Risen, due to release on Oct 2 is getting good reviews in European magazines---86%. Here are some screenshots and a review (download the pdf). I can't wait.

http://forums.gametrailers.com/thread/risen---first-review--86-100/919692?page=1

http://www.spaziogames.it/recensioni_videogiochi/console_multi_piattaforma/9667/risen.aspx

http://www.gamerzines.com/pc/overview.html

Edit 9/29--just ordered from Amazon, which had the best price I could find.

Thanks Pokey

Wow, that does look great Pokey! Thanks

Here is the official site with some teaser videos: Risen

I just wanted to let you know that there is a demo out for this game. Don't know if is point and click, though. My guess is that the controls are or will be similar to the old Gothic games. I also think that the demo might be in German only?

http://www.rpgwatch.com/#13345

Apparently there is a problem with the installer, so you should probably wait a bit for the updated demo, before you download it.

In the meantime, you can read the various reviews of Risen.

http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8255

Thanks Karsten! We merged you with Pokey's previous topic on Risen...

I have played the demo. Very nice Great quality The demo is in English, you walk around with the wsad keys and do the combat moves with the mouse; takes a bit of getting used to do these combos. My only grief with the demo was that it ended just when the game became interesting...

I want to play more...of the excellent game. And then, the demo has done its job

Glad to hear it's good. I forgot all about Risen until Pokey posted. Now I don't feel guilty about pre-ordering another one...

Playing it and it looks good so far. At least it runs very smoothly, and I haven't encountered any bugs yet.

One can see it was made by the makers of the Gothics, though. As far as I'm concerned you could pretty much call it Gothic 4, because it does seem to have the old Gothic flavour and atmosphere, just with more modern-looking graphics and special effects though.

That said, I think Arcania's graphics look even better, from the screenshots etc. that I've seen so far.

Hi Moondancer, please could tell me what graphics card you are using? I have a Nvidia 7950GT and am having problems with the rolling fog.

Thanks

anne2,
I don't have the game yet, moondancer can give you the location of the settings, but with that older card you are most likely going to need to turn down the graphics setting or if possible turn off the Bloom Effect. Fog can be troublesome to older cards.

That said, let us know what the specific "problem" is and that will let us know if it is just the architecture of the card or a possible malfunction and might forward you over to Glitches.


Edit: No problem with the fog. I'm running dual XFX 8800GT Alpha Dogs in in SLI. I'll have to agree with moondancer on the general feel of the game. It's very similar to Gothic, which for me is so-so. I like the stories, but have always found the interface and battle to be a bit clunky and so far this is following the same route...

Thanks Trail, have tried the lowest settings. I looked on the Risen forum and it seems to be a problem for many people. Was just curious as to what card Moondancer was using as as her game seems to be running well.

They are working on a solution.

Ah, I see. I just got mine in the mail - Yippee! If I can pull myself away from DDO I'll load it up and see if any fog rolls out of my PC

Oh dear, Anne - there does seem to be a problem, with that range of cards - I'm so sorry...

See this:



at http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8276

There's a whole subforum dedicated to the game at that site, btw.

I do hope for your sake that they resolve this issue soon, hopefully with a patch.

I've currently got an Nvidia 9800GTX, and for me the game runs flawlessly and does look rather pretty. The colour scheme is similar to that of Crysis - rather subdued, and with those kinds of special effects and vegetation. The chraracter models could have been better though, and some of them are repeated over and over, especially the female ones- so there are a few clones walking around....

Thanks so much Moondancer.

Have put off upgrading my pc but guess it time.
Happy to hear that the game looks pretty though.

Thanks for the info, will have a look at rpgwatch.

My 8800GT OC's seem to be processing the graphics well. I tried with just a single card and in SLI and it's running without a hitch. The background graphics and cut-scenes are looking very nice and the story draws you in pretty quick. I agree with your thoughts on the character models Moondancer, they could have had a little variation there. Although that's not too unusual for past RPG's; lots of clones running around in NWN2, Oblivion and Morrowind

I'm also wishing they would have updated the interface and combat system. Personally, I think it's on the clunky side...I've never been much of a fan of Gothic, so I have to be careful not to bias myself.

I actually like the combat system, I find it very realistic, and I must say that Risen is one of the most realistic feeling games I've ever played, save for the fact that it's not in 1st person.

One of the things that adds realism to combat, for instance, is the fact that enemies jump away, but what I really like in Risen, is how effective your blocking is... - even right from the beginning!

I do find the Risen interface clunky though - even worse than any of the Gothics ever were. Bah!

Sadly I had to finish a project for work this weekend, so I didn't get any time to play, but I'm taking tomorrrow off, so I'll hopefully be making up then!

2 questions can the main character be a female ?

Do we get to put on our own armor with a image with the character like in Sacred 2?

Thanks in advance whoever answers the questions. Checking out the reviews now.

