Risen Reviews

The first three reviews for the newly released Xbox 360 version of Risen are online, and they’re all pretty favorable.

IGN starts us off with a 7.6/10:

Whether or not you’ll enjoy Piranha Bytes’ Risen really depends on what kind of gamer you are. Though this is a more humble and user-friendly product than Piranha Bytes’ past games, it’s still very much a hardcore role-playing game. If you’re not willing to figure some things out for yourself and the idea of freedom of choice doesn’t sit well with you, chances are Risen isn’t going to mesh well with your gaming sensibilities. If you’re familiar with the genre and are looking to take the next step into a mature, well-realized fantasy world, then this is it. Its combat system isn’t the greatest and its pacing is inconsistent, but for those who put in the time to see all Risen has to offer, it’s an experience that won’t be forgotten.

Just Push Start follows close behind with a 4/5:

If the PAL version of RISEN wasn’t enough to keep you entertained due to its bug and glitches making it unplayable, I am confident to say that the North American version is a better way to experience an RPG that will be remembered. For the price of $49.99, RISEN is a very wise choice to buy if you’re a hardcore RPG gamer. It doesn’t matter whether you have Final Fantasy XIII pre-ordered but RISEN, will make your every penny worth.

And Elder Geek finds it worthy of a rental:

Overall, the Xbox 360 version of Risen is a pretty decent port from its PC counterpart. Although there are still issues that need to be addressed, the wide-ranging choices, non-linear world, and character development concepts work really well. The graphics are a little outdated as foliage appear very pixelated and flat in some cases. Characters models and facial expressions harken back to the Xbox days, but graphics aside it does not affect the way the game performs as a whole. The real-time system from daylight to nighttime as well as the changes in weather are well executed and add to the environment effectively. Despite some of its shortfalls, the 360 version of Risen deserves a playthrough, but I would invest in the PC version as future patches are easier come by and the graphics wouldn’t be as much of an issue due to the powerhouse gaming PCs out there on the market.