Way back in March of 2001, a little PC RPG by the name of Gothic debuted in Germany, the homeland of its creators Piranha Bytes (PB). While in North America PC gaming began to quickly die out around this time, it's kept pretty strong in Europe, particularly in Germany where RPGs thrived. Gothic and its 2002 sequel went on to become classics in the country -- we've heard the series described as "almost a religion to Germans." On our side of the pond, the games didn't do terribly well, unfortunately, which is a shame, because having spent some quality time with the first one, it's easy to hail it as a truly special experience.
Gothic 3 -- released in 2006 -- was where the journey went awry. It's said due to conflicts with their publisher JoWood, the game turned out very differently from what its creators wanted, due in part to the rushed release and accompanying bugs. The very dedicated fans have quite recently finished patching the game to its largely "true" state, though, so the third title can now be considered a worthy entry.
This brings us to Risen, another PC title (the Xbox 360 version has been delayed to Q1 2010 due to an initially poor port by a seperate studio). Though not a Gothic title in name (blame legalities on that one), everything about it retains the feel of the previous games, while bringing the experience up to speed with modern technology. For RPG fans, Risen has all the staples you know and love (levels, magic, weapons -- the list goes on), but in the same vein as its predecessors, walks its own path, too.
You start out as a shipwrecked survivor, again playing the role of the "Nameless Hero." The storm which swept you up is part of a larger story; though perhaps not as enthralling as the first two titles (based on the sadly limited time I've had with Gothic and Risen), it's a pretty inventive effort in which the rulers of Faranga Island reject the gods' control of humans, suffering for it.
Gothic has always been about harsh reality, a messed up world populated by residents full of personality and conviction. With different factions divided against each other, each about as despicable as the next, you're forced to choose one, determining your route as an adversary (mage, warrior, thief, archer, or a mix). Risen continues with this premise (although in a twist, the Inquisition faction will just plain force you to go with them, depending on a choice you make early in the game), weaving in a very believable dynamic between characters. First, we have the bandits trying to gain control over a town with resistance from the Inquisition, each of which hates the other; thanks to extremely well-crafted dialogue, you have to really pay attention to properly judge who the "good" guys are. Then there are beggars, the sickly, prostitutes, farmers, treasure hunters and others -- and most everybody is exhibiting some level of distress. In short, it's wonderful.
The game is quite dialogue-heavy, and there are tons of NPCs to talk to, many of which provide optional (or requisite) backstory as your journey goes on. It's this initial minimalism that works to Risen's advantage, piquing your interest as you make your way through quests, finding out more and more.
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