Originally Posted By markornikov (10 OCT 2011 12:43pm)
 
Maybe if I hadn't sided with the don, the story might have been better?

The changes are mostly to do with structure and pacing: where Risen presented you with a massive island to explore right from the get-go, Risen 2 has a bigger world that's fed to you in smaller chunks, gradually opening up as your understanding of the game grows.

Originally Posted By Terry_Penrod (21 OCT 2011 4:11pm)
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If it has a large, interesting, wide-open game world, Risen sounds like my kind of RPG.

The Witcher, Mass Effect, Vampire: Bloodlines and Drakensang were all great fun, but I really love the freedom to explore in games like Gothic 1-2-3, Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 / Fallout: New Vegas, Two Worlds, etc.  

So, do you folks recommend Risen as being in the same vein as those latter titles? If so, which of them does it most resemble in terms of atmosphere and gameplay?  

Cheers, Terry  

Only a week to go!

I'm getting some good feelings about the game from some of the screens

..which reminds me I wanted to check if I can get a pre-order discount.  Grr, and I've been so happily playing Heroes 6, which I'm interrupting now for Witcher EE, which I'll probably interrupt for Risen 2...

Oooh, the scenery looks scrumptious...

Oh Piranha bytes sure knows how to make gorgeous environments.

Too bad their gameplay is so horribly bad and storylines extremely boring, that i'm going to ignore this entirely

Spoiler AlertAnd now I'm getting the hell outta here, before i get Trav's fury all over me  

Spoiler AlertI'm exaggerating a bit, but the combat and levelling mechanics just don't work for me. I always have heaps of money, but not enough exp to improve my skills or discover anything usefull to buy. In the end i always got bored somewhere in gothic 3/4 and risen, not enough refreshing quests or stuff to keep me going

Heh, each to his own, Gothic 2 and 3 were rather long, I admit, and even I never get through them, but I do enjoy the gameplay.  Especially Risen which was nice and short, and wasn't quite as hard as NOTR, but still pretty hard enough.  I like all the political intrigues in the stories, especially in Gothic 1 and Risen.  (Which I also happened to both finish 

Originally Posted By Traveller (17 APR 2012 11:36am)

..which reminds me I wanted to check if I can get a pre-order discount.  Grr, and I've been so happily playing Heroes 6, which I'm interrupting now for Witcher EE, which I'll probably interrupt for Risen 2...

 

Oooh, the scenery looks scrumptious...

If you woulda just posted earlier lol, Greenmangaming had a 20% discount for Risen 2 (among other pre orders) for like hte past week, it ended a few days ago.

. 

I really liked the original Risen and am eagerly looking forward to the sequel. 

But IMO, Gothic 3 was a bigger, better game overall (although the so-called EP kinda sucked). 

While awaiting Risen 2, I'm (finally) playing Arcania: Gothic 4 and although simplified, it too is pretty enjoyable. 

Just wish Arcania had larger maps with more side quests, deeper NPCs, faction choices, broader exploration and some hidden areas.

Compared to Gothic 3 and several other recent open-world CRPGs, it feels too linear. 

However, the gameplay is fun, the visuals are well done, and the story seems to be progressing nicely.

Hey, for $7.49 at Steam, it's hard to complain...

Cheers, Terry 

Originally Posted By Stiler (17 APR 2012 12:54pm)

Originally Posted By Traveller (17 APR 2012 11:36am)

..which reminds me I wanted to check if I can get a pre-order discount.  Grr, and I've been so happily playing Heroes 6, which I'm interrupting now for Witcher EE, which I'll probably interrupt for Risen 2...

 

Oooh, the scenery looks scrumptious...

 

 

If you woulda just posted earlier lol, Greenmangaming had a 20% discount for Risen 2 (among other pre orders) for like the past week, it ended a few days ago.

 

 

Thanks, anyway, Stiler, I'll look around some local stores that often offer pre-order discounts. 

