Risen Completed the game - random thoughts

Yeah, Gothic 3 world felt mostly boring, redundant after you had visited your first 2-3 towns.

I prefer the more focused aspect of Risen where I always feel curious about what's just on the other side of the cliff.
 
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Actually G3 wasn't as Redundant as most other games. Its still a better game than for example, Fable. The G3 world was too big for the devs to fill, however it sure had character (the world I mean). Varant, Nordmar and the middle land looked different, and I thought gave the game credit. Different enemies at each land. Where as Risen had pretty much the same all throughout. Even G1 had the bloodhounds ONLY in the eastern region close to Xardas (region specific).
 
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Actually G3 wasn't as Redundant as most other games. Its still a better game than for example, Fable.

I agree, although it's pretty easy to be better than Fable. ;)

Despite all its flaws, Gothic 3 is still one of my favorite recent crpgs.

1. Risen
2. The Witcher
3. Gothic 3

….would probably be my favorite *recent* RPGs, but there isn't much that separates them.
 
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i have now completed the game, i did like it , even replayed it when my game broke on chapter 3 :( , still i think there is farrrrr to much walking needed on some quests which was a tad frustrating at times, i did cover a huge amount of the gameworld although some places could have been easier to get to , the map wasnt so accurate when i was hovering around the red dot and was quite a way from the actual quest item/person. Still for me though it comes in behind Elder Scrolls Oblivion which i rate as the finest game i have ever played, roll on Dragon Age: Origins :D
 
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Finished Risen today and in my opinion it is a classic. Yes there are some flaws and like any new PC-game it could probably use a patch ... but I love Risen's atmosphere, story, exploration and the new combat and skill system. All Good stuff. I wasn't as offended by the odd boss-fight as some because for me the jouney to get there was the reward and it was a fun journey.

p.s.
Long long-time lurker at the Watch but first post.
 
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Welcome to The Watch Gothmog (read Tolkien much? ;)), I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I agree, it's definitely a classic.

Have you played Piranha Bytes' older titles as well?
 
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Yes I do know my Tolkien. But I just picked it on a whim because Gothmog was easy for me to remember.

And yes I am very familiar with PB, a very small but I think very special game studio. One of the reasons I've lurked on the Watch so long is that it is very Gothic friendly and lore-wise. And also for the info on other good games like the Witcher, etc.
 
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Gothmog is a Dungeon Master champion ;)

http://dmweb.free.fr/?q=node/199

Dungeon Master we miss you. I can still hear the "bump into wall" sound now "UH - hurrrrr". And the hiss of the mummies. And the silent, creepy Chaos Knights. And the rattling doors. And the shriekers.

Ahh memories.

And walking into your own fireball spells.

What a classic game.
 
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Dungeon Master we miss you. I can still hear the "bump into wall" sound now "UH - hurrrrr". And the hiss of the mummies. And the silent, creepy Chaos Knights. And the rattling doors. And the shriekers.

Ahh memories.

And walking into your own fireball spells.

What a classic game.


Ohhhh yes that bring back good memories (apart from being spun round on some nasty tiles and not knowing where you were heading....) remember playing that on the Atari 512 STE back in the day, being the first adventure style game that i had played it set the tone for all modern day type rpgs and long may it continue.
 
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I liked the game and would recommend it, but I got very bored in the last chapter.The combat,NPC,story was just not interesting enough to hold my attention.Drakensang and the Witcher were both better games of recent times in my view.
 
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Have to agree with others the beginning was quite entertaining but as pointed out by the time you get to chap 3 and 4 it is major redundancy.

The map function is blasé at best it could have been much more user friendly. I am an old fart and when I was picking up the titan armor I forgot which dungeon I had got what from! So even more running around and around the same little map ad infinitum or nausea, when all that was needed was an X through the completed dungeons.

Combat was a bit weird where as a weak first level rag tag I could quite easily kill a (terrifying?) Seagull or vulture or gnome but as soon as I got a "better" weapon it was nearly twice as hard to kill the same creature. However overall it was pretty smooth other than a bit hard to get the timing for special attacks.

