Gothic 3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gothic 3 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | Piranha Bytes |
| Publisher(s) |  JoWooD Deep Silver Aspyr Media |
| Distributor(s) | Koch Media [1] [2] Navarre Corporation [3] |
| Engine | Genome Engine with Emotion FX 2 character animation, SpeedTree foliage, and PhysX for physics simulation |
| Latest version | 1.09 (November 7, 2006) |
| Release date(s) | October 13, 2006 November 1 November 2 November 20, 2006 November 20, 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player first-person and third-person viewpoints |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) 13+ PEGI: 16+ USK: 12+ |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows XP and Windows XP 64 Bit |
| Media | DVD |
| System requirements | Microsoft Windows XP or Windows XP 64 Bit 512 Mb System RAM 2.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4, Athlon XP or equivalent processor 128MB DirectX compatible video card DirectX 9.0c 4x DVD-ROM drive 4.6 GB free hard disk space DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card Keyboard and Mouse |
| Input | Keyboard and Mouse |
Gothic 3 is a fantasy-themed role-playing game for Windows from German game developer Piranha Bytes. It is the sequel to Gothic 2. Although widely available in English, the native release of the game is German. The game was released throughout the European Union on November 13 and is currently available throughout North America as of November 20. Although the US version is rated T (for teens), the version released in North America carries the exact same gameplay content as those released internationally. The North American release incorporates two patches that appeared after the initial UK edition.
Contents |
[edit] Story
[edit] Prologue
The first part of Gothic tells the story of The Nameless Hero, a man thrust into the events of a penal colony. The colony takes the form of a natural landscape encased in a large magical shield known as The Barrier, much like an impenetrable dome. Over the course of the story, The Nameless Hero becomes acquainted with several characters, the most notable of which are Diego, Lee, Cor Angar, Lester, Lares, Milten, and Xardas. Some of these characters are connected with the various factions of the game, which include the Old Camp, the New Camp and the Swamp Camp. Also connected with these factions are the water and fire mages, of which Xardas is an outcast. Xardas, a necromancer, plays a central part to the survival and advancement of the character. Ultimately, he galvanizes the character toward the ultimate goal of stopping the summoning of a beast known as The Sleeper. The Nameless Hero destroys The Sleeper but only at the cost of his own life.
The second part of Gothic sees The Nameless Hero resurrected by Xardas into a new setting. Now located outside the city of Khorinis, he is asked by Xardas to investigate a new evil that threatens Khorinis and the surrounding lands. Over the course of the story, The Nameless Hero reconnects with old friends from the first chapter while adjusting to changes in the faction structure. With the penal colony and its barrier a thing of the past, the surrounding lands have been invaded by orcs. Factions now consist of the Militia/Paladins of Khorinis, the Fire Novices/Fire Mages, and the Mercenaries/Dragon Hunters. Water mages also make a return. Having discovered the source of the evil threatening Khorinis, our hero assembles a crew of trusted friends and sails to a nearby island. There he battles a large undead dragon, completing the central quest of the chapter. The chapter closes with the hero and his allies sailing away from the island.
[edit] Plot
The third part opens with the Nameless Hero and his friends sailing to a new continent overrun with orcs, arriving in the Myrtana, the central region of the continent. Presumably this is the source of the orc invasion that was launched on Khorinis during the second chapter. These lands have no physical connection to Khorinis or the ruins of the penal colony. In these mountainous forests the orcs have enslaved the human kingdom with only a few free humans living in the nearly uninhabitable icy northlands of Nordmar and the southern desert of Varrant. The hero must decide whether to join the rebellion and stay true to the deposed human king, serve the Orcish usurpers in their quest to topple the last remaining human stronghold, or choose a path that serves his own ends. Throughout the story, he is accompanied by a number of NPCs, some of whom are old friends. While this chapter brings forward friends from the previous title (Xardas, Diego, Milten, Gorn, Lester, and Vatras) it also introduces two new major characters; King Rhobar the Second and Zuben. While the king has a strong past as a bold leader, he now faces a near defeat; his fame on the decline. Zuben leads the Hashishin that inhabit the southern region of Varrant.[1]
[edit] Gameplay
The player must complete quests and slay wild animals and monsters to earn experience and improve skills. The game places a special focus on the interactivity of the environment. It employs an unusual combat system which emphasizes carefully timed combinations of strikes, requiring the player to read the body language of attacking opponents. The controls have been altered slightly with a stronger focus on action. Navigation and combat are more mouse-centric, with each mouse button having a different combat action. The Nameless Hero can also now dual wield weapons.
