Gothic 2: Gold Edition

Gothic 2: Gold Edition is the best way you can experience the early 2000s classic game. Not only do you get the base game with this, but you also get the fantastic expansion, Night of the Raven as part of the package. Plus, it is optimized to run better on modern hardware too. If you like RPGs that take a more non-linear approach to things then you are in for a real treat here as this is a game that can easily take over your life if you get into it!

The Nameless Hero

I do think that playing the original game would give you more appreciation for the lore that Gothic 2: Gold Edition has, but it is not 100 percent necessary. The game actually takes place shortly after what went down at the end of the first game. The Nameless hero is set on a new adventure where they must ultimately gain the Eye of Innos which is held by the Paladins who are located in Khorinis. It is an epic fantasy story and I think that it is a story that is well done. Well, the main arc is, as you would expect there are many side missions and these are not as interesting as the main story.

A Real Cocktail Of Classics

It is the gameplay of Gothic 2: Gold Edition that makes it an RPG that is still played and fondly talked about to this day. It is like the people making the game took the best things from various RPG series such as The Elder Scrolls and Final Fantasy and combined them all to make this game. It is an extremely non-linear game where you are free to go and do whatever you want. There is always something to do in this large and open world and adventure is around every corner.

The Way Of The Warrior

While there is certainly a lot for you to do in Gothic 2: Gold Edition, we do also have to talk about the combat. You can go about combat in a few different ways. You have power which is just trying to smash your way through everything with pure brute force. You can use stealth where you sneak around and try to use the shadows and attack from afar. There is also magic which is done by using runes that allow you to cast spells. Combat is not super easy to get to grips with, but once you find the style that suits you, you will feel like a badass warrior.

The Product Of A Bygone Era

You may think that I am going to say that the presentation of Gothic 2: Gold Edition is not that great because it is a game that is the better part of 20 years old as I write this. If I am being brutally honest, even when this was first released it was not exactly a great looking game. It more resembles a late PlayStation 1 game than something you would find on the PlayStation 2. It is not bad looking at all, it just has a bit of a dated and rough thing going on. One thing that does hold up fairly well is the voice acting, all of the lines in the game are actually spoken so that is pretty cool.

Pros:

• I thought the main story was pretty epic
• You can go about combat in different ways
• This also comes with the expansion/add-on
• There is so much to do in this game it is borderline daunting!

Cons:

• The visuals have not aged all that gracefully
• Some of the side quests are a bit on the boring side

Some Say This is the last Gothic game worth playing. Nevertheless, Gothic II has been particularly hard hit by the passage of time, with visuals that weren't great for their time now looking decidedly ropey. The voice acting is also a sticking point, as it's best described as workmanlike. Less diplomatic people might also describe the English vocalisation as insulting and abominable.

However, the game itself is still decent enough, with a reasonable plot about the island of Khorinis being on the brink of civil war, in which you are forced to choose sides in.

There's a lot to do and to see, but you might want to consider the Gothic III, or just wait for number four.