Two Worlds 2 im Test
Geschwister sind blöd. Erst hauen sie die Lego-Burg kaputt, dann klauen sie einem dauernd den Gameboy und am Ende muss man auch noch das Erbe mit ihnen teilen. Ganz anders denkt allerdings der namenlose Helden aus Two Worlds 2. Als ihn eine Gruppe von (ausgerechnet) Orks unerwartet aus dem Kerker des Tyrannen Gandohar befreit, muss er seine Mitgefangene, die innig geliebte Schwester, die er bereits im ersten Teil Two Worlds(83 Punkte; nach zahlreichen Patch-Verbesserungen aktuell 85 Punkte) schon einmal retten musste, vorerst zurücklassen. Déjà-vu also — aber was für eins! Im Gegensatz zu manch anderem Grafikaspekt im Spiel (dazu später mehr) sind große Teile der anfänglichen Zwischensequenzen gut gelungen.
Dynamisch geschnitten, inszenieren sie die Befreiung des Helden eindrucksvoll und machen Lust auf mehr, ein gelungener Einstieg. Warum allerdings schon wieder die Schwester als Motivationsmotor herhalten muss, ist zunächst unklar. Ob da die Geschwisterliebe vielleicht ein bisschen weit geht? Zumindest ist der Oberschurke Gandohar (auch aus dem ersten Teil importiert) so richtig schön böse, dem möchte man gern mal mit dem Langschwert oder einer Feuerwelle den Scheitel nachziehen. Doch bis dahin steht erst einmal ein gewaltiges Abenteuer an.
Gute Führung dank der Hauptquest
Während uns der erste Teil sofort relativ orientierungslos in seine riesige Spielwelt entließ, die wir — ohne uns groß um die ohnehin magere Hauptkampagne kümmern zu müssen — nach Lust und Laune durchstöbern durften, wählt Two Worlds 2 einen deutlich geradlinigeren Weg. Nur wer bestimmte umfangreiche Questreihen innerhalb der Hauptgeschichte absolviert, darf in die nächsten Gebiete weiterreisen, die ansonsten versperrt bleiben. Während nun Open World-Liebhaber aufjaulen dürften, können sich Freunde von abwechslungsreichen Geschichten die Hände reiben. Denn durch eine engere Spielerführung ist es einfach leichter spannende Episoden einzubauen.
Ausgerechnet Orks befreien uns aus dem dunklen, feuchten Kerker. Warum sie das tun, finden wir im Verlaufe der Handlung schon noch raus.
Die Hauptquest führt uns im späteren Verlauf weit in die Vergangenheit des jetzigen Tyrannen Gandohars.
In der alten Universität macht uns ein mies gelaunter Gargoyle das Leben schwer.
Mit diesen Torwachen ist nicht gut Kirschen essen, es sei denn wir hätten einen Passierschein.
Wir fühlten uns bei dieser Einbruchmission sehr an Altair aus Assassin´s Creed erinnert.
Im Taschendieb-Minispiel müssen wir im richtigen Moment zwischen rotierenden Schlangen hindurch greifen.
So kommen wir zum Beispiel schon sehr früh im Spielverlauf in das Dörfchen Bayan. Dort wütet eine erbarmungslose Dürre, die Bevölkerung leidet unter einer schrecklichen Hungersnot. Damit die Elenden nicht die wohlhabenden Städte im Westen des Kontinents mit ihrer Verhungerei belästigen, sind die Tore der Stadt durch merkwürdig wohlgenährte und kampfstarke Wachen verschlossen.
Ohne gültigen Passierschein kommt niemand an ihnen vorbei. Den Passierschein gibt es aber nur in der Hauptstadt der Region.
