Gothic

Gameplay didn't age well and graphics were already too old when it came out. But my god this game is great! It was my first playthrough this year. And even with beeing that old, I became one of my absolute favorite. What an underrated game!

I do enjoy this game a lot, aside from some of the problems it faces manly the combat system and the voice acting. However the game itself has a lot of realism even for 2001 like cooking meat with an animation to it, robbery (which can happen to you). It breaths a lot of life into its world and it doesn't make you feel like your some kind of one many army kind deal, when you start out you are just like everyone else poor,weak and helpless. The story is kinda boring but if you can get past that you will find an experience you won't find anywhere else.

Gothic is a great game with too much bug. The history of this game is already known in gamers' community. Producers realize this game in a hurry. So in particular during the second part the plot is just linear. But the first part is a real masterpiece. In Gothic I lived the best experience in a single player crpg. The world of Gothic is alive, npcs live during the days, move from a place to another. So the sensation is to be in a dynamic scenario. Controls are not so user friendly, but after a bit of practice there will be no trouble. In my opinion the combat system is too action-oriented for a rpg, but skill grow with experience. Maybe there are too bug, but they can be tolerated. The idea of an open air prison is fine and create a small world, where the plot can develop through tree guilds. Our avatar can choose one of these guild on order to go to the final goal: escape from the prison.

Lets be blunt and start with the "Dont`s": Dont buy this Game if one of the following are VERY important to you: Spectacular Graphics, SMooth COntrols, fantastic amounts of Monsters, "Fair" Area Design (eg only getting to dangerous stuff after Leveling etc) or easy mastery of "InGame Powers". Gothic is below average to bad in these., if you can`t live with that, dont buy it. Now that the negative Aspects are dealt with, on to the Good. And there is a lot of that. THe BEST part however is immersion. The World is alive (a thing Oblivion didn`t get half as well 5+ yerars later), people have jobs, talk near fires, sleep in huts (that youc an steal/Threaten away from them), communities seem more alive and real than in almost any other game. The Story, while not earthshaking or extremely innovative is good, some quests are great (trtuning into a bug to open a door). Next comes the Combat system. sure, its clunky, but its also fairly well balanced and precise, weapons handle differently and Magic is more powerful, yet harder to be really good in, than Swordswinging. By the way: While it is possible (Guard Carreer) to make a Character entirely without magic: Dont. It reduces the fun, and the advantages are few. Last but not least: Its a mature game. YOua re not led along safe paths (leave the path anytime in the early game, you die!), movement and specialization is almost entirely free, and simply FUN. If the latter points are enough to help you IGNORE instead of accept the flaws, add another star.

I can safely and seriously say that I grew up between the Old Camp and the New Camp, and for a reason. The game can be clunky to get into, the story is barely sufficient, and I woud NOT call it polished. But the setting is so good that it's enough to make up for everything else. Experiencing the world is a joy, everything has been hand-crafted with a precise tone and it feels. The progression is meaningful, and there are a few curated skills instead of a plethora of marginal ones. No permanent buffs, for example, but actual skills whose effect is immediately visible in the gameplay. For a good chunk of the game, mobs can easily kill you and most characters can one-shot you, hence once you're capable of trading blows the sense of progression is amazing. Also, one of the last few games which actually challanged the player's mind instead of assuming that the player is mentally challenged. You can outsmart the game in a number of ways, as long as you try for a while and think in terms of "what if I try that". I could not reccomend it more, if only to see how bad the industry has gone now and how good it could've been if the Gothic approach would have been privileged instead.