Sacred

It is indeed good and is one of the best games i played so far. Although i do not like isometric 2D mixed with 3D characters, i think it is a new approach with very good art and style.

You will be playing it for days, not hours. So it is also a good value for money. It is very addicting so be warned. Theres not alot of people that go on multiplayer on here these days so i WOULD reccomend it to a friend.

The game requires people to be stalwart on the higher difficulty settings and there is items you can give level ones so they could actually defeat level 300 monsters!

Overall it is a very good game and quite challenging, yet slow to level up and they only give you pretty low level preset characters. But is still the best RPG/MRPG(Multiplayer role-playing game)Out there.

Sacred will keep you glued to your chair for hours, there's a good variety of characters to choose from but you will master the game in no time, is it not about time that they made gold (the game's currency) more valuable in games like this?

Sacred has been compared to popular classic Diablo 2. It does seem to emulate Diablo 2's formula of fast paced hack-n-slash RPGing, adding beautiful graphics, a richly detailed fantasy world and a much more detailed storyline.

However, Sacred is certainly no simple remake and is quite distinct in many ways. Instead of Diablo 2's dark, demon-infested gothic world, Sacred is set in a traditional [some might say corny] fantasy world with elves, goblins, orcs and dragons [which look suitably impressive]. Rather than Diablo 2's randomly-generated areas, Sacred provides a huge, predesigned world to explore.

The character classes, skill systems and interface actually each deserve a seperate section but that would make this review way too long. Suffice it to say that the 6 available character classes are quite distinctive and interesting, but I would say the skill system and interface, though original, does not work quite as well as Diablo 2's did.

Sacred is clearly a labour of love with its wonderful graphics, detailed world and many innovative features. It is certainly one of the few recent computer games where I really felt I got my money's worth. Furthermore the developers are clearly committed to bringing the game up to its full potential with carefully thought-out patches and even a possible free expansion pack on the horizon.

Sacred is deninalty a very elegant game, the balance is all there, a variety of creatures, exotic landsape, escalting story line, and unparraleled magic system. Definantly worth the money and time.

Sacred is very Diablo-esque and so already off to a good start. The graphics are superior to its counterparts, though it doesn't have the atmosphere Diablo had, the enemies, landscapes and surroundings aren't as creepy!

The moves for the characters are vast. There are a standard set of moves for the characters which may seem limited, however, they pull these moves off in diverse styles, and so may as well be different. On top of this, the quantity of weapons is extensive, and most weapons are used in unique ways, and also can be doubled up with another weapon or a shield. Thus the potential amount of moves that can be pulled off is greatly multiplied.

In addition to this, they each have a set of specialised moves which are very unique and imaginative. For example, the wood elf, whose weapon of choice is a bow, can fire cocoons which hatch on impact and your foe is crawling with venomous spiders. Other characters utilise magic to conquer their enemies, such as the battle mage who has a countless amount of spells he can cast, such as a powerful meteor shower. Or if you like getting involved then the gladiator is ideal for getting stuck in with your enemies.

The characters and their backgrounds are inventive, and when starting the game with the different characters you begin in different places on the map in your own scenario, so re-play is high on the cards.

The enemies could be a little more varied. A lot of them are humans, and I don't know about you, but I like fighting assorted monsters. Though is does have its fair share of monsters, they could replace some humans with a few more things that make your jaw drop because it looks near impossible to defeat! But that could be a personal thing.

The map is enormous, most of which can potentially be explored from the start. There are many little towns scattered across this land varying massively in size and population, and each have personal missions for you to complete. The larger towns will also keep you busy for a fair while.

Depending on how you play this, you can complete it very quickly, by only doing your main mission which is the object of your game. However you can make it last for an unbounded amount of time if you seek and complete all the small missions within the world.

At £20, it's a bargain!

Judging from the reviews I've read thus far, it seems that Sacred is a game to either love or hate. I fall into the former category myself, and I fail to see the reasoning behind the negative opinions.

Yes, Sacred is superficially much like Diablo, but then again, most games take root in some ground-breaking predecessor. This doesn't necessarily mean they're "unoriginal," and it especially does not imply that the gaming experiences they facilitate are destined to be stale or boring. If you don't believe me, consider as just one example any modern fighting game. Of course, it is fundamentally very similar to any other fighting game, but there are probably important differences that distinguish it from others. For that matter, even sequels that stray very little from their prequels can be just as fun or even more enjoyable than "original" games. That said, Sacred boasts many improvements over Diablo and other games of the action RPG genre. First, it uses horses as mounts which boost speed and protection while providing an exhilirating sense of adventure that is somehow lacking on foot. The fact that certain skills and all combos cannot be utilized on horseback is actually a stipulation that not only makes realistic sense (as in the Battle Mage's Water Form skill, which, when active, would not logically allow him to ride his steed without passing through to the ground, for it makes him permeable to all living things), but also enforces the necessity to make an additional combative decision, which in turn adds ever so slightly to the interest and strategy of the game: horseback or not?

