Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone

To understand how Demon Stone beat the odds, all you have to do is play through the first level, with its epic battle and brilliant camera work. You'll feel the incredible power this game surges through your veins, and there's no turning back. Although work is still needed on the AI, in-game cameras (a little control would be nice), and ranged attacks, Demon Stone is better than any of the Lord of the Rings action games, and it doesn't take long to figure out why.

If you are looking for a solid action game to keep you occupied for a few hours, do not miss Demon Stone. Especially fans of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG system or Forgotten Realms novels may have a great deal of fun playing the game.

If you are looking for a solid action game to keep you occupied for a few hours, do not miss Demon Stone. Especially fans of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG system or Forgotten Realms novels may have a great deal of fun playing the game.

If you are looking for a solid action game to keep you occupied for a few hours, do not miss Demon Stone. Especially fans of the Dungeons & Dragons RPG system or Forgotten Realms novels may have a great deal of fun playing the game.

En un mot comme en cent, si vous avez aimé Les Deurs Tours, alors vous aimerez Demon Stone. Pas aussi révolutionnaire que son bon vieux Mark Of Kri, le titre mise tout sur son aspect spectaculaire qui suffit à accrocher et scotcher le joueur au pad. On lui reprochera toutefois une IA qui aurait gagné à être plus développée, certains passages un peu lourds et un guerrier trop omniprésent. Un presque sans faute.

En un mot comme en cent, si vous avez aimé Les Deurs Tours, alors vous aimerez Demon Stone. Pas aussi révolutionnaire que son bon vieux Mark Of Kri, le titre mise tout sur son aspect spectaculaire qui suffit à accrocher et scotcher le joueur au pad. On lui reprochera toutefois une IA qui aurait gagné à être plus développée, certains passages un peu lourds et un guerrier trop omniprésent. Un presque sans faute.

Difficile de sanctionner un titre aussi prestigieux que Demon Stone pour sa durée de vie ridicule. Le jeu est certes monstrueusement court, même pour sa catégorie, mais le soft s'avère exceptionnel à tous points de vue. La réalisation et l'ambiance du jeu sont impeccables, et le gameplay basé sur le contrôle simultané de trois personnages rend la progression vraiment prenante. Avec de telles qualités, Demon Stone peut trôner fièrement aux côtés du Retour du Roi dans la catégorie des meilleurs beat'em all du moment.

Initialement développé pour les consoles PS2 et XBOX, « Forgotten Realms : Demon Stone » a été adapté sur PC et est sorti le 18 février. Demon Stone est un beat’em all truffé de qualités malgré un gros défaut : sa durée de vie. Cependant, ce jeu présente de réels atouts et peut être considéré comme l’un des meilleurs beat’em all du moment.

If you’re a fan of fantasy and action, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone shouldn’t be missed. The game swims in some very familiar waters and that’s not so bad considering the fact that EA’s two Tolkien-inspired games were extremely entertaining. It did fail to offer a multiplayer option and that is totally unforgivable since there are more than enough enemies to slay and the three characters have their own distinct skills and attacks. If you’re a fan of the genre, do pick this one up, you won’t regret it.

Overall though, this is a very solid game with some great graphics. If you are a fan of the combat-adventure genre Demon Stone will make a superb addition to your collection.

Within the dominion of high fantasy, there are two staples upon which you can always rely. Running parallel are J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and the Dungeons & Dragons universes--the former of which stays grounded thanks to a Victorian travelogue-level of mundane detail, and the latter of which benefits from a voluminous world and detailed mythos. A couple of years ago, Northern California-based developer Stormfront Studios established an accessible, enjoyable formula for melding the high-fantasy feel with visceral action in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and now it brings the same to the Dungeons & Dragons world. Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone is an evolutionary step above what Stormfront did with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and players who appreciate that brand of brute-force, hack-and-slash gameplay should find in it a great-looking and enjoyable, if somewhat familiar, experience.

