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A Diamond in the Rough

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: September 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone is a good game. However, it could have been great. More on that later.
The game is gorgeous to behold. Visually stunning, with a great soundtrack and wonderful music, it unfolds like an interactive fantasy movie experience.
You are thrust into a war in Damara in the shoes of Rannek, a fighter. Soon, you meet a rouge named Zhai and a sorcerer who goes by the name of Illius. The three characters have a great interplay with the dialogue and the subtle ways that they interact, be it in a cutscene or in the midst of battle.
The script has been penned by R.A. Salvatore (my reason for buying it) a great writer and a master of the genre. The story is cohesive and held togetther by little tidbits and information that is revealed as you progress through the levels.
The story is told in chapters, and there are 10 in all, after completing a chapter, you can unlock bonuses like concept art and backstory for the game.
Now on to the stuff that wasnt so great. While the game was awesome in the graphics department and ease of control, it fell short in a few areas. First and foremost, the game was way too short. I beat the whole thing in 9 hours. Super short, and that leaves one feeling short-changed, especially at the current price for the game at 49 bucks.
While the controls were easy to master, most of the time it felt like I was just button mashing. In fact the whole game, I never used Illius' charm spells to hold monsters or make them fall alseep. While you can switch between the players on the fly, I found myself confined to the role of Rannek most often...the fighter needed to constantly save the other characters from battle. Another thing that kinda irked me was the level upgrade system. If you got a good ability or spell, it would be overwritten the next time you leveled up, and you could not use it again. Example: Once Illius learns lightning, you cant cast a fireball anymore. Minor, but it adds to the overall experience of feeling cheated.
Dont get me wrong, I LIKE this game, I am a fan of Salvatore, and that is the main reason that I bought the game, I just wish it had been longer and more involved than it was. Sometimes I get a little tired of button mashing and fighting a boss monster for like 30 minutes straight.
The game held up nicely to my attention span, mainly because of the storyline, I know that I keep stressing the storyline...but in all honesty that is what holds the whole game together and saves it from being a total loss. The ending is nice and heroic, but obviously left open for a sequal or two...lets hope the next games in the series are longer and dont have the problems of the this first outing. If Atari and Stormfront play thier cards right, they could have a killer franchise on their hands.
Buy this game if you are a fan of Salvatore or Forgotten Realms in general (you will see some familiar faces) but if you are a game player looking for a fantasy game, rent it first. See how far you get and how long it takes you to get there...let that be the basis of your decision wether to buy or not. Mixed bag folks...give it a spin...you will like it despite its shortcomings. And thats a good thing.

Demon Stone has +4 Coolness Affinity.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Ok this is my first review for amazon so bear with me if it's bad. First off, this game is quite good. The plot is true Salvatore material, and is the highlight easily for getting it. That and being able to play as everyone's fave drow Drizzt doesn't hurt either. Plus the graphics are well done and tie with LOTR: Return of the King for best looking adventure game.
But with all this, the game does have it's dark spots, mainly it's length and the upgrade system. As cool as it sounds to give your guys better armor and whatnot, you'll more than likely just go with the autobuy option and skip it. Sure you can fine tune what elements your weapons are imbuned with if you go in and do the shopping yourself, but it's all rather meaningless. Also, i beat the game in one afternoon..not the best length for a $50 game. Plus there is one other gripe..and that's the lack of co-op. If this game had co-op it would easily be better than ROTK. Nevertheless, if you are a fan of epic adventure games in the vein of ROTK, then you owe it to yourself to get this game.

Great game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The best thing about a video game is the story. Demon Stone has a superb one. The great story is supported with awesome graphics, stunning soundtrack and visuals, top-notch voice overs, and just plain fun. Go through several chapters slashing your way through. This game isn't epic. But it is totally worth a rent to beat.

A dissapointed fan

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: September 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

(Also posted on Gamestop and elsewhere)

Lets start with the good. The voice acting is superb. Having Michael Clark Duncan and Patrick Stewart as Ygrol and Khelben lends talent and recognizability to the voices, and it pays off.

