Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

I cannot believe I missed this gem growing up! Think classic fallout meets steampunk meets oblivion (if it were in classic fallout style), and you get gun-toting knights, or a Doc Holiday type, or a classic Mage character, or even a Gnomish merchant if you want. I absolutely love the character creation and the leveling up. It is the type of game where I can keep starting new characters, spend hours and hours on each and still not even finish 1% of the main story, there is just that much to do. I recommend this to any RPG fan. There is simply not enough space given for these reviews for me to list all the things I enjoy about this truly underrated and amazing game. I really wonder what Fallout 3 would've been like if these guys won the rights over Bethesda, and Bethesda has released some of my all time favorites, which this game Arcanum, is now one of.

An old classic worth buying again.

Probably the RPG that holds the dearest place in my heart, this game hit every button for me from the first time I opened it. Like Fallout, or Planescape torment - I left my experience with Arcanum wowed. The open world, the details in each city, the freedom which can be found in games like the elder scrolls was wonderfully put together in Arcanum... pickpocketing keys and plundering store owners... Plus the ambiance, characters, story.. These days, there is a little clunkiness to it but the game is still perfectly playable, the story is great, and the open world aspects of the game were done perfectly. On the bright side, the very long load times are no longer present on modern machines Wish someone would pick up a sequal to this baby. The world they created in Arcanum deserves to be revisited.

Although the playstyle is similar to Fallout 1&2, with the isometric view looking very familiar; however, I had to force myself to play the original Fallout series, where as I loved this game from the get-go. As other people have noted, initially this game can be rather unfair towards specific races or builds, specifically low INT builds. My freind and I were playing through this game simultaneously and he missed a very important quest item at a place that doesn't allow you to return and as such had to start over. Arcanum is a game that doesn't wrap you in cotton wool; it exposes you to the harsh realities of its universe quite spectacularly.

There's enough reviews out there already that speaks to how great this game is. Just make sure you get the fan patches.