Two Worlds

"Rough around the Edges"

BEFORE WE START THE REVIEW: I rate this game a 7.5, but since I'm unable to do fractions/decimals I am putting this here.

Alright then, where were we? Oh right, Two Worlds. Finally the rpgs are beginning to trickle onto the 360, with Two Worlds leading it. But how well does it stack up against Oblivion and the other rpgs on the way? Well, to be honest I don't think it'll be a mainstream success, but it looks to gain a cult following.

Graphics: 7

The graphics are a mixed bag. Sometimes it's beautiful, sometimes it makes my eyes hurt. The environment itself is quite beautiful (especially the water), as is all the armor and weapons you can gather. In fact, you may want to find a helmet to hide your face as soon as you can, as the facial features on your avatar and everybody else are just plain fugly.

The animations are a mixed bag too. The combat animations as well as the spells are extremely nice, but for the most part the animation seems odd. The best example being the horse: it literally moves like a robot.

Another problem that's quite annoying is the framerate. For the most part the game runs smoothly, but it tends to hiccup occasionally, usually when moving at high speeds on your robo-horse or fighting large groups of enemies.

Sound: 9

The music itself is very enjoyable, but it's the sound effects that really shine. Everything, from the clank of a sword hitting chainmail to a fireball hitting a wolf, sounds great. The voice acting, however, sound generic and reminds me of the tv show Hercules for some reason. Whether this is good or bad I'll leave that up to you.

Control: 7

When in combat, the control feels right. Using the right trigger to swing, B button to jump back as a dodge, and the left trigger to use spells make it very easy to handle combat. Outside of combat though is when it begins to falter. The camera (controlled by the right stick) is way too sensitive, often weaving to the left or right when I want it to look down or up. I spent most of my time running instead of riding mounts due to their habit to turn left when I wanted them to turn right.

Even worse is navigating the menus. Instead of making the cursor free-roam, they have it so you gotta scroll through every option in your way to get to the one you want. This makes managing your inventory an absolute chore to do.

Gameplay: 8

The gameplay in Two Worlds reminds me of a mix of Diablo and The Elder Scrolls series. Tons of customization is available for your armor, weapons, and spells. Speaking of weapons and armor, there is an absolute ton of it for you gather and collect. Even better is that if you have multiples of a weapon or armor, you can combine them together to make one exceptional piece of said object.

Magic is represented in cards. You collect them, and you can place them in any of the 4 slots for use. What makes it interesting, is that there are several slots between where you place your magic cards. These are used for "boosters" Which act as a modification for the cards it touches. For example, you have it so you can fling fireballs for a very low cost, or you can pump up it's damage output to even higher levels.

Unfortunately, there isn't as much to do with your character. You can level him up, and with he level he gets points to put into attributes and skills. Attributes granted him more health, more strength, etc. Skills offer a grab bag if buffs, ranging from useful (Increased melee strength or better magic potency) to odd (Swim speed?).

The Online Factor:

Two Words feature two kinds of online: PvP (Player versus Player) or RPG (Basically a co-op version of single player). PvP modes are pretty fun, ranging from killing people to stealing horses, and the RPG mode allows you to beat things up with a friend. My only gripe with it would be the lag, which is quite prevalent throughout.

If you're willing to look past it's deficits, you'll find a game that's just plain fun to mess around in. It might not make commercial success, but it has enough good qualities to establish a cult following.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/26/07