Official Site: http://www.torchlight2game.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/200710/
Source: Youtube Channel runicgames
Developer: Runic Games
Publisher: Runic Games
Platforms: PC
Release Date: Sep 20, 2012
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
+ Faster-paced gameplay with a steady progression
+ Visceral combat with great visuals, audio, and effect feedback
+ Bright, colorful and vibrant environments
+ A challenging, but gratifying experience
+ More open-world than ever before
+ Lots of skills and build customization
+ Tons of end-game content (New game+ and lots of bonus dungeons)
+ Mod tools provide an infinite amount of possibilities
+ Capable of 6 Player cooperative play Local or via Internet
Cons:
- Internet play has problems connecting to other players sometimes
- Game occasionally has trouble starting up
- Incidents of the game crashing has occurred (save often!)
- Some class skills can be incredibly useless
Recommended: Absolutely! Point-n-Click Action-RPG fans are sure to love this game for its vast amount of content, multiplayer, and mod capabilities.
Torchlight 2 was quite a surprise for me. I was originally reluctant to purchase the game when it had released "after" Diablo 3, but I really enjoyed the first one and decided to give the game a chance. The first one was fun, but dragged on and became tedious and boring near the end. The 2nd game was delayed for nearly a year and the wait had initially lost my interest as I was suspecting that it'd be similar to the first one. Torchlight 2 took everything that was great about the first one and multiplied it several times over. The developers found everything that was wrong about the first one and noted them in the 2nd game as its solution. The transition to only dungeons in the first one to an open world is similar to the transition Diablo 1 had in Diablo 2. Traversing the world and combat started to feel slow after a while in Torchlight 2, so everything in Torchlight 2 is slightly faster. A lot of the skills in Torchlight 1 felt similar and boring, and so skills in Torchlight 2 are more diverse, unique, and dynamic (though some are still useless). Just everything about Torchlight 2 is so much better than the first one and made for a really enjoyable experience. Combat is satisfying, looting is addictive, exploration made me want to play more, and boss battles are really creative. If you're asking for a comparison to Diablo 3, I'd have to say that they're different experiences and that it's still worth playing one if you've played the other.
Aesthetics
Art-Style: 3D Cel-Shaded, Cartoon-ish style
+ Vibrant environments
+ Lots of different enemies with unique models/look
+ All weapons and equipment are reflected upon the character
+ Skill effects are flashy and beautiful
+ User-Interface is clean
+ Atmospheric and easy-listening music
- Can be difficult to see certain enemies sometimes
- Can be confusing when player, items, or enemies are behind a wall
Aesthetics: 9/10
Buttons
Controller: Keyboard/Mouse
+ Hotkeys are customizable to any layout comfortable for the player
+ Quick and tight responses to key presses
+ Menu system allows quick access to attributes, items, and skill while in combat
+ Mini-map can be place in a corner or sides with a press of the button
+ Quick and simple pause menu to access options, save, and quit the game
- There can still be more skills than hotkey bars leaving some skills unused
Buttons: 9/10
Concept & Content
Core Concept: Explore, Kill, Loot, Equip, and level-up
+ Big open world maps is a great change from constant dungeon crawling
+ Combat is a lot more engaging and dynamic with new classes and skills
+ Lots of new items, enemies, and content
+ Boss battles are varied, creative, challenging, and satisfying when beat
+ The pet system favors my desire to loot everything
+ Each class has numerous ways to build them, making lots of unique characters
+ Bonus maps at the end of the game provides more to play past the last boss
