Risen - First Impressions

[MRG]

Because in that blurb they've managed to tell me nothing about the game that isn't true of every other fantasy-RPG out there. I can fight "fearsome monsters" and find "unimaginable treasures" in a countless number of games. Why should I pay loads of money for this one?

I know "hooks" are sometimes synonomous with gimmicks, which are terrible ... but at the other extreme, if you have no hook then I have no reason to play. I want to be excited by a game I'm playing. When they make it sound as generic as every other fantasy-RPG I've ever played, I'm not seeing anything that'll do that for me. Where's the intriguing plot, or the engaging characters? I'm not saying they don't exist, but the fact that I've yet to hear anything about them doesn't give me much confidence (or excitement).

Well said with valid points.

It is my strong belief that we as gamers, have simply become too Desensitized.
Compare if you will, gaming to that of a drug. The more a user pushes, over time, it takes more & more to get that same high. For those of us that are fans of Hack n' slash type games, ( Or any genre for that matter ) such as Risen or Gothic 3 or even The Witcher, I feel that because there are so many games that fall into that category that are out there on the market, our expectations, are just that much higher. Which is fine, but at some point, if you keep expecting the next game to be the "Second Coming", are you ever going to be happy? I'm speaking in general & not directly at you, TheOneFreeMan.

Of course some games will be better than others. Thats just the way it is. Games like say, "Mass Effect" for example. That game, in my most humble opinion, is one of the best RPG/shooter hybrid games ever to be released. Now because I enjoyed it so much, should I hold all other games at the same level of expectation? No. Simply because if I did, it would be a very long time until another game that was as good was released & thus a long time until I "Enjoyed" another game.

Bottom line, for the most part, though not always, every time I play a new game of a Genre I enjoy, such as an RPG or FPS, I try hard to NOT compare the game to any other. That does not always work out, but for me, it more or less works. I know there are other games out that may have done the same material better, but that's not to say whatever game I am currently playing, does not have it's own good spin on things.

When I want coffee & don't have any, I tend to ramble on.... sry..

-MRG