Ive been following this game for a while and it looked really promising. A good old fashioned dungeon crawler with loot and coop. Well i downloaded it yesterday and boy, it really didnt meet my expectations.

So we all know how much fun looking for loot is. Hoping to get an uber drop from a mob keeps us playing just 10 minutes more, just 10 minutes more. But in Crimson Alliance they have removed the fun of it. You have 3 equipment slots, i play the mercenary class so its weapon, shield and clothing. So you are severly limited from the start when it comes to the amount of loot. Then it seems like the loot doesnt drop at all, it may be in some rare chests, but other than that you have to buy it. Now im just 4-5 stages in so this might change i dunno.

Ok, so no good loot. But if the leveling system is good then it can save the game right? Unfortunately there is no leveling system. You have 4 abilities per class and these abilities only get enhanced by your gear. So no branching skill tree or anything.

I knew some of this coming in, but not that it was this cut down. It IS a xbla game so i guess im at fault for expecting a Diabloish experience.

@MrMuscle: Thanks for your input. I had the game on my radar but didn't buy it on day one because I heard so little about it. From what you're saying I think I'll just pass on it.

@MrMuscle said:

It IS a xbla game so i guess im at fault for expecting a Diabloish experience.

You do remember Torchlight, right?

Too bad, I tried the trial version myself and it was really simplistic. Do you have to buy every class separately or do they unlock if you pay the 800 for one? If not then it's beyond fucked.

No loot, no rpg leveling up, no random levels. There doesn't even seem to be a combo system you might expect in a beat'em up. You know, AAB,ABA, etc. Very disappointed. Still I do have a soft spot for games like this. I think I'll go back and finish Daggerdale, which while a very mixed bag is at least an rpg.

It's not a loot hunting game, it's trying to be more similar to Gauntlet. I thought it was a pretty fun action RPG, as long as you aren't expecting it to be Diablo.

@ervonymous said:

@MrMuscle said:

It IS a xbla game so i guess im at fault for expecting a Diabloish experience.

You do remember Torchlight, right?

Too bad, I tried the trial version myself and it was really simplistic. Do you have to buy every class separately or do they unlock if you pay the 800 for one? If not then it's beyond fucked.

Oh I definately remember Torchlight. I still boot it up now and then. But i kinda figured that was a one off and because it was out for ages on PC it wouldnt be fair to put that in the same group ad Crimson Alliance. But it does look like I have to wait for Torchlight 2 to get a really good dungeon crawler on the xbox. Luckily Diablo 3 is drawing closer!

Listed as 'free' on XBL right now duders. Just started the DL, and it's slowww. I didn't buy but one of the summer of arcade games btw. WTF? Take advantage I guess. They owe me this for at least the broken ass unpatched game that Daggerdale was.

Listed as 'free' on XBL right now duders. Just started the DL, and it's slowww. I didn't buy but one of the summer of arcade games btw. WTF? Take advantage I guess. They owe me this for at least the broken ass unpatched game that Daggerdale was.

@Redbullet685 said:

@pweidman said:

Listed as 'free' on XBL right now duders. Just started the DL, and it's slowww. I didn't buy but one of the summer of arcade games btw. WTF? Take advantage I guess. They owe me this for at least the broken ass unpatched game that Daggerdale was.

You get into the game, and then you pay $10 for 1 playable character, or $15 for all 3 characters. Sorry.

You sir, are right. I feel like an idiot now, lol. And now that I think of it, I think I read somewhere that this was the setup for the game. Oh well.

I agree -- I tried the demo and was pretty disappointed.  It removes too much of the stuff I like about action-RPGs. It's way too dumbed down for my tastes.  The action is not exciting enough -- if you want that you are better off playing a game like Dante's Inferno, DarkSiders, Conan, or Viking.  If you want a loot and skill-progression based action-RPG you are better off playing Torchlight or Sacred 2.

@MrMuscle: I guess is not what you were expecting, IMO the game is not trying to be Diablo/Torchlight it feels more "action co-op oriented".

For what is worth of all the Consolized Dungeon Crawlers wanna be out there, This is the one I've enjoyed the most in a console, it's pretty fun with friends or alone.

I think it's an interesting experiment in a new market model for XBLA. I was hoping for a co-op Torchlight, but the same is much closer to Gauntlet than anything else. It's fun as a co-op game, but there isn't really a whole lot to sink your teeth in if you intend to just play on your own.