Risen (Xbox 360)

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Description

The earth trembled and ancient temples rose from the ground, followed by unknown creatures. Cyclones drive over the sea and firestorms roam the land with not only thousands of lives, but also the hope that the gods will save the lost humanity. When the dark wave hits, the humans are on their own and only a few enclaves survive the attack. One is a volcano island which has been saved from the worst by an unknown force, but its protection is getting weaker and weaker. The protagonist arrives on the island after his ship is hit and destroyed by the dark waves, finding himself on a deserted shore with only one other survivor. He has to explore the island, discover its secrets, and find his place within one of the factions that strive for power there.

Although the game is called Risen, it is very similar to Gothic games by the same developers. The player once again takes control over a nameless hero from a third-person view and is free to explore the large island, talking to people in multiple-choice dialogues, fulfilling quests and fighting monsters and other enemies while using the experience points earned to level up and learn new skills and abilities. Depending on which of the three factions (bandits, mages or inquisitors) the player joins by earning their respect through fulfilling quests, he also chooses to a certain degree what he wants to be although he is always able to distribute his skill points into anything he likes - as long as he finds a teacher for that particular skill.

The game world is noticeably smaller than in Gothic 3, and in general the game rather resembles Gothic II in its concept and structure. Combat against the many enemies ranging from gnomes to powerful ash-beasts requires the player not only to invest points into his combat skills, but also to master blocking and dodging enemy attacks while at the same time trying to get through the enemy defense. If a parry is activated at the right moment it is even possible to land an immediate counter-attack.

Screenshots

There are no Xbox 360 screenshots for this game.

There are 35 other screenshots on file for other versions of this game.

Alternate Titles

• "異世界" -- Taiwan spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• 3D Engine: GENOME
• Gameplay feature: Alchemy
• Gameplay feature: Blacksmithing
• Gameplay feature: Goldsmithing
• Gameplay feature: Hunting
• Gameplay feature: Mining
• Gameplay feature: Survival cooking
• Middleware: EMotion FX
• Middleware: SpeedTree
• Physics Engine: PhysX
• Risen series

User Reviews

There are no reviews for the Xbox 360 release of this game. You can use the links below to write your own review or read reviews for the other platforms of this game.

The Press Says

GameZ	Oct 02, 2009	81 out of 100	81
GamingXP	Oct 02, 2009	80 out of 100	80
Gameswelt	Sep 29, 2009	77 out of 100	77
VicioJuegos.com	Sep 28, 2009	77 out of 100	77
IGN UK	Feb 23, 2010	7.6 out of 10	76
AceGamez	Sep 29, 2009	74 out of 100	74
GamingEvolution	Mar 08, 2010	6 out of 10	60
Wonderwallweb.com	Oct 03, 2009	5.8 out of 10	58
Eurogamer.it	Oct 06, 2009	5 out of 10	50
GameGavel.com	Mar 18, 2011	D	25

Forums

Topic	# Posts	Last Post
Awesome review	4	Indra is here (19702) May 08, 2011
Out of all the lamest plots in gaming history...	6	Indra is here (19702) Apr 04, 2011

Trivia

Censorship

The game could not be given a OFLC classification in Australia and was banned, according to news articles in August, 2009. The reasons cited were:

"During the course of the game, players can interact with prostitutes (referred to as “whores” in the game) at a local brothel. Players can trigger a lengthy dialogue to engage in their services; sexual activity is strongly implied, but never depicted on screen. Many of the characters in the game smoke a fictional drug called “brugleweed.” The “wood reefer” plant is described as having a mild relaxing effect on users, and can be bought, sold, and used by players. Some profanity (e.g., “f*ck” and “sh*t”) can be heard in the dialogue."

The OFLC Classification Board felt that the game contained sexual activity and drug use related to incentives or rewards.

Parody

Risen (more precisely: the development of the game) was parodied in an episode of Die Redaktion (The Editorial Team), a monthly comedy video produced by the German gaming magazine GameStar. It was published on the DVD of issue 02/2010.

Information also contributed by Jeanne.

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Related Web Sites

• Risen (the official website)
• Risen FAQs, Walkthroughs, and Guides (PC) (user contributed help sheets for Risen)
• Risen-Guide - Quests, Infos, Tips, Walkthroughs (German fansite)
• Risen (video game) - Wikipedia (article in the open encyclopedia)
• World of Risen (German fan site)

Sicarius (61025) added Risen (Xbox 360) on Sep 30, 2009

Other platforms contributed by Sicarius (61025)