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Two Worlds Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Two Worlds Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Beware of the Taint!

When a new RPG title comes out, there are hundreds of other RPGs that it can be compared to. For years, people have compared new console entries to the fabled Final Fantasy series. It has taken many years, but it finally seems that there is a new title to use as a comparison for massive RPGs – Oblivion. After all, when you play a game like Oblivion you are completely immersed in the game world, and it helps that you devote several hours without actually finishing the game. Two Worlds is a game in the same vein as Oblivion, meaning that it will take an insane amount of time to really feel like you have accomplished anything.

Two Worlds screenshot

Of course, I’m not saying that Two Worlds is a faulty game for this reason, quite the contrary. From the menu of the game, you can tell that you are in for a treat judging by the lavish backgrounds on the menu screen. From here, you will select to begin your journey and start shaping the image of your character. There’s not as much to crafting your warrior as I would have liked, but it is at least a good stepping-stone to later customization. If you listen closely, you can hear faint music in the background during the customization of your character. Be sure to listen closely to the melodic tune here because other than a few occasional brief moments in the game, you will be lacking in the musical department for most of your journey.

At the opening video, you watch your character riding on horseback with a female passenger. She falls off, and we discover that she is wounded. After brief attempt at finding shelter, you return to find that the passenger, Kyra, has been taken by a dark figure. Flash forward a few months later, and it is now time to begin the actual game. Your character enters a town, Thalmont, for two reasons. One, to take on a quest to rid a temple shrine of some Grom, which are goblin like creatures, and two, you received a letter from a mysterious figure in this town regarding your sister, Kyra. I won’t reveal much more than that because it may ruin the overarching storyline for some.

Two Worlds screenshot

While on your first quest in the temple, you will discover the fluid movements your character makes while combating. I have to say these are some impressive fluid motions that I wasn’t expecting from the usual hack-hack-whack moves I have seen in other games. Of course, at the heart, there’s really no innovation with the weapon system in the game. Your fingers may just become numb from repeatedly using the combat function in the game; mine sure did. To make up for this lackluster combat system, you do have some hot buttons you can assign. You can use these different functions ranging from sneaking around and stealing to using some semi impressive spells you learn as you progress. It is easy to get into slaying villains, monsters, and dangerous animals you will encounter when everything is simplified. There were several times that my character would boast about how “awesome” he was in destroying the creatures that even I joined in on occasion for the extra boost of superiority. The pleasure of defeating the bandits across the land of Antaloor only to rob them of the bounty and their clothing was equally enjoyable and humorous to me. There is one thing that did bother me about the collecting the numerous bounties you come across and that is the weight system in the game. I know it is implausible to have a character carry enormous amounts of items and all, but it would be nice to have this side note better handled in these types of games. To aid you in this, you will encounter several boxes to store some items in. If you are worried about someone getting into your box and stealing your items, you can set traps around them and they won’t be touching your items without being reminded it is wrong to steal.

Two Worlds screenshot

Next to the combat system, there is one other feature that I do wish was a little better than what it was, the riding feature of the game. For example, when riding along on your horse for the first time you will notice your character’s upper torso doesn’t exactly move and the details on the horse, though good, are not as realistic as they could have been compared to the environments that surround Antaloor. My biggest gripe about the riding functions on this game are that it is not that easy to control your animal. After all, you control the movement and direction of your character with such ease, but the animals have their own set of movements, and you are controlled with only one control scheme rather than two.

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