Oh, those weren’t examples of fantasy stories without magic. I just didn’t want to cite a bunch of obscure fantasy series that you have no context for. Everybody here knows Tolkien, Martin, and Sapkowski (or at least CDPR).

Heh, I played 2E with a buddy once who named his orc KFC, modified his armor to have a shitting hole, and shat in every situation possible. Derp characters are the best character.

Fantastic book series. I wish someone here at Kotaku/io9 would read and review it, if only just to drum up hype for the show.

Which is a shame, because fighter is one of the best classes in D&D. The answer is always to hit the thing. Locked door? Hit it. Stubborn vendor? Hit him. Rampaging dragon? Hit it.

Fantasy certainly doesn’t require a focus on magic. Look at fantasy literature. How many spells does Gandalf cast? Which Lannister is the most powerful mage? Why is (book) Geralt a compelling protagonist?

I’ll be in my bunk.

Yeah, but we’re nerds; pointless arguing is kinda what we do.

Kotaku wasn’t the same without you. I was sort of thinking of finding another place to get my video game news, but I think I’ll stick around for a little while. Good to have you back, you one-of-a-kind, absolute madman.

Oh man, that sounds incredible. My expectations were tempered a bit by the first-person news (I’m absolutely a 3rd person RPG guy) but this shot ‘em right back up to the clouds. Thanks for the share. :)

So, what’s different between this and a contest? The ‘prize’ is a monetary reward AND the recognition of seeing your work featured in a video game. Sounds like a great deal. Why the negative press? (You’re free to have negative opinions about whatever you want, and Kotaku almost always handles these things very…

You do Elder Scrolls in first person? I’ve never done that since Morrowind. (Of course, Elder Scrolls arguably hasn’t released an RPG since Morrowind. #hottake)

I appreciate you referencing the books. The Witcher Saga, and Sapkowski in general, is vastly underappreciated in the literature and gaming worlds. Sapkowski is, indeed, a wonderful author. Absolutely brilliant at his best.

Absolutely. This is still a day one purchase for me, reviews be damned, but it’s tempered my expectations just a wee bit.

Yeah, the music was the weakest part of the Fire Emblem release. That, and (even though this may be unpopular around these parts) how “anime” the trailer felt. I like the traditional blend of Japanese/European medieval design that makes Fire Emblem unique.

Naw, that’s fair. I do think that’s only because of the lack of quest-engagement in the city itself. Novigrad wouldn’t be any better if you didn’t have that long Triss quest. Most of the buildings are inaccessible, even some that ought to be.

Not Beauclair? I found it to be much better designed. To be fair, Novigrad had much more involvement with questlines, but the ambient aesthetic of Beauclair is just remarkable. Some days I boot up the game just to wander around looking at frescoes and listening to minstrels.

hhhnnnnGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

I’m so glad that Bioware is avoiding romances with this game. Not because it was bad, but because they were so tied down by it that I think it neutered their storytelling ability. It became ‘their thing’ instead of a natural addition to the story. Maybe they can revisit it in a few years, but I’d like to see it toned…

A respectable opinion, and one that we’re all aware does not represent all FF players. That said, you’re absolutely right that it’s a bad example. Perhaps X or even XIII would be better.

I think the downfall of a lot of modern video games is the promise that you can do anything. I’m not a big fan of Brandon Sanderson, but I love his take on magic: magic is most interesting when you’re exploring what it can’t do, not what it can. Games like Skyrim (which promise endless possibility) or any modern…