I might replay but the time consuming travel over the same terrain did get monotonous and so, is kind of intimidating.

I did enjoy the game but it went from a 9 or 10 to a mediocre 5 or 6 (imho) all because of being too scripted (in chapters 3 and 4) and a tiny world map.
 
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Combat
G2 - 10/10
G1 - 10/10
Risen - 9.5/10
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - 9/10
Severance - 8/10
Oblivion - 7.5/10
G3 - 7/10

I was prepared to accept your entire post as gospel until I saw you rate Severance combat below.... well ANYTHING you listed. However, your post otherwise was dead on IMO.
 
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I'm a huge Piranha Bytes fanboy, but even I wouldn't try to pretend that G1&2 had 10/10 combat, and G3 is realistically less than 7/10.
 
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Well, I've completed the game once and am about 3/4 through the second. I agree that the last two chapters are average but the first two, which take 2/3 the play time, are very, even extremely good. To me, they have the true Gothic feel and I can see playing them again with different perspectives. I still play G2 but I hardly ever continue past Chapter 4. Same thing: that's the meat of the game. The end is railroaded and almost pointless after the first time through.

All I can say is that all considered, I enjoy Risen; what else matters? I can lie in bed thinking about my XP distribution (no, I don't have a life :) ) It may be too early to be sure, but I find the same initial connection I had with Morrowind and G2 years ago.
 
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um.. apologies for my ignorance, but what on earth does the TES series have to do with the Gothic series? What is the merit in comparing a Gothic style game to a TES game? Either you like one or the other, or both.
Me, I like both, (well I loved Morrowind, anyway - not so much Oblivion), but for different reasons.

They are different games, a different series, a different style of play, with a different focus.

I 'd understand if you compared Risen to the previous Gothic games, but why to a TES game in particular? There are sooo many other action-RPG's out there that one could also have compared it to…

EDIT: ..sorry- I just had to vent a bit re the Gothic/TES mudslinging going on in the thread. It always gets my goat when this happens, because I enjoy both of these series. Comparing them is of course useful, I was actually talking about the mudslinging that so often ensues when the comparison comes up..
 
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I wasn't comparing them at all, at least as games. I simply meant that Risen brought up emotional responses that that I previously felt for Gothic and Morrowind. The same way both pizza and a good roasted chicken make me drool - they don't have to be similar.
 
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I wasn't comparing them at all, at least as games. I simply meant that Risen brought up emotional responses that that I previously felt for Gothic and Morrowind. The same way both pizza and a good roasted chicken make me drool - they don't have to be similar.

Apologies if I made you think I was talking about you, fragonard. I was talking about earlier up in the thread. I had only read this thread today for the first time (since I had only managed to finish the game on Sunday) , so I just thought to myself: "Here we go again…"

I don't agree with the route Bethesda had started to take recently -starting with Oblivion, but Bethesda had made some good games in earlier years, so I don't like if all their games are thrown under the same blanket and bashed equally, especially not in a thread dealing with a PB game, you know?

Ah, just nevermind. I suppose I'm just a bit sensitive because of recent Morrowind vs Oblivion fights I'd recently witnessed/been involved in on another website.

Peace.
 
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I was prepared to accept your entire post as gospel until I saw you rate Severance combat below…. well ANYTHING you listed. However, your post otherwise was dead on IMO.

You have a point, however Severance combat was way too difficult. The learning curve was at least 10x as high compared to G1. I never finished the game, because couldn't get past that big ogre-dragon fiend. It was still easier than 'Die by the sword'.

I think it should be noted that Witcher also ranks high up there in the ranks of best CRPG's. Although the point n click combat didn't have that much immersion. I am re-writing my list:

Combat
G2 - 10/10
G1 - 10/10
Risen - 9.5/10
Assasins Creed - 9
Severance - 9/10
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - 8/10
Witcher - 8/10
Oblivion - 7.5/10
G3 - 7/10
 
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