Two Worlds 2 - 360
Two Worlds 2 - 360
Two Worlds 2 - 360
Genre – RPG
Developer: Reality Pump
Publisher: Top Ware
Release Date: January 25, 2011
Overview –
Two Worlds 2 is a surprise sequel to a lackluster original. The game takes place shortly after the events of Two Worlds 1. You play the role of the “hero” and travel around a world known as Antaloor in an attempt to save the land from the evil Gandahar who is also holding your sister hostage as some sort of energy source for power to rule the land. A clichéd story to say the least, but is it worth listening to?
Presentation – 6.5
Two Worlds 2 presentation borders on ridiculous at times. When a game is so anti user friendly like this I tend to not even give it a chance. Gamers will find themselves fumbling around the menu systems staring at icons that offer no explanation what so ever. Gamers will have to research various web sources for guides to get a good understanding of what these different things mean. I know Reality Pump is a Polish developer, but its almost like they went out of their way to follow the stereotypical ethnic slur that most people reference when talking about Polish people. I wonder at times if its some cruel joke against the rest of the world as a giant screw you from the developers.
Right out of the box the first thing gamers will notice is that the screen is stretched beyond the edges so that text is cut off and can not be read. Your first thought is to check to see if your TV is messed up. But its not. Its our Polish developer having a laugh because by default, the game is setup to look this way and you must goto the options to change it so it looks right.
This kind of bass akwards programming is a common theme for TW2.
The interactive map and quest log also follows this theme. You will find yourself fumbling around in this area trying to figure out whats what rather then spending time playing the actual game. Perhaps this was the plan to keep preoccupied with nonsense so that you don't see the story.
The story in this game might as well not even exist. It is by far one of the worst stories I have ever seen. That would be bad enough except for the added bonus of how its presented to the gamer. The voice acting is down right terrible and I ended up turning on captions so I could read it instead of l…i….s…..t….e….n…..i….n…..g to it. Perhaps the voices wouldn’t sound so bad if they didn’t talk to slow. It has its moments and actually has some good writing, but its all lost in the delivery like a bad punch line.
Graphics - 8.5
Two Worlds 2 offers some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen in a game. You go from dry desert wastelands to lushly filled tropical lands full of colors and beauty. The problem with this beautiful land is that to get the most out of it the developers added console commands which are only reserved for PC games. These commands allow you to alter the games engine to perform in a manor that the gamer wants. These commands allow you to tweak the game into stunning visuals that you wont want to be without. Again, our Polish developers must be having a laugh because they decided to not add a save option for these commands. This means that every time you turn on the game, you are forced to enter these commands. A tedious task that I have to do, but got old after the 2nd time.
The game is not without its share of graphical hitches like pop in and the occasion tearing. Overall it runs silky smooth and rarely ever dips in FPS even when the screen is full of monsters while your performing 3 highly colorful spells all at the same time. Its somewhat refreshing to see a game be able to handle all that activity at one time without a stutter. The world is detailed and looks great. Character models leave alot to be desired but its not a big deal. Spells look awesome and will have you eager to try out new things just to see how cool they look.
Sound - 9
This is very simple. Voice Acting – 0. Everything else – 9.5.
The voice acting is just terrible. It has the random moments of humor but you will hardly notice it because you cant stand to listen to the rest of it. This means you miss out on the good things because the bad voice acting by far outweighs the good. The in game soundtrack is fantastic and the sound effects are bordering perfect. Its really a treat to listen to the soundtrack while playing and for someone who usually turns off in game music, I find this to be a high point of the game. The score of music is played perfectly and reminds you of those wonderful star wars moments when Darth Vader hits the screen and you hear that evil music or when something good is happening and you hear cheerful music. Its really top notch.
Gameplay - 8.5
The gameplay in TW2 starts off rather slowly. Gamers must get past the first 2 hours or so before the game really opens up to them. Once that happens a core RPG gamer will see tremendous value in this game. The game offers some of the most in depth role playing and player development I have ever seen. The Alchemy system is what you would expect from an RPG. But TW2 offers a crafting system that is like no other. It allows players to break down un-used weapons and armor and use the resources to upgrade their current weapons and armor. You can also upgrade items with skill crystals and even customize the colors. This crafting system is more designed for Rogues or Warriors. Weapons and Staffs will look killer when certain crystals are applied to give them an effect.
