Gothic 4 News

[DefDC]

Gothic was always a flawed gem. Let's hope the release is fun. I loved Risen. Probably more than G3 at release. (I guess that's not says much)

 

[skace]

You can't compare Risen and G4... Piranha Bytes didn't make G4. Just G1, G2, G3 and Risen.

 

[DefDC]

You can't compare Risen and G4... Piranha Bytes didn't make G4. Just G1, G2, G3 and Risen.

Oh yeah? Well, I'm gonna compare them anyways!

 

[Mem]

Oh yeah? Well, I'm gonna compare them anyways!

I just hope G4 has the the same sort of feel and gameplay like the earlier Gothic games.

I played the demo but it was too short to really get a proper impression of G4 compared to the earlier Gothic games,bug wise its probably a lot better then G3(can't be worst).

I did like how weak you was at start of the earlier Gothic games, you had to be very careful on how you handled the mobs around you at lower levels,(not to mention mobs ganging up on you) by the end of the game you really felt you had accomplished something with your character.

Exploring could be quite dangerous too,I remember the giant troll chasing me all the way back to camp in Gothic 1 and guards fighting it for 20-25 mins lol.

 

[motsm]

I just hope G4 has the the same sort of feel and gameplay like the earlier Gothic games.

I played the demo but it was too short to really get a proper impression of G4 compared to the earlier Gothic games,bug wise its probably a lot better then G3(can't be worst).

I did like how weak you was at start of the earlier Gothic games, you had to be very careful on how you handled the mobs around you at lower levels,(not to mention mobs ganging up on you) by the end of the game you really felt you had accomplished something with your character.

Exploring could be quite dangerous too,I remember the giant troll chasing me all the way back to camp in Gothic 1 and guards fighting it for 20-25 mins lol.

According to reviews, it has absolutly nothing in common with the previous Gothic games. The entire thing is cut into pieces like the demo, so you won't be running into dangerous high level areas as they will be inaccessible.

 

[DefDC]

According to reviews, it has absolutly nothing in common with the previous Gothic games. The entire thing is cut into pieces like the demo, so you won't be running into dangerous high level areas as they will be inaccessible.

Man, they are going to ruin all the things that made Gothic great.

We don't need another Oblivion clone... : /

 

[StinkyPinky]

PC Gamer gave it a 76

Actually the reviews are more positive than I thought they would be. Most of them are in the 70's.

 

[Mem]

PC Gamer gave it a 76

Actually the reviews are more positive than I thought they would be. Most of them are in the 70's.

I can't remember what Gothic 3 got,anyway its got decent enough reviews,however proof is in what you the buyer thinks of G4 rather then reviewers which I don't take too serious(I have disagreed on more then a few games where they have said game is excellent etc..).

 

[motsm]

I can't remember what Gothic 3 got,anyway its got decent enough reviews,however proof is in what you the buyer thinks of G4 rather then reviewers which I don't take too serious(I have disagreed on more then a few games where they have said game is excellent etc..).

80, according to Metacritic. I recall that they gave Gothic 2 RPG of the year though.

 

[Gheris]

I am looking forward to hearing from some of the early buyers on this one. Personally I am waiting for a price decrease before I make the plunge. So far it's not looking too bad, but it does seem to have been infected with a bit of "console-itis."

 

[DefDC]

Yeah. They really should reduce the price to fight with the release of Fallout3: New Vegas on the same day.

 

[skace]

I kicked off the preload but I don't know when it unlocks on Steam.

And as far as I'm concerned Gothic 3 deserved an 80 rating. At least I got an 80's worth of enjoyment from it, bugs and all. Certainly any review should have mentioned it's faults, but the faults only take away from the total score if they cause the game to be unplayable.

 

[mindcycle]

Sadly, from what i've read so far it looks like they took out a lot of the unique features that made the Gothic games interesting for me. I'm with Mem though, it'd like to hear what other players think as reviews can often be misleading. Especially if the reviewer hasn't played through any of the other Gothic games. He/she might think the game is great on it's own, but those looking for the "Gothic" experience will be letdown. From reviews i've read where the reviewer has actually played the previous games, that appears to be the case however..

Anyway, i'll be checking back here to see what you guys think as I would like to pick up the game eventually. Right now i'm fully engrossed in Nehrim (awesome mod for Oblivion), so everything else is on the back burner indefinitely..

 

[StinkyPinky]

My brother lives in jolly old London town and has gifted the game to me.

I've only played a few hours but it's.....ok.... so far. Combat is harder compared to the demo, graphics are nice with good weather cycles, no obvious bugs. The voice acting is pretty shit but most games of this genre are like that anyway. Runs well on my system.

Too early to tell about the finer points of the game. It is simplified though, which concerns me somewhat. I'll reserve judgement until I get further in.

But choosing between this game and Fallout would be a no contest for me. Even after only a couple of hours....get Fallout (unless it has really bad reviews)

 

[StinkyPinky]

Oh yeah, and the player character looks like Justin Bieber which is an automatic -10% for any review.

 

[mindcycle]

My brother lives in jolly old London town and has gifted the game to me.

I've only played a few hours but it's.....ok.... so far. Combat is harder compared to the demo, graphics are nice with good weather cycles, no obvious bugs. The voice acting is pretty shit but most games of this genre are like that anyway. Runs well on my system.

Too early to tell about the finer points of the game. It is simplified though, which concerns me somewhat. I'll reserve judgement until I get further in.

