The Ossiranth Chronicles

Seems like most bloggers have been playing and reviewing this game in the last week or so. I'd been looking for something new, so I picked it up and though I haven't completed the Joining yet, I do have a few thoughts I wanted to share:

A lot people have been complaining that there's no way to turn off the persistent gore. Those people are then swiftly corrected that it can be turned off. The persistent gore is something I love to death. It gives a sense of realism that other games have thus far lacked. What I don't love about it is that the persistency has no consistency. In the game, I just fought a ravenous pack of wolves. 8 or 9 of them. All 4 of us in the party are covered in blood splatters. When we encounter a cut scene, Jory and Alistair are bloodied up as they should be. However Daveth and myself are still clean as a whistle as if we'd just taken a shower (also, the Enchanter's Cowl I'm currently wearing doesn't show up in these scenes, but that has nothing to do with it). I'm not entirely sure if this was intentional or not, given that my robes are all sparkly and shiny. I'm sure they wanted that to show through to distinguish me from the rough and tumble crew I'm running around with.

Something else is that that first quest line of helping your friend made me feel a bit slimy. I was legitimately trying to help him, but the game kept pushing me into betraying him. I don't know if maybe there's some hidden option to circumvent what I'm sure is the planned way the story is supposed to play out, but I wish there were if only to see how that would affect things (especially given how they turned out).

The other thing is the complete lack of a jump button. I'm sure they did that to keep the game on rails so I don't go wandering off in the forest, but I'd have liked to try and jump off the edge of the cliffs in the Fade just once to see what would happen. I know I would die, but I'd like to see how it happens. Does my character make any funny "OH SHIT I'M FALLING DOWN THIS HOLE" looks? Because that would be awesome, especially given how detailed and customizable they made the faces (and how not customizable they made the rest of the character).

EDIT: Before I go to sleep for the night, I'd just like to add that the AI seems to be very dull witted.

I just watched as all three of my teammates stepped in GIANT BEAR TRAPS at the end of a bridge. They freed themselves, and we continued. When I turned around a few seconds later, they got caught in the VERY SAME TRAPS they had just freed themselves from.

If Sir Schmoopy was in my party, this would not be a problem.