Amazon.com: Demon Stone: Playstation 2: Video Games

25 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(0)

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3.4 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)

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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Forgotten Realms and D&D fans this game RULES!!!, September 29, 2004

By	Rocco (USA) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

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.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Diamond in the Rough, September 18, 2004

By	Clint Emmett - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars

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.

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A dissapointed fan, September 25, 2004

By	A. Joyce (NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars

(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.