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Venetica

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GF Rating
4.6

520 ratings

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GF Rating
5

Fair

Buggy but charming mess

posted by Kammat (PHILADELPHIA, PA) Apr 3, 2012

Member since Dec 2006

2 out of 2 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

The first thing you'll notice when starting this game are the glitches and dated graphics. Once you're able to move past those, you'll find a pretty standard hack and slash game that stays relatively fun for a few hours.

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GF Rating
2

Really Bad

waste of time....

posted by hulk432 (MANASSAS, VA) Mar 5, 2011

Member since Feb 2008

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

not worth the time.... graphics are old the fighting mechanics are weak and the game play/ plot is lame......

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GF Rating
2

Really Bad

Not impressed....

posted by bordeaux (GLENS FALLS, NY) Feb 1, 2011

Member since Feb 2011

1 out of 1 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I am big into RPGs and this game failed to hold my attention for more than 3 hours before I placed it back into the shipper and mailed it back to game fly. Overall as stated by others, the scenery looks realistic, the bad guys are all similar, and in my opinion it the story line moved SLOOOOOW. I was hoping for more and instead I am a bit bummed.

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Bad, But Not Terrible

posted by texx77 (IOWA CITY, IA) Jan 16, 2011

Member since Jun 2010

14 out of 17 gamers (82%) found this review helpful

Long story short: This game is pretty bad, the graphics are Nintendo 64 comparable, movement is very mechanic and the camera too loose.

Button-mashing comes to mind when attempting to describe the game play.

That all being said, it is not a "terrible" game by any means, just not anywhere near exceptional or ground-breaking.

If you prize playing extremely simple RPG's with a decent story line and uncomplicated abilities then go right ahead and rent.

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GF Rating
4

Weak

Buggy, not bad when it works

posted by mattr25 (PHOENIX, AZ) Jan 14, 2011

Top Reviewer

Member since Dec 2006

30 out of 39 gamers (77%) found this review helpful

Graphically it's not exactly alot to look at, the bad guys tend to look like each other. On a positive note the characters hair moves when she does. Backgrounds are distinctive, tree's look like tree's and so forth.

Gameplay is simple, it's not button mash unless you like getting killed and blocked. There are times when you absolutely have to use tactics or well not live. There is a sort of auto keep you alive feature you get early on in the game. You need to use a special sword you get almost as early on in the game to reacharge this feature.

Story wise it's complicated yet still simple. You start out with your boyfriend who is pledging his undying love then the town is under attack. Most of the town dies and you really don't do anything with any more than three of the survivors. YOu find out you are death's daughter and the only one able to stop an uprising that will mean the end of the world.

You unlock special abilities as you level and train, interesting system if you cna actually get the game to work long enough. I got to Venice and got stuck trying to kill a bat. It notices you come in then does nothing but fly up high, no ranged attacks and immune to magic. Walkthroughs do not tell you anything on how to get the bat to do anything, no one has done that particular section apparently.

As it plays now, not really worth the bother, maybe after the company releases a patch and you got a few days to do nothing it's a rent.

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Venetica the unknown hit

posted by childs145 (LAGRANGE, GA) Nov 21, 2011

Member since Nov 2011

5 out of 6 gamers (83%) found this review helpful

This Game was very good, I'm glad I gave it a chance.
It basically has the same elements as a Fable game. you can decide to do good or bad deeds that effect your reputation and the combat is also very similar to fable.
I gave this game a 9 because there are no major flaws in it. and the story was very good.

cons:
magic and skills have to be set in 1 of 5 shortcuts before it can be used but there are so many magics and skills to choose from your gonna do a lot of pausing to set a new one.

some puzzles seem to have no hints around the area so prepare to look up the strategy or spend a little time on trial and error.

I didn't mind this next one so much but before each boss can be damaged there is a certain thing that need to be done in the fight before you can damage the boss, such as destroying the pillars in the room.

there is the occasional visual glitch but they do not interrupt the game play.

Great game and I'm glad I gave it a chance. unique story.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Slam your head against the wall for more fun!

posted by deadcivil (BROOKLYN, NY) Feb 3, 2011

Member since Feb 2011

4 out of 6 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

This game has everything going for it, if you want to

Repetitive quests? Check!

Craptacular camera control during combat? Check!

Dialogue bordering on imbecilic? Check!

Incredibly dumb abilities/button mapping system? Check!

Poor hit detection? Check!

Weird sound issues, such as disappearing waterfall noises? Check!

Honestly, there is not a single thing about this game I could recommend. Simple things that you've taken for granted in other games (such as having a useful map to use) are absent here. One of the most frustrating things about this game is the combat, especially when you're faced with multiple enemies. One accidental press of a shoulder button and you're suddenly walking around looking at the scenery while getting sliced to death. I'm all for supporting smaller developers, but not when the output is this bad. Frankly the Gamespot/IGN reviews were generous, but I don't think they truly use the 10 point system ("bad" games tend to rate around 5 with them).

For the love of all that is holy, stay away from this game. It's painful on so many levels.