Hi Sherryah,

I did not see a choice in the beginning that allowed a gender selection. As for the armor, your character equips what ever is in the inventory similar to other RPG's. Is that what you are asking?


I do like the 3D element of the game. Regarding combat though, blocking is effective, but I can't tell if it (combat) is real time or turn based. From the foe's perspective it seems real time, but from the character's there are aspects that seem turn based. The limitation that I came across immediately was that a melee weapon attack is perceived as a forward advance. You can't back pedal or move to the side while attacking, unless that's a skill learned later. There also seems to be a lag when attempting to dodge instead of attack, which gives the advantage to the foe.

My game is on its way to me but I am curious as to how it looks. I read one review that said it looked muddy compared to the Gothic games. I hope not since I loved the color in the original games. The screenshots that I saw looked dark.

Once I got used to combat in Gothic 2, I liked it quite a lot. There is a rhythm to blocking and striking.

The demo played good so the game I bought should. Wrong game sorry. Richard

Thanks Trail -mystic that was what I was asking. Bummer about not being able to choose a female character. I was hoping for another sacred 2 clone but it doesn't sound like it has much in common with sacred 1 or Sacred 2.

In the previous Gothic games as well as in Risen you always play as a man (for some reason?). Piranha Bytes, the developers of this game have promised that Risen will have more female npcs that Gothic 3 had (not that difficult since Gothic 3 had none, I think?).

If you're looking for a Sacred 1 or 2 clone, this is definetely not it. Sorry to be so harsh, but Risen gameplay will play similar to the Gothic games. And yes, there is a rhytm to parry, block and attack which you'll have to learn. If you're interested in this game, then you should try the demo. It really is a great introduction to the game world as well as the combat system.

The art direction in this game is really great (as least the part I played; the demo). And yes, from a certain perspective this game looks dark, but you can always turn up the gamma correction to a more brightness scale or turn the brightness up on your monitor.

On the other hand, the game is supposed to look dark, sinister and grim, since afterall there are clouds and storms and gails brewing all over the islands.




There are story reasons behind this, which you will find out during the game.

Edit:

Even if it hasn't much in common with Sacred 1 or Sacred 2, the game is still worth a try (and a possible buy), I find.

I'm slowly getting used to the combat system. The dialogue so far is quite good and the story has definitely grabbed my interest.

Sadly, it does not have the colour that Gothic 2 and 3 had. The closest comparison I can come up with what it looks like colour and natural special effects-wise, is Crysis. So it's more of "grey-ish" really, than the brownish colours you got in Fallout 3. (Unless the US gets a different version - I've got the European version, and I read somewhere that often the US gets more bright colours than the the European version of a game.)

I tried making my colours more intense, as there is a setting for it, but it didn't seem to work.
EDIT:
--------------------------
Strangely, today I did manage to make my colours a lot brighter... - one has to inrease brightness quite a bit, and contrast a little bit. Then if you're having nice weather and it's not raining: Voila! Pretty colours like in Gothic 3.
---------------------------

Trail, if you haven't already, I would encourage you to read your manual. There's a lot of interesting stuff in there! I never normally read my manuals, but when I got a crossbow, I had to look up what to do in order to get a crosshair for aiming, and discovered that a lot of the backstory is given in the manual. Regarding you comments about combat, it also seems from their description there, that your fighting technique does evolve to include using you movement keys, since they talk there of "new methods of attack or combos" (See p.20)

Hm..- i must admit that i haven't really experienced the "lag" you were talking about, from my own charcter, but it does seem from opponents in the ring, as if they have a special "heavy attack" that it takes them longer to recover from.

As far as I remember, the Gothics were real-time, and PB seems to have used a very similar system here, except that blocking definitely is more effective in Risen.

Sherrayah, I'm afraid that Karsten is quite correct in implying that Risen is about as far removed from Sacred 2 as, well, fish is from pumpkin. Risen has a totally different "feel" and world and method of gameplay and ruleset.

Also, just like with the Gothic games, you don't get to customize your hero at all at the start. You get a basic human male construct with pre-set stats, and you must build him up from there. No nice armour for a long time either. You start off, literally, barefoot and in rags, and your very first weapon is a stick.

Your next step is a hunter's knife, and farmer's clothes or worker's clothes. Armour is very scarce. This game is very realistic, and far removed from the fantasy "feel" of Sacred 2.

Games you might enjoy if you liked Sacred 2, are Silverfall and Titan's quest.

Although it is not similar really to Sacred 2, you might want to look out for Venetica, to be released end of October.
This website has a preview and some trailers of it:
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/venetica/news.html?sid=6198509&mode=previews

I thought it looks rather interesting, and I'm watching it with interest.

Moondancer, thanks for the tip. I have played Crysis and it looked pretty good. I do love running around a sunny landscape and grumble when it rains a lot. If it is very much like a Gothic game, I'm sure it will be great.