Was anyone else dissapointed with Broken Sword 1?

[omloflump]

Is it just me or was Broken Sword a bit flat? I can understand why people like it but I, for one, didn't. Sure it was kind of well written but it never really seemed to take off for me. I also noticed it owed a fair bit to the far superior Gabriel Knight. The relationship between George and Nico was also quite undercooked. She only seemed to make brief cameo appearances from her apartment and they never really bonded. I probably built it up too much in my head before hand, so I played it with an "it's not that good" attitude. I read that it was really long as well and it really wasn't. I also read that it had a big satisfying ending and it didn't. The ending only lasted a minute or so, contrary to what the review on this site said. Anyway, I didn't particularily like it, I enjoyed Beneath A Steel Sky much more.

[RLacey]

When I played Broken Sword upon its original release, I remember thinking that it was worse than Beneath a Steel Sky, but I don't think that it actually is. Nowadays, I'd be hard pushed to say which one I prefer, and would instead probably choose the cop-out option of merely reminding everyone of the brilliance of both games.

[DustCropper]

I completely agree with you; I also felt somewhat disappointed. Though the dialogue, music and art were spot-on, I never really connected with the characters. I bought the game after reading AG's Top 20 of All Time list, so I guess, like you, my expectations may have been too high.

But I only played it once, and that was a couple of years ago, so I'd like to give it another try one of these days. And yeah, I think that BASS is much better. :)

[Wormsie]

I was really surprised when playing Broken Sword - that despite everything I still enjoyed it a lot. Maybe it's a bit flat, though.

[stepurhan]

Whilst both adventure games BASS and BS1 have radically different settings. The first is set in a dystopian far future and is a sci-fi story. The second is a modern day conspiracy story with historical overtones. As such, I'm not sure you can make direct comparisons any more than you could make direct comparisons between two books in the same settings.

Personally found them both to be immensely enjoyable. They each had their own unusual features that set them apart for me. BASS had it's virtual world and the need to acquire ID cards (with appropriate progams on them) BS1 had it's richly detailed historical background and the best reusable inventory item puzzle I can recall The meke-up smeared handkerchief you find near the start. It's used to help identify the "clown" near the start, and then later used to disguise a cheap plaster figurine as an antique.
I think it all comes down to personal preferences in the end. No-one is going to like every game that comes out, no matter how well-designed. This is why I try to ignore hype and only buy games that (while recommended) interest me for their content.

[tippex79]

Wow, I'm really surprised people aren't so fond of this game. It's one of my favourites, one of the first I played, and one of the reasons I like adventure games so much.

I think the puzzles are cleverly designed so they're solvable without being too ridiculously difficult but do actually require some thought. This and the dialogue just kept me playing. I agree the ending isn't that spectular, though.

On the other hand, maybe it's because it was one of the first I played and I hadn't built it up to be this great thing that I like it so much. Hmm, I wonder if I would feel the same way about it if I played it now...

[The Seed]

Whilst both adventure games BASS and BS1 have radically different settings. The first is set in a dystopian far future and is a sci-fi story. The second is a modern day conspiracy story with historical overtones. As such, I'm not sure you can make direct comparisons any more than you could make direct comparisons between two books in the same settings.



I'm sorry but I really can't see you're reasoning here.

Both are third person point and click adventure games, therefor, as I see it they should be perfectly comparable. I don't see how games having different settings should mean are not suitable for comparison.

Adventure games generally have a wide range of different settings i.e.

Grim Fandango,
Gabrial Knight,
Monkey Island,
Syberia,
Sam and Max,
Kings Quest,
etc...

Yet we see all these game being compared on a regular basis.

Maybe Iv 'e misinterpreted you're meaning here, if so then I apologies, could you please explain further?

[Robert_Cath]

Broken Sword 1 is a great game. It was long and good, especially the story. You should be disappointed by the ending in BS3. BS3 was short. Anyway, I also agree that relationship between Nico and George is undefined.

[stepurhan]

I'm sorry but I really can't see you're reasoning here.

Both are third person point and click adventure games, therefor, as I see it they should be perfectly comparable. I don't see how games having different settings should mean are not suitable for comparison.

Adventure games generally have a wide range of different settings i.e.

Grim Fandango,
Gabrial Knight,
Monkey Island,
Syberia,
Sam and Max,
Kings Quest,
etc...