+ New Game+ is provided rather than inheritance system from the first game
+ Mod capabilities open an infinite amount of possibilities
- Connecting to friend's games have been problematic or futile
- There are still skills and even entire paths that are useless for a character
- Equipment upgrades can be rare (used some gear for over 10 levels)
- Story was forgettable and rather anti-climatic at the end
Concept and Content: 10/10
Duration
+ A full playthrough is pretty lengthy (by my standards) which is good
+ The flow of the game progressed steadily and always stayed challenging
+ Bonus maps provides a good amount of end-game content
+ New Game+, multiplayer, and other classes provide lots of replay-value
+ Modding opens up all sorts of possibilities
Durations: 10/10
Fun
+ I really liked the multi-tiered boss battles, they were difficult, but fun
+ Playing with friends was a lot of fun, but I also didn't mind playing solo
+ I liked the varied possibilities of equipment usage for my outlander
+ Each class is really unique and provides a different experience (I made all 4)
+ I was so happy to be able to pick up absolutely everything to sell with my pet
+ I think I want to try making my own class using the mod tools, sounds fun
+ The bonus maps will probably bring me back to play the game some more
- I was disappointed with the story, it could've been just as good as the gameplay
- Internet play had a lot of problems and finally deterred my friends from playing
- Some skills were useless; not enough hotkey bar space to fit all the skills
Fun: 9/10
Overall
Torchlight 2 was a pleasant surprise for me and I'm really glad I got it. It left a really good impression on me well after completing the game. I had so much fun with it that I stopped caring about my disappointment with the story. There always seemed more to explore, more to loot, more to level, and more to experience within the game. I would definitely recommend this to any point-n-click Action-RPG fans. Overall: 9.4/10
Showing posts with label Runic Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Runic Games. Show all posts
Monday, April 22, 2013
Friday, September 21, 2012
GameLight - Torchlight 2
Low Bandwidth Page: http://torchlight2game.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/200710/
Source: Youtube Channel runicgames
Torchlight 2 has finally released yesterday. The long awaited sequel to the dungeon crawler is finally here with new classes, more skills, tons of weapons, and the ability to play with people online. The game is looking pretty good so far and is well received by critics and players alike. Some minor complaints are mostly due to the confusing storyline, but in terms of aesthetics, content, and gameplay, the game seems to satisfy most players. I have yet to try the game out myself yet and I doubt I will soon as I'm just swamped with other games and work right now; however, I plan to get the game eventually as I enjoyed the first game. Torchlight 2 is available for digital download from their official site or Steam for $19.99 and is exclusively for PC.
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/200710/
Source: Youtube Channel runicgames
Torchlight 2 has finally released yesterday. The long awaited sequel to the dungeon crawler is finally here with new classes, more skills, tons of weapons, and the ability to play with people online. The game is looking pretty good so far and is well received by critics and players alike. Some minor complaints are mostly due to the confusing storyline, but in terms of aesthetics, content, and gameplay, the game seems to satisfy most players. I have yet to try the game out myself yet and I doubt I will soon as I'm just swamped with other games and work right now; however, I plan to get the game eventually as I enjoyed the first game. Torchlight 2 is available for digital download from their official site or Steam for $19.99 and is exclusively for PC.