Viele Wege führen durch ein Tor
Um dorthin zu gelangen müssten wir jedoch durch das Tor. Zwischen den Zeilen der guten Dialoge spritzt es nur so vor dem Zynismus der Mächtigen, hier packt das Spiel direkt eines seiner besten Pro-Argumente aus: Die Aufträge erzählen oft sehr abwechslungsreiche, verschachtelte Geschichten, die Raum für eigene Emotionen lassen. Die Wache für ihre menschenverachtende Arroganz hassen? Ein leichtes! Sich angesichts der erlittenen Demütigung bei der Frage nach einem Passierschein klein und elend fühlen und den Drang nach Vergeltung (und damit zum Aufleveln) in sich pochen spüren? Eine Selbstverständlichkeit. Doch dazu müssen wir erstmal durch das Tor, und mit Gewalt kommen wir da nicht weiter.
Wie schon der Vorgänger verlangt auch Two Worlds 2 nach einer Aktivierung.
Online-Aktivierung & Kopierschutz
Wie schon Two Worlds setzt auch der Nachfolger auf denselben Mechanismus der Internet-Aktivierung.Solange Sie Ihre Hardware nicht verändern, können Sie den Titel beliebig oft installieren, ansonsten können Sie sich nach drei Rechner- oder Hardware-Wechseln gegen eine Registrierung die Aktivierungen zurücksetzen lassen. Genauso läufts, wenn Sie das Spiel gebraucht erwerben. Im Gegensatz zu anderen Titeln können Sie Two Worlds 2 alternativ über eine (kostenpflichtige) Telefonnummer frei schalten.
Den Passierschein können wir auf die unterschiedlichsten Arten besorgen. Entweder helfen wir einem Dokumentenfälscher, kaufen uns den Schein bei einer zwielichtigen Figur oder helfen Notleidenden und erhalten aus Dankbarkeit hilfreiche Hinweise auf einen geheimen Weg. Das bleibt ganz uns überlassen und jede Lösung birgt ihre Überraschungen. Die spannendste Methode ist aber, die Hungersnot in Bayan zu beseitigen, wozu Sie in einem Nachbarsdorf um Hilfe bitten. Als dessen Führerin nach zäher Überzeugungsarbeit und einem Pferderennen endlich bereit ist Hilfe zu gewähren, stellt sich heraus, dass sie eigentlich nicht helfen, sondern die Macht über Bayan übernehmen will — mit unabsehbaren Konsequenzen für die ohnehin geschundene Bevölkerung.
Entweder lassen wir sie gewähren (uns doch egal, wir wollen nur durch das Tor) oder wir hauen ihr (trotz ihrer stärkeren Ausrüstung) in einem harten Kampf die Rübe runter und riskieren die Verfolgung durch seine mächtige Sippe – unsere Entscheidung. In jedem Fall können wir erst danach das Tor passieren und unsere Reise durch die riesige Spielwelt fortsetzen.
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Two Worlds 2 — Test-Video
Eine Hauptrolle für die Nebenquests
Auch viele andere der zahllosen Nebenquests erzählen oft spannende und mitunter auch skurrile Geschichten. So tragen wir für einen Totengräber einen abgetrennten Kopf quer über den halben Kontinent, ehe dieser seine finale Bestimmung erreicht, oder wir führen für einen Quacksalber riskante Experimente mit einer Wundersalbe an Kranken in einem Lazarett durch oder halten Vorlesungen an einer Uni.
Die meisten Aufgaben abseits der Hauptquest führen wir für unterschiedliche Fraktionen durch, wie die Krieger-, Händler- oder Magiergilde.
Steigen wir bei denen im Ansehen, profitieren wir zum Beispiel von Nachlässen bei den dortigen Händlern. Auf jeden Fall bleibt unser Aufgabenbuch immer prall gefüllt. Im Gegenzug müssen wir uns aber darauf einstellen, dass es ohne entsprechende Quest wenig auf eigene Faust zu entdecken gibt. Finden wir zum Beispiel in der Landschaft einen Dungeon, ist dieser oft versperrt. Erst mit einem passenden Auftrag dürfen wir dort hinein.
