Risen
The earth trembled and ancient temples rose from the ground, followed by unknown creatures. Cyclones drive over the sea and firestorms roam the land with not only thousands of lives, but also the hope that the gods will save the lost humanity. When the dark wave hits, the humans are on their own and only a few enclaves survive the attack. One is a volcano island which has been saved from the worst by an unknown force, but its protection is getting weaker and weaker. The protagonist arrives on the island after his ship is hit and destroyed by the dark waves, finding himself on a deserted shore with only one other survivor. He has to explore the island, discover its secrets, and find his place within one of the factions that strive for power there.
Although the game is called Risen, it is very similar to Gothic games by the same developers. The player once again takes control over a nameless hero from a third-person view and is free to explore the large island, talking to people in multiple-choice dialogues, fulfilling quests and fighting monsters and other enemies while using the experience points earned to level up and learn new skills and abilities. Depending on which of the three factions (bandits, mages or inquisitors) the player joins by earning their respect through fulfilling quests, he also chooses to a certain degree what he wants to be although he is always able to distribute his skill points into anything he likes - as long as he finds a teacher for that particular skill.
The game world is noticeably smaller than in Gothic 3, and in general the game rather resembles Gothic II in its concept and structure. Combat against the many enemies ranging from gnomes to powerful ash-beasts requires the player not only to invest points into his combat skills, but also to master blocking and dodging enemy attacks while at the same time trying to get through the enemy defense. If a parry is activated at the right moment it is even possible to land an immediate counter-attack.
Although the game is called Risen, it is very similar to Gothic games by the same developers. The player once again takes control over a nameless hero from a third-person view and is free to explore the large island, talking to people in multiple-choice dialogues, fulfilling quests and fighting monsters and other enemies while using the experience points earned to level up and learn new skills and abilities. Depending on which of the three factions (bandits, mages or inquisitors) the player joins by earning their respect through fulfilling quests, he also chooses to a certain degree what he wants to be although he is always able to distribute his skill points into anything he likes - as long as he finds a teacher for that particular skill.
The game world is noticeably smaller than in Gothic 3, and in general the game rather resembles Gothic II in its concept and structure. Combat against the many enemies ranging from gnomes to powerful ash-beasts requires the player not only to invest points into his combat skills, but also to master blocking and dodging enemy attacks while at the same time trying to get through the enemy defense. If a parry is activated at the right moment it is even possible to land an immediate counter-attack.
Risen 2 : Dark Waters
The town of Caldera is in deep trouble. The Fortress of Crystal, the last haven of the Inquisition and the Old Empire, harbors a mysterious cave that may protect it from the assault of the Titans. Luckily, two of the Titans began fighting each other, which gives the Inquisition time to coordinate their activities on the land. However, a sea monster known as Kraken attacks and destroys their ships at sea. Pirates roaming about prevent supplies from being delivered to the fortress. In this troublesome time, the hero is sent on a quest to find a legendary treasure and perhaps figure out a way to destroy the Titans.
Risen 2: Dark Waters is an action role-playing game and a direct sequel to Risen. It features the same main character, now a member of the Inquisition. The game's action takes place several years after the events in the first game, in a pirate-themed, Caribbean-style world. The gameplay follows more or less the same recipe as all other Piranha Bytes RPGs since Gothic, placing emphasis on gradual world exploration, action-oriented combat, and questing.
The game allows the player to explore a world that's split into several large islands, each loaded separately during gameplay. Not all islands are accessible from the beginning, but as the story unfolds, all of them can be explored by the player. Each island contains wilderness areas and settlements where the protagonist can receive story-advancing as well as secondary quests. Unlike its predecessors, there is little in the way of faction joining in Risen 2; there is a line between different factions, but the difference between them is not as critical as it was before. However, the player still has a considerable degree of freedom in accepting or declining quests, some of which may have different outcomes or contradict each other.
New to Piranha Bytes-style RPG design is the introduction of verbal skills such as Silver Tongue and Intimidation, which open up unique responses during conversations if the player has trained the corresponding skill. Experience points are manually allocated by the player to advance the protagonist's main attributes; talents and abilities tied to these attributes must be, however, unlocked by paying characters who can train the hero in them. The magic system has undergone a severe overhaul: the emphasis is now set on voodoo magic which deals with mind-controlling spells and curses. Close-quarters combat is now complemented by firearms: pistols, muskets, etc. The protagonist can equip swords and guns at the same time; however, guns require time to cool off after each shot, which can be reduced by raising the appropriate skill. Sometimes AI-controlled characters would join the hero and help him out in combat.