The environment, graphics and overall appearance of the game is also excellent. At first, the way the camera scrolls to emphasize things happening in the background is obnoxious, but once you are used to it, it's like taking your own part in a movie.

The story by Salvatore, and the familiar D&D personalities and places is very enjoyable, and the story is as original as can be expected in the fantasy genre.

Now, the bad. I beat this game in 8 hours, on normal difficulty. It can probably be done in less. As there is no multiplayer option, the character development system is rather limited, and the ability to explore the game maps mostly non-existant, the game has very little replay value. Is it worth the $50 dollars for 8-10 hours of entertainment? You decide.

The combat is very unimaginative, and, due to the difficult camera angles, sometimes very frustrating. I found aiming in melee difficult if not impossible, and when I could actually see what I was doing, it was just button mashing. You learn to live with the camera, but, the combat never does become more exciting.

Character development is the bread and butter of these D&D games, and is what lends an otherwise short button-masher replayability and depth. The options for character development are too limited, especially you can't play again with different characters. The three you have to start are all you will ever have, and accordingly they should have more complex and challenging management choices.

In summary, Demon Stone is a great looking, well acted button masher, with a great story. However, its very brief length, sometimes boring combat, and limited development system really take away from what is otherwise a great game.

For Forgotten Realms and D&D fans this game RULES!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 33 / 36
Date: September 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Now, alas, we meet three interesting heroes in what I think is probably the best D&D inspired hack'n'slash I ever saw. Better than Two Towers, or Return of the King this game is so well done it will leave you astonished.

Demonstone has:
1) Awesome graphics - characters are really detailed. But what will leave you astonished are the backgrounds... things go on, and you seem to be part of it. Ex: first stage you are involuntarily part of an Orc vs. Goblin raid. As you kill all you see to get yourself out of such mess and to save villagers, in the background you will see a dragon setting all ablaze, other scores of monsters battling each other, explosions, etc...
2) Great control system, easy to learn and use. Fun combos for devastating effects.
3) THERE IS ACTUALLY AN ORIGINAL STORY!!! Written by, nonetheless, R.A. Salvatore!
4) Voice overs from the various actors are really.
5) It is a bit short, but I prefer going through 8-10 hours of REAL FUN than 20 hours divided into 4 hours of fun and 16 hours of crap.
6) In one of the levels you play as Drizzt do Urden, the famous hero, as he defends Mithril Hall from a horde of trolls. Those who read the books will know which part of the Forgotten Realms timeline I'm talking about. Drizzt was never as fun to use. With twinkle and Icingdeath in your hands you will deliver incredible amount of damage in the most catlike and dexterous fashion!

BUY THIS GAME!

Expecially if:
1) You are a rpg or D&D fan.
2) You read and liked the R.A. Salvatiore Books.
3) You liked EA's titles for LOTR.
4) You are a Drizzt do Urden fan.
5) You know games. This is a great one, a must have.

I'll try to be quick

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: October 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The game is pretty much three characters slashing through hordes of enemies. Simple concept that makes for a fun game.

The leveling up your weapons, arms and skills in between levels was a nice touch. Some items even change your characters appearance.

Is this game worth the money?

The game is fairly short so on average most people will beat this game with in 4 days.

Great Game - Highly Recommend

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: October 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I got this game last weekend, and while I am only on Chapter 3, I have to say that its a great game and I recommend for others to get it. I really like the story line- any R.A. Salvatore fans. Its also great graphics..like there are many levels and there are these things called "Danger Zones" in which you can push people off cliffs. The other thing that I really like is that you can switch characters on the fly...changing from one of the three to another character.

Great but Short

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The graphics, storyline, and voice acting is superb for this title. However, the story itself is way too short. I expect RPGs to take at least 20 hours of my time -- this took maybe 10. The fighting mainly consists of slashing your way through monsters and would have been better served by a turn based system. However, this is one of the better D&D games for the PS2, so I would recommend it as a rental.

No replay value

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 18, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game was fantastic!! but only the first time through. the game has no replay value. you do not participate in the story, there is no gathering of information, it is a hack and slash game.

For that reason, i recommend renting this on a five day rental and playing through it a couple of times (takes about six hours to beat it on the most difficult setting).

