Geneforge 2

I very much enjoyed Geneforge 1 and Geneforge 2 is so similar in so many ways that I had expected to really enjoy it as well. The game could be a direct continuation of the first one. It has the same UI style, the same mechanics, the same graphic style... what it lacks though is the real sense of mystery. In Geneforge 1 you go into it without understanding much about the world, the shapers, etc... in Geneforge 2 (assuming you played through number 1) you the player have much more information than the character you are playing and that imbalance in knowledge takes away from the story elements and makes the mystery almost non-existent. It's actually this knowledge imbalance that to me makes this one of their weakest and least enjoyable games for me personally. I struggled to finish it because it just couldn't hold my interest in the same way that the first did. While some of that imbalance exists in later games it always feels most prominent in this one. I originally played this game when it first came out, almost 20 years ago, and I repurchased the series on Steam to replay it. Despite nearly 20 years to forget what I knew about the games, I still feel the same way about this installment. I know a lot of people really loved this one and some even think it's the best in the series, but it just isn't for me. That said the game still has a lot of good points to it and if you really liked the way the first game looks and/or plays you will probably enjoy this game too. Personally, I love the exploration aspect of the game (the entire series really), revealing new areas on my map is for some reason a big thrill to me. The worlds in these games are huge and very expansive and Geneforge 2 is one of the larger ones. This game is very non-linear, you can travel to all sorts of areas on the map pretty much immediately. You're hindered mostly by your current ability level in that you may not be strong enough or skilled enough to go further in an area but you can still go there and explore most of it if you are careful. If you love having faction choices this is THE Geneforge game for you with, I believe, 4-5 different options. To some people that means a lot of replayability as trying the game with each faction produces some very different results in where you can go and which quests you can complete as well as what ending you will get. The story is complex and well written, but you need to be prepared to do a lot of reading if you want to really take it all in. It means talking with everyone, hearing multiple sides, and completing a lot of quests to really unravel the details of the story. Personally, I didn't find the story as compelling as most of the other games, but it's still pretty good and I do admire the complex story lines you get to delve into if you have the patience for it. No matter how you play, don't forget to save frequently, ...you will die, ... a lot! This can be a hard game all the Geneforge games are challenging and that's part of what makes it great is the sense of accomplishment you have after clearing a particularly tough area, or defeating a particularly strong opponent. How you play the game will make a huge difference in your experience. I have almost 500 hours on record in this game (maybe up to 1/3 of that is time spent just sitting idle while I walked away to do something else, but I've put in a lot of time. If you like exploring every possible location and doing every possible side quest and discovering every little secret... you better expect to put in a lot of time. If you just want to move through the main story and go straight from start to finish you can probably do that in maybe 4-5 hours. You'll miss a lot of what makes the games series really interesting and unique but you could play that way. If you love story driven games, like to make your own moral choices in a game, and you love RPGs then you'll probably enjoy this game and the rest of the series.

Geneforge, KOTOR and a couple other titles formed the core of my childhood gaming career. I can't fathom the number of hours I must have put into this game as a kid. So it's with full acknowledgement that I'm very, VERY biased when saying this game is perfection. Geneforge 1 is the game I started on, but it's this one that truly drew me into the series. Geneforge 2 is a rare case of a sequel improving on the original in almost every way, with perhaps the only exception of not quite encompassing the previous title's "ancient/mysterious forbidden knowledge" vibe. The writing is phenomenal and every faction is unique, with real consequences for allying with others or having a bad opinion. Each faction rewards you in their own ways and it's very much possible to exploit all 4. Remain true to your Shaper training, fight for the rights of the Serviles, or go completely mad with power via canister augmentation. Or accept the power of all 4 and then use it to stab them in the back. The areas/chapters are all unique and have multiple routes to progress, both combat-focused and leadership/mechanics-focused. You can specialize in one or be a generalist with both. There's always multiple ways to progress towards a goal, and the zones themselves aren't quite so cut and dry as to force linear exploration. I love the underlying theme of every faction screwing around with demons & all inevitably failing at containing them, and how they're portrayed in the lore of the new creations and the optional boss battles. A ton of memorable locations are present in this game and a lot of them are focused around demons and/or the aftermath of attempting to summon them. Unlike it's predecessor, not only is every class usable on maximum difficulty, but optimal in their own ways. Shapers have access to even more support spells and a fun new tier of uber creations for each combat tree. Agents can now mass-stun enemies, boost their health to massive degrees and blast enemies to dust from afar. Guardians can become unstoppable juggernauts with spell-boosted quick action procs and a supremely un-nerfed shield parry skill. Augment yourself further with powerful artifacts, each requiring the acquisition of 3 rare components that reward your exploration and combat skills. Expanded spell & creation lists, as well as merchants that actually care about your reputation, make hunting for gold actually worthwhile and rewards exploration & smart looting. With all that said, I will admit a few of this game's faults: -GF2 is VERY old. Spiderweb games were always criticized for being a few generations behind modern titles, and this one's no different. It looks old, it sounds old, it feels old, there's a bit of clunk to it, probably moreso for people just getting into the series. -For better or worse, combat tends to be volatile and especially on harder difficulties. Certain tactics such as exploiting Mass Daze or utilizing combat flicking can help a lot, but may feel like cheating at times. -Some of the creations don't quite hold up to others... Artila & Vlish have good utility but tend to be frail & have problems managing energy, battle creations have trouble getting hits in (especially considering how important maintaining range can be), meanwhile Cryora & Drayks are extremely versatile and easily accessible if you know what you're doing. It isn't until the tier 4 creations that the other shaping branches start outshining fire creations. -And finally, while multiple paths are always open for each objective, some combat-focused ones can be unnecessarily grindy compared to mech-leadership paths. To the point where there are non-insignificant portions of this game I just haven't visited in years, simply because their mech alternatives are quicker and offer superior experience, loot, and overall return on investment. Despite the above gripes, I do genuinely believe Geneforge 2 to be a damn near flawless game. Even admitting the bias, the story and atmosphere far outshine the imbalances and jank from age. With that said: if the old jankiness is truly something preventing you from trying this title, know that the Kickstarter for an updated version of this game passed with flying colours. So if you're interested in the title, but not confident about overcoming the clunkiness, it might be worth considering looking towards that version instead. Overall, I can't recommend this title enough. Genuine 10/10.

