All the fun of the PC version in a tiny console download
Let’s go ahead and lay it all out here right now: I’m not going to praise Torchlight because it was made by Runic Games. I’m not going to skirt around any issues the game has because the Evil Avatar mod squad has the “in” with their PR department. No, instead I’m going to praise Torchlight because it is a fantastic action-adventure RPG that has been beautifully ported to the Xbox. If you don’t have a PC or don’t already own the PC version then you need to quit reading this review RIGHT NOW and purchase Torchlight on the Xbox 360.
Before I go any further, I’m going to quickly run through what Torchlight is....you know, for those people who haven’t been reading our website. As I previously mentioned, Torchlight is a Diablo-esque point and click, endless-dungeon-style adventure game. You’ve got three unique classes from which to choose, and can likewise select a pet which is used to help fight and carry acquired loot back to town. An exclusive bonus of the 360 version is that you get not two, but THREE different pets to choose from: a dog, cat and a... troll... lizard thing. I know you’re going to ask, so let me go ahead and answer the obvious question: no, there aren’t any differences between the three starting pets other than perhaps some slight variations in stats, so there isn’t a real reason to pick one over the other besides personal preference.
Once you’ve chosen your class and pet, you’re ready to jump into Torchlight and begin the endless adventure. The 360 version of Torchlight has had a COMPLETE over haul in both UI and controls. The point-and-click mouse interface has been replaced by a revamped gamepad interface which includes auto-assist targeting. Using the left stick to move around the screen you just need to point your character in the direction you want to fire and start spamming. I actually liked this style of fighting a bit better than the PC version because you can RUN AWAY when you’re in danger. Speaking of fighting, you can map all of your skills to a few of the face buttons (Y, B, RT or LT) while X and B are used to travel through the menus and LB and RB are used for health and mana potions. If you decide to go through the skill tree and pick up a few new skills but don’t have enough room, you can get new menus by using the up and down arrow on the d-pad which allows you to map more skills.
Speaking of the menus, everything is tabbed and controlled by using RB or LB along with your joystick. After you get the hang of flipping through them and equipping gear, you’ll grow to love what Runic Games has done with the menu system. Each item will tell you if it’s an upgrade over another, indicated by a green or red arrow, and gemming is as easy as picking a gem and then the item you want it to go into. It’s marvelous when a developer takes the time to port a game correctly and put in the effort to make the UI smart and the game run smoothly on a different set of hardware.
Everything else in the world of Torchlight is nearly identical to the PC version. You’ll grab quests and head down the endless levels of dungeons while going through the story and gaining levels. Unfortunately, unlike the PC version, there are no mods due to the 360’s restrictions on user-created content. However, the fact that it’s only a 200 MB download does make this one easy on your hard drive. If you couldn’t play the PC version of the game or need something to get your away from Rift or World of Warcraft, you should really consider purchasing Torchlight. Ok, now that this review is out of the way, I’m going to grab my Beserker and go bash in a few Gnoll heads.
Great control scheme.
Everything stacks, no more worrying about inventory!
On the PC there are several mods that actually make most (or all) skills useful throughout the game, because out of the box there are abilities that are too strong and others too weak, specially some that don't scale well with levels.
__________________
"If PC is a dead platform I must be a necrophiliac"
pwnophobia, as much as we love you, I disapprove of this review. I know it's already out on PC, but this review contains nothing about the game itself, it only talks about the porting aspect of the game. If you're giving 5 out 5 rating to a game, at least explain why.
pwnophobia, as much as we love you, I disapprove of this review. I know it's already out on PC, but this review contains nothing about the game itself, it only talks about the porting aspect of the game. If you're giving 5 out 5 rating to a game, at least explain why.
It's nearly identical to the PC version save the inventory and hot key system. There isn't much more to say...I was purposely sparse in information because we've beat this game to death. If you've been reading Evil Avatar at ALL you know how the game plays so porting to the Xbox and removing point and click for tabbed menus is all that it offers.
I am definitely going to pick this up at some point, but I think Test Drive Unlimited 2 is the only time sink I can afford to have in my life right now. (The $5M yacht--oh yes, it will be mine.)
I am definitely going to pick this up at some point, but I think Test Drive Unlimited 2 is the only time sink I can afford to have in my life right now. (The $5M yacht--oh yes, it will be mine.)
I'm trapped in TDU2 as well.
I'm with pwnophobia on Torchlight, it's a great for the money. Buy!
I'll be adding this to my XBLA titles either by the giveaway or purchase. The controller aspect alone gets my attention. I've gotten this title previously and then through Steam. Sadly, along with other Steam titles, I have not given it the play time it deserves. That will have to be remedied.
Agree, great review.
happy gaming
__________________
It's a dog eat dog world and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear.
--Norm Peterson
Great review. I'm not entering the giveaway because there is NO WAY I am waiting 5 days to see if I win. I am buying this tomorrow. Your giveaway should have been a 1 day only event. With 150 entries already, you didn't need to have it open so long!