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GF Rating
2

Really Bad

A clunky out-dated mess

posted by Ky11j0y (LEWISVILLE, TX) Jul 6, 2012

Member since Jul 2012

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

I really did try to keep an open-mind while playing this game. I know it can be very expensive to develop a game and the market for them can be brutal. However, this game turned out to be a textbook example of how not to make a game.
I'll start with the graphics. There are reviews that comment on this and they are not exaggerated. To say they are out-dated is something of an overstatement. It reminded me of the first Fable if it were done in the cheapest way possible.
Combat was clumsy and awkward. I felt like it was trying to copy mechanics of a bad Sega Genesis game. You progress through the game gathering XP to spend on skills that help in combat, but you also need to find trainers to unlock these skills. I truly feel that it is odd I have to find a trainer in order to perform a simple block. Apparently you need someone to tell you to move out of the way of sharp metal objects.
The story and quests are completely generic. The story actually opens with your town being attacked by faceless mercenaries. This is something that used to occur in games until players complained about seeing it in every game. To make matters worse: you are then faced with several fetch missions.
The dialog is so amateurish I found myself laughing unintentionally. It really came off as sounding like the developers found people off the street and recorded them. Think of everyone sounding like a bad William Shatner impression, but none of these people were intending to sound like him. Then you have the odd sound glitches that should have been caught in the first stages of testing. There are several times dialog will overlap and you'll hear two people speaking at once and not be able to understand either.
In all it just seems like the developers didn't know what they were doing or didn't care. It has been a long time since I played a game this bad.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

XBOX 360 BUG

posted by Penty1 (WEBSTER, NY) Mar 14, 2012

Member since May 2010

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

There is a scripting bug where when you get to the forest hut you don't see the brothers arguing. The only way to fix it is to restart the game. One person on the forums had to do it 3 times. This happened to me, I am not willing to restart.

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GF Rating
8

Very Good

Try it, you might like it.

posted by dmacman (NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV) Jan 21, 2011

Member since Dec 2007

3 out of 7 gamers (43%) found this review helpful

Overall Venetica is a fun RPG. The combat is varied, real-time, challenging and fun. You can upgrade your character's strength, health, ability to use magic and magic effectiveness. Four weapon classes are available: hammers/axes, swords, pikes and the Moon blade. Upon gaining experience you can upgrade combat moves for each weapon class. You'll need the upgrades as you complete quests and get deeper into the story.

Although the graphics are last generation and the story is simple, the voice acting is not that bad. The quests are numerous and varied.

Like any RPG replay value is high.

Bottom Line: If you like action games and RPGs this is a must play.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Should be a PS One game

posted by triplebrav (BROADLANDS, VA) Jan 14, 2011

Member since Oct 2005

6 out of 16 gamers (38%) found this review helpful

Why didn't they just make this a PS one title.. Absolutely garbage.. thank you Gamefly for not letting waste my money.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

crying

posted by provenlangwell (CHICO, CA) Aug 16, 2011

Member since Jun 2011

2 out of 5 gamers (40%) found this review helpful

This game was so bad I shut my xbox off and sobbed in the fetal position.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Do Not Rent

posted by Bannon9k (BATON ROUGE, LA) Jan 13, 2011

Member since Mar 2007

8 out of 23 gamers (35%) found this review helpful

Horrible graphics, really bad combat engine, horrible animations and voice acting, combined with no auto save. This game is definately not worth your time.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

On Ventica

posted by madhatter23 (TAYLOR, MI) Nov 15, 2011

Member since Nov 2011

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

graphics are horrible and it doesn't even give you a clue on the story from the very beginning. it showed potential, but they should of worked harder on it in my opinion.

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GF Rating
2

Really Bad

BAD!!

posted by RKnight80 (RIVER FOREST, IL) Apr 1, 2011

Member since Feb 2008

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

With so many great RPGs out there.. this one is a definite skip. Awful.. just awful!

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GF Rating
3

Bad

Game-breaking Glitches and Uncaring Developer

posted by Eagle41 (REDONDO BEACH, CA) Mar 15, 2013

Member since Mar 2013

Venetica is a game that could have been a decent game but game-breaking glitches on the XBOX 360 and the utter lack of concern by the developer and publisher in distributing ANY type of patch make this game frustrating at best and unplayable at worst. After much research, I found that XBOX 360 users were begging for a patch for over a year before they finally gave up without their needs being met.

The game-breaking glitches linger around quest-centric NPCs that disappear from the game permanently if the player saves a game in the wrong place then reloads that save. The player would then have to restart the whole game all over again, often more than once. I had one situation where one character just kept attacking me for no reason. After numerous restarts, clearing cache, etc., I finally found a workaround that worked for me so I was able to play this game to 100% completion.

Barring the game-breaks, this game was actually somewhat enjoyable for RPG fans and I would have scored it much higher (6-7). There are smaller glitches, as well (i.e. enemies falling through the ground or getting stuck in a wall, conversation that does not match the subtitles, disconnected hair, bad camera control in combat, really bad dialog, etc.) but it is the complete disdain these companies have shown for their console fans that destroyed the enjoyment this game could have been. Quite unsure how this game EVER made it to market.

