Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
A good game that could be better, but somehow still stands up on its own
Tags: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel Categories: PC Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 15th, 2008
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred 2: Fallen Angel (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Role-Playing | No | ||
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I had a hard time getting through Sacred 2 for review, not because it is a bad game, but because it is so big and I have a limited amount of time to play these types of games. I have been following this game for a long time, so I was eager to place in my PC. Sacred 2 is a big title, not just in questing, but in literal size – you’re going to want a mount in order to get from one end of the map to the other. That expanse isn’t just for show either; if you decide to wander it you’ll be occupied the whole time.
Let me get the annoying part of the game out of the way, and perhaps the biggest problem with the game – the crashing. I am sure this is why the console versions of the game are being delayed, because the PC version is really finicky about the technical settings and even then it is a bit unstable and prone to suddenly freezing or crashing.
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There are some recommended specs and some that are meant to be acceptable, but they don’t seem to cut it. Sacred II: Fallen Angel seems to be the kind of game that really needs to be played on the new computers to run the recommended specs as a minimum, including plenty of memory.
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Another problem the game has is the camera which can be highly unwieldy at times. There were times when I got caught in an area and found it easier to simply restart the game from my last save point rather than try and work through the issue. I also found some simple bugs, such as walking through walls or getting stuck on a shrub. These were more irritating than anything else, but when coupled with all the other problems, they all amount to a big ball of grumpiness on my part.
However, despite these missteps there is a lot that Sacred 2 does right. The stoyline comes in two flavors: good and evil. In order to get the full story of Sacred 2, you’ll have to play through the game twice to see the events unfold from both points of view (though it isn’t really necessary) which may seem like it artificially tacks on twice the amount of gameplay time, but with the different classes available playing through again will be different.
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The story? T-Energy has been loosened upon the land and a whole host of creatures are affected. Then there are the different races that are vying for superiority by taking control of T-Energy, which also happens to be the source of all magic. The scenario may be a bit cliché but it’s solid enough and establishes the setting for both the main quest as well as many of the numerous side quests that players will embark upon.
Sacred 2 is a prequel, set 2000 years before the events in the first game. This is a multi-use setup because it allows for further exploration of the first game’s world as well as allowing gamers that didn’t play the first original Sacred to enjoy this fresh start. It should be noted that while the setup is solid, it is rather shallow. I would have liked a much deeper storyline for each individual character type – they were designed to be different more for gameplay than story.
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I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the multiplayer. This mode allows players to drop in and out of each other’s games to help out with quests or simply make traversing the landscape a bit more entertaining. I didn’t test out the player versus player because I’m just not that kind of a gamer (at least with this type of game). I did, however, drop in on a couple of other players games for some co-op questing, which was rather fun.
Perhaps one of the best features is that the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. There’s plenty of humor without being overly jokey. At times the game even addresses the player directly.
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Sure, the combat is good and I could go on about how each of the classes can select from a variety of gods allowing for a wide variety of attacks. This is a major factor in the game and its enjoyment, and where the storyline is shallow, this part of Sacred II: Fallen Angel is quite deep. A wide variety of attack types and levels keep things interesting.
It’s only a matter of time before a patch is issued which addresses most of the major issues the game has, at which point more people should pick it up. This is a solid game that may not break any new ground, but it is a more than solid representation of the genre – including the ridiculous bikini armor.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Solid gameplay + Multiplayer |
7.4 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Bugs and crashes - Weak story |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Once the bug fixes are in place, add another half to full point to the score. It isn't the best game, but it's still fun to play, which is pretty much what counts. | |
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Tags: Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 15th, 2008 and is filed under PC Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
