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[EviLore]

What is it?

A third person RPG from Piranha Bytes, the creators of the Gothic series. Expect a large non-linear game world, morally ambiguous choices, and extraordinarily dangerous boars.

When is it out?

Windows: October 2, 2009

Xbox 360: EU October 2, 2009; NA Q1 2010

What digital distribution options do I have for the PC version?

Steam
Direct2Drive
GamersGate

Where can I get the demo, allowing me to make up my own mind instead of relying on meaningless aggregates of questionable enthusiast press reviews?

Risen steam demo

I insist on listening to the enthusiast press. What number should I associate with this game's value?

PC: Metacritic 81
360: Metacritic 57


Screenshots (care of NeoGAF users; PC version)

 

[John]

i am stupid

 

[tehvampire]

 

[mike0513]

I'm stuck (again). I'm supposed to read a book called "wisdom in combat", thing is I already got the book, didnt bother reading it, and gave it to Rufus. Hindsight is 20/20, yes i should have read it. But this is like the 3rd time where i've had to (probably, unless I'm missing something here) reload up an old save several hours earlier into the game just so I can keep progressing...

 

[Barakov]

http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq7/mastervampier/rtkd3t.jpg

PC or bust.

 

[MikeE21286]

whoa at differential there....

 

[brain_stew]

Fugly Xbox pictures

Those shots were taken at 1024x768 without AA, the difference is much more pronounced in reality.

For Nvidia users, to enable AA set the AA profile in Risen's compatibility tab to "00000245: Vanguard" and choose whatever AA settings you want from there. Standard msaa has a very small performance hit so its well worth doing. As there's a lot of transparency aliasing in the game, you should be checking the "transparency multisampling" checkbox as well. The engine supports transparency supersampling as well and it shows a huge IQ improvement, and the performance impact isn't too bad considering, so its well worth trying out.

For ATI users, rename "Risen.exe" to "Vanguard.exe" and force AA in Vanguard through Catalyst Control Centre.

 

[BobFromPikeCreek]

[IM]http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq7/mastervampier/rtkd3t.jpg[/IMG]

Well damn. Can't play this on PC so there goes any interest I had.

 

[Cat in the Hat]

Thats more like it, this game needs more love.

3 hours in and loving it. So glad I decided to take the plunge. The game can be so beautiful at times. I think so far it has real potential to be great. More later when I get deeper in game.

BTW the title is fucking ace! :lol

Edit: I also must add that the jumping in the game looks so dumb and floaty, but whatevs

 

[Technosteve]

Blah this close to just buying this damn game =(.

 

[Druz]

If you play and enjoy Risen go back and play Gothic 2 when you beat it. gog.com has it I believe. I wanted to buy Risen while steam had it on sale, one day later its full price and I want to play it. Idiot.

 

[Victrix]

I'm just a little ways into Chapter 2 and having a ball

HDMI out to 1080P tv + wireless mouse/kb, running at full 1920x1080 with AA is @#$@$#@ amazing looking

 

[timkunedo]

Downloading the demo now!

Got a feeling this will scratch my rpg itch just fine.

 

[Doytch]

Probably gonna pick this up Novemberish now that AP is delayed. Brutal Legend and Uncharted are gonna eat up my October.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Enjoyed the bit of the demo I played. Don't think I'm gonna pay full price for this but it's definitely being bought during a steam sale. I'm interested to hear what you think Evilore.

 

[Mejilan]

<3 Gothic.
Will be picking up the PC version before year's end.

 

[Minsc]

Oh, neat. Gollum & Sarah Connor do VA in this game.

The voices behind Gollum and Sarah Connor lend their talents to the upcoming RPG Risen.

Deep Silver Inc., a publisher of interactive entertainment software and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Koch Media, today confirms the A-list voice talent featuring in forthcoming RPG Risen.

One of the busiest actors today, Andy Serkis takes the role of The Inquisitor. Serkis, who has had a long and varied acting career, is best known for his CG character representations Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong in the movie of the same name. Veteran British actor, John Rhys Davies, who has starred in countless blockbuster movies such as Indiana Jones and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, performs as Don Esteban. Movie actress Lena Headey, who played Sarah Connor in Terminator TV spin-off Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles take the role of Patty.

"The quality of the voice casting reflects the quality of the game" stated Paul Nicholls, Sales and Marketing Director, Koch Media UK "with such an amazing lineup of talent from movies and TV, there is a voice everyone will recognize; we will attract a new generation of RPG players to the genre."

Serkis, Rhys-Davies and Headey are joined by a lineup of some of the most recognizable British TV actors; Fincher is played by Torchwood actor Burn Gorman, Larkrise to Candleford star Brendan Coyle takes the role of Commandant Carlos, Damian O'Hare who starred in medical drama The Royal plays Olf. I'm Alan Partridge regular and Star Stories narrator Simon Greenall plays Luis. Oscar is played by Grange Hill actor Donald McCorkindale while fellow Grange Hill actor and Secret Diaries of a Call Girl star Stuart Organ plays Brogar. The Archers actresss, Louiza Patikas represents Sara and Timothy Watson who has starred in countless TV dramas from Eastenders to Casualty takes the role of Romanov.

