i would prefer risen series over two worlds, risen 1 was awesome and a long game and risen 2 kinda takes a step back but still a fun game to play. i was turned off by two worlds pretty early

Risen would be my choice, but at the same time, Two Worlds has its charm, too. If you can afford them now when they are on sale, get them both. If not, i'd go with Risen. The series are a bit more fun and definitely have that Gothic feel. Two Worlds 2 is vastly entertaining, but a wee bit too big - the world is not exactly populated. But it does some nice puzzles and a better story. Two Worlds 1 could have been so much better with a better polish. But they've rushed the release and we've ended up with a nice concept and that's about all that it was. Risen has a better replayability ( especially the second title), just don't expect a great story. Plus the voice acting in the both series...ungh...So depends of waht you want: story - go with Two Worlds2, replayability - go with Risen.

I mostly agree with this sentiment. I bought Risen a year or so ago, partially because it was on sale, but mostly because a lot of people said it was like an improved version of the Gothic games. Sounded good to me, but when I actually got to play Risen I was more than a bit underwhelmed. It's not a bad game by any means, but I''m glad I bought it on sale.

I think Risen is much better; I've only started playing Risen 2, but I've watched gameplay videos of all these games. Risen has more character, and seems..I don't know, sexier. Go with Risen ^^

Risen 2 is so fun, love the writing/characters. Gameplay is a little loose, doesn't feel like I have tight controls, but it's not bad. FWIW, people say Risen 2 is suckier than Risen, so you'll be staring with the better game!

Giving an honest answer isn't that easy for me because so many years have passed since I last played a title from the Gothic series. I remember Gothic 1 being a solid game, although it had its issues here and there, which is hardly surprising, since it was the first game of the series and the developers needed some more experience in order to get their game right.

Gothic 2 (and its addon) was amazing! It was improved in so many ways compared to Gothic 1. The fact that I don't remember any annoying things bodes well. :) I'd start playing this game again, if I wanted to get back to the Gothic series today.

Gothic 3 had so many bugs when it was released that I skipped it. I both heard and read that some game-breaking issues got fixed later. There are fan-made modifications out there which seem to make the game playable or – even better – a good game, but for me Gothic 3 is past. I will not ever play it, I guess.

Gothic 4 (Arcania) – well, it was no Gothic anymore...

I own all the Risen and Two Worlds....

2W is long and without much action IMO, its very "you driven" meaning its your duty to advance story. And if you dont then it kinda of lags... not bad, very old school in ways and i enjopyed it but i love crazy RPG's like that (see inquisitor)

Risen was bloody fantastic, every moment every chapter (not chapter but section) was fantastic... the story was continually moving forward without me looking for it... except the end, the end can Kiss My... well you know.... it was a 100% cop out and i hate it with every fiber of my being.... but it make sense, sort of... minus the end its the most fun i had since Oblivion.

Side Note, if you like Risen's style of gameplay and world advancement check out Divintiy II another i highly recommend... its like what Risen could have been, his big brother so to speak.

I completed both (Two Worlds and Risen) on Xbox 360, and it's really a hard decision, because I had a ton of fun with them.

Risen is smaller because the island is a little limited, and in Two Worlds you have more side quests and overall, is longer. But Risen looks better and have better soundtrack. Both had good stories though, and in Risen what you decide affects the main story. Two Worlds is closer to how Oblivion is played in third person, although it ends with a cliffhanger.

Some time ago I bought both (and the sequels) to play them again on PC. If I were you, I would try to get both.

And if Risen is an improved gothic. I'm glad I never got into that series.

Risen is better by far if you enjoyed Gothic 1 and 2
Risen 2 is ok but it is a huge downgrade from the gameplay of 1 sadly
Two Worlds seems ok but I got put off when I last played when I hit annoying ass bugs and got fed up with the awful voice acting
Two Worlds 2 is a great game and huge improvement from 1

Honestly its a case of enjoy Gothic then get Risen but if not then get Two Worlds (2)

Why not get both? I have a feeling that if you buy the Risen series, Summer Sale Santa might drop the Two Worlds series in your PM box...

I love the dialogue from Two Worlds. It's bad but entertaining and makes the game world more unique. It gets boring after awhile, playing games with worlds where everyone speaks what most people would consider "perfect" English with a certain kind of high class British accent. Bad dialogue also adds realism to the game because if you are a foreigner visiting foreign lands, then most likely, the way the natives speak the language you speak will be "bad" and entertaining to you depending on your sense of humor.

After waffling back and forth for hours, I finally decided to go with Risen for the sole reason that it is the more expensive game. 80% off of $40 is more savings than 80% off of $30.

I convinced my self several times to buy either one, or neither, but seeing the timer down to one hour, and me being on the road for the next hour made me pull the trigger.

You made the very wrong choice. :P

LOL.

Reading through this thread, I'm not sure there was a right choice, unless it was to buy neither.