Sacred 2 - Previews @ Various Sites

Gamebanshee points out a trio of previews for Ascaron's  upcoming action rpg,  Sacred 2: Fallen Angel sparked by a demo revealed at the 2008 Games Developers Conference.

Gamespot  finds the game faithful to the Diablo action rpg format, but with distinctive differences:

...The impression we got of Sacred 2 is that it's a bit like Diablo, with a huge, seamless world the size of Oblivion's. That's an intriguing combination...

...The one thing that the developer wanted to hammer home is that this isn't a hack-and-slash-style game, like Diablo. Sure, there's plenty of combat, but there's also more exploration and role-playing. To that extent, the world of Sacred 2 will feel like a living, breathing place. The citizens of the world all have daily schedules. Hang around town in the evening and you'll see them head to the pub for dinner and a drink.

Gamersinfo.net is enthusiastic and goes into the most details about gameplay mechanics:

Like every good RPG, this game has lots of choices. Lots of them. Lots and lots and lots. It could be the six different races which give me this impression: Serphim, Shadow Warrior, Inquisitor, Temple Guardian, Dryad or High Elf. Or, it might be that four of the races can choose a dark or light path - that whole "let's mix up the content" design element (tricksy game developers). The deities, the mounts, the skill sets (the runes!), the quests, the loot - the 22 square miles encompassing 12 different environments of game play...

... Each class has three basic sets of skills - not exactly a skill tree, but a set: Combat Arts, Active Magic and Defense. Within each category is the set appropriate for that class - the Shadow Warrior...had Rallied Souls: Undead Warriors who ran around killing for him for a limited time...

...Depending upon the skill of the character, there will be multiple active slots open for active skills. You may know 20 skills, but may only have 1-4 active at any one time. (I do not know if 4 is the max, it is simply the maximum I witnessed.) Add to this your weapon and armor and you start to develop builds...

Finally, IGN  has the following to say about mounts:

The most interesting part of the demo were the mounts. Each of the six character classes can ride a horse to more rapidly traverse the countryside or unlock class specific ones. The latter type allow characters to utilize a majority of their special skills while mounted – certainly useful. If you're to disembark the mount will follow you around, and can be dismissed and recalled whenever you see fit.