Sacred 2 (Ascaron) is the newest entry in the hack and slash Diablo-esque adventure games. The player gets the choice of six different characters who run varying degrees of light to dark (good/evil). The path you choose determines the outcome of the battle for the land and decides if good will triumph or evil will lay down its heavy reign. As is standard in most games in this genre there are lots of weapon and armor choices and many different paths to be taken. You may also choose to take on this vast world with up to four other players or just as easily go it alone. Obviously since this is the 2 Player Review we won't be going it alone.
Graphics
Adelle – Sacred 2 paints a pretty nice world for the player to run around in. Lush environment, pretty towns, and diverse monsters. The graphics aren't the most fantastic you have ever seen but they are enough to keep you entertained. There are defiantly points where I wish they had put a little more time into designing the environment. There are many places where it looks like you should be able to cut through the forest or walk over a mountain path but you cant. Also the map leaves something to be desired in letting you know where you can and can not go.
However it does seem like they put a lot of time into designing the different armor and many different weapon types. Although I wish they had made a little more variety in what each character can wear. Playing as the Seraphim you never get to wear anything more then boy shorts or a short skirt at most. What I wouldn't give for a pair of pants!
Daniel – I also think that the character design/customization leaves a little to be desired, perhaps not compared to older games like Diablo II and the like, but for a new game to come out and the only option one gets to differentiate their hero is the color of their hair is a little dissappointing. That being said, I enjoyed the colorful worlds and flashy effects used for the special attacks and magic spells of the heroes' varied arsenals. Little touches, like a raging ice-storm causing the surrounding fauna to whip around in the wind, help add variety to your attacks so they aren't boring to use even after the thousandth fireball. The character models and equipment look passable, but not overly impressive. This is somewhat compensated for when you see how the camera seems to be placed somewhere in high-orbit over the game-world, simultaneously obscuring the lack of detail on a hero but also often turning an unruly mob of enemies into a indistinguishable mess of things you'll click on until they all stop moving. The environments look great for how large and varied they are, but I found myself wishing sometimes that they were perhaps a little smaller so as to bring the action in to a more personal level, instead of being left with the sensation of watching an RPG take place from a traffic control helictopter.
Sound
Daniel – When I saw Blind Guardian on the box I laughed at the strange coincidence that a sweet metal band and a game developer had the same name. Then I played the game and realized that, no, this was the same Blind Guardian I'd heard before. In Sacred 2 you can wail on giant rats, ogres, zombies, ghosts, brigands, and whatnot accompanied by Blind Guardian riffs. If that doesn't make you want to at least try this game out then I hate you. There's even a part where you meet the band, recover their magic musical instruments, and then they play a concert for a collection of the game's monsters. Holy shit!
Adelle –
Blind Guardian does make a most excellent addition to a game where smashing monsters is your primary goal. However the music doesn't always match up to the action as it should. When it comes in on time just as you start digging into a hoard of skeletons the game gains +1 epic points. This isn't always the case. Sometimes it comes in to late so just as you smash the last rat it starts rocking out. Sometimes it starts and you cant even see any monster around, and it seems completely rediclious when it starts playing when you kill one monster in an area way below you level. When you can kill something in one hit there is no need for epic back up.
Other general sound effects are pretty good. Battle noises like clanking of armor and smashing of swords is done well enough. However the running comments both you and the monster make quickly becomes very tiring. Even when you wander through town your character has some remark (one you have no doubt herd several times before) that makes you roll your eyes. Even your epic mounts make noise that will annoy you once you have herd it for a while.
Gameplay
Adelle –
Overall I find the game play to be pretty satisfying. The controls are done well so you have many different powers and attacks easily available and ready to use without having to mess around with menus. You can also easily change your action pallets if you decide you need a different spell for the area you are in. One of my biggest annoyances with the menu system is the lack of an actual pause menu. When you are in the menus you can still be attacked and when you need to put down the controller to do something else for a minute, being forced to teleport back to town for a safe spot is annoying.
Each of the six classes gives you a slightly different play style although it seems that characters are able to pick up whatever they like most through a skill system. While some are better at magic and some better at fighting each character gets a little bit of both even if they are not created equal.
The sheer size of the map and number of quests available is enormous. It took me a while to realize I had the map zoomed in all the way and when I zoomed it out it was daunting. Considering the whole game is essentially free roam area there is no shortage of things to explore and almost every corner of the map has something to find. Single player and multi player work essentially the same way. Although when playing 2 player on the same console (something that I think should be a must but many companies don't seem to think they need) you share the screen. The shared view turns into an almost top down view that is so zoomed out its pretty bizarre. When playing on separate consoles characters can wander their own way and then teleport back to each other when they want to battle together. When you take your character to someone else's game whatever you do there comes back into your own game and map which is nice.
