Risen reviewed - and our own first impressions

[QUOTE="Baranga"]

You don't have to fight too much. Notice how the monsters don't jump on your ass straight away, first they warn you to leave them alone. That's how the Gothic games always were.

Deus_Ex_Fan

When you level up, you earn an amount of experience points. But you can't distribute them on the spot, you must find someone to teach you various skills and you have to pay this person. The teachers are specialised, so you must find the right guy for the job.

When you level up, you earn an amount of experience points. But you can't distribute them on the spot, you must find someone to teach you various skills and you have to pay this person. The teachers are specialised, so you must find the right guy for the job.

Baranga

does this apply to ALL experience points earned? or it's the case that you need someone to train/teach you certain special skill first and then you can level up by yourself (Drakensang).

or in Arcanum fashion, mastery of special abilities/skills will always need someone for training, but there's normal leveling up as well?

Yea IIRC, every skill will need a trainer...even attribute points. But once you learn the skill, you don't have to lvl up anymore but for combat skills, you obviously have to learn how to execute the combos yourself. That's how it was in G1 and G2 but was discarded in G3 which dumbed it down to mere left click to attack and right click to block.

It seems there are more combos to play around now plus counter attacks (interrupts basically). I'm glad they are reverting to the old system.

Bought the game this evening and I got myself past the farm and into the town.. still very interesting so far, and I'm happy with my purchase. I'm over my character being a stupid English guy.. I can still get into it. And the voice acting is done well overall.

I have stopped trying to fight everything I can see, simply because I get my ass kicked since I have no skills. :) I've just been exploring and talking to the townsfolk, and I'm still not sure why I want to ally with.

If you get the game, don't do what I did and rename your demo save folder, lol... it doesn't really work that way. I tried it and I ran myself to Harbour Town only for it to be completely empty. It was pretty creepy.

[QUOTE="Deus_Ex_Fan"][QUOTE="Baranga"]

You don't have to fight too much. Notice how the monsters don't jump on your ass straight away, first they warn you to leave them alone. That's how the Gothic games always were.

When you level up, you earn an amount of experience points. But you can't distribute them on the spot, you must find someone to teach you various skills and you have to pay this person. The teachers are specialised, so you must find the right guy for the job.

so boys, how do you like the game so far? i'm gonna be busy over the weekend so i won't touch it until sunday night.

which faction ("FRACTIONS", according to the manual :D) are you going to choose? i'll probably join the inquisition - i played through G2 as paladin and it was fun, so let's see how its Risen counterpart will play out.

meanwhile, have fun~

[QUOTE="Deus_Ex_Fan"][QUOTE="Baranga"]

You don't have to fight too much. Notice how the monsters don't jump on your ass straight away, first they warn you to leave them alone. That's how the Gothic games always were.

Baranga

When you level up, you earn an amount of experience points. But you can't distribute them on the spot, you must find someone to teach you various skills and you have to pay this person. The teachers are specialised, so you must find the right guy for the job.

Same crap as gothic... I never got this? Why cant i increase my skills on my own and use trainers like oblivion to teach me when i dont have skillpoints but i got money. Seriously this whole gothic thing...find monsters to kil, dont die, level up, find enough money and pay someone to train you by using you skill points, upgrading your character can get any harder than that.dakan45

Hm, I'm not sure how it is later in the game, but in the first chapter I've gained about 50 skill points and over 2000 gold just doing quests in the town, so you'll be able to train up and outfit your character before heading off into the world itself. That makes Risen slightly more user-friendly than the Gothic series, I suppose.

Anyway, I actually like that system of levelling, as it kinda forces us to specialise in certain areas - rather than just being awesome at everything, like in Morrowind/Oblivion.

I like the Game so far, I've never played Gothic 2 only a bit Gothic 3 (whatever was playable...) and It doesn't seem that much Open World as G3 was but its a lot more detailled. The Combat is not bad, sometimes I kill really easy and sometimes I almost get my Ass kicked, so it seems unpredictable at times. Theres not much Tutorial in the Game but it isn't really hard to figure out anyway. Few Animations look really wierd but its still tons better than what Oblivion had. I really like the Graphics / Art Style, not sure why so many are saying they're outdated, they are definately not!

