Little known fact: despite my strong journalism skills, I truly am not an RPG person. I can tackle a first-person shooter like a bandit but put something like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in front of me and I need some serious patience to get through it. Fortunately, I have a friend who wades these waters quite often, and I usually turn to her to help me out when I can’t figure out a spellcast from a level four finishing maneuver. And so was the case with Two Worlds II. I dabbled with the original game for a little bit, but, like other folks, it mostly led to disappointment. But when the sequel came out, I decided to give it more of a fair shake. I put it into my game system for the first hour or so, breaking out of a prison with the help of a would-be partner while escaping the clutches of the evil Gandohar, who’s once again up to no good, kidnapping my sister and hellbent on being tyrannical. Go figure. I played for a while, but then RPG-itis sunk in yet again, and I turned to my friend for guidance at her place. Now, don’t get me wrong. Two Worlds II isn’t the kind of confusing RPG for those who’ve never played one before, it’s just a game that requires a good amount of time to get through, as the prologue really doesn’t set the proper tone for what to expect.
It’s when you begin to level up your character, get a hang of the spells and get into a few good online battles that you realize…hey, Two Worlds II is actually tolerable. The game features three different combat styles that you’ll turn to when you’re roaming around the world. The first is magic, and it requires a bit of menu navigation, as items you pick up are randomly placed and often need to be combined in order to be truly effective. Once you get the hang of it, however, you can really mess some enemies up with ice and fire attacks. One even set the room ablaze, like a birthday candle lighting gone wrong. The second involves swordplay, and the collision detection is slightly shoddy, so you don’t always hit as often as you’d prefer. The best of the three, in my eyes, is the third one, archery. You use a third-person over-the-shoulder perspective to fire arrows at enemies, while occasionally using fire shots and multiple arrows (someone’s been watching Kevin Costner’s take on Robin Hood) to gain an advantage over groups.
There are parts of the gameplay that might make you give up in frustration, but, as my friend pointed out, it eventually gets better as you begin leveling up and picking up new items. It’s here that you can truly define your character, while also modifying appearance. Now, when you start, you’ll find that the character creation system isn’t that hot, but as you acquire new types of armor and other goods, you can really deck out your hero in style. Just don’t expect them to become Prince Charming. As the game opens up, you’ll gain access to new quests and areas, so you can play it however you choose. Along with the huge single player component, you also have the option of going online, either teaming up with friends or going against them. It’s not always great, as the leveled-up hosts will occasionally kick out those with less experience (how are we supposed to get experience when we can’t get into a battle?!), but once you get in, it’s not too shabby at all. Granted, we had to build a fresh character because we can’t import the one from the single player game, but that only takes a few minutes, and then you’re off. Give it a try, if you can find someone forgiving enough to keep you around. Two Worlds II’s presentation isn’t bad at all. It’s a huge improvement over the original, with great environmental settings, both indoor and outdoor.
SouthPeak really knows how to introduce an unfolding universe here, and there’s plenty of places to explore. Still, the animation should’ve been smoother. There are times your character will run like he’s chafing like crazy in his slacks. Also, the characters aren’t entirely memorable. They feel like second-run cast members from The Lord of the Rings at best. As for audio, it’s decent but forgettable. Most of the problem comes from the voice acting. Some characters play it off for laughs, while others sound downright bored. Here you are on this quest to save your sister, and they don’t even know what kind of tone to come at you with. This could’ve used some more effort. The music’s pretty good, though, and the sound effects serve their purpose. I’m still not quite ready to convert to RPG-ism just yet, but Two Worlds II is a welcome relief from the pain I put up with in the original. While it lacks polish in certain areas and could’ve used a more balanced lobby system for online play, the gameplay has plenty to offer, and the presentation is better than most sub-standard role-playing affairs. Tuck away the painful memories of the first game and try out this one. You’ll feel some validation…even if it takes a little while to get there.
