Divinity II: Ego Draconis (PC & XBOX 360) :Release Date for USA Jan 5th 2010

[Mem]

Homepage http://www.divinity2.com/ .

Trailer can be found here http://www.gamershell.com/download_31660.shtml

D2 forums can be found here http://www.larian.com/forums/

Release date and buying info can be found here http://www.larian.com/egodraconis.php .

Preview http://game-central.org/2009/editorials/divinity-2-preview/ .

Btw PC specs below.

Minimum System Requirements:

Processor : Intel Dual Core at 1.8 Ghz or better
Video Card : 256 MB DirectX 9.0c With Shader Model 3.0 support (Nvidia 7600 / ATI Radeon X1600)
Memory : 1 GB for Windows XP / 2 GB for Windows Vista
Hard Disk : 9 GB of free hard disk space
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP / Vista
Sound Card : DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card
Direct X : 9.0c / 10.0 (Vista)
Installation : DVD-ROM Drive
Recommended System Requirements:

Processor : Intel Dual Core at 2.6 Ghz
Video Card : 512 MB DirectX 9.0c With Shader Model 3.0 support (Nvidia 8800 / ATI Radeon X3800 )
Memory : 2 GB
Hard Disk : 9 GB of free hard disk space
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP / Vista
Sound Card : DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card
Direct X : 9.0c / 10.0 (Vista)
Installation : DVD-ROM Drive

I have only just started Dragon Age but looking forward to D2.

 

[mindcycle]

Thanks for the post. Looking forward to this one as well!

 

[Ultralight]

Yes, this is one of my top three RPGs for must-have. I loved the original Divine Divinity.

 

[Mem]

I have recieved my retail copy of Divinity 2,had a quick play on Win7 x64,game sees ok so far,runs with slight stuttering and no glitches so far,anyway I'll give a full review later once I've done a few gaming hours .

 

[Mem]

Plenty of reviews out now,anyway good review here http://www.games32.com/Divinity-2-Ego-Draconis-%28PC%29-Reviews/p2000_articleid/1229

Conclusion:
If you are even remotely interested in playing a top quality RPG, with a narrative that hasn't been told and retold in every single game of the genre, then you shouldn't miss Divinity 2: Ego Draconis. For a company that doesn't spin millions, Larian Studios delivered a real gem, a sequel that surpasses the original in every imaginable way and should please even the most fastidious gamers.

 

[warcrow]

I'm very close to getting my hands on a preview build for this game. I'll let you know what happens because I too am looking forward to checking it out (pending NDAs of course).

 

[Mem]

I have got my ranger(archer) to level 9,stability is very good in game,shame still micro stuttering which kills the FPS rate IMHO regardless of what settings you use in Options etc... which has been reported by many players in their official forums,the game is your typical RPG where you have the main story quest and side quests which you can pick up from NPCs.

Skill list is quite big with different skill branches ie mage skills,warrior skills,ranger,priest etc...
You choose what skills you want to put points into however some skills you need a certain level before you have access to,you can increase your dex,strength,intelligence etc with points on levelling up too or save them for later.

Enemies detect you early and charge/attack you from quite a distance,its not a mad hack and slash game like Titan's Quest since mobs are only in certain parts of the areas and once they are all killed don't seem to respawn(at least from my playing time).

There are the usual puzzles,traps etc....camera angle seems fixed too in third party view so you can't zoom in or out but seems ok to me,no fog of war on map or radar so it always shows all the map area.

You are limited on how much loot you can pick up by quantity(100 at start) however you can put some of your skill points to increase this later.

Mobs are not hard to kill so its not a tough game,you can change difficulty level plus there's the usual quicksave etc...
It's not an awesome game but good enough for me to continue playing,you either like the game or hate it,graphics are fairly close to Gothic 3 level IMHO .


I hear the 1.3 patch is not far off so hope that fixes the main issues with the game ie the stuttering.
I'll report back later with further info on this game.

 

[mindcycle]

Thanks for the mini review mem. How would you compare the gameplay and game world to the games in the Gothic series?

I'll probably pick it up regardless but i'd be interested to see how you think it compares since the Gothic games are among my favorites.

 

[Mem]

Thanks for the mini review mem. How would you compare the gameplay and game world to the games in the Gothic series?

