I'm a self-proclaimed CRPG fan with a hunger for good dialogue. I gave the Gothic 2 demo a try some time ago, but didn't have time to play past the first few stages. The combat didn't come off as terribly innovative, but I can forgive a game with an open world and good dialogue. So, how does dialog in the Gothic games stand up to, say, Fallout or Baldur's Gate? Is the game more like Oblivion in that it's more of an offline MMORPG, or is it closer to old school CRPGs?

The dialogue is completely linear - you can choose what to ask about and such, but your answer is predetermined. Even so, I found the dialogue to be funny at times, and mediocre at other times.
So if you want an open world, you've got it. If you want dialogue choices like in Fallout, you're out of luck.

I see thanks. What would you say is the strongest selling point of Gothic 1 and 2 then?

Make no mistake, I consider Gothic 1 & 2 to be some of the best games, so honestly my opinion might be slightly biased here, but;
The games are extremely good at rewarding good players. The combat is great in my opinion, and the pacing is even better. Unless you're really good at what you do, you'll meet some monsters which are very, very deadly. Later on you can kill them and that feels very rewarding.
The story, the characters, and the world of Gothic is also a huuuuge plus for me. The dialogue can be really great at times, just as it can be pretty bland.
So yeah, I would buy it. But then again, it is one of my favourite games ;)

Nice. I think I will pick it up when GOG has a promo for it. I really need a good story-based RPG, even if it's linear. Thanks!
By the way is the gameworld as static as Oblivion? Or is it more dynamic, with characters responding well to changes around them? For example, you kill A and the rest of the town asks "where did he go?" that sort of thing?

You should definitely pick it up but don't expect much in the way of dialogue. I suspect that its mostly due to bad English translation but it's hilariously bad at times. Its definitely a step up from dialogue alternatives in Gothic 1 but nowhere near Baldur's Gate or Fallout.

Very nice. This game is down in my to-buy list. Thanks bros

Haha, exactly! Well said.

i never heared the english translation - but the german version is one of the best voice and dialog work i know
the attitude of most of the npc and the world in itself is noticalbe in every line
also to say that the dialog is linear is false - your dialoge choices affect the way the npc react on you - it might not be as deep as fallout but its also in no way linear

This game really cant be compared to oblivion or bauldars gate, its basically a swiss army knife of an RPG. The RPG stat building stuff is really simple but works flawlessly with the action elements. for example as you level your sword skill his swings will get faster and he will be able to preform more complicated combos. and unlike most RPGs where you are walled into content ment for your level in Gothic you are required to think around alot of the problems that come your way.

To be honest, it doesn't. The dialogue trees are linear, fairly uninteresting, and so poorly voice acted that it's almost funny.

Well, dialogue is not exactly great in this game. It is sometimes funny, but suffers from translation. It does have many other strengths however. I have yet to see a world in any rpg where exploring is as rewarding as in gothic games. It's especially fun when you're low level and anything can easily kill you. Nothing quite compares to finally figuring out how to steal that next piece of heavily guarded phat loot. I also like how the npc-s react to things you do. Oblivions radiant ai is piss poor compared to this stuff. People go to work, eat, relax after work, go to sleep etc. If you enter someones house and don't beat it after you are told to get out you are attacked. There are no stupid artificial "you can not sleep in an owned bed" limits in this game. Combat is not to the death (with npc-s), which is also a huge plus for me. Combat ai does not shine but mostly gets the job done. Combat itself can be frustrating in the beginning but once you get the hang of it it is really fun. You can kill enemies that are much higher level if you know what you are doing.

The world is pretty dynamic as npc's have their own routines and go home at certain times and sleep. Even the monsters sleep. If you are caught stealing or killing innocent people in front of everybody then they will react except in certain circumstances. You can see people going through the motions of work. I'd say it was pretty good for it's time and maybe even now.

I think the dialogue is great in Gothic - better than most games out there.
It's also non-linear. What you say can and will affect the storyline in different ways (for instance getting killed for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time). Your reputation with various NPCs and what you're wearing affects dialogue and NPC reactions in general. There's nothing linear about Gothic except the overarching storyline.