Monday, April 9, 2012
VGCulture - Rant on Diablo 3 & Torchlight 2
Diablo 3: http://us.battle.net/d3/en/
Torchlight 2: http://www.torchlight2game.com/classes/outlander
Source: http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/04/09/diablo-iii-barbarian-spotlight-video
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Diablo 3 fans are very excited to have a definitive release date after waiting for 5+ years. Torchlight 2 fans and those who pre-ordered are still in the dark to whether the game will release soon or not and it has created quite a bit of tension between the communities between the fans of both games. Torchlight 2 was set to release sometime last year and sought to buy it to feed their top-down, Action-RPG needs until Diablo 3 came out; however, the game was not released for the reason of too many "good games" coming out at the time (which I can understand since I bought at least a dozen games Q4 of 2011). Joystiq recently reported a quote from the CEO of Runic Games explaining that they do not want to release around the same time as Diablo 3 and will release shortly after instead. With this news, many who pre-ordered Torchlight 2 to wait for Diablo 3 has canceled their pre-orders knowing that they'll be playing Diablo 3. Other community members on blog sites, video comments and forums took a different reaction to the news and are instead canceling their pre-orders for Diablo 3 for Torchlight 2 now that they hinted at a "month later" release from Diablo 3's launch. Some common complaints on Diablo 3 are:
-Constant internet access needed to play, even for single-player
-All player data is stored on Blizzard servers and monitored (so no modding)
-Auction house has many skeptical about the balance and fairness of PvP
Runic games hopes to provide a different experience to avoid competition from Blizzard's highly anticipated game with these features:
-$20 retail price from the get go
-Ability to play offline
-LAN capabilities
-6 Player Online Cooperative play
-Modding support
I can understand what many of the community feels about Torchlight 2 coming out after Diablo 3, but it's too late for Runic games to try to push the game out and release it as many players will still wait for Diablo 3. For me, I know I'll be getting both games to play; however, my priority is set to Diablo 3 as I seek a cooperative game I can play with a lot of my friends and none of them seem too interested in Torchlight 2. Thus, I won't be getting Torchlight 2 anytime soon. Still, I hope both games will find its audience and provide an enjoyable experience for all.
Source:
-Joystiq: Torchlight 2 will 'ideally' launch shortly after Diablo 3
Torchlight 2: http://www.torchlight2game.com/classes/outlander
Source: http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/04/09/diablo-iii-barbarian-spotlight-video
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Diablo 3 fans are very excited to have a definitive release date after waiting for 5+ years. Torchlight 2 fans and those who pre-ordered are still in the dark to whether the game will release soon or not and it has created quite a bit of tension between the communities between the fans of both games. Torchlight 2 was set to release sometime last year and sought to buy it to feed their top-down, Action-RPG needs until Diablo 3 came out; however, the game was not released for the reason of too many "good games" coming out at the time (which I can understand since I bought at least a dozen games Q4 of 2011). Joystiq recently reported a quote from the CEO of Runic Games explaining that they do not want to release around the same time as Diablo 3 and will release shortly after instead. With this news, many who pre-ordered Torchlight 2 to wait for Diablo 3 has canceled their pre-orders knowing that they'll be playing Diablo 3. Other community members on blog sites, video comments and forums took a different reaction to the news and are instead canceling their pre-orders for Diablo 3 for Torchlight 2 now that they hinted at a "month later" release from Diablo 3's launch. Some common complaints on Diablo 3 are:
-Constant internet access needed to play, even for single-player
-All player data is stored on Blizzard servers and monitored (so no modding)
-Auction house has many skeptical about the balance and fairness of PvP
Runic games hopes to provide a different experience to avoid competition from Blizzard's highly anticipated game with these features:
-$20 retail price from the get go
-Ability to play offline
-LAN capabilities
-6 Player Online Cooperative play
-Modding support
I can understand what many of the community feels about Torchlight 2 coming out after Diablo 3, but it's too late for Runic games to try to push the game out and release it as many players will still wait for Diablo 3. For me, I know I'll be getting both games to play; however, my priority is set to Diablo 3 as I seek a cooperative game I can play with a lot of my friends and none of them seem too interested in Torchlight 2. Thus, I won't be getting Torchlight 2 anytime soon. Still, I hope both games will find its audience and provide an enjoyable experience for all.
