Sacred 2 PS3 review additional

Yes I'm still playing it simply because it turns up so many diamond nuggets that you want to grab RPG (and other) designers, point at the screen and say "Look that's how it should be done". Sadly it seems each moment is tied to the opposite and a cry of "Look that's how you shouldn't do it".

And so we come to escort missions. As I've said say those two words to a game player and they'll groan; say them to a game developer and they'll say "Hey that's a good idea". However Sacred 2 takes the escort mission and eliminates one of the main causes of suffering; this being Sacred 2 however it brings along all the rest.



The first escort mission I encountered was entitled "Tutorial Hirelings" escort a soldier into a cave and find out what happened to a patrol. Talking to the soldier he stated that he could support me with sword or bow. Excellent my character is a close-combat one having ranged support would be nice I accept with X.

I try to talk to him to tell him to use his bow, but he doesn't respond. Okay maybe he'll do it automatically.

I move off and the soldier follows, I pass some enemies but they're far away and aren't bothering me. The soldier charges them with a sword. I reluctantly follow. This repeats all the way to the cave entrance. Occasionally I get ahead of him but he teleports in if you get too far; that's nice.

I enter the cave and he charges off to the left to attack some rats while others charge in from the right. The inevitable happens and he dies. Oh dear game over. Wait no it's not I can now go back outside find the person who gave me the mission and tell him I've failed "You're not very good" he says and I get a small reward for at least finding the remains of the patrol.

Later on I decide to start afresh with a new character and come to the same mission. Wise to the fact I decide to clear away some of the enemies first and therefore press Circle rather than X at the mission screen. The soldier still follows me, but this time he's using his bow? Um good. He's still attacking anyone within range, but at least he's staying back this time. I even manage to get him through the mission in one piece and get thanked with a large reward.

See that's how to do it - don't make me keep doing the mission until I succeed allow it to fail gracefully.

However we still have the non-cooperating suicidal escort to deal with or maybe not.

Much later I have a quest to deliver a note; I head that way picking up and doing other quests on the way and during the end of one approach the delivery point and find a new quest to pick up some Elvish ore to placate spirits. Its location is near the drop-off point for my current mission so I pop over. I come back a different route and pass the delivery point. I decide to get that out of the way. The recipient attacks me. I respond he gives up and asks me to escort him South to areas I've yet to explore. I agree. But first let me drop off this ore. "Thanks" he says "Now can you escort me to this point" um no except I can't say no. So now I have two escort missions one to the South and one closer to the North through areas I've already been. I decide to head North with both tagging along.

At this point I note the difference between them.Ore Man is your standard suicidal type and charges in to the fray; however Note Man has no weapons and runs away from the enemy. So imagine trying to cross enemy terrain with these two in tow. Off runs Ore Man to the North and away runs Note Man to the South. Ore Man attracts more enemies, and so does Note Man. Great. The inevitable happens and Note Man gets killed.

So I can I return to a save point before I picked up these two escorts - nope there's only one save file and it happily overwrites by itself when you accept quests. Oh thank you very much.