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A great game that is worth the money

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 21
Date: December 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I managed to get my hands on a copy of this game already and I am hooked. This is one great game in the tradition of Wizardry games. The game as I play it is bug free, that is something to notice when looking at games these days. There is a patch for it and it adresses two issues in the game, but compared to AO or other new releases it is great. I have been playing for a week solid now and I love every minute of it. Charater development is a big part of the game and there are many differnt ways to customize your charaters. Game play is smooth and has a easy learning curve. This game will take you back to the days of turn based RPG's and also put you into the forfront of modern graphics.

Wizardry is back!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 19
Date: December 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Finally Wizardry returns (after 10 years of waiting).
After a period that long most games should be dead. Not so Wizardry. There are still some guys out there who play wizardry VII and wizardry VIII seems to be as addictive as wizardry VII was (i played only the demo, but you could see: its wizardry).
The game is a real RPG, unlike Diablo 2, which is commonly called RPG.
Here you have real choices how to build up you characters (its more than just item hunt).
You get real interaction instead of stupid carnaging (well, you are fighting all the time, but its as fighting in a RPG should be, not just killing you mouse buttons...).
I'm sorry that I can't tell you much about the puzzle-density in Wizardry VIII (the demo has just about 2 small ones or so).
But Sir-Tech seems not to have forgotten how to make an addictive game with a great story (really!). The story combines the aspects of fantasy in an awesome way. You rarely think: Uhm, that shouldnt be here or something alike.
Though you will recognize the big influence of tech not right from the start of the game. That will increase later in the game. Light Saber is more powerful than a normal longsword (obviously).
The character development has been strongly improved and sir-tech seems to have balanced some aspects, which sometimes made Wizardry VII a bit too unrealistic.
You might feel the game is a little hard if this is your first RPG, but after an hour (or two) of playing you should be able to enjoy one of the better games made in these days (...).
if you like to play a game more than just 15 mins per session and you do like fantasy a bit you will have a lot fun (80hours, if you go through it once; but you wont be bored playing it a 2nd/3rd time) with this.
my compliment to sir-tech for not destroying the legendary wizardry series with an unworthy game...

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.

The Best CRPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 141 / 147
Date: December 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Wizardry is epic.

This reviewer is 23 and has played many, many role-playing games. After a while, you become jaded, and get picky about your likes and dislikes. Sometimes games seem to just blend into one another and they aren't all that unique and distinguishable.

This one is different. It has to be - it is expected. It's a Sir-Tech game, after all. It's Wizardry.

In the 1980s, the big three were Wizardry, Ultima, and Might and Magic. I've always felt Wizardry was king of 3d, Ultima of top-down/isometric, and Might and Magic was just a runner-up.

Wizardry is "classic" or "old-school." There is (of course) an excellent story, above-average music, fine gameplay, and decent graphics (the 3d engine is impressive - it draws you in but I'll leave it at "good" and not "amazing") - the monsters are the best graphics in the game with their animations - and they are awesome. Couldn't get much better there. But what makes Wizardry 8 classic are not these features (enjoyable as they are)...

Wizardry 8 is about characters - the essence of role-playing. It features extensive character generation (and brings back the "good ol' days" before fast-food generation of bland characters became standard. There are so many races and classes, so many combinations to try, so many statistics to become involved with (should I allocate points towards Wizardry to improve my mages' spell points, or stock points to make less of his spells fail? should I have my rogue become an expert lock-picker or better at pickpocketing first? or should I put points in other places...) Fighters can get lots of strength, Priests piety, etc. There are many standard attributes (strength, intelligence, piety, vitality, dexterity, speed, senses, etc), and then combat categories to put points in -- close combat, ranged combat, dual strike -- weapons: from bows and slings to maces and swords and axes -- to characteristics like mythology (the higher the more you know about your enemies), artifacts (exactly what is this cloak I just picked up and what does it do?), to scouting ("monsters approaching!!") This process is extremely interesting and sucks you in whenever you advance levels. After all, you have six characters to flesh out and differentiate. Character generation in the first place is great.
This is the essence of why Wizardry is the best CRPG. You completely control all levels of your characters (you form a party of six with optional NPCs being recruited later). You pick your characters' pictures, statistics, names, and even personalities. You literally create personal roles to play for hours and hours (and hours).

