In the realm of fantasy role playing games, environment is the king. And Gothic 3 from Piranha Bytes wears the crown. Following on the heels of the equally impressive Gothic 1 and Gothic 2, the latest installment opens up a larger world to explore, complete with realistic non-player characters, hundreds of side-quests, a deep and varied environment, and warring political factions whose influence spreads from city to desert. Dropped off in the middle of the fray, you must choose which path to walk, reaping the benefits and suffering the consequences at every turn.

Non-linear

Orcs have conquered the human kingdom on Myrtana, enslaving the population and striking fear in neighboring lands. Several small encampments of people survived, many of which are in the southern deserts or the icy wastelands to the north. Most role playing games put you in the shoes of the hero whose sole destiny is to save everyone. Gothic 3 allows you to choose your own path, no matter if that means befriending the orcs, joining the rebels or something else entirely. The path you choose isn't just an arbitrary one, either. Each faction has its own motivations and objectives that are a part of the story, breathing life into otherwise flat characters. Orcs, for example, are far from mindless bloodthirsty monsters, they're actually an intelligent and organized race. Choosing who to side with is more than just tossing a coin, it's a moral dilemma that twists the game's balance of power with every step.

As you explore the land of Myrtana, you get the distinct feeling it's an entire world onto its own. Non-player characters have their own opinions
and lead full lives, lending their distinct flavor to your interactions. The people know where your alliances lay and react accordingly. You'll
get different items and gain access to different areas depending on the path you have chosen. With over 500 side quests to complete, there are
plenty of opportunities to prove (and change) whose side you're on.

With all the new and unique features in the game, it's nice to see that Gothic 3 still includes traditional role playing elements to make you
feel right at home. Killing monsters earns you experience points to level-up your character. Each level you earn ten points you can spend on
upgrading your stats. Raise any attribute you like, such as strength or defense, and work on building a well-rounded character or a specialist
in one or two areas. As with everything else in the game, the choice is ultimately yours.

Graphics

Powered by the custom Genome engine, Gothic 3 churns out smooth 3D visuals while keeping the world large and free to explore. The world of
Myrtana features three distinct areas: desert, snow, and the lush midlands, each with a variety of settings. Towns dot all three of these landscapes with appropriate buildings and layouts. There are also realistic weather and rain effects that add to the atmosphere. A complete and beautiful fantasy world is piped through your monitor with stunning backdrops at every turn.

While the Gothic role playing games are practically household names in Germany and other parts of Europe, the titles haven't garnered the same amount of attention from English-speaking audiences. One of the clear goals of Gothic 3 was to attract players and penetrate a new gaming community. Great care was taken in localizing the game, employing over 30 talented voice actors for the English version alone. The results are quite impressive.

Nitpicking

Not everyone will be hopelessly drawn in by the epic, open-ended gameplay in Gothic 3. With so many possibilities and paths to choose from, how do you decide where to go? Non-linearity isn't the norm and can be frustrating for some gamers. Fortunately Gothic 3 is so free-form you can literally do almost anything you like and still work towards an ending. In other words, just play. The game will take care of you afterwards.

The real-time combat delivers a bit of frustration, especially at the beginning of the game. A parry-attack system forces you to think and time your moves rather than just wail on the buttons. It's good in theory, but in practice it's extraordinarily difficult to get used to. In order to break through an enemy's defense you must time your blow to
parry one of their attacks. You'll spend quite a lot of time early in the game trying to master this system and gain enough experience to defeat real foes. It takes patience and potentially turns away new players. In the end you never really get used to it. Stomping through the trees with a massive axe on your shoulder may look intimidating, but size doesn't matter, it's how you use it.

Early after its release Gothic was plagued with bugs and glitches of every kind. Patches quickly followed the launch, but there were still a number of problems that needed attention at the time of this review. Hovering objects, confused non-player characters and more are a bit jarring in a world that seems so complete. The developers are working hard to smooth things over, though, so with a little time this will be remedied.

Conclusion

Big environments, a fully-stocked and believable world, and a plot that revolves around your choices. Gothic 3 pulls all of these together with
enormous production value that shines as an exceptionally epic game. With the focus on broadening the player base, it's also a little easier
to get into than previous Gothic titles. Unfortunately the combat is a little rough around the edges and early adopters may find the glitches distasteful. Still, Gothic 3 weaves a lot of great gaming into an enormously grand package. Once the bugs are ironed out, this game will be a force to be reckoned with.

Credits:
Official game site: http://www.gothic3.com/
Developer site: http://www.piranha-bytes.com/
Publisher site: http://www.deepsilver.com