With so few pirate games around - and classics like Sid Meier's Pirates! and the Monkey Island series showing what the genre's capable of - it's easy to get excited at the thought of a full-on pirate-themed RPG. Even one as flawed as Risen 2: Dark Waters .

+ A sprawling pirate adventure with plenty of depth

- Unclear objectives and headache-inducing map will frustrate many newcomers; ? Piranha Bytes definitely has design chops; but can they harness their ambition and build a polished product

Land lovers beware, pirates are on the open seas of consoles now. Our full review inside.

+ Massive game; + Getting your own pirate ship

Graphics are rough; Maps/quest log hard to read; Combat is limited and mediocre; Poor translation from PC

The first Risen had some great ideas, but was a technical mess on the consoles. Piranha Bytes have taken over duties for the port themselves this time, so does it pay off? The game even had extra time in development to ensure it was all perfect, so here's hoping!

Risen 2: Dark Waters is the latest release from Germany-based action/exploration RPG specialist Piranha Bytes. Compared to their usual fare, it does a lot of things differently in setting, character system and in smaller details, but at its core it has the recognizable strengths and weaknesses of a...

Writing this review has been one of the most difficult pieces I've done this year. On one hand, I think Risen 2: Dark Waters is different, refreshing, and has a great sense of humor.

The dialogue is frequently brilliant

Starting a new game because there's no re-spec option

I found this game to have a somewhat interesting story. One that grabbed just enough of my attention to keep wanting to play it.

Story can be interesting

I've played games on the first Xbox that looked better than this

risen 1 was one of my favorite games it is what got me into RPGS, i never really liked them before i played risen 1, and once i started i played it right through til the end getting all the achievements and everything it was one of the funnest games ive ever played, so i couldnt wait for risen 2 to...

its not as great as the blockbuster rpg games eg. Skyrim, Wittcher 2, etc but it is still worth playing. The settings is fun too.

1. The 2nd version of game made interesting this time is that you actually have a companion to travel with, she/he helps you during battle and occasionally poke in a few lines while you talked to the villagers.

If you played and enjoyed Risen you'll probably like Risen 2 as it's a worthy follow-up. It definitely has it's problems but if you can look past those flaws there's a gem of a game underneath and there are plenty of things to love about it.