[chopkinsca]

Most of the game faded from memory since it was long ago when I last played it. I recently bought it and am currently playing it. One thing I forgot about was how beautiful the game is. The texture work is superb and trees and foliage give a great impression of nature. Personally I think it looks far better than even Oblivion. I also love how dangerous they made nature. From the start, even the main roads are barely safe. It gives the land a sort of mysterious feeling. Wondering what is off the main path that you can't reach yet until you are stronger.

The town of korhinis is very well done. It gives a great sense of being an actual functional town. From the slums to the high class restricted areas. I love the addition of the herald reading the news and the water mage preaching to the crowd. I could just stand there in the crowd listening to Vatras (I think that's his name).

The feeling like you are actually part of the game world is one of the main reasons I love the first two Gothic games. It feels like the world was crafted with care. The true "zero to hero" aspect of the game is also something I really like. In gothic 2 you barely can make it as a farmer let alone someone who ends up a hero that everyone respects.

Long story short, Gothic 1 & 2 are the best games I've played.

[kabuto]

I totally agree with you! There has been no game other than Gothic that got me so immersed in playing, inside the history and even nervous of going through it. No other game has got me thinking about it all day and night, thinking about what to do, what could happen, or what will I do next. As you say, the feeling of the living world, the danger that is behind every corner, the weak you feel and the sense of fear, the music, sounds and voices..Man what a great game.
This is the main difference with the rest of the games. I have just finished playing Skirym and I must tell you I really enjoyed the world. It has really nice areas and places. But I was not anxious for playing it. The world feel empty from live and danger. Even when you are weak, you have no worries of going anywhere.
Since the first time I played gothic back in 2001, I fell in love for the rest of my life.

[CrashMorraKan]

i had to turn on the harbor/khorinis music while reading your comments, to feel at home. i also playing skyrim since october, until today, and will continue play tomorrow... and i try to compere it to gothic games... well it is a good game, but gothic stays for life, stuck in your blood!
gothic>skyrim.

[shrekdj]

Gothic 1 and 2 easily be well regarded as the best game of its time

BUT comparing with Oblivion seems too much, the latter is definitely better putting you into the same amazing exploration but a lot massive and highly immersive attractive world, mainly customization aspect is the best compared to Gothic series.

Oblivion is better simply because of the time and technology present during its production that enhances further the quality aspect.

If I had to compare Gothic than Morrowind is clearly lacking the punch that Gothic delivers even with smaller size as to Morrowinds large pack of content, Gothic is remarkable as ever and the most important thing is the gameplay well-designed and deeply satisfying, combat is challenging and the world seems alive and appealing compared to Morrowind where Characters just stand like they have no sense or life to interact with which soon turns boring.

All of that aside, I play both Gothic and Oblivion, and Skyrim too, for the fact that each stands on its own and it's difficult to find much fault with any of it.

[Nisarg]

BUT comparing with Oblivion seems too much, the latter is definitely better putting you into the same amazing exploration but a lot massive and highly immersive attractive world, mainly customization aspect is the best compared to Gothic series.

Gothic and Gothic 2 did hold an edge over Oblivion in some ways, like a more consistent voice-acting, more detailed wilderness terrain (no, polycount isn't everything), animations for just about every action (no matter how awkward), and a seamless transition to nearly every indoor spaces.

Of course, there are other advantages which come down to personal opinion, such as the combat system, the general look and feel (seriously, Oblivion features the worst usage of HDR till date), the simplified skill and inventory system and teachers (teachers were entirely optional in Oblivion), the implementation of the main quests (G1/G2 are FAR FAR ahead of Oblivion in this matter), etc.

Oblivion is better simply because of the time and technology present during its production that enhances further the quality aspect.

Tech isn't everything. It's how you use it that matters more. Oblivion looks better without the HDR turned on, and Bethesda's usage of heightmaps was what gave heightmapping such negative connotations in the first place. And its shadowing is useless.

[Bastardo]

Indeed, Gothic II is great even when it comes down purely to visuals. The developers did the best they could do with whatever they had at the time and the graphics aged quite well in my opinion. Sharp, realistic textures and none of that post-process overkill of more recent games.

[Hellbilly]

Indeed, Gothic II is great even when it comes purely to visuals. The developers did the best they could do with whatever they had at the time and the graphics aged quite well in my opinion. Sharp, realistic textures and none of that post-process overkill of more recent games.

Yeah. In places, at least. The forests are still really good looking if you ask me, especially considering the technical limitations of the time; in the age-old comparison of Bethesda and PB, I think neither has in subsequent games managed to create as atmospheric forests as those in Khorinis. But then, some of the places in the barren Valley Of Mines look very outdated and blocky to an eye accustomed to more modern visuals and graphics.

The two first Gothics are clearly showing their age in many things, graphics included, but at the core, the quintessence of the games, PB managed to do so many fundamental things right that aged graphics, aged control schemes and the aged, at times unwieldy interface are nothing but trifles. They are still awesome games comparing to today's games. Or games of any era, if you ask me.

[SkullX]

Gothic 2 has great graphics for 2012, they were 'GODLIKE' back in 2002, everyone was 'o.O wow the grahphics' back then...Long live Gothic > World.

[Hellbilly]

Gothic 2 has great graphics for 2012, they were 'GODLIKE' back in 2002, everyone was 'o.O wow the grahphics' back then...Long live Gothic > World.

Um, no. It has very outdated graphics for 2012. Which is not a point of criticism towards the game, merely an observation.

[warstrike]

Also don`t forget the music. The story /atmosphere and the music beats the hell out of outdated graphics. For me it`s like a tradition ,every year for the past 9 years i play gothic 1&2 just once and those are the only games i`ll never get bored of.

