themadhatter
Novice
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2008
- Messages
- 46
Given that I recently completed the game and a few reviews have begun to appear, I thought it appropriate to chime in on a thread specifically created to house the thoughts of those stalwart Codexians who managed to complete such (fess up).
Less a "proper" review, not that the mainstream media sets a high-standard, than a list, my thoughts follow: a solid 7 of 10 game, nothing more, assuming you are sufficiently enlightened to recognize that a 5 on said scale denotes an "average" title.
POSITIVE:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Improved Graphics - expected of any modern game, yet the results are actually quite stunning. Their use of tessellation was a welcome surprise.
Improved Engine - the draw distance, supported polygon count, inclusion of higher-level physics, godrays and the like are all excellent but it's the stability that astonishes most. That and the general optimization allow a relatively modest computer to run the program at the same level of complexity as a high-end machine. I personally tested it on both a Nvidia 8800 GT and a 460 GTX (albeit each were running on computers with the same OS and amount of RAM) and found the differences to be negligible. The 8800 tended to choke in high-density areas, such as a crowded street, yet otherwise produced similar results across the board. Of course, the developers proudly boasted of optimizing the game for a steady 30 FPS at all times (for the consoles, naturally) and it's fair game to say that most computer gaming rigs are just as powerful (well, decidedly more so) than your modern console. That's not to detract from the developers' accomplishment, however, given how atrocious other ports/multi-platform titles have been (ala GTA IV, Saints Row 2, et cetera).
Improved Dialogue - I'll leave it at this: the characters speak actual, coherent English.
Innovative Magic System - I'll address my negative thoughts on the system below, but for now let it suffice that it allows for a great deal of creative input and customization. Furthermore, it can be legitimately fun to play as a mage, given the myriad options available for causing some genuine mayhem.
Improved Collision/Pathfinding - From NPCs to monsters the pathfinding is significantly improved over the first, wherein numerous monsters could pile up at the base of a single rock, NPCs frequently clipped through the scenery and other assorted issues cropped up. While this arguably should have been merged into the "Improved Engine" category, the mere fact that the horses no longer behave so erratically as a result merits its own notation.
Improved Quests - By which I mean that, once or twice (as I recall) you'll take part in a quest that may be resolved via any one of multiple solutions. Now that's forward thinking... if only there was a genre of games that focused on this sort of thing...
NEGATIVE:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graphics - A fine counterpoint to my praise above must begin with the graphics. While significantly improved, and displaying some genuine skill, they nonetheless suffer as a result of needless and, at times, laborious repetition. Copy-paste design is evident throughout much of the world, from the environment (particularly the dungeons, which are akin to Oblivion in that all are built on the same standard tileset with minor aesthetic changes thrown in to mix things up) to the NPCs. This may be excused by virtue of technological/resource limitations, however, it could easily have been averted by simply trimming down on the world size. Quality over quantity, mates.
Engine - Bloom - Utilized significantly less than one might expect from a modern game, it nonetheless makes frequent and jarring appearances. Looking at the "sun" is not advisable.
Engine - HDR - The true bane of TW2's lighting department, the sheer amount of vitriolic comments dedicated to the HDR should be sufficient to convey just how dreadful the developer's implementation is: akin to being hit with a strobe each time you shift from light to darkness or load a new area/save.
Engine - Tessellation - As noted above, I was surprised they used it ...and disappointed at how sloppily they did so. Understandably it is a relatively "new" feature, making an appearance in few other engines (at present, the only ones that come immediately to mind are the Unigine and GeoMod), hence the inclusion earned it a plus, but when your tessellation causes multiple "rock" walls to warp inward not out, you have a serious problem. Seen most often in the introductory dungeon.
Engine - Motion Blur - I found the use to be maddening. In classic console-fashion, each movement of the camera is accompanied by blur. As are many combat animations. Indeed, just about any motion will set it off, though the most egregious is the insistence on using it when running. The character runs at what might be dubbed a steady "trot" and his sprint is hardly deserving of the title. Hint to developers: reserve the use of motion blur for legitimately fast characters or objects. In short: is riding a galloping horse with motion blur okay? Yes. Is it okay EVERY bloody time you run at speeds approaching a STAGGERING twelve miles per hour? No.
