Divinity 2

I've just played the Divinity 2 demo and the game reminds me of Two Worlds in many ways (good ways). It looks rather nice and I like the art direction. Some of the animations could be better but the design is sound. The music seems pretty good and the cutscenes are nicely done. Combat wise it plays like your average hack and slash game, you move sideways to dodge attacks and get access to special moves that look rather cool (this part reminded me of Fable). Combat is not as seamless as in Kingdoms of Amalur but the game is less cartoonish (I liked that in Kingdoms but variety is good).

Of course there is a story that involves dragons (I know you hate them Skorp but please don't dismiss the game because of that) but from what I have seen it seems to be ok if not very original. The game revolves around a group of dragon slayers who possess some outlandish powers that you can learn through the game (including a sort of mind reading trick that you can use in exchange for XPs -I like the idea of spending XP for using such a power it forces the player to weigh the pros and cons of using it).

Last but not least the Developer's Cut is on sale for half the price on GOG (the offer ends in less than 14 hours). This version includes an updated version of Divinity II: Ego Draconis and the Flames of Vengeance expansion and it has been fully supported by the developer, Larian Studios, an indie studio based in Belgium.

I haven't played much but I really like the old school feel of the game. There is NO map markers!!! It's been ages since I've played a game without map markers and there are many secrets to be found. This may be better than Skyrim (let's face it combat wasn't the best thing about the last Elder Scrolls title and the story with its dragons wasn't that thrilling either).

In any case it looks like I may have found the game that is going to satisfy my thirst for some good old fantasy fun (I'm yearning for a game like Might and Magic VI the Mandate of Heaven), a game that won't hold my hand or rely on flashing lights to make sure I'm on the right path.

Please keep us updated. Sounds very interesting. Right now I have several games to work on but maybe there will be another sale.

I'm playing at 1440 x 900 screen resolution and it looks great but the text is rather small. I've been thinking of decreasing the resolution a bit and see if I can compromise.

I've been playing a few hours and even if I've just brushed the surface I can already tell there are things that I like a lot and a few things that annoy me.

Cons:

-movement can be a bit clunky (for lack of a better word) I find that sometimes the character looks like he/she is stuck and the only option is to hit the jump key to get ahead a bit. It's even more annoying since it seems to be pretty random (although the nature of the terrain is relevant).

-the game doesn't discriminate between male and female characters. I played the demo with a male and now as I'm playing with a female character I can't see any difference in dialogue options or anything really except that the female character is probably easier on the eyes (despite the fact that options for customization are rather limited).

Undecided:

-I still have to get a hang of the way combat works in this game, at the moment I'm going for an all out hack and slash spree which has worked for me so far but which is not very tactical. Combat in this game is not as good as Kindgoms of Amalur Reckoning but it is not worse than let's say Skyrim. Things will probably improve once I unlock more special attacks we shall see.

-I love the music but some pieces play too frequently and I feel that it may become annoying pretty quickly (of course my character has been hanging around a long time in the same area so maybe that's the reason behind that).

Pros:

-Great humour! Besides many references made to Monty Python's Holy Grail, there are little gems that are present in this game. Humour can be found anywhere, in books, dialogues or scenes. It's very refreshing and I actually smiled when an NPC started going on about those filthy "necrodancers" it can't get any better than that (except if I later find out that there are actual necrodancers in the game).

-Plenty of skills to invest in. Agreed many of these skills are your average fantasy stuff but at least there is a pretty solid selection that seems to allow for variety. Being able to pick different skills and trainings is what keeps players interested in these games.

-Mind reading rocks! This ability is great and its implementation is very interesting. Basically you can read minds and influence NPCs at the cost of a number of XP depending on that particular NPC. The game keeps track of this amount as your character's debt which means that any XP your character gain will first be used to clear out the debt before getting a new level. It's simple and effective and from a gameplay point of view implies a choice on the player's part. Sometimes spending some XP can lead to unlocking new quests, gathering useful information or accessing some loot and sometimes all you get is some gossip, a silly comment or something a bit random. Bottom line it is fun and having this option is really great.

-No quest markers is incredibly refreshing. In this game you get to experience that old school CRPG thing since it means that you have to pay attention and think in order to to solve some puzzles, pick up on some hints and get ahead with the story. It also means that you have to take the time to look around which is something that we are no longer used to in modern games. Of course it is all too easy to skip many clues if you don't feel like paying attention but IMO it feels like missing the meat of the game (I remember people posting that Honest Hearts the FNV DLC sucked because it was too short when in fact it offered hours of free exploration and rewarded you for looking under almost every rock).

-I really like the way weapons and armours look even low level stuff. I also like the fact that most objects get names that are similar to the item naming system in Diablo (I assume these are random). Nostalgia may be a factor but in the end it's a very nice way of adding some singularity to items (instead of having the more mundane +1 or +2 item in Dungeons and Dragons.

I'll be able to comment further after playing some more.

I've read comments by players who stated that the beginning of the game was the most boring part and that the game gets better later on but I have to say that I'm enjoying this part a lot. Taking the time to explore and talk to every NPC is fun.

I played some of Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga earlier this year, but then had to stop because a wrist injury made it impossible to play games for a while. I haven't gone back to it, yet, but I plan to. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Here are the two screencaps I took while playing. The second one might be a bit of a spoiler if you haven't progressed very far in the game.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Thanks Kana, I just had a look at the first screen and it looks great (I really like the architecture, the buildings and the environments in this game).

