I feel the pedantic need to point out that (contrary to one post) you can take control of your empire and disable the AI. There's a little check box to do so for each planet you control. The fact that someone was confused about this, however, illustrates MOO3's biggest problem. It's not, as one poster surmised, a matter of people calling this a "spreadsheet" because it was too hard, it's a very convoluted interface that weighs on your very soul at times. Yes, you can take complete control and not delegate planetary operations to your "viceroy", but do you really want to? It's not the worst game ever, and $10 may not be the worst price to find out if you happen to be MOO3 material. I give it an average score - this game can easily go either way.
A large, open-ended RPG that wear its Fallout roots with pride, Arcanum offers a wide range of variety for character and plot development. There's plenty of well-earned praise here for Arcanum, so let me point out my one little quibble... It's simply much easier to focus in magic. To quantify that, magic development requires you raise one attribute (Willpower). You can add a little to your Constitution for fatigue (which doubles as your "mana"), but that's it. Technology skill requires you develop your Intelligence to purchase certain level skills, often requires Dexterity and Perception if you want to use guns you make, Strength (to carry things you make), sink some points into Firearms potentially, and you often have to pay for parts when you can't randomly find them. While you can purchase schematics that broaden the number of nifty items you can make, creating a good technologist can be tricky. Not impossible, but when you can take Harm and Shield spells right off the bat as a first level magic user and blow the doors off of most of things you encounter early on, it's a little frustrating shooting off the crappy flintlock you just made, missing two out of three shots, and wishing you didn't have to invest in three different things to improve effectiveness shooting. And when you only get 1-2 points to spend improving a level, that hurts. Add to that the fact that spell casters can level up faster because they can become killing machines and get a lot of the XP, and it seems a bit unfair. You get one companion early on, and another (provided your Charisma is high enough). The first can heal you, but the further you progress in technological skill the harder it is for his (magical) healing to work on you. Sigh. I don't want it to seem as though there's nothing but negatives, but I imagine for some people who have imagined a well-balanced game that gives equal share to the two major disciplines in the game there will be some disappointment. And don't forget, you can develop as a fighter type, thief, diplomat or hybrid - there are no classes, only skill development. All in all, if you're patient, Arcanum will provide hours of entertainment -the story is compelling, the strange string chamber music works amazingly well, and all the ambiance and detail you would want in a solid RPG is there. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this game to anyone who likes a good RPG (and doesn't mind a few minor bugs). Buy it in a box from Amazon for $50, or spend $5.99 here, it's worth it.
Arx Fatalis offers a rich fantasy environment with a worthwhile and engaging story. while you spend an awful lot of time looking at dungeon walls, the game does a fairly good job of looking good while remaining the same. The sound is incredible, and in my opinion, more than makes up for any shortcomings in visual category. From the slapping of your feet on the stone floors and the gutteral conversations of goblins in the next room, to the dripping of water in underground pools and the ambient hum of tunnels, this game has audio that delivers more ambience than almost any game I've played. The characters are well drawn, heavily styilized, and ulltimately very good. I like a game with a strong overall artistic concept, and Arx Fatalis really puts you in the world the designers have created. I can't get behind the controls. I've tried and tried, but I just don't have the patience for them. Maybe I'm spoiled, but I think drinking healing potions or something during combat shouldn't involve fumbling around in you inventory while you're being beaten to death, unable to defend yourself. Obviously, plenty of people have managed just fine, so this is a personal hangup, but one I'm sure a few people probably share. If you're looking for the much more seamless interface of a contemporary like Morrowind, be prepared for disappointment. I personally come from the school of thought that says the game pauses when you open your inventory, but that's a matter of opinion. I find the magic system of actually using hand motions to be clever, but ultimately more gimmicky than fulfilling. I'm a firm believer that bad/difficult control shouldn't be a substitute for genuine overall challenge in a game - it's a copout here, and doesn't really do much to set Arx apart from the pack. If you can get beyond the frustrating controls, as lots of people have, this game is definately worth your time/money. If you're quickly frustrated by interface that is needlessly challenging, than you may (as another reviewer suggested) be better off with Morrowind.
