role playing

Keepsake
$29.99
I played this game 2 years ago, and I have been looking for something like it since then! Nothing compares (Syberia is probably the closest I've found). The beauty of the game is definitely a huge plus. The puzzles are interesting; the first time I went through I used the solve option for a couple of puzzles, but the second time I went through I did all the puzzles. They are still intriguing the second time around!

Now, while I think this is possibly one of the best games ever made from a storyline/puzzle/character standpoint, it's got some issues.
1) The voice acting is possibly the most horrendous I've ever heard
2) I don't like to watch my character run around all the time either
a) make it possible to just jump from scene to scene OR
b) don't make me go back and forth the whole time
3) The cut-scenes are terrible too... and add very little to the story overall

That's why I can only give 3 stars. But if they came out with a sequel fixing those issues, I'd buy it!!!

Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
$39.99
I cant comment on the co-op play I only play single player. If I want co-op i play a PC mmo. The single player game is a lot of fun. I realize the game is not Champions of Norrath but whats with these 2 star reviews? Graphics are nice enough and the game play is good. I do agree with those that say the camera work could have been better but anything less than three stars for this game is just someone ranting. For the price of the game now its a very good deal.

Dawnspire
$29.99
Once again we see the big problem with online roleplay games. The game is no longer hosted and so is not playable. This is the big problem with online hosting of games. Eventually, usually after two years, the game makers/supporters will no longer spend the money to host it. They figure there are better money makers elsewhere so as with everything else, chasing the money means dumping those to whom there should be some kind of commitment. That leaves any of us who buy the game out of the water because we cannot connect to play. This is especially typical of games like this one where there is no way to play alone without being connected to someones hosted game server.

There is some kind of community for this game but I have tried for weeks to try and get it to connect without luck.

So stay clear of it. It may only be a few bucks but it is still wasted cash out of your pocket. What gets me is people will still sell this game without telling you it no longer works. Not very honest of them.

Hail Flavius!

dungeons and dragons role playing game starter set
$16.95
It has been over 25 years since I last played DnD, and when my teenager wanted to play, I was not ready to cough up the change for the whole big set in case it didn't work out. However, the small Starter Set was reasonably priced enough to get us moving and see if it was something we'd enjoy.

I am so glad we did this. The set's rules were easy to get into after a long absence, and it came with everything we needed to get rolling (no pun intended) including dice, some dungeon tiles, pre-made characters, character and monster tokens, and some starter adventures.

We are having a blast! There is enough in this set to take you through level 3 in character development, and the online resources at DnD Insider and the customer service game help (which I called to ask some game questions--they were fabulous!) are enough to have you playing for a long time before you need to purchase anything else.

Granted, some have commented that you can also buy the first 4e packaged adventure, Keep on the Shadowfell, and get most of this rule information that way. However, the starter kit has much more in it for someone seeking to write their own adventures and I think more general rule coverage. We also purchased Keep on the Shadowfell to continue our roleplaying fun and have been satisfied with it as well.

So far, this has been a fairly accessible learning process for my teenage players and easy for one old Dungeon Master to get back into things. I'm looking forward to getting this group through the first adventure so we can all get our own big manuals and level up a bit. But the Starter Set has been a cost-effective way to find out if it was going to be fun for us.