Gothic 3 - Review @ Game Industry News

The latest site to review Gothic 3 is Game Industry News. The score is 3.5/5 and here's the conclusion:

Unfortunately any praises given to Gothic 3 within this review are negated by The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Oblivion set the bar so extremely high for single player role-playing games that Gothic 3 regrettably can’t match it. While Oblivion suffered from an enormous catalog of bugs (almost all have since been fixed) the sheer incredible amount of immersion, freedom, exploration and addictiveness is something that Gothic 3 sadly lacks. If your decision boils down to purchasing Gothic 3 or Oblivion I absolutely recommend Oblivion.
All things considered as a fan of the Gothic series this third iteration is a welcomed addition. I highly recommend it for series fans. For everyone else the quirks and bugs will probably drive you mad. However if you can look past them then Gothic 3 could perhaps be a game to your liking.

More information.

I wasn't a priori a fan of the Elder Scrolls or Gothic. Now that I've logged considerable hours in both games, I have to say I disagree completely, 180 degrees, with this review's conclusion.

I found Oblivion, comparatively speaking, to be weak, redundant, spoonfed pablum compared to G3. With a dozen or so much needed mods, Oblivion was playable and fun, but Gothic 3 blew me away with how much MORE fun this type of game could be.

And that's with the bugs.

Viva Gothic 3!

This reviewer guy is obviously aware of the G3 v Obli' scenario and is doing no more than 'playing to the band' and trying to raise more hackles, a shame he's a little late and others have beaten him to it! ……….

For most people I would recommend Oblivion as well - but that is because simple action games with role-playing elements play better to a mass audience than a hardcore game.

I dont care the reviewers opinion. We all know that every serious RPG gamer would rather play G3 than O any day.

Originally Posted by RatavuK
We all know that every serious RPG gamer would rather play G3 than O any day.

I didnt know that. Thanks for the heads up !

I am glad Dhruin highlighted that paragraph as the review seem fair up to that point it took a complete nose dive in the the realm of bs.

oblivion might be an excellent game, but hell it ain't an excellent roleplaying game. Where is the roleplaying if there are no real consequences for player's actions.

Since OB is a roleplaying game, it cant be an excellent game without being an excellent rpg. If it's a bad rpg, then it's a bad game.

Originally Posted by Cormac
Since OB is a roleplaying game, it cant be an excellent game without being an excellent rpg. If it's a bad rpg, then it's a bad game.

I like the way you think.

the sheer incredible amount of immersion, freedom, exploration and addictiveness is something that Gothic 3 sadly lacks.

And there goes that reviewers credibility. It's hard to believe that he even played the game.

Yeah in this case I would have to say your right and he must have fake it.
It's not possible to be a Gothic fan of G1 and G2, then come to the conclusion Oblivion is a real RPG and G3 is no comparison, so he is lying about something.

That site awarded Oblivion with 5 stars in all categories - Gameplay, Graphics, Audio, Value and Fun.

*sigh* We need more review sites which do not pander to the unjustified hype of mainstream games. Probably an impossible dream, I guess.

My complaint is that NO reviewer should use comparison with a different game as the yardstick for giving a score!! Take Oblivion out of the equation; assume there was no such game. Now, what score should G3 get? Anything else is crap!!

Originally Posted by Cormac
Since OB is a roleplaying game, it cant be an excellent game without being an excellent rpg. If it's a bad rpg, then it's a bad game.

Your zeroeth assumption is flawed, therefore your logic train is derailed.

Originally Posted by Corwin
My complaint is that NO reviewer should use comparison with a different game as the yardstick for giving a score!! Take Oblivion out of the equation; assume there was no such game. Now, what score should G3 get? Anything else is crap!!

I completely agree - I got crap from GamerDad early on by referencing other games as yardsticks. It shouldn't be done.

What about G1 and G2 as yardsticks. I would think any review was flawed if it didn't take into account rpevious games from the series.

NO, a game must stand on its own merits when being given a review score!!

And we have another Gothic to Oblivion comparison instead of a review…

A game CANNOT stand on its own. You played Gothic I, you played Gothic II. Both great games. So Gothic III just has to be as deep as its predecessors. It isn't. It is the weakest game in the series. If you did'n know the first two games you'd probably think: "Hey, a great game!". But people who know them think: "Hey, that's not so good at all…". You cannot ignore the fact that Piranha Bytes already made far better games when coming to a review score. Of course, that's my opinion. We haven't to agree in this point ; - )

Originally Posted by Danicek
And we have another Gothic to Oblivion comparison instead of a review…

Well said. I'm really sad.

I just finished G3 the last week and I'm very very pleased. Can't wait for the expansion.

Happy Xmas everybody! (my NWN2 and MTW2 is already under the tree….)

ps: and I'm thinking of giving my Oblivion to my nephew. He really likes shooters. ;P