Dungeons & Dragons Tactics

It may start slowly, but we guarantee you won't want to put it down. [Sept 2007, p.78]

This game could use a little more polish, but it's entertaining for the right people. [Sept 2007, p.62]

If it weren't for the horrible way in which you have to find critical information, I'd happily recommend it to anyone with a passing interest in tactical combat games.

All in all, I felt this game lived up to my expectations in all aspects except for the difficulty in the party management menus and the overall storyline. Honestly, the lack of basic plot elements early on was the biggest letdown of all.

Despite all the stats management, there's no combat log; you don't even get to see what you or your opponent are rolling for attacks. But even for the true D&D aficionado -- or maybe more so for them -- fighting with party management in a game about party management saps so much life from a title that's right on the brink of being much better.

Manages to capture the clunky inapproachability of the d20 rules while keeping none of their underlying elegance, making it tough to recommend it to anyone.

If you can get past the out-of-combat menu system and are willing to learn the D&D rules (or already know them), D&D Tactics comes highly recommended. While the graphics may not be the best, this game provides some really fun tactical battles – some of the best I've seen in awhile.

An awkward interface and visual problems take the shine off of this well-intentioned D&D role-playing game.

What's impressive about D&D Tactics is the fact that the game manages to cram almost every aspect of the pen and paper franchise onto a small UMD, but that comes at a price. The menus, combat issues and other exclusions really hamper the experience.

Even dedicated role-players are better off with a pencil and some paper.

While Dungeons & Dragons Tactics has a lot to offer, the real enjoyment of the game lies in the details. Yet it’s such a hassle to pick up its intricacies that most players will stumble through the game and have a rotten experience.

Tedious, complex, and unappealing on a variety of levels, D&D Tactics may have authenticity in spades, yet it lacks a modicum of accessibility.

Some hardcore D&D fans will be disappointed by the things left out of the 3.5 ruleset, but any tactical RPG fan who doesn't know about what's been left out or doesn't care will enjoy Dungeons & Dragons Tactics.

Dungeons & Dragons Tactics may just have enough for fans but it's otherwise too slow and restrictive for anyone else to be interested.

Though clunky at times, you have to admire the level of tactical depth that has been translated from the pen and paper game, and in spite of our reservations about the level of explanation on some things, the interface is commendable for being so easy to navigate on such a small screen with limited controls.

With an uninspired plotline and by-the-numbers missions, around 30 hours of sleepy questing and a repetitive multiplayer mode only the diehard need apply.

While this game may have some good points, namely character customization on part with the pen and paper game and solid turn based gameplay, it staggers for life almost everywhere else.

It's just a shame that the developers couldn't balance implementing authentic rules with playability.

Here it is, the pen and paper classic Dungeons and Dragons represented in videogame form on your PSP. The deep ruleset makes the transistion largely intact, and the campaign itself is impressive in its length. It is what it is. That might have been the best that could have been said of it. If only the results just worked with some kind of grace and style.

However its unintuitive user interface, horrible graphics and some frustrating game lock-ups, which can occur at any time for no reason at all, really damage what would be an otherwise average game.

D&D Tactics flings lines of text at you, and none of it is well written. There's no effort made to provide well-developed characterization, yet there's a lot of time wasted on excess words. Worse, the default speed passes them by so quickly that I was usually three or four words from the end of a line when it faded.

Pure D&D, with all of the good and bad connotations that carries.

This is a really solid SRPG that adheres to the D&D rules and mythos as much as possible without reducing the fun factor. I recommend it for anyone who likes SRPGs in general, and even more so if you're deaf.

There’s just not enough of anything here, except combat, combat, and more combat. On a system as thick with RPGs as the PSP is these days, there are plenty of games with more to do, plus interesting stories and more visual flair besides. Unless combat’s all you want, give something else a look instead.

If it’s not your thing and you are looking for an entrance into that world, this one might be a bit of a steep curve for you. If you’re a seasoned player however, the fact that this game so closely follows the original rules will appeal to you greatly and definitely add a couple of points to my score.

Kuju should be commended for packing as much authentic content as they did on this UMD.

If you don't have a Dungeons and Dragons background, the game will seem impenetrable and dull - and even players of the tabletop game will appreciate the detail, but hate the incredibly clumsy interface and lack of information and feedback.

The user menus and interface are done amazingly well on given the small screen with limited controls. This game is definitely not for the casual gamer but if you give it a chance its merits can be large and rewarding.

It's all a bit dull. [Dec 2007, p.82]

Far too technical to be described as being fun. For the hardcore only. [Dec 2007, p.82]

It recreates the tabletop D&D experience, but ultimately Tactics just doesn't works as a videogame. D&D fans may get some enjoyment out of it, but the bland environments and animations do little to bring the rich world of D&D to life. [Issue#159, p.96]

Dungeons & Dragons Tactics is the best thing to happen to the D&D license since Wizards of the Coast commissioned the first Neverwinter Nights PC game.

Dungeons and Dragons Tactics does a good job of trying to recreate those sessions where you get together with several buddies and eat junk food while rolling dice. Unfortunately, some of the rules are adhered to too well, and sometimes the game doesn’t allow you to do the things you can do in a regular game of D&D.

A strange game, its impenetrable combat will put off most D&D novices while the more experienced who are able to forgive (or simply understand) the lack of information will find its horrible interface minimises any enjoyment they may have.

Although it tries to be a enjoyable recreation of a board game, the interface, camera and even its own complexity damage an experience that doesn’t seem to fit on a portable console. [Nov 2007]

This title has a very strong appeal to anyone who is a seasoned player of Dungeons & Dragons and is interested in playing a tactical combat simulator that is faithful to the system with which it shares its name.