Yet we see all these game being compared on a regular basis.

Maybe Iv 'e misinterpreted you're meaning here, if so then I apologies, could you please explain further?
I get what you say about them being comparable as both adventure games but I was suggesting the reason RLacey preferred BASS to BS1 may be to do with story genre rather than game genre.

If someone raves about a fictional war book I probably still won't read it because I don't like war books generally. What I wes trying to say (since I found both games enjoyable) was that maybe RLacey's dislike lay more in the story genre rather than the game itself. Gabriel Knight is comparable is some ways but had much darker overtones and a generally more narrow focus to New Orleans and the Knight family history. (Yes, I know Gabriel traveled round the world but BOTH trips abroad are to do with the Knight legacy) By contrast BS1 has George Stobbart trotting all over the place tracking down what appears to be a secret global conspiracy.

I porbably didn't explain myself properly the first time. Sorry for that. I would be most interested in the thoughts of RLacey (or any others who dislike BS1) on this hypothesis.

[The Silent Dude]

I loved BS1. It's definately in my adventure games olymp. I can't see how somehow can be disapponinted with it. I especially loved the characters, the settings and the story.
The second one was only average. Way to linear and short.

I can say I've played over roughly over 200 adventures and not many reached BS1s caliber.

[The Seed]

I was suggesting the reason RLacey preferred BASS to BS1 may be to do with story genre rather than game genre.

Ah, yes I see your'e point now.

I loved BS1. It's definately in my adventure games olymp. I can't see how somehow can be disapponinted with it. I especially loved the characters, the settings and the story.
The second one was only average. Way to linear and short.
Totally agree about the sequel, concerning the linearity and shortness. I was really quite disappointed.

The third game was fun, though it certainly had it's problems.

[Tobbe]

I really enjoyed BS1..I love the plot, graphics and the overall amosphere..

[Antoinetta]

Broken Swords I + II were both great games, Broken Sword III was ruined and rendered virtually unplayable due to klutzy controls, cameras, character movement and crate "puzzles."

I'd actually like to play BS I+II again, but am afraid I can't; will they play on Windows XP?, and, if so, will I have to tweak the hell out of my machine to get them to run?

Antoinetta

[RLacey]

I'd actually like to play BS I+II again, but am afraid I can't; will they play on Windows XP?, and, if so, will I have to tweak the hell out of my machine to get them to run?
They should run fine; otherwise, try ScummVM.

As for BS1, I never said that I didn't like it - I did - but I remember enjoying BASS more. It's probably just that I preferred the sci-fi setting. I thoroughly recommend both of them, though.

[fov]

Just set the installer in win98 compatibility mode for BS1. Don't think you even have to do that for BS2. They run just fine.

-emily

[Captain Blondebeard]

I absolutely loved BS1. It is number one in my book. The story is unbeatable and the voice acting is second to none. I also enjoyed the interface.

[SoccerDude28]

BS1 is on my top 10 adventures of all time.

[Timbo]

Broken Sword had humor.

Humor = Win

Not to mention one helluva live orchestra soundtrack :o

Timbo

[Captain Blondebeard]

Broken Sword had humor.

Humor = Win

Not to mention one helluva live orchestra soundtrack :o

Timbo
And templars. Cant go wrong with templar history.

The thing that got me about the story is I got the feeling that I was right there with George uncovering these incredible archealogical finds.

[stepurhan]

Broken Sword had humor.

Humor = Win

Not to mention one helluva live orchestra soundtrack :o

Timbo
Well the soundtrack was by Barrington Pheloung who got a degree at the Royal College of Music in London. It's to be hoped, with that sort of background, he knew a thing or two about orchestral music.

By the way, did I ever mention my wife was at RCM at the same time? :D

But getting back to the original subject (and my query on the matter) do those who dislike BS1 think it might be something about the game rather than the game itself. I'm thinking about the dividing nature of Myst with it's sterile landscapes and abstruse puzzles here. Is something like that going on?

Of course, one possibility is that the large group of the AG community that like BS1 are all idiots with poor taste (popular isn't necessarily good) but, given I'd have to call myself an idiot in that scenario, I'm not quite ready to embrace it yet. :P

[Ninth]

Is it just me or was Broken Sword a bit flat?

My opinion exactly. Mainly, I'm not interested by Georges. And his voice what annoying (I'm talking about the french voice).

