Gothic II

[Sjakihata]

Hi,

What do you guys think of Gothic II? What do you like about it? Do you think it is worth playing?

[Ser Clegane]

Due to lack of time I did not play it extensively yet but what I have seen so far was actually very good.

The world seems very real and alive and the NPCs have a lot of personality.

You have a decent degree of freedom without loosing a grip of the storyline (so with regard to freedom it is quite a good compromise between Morrowind and NWN IMO).

The only negative I saw is the combat system. I found combat to be quite difficult and seemingly unwinnable fights sometimes caused me to end the game for a day (the non-linearity adds to the problem - it's sometimes hard to tell whether you lose a fight just because you as a player are not skilled enough or because you are not supposed to fight a certain foe yet).

Overall I would highly recommend Gothic II if you liked the overall style of Morrowind but prefer to have the surroundings and NPCs a bit more alive and would like to have at least a bit of lineraity added.

One word of caution regarding the expansion pack. If you get the bundled version go for it as the developers used a very unusual approach for the expansion. Instead of adding new content at the end of the game the expansion kind of broadens and enhances the original game, meaning you have to start the whole game all over again and repeat things you did when you played the game for the first time (which is probably not everybody's cup of tea).

[Oleander Ardens]

It is a great game, and I even prefered it to Morrowind with all it`s expensions...

It is the only game which i play besides MTW; I sometimes just run around for the fun of hunting all enemies I can get before my great drangonbone bow with maxed skill and dex. How many succesful ambushes have I lain, sniping at huge masses of Orcs from rocks and slopes http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Efrem Da King]

Sounds good. What are the advanstment/combat/magic systems like?

[hrvojej]

IMHO, it is very unfortunate that an otherwise great rpg is mired with such an anti-user-friendly problems. I tried playing Gothic 1, I really wanted to like it, but in the end I just gave up due to the control scheme. And as far as I was able to tell, the control scheme is pretty much the same in the sequel.

For some reason, this kind of problems happen alot in games produced by European studios. Sometimes I'm able to cope with it, sometimes not, regardless of how good the game actually is.

[Efrem Da King]

Any demos?

[Fragony]

Gothic2 is really cool but it is so hardware intensive I think it is way better then morrowind, the world seems alive. It is also more challenging, you can collect cool stuff in morrowind but everything is dead with 1 blow anyway when you are high level. In Gothic you encounter beasts that are way to strong to beat at your level, it is a more compelling (but smaller)game. The morrowind and gothic developers should team up for the ultimate rpg game imho.

[Sjakihata]

I really love the fighting in this game, so much more realistic than morrowind.

I cant say much about magic, im not a mage, but the scrolls Ive cast look stunning and all.

[Efrem Da King]

Some pics/links to reviews or links to their website?

[Ser Clegane]

Quote[/b] (Efrem Da King @ May 29 2004,19:47)]Some pics/links to reviews or links to their website?
link to website (http://www.piranha-bytes.com/gothic2/content_english/news_headlines.php)

ign review (http://pc.ign.com/articles/440/440104p1.html)

gamespot review (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/gothic2/index.html)

gamespy review (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/gothic-ii/6393p1.html)

http://www.piranha-bytes.com/gothic2/files/media/shots/shot07.jpg

http://www.piranha-bytes.com/gothic2/files/media/shots/shot06.jpg

http://www.piranha-bytes.com/gothic2/files/media/shots/shot10.jpg

[Efrem Da King]

THanks.

After reading the reviews it doesn't sound like my sorta game, I'm unpatient and like instant gratifacation.

[Fragony]

Quote[/b] (Efrem Da King @ May 30 2004,04:01)]THanks.

After reading the reviews it doesn't sound like my sorta game, I'm unpatient and like instant gratifacation.
You would probably love it. I happened to notice that you like morrowind, gothic is basicly a smaller but more detailed morrowind. Never finnished it because of hardware problems, but what I saw was good. In morrowind everyone is just doing the same thing 24 hours a day, gothic feels alive.

