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Not a bad one..
Its kind of a knock off from Oblivion, but its not a bad play. Controls are smooth and the graphics are good. Its worth a play for the price..

Not a bad game, but Oblivion set the bar pretty high...
When it comes to console RPGs, Oblivion was in a league of it's own. And while Dark Messiah is not a bad game, I found myself comparing certain aspects to the infamous Elder Scrolls game again and again. It may just be personal preference, but I enjoy customization and a free-roaming world. The extremely straightforward nature of Dark Messiah and lack of options was not what lessened the experience for me.

Several factors lowered my rating of the game:

1. The game's biggest problem in my opinion was a lot of technical problems. Environmental, audio and control issues.

a. Environmental: More times than i care to remember i found myself inside of walls. Usually it was when i hopped on a rope or chain to climb or descend and it was hanging too close to a wall. Basically i would be stuck in the wall until it "swung" free ... it sometimes took a while. (i guess this would be a environmental and control issue)
Also a couple of *traps* that were set up in the game were bugged and would kill you even if you avoided them using the means provided to you. Example >>> You enter a hallway and the gates seal on both ends. The walls on either side start to close on you (typical right?) above you are wooden beams that you can use your *rope bow* on to hoist yourself above the trap. The first time i did this i was hanging on at the top of the rope and as the trap closed below me i died. I assumed my *feet* had still been in range of the trap and that had killed me (even though i was as high up as i could go). So i did it again with the same result. At this point i realized i needed to figure out an alternative method. So as i was hanging there the 3rd time i hopped off of the rope onto the upper part of the wall that was closing in since it looked wide enough to stand on. Sure enough it worked and i survived the trap and progressed onward. (i know what you're thinking [oh that must have been the right way to do it]) .... well that's what i thought too ... until i played through it again with a different character .... THIS time the *jump on top of the trap* trick failed 3 times in a row. So i reverted to the *hang onto the rope for dear life* trick ... and it worked first try -_-. This is just one example but by far it was the most annoying of the glitches i came across.
I also fell through the level once (i made sure to save OFTEN in this game and i recommend you do the same :P)
And finally there were several times i found myself *stuck* ... yes just *stuck* the ground was flat ... there was nothing on the ground ... no enemies or objects near me ... and yet i couldn't move ... (no it was not a cutscene or a cinematic -_-). Didn't happen too often but it did happen.

b. Audio: Many times i found myself hearing a sound that applied to something in the area (i.e. bugs buzzing over a dead carcass) and that sound would follow me .... into the next room .... and the next ... basically until i zoned into a different area i would still be hearing the same bugs buzzing over and over again even though there were no dead things anywhere near me :P. Again this is just an example but the times this did happen that sound would *overpower* the other sounds you SHOULD be hearing (i.e. weapons swinging, footsteps, attacks landing etc). So not only was the constant replaying of the sound annoying it was taking away from the other aspects of the audio experience.

c. Control: In general they were very *choppy*. The time this is made most evident is in the >>chase through the city<< chapter. While you're running after the creature that took your crystal, you are forced to execute constant jumping, running, and climbing maneuvers. The jumping and running weren't so bad it was the climbing that would kill you. Supposedly if you jumped and held the button you would climb over whatever was in your path if it was doable (i.e. ledges, rocks, crates, etc) At one point the creature knocks over a bookshelf in your path. It's now laying flat on the ground, easy obstacle right? Wrong. Took me 5 different jumps before it finally registered and let my character run over the shelves. I don't know if it has something to do with the object not registering in the environment as a horizontal, scaleable object quick enough or if the jump/climb function was just being sketchy but it took way too long each time i did it to pass that point. The jump/climb thing was pretty much the biggest issue i had with controlling the character.


So that's it for the techincal evaluation. The game itself as i said was not *bad* per se. You have 4 classes to choose from: Warrior (sword and board), mage (staffs and spells), archer (bows, daggers, and spells), and assassin (daggers). I'm a big fan of customization ... from characater design to skill sets. The lack of either was a let down but the game was still fun for a play through on each class. With only 15 levels and preset skills there would be no point to play each class more than once really. The storyline is very linear. You follow the same path no matter what choices you make. Sure there optional quests (very few) and choices to make (even fewer) that will give you a slightly different outcome. There are 2 different endings ... no i won't spoil it :P. The voice acting wasn't bad but it lacked a little flavor .. at least for the part of the main character. I will say that i found myself with my jaw dropped open and laughing at some of the things your *guardian demon* sometimes said ... O.K. i'll admit it the whole *hot demon chick that acts completely subservient to you but is really out to get what she wants* bit was amusing each time i played through.

Overall the game was O.K. ... hence the 3 star rating and 4 star fun rating (one star for each class :P) I understand that i SHOULD not compare it to Oblivion and i tried not to. So other than the technical problems, the lack of optional and side-quests, and the total lack of any customization, the game was enjoyable .... and will probably collect dust from this point on :P.

Not the best and not the worst
I just got finished with this game today with all the endings (which all are mediocre by the way). This isn't the worst RPG game out there but it certainly isn't the best either. The dialogue most of the time is cheesy and there's no real character development. After I best the game I felt pretty disapointed because it should've been more to it. This game is worth playing if you want to kill a little time and if you find it cheap ($20 or less).

Awesome game!
I love medieval fantasy games and this is the finest one to come along in a long long time. I played this on PC a little while back and I was happy to see it on Xbox 360. The controls are great, the gameplay is awesome and the realism, quests, storyline, and kills are the best. Breath taking graphics, awesome swashbuckling fights and cool monsters. This game has it all! The Xbox live multiplayer is great too!

Fun Game, Give it a Try
This game got fairly poor reviews but I decided to give it a shot. I was looking for something to occupy my time after Bioshock. The game has some really nice graphics and fun gameplay. It's no Bioshock but I didn't think it was nearly as "poor" as the reviews. It's not a great RPG but I am having fun with it and think it's worth playing. Is some of the voice acting cheesy? Yes, but it's not bothersome and seems to fit the genre well. I am not good player and this game generally lets you poke around slowly with a few spots where the actions gets intense. I like it and give 4 of 5 for fun factor