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Risen 3: Titan Lords arrives August 12, demonic pups in tow
Furthering the gaming industry's fascination with the word "titan" comes Risen 3: Titan Lords, an epic roleplaying adventure slated for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC release on August 12. Less than a month ago we brought you a short teaser clip, depicting an armored warrior battling what appears to be an infernal hound, driven purely by an unholy lust for living flesh. As it turns out, that demonic pooch wasn't acting alone. The extended version of the trailer, which you can view above, introduces a floating apparition with a skeleton's face, ram horns and gouts of blue flame where his eyes ought to be. As you probably guessed, the undying specter isn't too friendly. Alongside the new trailer and release date, a few minor details on Risen 3 have emerged. According to publisher Deep Silver, the game features overhauled combat, new animations and an improved magic system. No solid plot details have yet appeared, but we expect to hear more soon. [Image: Deep Silver]
Risen 2: Dark Waters unearths UK collector's edition
Risen 2: Dark Waters, the pirate RPG coming in April from Piranha Bytes and Deep Silver, is getting a collector's edition in the UK only. We find that part a little strange, considering pirates are supposed to be pretty good at traveling overseas. Sorry; we had to.The UK collector's edition will include a "making of" DVD, a soundtrack CD, double-sided poster, pirate flag, amulet, art cards and three Risen 2 stickers, all for £69.99. The UK version of Risen 2: Dark Waters drops anchor on April 27, while the US version drops April 24.
Risen 2: Dark Waters launching cannons in late April
It's awfully difficult to tell a pirate to be on time for anything, let alone the release of a video game in which they're the featured players. Case in point: When we heard the original 2012 launch window of Piranha Bytes' buccaneering RPG Risen 2: Dark Waters, we asked very politely that it show up in the first month of the aforementioned year. It is not so, according to a recent press release from publisher Deep Silver, which dates the game for April 24 in the U.S., and April 27 in Europe. That gives us four whole months to come up with clever, piratical puns to make in our review of the title. So far, all we've got is "Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Fun," but that's going to be entirely dependent on the game actually being a bottle of fun.
Risen 2: Dark Waters trailer has all the pirate magic you crave
Pirates, from what we understand, were a pretty uninviting crew. Can you imagine what might have transpired had these rotten swashbucklers also possessed the ability to be wizards? You don't have to imagine: This trailer for Risen 2: Dark Waters does all the imagining for you.
Risen 2: Dark Waters teaser is all about pirates, see
Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to present to you the latest trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. What? Oh, sorry! In actuality, it's the teaser for Risen 2: Dark Waters -- a pirate-y action-RPG that looks to have a fair bit of flair, if this CG footage is anything to go by.
Become a pirate of Dark Waters in Risen 2
Piranha Bytes is lifting its Risen series out of generic fantasy land, and dropping it into the high seas. Risen 2: Dark Waters, coming to "consoles and PC," is a seafaring RPG set in a destroyed world, years after the end of the first game. The hero sets out to discover what's causing monsters to rise out of the sea, sailing from island to island and getting mixed up with pirates. Players can expect the same kind of open-world RPG gameplay, but now on a series of islands. The sequel "maintains the most immersive features of the original Risen, with multiple approaches to every challenge allowing players to shape the game world based on their own decisions." Let's hope Piranha Bytes shapes its own game world the right way the first time, so it doesn't have to rebuild the console game as it did the original.%Gallery-117292%
Impressions: Risen's second chance on Xbox 360
click to enlarge Piranha Bytes' RPG Risen is getting a second chance in America. Originally released in Europe on October 2009, reviewers slammed the game as "unfinished and unrefined" and "a technical mess" -- for good reason, too. The original retail release of Risen on Xbox 360 was largely a "beta" version of the game. Four months later, Piranha Bytes is putting the true finishing touches to the game, and the improvement is immediately noticeable. The European game's framerate was inconsistent at best, but this revised version is -- dare we say it? -- playable. In fact, aside from the occasional hiccup, the experience is rather smooth. According to the developer, Risen now boasts higher resolution textures, denser vegetation, better lighting, sharper fonts and brightness controls. Visually, this is pretty much a different game altogether. Unfortunately, that still doesn't place Risen in the same league as games like the graphically underwhelming Dragon Age Origins. This is still a visually dated product, but at least this time around, the game is playable. %Gallery-84177%
Deep Silver publishing Risen on Xbox 360 in February
Piranha Bytes' Risen will release this February on Xbox 360 in North America. Speaking of rising, that's likely something the review scores could use after the North American release. The PC version is currently scraping by with a 77 on Metacritic and the Xbox 360 version, which has raided Europe, is sporting a frighteningly low score of 58. Under normal circumstances Risen might stand a chance with a February release -- despite its review scores. But, as has become disturbingly clear to other publishers, 2010 is just full-up with solid launches, that everyone has to bring their A-game to survive this year's release schedule. %Gallery-47713%
