Review: Bard's Tale for the PS2
Jun. 27th, 2006 02:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalOh it's baaaad luck to be you...
IE: Our protagonist, the unnamed Bard of Bard's Tale a lute swinging, sword wielding,asshole anti-hero, who's on yet another quest to become The Chosen One (TM), rescue the Beautiful Princess (pat. pending) and Save the World (copyright Walt Disney Corp., all rights reserved).
Yes, it's the post-modern console RPG, with our hero starting off as a mere slayer of rats infesting a taven's cellar ("How stereotypical," he notes) to becoming yet another of a long line of Chosen ones on a quest to free the land from utter tyranny (and hopefully get some nookie from the Princess in the bargain).
He's quite sick of the notion mind you, and is perfectly willing to voice his discontent, quite loudly and hilariously as he comes into verbal conflict with the story's narrator (voiced by The Princess Bride's Cary Elwes and the late Tony Jay respectively). Every cliche of computer RPGs is on display, from the aforementioned rat slaying, a literally pointless lever puzzle, to a helpfully labeled "Obligatory Lava Encounter."
Oh, and it's also a musical, with periodic cut scenes involving rounds of drunken tavern ballads and a trio of proto-Oompa Loompas who pop up occasionally when the Bard encounters the corpse of yet another deceased Chosen One who'd preceded him (inevitably, and eventually disturbingly, a young teenage orphan boy who wasn't quite up to muster.)
Gameplay is quite clever, really. Instead of using spells, the Bard has Songs, which he plays to call up minions to aid him on his quest. Several a fighter types to reinforce the Bard's own combat abilities, but others are helpful support, such as a Hag who patches party wounds during battle, and a Bodyguard who is much a fighter, but can block magical attacks.
Otherwise combat is nothing special. Much like the Baldur's Gate or the X-Men games for the PS2, you fight from an overhead view, rotating the camera when you need to so you can see properly, and mash buttons as need be.
Being primarily a comedy with a game attached, it's relatively short (I finished it in twelve hours) so the humor doesn't wear out it's welcome, though the final level can get annoyingly repetitive.
Conclusion: A reasonably funny commentary on console RPG's and the fantasy genre. Rent it, borrow it, or pick it up from the bargain bin.
IE: Our protagonist, the unnamed Bard of Bard's Tale a lute swinging, sword wielding,
Yes, it's the post-modern console RPG, with our hero starting off as a mere slayer of rats infesting a taven's cellar ("How stereotypical," he notes) to becoming yet another of a long line of Chosen ones on a quest to free the land from utter tyranny (and hopefully get some nookie from the Princess in the bargain).
He's quite sick of the notion mind you, and is perfectly willing to voice his discontent, quite loudly and hilariously as he comes into verbal conflict with the story's narrator (voiced by The Princess Bride's Cary Elwes and the late Tony Jay respectively). Every cliche of computer RPGs is on display, from the aforementioned rat slaying, a literally pointless lever puzzle, to a helpfully labeled "Obligatory Lava Encounter."
Oh, and it's also a musical, with periodic cut scenes involving rounds of drunken tavern ballads and a trio of proto-Oompa Loompas who pop up occasionally when the Bard encounters the corpse of yet another deceased Chosen One who'd preceded him (inevitably, and eventually disturbingly, a young teenage orphan boy who wasn't quite up to muster.)
Gameplay is quite clever, really. Instead of using spells, the Bard has Songs, which he plays to call up minions to aid him on his quest. Several a fighter types to reinforce the Bard's own combat abilities, but others are helpful support, such as a Hag who patches party wounds during battle, and a Bodyguard who is much a fighter, but can block magical attacks.
Otherwise combat is nothing special. Much like the Baldur's Gate or the X-Men games for the PS2, you fight from an overhead view, rotating the camera when you need to so you can see properly, and mash buttons as need be.
Being primarily a comedy with a game attached, it's relatively short (I finished it in twelve hours) so the humor doesn't wear out it's welcome, though the final level can get annoyingly repetitive.
Conclusion: A reasonably funny commentary on console RPG's and the fantasy genre. Rent it, borrow it, or pick it up from the bargain bin.
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Date: 2006-06-27 08:27 pm (UTC)Jay Ward - Bullwinkle guy
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Date: 2006-06-27 09:06 pm (UTC)