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Risen (video Game)
''Risen'' is an action role-playing game developed by the German company Piranha Bytes and published by Deep Silver. The first title in the ''Risen'' series, it was released internationally for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in October 2009, with a North American release for Xbox 360 in February 2010. Ports for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in January 2023. The game tells the narrative of an unnamed player character's adventures in Faranga, a mountainous fictitious island ruled by the ruthless High Inquisitor Mendoza. Mendoza knows about a temple that leads to the interior of an erupting volcano dominating the island, and the player character follows Mendoza's instructions to get entry to it. The temple is home to ancient beings known as Titans, which Mendoza attempts to control in order to strengthen himself. ''Risen'' received mostly positive reviews, with acclaim for its gameplay, graphics, and voice acting, but criticism for the poor Xbox 360 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Piranha Bytes
Piranha Bytes GmbH was a German video game developer based in Essen. It was best known for their ''Gothic (series), Gothic'' and ''Risen (series), Risen'' series of role-playing video games. Piranha Bytes was founded in Bochum in 1997 and bought by Phenomedia in 1999. When Phenomedia filed for insolvency in May 2002, the Piranha Bytes management Management buyout, bought out the studio. THQ Nordic, as part of Embracer Group, then acquired the company in May 2019. Piranha Bytes was reported to be in the process of closing since December 2023. It was closed sometime in June 2024 due to Embracer Group failing to find a new owner for the company, according to a former employee; the company declined to make a public statement on their closure. History Alex Brüggemann, , Stefan Nyul and founded Piranha Bytes in Bochum in 1997, incorporating it as Piranha Bytes Software GmbH. In 1999, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of the German publisher Phenomedia. Piranha Bytes' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catacombs
Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred to as ''catacombs'' was the system of underground tombs between the 2nd and 3rd milestones of the Appian Way in Rome, where the bodies of the apostles Peter and Paul, among others, were said to have been buried. The name of that place in Late Latin was ''catacumbas'' (feminine nominative plural; the singular is ''catacumba'') — a word of obscure origin, possibly deriving from a proper name or a derivation of the Greek phrase ''cata cumbas'', "below the quarries". The word referred originally only to the Roman catacombs, but was extended by the 19th century to refer to any subterranean receptacle of the dead, as in the 18th-century Paris catacombs. The ancient Christians carved the firs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spell (paranormal)
An incantation, spell, charm, enchantment, or bewitchery is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung, or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremonial rituals or prayers. In the world of magic, wizards, witches, and fairies are common performers of incantations in culture and folklore. In medieval literature, folklore, fairy tales, and modern fantasy fiction, enchantments are charms or spells. This has led to the terms "enchanter" and "enchantress" for those who use enchantments. The English language borrowed the term "incantation" from Old French in the late 14th century; the corresponding Old English term was '' gealdor'' or '' galdor'', "song, spell", cognate to ON galdr. The weakened sense "delight" (compare the same development of "charm") is modern, first attested in 1593 ( OED). Words of incantation are often spoken with inflection and emphasis on the words being said. The t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alchemy
Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first attested in a number of pseudepigraphical texts written in Greco-Roman Egypt during the first few centuries AD.. Greek-speaking alchemists often referred to their craft as "the Art" (τέχνη) or "Knowledge" (ἐπιστήμη), and it was often characterised as mystic (μυστική), sacred (ἱɛρά), or divine (θɛíα). Alchemists attempted to purify, mature, and perfect certain materials. Common aims were chrysopoeia, the transmutation of " base metals" (e.g., lead) into "noble metals" (particularly gold); the creation of an elixir of immortality; and the creation of panaceas able to cure any disease. The perfection of the human body and soul was thought to result from the alchemical ''magnum opus'' ("Great Work"). The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smithing
A metalsmith or simply smith is a craftsperson fashioning useful items (for example, tools, kitchenware, tableware, jewelry, armor and weapons) out of various metals. Smithing is one of the oldest metalworking occupations. Shaping metal with a hammer (forging) is the archetypical component of smithing. Often the hammering is done while the metal is hot, having been heated in a forge. Smithing can also involve the other aspects of metalworking, such as refining metals from their ores (traditionally done by smelting), casting it into shapes ( founding), and filing to shape and size. The prevalence of metalworking in the culture of recent centuries has led '' Smith'' and its equivalents in various languages to be a common occupational surname (German Schmidt or Schmied, Portuguese Ferreiro, Ferreira, French Lefèvre, Spanish Herrero, Italian Fabbri, Ferrari, Ferrero, Ukrainian Koval etc.). As a suffix, ''-smith'' connotes the meaning of a specialized craftsperson—for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lock Picking
