[ALL] Two Worlds 2

[killgod]

The first one I toyed around with for a couple hours, it was buggy and nearly unplayable IMO

From what I understand the patches fixed it and it ended up being a decent game, but I never looked into it.


Leeched the PC version of this, played the first couple hours.....it's phenomenal so far. Graphics are great, some animations seem a bit odd, but the environment is gorgeous. Voice acting is blah too, but not really a big issue.

The crafting is really cool, how you can break down items into individual parts and then use those parts to upgrade other items. The magic crafting is really cool, you can basically craft any kind of spell you want.

For example, you take a missle card and match it with a fire card. You get a fire bolt spell. Mix the missile card with a ice spell, you get a ice bolt spell. You get the idea.... You can mix multiple cards together once you get skilled enough, so you have spells that like....shoot area of attack ice bolts that spawn skeletons who fight for you....totally up to you how you craft it.


Only basically though the prologue/tutorial, but this game is going to be my obsession for the next while I'm sure. May get the console version for some MP action if I find someone who wants to play as well.



I'll post more about the game when I've played it more, but absolutely do not judge it by the first Two Worlds game, this game is pretty damn good so far.

Only review I've found is in German, and they gave the game a 92% and so far I can see why.

[wingsfan77]

I remember it was supposed to be a big deal but then it came out and had all those bugs like you mentioned so nobody played it.

[Maynard]

somewhat amusing review....they gave it 3/5

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/25/two-worlds-2-review/

Uh, hello, Two Worlds 2 is it? Please, come in, have a seat."

"Oh, thank you so much, and please, call me Tee Dub, all my friends do. I can't tell you what an honor this is to even be considered for a Joystiq score, especially considering what an unmitigated disaster my predecessor was."

"It's our pleasure, Tee Dub. Now, I'm just going to address the elephant in the room here. I'm looking over your resume, and I keep coming back to this line right here: 'I am, in many respects, not a very good game. In fact, some parts of me are actively bad.'"

"Uhh, yes, that's correct."

"We try to keep an open mind here at Joystiq, and heaven knows we're suckers for fantasy action RPGs. But I have to ask ... if you'll fully admit to being crummy in many regards, what are you doing in my office?"

"One word, Mr. McElroy: Heart."

"Heart?"

"Now, don't get me wrong, I have my failings, my combat chief among them. Attacks almost always feel underpowered, hit detection seems almost random, there's no sense of weight behind attacks ... and that's just melee. Magic has its own problems, like how you're supposed to be able to use area-clearing spells when you get surrounded -- yet enemies attack so quickly you can almost never finish casting them."

"That sounds ... bad."

But it's in there, and I think people who take the time to understand it are going to be absolutely hooked.


"You think that sounds bad, I haven't even gotten to my stunningly unintuitive UI. Get this: When you look at equipment statistics, things like 'Attack' and "Defense" are represented by inscrutable symbols that I never explain, not even in the instruction booklet! Luckily, I have an option to change those symbols to text buried in my Settings menu."

"So why have the symbols in the first place?"

"I'd ... I'd rather not talk about it. What I can talk about is my almost endearing level of graphical weirdness, everything from levels very obviously loading around you as you stand frozen in place to a running animation that looks like a bad improv student instructed by his teacher to embody a constipated duck. Oh, and your scalp spends a lot of the cutscenes popping up through your hair texture and making it look like you have a tonsure."

"Wow ... did you ... leave anything out?

"Uhh ... I have a whole paragraph of my manual that's inexplicably in German?"

"Tell you what ... let's ... let's skip to the good stuff."

"Oh, okay, great. Well, my best feature is probably my crafting system. At any time, you can break weapons and armor down to their material components, like wood, leather and steel and then use those components to upgrade your more powerful weapons. How far you can upgrade them depends on how high your crafting skills are. You can even specialize in weapon, armor or shield crafting!"

"Wow, that sounds really robust for a console RPG."

"Yeah, no kidding, and you don't know the half of it. Upgrading weapons and armor opens up slots in them that you can fill with stat-boosting crystals, which you can also craft in an entirely separate system. Then there's alchemy, which lets you experiment with the hundreds of components lying around the world (and inside enemy corpses) to make your own potions. I even save recipes you like for later use."

"You know, as addictive as all those systems sound, I'm having trouble understanding why Reality Pump would put so much time into developing them when there are so many other ... failings to address."


...Sure, why not?

"Yeah, don't ask me. Oh, but wait, I didn't tell you the best part: Spell crafting. You get these spell amulets, right? And inside them you place an element like 'fire' or 'poison' and then a delivery system like missiles or a summoned creature. Then you can modify it with additional cards that you collect throughout the world like damage improvement or a ricochet effect, all of which increase mana cost and casting time."

"That sounds amazing. And this is all really well explained and easy to understand?"

"Oh God no."

"Naturally."

"But it's in there, and I think people who take the time to understand it are going to be absolutely hooked. In fact, that's me all over.

