Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

This game deserves a remaster or even remake. Great story and overall concept!

Ambitious classic that failed to really do everything it wanted but still pretty good, better than Fallout in terms of quests, worse in terms of interface. Tech vs. Magick is like, do you want Tech summoning (automata) or Magic summon (necro), do you want Tech healing (herbology) or potions etc. - but it's also the thematic question that made FFVI so good and it does interesting character arcs here with Bates and the classic Gnomish conspiracy. You can play it like a weak Diablo I with a sword fighter or as a gunslinger, which could be balanced to pack some more punch for the effor in upkeep, or as a mage, thieving can be tucked in to any of these with some unlock spells or a few skill ranks. A kitchen sink game which nonetheless whips up a mean sugar cookie batter, with the right utensiles.

The good: Idea behind the world The way magic and tech are separated Most of the quests are decent Flexibility in character creation Voice acting The bad: Itemization Battles One of the most unbalanced RPGs I ever touched The illusion of nonlinearity can lead to decisions that would make the game unfinishable Clunky interface even for its time Most of the graphics The look of the creatures Animation Many of the interesting characters have the dialogue text only (no voice acting)

An amazing top down, old-school RPG that is utterly unique. If you liked Fallout 1 and 2 or the original Baldurs gate you'll love this.

If you love RPGs this is a must play! From the story to the build variety, its just too good. I hope in the future we get more games inspired by it.