Dungeons & Dragons Tactics - New PSP Game

Hail and well met all!

In my previous and first post I mentioned that I am new to the D&D genre, but I shall expand on my experience a bit with the new PSP game coming out, Dungeons & Dragons Tactics.

After reading several forums and news features I noticed that a lot of people are anticipating this game, but also are quite speculative on how it will turn out. And I certainly don't blame them. It's being developed by Kuju Entertainment, a company that has developed over 70 games-yet none are really notable ( http://tinyurl.com/2r7hxh ). This will be their first PSP release, with two others in the making. Tactics is scheduled to be released tomorrow, Tuesday August 14th, after several month long delays.

But I don't want to sound like Dr.Doom. First impressions ( http://tinyurl.com/38cuhw ) sound hopeful with the character creation. I loved the deep character creation system in ToEE and it seems Tactics is shadowing that aspect. The game has over 30 levels and each level has been reported to take 1-2 hours to finish. It's also good to hear that the game has over 200 spells in it's library, although no word on specific spells or if they have 9th level spells. Also no word on the level-cap or multi-classing, which has made it hard to plan out your six characters allowed.

So all in all the game sounds hit or miss. It'll all be about the execution as the foundation is certainly sound. Non-the-less I am definitely picking up the game (might even be able to pick it up a day early, meaning today). I moved to New York City not too long ago so I'll be able to try out the game a fair amount at home and on the subways. I'll report back with my impressions if anyone would care to read them. Is anyone else planning on getting the game? And please let it be good!

P.S. - Here are the recent articles on the game:

IGN 8/8/07 Impressions: http://tinyurl.com/38cuhw

GameSpot Videos: http://tinyurl.com/ywu6yw

PlayStation Magazine Review: (speed typed from magazine so forgive if any typos)

“…First, some caveats: D&D Tactics requires patience, especially if you haven’t played the tabletop game before. While there are four basic tutorials to help familiarize you with the game’s battle system, there is no direct explanation of the core D&D rules, meaning newbies will probably feel overwhelmed at first. However, with a simple press of the triangle button, you can bring up a description of pretty much any term you don’t understand, so you should be able to familiarize yourself with the system.

And what a system it is. D&D Tactics truly delivers the full D&D experience, implementing the entire D&D 3.5 rules set. You can customize your party of six to an impressive degree, controlling every aspect of their stats, but you don’t have to be hardcore about it- you can give the game some or all control if you want.

The battle system is deep as well, allowing you to perform moves, like feints or Intimidating your enemy- beyond simply attacking or casting spells. Position matters: You can use the diverse terrain to ambush or flank your enemy. You’ll need every advantage, too. The maps are huge-far beyond normal tactical RPG maps- and the A.I. is smart, so it’s not uncommon to spend over an hour to reach your objective. Luckily, you can save at any point.

It all contributes to a great tactical RPG experience with the enormous depth and customizability of the D&D rules system. It may start slowly but we guarantee you won’t want to put it down."

Cheers,

MonTy

 

I was going to start this post with "No offence, but..." but that line normally precedes something offencive.

You're coming on a bit strong with your dnd tactics pitch. It reminds me of a street hawker walking into your office, interupting the conversation you were having with your co-workers, striking up a rehearsed conversation to try and lull you into a false sence of security.

My take on you is that you're one of 3 things

1. Someone really into dnd
2. a troll type salesman
3. a bot of some kind

If you happen to be 1 then thats fine, carry on (and try to curb your enthusiasm a little) but otherwise :chainsaw:

 

Hail Cujo,

I could also say you're post is coming on quite a bit strong. But enough of that... No, it was an honest post. Re-reading it I could see it being kind of robotic (lol), but perhaps that's because I've not much sleep and I was just trying to be informative rather than personal.

*Scurries under a rock and pretends he never posted*

Cheers,

MonTy

 

IMO I think it did sound a bit bot-ish but it was a good post. Not over-enthusiastic or anything like that, and very informative. IMO. No offense, Cujo. :beer:

 

Well MonTy, it appears that you are a real and normal enough human for this site (eg fit into catagory 1) so welcome aboard and I hope I din't put you off.

@whn - spit it back in my face why don't you.

 

Make your words soft and tender because you usually have to eat them. bohahah.

 

Hail whatsername74 and Gaear!