I know I have my faults, but I'm also incredibly likable with a lot to offer. I've got a great symphonic soundtrack. I've got some funny writing that tweaks the fantasy genre. I've got a bizarre array of missions that range from defending townspeople from a mutated umbrella, to settling a sexual abuse scandal at the local university ... and that's just in the campaign, which you could easily spend 30 to 40 hours on. I haven't even mentioned my online mode, which lets you create a persistent multiplayer character and subject him to deathmatches, duels and a co-op campaign that's better than it has any right to be.


There are parts of me that are objectively bad, yes. But there are also things that are just obtuse or antiquated, and if people can look past that stuff or even embrace it, there's absolute merit to me. We live in an era where so many of the biggest hits are cynical, soulless affairs squarely targeted at the lowest common denominator. But what of those special souls who just love taking apart swords and putting them back together in a different way? Should they really be warned away from me just because I can't string together a decent fight to save my life? Don't they deserve something of their very own?"

"Very well. I'm convinced. Now please, get up off your knees. We're prepared to go three stars, Two Worlds 2. Congratulations."

"Wow, that's really flattering. But I'd love to get that up a little higher ... did I mention my spell crafting is actually called DEMONS or Dynamic Enchantment, Magic, Occultism and Necromancy System?"

"...Don't press your luck."

[Maynard]

double post

[BazookaJoe5]

I got it on 360. I never played the first, so I can't compare it to that, but this one is a lot of fun. Probably the best RPG I've played on 360 since Dragon Age.

That review is pretty much on point, there are a lot of little minor things that are a little annoying or whatever, but nothing game breaking and nothing that really detracts from it all that much. It just sucks that they couldn't address all those little things, that would have taken it from a really good game to a great game...but regardless, it's a damn good game and worth a play.

[Maynard]

this PC review is selling me. i am thinking of taking a chance on buying this one. i know its a pc review, but you gotta think the console versions are equal for the most part.

http://www.ripten.com/2011/01/29/ripten-review-two-worlds-ii-pc/

its a very detailed review and they even talk about how long they played. alot of videos which is really what is selling me

[Buzzman]

it's only $40 at Kmart.

[Maynard]

yep...picked it up and installed. just waiting to fire it up

[BrntO4Life]

yep...picked it up and installed. just waiting to fire it up

Sounds like a podcast segment in the making.

[Maynard]

some impressions. been playing about 2 hours. there is an adjustment process in this game. what i mean is literally you have to adjust the games settings a few times to make it right. for example, the camera rotates very fast in default speed, so i lowered it to 3 and now its perfect. Also, the screen was like to zoomed in and i couldnt see the hud on the edges. this was kind of tricky to find the fix, but it was right in front of my face but since it was labels poorly i didnt realize this was the option.....dumb shit like that

Mild spoilers below

 

the first "section" which i am still playing is a tutorial of sorts. you start the game, make your guy (no option to be a woman) then it starts off with you in a dungeon being broken out by this hot little orc. you basically follow her out finding loot along the way and learning some basics of the gameplay. During the player creator you do not choose what kind of role your playing and u dont have any points to distribute. you have access to the skill tree and i assume you will decide what role you want to be from there when u get some points. you can clearly see the following trees, Warrior, Ranger, Mage.

you also see some general skills like endurance, willpower, strength and accuracy as well as assassin, crafting and general skills. I assume these are available regardless of the class u choose. I think that is kind of cool since other RPG designate skills to certain classes.

Keep in mind each class also has about 11 things under its own tree specific to that class. Its all layed out pretty well and while i have read alot of negatives about the menu, i picked this up in less than 2 hours....ONE thing i will say is in the settings make sure you switch the option to "show icons as text" which is probably what confused alot of these idiot reviewers. Its like they dogged it without understanding that a simple change of an option makes the world of difference. Stupid that the devs even made it this way but at least it can be setup how u like.

So to the game. Graphically i am very impressed. i have seen both dungons and daylight outside and both look extremly sharp and detailed. It doesnt look as sweet as mass effect 2, but its not far off either. And is miles ahead of Dragon Age. thats the environments and landscapes..... very nice and look excellent

The player faces look pretty dated...like those same lifeless faces you saw in Oblivian. Its not bad, but its not good either. Another thing you notice is the same idiotic hand and arm gestures during conversations. This would be less of an issue if they at least matched the point of emphasis in the discussion. It isnt a big deal, but its dumb and would have been better if they just stood still when talking.

The game is also extremely smoooooooth. i havnt seen any pop ins or framerate drops at all. your guy moves effortlessly and is 100% responsive. he can run and jump and swim and it all transitions very well.

Combat...i have only had 1 guy to fight so far. i used a sword and pushed RT and the guy did some random spin moves when make his hits. I didnt know if i was making that happen or what. It worked...but i need more fights to know how this is. I did have a orc mage that fired off some kick ass fire spells. I cant wait to get my mage shit going.

