work right. It hasnt had any bug fixes or been updated in 10+ years. there is no game balance which makes it even harder to play thru.

    I guess the amount of humor is used as a smokescreen to cover up the bullshit stuff. @Torval Im gonna take a wild guess that the PR key is more than 5 years old LOL
    ChaserzDarkenarElvocThebeastttJeffSpicoliTindale111gastovski1OyjordTokkenSephrosand 2 others.
  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 32,780
    nice review but this is abandonware, the developers gave up on making it work right. It hasnt had any bug fixes or been updated in 10+ years. there is no game balance which makes it even harder to play thru.

    I guess the amount of humor is used as a smokescreen to cover up the bullshit stuff. @Torval Im gonna take a wild guess that the PR key is more than 5 years old LOL
    ?

    This is a newly released game.
    Chaserz
    Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb." 

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  • ElvocElvoc Member RarePosts: 549


    nice review but this is abandonware, the developers gave up on making it work right. It hasnt had any bug fixes or been updated in 10+ years. there is no game balance which makes it even harder to play thru.



    I guess the amount of humor is used as a smokescreen to cover up the bullshit stuff.

    @Torval Im gonna take a wild guess that the PR key is more than 5 years old LOL



    Your probably confusing this with the original Bards Tale..
    [Deleted User]
  • JeffSpicoliJeffSpicoli Member EpicPosts: 2,849
    Been waiting for this one for awhile, been hearing some mixed things about it though.  :/
    [Deleted User]Tokken
    • Aloha Mr Hand ! 

  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 32,780
    edited September 2018
    Can't wait to download this "tonight" (which means in a day or so as the internet here is sucky unless I get cable. And I'm outside a major city!)
    [Deleted User]
    Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb." 

    Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w


    Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547

    Try the "Special Edition." 'Cause it's "Special." https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64878/?tab=description

    Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo 
  • ThebeastttThebeasttt Member RarePosts: 1,130


    nice review but this is abandonware, the developers gave up on making it work right. It hasnt had any bug fixes or been updated in 10+ years. there is no game balance which makes it even harder to play thru.



    I guess the amount of humor is used as a smokescreen to cover up the bullshit stuff.

    @Torval Im gonna take a wild guess that the PR key is more than 5 years old LOL



    The sad part is you edited this and it still makes zero sense. At least your avatar is accurate.
  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,004
    The PDF manual made me think of the days you got sometimes pretty thick books on a game that were standard issue for RPGs back in the day. Great idea as most companies use web pages now. Enjoyed the article thanks.
    [Deleted User]

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

  • JeffSpicoliJeffSpicoli Member EpicPosts: 2,849


    The PDF manual made me think of the days you got sometimes pretty thick books on a game that were standard issue for RPGs back in the day. Great idea as most companies use web pages now. Enjoyed the article thanks.



    Its the one thing i truly miss about old school gaming. I remember i use to have a basket next to the toilet filled with sports illustrated mags and gaming manuals. I also remember back in the day my brother & I judging how good a game was going to be by the weight of the box. Bigger/heavier manual obviously meant the game had more complexity lol
    Octagon7711Tokken
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  • cheyanecheyane Member LegendaryPosts: 9,385
    Bought this today from GOG instead of Steam to support GOG too.

    Thanks for the well written review I am looking forward to this.
    [Deleted User]Octagon7711kitarad
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  • Superman0XSuperman0X Member RarePosts: 2,292
    I just started playing this.... and have to say that despite the lack of small detail polish that you would see from a larger studio, it really looks like they have focused on key aspects of the game.

    It has a lower budget feel, but clearly was made by people who were focused on the game. I would compare this to a play from a small company of actors, who may not have the best sets/props, but who bring the story to life with their acting.
    [Deleted User]SovrathOctagon7711Kyleran
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  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    Haven't bought it yet but I definitely will sometime soon.

    Nice review @Torval.

    Do we have to start calling you Randy now? :)
    Sovrath
    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

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  • Superman0XSuperman0X Member RarePosts: 2,292
    edited September 2018
    Steam reviews so far are not good. Seems performance is a main concern. Did it run well for you Torval?
    The game starts with the highest video settings. I had performance issues, then had it auto-check and it dropped from highest settings to something more reasonable... and suddenly the performance issue was gone.

    Torval said:
    Superman0X said:
    I just started playing this.... and have to say that despite the lack of small detail polish that you would see from a larger studio, it really looks like they have focused on key aspects of the game. 

    It has a lower budget feel, but clearly was made by people who were focused on the game. I would compare this to a play from a small company of actors, who may not have the best sets/props, but who bring the story to life with their acting.
    That sums up my feelings. At first the rough spots were very annoying and I think they detract from the first impression. However, it doesn't take long for the game to show you what it's about and let you run with it. I hope they take the time to polish what they can because they made a really good game.

    So what separates it from a game like Grimrock?
    I would say little things like the music/audio, the combat system (designed for combos), character presentation and story. It just 'feels'  a bit warmer/friendlier.
  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,004
    cheyane said:
    Bought this today from GOG instead of Steam to support GOG too.

    Thanks for the well written review I am looking forward to this.
    Good idea.  I notice GOG does a good job of fixing problems with games if they should arise.  Plus it's always good to not put all ones eggs in one basket, I'll pick this up from GOG then. :smile:

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    Hmm 8.8 ,not buying that for one second.I might believe a 6 else i figure everything said is blown out of proportion,over stated.
    It is a RPG,we better hear about the characterization "NOT the paper doll crap" and hear about the combat structure,the npc's,HOW is the world tied together etc etc.This sounded awfully close to a simple advertisement or something written for this site by someone else.
    First of all ,the early advertising was not true,DnD is the game that spawned all the rpg's,never once through my gaming career did Bard's Tale do anything other than be a title out there.

