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Worth Every RPGer's Time

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: January 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Receiving well-deserved acclaim left and right, Wizardry 8 is already being noted by many people as being one of the best role-playing games in a while. It is definitely recommendable to all those interested in virtually every different sub-category and genre of RPGs.

In many role-playing games, randomly encountered monsters simply seem in the way, as if they are delaying the game and they simply must be dealt with (such as in the Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior series, for example). In Wizardry 8, every battle--even against the same group of monsters--tends to be played anew. All your characters won't simply hack and slash every second to get through everything.

Wizardry 8 also offers a superb balance of complexity and simplicity in its learning curve. To master the basics of gameply should take little more than 30 to 60 minutes, but you'll be learning about new strategies constantly. Every party will hold the potential to entirely change its tactis on demand.

The spell system will also seem highly fresh innovative to experienced RPG players--every spellcaster will have the option of how many spellpoints to put into the casting of the spell. The more you try to charge a spell, the better the effects--but if you're a little rusty on the fire magic, be careful not to pump that fireball too high, or it may fizzle or even backfire on you.

There are few serious flaws with the game, and none that you'll be likely to dwell on. The graphics will seem dated by about a year to some people, but they are far above acceptable. The difficulty may seem high (particularly during the initial learning of the game), but fortunately the game offers the ability to change between easy, normal, and hard difficulty settings--if you're having trouble, just bump it down to easy until you've learned.

All things said, if you're a fan of any class of RPGs, you will be delighted with how your characters have voices and distinct personalities, how there is no such thing as a useless class, how much variety goes into character creation, how much replay value you'll find, and simply how genuinely fun Wizardry 8 is.

Something of a disappointment

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 24 / 36
Date: March 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I did not follow the Wizardry series and did not plan to buy this one, but the magazine reviews were so good that I decided to get it.

This game is big--you certainly get your money's worth in terms of play-time. The combat system works well (but too slowly, see below.) The plot is complex. There are many, many combinations of character races and types to choose from. The dialogue tree offers many possibilities. The game was carefully made and, with the patch, seems quite bug-free. (Mine has a problem with the sound cutting out, and then the game freezing, during combat occasionally, but that may be my machine's fault.

HOWEVER, there are numerous things which players will probably find frustrating or maddening (or both):

1) You will never get through this game without consulting a walkthrough at least occasionally. There are too many adventure-game elements in it. Where does the blue marble you found go? Of what use is the box with the hinged lid? Etc., etc.

2) You will die A LOT. If you, like me, hate reloading and think a good player should be able to get through a game with minimal deaths--sorry, you're out of luck. You will die a lot, especially at the start of the game.

3) The combat system, as noted in other reviews, is slow. You will spend a long time in most battles and

4) there is way too much fighting. The system which generates "random monsters" in areas you have cleared will throw dozens of opponents at you when you merely want to walk from point A to point B along a route you have taken many times.

5) The whole game world contains one town, Arnika. One town. There are merchants in other places, but this sure isn't Daggerfall. You will get very tired of Arnika.

6) Managing the inventories of EIGHT characters is far too complicated.

7) The transition areas you have to walk through over and over and over again to get from one map to another permit little maneuver and are visually boring. Every few minutes you fight, try to rest, go on a bit...there are teleporters, but you won't find them until mid-gaame and even then you will walk and walk and walk.....

8) Your characters have a lot to say,and they will talk until you will probably be shouting "shut up" at the screen from time to time.

I can't quite understand why this game gets such great reviews. At best it is something with which to pass the time until Morrowind and Might and Magic IX appear--which, fortunately, should be quite soon.

classic RPG with modern graphics & interface

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: January 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Wizardry 8 is an awesome role playing game. If you liked the classic Wizardry and Might & Magic series, then you must own this game. It has all the wonderful elements from the classic games with modern graphics and interface. You can't beat this amazingly rare combination. Character generation is pure joy, like giving birth to real children without any of the pain. This personality thing they came up with works great and adds to the depth of already complicated and well fleshed out characters.

This game will suck you in after just a few minutes and won't let you go until someone else is able to pry you away from it. It's really that good.