I just got to chapter 2. Not sure how far that is or anything. Still looking for the miner trainer. I am enjoying the game. Never played the gothic games. I was really pissed off early in the game when a boar had his way with me. I didn't think it would be that tough considering everything until I saw it was a push over. They just gave me a collecto quest so I should get to explore now and try to find that miner jerk.

How do you prevent the camera from re-setting itself all the time?

I like the camera to be pulled quite a bit back, but every time I engage in combat the blasted camera re-sets itself close in? Also, why does the ground shake like crazy every ten minutes or so - this is driving me crazy. It's like there's a volcano or something inside my computer.

[QUOTE="dakan45"] Same crap as gothic... I never got this? Why cant i increase my skills on my own and use trainers like oblivion to teach me when i dont have skillpoints but i got money. Seriously this whole gothic thing...find monsters to kil, dont die, level up, find enough money and pay someone to train you by using you skill points, upgrading your character can get any harder than that.Planeforger

Hm, I'm not sure how it is later in the game, but in the first chapter I've gained about 50 skill points and over 2000 gold just doing quests in the town, so you'll be able to train up and outfit your character before heading off into the world itself. That makes Risen slightly more user-friendly than the Gothic series, I suppose.

Anyway, I actually like that system of levelling, as it kinda forces us to specialise in certain areas - rather than just being awesome at everything, like in Morrowind/Oblivion.

[QUOTE="Baranga"]

Well, one thing's for sure: mainland Europeans will love it, Americans won't give a damn about it and UK people will be, as always, somewhere in between.

It's like this since the first Gothic.

robertlie

That's an interesting theory. Me for one just got to play it for a few hours now, and i like it a lotso far. That's north of mainland Europa reporting. :) Funny thing, six of my pc gaming buddy's who, sad to say, mostly get their games in "alternate ways" bought their separate copies too. I think lots of people are up for supporting the developers on this game. At least i hope so and that the game doesn't get pirated to death by stinking thieves.

Anyway, I actually like that system of levelling, as it kinda forces us to specialise in certain areas - rather than just being awesome at everything, like in Morrowind/Oblivion.

Planeforger

the leveling system sounds good; reminds me of that of Arcanum; the principle is the same, different scheme.

Also, why does the ground shake like crazy every ten minutes or so - this is driving me crazy. It's like there's a volcano or something inside my computer.

Charles_Dickens

There's a volcano on the island, you can often see it (or the smoke).

[QUOTE="robertlie"]

[QUOTE="Baranga"]

Well, one thing's for sure: mainland Europeans will love it, Americans won't give a damn about it and UK people will be, as always, somewhere in between.

It's like this since the first Gothic.

Charles_Dickens

That's an interesting theory. Me for one just got to play it for a few hours now, and i like it a lotso far. That's north of mainland Europa reporting. :) Funny thing, six of my pc gaming buddy's who, sad to say, mostly get their games in "alternate ways" bought their separate copies too. I think lots of people are up for supporting the developers on this game. At least i hope so and that the game doesn't get pirated to death by stinking thieves.

beat it last night, game is pretty fun. Combat is a bit tough, and the bugs are very little. Story is intriguing and a solid 25 - 30 hours of game play. I'd suggest it if you're a fan of WRPGs.

[QUOTE="Charles_Dickens"][QUOTE="robertlie"]

That's an interesting theory. Me for one just got to play it for a few hours now, and i like it a lotso far. That's north of mainland Europa reporting. :) Funny thing, six of my pc gaming buddy's who, sad to say, mostly get their games in "alternate ways" bought their separate copies too. I think lots of people are up for supporting the developers on this game. At least i hope so and that the game doesn't get pirated to death by stinking thieves.

zomglolcats

Yes, we really do need the morality police at Gamespot.

When a person writes a post in which he states that, generally speaking, his friends pirate games, but that he's glad they didn't pirate Risen, because he happens to like the games made by the developer of Risen, and wants that company to prosper, then that person needs to be challenged.

That person needs to understand that ALL companies deserve to make money from their work - not just the companies that make the games that he happens to like. The individual in question referred to the people who pirate Risen as being 'stinking thieves'. Okay, so his friends, by his own admission, pirate games most of the time - guess what, that makes them 'stinking thieves' by his own admission.