Engine - Options - Perhaps the most infuriating aspect of the engine is found in the simple inability of the user to customize much about it. While toggles for the expected options (Resolution, VSync, et cetera) are present, the much needed HDR/Bloom are not, nor is there much differentiation in certain options such as "Shadows" which often impact graphical performance the most. Options to adjust the draw distance of foliage versus characters versus buildings/items/terrain and so on are also missing, to say nothing of the utter lack of a benchmarking utility. While the menu screen may well be used to test certain options (detail level, et cetera) it is impossible to tell what --- if any --- effect you've made upon the performance or aesthetic appeal of the game when you swap the "Grass Distance" down from the default "10/10" nor, by way of a further example, if changing the "Physics" from "High" to "Low" will impair... well, anything! Furthermore, keyboard customization is lacking, as the screen suffers from classic consolitis, with an overly large panel containing a list that could easily have been summed up in one window. That it also lacks support for select mouse input (such as the side-buttons on certain Logitech/Razr models) should be enough said about the lackluster porting in this respect.
GUI - Horrible! Just atrocious. Again, a feature obviously designed around large-screen television systems and console kiddies, with grotesquely massive icons, no support for drag-and-drop, nor the ability to stack/split items or sell in bulk. That's right, if you want to divest yourself of those twenty useless traps, be prepared to click twenty-freaking-times! The "glass" effect backing the icons is also annoying, given that it both obscures the icon in low light conditions and has a tendency to (at times) intensify or focus the HDR-effect in high-light ones.
Dialogue - Subtitles - Suffice to say, while the characters are speaking English, they do not always say what the subtitles do, nor are said subtitles as free of grammatical/spelling errors as is expected of a professional studio. Also, while rather nitpicky, I should point out that this is yet another game that failed to pick up the [CC] banner originally hoisted by Doom 3 and Half-Life 2. Kinda sad, actually.
Magic System - Restrictive - While the system allows for some creativity and improvisation, it should be pointed out how horrendously restrictive it is. A certain aspect of this stems from its inherently unbalanced nature (noted below), namely the Mana limit, but the cut down options also play a pivotal role. For instance, damage modifiers could be stacked in the first game, in addition to stacking the actual spell card. Here, cards alone may be stacked. This renders the creation of early-game mega-spells all but impossible (ideal from a balancing perspective), but similarly impairs the ability to create them come the end-game (which is where it falls apart).
Magic System - Unbalanced - As a pure mage you will encounter countless situations in which death is the only option. Sadly, it's your death I am discussing. Quest after quest will shove you into small chambers blatantly geared toward a melee build. This means you die, then again, then again, then you mix up your magic and eke out a victory by spamming summons or blasting through all your health potions.
The flipside is that in the open a pure mage is a juggernaut: unstoppable... at least in the early game.
That, right there, is the core of the poorly balanced misfit that is the magic system of Two Worlds 2. Early game mages will find that a single, simple spell will allow them to churn through absolutely anything in their path. Anything. This becomes even more egregious if they should be wise enough to increase their mana regeneration skill (which, oddly unlike health regeneration, functions both in and out of combat), resulting in an early game character that --- quite literally --- cannot run out of mana. I ran from one end of the savanna to the other, blasting off fireballs willy-nilly at 98 MP per spell, while recovering 105 MP after each shot.
Again, the flipside is that the mana regeneration is capped at 105 MP per second. That's it.
This spells utter doom for the creative aspect of the magic system, as you are forced to abandon your most powerful spell (or, at least, abandon the option of upgrading it) as high-damage versions swiftly mount into the 1000MP-per-shot range. At level 23 I was capable of firing my most powerful fire spell (with the maxed Spell-Cost-Decrease skill) a mere three times ere I ran out of mana. Worse yet, that spell wasn't even fully stacked! I had seven fire cards stacked, along with four missiles (for added speed on the firebolt), yet it still cost in excess of 1000 MP!
Long story short: as a mage you either rape or get raped. There is no middle ground. My mage-chastity has been violated...
Quests - Fetch. Kill. Run here, run there, listen to a cutscene in AssCreed fashion (You can move! It doesn't matter at all because you cannot actually DO ANYTHING in them, but you can move!), then run back. Quest Complete! Seriously, that is nine-tenths of the game. The rest is discovering one locked door/tent (how do you lock a tent?) after another, only to have it magically unlocked the instant someone mentions that you should run there, watch a cutscene, kill something, then run back.
Riding a Horse - Apparently inspired by insipid casual games the developer's opted to remove any shadow of doubt that they and they alone can bollox up riding a horse like none other. In the first Two Worlds horses were drawn to trees like magnets and turned like a Buick without wheels. Here they are ridden via a minigame. Yep, read that again. M-i-n-i-g-a-m-e. The worst aspect of this minigame is not its mere presence, which could very well be worked into a decent mechanic (spur the horse to move, spur too much and get thrown), but the location of the meter that is the only way of determining just how much you've spurred the bloody thing: on the far left-hand side of the screen. What this effectively means is that you'll spend the entirety of your time attempting NOT to replicate the Two Worlds experience of running your horse into a tree as you madly whip your eyes back and forth between where your horse is headed and that infuriating little meter.
