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Funniest game ever since Monkey Island!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 76 / 83
Date: November 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have been waiting for this game for quite a while...and know what?
It's just what I hoped it would be and even more!

As I started playing the game I just could not quit laughing. The Bard is a dirty ol' [...] and will say some of the nastyest and funniest things ever.

But let's examine the game:

1) Graphics 8/10: could be better, but what you need is there and many features are way above genre average.
2) Sound 10/10: FX and music are very good, voice acting is EXCEPTIONAL.
3) Gameplay: 8/10 very good but some overall flaws.
*For one the saving system is a nuisance and I don't understand while it is still around (find the tome and save only at the "tome point").
*The fighting system is ok (if somewhat more difficult than your typical Baldur's Gate for console) and you must not only rely on your sword but mostly on your summons and on finding out how to complement each other skills. You can't just go around bashing everything to pieces.
*The camera however is a bit of a pain. Way up in the sky, you see your character from above with no possibility of angle changing. Sometimes with trees around it gets somewhat frustrating.
*The "answer interaction" system is great and more games should adopt it. When you talk with people you don't have a set of "phrases" to choose from, you simply choose your attitude. This will affect how non playing characters (i.e. those you interact with) will perceive your Bard and how they will treat him. Being rude pays off sometimes.
4) Storyline 20 out of 10: AHAHAAHAHAHA... this game will just have you laughing, and laughing and laughing. The story is funny, very original and well delivered to you by a sarcastic narrator. I won't spoil the game here, you'll have to believe me. Just play the first 5 minutes and the laughing will start.

Bottomline:
Overall I would suggest this game to:
1. anybody who likes or has a grasp for RPGs.
2. anybody who likes humorous games
3. RPGers tired of the old cliche' games
4. all fans of non-politically correctness
5. any old school RPG gamer. The more RPGs you've played in the past the more you will laugh here.

In general I'd suggest this game to anybody who likes games. It's just fun to see something original and enjoyable.

Monty Python meets RPGs

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 34 / 36
Date: November 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The Bard's Tale is a pleasant poke at standard RPG stereotypes. If the Monty Python gang had made a video game, this would be it. The humor is, without a doubt, the best part of the game. I especially love the fact the "hero" is a drunk, women-chasing lout instead of a 14 year old boy (many of whom, as chosen ones, are slaughtered mercilessly throughout the game).
Some of the game's conventions take a bit of getting used to. For example, the defense system requires you to press the defense button each time you want to defend. Although this is a much more realistic way of fighting, the timing of this takes some practice to get down. No part of the game seemed insurmountably difficult to master. Random battles, the bane of many an RPG player, are present but easily avoidable.
I did like the game's automatic upgrade system for weapons and equipment. Whenever the Bard aquires a new weapon or piece of armor, the old one is automatically converted into silver. Although strategy purists will pine for more control, I personally liked not having to go through all of the trouble of inventory screens and selling off old weapons and the like.
My main beef with the game is the top down view. Sometimes the scenery would get in the way and the poor Bard would be hacked to death before I could rotate the camera enough to see him. Better camera control, automatic or manual, would have been welcome.

Improvable, but still loads of fun...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: December 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

...as long as you enjoy the action/RPG genre. In terms of gameplay, this isn't really very different from Baldur's Gate-Dark Alliance or Champions of Norrath. You hack and you slash until there's nothing left to kill. The story is stronger than Norrath's, as are the cut-scenes and voice acting. Norrath excels in character customization and gear collecting, while this is pretty much discarded in The Bard's Tale. The blocking scheme for Bard's Tale is useless, but the game does present a radar map which alerts you to hostiles and makes it easy enough to take on a few at a time and whittle the enemy down in that way. (Try shooting arrows at the red dots offscreen-your enemy is dead before you even see them.) When used with the better summons available to the player, no enemy is overly difficult. The key is using some strategy, rather than just charging in blindly and expecting to come out unscathed. Of course, the main emphasis of the game is supposed to be its humor, and it does an admirable job at making it enjoyable to work your way to the end (even if the gameplay is as standard as anything the game is poking fun at). The first time I tipped a cow I knew this was going to be a fun game. I indeed laughed out loud on more than one occasion. On top of that, the ending is priceless, well worth working through the entire game for. I'd say it was one of the best video game endings I've ever experienced. All in all, though not groundbreaking, The Bard's Tale is worth the price of admission, especially to action/RPG junkies.

It's good to be an anti-hero

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: February 23, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I LOVED this game. I haven't enjoyed a game this much since Neverwinter Nights! Now, I'm the sort who enjoys RPG's with good plot and drama. I'm not that into hack n slash. Admittedly, there was a fair share of that in this game, but there was plenty of comedy and innuendo for me to sufficiently enjoy myself.

I've read a few other reviews, and I agree with the complaint that the overhead view was rather awkward and I would've prefered something more straight on. Someone else mentioned that this is more of a guy's game, and I have to disagree. Well, perhaps he's right and I'm just in the minority. As a female, I found myself with a bit of a crush on the Bard by the end. Of course, Cary Elwes's voice acting may have contributed to this fact, and my inexplicable, unrequited desire to hear the Bard yell, "To the pain!" just one time. Oh well.

I was very sad to have completed this so quickly. I really wanted more. I want more of this game. I want more games like this one.