Lock picking is the practice of unlocking a Lock (security device), lock by manipulating the components of the lock device without the original key. Although lock-picking can be associated with Intention (criminal law), criminal intent, it is an essential skill for the legitimate profession of locksmithing, and is also pursued by law-abiding citizens as a useful skill to learn, or simply as a hobby (locksport). In some countries, such as Japan, lock-picking tools are illegal for most people to possess, but in many others, they are available and legal to own as long as there is no intent to use them for criminal purposes. History Lock (security device), Locks by definition secure or fasten something with the intention that access is possible only with the matching key. Despite this, criminal lock picking likely started with the first locks. Famed locksmith Alfred Charles Hobbs said in the mid-1800s: Professional and recreational lock picking also has a long history. Ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pickpocketing
Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person or a victim's pocket without them noticing the theft at the time. It may involve considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection. A thief who works in this manner is known as a pickpocket. Italy, France and Spain have the highest rates of pickpocketing. As an occupation Pickpockets and other thieves, especially those working in teams, sometimes apply distraction, such as asking a question or bumping into the victim. These distractions sometimes require sleight of hand, speed, misdirection and other types of skills. Pickpockets may be found in any crowded place around the world. However, Barcelona and Rome have been noted as being particularly dangerous pickpocket havens. Thieves have been known to operate in high traffic areas such as mass transit stations, even boarding subway trains so they can use the distractions of crowds and sudden stop-and-go movements from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Easter Egg (media)
An Easter egg is a message, image, or feature hidden in software, a video game, a film, or another—usually electronic—medium. The term used in this manner was coined around 1979 by Steve Wright, the then-Director of Software Development in the Atari Consumer Division, to describe a hidden message in the Atari video game ''Adventure (Atari 2600), Adventure'', in reference to an egg hunt, Easter egg hunt. The earliest known video game Easter egg is in the 1973 video game ''Lunar Lander (video game genre)#Graphical games, Moonlander'', in which the player tries to land a Lunar module on Moon, the Moon; if the player opts to fly the module horizontally through several of the game's screens, they encounter a McDonald's restaurant, and if they land next to it, the astronaut will visit it instead of standing next to the ship. The earliest known Easter egg in software in general is one placed in the "make" command for PDP-6/PDP-10 computers sometime in October 1967–October 1968, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Credits Roll
Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at the very end of a work. A full set of credits can include not only the cast and crew, but also production sponsors, distribution companies, works of music licensed or written for the work, various legal disclaimers, such as copyright, and more. Appearance Typically, the closing credits appear in white lettering on a solid black background, often with a musical background. Credits are either a series of static frames, or a single list that scrolls from the bottom of the screen to the top. Occasionally closing credits will divert from this standard form to scroll in another direction, include illustrations, extra scenes, bloopers, joke credits and post-credits scenes. History The use of closing credits in film to list complete production crew a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Undead
The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's own Energy (esotericism), life force or that of a supernatural being (such as a demon, or other evil spirit). The undead may be Incorporeality, incorporeal (ghosts) or Human body, corporeal (mummy (undead), mummies, vampires, skeleton (undead), skeletons, and zombies). The undead are featured in the belief systems of most cultures, and appear in many works of fantasy fiction, fantasy and horror fiction. The term is also occasionally used for real-life attempts to Resurrection#Technological resurrection, resurrect the dead with science and technology, from early experiments like Robert E. Cornish's to future sciences such as "chemical brain preservation" and "cryonics." While the term usually refers to corporeal entities, in some cases (for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curse
A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, "curse" may refer to such a wish or pronouncement made effective by a supernatural or spirituality, spiritual power, such as a god or gods, a spirit, or a Natural phenomenon, natural force, or else as a kind of spell (paranormal), spell by magic (paranormal), magic (usually black magic) or witchcraft; in the latter sense, a curse can also be called a hex or a jinx. In many belief systems, the curse itself (or accompanying ritual) is considered to have some causative force in the result. To reverse or eliminate a curse is sometimes called "removal" or "breaking", as the Incantation, spell has to be dispelled, and often requires elaborate rituals or prayers. Types The study of the forms of curses comprises a significant proportion of the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, also known as an archmage, mage, magus, magic-user, spellcaster, enchanter/enchantress, sorcerer/sorceress, warlock, witch, or wizard, is someone who uses or practices magic derived from supernatural, occult, or arcane sources. Magicians enjoy a rich history in mythology, legends, fiction, and folklore, and are common figures in works of fantasy, such as fantasy literature and role-playing games. Character archetypes People who work magic are called by several names in fantasy works, and terminology differs widely from one fantasy world to another. While derived from real-world vocabulary, the terms: ''magician'', ''mage'', ''magus'', ''enchanter/enchantress'', ''sorcerer/sorceress'', ''warlock'', ''witch'', and ''wizard'', each have different meanings depending upon context and the story in question. ''Archmage'' is used in fantasy works to indicate a powerful magician or a leader of magicians. Enchanters typically practice a type of imbued magic that pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
