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Addicting gameplay, pure hack'n'slash fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 90 / 92
Date: June 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Sacred is a Diablo-style hack-n-slash RPG with a large game world and a ton of possible side quests. Although presented in the fixed-angle isometric style of many similar games, Sacred's graphics are very detailed, and mousewheel zooming is allowed. The game constantly challenges you by presenting enemies with varying skills and weaknesses, in increasing strength and number as you progress along your journey.

What to expect:
* Although there are times during your quest when you are accompanied by one or more NPCs, Sacred is a single-character game, as opposed to party-based games like Dungeon Siege.
* When starting a new game you can choose from a small assortment of vastly different predefined characters. The game begins slightly differently depending on which character you choose, but the main quest is the same for all characters.
* Combat is very simple: just click and kill. In addition to melee and ranged combat, your character will acquire special moves over time. (Each character type has its own set of possible special moves, further distinguishing the different classes.)
* Your character travels through a single, very large map that features numerous terrains and creature types. The map is so large that if you only stick to the main quest, you may only see about 50% of it.
* The story is rather generic, and certainly not the focus of this very action-heavy game.

What's good:
* Almost all dialog is voiced, and the acting is generally pretty good. Also, the handful of cutscenes are rather high quality.
* The gameplay is rather well balanced in that as your character levels up, your opponents become both more numerous and difficult to defeat. This keeps the gameplay challenging.
* Different types of enemies require different kinds of combat- for example, a number of creatures fly and attack you from above which makes melee combat very difficult. It's best to work these guys down with ranged weapons or spells, even if you prefer to swing an axe. The tactical variations necessary to deal with your foes keeps battle interesting, especially when you're swarmed by numerous kinds of creatures at the same time.
* The different playable character types truly lend themselves to different kinds of gameplay and have their own unique special abilities- it's not like Dungeon Siege where every character has potential to equal any other character in terms of skills.
* The game provides plenty of ways to keep track of the main quest and side quests: You've got your standard journal, the world map uses color-coded markers to indicate places you must visit for your quests, and there's a compass at the bottom of the screen (also color coded) that points you to your destination of both the main quest and any side quest you've got going. It's possible to have multiple side quests open at the same time. When this happens sometimes you'll have multiple arrows pointing to the different side quest points of interest.

What's bad:
* The manual seems to leave out a number of crucial details. For example, there are little gazebos scattered around the landscape. These are actually little teleporters that you can use to quickly travel to places you've already visited. You must activate a teleporter in order to be able to travel to it. There is no mention in the manual that these things even exist, and believe me they're useful!
* One aspect of the game that could have been more interesting is the fact that you can upgrade some weapons and armor in most towns. The upgrade process is rather confusing, and the upgrades that I was able to perform didn't seem to make much of a difference in my character's progress. I would like to have seen a simpler system that offered more powerful upgrades.
* Another thing that could have been cool, but turned out more annoying than anything else is the fact that you can buy and ride horses. For one thing, most of your combo attacks are not available while riding a horse, and the special horse attacks that you can use are difficult to execute. Additionally, mounting/dismounting doesn't work reliably in the heat of battle- your horse can easily be killed before you're able to jump off it and start fighting. There's also a rather strange (and undocumented) limitation whereby you cannot enter caves, dungeons, or any other kind of door while riding a horse... you won't get any feedback indicating the problem- you just won't be able to enter. Just back away from the door, dismount, and enter. (Just whistle for your horse once you're back in an outside area. He'll magically appear.) The only useful thing about having a horse in this game is that it allows you outrun most enemies when you're not interested in fighting.
* Companion pathfinding is rather lame. There are a number of occasions where you must escort NPCs to various destinations and they fall behind A LOT. Luckily, if you get too far ahead of your NPCs, they'll appear nearby in a little puff of smoke and continue trying to keep up with you.
* At least three times during my adventure the game crashed to the desktop upon completing or taking up new subquests. I learned to always save right before talking to anyone, and I admit I eventually became rather reluctant to attempt side quests.
* Respawning. Enemies respawn like CRAZY in this game. If you ever have to backtrack through a region you just cleared out, don't be surprised to find it totally crawling with baddies within a matter of minutes.
* The terrain is often difficult to navigate, in that sometimes there's only ONE way to get from one region to another (there are lots of dense woods and steep cliffs to block your way), and it's occasionally hard to find those little passages when looking at the world map. This often results in a lot of backtracking- for example when you're looking for a way up onto a plateau- which makes the game's respawn rate sorta maddening at times.