[CrashMorraKan]

gothic will be played for many many years to come. and may it NEVER be forggoten!

[Onisuzume]

Just wondering...
But how hard would it to do a high-poly/retexture of most in-game models and such?
Looking at Morrowind, and what they've managed to do with that in the past decade-ish could set some sort of standard.

[Nisarg]

Just wondering...
But how hard would it to do a high-poly/retexture of most in-game models and such?
Looking at Morrowind, and what they've managed to do with that in the past decade-ish could set some sort of standard.

High poly could be done with the existing tools IMO, but the first thing to do would be to update the renderer. Which, according to people who tried messing with it, is one hell of a job. After the renderer has been updated, and the game uses DX9c, we could make it all high poly with high-res textures, including normal maps, specular maps, etc. But, yeah, it will take a lot of time.

[shrekdj]

Gothic and Gothic 2 did hold an edge over Oblivion in some ways....Tech isn't everything

I had to put this that as for the comparison my obeservation between Oblivion and Gothic was under the RPG purely on the basis of what improvements are seen among them in respect to the standards set by them as a game as possible!.. That never meant that any of the two were downright the worst. I was observing what's the best gameplay aspect in both of them similarly what you mentioned regarding HUD which is simplistic in Gothic compared to Oblivion.
As for the Technical aspect, would like to repeat the following quote shared.

Um, no. It has very outdated graphics for 2012. Which is not a point of criticism towards the game, merely an observation.

All in all, the Gothic series still holds the title for best single player RPG for a world of craft and gameplay factors that has been introduced setting a trend seen in many later titles that are equally brilliant in improving those.


Gothic does not fall far behind than Elder Scrolls Oblivian and even Skyrim.


The game is essentially unchanged in many aspects, whether Skyrim or Witcher. However Gothic is not totally without lack of some amazing improvements that I'm role playing in Skyrim.


Hopefully Gothic will emerge in the near future in designing a character or replacements for actual creative customization that are the selling points of many modern RPG titles.

[Nisarg]

Hopefully Gothic will emerge in the near future in designing a character or replacements for actual creative customization that are the selling points of many modern RPG titles.

I personally hope that there is no Gothic in the near future. You see, Piranha Bytes, the developers, seem to be moving away from some of the good things of Gothic. And they have themselves mentioned in an interview that they'd like to do something different and even their current pirate RPG (Risen 2) isn't too different for them. I guess they don't want to do RPGs, at least not in a medieval setting any more.

And if anyone else wants to do another Gothic, I would advise them to create a new series rather than continuing Gothic. In fact, I would probably advise PB not to touch Gothic either.

[andorian22]

I still don't understand why anyone compares Gothic and Oblivion,

like comparing apples und oranges.

the 2 Gothics are special not so much for their good graphics,
rather primitive now, but by the atmosphere they create

[eSPee]

i had to turn on the harbor/khorinis music while reading your comments, to feel at home. i also playing skyrim since october, until today, and will continue play tomorrow... and i try to compere it to gothic games... well it is a good game, but gothic stays for life, stuck in your blood!
gothic>skyrim.

Elder scrolls is a little dumbed down. At least Oblivion, you start as nothing, meet a important personality who trusts you for no good reason, gives you a task, something something you fight against demons. In Gothic you start as a zero, have to gain everybody's trust, climb your way to the top, not hack your way through endless waves of monsters, purchase powerful equipment, not available through grinding (slaying dragons, taking oblivion stones). Also in Elder Scrolls everybody is super nice to you. Nobody bullies you, disrespects you, no corruption, everybody is good. In Gothic it's kinda the opposite. Stronger bandits bully you, you can't kill bandits at level 1, stats don't regenerate, etc. Not to mention in Gothic you have to take different stories if you want to change class. In Elder Scrolls you can be a bandit or an overlord razing cities and you'll follow the same story.

I am refering to Oblivion and Skyrim. I have never played Morrowind.

And andorian22 has a point. It's like comparing oranges to mandarines. Mandarines are tastier but smaller, whereas oranges are bigger but taste worse. Where Gothic is the mandarine and Elder Scrolls the orange, bigger size means bigger graphics and better taste means better gameplay/story.



Edit: I really messed the last lines can some mod fix them?

[shrekdj]

I personally hope that there is no Gothic in the near future. You see, Piranha Bytes, the developers, seem to be moving away from some of the good things of Gothic. And they have themselves mentioned in an interview that they'd like to do something different and even their current pirate RPG (Risen 2) isn't too different for them. I guess they don't want to do RPGs, at least not in a medieval setting any more.

I am eagerly waiting for Risen 2, for the fact that it looks super cool bringing some nice memories of No One Lives forever a cult FPS and combining RPG elements in form of new techniques in Combat. As far as the previews impression goes it really shows that PB finally in the mood of something different. But, the previews give the feel of another Gothic. Some interesting links though :-
Gameplay preview 1

Gameplay preview 2

Its nice to have something different if it feels new!.. Risen 2 certainly looks new.

[Nisarg]

We have an entire section dedicated to Risen and Risen 2 here.

Personally, I'm worried about quite a few things. Even in the screenshots, just look at the distant (or rather, not-so-distant) vegetation. Compare that to vegetation at the same distance in Gothic 2.

Risen 2 also seems to be rather heavily clichéd even though we were promised something less so. And above all, it has DRM in the form of Steam, which for various reasons I refuse to accept. Not to mention a day one DLC that, judging from the previews, seems to have been ripped out of the game solely for the purpose of making it a DLC.

[fragonard]

The DLC part is probably what annoys me the most but I'm also very sorry to hear that they will be using numerous QTEs; that could end being even worse.

I'm afraid the PB of Gothic is gone. I have followed Gothic faithfully since 2004 but I may skip this one.