Gothic, Wizardry, Arx Fatalis and The Legend of Grimrock.
So I'm at the point where I've played and completed most of the RPG games out there, and trying to take a second look at some old games I've ignored for reasons i'll state. I've completed anything from famous games (Baldur's gate, Elder scrolls, Fallout, Dragon Age, Diablo etc) to more obscure (Arcanum, Lionheart, Septerra Core, Escalon, Divine Divinity, Enclave etc) but I've pretty much done them all. I also have the complete collection of Final Fantasy games and while there are some JRPG I've missed out on right now i would like to get my hands on an old school WRPG for the computer.
Well in the title I've listed some of the older games i haven't touched yet.
Gothic - I've wanted to try this game out because of the hype it got. I have all of the Gothic games on steam but i'm mostly interested in Gothic 1 & 2. The reason i haven't been able to get into these games is first of all the gameplay. So far the little I've played of Gothic the gameplay has been horrendous, I've actually put the games on the shelf for that reason alone. Second reason is the whole level up system, i don't really mind it that much but it takes some time getting used to and I haven't played enough of Gothic to get to that part. The third reason is that i love magic and from what I've read that's not a very good option to take. Now i don't mind playing a combination that is hard or challenging, but the whole idea of buying scrolls because your 'normal' magic (runes?) are so weak is just disgusting.
Now i don't mind the graphic of the game as I've played and enjoyed much worse, the difficulty is a huge bonus in my opinion so i'm greatly looking forward to that when it comes to Gothic 2. I just can't seem to get past the start because of the gameplay and me not being able to play a spellcaster.
Should i start with Gothic or Gothic2?
Wizardry/The Legend of Grimrock. - I've enjoyed Might and Magic but I've never really gotten to trying out these games. Where should i start? Wizardry 8 looks great but it might spoil the rest of the series for me? What about Grimrock? It seems to be a standalone game but is there something i should know beforehand?
Arx Fatalis - I've thrown a look at this game and i do own it on steam, just never got to starting it.
I would also like to mention that I've tried out Risen but once i got to the monastery and had to find the murderer, the game just came to a halt for me. I normally don't mind a hard or challenging game with puzzles or just difficulty, but Risen really made me ask myself why i was playing this game.
Well in the title I've listed some of the older games i haven't touched yet.
Gothic - I've wanted to try this game out because of the hype it got. I have all of the Gothic games on steam but i'm mostly interested in Gothic 1 & 2. The reason i haven't been able to get into these games is first of all the gameplay. So far the little I've played of Gothic the gameplay has been horrendous, I've actually put the games on the shelf for that reason alone. Second reason is the whole level up system, i don't really mind it that much but it takes some time getting used to and I haven't played enough of Gothic to get to that part. The third reason is that i love magic and from what I've read that's not a very good option to take. Now i don't mind playing a combination that is hard or challenging, but the whole idea of buying scrolls because your 'normal' magic (runes?) are so weak is just disgusting.
Now i don't mind the graphic of the game as I've played and enjoyed much worse, the difficulty is a huge bonus in my opinion so i'm greatly looking forward to that when it comes to Gothic 2. I just can't seem to get past the start because of the gameplay and me not being able to play a spellcaster.
Should i start with Gothic or Gothic2?
Wizardry/The Legend of Grimrock. - I've enjoyed Might and Magic but I've never really gotten to trying out these games. Where should i start? Wizardry 8 looks great but it might spoil the rest of the series for me? What about Grimrock? It seems to be a standalone game but is there something i should know beforehand?
Arx Fatalis - I've thrown a look at this game and i do own it on steam, just never got to starting it.
I would also like to mention that I've tried out Risen but once i got to the monastery and had to find the murderer, the game just came to a halt for me. I normally don't mind a hard or challenging game with puzzles or just difficulty, but Risen really made me ask myself why i was playing this game.
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Comments
The game is indeed incredibly hard and unforgiving at the earliest levels, but it rewards you alot for exploring everywhere and killing *all* enemies for xp (enemies will respawn at ONE point in the game). Usually you have to figure out different strategies for different enemies, some are simply too hard and have to be revisited once you have acquired new skills or equipment.
