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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.

Great game, great price

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Wizardry 8, by the now defunct Sir-Tech Software, is an excellent neo-old-school RPG. By that I mean it retains the feel of classic RPGs like Might & Magic, Bard's Tale, and the early games in the Wizardry series, while updating the gameplay nicely. Wizardry 8 is to RPGs what Zelda: Ocarina of Time was to adventure games.

Wiz 8 takes the original Wizardry formula, turn-based first person RPG adventuring, and brings it into a fully 3D world. The upgrades are many. Magic is simple and easy to learn and use. Combat is intuitive, using both ranged and melee attacks. NPC interaction isn't bad, especially compared to some of the older RPGs.

Where this game shines, IMHO, is the skill system. Characters have access to various skills based on their class and race. Skills can be upgraded through use/practice, and when leveling. This creates a very satisfying system in which players are constantly rewarded for completing what could otherwise be repetitive combat. Sure, you only go up 1% at a time, but after finishing a long battle it's very cool to see what areas characters have improved in.

I didn't love the story, music, or graphics, but the overall gameplay was great. Be warned: The first 5-10 hours of this game can be extremely difficult, especially for players new to the Wizardry world! But it's cheap now, so check it out and have fun.

ScL

Great RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: March 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This one is a real winner.

Character creation is fun, with a whole stack of races and classes to choose from, plus a decent selection of voices and charcter portraits. The game world is huge - I played the game for about three months and still didn't see everything there was to see. The plot is fairly engaging - not novel quality, or even as interesting as Fallout, but interesting enough to keep you going. There are multiple endings, and the choices you make can have a major effect on the plot.

Combat is where the game really shines, which is good, because you'll be doing a lot of it. It's not uncommon to have one tough battle after another after another in this game, and you'll have to make creative use of terrain, party formation, and the wide variety of weapons, spells and magical/technological items available to you to survive. Seriously - if you don't like very frequent, very hard battles, you should look at another game.

Though the graphics are a mixed bag (a lot of ugly polygons), the designers made good use of 3D, making it quite a bit of fun to explore the maps, and see what's around the next corner. The music is all right - atmospheric, but not very good. The voice acting is so-so, but almost every character has a voice, which is neat.

Best RPG game ever!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Wizardry 8 outshines them all! And I've played them all (practically). I won't repeat all the positive comments given in other reviews except to say that I agree with them all! I will comment on the battles: Yes, the fights take a little longer than in most games (as one person commented), but so what? The battles are handled so efficiently by the AI that it is actually fun, unlike some games where battle is more a chore of click, click, click as fast as you can with the mouse. You can let the computer handle the battles and just sit back to enjoy or you can handle every aspect of the battle yourself. Or anywhere in between the two extremes.
Best yet, it works on XP (which is what I have). So all you XP's out there, there is no excuse not to get this great game.

Great Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I loved Wizardry 7 and this final sequel did not disappoint. I was sorry to see the series end. It is a great first person, party based game. If I remember right, this came out around the same time as Baldur's Gate and I enjoyed this one so much more. I actually finished it whereas in BG I only got about halfway through before I got so annoyed with the 3rd person view I could not play it any more.

Some may call the Wizardry series old school, but it is the way I like to play. Highly recommended.

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.

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

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.

Wonderful graphics, exciting adventure

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 25
Date: January 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Wizardry 8 seems very daunting when you read all the details in the manual, yet you can figure out the basic operation within an hour of play. What the manual doesn't cover, the on-screen help does.

The manual is well written and easy to fellow, as well as being quite humorous. It does contain a few errors and typos, but is far superior to the average game manual.

The graphics in the game are breathtaking - both the indoor scenes and the landscapes are detailed and beautiful. And I started quaking in my boots (OK, fuzzy slippers ;) when I saw the first slimes undulate at my level 1 party.

Combat can be a little slow when the monsters move around, as people have mentioned. But the combat is graphically better than in previous Wizardry games. You can tell whether your arrows hit by just watching their flight! (Though you can also get the textual analysis by looking at the window at the bottom of the screen). The combat is also more tactically realistic than previous Wizardry games, since you need to take advantage of your environment to protect your weaker party members from sneaky monsters which try to surround your party. Spellcasting is also vastly improved, with amazing special effects and with the additional element of trying to predict where monsters will be when your-area effect spell actually goes off. As someone with poor reflexes, I also appreciate the option to have the combat be turn based, rather than real-time.

The game also gives you more information than previous Wizardry games. Want to know what exactly is affecting your AC? No problem! Want to know why one fighter hits harder than another? Can do! Want to ignore all this technical stuff? Easy as pie!

In short, this game gives you as much information, or as little, as you desire, so you are not overloaded with details. If you want more or less information during battle, for example, you simply need to tinker with the game options.

Highly recommended for everyone.

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.

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