Review Risen 2 Review Bundle

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Piranha Bytes; Risen 2: Dark Waters

Risen 2 has been out for a while and it continues to gather less than enthusiastic reviews. Here are some samples:

PCGamer rates it 61/100, lamenting the fact you have to put up an effort to succeed.

Risen 2 is as coarsely put together as the pirates it references throughout. Dig around and there’s real gold to be found in the hours of game-time it offers, but the sheer hard work required to unearth them will be too much for all but the truly dedicated RPG plunderer.

A pirate’s life for ye? That depends on your tolerance for working for your treasure.

Blistered Thumbs bestow a 6/10 on the game.

Coming to the point, I found Risen 2: Dark Waters to be a satisfying game to play, but with far too many flaws in it to climb to the rooftops and shout its praises. It was nice to see my character finally flesh out and become what I wanted him to be, but it shouldn’t have been such a struggle along the way. The too simple for too long combat, the occasional plain plot point (including a moment where the main quest disappeared completely from my logbook), or even the lazily animated way how your character pulls chests RIGHT OUT OF THE PACKED SOIL as though he were effortlessly extracting a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon right from his backside during treasure hunting quests, among other problems all contribute to the dulled shine of Risen 2, making what could have been great fun, an at most enjoyable, if mixed experience.

For some players, Risen 2 is a hard game.

Games On Net don't have a score but feel you need to lower your expectations significantly to harvest some fun.

Risen 2: Dark Waters is the kind of game where you almost don’t need to complete it to get your money’s worth. The story is unimportant and the telling so loose that no real investment is ever made. It’s simply a portal to a pirate world where you can slash some beasties and experiment with questionable AI. It’s all Piranha Bytes has ever done and, sadly, probably all they will ever do.

If you can lower your expectations, Risen 2 is a bit of harmless RPG fun. Slapping about in the shallow pool can be enjoyable, if you’re in the mood.

Finally, Blast Magazine rate it 2.5/5, well the graphics, just look at the graphics!

But stilted presentation, muted visuals (I refer back to awkward character gestures), muddy textures, and over-used combat dialogue combined with a combat system that just isn’t remarkable in any way, shape or form doesn’t exactly an epic pirate adventure make. There was much that could have been accomplished here, and at times you catch a small glimpse of greatness. With a bit more polish and care, Risen 2: Dark Waters could have knocked it out of the park. Opt for other RPGs that arrrrren’t as underwhelming.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Oh the inanity!

Are the Blistered Thumbs (learn to masturbate properly to avoid blisters btw) guys seriously whining about the silly chest raising animation?

 

[Shannow]

Wow, there was bad stuff on the horizon while R2 was being developed. But now it sounds like it turned out quite good. I think I'll give it a spin once I've finished my current games.

 

[Aeschylus]

Philistines.

 

[Killzig]

A 6 seems generous from the hour I spent with it before uninstalling.

 

[Dragon]

A 6 seems mean from the 40 hours I spent before reading the previous comment.

 

[Metro]

The Metacritic score is at 69 -- not that I pay attention to metacritic but chances are that means it is in for a steeper discount in the not-too-distant future. I'm thinking this is probably the end of the Risen franchise. As to where PB will go next well... some people have thrown out the Kickstarter idea but, who knows. I think a good idea would be for them to just go the self-publishing route, use Kickstarter, and maybe start off with a remastered/overhauled/updated version of Gothic 1 using their current engine. Better graphics (read, non-dated in 2000), bring Kai back in contractually to tune up the soundtrack, get better voice acting, polish/flesh out some of the dead end plot lines and missing content and have $20 base preorder/donation for a digital download copy with higher tiers. If that's a success and they pad their bank account then they can work on a proper Gothic 4.

That said, after the events of Gothic 3 it would be a bit tricky to come up with a convincing plot line to base a game off of.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Metro, how about something new? Gothic story is pretty much over, even though Risen kind of continues it. It feels a bit awkward. Gothic 1 is fun but why remake it? It can still be played in its current form.

I would love something PB-like in an early industrial or steampunk setting. Something in modern setting would be even better.