@ Terry:  Pity you never played Gothic 1 way back when, you might have enjoyed the setting.  I also got Arcainia, but I haven't had a chance to play it past the start of the second (First chapter?  If the first part is the prologue?)  chapter.

I'll have to try and fit it into my usual July /December gaming orgy.

Spoiler AlertWhen Marko slides his feet into bed tonite he's going to feel a few slimy frogs jumping on him, and he might find some swamp worms under his pillow as well.        

. 

Yes Trav, I did play Gothic 1 and 2 well after their original release dates and no doubt the graphics would have seemed much more impressive when the games first came out.

But I loved them anyway and Gothic 3 was a wonderful edition to the franchise.  Even the ill-conceived EP, Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods was better than average and so far, Arcania: Gothic 4 seems to be well worth the (significantly reduced) price.

Now, Risen appears to be developing as their next great franchise and I can't wait to play the sequel.  I also hope they renew the great Gothic series at some point...

Cheers, Terry 

Originally Posted By markornikov (17 APR 2012 12:01pm)

Oh Piranha bytes sure knows how to make gorgeous environments.

 

Too bad their gameplay is so horribly bad and storylines extremely boring, that i'm going to ignore this entirely

 

Spoiler AlertAnd now I'm getting the hell outta here, before i get Trav's fury all over me  

 

Spoiler AlertI'm exaggerating a bit, but the combat and levelling mechanics just don't work for me. I always have heaps of money, but not enough exp to improve my skills or discover anything usefull to buy. In the end i always got bored somewhere in gothic 3/4 and risen, not enough refreshing quests or stuff to keep me going

 

That's unfortunate if you haven't played Risen because I think it's Piranha Bytes best game, but it's true that the gameplay is similar to Gothic. I spent a lot of time on Gothic 2 without finishing it, and progressively less on the successive Gothic games and, like you, got bored with 3 and 4 early on.

Combat in Gothic was always clunky and unwieldy - in Risen it was less frustrating and actually fun. Swordfighting shouldn't feel like you're waving a feather around anyway, especially for a protagonist who hasn't picked up a sword before..

I did play risen, twice actually. I both tried the inquisition and Don factions, but neither were interesting enough.

I never got very far into chapter 3.

Oh and also i'm not very fond of the pirate theme, another reason to avoid this...

Marko, go read my spoiler in post 16.  That's all I have to say to you.  

And here is a brand new spoiler, just for your eyes only:

Spoiler AlertAhoy you lily-livered landlubber, you fight like a diary-farmer!        /spoiler

Ok, guys, now remember that the games developed  by Piranha Bytes are:  Gothic 1, 2 and 3  (but not Forsaken Gods)  and then again Risen and Risen two.  Risen was dev'd after Jowood and PB had a little disagreement and parted ways.

JoWood used a medley of devs for Forsaken Gods and Arkania.  So hence the difference in style of those latter 2.

And that is why PB started using a new theme, since Jowood retained the rights to the  "Gothic"  franchise.

Spoiler Alert     << Guess who is back on the smiley list, btw... oi. /spoiler

And yes, I admit i'm a bad fighter, complex fighting schemes don't work for me.

Although I don't have that problem with the witcher 

What's a diary farmer?

Originally Posted By Mr Innocent. (18 APR 2012 2:53pm)

What's a diary farmer?

 

People who peep into other people's spoilers.
 

And you seem to believe that's something a pirate would never do? I'm confused .

Originally Posted By Mr Innocent. (18 APR 2012 3:47pm)

And you seem to believe that's something a pirate would never do? I'm confused .

Well, usually, they don't take the side of landlubbers either, they let landlubbers fight their own fights and/or rot.

So I'm thinking you're possibly not the real thing.  You just look like a pirate and act like a pirate to scare the children out of their wits.

En garde impostor!  Prepare to defend your  honor  Spoiler Alert   balls        impudence!