Two Worlds

"Takes some time, but not bad."

This might not be the best game out there, but it's a decent RPG that will take up a good amount of time.
storyline: The main story is pretty straight forward. Your sister was kidnapped, your going to rescue her, the cult who kidnapped her will release her if you do some task which will most likely result in the destruction of the world. Basic RPG storyline this one.

Playability: Character customization is completely useless. You can't see close enough on the screen and it tends to give an instant dislike. Also, this might be just me, but this is one of those games that shows on my TV with small text. Not to mention that it is not possible to get rid of the "press back to show help" sign on the bottom which someone thought would be a good idea to place right over the current/max weight carried display. Also, even on medium, you tend to level quickly and not all of the monsters are balanced for that. At level 11 I found myself taking on 10-15 Groms (basically goblins) at a time or even 3 Wyvrens with no problem using my sword that was incredibly overpowered for my level. Horseback riding is a bit difficult. They tried to make it realistic, by you controlling the rider and he gives the commands to the horse, but it results in a few second delays which sometimes send the horse wandering aimlessly for a second or so. Also, you are able to transport with shrines, but your horse is not. Which is annoying since it's difficult to find mounts, you need to constantly return for him. It helps when your trying to sell items, but you always need your horse if you want to make any sort of time while traveling across the world. I will say, that the world is massive, and the ability to put items in the inventory of your horse is great. Another good point is that when you die, you are sent to a magic shrine instead of restarting completely or having to load. Unfortunately, the shrines are about every 500 feet, which makes it a little too easy for me. I found that powerful enemies could be wounded with poison, then I'd just die and return for them in order to finish them off. Or I'd die multiple times in battle and keep re-spawning nearby.

Graphics: Not bad. Definitely could have done a lot more considering what the 360 is capable of. Characters aren't as detailed as they could be, but the sheer number and types of armor, each unique kind of makes up for it. Not to mention the weather effects. Time however, goes by WAY to fast, making sneaking at night difficult when night is only about 5 minutes long.

Soundtrack/effects: Not the best, but still entertaining. You can hear the rain, the wind, people talking, swords clanging. Also, every so often you hear comments from the main character. Also, they used a lot of Olde English which is much better then running around using new-age/slang in RPGs.

Overall: There is a decent main quest, and a lot of side-quests as well. One of the things I liked about the game was the fact that you can combine weapons. Say you have 2 short swords? Combine them into a level 2 short sword that deals a bit more damage. It eventually levels out for lower level items, but the bonuses are worth it with the higher level ones. The magic system seems a bit rushed when they made it. I'm still not completely sure how it works. Alchemy is pretty decent though. You can gather items from everywhere and make them into potions.

I give this game a 7 out of 10 because It's not perfect, but it's not as horrid as I've heard some people say.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/27/07