Piracy has got to be seen as being 'not cool'. Either support the company with your money, or just stay away.

beat it last night, game is pretty fun. Combat is a bit tough, and the bugs are very little. Story is intriguing and a solid 25 - 30 hours of game play. I'd suggest it if you're a fan of WRPGs.

jliebel

[QUOTE="jliebel"]

beat it last night, game is pretty fun. Combat is a bit tough, and the bugs are very little. Story is intriguing and a solid 25 - 30 hours of game play. I'd suggest it if you're a fan of WRPGs.

Charles_Dickens

It helps that I got it on tuesday :)

I just got to chapter 2. Not sure how far that is or anything. Still looking for the miner trainer. I am enjoying the game. Never played the gothic games. I was really pissed off early in the game when a boar had his way with me. I didn't think it would be that tough considering everything until I saw it was a push over. They just gave me a collecto quest so I should get to explore now and try to find that miner jerk.

EndersAres

fairness does not exist in this world. do u think paris hilton deserve what she has? or that baby in africa who just died of aids? do u think they deserve that? no. therefore priacy as an indicator of morality is invalid. in fact many would argue that morality is irrelevant at all.

Just got to Chapter 2, and I have been playing this game quite a bit since Saturday... not sure how long i've spent playing it so far. Oh wait... here we go. 14.6 hours. Sweet jesus!

I went through all the mage training, and that part was really cool.. very well-done part of the game. Also it seems that all the combat got better after a bit. I still don't bother to use parry, but in general the game is not nearly as difficult after gaining some levels and training staff and strength a good bit.

Just got fireball, so I haven't even had a chance to use it in combat yet.. should be fun, though.

I got it today. The dialogue is quite funny! Also it's nice to hear British people in a game.

I love the atmosphere.

The combat isn't that different from Oblivion's...

Well, one thing's for sure: mainland Europeans will love it, Americans won't give a damn about it and UK people will be, as always, somewhere in between.

It's like this since the first Gothic.

Baranga

30 hours in - still on Chapter 1 lol.

Mini-review:

Its open world, which I like, reminds me of Morrowind in a lot of ways (never played Gothic). The voice-overs are good, some of the character models are not.

Lots of funny dialogue, and little tidbits of detail throughout the world if you look for it. This game is all about exploration.

The graphics are cool, not the sharpest or most high-res, but they do have a very "fantasy" quality about them that works great in the world.

The combat is fun, and gives the sense you are actually swinging a sword. A shield does wonders for being able to deflect attacks. Note: you don't have to double tap a directional to parry - just hit "left + jump" for example to parry left.

The leveling system is cool, you need to find trainers to advance your skills/stats, never played a game with this system.

Tons and tons of NPC dialogue and quests, so far I have only done one "kill x of x" quests, most quests are story related and are either semi-funny or tragic.

There is minimal hand holding in this game, something that killed me about Oblivion. You have to figure this stuff out for yourself for the most part.

Great game, all RPG fans should purchase, though the rpgcodex folk would disagree - they are a unique bunch.

stuck in chapter four, NW priest temple from the bandit camp...can't seem to figure out the 3 puzzle rooms especially the one with the drawbridge with the antimagic zone >< anyone got a clue?

The AI meanwhile, though not boasting the complex behavioral patterns of Oblivion or Fallout 3

For some reason this really reminds me of gothic 2

It's disappointing that the NPCs are generic, and that the same person is being re-cycled over and over - these are central characters too. I mean, it's disconcerting when you leave Sara on the beach, and then literally ten minutes later, meet another important character, named Rachel, who's the same person.

This really detracts from the title - this shouldn't be happening in a game that's selling for the same price as a triple-A title. Not in the year 2009. It kind of is inexcusable.

Well maybe it's made for people like me who only pay attention slightly... I haven't noticed what you're referring to. The characters so far seem different enough, though there aren't that many faces.

Well maybe it's made for people like me who only pay attention slightly... I haven't noticed what you're referring to. The characters so far seem different enough, though there aren't that many faces.

MyopicCanadian

It's probably because they act differently and have different voices... so yeah I'm expecting them to re-use the same face since there are only a few, but unless it's the exact same guy with the same equipment and same voice, I'm not gonna notice.

