FightingFurball said:
Risen 3 is A LOT like Risen 2. There aren't much changes from 2 to 3. If you really liked R2 then there is no reason to pass on R3.
Is that a joke? If so, it isn't very funny. Risen 3 is almost nothing like Risen 2. It's demonstrably different.
For one, the combat system is completely changed. In Risen 2, it consisted of same speed combo attacks with an incredibly clunky and unreliable dodge. Fighting against humanoid enemies was slightly better if you invested some skills into it, allowing you to parry and riposte, but other than that it was all clunky and unresponsive tripe. Risen 3 has improved upon all aspects of the combat system. I'll go into some detail:
For starters, you have to time your attacks. If you mash the buttons, your combo will be slow and clunky - that is so designed to punish button mashing, which is a poor habit for anyone to pick up. Instead, you have to time the clicks of your attacks so you get a fast, precise combo and follow up quickly after each attack. Furthermore, the dodge has become infinitely more reliable, taking from Dark Souls in that it has invincibility frames and covers a higher deal of ground. The parry system is mostly the same, but in combination with an improved attack system and a reliable dodge it is made a lot more usable. Riposte is still there and relies on accurately timed click of the right mouse button, but the major improvement here is that animals and beasts can also be riposted, not just humanoids.
Then we have magic, which adds a lot of fluidity to the combat. Area of effect spells are extremely reliable against surrounding groups of enemies, and most common magic can interrupt and stagger enemies allowing you to get well-timed strong attacks on them with a melee weapon.
That's just the combat by the way. Here, exploration has also been greatly improved over Risen 2. The second game mostly had narrow corridor-like pathways connecting pseudo-open areas with very little of value hidden away. Risen 3, on the islands newly developed for the game, are much larger and more open than anything in Risen 2 and there are items and chests hidden all over the place, including on the roofs of buildings and on hard to reach areas. Now there is reason to search behind every nook and cranny since there are things to find. Exploration is very viable once again.
So that's combat and exploration, the two things that embody Piranha Bytes and make up the majority of their games - both completely and utterly different from what they were like in Risen 2. So no, they aren't the same thing. Not at all.