Demon Stone ist eine nette Abwechslung im Ego-Shooter-dominierten Actiongenre. Ich habe es sehr genossen, mein Heldentrio ohne viel Nachdenken durch alle zehn Levels zu führen. Die Devise heißt hier klar: draufhauen, bevor es die anderen tun! Und verliert man seinen Kämpen vor lauter Monstern mal aus den Augen, macht das auch nichts. Einfach immer schön weiter Knöpfchen drücken. Dagegen sind die Zwischengegner nur trickreich zu besiegen. Klasse finde ich auch die tolle Story, die mir ein Wiedersehen mit Drizzt Do’Urden beschert hat, den ich schon seit 17 Jahren aus Salvatores Romanen kenne. Alles in allem ein optisch tolles Actionspiel, das mit acht Stunden Spieldauer bloß viel zu kurz ist.

Salvatore's Forgotten Realms universum zal elke D&D fanaat het water in de mond doen lopen, maar Demon Stone ontvangt ook nieuwkomers met open armen, draken en de occasionele bloederige strijdbijl.

An overall verdict... I'd say that Forgotten Realms Demon Stone is one of those games where you don't need to be die-hard fans of those fantasy magic games like Dungeons and Dragons, but if you are, it would help. Fortunately the game is as equally enjoyable without being a fan of it, I mean, I have no clue and yet I still had an absolute ball slaying everything I could find. With a solid story to back the action, and overly challenging and enjoyable hack n' slash game, it's easy to see why this game is selling at a quite decent rate at the moment. It's well worth a look.

Eigentlich bin ich ja nicht so der Action-Fredl. Aber Demon Stone hat selbst mich fasziniert. Das mag daran liegen, dass ich mit Dungeons & Dragons aufgewachsen bin und die "Vergessenen Reiche" wie meine Westentasche kenne. Vor allem die fantastische Inszenierung der Geschichte macht einfach Spaß. Und die netten kleinen Rollenspiel-Elemente sorgen für Abwechslung. Schade nur, dass alles bereits nach ein paar Stunden vorbei ist, was auch am fehlenden Mehrspieler-Modus liegt. Die Steuerung ist auch nicht ganz ausgereift.

If you can see it, if you can feel it, if you can sense it's there, there is a fine line that separates console gaming and those on the PC side of the scale. Console gamers can most certainly be PC gamers, and PC console gamers. You can be a player of a single system or many. It's a choice of preference anyone can choose, and yet, there still remains a barrier between the two gaming formats. When you look at PC titles, you see a whole load of Massive Multiplayer RPGs, Real Time Strategy games, and First Person Shooters. These are generally the most anticipated titles on PC every year.

It’s pretty difficult to find a good old fashioned hack-and-slash game that delivers on all fronts. Occasionally you’ll find one where the gameplay is peachy keen, but the story is bor-ing or vice versa. Stormfront Studios was one of the few developers that got the recipe just right with their action adventure hit based on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers. A heavy base of action and a little pinch of RPG elements made The Two Towers one of the better Q4 titles of 2002.

To say that Stormfront Studios has just remade The Two Towers with D&D trappings wouldn't be entirely inaccurate, but it wouldn't be completely fair to Demon Stone either. Stormfront has obviously honed its craft over the past two years, and the overall experience feels richer and more robust. On its own terms, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone is a satisfying adventure, and in the bigger picture, it stands to introduce the fantastical world of Dungeons & Dragons to a broader audience. Regardless of that, it's a very good game that's well worth playing.

To say that Stormfront Studios has just remade The Two Towers with D&D trappings wouldn't be entirely inaccurate, but it wouldn't be completely fair to Demon Stone either. Stormfront has obviously honed its craft over the past two years, and the overall experience feels richer and more robust. On its own terms, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone is a satisfying adventure, and in the bigger picture, it stands to introduce the fantastical world of Dungeons & Dragons to a broader audience. Regardless of that, it's a good game that's well worth playing.

Atari's latest ode to the alternative Dungeons & Dragons universe known as Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone certainly has a lot going for it. Not only is it developed by the same team responsible for the original Two Towers Lord of the Rings game by Electronic Arts, it also boasts some of the most powerful production values we've seen for quite some time. Scripted by the legendary Forgotten Realms author, R.A. Salvatore (of Icewind Dale fame) and voiced by Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation, X-Men), it's already blessed with a better pedigree than that god awful Marlon Wayans D&D movie from a few years back.

