Risen 2: Dark Waters Video Review - ZGR (Alot of new PC footage)

http://youtu.be/oMEVvAaEj3I?hd=1

This video review shows alot of footage of the game and an honest opinion, check it out if you are interested in the game at all.

Shows alot more video footage then most videos out there atm.

Looks awesome cant waittakeiteazy3

Nice to see all this PC footage from later in the game :D

looks good.darksusperia

Indeed bud :cool:

That seemed like a decent, balanced review, and I can see what he meant about the absence of blocking - it would be a nice addition. Anyway, it's great to see more footage of the game, and it does look gorgeous - though my PC would probably keel over and die if I tried those settings. The first Risen game didn't run very well on this rig, so I'm guessing the second game would struggle. Can't really upgrade at the moment. Gah.

The game's definitely more firmly on my radar now, though.

ZeitgeistReview's are very good. It was actually his reviews that made me buy games like Risen and divinity 2lawlessx

I cannot belive this is the first time ive seen his videos :P

I like how much footage was in there, you dont get many video reviews with that much good quality footage.

Lays out the positives and negatives very well to.

[QUOTE="lawlessx"]ZeitgeistReview's are very good. It was actually his reviews that made me buy games like Risen and divinity 2kozzy1234

I cannot belive this is the first time ive seen his videos :P

I like how much footage was in there, you dont get many video reviews with that much good quality footage.

Lays out the positives and negatives very well to.

That seemed like a decent, balanced review, and I can see what he meant about the absence of blocking - it would be a nice addition. Anyway, it's great to see more footage of the game, and it does look gorgeous - though my PC would probably keel over and die if I tried those settings. The first Risen game didn't run very well on this rig, so I'm guessing the second game would struggle. Can't really upgrade at the moment. Gah.

The game's definitely more firmly on my radar now, though.

RobertBowen

To be honest with ya, the Risen2 beta when I played it ran very well, better then the first Risen did ;)

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"]

That seemed like a decent, balanced review, and I can see what he meant about the absence of blocking - it would be a nice addition. Anyway, it's great to see more footage of the game, and it does look gorgeous - though my PC would probably keel over and die if I tried those settings. The first Risen game didn't run very well on this rig, so I'm guessing the second game would struggle. Can't really upgrade at the moment. Gah.

The game's definitely more firmly on my radar now, though.

kozzy1234

To be honest with ya, the Risen2 beta when I played it ran very well, better then the first Risen did ;)

Now that's good to hear. Would you say the game is more reliant on CPU or GPU?

[QUOTE="kozzy1234"]

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"]

That seemed like a decent, balanced review, and I can see what he meant about the absence of blocking - it would be a nice addition. Anyway, it's great to see more footage of the game, and it does look gorgeous - though my PC would probably keel over and die if I tried those settings. The first Risen game didn't run very well on this rig, so I'm guessing the second game would struggle. Can't really upgrade at the moment. Gah.

The game's definitely more firmly on my radar now, though.

RobertBowen

To be honest with ya, the Risen2 beta when I played it ran very well, better then the first Risen did ;)

Now that's good to hear. Would you say the game is more reliant on CPU or GPU?

That I am not sure about!

I never checked what was working harder when I was playing the beta ):

All I know is that it looked slightly better then Risen1 and ran better then Risen1 did on my comp, hopefully full version is the same ;)

*From what ive heard only issues people have had is if they had SLI on when playing Risen2*

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"]

[QUOTE="kozzy1234"]

To be honest with ya, the Risen2 beta when I played it ran very well, better then the first Risen did ;)

kozzy1234

Now that's good to hear. Would you say the game is more reliant on CPU or GPU?

That I am not sure about!

I never checked what was working harder when I was playing the beta ):

All I know is that it looked slightly better then Risen1 and ran better then Risen1 did on my comp, hopefully full version is the same ;)

*From what ive heard only issues people have had is if they had SLI on when playing Risen2*

Okay, no problem. As a matter of interest, what are your PC specs, so I have a better idea?

