- What is it?
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- What computer or emulator will it run on?
- A Pentium III running Windows 2000 or XP.
- Similar Games
- Baldur's Gate, Fallout 2, Escape from Hell.
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In May 2003, Brian Fargo bought back the rights to The Bard's Tale for his new company, InXile Entertainment (he later bought back Wasteland, too). In fall 2004 he brought out a new game for Playstation 2 and Xbox, simply titled The Bard's Tale. A Windows version was released some time in 2005 with very little fanfare, it is not even mentioned on the official website. Here is a list of features:
- The modern interpretation of the original Bard's Tale, the grandfather of all role-playing games, by its original producer—Brian Fargo.
- A new generation third-person, action/role-playing game featuring wicked humor and clever personality.
- Forget the quest to save the world, our hero is interested in just two things—coin and cleavage. Play the role of the Bard as he gets swept up in a harrowing adventure that proves too much for countless chosen one but hopefully not for you.
- Use the Snarky/Nice conversation to pick the tone… be an ass or show some class. Your attitude will affect the events that unfold and create a personailized experience for each player.
- Develop your combat party by summoning a group of eccentrics and misfits to do your bidding—sixteen summoned creatures in all.
- Brilliant graphics and bustling environments, alive with interactive townsfolk, original music (with singing), birds, animals, rustling trees, waving grass and trickling water, that immerse the player deep into the Bard's world.
- Based on the storied land of the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland—the inspiration for the classic fantasy worlds.
- Driven by the next generation of Snowblind Studio's Everquest: Champions of Norrath™ Engine.
Of course, the claim that Bard's Tale is the grandfather of all role-playing games is rather ridiculous. Ultima and Wizardry were there years before it, and were probably more influential. And this game is anything but a modern interpretation of the original, simply because inXile has the right to the name only, not to the content of the old series.
Brian Fargo has a long history in game design, and self-references have always been part of his style. So how could it be different here?
chosen one.The Chosen One was the title of the hero in Fallout 2.
Think of Han Solo, the rogue who sticks his neck out for no one. Compared to the Bard, old Han is a selfless softie. Yeah, the Bard is callous, greedy, self-centered, and a wee bit horny. His interests are easy to define: Women, wine, and song—in that order. Every bit of conversation, every task given, it all revolves around suiting the Bard's needs. He doesn't rescue villagers from a band of Vikings because it's the right thing to do, he does it because then he can take all the Vikings' gold.
The game makes fun of a ton of hackneyed RPG conventions. Like Warrior mentioned in his excellent preview, one of the first things the bard has to do is kill a rat in a tavern cellar. The bard goes down and slaughters a little rat, dramatic music plays, and he raises his sword and yells, "Quest complete!" As the narrator depicts the "heroic" event, a 15-foot fire-breathing rodent comes out and torches him.
Bard's Talegame—in name only. Does it smell as sweet…? Mecandes asks.
Having played the new game through from start to finish, I can confirm that this game has absolutely nothing in common with the original series—not a single name (town, character, or monster) appears from the original plot. Even "Skara Brae" is absent, although their early marketing material suggested Skara Brae would be a major part of the game! Even if one greatly stretches the imagination, at best there are only five tiny elements that are similar to the original: Your quest begins by entering a tavern's cellar. The powers-that-be live in towers. You can receive healing from priests. There is an anti-magic zone. There is a "magic mouth." But that's really stretching it.
