The Bard's Tale

"Did you play Baldur's Gate but get tired of the serious plot and constant combat? Thy answer is here!"

I gotta say, this game is pretty freakin' hilarious. From the amazing 'Ego Sword' which sings along when you summon creatures or the Trow Trio and their, "Oh, it's baaad luck to be you!" song, it never ceases to split my sides. It attempts and succeds to parody just about every aspect of the hack'n'slash RPGs, such as Baldur's gate. Anyway, the humor is great, but lets move on to the game, okay?

GAMEPLAY: 7/10

While it isn't complex like Final Fantasy or revolutionary like Kingdom Hearts, this RPG has a pretty sound combat system. It differs little from the Baldur's Gate engine but hey, if something ain't broke, don't fix it. It is your average hack'n'slash RPG that gives you the choice of Dual-Wielding, Flails, Sword and Shield, Two-Handed Weapons, and Bows. The thing I like is that you can dabble in two or three fields. I happen to be a proficient Two Handed Swordsman, Dual-Wielder and Bowman.

The main problem is the gameplay can get somewhat repetitive. It is not a major factor, but it is boring sometimes, hacking through the same enemies over and over. The game's fun is renewed by new equipment and new summons, however. The combat in The Bard's Tale, like I said, but not revolutionary. But let's talk about the other aspects of this RPG.

While games like Baldur's Gate stuck to a plot that was summed up in three words: KILL KILL KILL!, The Bard's Tale actually attempts to put some non-combat gameplay into it. The Snarky-or-Nice system is alotta fun, especially since sometimes being Snarky gives the better outcome :D. The main problem here is that, unfortunately, after one or two towns in the beginning and one or two later on, The Bard's Tale falls into the KILL KILL KILL! syndrome. While it's fun, I would have appreciated more sidequests and more depth in towns.

GRAPHICS: 7.5/10

They aren't amazing but not subpar either. Very nice graphics, slighter but not much better than Baldur's Gate. Pretty good for a PS2 game. This is one of the strongpoints of the game. Again, good enough to please the eye (especially the lusty barmaids. Just kidding. But really :D.)

CONTROL AND CAMERA: 6/10

First, let's talk about the controls. I think, if control was one category it would get an 8.5, but I decided to combine it with camera. Anyone, the controls are very good; it all fits together. Everything is easy to learn and use.

Camera, on the other hand, is the opposite. This is one of the game's main problems. The camera can be annoying. Not dterring, but annoying. There are parts when items or people or even doors are hid from you, causing you to wonder a while. Also, there are places where you can move next to the wall, zoom out and see a never-ending white space, which, in my opinion, is a sign of shoddy design. IMO, this detracted from the game.

REPLAY: 8/10

After playing this, you won't want to play it again right away, like you would with KOTOR, for example. However, you can EASILY pick it up in a month or two and play it again just for the laughs. So while some may give it a low grade, I give it a high one. I have personally played through twice, and enjoyed it both times.

Story: 9/10

Okay, lemme tell you, the story is FREAKIN' HILARIOUS! Think of Baldur's Gate, except make it funny beyond belief. While the story itelf is nothing special, the way they tell tit makes up for it almost completely. Also, I loved the end plot twist. Easily the strongest point of the game.

FINAL SCORE: 8
This is a great game, even for a PS2 (which PROBABLY has the most and bestb console RPGs... XBox is movin' in, though :D) I'd recommend buying it, or at least renting it. Once again, it may be a funny carbon copy of Baldur's Gate but it's still great!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/06/05