So, I've had quite a lot of fun playing that game on X360 (~190h playtime, finished all quests except one annoying time race quest). I got it on Steam too (I think it was ~10€ for the game + both DLCs, 44h in).
I hate to say that it gets boring after some time (whereas calling ~230h "some time" is an understatement), but it kinda does. Still love to play it 30min every few days but yeah....I want something new. But it's an awesome game, would recommend it anytime (if you can deal with the fantasy part, which has a lot of potential but is kinda plain in my opinion).
Did some research beforehand to see if there are any games similar to it (3rd person, fighting style, action-rpg, huge world, side quests, nice graphics (no Skyrim with dozens of mods level but no crappy PS2 era graphics either, doesn't necessarily have to be fantasy but I prefer it...).
So far I only found recommendations on different forums like
Oblivion / Skyrim - own both, not a huge fan (especially the "do what you want"-level of freedom, might sound strange but yeah, and the first person perspective makes me dizzy/nauseous plus I hate the inresponsive fight-feedback).
Fable series - own all the parts except the Kinect game, played them back to back several times.
Shadow of Mordor - not a fan of the LotR universe, no interest in the story = no interest in the game.
Darksiders II - have it on Steam, never touched it because I haven't finished the first one. Would like an alternative which I can play without having to finish another game first.
Risen series - not a fan of the pirate theme (except in Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty, that was quite entertaining).
The Witcher series - meh. Many might say I miss out on quite a lot of fun but I can't get myself to like it.
Dragon's Dogma series - console only....I try to leave that era behind.
Dragon Age: Origins & 2 - didn't get to play them yet and honestly not a big fan of fighting with a group.
I feel like I have already ruled out every alternative there is but I'm curious if I have missed something.
You don't need to play Darksiders 1 to enjoy Darksiders 2. Darksiders 2 takes place before the events of Darksiders 1. To be more precise, it takes place after the first 20 minutes of the first game, before the real game even starts. And it's amazing.
I really REALLY loved KOA:R. The combat system is by far the best I've ever played in an action-rpg. The crafting system in it is very well done as well. Such a shame that company went bankrupt.
I might suggest Dragon Age: Inquisition. Yes, it does have the party system, but the graphics look great even at mid settings, has a fun combat system (not as fun as KOA) and the crafting system in it is pretty good too. Tons of quests as well. I'd love to see a RPG that has a combat system similar to KOA and a crafting system that would kind of be a mesh between both KOA and DA:I. The story in it wouldn't have to be the best ever written and I'd still buy it off of those two alone.
I'd like to finish the first one before starting the second game. It might not be necessary but it's a quirk of mine ;-)
Well, it's not perfect, it definitely has its flaws, but it's still a ton of fun :-) Yeah, 'Project Kopernikus' looked awesome (the MMO they were working on).
I was thinking about that too but there are two reasons why I will wait some time until I buy and play it:
I need to play the other Dragon Age games first. From what I've heard/read it comes in very handy to know what happened in the previous games.
My current PC is too weak to really enjoy the graphics (i3-4130, R7 260X). 30fps on low settings and 720p is not what I'm aiming for....might as well play it on a potato....uhm, console.
Though it is an older game, I like Overlord series for something a little different. Assassin's Creed series can be nice or at least I enjoyed the first 4. If you don't mind first person, the Deus Ex series may not be current, but the human revolution game is and they are coming out with another in the line.
Thanks for the suggestions! But I guess I'm just too picky.
Overlord - not a fan of the gameplay concept (commanding minions) Assassin's Creed - I have the I + II in my Steam library but never even got to play the second because the first was getting boring so fast (climb on towers, fight guards, be smarter than the pretty dumb AI). Deus Ex - I know Logan hypes it a lot but I'm absolutely no fan of the cyberpunk setting. Also - much more importantly - I get motionsick when I play first person shooter.