However, I do recommend renting this game at least once, as it is extremely fun the first time.

Good concept, ruined gameplay

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: June 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This hack 'n' slash game looks great, amazing graphics really bring the fantastic world of Fogotten Realms to life in a way never before seen unless you have a computer powerful enough to run Neverwinter Nights at nearly full levels. The various settings ranging from a Wood Elven City in the trees to a lush Jungle to the frozen Mithral Hall just look jaw dropping and the models, especially the Yuan-ti, look totally cool. It's a little ruined by a bad camera though, leaving you sometimes unable to see what you're doing...

The voice acting by Patrick Stewart is great as Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun though it's very, very easy to often just think of him as Captain Picard or Professor X in a funky robe with a funny staff. The other voice actors are ok, though strangely the ones for the actual playable characters are only average...

Finally you also get to not only meet but play as the legendary Drow Ranger Drizzt Do'Urden. I won't spoil too much for you, but it's a blast.

And unfortunately that's where the good parts of this game seem to come to an end. The gameplay itself is repetitive... you get a handful of combos to do, but only a very small number, and they are exactly the same button layout no matter who you're playing as. And even then, it just turns out to be easier to run around mashing X over and over and over again... so you begin to wonder what the point of the combos are in the first place. Also, when you learn new combos as the game progresses, many of them simply replace the older ones, which is a little dissapointing, especially so for the sorceror. I for one would like to be able to choose between fireball, lightning bolt and cone of frost... instead each spell just ends up leveling up to a different one, which takes out a lot of variety.

Second, the overal story is horrible, it is so terribly cliched... you have the: Fighter who tried to save his village from attack but failed and now carries their guilt forever because he refused to just get over it... the sorceror who was born into a family of knights and therefore outcasted because he chose to study magic instead of martial combat... the half Wood Elf who, because of her Drow half, was feared by her village as she grew up and therefore despises her Wood Elf half until she suddenly learns that they're not as week as she thought they were... even the main storyline is straightforward, with hardly any twists or turns in it at all, it might as well not be there at all. Basically it's even worse than a second or even third rate Forgotten Realms novel.

But wait a second... isn't that R.A. Salvatore's name in the credits as the writer? Isn't he supposed to be one of the best Forgotten Realms authors ever? Now I have to admit I haven't actually read any of his books... I've only read a few Forgotten Realms novels, when it comes to Dungeons and Dragons books I've always been about Dragonlance (still waiting for an official Dragonlance game... yep...) but from what I've heard of his novels, he ought to be ashamed for admitting he wrote this game...

The biggest, most obscenely horrible flaw though is the friendly AI. It's not a pain in that you constanty have to save the neck of the other two players you're not playing as, but it isn't effective at all. At first it's only a minor thing, where you can find yourself thinking "Gee, I would have coordinated that a lot better if I actually had real people fighting with me..." but then you get to some boss fights where the sorceror has to blast targets at a distance while the other two protect him from ground troops. Here, it all falls apart. As the sorceror, you start off blasting away but then you're knocked down constantly by ground units. Hey wait a minute, you ask... where are the other two? Aren't they supposed to be protecting me? Instead, you find them slashing away nicely... on the other side of the level! So you have to fight off the ground units yourself... by the time you've gotten clear to start shooting again, your targets have regained all their health, and you're back to where you started except suddenly you only have a fraction of your health!

Ok, no biggie, you think... I'll just play as another guy and let the sorceror blast away on his own. Except he doesn't! He runs around like an idiot attacking the constantly resupplying bunches of ground units, and maybe takes two shots at the targets he's supposed to get rid of! These boss battles happen an awful lot right near the end of the game, and they will almost always leave you clenching your controler as you scream "HELP ME, DARN IT YOU USELESS COMPANIONS!" only you'll be using a lot more less Amazon friendly language...

All in all, if you're into Forgotten Realms than see if you can rent this game, just for the visuals and the chance to see your two favourite characters and the world they live in come to life, but if you really, really want some hack 'n' slash action that'll keep you satisfied, go out and play God of War instead, because this game is just too repetitive and frustrating to be worth it.

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