Magic is powerfull, and you will get runes for all spells. However, going the magic-path is even more challenging at the start than the other two paths, eventually it will pay off though.
I would recommend going mercenary - two handed swords for your first playthrough, maxing two-handed fighting before going archery. Alchemy can also pay off in a big way once you learn potions which can permanently increase stats. (Pick up all those plants! Especially king's sorrel).
Skyrim is actually hugely based on the game, from crafting to the preacher in Khorinis -except that your actions actually have consequences in Gothic 2.
I've played for around half an hour now and i don't know what to say to be honest. The graphics aren't that bad and i really enjoy the dialogues and voice acting. The atmosphere is great and i love the whole prison taken over by the prisoners and the different camps. The combat isn't that interesting and quite boring in my opinion, but then again it isn't exactly a new game.
Now to my complain about earlier, i don't mind the controls that much. I remembered them to be much worse than this but having changed the moving to AWSD and then using my mouse once in a while it's been going decent. The controls are in no way good, but they aren't that game breaking.
But... That inventory management not to mention the looting is the worst i have seen in any game to date. I've played RPG games for around 20 years now and I've NEVER seen such a bad inventory/looting system. It makes me want to slam my head against a wall every time i loot a chest or try to go through my inventory.
I'm going to give it another hour or so and see what happens. I kind of want to finish Gothic1 before going over to Gothic2. Now a quick question, please spoil me. Will you ever get out of the prison in Gothic1 and explore the world outside? Or is the game based purely around this prison world?
I'm downloading Arx Fatalis from Steam right now, still not sure what to think about this game.
Wizardry 8 looks really interesting, i'm not sure what to think about 6 or 7 though. I normally don't complain about graphic but those two look pretty... Interesting? It also seems to be different gameplay between 7 and 8?
I've scouted the Internet on The Legend of Grimrock and it seems to be the game closest to Might and Magic?
What is the difference when it comes to Might & Magic and Wizardry?
I've also been tempted to just follow a playthrough of the Gothic games. The gameplay is pretty much what is keeping me away from enjoying it at the moment, so perhaps watching someone else deal with it (and hopefully more proficient than my own fumbling) would be the way to go?
Also, it has many stuff that you cannot find on your first playthrough, like the "hidden spells". Or ways to enter places you previously couldn't, and open locked chests/containers that you previously couldn't, either! Its spellcasting sytem is really unique, and tried for the first time in gaming (weaving signs, something like the eastern esoteric magic paths, but combined with fictional runic letters ultimately).
Try it. It is a legend. Get if from gog, it is both cheap, drm free, and as a bonus, you get digital extra stuff, that you would have gotten, had you bought an old, boxed edition of it, back in the day...
Also, i see you did not touch another, pretty good, critically acclaimed, and cult classic RPG series, the two, Vampire:The Masquerade Titles. Try them, if you are an RPG fan and veteran, you shouldn't have lost playing those...
Finally, by the time arx fatalis was out, a hack and slash, action RPG, that was also pretty good and solid as a title (but sank due to inadequate marketing and high pc requirements...), named SEverance: BLade of DArkness, had been released. If you like slaughter and butchery, alongside bladbaths in your RPGs, it is unthinkable to have missed *this* title. GoG offers it also cheap, DRM-FREE, and with digital extras.
If you happen to play arx fatalis then can you verify bone chair cheat really works or not?
Also, arx fatalis is the most unique game i have ever played. Because, before killing the final boss, you can do something FEW games allow you to... Go and slaughter EVERYTHING, and EVERYONE, who draws breath... I enjoyed buffing myself, even stacking two and three times a spell on me (like haste), and flying through every level, cutting down and fireballing to blazing infernos, any creature on sight. For some reason, after learning all of the game's history, story, and lore, i couldn't allow anyone to live, especially since i was the guardian. So, i robbed the bank, killed the dragon, pigslaughtered the king, sliced in half the snake women (after robbing them from secret passageway), fireballed all citizens, obliterated all undead (even after their second respawn), killed our fling, ate all the animals, broke into all homes, and long story short, i did to arx fatalis' world, the exact same thing, that the person in my avatar, almost did to his own, corresponding world... And i enjoyed it pretty much.