Yet strangely, Demon Stone can still be disturbingly addictive in its own quirky way -- much like the other games we mentioned above. That's the beauty of having a strong story and powerful aesthetics; it can make the tedium of repetitive gameplay more tolerable. Hopefully, though, we'll get to see a sequel to Demon Stone somewhere down the line, because with the right adjustments made in the appropriate areas (and you know what those are by now), it could really be something special. We'll see what happens.

The game had strong audio and graphical components, which create a cinematic feel, and while it does not have the best gameplay I have seen, it is far from bad. The story is well done and is fairly engaging, especially if you are already a fan of Salvatore's writings. Mix all of this with the length of the game (about four or five hours for me), and you have a strong rental and possible purchase for fans of the genre or D&D.

Following from its brief stint as a PS2 exclusive in 2004, Atari finally got around to releasing the PC and Xbox versions of Demon Stone earlier in the year – though you’d be forgiving for not having noticed. As a straight-out action/adventure game it’s a good deal of fun (if a little on the short side), offering up some excellent virtual cinematography; and not that we’re complaining, but it makes for an unusual PC release.

Demon Stone is one of those titles that fans of D&D might wish was a bit deeper and a lot longer. As an action title, it’s decently presented, albeit repetitive, and has a creative control scheme, although not fully implemented. If you’re really into action, RPGs or D&D, you may find this title is a decent addition for you, but otherwise, you may want to rent it before you buy it.

The game is also woefully short. An experienced hack and slash player should breeze through this thing in under 12 hours and even shorter than that on the lower difficulty setting, which leaves one wanting for much, much more. The short experience, however, is one that is worth traveling through, especially if Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is appealing to you. This title is a graphical powerhouse that can have over a dozen enemies surrounding you and it never seems to chug. The cinematic in-game presentation leaves one feeling as if he had just hacked and slashed through an actual film. Maybe he did and maybe you should.

Set in the popular "Dungeons & Dragons" (D&D) universe, "Forgotten Realms Demon Stone" follows a band of adventurers who inadvertently release two imprisoned demons; the trio vows to restore order before these warring creatures and their armies tear the world apart.

There has always been an inarguable relationship between the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons, and now Atari's new action title, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone, adds yet another knot. The game was developed by Stormfront Studios, a company name last seen on EA's The Two Towers. Their new title takes that game's action-heavy approach to cinematic action and transposes it to the Forgotten Realms. The result is a well-built game, full of solid action, but nonetheless feels too much like the studio's past success.

Taking place in the rich setting of the Forgotten Realms, Demon Stone is an action-RPG that's reminiscent of Stormfront Studios' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The developers attempted to combine heavy action and deep storytelling in this game, and they've succeeded in both ... to an extent. Demon Stone is certainly full of fast-paced (albeit simple) action and rife with great storytelling (that's hampered by mediocre dialog and a lack of character development). Fans of the Realms will surely enjoy the game, but those that are just looking for a good hack-'n-slash fest will find an uneven effort that's brilliant at times and mediocre at others. At the end of the day, Demon Stone is a mixed bag of holding (sorry, had to do it).

Demon Stone is one of those titles that fans of D&D might wish was a bit deeper and a lot longer. As an action title, it’s decently presented, albeit repetitive, and has a creative control scheme, although not fully implemented. If you’re really into action, RPGs or D&D, you may find this title is a decent addition for you, but otherwise, you may want to rent it before you buy it.

Set in the popular "Dungeons & Dragons" (D&D) universe, "Forgotten Realms Demon Stone" follows a band of adventurers who inadvertently release two imprisoned demons; the trio vows to restore order before these warring creatures and their armies tear the world apart.

Atari's latest ode to the alternative Dungeons & Dragons universe known as Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone certainly has a lot going for it. Not only is it developed by the same team responsible for the original Lord of the Rings: The Towers by Electronic Arts, it also boasts some powerful production values. Scripted by the legendary Forgotten Realms author, R.A. Salvatore (of Icewind Dale fame) and voiced by Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation, X-Men), it's already blessed with a better pedigree than that god awful Marlon Wayans D&D movie from a few years back.

