Risen 2: Dark Waters

 PlayStation 3
User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 59 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 59
  3. Negative: 28 out of 59
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. GrumpyReviewer
    Oct 1, 2012
    8
    Yes, I will defend Risen 2: Dark Waters. I really don't care about the negative covering about this game. I'm almost 30 hours in an I simply can't put it down. But I won't sugarcoat it. Risen 2 suffers from several bugs, glitches and very poor graphics that - occasionally - makes it look like a PS2 game. But this is such an ambitious project, one without fear of taking risks that, if youYes, I will defend Risen 2: Dark Waters. I really don't care about the negative covering about this game. I'm almost 30 hours in an I simply can't put it down. But I won't sugarcoat it. Risen 2 suffers from several bugs, glitches and very poor graphics that - occasionally - makes it look like a PS2 game. But this is such an ambitious project, one without fear of taking risks that, if you manage to survive the initial bad impressions, you'll find a fun, engaging and very addictive game. I completely love it and it's a shame many gamers will not even give this one a try due to bad reviews. It reminds me of games like Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls, the pirate theme is very atmospheric and cool and this is one of the best games I've played this year.… Expand
  2. partyintheback
    Oct 14, 2012
    8
    I really, really like this game. The graphics are much better than the first Risen, the story's more interesting, the pirate theme is nice, the environments are great to explore, etc. However, it has one big drawback, which is the combat, and sometimes the difficulty will make you want to pull your hair out. So let's go a little more in-depth on Risen 2.

    Risen 2, much like the first    I really, really like this game. The graphics are much better than the first Risen, the story's more interesting, the pirate theme is nice, the environments are great to explore, etc. However, it has one big drawback, which is the combat, and sometimes the difficulty will make you want to pull your hair out. So let's go a little more in-depth on Risen 2.

    Risen 2, much like the first Risen, is a new RPG built with a budget and team well below that of a big Bethesda RPG or something. People who say this game's "crap" aren't the most trustworthy. If you've played and enjoyed games like Risen, Divinity 2, or any of the other RPGs like those, you'll certainly get your money's worth out of Risen 2.

    First, let's address the graphics. Some will say that the skybox looks like pixelated blobs, and you know, they're not wrong, but clouds do typically look like blobs, though just not so pixelated. However, unlike some higher budget games that forgo this graphical feature, the clouds do move, so at least you're not stuck in this static world that feels a lot like a game world and thus kills immersion. Otherwise, Risen 2 is a pretty big step up from the first Risen in the graphics department. Characters are more detailed, environments look more lush and impressive, etc. Yeah, the animations aren't cutting edge, but neither are the animations in Bethesda's Fallout and Elder Scrolls, so I don't think slamming the animations is entirely fair. This is a massive game built on a smaller budget with a smaller team, yet their animations are mostly on par with Bethesda's work.

    In regards to story, it's handled a lot better in Risen 2 than it was in the first game. I find a lot of characters really fun and interesting to interact with. This game seems a lot more cinematic than the first game. It's definitely an interesting and slightly different tale for an RPG.

    Now, for the part that'll frustrate many people, which is the combat. Not only does this version lack the enhancements that they made to the PC version to make the combat flow better, but you start off this game very weak, which seems standard for an RPG, but there are battles early in the game that feel like pure luck, so get ready to reload you save and wait through a lengthy loading screen to try it all over again, and you'll likely do this many times over before getting lucky. It's really a shame that the combat is so stilted and frustrating early on, because I feel the rest of the game is a sheer joy to wander around in. But perhaps, if all you look for in a game is combat, maybe you should just buy a hack & slash game instead.

    It's odd, then, that Risen 2 is still really neat despite the core gameplay bit being so frustrating. This isn't a bad game, I promise, but the combat needs some serious work. I really like everything else in Risen 2.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
47

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 13
  3. Negative: 5 out of 13
  1. Gamer.no
    Oct 27, 2012
    40
    The PlayStation version of the game not only fails to improve upon the problems of the original release, it adds several new technical problems. Texture delays, blurry graphics and sound issues combines with the horrid combat system to make this a frustrating experience. Risen 2 should be considered a "PC-only" game.
    Read full review
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Sep 25, 2012
    50
    Risen 2 gets worse when you lash that hideous combat to a graphics engine from five years ago, complete with a lurching framerate and sloppy interfaces. If you're charting a course for Risen 2 because you've heard the phrase 'pirate RPG' and figured nobody could screw that up, your hopes are about to swan-dive from the crow's nest to the poop deck. [October 2012, p75]
  3. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Sep 20, 2012
    50
    Quests do occasionally offer intriguing objectives, but they're a rarity, and simple kill/fetch structures are the norm. [Nov 2012, p.87]
See all critic reviews »