A side note on personalities - they are awesome. There are personalities to pick for each character such as aggressive, kindly, chaotic, eccentric (definitely one of the most entertaining), cunning, and laidback. Once chosen, your characters speak tons and tons of lines of dialogue echoing their personalities. The eccentric mage (if you so choose), may refer to himself in third-person. Wonderful. Lines are spoken throughout the game in all instances - just adventuring, combat, winning a battle, someone dying (comments on who has dibs on a dead character's stuff is pretty funny), a great attack made, a miscast spell that affects your party - our hero has made a horrible mistake..

The combat is also great. Wizardry is combat-intensive. It is generally turn-based (but can be continuous) -- you pick your characters' options a round starts - monsters go, you go - determined by speed, level, etc. It involves elements of strategy, from setting up, to choosing actions for your characters and watching them unfold after your options are chosen. Many classes can cast spells ranging from affecting a single enemy to a group - classics such as fireball and magic missiles - to spells that affect conditions of monsters: nauseate them with Noxious Fumes, make them go nuts with Insanity, freeze them with Web...and enemies are intelligent. They will circle your party if they can to attack your lowly mage hiding in the back. Try working your way out of that one...

Experience is gained, levels are upped, points for statistics are distributed...all while adventuring in a wonderful world with great people. The NPCs were labored over. They all have unique voices and personalities as well, and respond to questions you ask via either keywords typed in or selected from their dialogue or a keyword box. It reminds me of talking to people in real life - a favorite is a woman in the first town, very Midwest and small town who is really nice to you and loves to gossip. Reminds me of an aunt in Indiana I have. NPCs voice their reactions to events in the world and have opinions on just about any topic you can think of asking them about. The combination of EXCELLENT (EXCELLENT!!!) voice-acting and writing make these interactions extremely enjoyable. They really add to the atmosphere of the game.

From the graphics, to writing, gameplay, combat, voice-acting, storyline, character interaction, even interface (yes, it is one of the best ever - easy to use, uncomplicated to learn, logical), this game is hands-down a complete winner. It is the best CRPG I have ever played and I have played them for well over 15 years.

For those people who have played things such as Diablo, the Baldur's Gate series, Planescape:Torment, Icewind Dale, you will love this game. It includes the best elements from some of those games and makes them all even better in a 3D world. It also reminds me of the classics (Bard's Tale, The SSI Gold Box games, etc.) It has definitive elements of Wizardry that are completely unique - from combat to NPC interaction - and the whole thing put together will suck you in and hours will pass before you know it.

BUY THIS GAME!
The only thing you will regret is not having more time to play.

Years behind

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 60
Date: December 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I've only played the demo, but from it I will say I own DOS-based RPG's with equal the graphics, and better sound. Being the 8th installment of any game, I would expect something closer to Neverwinter Nights than Dark Sun. And the voices sound like the same person doing all of the voices.

I seriously recommend downloading the excessively large (for what's available with it) demo. It may take a few hours with dial-up, but that's better than wasting ($$$).

Warning - There's An Advertisement

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 10 / 74
Date: December 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Every time that you exit this game, you have to click through an advertisement for gaming PC's. You just paid fifty bucks for a game, and it has an advertisement in it. I immediately returned the game. They're not getting my money and then subjecting me to advertising, and they shouldn't get your money either.

This game will blow you away

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 43 / 45
Date: December 18, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I don't think there is an RPG that I have not played, from Collosal Caves to Dark Age of Camelot, except one series - Wizardry. Don't know why I missed playing the Wizardry games, but thank God I didn't miss Wizardry 8.

When my order arrived (ordered it online because all stores were immediately sold out with waiting lists) I installed the game and jumped right in - who needs a manual I am a very experienced RPG'er, this will be a quick and easy game. Well the joke was on me. The game is not easy and not quick, this game is at least as difficult as Revenant or Baldur's Gate, and then some. Average game time? Well I finished Baldur's Gate in about 3 or 4 days, it has already taken me 18 long days to get even close to finishing Wizardry 8 the first time and I am already planning my next team of characters for a second run through.

