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| | Gameplay
Sound
 | | Graphics
Value
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| | Genre: Adventure & RPG | | | Min OS X: 10.6 |
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SOUND The sounds in the game are of consistently good quality. The ambient sounds bring you into the game and match the surroundings, the various cries, howls, grunts and so on your opponents make all seem fitting as well. The music is of the epic, orchestral variety and while it's well done, it does tend to get a bit repetitious. The voice acting is somewhat flat but, as noted, by no means as bad as many translated games I have played. All in all, I would say the sound is adequate but uninspired.GAMEPLAY Having covered the mechanics of gameplay in the first part of review, I'll talk a little bit about multiplayer options. In order to participate in multiplayer gaming you create an online profile and brand-new online characters, reverting you back to helpless kitten status again (so, no, you don't get to bring your totally beefed-up campaign winner into the shared world) . From a neutral village starting place you can start or join new games, which vary in type from campaign-style missions to deathmatches to capture-the-flag team games. It should be noted that playing the single-player campaign as a multiplayer game is not an option; the missions are entirely new content. I found the interface a little unfriendly but workable, and the servers were generally pretty sparsely populated. I might also note that most of the players were "speaking" Polish or German, which makes sense given the game's European origins. So, as of this review, the multiplayer is not entirely satisfying if you're a big fan of online gaming. However, I am more of the misanthropic solo player type, so I actually found it quite enjoyable just to play the mission scenarios by myself - it's basically more single-player content!VALUE AND GENERAL CONCLUSION Two Worlds 2 is a very well-executed game created on a grand scale with a great deal of depth and content. Given how long the single-player campaign can last, the multiplayer possibilities, the possibility of replaying as another type of combatant, and the currently available (for a separate price) expansions, I would say that its current A-list price is justified. However, all of the high quality is in the service of a not particularly original story and setting, in which most of the tired fantasy Role-Playing Game (RPG) tropes are trotted out again. There are some modest innovations in the combat, leveling, and inventory systems, which deserve praise and may provide enough novelty for the seasoned RPG enthusiast. Bottom line: Would I recommend this game? If you're looking for a paradigm shift in RPGs, for the "Next Big Thing," then you will be disappointed. If, like me, you have a bottomless appetite for high-quality swords-n-spells adventure and don't crave too much originality, then I absolutely recommend it.Pros: • Enormous, detailed world to explore
• Intriguing combat, magic and inventory systems
• Visually stunning and smoothly presented graphicsCons: • Story and setting are fairly typical fantasy fare
• Voice acting and human depictions are a little "off."
• Some may find the combat systems and general interface frustrating
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