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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 Rewarding, Realistic RPG Experience

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 24 / 25
Date: August 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is the first of the Wizardry series I'd played, and I bought it solely on the glowing recommendations of people I don't know, including the other reviewers here. I'm not a very big fan of turn-based RPG, and the only other experiences I've had with them- Wizards & Warriors and Pool of Radiance 2- were less than spectacular. I don't know about the slew of other turn-based RPGs, but Wizardry 8 has to be the best one I've played, and though I'm predisposed towards them, I'd even say it's as good as real-time RPGs like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights.

The game has excellent graphics that require a good deal of PC power to bring out at full detail. The entire world is 3-d and well textured, and monsters have full motion and attack movements. Spellcasting produces beautiful particle effects and each spell looks more or less unique. Probably the only downside to graphics is that it takes a pretty serious video card to run the game smoothly- if you don't have a fast PC and a 64 MB (or better) card, you'll probably have to turn off a lot of the detail to get this performance.

Sound is probably the best part of Wizardry 8. You don't see your characters on screen except for their portraits, so their voices are pretty important. Fortunately, the voice acting is superb- enough so that you actually get a personality out of the otherwise typical characters you create. Additionally, the music is good and other noises (spells, combat, etc.) are well done.

The character customization is quite extensive, though it's not as complex as pen and paper Dungeons & Dragons (probably a good thing). There are seven primary stats: Str, Int, Dex, Speed, Piety, Senses, and Vitality. There's also a respectable lineup of weapon proficiencies and spell schools, and a huge list of spells and other class-specific and expert skills. Additionally (the best part) you can choose personalities for your characters. These run the gamut from aggressive to eccentric. You can choose voices and portraits to match, or NOT to match if you wish, and both sets are extensive. There are 15 distinct classes and 11 races, all of which grant you different stat bonuses, resistances, or abilities. They're all quite balanced, so you shouldn't have problems experimenting. All in all, you'll probably never make the same character twice.

Gameplay is pretty straightforward and remarkably easy to learn. I would warn that it does start out a bit slow, but this is primarily to acquaint new players with the system. At the start you form a party of 6 characters, and can get up to 2 additional recruits in the game. You travel in a first person perspective in real-time with a somewhat reduced shooter control system, and when combat begins it switches to turn-based. Now, I have heard people complaining about combat taking too long and equating it to battles in Pool of Radiance 2. Let me assure you that it's a WHOLE LOT better than that game (I played through the entire thing, so trust me), though impatient people might find it a bit slow. You get experience depending on the difficulty of the encounter, and monsters will respawn if you leave the area for a certain time, camp, or go to another map and then return. Talking to NPCs in this game is crucial if you want to know what you're supposed to be doing. Unlike other RPGs, the plot isn't paved out for you to follow, and you can wind up truly bewildered and stranded if you don't ask for directions or information on your objectives. If there's something you don't understand, do as you would in real life and ASK, and you'll probably get an answer (albeit sometimes only for a pretty sum in gold). Occasionally you'll find someone who's willing to join you for one reason or another (e.g. payment). Don't expect them to follow you everywhere, though. They'll rebel if you do things they don't like, or go places they don't want to go.

Although the game in general is excellent, there are some flaws with the system. Wizardry 8 does an excellent job of creating a realistic, believable world. Unfortunately, many RPG gamers simply aren't used to this, and will be discouraged when they run into impossible encounters. This is very easy to do, because you can go literally anywhere, even places you probably shouldn't be going. Other than turning the difficulty down, the best thing to do in such an encounter is to not start it in the first place. Needless to say, saving frequently is a must (I recommend turning autosave on) and getting a priest to learn resurrect is pretty crucial if you want to buy anything besides resurrection powder from merchants.

I must say, though, that even some of the 'typical' encounters are very, very difficult. If you're an experienced Wizardry player, it'll probably be easier, especially since you can import your characters and start at a high level. For beginners, it might be prudent to sneak past large groups of enemies or take the long way around them. Combat also has a big luck factor involved, so replaying a battle might yield much more desirable results. I remember in particular a single Battering Hogar wiping me out just outside Trynton, and then reloading and getting an instant kill on him on the second round.

Aside from battle difficulties, the maps themselves can be confusing. It's advisable you look at them often, as they aren't labeled and there seems to be a scarcity of signs on Dominus. Your vision range is also not too great, so even large things might not appear until you come close. Sometimes I walked right past a place I was looking for several times before realizing it was right there. The good thing about this is, when you finally do get there it's quite a relief.

Wizardry 8 is probably the most realistic RPG I've played, and the game excels in nearly every important factor of a successful RPG. It might start out slow, but if you stick with it becomes a truly rewarding experience.

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...