I should also mention that you cannot immediately stop the horse. It has to slow of its own accord. You also cannot turn the horse unless it is moving, save you want to move a full ninety-degrees in one jerky motion.
Controls - As if to further confirm that this is a Made For Consoles™ game, the developer's have opted for the modern fad of "less is more" when it comes to controls. You know, the Molyneux school of design. Derp. What we, the users, end up with is so: a stealth system that cannot be toggled via its own key, but is utilized by sheathing your weapon and then hitting the Run-key. Equally moronic (but innovative!) is the fact that the Jump-key is also the Use-key. Enjoy the countless times you attempt to pick an herb and, instead, leap over it. Want to open that chest? "Too bad, I'm hoppin' on top of it!" How about stealthing your way into a room, nicking that book on the shelf, then sneaking out? "Sorry, thought you wanted to run in there and jump on the dresser." Grand.
Loot - Level-scaled.
Lockpicking - Scaled to the amount you have opened. Once you hit one-hundred or so (lost actual count, which is another negative point, given how annoying the minigame is and how many locksmiths these people apparently employ) every last one becomes either an Advanced or Master lock. It's like being given a little treat every time you opt to pursue more useless level-scaled loot.
Skills - The vast, overwhelming majority are useless (melee), over-/underpowered (magic) or merely gimmicks (archery). Yeah...yeah, I'm going to leave it at that.
World Design - There is a massive island. MASSIVE! It is empty. EMPTY!
NPCs - Quickly: some are immortal. Guards all carry one-hit-kill weapons that are wildly disproportionate to their status/place in the world. They share the classic "hivemind" reaction to any type of trouble, be it an aggressive animal on the proximity of town or you firing a random spell by accident.
Notoriety - The system that tracks your deviant behavior is horrendously broken. Case in point: load up the game, run down a "city" street and bump into some people. Just brush past them, don't pull a weapon, stop running or attempt to pickpocket them (if you possess the pertinent skill). Watch in awe as your notoriety increases. I was actually gang-raped by multiple guards for doing exactly that. Talk about adding some challenge to a fetch quest. Coolest feature of the game.
The gang-raping, not the notoriety.
Story - ...really? It's a quasi-hack and slash game with RPG elements, not Dostoyevsky's magnum opus.
Less a "proper" review, not that the mainstream media sets a high-standard, than a list, my thoughts follow: a solid 7 of 10 game, nothing more, assuming you are sufficiently enlightened to recognize that a 5 on said scale denotes an "average" title.
POSITIVE:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Improved Graphics - expected of any modern game, yet the results are actually quite stunning. Their use of tessellation was a welcome surprise.
Improved Engine - the draw distance, supported polygon count, inclusion of higher-level physics, godrays and the like are all excellent but it's the stability that astonishes most. That and the general optimization allow a relatively modest computer to run the program at the same level of complexity as a high-end machine. I personally tested it on both a Nvidia 8800 GT and a 460 GTX (albeit each were running on computers with the same OS and amount of RAM) and found the differences to be negligible. The 8800 tended to choke in high-density areas, such as a crowded street, yet otherwise produced similar results across the board. Of course, the developers proudly boasted of optimizing the game for a steady 30 FPS at all times (for the consoles, naturally) and it's fair game to say that most computer gaming rigs are just as powerful (well, decidedly more so) than your modern console. That's not to detract from the developers' accomplishment, however, given how atrocious other ports/multi-platform titles have been (ala GTA IV, Saints Row 2, et cetera).
Improved Dialogue - I'll leave it at this: the characters speak actual, coherent English.
Innovative Magic System - I'll address my negative thoughts on the system below, but for now let it suffice that it allows for a great deal of creative input and customization. Furthermore, it can be legitimately fun to play as a mage, given the myriad options available for causing some genuine mayhem.
Improved Collision/Pathfinding - From NPCs to monsters the pathfinding is significantly improved over the first, wherein numerous monsters could pile up at the base of a single rock, NPCs frequently clipped through the scenery and other assorted issues cropped up. While this arguably should have been merged into the "Improved Engine" category, the mere fact that the horses no longer behave so erratically as a result merits its own notation.
Improved Quests - By which I mean that, once or twice (as I recall) you'll take part in a quest that may be resolved via any one of multiple solutions. Now that's forward thinking... if only there was a genre of games that focused on this sort of thing...