Risen 2: Dark Waters is an action role-playing game and a direct sequel to Risen. It features the same main character, now a member of the Inquisition. The game's action takes place several years after the events in the first game, in a pirate-themed, Caribbean-style world. The gameplay follows more or less the same recipe as all other Piranha Bytes RPGs since Gothic, placing emphasis on gradual world exploration, action-oriented combat, and questing.
The game allows the player to explore a world that's split into several large islands, each loaded separately during gameplay. Not all islands are accessible from the beginning, but as the story unfolds, all of them can be explored by the player. Each island contains wilderness areas and settlements where the protagonist can receive story-advancing as well as secondary quests. Unlike its predecessors, there is little in the way of faction joining in Risen 2; there is a line between different factions, but the difference between them is not as critical as it was before. However, the player still has a considerable degree of freedom in accepting or declining quests, some of which may have different outcomes or contradict each other.
New to Piranha Bytes-style RPG design is the introduction of verbal skills such as Silver Tongue and Intimidation, which open up unique responses during conversations if the player has trained the corresponding skill. Experience points are manually allocated by the player to advance the protagonist's main attributes; talents and abilities tied to these attributes must be, however, unlocked by paying characters who can train the hero in them. The magic system has undergone a severe overhaul: the emphasis is now set on voodoo magic which deals with mind-controlling spells and curses. Close-quarters combat is now complemented by firearms: pistols, muskets, etc. The protagonist can equip swords and guns at the same time; however, guns require time to cool off after each shot, which can be reduced by raising the appropriate skill. Sometimes AI-controlled characters would join the hero and help him out in combat.
Risen 3 : Titan Lords
Having defeated a fearsome Titan, the brave pirate captain sails together with Patty, the daughter of the famed Steelbeard, in search of riches and adventure. Despite a menacing dream that keeps haunting the hero, the two head to Crab Coast, where they explore an abandoned temple. Suddenly, a ghostly creature appears and kills the captain. Stricken by grief, Patty buries him and departs; however, shortly afterwards a strange man named Bones revives the hero and tells him of a few possible ways to restore his full humanity and avert a great danger threatening the region.
Risen 3: Titan Lords is a direct sequel to Risen 2: Dark Waters, continuing the story of the same protagonist and being set in the same world - a fantasy archipelago somewhat reminiscent of real-world eighteenth-century Caribbean region with a flavor of sea piracy. Design-wise it combines elements from the previous two games. Unlike in its immediate predecessor, where the exploration was often limited to one island at a time, the player gains access to almost the entire archipelago right after the short prologue mission and can explore any island in any order. Also more in line with the first Risen and preceding Gothic games, alliance with different factions plays an important role, making the main plot more freely structured.
There are three factions in the game: Demon Hunters, Voodoo Pirates, and Guardians. These factions are less rigidly defined in their combat specialization than in the earlier games. Accessing all the quests of all the factions is possible only with multiple playthroughs; however, the game still features a vast amount of faction-unrelated side quests scattered across the world. The protagonist also commands his own crew and may choose one of the companions that eventually join the hero to aid in combat during land exploration.
Combat has been slightly upgraded from the previous installments by introducing more special moves. Dodging is now more prominent, and powerful charged melee attacks can be executed. The player character may also learn other moves (e.g. Riposte) if he finds the corresponding trainer. Like before, experience points are manually allocated into main attributes, while trainers have to be paid for their work. Besides a few changes, character growth system follows that of Risen 2, with the social skills (Silver Tongue, Intimidation, etc.) it introduced. Magic system has been enhanced, with special abilities (such as morphing into a parrot) as well as the more traditional crystal-based spells making a return.
