Plot is standard fantasy fare: the protagonist returns to his country, which has been conquered by an army of Orcs.
The greatest achievement of Gothic 3 is the world in which the adventure takes place. It's huge, believable and never repetitive: each location has a wonderfully distinctive look, from snowy strongholds of northern clans to temples rising in southern deserts, from crocodile-infested swamps to monasteries hidden in the mountains.
Some details I loved. For example, I entered a cave in which a couple of miners had disappeared, but it was too late: a monster had killed them. I reloaded and tried again: they resisted longer and I saved one of them. The third time they defeated the monster with no help from me. This kind of unpredictability runs through the game, and it's a fun.
Each time you gain a new level you get "learning points", but you can't automatically acquire new skills (ranging from more conventional ones like fighting and magic to non-combat oriented like alchemy and crafting): first you need to find someone who teaches you these skills, then pay him or complete a minor quest. This makes for a more complex but ultimately more realistic gaming experience.
Not that Gothic 3 is flawless. Characters are nondescript; dialogues have a good sense of humour but they lack the flair of, say, the Baldur's Gate series: often you cannot even decide whether you want to be friendly or arrogant, solemn or ironic. An odd detail is how the inhabitants of Gothic's world are almost only male - women are *very* few. Weird.
A.I. is passable - many enemies pursue you with surprising insistence. Incidentally, wild animals should have been faster: it doesn't make sense that you can outrun a tiger! A much bigger problem is how enemies cannot jump: you can easily slaughter a huge group if you have the high ground and they lack long-range weapons or spellcasters. Ladies and gentlemen... gamebreaker!
Soundtrack is epic, with some great vocal work and different themes depending on the location you are visiting.
7/10
The greatest achievement of Gothic 3 is the world in which the adventure takes place. It's huge, believable and never repetitive: each location has a wonderfully distinctive look, from snowy strongholds of northern clans to temples rising in southern deserts, from crocodile-infested swamps to monasteries hidden in the mountains.
Some details I loved. For example, I entered a cave in which a couple of miners had disappeared, but it was too late: a monster had killed them. I reloaded and tried again: they resisted longer and I saved one of them. The third time they defeated the monster with no help from me. This kind of unpredictability runs through the game, and it's a fun.
Each time you gain a new level you get "learning points", but you can't automatically acquire new skills (ranging from more conventional ones like fighting and magic to non-combat oriented like alchemy and crafting): first you need to find someone who teaches you these skills, then pay him or complete a minor quest. This makes for a more complex but ultimately more realistic gaming experience.
Not that Gothic 3 is flawless. Characters are nondescript; dialogues have a good sense of humour but they lack the flair of, say, the Baldur's Gate series: often you cannot even decide whether you want to be friendly or arrogant, solemn or ironic. An odd detail is how the inhabitants of Gothic's world are almost only male - women are *very* few. Weird.
A.I. is passable - many enemies pursue you with surprising insistence. Incidentally, wild animals should have been faster: it doesn't make sense that you can outrun a tiger! A much bigger problem is how enemies cannot jump: you can easily slaughter a huge group if you have the high ground and they lack long-range weapons or spellcasters. Ladies and gentlemen... gamebreaker!
Soundtrack is epic, with some great vocal work and different themes depending on the location you are visiting.
7/10