Risen - Review Flood #1

You can get it on Amazon with free 2 day shipping for $39.99

http://www.amazon.com/Risen-Pc/dp/B002C0VNQQ

txa1265 said:

If it says 'Games for Windows' it *has* to support the X360 controller out of the box. Things like Achievements and so on are optional.

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Sorry, but that's incorrect. If it supports a controller it has to support the x360 one, but it conveys absolutely no obligation to support a controller- see The Witcher for an example of a GfW game with no controller support.

Having an xbox port increases the likelihood of controller support, though.

wolfing said:

I'm exactly like you. I could never get into any of the Gothics, and seemingly, Risen, because of that. I want to start as a mage. Not as an unnamed dude that looks like he was born the moment I double clicked in the game, with nothing in their hands and without knowing how to swing a stick, and even if he does, it's always a melee guy. I want to play a caster from start, just like I can in Oblivion and all TES games in general.

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We all have our own preferences, of course, but does it hurt to have something different occasionally? I find Nameless easy to identify with, because he is an everyman. Imagine yourself washed up on an island...seems to me that swinging a stick badly might be where you'd start - and you guide things from there.

Zygo said:

Sorry, but that's incorrect. If it supports a controller it has to support the x360 one, but it conveys absolutely no obligation to support a controller- see The Witcher for an example of a GfW game with no controller support.

Having an xbox port increases the likelihood of controller support, though.

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Thanks for correcting me! Yet another inconsistency in a system supposedly based around consistency.

RivianWitch said:

I must have missed something here… - since when can you not lie on your bed and play a PC game from there?

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You did miss something here: my lengthy reply that was lost in ether yesterday. My point was that PC games are usually not made with easy-to-use-from-the-couch controls. At least, when I'm lying on the couch, it's not confortable at all to handle a keyboard/mouse. Many PC games become unplayable unless I sit closer to the TV screen that I'd like (The Witcher is one such game). World of Warcraft is nigh impossible unless I sit down instead of lie down. No such problems will ever exist for a console game.

Thaurin said:

You did miss something here: my lengthy reply that was lost in ether yesterday. My point was that PC games are usually not made with easy-to-use-from-the-couch controls. At least, when I'm lying on the couch, it's not confortable at all to handle a keyboard/mouse. Many PC games become unplayable unless I sit closer to the TV screen that I'd like (The Witcher is one such game). World of Warcraft is nigh impossible unless I sit down instead of lie down. No such problems will ever exist for a console game.

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Perhaps it's time to buy a notebook?

Konjad said:

Perhaps it's time to buy a notebook?

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Or notebook size wireless keyboard

Thaurin said:

You did miss something here: my lengthy reply that was lost in ether yesterday. My point was that PC games are usually not made with easy-to-use-from-the-couch controls. At least, when I'm lying on the couch, it's not confortable at all to handle a keyboard/mouse. Many PC games become unplayable unless I sit closer to the TV screen that I'd like (The Witcher is one such game). World of Warcraft is nigh impossible unless I sit down instead of lie down. No such problems will ever exist for a console game.

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Ok, what Konjad said; however I will concede a certain point to you; - that I admit I did omit in my lengthy, PC-loving and rather hastily written post, to admit that not all PC games come with controller compatibility. (Dang those devs! *shakes fist*)

Anyway, one can set yourself up nicely with one of those "TV-meal" trays and a cordless keyboard and mouse if you want.

In my specific case, I'll admit that I have a nice big comfy chair at my desk, so I prefer gaming at my desk, and in fact, I never play on my PS2 anymore, for the exact reason that I find "couch playing" uncomfortable but cannot find an adapter to connect the PS2 to my LCD screen so that I can play it at my desk.

RivianWitch said:

Anyway, one can set yourself up nicely with one of those "TV-meal" trays and a cordless keyboard and mouse if you want.

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Okay, of course in my specific living room, I have two ways of playing games. One is straight in front of the TV, a few meters away, with my feet resting on a stool. In this way, I can use a keyboard/mouse without too much trouble (and most fonts are readable, too!).

However, I play some console games lying down on my other couch, which is positioned parallel to the TV screen. So it's not as comfortable with a keyboard/mouse, plus it's maybe 3,5 meters from the TV. Many PC games will have very hard inventory management or quest text at this distance.

