If you go in viewing it as a low budget indie title and don't expect too much, it's actually quite entertaining.

I got my copy from Amazon for an unbelievable $4.98 for the Epic Edition. It was prime eligible too so no shipping cost. Bought TW2 at the same time for $17.99 and no shipping. Even had I paid the $10 GOG is asking for it I would be quite happy.


I'm about 8 hours in (game time).

In many ways it reminds me of gothic3. Graphics are probably slightly worse than gothic but overall feel is similar and many of the monsters are similar to those in gothic.


Things I like:
No auto levelling. --- It's wide open, you can go anywhere you want but there are some areas that are too tough if you try to progress too quickly. It took a couple hours but I did come across a couple fights I couldn't handle. Went off and did some other stuff for a couple hours, came and back and... Unfortunately, rather than fight me the bandit and thief both conceded my superiority and bowed to my will without a fight. I'm sure I could have taken them.

Lots of loot. --- Almost too much but I still like collecting all the good loot. Too bad they don't give you a value when you loot chests. You can get an idea based on how powerful an item is but it would be nice to know some sort of par value to make the decision on what to keep and what to leave easier.

The ability to combine items. --- It's not as awesome as you think it might be but it still can come in real handy. You're better off selling two individual items than combining and then selling but combining can help you carry more loot and make fewer trips to the market. With the teleport stones, it's not too bad going back to the market so it's not a big deal. Nice when you have a decent item equipped and find a compatible item to boost the item you are already using.

The amount of power you achieve compared to where you start. It's not like the old D&D based games were you could only raise maybe 30 levels and stats would start in low to mid teens and could only raise to maybe 18 or 20. My physical resistances are all currently over 1,000. And growing.



Thinks I don't like as miuch:
It would be nice if the world wasn't quite so open. I was a big fan of some of the Might and Magic games (Xeen and 6 - 8). They were similar in that the enemies weren't leveled but, from what I recall, they had different areas where things were wide open but you generally had to clear out an area before you progressed to a more advanced area.

Graphics could be better but for a budget priced game they are plenty good.

I had a couple other complaints. All minor when you consider it's a budget title but they escape me now.


Cy

I played the series in reverse order, having picked up Two Worlds II for the PS3 a couple years back. After playing through it and having a blast, I picked up the first game from GOG and tried it out. I wasn't in love with the kb/m controls (having some wrist and shoulder issues, controllers are easier for me to use), but the first conversation you have after leaving the starting temple - I fell in love with the cheesy writing and voice delivery.

I'd say the only real quibble I have with the game is there are vast areas of the world where there's nothing much to find. Especially in the lands on the east side of the map. Also, there's a major subplot that goes nowhere, while it seems to be presented as a major concern. Too bad, as I had found it to be an interesting idea that just kind of petered out before reaching any real conclusion.

Coincidentally, I just received my copy from Amazon today, also at the $5 price. I happened to find it and Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich for $5 each last week. I've been trying to collect some of my favorite games on physical media even though I already have them through GOG, Steam, etc. More for the nostalgia and just having the boxes. I'm not trying to build a mint collection or anything like that, just some favorites and stuff I'd never played before.

Flynn

I was playing on easy difficulty. It got too easy after a while. I couldn't get any of the mods to work. Except for level mod and mage house. So, I installed 2 and started it.

My first impression wasn't great. Graphics felt much more polished but also felt completely like a console title. Couldn't get mods to work there either. In particular, the interface mod that doubled the page size of the interface. Or, more accurately, cut the size of items in half.

I didn't like that it didn't appear to be any sort of paper doll that showed how how many different items you could use or wear. I gave up and went back to the first game.

I restarted on hard difficulty and after about an hour of running around I restarted again on medium difficulty. So far the medium difficulty seems to be a pretty good balance for me. Tough enough that I have had to reload several times but not so difficult that I have to run away and fight one creature at a time. I still have to do a little of that. I can't just charge into a group like I could on easy difficulty so it works for me.

I found the teacher for the archer skills and I see that with those, archery isn't too bad. Get a decent bow and quiver and you can at least do a little damage. Just switch quivers depending on what you're fighting.

There are very limited mods available. I saw something in the forums at inside two worlds that the site was attacked by a hacker so maybe many were lost. Not sure.

I haven't tried any mods for the first game. The only mod I've tried for Two Worlds 2 is Worlds Merged, which merges the main, expansion and multiplayer maps onto one large map. It also adds new monsters and a way of determining if a monster is over five levels (yellow name) or ten levels (red name) above your level. And you will run into a lot of them in the Savannah. I would recommend the mod especially if you've already finished the game.

As for the "console-feel" of the game, I guess it does feel that way in some respects. But I found the game enjoyable, especially the combat, playing through the main and expansion campaigns on both the PS3 and PC, and currently playing the Worlds Merged mod.

The first game I've also played through twice - once on Medium and once on Hard. There is a decision you have to make at the end of the game which determines the path your character follows. But I was having so much fun with the game I played through a second time to follow the other path rather than just reload and make the second choice.

Haven't tried the multiplayer on either game through. I did play through some of the MP maps in the second thanks to Worlds Merged (as the maps are re-tooled for single player). Still, there is a lot to do and explore even without the mods.

Flynn

I'm still playing on medium. Game time is at about 30 hours. I'm level 56. Still enjoying it but I'm not as addicted as I was. Now after I play for a couple hours I'm ready for a break.

The 30 hours of game time is probably more like 60 hours played because the time pauses when you are trading and also during conversations.

The excessive amount of loot sometimes feels overdone and the items seems somewhat random and haphazard.

Minor annoyance for a budget title.

I like the multiple weapon sets and how to switch between them. I mapped the forward and backward buttons on my mouse to the cycle weapon set and cycle quickbar item. Works well.

I will probably also play a second time through on hard difficulty.

But, that may depend on how long it takes me to finish my first run though. It is truly epic. My mouse hand might need a break by the time I finish my first run through.

Do you want to try the second one after this? It is also funny, but completely different!