Graphics and Sound

The colors!

The first thing we noticed about FAKK2 is that it's rather colorful. A world called Eden should be vibrant and lush - the visuals you get in FAKK2 deliver that and more. Those of you who thought Quake 3 was too monochromatic with its browns and grays should be happy to know that the engine can look extraordinarily good with a more varied color palette. The levels trade off nicely between colorful outdoor areas and more cramped, Quake-like interior areas. Explosions and magical effects were pleasing to the eye in 32 bit color, and the smoke/fire/steam effects were arguably the most realistic we've yet seen in any game.

Yes - you'll need to do it

You're in the army now...

If we had a specific complaint about Ritual's implementation, it's with the lighting - it's not truly dynamic. We would have liked the flame sword to light up the darker areas of the maps; ditto for flaming gibs after you blow up an enemy, etc. What was even more annoying than that is how fake the main character's shadow appears on screen. If you stand still and turn ever so slightly, you'll sometimes see your shadow swing around wildly on screen. Stand at the edge of a cliff and at times, your shadow will cast over thin air, as though the floor extended out farther than it does. They sound like minor points, but in a third person game, these are details that need attention. Poor lighting and shadows are very distracting when you are staring at "yourself" all game long.

Drop down!

Climb!

Models

One aspect of FAKK 2 that was surprisingly disappointing was the relatively low poly count of the models. At the normal viewing distance, the excellent skinning on Julie gives you the impression of curves where curves should be located. But up close, the human characters look rather blocky and angular - even Julie, who should be curvaceous. The other characters are literally a bunch of blockheads. When their mouths open to talk, it makes me think of how Canadians are drawn in South Park.

That woman could use a few more polys

Clothes torn in strategic spots

Sound

Speaking of talking - the voice acting in FAKK2 can get pretty bad. Most of the female voices are done in seductive tones at inappropriate (read: all) times, while the male voices range from dorky to average. Thankfully, the other sound effects in the game are pretty decent. The bugs that buzz by your head sound pretty realistic, while gunshots and hand to hand combat sounds also add a good deal to the game's atmosphere.