I'm flip-flopping on whether or not I should pick up the Arcania & Gothic Bundle. I liked what little I played of Gothic 1 and 2. Anyone have experience with 3, Forsaken Gods, or the two Arcania games?
I haven't played Forsaken Gods or the Arcania games. Gothic III however... hm, how to say. It is a huge world to explore set into three different biomes. There are a lot of caves and dungeons to find, lots of things to do and this whole thing involving the villages and towns. The world is very nice to look at and there's plenty to see but (You knew that was coming yes?) combat is a tad iffy with stun locking wolves (Due in part to the fact you can't block animal attacks) and a rather finicky block-counter-swing system and a levelling system similar to Gothic I and II that involves collecting points for training. I haven't actually finished the games main storyline since I found exploring the world more compelling.
It is not a "bad" game, so to say. It's quite playable but don't expect the more complex interactions of groups like in Gothic I.
If you do get Gothic III, there is a community patch that fixes a number of issues with the game, though I did find the community patch made combat more annoying in some regards. No more stun locking wolves, but they now gain immunity to being stun locked themselves if you attack them over and over again, drawing out combat.
I haven't played "Forsaken Gods" but from what I've gathered, it's not a bad game/expansion visually or mechanically, but the story line fell rather short for a lot of people. That's the thing I think, the stories and complexity of Gothic III and Forsaken Gods are generally thought of as being weaker, though still enjoyable for exploration.
Add-on: Arcania I do remember as being more action orientated then Gothic III, and less story driven