Source:
-Joystiq: Torchlight 2 will 'ideally' launch shortly after Diablo 3
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
GameLight Review - Torchlight
Official Site: http://www.torchlightgame.com/
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/41500/
Source: Youtube Channel runicgames
Developer: Runic Games
Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Platforms: PC (Available on Steam), Xbox 360 (Available on XBLA)
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-Very easy to pick up and play
-Bright and colorful art style makes it easy to navigate around the game
-Intense action for beginners and veteran players (inclusion of hardcore mode)
-High replay-value
Cons:
-No multiplayer
-Can get repetitive
-Some dungeons are confusing
For a game I paid $5 for, it was quite an entertaining experience playing the game. The pet system allowed me to continue venturing through dungeons while my pet goes back to town to sell items for me. The simple gameplay made it very easy to follow along and learn how to play. The bright and color art style is charming and also made it easy to distinguish objects within the game such as characters, enemies, items, traps, and environments. It was a very good game to play when I wanted a break from all the others games as the game focuses a lot on exploring, spamming a lot of flashy skills, and killing a ton of baddies while taking their loot. If you're one of the people waiting for Diablo 3 or Torchlight 2 or have played similar games in the past, I recommend giving Torchlight a try.
Graphics
I was a bit surprised with how the game looked the first time I started it up. It has a cartoon-ish type look to it with an almost cel-shaded type of style. I learned along the way that this was possibly a design choice as I had a easy time distinguishing the many objects around me. I was also shocked that the game's art was done within the Ogre engine (look it up). The character designs, vivid color effects from the skills and amazing dungeon environments are quite impressive using an art program I find very rigid and limiting. But because of this, some models look blocky and some of them can look archaic. I really like the colorful environment in the game as it stands out. Some of the areas do feel sort of repetitive and boring at times though. Some dungeons can be dark as well, and the many path breaks can make for a confusing journey. After fighting for 2-3 hours in one type of dungeon, you'll want nothing more than a change of scenery. Besides the environment, I really liked the effects and animations for the character skills. They're bright, flashy, and dynamic. And for a game that focuses a lot on the usage of character skills, it makes a big difference. It's quite satisfying seeing all those lights and powers mow down hundreds of enemies as the screen shakes from the sheer power your character unleashes. For character creation, there isn't a lot the player can customize and there are only two choices for pets. In lacking a in-depth character customization, equipment does have a change in appearance for the character. So armor and weapons will be more than just mere point progression but will also show the differences each particular item has on the character. Graphics: 8/10
Audio
The composer for Diablo 1 and 2 joined Runic Games in creating an awesome soundtrack for Torchlight. The music is more melodic than the compositions he did for the Diablo series, and so they're actually pretty enjoyable to listen to even out of the game. It has the similar fantasy/mysterious atmosphere in the delayed/reverb guitar strumming with the low drums and synth tones playing. The music is subtle and is between thematic and ambiance. One of the reasons I enjoyed playing through Torchlight was listening to the music, especially in the one in town, the mines, and the lava kingdom (which is the one playing in the trailer above). The sound effects were important in many of the gameplay aspects. Certain items such as gems and rings made a distinct sound when dropped by a enemy. Certain enemies can be heard from a distance and prepare the player on how to react. Voice cues notifies the player of particular situations such as running low on mana, health is low, pet is fleeing, backpack is full, etc. And the usual things such as getting a critical hit makes it so satisfying. Overall, a superb job in the audio department. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