So far, i am glad i spent the money. Its supposedly a huge map to explore with a shitload of loot and spell crafting and over 300 quests. My kind of RPG

[BrntO4Life]

some impressions. been playing about 2 hours. there is an adjustment process in this game. what i mean is literally you have to adjust the games settings a few times to make it right. for example, the camera rotates very fast in default speed, so i lowered it to 3 and now its perfect. Also, the screen was like to zoomed in and i couldnt see the hud on the edges. this was kind of tricky to find the fix, but it was right in front of my face but since it was labels poorly i didnt realize this was the option.....dumb shit like that

Mild spoilers below

 

the first "section" which i am still playing is a tutorial of sorts. you start the game, make your guy (no option to be a woman) then it starts off with you in a dungeon being broken out by this hot little orc. you basically follow her out finding loot along the way and learning some basics of the gameplay. During the player creator you do not choose what kind of role your playing and u dont have any points to distribute. you have access to the skill tree and i assume you will decide what role you want to be from there when u get some points. you can clearly see the following trees, Warrior, Ranger, Mage.

you also see some general skills like endurance, willpower, strength and accuracy as well as assassin, crafting and general skills. I assume these are available regardless of the class u choose. I think that is kind of cool since other RPG designate skills to certain classes.

Keep in mind each class also has about 11 things under its own tree specific to that class. Its all layed out pretty well and while i have read alot of negatives about the menu, i picked this up in less than 2 hours....ONE thing i will say is in the settings make sure you switch the option to "show icons as text" which is probably what confused alot of these idiot reviewers. Its like they dogged it without understanding that a simple change of an option makes the world of difference. Stupid that the devs even made it this way but at least it can be setup how u like.

So to the game. Graphically i am very impressed. i have seen both dungons and daylight outside and both look extremly sharp and detailed. It doesnt look as sweet as mass effect 2, but its not far off either. And is miles ahead of Dragon Age. thats the environments and landscapes..... very nice and look excellent

The player faces look pretty dated...like those same lifeless faces you saw in Oblivian. Its not bad, but its not good either. Another thing you notice is the same idiotic hand and arm gestures during conversations. This would be less of an issue if they at least matched the point of emphasis in the discussion. It isnt a big deal, but its dumb and would have been better if they just stood still when talking.

The game is also extremely smoooooooth. i havnt seen any pop ins or framerate drops at all. your guy moves effortlessly and is 100% responsive. he can run and jump and swim and it all transitions very well.

Combat...i have only had 1 guy to fight so far. i used a sword and pushed RT and the guy did some random spin moves when make his hits. I didnt know if i was making that happen or what. It worked...but i need more fights to know how this is. I did have a orc mage that fired off some kick ass fire spells. I cant wait to get my mage shit going.

So far, i am glad i spent the money. Its supposedly a huge map to explore with a shitload of loot and spell crafting and over 300 quests. My kind of RPG

Smells like a cult hit to me. Here's to Giant Bomb doing an Endurance Run with it this summer.

[Maynard]

got a bit further into the combat. its actually pretty cool. people complaining about hit detection dont seem to realize that in the tutorial it tells you that accuracy matters. its also a skill to level up. I was able to figure out how to control these spin attacks and its all about timing and using the right hit at the right time. Got a hold of a bow and arrow and thats really cool to use. you can even fire two arrows at one time taking out multiple targets

the lockpicking is cool too.

[jms493]

I would buy or rent but I am stuck in the fade

[Maynard]

done with the tutorial section. its rather long but not boring or tedious. it covers all the basics of playing as a warrior, ranger or mage in regard to combat (the combat is quite good). you also learn about breaking down and crafting items, creating and casting spells as well as doing some simple quests. After that you are on your way to the mainland.....the tutorial is done on a smaller island. The map is huge though. even the small tutorial island is huge and its totally open world meaning you can follow the paths in the world, or stray off into the woods basically going where ever you please. It would be next to impossible to explore all of the world because you can go anywhere you want. A game like dragon age is open world, but its still mapped out and u basically have a linear path of where u need to go. Not this game. there is a path, but you dont have to take it and u can find things off the path.

another tidbit about the negative reviews. I read how they complained about the textures bluring in the distance or even during conversation.....i have to think these people are morons. Yeah it blurs in the distance but it blurs in the sense that your eyes can only see so far. And the conversation blur is designed to be like that. Its not a design flaw or bad programming. They used blur as an effect in the background to highlight the conversation your having.

overall very happy with this game. the only real negative is the voice acting, but it still gets the point across

[Maynard]

I love that they gave players the option to be a jack of all trades of sorts. i was originally planning on being a mage, but now I am thinking about a mage warrior type because while i love playing with spells, i really enjoy the sword battles in this game. The combat is fun and really good

I played about 3-4 hours last night and I am just a level 2....i am curious what the level cap is