I'll probably pick it up regardless but i'd be interested to see how you think it compares since the Gothic games are among my favorites.

I would say Gothic 3 is a bigger world then D2(from what I have seen so far), however I have not had any serious bugs yet so thats one positive thing about Divinity 2.

There's still quite a lot to explore in Divinity 2,you have locations where you can teleport back to the village and other places.

One tip is I think lockpicking skill is handy regardless of what your main class is so I put 3 points in that(5 is max),you never know if the treasure chest will have junk or something decent,money is a bit tight at first but you soon get enough gold,btw on some quests you get option of additional reward item which is nice since you can choose which item,for example it might give you additional gold,weapon or more XP,so you pick the one you want,this can be on top of the normal XP and gold you get for completing the quest.

Btw on map view you can zoom in and out.

 

[mindcycle]

Thanks for the reply man. If exploration and gameplay is similar to the Gothic series then i'm sold on it.

I've played through Risen already, and just finished Demons Souls (for PS3), so I have the RPG itch again.

 

[Malladine]

ahh but is it FUN?
How's Risen, mind?

Playing through DA right now but i have a feeling i'm gonna want more along the same lines when i'm done.

 

[Mem]

ahh but is it FUN?
How's Risen, mind?

Playing through DA right now but i have a feeling i'm gonna want more along the same lines when i'm done.

Fun is down to the individual in question ,D2 is holding my interest,Risen is a good game, I finished that game on mage which was fun.

Btw Patch update news on Divinity 2 from their official forums(see below).

Hi all,

I just wanted to give you the update on the next patch. The US release contains a number of fixes and improvements, based upon your feedback, and the new patch has been derived from that. It's currently in QA but as the game is pretty big and they need to test it against all the different language versions and both platforms, it might still take a bit of time before it's released, but we're trying to get it done as soon as possible. To give you an idea of what the new patch contains, here's a small (but not finite) list:

-New targetting system
-No more getting stuck on dynamic objects
-More hints on the map
-Weapons now hit multiple enemies if they are standing within the arc the weapon makes
-No more delays between skills and attacks i.e. the avatar reacts much faster in combat
-A bunch of fixes and other improvements

We'll keep you posted on when it clears QA.

There's also a demo in the works which should be clearing pretty soon too.

Apologies for the time it's taking, but nowadays it takes longer to test something than to actually implement it, but I really hope it'll be released soon.

Cheers

Lar

http://www.larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=394638#Post394638

They do meantion patch will be for both PC and 360.

 

[Ultralight]

Mem, I have read on several sites that this game is cpu demanding. Have you found this to be true and could that be the cause of some of your stuttering?

 

[Mem]

Mem, I have read on several sites that this game is cpu demanding. Have you found this to be true and could that be the cause of some of your stuttering?

Ultralight I have tried a few things like disabled shadows, reduce graphic detail etc which does not seem to make any difference,anyway thread here on stuttering problem http://www.larian.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=393894#Post393894 btw Dragon Age runs fine on my PC and the only game that has any stuttering on my PC is D2 so I'm pretty sure its a game problem.

 

[coloumb]

ahh but is it FUN?
How's Risen, mind?

Playing through DA right now but i have a feeling i'm gonna want more along the same lines when i'm done.

Risen is more of a soloist adventure/rpg without being able to stop combat.

If you want MORE of what DA offers - find yourself a copy NWN2 and expansion packs. NWN2 will require a bit more planning as you can multi-class your character [from quite a few different classes] and strictly follows D&D rules. DA [from combat/character creation] is an dumbed down version of the D&D rules [not a bad thing by any stretch].

As for Divinity 2 - it's ok, but there's just something about the game that I don't like - not sure what it is - but I just can't seem to get into the story [maybe it's because DA spoiled me].

 

[homercles337]

Homepage http://www.divinity2.com/ .

Trailer can be found here http://www.gamershell.com/download_31660.shtml

D2 forums can be found here http://www.larian.com/forums/

Release date and buying info can be found here http://www.larian.com/egodraconis.php .

Preview http://game-central.org/2009/editorials/divinity-2-preview/ .

Btw PC specs below.

I have only just started Dragon Age but looking forward to D2.

I cant help but wonder why they are sticking with DX9? I was a bit taken aback when DA:O decided it needed to install DX9 on my DX10 box.