The game is developed behind veterans who worked on Diablo 1+2, Fate, and the original Mythos (done to test out the servers for Hellgate: London originally) and has a strong background in creating Action RPGs. The game started out how I imagined it. Something is wrong, you go into town, talk to the NPCs, get a quest, and then you start killing stuff in the dungeon. The story, while not incredibly enticing, moves the game along. Syl, one of the main NPCs, is summoned by her mentor Alrich to see him; however, she arrives at the town of Torchlight with her friend Brink only to find a swarm of monsters at the entrance of the mines. The player finds out that Alrich is corrupted by the power of the embers below and attempts to awaken Ordrak, a powerful being deep below Torchlight. The game consists of a lot of clicking (on items, enemies, objects, and paths) and a whole lot of spamming of character skills on the number row. I've always hated how so many RPGs use the number row since it stretches so far from each other. Luckily, I have a programmable speedpad (which has made my experience with a ton of RPGs much more enjoyable) so that all my skills are withing reach. I didn't get the game at first and just used my regular attacks a lot. After realizing how many potions I kept picking up, I started using my skills a lot more often and I saw the strategies I could use in large hordes of enemies by utilizing all my skill abilities rather than having them be a small complimentary attack damage to my regular attacks. It's fun when there's a lot of fighting, but traversing through some of the dungeons can be bothersome if not repetitive. After a while, it feels like you're just mashing a lot of buttons. I got the most fun out of fighting bosses (though most all of them were easy except for the final boss Ordrak) and swarms of enemies. Whenever I missed a quest because I didn't go to one of the forked paths, it's a bother to run all the way back to get it. The gameplay will be much slower to those who are used to Diablo 2, but I suppose it was made that way so that it's easier for even beginners to gaming in general to cope with the game and be able to reaction to situations. After beating Ordrak, the player can continue playing the game in a new dungeon. They can also retire their character and pass down an item with improved stats for a new character. After beating Ordrak, I wasn't very compelled to continue playing other than trying out the other two classes (I played through as a marksman vanquisher). I'll probably jump on it once in a while to play through the new area and my newly created Alchemist, but I think I'm mostly ready for Torchlight 2. Gameplay 7/10
Overall
I had fun with it, and I got my $5 out of it. And if I really wanted to continue playing, I could. One of the main reasons I'd go back to Torchlight, were I to play it again, would be to try out different builds and skills for the characters. I mostly enjoyed the game, but at times I felt like I wasn't getting very much out of playing it. Still, I'm glad I got the game and played through it. It's a simple and fun distraction to play once in a while between my other games. But because of Torchlight, I have very high hopes for Torchlight 2. I'll probably play Torchlight a little more before the 2nd one comes out. Overall: 8/10
Steam Page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/41500/
Source: Youtube Channel runicgames
Developer: Runic Games
Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Platforms: PC (Available on Steam), Xbox 360 (Available on XBLA)
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Genre: Action-RPG
Pros:
-Very easy to pick up and play
-Bright and colorful art style makes it easy to navigate around the game
-Intense action for beginners and veteran players (inclusion of hardcore mode)
-High replay-value
Cons:
-No multiplayer
-Can get repetitive
-Some dungeons are confusing
For a game I paid $5 for, it was quite an entertaining experience playing the game. The pet system allowed me to continue venturing through dungeons while my pet goes back to town to sell items for me. The simple gameplay made it very easy to follow along and learn how to play. The bright and color art style is charming and also made it easy to distinguish objects within the game such as characters, enemies, items, traps, and environments. It was a very good game to play when I wanted a break from all the others games as the game focuses a lot on exploring, spamming a lot of flashy skills, and killing a ton of baddies while taking their loot. If you're one of the people waiting for Diablo 3 or Torchlight 2 or have played similar games in the past, I recommend giving Torchlight a try.