[edit] Reception
Prior to its release in early October 2006, Gothic 3 was nominated as the best game of E3 by IGN. Since the release, most concerns have centered around bugs.
| Reviewer | Rating | Available Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Extreme-Players.de | 9.3 (out of 10) | German (with translation into English) |
| Eurogamer.de | 9 (out of 10) | German (with translation into English) |
| HonestGamers | 9 (out of 10) | English |
| PC Games Online | 88% | German (with translation into English) |
| Computer and Videogames | 8.5 (out of 10) | English |
| GameCaptain.de | 83% | German (with translation into English) |
| RPG Codex | 80-85% | English |
| Gameswelt | 81% | German (with translation into English) |
| Eurogamer.net | 8 (out of 10) | English |
| GameSpot | 7.6 (out of 10) | English |
| Hooked Gamers | 7 (out of 10) | English |
| 4Players.de | 68% | German (with translation into English) |
| IGN | 4.9 (out of 10) | English |
| Gamespy | 1.5 (out of 5) | English |
[edit] Technical
[edit] Engine
Gothic 3 is powered by a custom engine called the Genome engine; it supports Pixel Shader 3.0, has a multithreaded design and includes dynamic lighting (including self-shadowing). Physics simulation is provided by Ageia's PhysX physics engine. It also uses Bink Video Technology from RAD Game Tools for the cutscenes, as well as the FMOD Sound System from Firelight Technologies for sound playback.[1]
[edit] System Requirements
Although the minimum system requirements consist of a 2.0 GHz Intel Pentium 4 and 512 Mb System RAM, a 3 GHz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor with 1 Gb of System RAM is far more suited to the task. Recommended video cards include an ATI X1600, NVidia GeForce 6800 series or better if possible.[1]
The following chart lists the supported video cards as found in the Gothic 3 manuals for both the UK edition of the game[2] and the updated North American edition[3]. Although not directly referenced in the manual, the NVidia GeForce 5500, 7600, and 9600 series also appear to be supported.
| Vendor | Series | Supported Models |
|---|---|---|
| ATI | Radeon | 9700, 9800 |
| X | 300, 550, 600, 700, 800, 850, 1300, 1600, 1800, 1900 | |
| NVIDIA | GeForce | PCX 5900, FX 5950, 6200, 6500, 6600, 6800, 7300, 7800, 7900 |
[edit] Release and Distribution
The game is currently available throughout the European Union in English and German and was released on October 13. The North American version was released on November 20. The English edition from the UK was released as version 1.0. The North American version incorporated two patches (the first being 1.07) in its initial release at version 1.08.
[edit] Rating
In the UK, the PEGI rating board has assigned the game a 16+ rating. In Germany, the USK has rated it 12+. In the US and Canada, Gothic 3 is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB. The gameplay content is identical between each version released worldwide.
[edit] Other Titles In The Series
- Gothic (Released for PC in 2001 (English translation followed an initial German release))
- Gothic 2 (Released for PC in 2003 (English translation followed an initial German release))
- Gothic 2: The Night Of The Raven Expansion Pack (Released for PC in 2003 (German only))
- Gothic 2 Gold (Released by Aspyr Media for PC in 2005 (Second English release of Gothic 2, incorporating the Night of The Raven expansion pack, previously unavailable to English customers))
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
[edit] Official
- The Official Gothic 3 Website at Piranha Bytes (Defaults to German, but an English option is available from the main page - Piranha Bytes are the authors of the game)
- The Gothic 3 Website at Aspyr Media (English only - Aspyr is in charge of distribution for the English edition for the US)
[edit] Fansites
- gothic3.net Fansite (available in German and English)
- gothic3.hu Fansite (Hungarian only)
- gothicz.net Fansite (available in Czech and English)
- World of Gothic Fansite (available in English and German)
- Gothic at RPGDot Fansite (English only)
- Gothic-Game Fansite (available in English, German and Romanian)
- Gothic3Guide Fansite (available in English and German)
- Gothic Fansite (Polish only)
- gothic.phx.pl Fansite (Polish only)
[edit] FAQs
- FAQ at World of Gothic (English)
[edit] Forums
- Gothic 3 Forums at JoWood (available in English and German)
- World of Gothic Forums (available in English and German)
- Gothic Forums at RPGDot (English only)
- Gothic 3 Unofficial Forum (English only)
- RPGWatch Forums (English only)
[edit] Game Help
[edit] Screenshots
[edit] Trailers and Gameplay Footage
- The main trailer for this title premiered at the 2006 E3 gaming convention. It is available from YouTube, Piranha Bytes (in high (106 Mb) and low (15 Mb) versions), and World of Gothic.
- Also available on YouTube is the original teaser, which is shorter than the official trailer.
- Also floating around on YouTube are various pre-release pieces of gameplay footage filmed by fans with video cameras. The most impressive of these is a walkthrough of the game with Michael Paeck. These were largely filmed at the E3 2006 gaming convention. Other segments of fan footage include this item and this item.