Of course, most PC games with proper gamepad controls feel about the same as if it were on the console.

Anyway, too much detail. Right now, I prefer to get Risen for PC, even though my hands are rotting away from under me due to repetitive straining injury from work--another reason I sometimes prefer the gamepad!

As for Risen itself, when I look at the videos, I look at a graphically enhanced Gothic 2. It's... amazing.

I'm pretty happy with my 50" Plasma that i have infront of the bed. Half-laying down beats sitting any day All third person games works great with gamepads (i use a xbox360 pad).

my 85" screen (Optoma DLP) in the living room isnt that bad either, but i almost never use it since i bought the tv. /end brag

Dhruin said:

We all have our own preferences, of course, but does it hurt to have something different occasionally? I find Nameless easy to identify with, because he is an everyman. Imagine yourself washed up on an island…seems to me that swinging a stick badly might be where you'd start - and you guide things from there.

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Well I come from D&D school. When you start a level 1 character, you're already something. Not powerful, but you're something, either a fighter, a rogue, a wizard, a priest, etc. To me RPGs don't start as if it was me (the player) in a new world, but as if it was a character that's been living for many years in that world, and already knows some basic skills of his/her choosing (and I, the player, become that character … not the other way around). In my case, I like to start as a lowly spellcaster. The TES games let me do that, the Gothic games don't. I finished all TES games, I could never play any Gothic for more than a couple of hours. I tried though, because so many people like them and recommend them, but I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

@wolfing

That's a really interesting point. I've played D&D before, but the difference between Gothic and D&D style player characters was never apparent to me. I guess it's a reflection of the old school argument about what role playing really is.

I've never really considered Gothic to be a role playing game, but more of an Action Adventure game along the lines of Zelda. Your explanation above really hits the nail on the head as to why it feels that way.

wolfing said:

Well I come from D&D school. When you start a level 1 character, you're already something. Not powerful, but you're something, either a fighter, a rogue, a wizard, a priest, etc. To me fantasy games don't start as if it was me (the player) in a new world, but as if it was a character that's been living for many years in that world, and already knows some basic skills of his/her choosing (and I, the player, become that character … not the other way around). In my case, I like to start as a lowly spellcaster. The TES games let me do that, the Gothic games don't. I finished all TES games, I could never play any Gothic for more than a couple of hours. I tried though, because so many people like them and recommend them, but I guess it's just not my cup of tea.

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Once again I want to agree with you re Oblivion, but disagree regarding Morrowind - and I do enjoy being a mage in Morrowind, though I prefer having warriors skills too, since being a pure mage is pretty difficult combat-wise in Morrowind especially at the beginning. You really, really need to know what you are doing to start off sucessfully as a mage (combat-wise, and before doing any grinding or skill buying) - remember that you can also "buy" skills in Gothic, exactly the same as in TES; the biggest difference being that it's more difficult to "get there" in Gothic. So if you like an easy ride, sure, go for a game like Oblivion which will give you a beefed-up character right from the beginning that does not present much challenge. I disagree with you though, that you get an accomplished mage in Morrowind, even if you are using race and birthsign to your advantage.

There are quite a lot of differences, not the least of which that mana regenerates automatically in Oblivion, and in Morrowind , it doesn't. Also, you can shoot elemental magic spells with your one hand in Oblivion, while still having your weapon equipped in the other, which you cannot do in Morrowind, since you need two hands for spellcasting. Also spells take slightly longer to cast in Morrowind than in Oblivion (the casting animation).

I do need to add right here, that Morrowind is one of my favorite games of all time, so if that sounds like crticism, it's perhaps ever so slight criticism, though I'm actually not criticising the lack of automatic mana regenartion, since that actually just adds to the challenge of the game.

I'm not the biggest fan in the world of D&D, especially not of the big role "luck" tends to play with the dice rolls, and therefore a decreased need for player strategy along with the fact that classic CRPG's do not require direct player skill; (a la actiony direct input; you know what I mean - most CRPG D&D hardcorists hate that kind of thing; - I rather like it, it makes it feel more "real" and immersive for me, I feel more involved) but I can tell you that for a relative D&D noob like myself, playing (or trying to play) a mage in D&D games feels just as pretty damned difficult as in, for instance a pure mage in Morrowind; the only difference is that you can get the necessary skills right from the begininning - but for me, my mage is still a soft, squidgy character..

