Risen 2: Dark Waters

Genre: RPG
Release Date: April 24th 2012
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Score: 7/10
Similar Titles: Risen 1, Gothic, Sacred

Our courageous nameless hero.

I shall promptly begin my review of Risen 2 with a rant. Why? Because the combat is inherently broken. From the slightly annoying draw/sheathe system to the incredibly stupid parry idea, the fighting mechanics are a frustrating wall every player will have to overcome.  A developer should not continue creating their title when such a core concept is not functioning desirably. Alas, the challenge I seek in a game was found through battling various badly designed mechanics that made it barely playable.

Not many people can stand progressing through a game that constantly tries to make you quit, but when I persevered through the early stages I really feel I got my money's worth back, a little anyway. So if you like RPGs, pirates, and dying too much, Risen 2 has plenty to offer.

Lord of the Rings: the Battle for Middle-Earth 2

Genre: RTS, RPG
Release Date: March 2nd, 2006
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360
Score: 6/10
Similar Titles: Warcraft III, Heroes of Might and Magic

Opening screen.

From the early attempts by Melbourne House to the sketchy transitions made by EA games, the Lord of the Rings franchise has had a turbulent gaming history. I'm a little ashamed to admit how many of these titles I've actually played; despite never being able to truly enjoy the books.

The Battle for Middle-Earth 2 (BFME) is a fairly well structured attempt to port the epic feel of the films into the RTS genre. Incorporating RPG elements in a similar fashion to Warcraft III, BFME seemed like the ideal game to satisfy my appetite. Whilst I did end up playing it for a long period of time, a lot of the content seemed very dull and badly implemented. I eventually found myself merely challenging the skirmish mode repeatedly, ramping up the difficulty and increasing the opponents as I improved my skills. Although the title has plenty of different campaigns and even a War of the Ring conquest battle, they were mostly pretty boring.