I love the turn based game mechanic. So much so that I am really interested in picking up The Banner Saga. Since it's not a "must buy" for me I was thinking of picking it up as some kind of bundle or sale. That said, I recently watched the latest episode of the Red Letter Media "Pre-Rec" game review show and I was left a bit confused.

http://blip.tv/redlettermedia/pre-rec-the-banner-saga-6883636

Jack and Rich Evans really don't seem to like the game and their criticism of it seems pretty valid, if not a bit cynical. One one hand, the criticism seemed fune but then I remembered that The Banner Saga has received some pretty positive acclaim. The game currently holds a strong 4 review on Steam and an 80% Metascore.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/237990/
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-banner-saga

Often times critic reviews don't stack up to what the overall public. Recently I watched the sci-fi film Oblivion and thought it was quite good. It's not a perfect film, but what is? That said I thought it was so much better than the critic hate it seemed to garner.

It's often hard to wade through the morass of game critique to find the simple truth. "Is this game going to be fun for me?" Reviews & critics are helpful but in times such as these, it's confusing.

scrypt   Supporter wrote on 05/18/2014 at 09:38pm

I kickstarted Banner Saga. I played the hell out of Factions (the free-to-play multiplayer combat "probe" that they put out before releasing the game). I was impressed with the art, and I love the combat mechanics. That said, I have yet to step into the actual game. I have no idea why. I think because I played so much of factions, I was a little spent with it when the game finally released, which was much later than originally intended. Jack and Rich, I feel, are being a bit cynical, but that seems to be their MO. After watching their PreRec of Risk of Rain, I actually bought it and started playing. I found that I liked it much more than they did, based on their review. In fact, in retrospect, I was slightly disappointed with the review because I feel like they, at points, "didn't get it". This is why I love/hate reviews. It's hard to find someone that likes what you like, but also for the same reasons. When you do, you can establish a buffer of trust, but until then you take it with a grain of salt.

You should give Banner Saga: Factions a try, since it's free. You'll at least be exposed to the combat mechanics, and can make a more clear decision.

jdodson   Admin   Post Author wrote on 05/20/2014 at 12:51am

Yeah, that seems to be what I hearing from people. Seems like it's a good game that wasn't perfect. I think i'll pick it up in a sale or bundle, I mean, why not? smile

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