This is the best RPG of 2001

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: December 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Unfortunately Wiz 8 has been low-profile due to publishing problems, but 50+ hours in I am totally hooked - much more so than BGII, which I liked a lot. Look and feel is similar to the Might & Magic series, though the graphics are much better. The plot is great, though not as detailed as BG2, and the world is wonderfully fun to explore. Monster animations are great and realistic.
This best part of the game is the interface - there are too many nice yet subtle features to list, but suffice it to say that you'll appreciate the interface more and more as time goes by. (Example: In BG2 picking up a dead character's items was a real chore, but in Wiz8 they stay on the character for when you resurrect them).

It's tempting to go on but I'm going to go play some more.

Three and a Half Stars, Actually...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: March 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I just finished Wizardry 8 this weekend after playing it for about six weeks. There were several marathon days of game-playing in that time, and the purchase of the game was certainly well worth it. I could not bring myself to give the game four stars, however, and I wish the rating bar would allow me to give it a 3 1/2 star grade. 3 is just too low.

First of all, let me begin by saying that I played and loved the original Wizardy, which I played like a madman on my Nintendo back in the late eighties. I actually remembered the characters names that I'd used back then and incorporated them into this game! Many of the things I liked about the original game could be found in this one; turn-based gameplay with myriad strategic possibilities, good (not ideal, but good) D&D character ability progression, and some fantastic -- if not epic -- battles.

Fighting in this game was, in my opinion, terrific. It wasn't just hack & slash... you benefitted from thinking about the situation, the formation of your party, what creatures you were fighting, what spells you should use early on in a fight and what spells to use later, and which weapons you wanted to select. Still, if you wanted to get your fighters in there and slice & dice, you could do that. But I must say here that the actual combat was much better than in my favorite all-time RPG, Morrowind (GOTY Edition), which is a first person, one-player (non-party), live combat game.

Character creation was honestly mediocre. Again, compared to Morrowind, the pros and cons of choosing a particular species wasn't particularly exciting, especially when you're hoping to create a specialized character with an excellent "long-term growth potential" for what he/she does. I created a ranger that I was excited about at first, but the class never really mattered much, aside from finding objects a little more easily, and the ability to use a special bow. As I went through the game, I realized that if I'd created a bard or a ninja, I'd have discovered some interesting armor and weapons for them along the way! The non-player characters that you meet in gameplay will never advance to your level if they join you too late.

You have a limited number of character faces to choose from for each species, but dozens and dozens of different voices. I had a hilarious dragon-like character in my party who spoke snobbishly, and a blue tinkerbellish sprite who spoke with a Pakistani accent. They all kept me entertained throughout the game with their dialogue.

Some of the quests in "W8" seemed to go on forever in the same landscapes, and they were a little obtuse at best. I was frustrated many times over when I came upon a door or an altar where I new I'd find a new "area" and I'd read the message "a certain object is needed here." In other words, imagine standing at your front door in the darkness and rain and having to fumble through the 40 keys on your keychain... and then realizing the key you need isn't there. You're getting tired of seeing the same old things, and sure would like to travel somewhere new! Happened a lot.

One thing I liked a lot with W8 was how many different varieties of creature there were to fight. There always seemed to be something new, and the AI of the game kept things challenging for the most part. There were plenty of push-over brawls, where your party just demolished a group of creatures that you'd seen 50 times before, but only in areas you'd seen at the very beginning of the game. As you went to new places, things got tougher, and eventually, things got tougher in most of the places you frequently traveled. There were two or three times in the game where a battle might go on for a half an hour or more real-time, when your party was outnumbered 6-to-1. Fun stuff.

Pretty good magic selection... lots of spells to buy and lots of spells that just come with experience for the magic-users. Like I hinted upon earlier, you're not always going with the same spells in all situations; you have a limited amount of spell points in 6 different categories of spell, and some creatures have natural defenses against certain kinds of magic, so you have to be creative. Instead of always pulling out the "big gun" spells, you might want to try to paralyze or frighten large groups of hungry monsters first.

The endgame, like many RPGs, wasn't as thrilling as I'd hoped. I won't give any spoilers here, but one day, someone will script something that blows me away. This one really didn't; it just kind of signified that the game was over.