I'm glad to see that at least one of us here at the Saloon has played this game.

I'm using Xpadder with a controller, it's not so taxing for the wrist.

Quote :

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

I'm hardly surprised, I believe this game was designed for gamers like us who cut their teeth on old games that weren't about being unchallenging and certainly didn't cater to the casual crowd.

Urgh. Overgrown and overglorified lizards. How typical.

Still... I see some potential in this nontheless. I currently have my plate full thanks to TW and a new Ob run, but I will check this one out.

Overgrown lizards with a twist if I may say so (but I won't spoil it for you).

Don't take this game at face value. IMO it's better and more fun than Two Worlds (I'm not kidding) and I never liked Oblivion that much (boring game except for Shivering Isles and the DB).

I don't know if you're still playing this game but it's one of my favourites. You will find that combat becomes a bit too easy towards the end of the game. I increased the difficulty level as high as I could to combat this.

This is a very underrated game, good story all the good things you've mentioned and beautiful on the eyes.

Just one thing, I've had no problems with moving my character. Reducing the resolution may assist with this as the game is very demanding on a system. There were a number of reviews when it was first released that commented negatively on this. I seem to remember that the game requires high refresh rates, but it's an age since I read the reviews, so don't quote me

Have you played Divine Divinity and Divinity II?

It's the only Divinity game I've ever played and I haven't played much since I've been busy with Baldur's Gate and Fallout New Vegas lately. I will have to start over I think.

Thanks for the tip, I was playing at 1440x900 so I'll try a smaller resolution and see if it helps.

Smaller resolution didn't help but I've decreased some settings and it runs smoothly now. The fonts are a bit on the smaller side but I can live with that.

It's been hard tearing myself away from FNV but I've managed to play more of this game and it is awesome!

There are so many secrets to be found that I'm sure I must have missed a few (if not many). I really like the fact that the puzzles are not too hard but still challenging enough (although you have to be able to look for little details in the environment).

It's a game that encourages the player to loot and crunch numbers to see which piece of equipment is best. I like that. I've switched a few items around and I could tell the difference (some of them while more expensive didn't work as well for my character).

I've started as a warrior but I'm considering going for a hybrid build with more of a ranger set up. Bows are absolutely amazing! I haven't tried summoning of magic much so I'll see how it plays out. When it comes to skills I went for lockpicking and the skill that allows the character to carry more loot as I wasn't sure which line I wanted to invest in right away (evasion, life drain and regeneration seemed like obvious choices though). My character is rather unspecialized but he gets the job done switching between the bow and dual wielding a sword with an axe (extra bonuses compared to single weapon, I've tried a shield but I wasn't convinced).

As far as stats are concerned, I've started with Vitality to get some extra hit points and then Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence. I'm not sure which stat I should focus on. Intelligence affects magical damage and there are many weapons that do more magical damage than regular damage so it may be a good idea. Strength increases health regeneration rates and that is always a good thing to boost in a game like this. Dexterity affects critical hits so it may be a least interesting choice. I haven't invested in Spirit since I'm not using much mana (yet) and there are items boosting it quite a bit (not to mention mana potions).

I guess I must be doing ok since playing on normal difficulty I was able to bag the

Spoiler:

at level 12. It must have taken me at least 15 minutes though...

There are so many funny references, it's refreshing. I haven't had that much fun since I played Kingdoms of Amalur (and before that Two Worlds although IMO Divinity 2 is much less frustrating than Two Worlds). Besides not having markers pointing you in the "right" direction makes the game appear less linear and all in all it's a more enjoyable experience.

As you're enjoying Divinity II, and (like me) were very taken with Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning, have a look at; Venetica, The Dark Eye Drakensang and Drakensang the River of Time.

The Dark Eye games are somewhat old school and take a little adjusting to. The controls feel clumsy at first, but I found I adapted quickly and they didn't detract from the game. The graphics are beautiful and the games have an atmosphere that's hard to define, but they are charming, involving and lovely to play.

Venetica is a German game that got overlooked. Like Divinity II the reviews were not very favourable. However, I love Venetica. It's linear, but there are 3 different approaches once you reach Venice. The graphics are stunning and combat requires timing to get it right. The Boss fights are strategic and pretty challenging.

Over all, these games gave me as much fun as Divinity II, so you may enjoy them also.

Thanks for the tips but I need to finish a few games before getting new ones. I've got many different games to complete and it's a real mess when I try to keep track of them all.

Drakensang, The Dark Eye Das is based on Das Schwarze Auge one of the first pen and paper RPGs I've played (with the original Dungeons and Dragons) when I was a little kid in the late 80s. I've got good memories of playing this game so I should probably check out the videogames.

I remember reading that difficulty in Divinity 2 was uneven. I don't think it's that bad actually. I'm playing on normal difficulty and with a little strategy I rarely need to use potions. Once you have the right gear it gets rather swift. Although I hope that they won't pull the evading villain trick too often (that really annoyed me in the Witcher).

I'm getting to the

Spoiler:

. I guess I'm not too far into the game.

I'm saving my character's gold. He's got a little less than 20,000 gold. That should come in handy.

I found Divinity II became too easy on normal. At the start, normal is a good choice for getting to grips with the combat, but don't be suprised if you need to switch to an expert setting around level 25 or so.

Without giving away what you can do, I realy enjoyed the alternate ego you can become in this game, it literally adds a whole new dimension

Re. Dark Eye - the Dungeon and Dragons origin of the video games is reflected in the combat.