[QUOTE="kozzy1234"]

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"]

Now that's good to hear. Would you say the game is more reliant on CPU or GPU?

RobertBowen

That I am not sure about!

I never checked what was working harder when I was playing the beta ):

All I know is that it looked slightly better then Risen1 and ran better then Risen1 did on my comp, hopefully full version is the same ;)

*From what ive heard only issues people have had is if they had SLI on when playing Risen2*

Okay, no problem. As a matter of interest, what are your PC specs, so I have a better idea?

- 460 GTX (MSI - Cyclone SE)

- Older Quad core

- 4gb of ram

- Windows 7 64 bit

- Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1

- Asus P5Q motherboard

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"]

[QUOTE="kozzy1234"]

That I am not sure about!

I never checked what was working harder when I was playing the beta ):

All I know is that it looked slightly better then Risen1 and ran better then Risen1 did on my comp, hopefully full version is the same ;)

*From what ive heard only issues people have had is if they had SLI on when playing Risen2*

kozzy1234

Okay, no problem. As a matter of interest, what are your PC specs, so I have a better idea?

- 460 GTX (MSI - Cyclone SE)

- Older Quad core

- 4gb of ram

- Windows 7 64 bit

- Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1

- Asus P5Q motherboard

Thanks kozzy. Seems like I'm slightly better spec'd in all but the GPU. I've got a crappy Nvidia GT220 in this rig at the moment, so I'll look into upgrading the graphics card because I think that's my current bottleneck. Shouldn't be too expensive if I go for a mid-range card.

Thanks again. :)

[QUOTE="kozzy1234"]

[QUOTE="RobertBowen"]

Okay, no problem. As a matter of interest, what are your PC specs, so I have a better idea?

RobertBowen

- 460 GTX (MSI - Cyclone SE)

- Older Quad core

- 4gb of ram

- Windows 7 64 bit

- Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1

- Asus P5Q motherboard

Thanks kozzy. Seems like I'm slightly better spec'd in all but the GPU. I've got a crappy Nvidia GT220 in this rig at the moment, so I'll look into upgrading the graphics card because I think that's my current bottleneck. Shouldn't be too expensive if I go for a mid-range card.

Thanks again. :)

Zeitgeist does a lot of damn good video reviews!

He just goes into detail about what he liked, didn't, where he felt there could be improvement, and then recommends or doesn't recommend the game. He doesn't use a numerical point system because he feels that it's pointless.

Funny guy too.

After watching his preview, discussion, and review I have to say I'm pretty much sold on Risen 2. The voodoo magic seems incredibly promising.

Great video this one for peopel who are interested in Risen2.

Pretty much my same thoughts on the game after 15 hours with it.

Is the combat system really that poor or is he just bad at playing it? I thought the game looked like a must-have until he said that. I've been itching for another Witcher 2 style game.bonafidetk

Once you put some points into fightign its pretty good imo. At the start its very tough and not the best, but as you get more moves,etc.. its alot of fun.

Good to also go to trainers and learn new things, it helps alot! Such as extra strength attack, Parry extra speed in attacks, KICK, Counter,etc...

A good quality review!

A good quality review!

kingdmx22

Indeed! Very well done!

A friend messaged me today thanking me for sending him this video, it convienced him to give the game a try and hes been having a blast yesterday and today on the game :)

Wow this actually looks really good. Never thought anything of it until now, but i'll definately be taking a look at this.

Wow this actually looks really good. Never thought anything of it until now, but i'll definately be taking a look at this.

KABCOOL

Its not goign to be for everyone, but its the most fun ive had in an rpg since Witcher2 :)

Zeitgeist convinced me to buy the game,and I have to say I am absolutely loving it. Although the combat is rather poor at first, the more I level my guy up and the more weapons I acqurie the better and better it gets!

