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Two Worlds II Hands-On Preview for Xbox 360

Two Worlds II Hands-On Preview for Xbox 360

A Second Chance for Two Worlds

It’s likely that you never played the original Two Worlds. If you did, there’s a good chance that you didn’t like it much. Unquestionably, Two Worlds was a deeply flawed game. The reviews ranged from “passable” all the way down to “simply awful,” thanks to plenty of bugs and quirks that rubbed critics and gamers the wrong way. But despite the games many problems, it did well enough to warrant a sequel. Clearly, with a game so troubled, any improvements to the formula were bound to make Two Worlds II better than the original. But will they make the game good enough to be worth your time?

Two Worlds II screenshot

We recently got our hands on the game and have to give Two Worlds II some credit. This is one ambitious game. Like the original, it’s a massive open-world game in the vein of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Pulling off this style of game alone is tough, and Two Worlds II has some additional twists to make things even more complex. First of all, Two Worlds II is a “class-free” game. You won’t be forced into a familiar fantasy archetype. You can make a character with any sort of combination of skills you like. Fighter Mages are an option, but you can get even more creative, making a stealthy magical assassin or a tank-like brawler with incredible crafting skills. It’s completely up to you.

Speaking of crafting, Two Worlds II has one of the most impressive crafting systems we’ve ever seen. Not only can you customize nearly every piece of equipment you have, you can even take items you find and break them down into raw materials. Want to make some new boots? Use the leather from an old shield and laces from a tunic. It’s a really cool idea that we haven’t seen many times before, and it only gets more impressive when you start messing around with magical spells.

We had a chance to check out the spell-crafting first hand, and it’s definitely an involved and potentially awesome experience. We started with a simple projectile spell, but added new aspects to it until it became something, much greater. You can add elemental aspects to spells, physics behaviors, and more. You can add effects to spells that cause them to lock onto, targets, split upon impact, or bounce around like a ball. After playing around with the crafting system, our simple projectile became a flaming ball of doom that split into multiple projectiles on contact and summoned an undead warrior to fight at our side!

Two Worlds II screenshot

Of course, there are limits on how many effects you can stack onto a single spell, and the bigger the spell you create, the more mana it requires. Then, there’s the challenge of actually crafting the spell. The interface was a little confusing at first, and it took us several tries to get the spell we actually wanted. According to the SouthPeak rep at our demo, certain elements in the interface are still being tuned, but with the release date right around the corner, we’re not sure how much will change before the game is released.

We’d be happy to say that a complex inventory system is the biggest flaw we encountered in the gameplay, but unfortunately that isn’t the case. When playing as a fairly standard magic user, queuing up spells felt a little sluggish, and it was often difficult to tell when our spells were damaging enemies. Playing as a melee-based warrior, the delay between button press and attack felt even more pronounced. The time between pulling the trigger and the on-screen character’s attack was roughly half a second, making the game feel a bit more like a PC MMO than a console action RPG.

Two Worlds II screenshot

Despite the sluggish feel of the combat, Two Worlds II does seem like a significant improvement over the original game. Sure, we saw a few other rough edges in our demo, such as some collision issues and a few bad textures. Plus, there’s plenty of content we didn’t get to check out, such as the multiplayer modes. But overall, Two Worlds II looks like it has the potential to be a reasonably solid game. One thing is for sure, it will definitely be a step in the right direction for the franchise!

Game Features:

  • The Extensive Character Development system includes a huge skill tree, giving the player total control over their class and how they want to play.
  • The C.R.A.F.T. Tool allows players to upgrade items from basic components. With a little time, a player can turn an ordinary weapon into one of legend.
  • The D.E.M.O.N.S. Magic System enables users to create their own spells, resulting in thousands of unique spells.
  • Two Worlds II combines different melee attacks and an active blocking system with thousands of weapon, armor and class types, alongside mounted combat, duel wielding, and dirty tricks.
  • Two Worlds II has a huge multiplayer element including 8 player raids, PvP tournaments, and Co-Op action deliver unlimited replayability.


