Disclaimer: I would still recommend both this and Dungeon Siege 1 for shits and giggles while on a sale. They're great windows into early 00s CRPG game design and do offer a few hours of fun per title, but your mileage may vary. I think I got both of these for less than $2 each, maybe less than $1, and look back fondly on them as the little IP that couldn't quite make it.
But alas, just like it's predecessor, it tries to do so many RPG genres that it ends it up doing none of them well: it tries to blend the character progression of a D&D CRPG with the combat of a Diablo game and never feels quite right nor well-thought out. The story isn't as good as Fallout; the combat isn't as satisfying nor deep as Diablo; it's not as tactical as Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter; the exploration is too linear; and the lore isn't nearly as interesting as any of its contemporaries at the time. In fact, to that last point, the naming conventions of all the enemies and this big, epic story it tried to tell reminded me a high schooler's notebook full of "badass" ideas.
It is way, WAY better than the first game in just about every regard, but I reached a point of such sheer boredom that I can't find myself completing this game any time soon. I wish Steam had a neutral or middle-of-the-road review, but here we are.
But alas, just like it's predecessor, it tries to do so many RPG genres that it ends it up doing none of them well: it tries to blend the character progression of a D&D CRPG with the combat of a Diablo game and never feels quite right nor well-thought out. The story isn't as good as Fallout; the combat isn't as satisfying nor deep as Diablo; it's not as tactical as Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter; the exploration is too linear; and the lore isn't nearly as interesting as any of its contemporaries at the time. In fact, to that last point, the naming conventions of all the enemies and this big, epic story it tried to tell reminded me a high schooler's notebook full of "badass" ideas.
It is way, WAY better than the first game in just about every regard, but I reached a point of such sheer boredom that I can't find myself completing this game any time soon. I wish Steam had a neutral or middle-of-the-road review, but here we are.