NEGATIVE:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Graphics - A fine counterpoint to my praise above must begin with the graphics. While significantly improved, and displaying some genuine skill, they nonetheless suffer as a result of needless and, at times, laborious repetition. Copy-paste design is evident throughout much of the world, from the environment (particularly the dungeons, which are akin to Oblivion in that all are built on the same standard tileset with minor aesthetic changes thrown in to mix things up) to the NPCs. This may be excused by virtue of technological/resource limitations, however, it could easily have been averted by simply trimming down on the world size. Quality over quantity, mates.
Engine - Bloom - Utilized significantly less than one might expect from a modern game, it nonetheless makes frequent and jarring appearances. Looking at the "sun" is not advisable.
Engine - HDR - The true bane of TW2's lighting department, the sheer amount of vitriolic comments dedicated to the HDR should be sufficient to convey just how dreadful the developer's implementation is: akin to being hit with a strobe each time you shift from light to darkness or load a new area/save.
Engine - Tessellation - As noted above, I was surprised they used it ...and disappointed at how sloppily they did so. Understandably it is a relatively "new" feature, making an appearance in few other engines (at present, the only ones that come immediately to mind are the Unigine and GeoMod), hence the inclusion earned it a plus, but when your tessellation causes multiple "rock" walls to warp inward not out, you have a serious problem. Seen most often in the introductory dungeon.
Engine - Motion Blur - I found the use to be maddening. In classic console-fashion, each movement of the camera is accompanied by blur. As are many combat animations. Indeed, just about any motion will set it off, though the most egregious is the insistence on using it when running. The character runs at what might be dubbed a steady "trot" and his sprint is hardly deserving of the title. Hint to developers: reserve the use of motion blur for legitimately fast characters or objects. In short: is riding a galloping horse with motion blur okay? Yes. Is it okay EVERY bloody time you run at speeds approaching a STAGGERING twelve miles per hour? No.
Engine - Options - Perhaps the most infuriating aspect of the engine is found in the simple inability of the user to customize much about it. While toggles for the expected options (Resolution, VSync, et cetera) are present, the much needed HDR/Bloom are not, nor is there much differentiation in certain options such as "Shadows" which often impact graphical performance the most. Options to adjust the draw distance of foliage versus characters versus buildings/items/terrain and so on are also missing, to say nothing of the utter lack of a benchmarking utility. While the menu screen may well be used to test certain options (detail level, et cetera) it is impossible to tell what --- if any --- effect you've made upon the performance or aesthetic appeal of the game when you swap the "Grass Distance" down from the default "10/10" nor, by way of a further example, if changing the "Physics" from "High" to "Low" will impair... well, anything! Furthermore, keyboard customization is lacking, as the screen suffers from classic consolitis, with an overly large panel containing a list that could easily have been summed up in one window. That it also lacks support for select mouse input (such as the side-buttons on certain Logitech/Razr models) should be enough said about the lackluster porting in this respect.
GUI - Horrible! Just atrocious. Again, a feature obviously designed around large-screen television systems and console kiddies, with grotesquely massive icons, no support for drag-and-drop, nor the ability to stack/split items or sell in bulk. That's right, if you want to divest yourself of those twenty useless traps, be prepared to click twenty-freaking-times! The "glass" effect backing the icons is also annoying, given that it both obscures the icon in low light conditions and has a tendency to (at times) intensify or focus the HDR-effect in high-light ones.
Dialogue - Subtitles - Suffice to say, while the characters are speaking English, they do not always say what the subtitles do, nor are said subtitles as free of grammatical/spelling errors as is expected of a professional studio. Also, while rather nitpicky, I should point out that this is yet another game that failed to pick up the [CC] banner originally hoisted by Doom 3 and Half-Life 2. Kinda sad, actually.
Magic System - Restrictive - While the system allows for some creativity and improvisation, it should be pointed out how horrendously restrictive it is. A certain aspect of this stems from its inherently unbalanced nature (noted below), namely the Mana limit, but the cut down options also play a pivotal role. For instance, damage modifiers could be stacked in the first game, in addition to stacking the actual spell card. Here, cards alone may be stacked. This renders the creation of early-game mega-spells all but impossible (ideal from a balancing perspective), but similarly impairs the ability to create them come the end-game (which is where it falls apart).
Magic System - Unbalanced - As a pure mage you will encounter countless situations in which death is the only option. Sadly, it's your death I am discussing. Quest after quest will shove you into small chambers blatantly geared toward a melee build. This means you die, then again, then again, then you mix up your magic and eke out a victory by spamming summons or blasting through all your health potions.
The flipside is that in the open a pure mage is a juggernaut: unstoppable... at least in the early game.