The NPCs were pretty atrocious in Oblivion.. supposedly the superior game. That, I did notice. I've been pretty impressed with the voice-overs so far in Risen. It probably took me all of an hour for the NPC's in Oblivion to start getting on my nerves.

The AI meanwhile, though not boasting the complex behavioral patterns of Oblivion or Fallout 3

Baranga

From the review provided in the above link:

"Every female in the game uses the same model with the exception to clothing and hair, and you'll notice this easily because their breats are all pointy and large. Again, wouldn't be unlikeable if a vast majority of the female characters didn't work as either cooks or prostitutes. As for the men, there are a total of three models with various hair/clothing changes and all talk about booze, prostitutes, and ripping you off before you beat their faces in."

Wow.

That is shocking. I've encountered only two females so far, and both were the same person. Yes, their hairstyles were slightly different, but they were the same person. Is this true, literally, that there's only 1 female NPC model? If that's literally true then it's disgraceful.

I don't expect that to be taken literally.. after all, this part is obviously incorrect:

As for the men, there are a total of three models with various hair/clothing changes and all talk about booze, prostitutes, and ripping you off before you beat their faces in."

From the review provided in the above link:

"Every female in the game uses the same model with the exception to clothing and hair, and you'll notice this easily because their breats are all pointy and large. Again, wouldn't be unlikeable if a vast majority of the female characters didn't work as either cooks or prostitutes. As for the men, there are a total of three models with various hair/clothing changes and all talk about booze, prostitutes, and ripping you off before you beat their faces in."

Wow.

That is shocking. I've encountered only two females so far, and both were the same person. Yes, their hairstyles were slightly different, but they were the same person. Is this true, literally, that there's only 1 female NPC model? If that's literally true then it's disgraceful.

Charles_Dickens

[QUOTE="Charles_Dickens"]

From the review provided in the above link:

"Every female in the game uses the same model with the exception to clothing and hair, and you'll notice this easily because their breats are all pointy and large. Again, wouldn't be unlikeable if a vast majority of the female characters didn't work as either cooks or prostitutes. As for the men, there are a total of three models with various hair/clothing changes and all talk about booze, prostitutes, and ripping you off before you beat their faces in."

Wow.

That is shocking. I've encountered only two females so far, and both were the same person. Yes, their hairstyles were slightly different, but they were the same person. Is this true, literally, that there's only 1 female NPC model? If that's literally true then it's disgraceful.

Alaris83

It's a good game, but it's far from perfect.

Generic NPCs (they're everywhere too), an engine that isn't optimized, bugs that will make it impossible for you to finish the game, sub-par graphics, generic quests - these are just some of the issues people are talking about. It's not just me, a lot of people have brought this stuff up. I don't have a 'smear campaign' going against the game.

You make it sound like I'm some kind of evil genius sitting here in my lair trying to plot the downfall of Risen.

And, guys, I thought that this was worth posting: some people here were beating up on that Eurogamer reviewer for having 'only' played for 20 hours. One person here said that 20 hours for an RPG is barely enough time to get started.

Well I've been hanging out at The Risen forums and I was surprised to discover that a lot of people have already finished the game. Apparently, you can actually finish this game in 20 hours. It's actually not that long. A lot of people are saying that Chapter 3 is even kind of weak - that there are few really interesting quests, and that the game starts to become a bit of a grind.

I like the game a lot - don't get me wrong, this is a very addictive game.

But there ARE some pretty fundamental flaws here. I'm taking mental notes as I progress, which I'll post about when I'm finished. We could have some fun dissecting this game, because there's a lot to dissect here.

A good 2.5 page review by ign 8.6

Whether or not you'll enjoy Piranha Bytes' Risen really depends on what kind of gamer you are. Though this is a more humble and user-friendly product than Gothic titles past, it's still very much a hardcore role-playing game. If you're not willing to figure some things out for yourself and the idea of freedom of choice doesn't sit well with you, chances are Risen isn't going to mesh well with your gaming sensibilities. If you're a Gothic fan, however, this is an absolute must-buy. If you're familiar with the genre and are looking to take the next step into a mature, well-realized fantasy world, then this is it. Its combat system isn't the greatest and its pacing is inconsistent, but for those who put in the time to see all Risen has to offer, it's an experience that won't be forgotten.IGN

descent review. I also am liking the game so far, especially since we've had no good RPGs come out this year.LTZH