One can be a friendly fellow but it would not be so wise as to walk into a WoW group and start talking about Everquest 2. If you catch what I mean; I do apologize if D&D Tactics is frowned upon around here, and the only reason I posted this was because after a quick browsing of some posts I saw Allyx mention it in some thread.

So if you want a glimplse into my kind but often getting myself into trouble mind, here is what I thought: "I freaking love you guys for making the Mod Pack... and hey, here is somebody posting about D&D Tactics. I really have been following this game because I live in NYC and it would be perfect for subways travel.... let me gather up all the information I've learned and post it for these guys"

I actually did score a copy today, and I'm heading home to play it. I mean if this thread is even not wanted you guys can nuke it to orbit... if not I can post my impressions

*Commense bot D&D ad speak* But seriously, this market is unheard of, and for them to take this risk could not have been easy in this day and age. That is actually the sole reason for them getting my money and even buying a PSP. Plus if the game is actually good I'll be in D&D heaven while riding the subways of NYC.

And thanks for the welcome and kind words whatsername74 and Gaear. I do not blame Cujo for bot-attacking me as overlooking it I definitely noticed that. And once again that's just me... trying to do something nice and really goofing it up.. haha

BTW, manual info: after reading the manual it looks like they only have TWO magic types, Arcane and Divine.. How do they have 220+ spells yet only two magic types? hehe.. I'm new to the D&D scene but even I think that seems off. Also, nothing in the manual about multiclassing >:-( That's a big let down.

The 13 character classes are:
Barbarian, bard (yay), cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, psion, psychic warrior, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, or wizard.

Cheers everyone!
-MonTy

 

Don't get angry with Cujo, he had a point, you sounded like a Game Pro article XD (Besides, Cujo is a rabid-vampire-dog-wolf, and a katana-kukri dual-wielder, i've seen him! so he has a very justified bad-ass-dude reputation to keep)
...but your post is in the right place, general discussions, even lord_spike had posted something similar...and tactics games are GREAT, i think most people here loved the FFTactics, or the Hoshigami, etc etc.
And yes, there are two main types of magic (psionics don't count), but each one subdivided a lot (enchantment, necromancy, abjuration, death, evil, good, etc etc) so keep looking (and play ToEE! one of the best ways to learn to play D&D)


Pd: Cujo, please please please don't bite me great overlord of artistic submissions!!
Pd: I agree with Gaear, since most sites have links with this place as the most important or complete

 

I'm still not convinced he isn't some salesman for the damned thing.

 

I thought that was a bit much fo r his SECOND POST EVER. aranoid:

 

He's on a percentage :Crazy_Lio

----

re DnD tactics. Great if it encourages more DnD rpgs with turn-based combat if it sells well. Problem is we all know it won't - if it sells well it will mean that we get more 'tactics' type affairs, and if it sells badly then it gimps any glimmer of more DnD RPGs.

 

I don't care who ya are, That Was FUNNY!!

 

Hail all,

Lord_Spike if you are not interested in D&D Tactics, you might want to try the Neverwinter Nights series, which has had many "game of the year" awards. You might want to especially try it now, as the delicios RPG game and its expansions are available for one-low price of 19.99, in US retail stores. Trust me, as a friend and not a salesperson, you will have the time of your life.


Just messing with ya bud. Ok guys, I'll officially stop it with the Tactics post. I honestly thought more of you were interested.. but this is just silly and quite funny.. I mean here I am posting about a probably bad game from a company that has destroyed the game you all love.. Sorry I'll go now

But I can't thank you all enough for the Co8 Mod pack. I've never played D&D so ToEE has been my first step in that direction.. I mean sure I'll play BG, NWN, Torment, and others, but as ToEE actually feels like you have more freedom to play and do what you want.

 

Ignoring the Tactics stuff...

I'd say BG1&2, once a good selection of fan mods have been added, provide the best feeling of an AD&D campaign I've seen in a CRPG. Torment was great as a story, but barely felt like AD&D at all. IWD1&2 were fun hack and slash fests, and IWD2 was a nice improvement on the IEs handling of the rules set. NWN never impressed me, either from a story or rules implementation POV.

ToEE, after the Co8 mod pack is in place, provides a very good simulation of the D&D 3.5 experience as far as character building and development is concerned, and combat engine wise it blows the BG and IWD game out of the water. With modding, it has great potential.