Best Game Since the Champions and Baldurs Gate Games!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: April 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This Is one of the few pleasures in life.... Reviewing a GREAT Game! its almost exactly like the baldurs gate titles but with a few subtle changes.
first Welcome change is the fact that every time you get new armor/weapon etc instead of having to navigate menus and equip it the Game Equips the Best you have INSTANTLY! i love that! graphics are directly on par (hard to believe this game is so old) graphics hold up against most baldurs gates and champoins games easily highly detailed monsters GREAT VOICE ACTING and STORY! THE SOUND IS UNBELIEVABLE!!! AS IS THE ACTING!! cant stress this enough its hilarious! not sutable for younger children due to some language crude humor (ala snarky haha) and quite a few things the little kiddies might not be ready to see yet (you have been warned) overall if you own any of the champions or baldurs gate DA games this is a MUST OWN for you then. i bought it on a whim never having played it and how refreshing this game is buy it now before its no longer available!
its a 5 star masterpiece!

A decent game that could have been so much more

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: November 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Personally, I found The Bard's Tale to be a refreshing change of pace for games of this genre (mind you I cheated my brains out). The big thing about this game is the humor, which can be attributed to the excellent voice acting. The game pokes fun at every mainstay of console and computer RPGs. From looting chests, the concept of one person being chosen to save the world, and even the items you get from slaying enemies is open for attack. The game even makes fun of the "kill the rats in the tavern's cellar" quest in Dark Alliance. The funniest part of the game is the final battle where you have to choose between helping one side or the other. Actually, there is a third choice which is absolutely hilarious and worth playing through the game to see (you'll know it when you see it). The other thing about this game is the music. Most of the songs a extremely catchy, my favorite is the beer song (it is near impossible to get the chorus out of your head.

However, humor cannot carry an entire game. In that regard, the game engine is horrible. Although similar to the original Dark Alliance, the game should have taken a hint from Champions of Norrath. Blocking the game while at first innovative becomes tedious and annoying. The experience system seems unbalanced and arbitrary. Also, there is not variety in the type of weapons you can use. One a feature becomes available for a weapon it is standard for that type of weapon for the rest of the game. All in all the game could have probably benefited from a lot more fine tuning.

Still, one should at least rent this game to check out the humor. After all, there aren't that many games of this type that have references to The Highlander, The Priness Bride, and You Got Served in them.

This is the funniest video game I have ever played!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: May 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

And I have played many many video games in my time. All of the characters you interact with react differently depending on how you act to them, and how you've acted in the past. And most of them are very funny.

The controls take a little getting used to, but are not difficult to master. As with the other reviews, the camera angles are the biggest downfall of this game, but the content is more than enough to make up for it.

I found myself cracking up, sometimes to the point where I had to stop for a while, because I was crying from laughing so hard. Overall a VERY good game. Thumbs up!

A Great Gaming Experience

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I'll admit that i was a little sceptical when The Bard's Tale first realeased. I heard countless complaints about the camera/gameplay and with the host of great and near great RPGs released around the same time that was reason enough to ignore it in favor of other RPGs, especially since hack and slashers typically aren't my favorite when it comes to RPGs. (RPGs can get a little repetative without a great storyline - something HNS RPGs usually lack)

However after picking up a copy recently i'm willing to say that despite minor problems such as camera angel and gameplay that really isn't anything stikeingly inovative (think Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance meets Neverwinter Nights) i've loved my entire experiece thus far. What's the primary reason? The Story.

I've played more then my share of RPGs over the year any i've never experienced anything quite like The Bard's Tale. I've always been a sucker for parodys (I.E. Spaceballs) and the over the top humor which relentlessly targets just about every RPG cliche had me at time rolling with laughter. (We need more games like this)

As with the gameplay, just deal with it. Sure it's not perfect by any means but don't let it keep you from enjoying this rare gem.

Snarky and downright Crappy

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 16
Date: November 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game has some "personality" in the way you interact with characters and the bard's snide remarks but the battle system is where it goes awry. MOST gamers will feel the same way. It plays like "Champions of Norrath" and "Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance" without the good battle system. Your block feature is absolutely terrible. You block but get hit by other foes only to find yourself on your back and your foes can CONTINUOSLY hit you while youre down!!! When you strike it goes into a three hit combo automatically!!! With this flaw it leaves you open to attack and most of the time you find yourself on your back getting pummeled. Its very sad that the designers spent so much time on voice acting and not enough on the meat of the game "battle". Another terrible aspect is that when you run over items like swords etc it automatically gives you the better weapon and turns your old weapon into money!!! There is NO picking and choosing your weaponry or armor.

Great Comedy, standard gameplay

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you've enjoyed hack'n'slash games of the past, you are going to love this comedic twist on the genre.

Bard's Tale takes the tried and true principles of hack'n'slash gameplay (top down perspective action rpg) and gives it life with great comedy. They lampoon all the classic rpg cliches. And with the voice of Cary Elwes (from the Princess Bride and Men in Tights) and Tony Jay, the voice dialogue is perfectly executed.

The gameplay can get boring at times, a downfall for this style of game as it becomes very repetitive. But unlike similar games in the genre, this one does give you a reason to keep playing, the excellent story.

I would definitely make sure you are TEEN, as suggested by the ESRB rating. Some of the comedy is sexually suggestive. But nothing blatantly over the top. If you want a fun game that doesn't take itself to seriously, this game is a breath of fresh air!

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