All the actors were cast and recorded by award winning London agency Side, with voice direction carried out by Andrew S. Walsh.

Pretty damn sweet.

Edit: Collector's Edition looks pretty sweet:

• Map of the island Faranga
• Soundtrack of the game, composed by Kai Rosenkranz
• Making of DVD with Piranha Bytes interview
• A1 sized poster with Piranha Bytes signatures
• Access code for the Beta phase of Piranha Bytes' next game
• Art booklet about the creation of the hero and other characters
• Gnome and Ghoul sticker set

Wonder if the soundtrack is any good.

 

[Minsc]

Awesome, forging your own weapons

Beautiful.

 

[MickeyKnox]

Got the steam version, really digging it so far.

 

[timkunedo]

Just finished the demo and man was it short. It did the trick however......Definitely buying this!

 

[Diseased Yak]

Downloading the demo now!

Got a feeling this will scratch my rpg itch just fine.

It will!

Game is great. I'm most impressed by how well it runs. Maxed out and smooth as silk, gotta love a well optimized engine.

Now to learn how to fight with a staff better...

 

[Archie]

If you guys thought the 360 version looked bad, you haven't seen anything yet.

I'm running everything at minimum and I still only get 15-20 fps, lol. My system is only a 2.8 GHz P4, 1 gig RAM and a 6600 GT 128mb. The game is pretty fun, from what little I played, but I will have to wait until I upgrade to actually play it. :x

Edit: Sadly, the game seems to run smoother than NWN2.

 

[Mejilan]

No CE in the US?

 

[K.Jack]

Finally got the demo working by installing the latest PhysX. I've only put in like 15 minutes, but I've already seen enough to justify a purchase in the morning via Steam.

Did anyone manage to find a frying pan in the beach/forest area? Looking for it is pissing me off.

 

[loganclaws]

For anybody with Crossfire, rename Risen.exe to Crysis.exe and double your FPS. Not exagerating btw, fps went from ~45-60 to 80-150 on my E8600 with 4870X2.:lol

 

[JoeMartin]

extraordinarily dangerous boars

I'm beginning to think this is some kind of inside-RPG-dev joke.

 

[DarK SouL]

For anybody with Crossfire, rename Risen.exe to Crysis.exe and double your FPS. Not exagerating btw, fps went from ~45-60 to 80-150 on my E8600 with 4870X2.:lol

I tried renaming it to "Vanguard.exe" and nothing changed... will try Csysis.exe ad see what happens...

 

[gottalovetheglove]

Anyone know an store that stocks this game and ships internationally? Turns out this game is banned in Australia (presumably for the ability to use drugs), and I don't really want to resort to piracy.

I'd love to play it, but this goddamn government hates us.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I'm beginning to think this is some kind of inside-RPG-dev joke.

The boars are actually pretty tame in this game compared to some of the another extremely frustrating monsters.

Anyway, this game is completely amazing and it has absolutely consumed my life since I got it. I am a good ways in to Chapter 2 now at level 17 with about 15 hours played. How many chapters are there, anyway? I finally got all of my thieving skills maxxed out so now I can pretty much pickpocket anyone and open any lock which really helps keep the money flowing in. I leveled up axes to 5 or 6 or so which allows me to wield them with one hand so I can use a shield in the other. I also got my strength up high enough to wield the Berserker's Axe which has something like 85 attack power. I'm walking around with that an a Rune Shield and can finally take out ghouls and ogres and the like without too much trouble.

The graphics in this game can really be breathtaking at times and the different times of day really provide some unique landscapes. Going to a high spot near the waterfall on the west coast at sundown just looks incredible. I had to stop and take in the view for a few seconds.

Anyone who likes CRPGs and has a system that can handle it should really get this game.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Finally got the demo working by installing the latest PhysX. I've only put in like 15 minutes, but I've already seen enough to justify a purchase in the morning via Steam.

Did anyone manage to find a frying pan in the beach/forest area? Looking for it is pissing me off.

I think it is in a chest inside the shack next to the fire.

 

[platypotamus]

I'm beginning to think this is some kind of inside-RPG-dev joke.

Boars aren't badgers or anything, but they'll still fuck you up.

(Will grab this at some point, but really enjoying Drakensang at the moment, and so it will have to wait)

 

[Tokubetsu]

For anybody with Crossfire, rename Risen.exe to Crysis.exe and double your FPS. Not exagerating btw, fps went from ~45-60 to 80-150 on my E8600 with 4870X2.:lol

Does this seriously work? 4870x2 here as well

 

[Dennis]

Look at that first screenshots - can you sense the urge to explore that ruin? - that is what this game is about.
Finding yourself in over your head, retreating, getting stronger, returning and finally triumphing. Love it.

