A fairly solid economic strategy simulation where the player can utilize a number of varying tactics and maneuvers to gain an advantage in a well-designed medieval environment. Unfortunately, the impressive level of detail and the interesting gameplay options at your disposal take a backseat to the technical issues and repetitive micromanagement.
This is a great game, overall. It is also a highly ambitious title that is and was, sadly, plagued by large amounts of bugs right from the get-go. The bugs really really held the game back. But at the same time, there's a game there that wants to be loved. In its present state, as can be purchased on Steam, the game is well worth grabbing a copy of!
Yes, it's a bit buggy. Yes, the animations are awful. Yes, the character models all looks pretty similar. But underneath all of that, there's an amazing game. It reminds me of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in that it's a great game, unlike anything else, with a couple of flaws. I installed it on a whim after finding it in my Steam library, and was immediately **** in. I played for about 9 hours in a row. You can do almost anything you like. For example, want to expand your business to another town, but your carts keep getting attacked by bandits on the way? Attack the bandit camp with your mercenaries, or pay to have your carts escorted, or just buy the camp itself, then use those same bandits to attack competitors carts. It's a very deep game that, once you get into it, will make you realize what kind of person you would be if you had power. Will you be a benevolent leader of a city, or a bandit king controlling the local town through terror?
In summary, it has its bugs, though it never crashed for me, but it's incredibly addicting.
All of its bugs certainly put a damper on things, but the pace of the game also seems to be much slower, and the activities seem much more repetitive than they were before (the daily council meetings in particular are a real killer).
It doesn't help that The Guild 2 ships with technical issues: characters that disappear into walls, visual artifacts that take a restart to clear, buttons that don't work at all, and drop-sync issues with multiplayer games.
Think of it as the medieval version of being an air traffic controller: hard to recommend to everyone, but if you're up for a challenge, and can handle all that micromanagement, give it a shot. Just be prepared to go take a long lie down in a darkened room when you're done.
A maddening example of a game that was ruined by a lack of focus in its design stages - had it been released with a wider scope it may have made a great RPG, or had it been a little faster paced and involving it may have made a mediocre RTS.
Extremely deep and intricate gameplay so probably not for the xbox crowd that may have an old pc tucked away. My friends 14 year old son hates it. But his father (my friend) and I, both keen gamers for many years and we love it. Its deep and you have total freedom to do as you would. Dont expect it to be easy or in anyway for lightweight. Its deep, you have to concerntrate (dont bother getting this if you have ADHD) and its doesnt have car chases or explosions. If you like games which actually reward you for playing strategically yet still ooze atmosphere and some graphical charm its still a good game.
The Guild 2 is a nice blend of RPG / RTS but lacks the incredible gameplay of its predecessor. While the visual aspects clearly have improved, it went a step too far from what I loved about the first part.
once you get over the bugs/glitches, language problems, corny npc romancing discussion this games would be one of the most unique, interesting and engrossing games ive played. As the player you start a family with 1 member, choosing a career path and depending on that you choose how you want set up businesses, who to employ etc, there is also politics to get into and rival 'dynasties' that need to be taken care of. There is an element of charm all over it and nothing beats in the game bribing political supporters or jurys for a court trial to gain leverage, or perhaps leading an assassination against a rival dynasty member.
I give it a 7/10 based on all factors of the game, but if i were to rate the gameplay ideas and the world environment, it would easily be a 10
An interesting and unique RPG/RTS where it's fun is only paralelled by it's failures.
First of all, the game runs horribly on almost any machine. Not optimized at all. The concepts behind the game are great, but little can be said about the execution.
Disregarding the terrible performance issues, characters actions are very clunky and rough. It's missing many mechanics that are needed to conform to it's structure, particularly RPG elements, in that respect it feels unfinished.
The game is very suggestive about the type of game it wants to be, but has no content to back it up, which could leave you being frustrated with it.
The already implimented mechanics behave randomly and you will be getting into trouble for no apparent reason. My main character was tending to his Farms when theives attacked, I retaliated and defended my property for which I was repremanded and taken to court for defending myself and my possessions.
The only form of policing is some gaurds that do not bother with such issues, so without any security you must defend yourself and you will be punished for that. In fact the law system is so backwards that you will most likely spend half of the game in court or in jail, even if you are a model citizen, which just breaks the game in its entirety.
Some fun to be had, but don't expect it to last long.
52/100
SummaryIs it a life simulation? Yes, it is! Is it an RPG? An action game? Most definitely so. And the best thing is...you are the main character. Go back to the dark middle ages and found a new dynasty. Take care of yourself, because your opponents never sleep. Marry a beautiful wife and make new friends...control your life. Hand down your skil...