Risen 3: Titan Lords Update: “Back to the Roots” Means A Very Strong Tree, I’d Say…

 

If this excellent video preview is any indication, fans of the first Gothic and Risen games will be pleased to see developer Piranha Bytes (and I love the way the announcer pronounces that in the video!) is taking Risen 3: Titan Lords back to the look and feel of those two games. This is another one of those games I’ve been dying to play because warts and all, I liked the Gothic games and Risen, warts and all. Granted, the pirate focus and the not so hot-looking PS3 version of Risen 2 was a bit disappointing to many fans. But it looks as if Deep Silver will have a nice little gem of a game when this ships out August 15, 2014 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. I do hope this one’s in stock as a physical release, as I hate large games as download-only titles. Eh, I’ll poke my big head into a game shop around here and ask, as I don’t think Deep Silver will shoot over a review copy…

E3 2014: Risen 3: Titan Lords Trailer: One For The Fans Who Appreciate The ERPG…

 
Here in the west, I’s bet most gamers only know developer Piranha Bytes’ Risen series from the two console ports, which weren’t great because on the visual front, they distilled a game made for a decent 3D card down into a somewhat mushy-looking mess with some interesting gameplay elements and quests of decent length and challenge. As with other European-made RPG series such as Two Worlds and to some extent the Gothic games, Risen seems to sell well enough overseas on PC to garner more installments and I believe the console versions of these games do well in Europe as well. Here in North America where some are a LOT more picky about visuals and take some elements of their games too seriously, the combination of so-so looks, comedy bits that may seem out of place and perhaps simplified for game pad control schemes seem to turn some gamers off, leaving these titles to find a more niche audience.

Now, I’m a fan of the Risen games on console, warts and all, but I can see why some aren’t exactly jumping off their seats at this announcement trailer. On the good side, at least Deep Silver isn’t calling this CGI trailer a “gameplay” trailer at all. Now, I want to see how this looks in action on whatever it’s coming to so I can pick it up and play it whenever it’s released. Which, by the way will be August 12, 2014 on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The pirate theme from Risen 2 is gone and the more familiar “medieval” fantasy look is back, so that’s a fine start. Not that I don’t like the whole pirate themed RPG thing, mind you…

Risen Comes to GOG.com: Adventure (And Lots of Dying For The Impatient) Await!

 
One of my favorite adventure/RPGs of the past few years is finally DRM-free and ready (once again) for its close-up. While the Xbox 360 version of Risen suffered from a terrible downgrade in visual quality, the gameplay was intriguing and challenging enough to keep me playing. Of course, the PC version is the way to go if you can run it smoothly with all the settings up, so here you go for a measly four bucks. While the game is shorter than developer Piranha Bytes’ Gothic games, there are a ton of things to do and places to go on that deadly island your character gets shipwrecked on. The solid sense of accomplishment you get from surviving those early encounters is bolstered even further as you take down enemies that previously caused you grief (and there are many right from the beginning of the game) and your character grows into a force to be reckoned with.

Anyway, I’ll shut up now and let you get to checking this one out. It’s a really nice surprise for fans of European made open world RPGs as well as quite the sleeper that should have gotten a lot more attention. As for Risen 2? Well, we’ll talk about that one later, as I still need to finish it one of these days and can’t say whether or not I like it just yet…

Risen Teaser Trailer #2

Hey wait… shouldn’t this one actually be Teaser Trailer # 1, given the content and “Coming in 5 days” tease at the end? Oops. Well, watch both trailers in reverse order then. Sorry ’bout that!

Risen is in stores NOW for PC. The Xbox 360 version is coming in 2010.

Risen Teaser Trailer #1

Here’s a thrilling, nicely edited ad that has parts of the opening cinema. Makes you want to run out and buy this, huh? Trailer # 2 gets posted on Thursday, by the way. Risen ships out to retail shortly for an October 2, 2009 release. The Xbox 360 version is coming early next year and nope, there is no PS3 version as far as I’ve heard (unless that’s the reason for the delay… but I doubt it).

As Far As I Know (OR: Some Answers To Your Lijit Searches)…

1) Muramasa: the Demon Blade is NOT coming to any other console – It’s currently a Wii exclusive. The same goes for games such as Cursed Mountain, Darkest of Days, Risen and a few other titles exclusive to certain platforms. If you’ve got a decent gaming PC, two of the above games are recommended while the other two aren’t coming to PC (as far as I know)…

1a) Is Demon’s Souls coming to the Xbox 360? Most likely nope. The game was initially contracted by/for Sony’s Japan Studios, so it’s sort of like asking if Halo or a new Mario game will appear on another platform. Go buy a PS3 if you can afford to – the game is indeed worth it. Besides, there are a bunch of cool first and third party exclusives for the PS3 released this year and coming in the future will keep you more than pleased you finally made the plunge.

2) I’m still waiting for my review copies of Muramasa and a few other games to arrive. Ignition was swamped with requests from other editor-types, so I may not end up with one unless I truck it on over to GameStop and buy a copy. Yes, I absolutely support my favorite developers and publishers when need be! Heck, I paid full price for The Conduit and enjoyed it immensely.

2a) Speaking of reviewables yes, I’m working on getting a reviewable of Pinball Hall of Fame – The Williams Collection for either the 360 or PS3. Crave’s website hasn’t been updated for a while with new games, so I thought this one didn’t even exist until about two weeks ago (Thanks, Kate!). Fossil Fighters didn’t show up (yet), so it looks as if I’ll need to buy that one at some point. Between the stuff I have coming in and the previews and reviews I need to get done, FF is sort of a slightly lower priority until I free up some quality time for it.

3) I don’t do game tips/cheats/codes here, sorry! If, on the other hand, a developer or publisher supplies me with a tip/trick/code I can release to you guys, I’ll gladly share it! If you’re really hopelessly stuck in a game, definitely hit up a site such as Gamefaqs for those tricky boss or other game-related problems.

4) Shin Megami Tensei Persona PSP voice cast? I’m not sure, as I’m more interested in the game as a whole package… but this may help.

Um.. I think that’s it – got any more questions? Ask away!

Risen Box Art, Voice Cast Unearthed

Did someone ask “Hey, where’s the Risen cover art? Well, here you go – in tasty Xbox 360 and PC flavors! Very nice indeed. Looks like Deep Silver’s big RPG is also getting some major talent in terms of vocal performances. I’m wiped out from spending all day at the Konami event, so here’s the beefy part of the press release all set for your reading pleasure: Continue reading

Risen Hands-On (PC/Xbox 360)

At Deep Silver’s recent press event, the second big game shown was Risen, a great looking third-person Action/RPG by Piranha Bytes, creators of the Gothic series. Kai Rosenkranz, the game’s composer (and Jack of All Trades) was on hand with playable PC and Xbox 360 builds of the game, presented in side by side format for comparison’s sake. While the PC version was running on a higher resolution monitor, both versions looked exactly the same in terms of details small and large. This was an impressive beginning to the presentation and it only got better. Continue reading

Deep Silver Press Event Impressions

Deep Silver dropped into New York City for a day with playable versions of five upcoming games that included an innovative horror adventure for the Wii, an open-world RPG set on a gorgeous yet deadly island, a PSP strategy game mech fans will love and two Nintendo DS games that should appeal to brainy players of all stripes. I’ll be writing up longer hands-on previews for the two home console and PSP titles over the coming days, but in the meantime, here’s a super quick rundown on what was shown: Continue reading