Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic RPG!
Review: I was introduced to Arcanum by a friend of mine, who often spoke praise for it. I installed it, opened it, and watched the CG of the the blimp crash (loved the fanciful "heavier-than-air" machines). From the moment I met Virgil well on to going to Tarant, I found I couldn't stop playing.Why was this game so addictive? Perhaps just the replayability Arcanum has! I'm guessing there are ten different side-quests in small towns, thirty in the major cities, and each one has different outcomes depending on how you handle it. Dialogue is very flexible, and fits the personality of every one. For example, let's say you meet a flower girl in a town who offers a flower. You can respond with: - "Yes, thank you. [pay her]"
- "No."
- "That flower would look better in your skull." And no that last part wasn't put in for good humor - you actually HAVE responses like that! They're not always as severe, but if you like being a crabby old man, this is your game. Another friend of mine (one who would join the Dark Side gladly) went through the game constantly using those responses. Yes even the ones for Virgil. Character development is also a MAJOR aspect of this game, and another reason it is so replayable. Besides the fact you can choose to be a magic user, a tech user, or a bit of both Column A and B, you can also get blessed, curse, get good (or bad) reputation with towns, and also choose your "background" at the beginning of the game, which will determine your skill or disposition. I should warn you if you choose to go magic, technology users will begin to shy away from you, as it is believed high levels of "magick" will cause mechanisms to burst. One character of mine became such a heavy user of magic that they wouldn't even let me ride the train any more! So I killed them... You also get a good number of people who can join your party. You can choose to boot them or let them stay (even Virgil), and quite often that is determined on your character's Good or Evil rating. I played a character with a high Good level and was told by one person she couldn't join me because I was so "morally inclined." So with out a doubt, this is probably the most fun RPG I've played yet. It really does make me feel like I'm inside a fantasy world, and I'm pretty sure they spent a good amount of time on this. If you want to find an RPG with a different world than what you're used too, or you're ticked off they aren't releasing "Fable" for the PC, then I suggest you give this game a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Good ideas stretched too thin
Review: I could talk forever about this game on what it did right and what it did wrong, but suffice to say it's a good game, but nothing special. It was an incredibly ambitious project for a tiny development team -- they wanted you to be able to be a human, elf, dwarf and more; fighter, wizard, thief, technologist, and more and any combination of those; and good, neutral or evil -- all in an incredibly huge game world that includes both real-time and turn-based combat, multiplayer and the ability to construct your own gameworld. Well that's very impressive. But they didn't quite pull it off.
What happens when you have such a huge project like that and such a small development team is that everything gets stretched THIN. You have good parts here and there, but a lot of stuff that is pretty average and needed a lot more work. The combat system is bland. Many of the towns feel ... empty. And probably the most disappointing thing, the dialogue lacks the witty banter from the Fallouts. In addition to being fairly humorless, you're typically only given the chance be polite or to pick a fight. The best parts of the game are the areas right along the main story path. But where Arcanum fails to live up to Fallout the most is just in the feel of the game. The atmosphere isn't there. Something about Fallout -- the sound of wind blowing across the desolate wasteland, the eerie music, the feeling of dread while walking through the failure of human civilization, feeling utterly alone at times -- the whole thing felt REAL. When you started up the game, you were in it. Arcanum does not replicate that feeling.
