Review Arcanum nostalgia at GamersInfo

[Major_Blackhart]

Hey, I like boys!

 

[Severian Silk]

What is the status of the game's source-code?

*Dreams of improved combat.*

 

[Gromnir]

arcanum? a buggy and poorly balanced game with lame combat and a completely forgettable cast o' characters spouting terrible dialogue? the setting were intriguing and Gromnir is a fan o' the open sorta world map timmy used...

*shrug*

so much hype and such high expectations ruined by inexplicably amateurish implementation and horrible writing.

HA! Good Fun!

 

[KazikluBey]

Been killed by any Bhaalspawn lately?

 

[Ladonna]

HA! Bull Shit!

 

[spacemoose]

the combat system really prevented me from enjoying it. I'd rather have BG real time shit than Arcanum's ass mash. that's a new term I came up with just now - ass mash, you have my permission to use it

 

[NeVeRLiFt]

The game was not balanced with tech and magic.
But the turned based combat was fine for me.

With that said I just used a mod that fixed the tech/guns so they were more powerful and worth using.

so horse shit on that!

 

[jefklak]

oh please, guns were already pore than powerful enough

 

[hiciacit]

All the balancing issues and lousy combat aside, I'd say Arcanum is my all time favorite game. Wish I had more time so I could try another playthrough

 

[zioburosky13]

I have the game installed on my HD right now. Replay the thing for the 30 times. Made 3 character:
Kung fu Gnome , Well-manner orge :shock: who talks his way out,
Burn everything techno-mage :twisted: .
So many choice so little time...

Definetly a masterpice (not so many steam-punk game around)

 

[Lumpy]

Arcanum was a good game; but it is now DEAD.

Nostalgia is for old geezers. I am not an old geezer. Are you all old geezers? if not, get over it.

What the FUCK is a dead game anyway?

 

[Amasius]

Yeah, there are no dead games, only braindead gamers.

:honourblade:

 

[Relayer71]

I bought this game about 2 years ago along with TOEE and Gothic 2 (3 games for $9.99 each? Could not pass it up). Of the 3, Arcanum seemed the most intriguing and just when I was getting into it some bug crept up and I could not get the game to start

I removed it from my HD and I guess some other game came along and I forgot about it...guess I'll try to reinstall and try again.

An another note: didn't get far in TOEE either. Seemed like all I did was walk around and talk to people...I do remember one battle and loving the battle system/mechanics right away...the graphics were also great (I'm a sucker for 2D)...but I stopped playing to try out Gothic... Which seemed good but at the time my graphics card was somewhat old and only had like 768mb memory so the game ran really slow...have a much faster card and 2gb memory so I'll try that again as well.

And have Oblivion and NWN2 just sitting on my HD (Oblivion was a major dissappointment - no surprise there...and NWN2 is actually pretty good but all that camera adjusting just kills it for me). So I guess it's back to the "classics" for me as well, lol (where's that Wizardry 8 disc...I never did finish that game...).

 

[Volourn]

"Seemed like all I did was walk around and talk to people..."

L0L You played a different TOEE than everyone else. R00fles!

 

[Mr Carrot]

Where could one aquire the soundtrack?

 

[Kotario]

L0L You played a different TOEE than everyone else. R00fles!

Or he never got past Homlet.

Where could one aquire the soundtrack?

Of Arcanum? Hmm... mentioned here, here, and here.

 

[Stalagmite]

Arcanum

What can I say? It needed more work, at least a year or so to tweek coding and balance issues and it could have been a really good game, if not outstanding. It's really hard to play a gunslinger at first if all you wanna do is shoot things because your starting guns are weak and bullets are expensive. You would have to dig the internet for gameplay tips if wanted to do this succesfully, something I loathe doing.

I go for the darker more gritty games anyway (Gothic series, Fallout, etc.)

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Trust me, Arcanum can be pretty dark and gritty if you want it to be that way.

 

[Stalagmite]

Trust me, Arcanum can be pretty dark and gritty if you want it to be that way.

I was talking about the general atmosphere (music, characters, clothing, etc.). Arcanum's steampunk Victorian era violin stringing atmosphere is not what I consider dark and gritty to the truest form.

Give me a game that takes place in a Dark Ages setting, low fantasy, horse shit piled everywhere, no tutorials, characters with long shaggy beards and low attitudes, every man for himself, and mysterious invading armies of undead run by dark lords who are ruthless in the extreme, all thrown into a great RPG with hordes of skills choices and consequences.

I suppose Arcanum does have alot of those things but the atmosphere just doesn't feel truly 'dark' for my taste.

 

[Brother None]

I suppose Arcanum does have alot of those things but the atmosphere just doesn't feel truly 'dark' for my taste.

It's not supposed to be. It's supposed to represent the feeling of "modernity", "moving forward" and general wealth of the post-Industrial Revolution pre-World War I age, specifically the late 19th century (England).

It wouldn't fit if it were dark and gritty. It wouldn't fit the setting.

 

[Stalagmite]

I suppose Arcanum does have alot of those things but the atmosphere just doesn't feel truly 'dark' for my taste.

It's not supposed to be. It's supposed to represent the feeling of "modernity", "moving forward" and general wealth of the post-Industrial Revolution pre-World War I age, specifically the late 19th century (England).

It wouldn't fit if it were dark and gritty. It wouldn't fit the setting.

Ummmm, that's my point, pal.

 

[Kotario]

Stalagmite, what did you think about Dernholm? For me, the design of that city did an excellent job in projecting a profound air of despair. It also fits the setting well, as a more classic medieval fantasy kingdom that refuses to change, resulting in devastating military and economic misfortune.

I believe you can also convince the current king to go to war with the superior forces of Tarant, and receive an appropriately evil ending.

 

[Stalagmite]

Interesting, let me finish the game (no, I have not finished it yet because of the problems I mentioned above) and I will give you a heads up.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

God I love this game.

 

[Volourn]

"Trust me, Arcanum can be pretty dark and gritty if you want it to be that way."

Nah.