Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Suu'thien Fethomir 06-01-04, 02:20 AM	::spasms and leaps for joy:: Official Site (http://www.atari.com/demonstone) Gamespy Preview (http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/forgotten-realms-demon-stone/506538p1.html?fromint=1) R.A. Salvatore Interview (http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/forgotten-realms-demon-stone/506963p1.html) "Art of.." Article, (GOOD READ) (http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/forgotten-realms-demon-stone/506737p4.html)
Tarlyn Alurach 09-27-04, 03:29 PM	This video game was great for imagery. But it took me less than FOUR hours to beat...There was no challenge. Just endless button mashing. They had so much going for them and all it turned into was hack and slash. I was so disappointed... :mad: :confused: :bored: :thumbsdow :sad: :censored: :banghead:
Crust 09-27-04, 04:30 PM	I agree it wasn't the best game in the world. If Drizzt wasn't so well done, I might consider it a disappointment. I only have it because I'm an FR fan. Hey, think of it as an updated, redone Golden Axe.
Ranger REG 09-27-04, 09:02 PM	Well, I hope they offer more in the PC version. Otherwise, it's another clone of TOEE.
Shemeska the Marauder 09-28-04, 10:16 AM	Somebody make me happy please, tell me the game refers to Ygorl as both the Slaad Lord of Entropy and as being native to Limbo. Yes? More Great Wheel cosmology creep back into FR would be very cool...
Voldenuit 09-28-04, 12:10 PM	Somebody make me happy please, tell me the game refers to Ygorl as both the Slaad Lord of Entropy and as being native to Limbo. Yes? More Great Wheel cosmology creep back into FR would be very cool... Don't count your slaadi eggs before they hatch (and devour their host). Yes, Ygorl is a native of Limbo in the game. And you actually get to go to Limbo in the final chapter. It's not all beer and skittles, however. They also had a Githyanki general on a mission for Vlaakith to conquer Faerun. However, Ygorl allies with a red dragon to fight the githyanki :mymy: Was RAS ignorant of the Red Dragon/Githyanki pact, or was this particular red dragon just a renegade? I don't hink the developers could have been completely ignorant, though, since the sword the gith carries was actually Gith's (yes, Gith) Silver Sword. Maybe the githyanki just failed their Diplomacy check, even with the +4 modifier. :D All in all, I quite enjoyed Demon Stone. I played it on Hard because I knew it was going to be a short game, and I enjoyed the challenge presented. The Red Dragon boss battle is one of the more memorable boss battles in recent years. I nearly broke my PS2 controller in frustration, and ended up having to "take ten" and come back to the game with a fresh mind before I found the winning combo in a moment of apotheosis ( I hear that on Normal setting, your cahracters will automatically perform the finishing moves without any input from you after a while - not so on Hard). The art direction was top notch. All the locations were beautifully executed, from a Yuan-Ti temple in the Chultan jungle (looking suitably ancient and overgrown), to the Elven village of Cedar Leaf, to the dragon's lair where you had to fight enemies as the dragon strafed you from distant perches. I'm an avowed Drizzt hater, not because I have anything against him, but mostly because he is so over-used and over-imitated. However, the protrayal of Drizzt in DS was excellent, capturing the soul of the character perfectly. I don't mean to harp on about the art, but the aethetics of the game truly elevate DS beyond its gameplay merits. The last time I saw a D&D game with such cohesive art design that was completely true to its license was Planescape: Torment. SS have done the impossible - they not only captured the feel of Forgotten Realms, but also managed to give the setting a breathtaking splendor far from the sterile cookie-cutter generic world I had always considered the Realms to be.
Tarlyn Alurach 09-28-04, 01:10 PM	I agree. The visual aspects were simply stunning. I was awed by the depths and detail the developers put into the game. But again, my problem was with the way the game was presented. If I had wanted button mashing I would have got a fight game. They could have played up other aspects of the game. Zhai was a very under used character. Her hide and sneak would have come in handy for a lot more levels than it did. There could have been other solutions to problems in the game instead of X+/\ +L1. And the fact that you fought against sheer numbers...That they had to reduce it to that was very disappointing. I had to pause a couple of times just so that I could give my fingers a break. I loved the look and feel of the characters and artwork. Production was great. But gameplay left a LOT to be desired. But that's just me.
The Simple Seeker II 09-28-04, 01:37 PM	This video game was great for imagery. But it took me less than FOUR hours to beat...There was no challenge. Just endless button mashing. They had so much going for them and all it turned into was hack and slash. I was so disappointed... :mad: :confused: :bored: :thumbsdow :sad: :censored: :banghead: Four Hours????? This is without side quests also? :confused:
Tarlyn Alurach 09-28-04, 01:38 PM	What side Quests? I have the PS2 version...
