Sacred 2 - Preview @ GameSpy

GameSpy has a short introductory preview of Sacred 2 from GDC:

Diablo-style action-RPGs seem to thrive on their simplicity. The fact that they largely take place within the strict boundaries of linear play-spaces sharpens their focus on the immediate payoff of clicking enemies to death and snatching up the resulting loot. But don't tell that to Sacred 2, which appears to have more expansive aspirations.

This is most evident in the sheer size of its world: 22 streaming square miles of terrain, ranging from plains and forests to swamps and badlands, with a network of underworld areas built into the caves and cities that populate the landscape. According to our host, every square inch of the environment was hand-built, as opposed to procedurally generated, with the aim of creating a world as organic-seeming as it is ample. All the bells and whistles you'd expect from this kind of "offline-persistent" world are present, including day and night cycles and NPCs with set schedules.