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Desecrated

To understand my fascination with this game, you have to go back in time: For me, there was no internet, no oversupply of games. My only way of getting information from the world of video games was through video game magazines such as GameStar - we even had a subscription. Of course, the best way to play games together was via couch co-op or LAN parties. So any game that you could play together was a highlight.

As I had never played Diablo myself, but genre cousins such as Dungeon Siege, Titan Quest and Sacred, I was pretty hyped when the sequel Sacred 2: Fallen Angel was released. Not only did it look forbiddingly good, it promised to be bigger, more polished and all in all better than the series founder. But although I had a lot of fun with the game, the German answer from developer Ascaron was never on the same level as a Blizzard title.

Not only was Sacred 2 a bit of a bugfest when it was released, it also lacked some of the charm of its predecessor. Sure, with German voice actors like Thomas Fritsch (Scar from The Lion King), Sandra Schwittau (Bart from the Simpsons), Michael Pan (Data from Star Trek: The Next Generationand Raimund Krone (Worf, also from Star Trek: TNG), there was an ensemble from my childhood at the microphone, but it couldn't match the quirky charm of the first game ('Chop his head off, I need a new ashtray!') with its attempted humor.

Nevertheless - and that's why I'm mentioning this at the beginning - I had a lot of fun with this gem. Unlike in Gothic 3, the bugs weren't just a source of frustration, but also amusement: I played an Inquisitor who, as a Star Wars emperor knock-off, threw lightning bolts around and could even duplicate himself. A programming error quickly taught me the principle of exponential growth when my clones were suddenly also able to cast spells and began to doublicate themselves. Although this quickly brought my PC to its knees, it made the battles much easier.

In addition, I was able to play Sacred 2 together with my buddy Jacko, which led to several all-nighters in which we cleared the world of Ancaria of various monsters in forest, swamp and desert regions. And, of course, the guest appearance of the Krefeld metal band Blind Guardian, who rewarded the successful completion of their quest series with a rendition of their amptly named song "Sacred", remains legendary. There is simply nothing like this in (today's) AAA blockbusters.

This brings us directly to the OST, which with its 18 tracks is comparatively extensive for the time. There is also little to complain about in terms of quality. What do we hear? Typical orchestral fantasy droning that strums unobtrusively in the background on harps ("Highelves Day Suite") or the guitar ("Humans Town", "Humans Day Suite"). Who is responsible for the soundtrack, you want to know? Excellent question, which the Internet answers in a variety of ways.

Websites such as the Sacred-Wiki or MobyGames name Dag Winderlich (composer of the first Sacred) and Stefan Ruthenberg as well as the freelancer Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho. Discogs , on the other hand, throws around the big name Dynamedion. Unfortunately, I haven't found a definitive answer anywhere. Perhaps one of the composers worked for the German music company, or perhaps they were only involved in the orchestral production. Who knows? Who cares?

The only important thing is whether the music is any good - and it is. At least if you are looking for unspectacular ambient music. The Sacred 2: Fallen Angel-soundtrack perfectly reflects this by dividing the different landscapes into the somewhat more exciting "Capital" / "Town" / "Camp" tracks and the more rippling "Day Suites". Sometimes loftier ("Higheleves Capital"), sometimes tribal ("Dryads Town", "Orcs Camp") and always with that classic fantasy touch, the score brings absolutely nothing earth-shattering to the stage. If that's enough for you, you'll be satisfied.

In my opinion, as with its predecessor, a lot of potential was wasted here. Motifs were not followed through, exclamation marks are missing. A few of the melodies, such as in "Island Day", are quite enjoyable but sink into the great insignificance of the overall composition. While the predecessor at least tickles the nostalgic nerves a little with its retro charm, the high sound quality of the successor ensures that the lack of musical ideas becomes apparent in comparison to contemporary albums. Games like Torchlight or Diablo II are simply more memorable. Apart from the guest appearance of the Blind Guardians, there is unfortunately nothing remarkable here. What a pity!

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Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Main Menu	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
02	Highelves Capital	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	4
03	Highelves Day Suite	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
04	Desert Town	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
05	Desert Day Suite	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
06	Humans Town	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
07	Humans Castle	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
08	Humans Love Day	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
09	Humans Day Suite	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
10	Dryads Town	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
11	Dryads Day Suite	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
12	Orcs Camp	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
13	Orcs Day Suite	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
14	Seraphim Headquarter Day Suite	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
15	Swamp Day Suite	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
16	Canyon Day Suite	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
17	Island Day	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	4
18	Big Machine	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	4

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Ice & Blood

The first and only addon to Sacred 2: Fallen Angel goes by the name of Ice & Blood and comes with two features: Firstly, it added the new player class of the dragon mage and two new regions to the game. Secondly, it was the final nail in the coffin for Ascaron - after 17 years, the developer and publisher, which was particularly well known for the On the Ball-series, came to an end. Not a good omen for the expansion, which is why I didn't even play it.

At least musically, the game doesn't go quietly into the night, but says goodbye with an unexpected loudness. I don't know whether the composers - here, by the way, I have the same allocation problem as with the main game - didn't care what they had done in the previous album. In any case, there's no other explanation for the clear stylistic breaks that define this album (it's not really an OST).

There's the rock interlude in the "Dragon Mage Fight" tracks, which sounds like something borrowed from a bullet hell shooter. Or the almost horror-like "Bloodforest" tracks, which even have a bit of a Halloween-vibe to them. This change of tone is unexpected and, despite its mediocrity, makes the album almost more interesting than the OST from Fallen Angel. Sounds weird, but I'd rather have well-made trash than poorly-made quality work.

Nr.	Title	Interpret(en)	Ratings
01	Dragon Mage Fight 1	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
02	Dragon Mage Fight 2	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
03	Dragon Mage Fight 3	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
04	Crystal Planes Day 1	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
05	Crystal Planes Day 2	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2
06	Crystal Planes Night 1	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
07	Crystal Planes Dungeon 1	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
08	Bloodforest Day 1	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
09	Bloodforest Day 2	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
10	Bloodforest Night 1	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	3
11	Bloodforest Dungeon 1	Dag Winderlich; Stefan Ruthenberg; Pedro Macedo de Oliveira Camacho; Dynamedion	2