Voldenuit 09-28-04, 08:12 PM	Yeah, the game was a bit short. However, every level kept me rapt, unlike say, Prince of Persia, where the middle levels were rather tedious, and the ending bit when Farah steals your dagger had no real urgency. (Not that I'm saying DS is a better game than PoP, just that itmanaged to keep my attention throughout). One thing I noticed about playing Zhai is that you can only see stealthy areas as Zhai. Most areas have at least one or two, but you may not see them when playing as Illius or Rannek. The hardest character to play was Rannek. It was challenging to power him up when beset by hordes of enemies, since getting hit reduces your power meter. And his swings were rather slow, making it difficult to fight death slaad in particular (ironically, Zhai and Ilius are much better choices against death slaad). Overall, I enjoyed DS. It was a bit of a button masher, but the art and the story kept me going. Not as ground-breaking on a gameplay level as PoP or Ico, and maybe a little too short (playing on Hard alleviates this somewhat). The ratings it has been getting in the 7 range are probably accurate. I wouldn't recommend it at full price to anyone but hardcore dnd fans, but it'll be a good rental or a nice buy when prices drop.
The Simple Seeker II 09-28-04, 08:57 PM	What side Quests? I have the PS2 version...:nonono: :sad:
Aris Stormdragon 09-29-04, 12:31 AM	I take it, then, that the PS2 version doesn't include any side-quests?
warlockco 09-29-04, 04:30 AM	I take it, then, that the PS2 version doesn't include any side-quests? Hard to say. If he didn't get the Strategy Guide and just went right though the game, he could have missed all kinds of stuff. I have a friend that buys the Strategy Guide to every game he has and he shelves it until he has beaten the game or the game beats him. Then he looks at it.
Tarlyn Alurach 09-29-04, 01:13 PM	Unfortunately, I've beaten the game twice now. And both times, you never have any real interaction with characters other than to kill them. Yes Khelben is in the game, but only so far as to point you in the direction you need to go. Same for Drizzt. This was, and is, a very limited game. And that is why I didn't like it. It didn't have the breadth or depth of Baldur's Gate or Champion of Norrath. This was more of a go to place X kill BBEG and get Y. As posted earlier, this is more of a rental game than a game to buy. I should have spent my money on Madden 05.
Aris Stormdragon 09-29-04, 08:19 PM	Just as a side note, I've heard that the character Rannek will be introduced as a new character in Salvatore's upcoming novel, The Two Swords. That should be interesting. I wonder if he has any plans to use the other two Demon Stone characters in future projects.
The Simple Seeker II 09-29-04, 11:27 PM	Unfortunately, I've beaten the game twice now. And both times, you never have any real interaction with characters other than to kill them. Yes Khelben is in the game, but only so far as to point you in the direction you need to go. Same for Drizzt. This was, and is, a very limited game. And that is why I didn't like it. It didn't have the breadth or depth of Baldur's Gate or Champion of Norrath. This was more of a go to place X kill BBEG and get Y. As posted earlier, this is more of a rental game than a game to buy. I should have spent my money on Madden 05. My Thanks for your honesty, when I saw this game at Gen Con, and the fight scene with the three characters in use, the first words out of my mouth, were hack and slash, no long thinking beforehand, just a instinctive response to the demo play. My gut reaction has been vindicated by the same view of a few others. And I have played video games since the Coleco days...it would be prudent in the future that RS doesn't put his name to products like these. From my view, great graphics, game mechanics, and whatever else, but the rush feel is there with this game, done so, for the anniversary. Now, does 49.95 and 'four hours' of play sounds like a well though project...no, and if there a next sequel to this...Take...Your...Time...in making it viable next time, and yes, I do know, it is for the kiddies these days...but hey, they are smart too, their education...the internet, your competiton. But being a gamer, I would Like to play it...but Not for 4 hours...with that money, I can watch two or three movies almost in that same time.
maynardjkeenan 09-30-04, 07:20 AM	Acctually, the average gamer is 25 years old, so they don't make it "for the kiddies." :) Why can't Blizzard make Diablo III and hack 'n slashers can stick to that crap, while other companies make real RPG games....
