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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
| Gothic 2: post your first impression here |
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Well, the date for German version is very near (Nov 29), and some gamers probably can get it earlier than that. Anyone who already have the game post your first impression here!. Also, let us know where you bought it so it's easier for others to look up for the game. |
Wed Nov 27, 2002 11:52 am |
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Jay
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 07 Jul 2001
Posts: 245
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Just installing it at the moment. I'm very impressed with the packaging, 2 jewel cases (one with the 2 install cds. and one with the play csd), and a fairly decent 70 page manual. It needs 2.2 gigs. I'll post more after playing the game awhile. Got it in PC JOY in Zurich. |
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Wed Nov 27, 2002 11:56 am |
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Jay
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 07 Jul 2001
Posts: 245
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OK, first impressions. The game installed without a hitch, and begins with a very nice introduction recounting the events of Gothic. I put on the highest graphic details, sight at 150%, and 1024 . 768 32 bit colour. The interface seems to be a lot more refined then Gothic ( but it's a long time since I played it) and is very easy to pick up. You start off in Xardas's Tower, and he gives a quick resume of whats happened since the first game, and your immediate objectives.
The graphics are astounding, and are easily in the same league as Arx Fatalis and Morrowind. The depth of the World ( from the top of the Tower looking down is a breathtaking experiance ) is immediate apparent, and it entices you in with a stunning Waterfall and a Sheep ( Maybe for the Welsh). The main Character is a lot smaller than I remember him ( But could be the higher resolution, I played the first one on a P 3 500), and has gone back to being a useless clut.
The music is first class, like almost all RPGs these days, and makes me long for a Soundtrack.
These impressions are only after a brief peruse of the playing World, and since I luckily have a free day today, I hope to have a proper go of both this and Arx today. |
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Wed Nov 27, 2002 12:35 pm |
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Gorath
Mostly Harmless
Joined: 03 Sep 2001
Posts: 6327
Location: NRW, Germany |
Herewith I declare this <b>The Official GothicDot Gothic II First Impressions Thread</b>!  
I opened another thread for availability tracking. Please post there where and when you bought the game.
_________________
Webmaster GothicDot |
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Wed Nov 27, 2002 9:15 pm |
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Jay
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 07 Jul 2001
Posts: 245
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A few more impressions after playing a bit more. In may ways it's very similar to Gothic. You are a nobody starting off, and strive to reach the upper level of the city to give an important message. To do this, you have to perform various Fed Ex tasks for people of importance. Like Gothic, most are pretty simple, but can take a while. One that really annoys me is a 'fetch various herbs' task. Like Gothic, the ambiance is incredible. In the evenings people go to the Tavern and hand around city squares smoking and having a beer. At night it can be be great fun running into peoples houses and getting them out of bed. The sighs from the women are priceless, and the responses are very funny. One guy, Rupert, seems to spend the whole day doing something unmentionable.
The graphics are amazing. While a few water effects would not have gone astray, the beauty of the Landscapes is breathtaking. Stunning vistas are common place, and it's easy to be killed while pausing to witness the sun going underneath the Mountains. It's amazing how far computer games have come. Maybe it shows how far ahead of it's time Gothic was, now that we finally have the computers to appreciate it at it's highest level. RPGs were once famous for below par graphics, but Morrowind, Divine Divinity, Arx Fatalis and now Gothic have consigned that unwanted stereotype to the grave.
The game also has consequences.
Spoilers ahead
I refused to complete one mission (morally wrong), and as a result people won't trade with me. Hopefully I will get the chance to avenge myself later on. Time limits have also being imposed, so the game could get very interesting later on.
Spoilers finished.
This is a game of choices. I can see myself being driven mad later on, wondering if I followed the right path, wondering if a misunderstanding in my German knowledge has led me down the wrong path, wondering if I really wanted to follow the esoterical path, or if the path of might was my true calling. Even now every point is precious, either enabling me to weld a mightier sword, or to run faster.
This game deserves to be a hit. In the past I have critised JoWood, but I ope they have a monster hit on their hands. I brought 2 of their games in the last week, Arx Fatalis and Gothic 2, and they are two classics. The presentation of both is first class. Great manuals that actually contain the information you need, Jewel Cases in the case of Gothic 2 ( NWN and MAfia both came in paper), and classic RPGs that most publishers wouldn't take a chance on. Can you see EA publishing these games? This has been a banner year for RPGs, and all of the best were published by small firms. Lets hope they survive. |
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Thu Nov 28, 2002 8:24 pm |
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Korzen
Forsaken
Joined: 02 Nov 2002
Posts: 3673
Location: The User Groups Section. |
Oh man it's so long until the english version release 
But atleast I can read the impressions. |
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Thu Nov 28, 2002 9:41 pm |
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Gothic Soul
Master of Shadows
Joined: 27 Aug 2002
Posts: 682
Location: Underdark |
I'm now wanting german to be my third language  . Just I'll wait until I've mastered the english.
