VERSUS: The Elite Trials

(Side note: I've only done one playthrough of this, so some of the things I've talked about could be different with a different path, but the book should still be interesting on its first read.) To be quite honest the first Versus book never really caught my attention, but the first book was much shorter and it had lots of world building going on, especially with its political and religious choices. So I figured maybe it needed a first book to get it standing and that the second book would pop, like the Heroes Rise series that I happen to adore. I was also hoping that the second book would cut back on the political, social, and religious commentary, as they detracted away from the story rather than add to it. I was INCREDIBLY disappointed to find this book would take that commentary and crank it up to 5000. Which is sad, because there is bits where the story manages to hold me in, such as during the first trial where we are introduced to some new bright characters who were all very ...

Just a disclaimer at the start that I didn't like the first part to this series since it failed with its focus because the first game felt more like a setup; a base to build to this one. Also this is a choice-of-games game, so it will have many of the problems that the other games have - alas many of your choices seemingly won't matter. So, do you need to have to played the first game? You don't need to actually since the story of the first game is summarized in the beginning which makes you realize not much at all has happened in the first one. It still helps to have read the first one since you need to pick up on the vocabulary that was introduced back then. The sequel does offer a glossary but it doesn't explain every word. Going through the first one was still more of an exercise of pain since it used its bloated vocabulary a little bit too liberally. The last thing actually got changed in this game. Vocabulary for certain things (like the name for a race or such) are used a lot...

How do I approach this. I liked The Elite Trials. I loved The Lost Ones, and Elite Trials expanded on the world I already enjoyed. The characters are interesting, the writing is solid, the plot handles itself well, and the author is capable of pulling some interesting twists, though at times it was slightly stretching my willing suspension of disbelief. But only slightly. The game itself feels… Shorter, but that might be because some parts of it are locked away depending on the choices made in the prequel. Still, there are only two plotlines through the entire game, the MemoryTravel and the Trial, and the trial takes the back seat. I honestly expected more. BUT - I like what I got, and I don’t feel like I overpaid for it. The replayability value is quite high - The game teases many secrets, and I know I’ll be playing it again in the future to try and uncover them. You will find some very negative reviews concerning the… Preachy nature of the game. They’re not wrong. Zac...

In general, if you enjoyed VERSUS: The Lost Ones, you are bound to enjoy this one even further. The continuation develops on itself quite neatly and the author's gain in experience is shown in the game's more intricate nature - gameplay and story wise. That being said, VERSUS: The Elite Trails is an amazing story, still one of the best from the Choice of Games platform, and it explores the universe imagined by Zachary Sergi quite well, deepening on its lore and creating new relationships with new characters. However, it can be lackluster, depending on what you are looking for. Following the trend on most Choice of Games titles (as opposed to some of the greatest Hosted Games titles), this game still attempts, and expands on, putting players in labeled boxes, trying to fit them on criterias instead of allowing their personality to flow. Taking further steps in the Mastery and Growth concepts utilized in the first book, you now have more stat variants and more goals to focus on, which,...

I loved it. I just wish the romances were fleshed out a little more. Perhaps that's not the main goal of the story (seeing its high direction toward ethical and political conundrums), but if the romance portion is available, I'd like more! :)

Not light reading by any means but very interesting. I espacially loved the planet creation part of the game it was just so different to anything I've seen in a CoG game before. If you're looking for something light-hearted and fun probably not for you but if you're up for some deep story I would very much recommend

I wanna like the game and its definitely not the worst choice game I have played. The story and world are both very interesting. The political power struggle and relationship managing can be fun. But my two major gripes that make me hate this game are The confusing stat and chart system the game has and The romance system I love the chartacters in this game and would want to replay it so many times to do all the extensive romance paths it seems to have. However I am beyond pissed with how it is executed. In the first game the lost one you meet quite a few of the RO's (romance options) and thats good but you dont really get a chance to talk to any of them on a deep level (except for breeze and maybe venuma but I havent tried to romance her on my first run. So not getting to know them sucks and you get to base your relationships on looks alone basically because in The Elite Trials you get to chat with each of the other RO's at the beginning and see their looks and outer personalities an...

[Spolier!] The world/planet creation was just simply amaizing, waiting forward for thrid book!

The game definitely requires you play the first, and if you like that, this is a very dedicated and expected sequel in the same vein with continuations of most of the themes and threads from that. I saw some people disappointed the game didn't make a sudden turn in its contents and themes which seems a bit strange considering how it laid itself out in the first, but I suppose that's something to beware if you expect something else going in when playing this game. Love it to death, a romp of meta-scifi goodness quashed in a lot of morality issues.

What the first book did with world building, this installment ratchets up to eleven. We get to learn a lot more about other cultures, societies, and how things operate on Versus. We also get further development on characters that were only touched on in the Last Ones, as well as incredible new ones that you meet along your journey. I think it should be noted that most of your time IS spent with new characters instead of the old ones (with a few exceptions). If that bothers you then you might not like this game. The mysteries Zack set up in the first book also get explored more here in a very satisfying way. You find answers to some things, but they often create even more questions. It doesn't feel jumbled or overly confusing though. It only serves to heighten the tension. The last thing I think is worth mentioning is the overall tone of the game. In The Lost Ones, I could create great relationships with all the people I liked and have a more or less "happy ending." But thing...