Completely off-topic: the Last Express was totally dubbed in the french version, and I mean every single foreign voice (which made a huge part of this game's charm) have been dubbed. How imbecile can one get?

[stepurhan]

My opinion exactly. Mainly, I'm not interested by Georges. And his voice what annoying (I'm talking about the french voice).

Completely off-topic: the Last Express was totally dubbed in the french version, and I mean every single foreign voice (which made a huge part of this game's charm) have been dubbed. How imbecile can one get?
Astoundingly imbecilic. On the plus side, does this mean that you're able to do transcripts of all the dialogue the original didn't trnaslate? I know at least a couple of people were interested in transcripts of the Turkish dialogue. :9~

[Ninth]

Astoundingly imbecilic. On the plus side, does this mean that you're able to do transcripts of all the dialogue the original didn't trnaslate? I know at least a couple of people were interested in transcripts of the Turkish dialogue. :9~

I guess it does. ... what turkish dialog was that by the way?

[maladroid]

Is it just me or was Broken Sword a bit flat? I can understand why people like it but I, for one, didn't. Sure it was kind of well written but it never really seemed to take off for me. I also noticed it owed a fair bit to the far superior Gabriel Knight. The relationship between George and Nico was also quite undercooked. She only seemed to make brief cameo appearances from her apartment and they never really bonded. I probably built it up too much in my head before hand, so I played it with an "it's not that good" attitude. I read that it was really long as well and it really wasn't. I also read that it had a big satisfying ending and it didn't. The ending only lasted a minute or so, contrary to what the review on this site said. Anyway, I didn't particularily like it, I enjoyed Beneath A Steel Sky much more.

No, it's not just you. Broken Sword is flat and could be quite boring after some time. I somewhat got the impression of an uninspired game, which, to me, becomes even more obvious when we get to the humor department.
The seocond installment was also adequate and exremely linear (as has been already stated) though not much worse than Shadow of The Templars. Beneath a Steel Sky is by far the best adventure game releashed by Revolution, partly justifying people'e hype about this company.

[Deano]

Yeah I found it all a little dull to be honest, that said I played the Playstation version (albeit with a PS mouse) and this was a long time ago. Thing is I generally like a good historical mystery like in the GK series.

[CrimsonBlue]

I too, thought the game was a bit... flat as you put it so eloquently. However, I think this is a game that grows on you, because I was never totally intrigued by the game first time through, but I came to love and cherish the atmosphere and feel of the game after some time. Some games actually DO make an impression on you, you just don't notice it until later.

I think games that have that effect on you is much better than a game that blows you away the first time through (or at least makes you totally hooked), and when you play the game again a year later or so, you wonder why the hell you could enjoy such a game?

A game that had that effect on me is The Sims.

... in short Broken Sword - Good, The Sims - bad (yeah, I talk a lot).

[fov]

Out of curiosity - those who didn't like it, when did you play it?

This game (like so many others) seems to be a favorite of those who played it when it first came out, and disappointing to those who played it years later on the recommendation of the people who loved it so much when it first came out... that's my perception, anyway.

-emily

[CrimsonBlue]

In that case, they let the hype kill the enjoyment of a game. Too much hype will give people too high expectations, and I think this particularly counts for people who tries out classic titles for the very first time. Because they won't have the same experience, no matter what. After all, there's no escaping that a game like Broken Sword have lost a lot of it's graphical qualities compared to todays standard (mostly in terms of resolution). The problem is, when the big classics came out, the game was fresh, never before played by anyone else but the gametesters.

Anyway, I actually only tried the game a bit when it was new, then a bit more when it was not-so-new. I've gone through the first parts of the game several times, until I finally got hold of a decent working PC version so I could complete it. But anyway, I never really *loved* the game, like I do now. It's grown on me, definately. I just love the mood and atmosphere of the game.

[crabapple]

What aggravated me most about BS1 was that you never knew what brainless thing would come out of George's mouth when he asked a question. I understand his sassing people was supposed to be humorous. But it usually wasn't IMO and I got tired of conversations being cut short and my not getting clues because of his big mouth. The only workaround I could find was to save before every conversation and experiment to determine how many times to click on a subject to produce the best results. That got pretty tedious.

[Ninth]

Out of curiosity - those who didn't like it, when did you play it?