Next, the skill, ability, spell/combat move, and combo system is a deep feature that allows for nearly unlimited possibilities in fine-tuning the characters. Skill and ability points are granted upon levelling up; abilities are traits like strength, endurance, etc., and skills are proficiencies and talents like weapon lore or trading skill. This alone does not seem unusual, but the sheer number of abilities and skills to choose from is impressive. The spells and fighting techniques comprise the greatest substance of the point alottment system. Contrary to what has been said by certain other amateur critics, these powers ARE varied and original. As examples, consider the Battle Mage and Vampiress. The mage has 16 different spells to pursue, from Fire Spiral, which creates a pulsating ring of fire that alternately expands and contracts in the designated area for a considerable duration of time, to Water Form, which turns his body into a watery being that is immune to enemy attack for a short duration. The vampiress has a set of 8 human/vampire powers and 8 vampire-only powers. One of these allows her to transform into a deadly vampiress (or back into a human knight); while in the vampiric form, she is periodically damaged by sunlight during the day, but her abilities are enhanced and her powers extended. Her other powers range from special life-draining attacks to summons of bats and wolves. The combo feature stands out as perhaps the most innovative aspect of the game. A combo is a combination of up to four spells/fighting moves that allows a character to perform these powers consecutively (whereas powers performed alone cause delays which must elapse before the next can be executed). Up to four different combos can be stored at a time, and it is possible to change any one of them at any time for a price. The equipment is also greatly varied and customizable. Sacred borrows Diablo II's socketted items in its blacksmith customization feature, but the possibilities are much more numerous than they were in DII, with the ability to set jewelry (rings or amulets) into armor and weapons. Briefly, further innovations include the ability to lead and protect multiple NPC's who will either fight or flee in combat, a day/night cycle that actually affects gameplay, and several different potion types (from the typical healing potion to a mentor potion that temporarily increases experience gain), all of which are easily activated via accessible keys.

I realize that this review is much longer than most other user reviews, but I have only thus far touched upon what I perceive to be the greatness of this game. I will just summarize its other strong points: the controls are comfortable, intuitive, and smooth; the gameplay is extremely addictive and enjoyable; the replayability is high due to 6 different character classes, at least 2 different difficulty modes (probably 3 or more once the game has been completed), and both cooperative and competitive multiplayer support; a strong attention to detail which shines in environmental objects/animations and humorous "easter eggs," and a balanced character design with many viable possibilities for development directions of each type.

Of course, no game is without a few setbacks. For Sacred, these are a cliche storyline, a less-than-perfect release version (with bugs that have now been fixed), voice-acting that is average at best, and a manual that fails to cover some important aspects of gameplay. Overall, though, the strengths far outweigh the weaknesses in Sacred's case.

Note: I have only played the demo version of Sacred. But that is quite substantial.

Graphics: 2D but don't let that put you off. There is an amazing amount of detail in many different environments. It works well.

Sound: no problems, ambient sound usually correct for the action at that moment in time. Doesn't grate.

Gameplay: this is of the old school. You just want to keep playing. There is a set of goals taking you through the main game, but there are literally hundreds of sub-quests you can choose to take on.

I have just got Unreal Tournament 2004, and this is the perfect relaxation after a hefty session of frag-festing.

Longevity: with the different classes I can see that you would definately want to replay this. I believe the game will play differently for different char classes.

This game is ridiculous. Sacred is so bad that you actually can have fun by considering how bad a game can be. Totally unacceptable.

Take clone streetfighter game, graft it onto a clone diablo game and throw in some clone baldur's gate and you've pretty much summed up the lack of originality in Sacred.

Skills for characters in the game seem at first nice but actually are not as individual as you would think. Skills such as Hard Hit are actually on more than one character. Lazy concept design at its best.

The horse combat feature lauded so much by the advertising turns out to be a dissappointment with many skills and spells not even being able to be used from horseback. As well the horses cause alot of interface bugs and glitches that really hamper game play.

Character point allotments for skills must be carefully placed with prior build knowledge... otherwise very quickly in the game(as early as level 6) You will be unable to succeed.

For the US markets they decided on a "less gore" version as well which I think is a copout.

But worst is their plans to give support for the game to North American and European markets only. Folks in Australia, NZ, and Asia are SOL.

This is a typical good idea gone splat. A real dissapointment overall.

Graphics: b+

Game Originality: f-

Concept: b

Playability: c-

Music: A

Replayability: d

Game World Interactivity: c

Value for your money: d