After a ton of 3-6 hour play sessions, I've completed my review of the RPG known as Risen, the true successor to the Gothic games.

The long and short of it is pretty well all RPG fans need to play this one, and even some not into the genre. Feel free to check out the gallery and the demo after reading the review. If you like, buy it instead of pirating! This one'll entertain for years, really.

For console gamers, Risen will be coming to Xbox 360 Q1 2010.

Gothic has always been about harsh reality, a messed up world populated by residents full of personality and conviction. With different factions divided against each other, each about as despicable as the next, you're forced to choose one, determining your route as an adversary (mage, warrior, thief, archer, or a mix). Risen continues with this premise (although in a twist, the Inquisition faction will just plain force you to go with them, depending on a choice you make early in the game), weaving in a very believable dynamic between characters. First, we have the bandits trying to gain control over a town with resistance from the Inquisition, each of which hates the other; thanks to extremely well-crafted dialogue, you have to really pay attention to properly judge who the "good" guys are. Then there are beggars, the sickly, prostitutes, farmers, treasure hunters and others -- and most everybody is exhibiting some level of distress. In short, it's wonderful.

chautemoc via neoseeker.com »