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The Adventurer's Club 3: Retribution.


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???

 

This review refers to version 2.0.1.This is a bit like a full length fantasy novel (not just a booklet like most scenarios), a tome with an enjoyable plot. In size like At the Gallows. I journeyed for 411 days (AtG was about 500 days), and made about 250 saves. I have read it criticised for too much collecting of coupons (just a series of quests), and I suppose that this is true, but no worse than the Exile games, and the plot is enjoyable! Grimly is a most enjoyable personality. The cities were spectacular. The graphics were excellent (as in AC1 & 2).

 

Throughout much of the scenario, I was carrying so many slabs of meat! My armour must have been stained permanently red. I admired the amount of work involved. I found the puzzles to be fairly easy (especially after AC2) - and the tactical challenges. Thank God the designer uses special spells in this scenario, to make the fights more challenging/interesting, but my experience of them was they seemed tame. I found that like AC1 there were too many wandering monsters (Nephils/W.Zinlasia, TelMoria, Sliths/Kudazan Peninsula, Mutant Giants); I can understand that they were consistent with the plot, but it is a tedious experience, and somewhere where the BoE game is weak. I wondered how the casino in Liberty could make a profit with the big money loser for it in the Five Card Streak game. I felt sorry for females who frequent the Fantasy Island of men, as it seemed poor value (unlike the island of women!). I found it strange that two flaming steel flails were more effective in battle than Thors Hammer. The special weapons were too weak -after all that hard slog I want to be rewarded with better!! I had a bad experience trying to enter GrahMok by boat (to find mandrake root?): going north I ended up in Talmini Ferry Landing; going west, my boat was stranded in the land of GrahMok. I did not like the plot when I had to choose between quitting or carrying on with the Odashai Guardians; I chose to carry on, because I reasoned it was diplomatic to accept orders, as Lucivius would soon be up to no good, and we'd be readily available to help!; and, in the meantime, my plan was to consult Grimly, research more, then present a concrete plan to Walwick - but the designer didnt allow for this, and I had an unfortunate result to my choice.

 

The ReadMe says move to the east and save when dealing with the four barriers; the problem I found with this is that it dispels all the other three barriers and tests - the only way to seemingly play it the way the designer wanted is to not save until all four barriers have been sorted. If you do all the side quests, and make sure you have loads of essence crystals from those forest wisps, the final battles are actually easy - having read some of the reviews (before Ezboard was hacked of them), I made sure I prepared well! I felt it needed a Hall of Fame. Some may find it great fun, others tedious. Personally, I found it to have both fun and tedium, but the play experience was generally compelling.

 

BEST (9.0)

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Terrors Martyr

 

I'm incredibly [annoyed] that my first (and rather lengthy) rating was deleted. Put bluntly- if you like SNES RPGs, you'll find lots of comparisons that can be made to this scenario.

 

 

EDIT: Not only are the other reviewers here far to generous, but this scenario also doesn't have a heck of a lot of replay value. BEST (8.3)

 

[NOTE: TM's original review (which was apparently lost) is below.]

 

I thought I'd put rating this scenario off, but clearly it will need its 7 votes to remove the disastrous 8.0 it's been dealt.

 

This scenario is much like Adventurer's Club in many ways (as should be obvious from the moment you enter), but Shyguy has taken the best parts of his scenarios and amalgamated them in this one. Plus, his experience is showing through- much of the "roughness" of AC1 is gone, leaving a much smoother texture to the gameplay.

 

The "Open-ended and linear" problems that occured so horrendously in AC2 and less so in AC1 are for the most part gone, even if there is some confusion in the beginning. Occasionally, I forgot exactly where to go or what to do, but most things fell into place eventually.

 

Graphically, this scenario (much like its predecessors) ranges from mediocre to excellent, but an unusually large number (although proportionately small- did I mention that AC3 has one of the largest graphics files ever?) of graphics are awesome. Namely the new wallset, the marble flooring, and the archways (which you absolutely HAVE to see in action- it's amazing!).

