Divinity 2: Ego Draconis/ Flames of Vengeance add-on/ Dragon Knight Saga info!

[CeeKay]

main site.  

gameplay from E3.

now this looks really cool.  later in the game you get to transform into a dragon and fly around?  IN!

[vizionblind]

loved the original

[Qantaga]

loved the original

   
I did, too.
   
I hated Beyond, though.
   
Here's hoping they return to their roots for 2.

[vizionblind]

yea, beyond was dissapointing. I wonder if they will pickup from #1... I really don't remember the story since it has been so long

[ScubaV]

Looks more like a Gothic style game rather than Divine Divinity 1, but that's not a bad thing    Definitely gonna keep an eye out for this.

[Blackadar]

loved the original

   
I did, too.
   
I hated Beyond, though.
   
Here's hoping they return to their roots for 2.

I 100% agree.  The first had a good story, but a great open gameworld and was a lot of fun.  Beyond was dogshit.  The gameplay looked pretty good on the E3 demo.

[CeeKay]

a trailer and screenshots.

[Blackjack]

I echo the sentiments, but why exactly was Beyond Divinity dogshit rather than merely disappointing? (I didn't play it).

My favorite DD moment was...

Spoiler for Hiden:

I forget the quest name, but it's the one where turning in some quest results in everyone in this town square turning on you, and you have to fight your way out. I remember initially thinking it was a bug and "why is everyone attacking me" and then I thought, "This is such an awesome plot twist."  

When I leafed through the GameFAQs FAQ, I remembered why I felt it was the most ambitious of the Diablo-type games out there in terms of quests/content:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/file/371215/19693

Since it's clear from screenies that the new game isn't another Diablo-ish game in look, I'm curious if it will still play that way (like, say, Darkstone), or if it will play more like an MMO/3rd person actioner.

[CeeKay]

some updated impressions of the game.

[CeeKay]

some new screenshots. I like the guys armor in the first pic.

[Leviathan]

I'd seen no video of this game until  the video two posts up. Was kind of bored watching the guy fight, looks like every RPG ever made, until he jumped from the cliff and turned into a Dragon.

That's something.

[Blackjack]

There's a mess of videos at Gametrailers fwiw:
http://www.gametrailers.com/game/divinity-ii-ego-draconis/10203

DD was not at all visually impressive, even in its day. It was (imho at least) the quests and story that made it more memorable than most of the other Diablo wannabes in its day. So to some extent I'm not looking for it to, well, look wild, I'd just like to know if it'll still play up story, characters etc. and differentiate itself in that regard.

Now that I know it's a 3rd person game that looks like most MMOs, I'm actually less interested. Think I'll stick with Torchlight, warts and all.  

[CeeKay]

it's due out tomorrow.


In the UK.


 

[ROTC1983]

it's due out tomorrow.


In the UK.


 

Did they forget about the US?

[baelthazar]

Looks like you can get it from Gamersgate, if you are in the US.

What are the system specs, btw?

Bael

[CeeKay]

looking around I did find these:

    Minimum System Requirements:

    * CPU: 1.8 Ghz Dual Core (XP/Vista)
    * RAM: 1 GB (XP)/2 Gb (Vista)
    * HD: 9 GB free HD space
    * Gfx Card: 256 Mb Shader Model 3.0 (Nvidia Geforce 7600-Series/Ati Radeon 1600 or better)

    Recommended System Requirements:

    * CPU: 2.6 GHz Dual Core (XP/Vista)
    * RAM: 2 GB
    * HDD: 9 GB free HD space
    * Gfx Card: 512 Mb Shader Model 3.0 (Nvidia Geforce 8800-Series/Ati Radeon 3800 or better)

[CeeKay]

looks like Impulse is going to have this available on January 5th, any of our European members get a chance to play it yet?

[Aganazer]

The demo just came out.

[Lockdown]

Nearly 2 GB download for a demo?!?!  That seems pretty big to me.

I wouldn't mind hearing some impressions from folks that do decide to try it though.  Please.

[Razgon]

I tried the Xbox version, and it was surprisingly interesting. Reminded me very much of Sacred 2 in terms of graphics and gameplay, although its not more polished and lots of voiceovers.

I played for close to an hour, and the demo didnt seem to end anytime soon, so lots to try out.

usual 3 classes, mage - warrior, ranger, which you selects from the start, but it seems like you can use the skills of any class, probably with restrictions of course.

The game world seems huge, with lots of small quests to do that are pretty fun. Its not Dragonage, but thats to be expected from what is basically a Hack'n slash rpg - I like it, and I'll get it!

[Aganazer]

The game world seems huge, with lots of small quests to do that are pretty fun. Its not Dragonage, but thats to be expected from what is basically a Hack'n slash rpg - I like it, and I'll get it!

Does it look like its open world or a series of contained maps like DA?

I've been hearing some positive comments about the game mixed in with a lot of people complaining about getting stuck on terrain, inconsistent difficulty, and weird dragon mode mechanics (ground enemies disappear when flying so that you're forced to do ground combat from the ground).

I even read one person who preferred D2 to Risen and and Dragon Age.

[CeeKay]

so, any further impressions?  I saw this just got it's price dropped by 10 bucks.

[CeeKay]

the Flames of Vengeance will burn us this summer.  better pack some spf500.

[hepcat]

so, any further impressions?  I saw this just got it's price dropped by 10 bucks.

