While dumbed down from the original, this game retains what all PB games have had in the past, a heart.
With that being said the combat in the game has improved quite a bit. Which was one of the major complains most people had. Risen 2 immersed me in its atmosphere, with it's amazing characters, music, and graphics. There is really not much to say here, I don't know why I liked this game so much, I just did. It was such a joy to explore every new island and talk to the npcs. I loved the enemy variety and the different items you could find. Even though the boss fights were so simple I still liked the overall variety.
Obviously there are some problems. The biggest one is that the game doen't take full advantage of its setting. A customizable ship with actual sailing and sea battles would have been awesome. Also more land to explore would add to the immersion of the game. And while the story was nothing special, I actually was quite impressed with the way it was told.
Gameplay (7.5/10):
+great RPG mechanics
+lots of varied and interesting quests
+interesting npcs filled with personality
+great dialogue
+cool mini games
-weak boss fights
-not enough land to explore
-no ship sailing or customization options
-some quest glitches
Graphics (8.5/10):
+holy detail
+sweet lighting
+great art design
+great looking water
-weird animations during dialogue
-lots of pop-in (better after patch)
-ok ok, seriously PB, next time, FIX THE JUMP animation!
Sound (9.5/10):
+love the writing and the voice acting
+amazing music
+great ambient sound and combat sound fx
-more music variety would be welcome
Value (9/10):
+35 hour play time
+replay able
+/- DLCs
The sequel isn't quite as open as the first, but to me it's a damn fine game that retains a lot of the character progression and exploration of past PB games. I hope this sells well. I want more.