But choosing between this game and Fallout would be a no contest for me. Even after only a couple of hours....get Fallout (unless it has really bad reviews)

Thanks man. Definitely let us know your thoughts as you get further into it.

How's the exploration so far? Is the loot, caves, etc.. randomly generated? That and auto-leveling (like in Oblivion), are my biggest pet peeves and every consolised RPG seems to have that these days..

 

[mindcycle]

Here's a pretty good review I just found that addresses Arcania from a "Gothic fan's" prospective and from someone who's new to the series and possibly RPG's in general. Pretty much confirms my suspicions and makes me want to wait until this thing hits the bargain bin..

This is a very difficult review to write. ArcaniA was designed for Casual RPGers who will enjoy it a great deal. I even believe that ArcaniA will help build a new generation of RPGers who will soon want to try traditional RPGs. But ArcaniA will also be judged by Classic RPGers who will find it a big step back from Gothic 3. The assessment of ArcaniA depends a great deal upon which set of glasses you are wearing -- Casual RPG or Classic RPG.

A review of the game most people expected to see, as the successor to Gothic 3 in the spirit of a classic RPG, would find ArcaniA to be a very disappointing release. It is a greatly simplified, linear story with few choices and limited replayability. Much of the core of the Gothic series has been removed -- Gothic 3 lovers will be especially disappointed. Classic RPGers (like me) will be very worried if this level of simplification is the new direction for all RPGs.

So the challenge in this review is to present BOTH sides of the story. Regular members of RPGWatch will assume I have lost my last marble as they will see two very different views surface here. One, for the "Casual RPGers" will speak of an excellent game that is a no-brainer to purchase and enjoy. The other, for "Classic RPGers" (like me) is to pass on this title for now unless you want and can afford a good casual "RPGish" game for when you just want to kill a couple hours. And if previous Gothics are among your favorite all-time games then you will not enjoy ArcaniA much, at all.

Read the rest here:
http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=165&ref=0&id=280

 

[CottonRabbit]

If you want "Gothic 4", go play Risen and then wait for Risen 2. This is just a bland adventure game with item drops and a shallow leveling system.

 

[coloumb]

"developers seem to think is the new sweet spot in gaming - customers who want simplicity and easy accessibility"

Yup - I think of Civ 5 and a host of other recently released games which can easily fit into that description.

"ArcaniA would be the launch of a "...new, casual RPG based on some of the G3 backstory...""

That's how they should've released it leaving out "gothic 4".

I'd say the review linked by mindcycle pretty much sums up Arcania depending upon if you've played [and loved, liked, or hated] Gothic 3 [and 1 and 2 if you can put up with the aging graphics and crappy combat system].

 

[StinkyPinky]

Well I'm enjoying this game quite a lot and I'm hardly a casual RPG player. I've been playing them since the early 90s. The world is huge, the graphics are excellent, the loot is fun, and the world is interesting.

It will never win any design awards but it does the basic things well.

 

[StinkyPinky]

Thanks man. Definitely let us know your thoughts as you get further into it.

How's the exploration so far? Is the loot, caves, etc.. randomly generated? That and auto-leveling (like in Oblivion), are my biggest pet peeves and every consolised RPG seems to have that these days..

The caves are not random and I don't know for sure but I don't think the mobs are auto-leveled. I'm only level 9 so a bit hard to tell at the moment. I'm liking the loot drops. It took me about four hours just to get a decent short sword and i'm still wearing basic armor so it's not like the demo where you're in plate armor after 30 minutes.

It's not a "Hardcore" rpg though, so if you're into fiddling around with stats and tweaking your character to perfection then you may not be interested. Basically every level up you get 3 skill points to assign to about ten skill trees. There's no character attributes to speak of (such as the ones you get in dragon age and fallout)

 

[veri745]

I'm now about 5-6 hours in, and thus far I have been thoroughly entertained.

If you've played previous Gothic games, I wouldn't suggest anything lower than Hard for difficulty. Voice acting is about what you'd expect from a Gothic game (terrible), but other than that, everything else is decent or good.

I dont' have any problem with the mechanic for getting to new areas, but some people might.

 

[NoSoup4You]

I quite enjoyed the demo although the voice acting is atrocious. Almost sickeningly bad. But the gameplay is enjoyable, the weapons have a satisfying feel to them and I enjoyed carving up enemies with that 2 handed blade you get. Magic seemed solid, the bows are fun....etc.

Graphics are terrific as well. I'm definitely tempted...

Also somewhat curious about Risen, I never played the Gothic series before but Risen looks good too. Hmmm....

 

[mindcycle]

The caves are not random and I don't know for sure but I don't think the mobs are auto-leveled. I'm only level 9 so a bit hard to tell at the moment. I'm liking the loot drops. It took me about four hours just to get a decent short sword and i'm still wearing basic armor so it's not like the demo where you're in plate armor after 30 minutes.

It's not a "Hardcore" rpg though, so if you're into fiddling around with stats and tweaking your character to perfection then you may not be interested. Basically every level up you get 3 skill points to assign to about ten skill trees. There's no character attributes to speak of (such as the ones you get in dragon age and fallout)

Thanks for the update man. I just wish they wouldn't have gotten rid of some of the things they did to try and appeal to the mass market. When this hits $20 or less i'll probably pick it up as it sounds like it may provide some enjoyment. Way too engrossed in playing through Nehrim atm to add anything new to my plate though..

 

[SolidSnake42]

I actually own Gothic II, but I have no idea if they really improved a ton outside of that game. Mainly because I never played Gothic III or 4.