  • Righting the Wrongs

    February 8, 2010 – Making a splash in the roleplaying genre isn’t an easy thing to do. You have your behemoths (Square Enix, BioWare, Bethesda, etc.) and then you have everybody else. Once a developer has established a reputation, gamers tend to be fiercely loyal and come out for every release. For those that are still trying to carve out a piece of the RPG pie and get noticed, or worse, have a less than stellar reputation, it is a particularly daunting task. And that is right where developer Reality Pump is with their upcoming release of the high fantasy RPG Two Worlds II for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

    Two Worlds II screenshot

    The first Two Worlds came out in mid 2007 to fairly ho-hum reviews, albeit doing better with its PC version than console release. Gameplay was reminiscent of the open-world style of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion where the main quest was optional and freedom to explore paramount. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out as envisioned and Two Worlds was considered a disappointment, failing to make a splash in the genre. According to Reality Pump, they have both acknowledged and learned from their mistakes and are set to make Two Worlds II a game to be remembered.

    Chief among the changes gamers can look forward to is a revamped combat engine intended to bring more action and excitement to battles reminiscent of a hack and slash experience. Combo attacks are a new addition as well as new blocking mechanics, adding a flair for the defensive-minded. For those that prefer to burn enemies with a fireball, magic is also customizable. Using what has been dubbed the DEMONS system magic cards can be combined to create unique spells suiting whatever aims a player envisions for his character.

    Factions are making a return, with a greater emphasis being placed on integrating the actions within the factions into the rest of the game world. It won’t be possible to do every quest in the game on the first go through – helping one faction will drive another against you, in effect closing doors in order to step through others. There are five factions within the game, three of which are “official” and simple to join, the other two reclusive and will require some digging.

    Another significant change that has been let loose in interviews is the decision to get rid of the Old English dialogue many found distracting or unintentionally comical to better preserve the mood. While speech cluttered with “thee, thy, and thou” and their more obscure literary cousins, a bit more straight forward conversation has been regarded as a critical change for the series. Hand in hand with the revamped presentation, Reality Pump has changed up their writing team to better present quests and the overarching narrative. The goal is that using writers with experience translating story to the gaming medium will result in a more cohesive and flowing experience.

    Two Worlds II screenshot

    One thing that will be returning is the classless leveling system, again something akin to that found in Oblivion’s open model of character progression. The classless system is something of a ‘love it or hate it’ for many gamers depending on the amount of freedom preferred. But, as is the M.O. of Two Worlds II, freedom from restraining handcuffs (such as being resigned to a character class or forced to follow a linear story) is central to design decisions.

    Graphically, Two Worlds II will be using the GRACE engine while being designed from the beginning for consoles instead of being put together as a hastily done port. It shouldn’t be surprising to hear the makers of a game boast its features, but the creators of Two Worlds II have been particularly vocal of the game’s graphical might. True, the screenshots released so far have been promising, but it’s hard to fairly judge how it looks in action and what nuances impress or disappoint until we have a final build in our hands.

    The most notable thing Reality Pump is still quiet on is multiplayer, but they are hinting at big things. When you’re calling your title the “closest to a console MMO” people will be expecting a lot. Time will tell whether it is delivered or not.

    Two Worlds II screenshot

    Two Worlds II looks to have a lot going for it, chiefly the admission of the errors found in the original. Graphically things look strong, but the key for any RPG is how well it can immerse you in its world and make you care about its residents. That will ultimately be the final verdict. Can Two Worlds grab hold of RPG gamers who already have several premium options available, or will it end up by the wayside of countless others unable to successfully merge vision and innovation with captivating gameplay? With a pending June 29 release date, we will soon find out.

    Game Features:

  • The advanced ecosystem also addresses the type of store, the amount of merchandise available and the reputation of the player when fixing prices.
  • CRAFT technology symbolizes a revolutionary metallurgy system which enables the player to individually design his own weapons and armor.
  • The introduction of light-linked, physical effects enables completely new benchmarks in atmosphere.

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