Sacred 2: Fallen Angel


PUBLISHER: cdv Software Entertainment USA
DEVELOPER: Ascaron Entertainment
GENRE(S): Action, Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS: 16
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2008
WEBSITE: Sacred 2 - Fallen Angel

Ancaria already awaits you! The mighty realm of the Highelves lies in ruins. The raging war for control over the T-Energy wears down the land and lures its denizens into fear and chaos. The world calls for a hero to end this war. Accompany six characters through the mystic - technological universe of Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. Dwell on dreary paths or follow the ways of the light. The decision is yours alone, but be aware this decision will change the world. [Ascaron Entertainment]



Gameplay & Features:
The fast 3-D action, a multitude of effects, realistic physical features and beautiful animations of the intricate Hi-Res models create a huge and realistic game world, which does not require any reloading.

An innovative emotional system and the depiction of an authentic world give life to both friend and foe. A further striking component of the graphic presentation is the unique Gore Feedback, which displays the strength and power of the player's own game character.

"Sacred 2" is the superb 3D enhanced sequel to the original Sacred, and provides more action, monsters, scenes, weapons, combos and feedback for even more fun.

Key Features:

A massive, seamless and dynamic world delivering hundreds of hours of free-form exploration

Two campaigns: play as the “Light” or “Shadow” side, complete with distinct skills, rewards and story-elements tailored to the chosen path

Six exceptional, playable characters, each with a distinct look, capabilities and in-game motivation

Modifiable combat arts: change, upgrade and link together your alter ego’s combat skills to match your playing style

Fight effectively from the back of a number of mounts under your control; equip and upgrade your character’s unlockable special mount.

Deities offer unique combat disciplines and unlock additional quests.

The ultimate multiplayer experience – seamless transition between single- and multiplayer gaming modes via LAN, the Internet, or Xbox Live

Captivating online modes of play challenge gamers in cooperative, PvP and PvE play

Extraordinary, cutting-edge graphics and Dolby™ 5.1 channel surround sound utilize the latest technologies for a truly immersive experience

Minimum System Requirements:

* 2.4 GHz processor
* 1 GB RAM
* Graphics card 256 MB, from nVidia® GeForce™ 6800 or ATI® Radeon™
* DirectX compatible sound card
* DVD-ROM drive
* 20 GB free Hard Drive (HDD) space
* Windows XP, XP64, Vista, Vista64
* DirectX 9.0d (included with game)

Recommended requirements for a fast, smooth-running game:

Dual Core 2.0 GHz processor

* 2 GB RAM
* Graphics card 512 MB, ab nVidia GeForce 8800 GTS oder ATI Radeon HD 3870
* DVD-ROM drive
* Sound Blaster® X-Fi™(DirectX 9.0d [for XP] or DirectX 10.0 [for Vista] compatible), with surround speakers or headphones
* Mouse with mouse wheel
* 25 GB free Hard Drive (HDD) space
* Microsoft Windows XP (32 / 64 Bit) with Service Pack 3 / Vista 32 / 64 Bit) with Service Pack 1
* DirectX 9.0d (included with game)
* Optional: DSL modem or network card for multiplayer games

Screenshots:



















More screenies: Sacred 2:Screenshots - SacredWiki

Sacred 2 Gameplay Videos:



Sacred 2 - Temple Guardian Trailers in HD - DarkMatters
Area Games presentation video from the GC - DarkMatters
Sacred 2 Trailers - Shadow Warrior Gameplay in HD - July 17th/08 - DarkMatters
Sacred 2 Trailers - Seraphim Gameplay in HD - July/17th/08 - DarkMatters
Blind Guardian Ingame Concert Teaser Trailer‏ and Pix - DarkMatters
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel 30 Minute Presentation - DarkMatters
Sacred 2 Trailer - Two New High Elf Videos and 6 Combat Arts - DarkMatters
Sacred 2 Trailer - Preview By Gamestar - DarkMatters
Sacred 2 Trailer - Interview With Sebastian Walter - DarkMatters
Sacred 2 Trailer - Interview with Heiko Tom Felde - DarkMatters



Review: Sacred 2 is the offline MMORPG of your dreams
By Frank Caron @ Arstechnica

Anyone who has played an MMO has likely dreamed of being able to take the game offline or onto a LAN setting to enjoy the content with only a small group of friends. If this interests you, look no further than Sacred 2, which truly is about as close to a small-scale MMO as we've seen.