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"Whow, the necromancer is here" -Bartacus to myself |
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Fri Nov 29, 2002 12:11 am |
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DzD
Unknown
Joined: 12 Mar 2002
Posts: 7140
Location: Sweden |
I'm now wanting German to be my fourth language, but first I must master spanish.
(Gothic Soul, you are 4 years older then me, haven't you allready learnt a third language?)
_________________
There once was a youngster, DzD
Whose avatars numbered infinity
But I must admit
His latest, a hit
Cuz the Little One's a mystery to me
Written by - dteowner |
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Fri Nov 29, 2002 12:26 am |
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bometo
Village Dweller
Joined: 28 Nov 2002
Posts: 8
Location: Paris - France |
| When exactly the english version is supposed to come out? |
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Anyone knows?
All i've seen is first quarter of 2003. But that can only be a (bad) joke. |
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Fri Nov 29, 2002 10:46 am |
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Rendelius
Critical Error
Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 16
Location: Austria |
No, bometo, that's true. To my best knowledge, Gothic 2 ill be out elsewhere in March 2003.
_________________
Rendelius
former Senior Editor RPGDot
now at http://www.theastronomers.com |
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Fri Nov 29, 2002 11:14 am |
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werpu
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 21 Jul 2002
Posts: 27
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I got Gothic 2 yesterday evening and ditched and appointment just to play the game. So far, install went without a hitch, and the game took litterally ages to start but from then on my jaw constantly dropped.
The graphics are breathtaking, believe me the screenshots donīt do the game full justice, you have to see the water, the semi transparent clouts wandering over the sky while stars wander as well in a different direction and the constant change of weather in real life. The poly count is lower than in Morrowind but every inch of the surrounding is stuffed with plants, sometimes you run into plantlife and canīt see an inch cause the leaves of the plants are so dense. Also the effect changing during swimming and diving is amazing.
And I mentioned the water, you canīt believe how beautiful the water effects are if turned on, its absolutely amazing to see the ocean for the first time with the layered textures moving the waves.
But now to the game, Iīm currently 8 hours into the game and so far as a poster before me said it is a game of choices, I didnīt bother to read the manual and probably made the worst decisions the manual warned me off in the first five minutes, so what  . The starting style is very similar to G1, your first task ist to fetch an item and you soon learn that you only can fetch it by joining a guild (which there are 3 officials and one hidden), so basically you have to find out to join one of the local guilds, and there are often various ways to achieve that so there might be around 9-15 different paths to reach the objective of achieving the item you are supposed to achive. For the story, different for now, the setting still is rough (visited the local Karintian brothel yesterday and slept with an alcoholic hooker )
and the dialogs are better than in part one, much better, the story however is different, I canīt say too much yet since I mainly did exploring yesterday to find out about the cloister where I can get a mage training, but as it seems there is something between three gods, good evil and neutral, and also your friend from the beginning, I have the feeling there is more behind this guy than it seems. It doesnīt really match having a tower with torture instruments and being the good guy.
Now for the controls, very similar to the first part, in the good things, and lots of bad things are removed, the control system basically is the same with improvements and streamlined handling. And yes strafing now is possible as well as first person view during walking. I like the new control scheme very much they did a good job I think, very elegant.
Fights:Much faster and tougher, you also start with tougher animals, basically the first enemy you have to face is a baby wolf and later in level 0 you run into a bunch of bandids if you want to.
Stability, so far, very good, 8 hours of play not a single crash or problem.
But Iīm sure I will discover bugs along the way. |
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Fri Nov 29, 2002 3:56 pm |
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hoyp
High Emperor
Joined: 02 Oct 2002
Posts: 501
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you guys are making me drool  |
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Sat Nov 30, 2002 5:39 am |
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Korzen
Forsaken
Joined: 02 Nov 2002
Posts: 3673
Location: The User Groups Section. |
Not only you |
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Sat Nov 30, 2002 1:15 pm |
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TheSleeper8119
Magister of the Light
Joined: 08 Aug 2002
Posts: 386
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OMG!!! this is making me so anxious to play Gothic2  |
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Sat Nov 30, 2002 7:02 pm |
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Jay
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 07 Jul 2001
Posts: 245
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After a little more playing, all I can say is this game is amazing. The voice acting is truly first class. As I mentioned in another thread, my girlfriend actually watched me playing for half an hour, and that's a rare achievement. The is so much going on, and so many little touches. As Werpu mentioned, the brothel is hilarious, and also the first in-game cut scene I've seen. I've chosen the path of the Militia, and there is so much depth.
Spoilers:
After I joined, I went into the poor district and beat up a few locals. When I left the city and came back, I was hauled up in front of the head and given out to. Very nice touch. And the inhabitants seem to respond differently depending on which clothes you are wearing.
End Spoilers.
Most of the RPGs released this year have had niggly problems or bugs which detrated from the final gaming experience, so far this has not being the case with Gothic 2. If I was a game reviewer, this would be a diffinite 90'er, and there are very games I would say that about. |
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Sat Nov 30, 2002 7:15 pm |
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