Torchlight: Cheap thrills

In view of my last post and the lack of posting since, you might be forgiven for thinking that I have been spending all my time playing Dragon Age. Alas, you would be wrong. I did play Dragon Age, but only for a couple of evenings. Now, Dragon Age is unarguably a great game. So why did he stop playing it? I hear you ask. Good question. Well, I found myself coming across those same game features that stopped me ever completing either of the Baldurs Gate games: non-continuous map system (and consequent loading times, interrupting gameplay), too much dialogue and too much complexity. Now, don't get me wrong: these are not game-breakers, just features that don't suit my style of RPG gameplay. I prefer the continuous map of games like Oblivion, less dialogue and more action, and the sort of game where you don't have to read a book of spellcasting to learn how to play (or, worse still, have to work out the complexities for yourself).

Looking for something that I might be able to jump straight into, I came across Torchlight, created by the same people who made the legendary Diablo I and II. Now, I'm not suggesting that Torchlight is anything like Dragon Age, but it certainly is a game you can jump straight into - cerebral it ain't. Reminds me of the old RPG Darkstone (is that the same person doing the voice-overs?) - a bit repetitive, but good for some quick hack n' slash, as we all wait for Diablo III. And at only £14.99 on Steam, you can't go wrong...

Dragon Age: Origins

Got this yesterday ... too busy playing it to post ... will do a review when I can tear myself away ... meanwhile, here's a screenshot: