Just a quick note, if you like Gothic's overall atmosphere and writing and universe etc but find the actual gameplay/graphics/etc to be too dated, give Risen a look. Risen was made by Piranha Bytes, the creators of the original Gothic series (Gothic, Gothic 2, Gothic 3*). It has the same overall feel, VERY similar lore and universe, the same mechanics and all that, a few things like alchemy plants look nearly identical and have the same exact uses. It's like the Gothics, just in a modern shell. Or to put it bluntly, Risen is a tried and true Gothic game, only missing the name and the rights to the universe.
*They only developed Gothic 3, not its Expansion Pack entitled Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods.
Wait, that wasn't a quick note at all...