why the hell does this game have to come out hte same day as fallout 3? It's really funny that an old game like this is vying for my attention against a new one

As mentioned elsewhere (!) Gothic 2 is a smaller, less demanding world. It is still excellent though! I would say anybody coming to Gothic 1 from Gothic 2 should expect a much bigger world, a lot more content, a more intelligent, mature story and a game that is going to be much harder, with meaner, stronger men and creatures. To explain simply, Gothic 1 was politically sophisticated and convoluted enough to need a notepad by the keyboard - always the sign of a good game from my point of view! :)
Bit like you get going back to older, GOG type games in general, the games are bigger, with more replayability and more brain use needed for completion!

Did you enjoy Dick Tracey on the NES?

No, but I played Miami Vice on the Commodore 64 and other than the tune would describe it the same way. Yes, not all past games were great, but compare the great games of th past with the 'great' games of today and they stand up very well, very well indeed.

I made the reference because it only reminded me of it, I figured people might enjoy it. There was no other point to posting the video other than to introduce people to the funnies and it was way off topic.

Actually you're wrong. Gothic 2 has a 3x bigger world than Gothic 1. There is also an add-on for Gohtic 2(it's called "Die Nacht des Raben" in German), which makes the world even bigger.
Nevertheless, everyone should not miss these games. First play Gothic 1 and then Gothic 2. You'll also unterstand the plot much better if you play G1 first.

The Gothic 2 Addon is called "Night of the Raven" in english.
@ UK_John:
If you have a chance to get G2 plus addon, get it.
It is actually an addin, so it makes sense to have it from the beginning.
It changes and tunes a lot of the gameplay.
And it adds pirates.

In case you don't want to wait for Gog.com to release Gothic II + addon, you can find it on Gamer's Gate. I'd rather buy it from Gog.com, though.

Definitely get it. I personally think Gothic 2 was the peak of the series (with #3 being a major fail), but G1 is really great if you're into immersion, setting, sotry and freedom to do what you like.

Superb, just like sliced bread. I remember playing a Dragonhunter first, and because it was so cool I immediately started a mage when I finished. And of course, I had to do the Paladin afterwards ;P
The Mage is my favourite, especially since everybody seems to pay you the most respect in that career :)
The G2 addon (more like an addin, you have to start fresh) is a mixed bag, though. It's quite hard compared to the original, and while it does have some nice parts I generally found it not on par with the original. [Actually, it feels a little like "outtakes" that didn't make it into the original game and were polished and put together as an expansion, but that might just be me ...]