Risen 2: Dark Water

Since seeing the first trailers and gameplay videos of this, oh some time ago, I was pretty excited. There arent many RPG Pirate themed games available for the 360. And after Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the damned was cancelled there didnt seem to be a lot of hope that we would be getting anything in the way of free roaming Pirate action.
Risen 2 will dissapoint many at first. You cannot sail a ship, at least not directly, and you cannot swim. For me that takes a big part of being a Pirate away. But with dated graphics, bad voice acting and a storyline that is not exactly brilliant....how does Risen 2 play out?

You step into the boots of the nameless hero. Set some time after the events of the first game, we find our hero in the employ of the Inquisition (antogonists of the first game), whom are basically humanity's last hope of salvation. The World is on the verge of collapse as age old Titans have been summoned from the depths of the earth and sea to wreak havoc. The seas are no longer safe, for giant sea monsters prowl the depths and are constantly sinking ships. This in some ways explains why you cannot swim...
Anyway as mankind finds itself pushed out of the old kingdom it's hopes and dreams look South into the Seas of the new world. And this is where the game is set. You begin in an Inquisition stronghold and soon after you are tasked with setting sail and searching for a weapon that can challenge the power of the Titans. The gameworld is broken into Islands and you can explore the areas freely. I must say that the Islands and weather effects, day night cycle etc are nice and really add to the atmosphere of the Piratey theme. You will stroll golden beaches, explore small settlements and stumble upon sugar plantations. Clearly the game tries to capture the feel of early colonial life from our own history. And to be fair it manages to do a good job. Lush forests filled with wild game and enemies make for hunting and fighting. You can loot bodies, skin animals, and even cook the meat you find which in turn provide you with much needed provisions. Which are needed. In the early parts of the game you are in for a tough slog as you are very underpowered. Basic enemies will test your resolve and you will be constantly taking healing items and consuming rations to keep yourself from seeing the game over screen. Combat will award you with glory points and when you have survived long enough you can level up your character.
Fortunately if you invest your points wisely, seek out training for special attacks and abilities...the game does become more forgiving and you truly get a sense of becoming more powerful. Just remember that you really have to slog through the early parts of the game to get an even footing. I advise taking on all quests and doing as much hunting as possible to get your experience levels up.
Of course, being a pirate game, you get a decent aresenal to choose from in terms of weapons, and Voodoo makes an appearance aswell. You can wield swords, muskets, fire pistols and even launch sand into the face of your enemies. Voodoo brings mind control into the equation and debuffs to weaken enemies.

Its really hard for me to delve into RPG games, especially since Skyrims' release. For nothing really comes close to that beast. I have to accept that all developers have different ideas for what makes a RPG work.
Risen 2 tries very hard to offer up on the premise of a free-roam pirate adventure. Everything you expect as RPG standard is available in the game. Sneaking, picking pockets and locks, brewing potions, making weapons...so it does have a lot of depth once you get past the sloggish combat and begin to understand how the game works.

Overall I like this game. It isnt the best, nor the worst RPG you will come across and it certainly grows on you. It just doesnt operate as smoothly as it probably should, given the fact that we are in 2012. More is becoming expected.

Risen 2 is a decent enough way to pass your time if you enjoy rpgs. The core mechanics are sound - fight to earn xp and money, then spend those making yourself better in various departments and repeat. The ability to control people through voodoo adds an interesting puzzle element, as does the ability to control a monkey.

The combat itself is unfortunately weak, and comes off poorly against 'The Witcher 2' for fluidity and bossbattles - technically Risen 2 cant compare either. The ace in its sleeve (beyond a compulsion to explore) is that Risen 2 is very funny - salty language and rude or silly jokes make it a laugh from start to finish.

If you're expecting a piratey game it will disappoint - its more of a theme for the game than actual gameplay mechanics, those hoping for seabattles or swashbuckling will find none here (which is a shame)but play it just as
an rpg and theres enjoyment to be had.

I really enjoyed Risen and Risen 2 is great fun as well. On the positive side it is a huge game, the storyline is great and the dialogue is witty. The locations and characters are interesting and in general i found the quests entertaining. I also liked the different character builds and developement paths available to the player.

On the other hand, i encountered several glitches and like other deep silver games it is fairly buggy with dodgy graphics here and there. Also the side quests did feel samey but the larger storyline is good enough to overlook this. If you are into achievements this game will require some time to complete with some grinding required for two or three of the achievements.

All things considered i would recommend this game.