Set in the popular "Dungeons & Dragons" (D&D) universe, "Forgotten Realms Demon Stone" follows a band of adventurers who inadvertently release two imprisoned demons; the trio vows to restore order before these warring creatures and their armies tear the world apart.

Demon Stone puts you in the driver's seat of three characters. Yep, that's right, you get to let loose on all the bad guys playing three very different character types - a warrior named Rannek, a sorcerer named Illius and a half Drow, half Wood Elf Rogue named Zhai. Mastering all three is well worth the effort as there are portions of gameplay that are suited for each individual character. The better you are at playing each character, the easier it is to progress.

Spiele, die auf dem Rollenspielsystem von Forgotten Realms fußen, sind normalerweise etwas für Geduldige. Denken Sie an Tempel des Elementaren Bösen oder an Pool of Radiance 2. Auch Demon Stone spielt im Dungeons & Dragons-Universum, ist aber ganz anders: Hier gibt es laute Dauerschlachten statt strategischer Rundenkämpfe.

Demon Stone is mooi om naar te kijken en leuk om eventjes te spelen maar daar houdt het jammer genoeg al op.

I guess that the fans of the Forgotten Realms will find more appeal in Demon Stone than I did. I do not wish to indicate that Demon Stone is a bad game for anyone except Forgotten Realms fans, but it is simply not good enough. Being short and with no multiplayer it can offer you a several hours' fun, and that is not an entirely bad way to spend your time. You will get some solid, exciting action and the wish to find some dark corners and become invisible, which may result in slicing your postman's throat or performing a jumping attack on your house plant. And just how bad is that?

Demon Stone has proven an eye-opener for me: I now understand that most of the love I felt for Electronic Arts' Lord of the Rings games had to do with the license and the cool movie art and trivia I was able to unlock while I played them. Not that either of those games were bad, they were just incredibly shallow.

"Demon Stone" poderia ser facilmente descrito como o sonho de um jogo de ação para qualquer fã de "Forgotten Realms". A brevidade da campanha e ausência de multiplayer são problemas sérios, mas aceitáveis para quem realmente curte o gênero.

Demon Stone had two strikes against it right from the start. It feels like Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (blah), and one of the three main playable characters looks like Scott Stapp, formerly of Creed (double blah). Luckily, it manages to outdo the game depiction of that Tolkien classic, though regrettably, there is nothing to be done about the rocker's distasteful likeness.

The Forgotten Realms have inspired more than a few successful computer RPGs that come immediately to mind, the best including Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate. Demon Stone features a story from the mind of R.A. Salvatore, the author of several best-selling Forgotten Realms fantasy novels. The game appropriately treats its setting with respect, and fans should enjoy the plot. However, don't be fooled: Demon Stone is substantially different from its predecessors, a cross between an RPG and a straight-ahead brawler that is paralyzed by the ghoul of linearity.

Le gameplay est un peu racoleur, en proposant de l’action no-stop. Cependant, les monstres que l’on affronte sont loin d’être idiots, et il faudra du temps pour tous les battre, bien que ce ne soit pas vraiment difficile. On progresse assez vite, voire même trop vite. On retrouve également un mauvais clipping et quelques fâcheux ralentissements, ce qui fait plutôt tâche de nos jours sur Xbox. Le jeu manque également de cohérence et on finit rapidement par faire n’importe quoi, même si on s’en lasse très rapidement après quelques parties. Demon Stone manque donc cruellement d’énergie pour être un sérieux concurrent au Seigneur des Anneaux, sans compter que la durée de vie est bien maigre. Bref, je l’ai fini uniquement pour pouvoir rédiger ce test, mais je me suis bien ennuyé. Vous voila averti.

Reviews traditionally start with either a joke or an anecdote. Ideally both. Here it is: When typing "Demon Stone" I find myself actually writing "Demon Stoned" by accident in some Freudian hellish dope-head accident.