Gothic

The graphics may not have aged well in some viewers' eyes, but they did not make me suffer. There were certain vistas which were simply incredible. Character design is a step up from Redguard in my opinion, and with a price of $10, Gothic is easily the poor man's Elderscrolls. The story places the character in a position that is easy to relate to by using several tactics: 1. No name for the character is given, he could easily be the player. 2. The character's reason for being thrown into the penal colony is never stated, and the laws of the land are such that any tiny infraction will get you tossed into the mines. 3. The character's voice actor and dialogue isn't specifically nasy or nice, which allows the player to proceed with any personality. The actual down sides of the game are its controls and collision detection. The controls aren't just old, they are buggy, and often times i would find myself losing a fight, not because i was too weak, but because i couldn't get a lock on my target. The collision detection is such that if you run straight at a wall, 50% of the time it will turn the character to run along the wall, instead of just stopping. I also found myself inexplicably redirected in mid-jump by the smallest of tree limbs, and was once even caught in the air by a tree. In spite of these problems, the game is totally playable, fun, engrossing, and by the end game felt quite epic. There are multiple paths to choose at given points in the game, and there is certain freedom in character growth. Stats are few and simple to understand, and leveling was quite easy once you figured out what monsters were in your range. Use your mind on this one, it is not just a hack and slash fest. I once killed an orc before i was even out of the first chapter by trapping it in a gully and shooting it till it died. I then took it's axe and used that, as it was the most powerful melee weapon at that point. Loads of options for play style! I may play again as a thief or wizard, placing more skill points in those areas than in the fighter type build.

I remember when I've played it as a child years ago, I didn't even understand what "rpg" is (except for the bazooka) back then. I've just finished it once again and I have to say that it was wonderful experience. With all of it's flaws and gloomy feeling to it this is a great game to play even today. (and also "dark souls before dark souls" this game tends to be unfair at times)

DO NOT (ALT + TAB)! I have not been able to reload game since alt tabbing one time. Now every time I try to load the game is freezes the entire computer.

The number of 5 star reviews is troubling. A game can be good but not perfect. Gothic has always had one major flaw, one that some people will find unforgivable, and that's the controls. They're awful. But you CAN teach yourself to get used to them and find an enjoyable game. But 5 star game this is not. Neither is it a 1 star game. I struggled between a 2 or a 3, in the end I picked 3 because there is a very deep RPG to be found. It's just... frustrating.

Along side the 2nd game, this is one of the best open ended RPG/Action/Adventure hybrid games there is. There may be a few very minor bugs and the controls can be a bit awkward at first but given time it is up there with Oblivion.