What a little gem this game is. Might warrant a 2nd playthrough!

I think I'll wait and see what Gamespot says, since the first Risen was rated a 7.0 - must have had some serious glitches.

Zeitgeist convinced me to buy the game,and I have to say I am absolutely loving it. Although the combat is rather poor at first, the more I level my guy up and the more weapons I acqurie the better and better it gets!

What a little gem this game is. Might warrant a 2nd playthrough!

MLBknights58

Cosign 100%

Once you get trained in more combat moves, improvements,etc.. the combat gets alot mroe enjoyable. Its tought the first while but it feels quite good to get your character so much better from how he was at the begining :)

Definatly a gem and a very underrated game. I have played over 20 hours in 3 days haha, I never do that :P

This game is brilliant. And I don't usually say that about a game! Risen 1 was "meh" to me, but Risen 2 really surprised me in almost every way. It has a certain charm to it that I can't resist and I find it really difficult to put down the game.

Pros:
- Nice graphics
- Varied character models and designs
- Good voice acting
- Good humor in dialogue
- Plenty of things to do
- Pirate theme is WAY BETTER than I initially thought
- It didn't turn Pirate theme into a bad Pirates of the Carribean movie
- Good use of Pirate theme
- Nice, beautiful environments
- Characters always have something interesting to say, great personalities
- Quick save
- If you disliked Fable 2 and 3, you will find solace in Risen 2
- Character animations are all-around solid (run animation isn't as bad as people claim)

Cons:
- Controls are a bit clunky, especially in combat
- Graphical anamolies are very distracting - i.e. shadows shifting especially during dialogue with a character npc, texture pop-in at close distances, shadows flickering from long distances in trees, optimization isn't quite good and stable as it should be
- Character movement has "too much weight" to it, reminds me of Fable 3 in that regard. I feel like my character has an anchor attached to it
- Lacks high level of polish, certain things are poorly executed
- Bad camera work. Instead of keeping the camera still in dialogue, it would abruptly change to specific camera angles without adding any dimension to the dialogue. Often times, it just becomes annoying. Another distracting issue with the game along with the graphical issues
- Poor use of ambient sound, environmental sound effects which detracts from overall immersion

- Only up to 1080p resolution, NO 1920x1200 res

You could check out Risen 2 performance here.

Glad you are enjoying it Ellan, it definatly has a nice charm to it.

For me its my fav rpg I think since Witcher2 :)

Has some issues forsure (graphics bugs and meh animations) but I just love the gameworld, atmosphere, characters, graphics (for the most part), leveling up, voice work, quests and music. Feels like it has soul and a charm to it no doubt. Feels like the old school rpgs a bit to how you start off so weak and not able to do much combat wise, but as you level up with trainers and get new moves it really picks up.

I have played around 21-22 hours so far in 3 days, that rarely ever happens for me in games, I just cannot put it down :P

If they can fix the graphical bugs in a patch this game would be even more awesome.

I don't understand why PB can't make a good fighting system. 6th game where they completely botch it. Risen's was the closest to being good.

I'm guessing gs is going to give it a 7.0 or 7.5. Still seems like a good game though, I'll probably pick it up after some price drops and bug fixes.

the bit about the combat system is disappointing. not that Risen had a good combat system.... but just hacking at stuff? lame.WizardGlass

There is much more then just hacking stuff actually. The animals you could say that perhaps, btu the fighting with other humans and swords is fantastic. If you upgrade your fighting you can parry, counter attack, kick, use a powerful attack, faster attack,etc... At the start its prety much just one attack you do but if you are smart and upgrade properly with trainers the combat gets alot better then just hacking at stuff.

I've played it for a while now. Here's my pros and cons.

Pros

• The pirate theme is pretty unique and is quite well done
• You can explore a decent amount which is fun
• The environments can often look quite nice
• Music is decent but there's not enough of it. You'll find the same music playing constantly for several hours of play on a loop.