I've been playing this on the 360 since I picked it up after a price drop to 39.99 at Gamestop.  

I just can't put it down.  The extensive skills tree, the massive amount of exploration, the difficulty level, the loot, the combat...everything just gels for me.  Framerate is sometimes problematic (I actually went with the console version after the pc demo caused my computer to become a slideshow...but they may have optimized it since that early demo), and the voice acting and side quests themselves are sometimes mediocre, but I still can't stop playing.

The expansion is easily a day one purchase for me if they make good on the promise to bring it to the 360.

If you're on the fence, I say go for it.  I can't recommend this game enough.

[CeeKay]

so, any further impressions?  I saw this just got it's price dropped by 10 bucks.

I've been playing this on the 360 since I picked it up after a price drop to 39.99 at Gamestop.  

I just can't put it down.  The extensive skills tree, the massive amount of exploration, the difficulty level, the loot, the combat...everything just gels for me.  Framerate is sometimes problematic (I actually went with the console version after the pc demo caused my computer to become a slideshow...but they may have optimized it since that early demo), and the voice acting and side quests themselves are sometimes mediocre, but I still can't stop playing.

The expansion is easily a day one purchase for me if they make good on the promise to bring it to the 360.

If you're on the fence, I say go for it.  I can't recommend this game enough.

thanks hepcat.  BC2 has pretty much invade my life right now, but I imagine in a month (or next weekend) I'll get ticked off at it and move on to something new, but I may actually wait until summer for the add on to play it all.

[hepcat]

it sounds like the DLC will only be playable after you finish the main quest, though.  so picking it up before that won't mean that you miss anything.

also, i forgot to mention that the game can be quite funny at times.  some of the dialog is laugh out loud so.

[CeeKay]

new screenshots.  also, they mention:

After installing Divinity II - Flames of Vengeance, players can continue their role playing adventure from their last Divinity II - Ego Draconis session, or start playing the new content immediately with a custom made, high level character.

[MonkeyFinger]

Liked this mention as well:

We've also taken the opportunity to give the engine a solid overhaul, improving performance and graphics quality along the way

 

[Blackjack]

It's not just like Diablo II. In fact, it's even less like Diablo II than the original game was. Therefore it sucks.... 

[CeeKay]

It's not just like Diablo II. In fact, it's even less like Diablo II than the original game was. Therefore it sucks.... 

are you saying it's not quite the rollercoaster ride that D2 is?

[CeeKay]

screenshots for the expansion.

[CeeKay]

FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE ANNOUNCES DIVINITY II – THE DRAGON KNIGHT SAGA

We are pleased to announce that Focus Home Interactive will publish in October, Larian Studios' role playing game: Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga on PC and Xbox 360.

Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga includes the original adventure “Ego Draconis”, and “Flames of Vengeance”, the Dragon Knight's new adventure that continues the epic story and adds dozens of hours of additional gameplay. Divinity II – Ego Draconis appears here as an entirely new and re-mastered edition with improved graphics and content that make the game even more beautiful and more impressive than ever before!

As for Flames of Vengeance, this new adventure brings players new quests, new creatures and many new items. Flames of Vengeance also benefits from all the graphical improvements made to Ego Draconis, and delivers a spectacular finale to the Dragon Knight Saga!

Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga offers an epic total of over 60 hours of gameplay and more than 180 original quests that combine into a fantastic role playing experience. We invite you to discover more about Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga throughout a series of new images, that offer a glimpse into the new adventure Flames of Vengeance.


Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga includes the complete and re-mastered adventure Ego Draconis, and the brand new adventure Flames of Vengeance. The game will be released in Europe in October 2010 on PC and Xbox 360.

[Pharaoh]

hahah this was easily my Diamond in the Rough game this past gaming year. The engine SUCKED, but christ the game was full of fun content, sweet quests, solid writing and decent skilltrees.

Excited to play an expansion!

[CeeKay]

hahah this was easily my Diamond in the Rough game this past gaming year. The engine SUCKED, but christ the game was full of fun content, sweet quests, solid writing and decent skilltrees.

Excited to play an expansion!

I was going to grab this soon but I'm holding off for the Dragon Knight edition to see what they mean by 'remastered'.

[MonkeyFinger]

So when is the US release?

[CeeKay]

So when is the US release?

they don't say.   wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't until next year for a NA release so they can have EU beta test the game 

[CeeKay]

the Dragon Knight Saga is coming out tomorrow!

[Pharaoh]

woot!

[jersoc]

anyone get this? is this the version with all the bug fixes?

[MonkeyFinger]

I picked this up from GamersGate, don't know when I'll have the time to seriously get back into it. It upgrades the engine as noted and adds options on the main menu to play either the main campaign or the expansion. Fair warning that if you start Flames of Vengeance to check things out, the first thing you'll see is a recap of the original, including spoiler type scenes from the ending leading directly to where the expansion picks up. There are also a lot of references to things in the first campaign so it is really meant to be played after you complete the original, not something you could eeny-meeny back and forth to.

It's been awhile since I played this and I do have an SLI rig now with the graphics option set to 'Extreme' but it certainly is nicer. Not quite as purty as ArcaniA is (IMHO) but there is more detail in things than I recall. As to the 'all the bug fixes' comment or if things play any differently, I can't say yet... we could always take the low road and assume new engine = new bugs, but I have no clue. I guess we'll see once it's been out in the wild for some time.