Gothic 3 - Review @ Gamers Temple
 

Gamers Temple has the latest review of Gothic 3. Slapping the game with a 54% rating, the reviewer sums it up with:
More information.

I haven't finished G3 (not even close to finishing actually) so I'll ask here… is it true what the reviewer says that if you side totally with the orcs or totally with the humans that you cannot finish the game?

Because in my game I've been favoring the human cause 100% so far. The orcs still don't attack me on sight, but eventually they will if I keep this up.

No, it's not true. The mainquest is far less restrictive than the reviewer thinks. I don't even believe he played the game to the very end.

No - but there are elements that might end up broken if you decide from minute #1 to run around killing Orcs or Rebels on sight. In other words if you try to play it like a slash-fest without consequences rather than an RPG.

"like a slash-fest without consequences rather than an RPG"

That doesn't make any sense.
Isn't an RPG by definition an event where you play the role of your choice?
If someone wants it to be a slash-fest for whatever reason, there shouldn't be anything preventing them from playing it that way.

Yes, you can play that way, but there will be consequences which might make completing the game more challenging. You will certainly miss out on large amounts of content, since you'll lose all the Orc generated quests for example!!

I think the reviewer is right to the extent, since the game throws you into killing Orcs imeadatly and never really Explains or Gives reason to think you should consider playing along till you find out whats going on, since they start you off slaughtering.
The only real poorly worded (maybe translation) is from Deigo when you return from Lester, certianly new people to the franchise won't understand this is actually a very complex world.
Considering the bugs and broken quest, Plus not knowing nor ever given any indication Freeing Towns will cause you to be Kill on Sight is very possible to break the main quest, so yes this could happen, imo.

KoS is a real problem for me as how would another Orc in another town have a clue?
You can easliy think out your stratigy to Freeing a town and not allowing anyone to escape.
Hell, I have played each Gothic game maybe 10 times each with the exception of NotR which is 3 not more than 4, and I had no idea about it and had to start over because of this problem.
So while it might not break for everyone it defiantly could screw things up pretty bad, well bad enough to take the fun out of it, which is very bad. :(

maybe if someone lived there whole life playing video games and didn't have any knowledge of history or the real world then they could somehow not come to the conclusion that performing a large act like taking a town from one faction from and giving it to 'their' enemies would result in huge consequences. the intereface clearly shows six factions which even a seven year old should realize have some meaning. also the box/dvd case, along with plenty of previews clearly state that you can side with the orcs. i can understand the error/choice of those not wanting to read a manual but someone not knowing those huge concepts that are core to the game/gameplay should go stick to console gaminging or maybe solitaire. also i realize this doesn't apply to the colorblind but if people can't understand the concept of npcs marked with different colours then god help us should they ever get behind the wheel…

Yes, if more people read the manual, we'd have fewer hassles!! :)

It is my understanding, that the quests in G3 are not tied to the NPCs but rather to objects and places. So the game is designed in a way, where you may kill every living thing and still complete it. The problem there would be you will probably not know what to do next if you can't talk to anyone, but you still should be able to complete the main quest.
It is definitely OK to stick 100% to humans. In my play through I do not remember any ork quests, which where essential to the main quest (like you can't finish the game without them). They were all optional.
I think the game has its issues, but it is not broken in a way, where you can't complete it because of broken quests.

For the German community, which knows the Gothic series very good, it is totally normal to have all options open.

The general advice is : Do as many quests as possible without alignment until you choose to side with one faction !
This general advice is as old as Gothic 1.

I even heard the rumor that you can play even totally factionless in Gothic 3, but I don't know anything more about it.

Whether or not that makes any sense depends on your definition of "role-playing game." You're approaching the subject with the idea that "role-playing" means you play whatever role you choose for yourself. Others claim "role-playing" means you are acting out a role that the developers intended/ designed. Still others say the definition of "role-playing" is putting yourself in the role. This is a debate that will wage for eternity, and I'm not faulting your stance, just pointing out that your idea might NOT be what the developers had in mind. Therefore what seems to be "flawed" in your eyes may not actually be so.

"Role-playing" to me is usually putting myself (what I would do in real life) in the role. Fortunately for me, the Gothic series caters to my way of thinking very well, perhaps that is why I'm so fond of them. I usually try to take the middle ground, being peaceable with as many factions as possible until one faction's motive becomes fully justified in my mind. While this method of play is certainly not for everyone, at least I never suffer from broken quests because of killing/pissing off the wrong people. ;)

You can complete the game no matter what. There are ways to break two of the three endings, but the third option is always there. Always.

I thought you could break all 3 by not looting important items off of NPCs and their bodies disappearing. I agree you can kill everyone in the gameworld and win any of the 3 endings though if you do loot them.

I clearly remember seeing footage from Leipzig (gencon?) in 2006 where the lead designer for Gothic 3 explained in German that you could side with the orcs. It was also all over Gamespot, Gamespy & IGN. You could also read that maybe the Orcs did have a reason for what they were doing…

To me, actions in a RPG do have consequences, if we're taken about what we could call a true RPG like say BG1, BG2 or Ultima 8., and Gothic 1 + 2. It means that if you aren't at that place at that time you we're told to be - then maybe a quest or two would go your nose by.

I do understand how some people would like a hack N slash fest, but in that case I would recommend them to to play Dark Messiah, Diablo or Titan Quest.

Yeah Dark messiah is a great action game. Finishing it only left a thirst to get more the same :)

Jabberwocky, I don't recall using the word "flawed", but I understand what you're saying.

I just think it seems unusually easy to break the plot in G3 if you're not careful. That tells me that PB didn't play-test G3 to the extent that they should have.

Fact is, after 3 patches G3 still has more bugs than most unpatched games. I just hope that PB can redeem themselves in the near future.