 

[Metro]

Yeah, not too long after I posted this I read through some threads on the World of Gothic forum and -- as much as I like the setting -- I think PB might be better off just going in another direction with a new IP. Who knows, maybe they'll sell enough copies of Risen 2 to justify/green light a sequel but it's looking questionable at this point.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Yeah, not too long after I posted this I read through some threads on the World of Gothic forum and -- as much as I like the setting -- I think PB might be better off just going in another direction with a new IP. Who knows, maybe they'll sell enough copies of Risen 2 to justify/green light a sequel but it's looking questionable at this point.

The critics have already made their minds up about PB though. I can't remember a single game of theirs that was well received by english speaking reviewers - even before the decline became ultra-deep, with the first two Gothics.

These days, the only way they will be cut any slack is if they create a grade-A-retarded absurdly easy and linear game combined with Biowaresque romance emphasis. I'm not saying Risen 2 is any good - I haven't played it yet - but I saw all this shit with G3 and Risen 1. I'm talking about comparative reviewing here - Risen had its faults, but they weren't faults that put it behind Oblivion or FO3 (or Mass Effect/DA in my view).

Reviewers will still allow difficulty (not really difficulty - just the mild guidance of having enemies that can kill you if you go off the path into harder areas, against the game's advice) - but only if the game is blatantly an indie tribute to a past classic. Xenonauts will be reasonably reviewed, even if it is difficult, because reviewers don't really know how to review games like that anymore, and the best they can do is play it safe and say 'Fans of the classic will love this, great job' (not knocking Xenonauts - it actually looks pretty promising), but if you make a game of similar difficulty and present it as anything other than a fun little side-interest that difficulty is equated with tedium.

Personally, I'd appreciate it if someone could translate and post some of the continental European reviews of Risen 2. It may well be shit...I just don't trust any of these reviewers enough to take their word for it.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

A translated conclusion of a review in PC Mania, which is a terrible gaming rag here in Bulgaria:

moonspeak version

Risen 2 е доста прилична. Както вече стана дума, не е Skyrim. Гъмжащите от растителност острови обаче буквално бликат от живот, а играта върви плавно дори и на компютри от среден клас. Анимациите и физиономиите на NPC-тата обаче са все така дървени, а озвучението - ту добро, ту ужасно.

Ако сте сред по-обидчивите, няма как да не споменем и фактът, че Risen 2 блика със сексистски и хомофобски шеги. Още в самото начало например убеждавате Пати, че трябва да работи в кухнята, просто защото е жена. Не бих се изненадал, ако някои организации решат да атакуват Piranha Bytes за подобни неща.

Осъзнавам, че Risen 2 не е лъжица за всяка уста. Като фен на Piranha Bytes и техните игри буквално съм претръпнал и не обръщам внимание на всичките им недостатъци, които ги преследват от заглавие в заглавие. Ако и вие можете да се абстрахирате от тях, ви очаква нещо наистина приятно. Да, не може да се сравни с титаните в жанра, но все пак изпъва - както с детайлния си отворен свят, така и с любопитната си история. Ще останете доволни, ще видите. Аз лично съм

Risen 2 is quite decent. As I've said, it's not Skyrim. However, the lush islands are filled with life and the game runs smoothly even on avarage hardware. The animations and faces of NPCs are still extremely stiff and the voice work is very uneven.

We can't forgo the fact that Risen 2 is awash with sexist and homophobic jokes, especially if you are an easily offended person. For example, near the beginning you have to convince Patty that she has to work in the kitchen just because she is a woman. I wouldn't be surprised if some organizations decide to attack PB for these things.

I understand that Risen 2 is not for everybody. As a fan of PB and their games I'm used to, and I don't pay any attention to all the flaws that seem to crop up in each of their games. You are in for a great experience If you can distance yourself from those issues too. Yes, it can't be compared to the titans of the genre but it still stands out with its open world and interesting story. You'll have fun, you'll see. Personally I am.

Pros and cons they give:

Pros
+ good leveling system and a lot of options
+ nice graphics, well optimized in technical sense
+ challenging gameplay
+ voodoo magic
+ fun to play - 30+h of piratey goodness
Cons
- combat system is stiff sometimes
- some parts may be offensive to some players
- character animation is not very impressive
- voice over could be better

I've tried to keep the grammar inconsistency of the original version in translation (especially going between single and plural narrative).

They've gave it 4.5 stars out of 6.

 

[Jaesun]

some parts may be offensive to some players

lol wat?

 

[Brayko]

Eurofags gonna fag.

 

[Black]

A review from blistered turds? Really?