Two Worlds Preview

IGN PC has conjured up a detailed hands-on preview of Reality Pump's upcoming Xbox 360/PC RPG, Two Worlds. This game actually sounds like it's shaping up to be a strong contender this year:
The quest system for Two Worlds won't be particularly surprising for most RPGers. Quests are found all over the landscape, but mostly inside of towns where there are more NPCs to talk to. The first quest was simply about learning the game systems in a relatively benign environment and was given automatically. While there wasn't an opening cutscene to set the story up at this point, it's clear that the main character is pretty pissed about his situation, though it was pretty unclear what exactly that situation was when we started. After killing the few creatures in the relatively safe beginning dungeon, our employer informed us that a heaving armed group came into the nearby town and one of them was hanging out looking for us. Hilary on the 360 team then went and murdered the messenger while Dan on the PC team let the poor bastard live. It's unclear if that had any real effect on the game at this point.

In town there were plenty of characters to talk to showing off the large number of voices used to avoid the Oblivion effect. As with most other RPGs Two Worlds NPCs present several dialogue options, most of which pertain to the surrounding area, town, and political climate. We quickly learned that a much more ruthless dictator had been put in charge of the district after the past leader had a falling out with the King. This new leader is pushing residents into excavation labor camps digging something up. Of course, many of the locals have had enough of the business and are starting to revolt under the guidance of the former leader. Many of the town citizens were hesitant to talk about the problems, but soon we were able to piece together enough information to get a feel for the situation.