Preview Risen 2 preview at IGN

[Elwro]

Tags: Piranha Bytes; Risen 2: Dark Waters

<p>Surprisingly, the guys at IGN found some time to prepare a <a href="http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/121/1210360p1.html">preview</a> of Risen 2: Dark Waters (with screenshots I haven't seen before). The worrisome bits have already been <a href="http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=65509">discussed</a>, so now for some more uplifting passages:</p>
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<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Later, in a sizeable port town where, we see a little more quest variation: sabotaging cannons to blast away a prison wall and free a prisoner for your pirate crew, infiltrating watchtowers, even sending a fully-controllable trained mon[k]ey in through people's open windows to pick locks and loot chests.</p>
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<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Risen 2's world is hand-crafted, which should hopefully give it the same sense of place that Risen 1 was memorable for. There's no procedural generation, no randomly-spawning enemies, no fake doors. Every person in the port town has their own house and their own bed, and they'll get rather upset with you if you try to sleep in it. They have daily routines in which you, too, can take part, taking up a smithing, mining or harvesting job to earn a little extra cash or experience.</p>
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<p>Well, if you ask me, if they just manage to keep the style of the first Risen and create a better endgame, this will be one of the best RPG games in years...</p>
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<p>Also, for some sanity ("A game about pirates? Without sailing? WTF?"):</p>
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<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"In the beginning, of course we considered it," [Peter Brolly of Piranha Bytes] says. "But then you're thinking of what you can bring to the table that's more than anyone else has done &ndash; should it be more accurate? Shoulds it be a sailing simulator? It was all too complicated. We know our limits at Piranha Bytes: we're a core RPG developer. We have people who can write great dialogue, we have great quest-designers, we have open-ended and believable game worlds, but we don't have the expertise to develop a strategy- or tactical naval battle game.&nbsp;<br /><br /> "It's really important to focus what you're doing. You can try to do everything, but you can't do anything well then. The only people who can do everything right now are people like Rockstar and Bethesda - although I'm pretty sure that Skyrim is not going to be excellent on every level.</p>
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<p>Thanks, <em>curry!</em></p>

 

[Coyote]

Several new screenshots this time, so I'm not going to quote them all, but they look great. It also looks like they drastically reduced the bloom in the sky for this set of pictures compared to the first Risen and some of the older screens, which makes it look much nicer. A few new creatures, some concept art, a series of four pictures that show off the day/night cycle (which might be old, they seem familiar), and interestingly enough, one picture shows a character knocking over a [mud]crab with a kick. Also, Piranha Bytes' women continue to be... unsettling (where's her neck?).

That's only about half of the new pictures, BTW.

The Unnamed Hero's first encounter is with a gnome called Jaffar in a fetching tricorne hat, who can speak rudimentary and obscenity-peppered English that he evidently learned from pirates. "It's pirate-themed, so we're going for a high number of f**ks per minute," grins Peter Brolly of Piranha Bytes.

what.

Later, in a sizeable port town where, we see a little more quest variation: sabotaging cannons to blast away a prison wall and free a prisoner for your pirate crew, infiltrating watchtowers, even sending a fully-controllable trained mon[k]ey in through people's open windows to pick locks and loot chests.

All true staples of the pirate gen- wait, what?

Risen 2's world is hand-crafted, which should hopefully give it the same sense of place that Risen 1 was memorable for. There's no procedural generation, no randomly-spawning enemies, no fake doors.

Every person in the port town has their own house and their own bed, and they'll get rather upset with you if you try to sleep in it.

Just like in real life. Don't they know people play games for escapism?

We know our limits at Piranha Bytes: we're a core RPG developer. We have people who can write great dialogue, we have great quest-designers, we have open-ended and believable game worlds, but we don't have the expertise to develop a strategy- or tactical naval battle game.

Actually, that reminds me: how is the dialogue of Risen/Gothics in German? I've seen Gothic 2 praised for its dialogue a couple of times before, which always struck me as odd, but it could just be that the people saying that were playing a German copy and JoWooD's/Atari's translators suck.

 

[Trojan_generic]

although I'm pretty sure that Skyrim is not going to be excellent on every level.

wait, he really said that? Should have elaborated a bit.

 

[Shannow]

Actually, that reminds me: how is the dialogue of Risen/Gothics in German? I've seen Gothic 2 praised for its dialogue a couple of times before, which always struck me as odd, but it could just be that the people saying that were playing a German copy and JoWooD's/Atari's translators suck.

I like the dialogue in G1/2 pretty much the best out of any game I've played. The tone and humor (in b4 Germans don't have any humor) are right down my lane and I never had to cringe when I chose a line. G3 and Risen are more hit and miss but overall still ok.
I can't comment on the quality of the translation. But for years I thought BG2 had a kinda shitty dialogues because of the shitty translation, only to find out that the original english is just as bad if not worse...
So it could very well be that you wouldn't like Gothic's dialogue even if it were perfectly translated.

 

[Nim]

Risen 2's world is hand-crafted, which should hopefully give it the same sense of place that Risen 1 was memorable for. There's no procedural generation, no randomly-spawning enemies, no fake doors.

Wat. Risen and a memorable world ? Oh wait, it's IGN.

Actually, that reminds me: how is the dialogue of Risen/Gothics in German? I've seen Gothic 2 praised for its dialogue a couple of times before, which always struck me as odd, but it could just be that the people saying that were playing a German copy and JoWooD's/Atari's translators suck.

English Risen is infinitely superior to the german original imo. I'll second Shannow though regarding G1/G2, those are so much better in german. Note, I don't think the writing is particularly good, it just really fits the setting in G1/2.

The tone and humor (in b4 Germans don't have any humor) are right down my lane and I never had to cringe when I chose a line.

THIS.

So it could very well be that you wouldn't like Gothic's dialogue even if it were perfectly translated.

Doubt it could be done. There are just so many things that are just well german in the dialogues.

 

[toro]

Wat. Risen and a memorable world ? Oh wait, it's IGN.

It's a world who stands on its own legs, and if you don't dig Gothic like worlds, it means that you don't know the difference between copy-paste worlds and hand made worlds. In other words, there is a big chance that you have shitty tastes. But this should not be an obstacle, especially when you want to be a dra.. edgy!

 

[Volourn]

Shouldn't he mean core ACTION rpg developer?

 

[Nim]

Wat. Risen and a memorable world ? Oh wait, it's IGN.

It's a world who stands on its own legs, and if you don't dig Gothic like worlds, it means that you don't know the difference between copy-paste worlds and hand made worlds. In other words, there is a big chance that you have shitty tastes. But this should not be an obstacle, especially when you want to be a dra.. edgy!

Or maybe I dig Gothics world, just not Risens

 

[ortucis]

Wat. Risen and a memorable world ? Oh wait, it's IGN.

It's a world who stands on its own legs, and if you don't dig Gothic like worlds, it means that you don't know the difference between copy-paste worlds and hand made worlds. In other words, there is a big chance that you have shitty tastes. But this should not be an obstacle, especially when you want to be a dra.. edgy!

Or maybe I dig Gothics world, just not Risens

Risen was made up of 3 small locations. Gothic 3 in comparison was huge.

So I am hoping Risen 2 will be bigger and better than G3 even.

 

[dr. one]

The tone and humor (in b4 Germans don't have any humor) are right down my lane and I never had to cringe when I chose a line.

That sums my feelings as well, though they´re based on english versions and english isn´t my first language.
There´s a kind of down-to-earthness to most of the G1/2´s dialogues not quite present in any other game I remember.

 

[Elwro]

The down-to-earthness is spot on concerning the pedigree of most of the characters.