Arcania: Gothic 4

It's got its problems, but Arcania: Gothic 4 is a surprise hit for me this holiday season. As long as you're not expecting a game of the year class RPG, you're in for a very good time here.

On the PC, Arcania: Gothic 4 is a good action-rpg for inexperienced players. But the graphics on the Xbox 360 are this horrible, that you can't really enjoy the quests or the fights.

As difficult as it is for a self-proclaimed story-aholic to admit, the flow of combat and epic exploration is enough to make the Gothic series' console debut an interesting experience, despite the mind-boggling story design.

On the PC Arcania: Gothic 4 is a good RPG for role-playing newbies. On the Xbox 360 the graphics are so bad that even the good main quests or the diverting battles failing to unfold its potential. There must be a patch soon. Go get the PC version if you are a RPG fanatic. The PS3 version of Arcania Gothic 4 is not out yet and the developers must do some bugfixing.

ArcaniA: Gothic IV won't revolutionize the genre, because it relies too much on what's already established – but therefore it provides a successful overall gaming experience.

You won't pick this up before grabbing Dragon Age, but if you've already moved past the RPGs released over the last few years, Gothic 4 is an easy going and serviceable runner up.

It's not going to please hardcore D&D purists, or gamers looking for the next Elder Scrolls, but as a middle ground between deeper entries and linear adventures, Arcania: Gothic IV hits its stride.

Longtime fans of the genre, and especially fans of the Gothic series, will be disappointed in the games lack of depth and emotionless narrative.

Arcania isn't what anyone thought Gothic 4 would be. It's a marginally competent action/RPG with all the depth of a kiddie pool, not the huge open-world role-playing epics the series was previously known for.

Decent but hackneyed hack-and-slashery, and still a way off feeling comfortable on Xbox.

Linear, simplistic gameplay with no multiplayer component limits replay value.

Arcania turns out to be a passable RPG, it has pleasant enough locations and plenty of quests to get stuck into, even if they do feel a bit similar to each other. The timing of such a generic release couldn't have come at a worse time however, and with Fable III and Fallout New Vegas also vying for attention, Arcania is a pretty hard sell.

So on the whole I'm unpleased with Gothic 4. It's a wonderful graphics engine with an adequate combat system hampered by dull quests and a lack of action. More action would have put them into the action RPG realm, which I personally think is somewhat under-populated on the PC platform. Of course, more mainstream RPG fans are going to be turned off by the lack of common RPG elements. You'll likely be better off picking up Dragon Age on the discount rack if you, like me, haven't played it yet.

For all its radial menus and console-friendly UI, Spellbound simply hasn't managed to make Gothic work in a console environment. [Issue#66, p.85]

For a company to follow the typical medieval fantasy fiction in an RPG the title needs to offer features that stand-out; unfortunately, Arcania barely offers a game that is respectfully presentable never mind unique.

Gothic IV is not a a great RPG. Gameplay is too simple (too similar to an Hack'n'Slash), story is uninspired and characters are dull. Linear and straightforward, it offers at least some kind of visual magic.

An underwhelming RPG with a shoddy story and poor techincal side. There's much better around.

The Arcania series makes its debut on consoles, and we're unimpressed to say the least - clichéd story, poor graphics and bordering on broken. [Issue#65, p.88

Unlike its more interesting predecessors, Arcania: Gothic 4 is a commonplace action-RPG with boring quests, rudimentary controls, and dreary character development.