This game (like so many others) seems to be a favorite of those who played it when it first came out, and disappointing to those who played it years later on the recommendation of the people who loved it so much when it first came out... that's my perception, anyway.

-emily

I played it when it came out, and liked it... but found it kind of flat.

[Len Green]

Was anyone else dissapointed with Broken Sword 1? NO WAY !!!
I played it when it was first released ... EIGHT years ago !
I remember thinking how excellent it was THEN !

[maladroid]

Out of curiosity - those who didn't like it, when did you play it?


This game (like so many others) seems to be a favorite of those who played it when it first came out, and disappointing to those who played it years later on the recommendation of the people who loved it so much when it first came out... that's my perception, anyway.

-emily

I admit I played it around 2001 but I like to think myself as an adventure gamer who is hardly affected by such factors. After all I loved Day of the Tentacle and Gabriel Knight 1 when I played them in 1999-2000.

Broken Sword still looks graphically great as far as I'm concerned, but I guess I WAS affected by hype surrounding the game. I was expecting a-close-to-perfect game to be sure. Whatever the reason I just didn't get captured by the game at any time and the lame ending didn't help either...

[Wormsie]

I found this, from the temporary forum:
Just because we see a few pictures of crates everyone asumes this going to be a crate/adventure game! Come on, there were crates in Broken Sword 2 you know, and they were implemented well. To all Broken Sword 3's detractors, BS3 will NOT be just another crate game; yes there will be some crates but they will be integrated into the game using well scripted Crate-events.

So it's not going to be just another crate game, just an adventure game with some crate-events woven skillfully into the plot to help vary the pace a little.

[Figment]

I played BS1 about six years ago, when I was thirteen, and I adored it! It's still a favourite of mine. I love the gorgeously drawn backgrounds and the settings and the history. I'm even fond of George, though I don't care for Nico.

I agree with whoever said that how you view the game probably depends on when you played it. BS1 was my first ever non-LucasArts adventure game, and while the MI games and indyfate are my most favourite ones, I was pretty blown away by BS1 for being so different from the sometimes very silly lucasarts titles. I think it was the game that really opened my eyes to the amazing possibilities for great stories within the genre...

I haven't played any of the other broken sword games, though. I can't for the life of me get my hands on BS2, and three has the sorts of graphics that make me ill. Pity, too. I'm curious to see what I'd think of the characters now that I am older.

[Ranma Ranma]

Broken Sword 1 is up there with Gabriel Knight 2 and 3, Discworld 1 and 2, Monkey Island (any of them), and The Longest Journey as one of the best adventure games ever created.

I simply could not understand one saying it is worse than Broken Sword 2 or 3.

[Manhunter71]

Wow, I'm really surprised people aren't so fond of this game. It's one of my favourites, one of the first I played, and one of the reasons I like adventure games so much.

I think the puzzles are cleverly designed so they're solvable without being too ridiculously difficult but do actually require some thought. This and the dialogue just kept me playing. I agree the ending isn't that spectular, though.

On the other hand, maybe it's because it was one of the first I played and I hadn't built it up to be this great thing that I like it so much. Hmm, I wonder if I would feel the same way about it if I played it now...


BS1 + BS2 are definitely 2 of the most enjoyable adventures I've ever played, and they run fine on XP - you may have to change compatibility to 98, I really can't remember!
I played then originally on Win98 but replayed them just a few months ago on XP and still found them great fun.
If you enjoy these, though, I wouldn't play BS3 - it's buggy, it has a crap interface, annoying puzzles and doesn't build on George & Nico's relationship like it should.

[Bastich]

No. Nor the 2nd time either.

Now, #3 is a completely different story...

[VoodooFX]

Out of curiosity - those who didn't like it, when did you play it?

This game (like so many others) seems to be a favorite of those who played it when it first came out, and disappointing to those who played it years later on the recommendation of the people who loved it so much when it first came out... that's my perception, anyway.

-emily
I think I played it 2 years ago, still loved it though, first more than second, but second wasn't bad either.

[100ja a.k.a. mr_mitja]

From what I've read so far no one actually complains about the puzzles in BS1 or commenting if that aspect of the game is better/wors than in BASS. Tat's just something that intrigued me. I believe I played BS1 two years ago, and I found it to be a great game, not at all boring or tedious as some of the people have said. The main reason for this is probably the story and the setting, as I am a fan of such mysteries like the templars and consume them in every form I can (books, games, movies). As for the characters, they weren't sensational or hillarious, but they were satisfactory at least. I never really expect Casablanca or Ben Hur when playing adventure games. If I did, I would probably stop playing them.

