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Sacred 2 developer goes bankrupt
Though it's finally been dated, dungeon crawler Sacred 2 has been plagued by delays. Today comes a reminder that getting it right often comes with a price. Developer Ascaron Entertainment confirmed to Gamespot that the company has declared bankruptcy in Germany after a four-year development period on the game.The news isn't all bad: The move isn't expected to effect the game's release and and the company has met with "several well-known interested parties to discuss a positive takeover." Here's hoping the final damage is as minimal as possible.
Dungeon crawler goodness: New Sacred 2 footage
Okay, so maybe we're not getting a 360 version of Diablo 3 (or maybe we are), but that doesn't mean we can't get our dungeon crawling fix. Of course, there is Too Human coming in August. Too Human is sci-fi though. What about strict fantasy fans? For them, we have Sacred 2. In development for quite some time now -- we first saw it at GDC 07 -- Sacred 2 looks to give fans of dungeon crawling something to smile about. We were impressed with the game when we saw it at this year's GDC, and these videos are looking even better. While the amount of gameplay seen in these two videos is pretty small, what's there looks very pretty. Oh, and did we mention that Sacred 2 will have 4-player online co-op? Yeah, well it will.
A closer look at Sacred 2
Eurogamer recently got a chance to sit down and play the latest build of Sacred 2 from Ascaron Entertainment. It seems the game has made some strides since we got some hands-on time with it earlier this year. While we've covered most of the game's features before (huge game world, heavy customization, mounts, etc.) Eurogamer comes away with a few new details. One feature we particularly like is the magic system. As players level up their spells, they are given several customization options, rather than getting pre-determined upgrades. As an example, Eurogamer looks at a basic fireball spell. When leveling up your fireball, you might choose to simply upgrade the spell in its current form, or you might choose to have it cast three fireballs instead, or even turn it into a homing fireball. With systems like this in place, even two characters of the same class can play in dramatically different ways. If there is one thing hack-and-slash action games need, it's variety. Hit the "read" link for the full preview.
Video: Sacred 2 trailer and first look
After getting some play time with Ascaron's Sacred 2 last week at GDC, we also got our hands on two videos of the game. The first one, embedded above, is the official trailer for Sacred 2, featuring some CG cutscenes and some gameplay towards the end. The style should be familiar to fans of hack n' slash games like Diablo and Baldur's Gate. The second video is a first look preview that showcases some of the game's features. Sacred 2 features a seamless world (with no loading screens), 100 different suits of armor (with interchangeable pieces), and 40 weapon types. Watch the first look after the break.
GDC 07: Sacred 2 hands on preview
The last day of GDC tends to be the slowest, so we understandably pleased to get a chance to play Sacred 2: Fallen Angel from Ascaron Entertainment. Sacred 2 is an action RPG title in development for both the PC and Xbox 360. The game features co-operative gameplay for up to four players in an open world environment. The game plays more or less like most action RPGs, with the action seen from a distant third person perspective. Fans of games like Baldur's Gate and Diablo will have a pretty good idea of what to expect. We spoke with Ascaron's Heiko tom Felde to learn about what sets Sacred 2 apart.
Sacred 2 expected in October 2007
Ascaron Entertainment has announced that Sacred 2: Fallen Angel will launch next October. The German developer's follow-up to the cult classic RPG has an updated engine under the hood, and six playable characters (with good and evil storylines) for plenty of replay value. The timing couldn't be better. By the end of next year, you should have completed every quest in Oblivion, fought for both the orcs and humans in Gothic 3, and conquered countless Neverwinter Nights 2 campaigns. Of course, you'll still have Assassin's Creed, Elveon, and The White Council to contend with.See also: Sacred 2 web site goes live
Sacred 2 web site goes live
German developer Ascaron Entertainment has launched the official web site for Sacred 2: Fallen Angel, the sequel to PC Gamer's 2004 RPG of the year. The original game was a Diablo II-inspired hack and slash fest, but instead of the linear presentation found in most action-RPGs, Sacred was praised for incorporating a vast, open-ended world more typical of Elder Scrolls and Gothic.The Fallen Angel site is currently only available in German, but you can head over to GameSpot for dozens of screen shots. Anyone else notice how the Seraphim character models appear heavily inspired by the angelic warriors found in Todd McFarlane's Spawn universe? Nice to know there are some fellow toy collectors on the other side of the pond.[via RPGDot]
