| Risen 2: Dark Waters | |
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Risen 2: Dark Waters' logo |
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| Developer(s) | Piranha Bytes |
| Publisher(s) | Deep Silver |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | DVD, Download |
Risen 2: Dark Waters is a single-player fantasy-themed action role-playing game and the sequel to Risen by the German company Piranha Bytes. It is published and distributed by the German company Deep Silver, a division of Koch Media.
The game was officially announced by Deep Silver on August 18, 2010, during a press conference a the GamesCom exhibition of Cologne. The official site was opened on February 19, 2011. It will be available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.[2] The PC version is directly developed by Piranha Bytes. As for Risen, the French firm Wizarbox is in charge of the console versions: Xbox 360 and for the first time, PlayStation 3.
Contents |
Risen 2 : Dark Waters begins in the harbor city of Caldera. The last vestiges of the Inquisition gathered in the fortress of crystal and are still trying to fight against the Titans. Unfortunately, sea monsters cause inconvenience and boats that were supposed to deliver major equipments are lost to the sea. The main character is the hero of the first Risen. However, he is now a broken man without illusions who turned to alcohol. He wears a patch over one eye that hides the Inquisitor monocle, obtained at the end of Risen.[3] The game begins with Carlos (known from Risen) who asks the hero to help a ship that sank off the coast of the island. Among the survivors, there is another old friend: Patty. She is always in search of her father, the famous pirate Gregory-Emmanuel Steel Beard, and rumor says he has found a way to sail the seas safely. They decide to team up to find him.
In the tradition of games developed by Piranha Bytes, the main character has no name. He is simply called the Nameless Hero.
Unlike many RPGs, the player doesn't choose his character or his class. One gains experience points (XP) as rewards for fighting monsters and solving quests. When enough points have been accumulated, the hero levels up and earns learning points (LP). The player can spend these learning points with Trainers - special NPCs that are scattered around the game world - to increase his stats or acquire new skills. The player can use a wide range of weapons, including, for the first time, guns. Alternatively, the player can choose to play as a mage. Risen offers the player a semi-open world: each island is a separate area that requires loading; but once the area is loaded, one can move freely without hindrance or pause for loading new items. At the beginning of the game, not all islands are reachable, but they become so as the story unfolds.
In late May 2007, JoWooD Productions Software AG, Austria, and Pluto 13 GmbH, Germany (owner of the trademark "Piranha Bytes") announced the end of their cooperation. Following contractual agreements binding the two companies, JoWood temporarily holds the right to publish games in the Gothic series as well as the copyright for the "Gothic" trademark. As Piranha Bytes temporarily cannot further develop any game for the Gothic series, the company announced June 17, 2007 that they were working on drafting a new RPG. The next day, Deep Silver announced they would be the publisher and on August 6, 2008, the official name of the game was revealed: Risen. While Piranha Bytes developed the PC version of the game, the French company Wizarbox was responsible for bringing the game to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Following numerous criticisms of the poor quality of the original game's console port, the publisher decided that the game would be jointly developed on the three platforms from the project's inception, with experts from Piranha Bytes preparing elements for Wizarbox and with test controls every 30 or 60 days.
In late July 2011, the company Deep Silver announced that they had selected Steamworks as the form of DRM for the PC version of the game. This will allow users to add their retail keys to a Steam account and play the game via the service. This will also include unlimited installs on any PC, and no requirement to have the DVD in the drive to play.[4]
The official name of the second game: "Risen 2: Dark Waters" was announced on February 19, 2011. The game is expected for the first half of 2012.
On December 14th, 2011, the game's official Facebook page announced that Risen 2: Dark Waters will be released on April 24th, 2012 for the USA and Canada and on April 27th, 2012 for Europe.
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