Teh dumbass review
Ok, it's time to poke some light-hearted fun at the reviewer!
Instead of typical click-click sword duels, the developer went with a convoluted system that used both the mouse and keyboard to launch complex attacks. You had to be very good with hand-eye coordination -- first- person shooter good
Oh my god! Imagine actually having to do something with the controls in a combat-oriented, real-time RPG! It's obvious that the interface should be based on one's skill level at clicking the left mouse button quickly - it's the industry standard!
Get into a battle with a few foes and things get out of hand. You have to constantly swerve back and forth when a group of them are gang-tackling you, weaving in and out like some kind of drunken master in a kung-fu flick.
You know, more American teenagers should experience the hands-on joy of good old-fashioned gang violence. Maybe then they'd realise that things really do "get out of hand" when more two people are trying to inflict injury on you.
Steep system requirements are another impediment. Like the original Gothic, its successor is a real pig.
This is simply not true. Gothic I ran fine with two-year old hardware when it was released, and so does Gothic II. I don't think these requirements count as steep when the average PC sold nowadays comes with a 2Ghz processor.
While it may be the usual fantasy claptrap about fighting evil dragons and their army of darkness (ie. orcs and pals), everything is presented well.
You know, something (actually, most things) about this review tell me the reviewer hasn't bothered to play through the game.
Sneaking around is a huge part of play, especially in the early going when you're as weak as a kitten and have to run away from packs of fairly wimpy wolves and goblins.
You know, something (actually, most things) about this review tell me the reviewer hasn't bothered to play Gothic I at all.
One of the biggest things that bothered me about Gothic II was the total wimpiness of wolves (compared to G I) and the lack of wolf (and orc-dog) packs. Those were probably the most fun and challenging combat encounters in Gothic I. Thankfully, this is somewhat compensated for by the smaller but tougher Orc and Lizardmen bands. But this brings another point of note: G 2 places two-handed fighters (which pretty much means mercenaries) in serious disadvantage compared to one-handed ones when it comes to fighting said bands. My first time through, I really regretted becoming a mercenary for this reason.
Those looking to wade into combat like some ersatz Conan the Barbarian will no doubt be disappointed with a start that includes picking turnips and scooping magical Sun Aloe out of Black Troll dung.
One of the biggest design differences between Gothic II and practically all other RPGs is that it doesn't ramp up in difficulty as you go. Encounters are tough in the beginning, often overwhelming, and don't get easier as your skills improve. So you always have to be aware of options other than whipping out that trusty battle-axe. Even later in the game avoiding battle is a necessity, especially during an orcish siege of a fortress.
I think this misses an important (and, for what passes for serious gamers nowadays, subtle) theme of both the Gothic games: you're <i>not</i> Conan the Barbarian. You really are a schmuck (albeit one with extraordinary self-development skills) stuck in peculiar cicrumstances. The combat system is designed to reflect this point. The story and dialogue play on this in quite a few places for immersion and humor.
Spoiler alert!!
Considering the ending of Gothic 2, the Gothic guy may not even be the "chosen one" at all - the whole prophecy business may just be something Xardas made up to manipulate him. This theme is certainly present throughout the game. The Gothic guy always seems to be used by someone or other, forced to join factions to get anywhere, etc. Hell, you don't even know why they stuck you in the colony in the first game!
This certainly would make the story a lot more consistent (not to mention entertaining) than most of today's RPGs, where you may have god-like powers and the illusion of being able to use them, but are really led around by the nose by what the developers designed.