Wer für Eigeninitiative belohnt werden will, ist bei Two Worlds 2 nicht unbedingt richtig aufgehoben. Und wer sich bei jeder Quest drei oder mehr elementar unterschiedliche Lösungswege erhofft, wird enttäuscht. Denn auch wenn das Spiel (oftmals am Schluss einer Mission) häufig zumindest zwei alternative Enden anbietet, variieren die Quest-Verläufe nicht so stark wie zum Beispiel bei Fallout: New Vegas. Dafür zieht Two Worlds 2 bei einigen netten Einbruchmissionen viel Inspiration aus Schleich-Action-Titeln wie Thief oder Assassin´s Creed, was für nette Abwechslungs sorgt, auch wenn Spielmechanik und Steuerung nicht das Niveau der Referenztitel erreichen können.
Two Worlds 2 review | PC Gamer
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By Desslock
published
Our Verdict
An ambitious and beautiful RPG that falls just short of greatness, thwarted by a stunted finale and imbalances.
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Of all the open-world roleplaying games of the past decade, Two Worlds was likely the worst. Its titular globes represented an unpolished, badly translated Gothic-clone orbiting an interminable, lifeless Oblivion-clone. Yet this sequel almost completely redeems the series. Its combat is innovative, character choices are meaningful, it’s gorgeous to explore and it’s largely bug-free.
Until it peters to a linear, inglorious finale, Two Worlds 2 offers remarkably satisfying open-world adventuring. In two words: much better.
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Act like an orc
The original game was little more than an open-world sandbox with a skeletal plot to serve as a navigational aid. NPCs had little to say, and even that dialog was barely coherent. TW2 fleshes out its world with a more substantive storyline and characters who, while still not loquacious, are personable and articulate. The plot remains simple—your haplessly bound and uncomfortably attractive sister needs rescue—but the improved story and colorful NPCs, including some unlikely orc allies, make exploring this world purposeful and rewarding.
The new engine is often stunning, and definitely a graphical leap above recent open-world RPGs. TW2 offers some great hand-crafted environments, including dense forests, imposing swamps and scenic grasslands.
They’re inhabited by far more critter types than in similar games, including an abundance of natural wildlife and supernatural beasties. The AI isn’t sophisticated—enemies largely just charge you—but NPCs have schedules and humanoid foes display some organization, breathing life into environments. (To mitigate the hassle of waiting for NPCs to arrive at their jobs, nighttime is accelerated to pass in moments.)
The open-ended skill system eschews classes and gives you an abundance of tactical options to consider. I decided that I was going to be a death-dealing spelunker to solve a chain of labyrinth quests, so I equipped an axe and a torch (a necessity in TW2’s pitch-black dungeons). After acquiring the Fire Strike skill, a portion of the physical damage I inflicted became fire damage, thanks to the equipped torch. Once I gained Shield Pull, I could disarm enemies with my axe. After realizing that undead were more vulnerable to blunt trauma, I nabbed a skill book to unlock a mace-specific feat that stuns opponents.
Many undead bones can attest to the usefulness of non-combat skills—whenever I overloaded, I dismantled extra loot into components which I used to substantially improve my equipped gear.
Magic is similarly customizable, and allows you freedom to alter spell effects at any time by substituting collectible modifiers. Only the stealth system feels underdeveloped, although instantly assassinating surprised opponents is hugely satisfying.
TW2 still has plenty of room to grow, though. You can’t fight on horseback, for instance. Many skills are unbalanced—some are of dubious utility while others, such as Alchemy, feel half-baked. The single-player story gets increasingly linear for little payoff; we still get a sizable map out of the deal, but later areas aren’t as fleshed-out since the plot isn’t compelling enough to justify limiting open-world exploration. Multiplayer is improved, but is disappointingly mission-based instead of allowing co-op wandering.
Yet it is such a huge improvement over its dismal predecessor that it’s oh-so-close to being an outstanding RPG. Its design just needs some rationalization and focus to achieve something great.
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Two Worlds 2
An ambitious and beautiful RPG that falls just short of greatness, thwarted by a stunted finale and imbalances.