To sum up, I would certainly recommend W8 for someone looking for a good turn-based, D&D style party adventure. By the time you've grown accustomed to the controls, the fighting rocks. If Morrowind (GOTY Edition) wasn't a first-person adventure, I'd say go with it instead (and I still feel that every gamer should play it if not own it!) but W8 does offer a lot that Morrowind doesn't. Wizardry 8 really did entertain me for the month and a half I enjoyably envested in it.

Wizardry 8

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: June 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This review is more for the rpg players out there.

A current trend in a lot of rpg games is to become more Diablo-like. It has action that pulls you in, but becomes lackluster after finding beating the snot out of a goblin while you are at level 2 is very similar to beating the snot out of a goblin when you are level 12. This brings many of us back to a simple truth. A rpg should be a role playing game. There should be depth, player development, and an interesting storeline.

Wizardry 8 succeeds in these categories thanks to the long (very long) history of the game. Compared to many of the rpgs out here (including neverwinter and baldur's gate), I'll just say I have gone back and played from Wizardry 6 forward to 8 (importing my characters along the way) just to watch the whole story play out again with different decisions and different characters.

Though playablity is very good thanks to extensive beta testing the game has a slow combat speed. There are downloads for WizFast that will speed this up and keep you smiling.

A little history, despite being one of the oldest rpg games on the market, Wizardry was also the first rpg with a first person view. In Wizardry 1, it was little more then a wire frame but the unique perspective will make you feel much more a part of the game then a Baldur's Gate or Dungeon Siege point of view.

Wizardry 8 is destined to be a classic. Sadly, may other rpgs on the market will be forgotten when a newer sleaker version of itself comes out. However Wizardry 8 will have 7 other classics to keep it company. ;)

Just A Few Comments, Not A Review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: August 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I won't pretend Wizardry 8's gameplay mechanics haven't been already been well detailed (either to praise or scorn them). I just wanted to comment:

a)SLOW COMBAT - Yes, combat is definitely not a fast and furious affair. Battling several low-level opponents, say rats or bats or crabs, can be quite tedious. WINFAST (I believe that's the name, check on a forum site) can be downloaded and speeds this sort of combat up significantly. Try it.

Whether you despise or love Wizardry 8, you have to deal with the combat system because you're going to use it ALOT! I have found satisfaction in anticipating what combatants and skills I'll need as well as enjoyment in thoughtfully responding to an enemy with just the right weapon. However, more than a few people apparently dread combat. This isn't a good sign or a small issue given that you'll be getting into battles everywhere.

b) STRATEGY GUIDE - I rarely buy them (they generally repeat too much simple statistical info already known to you or contained in the game manual) but the guide for this one is extremely helpful if you're lost, confused, don't want to accidently miss a valuable item 'cause you were in a hurry, or just want to "get on with it." I greatly recommend the guide (if you're already moderately enthused with the game).

c) ATTITUDE - Know what you're looking for out of Wizardry 8. I hate to be patronizing (or sound snobbish) but this isn't, in my opinion, a game to be purchased for quick play or casual gaming. I'm not saying it requires geeklike dedication or initiation to some weird online RPG cult, but it is old-school, slowpaced, and (for many of us) very, very interesting. There's a big world in here, with much to explore and a lot to do, it takes time to dig it out though. It's worth it.

Classic RPG gaming at its finest

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 17
Date: November 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game has details. Lots of details. Apparently there are too many details for some players to handle (e.g., the one reviewer who said managing the inventories of eight characters was too complicated -- something I find a true joy). This isn't Baldur's Gate, or Morrowind, or Icewind Dale. This is what classic RPG games are all about.

Yes, the graphisc are dated. But are people so visually oriented that they need some superficial eye-candy to like a game? Come on. When did it stop being about the fun factor, and start being about how many tricks the artists could do in Photoshop? I myself find no problem with the graphics. They're a welcomed addition, but not a necessity, to the Wizardry line. Those who give bad scores to the graphics in this game should be glad that this title has more than the traditional vector graphics and 4 color text that is traditional of Wizardry (which only forced the gamer to focus more on other things, such as character development, which is what RPGs were always about in the first place).

Speaking of character development, there's no shortage of it in Wizardry 8. When you're just starting your party, assuming you have 6 characters, there are 990 different possibilities of just race and class. This has nothing whatsoever to do with what stats you raise (which influence your skill bases), what skills you raise, or whether you even have 6 characters at all. This completely neglects any part of the game after initial creation. Want your ninja to be a martial artist, instead of a weaponsmaster? Go ahead. Want your Bishop to not use any spells? Go ahead, but it might not be wise. Want your ranger to fire a musket instead of a more natural bow? No problem.

