Is this worth buying?
- Thread starter Tommy Vercetti
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I think it's worth it, but not at full price. It has a lot of potential I feel that is unrealized, but hopefully that will change soon with the Precinct update and maybe the DLC.
Current though, there isn't much strategy involved for the management side of things and while the combat is functional and can be entertaining for a bit, it gets repetitive real quick.
Combat is often compared to Firaxis' XCOM series, and there is a lot of similar mechanics. However, XCOM does it better with destructible environment; class variety; enemy variety; better character progression; equipment variety; character customization; better AI; and so on. Now, XCOM is a AAA game so that's probably not an entirely fair comparison, but still, at the very least, combat in EoS should not be boring and repetitive. After you get used to the basic combat mechanics, there's never really a "holy shit my dude/that enemy can do that OP shit" moment in the game like you would see when first playing XCOM.
My largest gripe though, is the with character progression and poorly designed RPG elements. Special abilities and perks are obtained BY WAITING.... not fighting or doing anything active. The only thing that improves with fighting are passive weapon bonuses which requires your character to directly kill x number of people with that specific weapon type to increase. Also, low tier gangsters will forever be capped in how much they can progress in weapons and there's no way to increase their stats despite how many fights they get into, so that gangster that's been with you since the beginning will have to be discarded eventually due to how poorly they perform or get KIA, because they have the lowest HP/defense pool. On the other hand, higher tier gangsters are effective right away the minute they are hired.
Current though, there isn't much strategy involved for the management side of things and while the combat is functional and can be entertaining for a bit, it gets repetitive real quick.
Combat is often compared to Firaxis' XCOM series, and there is a lot of similar mechanics. However, XCOM does it better with destructible environment; class variety; enemy variety; better character progression; equipment variety; character customization; better AI; and so on. Now, XCOM is a AAA game so that's probably not an entirely fair comparison, but still, at the very least, combat in EoS should not be boring and repetitive. After you get used to the basic combat mechanics, there's never really a "holy shit my dude/that enemy can do that OP shit" moment in the game like you would see when first playing XCOM.
My largest gripe though, is the with character progression and poorly designed RPG elements. Special abilities and perks are obtained BY WAITING.... not fighting or doing anything active. The only thing that improves with fighting are passive weapon bonuses which requires your character to directly kill x number of people with that specific weapon type to increase. Also, low tier gangsters will forever be capped in how much they can progress in weapons and there's no way to increase their stats despite how many fights they get into, so that gangster that's been with you since the beginning will have to be discarded eventually due to how poorly they perform or get KIA, because they have the lowest HP/defense pool. On the other hand, higher tier gangsters are effective right away the minute they are hired.
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If you're looking at the console version, I would probably wait until some further patches or when it is on sale.
If you're looking at the PC version, I think it's definitely worth it. @fleetothemoon is right in his analysis though. There are improvements that need to be made. The one thing I'm confident on is that I do believe they will be. The development team has done an outstanding job in fixing the game and also listening to the community. It's a very positive sign moving forward.
The game has a lot of potential. I can't emphasize that enough. In its current state, it's definitely fun, but it does get a bit repetitive. Yet a lot of games like this get repetitive. Even one of my favorite gangsters games of all time - Gangsters: Organized Crime would get repetitive in the later stages.
Bottom line: I do think it's worth it. It's one of the best gangster games to be released in a long time.
If you're looking at the PC version, I think it's definitely worth it. @fleetothemoon is right in his analysis though. There are improvements that need to be made. The one thing I'm confident on is that I do believe they will be. The development team has done an outstanding job in fixing the game and also listening to the community. It's a very positive sign moving forward.
The game has a lot of potential. I can't emphasize that enough. In its current state, it's definitely fun, but it does get a bit repetitive. Yet a lot of games like this get repetitive. Even one of my favorite gangsters games of all time - Gangsters: Organized Crime would get repetitive in the later stages.
Bottom line: I do think it's worth it. It's one of the best gangster games to be released in a long time.
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The game has a good framework, that potential realized is what ultimately counts. looks good, great concepts, I like the view both map and character, brewery and alcohol system etc. the foundation is there.
it's surface level in the management side of things, no legal retail Fronts to run, lack of mob management, Mades are not linked to a Capo and no Guards to send out to do thy will, you also start off as the Godfather so no working up any ranks. Different Faction guards all look & dress the same.
conclusion it's very positive if there is many more expansions & DLC to come as it has potential & the framework.
it's surface level in the management side of things, no legal retail Fronts to run, lack of mob management, Mades are not linked to a Capo and no Guards to send out to do thy will, you also start off as the Godfather so no working up any ranks. Different Faction guards all look & dress the same.
conclusion it's very positive if there is many more expansions & DLC to come as it has potential & the framework.
I would hold off on buying until we see how the upcoming major update and DLC change the game. Right now, the game looks and sounds great, but there are absolutely ZERO strategic decisions involved. It's a gang fighting simulator with a little management - and that management has no real impact on your ability to win or lose.
I have high hopes that will change with the new update, for now, the game is not in a great place. It just isnt the strategy game they billed it to be.
I have high hopes that will change with the new update, for now, the game is not in a great place. It just isnt the strategy game they billed it to be.
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The game is currently available (Offer ends in 2 days : 23 hours at the time of this post) for $18 US along with Age of Wonders: Planetfall, Imperator: Rome, Prison Architect +2 DLC, Tyranny and others on Humble. At that price, I'd recommend it. If you're looking to play any of the other games in the bundle, I'd highly recommend it. A portion of your purchase will go to charity, and you can control the split between Paradox, Humble, and charity. I picked it up from this bundle myself, and though I think it needs a lot of work to achieve the greatness that I think it's capable of, I feel that I've gotten my $18 value from Empire of Sin, before considering that I've still got Planetfall to try and a fresh playthrough of Prison Architect calling my name.
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I dont agree with this - and would say the opposite is actually true. The core elements are there - solid tactical system, good character building, rackets that make sense, etc.
The piece that falls behind is the shell itself. There is no strong strategic system that holds all the pieces together and makes it a coherent experience.
The game isnt worth the price tag right now - I stand behind that statement - but it still has the potential and pieces needed to make it into one. The little pieces are there - its the big picture experience that fails to deliver.
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Although I agree with you, what Arieswolf means by shell is the surface. The depth of a strong strategic system is not there. Hence the saying Empty Shell.
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I definitely get that. The shell that pulls it all together (strong strategic system) is missing completely from the game - even if the bits and pieces (tactical combat, character progression, rackets, etc) are there.
I really want this game to live up to its potential. As I (and many others) have said before, the next big update/DLC is make or break for Empire of Sin, in my opinion. A year is long enough for them to reset the course and get this game right.
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Yes, one year is enough, let's say too much, but if the work has been done well with love and passion I think this game will recover ....!
The ok patch is free, however, the dlc must be really important to make it buy ... we'll see.
The ok patch is free, however, the dlc must be really important to make it buy ... we'll see.
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To add something positive to this, I do believe the developers are passionate and care about making this game a success.
I will be buying the next DLC regardless - to give them a chance - but the quality and, more importantly, whether or not they add a real strategic layer, will determine my continued investment in this game/developer moving forward.