Tips:
* Don't use the same kind of tactic with every kind of enemy. Some of the strongest creatures might be vulnerable to specific weapons or spells.
* Remember to jump off your horse before attempting to enter any doors (not necessary for teleporters).
* It's difficult to find patches for the game on the official website, and there's no patch option within the game's menu. Don't despair: There's an "Update Software" option in the Sacred folder in your Start menu. (I never noticed it until somebody told me, because I always launched the game via the shortcut on my desktop.)
* If you're having a tough time trying to get from point A to point B, look for roads and trails in the terrain. Typically, if you follow a road that appears to be heading, that will get you to the next point in your quest. Following these paths will save you hours of tracing forest and cliff edges looking for a way in.

Difficulty (from Very Easy to Very Hard): Medium

My rating (from Very Bad to Very Good): Good

You will probably like this game if you liked these: Diablo, Dungeon Siege

Refreshing game, but cherry on top is missing

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 29 / 31
Date: April 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After playing Diablo 2 for the last few years, I was really excited to see Sacred released. It's different, yet the same from Diablo 2. The graphics are superior and there are a TON more things to do. They smartly programmed the experience gain, too. No more level 80 in one day. The skill variations are VAST, so you could make several different builds of one character, so...it might take you a few months.

The single player mode is the winner with this game. You can do quests at your own pace, explore at your own pace, etc. Multiplayer on the Net is a little shaky. Wanna do a campaign or mission on multiplayer? Good Luck. I have an extremely difficult time questing in multiplayer. It seems all the quests are already done or in progress...that is the frustrating part.

The battle graphics are smokin' HOT! They will bring a tear to your eye!!

Verdict: Excellet game that needs a few finishing touches put on multiplayer. Then this will truly be the "Diablo Killer".

More interesting than Diablo

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 17 / 19
Date: July 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I recently purchased the game during my R&R from Iraq and found that the game ran well on my laptop. Although being a bit Hack and Slashy for me, I found that the game was enjoyable enough for me to keep. I can't wait to get out of this rock of a country and back home to the US so I can play it online :)

I found that the ability to wander the woods slaying whatever comes in your path was interesting. Moreso than Diablo or Diablo 2 ever was, allowing more freedom to do as you please. Although the different letter keys took me a few deaths to figure out. Trying to find your healing potion on your alphabetical belt while being slashed and shot with orc weapons can be annoying. The graphics were outstandingly better than other Hack and Slash games Ive played. The voices left me somewhat baffled and were not to well done. Overall though this game is definatly a keeper.

I never ran into any quirks or problems as so many of you said you found. I havent patched my game yet or anything. Maybe I just got the good copy? :D

At any rate its definatly worth your hard earned dough. Im a long time Dungeons and Dragons Player though, and nothing beets a good old fashioned pen and paper dungeon crawl ;)

Like a much improved Diablo

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: March 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Anyone buying this game should first of all download the 1.8.6 (or whatever version is current) patch from the official Sacred website. It fixes a lot of minor annoyances, including not being able to heal your horse when you drink a healing potion.

That aside, this game is like a beautifully rendered, modern-day Diablo. 3D character models and items set against gorgeous, photo-realistic backdrops make for an exhilirating gaming experience. The lush, detailed forests; the snow-capped mountains of the north; the harsh deserts of the far south - it's all here, and shown in amazing detail.

In short, Sacred is like a much improved version of Diablo. If you've a love for adventuring, for questing and "dungeoning", it's a must-buy.

A good game, but not excellent.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: June 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've only been playing a few days, but Sacred is a very enjoyable and entertaining game. It definitely has a few quirks. I'm playing now as a Wood Elf, but will definitely play a second time as the Vampire.

The graphics are fantastic and cutting edge. You can't compare it to older, similiar games, because the technology improves so quickly. Baldur's Gate was state-of-the-art at its time, too. Sacred's zoom feature (roll the center mouse ball) allows you to get a close-up look at people, landscape, etc. without loosing pixels.