Crust 09-30-04, 08:01 AM	I don't think Demon Stone was worth $49.95. It has all the annoying little bits I expect from such products. Probably the most annoying thing about the game is the idea that Ygorl and his slaadi have it in them to destroy all of Faerun. All of Faerun? Not only is that incredibly cheesy, but I agrue that it's darned impossible. As soon as these silly frog monsters (I never bought into the idea of the slaad from day 1) make it as far as Thay, Halruaa, or Larloch's doorstep, their fun would be over. Slaadi destroying Faerun? I doubt it. Not with many of the NPCs in the Realms. Faerun could never, ever be completely taken by any one race of creatures. That plot line made me roll my eyes every time it was hinted at. :rolleyes: And the red dragon fighting against the githyanki female was also just one more example of the folks at Wizards not having their stories straight. Man, I wish someone would get something straight for once! I mean, if I, a lowly fan, understand that red dragons should not be fighting githyanki for a slaad lord, I would hope the professionals could figure it out. The least they could have done is explain that Ygorl might have cast a powerful spell on the dragon to force its compliance. Demon Stone tried to do too much. The spellcasting with Illius wasn't very inspiring, button mashing with Rannek wasn't fun, and the stealth side of Zhai's character left me wanting more. I mean, after having played through the Tenchu titles, I want more in a stealth game. Her jumping was buggy at best, and the fact that she needed a magical ring to jump was really disappointing. It's the 21st century, folks. We should expect to be able to play characters that can jump. This game was way too simplistic. Further, it is nearly identical to The Two Towers or Return of the King, right down to the controls. Identical attack combos, identical ranged attack controls, and nearly identical music and camera work. The beginning of the game starts out exactly like the Ring games. I wasn't impressed. And where are the cool unlockables??? Journal entries and art? That's it? No unlocked Drizzt or Thibbledorf? What a huge mistake. I couldn't believe how let down I felt when I finished the game and found no worthy unlockables. The art is very nice, I must say. It doesn't save the game, but it's pretty. The storyline is classic RAS. It seemed like with every turn in the game, the storyline was a round peg being forced into a square hole. All three of these characters brought together by that oh-so-clever slaad lord. I wasn't surprised. I guess the overarching idea of a race of slaadi or githyanki destroying all of Faerun was so silly that I never really bought into the plot. I'm an FR fan, so I feel like I should have this game. There was no choice in the matter. I felt compelled to buy it. I might have been disappointed, but there was no way I was going to be able to pass it up. I wanted to see Drizzt. Of course, now I realize I can only play him on one board, but I'll live with that. This game could have been much better. It's not worth $49.95.
Mystery Man 09-30-04, 08:36 AM	This looks more and more like it's going to turn into just a rental for me. Same with Fable, I hear it's way too short.
The Simple Seeker II 09-30-04, 11:45 AM	This looks more and more like it's going to turn into just a rental for me. Same with Fable, I hear it's way too short. Wait, it may be 'short'...but heck, you can make choices that can affect your character's life in the game...which is MUCH better than Demon Stone.
The Simple Seeker II 09-30-04, 11:46 AM	Acctually, the average gamer is 25 years old, so they don't make it "for the kiddies." :) Why can't Blizzard make Diablo III and hack 'n slashers can stick to that crap, while other companies make real RPG games.... Yeah...I am old, and proud of it :D Hark, the wisdom that swims within my being...is aplenty
Tarlyn Alurach 09-30-04, 12:48 PM	That Demon Stone was rushed for the 30 year anniversary....I didn't think of that. But yes, it was rushed. And decisions? What decisions? And now that I've read on the website that Fluid is doing another game for D&D...I'm gonna rent before I buy...
SCMrks 09-30-04, 02:30 PM	Unfortunately, I too spent $50 on this game. It is nothing more than a thumb cramp game. Just hit the attack button until everything in the chapter is dead and move on to the next chapter and keep hitting the attack button until everything is dead. It was just like the Lord of the Ring games. The good news is since I beat it so quickly I can sell it back as a used game while the price is still high.
The Simple Seeker II 09-30-04, 06:12 PM	Unfortunately, I too spent $50 on this game. It is nothing more than a thumb cramp game. Just hit the attack button until everything in the chapter is dead and move on to the next chapter and keep hitting the attack button until everything is dead. It was just like the Lord of the Ring games. The good news is since I beat it so quickly I can sell it back as a used game while the price is still high. Hmmm, given that, it will come out for the PC in November, will there be any difference? And also, I did find it strange, that X-Box and PC makers were getting it later, maybe they saw something that 'Sonie' didn't...oh well, between the last two to get, I wait and see if there any improvements. Far-fetch I know...
Mr. Domino 09-30-04, 10:05 PM	As I won't be able to pick up the game for a while would someone be kind enough to give me the basic premise of the story? Who the three main characters are and the villains would be nice.
ssvegeta555 10-01-04, 04:34 PM	This was, and is, a very limited game. And that is why I didn't like it. It didn't have the breadth or depth of Baldur's Gate or Champion of Norrath. This was more of a go to place X kill BBEG and get Y. Champoins of Norrath had depth??? That game sucked, it was a very boring reptitive hack-n-slash. What a waste of my money (even got the multi-tap as well). Though baldurs gate was good, at bit short though. Going on topic... I nevered played DS, but it doesn't surprise me that the game was too "great" on the gameplay department. Is the fate that happens to all licenced games, they tend to be crap, but latley they get ok.
