Xbox 360
Sacred 2 is the second instalment in the series which is third person and uses a isometric top down approach similar to the Diablo series. Set in the magical world of Ancaria where a mystical substance known as T-Energy is the source of all life and magic. It was solely controlled by the Seraphim until they grew bored and passed it to the favoured High Elves. Now a civil war is being waged with all the races wishing to harness it to become the most dominant.
Ready to fight in this epic battle for either the right or the wrong sides, is the Seraphim, Dryad, Shadow Warrior, High Elf, Inquisitor, and Temple Guardian. Characters classes are gender set and unfortunately don’t allow much base customization with only the bare essentials such as hair style and colour being available for certain classes but you will be able to choose your own deity for special effect. Each class has individual side plots to follow and certain classes can only follow one of the two campaigns. Sacred 2 follows the familiar recipe of killing monsters and completing quests to gain experience points in order to level up. Each has three areas of study which can be upgraded individually or separately with some of the moves/spells being creatively animated.
While the levelling systems offers a very nice level of customization and a particular sense of individuality it will be difficult for new players to the series to learn. For instance consuming too many runes at the beginning of the game will have a negative effect on your character and may make it unplayable at later levels. The number of items available is substantial, each having their own benefits and disadvantages which allows for different approaches when constructing characters. The map’s size is very impressive but you will be able to acquire mounts, each with their own statistics, and have access to teleportation pads, which must be activated previous to use, to get around the world a good deal quicker.
The control scheme is basic with each button on your control pad being mapped to a particular weapon or spell and by holding down that button you will execute the appropriate action with additional slots available by using the triggers. By today’s standard the graphics are nothing special but great to look at in their own right and all the animations are fluid. The world itself is very beautiful with each region having it’s own, unique flavour and is fun to run around in. The music is pretty tranquil when roaming about but when a battle is at hand you can expect some hard rock ballads to get you into the mood.
The multiplayer option is there and allows you to team up to complete the main campaign or to just wander around in free-roam. You can play with one other over your console but unfortunately the system just doesn’t work out all that well. The camera is dual controlled which can cause a bit of bother between users and somehow Sacred 2 was allowed to ship without there being a way to trade items. There is now a patch available for some networks such a Xbox Live where you must have an account so that no unnecessary item swapping occurs. If you do have access to the internet you can play with up to four players which offers a good amount of enjoyment.
Overall Sacred 2 is a solid sequel which will consume many single or cooperative gameplay hours and can definitely be recommended for those who love to explore and build truly epic characters.