The game is very fluid in motion, no jerking about, but the AI can be a little flaky. NPCs tend to disappear or get stuck in the corner of a room, or take off running down a dead-end. I've learned to just keep moving and they catch up to you. Also, you have no control over their fighting. You can give them a better weapon (which they'll return), but you can't give them any armor. Those you need for a quest will resurrect if they die, otherwise they're gone. The hack and slash is the same as Diablo, except Diablo has a better representation of how much damage your doing. In Sacred, it's sometimes hard to tell which bad guy you're hitting. Monsters don't have any real stats on them, just a couple symbols when you cursor over them that I haven't figured out what they mean. This is probably my largest disappointment. Similarly, roaming townspeople have weird symbols over their heads that depict what they're doing (Alt key), walking, merchants, friendly, etc., but the book doesn't show you what they mean. And when you figure it out, it's generally pointless and not entirely accurate.

There are lots of places to hunt for stuff and even at the first few levels, you'll find some great armor and weapons and plenty to sell. Maybe too much. By level 9, I had so much money, I could buy anything. Which is fine, but not terribly challenging. You also get the ability to add enhancements to your weapon, like the little chips you got in Diablo. Except that you have to go to a blacksmith to have it done. I don't believe you can do this on your own (again, I'm not through with the game).

The tab key brings up a see-through, overview of the map area you're in, but Sacred's version (Diablo had a much better one) doesn't give a clear point as to where an area stops. I found myself going back to places I'd already been because I thought I missed something. Diablo delineates an area with a red, glowing line which is helpful, and shows doorways. Sacred's see-through is a little confusing. The overview world map is kind of nifty, though. Run your mouse over a symbol and left click to a zoomed image of the area. Also helps with locating quests.

You can buy a horse which is different and fun. If they disappear, you can call them back. They also take damage in combat so I keep them away. You can shoot arrows from horseback, but can't use certain skills unless you dismount. That's a little tricky too. Not impossible, just not real fluid. More handy when traveling alone as you can't buy one for your companion. All in all, it's neat, but not real practical.

Finding how to fufill quests is very easy. In this respect, beginning gamers would really enjoy the game. Experienced gamers might find it less challenging. (Maybe the Bronze/Silver selection relates to difficulty?) Once you're given a duty, there's various maps you can view to see exactly where to go. I like the log book feature which clearly details your quests along with hints and other info. The enclosed book is the same you get with any other game. Just the basics, but helpful to learn how to shoot, use magic and various playing tips. However, I found that keeping track of everything in battle, your life, switching weapons, using magic is a little awkward and easier to understand by an experienced gamer. Diablo and Baldur's Gate were more fluid and easier to find. For instance, trying to heal an NPC during battle was tedious. Maybe there's an easy way, but I haven't found it. I think in Diablo (it's been awhile!) you can press 1,2,3,4 as like a quick key. In Sacred, quick keys are the letters, so while you're shooting you have to hunt for letters. Doing that, while pressing Ctrl to keep your character from running all over the battlefield, hitting space bar to drink a health potion, it's just a little much.

Obviously, I haven't had any problems running the game, but that doesn't mean others didn't. Make sure you have the right system requirements (the game is only somewhat high-end in that regard) and your video drivers are updated. Also, if it's unloading, check how your memory is being allocated. My husband darn near took his whole system apart because the game kept dumping, until he saw all the stuff eating up his RAM. I did get some weird bugs, like an occasional jumping screen and I lost the pointer once. It also unloaded once when I found a quest object before getting the quest, but when I reloaded it was fine. There is a patch that fixes "minor bugs", but I couldn't find it on Encore's site. You can get it at "downloads-zdnet.com" or at Game Spot (which gives the game an 8.6 out of 10, btw) or via Goggle. All in all, Encore did a great job at a fun game.

Amazing value for money. Fun. Massive world.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: April 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The six player character options all play fairly differently. Plenty of scope for different builds within each of the characters. The offical sacred forum on the developers site is pretty full of debate on what is "best build"... a good sign.

The game world as stated by many people is huge. I mean really huge. You can walk (or ride) across it without loading screens etc. Very nice. Saving games is also approx 5 seconds long.

Many main and subquests to complete. Subquests are fairly easy to complete, main quests are often lenghty affairs across good distances. Some of the subquests are broken to some degree with the little subquest arrow not working right. I suspect this will all be patched at some point. The game is massive, so not surprising some of the wee bells and whistles don't work. The developers have shown excellent follow up on patch issus so far, which bodes well.

