Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

I really loved Arcanum and recommend it to anyone that wants to play an RPG thats got a great story, very open ended worlds, and a different way about going about gameplay. The system isnt over complicated, as atmosphere, and keeps you busy. Not everything works perfectly, but its satifying to play and really the kind of game any hardcore RPG player needs in their collection. I Highly recommend it. I salute Troika for their efforts as this Game was well done and Id love to see Activision (who bought the rights to Arcanum) make a Sequel not straying to far away from what Arcanum was back in 2001.

I'm a huge fan of the Fallout series and have also played Arcanum through a couple of times. The integration of magic and science is an interesting thought but it isn't well balanced in the actual gamepaly. I found the use of ranged weapons rather useless compared to magic & melee. The beginning of the game is rather boring and early tasks are mostly carrying items from point a to point b and killing some monsters in the process. However the plot grows in to epic proportions closer to the end. Sure there's some bugs here & there and the graphics are outdated, but the game is still a must for every RPG-fan. The fighting is annoying & lacks tactics. SPOILER: If you want to speed up battles & make the game easier for yourself aim for the Tempus Fugit spell. It is a rather unbalanced spell that almost halts the entire world & hastens your team.

This is a great RPG for the price if you patch it with the unofficial patch V091225 which can be seached for on the internet. There are prior unofficial patches out there but the above listed one is the latest as of this posting. Patch fixes hundreds of issues. A must have. Playable without patch - but becomes a solid RPG with Patch. Runs great on vista

This one will linger in my memory for a long time. I purchased from GOG because I am too lazy to dig up my CDs and deal with the copy protection even though I had this game at full price years ago. This game sets tone PERFECTLY. Right from the start, you're greeted with music from a string quartet that's evocative of a bygone era, and jumping right into the character selection screen, you're faced with a collection of adorable Victorian-style portraits. From conversations about tea to the antiquated use of magic, Arcanum just oozes atmosphere. It's only unfortunate that it was rather buggy upon release and never gained a wide audience. I would have liked to have seen a sequel or two.

i know, it has bugs. i know, combat could be better. to be honest, probably would have given this game a 3 or 4, but the fact that it was the first game i played seriously, the fact that the story, setting, music, deep character creation and outstanding characters (along with incredible dialogue), and the fact that i have never been satisfied by an RPG (except for, perhaps, es3 Morrowind ) quite like this one, gives it a 5. also, Payne rocks.