Prerendered 2D graphics are my favourite style of game aesthetic and western isometric RPGs were the king of it. Part of the reason I enjoyed Pillars of Eternity 1 (I never played 2, it looked gay).
From a tech standpoint, the fact that you could rotate the camera in 90 degree increments in Commandos 2 (and freely indoors I think?) blew my mind at the time, back in the day. But I'm honestly not sure if it improved the game overall. A fixed perspective forces the dev to make a singular vision for the environment and removes camera from the question of balancing difficulty. I echo everything fauxgnaws says.
EDIT: if you want an example of another beautiful 2D game game which supposedly used 3D models transposed to 2D, King of Fighters 13 is in the mix. You can't talk about 2D game art without mentioning SNK. Although at the same time I think it's become a bit of a meme to say 'AKSHULLY KOF13's graphics are 3D' - I have my doubts as to whether people have misconstrued the story there, and whether the 3D models were simply used as reference material by the 2D artists.
Pre-release, everything I'd heard about the game was pushing me away - class tweaks, party shrinking, location, etc - but the whole 'IT HAS ROMANCE NOW!' talking point was a big worry, then when it released and I realised it was just jammed with bioware-sexual, crit role voiced chars, I said no thanks. Josh Sawyer is a woke cucktivist and doesn't want my money anyhow.
I hadn't even heard about that but it fits. On the other hand, with Avellone already gone by then, would you even want a non-Avellone-written Durance? They'd probably write him as a pathetic gay turbocuck in retaliation for all his Magran misogyny. And then patch him out completely as a disavow of Avellone, after that laughable metoo.
Prerendered 2D graphics are my favourite style of game aesthetic and western isometric RPGs were the king of it. Part of the reason I enjoyed Pillars of Eternity 1 (I never played 2, it looked gay).
From a tech standpoint, the fact that you could rotate the camera in 90 degree increments in Commandos 2 (and freely indoors I think?) blew my mind at the time, back in the day. But I'm honestly not sure if it improved the game overall. A fixed perspective forces the dev to make a singular vision for the environment and removes camera from the question of balancing difficulty. I echo everything fauxgnaws says.
EDIT: if you want an example of another beautiful 2D game game which supposedly used 3D models transposed to 2D, King of Fighters 13 is in the mix. You can't talk about 2D game art without mentioning SNK. Although at the same time I think it's become a bit of a meme to say 'AKSHULLY KOF13's graphics are 3D' - I have my doubts as to whether people have misconstrued the story there, and whether the 3D models were simply used as reference material by the 2D artists.
Same, I read something like you can't go on a boat trip without someone trying to but fuck you.
Pre-release, everything I'd heard about the game was pushing me away - class tweaks, party shrinking, location, etc - but the whole 'IT HAS ROMANCE NOW!' talking point was a big worry, then when it released and I realised it was just jammed with bioware-sexual, crit role voiced chars, I said no thanks. Josh Sawyer is a woke cucktivist and doesn't want my money anyhow.
I'm sure POE2 did just fine without us /s
For me it was that they cut Durance for political reasons.
I hadn't even heard about that but it fits. On the other hand, with Avellone already gone by then, would you even want a non-Avellone-written Durance? They'd probably write him as a pathetic gay turbocuck in retaliation for all his Magran misogyny. And then patch him out completely as a disavow of Avellone, after that laughable metoo.