Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Elements

Way back in 2002, developer Arkane Studios unleashed a little game called "Arx Fatalis," inspired by classic titles such as "Ultima Underworld," upon an unsuspecting public. The end result - pure greatness. A true, bona fide, and highly overlooked classic in the roleplaying genre.

In 2006, Arkane released its second game, "Dark Messiah of Might & Magic," for the PC. It was a spinoff of the once popular roleplaying and turn-based strategy series that was nonetheless a departure due to its first-person, action-adventure gameplay. It wasn't met with cheers by the gaming press as was "Arx," but it wasn't lambasted either.

2008. Enter the Xbox 360 port and/or adaptation, now with the added subtitle "Elements." Gaming critics everywhere can't be bothered with that old adage, "If you don't have something nice to say..." If they are to be believed, this game sucks @$$. That's right, GameSpot reviewer Brett Todd was so unimpressed he dismissed it with a 3.5 score out...Read more

Well I guess I'm the one to go ahead and "Bite the Bullet." I Bought this game and after a few hours of playing it, its not what I was expecting, but not entirely without merrit. First let me say, this game is unflinchingly linear compared to Oblivion and other games of the like, Its more akin to playing "Thief Deadly Shadows."

The skill selction is extremely limited as well (You pick a class and your stuck with that Class' Skills/Spells/Weapons) with no ability to mix and match the diferint skill sets. If your a Mage, you can't use anything aside from your spells and a staff. If your a Warrior, get ready for a big sword and not much else. If your an Assassin, sure you can backstab and hide in the shadows, but you can't equip a bow. If your an archer then this has become ye olde FPS, just don't run out of ammo.

Don't take this as a reason to give up on this game. Its like Playing 1st Ed. D&D just by your self (Haven't tried Multiplayer yet, after...Read more

I decided to purchase Dark Messiah not just after seeing the video preview on Amazon, but after watching a PC walkthrough of the game posted on youtube. The game footage looked awesome, and challenging. The person who was playing switched from a sword, to daggers, to a bow. It looked like so much fun. So imagine my disappointment when I got the game home for 360 and was rudely awakened to having to choose only ONE weapon of choice. I chose the archer - bow skill major, minor dagger skill. It took me a while to get over it, however there were certain points in the game where I wished I could wield a sword - particularly the end where I'm fighting Arentir and he summons those damn ghouls that just wouldn't die. This was my major con for this game, that I was locked into mainly one type of weapon. Another con I had was because of faulty design. There is a part in the game where you have to chase the ghoul that has taken a crystal you need. If the ghoul gets too far ahead, you fail and...Read more