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News — Two Worlds 2 game test
Two Worlds 2 game test by iamgamer.
de
Brother and sister are haunted by nothing but trouble…
The history of Two Worlds 2 is almost inextricably linked with the history of its predecessor. Our sister Kira could not free herself from the nets of Gandohar. Still worse. The hero is also in his castle, caught and imprisoned. Kira herself is possessed by dark energy, which will give Sardokhon enough power to rule the world a little more. Dirty prison looks disgusting and not comfortable. Fortunately, we receive unexpected help — a group of orcs frees us. Yes, the very creatures that were fought against and despised. There is nothing left but to leave your prejudices and trust them.
First steps.
After a short introduction, in which we are introduced to the leader Rogdor, a very attractive assassin Dar Fa and other assistants, we continue our adventure. In the exemplary magazine, we are taught the basics of management, while we continue to leave the dungeons and further towards the throne room.
The melee system is also explained, when we try to activate the teleport, which should help us free ourselves, we are attacked by guards armed with a simple club, we oppose them, here we are shown only the basics of hitting and blocking. After a successful escape, we find ourselves on one remote island, on which we learn all the following tricks and techniques. Difficulty in Two Worlds 2 is no exaggeration! The melee system offers more options than most other RPG games. Along with standard attacks and blocking, there is also the possibility of doing various combos or using special attacks with which we throw dust in the enemy’s face, for example, or break through armor with a full blow. With proper timing, there is even the possibility of using the element of surprise. It also depends on what kind of weapon we carry, there is a significant difference whether we take a weapon and a shield, two-handed, a mace or two-handed weapons. However, not only the choice of weapons decides everything, but also the type of enemy.
Each enemy class has its own strengths and weaknesses that cannot be underestimated. For example, against giant ants, the classic sword is ineffective due to their shell, a powerful fire spell will come in handy here.
The magic system is called «Demons». Basically, we use certain types of magic, but we can use any kind of it. We can release a simple fireball or use a pressure wave to keep the opponents at a distance. It doesn’t sound complicated, but don’t let the simplicity fool you. Each spellcasting can be enhanced by the following cards and properties and attributes. There is also the possibility to combine different magic cards with each other so that you can develop your own spell. Along with magic and melee weapons, of course, there is also archery. It is sometimes advisable for a pumped warrior to defeat the enemy from a safe distance. There are also special types of attacks. For example, before entering the camp, you need to kill two guards, shooting two arrows at once will be very effective.
Forging, alchemy and sales
Thanks to the new «CRAFT» technology, we can use various items and materials to upgrade weapons and weapons. In addition, with high skill, we can use crystals in objects to endow them with magical powers. During our journey through Antholor, we collect various ingredients that can be used to brew a potion, just throw them into a small cauldron that is always with you. Moreover, you can combine different plants, and the effect can be both positive and negative. Anything you make, you can sell. Moreover, each region has its own prices, and each merchant has his own preferences, for example, a butcher will buy your sword cheaper than a gunsmith, respect also plays a role in the price.
Game world.
You have already noticed how much freedom there is in Two Worlds 2. If you want to walk on the shroud — forward, if you want to move faster — take a horse, if you want to be transported to the place where you have already been — use the teleport.
First we are in the savanna world. It’s hot, people are starving, all the loungers are occupied and the gates of Hotmandor, the city in the north, to which we must go, are closed. In other games, we would now have to complete the quest with guarding the gate and the gate would open. However, in the world of Antholor we have several options to choose from. The slippery fellow, who saw that we were talking to the guards in an unfriendly manner, offers to give us a pass for a pile of gold, which opens the gate. Another person offers to accompany us, but we must provide her with protection, and she would mark on the map the route of movement of the smugglers. The choice is not easy for us, so we search further and receive an indication from the cemetery gardener: The old, depressed man in the alley should be our key to the city. He tells that his house has been burnt down and he is now sitting in front of the ruins of his life. We need to bring his beloved ink, with which he wants to forge us a pass.
When we are already on the way back to bring him his writing materials, we meet his wife. She is obviously not enthusiastic, slanders about his masculinity and suggests that we give her ink and she helps us get into the city.
Antolor is alive!