 

[Mem]

I cant help but wonder why they are sticking with DX9? I was a bit taken aback when DA:O decided it needed to install DX9 on my DX10 box.

They are a small company from what I read,maybe they have not got the resources or time to add DX10/11 features.

The next patch sounds like it'll be huge so I'll be happy with a very polished DX9 game .

Btw Divinity 2 you are solo so its more like Risen in that respect,obviously you can summon monsters to help you if you put the skill points into the skill.

 

[mindcycle]

ahh but is it FUN?
How's Risen, mind?

Playing through DA right now but i have a feeling i'm gonna want more along the same lines when i'm done.

Risen is pretty much Gothic 4, so if you're a fan of the Gothic series i'd highly recommend it. I haven't played Dragon Age yet but i'm quite sure that Risen is more like Oblivion than Dragon Age or the NWN series.

I wasn't a fan of the NWN series so that's why i'm kind of reluctant to grab Dragon Age. The Gothic series is more about the open world experience and exploration. While Gothic games typically have good stories it's not their main feature like it is for Bioware games.

What I would do if I was in your shoes (assuming you haven't played any Gothic games) is pick up the Gothic universe collection, which contains G1-G3. You should be able to garb it somewhere for cheap. If you enjoy those games (G2 being the best IMO) then definitely get Risen afterward.

 

[ixelion]

Had a chance to play it for a little bit:

Fast FPS style gameplay, you have to be always on the move jumping strafing dodging to avoid projectiles. Compared to risen, this is a lot faster-more twitch type gameplay, can feel a little too simplistic though.

Areas are a little bit more open than Risen but still retains the linear path approach. Crappy voice acting but not expecting much in that department anyway.

Graphics are quite good, natural environments are not as lush as in Risen, but buildings and characters look very nice.

I would recommend it except that the game doesn't really feel very smooth, moving the camera around creates a weird "jittery" effect which is extremely annoying, enough to make me stop playing. My frame-rate is a solid 60fps according to fraps, so I think it's the game.

 

[Mem]

Had a chance to play it for a little bit:

Fast FPS style gameplay, you have to be always on the move jumping strafing dodging to avoid projectiles. Compared to risen, this is a lot faster-more twitch type gameplay, can feel a little too simplistic though.

Areas are a little bit more open than Risen but still retains the linear path approach. Crappy voice acting but not expecting much in that department anyway.

Graphics are quite good, natural environments are not as lush as in Risen, but buildings and characters look very nice.

I would recommend it except that the game doesn't really feel very smooth, moving the camera around creates a weird "jittery" effect which is extremely annoying, enough to make me stop playing. My frame-rate is a solid 60fps according to fraps, so I think it's the game.

Yep voice acting is subpar,however they are a small company so can't afford to hire those expensive or very good voice actors,the game gets better IMHO the more you play it,I'm getting more involved now with the main quest/storyline,however I'm trying to holding off on that since I want to finish some of my side quests that have piled up.

I like the fact you can climb etc..amazing you can fall from high places and not die .

 

[mindcycle]

I would recommend it except that the game doesn't really feel very smooth, moving the camera around creates a weird "jittery" effect which is extremely annoying, enough to make me stop playing. My frame-rate is a solid 60fps according to fraps, so I think it's the game.

Just curious, what OS are you running? I'm still on XP, so I hope the stutter I keep hearing about doesn't affect XP machines. Really looking forward to this one.

 

[ixelion]

I'm on XP, the stuttering may not bother you to much so I would give it a try anyway, it is a very good game just needs patching.

 

[mindcycle]

I'm on XP, the stuttering may not bother you to much so I would give it a try anyway, it is a very good game just needs patching.

Ok cool, thanks for the response. Hopefully the new patch will fix the stuttering issues.

 

[Martimus]

It is 10% off on Impulse right now: http://www.impulsedriven.com/divinity2

 

[ShadowOfMyself]

So how is the actual gameplay on this? Every mmo nowadays uses the same old point and click crap, where you just spam skills and wait for enemies to die which sucks and takes no skill

Its always interesting when a classic 2d rpg goes 3D anyway... Really liked the original, had the same gothic feel as diablo, very immersive

I have yet to meet one of these games that satisfies me gameplay wise though, they all just seem to follow this boring formula, making combat really unexciting (you end up relying on your equipment + drinking pots to survive, woooo)