Speaking (literally, in this case) of character development, there are customizable personalities for each character you create and / or recruit. Want your Ninja to sound like a Bronx Italian, devious yet true to his word? Go ahead. But don't be surprised if you start to wonder what his motives really are. The customizable personalities in this game add a myriad helping of flavor to an already delectable treat of RPG goodness. Oh. I forgot to mention. Every bit of text that every character says (in party or not) is spoken, not just written in games like Morrowind. You don't have to read six novels to get through this one (not that I have a problem with that, of course). One minor complaint -- they could have reviewed the script more closely, though there aren't nearly as many errors as there are in Morrowind.

There are contrasting opinions of whether this game is truly non-linear or no. From what I've seen thus far, it's in-between. Certain things are only available at certain times. True, you don't have the complete and absolutely literal "go anywhere" freedom of Morrowind. But in a way, that's a good thing. I've gotten lost in that world quite a bit already. Sure, the Wizardry 8 automap doesn't have any marks by default (but you can add them, of course). Again, be glad you even have a map. Old school Wizardry players remember making maps by hand, toying with whether the square after that teleporter actually existed on the other side, or if it was what was next on the teleporter's destination.

So far (I estimate I'm one-third through the game), the plot is verily intriguing. I won't give away any of the details, but let's just say this game has everything from larcenous furrballs to Sir-Tech's version of 'la familia'. There's something here for everyone, from violence to deep-rooted spirituality and history.

My only serious gripe (and this is a half-gripe, per se) with this game is the somewhat lethargic combat system. I've fought 30 minute to 1 hour battles, and I'm not even all the way through the game. But let me say this. The longest battle was also the best experience I've ever had in that game. Sure, it'd be nice if there was some discernible plot significance (somewhat higher level players will know of the Sorceress Queen's abode). It was an amazingly difficult battle that truly tested my ability to manage my party's resources -- part of the joy of RPG games.

Overall, this is what the RPG has always been, and was always meant to be. If you want to see flashy Photoshop tricks that lose their novelty after a play or two, get some other game. But if you want infinite (or darn close) replayability, get Wizardry.

Graphics arent every thing.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: December 27, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The scale of this game would make any more complex graphics an impossibility. And yet nothing out there comes close to Wizardry's extremely well thought out environment and concepts.

It's predisesor caused me to loose 14 months of sleep and god knows how many missed home work assignments. Yah, it was Sir Tech who was responcible for my Sophmore downfall.

There is only one problem with this game and that is the combat speed. For god sakes, how many can enjoy watching dozens of enemy units reshufle and position them selves one by one every round. This constitutes about 90% of the time spent in combat. Even fastest combat settings are intollerable. It's called multytasking and aparently the games developers have not mastered such concept. Sorry bout this one but this flaw ticks me off.

Best Game in the Wizardry Series!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: April 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Sirtech really outdid themselves with this one. So 6 and 7 were a little lackluster. So what. Sirtech proved that they were more than on the ball with this one. This is absolutely the best-playing, turn-based RPG I have seen in a LONG time. There are many who have tried, and failed, to make a realistic, 3-D, yet still turn-based combat system. They almost always fall short in some way, such as not being able to move around very much during combat, or having a lackluster magic system, and too few special abilities. This is not something you will have to worry about in this game. The combat system runs smoothly, is extremely intuitive in its setup, and has so many options, that you could literally play through the game more than a hundred times, and not even end up with the same character combinations any of those times, let alone to solve all the secrets, and hear all the voiceover lines, and such. This game is MASSIVE, and it was designed to be played forever. There are 15 classes, and 12 character races. The character creation system is the best ever in a Wizardry game, and is in fact better than many other character creation systems out there, as well. It's based on what you want to play, not what you roll on random dice, to create your character with. The areas are huge, and there are over 100 spells, and a myriad of items and monster types, that will keep even the most seasoned RPGer busy for a while. This game is a MUST HAVE for any true RPGer. I would give it more than 5 stars, if that was an option, this game is just THAT GOOD.

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