Bad story, boring levels, monotinous puzzles...where's the action?
After playing through Return to Arms, I was quite disappointed.
There are not many games I buy brand new (better just to wait and buy used) but I had to get this one right away.
I feel ripped off by the developers after purchasing this game at release prices. While the first CON had top notch graphics and was very creative and detailed, it seems the makers of CON 2 simply mixed up the monsters and levels from the first game and released it as a sequel.
GRAPHICS: 8 out of 10. I would grade this higher except for the fact the game includes MANY glitches which damage its presentation. Slowdown on the menu screen etc. Anyone who's played the game knows what I mean.
Otherwise, the detail is good, water effects, as usual, are excellent, monsters move realistically, player character looks detailed and moves realistically. The levels and spell effects are also nice, though the levels look suspiciously similar to backgrounds from the first game.
For the amount of money we pay for this game, you think they could have been a bit more original.
PLAYABILITY: 7 out of 10. The game plays much like Diablo, Dark Alliance and CON, with few changes. The camera is easily moved, though it seems like you're forever changing the default view.
It seems like the monsters are always behind you, and just out of view... The loading is quicker than the first game, but it wouldn't take much to beat that. What I will say is that CON 2 plays very smoothly - until a glitch comes up.
I was also disappointed with many of the "secret" levels in RTA. Rather than playing as an RPG or dungeon crawler, many of the secret levels are race-against-the-clock "arcade" style challenges, or stealth challenges against invincible enemies, to name two. I don't understand why they put this kind of stuff in an RPG action game. It was very annoying.
STORY: 1 out of 10. The story is simply horrible. Instead of coming up with a solid storyline, they simply say, "Oh by the way, that Innorruk guy you killed? Yeah. he's back." I think the story in a game is a really underrated part of video games, an important part which is sorely overlooked lately.
Resident Evil 2 or Metal Gear Solid this game isn't. One neat thing about the story is that at the beginning you can choose to serve the powers of evil instead of good. Very cool idea.
REPLAY VALUE: 9 out of 10. CON 2 has high replay value. With seven types of characters, each with a level limit of 80, you can play through the game about 15 or 20 times and never have the same game twice. It's nice to be able to import characters from CON 1, a feature that is also sorely under-used.
OVERALL: 4 out of 10. This is a good game. Not a great game, not an original game, but a good game. I personally feel paying $60, like I did, is a rip-off for what appears to be an expansion of the first game.
Anyone who enjoyed Diablo, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance or Champions of Norrath will like this game. However, I strongly suggest waiting until you can either buy a used copy or the price comes down. It is not worth $60, and I'm sure the designers of the game know it.