Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

I really enjoyed Arcanum when it first came out. I still enjoy playing it. The story revolves around you being in a blimp crash and being found by a newly religious man named Virgil. Virgil tells you that you are supposed to be the reincarnation of an all-powerful being and that a group of assassins are out trying to murder you. And that is where your journey begins... In terms of plot, Arcanum's works quite well. While it's not overly original, I feel it was very well done and it's a lot of fun to unravel the plot as you reach different points in the game. The main quest is very easy to get through and there are quite a few side quests as well. Arcanum can be a lot of fun. There is a TON of room for character customization. Each level you will gain a skill point to invest where you like. Every 5th level you gain two, and at the start of character creation you have five points to spend. How you spend those points is up to you and what you want to do. You can build nearly anything you wish: from the smooth-talking gunslinger, to the beautiful mage, all the way to a half-wit who can barely speak (hilarious options for stupid characters) but for whatever reason everyone still loves them and wants to be their friend. The only thing you cannot do, is create a character who is both technologically and magically inclined. Combat has two modes: turn based and real time. Real time is pretty much pointless as things move too quickly and are over too fast to focus on what you're doing. You can hire followers (some have voices, others do not). The AI is pretty shallow. Followers and enemies charge each other head on. That's it. This game is unfinished and somewhat broken. Magic is far more powerful than technology. There were also known bugs that I never encountered, but those may be fixed by now. Overall, I say give this game a try. One warning is this version tends to have a speed issue. There is a fix, but I don't know if it works with the GOG version.

I myself is one of those who loves it. If you are considering buying this game, remember it's not perfect. And to make it run without the lag, download the the latest unoficial patch 2.0.2

I was really excited to play this. I think the industrialization of a magical world is a great idea. I really enjoyed creating my character, and the story captivated me as I started to play. However, the game is buggy and the combat is laughable. Your party members are more of a liability than an asset. I read reviews that had said similar things, and I thought, "I'm more interested in the story than the combat." Unfortunately, I was so turned off by the combat that I eventually stopped playing. It's a shame.

There are clearly a number of things wrong with this game, the animation style, the game balance, the combat, unless you cheat technology builds are often non-viable, AND YET this game is a Brilliant Masterpiece nonetheless. There are very few games that can compare to it in terms of story, setting, choices, well written engaging dialogue, clever social satire, intriguing areas to explore, and a sense of consequences for your choices. The closest thing I can compare this to is Fallout 2, if you liked Fallout 2 this is that but in a steampunk fantasy setting.

Schon damals waren die grafischen Qualitäten dieses Titels nicht herausragend und einige Designmängel stoßen noch immer schwer auf, aber dieser Titel wurde zu unrecht nicht beachtet. Obgleich die Story und die Inszenierung sehr seicht anmuten und sich vieler klassischer Cliches bedient, ist die Welt sehr stimmig, die NPC's glaubhaft und die Nebenaufgaben super (Spoiler: man kann das Schlumpfdorf finden, oder den Mann mit der fligenden Guillotine). Zwar kann man durch geschickte verteilung der Zauberpunkte zu einem extrem mächtigen Überwesen werden, welches durch die Welt springen kann ohne schaden zu nehmen, aber auch das lässt sich verschmerzen. Zu viele kleinigkeiten die einen Schmunzeln lassen, zu viele kleine Seitenhiebe oder schlicht mehr Easter Eggs als man je gesehn hat. Schon das Handbuch beinhaltet soviele schöne Details, dass man sich dann doch recht schnell zurecht findet. Man muss diesem Titel eine Chance geben. Ich für meinen Teil liebe es.