[SakSquash]

Is it just me or was Broken Sword a bit flat? I can understand why people like it but I, for one, didn't. Sure it was kind of well written but it never really seemed to take off for me. I also noticed it owed a fair bit to the far superior Gabriel Knight. The relationship between George and Nico was also quite undercooked. She only seemed to make brief cameo appearances from her apartment and they never really bonded. I probably built it up too much in my head before hand, so I played it with an "it's not that good" attitude. I read that it was really long as well and it really wasn't. I also read that it had a big satisfying ending and it didn't. The ending only lasted a minute or so, contrary to what the review on this site said. Anyway, I didn't particularily like it, I enjoyed Beneath A Steel Sky much more.

BS1 is probably my favorite adventure game of all time, and I played the PS version!

[Ninth]

From what I've read so far no one actually complains about the puzzles in BS1 or commenting if that aspect of the game is better/wors than in BASS.

Well, the puzzles were fine, even though a bunch of them was really dialogs.
What really bothered me was the feeling of flatness. I wasn't bored, just not thrilled. I guess the main character and the past tense just don't appeal to me.

[Steve Ince]

BS1 is probably my favorite adventure game of all time, and I played the PS version!
We got a lot of e-mails and letters from people who had played the PS version, asking why there weren't more adventures made for the PS. Many people liked the change of pace.

[squarejawhero]

Certainly my brother and I played the PS versions. Loved them, in fact... we didn't have a PC powerful enough to play them at the time (woohoo, CGA fun) and those and Riven had tons of hours spent staring at our PAL monitor, with it's low res jollity.

Despite the televisual quality of some of the animation, the characters shone through. That's good writing for you! In fact, they're possibly the most memorable games for me I played on the PS.

So, no, I loved BS1 AND 2. Some people just don't know a good thing, if you ask me.

[Ninth]

So, no, I loved BS1 AND 2. Some people just don't know a good thing, if you ask me.

The funny thing is that I liked BS2 far more than BS1.
I wonder why that is...

And for the record, Georges' voice in the french version, which has a heavy american accent, probably did a lot for my dislike of the character.

[Burge]

I happened to love the game.

[Henke]

I think both Beneath A Steel Sky as well as Broken Sword 1 and 2 are great games. They aren't perfect and there are a couple of games I consider to be even better, but I don't really know if I agree that the characters were flat or anything.

[Nude]

Broken Swords I + II were both great games, Broken Sword III was ruined and rendered virtually unplayable due to klutzy controls, cameras, character movement and crate "puzzles."

I'd actually like to play BS I+II again, but am afraid I can't; will they play on Windows XP?, and, if so, will I have to tweak the hell out of my machine to get them to run?

Antoinetta
BS1 ran ok with xp but I cannot remember if I used a kind of tweaking. What I am sure of is I didnt use Scumm (or any other emulator like dosbox).

[Nude]

Out of curiosity - those who didn't like it, when did you play it?

This game (like so many others) seems to be a favorite of those who played it when it first came out, and disappointing to those who played it years later on the recommendation of the people who loved it so much when it first came out... that's my perception, anyway.

-emily
I played both bass and bs1 a couple months ago for the first time and they are ok with me... I played broken sword 2 in 1998 and it was fine too however I prefer the 1st one. As a cyberpunk fan I kinda liked the world created by Bass but I think the game overall was not very strong... It was just ok... Another thing is that I am not satisfied with most modern adventures that came out after 2000. (expect for a couple of IF games)

[Nude]

Astoundingly imbecilic. On the plus side, does this mean that you're able to do transcripts of all the dialogue the original didn't trnaslate? I know at least a couple of people were interested in transcripts of the Turkish dialogue. :9~
actually as Turkish is my language I felt kinda strange when I heard someone speaking turkish in a game without an acent (the only turkish part was in the ending part when they reached istanbul, a boy was shouting about war and the crowd was talking turkish in daily routine, there wasnt any turkish speaking on the train). also byzantine the betrayal was good in that sense... too bad I didnt like the game much.