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GF Rating
4

Weak

Wanted to give it a shot

posted by jaguar7676 (TITUSVILLE, FL) Oct 29, 2012

Member since Nov 2004

Game started out well enough, until it locked..no autosave feature.
Combat is easy and repetitive, while the graphics are worthy of last generation consoles.

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GF Rating
6

Above Average

Not too bad once you get past the visuals

posted by MW66 (AUSTIN, TX) Feb 25, 2012

Member since Feb 2012

Once you get past the fact this game's graphics would have been really awesome on the N64, this isn't a bad little traditional RPG adventure. Story progression is linear, leveling up happens at an intuitive and logical pace, and the maps are nice and missions reasonably challenging. In the days of open-world majesty like Skyrim, a game like Venetica feels like a real throwback. Understand that going in, and it's a pretty good time on the whole.

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GF Rating
1

Horrible

Really....! How did this get made?

posted by volpe2 (ANNAPOLIS, MD) Jan 31, 2012

Member since May 2005

OMG this is the worst game I have played in years. I only spent an hour on it and I want the hour back. Thank goodness I can just pop it back in the mail.

Cons: graphics are 1st gen xbox or worse. Camera is a nightmare when you are in combat. You can never see yourself and the camera just hops around everywhere you are constantly trying to adjust while also trying to fight. Stupid! Didn't get far enough to tell if the story was any good but it seemed pretty old hat to me. Puzzles were a joke, just keep doing something at random until it works.

pros: none that I saw but then I only got an hour into it before realizing it was a waiste of my afternoon.

Don't waiste your time there are plenty of arcade downloads that are much better quality.

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GF Rating
8

Very Good

more you play the better it is

posted by rnorth (ATHENS, OH) Dec 13, 2011

Member since May 2006

didnt like it at first but didnt have anything else to play, once you get used to it, you can really get into it.

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GF Rating
5

Fair

welll

posted by nickie (INDIANAPOLIS, IN) Jul 27, 2011

Member since Jun 2010

i`ll give it a 5 for good storyline. the rest i dont know, it drives you crazy running around trying to find anything

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GF Rating
5

Fair

Eh, Playable

posted by Zrimm9119 (COLORADO SPRINGS, CO) Jun 18, 2011

Member since Oct 2010

The Graphics are horrible, the voice work is eh, and the camera likes to fly around when your doing battles. Other than that there is a lot of potential for this game. I was going to turn it off after the first cut scene, but decided to stick it out a little longer. The stor is actually very interesting and there is some humor buried beneath the horrible details.

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GF Rating
7

Good

Buggy, oldish graphics but decent storyline.

posted by mephy10001 (BROOKLYN, NY) May 14, 2011

Member since May 2011

That game is european - its translation and voicing is better than some others of same kind released recently. A-kania and 2 W-rlds in a way lose to this game in manner of storyline. Its graphics dated and camera work (especially in combat) can be pretty terrible, leaving you open to attacks because you simply dont see the adds joining battle. Combat on normal can be difficult because some of that. Button mashing can be actuallly fun, and I liked spells, clever use of raven spotters and lockpicking. Recommended for those seeking trip back in time to good old days of quest games when content was more important than fancy graphics. Granted its not exactly on same level as old gems, but not be be neglected. Hard to play again soon though, I think.

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GF Rating
4

Weak

after playing venetica for 21 hrs had to return it

posted by ColeCreek (PORT TREVORTON, PA) May 5, 2011

Member since Feb 2010

be forewarned i was in chapter 4 of the game (after entering the doge's palace) where i found that to proceed i needed a skill (getting items from ghosts) that i totally missed somehow.. mind you i'm sure the game isn't broken and i have an idea where to get the ability but the green dot on the map telling me where i have to go for this particular quest (and others in the game) is not in the right place.. this is not the only problem with Venetica, which has a certain kinda of charm about it but seems very dated in alot of ways.. for instance much of the game dialogue between what the characters say and what you read is often wrong and in this day and age this kind of sloppiness should have been caught long before release.. the character models in the game are often reused to in essense the town of Venice has like 5 different ppl in it...the combat is decent but if you notice most of the weapon skills/magic skills are just sort of copies of each other so playing on hard you'll resort to the same tactic over and over...slowing the enemy with the mooblade's time rift attack and running behind him and finishing him off..i'm glad they included a crowd-control spell in Venetica and wonder why more modern games don't use this feature (anyone that played everquest back in the day knows enchanters were awesome)..anyways have fun and if you're up in the air about this or mabey one of the other new RPGs that came out this year i'd try two worlds 2 first over this one (not a perfect game but definately fun)... -Colecreek (waiting for Skyrim woot)

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Good taste

posted by wolf_gamer (FOUNTAIN CITY, IN) Apr 23, 2011

Member since Apr 2011

This is an Awesome game. You have to have patience on some of the battles but don't save before you do something you will not see the person until you have to restart the game but Awesome story line.

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