Returning to the technical part of Two Worlds 2, we could say in one word: «Great! The graphics engine is one of the most impressive we’ve seen to date. Whether it’s the soft Motion Capture animations that breathe life into the characters. Or lighting effects that produce a wonderful light game and shadow theater at night and in dungeons.Everything in the world of Antholor turned out to be extremely detailed and these little things when the hero presses the grass with every movement or the shadows that are cast on the surroundings.It’s just beautiful that objects float in the water correct, lights oscillate when touched, objects are controlled and can fall.0006 The world is not only huge, but offers a huge number of hidden dungeons, which have accordingly one very individual atmosphere.
In them, completely different types of enemies await you.
So the role-playing game to be! Technically, Two Worlds 2 is beyond doubt. The graphics engine on both Xbox 360 and PC delivers incredible graphical brilliance on screen. The world of Antholor is not only one of the largest game worlds, but also one of the most beautiful and most diverse that I have ever seen. Everywhere you look, there are little details everywhere that you wouldn’t expect with the size of the game. Management is available, inventory and character development system are simple, clear gameplay. Add to this an interesting plot and secondary quests. A variety of dialogues corresponding to the characters, a huge game world, wonderful technology and thoughtful gameplay — what does a player need more? Two Worlds 2 is just a really good RPG that does just about everything right!
Congratulations to the king of the genre who sat on the throne! Two Worlds 2 earned it for itself in good faith… and won’t give it back so quickly.
Ratings of the game: PC — 92. Xbox 360 — 92.
Cons: High prices for horses. There are mistakes. The facial expressions in the dialogues look somewhat wooden.
author: David Kloß
translation: Semargl
News — Two Worlds 2 Mini test. System requirements.
Two worlds 2 Short test: It’s a time killer in a good way.
How does Two Worlds 2 perform in the test? PC Games Hardware says: «Two Worlds combines good looks with solid gameplay and is a worthy competitor to previous titles.»
The plot of Two Worlds 2 has already been reported a lot. So once again in a short form: The story of the game takes place a few years after the events of the first part and takes the player to hitherto unexplored areas in the east of Antaloor with numerous new landscapes, from dusty desert cities to a magnificent temple complex.
Two Worlds 2: Technology
To make Two Worlds 2 competitive and visually appealing, Reality Pump has developed a completely new technology called GRACE.
The technical parameters of the engine have been programmed for platform development with support for Mac (Open GL), includes debugged FP16-Render-Pipeline rendering, including deferred rendering, Tone Mapping, spatial obstructions, depth of field, blur, color and soft shadows. This engine is optimized for multi-core processors. (According to Reality Pump, the engine theoretically scales up to 36 cores, which actually overclocks a dual core fairly quickly) and also, it is possible to use Tessellationsfunktion from DX 11 DirectX 10 and DirectX 11.
The technical side of Two Worlds 2 is at a high level. The lighting effects in the game are impressive, most of the textures have a high level of detail and look amazingly beautifully plastic thanks to Reality Pump’s development using the Quadtree-Displacement-Mapping-Render-Technik. The characters and monsters are also created with great attention to detail. It’s a fact that not everyone can make a design that suits all tastes, and this is crucial for a high level of play.
Two Worlds 2: Gameplay
In terms of game elements, an epic role-playing game offers what is expected from a successful representative of the genre. The game world is huge and diverse, divided into various parts (Asian, European, etc.), each with its own unique flavor. This guarantees a long and entertaining game with high quality quests. For most tasks in the virtual world, there are several solutions. Thus, a vast and complex story is complemented by hundreds of side missions with alternative approaches.
In the same way, the development of the character, which is waiting for many improvements in a well-thought-out system of abilities and magic, has a strong impact on the game.
Another advantage in Two Worlds 2 is the wide variety of provided weapons and armor, which can be upgraded and also assembled into sets. An easy-to-learn combat system and good atmospheric music from well-known composers. On the other hand, you can criticize the console with a heavy and somewhat confusing interface, and sometimes too soft focusing of objects.