    Game your way,yeah nice sales pitch.

    A guide comes with game,that can really give fake impressions of a game because most of us by now realize that allowing players to win win is a win win in the PR/marketing/media area.Instead keep the INTEGRITY of the game,if an area is too hard ,then absorb the feedback instead of just giving them, the answers.
    The systems sound pretty darn cheap,like a bunch of levers to push and likely even with sparklies like many games do,in other words a lot of hand holding and that is not good enough,just look in the guide.

    There is a sense of accomplishment in doing it yourself,remove that option and players will lean towards just looking up the answers.
    gastovski1mikeb0817Tokken

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    Wizardry said:
    Hmm 8.8 ,not buying that for one second.I might believe a 6 else i figure everything said is blown out of proportion,over stated.
    It is a RPG,we better hear about the characterization "NOT the paper doll crap" and hear about the combat structure,the npc's,HOW is the world tied together etc etc.This sounded awfully close to a simple advertisement or something written for this site by someone else.
    First of all ,the early advertising was not true,DnD is the game that spawned all the rpg's,never once through my gaming career did Bard's Tale do anything other than be a title out there.

    Game your way,yeah nice sales pitch.

    A guide comes with game,that can really give fake impressions of a game because most of us by now realize that allowing players to win win is a win win in the PR/marketing/media area.Instead keep the INTEGRITY of the game,if an area is too hard ,then absorb the feedback instead of just giving them, the answers.
    The systems sound pretty darn cheap,like a bunch of levers to push and likely even with sparklies like many games do,in other words a lot of hand holding and that is not good enough,just look in the guide.

    There is a sense of accomplishment in doing it yourself,remove that option and players will lean towards just looking up the answers.
    Wiz, your 6 is our 9... it is known.
    rertez
    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”

    ― Umberto Eco

    “Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” 
    ― CD PROJEKT RED

  • Octagon7711Octagon7711 Member LegendaryPosts: 9,004
    Torval said:
    Steam reviews so far are not good. Seems performance is a main concern. Did it run well for you Torval?
    It ran pretty good for me. I'm running an i7/4790, 16GB, GTX970, on a 1TB 860 EVO which is also my OS drive.

    Many of the issues I've seen seem to be with the game running at all or displaying black screen. I had no issues like that.

    Loading times in general could be better. AI needs work because sometimes battles or AI driven interactions have dead air wait time.

    The other issue people are angry about is not seeing their digital goodies immediately upon install. InXile probably should have foreseen that issue. They're not not newbies but they've made a few noobish launch issues and they're paying for it. Honestly, they should have moved release back a month or two and sorted some of these things out but gamers are very unkind about doing that too.

    If you're looking for the game manual you can access it through Steam by right-clicking the game in your library and selecting it from the context menu. The guide and other goodies weren't available when I checked this morning. I got them from the presskit download so I "cheated" with access to that stuff. That stuff still isn't there in my install folder like other games.

    I switched from the "press channel" to the main build channel, but I won't get to play for a few more hours. If I see any differences with the release build I'll report back here.
    I read they said the goodies were located in a folder called 'extras' that the player had to go to in order to activate them.  Is this the case?

    "We all do the best we can based on life experience, point of view, and our ability to believe in ourselves." - Naropa      "We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."  SR Covey

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  • JeffSpicoliJeffSpicoli Member EpicPosts: 2,849
    Just read no 21:9 support ? Cmon devs its 2018
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  • ScorchienScorchien Member LegendaryPosts: 8,914
    With Spiderman, Dragon Quest XI, BT4, Din's Legacy and Pathfinder Kingmaker (out next week) 
      I need to clone myself to play them all =/


    There is so Much and love Soldak Games nice Dins Mention Blue ...couple others that are going to suck up my time next week ..

    Yes my gaming cup runneth over :)

     Star Control Origins is 9 /20
     
     Arcfall drops its new alpha and engine update 9/21

     Deep Sky Derelicts leaves EA 9/26

      

      
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  • ScorchienScorchien Member LegendaryPosts: 8,914
    edited September 2018
    Scorchien said:
    With Spiderman, Dragon Quest XI, BT4, Din's Legacy and Pathfinder Kingmaker (out next week) 
      I need to clone myself to play them all =/


    There is so Much and love Soldak Games nice Dins Mention Blue ...couple others that are going to suck up my time next week ..

    Yes my gaming cup runneth over :)

     Star Control Origins is 9 /20
     
     Arcfall drops its new alpha and engine update 9/21

     Deep Sky Derelicts leaves EA 9/26

      

      
    Star Control Origins!!!
    Yes .. your cup just spilled over also.....lol

     Should be a great end to the month here tho , im realy looking forward to pathfinder and Star Control in particular .. And the rest is just great stuff :)

    ConstantineMerus
  • CryomatrixCryomatrix Member EpicPosts: 3,223
    Nice review. I was thinking about picking up this game. Looked it up and down when I saw it on steam yesterday as I hadn't heard about it. I have just recently finished Divinity 2: Original Sin so a turn-based game does intrigue me.

    Also, nice job on putting together a review on MMORPG :). Looks like you're moving on up. I should try to do a diary on my Path of Exile character in a new season :).

    Nice job. I probably won't pick this up as the price tag and my usual lack of time are both factors. The true factor is lack of time, but you know.

    Cryomatrix
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