The Risen 2 Thread

[Tigranes]

I've played for about 5 hours now. It's a PB game and it's a successor to Risen, pretty unmistakably so. Combat does seem to be dumbed down a little bit from Risen 1, in that it's too easy to stunlock 'standard' animal opponents, but otherwise I'm still dying all the time on hard. And yes, there is a fair bit of exploration in the first island. It is slightly more closed off than Risen 1, I think, but not much more. But the core stuff - hard combat, always in need of money/etc, PB-style sod-off-tosser dialogue, faction go-between (thus far), is all there, and the game looks and plays OK without any major bugs for me. Really liking it thus far, though I haven't seen anything that tops Risen 1.

My impressions may change, but I love people who try a PB game, of all things, for an hour then think it sucks. Every first hour of a PB game is basically wandering around confused as you get used to the clunkiness and get yourself killed a lot while you have no skills to speak of. Here, it's that, plus an extra fifteen minutes of 'introductions'.

 

[Nim]

Or maybe they have played all other PB games and can already see where this is going from one hour playing ?
I just started "demoing" and I've already seen a bunch of lol stuff that just tells me this is unlikely to be better than Risen which was not that great.

Jump of the docks/beach into water, screen goes black and get teleported back. No mantling, jumping seems weird. PB still cannot into female anatomy/faces, the whole introduction of Patty had me rofling. Starting in a city that seems to be half burning without explanation or anyone caring. "Ursegor and Ismael are still fighting", "Mara sent her Kraken" and I'm just thinking who ? Oh, they are Titan Lords, right NPCs can't be looted ?

 

[Tigranes]

I think it's pretty obvious that everything you listed in the second paragraph is trivial. But I guess people can make up their minds as to whether having an awkward in media res introduction or shitty looking women is that important.

NPCs can be looted, obviously.

 

[Metro]

'Faction go-between' without the ability of the PC to join a faction.

 

[Trash]

Even Trash, who is usually quite forgiving with games (at least initially) doesn't exactly paint a picture with shining colours...

It's pretty much the same as Risen with a 15 minute introduction that feels forced and a pirate theme tacked on. Very much a PB game but the DLC pisses me off and I'm still curious to see if it's as typical as to turn into a dungeon crawler halfway through.

 

[Outlander]

Does this game work well with a gamepad? Not to be a decliner, but I've been looking for a good game to chill out with on the couch now that I have my PC attached to my TV. I haven't been able to find any PC RPGs that are both good and work with a controller. Risen 1 didn't even though it had console ports, the UI was completely different and unsuitable for a controller in the PC version.

You'll see for yourself soon enough that a gamepad will never be better than M/K on PC. Except maybe for some 2D plataformers.

I use my controller to play the shit outta MAME and SNES roms, though, lots of fun to be had there.

 

[Kraszu]

I think it's pretty obvious that everything you listed in the second paragraph is trivial. But I guess people can make up their minds as to whether having an awkward in media res introduction or shitty looking women is that important.

NPCs can be looted, obviously.

Not after you had beaten them in combat, you can only help them to get up.

 

[Konjad]

What's more useful - persuasion or intimidation?

 

[Nattvardsvin]

So there doesn't seem to be any way to dodge attacks(or am I missing something?), only parry them. But against creatures like Sand Devils, all you can do is mash attack, which is a bit weird.

 

[Astral Rag]

 

[1eyedking]

What's more useful - persuasion or intimidation?

Uninstall.

 

[Nattvardsvin]

What's more useful - persuasion or intimidation?

Uninstall.

But seriously, no way to properly dodge.

Which is funny, because an NPC tells you that you should dodge the warthogs when they charge at you, before attacking them.
Which is like in the old Gothic games, you got useful tips from NPCs about how to efficiently kill different creatures. But in those games it worked, because the combat mechanics involved easy ways of dodging and avoiding attacks. Backstepping, sidestepping etc.
Here, you have to run awkwardly away to "dodge" and that doesn't work very well at all.

They could have implemented something like pressing the back button two times while holding the parry button makes you step back or something similar.

 

[Elwro]

I can't even run the game. After the introductory message ending with "the prophecy is fulfilled" the screen goes black and that's it. But the thing does not hang the whole PC, I just alt-tabbed to write this post. Any pointers?

 

[Nattvardsvin]

Have you waited for a while?
I had a black screen when first starting but it went away after some time.

 

[Elwro]

Have you waited for a while?
I had a black screen when first starting but it went away after some time.

