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Two Worlds Review - Xbox 360

Introduction

Since the release of the Xbox 360, the console has shined through several different genres, with titles such as Gears of War, Command & Conquer 3, Call of Duty 3 and Forza 2. It is hard to deny that most of the major categories of gaming have been covered. However, the one major genre the console has failed to satisfy, from many points of view, is the all important RPG. While some may pass the field over completely, many have been yearning for the long playability and utter immersion that really only an RPG can provide. While the argument can be made that titles such as Enchanted Arms, Oblivion etc have attempted to bring the hallmarks of a great RPG to the Xbox, it can also be said that they have all failed miserably when compared to titles of the PC, such as the ever classic Diablo II, and the juggernaut of RPG World of Warcraft (WOW).

However, with the release of Two Worlds, many gamers are lining up round the block to get their hands on what is shaping up to be a shining light in an otherwise dark history for the genre.

Gameplay

When I broke open this game, I admit I had fairly high expectations. Boasting both melee and spell casting trees, a massive interactive world, and an itemisation list a mile long, I had fingers crossed this one would be a groundbreaker (and for $AU110 it had want to be!). I was impressed to find the amount of customisation of the main character, with tens of different ways to change and augment appearances. However, the customization ended there. There was little to nothing else in the way of selection here, no classes to pick, no spell trees to select, the character you start with is completely open. This had me a little conflicted.

While the open character system is great for being able to build a character exactly the way you like, I have to admit I do prefer the basic class outline to start with. It simply means I know what direction my character is heading, and what to focus on, rather then being able to focus on everything and end up with a headache deciding.

When the game actually loaded up, I was both awe-struck and disappointed at the same time. Walking outside I looked out over a forest of trees, with towns and villages dotted over the landscape, and great stone towers rising in the distance. The sheer scale of the game was something really impressive, but as I started to move down the road, I suddenly noticed something. I'm not sure if the game was designed this way, or if someone has broken the code in a major way, but the display and gameplay I saw was one choppy experience indeed. Rather then the fluid motion I had expected from an Xbox 360 latest generation game, the surroundings seemed to be a horrible mesh of individual items, (continued next page)