Mages can also use this system but they have one of their own. The spell crafting system. This system uses cards that you can buy or collect along your journey to make your own custom spells. Once you learn how the spells work, the options are endless. Endless? At first look it may seem endless. But don’t be fooled like I was, the game limits the things you can do with the spell cards. So while you can do all sorts of cool things, you are not fully able to do anything you want like the impression you are given when you start playing. Still, it’s a great system and sets a excellent standard for future RPG’s. I love being able to create my own spells and save them for future use. You are not restrained by a spell tree of any kind. If you have the cards, you can build it and have as many as you want.
The combat in TW2 is your typical hack and slash for the most part. Although this game does offer some real cool skills so its not just a button masher. As you unlock skills and put points into them you will be able to execute some dazzling attacks that go way beyond the normal hack and slash combat. It works very well and is alot of fun for sword type players. Mages can even whack the enemies with their staff so they are not limited to ranged combat.
Leveling up is another great feature of TW2. You do not choose a class for your role. Instead you are given the freedom to build your players as a Warrior, Rogue or Mage. Or you can be any combination of the three. You have full freedom here to be any kind of player you want. You must buy or locate skill books to be able to put points into skills, but once you do you will find that you are building a bad ass role for your player.
The game offers some cool little mini games like Dice, Lockpicking, Pick Pocketing, and even a Rock Band style music mini game where you can play the harp, violin, drums or a flute. Certain mini games will stand out over others, but each one offers a change of pace and provides some additional enjoyment.
You will have the ability to ride a horse but it sucks, period. And its totally un needed in this game because you will find teleports all over the map and use those to fast travel. You can also sail a boat. This is another nice addition and a needed one at times, but probably something most gamers will find to be a bore and not use unless they have too.
Fun Factor - 8.5
The game is fun despite its lame story and voice acting. There is a HUGE land to explore Well except for the fact that our Polish developers decided to include the largest land mass in the game on the single player map and unfortunately it’s multi player only. They really miss lead you into thinking this is an area to explore as part of the game. But its not. Despite that type of thinking, the land masses you can explore are rather large and you will not find yourself without an area to explore.
Battles are alot of fun and their is no shortage of bad guys to beat up. The AI is typical for an RPG and while that means they are not the smartest enemies, they are also not bad either. I find this games biggest strength to be the combat and looting. But my biggest joy is simply roaming the world and seeing all this land has to offer. There is also no shortage of dungeons and tombs to explore and you can always find little nooks of things you would not expect.
Lockpicking is by far the best mini game for me. I love it and never get sick of trying to pick locks. The dice mini game is also alot of fun and a good way to pass the time. The Rock Band mini game is the most difficult mini game, but if you play well you can earn money and even a crowd of watchers.
Replay Value - 10
Two Worlds 2 has incredible value. I have logged well over 60 hours and I am only on Chapter 2 of 4. There are well over 200 quests in the game, most of which are tedious and the main quest isnt much better. But still there is no shortage of quests and things to do. You can spend endless hours exploring, and when your not doing that you can get lost in the crafting, spell making or mini game.
The game also boasts an incredibly deep multi player mode that I have not even begun to experience. There is a 7 Chapter coop mode, an in-depth sim city like village mode, plus your run of the mill deathmatch type modes. You will definitely get your moneys worth from this game.
Summary
Most of this review bashes the game for its flaws and I did that on purpose. The fact that it has these flaws and still earns an 8 should tell you how many things it does extremely well. This game is not for the casual RPG gamer and has an incredibly steep learning curve. You will need a web guide of the assistance of a community that is willing to help you figure things out. The game is not user friendly and will test your patients in the beginning. If you have the will to get beyond these things you will find yourself in for a real treat.
Final Score - 8