Daniel -
What sets Sacred 2 apart from other hack-n-slash dungeon crawlers is the skill system. The game borrows somewhat from MMO's, rather than limiting your usage of special abilities by items or magic points each spell or special attack instead has its own cool-down time. Each character type has three different “schools” of special abilities, and cool-downs are shared across abilities within the same school. When playing as a mage, for example, you can toss a fireball spell at the press of a button, followed immediately by an ice or lightning spell. One cannot, however, simply launch fireball after fireball, so a player is encouraged to build a full compliment of abilities rather than just focusing on one branch or school unlike other games of this ilk. The controls are particularly apt for this kind of game play. Once a player's roster of talents is configured to button presses, combat becomes very intuitive. Not only is there potential to move beyond the “click it until it dies” mentality of other games of this style, most characters are much more effective when a cycle of different attacks is employed. Going further, different moves can be combined so that one button press triggers two or more moves in succession. Activating a temporary boost in strength before using an attack that slashes at every surrounding enemy is just one example of how a smart player can use this system for great benefit. I've personally created a combo I call the “Shit Storm” wherein a whirling vortex of ice-shards opens up, freezing and slowing a group of enemies right as a barrage of flaming meteors lands on their heads. It's highly effective in combat and infinitely rewarding to watch a personalized set of attacks utterly decimate a group of enemies.
Overall
Daniel -
Sacred 2 is an easy purchase for fans of this style of game. If the thought of stomping through a dungeon and laying out various enemies in an action-rpg setup is your idea of fun, you'll find there's plenty of enemies out there just waiting to be cleaved. The game world is gigantic, and the characters varied enough that I'm sure most players will find something to like. While the storyline isn't grand, the voice acting monotonous, and sometimes the camera is a little stratospheric, they're worthwhile challenges to overcome in the name of some good ol' fashioned dungeon crawling gameplay. While I don't think Sacred 2 will be in the runnings for any “RPG of the year” accolades, the fun multiplayer modes give the game the extra legs it needs to push it into the realm of a game I'm quite happy to own. While trolling the earth in solo play can be fun but maybe a little lonely, Sacred 2, like most games of the genre, instantly multiplies in fun for every extra player you can bring along for the ride.
Adelle -
I've found myself sinking many hours into playing Sacred 2 and enjoying them very much. While not the most spectacular game it lends itself to excellent pick up and play gaming. This is especially nice when playing with a few friends in multi player. When you don't have a lot of time to play you can pick up one or two quick side quests and then be on your way. If you don't get back to play again for quite some time the quest log never lets you forget where you left off. Also if you are more into just wandering an area completing the quests you find there, the map markers for each quest are great. There is certainly a large amount of space to explore and things to do. As Dan said multi player is the best part of this game, although playing on separate consoles is much easier on the eyes then sharing.
Sadly this games biggest downfall is the fact that a large HDTV is pretty much a necessity. Playing this game on a standard TV is quite impossible with indecipherable text, similar looking characters, and teeny tiny icons. If you don't have an HD, don't get this game.
Pros – Huge world, varied monsters, tons of quests, solid controls
Cons – Satellite view top down view, repetitive speech, difficult to decipher map, don't even try playing this game on a non HD TV and the bigger TV the better
OneNerdyGirl
said:
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I realize now that the pictures I picked are pretty much not final build pictures. But they work for the article. Bummer haha |
arcus_angelus
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See, my problem with this game is that it isn't anything new. I know that, that is unfair of me, but as a "fan" I'm allowed my petty complaints. It's not as bad as. . .hmmmmm. . .let's think of a random game that I hated. . .It's not as bad as Too Human. but this (to me at least) is a rent with option to buy sort of game. I guess I'm asking too much out of games like this since, but this is a top 3 genre for me, as such my expectations are higher. It's not that it was a bad game, it wasn't. It just isn't up there with the other games of it's genre in my opinion. This could have been a great game, it's merely good. Graphics could be better, Sound is whatever, Gameplay is it's one shining feature that I thought was pretty dope. The aforemention borrowing from MMO's with cooldown timers was pretty fresh. ALSO, 2 player co-op. THANK YOU. My overall is on par with both of you. Excepy maybe I'm being a tad more criticle then you guys. Great review by the both of you though. ^.^ |
DanTheIsland
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@Arcus The skill combinations and the way the skill trees function really sold this game for me, also the controls are nice and accessible. I wonder if we didn't like this game that much more because: A) It's been a long time since there was a halfway decent game in the genre B) We have each-other as a readily available second player to play the game with I did mention that the game isn't as good without people to play it with, though, so that proviso is there at least. |
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