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UK Computer Mag reviews of Gothic 2
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Kirkr
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UK Computer Mag reviews of Gothic 2
   

Bought PC Gamer today and was appalled at their review of Gothic 2 (62%).
What IS it with UK computer mags and the Gothic games. I remember PCZone seriously under-rating Gothic 1, giving it 70-odd per cent.
Is the same thing happening with Gothic 2? Only one UK magazine so far has reviewed the game accurately (PC Gaming World - 91% and top of their RPG chart).
Has PC Zone reviewed the game yet? I recently stopped buying this magazine because not a whisper was heard from them for months concerning Gothic 2.
Is it all down to the fact that there is still some anti-German feeling among a certain section of the UK populace (most notably computer journalists)?
The reviews editor at PC Gamer needs writing to now! 62%! What an idiot!
Post Fri Jul 04, 2003 4:54 pm
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Iron Man
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Joined: 07 Dec 2002
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Gothic 2 isn't pcgamer's worst victim. If I remember correctly they gave Divine Divinity 40-odd percent! The (uk) site I discovered Gothic 1 on (totalgames.net for the record) gave gothic 1 80-something, but it isn't a magazine is it?
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Post Fri Jul 04, 2003 9:46 pm
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Ariel
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Joined: 21 Jul 2001
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I've heard that the same mag gave NWN 93%.

... Maybe they don't quite like single player games?
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Post Fri Jul 04, 2003 11:08 pm
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Kirkr
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I think it`s the idiot resident RPG reviewer there. He seems to like resource management and heavy stats and party-based RPGs (like the crap that was `Dungeon Siege`). RPGs made by people who have grown up on RTS games and have no idea what a `true` role-playing game (like Gothic) is.
As for PCZone, they think that RPG is another term for Morrowind.

Has any UK computer mag (save for PC Gameplay World) liked Gothic 2?
Post Fri Jul 04, 2003 11:29 pm
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Shmaugus
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Joined: 20 May 2003
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f@#$ you all you uk game mags

morrowind sucked!
Post Sat Jul 05, 2003 10:09 pm
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Daedalus
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Joined: 04 Jan 2002
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Location: Estonia
   

hehehe well those kind of reviwevers probably dont test the game too long and as we all know the new n00b dosent know how to kill and how to use controls so they probably tryed some 10 minutes and later gave up and gave some shjittie ranks
Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 1:50 am
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Toaster
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I'm almost sure that the reviewers, here in Sweden anyway, play it through. It does look like that on the text, and they have screen shots from all over the game.
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Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 8:47 am
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Spunior
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Wow, I know it's all about opinion and whatnot, but 62% is definitely way too low. Looks like the review was handed to the wrong (as in incompetent) person. I guess one couldn't care less if it wasn't for the point that it means lots of people probably will stay away from the game based on this review.
Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 9:17 am
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Hexy
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Joined: 28 Jun 2002
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quote:
Originally posted by Kirkr
I think it`s the idiot resident RPG reviewer there. He seems to like resource management and heavy stats and party-based RPGs (like the crap that was `Dungeon Siege`). RPGs made by people who have grown up on RTS games and have no idea what a `true` role-playing game (like Gothic) is.
As for PCZone, they think that RPG is another term for Morrowind.

Has any UK computer mag (save for PC Gameplay World) liked Gothic 2?


Stat-heavy RPGs ARE very close to REAL RPGs (you know, PnP).
Stat-heavy RPGs give you CUSTOMIZATION, CHOICE, REPLAYABILITY, DIVERSITY etc. etc. The party-based part is for REALITY (honestly, who goes solo against a dragon or an army of orcs? Lone wolf RPGs are like superhero sagas, where everyone is a powerhouse) AND for STRATEGY.

Dungeon Siege was a very bad example of a stat-heavy and/or party-based rpg. Especially when you have good ones like the BG series, the elder scrolls series, the fallout series, Arcanum, Diablo 2, Divine Divinity, Deus Ex etc. etc.

How is Gothic any more of a "`true` role-playing game" than the above mentioned games?
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Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 10:34 am
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Jaz
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Absolutely right about pnp RPGs being rather stats-and-rules-heavy. There are, however, some notable exceptions like Space:1889 (which used very little stats/skills, especially if compared to other GDW games, yet was just as entertaining), Karma or the Fighting Fantasy RPG (not to be mistaken for the Fighting Fantasy books, even though it was based on them).
Personally I favor pnp RPGs which aren't as stats-heavy as, for example, Rolemaster and the rest of the ICE games - spending a whole night looking up things in tables isn't my idea of having fun. But, as with everything else, it's a matter of taste.
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Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 10:45 am
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Hexy
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Sure, spending long hours looking up tables and explanations in dusty old books, while endlessly rolling the dices in the dungeon can be quite annoying. But it's the addition of DEPTH to the game that comes out of it that outweights the bad.

About Fighting Fantasy (if it's the fighting fantasy I'm thinking of), I suppose that's why I ejoyed 'Advanced Fighting Fantasy' more than the "regular".

BTW: What about Traveller?
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Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 10:56 am
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Jaz
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Hm, at least in my/our pnp rounds we add depth primarily by character/NPC personality/interaction. For me, to enjoy a game like Rolemaster would mean a) a mature group of players who manage to add the 'personality' element and b) playing with about half the rules. But with my regular groups of players the need for stats and rules has decreased substantially. There's no 'I wanna jump the five-meter-high-wall' or 'my character is better than your character' mentality anymore, anyway.

I also enjoyed Advanced Fighting Fantasy, even though it was very difficult to get here.

Traveller - depends on which edition we're talking. The first/last editions had an incredibly simple yet stats-heavy character creation process, but very little rules for gameplay. The second edition was a modified version with more game world details, yet the freedom of play remained. The third edition adopted the rules of all other GDW games (with the exception of S1889), adding more skills and rules, but the character creation process lost a lot because of this (in my opinion). As it happens, Traveller is one of my fave RPGs .
The detail I always missed in Traveller (and the other GDW games) was a damage table, so we added one. Not for realism but to satisfy my personal bloodlust ...

Game-system-wise, my favorite RPG is WEG's Star Wars: so little stats, skills and rules that you can create a new character without a rulebook.
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Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:35 am
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Daedalus
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QFG5 was one game like Gothic
Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:39 am
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Krasleto
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Joined: 28 Nov 2002
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Lol 62%, what a joke !!!

I wrote my review the other night, it ended up 5 pages and 95 % grade. Well the pages and the grade are before the editor looked at them, we'll see if they pass on paper unchanged . I had only four points of critic :
the poor dragons, the voice acting, especially Diego's, the balance - after some level i just ran out like a Terminator and the last one - it was not Gothic 1, i mean it didn't struck me on any point, except only on how good one sequel may be and how it can deliver exactly what it promiced.

When the magazine comes out i'll probably scan some pages for you, to see how it looks, it's in bulgarian, so noobody here will be able to read it --> no problem with the copyrights ...

P.S>Disregard my poor english ...
Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:43 am
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Kirkr
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The guy who did the terrible review in PC Gamer (gave Gothic 2 62%) is called Ross. His e-mail address is in the magazine, so I`ve already written to him and told him that he is plain wrong.
Post Sun Jul 06, 2003 11:55 am
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