Geneforge 2 is my all time favorite Isometric RPG. I have played it probably a hundred times, though most of these times were on the old RealArcade launcher when I was growing up. It's got a wonderful story with compelling factions and engaging combat, a straightforward and meaningful stat allocation system as well as fun power progression. Jeff is a genius :)

Also a classic childhood game of mine that I played long ago and love again playing this game again now as I remember still good story and map. The combat interesting to as always and a lot of factions that you could join or just stay unaligned. 10/10

Doesn't work on modern computers. Mouse movement is very laggy. Terrible.

Продолжение Geneforge вышло через год и лично меня разочаровало. Американцы из Spiderweb Software использовали движок, скины и текстуры из оригинала, поэтому не понимаю почему за это время не написали более толковый сюжет и разнообразные квесты за все 4 группировки. Главный герой прибывает с шейпером Шанти в долину Сухой Пик, где обнаруживают, что первые переселенцы раскололись на несколько группировок и ожесточённо воют друг с другом. Один из городов Восстание вообще отказался от законов Создателей и продолжает эксперименты с Генефоржем для получения божественных сил. И на таком слабом базисе нас заставляют пройти 84 локации. Игра ощутимо перевешена в магическую сторону, так что класс воина становится просто неактуальным, а искусственно возросшая сложность отпугнула казуальщиков после понравившейся им первой части. Тем не менее по современным меркам Geneforge 2 всё равно выглядит топом. 50 часов основной истории и реиграбельность до сих пор многим блокбастерам только снится. Оценю в 6.5

It feels like a 90's game that released early 2000's. It's fun exploring its massive world. I feel like Geneforge's biggest selling point is its accessibility and size. I like the story-telling which doesn't overdo the amount of reading dialogue (Like many better games of its type). The combat and the UI is very straightforward too, making it easy to dive into. You will be save-scumming your way through it, it's that kind of game. [h1]The game suffers from a fatal flaw:[/h1] The biggest issue I had was that to replenish your health and mana there is no rest option. Instead you need to backtrack to a healing and mana pool, then run all the way back again. I must've ran back well over a hundred times; it's an annoying chore that cuts your exploration short all the time. This is the biggest issue with the game and will likely cause many to stop playing and not finish it. The other issue I have is that the combat isn't terribly varied or interesting, nor did it evolve much through the course of the game. You are a mage with some spells and can summon a bunch of familiars. It sounds interesting and full of potential and perhaps with a few interesting AE spells and a better system to recover your mana it could have been better. It's difficult to recommend this to many people when there are other brilliant older RPG games like EverQuest, Might & Magic 6-8, the criminally underrated Lands of Lore 3, Daggerfall or new ones like Lords of Xulima. I give it a C, which means it was fun but close to being a 'take it or leave it' kind of experience.

Where the first one had mystery and isolation; Geneforge 2 exchanges them for world building and factions! This is the game to buy if you're just starting the series. As almost everything G2 did became the hallmarks for the later titles.

Geneforge 2 is one of my favorite games all-time. The second game in the Geneforge series, this game is a must play for any RPG enthusiasts. As with all the games within the Geneforge series, the mc (you) are given a lot of choices on how you want to play the game. Each faction (I believe there are 4) has a unique disposition which are in the morally gray area, allowing you to feel satisfactory regardless of which one you choose to help. That coupled with a interesting story line give this game a very strong playthrough and a high replay value (this game is like 24 games in one). The only two drawbacks to this game are: 1) the player is only given 3 character archetypes to choose from which are not very flexible; 2) the campaign is still kinda short (I can usually do a complete play through in around 4-5 hrs). However the game play and flexibility in game more than make up for its drawbacks.

The best geneforge, in my humble opinion. Lots of replayability, new abilities and a skill which finally makes Guardians not unplayably bad for a change. Completely free from the inefficiencies of the later inventory UIs like Geneforge 3 and onward, everything is neatly arranged on a scrollable hotbar for you to use, just like in Geneforge 1. In fact, this game is so similar to Geneforge 1 that if you liked Geneforge 1, you absolutely can't pass up this game. It expands on basically all the foundations that the first game left down.