Stonekeep is a great RPG with the perfect Saturday afternoon DnD atmosphere. Unfairly panned for it's poor 3D engine!
It is not hard to see why Stonekeep received such harsh criticism in 1995.
The 3D tech had not matured enough yet, and many games that really tried to push the tech envelope fell flat on their face.
So Interplay went out on a limb, like many other software companies, and came out with this game that was suppose to feature the "next big thing" in 3D action. It ended up looking like an old first person RPG with flat line-draw animations (like Wizardry if you know that one), except that the textures looked better and the monsters look like scanned artwork, or maybe manipulated photos.
The overall effect of this approach ends up looking like you are moving through a visual representation of a AD&D manual and fighting paper cut-outs from a Bestiary.
I won't lie to you, in 1995, this looked pretty dull compared to the beautiful 2D art that other games had already achieved by that time.
Similarly, there were plenty of other 3D games that got the gameplay way better from an action game perspective. (doom)
However, time tells a different story, and today, Stonekeep looks like nothing less than pure awesomeness.
The anachronistic and bizarre graphic engine that appeared dated and out of step in it's own time now serves to set Stonekeep apart from the countless action RPG clones of the 1990's.
Furthermore, the lack of 3D action fluidity actually gives the game more focus and allows you to learn it's own rare breed of gameplay.
The gameplay of Stonekeep is really fun. You have a very limited number of moves and weapons, but the simplicity keeps things moving, and allows you to explore the more dense RPG aspects of the game. Underneath the gameplay, there is just enough of a story to keep things going, but not enough to take over.
I am writing this review in 2010. In 1995, I believe that this game would deserve the 6.6 that gamespot gave it.
In 1995, this game represented a false step for the future of gaming, and a direction that the industry, and gamers alike, wished to avoid.
Indeed, I am quite happy that nobody thought it was a good idea to copy this game, and I shudder at the thought of what it would produce.
However, Stonekeep ended up being really fun.
It's solitary existence in the echelons of action RPGs stands as a bit of welcome variety against the throngs of diablo-style hack'n'slash games, and the slew of 3rd person AD&D titles that all seem to blend together.
Bottom line: Stonekeep is a rare game. It manages to be fun, entertaining and unique without ever managing to be beautiful or innovative. If you like old pencil and paper DnD, it's nostalgia waiting to happen, play it.