Rating:
Summary: A Best RPG ever made
Review: I bought this game a month back, i had a feeling that am i getting the right RPG i'm looking for, amazingly the answer is yes!. My first RPG was Diablo II, when i finished playing it, i thought this would be the best RPG, then i played Baldurs gate II, Revenant, wizard and warriors, Dungeon Seige. At the end Baldurs gate II, was still left in my mind as the best game. All my old RPG's where erased from my mind after i brought Arcanum into my house. so every body can ask what so special about this game? the answer is here, * This game is a balance between Magick and Technology, you can choose your charecter as a Pure magician, Technologist, a pure fighter, Thief, a Ugly charter, a charismatic charecter and much more. what's so special here is that, the world reacts to you differently depending on your charecter, for instance, if you are ugly and intelligent people will talk to you and can fetch quests, but if you are beautiful and dumb, you will be missing a lots of quests and people will not be even bothered to talk to you. *One more best part of the game is, unlike other RPG's, no chareter is pre-defined as Thief, bard, socceress etc. You can customize your chareter of your own, with basic eight charecter points which includes Dexterity, Strength, Constitution, beauty, Intelligence, willpower, Charisma and perception. *You can complete the game as a good or evil, the world will react to you differently on both the cases. Sometimes we dont know wheather we are good or evil, to avoid this, there is a meter which can measure good and evil. This is very cool and each time when you complete a quest you will be tempted to see the meter. *And finally, the graphics is good and not the best when compared with current standards. Music is very calm and gentle and it goes well with the game. I'm writing this review, after i finished playing this game as a fighter. My experience with the whole game was full of fun and enjoyable. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes to play a true and indepth RPG.
Rating:
Summary: Near perfect
Review: Arcanum is near perfect for what it is. When you consider the cast and crew that placed their souls into creating a game such as this, you cannot help but be floored (if you are an old school gamer who remembers the days of Fallout 1 and 2). If you don't know those days, then pick up a copy of Arcanum, and take it for a drive. But be warned: You won't put it down. Arcanum is a truly classless game, unlike many others that claim to be. You design your character. From race, to birth defects, to past experiences. Everything. It is even possible to make it through this monolithic game without interacting in battle, granted this takes more time than even most completionists would choose to invest. Picking up where other games have failed, Arcanum mixes both Technology and Magik. But, unlike other games, they succeed. There are upwards of 20 branches of magic, and no, they're not all "Harm" with a different name. Each branch has great additions to it. I mean, "haste" is your first spell in the Time Magic slot...Can't beat that with a stick. From simple spells that turn you invisible, to Disintigrate which wipes out everything around you, this game offers more than I'd seen in the ways of magic (at least in a non Baldur's Gate game.) Now, to the nuts and bolts (literally) of technology. It's not easy being a gunsmith. In fact, it's a down right pain in the ass! But it's such a rewarding pain in the ass. To watch your character take aim with a shotgun or repeating rifle is just incomparable. Or, how about that Elephant gun? If you don't want guns, there's always "physical stimulants", Poison compound bows, metal arachnids that each serve a purpose. This game is limitless. And one of the best parts? You may buy and find "Schematics" that enable you to learn designs you wouldn't otherwise. Arcanum is a truly interactive environment. I mean, say you want to make a Molotov Cocktail. You must go to the poor section of town to find the broken bottle and rags, as they won't exactly be lying around a Mansion. The voice acting is done well, I enjoyed it, even the annoying Virgil. There are numerous party members you may add, each with something to offer. Be it Virgil, the very helpful healer, or the Ogre, whose pure brute strength can only be surpassed by your character, if you so choose. I mentioned classless. Well, it is. There aren't classes. Sure, you can tell the game to automatically build you a character from a list of preset options (and there's a good amount of those), or choose to do it yourself. Do you enjoy being a thief? Go at it. Nothing more satisfying than stealing from a shopkeep's chest and selling it to someone else. Granted, they're harder to play at firs, but done correctly, there's limitless fun to be had. Areas for the game? There are too many to count. Go to your local bookstore and look at a guide for Arcanum, then look at the map. Enough said. I loved the graphics in this game, and still compare them to most everything else. Sure, the loading times can be a pain in the butt, but only on a slow machine. Fate points were a wonderful addition. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 exist, and they allow you to abuse the "critical" concept. Do you just have to have that sword the shopkeeper has, but keep failing to steal it? Click "Next steal is critical." on a fate point and boom, it's gone, and you've more than likely got that sword. They're not easy to find, mind you, and generally require rather insane tasks. But, I'll let you find those out for yourself. If you are an RPG fan, you must play this. Even if you've only played the Final Fantasy games (like far too many have), you need to try this. I'm not saying the game doesn't have it's flaws (level cap, damnit!), but it's as damn close to perfect as you're going to get. I've replayed this game far too many times to remember. I love it. Should you be a fan of the oldschool games (Fallout 1 and 2, Throne of Darkness), pick this up. It's not as hack and slash and pointless as Diablo 1/2 are, thank god. If you've tried their newer release (Temple of Elemental Evil), in my opinion this game is better, because of the lack of bugs if nothing else, not to say that ToEE isn't great; it is. Please, try this game.