[EasilyConfused]

Interesting question fov about when you play a game and what effect that has. I played BS3 first and despite the annoying aspects of gameplay, I really fell in love with those characters from that story. Then I went back and played BS1 and though Nico felt a bit flat being stuck in that apartment for most of the game, I enjoyed it.

I've been avoiding BS2 because of lukewarm reviews but seeing that so many people here enjoyed it, I'll look into it. Our makes it sound near-worthless in comparison to the other two . . . or maybe I'm just too obsessed by numerical ratings. :rolleyes: Thoughts?

[fov]

I've been avoiding BS2 because of lukewarm reviews but seeing that so many people here enjoyed it, I'll look into it. Our makes it sound near-worthless in comparison to the other two . . . or maybe I'm just too obsessed by numerical ratings. :rolleyes: Thoughts?

I wouldn't say it's near worthless. It's a fine game. I don't have really strong feelings about the BS games (maybe because I didn't play the first one until it had really been hyped up for me) so maybe my opinion of BS2 is more lax than someone who's really into them.

Ninth - how is Nico's voice in the French version? Hopefully her accent is more authentic than in the English version. ("Jorge, vat are you doooing?")

-emily

[Ninth]

I wouldn't say it's near worthless. It's a fine game. I don't have really strong feelings about the BS games (maybe because I didn't play the first one until it had really been hyped up for me) so maybe my opinion of BS2 is more lax than someone who's really into them.

Ninth - how is Nico's voice in the French version? Hopefully her accent is more authentic than in the English version. ("Jorge, vat are you doooing?")

-emily

The french characters like Nico or Lobineau don't have any accent (because the dubbers are french), but Nico's voice doesn't always sound true. All the voices in my version remind me of a TV series, really. Not bad, almost good, but not convincing.

[EasilyConfused]

I wouldn't say it's near worthless. It's a fine game.

Ninth - how is Nico's voice in the French version? Hopefully her accent is more authentic than in the English version. ("Jorge, vat are you doooing?")


Thanks, E. I agree, Nico's accent is ABSURD in the English version. My father, all of whose accents come out as some weird Swedish-Chinese blend, could do a better job. BS1 was very bad, but even BS3 was bad. Is it so hard to find an actual French voice actress who speaks English??

[fov]

That's funny... is Lobineau supposed to be French? (I guess from his name, he is...) I don't remember him having a French accent in the English versions, but maybe I'm just forgetting.

-emily

[EasilyConfused]

That's funny... is Lobineau supposed to be French? (I guess from his name, he is...) I don't remember him having a French accent in the English versions, but maybe I'm just forgetting.
He's supposed to be French--but either he has an English accent in BS1, or a French accent that is much more subtle and less grating than Nico's (I think the latter.) Goshdarnit, Emily, I am looking for any excuse to procrastinate, and now I am on the verge of installing the game and playing up to where Lobineau makes his appearance--if it didn't require me to move from my desk, I would. :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[Ninth]

That's funny... is Lobineau supposed to be French? (I guess from his name, he is...) I don't remember him having a French accent in the English versions, but maybe I'm just forgetting.

-emily

He's got a french name, and a french voice, and he lives in Paris, so as far as I'm concerned, he's french :) .

[Henke]

My father, all of whose accents come out as some weird Swedish-Chinese blend, could do a better job.

Cool 8-) Got any voicesamples of that?

[Bastich]

The funny thing is that I liked BS2 far more than BS1.
I wonder why that is...

BS1 was hub-based as far as locations, making you repetitively return to the center between jaunts, while BS2 was more linear. I find the latter a bit more enjoyable because you are always exploring something new, which to me is the very heart of adventuring. Perhaps you feel the same way to some extent.

I think BS1 is the best of the bunch, but that was one of the things that I liked better about BS2.

Of course, maybe my memory is faulty here. I've played so many frickin adventure games in the last year it starts to run together sometimes...

[Ninth]

BS1 was hub-based as far as locations, making you repetitively return to the center between jaunts, while BS2 was more linear. I find the latter a bit more enjoyable because you are always exploring something new, which to me is the very heart of adventuring. Perhaps you feel the same way to some extent.

I think BS1 is the best of the bunch, but that was one of the things that I liked better about BS2.

Of course, maybe my memory is faulty here. I've played so many frickin adventure games in the last year it starts to run together sometimes...

Nope, I think you're right. BS2 felt more... exotic to me.