Windows

Lands of Lore III

Whether or not you are a fan of the Lands of Lore series, this is an excellent game to play. There is a lot of action, and the sensory experience is engaging. If you are a fan, this version only adds to the already fascinating world.

Lands of Lore macht auch beim dritten Mal wieder Spaß. Die Story hält so manche überraschende Wendung bereit. Die Stars sind aber die magischen Begleiter, die unterwegs fröhlich drauflosplappern. Vor allem Einsteiger werden ihre Hilfe zu schätzen wissen, wenn sie in Kämpfen mitmischen oder Heilzauber sprechen. Weniger schön ist die grafische Umsetzung. Vom häßlichen Might & Magic 6 trennen Lands of Lore 3 zwar Welten, trotzdem könnte es viel schöner sein. Was letztlich zählt, ist der spielerische Gehalt, und der stimmt. Durch die zahllosen Gegenstände und die freie Wahl der Gilden kann jeder Gladstone befreien, wie er mag. Der dreistufige Schwierigkeitsgrad sorgt für faire Kämpfe. Allerdings irrt sich der Autokartograph schon mal, die häufigen CD-Wechsel und gelegentlichen Abstürze nerven.

Lands Of Lore III is an overall good game, but because of the graphics and sounds, it is rather average. If not for the impressive effects, menu system, and 3D architecture, the rating would be lower. The game itself was fun and intriguing and is one that a person could play for hours on end. A true role-playing fanatic would love this and be completely enthralled while the casual person may not like the game. The bottom line is that while some things bring the game down, it certainly isn't bad, and if given half a chance is fun.

Nonetheless, I haven’t enjoyed an RPG (played from this perspective) this much since Might & Magic VI. While this game is not a Baldur’s Gate, it does afford an enjoyable story and an excellent role-playing experience. It has something to offer everyone: the hardcore gamer will appreciate the level design of the portal worlds, while the weekend warrior will appreciate its ease of play despite the uninspiring graphics quality, even with a 3D accelerator. Lands of Lore III is definitely a worthwhile experience.

LOL3 is nog slechts een schim van het oorspronkelijke spel, een flauw afkooksel van een beproefde formule. Ik hoop oprecht dat, als men bij Westwood niet van plan is om er nog eens werk van te maken, ze er hier mee ophouden en het oorspronkelijke spel niet nog meer uitmelken dan ze nu al gedaan hebben. LOL3 is dan ook alleen voor de echte fans. De rest van u zal er weinig of niets aan hebben.

Veel gamers klagen dat games tegenwoordig begraven worden onder mooie graphics maar nauwelijks gameplay of een verhaal hebben. Dat is bij LOL III niet het geval. Het zijn juist de graphics die wat tegenvallen. De grafische engine is gewoon achterhaald, het level design is ronduit slordig en de originaliteit is bovendien ver te zoeken. Maar prik je daar doorheen, dan houd je toch een spannend spel over dat de moeite waard is en voor heel veel uren gameplay zorgt.

Overall, it's not easy to praise or dispraise LOL3. On the one hand, I expected it to be a lot more of an RPG than it turned out to be. I expected stats, some Fallout-type skills, proficiencies in different weapons, et cetera; but I must admit that, given an open mind, this game can be a lot of fun. It just can't be treated on the same level as, for example, Baldur's Gate, or the ubiquitous Fallout. For some "lite" roleplaying, though, this game fits the bill quite nicely.

Westwood mag ja ganz stark in Strategiespielen sein, mit Rollenspielen hat man sich auch schon die eine oder andere Lorbeere erworben - aber von 3D-Shootern laßt mal besser eure Fingerchen, Jungs. Die Engine war schon im zweiten Teil schlecht, und Verbesserungen sind auch diesmal nirgends auszumachen. Das ist kein unfairer Vergleich, schließlich ist die Perspektive die gleiche, und sogar die Steuerung wurde fast eins zu eins von Shootern übernommen. Worum es letztendlich geht, ist das Aufklauben von Spiegelscherben in fünf schlecht designten Dimensionen. Für mich das nur eine weitere lauwarme Durchschnitts-Soap ohne große Überraschungen. Doch ich will nicht zu übel draufhauen: Lands of Lore hat auch seine guten Seiten. Wer sich an Hüpfeleien und der Grafik nicht reibt, hat seinen Spaß. Die angekündigte Rollenspiel-Revolution ist aber zum lauen Sturm im Wasserglas verkommen.

Lands of Lore III continues in the tradition of the series, detailing a rich world filled with magic and mystery. The characters are well thought-out, and the game is fun to play. There are more than a couple similarities with King's Quest: the Mask of Eternity, but since both games were in development at the same time, I doubt very much that this was intended. The role playing aspects of the game are very well implemented; I only wish the graphics engine were more sophisticated. It reminds me very much of Might and Magic VI - it is a solid role playing game with a less than desirable window on the world. Bottom Line: Good characters and storyline. The role playing experience is solid, and has a well-balanced system of experience coupled with guilds. The addition of familiars is a good one, but still doesn't replace the traditional role playing parties. The graphics engine is not up to par with today's technology - it uses animated sprites instead of 3D models.

I don't think the game will hold much of a challenge for experienced gamers but I still feel they will enjoy the game. It is not a true role-playing game but it does successfully blend the genres more than many other games that have attempted to do so (eg Wizardry Nemesis, Dragon Lore 2). I felt the game was a little light on the puzzle solving but some of the puzzles, especially in the Underworld level were original and well thought out.

All in all, Lands of Lore III is pretty darn average . . . and not really worth your forty dollars. With so many other quality role-playing games on the market (Baldur's Gate, Fallout 2) and other, more promising games coming down the pipe in the next year (Might and Magic VII), most gamers will want to pass this one by. There is nothing terribly wrong with this game, but you can do better.

It's not a terrible game, but it's also not all that great. Where it really fails is in delivering the basic components of a traditional RPG. Its FPS action, pre-scripted conversations and single character totally ruin the RPG element here. I know I talk about how the best games merge genres, but that simply isn't the case with Lands of Lore III. It does have some truly remarkable sequences and elements to it but these are few and far between. It's a big game, but that only makes it more tedious.

But the few noteworthy features are overwhelmed by the game's flaws. The initial release of the game is unstable, frequently crashing on start-up with some video cards, and is exceptionally intolerant of certain virtual memory cache settings, Direct3D sound cards, and background programs such as Netscape's Instant Messenger. Graphics quirks such as missing textures and clipping errors occur frequently enough that I began to suspect every pit or semitransparent wall of being a graphical error. Ultimately, however, it's the simplistic and repetitive gameplay that makes Lands of Lore III more of a chore than a pleasure to play.

Nej, Lands of Lore III är inte bra. Du kan härja runt med musknappen i ett tappert försök att simulera strid och du kan söka igenom ihåliga träd efter magiska föremål om du tycker det är trevligt, och det kan du göra i minst femtio, sextio timmar. Vi har dock andra planer.

It is an epic quest, and only the smartest and bravest dare attempt it… well that's the bit about getting Lands of Lore III to load, such are its temperamental reactions to our video cards and its ludicrous demands for 500MB of disk space. What of the game itself?