Tarlyn Alurach 10-02-04, 10:03 PM	The thing I liked better in Champions of Norrath that Demonstone didn't have, character interaction...You actually talked to other characters in order to advance plot...Wheras, in DS, You don't have that option...Or any options for that matter...Champions was also a longer game too. Held my interest.
Straploknight 10-09-04, 11:26 AM	Why can't Blizzard make Diablo III and hack 'n slashers can stick to that crap. Nothing wrong with that. H&S rpgs can be fun. One can enjoy a good story while smashing everthing to bits too.
ranger_of_renwood 10-14-04, 04:01 AM	I've seen in earlier posts that Khelben and Drizzt appear in the game, are they both playable?
Crust 10-14-04, 07:47 AM	You can play Drizzt during the scene at Mithril Hall. You play him while defending the walls of Mithril Hall from trolls. It's almost identical to the scene in Two Towers at Helms Deep. You might remember defending Helm's Deep from orcs, and that large catapult rolls in to pound away at the door. This scene at Mithril Hall is almost identical to that. I was sorely disappointed at that. Drizzt does look great, though. He chops through trolls with great ease. Unfortunately, here we have more button-mashing. The huge disappointment there is that Drizzt is never unlocked. One would think that with the games that have come before that Drizzt would surely be unlockable for play on other levels, but no. Thibbledorf Pwent also makes a brief cameo. Of course, he looks like every other dwarf running around Mithril Hall's front gates. Khelben appears, and is voiced by the great Patrick Stewart. Unfortunately, Khelben is portrayed as a moderately powerful wizard who seems to fear the slaad lord antagonist, which I found silly. I also squirmed in my seat at the sight of his staff, which resembles a cross between a bizarre lamp and a ladder.
Crust 10-17-04, 03:28 PM	I was recently flipping through the old Fiend Folio, and I was stunned to se Ygorl featured in there! It even mentions his dragon mount as well. I was surprised. I have a new respect for this game knowing that one of the antagonists is such an old-school baddie.
Mirtek 10-17-04, 05:03 PM	Hmmm, given that, it will come out for the PC in November, will there be any difference? Really? Cool. Think I will wait until I can rent it for PC instead of PS2, I usually prefer to play with good grafic :smirk: BTW, is it one or two players?
warlockco 10-17-04, 09:13 PM	I was recently flipping through the old Fiend Folio, and I was stunned to se Ygorl featured in there! It even mentions his dragon mount as well. I was surprised. I have a new respect for this game knowing that one of the antagonists is such an old-school baddie. The Slaad Lords are one of the things that me and the other Old School players of D&D in my group miss. I mean they have given us some of the old Arch-Fiends with Book of Vile Darkness, these new Paragons, but no Slaad Lords.
Mirtek 10-18-04, 08:10 AM	The Slaad Lords are one of the things that me and the other Old School players of D&D in my group miss. I mean they have given us some of the old Arch-Fiends with Book of Vile Darkness, these new Paragons, but no Slaad Lords. That's why I think it's time for a book on neutrality. We have the books of Vile Darkness and Exhalted Deeds, but still no book about LN, N, and CN.
warlockco 10-18-04, 10:11 AM	That's why I think it's time for a book on neutrality. We have the books of Vile Darkness and Exhalted Deeds, but still no book about LN, N, and CN. Yep, I mean they finally introduced such a book in Underdark: Book of Perfect Balance a book for (NG, LN, N, CN, NE) Divine casters. Now we need a Sourcebook/Expansion to follow up on this. :D
Mirtek 10-18-04, 10:19 AM	Well, I still can't get how one can call NE, NG, CN, and LN even remotely balanced. :confused: There's no trace of balance with them, just the purests forms of Evil, Good, Chaos, and Law out there. :cool:
Crust 10-19-04, 09:29 AM	It would be awesome to get a Neutrality book similar to the Book of Vile Darkness. I'm not sure exactly what could be in there beyond powerful NPC creatures. Slaad lords are one thing, but I'd also love to see an update on the modron lords of Nirvana/Mechanus, like Primus. I'd love that.
The Simple Seeker II 10-23-04, 10:45 AM	Really? Cool. Think I will wait until I can rent it for PC instead of PS2, I usually prefer to play with good grafic :smirk: BTW, is it one or two players? Your answers are to be found in this article (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/demon-stone/545636p1.html)