A sad goodby SirTech you built some great games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: March 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After seeing some of the negative reviews I just had to comment.
First this is a turn based game. That means that combat isn't in real time but each character within range gets a shot at their opponent based on their speed and then the game pauses. This makes for slow combat but that is not a bad thing. It gives you a chance to plan just how to attack your enemy. You can plan where to cast your spells and which weapons to use. This is important because your enemy doesn't just stand there but can move out of spell range or surround your characters to attack the weak characters in the back. It took me several days to appreciate the subtlety of the attack interface. As your characters get stronger so do your opponents so every combat is a challenge and you must find ways of conserving spells and weapons until you can rest and replenish them. The combat is slow too because every character near your group is moving during each turn and this takes computer time. I use this time to plan my next moves. There is a continuos mode as well where the game doesn't stop between rounds and you can adjust each character on the fly but in a lot of cases if combat starts to go bad you might not have time to switch back to turn based before some of your characters die. Death is not very permanent in this game there are plenty of spells and potions to fix the problem but it weakens the team during a fight and as personal preference I just go back to a saved game and try again. Good Luck when you meet Nessie. The only strategy I found was run and hide.

I experienced some of the speed problems with this game and found that the program was going to the disk more than I thought it should. I increased my memory from 128 meg to 256 meg and it solved most of my problems. It is a BIG game and uses a lot of disk and memory space to run.

For some gamers a hint book could be of some help with some of the adventure style puzzles but because the game depends on previous actions any walk through won't match your game play. The monsters you meet and the treasure you find depends on the strength of your characters and in some cases how you have played the game. This also adds to the fun of the game if you let yourself just walk through this world and talk to the NPC's that inhabit it. They will give you good ideas for what to do next and how to play the game.

All I can say is I thoroughly enjoyed this game and am currently making up my second set of characters to try it again. I have never had a game so diverse that it really could be played again. This time I think I will try a bard. I've never had a bard because I always thought they were too weak but I got a rusty robot to level 20 this time so why not?

Old-school dungeon crawl pleases long-time crpg gamer

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 20
Date: January 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm enjoying it - I haven't played this sort of game since the mid-90s. The graphics are better, but the gameplay is the same turn-based goodness of yesteryear. Naturally, you can switch to continuous (realtime) if that's what you prefer. Visuals are first-person, but fully 3D.

It reminds me of the Might & Magic or Elder Scroll series, or any number of other party-based rpgs. You make 6 of your own characters, choosing from a variety of classes and races that you will not encounter in any other game. Each character can have a unique voice and personality. Your character is so customizable that few roleplayers should complain.

Levels come quickly, for players that enjoy the strategy of upgrading their character. Each level brings with it improvement in attributes and in skills.

Gamers raised on Bioware products may disagree, but I think this is worth its price. Baldur's Gate has its place, and it's a wonderful place. Wizardry 8 is almost in a different genre.

Wizardry 8 - RPG or not?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: December 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Wizardry 8 is a number-cruncher's dream. The sheer array of statistics, modifiers and choice in customising your character is presented in a way that makes it unintimidating, but easy to jump right in and customise your characters in the way that you want. If you like to micro-manage your party, then this is the game for you. The graphics are also quite impressive: yes, they're not perfect, but the engine is tremendously stable, running perfectly at 1024x768 on my ageing P600 with almost no experience of slowdown.

Well, after that, it's time for the negatives. To me, this plays like a 3D version of Icewind Dale 2 or a party-based Diablo. It has a story, but the focus of the game is solely upon turning your party into vessels of godlike power - literally, considering the objective of the game is to Ascend to godhood. This means that there's not too much emphasis on actual /role/playing as opposed to rollplaying, so, if you're a Planescape: Torment or Fallout junkie, you might want to consider before buying this one. It's also quite open-ended, but it's not Morrowind. There may be a few multiple paths through certain scenarios and quests, but that's about it.

And the combat... well, yes, it can get lethargic at times, but to those who've played Might and Magic on turn-based mode, it's nothing too problematic. However, I truly disliked the "instant kill" abilities that some weapons and monsters possess, giving them a percentile chance to kill in one strike, regardless of damage. I like my games to be challenging, but that game mechanic is far too arbitrary for my liking. As well, some of the random encounters seem very overpowered when considering the average party level, resulting in frequent use of the reload command.

The world design in this game is satisfactory, but it doesn't have the element of detail that makes a truly great fantasy or sci-fi setting. It feels at times as though it was slotted together piecemeal, with eastern classes and equipment forced in to an already jumbled mix of lasers and swords.

To sum up, if you're a fan of hack-and-slash games, then this is one of the best out there, boasting more numbers and opportunities to personalise your character than you can shake a stick at. However, if you're looking for more story and elements of role-playing, then you'd be better off replaying Fallout or Torment.

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