Graphics
I was a bit surprised with how the game looked the first time I started it up. It has a cartoon-ish type look to it with an almost cel-shaded type of style. I learned along the way that this was possibly a design choice as I had a easy time distinguishing the many objects around me. I was also shocked that the game's art was done within the Ogre engine (look it up). The character designs, vivid color effects from the skills and amazing dungeon environments are quite impressive using an art program I find very rigid and limiting. But because of this, some models look blocky and some of them can look archaic. I really like the colorful environment in the game as it stands out. Some of the areas do feel sort of repetitive and boring at times though. Some dungeons can be dark as well, and the many path breaks can make for a confusing journey. After fighting for 2-3 hours in one type of dungeon, you'll want nothing more than a change of scenery. Besides the environment, I really liked the effects and animations for the character skills. They're bright, flashy, and dynamic. And for a game that focuses a lot on the usage of character skills, it makes a big difference. It's quite satisfying seeing all those lights and powers mow down hundreds of enemies as the screen shakes from the sheer power your character unleashes. For character creation, there isn't a lot the player can customize and there are only two choices for pets. In lacking a in-depth character customization, equipment does have a change in appearance for the character. So armor and weapons will be more than just mere point progression but will also show the differences each particular item has on the character. Graphics: 8/10
Audio
The composer for Diablo 1 and 2 joined Runic Games in creating an awesome soundtrack for Torchlight. The music is more melodic than the compositions he did for the Diablo series, and so they're actually pretty enjoyable to listen to even out of the game. It has the similar fantasy/mysterious atmosphere in the delayed/reverb guitar strumming with the low drums and synth tones playing. The music is subtle and is between thematic and ambiance. One of the reasons I enjoyed playing through Torchlight was listening to the music, especially in the one in town, the mines, and the lava kingdom (which is the one playing in the trailer above). The sound effects were important in many of the gameplay aspects. Certain items such as gems and rings made a distinct sound when dropped by a enemy. Certain enemies can be heard from a distance and prepare the player on how to react. Voice cues notifies the player of particular situations such as running low on mana, health is low, pet is fleeing, backpack is full, etc. And the usual things such as getting a critical hit makes it so satisfying. Overall, a superb job in the audio department. Audio: 9/10
Gameplay
The game is developed behind veterans who worked on Diablo 1+2, Fate, and the original Mythos (done to test out the servers for Hellgate: London originally) and has a strong background in creating Action RPGs. The game started out how I imagined it. Something is wrong, you go into town, talk to the NPCs, get a quest, and then you start killing stuff in the dungeon. The story, while not incredibly enticing, moves the game along. Syl, one of the main NPCs, is summoned by her mentor Alrich to see him; however, she arrives at the town of Torchlight with her friend Brink only to find a swarm of monsters at the entrance of the mines. The player finds out that Alrich is corrupted by the power of the embers below and attempts to awaken Ordrak, a powerful being deep below Torchlight. The game consists of a lot of clicking (on items, enemies, objects, and paths) and a whole lot of spamming of character skills on the number row. I've always hated how so many RPGs use the number row since it stretches so far from each other. Luckily, I have a programmable speedpad (which has made my experience with a ton of RPGs much more enjoyable) so that all my skills are withing reach. I didn't get the game at first and just used my regular attacks a lot. After realizing how many potions I kept picking up, I started using my skills a lot more often and I saw the strategies I could use in large hordes of enemies by utilizing all my skill abilities rather than having them be a small complimentary attack damage to my regular attacks. It's fun when there's a lot of fighting, but traversing through some of the dungeons can be bothersome if not repetitive. After a while, it feels like you're just mashing a lot of buttons. I got the most fun out of fighting bosses (though most all of them were easy except for the final boss Ordrak) and swarms of enemies. Whenever I missed a quest because I didn't go to one of the forked paths, it's a bother to run all the way back to get it. The gameplay will be much slower to those who are used to Diablo 2, but I suppose it was made that way so that it's easier for even beginners to gaming in general to cope with the game and be able to reaction to situations. After beating Ordrak, the player can continue playing the game in a new dungeon. They can also retire their character and pass down an item with improved stats for a new character. After beating Ordrak, I wasn't very compelled to continue playing other than trying out the other two classes (I played through as a marksman vanquisher). I'll probably jump on it once in a while to play through the new area and my newly created Alchemist, but I think I'm mostly ready for Torchlight 2. Gameplay 7/10
Overall
I had fun with it, and I got my $5 out of it. And if I really wanted to continue playing, I could. One of the main reasons I'd go back to Torchlight, were I to play it again, would be to try out different builds and skills for the characters. I mostly enjoyed the game, but at times I felt like I wasn't getting very much out of playing it. Still, I'm glad I got the game and played through it. It's a simple and fun distraction to play once in a while between my other games. But because of Torchlight, I have very high hopes for Torchlight 2. I'll probably play Torchlight a little more before the 2nd one comes out. Overall: 8/10
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