Risen is gold for PC on Oct. 2, Xbox 360 version delayed until 2010
Piranha Bytes' Risen will make its scheduled PC release on October 2; however, the Xbox 360 version has been delayed until "early next year," a release window that's just begging for more. (Also, let's just ignore that our GameFly account deems the console version as "canceled.")Sporting a solid voice cast, the fantasy RPG by the developers of Gothic 3, is a toss-up in the quality department -- which means that Australia was either punished or spared by the game's "banning."%Gallery-47713%
Risen rising to retail rOctober recond ... argh, second
Developer Piranha Bytes has announced that its RPG, Risen, will try to take a bite out of retail on October 2. Big Download took note of the press release's proud statement that the game is completely done and going through three separate quality assurance teams. That last bit likely has a little something to do with the developer's most recent game, Gothic 3, being a tad buggy. Three months will, hopefully, be enough time to work any issues out.%Gallery-47713%[Via Big Download]
Metareview - Gothic 3
Piranha Bytes is frequently credited as the originator of the vast, living worlds showcased in their RPG series Gothic. Unfortunately, this German developer's roleplaying adventures also carry the stigma of non-intuitive interface design, a flawed combat system, and production values that are inconsistent at best. Having just been released in the States, Gothic 3 once again finds the series lost in translation with poor (and sometimes nonexistent) voice acting, and a host of bugs that make it difficult to recommend. Still, those willing to struggle with the controls and wait for patches will find a well-implemented faction influence system that hints at Gothic's still unrealized potential. EuroGamer (80/100) was willing to overlook many of Gothic 3's shortcomings: "This time, however, by concentrating on evolving in its own niche, number three succeeds on its own terms: an interface that actually works, a modern lick of paint, and an (albeit misfiring) attempt to revise its fighting system; now's as good an opportunity as ever to step onto that carousel of orc-bashing familiarity." Pro-G (60/10) suggests waiting for updates, but was fascinated nonetheless: "So, what have I listed up so far for Gothic 3? Terrible graphics, dialogue and narration, and a needlessly resource-hungry engine that renders a large amount of the game unplayable? Yep, check all those. But, ludicrous as it sounds, Gothic 3 has some strangely addictive and compelling qualities that I really have no explanation for." GameSpy (30/100) drew many comparisons to Oblivion: "The difference is that while the basic design of the Gothic games is equal (and occasionally even superior) to Bethesda's offerings, they've also labored under terrible coding, a god-awful number of bugs and weird design decisions that make the releases (including Gothic 3) fail to even come close to fulfilling their potential." See also: Metareview - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Gothic 3 demo available tomorrow
Gothic 3 won't be released until Monday, but you can give it a test drive this weekend, courtesy of Aspyr Media and JoWood Productions. According to a post at Blue's News, the North American demo will include the entire beginning area of the game, with all available quests, weapons, spells and NPCs (and no time limits imposed on players). For more details, visit Aspyr's Gothic 3 site, and stay tuned for a metareview next week.See also: Free Gothic 3 soundtrack clips available
Free Gothic 3 soundtrack clips available
Piranha Bytes is treating fans to the musical stylings of composer and sound designer Kai Rosenkranz, with some free MP3 downloads from the Gothic 3 soundtrack. In this new installment of the popular role-playing series, Rosenkranz is backed by a full symphony orchestra, as well as Hollywood vocalist Lisbeth Scott (whose credits include Kingdom of Heaven and Munich). Gothic 3 ships next month and promises to consume hundreds more hours of your life, so hurry up and finish Oblivion.See also: Morrowind soundtrack now available
Gothic 3 updated screens
CVG has snagged a half dozen new screens of Aspyr Media's Gothic 3, showcasing the beautifully rendered environments of Myrtana. The Gothic series has always been praised for its advanced AI and lively NPCs, but the first two installments suffered from poor voiceovers and non-intuitive controls. Hopefully, German developer Piranha Bytes has addressed these issues for one of the most anticipated PC titles of the year.See also: Gothic 3 in-depth preview
Gothic 3 in-depth preview
If Oblivion's success is any indication, the upcoming Gothic 3 may also prove to be a breakout hit for fans of expansive, free-form RPGs. GameSpy has a new in-depth preview of the latest entry in Piranha Bytes' cult classic series, which failed to find much of a North American audience in its first two installments.Like Fable 2 and Mass Effect, Gothic 3 will place heavy emphasis on moral decision making as a means to influence every aspect of your game experience. Faction allegiance is also important, and there will be plenty of guilds to join and masters to learn from. Now, all publisher Aspyr needs to do is clean up the English voiceovers from their German counterparts. Viel Glück! See also: Single player RPGs are alive and well
