First Impressions: Two Worlds 2

Let me talk a little about my experience with Two Worlds 2's troublesome prequel: There wasn't one.

During a sale that Gamestop had going on one week, I noticed several used copies of Two Worlds in one of the bins. I had just happened to have gone there that day in the hopes of scoring an RPG to throw myself into, and when I noticed the extremely low price tag (+ tax, it came out to around $3.75) I figured, "Why not?"

Took it up to the counter and asked the guys working there that day if they had ever given it a try. Both of them sorta bared their teeth, as if recalling some harsh memory, and then nodded their heads slowly. I really had not expected a Gamestop employee to tell me I was better off not buying a $4 game. But I brushed their warnings aside and bought the thing anyway. An hour later, I was back home with the game installed on my 360. I was ready to play.

I never could have known...

But that's implying a little too much; I couldn't even play the damn thing. After wading through several very confusing cutscenes, I'm eventually dropped somewhere to do something but I couldn't even do that thing on account of the terrible lag I was experiencing. Couldn't get out of that first chamber without my guy running like I was watching him through a zoetrope. Group that with the deplorable voice acting, the non-existent storyline, and the terrible UI...I returned the game the next day.

So, I didn't have a real experience with Two Worlds, but I think it's safe to say that if I had, it would have been a negative one. A terrible one, perhaps. But if I had such a bad time with that game, why did I pick up its sequel, the horribly-named Two Worlds 2? I didn't, I rented it. It was sitting in the Redbox one day, and I happened to check out the game rentals for the first time. Boredom also factored into it. And thus, I was back home with the game installed an hour later, as before. The difference being, I actually have something to write about this time - and it's actually not all that negative!

This is the part where I give a brief overview of the plot of the game to let you know what you're in for. To be perfectly honest, I still do not understand what's going on in this series. Something about how your sister has a demon in her that will bring about the end of the world if it ever gets released? And then a bunch of orcs break you out of prison, so that you can help them get your sister back? I think? Not really sure.

Whatever. Game mechanics. You play (I assume) the same character from the first game, though you can customize him however you please. The character creation isn't very deep, and you can't create a female character. But once you get into the game, you'll notice that the writing and the voice acting have gotten much, much better. The graphics are something more in line with Oblivion this time, as well. The controls are easy to get the hang of, the UI is much more...it actually works, and the combat, while kinda clumsy, is sufficient.

Sounds like a recipe for a good RPG! And you'd be almost right.

Don't get me wrong, Two Worlds 2 is a massive improvement over its predecessor, but seeing how the first game was as down in the dumps as it could get, the improvements only bring it up to "acceptable" levels.

Once you're broken out of prison, the game starts coaxing you through the standard tutorial missions, where you'll learn all that the game has to offer. You might be groaning a few times, at the orcs that look like they've been ripped straight from WoW, at the poor character animations, and how your character sounds like Batman. I certainly did my fair share of groaning, but then I was actually quite excited by several of the features that were presented on Tutorial Island.

Light-footed rogues can approach enemies from behind for critical one-shot assassinations. Rangers can fire several arrows at once. Mages can craft and modify spells by using "magic cards" that can be found throughout the game. Fighting blade to blade, you can block, counterattack, and bust through defenses. In this sense, combat is more like Fable III than Oblivion, with more emphasis on magic and weapon customization.

On the flip side, combat only truly worked for me when I was fighting people much weaker than me. Strong opponents will block and dodge any move you can dish out. It got kind of annoying, watching a silly guard halfheartedly hop out of the way of my attacks, or continuously keep his shield up to block any sort of attack I made. And it's not that uncommon to just completely find yourself swinging at the air, since the targeting system is not as fine-tuned as it could've been. Combat wasn't a complete bust, in the same way combat in Oblivion and Fable III wasn't. Take that how you will.

But the crafting system actually works pretty well. Over the course of the game, you'll be picking up A LOT of loot, which excited me quite a bit at first; RPGs are starting to move away from their loot-whoring origins. Sad panda. After getting over-encumbered for the first time, it was a simple matter of breaking shitty weapons and armor down into their basic elements and subsequently upgrading the weapons and armor I was using with those elements. That was pretty neat, though you will constantly find yourself overwhelmed with a ton of useless loot. Again, take that how you will.

Now, the world itself. I compared it to Oblivion because I think it really deserves it. Sunlight filters through tree leaves, beaches and forests look absolutely gorgeous, there are no loading screens on the mainland, and the world goes on for a very respectable distance. Cities are filled with people, some of them standing around merchant stands, inspecting the vendor's products in their hands. There are town criers, varied (though, often repeated) conversations, guards roaming around. Compared to Oblivion itself, the world actually feels very alive. Whoever designed this world clearly put a lot of hard work into it.

On the flip side (again), everything kinda has that rough-around-the-edges feel to it. Not quite sure how to explain it. Though the game is certainly beautiful, you can definitely see the seams that hold it together...I'll leave it at that.

I compare it to Oblivion, but you'll know you're not playing Oblivion. Though, with the outstanding soundtrack this game has (it really is wonderful), you can be forgiven for forgetting.

When it gets right down to it, "rough around the edges" is really how I would describe this game in the end. It's beautiful, but not seamless. The writing is good, but not great. The voice acting is competent, but not spectacular. The combat is acceptable, but not very refined. Everything about this game screams "It's just okay." Much like Alpha Protocol, you can tell it's trying for greatness, but just doesn't have the tools to get there.

Despite all of that, I played it for a good long time. As another reviewer pointed out, this game's got heart, and I agree. I think it's commendable that this little German game developer took their rather substantial licks from the fallout of Two Worlds, and bounced back to deliver a better product.

I'm gonna go ahead and recommend this game to forgiving RPG lovers, and to the unforgiving provided they can find it at a good price. Two Worlds 2 is a good game, and probably one of the better fantasy RPGs to be released this side of BioWare/Bethesda/Obsidian, but I'm not quite sure it's $60 good.

Almost was for me, though. Count me in for Two Worlds 3.

3 1/2 out of 5