Browsed by
Tag: paradox

Tyranny: Bastard’s Wound – The Verdict

Tyranny: Bastard’s Wound – The Verdict

Ten months after its release Tyranny has received its first DLC ‘Bastard’s Wound‘ which adds additional areas to the map and with it new NPC’s, a new quest arc, companion quests and achievements. Obsidian have also released a free patch along side the DLC that expands the content in the third and final act of Tyranny as well as including additional voice acting and a new path to the ending of the game.

The main story behind Bastard’s Wound surrounds a hidden encampment, yet untouched by the invading forces of Kyros. The settlers of this camp have been forced to pitch up in the Old Walls, a sacred place that is usually punishable for entering let alone setting up a village in. Within this small community people and beasts of various factions have decided to work together to keep themselves hidden from the armies of Kyros and so rule themselves. The only problem is that you are the Fatebinder and, well you guessed it, you happen to find out about this hidden village.

The good news is that if you liked Tyranny as much as I did then I feel you will enjoy a lot of what Bastard’s Wound has to offer. I finished the base game pretty quickly after release, so having not played for about ten months it was really easy to pick the game back up and play this DLC without feeling like I was lost in the game world or that I had forgotten every decision that I’d made. In a way that could be a good or bad thing depending on what you prefer. Bastard’s Wound can certainly be played outside the main game without affecting the central story arc too much as far as I can tell, but for those who wanted a more involved DLC this might just seem like more fluff added for completionists of the game. Don’t get me wrong this ‘fluff’ is as well scripted and polished as the main game and adds an semi-interesting story line to the game, but I just felt like it had no affect on anything outside of itself.

If Bastard’s Wound has one saving grace it’s that the newly added companion loyalty quests are pretty good. There are only three which is a shame, but none the less they help to flesh out the characters a bit more and build up their individual stories. In general though the decisions you make don’t feel like they carry as much weight, the characters you meet are not as memorable, the DLC as a whole is quite short much like the main game when compared to it’s peers. Bastard’s Wound is a nice enough addition to the main game but I feel nothing would be missing if you didn’t happen to pick it up. For those who are looking for more Tyranny, it has some decent missions and delivers exactly what you would expect from a 10-15 hour DLC.

The Verdict – On Target

Platforms Available – PC
Platform Reviewed – PC

Please see this post for more on our scoring policy. Steam review code supplied by PR.

Together for Victory Expands Hearts of Iron IV Next Week

Together for Victory Expands Hearts of Iron IV Next Week

The first expansion for Hearts of Iron IV is coming on the 15th December, and will radically shake up how the major members of the British Commonwealth play. Together for Victory will significantly change the game for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, The Raj (India) and South Africa with further knock-on effects to how Factions work in the game overall. Hit the jump for more information.

Read More Read More

Paradox Gamescom Roundup – Hearts of Iron Leads the Way

Paradox Gamescom Roundup – Hearts of Iron Leads the Way

Paradox Interactive have had a busy week of Gamescom announcements and media blasts with a new trailer for Hearts of Iron IV leading the way. They followed that up by announcing Cities: Skylines, an expansive sequel to the Cities in Motion series with first details on expansion to Europa Universalis IV and Crusader Kings II then being revealed. Read on for the roundup.

Read More Read More

War of the Vikings – The Verdict

War of the Vikings – The Verdict

We look at each other across the bloody and disorientating mess that the battlefield has devolved into.

He casually raises his shield and then bows. I bow in return. There is a brief almost serene pause (punctuated slightly by a wounded-man running between us) and then we charge.

Who’d have thought it with all the looting and pillaging; Vikings are sticklers for etiquette, at least this is the case in War of the Vikings.

Read More Read More

EU IV Gets a Massive Update

EU IV Gets a Massive Update

I’ve been getting ever further involved in Europa Universalis IV over recent weeks thanks to some fantastic multiplayer matches with friend of The Reticule, Craig Lager. This really is a brilliantly deep game, and one that I am determined to deliver a Verdict on soon. For now though, I will have to play some more as Paradox Interactive have just released a hefty patch for this most grand of grand strategy games.

Read More Read More

The Paradox Gamescom Roundup

The Paradox Gamescom Roundup

I am a massive fan of the work that Paradox do, they release some really innovative titles, and while I may not love them all, their dedication to the PC market is heart-warming. They have had a busy week at Gamescom with two new game announcements and a couple of trailers for already revealed games. Hit the break for a quick rundown of what they have been showing off.

Read More Read More