The size of the Wizardry 8 world is enormous, not just big like Might & Magic games, but enormous. This should be the standard for the size of game worlds. The enemies you encounter are well thought out and fit well into the game storyline. You start out with a few fairly easy critters to get your feet wet, but from then on, until the end of the game, you are very challenged by enemies that always seem too strong, too smart, and too fast for your team to handle. But you will find strategies to beat them, that is what makes RPG's so much fun.

Wizardry 8 has it all: Great graphics, interesting characters, intuitive controls, wide variety of races and classes, many quests and puzzles (cleverly disguised as aspects of the games main storyline), dungeons, spells, more types of weapons and armor than you will see anywhere else, and monsters that could walk into Hell/Hell in Diablo II and kill everything in sight just for something to do.

Think of the RPG that you really enjoyed the most, whether it was a Might & Magic, Baldur's Gate, Diablo, Ultima, or an Online game (like Ultima Online, EverQuest, Asheron's Call, or Dark age of Camelot) and you will know the kind of enjoyment you will get from Wizardry 8. If you are an RPG fan this is the game for you, don't pass this one by for it is one of the best games ever developed.

There are two patches available on the Official Wizardry website and there will be more. This is not an indication that the game has problems, it is virually bug free, but that the developers really care about this game and fixes any legitimate problem based on player input. I have no complains about the game - none - zippo. Good luck and happy gaming.

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.

Wizardry 8...I am now a fan.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 66 / 70
Date: January 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Being a long time RPG'er, of the old school games, such as Zork, Ultima, and Bard's Tale, as well as all the new games, such as Diablo (really pushing it calling it a RPG, but...), Baldur's Gate, and Daggerfall (ok, so this series isn't new, but with Morrowind coming out I figured I'd toss it in), I came into Wizardry 8 with a fresh mind.

And, was I surprised! Everything about this game says class! Sir-Tech has created a beauty of a RPG that no true RPG gamer can deny.

The best part of the game, as all RPG junkies know, is creating your party. And, Wizardry 8 is no slacker in this area. Samurai, Fighter, Lord, Ninja, Mage, Priest, Psionicist, Monk...these are just a few of the classes...yes boys and girls there are MORE! Gnome, Dracon, Rawulf, Faerie, and a weird race called Humans, are just some of the races...again boys and girls, there is MORE!

You spend points in dozens of skills, and stats, to create a character, but it doesn't end there. Choose your character's portrait, name, and nickname, and personality to put some flesh to them. The best part of creating a character, is picking their voice. The voice, is linked to their personality, and you will be laughing during the game, when your character says something silly. I can't say enough about the voice acting, it adds a lot to the game.

The game is not your hack and slash RPG, although combat is essential, to the leveling of your characters. The game has a epic story to it, and will engross you, and make you want to play the game non-stop until you have finished it. This is not Diablo with a half bakes storyline...it is a rich world, with a grand tale.

The combat is engrossing as well. Some are put off by how long combat takes, but they aren't understanding the game. There are many things you can do, to customize the game the way you like it. Combat is meant to be tough, and long encounters with enemies are usually very rewarding XP wise.

To the reviewer who gave the game 1 star for an advertisement, he should show his Bioware, Blizzard, or Sony bade...I don't know which. The advertisement takes all of 1 millisecond to click through once you exit the game, and has not angered me at all. I am not one to like ads where they don't belong either, but this one hasn't even crossed my mind. Sir-Tech is a company close to closing it's doors (Before Wizardry 8 was released Sir-Tech said it could be their last game...however Wizardry 8 has sold so well, Sir-Tech may not have to go away...this is only my opinion, though). It is an old school RPG game maker, that is back on it's heels, when it released this game. If advertising helped them release it, and it only takes me a half second to click through it when I exit, so be it. It's not like Gamespy, where they force you to look at the ad, for however long THEY want you to.

The ad is so minimalistic, compared to the gaming experience, it doesn't even deserve mention.

Sir-Tech has created a RPG like no other made in this day, and age. If you like real RPG's, not just hack and slash, buy Wizardry 8. You won't be sorry...and you won't even notice the ad.

Gulshog

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.

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