Posted November 19, 2009
This is my first real PC RPG, and I'm glad this was the one. Never played before until it came to GOG, and I can't recommend it enough to others.
Two things first: the graphics looks much better than the screenshots you see here, particularly if you use the resolution hack found in the forums. Ages pretty well! The other thing is the controls: a lot of people complain about them. I couldn't get into the game after FIVE TIMES of trying the demo because of the controls, then I had them explained to me. Once I figured them out (in a matter of minutes for the basics), it was smooth sailing. Basically you use the left mouse button and the WASD keys for a lot of stuff (to attack, hold left mouse button and use the keys to swing your weapon in a given direction or cast magic, for example). It feels really "interactive" and I grew to love it.
That stuff aside, Gothic is a really classic RPG in every sense of the word, in terms of that old gritty feel, all the staple elements (quests, open world, magic, weapons, etc), and is just an overall great package...there's a lot of things that can't be explained, only experienced. On top of that, it does a lot of things very uniquely (again, can't really be explained) which will make this a game you reference often when talking about RPGs.
The dialogue is very funny at times, and personally I found the story pretty innovative. Some of the voice acting is really good, some really bad...the bad doesn't hurt the game much, but I did find myself wincing a bit at some of it.
Combat is very fun -- I played as a mage, a very satisfying experience. Be sure to tweak the config and crank the blood to 3. ;)
There's also great music (don't forget the In Extremo patch!), lots of quests, routes to take, etc.
Just try the demo and you'll likely be hooked. It gets a whole lot worse after that. ;)
Two things first: the graphics looks much better than the screenshots you see here, particularly if you use the resolution hack found in the forums. Ages pretty well! The other thing is the controls: a lot of people complain about them. I couldn't get into the game after FIVE TIMES of trying the demo because of the controls, then I had them explained to me. Once I figured them out (in a matter of minutes for the basics), it was smooth sailing. Basically you use the left mouse button and the WASD keys for a lot of stuff (to attack, hold left mouse button and use the keys to swing your weapon in a given direction or cast magic, for example). It feels really "interactive" and I grew to love it.
That stuff aside, Gothic is a really classic RPG in every sense of the word, in terms of that old gritty feel, all the staple elements (quests, open world, magic, weapons, etc), and is just an overall great package...there's a lot of things that can't be explained, only experienced. On top of that, it does a lot of things very uniquely (again, can't really be explained) which will make this a game you reference often when talking about RPGs.
The dialogue is very funny at times, and personally I found the story pretty innovative. Some of the voice acting is really good, some really bad...the bad doesn't hurt the game much, but I did find myself wincing a bit at some of it.
Combat is very fun -- I played as a mage, a very satisfying experience. Be sure to tweak the config and crank the blood to 3. ;)
There's also great music (don't forget the In Extremo patch!), lots of quests, routes to take, etc.
Just try the demo and you'll likely be hooked. It gets a whole lot worse after that. ;)