Old School RPG comes to the Xbox360
With Divinity 2 I was pleasantly surprised. The main storyline involves your character evolving from a Dragon Slayer, into a much famed Dragon Knight. (dragon/human shapeshifter). The main story, although not groundbreaking, is engaging and will suck you in. The majority of the game is pretty open ended and provides you with a sandbox feel to it. There are plenty of side quests to help you level and keep you busy as you make your way along the main storyline. The curious explorer is rewarded by finding secret areas, hidden dungeons, and powerful treasures. Along the way you will find secret quests and rare monsters to slay as well.
The voice acting throughout the game is of good quality and there are many dialogue options to chose from. The mind reading ability also adds an interesting aspect to conversations and even opens up hidden loot and quests. The combat, although somewhat clunky, is done well. The character development is somewhat standard, but varied enough to keep it original and allow for full customization of your play style. The skill sets are derived from your standard warrior, mage, and ranger classes. There is also a fourth, general (Dragon Slayer) set of skills. (ie weapon skills/lockpicking etc). The player is allowed to follow one tree or pick and choose from all three, creating a whichever hybrid combo they want. Later, your avatar acquires the ability to shape shift into a dragon. How can that not be awesome? This also opens up another skill set for the player to invest in. (Dragon Skills)
All of this comes together to make a very enjoyable old school RPG. The difficulty is pretty challenging if you leave it on normal. However, this leads the player to feel accomplished after battles. As with most old school RPGs, most monsters will crush you in the beginning. As you level you become a force to be reckoned with.
The graphics are not ground breaking and the game has a host of bugs that need to be addressed. If you pick up this game, save often and use multiple slots.
Overall, it's a worthwhile buy but the game needs a patch. If you enjoyed Gothic, Risen, Fallout, or Planescape you'd probably like this game.
Graphics: 7.0
Sound: 9.0
Storyline: 8.0
Gameplay: 9.0
Control: 9.0
Polish: 6.0 - Needs patch
Overall: 8.5