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OctU
Keeper of the Gates
Joined: 24 Jan 2002
Posts: 114
Location: On an island beyond the realm of the Sea Barons |
I had experienced some software glitches with the Arx demo version that made me hesitant to get the full version, but I could not get out of my mind how deeply immersed I felt in the world of Arx in my brief encounter with the demo, and immersion depth is the single most important element I look for in an RPG. So I finally decided to get the full retail version, hoping that the latest patch had solved all the problems I had experienced in the demo.
That turned out to be a great decision. Not since Gothic 1 have I had so much fun in an RPG and felt so immersed in another world. I thought the atmosphere for an underground environment was captured brilliantly, and it felt appropriately dark, dirty, and clammy down there. The graphics were rich and detailed, and the sounds and background music conveyed the mood perfectly, whether it be somber, tense, or downright creepy.
My interaction with the goblins was itself worth the price of the entire game. Watching their behavior and listening to their insults, jeers, taunts, ramblings, jokes and burps was beyond compare to any other creature race I have ever interacted with in any RPG I've ever played.
I've played many RPG's throughout the years, including most of the latest single-player RPG's out there. I had just finished Neverwinter Nights before starting Arx, and though NWN had some interesting aspects, the game was just not very compelling, and I felt like I was sleepwalking through most of it. Morrowind had a similarly hollow effect on me.
I would, however, easily rate Arx among the best RPG games I have ever played, right up there with Gothic 1, Thief 1 and Thief 2. I am very happy that I took a chance and got this game, it was really a great find. So now I'm not just waiting for the release of Gothic 2 and Thief 3 anymore -- bring on Arx 2! |
Wed Jun 11, 2003 7:26 pm |
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Shrapnel
Rocket Scientist
Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 1325
Location: Newark, NJ |
isnt that game entirely inside a dungeon?
underground anyway |
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Wed Jun 11, 2003 7:38 pm |
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OctU
Keeper of the Gates
Joined: 24 Jan 2002
Posts: 114
Location: On an island beyond the realm of the Sea Barons |
Hey, Shrapnel, I've seen you on the Gothic forums before, so I'll try to relate to that game when it's relevant in comparing it to Arx.
Arx is played entirely underground -- a meteor had once hit the world and made the sun "go away", turning the landscape into a frozen wasteland and driving all races to live in dwarven cave complexes below for survival. It is not a dungeon that you travel around in, but rather a sprawling, vast set of tunnels, caves, and caverns.
There is, however, quite a diversity in the look and feel of this underground world. Areas you travel can range from large, spacious, well-lit caverns to small, tight, dark tunnels. In terms of Gothic, this range would be like the Rogue/Mercenary housing area in the New Camp that's built entirely within a giant cave to the narrow, twisty dirt tunnels of the skeleton caves beneath the ocean-side tower. |
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Wed Jun 11, 2003 9:22 pm |
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Shrapnel
Rocket Scientist
Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 1325
Location: Newark, NJ |
I keep swaying to this game and the whole underground thing bothers me. Any troubles I have in RPGs are always on the lowest level of dungeons, so either Im claustrophobic or I just have a natural love for sunlight and clouds. All these people cant be wrong though...maybe I'll give this title a shot after g2 |
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Wed Jun 11, 2003 10:10 pm |
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OctU
Keeper of the Gates
Joined: 24 Jan 2002
Posts: 114
Location: On an island beyond the realm of the Sea Barons |
Again, the world of Arx is not a "depths of the dungeon" look and feel.
A substantial portion of Gothic 1 is spent solving quests in underground cave complexes, including the Old Mine, the New Mine, the Orc Cemetery, the Skeleton Caves, and of course the Sleeper Temple.
If you were able to handle those environments, Arx won't be any trouble for you. |
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Thu Jun 12, 2003 3:34 pm |
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