Cons

• Many of the quests are quite silly and completely uninteresting
• Some of the environments are a bit poorly crafted
• Combat can be too hard for the wrong reasons and is very often erratic. There's a stunlock effect in which you can often just press the attack button repeatedly and win, or an enemy can repeatedly lock you down in the same way with no way of preventing it. Some moves are almost useless most of the time. Kick for example because your character takes too long to actually land the kick and the resulting blow knocks the enemy out of range meaning you need to close distance by which time they've recovered making the kick pointless.
• Not enough control or fluidity to the character particularly in combat
• Poor animations
• H1t (yes that word was censored..) and miss voice acting. Sometimes it's fair and other times it's very poor but it's never great
• Sound can cut in and out abruptly when the character moves from one spot to another very abruptly. Some audible conversations cut in and out depending on how close the player gets and with many conversations, does this every single time you pass by
• Graphics can flicker and vegetation has an odd shrinking and growing effect even at close distances
• Some poor dialogue and poor English. "I don't have gold enough"

I've played it for a while now. Here's my pros and cons.

Pros

• The pirate theme is pretty unique and is quite well done
• You can explore a decent amount which is fun
• The environments can often look quite nice
• Music is decent but there's not enough of it. You'll find the same music playing constantly for several hours of play on a loop.

Cons

• Many of the quests are quite silly and completely uninteresting
• Some of the environments are a bit poorly crafted
• Combat can be too hard for the wrong reasons and is very often erratic. There's a stunlock effect in which you can often just press the attack button repeatedly and win, or an enemy can repeatedly lock you down in the same way with no way of preventing it. Some moves are almost useless most of the time. Kick for example because your character takes too long to actually land the kick and the resulting blow knocks the enemy out of range meaning you need to close distance by which time they've recovered making the kick pointless.
• Not enough control or fluidity to the character particularly in combat
• Poor animations
• H1t (yes that word was censored..) and miss voice acting. Sometimes it's fair and other times it's very poor but it's never great
• Sound can cut in and out abruptly when the character moves from one spot to another very abruptly. Some audible conversations cut in and out depending on how close the player gets and with many conversations, does this every single time you pass by
• Graphics can flicker and vegetation has an odd shrinking and growing effect even at close distances
• Some poor dialogue and poor English. "I don't have gold enough"

-Unreal-

Apparently "I don't have gold enough" is correct English slang (I mean as correct as slang can be) and it's localised by the same British team as the first game.

Apparently "I don't have gold enough" is correct English slang (I mean as correct as slang can be) and it's localised by the same British team as the first game.

Baranga

Looks really good, but I couldn't enjoy Risen so I'm iffy on this one too. I'll go back and try it again for like 20th time. lolflipin_jackass

[QUOTE="flipin_jackass"]Looks really good, but I couldn't enjoy Risen so I'm iffy on this one too. I'll go back and try it again for like 20th time. lolElann2008

Actually, Risen 1 had a lot of personality once you got into it. The start of the game was extremely slow though, but the voice acting and writing was very similar to Risen 2. Also the way you progress through the story was similar.

Steelbeard is a hard man to please, I'm still on the first island trying to impress him. I shoudln't have paid off that bastard hank.

[QUOTE="Elann2008"][QUOTE="flipin_jackass"]Looks really good, but I couldn't enjoy Risen so I'm iffy on this one too. I'll go back and try it again for like 20th time. lolwith_teeth26

Actually, Risen 1 had a lot of personality once you got into it. The start of the game was extremely slow though, but the voice acting and writing was very similar to Risen 2. Also the way you progress through the story was similar.

Steelbeard is a hard man to please, I'm still on the first island trying to impress him. I shoudln't have paid off that bastard hank.

Apparently "I don't have gold enough" is correct English slang (I mean as correct as slang can be) and it's localised by the same British team as the first game.

Baranga