One can have a lot of fun as a mage in the Gothic games, as long as you are patient and can wait to acquire the skills first.

Chekote said:

I've never really considered Gothic to be a role playing game, but more of an Action Adventure game along the lines of Zelda.

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Agreed. At the same time I have never felt so immersed (yup, here's that RPG keyword) in any other RPG I had ever played before. In Gothic I started out as a nobody, got acquainted with masters of different trades and chose to pursue archery. I'll never forget the moment I stood on a big rock in the wilderness, bow drawn, silently watching one of those dangerous and unpredictable shadow beasts that slept amidst the bushes. Everything fell into place. It was like my personal gaming Zen moment.

wolfing said:

I finished all TES games, I could never play any Gothic for more than a couple of hours.

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Interesting. For me it's always been the other way around. I played Gothic 1 and 2 very thoroughly, but could never get into Morrowind. Tried a couple of times, farthest I got was the first big town …

The story in Gothic is such that you are, in fact, a nobody and due to your new circumstances — being in a prison and all — need to make due and survive with what you can learn from others who are there with you. You could have been a simple peasant for all we know. All the more satisfying it is when you surpass your own masters or when you realize that you have become strong enough to experience one of Gothic's exquisite trademarks, "payback time."

Look, I suppose what Wolfing is getting at, is something that really has nothing to do with mages per se, but it's more a "character" thing. I think what he is saying, is that he likes to be able to pre-model his stats into a certain class before the game even begins, and it could be any class- a thief, a warrior, a mage, an elementalist, a ranger/scout etc.

I think? that what he is saying is that the Gothic character comes too much as an unformed lump of clay, who must, by dint of lack of skills, fall back on some very basic melee-type stuff, since you usually start off with just a stick or club or very basic knife in your inventory (which you probably still have to find first) (hey- Morrowind does that to you too, regarding weapons and armour…-you have to steal your first knife, plus those goodies at the customs office just to afford very basic armour…)
Though I do agree that in TES you come with more "molded" skills and stats, and of course with D&D games, even moreso.
Personally, I rather like that the nameless one is just a formless lump of clay in the begininning that I can shape as I go along; or at the very least, I don't mind it - and like previous posters have said, at least it fits in with the story.

The one aspect it has to it's advantage, is that you at least don't have to totally restart a game if you realise you'd made a mistake with your character build or skills. All you need to do is re-load a save at a point just before you started going into the wrong direction…

Character building can be an obsession. Planning out all my levels in advance is one of my favorite things to do. I can do this more easily with DnD and ES series than the Gothics.

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"I finished all TES games, I could never play any Gothic for more than a couple of hours. "
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Interesting. For me it's always been the other way around. I played Gothic 1 and 2 very thoroughly, but could never get into Morrowind. Tried a couple of times, farthest I got was the first big town …

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Hehe - please excuse me if I find that just as interesting and slightly strange as you find the other POV to be, because, to me, there are a lot of similarities between the two series, and I love them both.

The story in Gothic is such that you are, in fact, a nobody and due to your new circumstances — being in a prison and all — need to make due and survive with what you can learn from others who are there with you. You could have been a simple peasant for all we know. All the more satisfying it is when you surpass your own masters or when you realize that you have become strong enough to experience one of Gothic's exquisite trademarks, "payback time

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In both Morrowind and Oblivion you start out as a common nameless criminal… in Oblivion you start off in a prison cell, and in Morrowind, you have been sent there in Exile. ..in fact every single thing that you have said above about Gothic could apply to those two TES games.

I guess so, but in Morrowind I didn't feel like I was really there. Too detached, in a way. Ah well, I might give it another shot after the current wave of blockbuster RPGs and other games of interest is over.

Arhu said:

I guess so, but in Morrowind I didn't feel like I was really there. Too detached, in a way. Ah well, I might give it another shot after the current wave of blockbuster RPGs and other games of interest is over.

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I really recommend giving Morrowind a shot, it looks way better than [URL="http://i26.tinypic.com/m772tt.jpg"]Oblivion[/URL] nowadays (all screens except last one is mine)
It's generally a better game than Oblivion imo.. I even find it hard to give Risen the appreciation it probably deserves heh

That's MW???