[Efrem Da King]

Hmm



I do find my self wishing morrowind was smaller but felt more alive.

[Oleander Ardens]

I had never any problems with the combat system in
Gothic II - but I have only finished it yet with the Drachenjaeger, as an Archer.

It is pretty easy to fight that way: Take your bow, find the enemy, approach him, possibly from a superior position. Look toward the enemy, press crtl and than forward (w) until he dies http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

BTW the fighting with sword seems to be much more complex than Morrowind with actual tactical possibilities like block, comboattack, swift left-right combinations - I had no need to use it yet as I kill every enemy at range.

Only some of this though trolls are resistent against bolts and arrows http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/mecry.gif ... so use scrolls against them http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/tongue.gif

[Navaros]

i hated Gothic 1.

it gives you the illusion of open-ended gamplay for Chapter 1; you are told that it is a very important choice to make in terms of what clan you choose to join. then in all the other Chapters, you realize that it makes NO DIFFERENCE at all what clan you've chosen because you STILL do all the errands for the rival clans even tho you're not a member of theirs - which of course makes ZERO SENSE whatsoever.

i was also very offended by all the drug references. i found that to be quite immoral and highly INAPPROPRIATE in a game marketed to kids. Gothic 1 does everything possible to glorify the use of illegal drugs all throughout the game.

[Obex]

I loved morrowind, and hoped for this to be similar. i instead was rather disappointed. i never even played long enough to complain about the linearity of the game. the user interface and control scheme was terrible, and after an hour of play, i uninstalled it. maybe combat would have been better had the cluncky interface not been so awkward. quite a disappointment, for what looked like a cool game.

[econ21]

Yeah, Obex - this one lasted about an hour on my HD too. It's one of those games I say I'll come back to but I am not sure. Mind you, I only got to level 9 or so in Morrowind. I'm finding Bioware has spoiled me for RPGs - anything that hasn't got distinctive NPC characters or cinematic plots just starts to look like grunt work.

[Longshanks]

Quote[/b] (Navaros @ June 16 2004,02:47)]i was also very offended by all the drug references. i found that to be quite immoral and highly INAPPROPRIATE in a game marketed to kids. Gothic 1 does everything possible to glorify the use of illegal drugs all throughout the game.
I thought the drug use was highly appropriate, considering the game is set in a prison colony. But, different strokes for different folks I guess. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Sjakihata]

In G2 there is a quest for the City Guard where you have to track down some hashish, it's quite funny. Also you can go to a brothel and sleep with a prostitute http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/bigthumb.gif

[Efrem Da King]

WOOO


Thats pretty much the only reason I play arcanum is to get enough money to go to the brothel its the funniest thing ever


I may just get this game, Morrowind truely lacked from a brothel, though the srip club was GREAT

[econ21]

I don't get it about prostitutes in RPGs. Whether in Arcanum, Fallout 2, Jagged Alliance 2 or whatever it seems totally lame. You get some innuendo and a fade out or smiley; big deal. I guess they can be interesting if they lead to fun sideplots, although usually it is a wasted opportunity.

Romances, on the other hand, can be strangely compelling. As a Brit of a certain age, I never imagined I would be interested in Sheena Easton, a one-hit wonder pop singer from the 1980s who was considered rather naff at the time. However, her voicework and the writing for her character of Anna in Planescape Torment was excellent. The male Revan-Bastilla romance in KOTOR was also well done - I found myself awkwardly fast clicking through the responses with my young son at my side

[Efrem Da King]

There is a romance in Morrowind....


Never actually met the girl/guy that your told u should visit though.

[Sjakihata]

The visit on the brothel is INDEED a part of a quest. However, when you first completed the quest, the borthel remains open, thus you always have the opportunity to get .. relaxed.
I think it is one of the cool little features, that helps make the game feel alive. And it DOES feel alive, because there are a LOT of these features.