Rating:
Summary: A refreshing take on the RPG genre.
Review: When I first was told to buy Arcanum, I hesitated. It looked good, but I just wasn't sure. When the price dropped to twenty bucks though, I just couldn't hold off any longer. I bought it, and lost many hours of my life along with it. I just couldn't stop playing it. The steam and technology aspect of the game was so refreshing and the story wasn't that bad either. The progression of the characters through the degree track was annoying at first, but very fun and interesting as progression peaked. I strongly suggest that everyone who puts stock in RPG's give Arcanum a fair go.
Rating:
Summary: For 20 bucks you couldn't go wrong!
Review: I found the name of this game in the forum of a competing game and being an RPG junkie I thought I would give it a try. WOW. If you buy this game, get ready to play an RPG that gives you TRUE options in character creation and growth. The combinations for character development are literally endless. Be a mage that uses an elephant gun for a weapon, or a techie that makes all of their own armor and weapons. Warning: If you buy this game you really do need the strategy guide (included!). My only small complaint about the game is that you are never sure what to do next. In other words, clues to the next quest are far and few between. Even talking to everyone you see sometimes does not reveal the next step in the story. Sometimes you have to just wander over the HUGE landscape to find places and clues. I am on my second time through, and plan on playing again as soon as I'm done. In summary, if you like an RPG that has a good balance of combat, problem & puzzle solving, and TONS of dialogue options, you will find something you like about Arcanum. And for 20 dollars you can hardly affor NOT to add this to your collection. Oh, and this game works fine with Windows XP. It doesn't say that in the description, but it was made after XP was realeased so it is compatable. Have FUN!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: I enjoyed playing this game. It allowed a lot of freedom in character development, the plot was good, and there was a vast world to cover. The game system was great, creating characters allowed more freedom than any other game I've played, and, unlike almost all other games, being evil wasn't to hard of a path to follow. This game exceeded my expectations by a lot, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes RPGs. I gave it four stars because of a few things: (1) Long range was handled awfully, and a good bowman could go through all of their 100 arrows in about 15 seconds. (2) Magic looked the least glamorous of any option, with small red, green, and purple puffs or vague glows surrounding a character. A lot more time could've been spent on graphics. (3) There was no pause button. What's up with that? Those are the negatives. However, dealing with them is very simple, and you get used to it quickly. Buy the game, and you will enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Fallout Team does it AGAIN!!
Review: This has to be the best medieval-ish CRPG that exists (yes, I include BG in the estimation) for one simple reason - you can beat the game as a bad guy or good guy. That's right, you aren't screwed if you decide to murder people, join the thieve's guild, and beat beggars up in back alleys. In the beginning of the game you are being hunted by an assassin's guild. Later you can join the guild or eliminate entire towns. It's insane, in a good way. I'm not a psycho, you can (and should) beat this game as a good guy, I'm just saying that the story is fulfilling either way (indeed, there are some serious non-obvious benefits of being evil). Definately buy this, Fallout 1/2, and Planescape: Torment.
Rating:
Summary: Now this is a fun game.
Review: I cannot emphasize how much fun this game is! Turn-based, real-time, you can choose. Go straight for the end goal, or goof off with minor quests, go ahead. I've played it for over a year, and I still am discovering new stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Wow.....
Review: All I can say is wow, what a fabulous game. The worlds are fabulously large and there is such a large amout of quests and side-quests to keep you playing for months. For all those who want to buy just remember this: For all really long RPG's it takes some patience, especially in this game. all the inventory stuff and the potions and skill points and followers and skills and, well you get the picture. Also, before you start into the game too much to learn the controls and hotkeys, they help a lot
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