Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

I had gotten this game years ago and I couldn't get it to run on my computer at the time. A while later, I came across my disks when I had a new computer and decided I'd install and give it a whirl. Now, almost a decade later I'm going to delve into the world of Arcanum. That's the true rating of a game... is it good a decade later.

I just played this game again recently, having forgot just how dull and buggy it is, and I think I reached about the same point in the game as last time, before I couldn't bother anymore. Tip: Just boost your dex and grab a sword, and you'll be able to smash almost anybody in realtime combat. :P

Horribly unbalanced and undeveloped. It has a well presented atmosphere, and a well assembled interface; at least untill you play it a little way through. Then it's unflexable, and not much material outside the main plot line, which is little interest, particularly because there are so little options. It's rediculously tough at the beginning, and rediculously easy once you find out how it works, which makes for either an ineffective, or overpowered character, that's only challange is exploiting the games shortcomings. The only interesting way of playing it is to play a stylized character, as described in the formost reveiw on this page, and play accourding to its maner. That is, either play through as a distinct persona, or an invincible wrecking machine, that can destroy everything without a challenge, after you get eaten by wolves 100 times before you figure out that the best weapon of each type (save a few) are obtainable in the 1st 5 levels of the game, where the lowest level standard NPC is level 10, and the standard town gaurd is lv 25 to 35, It's sytem plays much like fallout, but much smoother. Your character has no potential to do anything substantial in the world, so you can either destroy everything, or use the stuff that others have made (<<<spoiler>>> to in the end destroy everything in the world and eveything you've passed through.) It's open world style, but don't expect to find anything much interesting or extensive.

Arcanum is, in a word, huge. I spent an entire month just trying to get started with this game; my OCD kicked in to full throttle going through endless combinations of race, alignment, and disposition just to explore all of the options provided by the initial dialogue tree. So much to do, to say, to see right from the very beginning. Eventually bringing you to the city of Tarrant. Never has there been a city in an RPG with so many different characters, so much politics, so many quests. The balance of tech against magic, the choices, the true fulfillment of not just playing another chosen hero, but truly playing a role and one that you craft. This is easily in my Top 5 RPGs ever, and truly one of the greatest games of all time.

I had this on my amazon wish list and was thinking of pulling the trigger and buying a used copy. Luckily I got an email from GOG to tell me I could get id DRM free and cheaper. Patience is a virtue indeed.