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Round 4

Apparently we all remembered about some western-developed RPGs that we were excited for at about the same time - Alex

This is the first round that Adriaan actually took one of my picks, but that's OK. Next round, I have a good idea what to expect for you all. - Mac


Torment: Tides of Numenera

Pick 13 - Zack Webster
Torment: Tides of Numenera (PC) - Official Site
Pub: inXile Entertainment | Dev: inXile Entertainment | Release: Q4.2015 (NA), Q4.2015 (EU)

All that's old is new again and Kickstarter has seen a huge resurgance in the kind of RPGs I loved to play. However, among my most anticipated for all the PC spiritual successors and belated sequels is Torment: Tides of Numenera, the thematic follow-up to one of the best games ever made. While a narrative-driven RPG is not as uncommon an occurence anymore, one of the main draws for me is the ruleset of the game and its setting: Monte Cook's intriguing Numenera.

Planescape was always a weird setting and Numenera has that in spades. Taking place one billion years from now, the Earth as we know it has seen the rise and fall of numerous civilizations and is quite unrecognizeable, containing alien creatures, rudimentary forms of magic, and a universe of history lost beneath the surface. The space for a Torment game is there, but the actual application of the Numenera ruleset, called the Cypher System, is a relatively rules-light system in a genre that traditionally favors stricter forms of play. While I know the full freedom of the rules will not make the jump to video games, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Disregarding the core gameplay itself, Tides of Numenera looks to be a dark, offbeat, and philosophical RPG that's a rarity even today. And after having gone through most of Pillars of Eternity, the fact that Torment will have turn-based combat is kind of appealing.


YIIK

Pick 14 - Adriaan den Ouden
YIIK (PS4/Vita/Wii U/PC) - Official Site
Pub: Ysbryd Games | Dev: Ackk Studios | Release: Q4.2015 (NA), Q4.2015 (EU)

YIIK just looks weird. I don't know how else to say it. From it's laughably retro, blocky polygon visuals to it's bizarre high concept of a post modern RPG, everything about this indie title from the makers of Two Brothers/Chromophore seems designed to make your head spin. Largely inspired by the Mother (aka Earthbound) series, it's difficult to get a read on what, exactly, this game is even about.

In my book, weird is almost always worth checking out. Even if it winds up being underwhelming, at the very least it ought to be a unique experience.


Sword Coast Legends

Pick 15 - Alex Fuller
Sword Coast Legends (PS4/One/PC) - Official Site
Pub: Hasbro | Dev: Digital Extremes / n-Space | Release: 09.08.2015 (NA), 09.08.2015 (EU)

First things first, I've never been able to get into the isometric third-person RPGs such as Baldur's Gate. I've just never enjoyed the process of trying to control the entire party or the whole keyboard and mouse control system. However, I am excited for Sword Coast Legends for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the existence of a console version gives me confidence that the game will be playable with a control system that much more suits me.

The other reason, and the one that lead me to pick this ahead of Divinity: Original Sin's Enhanced Edition, is Sword Coast Legends's interesting DM mode that lets one player take control of the campaign, tailoring encounters, quests, and dungeons for the party. The idea of being able to have a special campaign between the staff here at RPGamer sounds like a ton of fun. Just as long as Chris Privitere isn't given the DM role.


Divinity: Original Sin

Pick 16 - Michael A. Cunningham
Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition (PS4/One) - Official Site
Pub: Focus Home Interactive | Dev: Larian Studios | Release: 2015 (NA), 2015 (EU)

I heard a lot of praise for the PC release of Divinity: Original Sin, but I'm rarely a PC gamer, so I didn't get around to it yet. When I heard that Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition was coming to PlayStation 4, I couldn't have been more thrilled. I'm not quite sure how well things will transition over to consoles, but I'm excited to see.

The idea of a two person "main character" sounded great from the start and all of the talk I heard about the writing made this one sound fantastic. Like I said, I've never been a traditional PC gamer so I'm not sure if the combat or pace of Original Sin will work for me, but I'm hoping this might be another gateway game for me.



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