Risen 3: Titan Lords is a direct sequel to Risen 2: Dark Waters, continuing the story of the same protagonist and being set in the same world - a fantasy archipelago somewhat reminiscent of real-world eighteenth-century Caribbean region with a flavor of sea piracy. Design-wise it combines elements from the previous two games. Unlike in its immediate predecessor, where the exploration was often limited to one island at a time, the player gains access to almost the entire archipelago right after the short prologue mission and can explore any island in any order. Also more in line with the first Risen and preceding Gothic games, alliance with different factions plays an important role, making the main plot more freely structured.
There are three factions in the game: Demon Hunters, Voodoo Pirates, and Guardians. These factions are less rigidly defined in their combat specialization than in the earlier games. Accessing all the quests of all the factions is possible only with multiple playthroughs; however, the game still features a vast amount of faction-unrelated side quests scattered across the world. The protagonist also commands his own crew and may choose one of the companions that eventually join the hero to aid in combat during land exploration.
Combat has been slightly upgraded from the previous installments by introducing more special moves. Dodging is now more prominent, and powerful charged melee attacks can be executed. The player character may also learn other moves (e.g. Riposte) if he finds the corresponding trainer. Like before, experience points are manually allocated into main attributes, while trainers have to be paid for their work. Besides a few changes, character growth system follows that of Risen 2, with the social skills (Silver Tongue, Intimidation, etc.) it introduced. Magic system has been enhanced, with special abilities (such as morphing into a parrot) as well as the more traditional crystal-based spells making a return.
Rise of the Dragon
The year is 2053, and Los Angeles has turned into a grim place ruled by crime and corruption. William 'Blade' Hunter is a private detective who once was a police officer. He is asked to investigate a horrible murder of the mayor's daughter, whose body was mutilated. As Hunter begins to search for clues that would help him solve the crime, he uncovers a conspiracy involving a deadly drug and a powerful criminal syndicate behind it.
Rise of the Dragon is a futuristic first-person adventure game. The game's visuals are reminiscent of a comic book, with digitized photos of actors and hand-painted backgrounds. Unlike most other adventure games of the time, it relies less on inventory puzzles and more on specific choices made by the player. The game has an internal clock and requires the player to plan the protagonist's moves ahead in order to be in the right place at the right time. Dialogues with multiple choices are utilized as a gameplay tool; a wrong choice will often lead to a premature end of the adventure.
There are two side-scrolling action sequences in the game; both can be bypassed without penalty if the player character dies several times in a row. The Sega CD version does not allow the player to skip these sequences. In addition, it uses a different color palette with a greenish tint, and has voice-overs for the dialogues.
Rise of the Dragon is a futuristic first-person adventure game. The game's visuals are reminiscent of a comic book, with digitized photos of actors and hand-painted backgrounds. Unlike most other adventure games of the time, it relies less on inventory puzzles and more on specific choices made by the player. The game has an internal clock and requires the player to plan the protagonist's moves ahead in order to be in the right place at the right time. Dialogues with multiple choices are utilized as a gameplay tool; a wrong choice will often lead to a premature end of the adventure.
There are two side-scrolling action sequences in the game; both can be bypassed without penalty if the player character dies several times in a row. The Sega CD version does not allow the player to skip these sequences. In addition, it uses a different color palette with a greenish tint, and has voice-overs for the dialogues.
Rise of the Phoenix
Another in the long line of Koei strategy games, this one takes place in 206 B.C. as two rival warlords, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu fight for control of China. The gameplay consists of viewing overhead maps, showing cities and armies, letting the player view the battles which consists of a castle siege and an open-field battle.
Among the many options, the player can choose to move or attack among others such as sending secret night raids into enemy camps, take control of towns and cities, set up ambushes and even dam up rivers to divert them into flooding out an enemy fortress.
The goal of the game is to destroy the enemy army and take control of all the cities in China by building armies and raising taxes in occupied territories in order to build the army. The player can choose either Lui Bang or Xiang Yu, playing against the computer or go head-to-head against a friend.
Among the many options, the player can choose to move or attack among others such as sending secret night raids into enemy camps, take control of towns and cities, set up ambushes and even dam up rivers to divert them into flooding out an enemy fortress.
The goal of the game is to destroy the enemy army and take control of all the cities in China by building armies and raising taxes in occupied territories in order to build the army. The player can choose either Lui Bang or Xiang Yu, playing against the computer or go head-to-head against a friend.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar