Perhaps I'm showing my age here (30), but I love these classic AD&D games. Any "old-school" gamers will probably appreciate any of these games to some degree - if only the comfort and nostalgia of playing on an old, familiar system. IMHO, the old games far exceed the new ones in the arena of theme/plot: i.e. quests are quests with a purpose rather than the currently all too common, "go kill 2 X monsters for unspecified purpose" approach. It seems like a lot of modern soi-disant rpgs are nothing but a pretty background sans developed/developing storyline...but if you like straight up hack-n-slash, so be it. I gave this product a 5 star cumulative rating based on the fact that I really enjoyed most of these games - but there are qualitative differences. Some info on the individual games (stretching my memory!):
1. Wake of the Ravager and Shattered Lands: these are the best 2 in the pack, IMO. Melee, single turn style combat, creative and well-developed story lines that come to a satisfying conclusion if properly completed, challenging enough to be interesting but not impossible to the point of frustrated quitting.
2. Menzoberranzan: this was my next favorite of the pack. Old school rpg; play up to 4 PCs at a time. Upon starting, player creates 2 characters to his/her specs...and yes, it is possible to max out your stats. Later, player can pick up 2 more characters. Almost all (all? I've forgotten.) NPCs offer or ask to join the party. Player can select one NPC, dismiss him/her and return to pick up same NPC later if such is desired. Warning: not all NPCS are trustworthy; be careful whom you invite to join your party! Story features Drizzt D'ourden, the honorable Drow (dark elf)of Forgotten Realms fame. Well developed story; fair amount of dungeon-crawling.
3. Strahd's Possession: same set up as Menzo, player starts by creating 2 PCs, picks up others later, etc. If I recall correctly, Count Strahd was a particularly nasty vampire who had not only terrorized the commoners but corrupted some local authorities. I remember getting stuck on this game at one point...persist, and success will be yours. Well developed story; fair amount of dungeon-crawling.
4. Stone Prophet and Al-Quadim: Genie's Curse: never finished either of these. I liked Stone Prophet better; just reached a point where I couldn't find a secret door and dropped it; ended up not returning to it. SP is set in the dessert, a sort of Egyptian theme. Al-Quadim I scarcely remember...it impressed me less than the others at the time but I would still not consider it a total loss if only as another example of a classic rpg.
All games are graphically excellent when taken in the context of their original release dates. I played them in 94 or 95 and even next to then graphics "powerhouses" like the original Myst, the graphics did not pale or fail to entertain. I would tend to think that they would stack up relatively well even against modern standards - not so different from your modern strategy/melee game...and remember, graphically there is a huge difference between say, 1989 and 1994. Enjoy.
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