Third pillar to franchises like Titan Quest and Diablo, Sacred made a name for itself in 2004 as a modernization of the aging Diablo II. Sacred 2 offers the typical hack-and-slash, dungeon-crawling game play of most MMORPGs: you'll gather up countless quests and head out into the world in search of gold, items, and experience. At a basic level, this kind of game hasn't changed in years, and Sacred 2 is no exception. You're still going to gather quests, grab loot, and level up endlessly. But, like its predecessor, Sacred 2 differentiates itself by upping the ante graphically and in terms of content.


The colorful world of Sacred 2 is packed with items, mobs, and quests.

Sacred 2 successfully plays out like a modern-day Diablo. The graphics have been updated, the play mechanics made a bit more complex, and the amount of content has been drastically expanded. The game boasts hundreds of side-quests to find and complete, two full story campaigns, which take about 10 hours a piece if you grind only the story missions, dozens of huge boss mobs to hunt, thousands of items, and 22 square miles of in-game world to explore, complete with the varied array of touchstone areas including sparse deserts, searing volcanos, lush plains, dense forests, and barren wastelands.

The real drive here is the grind. Characters can be leveled up to 200, and there are a variety of in-game difficulty levels which can be selected: the higher the difficulty, the harder the mobs, but the better the drops. Each of the game's six classes is a bit more unique than the average fantasy game and much more flexible. Almost any class can use any weapon or armor type if specialized properly. And the classes themselves aren't just "mage" and "fighter" but weird off-shoots like the "Seraphim," a Valkyrie-like modern warrior who combines magic, guns, and swords with stilettos and short-shorts, and the "Temple Guardian," a Stargate-like Egyptian robot with a transforming arm that can be a plasma gun, a flamethrower, and more. The interesting classes go a long way towards making the grind more entertaining.



Epic bosses and 16 player co-op make this the perfect "small-scale MMO"-like game.

Sacred 2 also throws mounts into the mix. In addition to horses which can be purchased, each class has a class-specific mount acquired with cash and a specific in-game quest. Mounted combat makes this inclusion more interesting. Mounts have a variety of stats and actually supplement your character's abilities. But mounts are vulnerable during combat, and they can die, leaving you without a ride and quite a bit poorer. This makes the entire concept of mounts much more endearing, as your ride becomes more of a second character and less a simple visual buff.

As for combat itself, Sacred 2 provides the standard fare. A combo system has been added which allows players to set up combos of two or more character abilities that can be used in succession, but this addition doesn't really add all that much. Nevertheless, there are a ton of different skills and specs that a given character can pursue, and the game gives you a ton of choice for building your own personal character. Just don't expect to find an in-game "respec" NPC: if you mess up a character build, you'll have to reroll your character entirely just like the good old days.


The in-game map of Sacred 2's huge world. Note all the untraveled land in my 35 hour long campaign.

Unfortunately for those who picked up the game when it launched, sometimes it doesn't pay to be on the cutting edge with some games. Sacred 2 initially shipped in bad shape, but a recent spree of patches have made the game largely more playable. There are still a few annoyances, like the limited camera perspective and a lacking amount of control customization, but overall, the game is worth getting into with these patches in tow. Sacred 2 is a great hack-and-slash with a huge world and tons of opportunity to grind offline or with up to 15 other friends on a LAN or over the Internet. If you always dreamed of a small-scale MMO, this is the game for you. And if not, this will at least tide you over until Diablo III.

A game everyone should be playing til Diablo 3 comes...