Hundreds of items, plus many can be socketed with jewelry and runes, and there are at least a hundred of these to play with as well. Lots of combinations for outfitting your character.

Simple to use, yet deep to think about, special combat arts, spells and combo system. Also leveling up requires thoughtfull application of stats and skills.

Many people complain about difficulty with clicking on monsters to attack etc. "I have to click 4-5 times to attack a monster" sort of stuff. The game works best by clicking and holding the left mouse button down. Once doing that your character will continue to attack without constant clicking. (Nice for my carpal tunnel issues!) This info is also on pg 27 of the manual.

Overall I've enjoyed it greatly so far. Player for 20 hours and explored 6% of the map. Excellent value for money!

Diablo III anyone?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: March 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'll make this real simple, anyone longing for a Diablo III will love this game. It has the great gameplay action and skill building of Diablo II along with a seemingly endless amount of quests to add some interest to all the hacking & slashing. Another thing, the gameworld is HUGE. The game includes a meter that measures the percentage of the world you've explored and so far I've played 20 hours and have only explored 6%, although I must admit I am a plower from the older Might & Magic games.

Sacred - Worth every penny and then some.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: April 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

It may have been buggy at release, but the 1.5 update, which I applied before I started playing, seems to have fixed everything for my machine. I've been playing almost non-stop for 2 and a half days and not a single glitch that I can find.

Diablo II fans should rejoice at this truly excellent game. Better graphics, a map that is bigger than you can possibly imagine, simple controls, a little bit of innovation (combo moves, Saraphim and Vampiress characters, special abilities, etc.) good story, diverse adversaries, good music, and a whole lot of fun. I discovered this game by accident on-line, and had a hard time finding a copy near me, but the effort (of driving to a GameStop in downtown Boston) was worth it in the extreme.

Go buy this game immediately if you have any love at all for Diablo II style gaming.

The old 3-D engine reborn.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: March 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Theres a few pros and cons about this game, but I'll get to that later on. First off, Sacred is alot like Diablo II, only with a good story. It's very open-ended for an action-RPG, over 50% of the world is open to explore as soon as you start the game. Unlike most action RPGs, where the smaller enemies just seem annoying, in Sacred the monsters carry random items. You could kill the smallest enemy and find a great weapon or item on it. As you go along, you find "runes" to place in slots to do special moves. You can combine these moves to make a really cool looking (and powerful) combo attack. Theres alot of movement in this game. It's not just "hack & slash". Characters have moves where they can kick, punch, spin around, do acrobatics, and all kinds of stuff. Theres also "particle effects" on some items. One of the armors for the Seraphim class, when you put it on, sprouts blue "wing" like things that sway around when you walk or move. You can also have blacksmiths combine weapons and armors to make completly new items.

Pros:
- Lots of 'eye candy' for this type of game.
- LOTS of items, weapons, armors etc etc.
- Diverse enemies and characters.
- Nice music and sound effects.
- Each character class has a differant type of "play". You can beat the game with the gladiator, and have a totally differant experiance if you beat it with a vampire class.
- The replay value is great. 30 main quests and 200 sub-quests. You wont be beating this in 4 hours like some action RPGs.
- You can buy a horse and ride it around, and attack from it.
- Online play.
- The overhead view has a zoom feature. Where you dont have to stare at tiny characters running around. When you zoom in you can see how much detail is in this game.
- A really "clean" interface.

Cons:
- Kind of a "dated" engine. It has an overhead view like Diablo and Baldurs Gate. But it's not really a resource killer. This game will play on any average PC.

Over all, I really liked this game. I compare most of these game types with the famous Baldurs Gate series (gameplay, content, originality, etc). And this one was more than enough to keep me interested. It's just alot of fun. It's good to see that games are still being made that just arent all about the graphics.

VERY ADDICTING! [My wife hates it]

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: January 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is alot of fun! I start playing it and I can't stop. There are so many things that you can do and with different characters. I start playing it and the day is gone in no time [that's why my wife hates it]. Very good graphics. This is my favorite RPG. I can't wait 'til Sacred Underground is available!
Make sure you download Sacred Plus from the game site. It offers some improvements and extra missions and characters.

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