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If you think Baldurs Gate is today a 10/10 stop reading because Pillars of Eternity is a 10/10 for you too.If you think Baldrus Gate is still a great Game but you think in 2015 that formula needs improvements read my review.I compare Pillars to Baldurs Gate 1 and2 , its really close and that game is the spritual predecessor.Before i go into detail i think i should mention that i think a game in 2015 need more then just what Pillars delivers.



Visuals:Its ok.Visuals are not that important to me.The backrounds are hand-drawn as far as i know, you can see that.Some backrounds are really nice, others not so much.Its a mixed bag.What i miss is more variety.Most maps are pretty generic i think.I miss lightning effects that impresses me, but thats because of the engine they use.Its an enhanced version of the old engine that runs Baldurs Gate.And its ok, the game is not bad looking.The artdesign is something that i dont like.The armors for example, even the "special" ones dont look that impressive.There is nothing special.



Sound:I miss great music.There is SOME music but its not really special.Thats a little moodkiller for me.The voiceacting is for the most part ok.Not everything is great, some characters are not that good.

What i really dislike is that sometimes one part of a discussion is voiced, others not.That happens often in the conversations with your partymembers.That is distracting and disrupts the flow of the conversation.

What i miss too are sounds when you fight.Music is playing, fine, but what about some weapon-sounds?

Like in KOTOR?In KOTOR you have sounds when weapons are used, you even see little flashes.Here?Nothing!



Gameplay:I think the gamplay is a mixed bag too.There are some great ideas.For example that the game explanis in a text what happens and you can choose with a click what you want to do.That is really fun and you need to pay attention and sometimes you need to know the abilitys of your partymemebers.Unfortunately this feature is rarely used and sometimes the best choice is so bluntly presented that its is boring.A giant letdown is the combatengine.In combat the pathfining AI is terrbile.In houses and dungeons you will get stuck.Even when there is enough space to go your companions will just stand there and watch.This can kill off your entire party.That is something the game inherritted from BG and that in 2015!!!For that, ill substract 1 point from the endscore.What is a letdown too is the character development.Its to simple.You can choose some paths but i tried different stuff with the adventureers you can hire.Most skills are too weak.I chose my rogue so that she crits nearly with EVERY strike, 2 weaponstyle with sabers.At the end of the game, she was maxed out and 85% of her hits were crits while she killed more enemys then the entire party without her together.I think i broke the combatsystem with my build because even on higher dificulty the game was far too easy.When i read some reviews and hear about "challenging combats" i can just laugh, im sorry.Its unbalanced as hell and if you understand how the engine works that can be work in your favour.A problem i see is the selection of possible companions.The cast is uninteresting at best, there is no real dynamic in the group.They wont leave you, they wont turn against you.No love interest, i miss that when i think back to BG2!There are other not so great points, ill not go into detail, most of them are just minor points.



Summary:I played BG1 weeks prior to the release, so i can compare pretty good.Pillars is on par with BG1.Weak points and strong points are nearly the same.In the end, BG1 is a better game for me.The cast of possible companions is more interesting, the mainstory is more interesting and there is even some dynamic when you are good and some members of your group are evil for example.Where is all that in Pillars??Baldurs Gate 2 is a 10/10 for me, even today.BG1 is a 8/10 for me, cause that game is missing some of the great parts from BG2.Pillars is weaker when it comes to story, even the sound is weaker, so its a 7/10 for me.That makes it a good to great game.Something for comparison:The highest score i ever gave was a 8/10 for last years surprise "This war of mine".Maybe Pillars 2 will be better..... … Expand