 

Combat in this scenario ranges from really easy to moderately challenging. Most players should find this scenario's combat to be within their reach. Of course, Shyguy also does nothing to improve the combat in his scenario beyond what every Blades player has already seen before.

 

The plot strikes me as being a mixed bag in retrospect- I had no idea *why* there was a bad guy in East Zilnasia. Perhaps some bad guy trying to take over the world? Maybe Part 2 will answer this question, but Part 1 still suffers because of it. Oh yeah, and WHY was Grimly fighting in West Zilnasia? Why was he leader of the Nephilim? I know he's mad and all, but he at least had SOME justification in AC2. Of course, the plot in regards to what exactly happens in the scenario is quite well-done. A very detailed (well, the outdoors is a bit empty at times, but...) world was painted, and the races used were interesting. The T'lanhg were the first group my god party went into scenario into just to commit genocide upon. The way the bad guy attacked Zilnasia was well done. Most if not all of my criticisms I found only after playing through the scenario only occured to me afterwards, and I suspect the same will occur to most other players. Not that this eliminates the effect on the score, but it does ebb the detriment it serves the overall rating thereof.

 

In conclusion? Play this scenario. Not only will you be occupied, you will be occupied for a good, long while- even more if you search out all of the sidequests possible. The genre and engine assumed by this scenario will isolate relatively few people who will play it. 9.3

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???

 

It's hard to rate this scenario. It has many flaws, yet it provided me with more fun than any other scenario I've played. I guess that huge scenarios are bound to have more flaws than smaller ones. Anyway, if you have 100 hours to kill, this is the scenario for you.

 

BEST (9.4)

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Hellspawn

 

This scenario was fun. Well worth the time.

 

 

I am only giving it a rating of BEST (9.4) because of the cutoff after the fight with the Zappers; I wasn't expecting the scenario to end, but it did. Took me by surprise.

 

I also loved the Press Your Luck Game, but the tickets were hard to find and the prize (grand) wasn't so great. In fact, it's only as strong as an iron breastplate(?)

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???

 

BEST (9.5)

 

This scenario is fricken awesome. Reminds me of all of the old Ultimas (of which there is some extensive borrowing) I love the Ormanipu alchemy :rollin

The scenerio is huge and well built, and really gives the sense of an 'epic' adventure. Plus everyone who played AC2 just had to see Grimly fight something.

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S M Adventurer

 

AC3 was fun.

 

First of all, I had to say, I had an enjoyable time playing this scenario. It had many interesting puzzles and noding sequences. I especially liked Prime Minster Volton's Command center. He was a tricky character.

 

The scenario had many interesting mini-games to play, like the Owaji tournament and the Mind Games, all very nicely designed. Definitely exciting.

 

It had great custom graphics too, all thoughout the scenario. I especially liked how Magestica was designed, all those technological security marvels they used in the prison.

 

Then, it's size. AC3 is an enormous scenario, with so much stuff to do.. That is my kind of scenario that I like.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed playing AC3 and this is definitely one of my favorite scenarios.

 

My Rating: BEST (9.8)

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floyd

 

I'd have to give it [...a] BEST (9.5)

 

Granted, I'm extremly biased, but I thought it was a great scenario.... I don't know what Shyguy has cleaned up, but I assume since beta that it is bug free. One of the strong points of the scenario is that it has so many unique places to go. With such a large graphics file, Shyguy creates some great effects... just go to the Govenor's Mansion, or Majestic. The plotline is lost is some places, at least to me, but that is a negligible effect. Combat wasn't largely varied, but I loved the general idea of the barrier combat.

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BainIhrno

 

On replay, I liked it much better than the first time. While I feel that some of it was "AC1 Improved Edition", it was still an enjoyable play. I didn't know the first time it was possible to slay Lucivius. Highly recommended.

 

BEST (9.0)

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