That, right there, is the core of the poorly balanced misfit that is the magic system of Two Worlds 2. Early game mages will find that a single, simple spell will allow them to churn through absolutely anything in their path. Anything. This becomes even more egregious if they should be wise enough to increase their mana regeneration skill (which, oddly unlike health regeneration, functions both in and out of combat), resulting in an early game character that --- quite literally --- cannot run out of mana. I ran from one end of the savanna to the other, blasting off fireballs willy-nilly at 98 MP per spell, while recovering 105 MP after each shot.
Again, the flipside is that the mana regeneration is capped at 105 MP per second. That's it.
This spells utter doom for the creative aspect of the magic system, as you are forced to abandon your most powerful spell (or, at least, abandon the option of upgrading it) as high-damage versions swiftly mount into the 1000MP-per-shot range. At level 23 I was capable of firing my most powerful fire spell (with the maxed Spell-Cost-Decrease skill) a mere three times ere I ran out of mana. Worse yet, that spell wasn't even fully stacked! I had seven fire cards stacked, along with four missiles (for added speed on the firebolt), yet it still cost in excess of 1000 MP!
Long story short: as a mage you either rape or get raped. There is no middle ground. My mage-chastity has been violated...
Quests - Fetch. Kill. Run here, run there, listen to a cutscene in AssCreed fashion (You can move! It doesn't matter at all because you cannot actually DO ANYTHING in them, but you can move!), then run back. Quest Complete! Seriously, that is nine-tenths of the game. The rest is discovering one locked door/tent (how do you lock a tent?) after another, only to have it magically unlocked the instant someone mentions that you should run there, watch a cutscene, kill something, then run back.
Riding a Horse - Apparently inspired by insipid casual games the developer's opted to remove any shadow of doubt that they and they alone can bollox up riding a horse like none other. In the first Two Worlds horses were drawn to trees like magnets and turned like a Buick without wheels. Here they are ridden via a minigame. Yep, read that again. M-i-n-i-g-a-m-e. The worst aspect of this minigame is not its mere presence, which could very well be worked into a decent mechanic (spur the horse to move, spur too much and get thrown), but the location of the meter that is the only way of determining just how much you've spurred the bloody thing: on the far left-hand side of the screen. What this effectively means is that you'll spend the entirety of your time attempting NOT to replicate the Two Worlds experience of running your horse into a tree as you madly whip your eyes back and forth between where your horse is headed and that infuriating little meter.
I should also mention that you cannot immediately stop the horse. It has to slow of its own accord. You also cannot turn the horse unless it is moving, save you want to move a full ninety-degrees in one jerky motion.
Controls - As if to further confirm that this is a Made For Consoles™ game, the developer's have opted for the modern fad of "less is more" when it comes to controls. You know, the Molyneux school of design. Derp. What we, the users, end up with is so: a stealth system that cannot be toggled via its own key, but is utilized by sheathing your weapon and then hitting the Run-key. Equally moronic (but innovative!) is the fact that the Jump-key is also the Use-key. Enjoy the countless times you attempt to pick an herb and, instead, leap over it. Want to open that chest? "Too bad, I'm hoppin' on top of it!" How about stealthing your way into a room, nicking that book on the shelf, then sneaking out? "Sorry, thought you wanted to run in there and jump on the dresser." Grand.
Loot - Level-scaled.
Lockpicking - Scaled to the amount you have opened. Once you hit one-hundred or so (lost actual count, which is another negative point, given how annoying the minigame is and how many locksmiths these people apparently employ) every last one becomes either an Advanced or Master lock. It's like being given a little treat every time you opt to pursue more useless level-scaled loot.
Skills - The vast, overwhelming majority are useless (melee), over-/underpowered (magic) or merely gimmicks (archery). Yeah...yeah, I'm going to leave it at that.
World Design - There is a massive island. MASSIVE! It is empty. EMPTY!
NPCs - Quickly: some are immortal. Guards all carry one-hit-kill weapons that are wildly disproportionate to their status/place in the world. They share the classic "hivemind" reaction to any type of trouble, be it an aggressive animal on the proximity of town or you firing a random spell by accident.
Notoriety - The system that tracks your deviant behavior is horrendously broken. Case in point: load up the game, run down a "city" street and bump into some people. Just brush past them, don't pull a weapon, stop running or attempt to pickpocket them (if you possess the pertinent skill). Watch in awe as your notoriety increases. I was actually gang-raped by multiple guards for doing exactly that. Talk about adding some challenge to a fetch quest. Coolest feature of the game.
The gang-raping, not the notoriety.
Story - ...really? It's a quasi-hack and slash game with RPG elements, not Dostoyevsky's magnum opus.
) initially this game seemed to have.