Well, I waited for a few minutes, than decided to bang the keyboard a few more times before killing the process, and voila, the game worked. Jesus Christ...

also, it seems PB have done their best to scare new players away by the opening sequence which (high details) looks as if done in 2005; especially Patty's model is downright scary. Honestly, it does not look better than Risen and at times seems to look worse.

but of course I will forgive these unimportant bits if this is a true PB game

 

[Butcer]

My first impressions are that this game is total suckfest and this is coming from a guy who did beat Gothic 4 and im less "impressed" by the start of Risen 2 then gothic 4 but gothic 4 does not get really bad until chapter 3, Gothic 4 progressively get's worse by every level , I sure hope RIsen 2 does not follow that path

 

[Achilles]

What's more useful - persuasion or intimidation?

Definitely persuasion.

 

[Konjad]

So far I nearly finished the first island and got on board of the pirate's ship. So far the game looks pretty good and similar to Risen. I don't like combat much, but it's not annoying so I'm okay with it. The story is a bit derp, I mean - find a magical weapon to kill the Kraken?

What the

 

[Jack]

So if the story is derpy, dialogue shitty, combat dumbed down, graphics aged and exploration out of the window what's left?

 

[Captain Shrek]

So far I nearly finished the first island and got on board of the pirate's ship. So far the game looks pretty good and similar to Risen. I don't like combat much, but it's not annoying so I'm okay with it. The story is a bit derp, I mean - find a magical weapon to kill the Kraken?

What the

Same guy that liked DA2.

 

[Konjad]

So if the story is derpy, dialogue shitty, combat dumbed down, graphics aged and exploration out of the window what's left?

I don't find dialogues to be shitty. They are good enough. Nothing mind-blowing, but they are decent. As for the exploration I don't know... I did pretty much every quest on the first island and now explore it. It isn't as copious in interesting places as Gothic/Gothic2/NotR/Risen though, which is too bad, because I loved that in them. They traded it to make the whole world larger (think of Gothic 3). Still, I wouldn't say exploration isn't fun, well, it is for me.

 

[Nattvardsvin]

There is some exploration. And well, the music is alright.
The dialogue I find to be hit and miss. Some is interesting some is really shite. Story is totally uninteresting to me.
I find the combat to be annoying honestly.

Just took on 5 Ghouls, 3 Giant Crabs and 2 Sand Devils by hitting and jumping around like an asshole. (Jumping is excellent for outrunning enemies)
Had to use a fuckload of rations and regen plants for it, but kind of funny anyhow.

 

[bonescraper]

So if the story is derpy, dialogue shitty, combat dumbed down, graphics aged and exploration out of the window what's left?

Dragon Age 2 type of game?

 

[Elwro]

Found my first stat-increasing plant. Should I eat it or, which would be the norm for PB games, hoard it until I can make an elixir out of it?

 

[Vault Dweller]

How's the game, Elwro?

 

[made]

You won't like it, VD. There's walking. Lots of it.

 

[Elwro]

Played for 2-3 hours. I have to say the beginning is not inspiring plot-wise, but it certainly gives away a PB-vibe. I'd say I'm hooked. Just as in Risen, you have to make choices regarding character development and these choices are hard because there's a scarcity of experience points (glory points) and cash (training skills costs).

Exploration pays off: apart from equipment and cash, if you look around the first region you may get a stat-increasing plant and a nice pistol. (This nice pistol seems really to be the only way to complete an optional fight at that point.) The option of getting the pistol is quickly closed; and is available only if you buy a skill which is a significant cash investment. This, in turn, is made easier if you talk to a clerk properly and convince him to pay you after you're giving the main mission. Early on the first island, you might get a map for free if you use a dialogue option available only if you accepted a certain mission; also, you can coerce Patty into a kitchen job if you invest in Persuasion, then she will steal some supplies for you. So: the game seems to have these small details I had come to like about PB games... I found only one quest which could be completed in more than one way, depending on whether you preferred stealing or dueling. (But I've really only begun playing...)

I can't say anything about combat yet -- right now it's a dumb clickfest because I don't know any 'special' moves. I'm not sure that's the best way to design a game's beginning...
Sneaking mechanics are good: you have to pay attention to the direction NPCs are facing, and the scripts guiding their movements seem to have been carefully designed.

You cannot swim at all, which seems retarded... I've also found no opportunity for climbing.

And after I got it to run, technically it's been a solid experience, with consistent, high framerates on a definitely not high-end PC.

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

No swimming and climbing?

And how exactly does the combat differ to Risen 1?