Publisher: cdv Software Entertainment
Developer: Ascaron Entertainment
System requirements: Windows XP SP3 or Vista SP1, 2.6 ghz Intel Pentium IV or Athlon XP CPU, 256 mb graphics card supporting DirectX 9.0 and Pixel Shader 2.0, 1 gb RAM, 20 gb hard drive, DirectX 9-compatible sound card, DVD-ROM drive, Internet connection
Genre: RPG
Release date: Available now

I feel sorry for those that have a “loot addiction.” It’s RPGs like Sacred 2: Fallen Angel that prey on the compulsive collector’s already depraved mind, sapping it of any remaining rational thought. RPGers across the globe feel this ache, and be it a large-scale affair like World of Warcraft or a more solitary medium, there’s no denying that killing en masse and accessorizing oneself has a certain addictive appeal. Is there help? I’m afraid not. The loot monger will never stop until the level cap is reached, or the next big offering is released.

Sacred 2 is concentrated stuff. Like a drug in its purest form, it eschews any kind of plot development in favor of the straight product: enemies galore and all the lovely trinkets they hold in their surprisingly cavernous corpses. The story is sparse, but what there is revolves around a mysterious substance called T-Energy. The element, which flows through jutting mechanical pipes throughout the land, throws a science fiction-flavored monkey wrench into the fantasy world of Ancaria, and has the power to mutate its creatures beyond their normal forms.

Depending on which alignment you choose for your class, you can either opt to heal the damage T-Energy has done or contribute to the chaos. Six classes are available, including the standard melee and magic variants, although the most interesting of these is the Temple Guardian, an Anubis analogue that trades swords and sorcery for lasers and cyber armor. It’s undoubtedly a weird inclusion, but it takes Sacred 2 out of the ordinary and gives players something different to try for a change.

The world of Ancaria is lush, varied and gigantic, stretching an impressive mileage in each direction, featuring forests, deserts, villages and dungeons for you to plunder. Character models, the environment and effects look great at high settings, but the framerate will chug, even on a fairly powerful rig. Turning the settings down makes Sacred 2 playable, but in doing so you lose what I think is one of the finer points of the game. Its sound and music, like the aforementioned sci-fi elements, alter the mold of fantasy RPG tradition, with fourth-wall-breaking dialogue and brutal, albeit repetitive German metal to highlight battles. Neither of these audibles are done very well, and they actually come across as kind of goofy, but since the immersion factor has already been thrown out the window, why not push it to the limit?

Where Sacred 2 misses the mark is in combat, which to my recollection is the most important part of these types of games. Targeting is a mess, accidentally forcing players out of dungeon entrances during a fight, and large groups of enemies make it difficult to find the epic amongst the teeming regulars during an attack. Navigating the inventory (especially when at a merchant’s shop) is tedious, defaulting to a click, drag, confirm, click, drag, confirm scenario. If I’ve got 20 items my character can’t use, then why can’t I choose them all and just sell? There were also some technical issues such as multiple full crashes, restarts and freeze-ups. Multiplayer, which I was looking forward to trying out, was a ghost town the few times I tried to get on.

Apart from some streamlining, optimization and targeting issues, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel has some high points. When I was playing I laughed a bit more than usual, and in a good way, might I add. Some of the combat arts are really fun, and the randomness of the game world is enjoyable, too. Whether these positives make it worth purchasing a game that has so many technical faults is up in the air. How badly do you want your next fix?

Our Score:
Our Recommendation: