Torchlight II Review

[Mike Kayatta]

Torchlight II Review

The lands of Torchlight II cry out to be explored, and you'll be glad you answered.

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[Tanis]

It's a damn shame I can't run this game, yet.

I'd hope it, somehow, makes it way to the PSN...but, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[GAunderrated]

It's a damn shame I can't run this game, yet.

I'd hope it, somehow, makes it way to the PSN...but, I'm not holding my breath.

Torchlight came to the consoles (although I'm not sure specifically if it was PSN) and I heard it got a decent reception. I wouldn't see why they wouldn't put torchlight II there.

Btw great review for T2. I was hoping you would talk about the online play more since it is a new feature from the original torchlight but still great overall.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

This could have been a review for Torchlight 1 and I wouldn't have known without having seen TL2 myself.

I think the online play and the soundtrack deserve a mention as being great additions to an already good game.

The co op is really good and I think well balanced, although it's a pain to keep having to log in every time I load up the game just to play an internet session.

And the soundtrack sets a nice tone for the game too, mellow enough to be seamless, but epic enough to bring battles to a higher level.

 

[Clankenbeard]

No mention of the Multiplayer? I have 3 copies of TL2 to play with my kids, but haven't found time to boot it up yet. Am I headed for happiness or disappointment?

 

[tmande2nd]

This is a fun game.
Its vibrant, animated, and interesting.

I really am enjoying it.
For 20 bucks why not grab it?

 

[VanQ]

This game does everything Diablo 3 tried to do and adds a level of complexity that was stripped a way in favor of mass appeal that did naught but alienate fans of the genre and of Diablo 2. Of course, that's because Runic is built from team members that left Blizzard to make this game in stead.

Torchlight 2's multiplayer is by and far the best multiplayer experience I've had this year. And I actually managed to log into the MP on my first day with no hassles and NO LAG! Even better is that game does not hold your hand and treat you like a brainless moron that can't plan stat and ability choices. Every character is unique and you tailor them to YOUR LIKING! You don't have to play the exact same character everyone else does with nary more than a different coat of paint!

At one fifth of the price of D3, this game is a must buy for any dungeon crawler fans out there. There's also the option to buy a four pack for $40(AUD) and you get to give away three copies to your friends to play with!

It's not often that I love a game from the moment I pick it up but Torchlight was one of them and I look forward to spending many hours sorting through loot and bashing through a huge variety of enemies alongside my friends.

If you find yourself hung up between the choice of D3 and TL2, there's absolutely no reason for you to pass up the latter opportunity to save money AND get yourself and three buddies into a world of adventure, loot and a pretty great story.

P.S. The bosses in this game are GLORIOUS! Definitely play on a higher difficulty setting to get the full experience out of the huge battles!

 

[Mike Kayatta]

Btw great review for T2. I was hoping you would talk about the online play more since it is a new feature from the original torchlight but still great overall.

No mention of the Multiplayer? I have 3 copies of TL2 to play with my kids, but haven't found time to boot it up yet. Am I headed for happiness or disappointment?

At the moment, there's not a lot to say about the multiplayer other than the fact that it's there. There's no level scaling or quest sharing mechanics at work; it just doesn't affect the experience positively or negatively beyond being Torchlight II, but with another person around. There's certainly nothing wrong with it - and I'm glad they've included it as an option - but it's like any other feature without a whole lot of personality, like the autosave or respawn system.

@Clankenbeard If you play with your kids, and only as that group, you'll all stay close in level and should have a great time with the game.

 

[Tuqui]

Grabbed this and BL2, and must admit I been playing this more than BL thus far.

 

[GAunderrated]

Btw great review for T2. I was hoping you would talk about the online play more since it is a new feature from the original torchlight but still great overall.

No mention of the Multiplayer? I have 3 copies of TL2 to play with my kids, but haven't found time to boot it up yet. Am I headed for happiness or disappointment?

At the moment, there's not a lot to say about the multiplayer other than the fact that it's there. There's no level scaling or quest sharing mechanics at work; it just doesn't affect the experience positively or negatively beyond being Torchlight II, but with another person around. There's certain nothing wrong with it - and I'm glad they've included it as an option - but it's like any other feature without a whole lot of personality, like the autosave or respawn system.

@Clankenbeard If you play with your kids, and only as that group, you'll all stay close in level and should have a great time with the game.

Actually what I was curious about is how the loot worked. Would both players see different loot or share loot (making it a race to grab everything asap)?

Being a game based on loot gear I think it is a pretty vital question to ask with multiplayer.

 

[Fappy]

Btw great review for T2. I was hoping you would talk about the online play more since it is a new feature from the original torchlight but still great overall.

No mention of the Multiplayer? I have 3 copies of TL2 to play with my kids, but haven't found time to boot it up yet. Am I headed for happiness or disappointment?

At the moment, there's not a lot to say about the multiplayer other than the fact that it's there. There's no level scaling or quest sharing mechanics at work; it just doesn't affect the experience positively or negatively beyond being Torchlight II, but with another person around. There's certain nothing wrong with it - and I'm glad they've included it as an option - but it's like any other feature without a whole lot of personality, like the autosave or respawn system.

@Clankenbeard If you play with your kids, and only as that group, you'll all stay close in level and should have a great time with the game.

Actually what I was curious about is how the loot worked. Would both players see different loot or share loot (making it a race to grab everything asap)?

Being a game based on loot gear I think it is a pretty vital question to ask with multiplayer.

Loot drops for people individually. The system works rather well IMO and I agree with Mike about the multiplayer. It's really fun, but it doesn't add any more depth or systems to the game that weren't there to begin with.

 

[SquidVicious]

Whelp I think I've found my distraction for the weekend.

 

[Smooth Operator]

They improved it immensely with small touches.

And even though I don't like Diablo 3 with all the casualisations, their skill runes were a neat idea that would come in handy with Torchlight, could take the edge off for those who can't commit to a build.
Also a minor gripe I would like the options to switch into a WASD - movement control scheme, this ye olde RTS setup leaves my left hand rather bored even in the most exciting fights, I would almost call it silly because we only got one guy to control in a fast paced game yet it puts a layer of path-finding and target marking in between that distances you from the action.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Actually what I was curious about is how the loot worked. Would both players see different loot or share loot (making it a race to grab everything asap)?

Being a game based on loot gear I think it is a pretty vital question to ask with multiplayer.

Loot drops are specific to each player, which means no scrambling to grab stuff. Although it does look a little bit odd to watch a fellow player walk around in circles over what is (to you) an empty piece of floor.

There's also a handy trading mechanic. So if you pick up a piece of gear that you know one of your coop partners could make better use of, you can give it to them (or trade for something they've pick up). My partner and I have a deal where I give him all the guns I find, and he gives me all the two-handers he finds.

 

[5ilver]

I must be thinking of a different game because the Torchlight I tried got unbearably boring in under 10min. Boring quests, empty npc's, all skills feel the same, the environments and the monsters and the clicking all blur into one big greyness...

Granted, D3 is way worse but that doesn't mean I'm happy with Torchlight. Both could have been so much more.

 

[Ickabod]

I played Diablo 3 for a good 60+ hours and had fun with it, but in the end it just felt forced.

Now playing Torchlight 2 I can see some of flaws that bothered me with D3 more. Loot drops are the biggest thing. In TL2 every drop might be something great that you can use, thus it drives you to keep wanting to whack baddies, in D3 the only way to get useful upgrades was the AH. I will say that the story in D3 drove me a little more than TL2, in TL2 I'm pretty much just looking to kill the next big thing and see what I get. And I couldn't help but laugh when I kicked over a skull and had 20 gold piles drop.

The environments in TL2 and the enemies are just more dynamic. The levels have some elevation in them, and don't just feel like a giant rectangle that I have to explore, the paths in TL2 are less structured. Additionally the mobs are a lot better in TL2, each different mob has it's own ability to attack you in different ways, and if you're not paying attention they will destroy you. I liked the champion packs in D3, but I didn't see those battles as actual battles as much as me just running around kiting the mobs as I AoE'd them to death.

So I liked Diablo 3 just fine, but I didn't love it. TL2 is a lot of fun and just feels looser and freer and let's you play the game rather than telling you how to play the game. For $20 it really is a no brainer for anyone that likes ARPG's

 

[maninahat]

I'm playing through the first Torchlight as we speak. Or at least I was. Can't say I like it. I don't normally play arpgs, so I went with what was meant to be one of the better ones - so far though, I'm just finding it repetitive and pointless. I had more enjoyment with Bastion, which was narrative driven. Anyway, that's my two cents.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

I may have to grab this. Torchlight 1 was a lot of fun, though, I can't say I remember any of the story, so I laughed when you mentioned the game might try and make you care about the plot and you might kind of just go "yeah, yeah, corrupted thing, gonna go hit it with spells and sticks, now, get out the way, I've got pretty environments to see and monsters to bash." If it invokes that from the original, than this is an easy sale.

 

[Skeleon]

Absolutely love it. Playing a cannon-engineer and a shotgun-outlander right now. I just need to really start spending my saved-up skillpoints soon (I'm trying to get to level 35 with my engineer first to test the new skills) because the monsters are really starting to kick my ass with my self-imposed handicap.