The scenery looks great, but the character graphic and animation is not as good.

I hope this game becomes a massive succes - it deserves it - so their next game can marry this gameplay with higher production values.

 

[BeeDog]

Yay, an official thread. This game has already risen to be one of my favorite games this year (sorry for the pun).

Minsc, the cool thing is that the soundtrack comes with every regular copy too, it seems (at least it was lodged in my case ).

Got a small question, I've exhausted pretty much every quest in Harbour Town (Don's side), and done most of the ones in the Swamp camp. Anyone got any suggestions on what to do? I still feel seriously underpowered.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Finished the demo. Now I'm wishing I had the $50 to spend.

 

[hamchan]

360 version is crap? ...Damn

 

[K.Sabot]

I really liked Gothic 2... but Gothic 3 exists... So I'll need some good convincing to even think about picking this up.

 

[MickeyKnox]

"Who's in charge here?"
-"the Don"
"who?"
-"the Don"
"what?"
-"the Don"
"Bu-"
"The DON"

That guard is fucking awesome.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I really liked Gothic 2... but Gothic 3 exists... So I'll need some good convincing to even think about picking this up.

Gothic 3 is actually pretty damn good with the community patch applied. It definitely lacks the focus of the first two games, but it is a lot of fun in its own right and the world is huge.

 

[Shining Sunshine]

All I see are pictures of some bald dude...

Can I make a hot chick?

 

[Dennis]

One great thing is that all enemies can be deadly - even the weakest ones.

If your are not paying attention to the enemy attacks, and parry with the right timing, even the lowliest of beasties can kill you.

Anyone else find the bows seriously underpowered?

I like that the game runs without major swings in framerate.
The framerate you get seems to be pretty much independent of how many enemies or characters are on screen.

 

[Dennis]

All I see are pictures of some bald dude...

Can I make a hot chick?

No you are the shipwrecked dude.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

One great thing is that all enemies can be deadly - even the weakest ones.

If your are not paying attention to the enemy attacks, and parry with the right timing, even the lowliest of beasties can kill you.

Anyone else find the bows seriously underpowered?

I like that the game runs without major swings in framerate.
The framerate you get seems to be pretty much independent of how many enemies or characters are on screen.

Yeah there has been absolutely no "hitching" for me in the game and the framerate seems smooth whether there are no matter how many NPCs are on screen. The only thing that I have noticed takes my FPS down a few frames is when I equip a torch.

You are also totally right about the combat. Even with good gear and a nice weapon you can still get wasted by a couple of needle rats. However, I really like the feeling of improvement you get when you learn an enemies movements and can wipe out groups of them without taking any damage. The game is kind of like Monster Hunter in that regard, albeit much less refined. So far my two most hated enemy types have to be the needle rats and the gnomes.

 

[Kuraudo]

Damn, nearly picked up the 360 version on friday. Looks like I dodged a bullet.

Real shame. Maybe I'll get around to building a new rig someday.

 

[Sinatar]

This game is completely owning my soul. Probably put about 10 hours in so far and am still in chapter 1. I cleared the quests in the Don's camp and have just started poking about the Harbour Town.

Also I didn't follow anything about this game so it completely blew my mind when I realized that John Rys-Davies was voicing the Don, so awesome. :lol

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Wow... I could have sworn Risen was running in DX10 because of all of the nice soft shadowing and god rays / sun shafts that were exclusive to DX10 mode in Age of Conan.

Can anyone tell me what exactly DX10 brings to the table over DX9 or link me to an article that explains the different capabilities?

Also, wasn't this supposed to be a Windows Live game? I understand most people hate Windows Live with its profiles and what not, but I would have liked to boost my gamerscore some with this. The game even has built-in achievements already.

 

[Dennis]

However, I really like the feeling of improvement you get when you learn an enemies movements and can wipe out groups of them without taking any damage. The game is kind of like Monster Hunter in that regard, albeit much less refined. So far my two most hated enemy types have to be the needle rats and the gnomes.

No, the worst is the fucking boars! I had my shield up damn it! - how can she gorge?

 

[Sinatar]

Wait until you run into your first wild Ogre. I found a whole crapton of them up on this ridge while wandering about. 1 hit and boom your dead.

 

[simtmb]

I remember getting incredibly immersed while playing the Gothic games, especially the second and third title.

With my backlog and interest in so many purchases, i don't know if i'll have the time for this

......but damn i really want to put shit on hold and just play this *Contemplating purchase*

 

[Dennis]

I remember getting incredibly immersed while playing the Gothic games, especially the second and third title.

With my backlog and interest in so many purchases, i don't know if i'll have the time for this

......but damn i really want to put shit on hold and just play this *Contemplating purchase*

Dooooooooo it........join us!