A lot of fun but a bit lacking in originality
The game has the interesting premise of being very closely based around classical mythology; indeed this is one of the few games that genuinely serves as an educational tool, using characters from Greek, Egyptian and Chinese mythology to bring together an epic story that defines how humanity became what it is today. I feel that the game really benefits from this educational slant, as without this it really does lack originality. An incredibly long game (especially when you play straight through the main campaign and the Immortal Throne expansion pack), the only real activity involved is exploring areas and killing literally around 20,000 monsters. Yes, the game provides you with a slightly depressing "kill count", showing you just how much of your life you have wasted moving through areas clicking on bad guys!
Still, the story is interesting enough to keep you moving on, and the variety of skills that your opponents have keep you on your toes trying to find the safest way to deal with them. In general the enemies aren't too hard, however when they attack in groups (which is often!), the fights can require some thought. The boss fights are the defining moments of this game though, as each boss has different powerful skills, meaning that each must be approached carefully and the fights are quite tactical. It is important in these fights to move around a lot and wait for opportunities before striking quickly. These challenging battles give a strong sense of satisfaction and help to keep you playing the game.
As I say though, the gameplay is very reminiscent of Diablo, featuring a fixed over head camera, large areas full of monsters, a similar character sheet and the gameplay process of "Arrive at town, talk to townsfolk, obtain quests, explore wilderness, kill monsters, loot areas, kill boss monster, return to town for reward and to sell items". Even things such as shrines giving temporary abilities and portals providing quick links to different areas are the same. A lot of the sound effects sound similar too. All that is essentially different is the story. While this lack of originality is a little disappointing, the argument can be put forward that if the format isn't broken then there is no need to mess with it; Diablo is one of the most important RPG's of all time so why should the developers of Titan Quest stray from a winning formula?
Graphically this game is nice. It's nothing special, however it is perfectly acceptable considering its fixed third person camera that doesn't let you get too close to the characters. The graphics for magical effects are very nice and showcase its performance a little more though, so it is worth investing some skill points in the spells when you level up just for the great effects! The environments are varied and interesting, really giving you the feel of the architecture of the various civilizations that you visit. The main locations are mostly real places too, so it is interesting to see how the developers have imagined them. Having a passing knowledge of Egyptian mythology it was very interesting to see how the story in Titan Quest was weaved throughout real locations and the characters of the mythology.
I didn't experience any bugs, and the game ran perfectly well even when there were a lot of characters on screen and a lot of area effects going on at once. The game has three difficulty levels, which together with a very long campaign mean that the game is excellent value for money. There is also a tool to create your own adventures, though I haven't really tried this out yet. I'm sure that there are some interesting community developed adventures on the net to play though, so it is unlikely that you will get bored of the game.
In all, this is a solid, enjoyable game. It lacks originality of gameplay to be hugely influential, but does represent value for money and I have had fun playing it. The classics inspired storyline gives the game an interesting twist and certainly gives the game added educational value over its rivals. At the end of the day, if you like Diablo styled hack and slash RPG's then you will enjoy playing Titan Quest!