Risen

To start, ignore all the kids complaining about graphics.
It is true they are not as wonderful as many games out there but if graphics are all that matter to you, go to a video museum....
The game is much like Fable in the scope of things and the gameplay style but thankfully there is so much more worthwhile things to do!
Can you marry? No.
Can you play with a dog? No.
But does it have true open world gameplay, an epic story with 3 totally different paths to follow (Mage, Inquisitor and Bandit) and are there loads of skills from Prospecting, Alchemy, Magic, Potion Making, Scroll Writing, Lockpicking through to weapons skills for Sword, Bow, Crossbow and axe.
You can even mine for precious metals to make jewellery to sell, forge weapons and go grave digging!
With a wide open, twisting tale of deceit and treachery and the awakening of a god that threatens to destroy the land, this game will keep you coming back for months to come!

Game play slow tedious and too dark in places. Very restrictive movement could have been much better. Some nice ideas but not executed in the game play very well. Pity but not worth best part of £40

i fully agree with the other review of this game. the graphics are what you would expext from a xbox console, not next generation 360. Graphics can be excused if only the gameplay could make up for the terrible visuals but oh dear, it doesnt. The user interface is extremely un responsive and complicated and this game trys to be games we have played previously like oblivion, but just doesnt pull it off at all. For an openworld game, it feels very restricted in the fact that to progress, you seem to keep hitting brick walls. You will speak to an npc and they will not help you until you have done a specific task and that seems to be the norm in this game. The controls feel very clunky and when panning the camera from left to right, it goes at light speed as it is way to sensitive with no where in the options to change this. the combat is terrible as it has a very poor lock on system and hard to face opponents, especially when being attacked from all angles. you will die frequently. The voice acting is absolutly terrible. they have no conviction or emmotion in there voices and at times sound like robots. At times there is a major slowdown in which the game is being displayed which i cant understand considering the draw rates and graphics really are not that good. As an end note, i really did try to like this game but really couldnt due to the many faults. for a game in development for this length of time, it should have been so much better. Try this game at your own peril or rent it first as it is alot of money to pull out for something you dont enjoy.

The game first appears to be standard third person RPG fodder, with you fetching the stick and buying the bone for a handful of coins and a slightly sharper stick with which to poke enormous seagulls , but persevere past the "training" area and the game suddenly opens up. Access to training and trade skills is almost immediate and lucrative depending on what path you take in you first wanderings.

The items you can aquire are fairly standard and deceptively limited, mostly the same items with greater or lesser effectiveness and a slew of weapons that will simply find their way into the bags of the nearest merchant. Itemization doesn't get interesting until you start raiding the old trap-filled ruins where you will find the truly special stuff.

Once the initial area is done with you are essentially let loose to explore. You can ignore the main quest and go looting ruins, breaking monster camps and generally honing your combat skills; and you will need to- this is no "dice roll to hit" rubbish- victory or defeat rests entirely on your own ability to outmanouvere and outthink the AI. Until you master this you'll be eating the floor a great deal. But are you really afraid of a challenge? If you enjoy the game playing itself for you and pressing one button to "win" a fight, then you should look elsewhere for fun.

Everything in this title oozes atmosphere and the ambient sound effects, music and lighting support this. The locations are lovingly crafted- if a little small- and the underground areas carry a sense of danger and mystery.

If the game has a flaw it's in the sometimes inconsistent and unimaginative animation on the main character. He runs like a puppet and he jumps like he has antigravity soles on his boots. A minor niggle in such an otherwise satisfying game but one you cant ignore as you are reminded of it each time you move.

To sum up, this isnt a game for the weak willed or impatient, the "i win button" generation probably wont appriciate it for what it offers, only complaining about what it does not. If you are looking for an actual adventure rather than yet another tediously over-produced theme-park ride, you could do far worse than this, especially at this price.

Bought this game after reading more negative reviews than positive .. but the few positive reviews made me take a chance and i dont regret it. True the graphics arnt the best but the game is solid .. to start i was a bit frustrated but after sticking with it .. learning a few skills, cookery, lockpicking, things began to get moving .. if you love rpg's and the work involved regardless of next gen graphics go ahead .. if graphics are all your after .. look elsewhere! It aint Oblivion .. but its the next best thing!