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Arcanum: of Steamworks & Magick Obscura

Publisher: Vivendi Universal

ESRB Rating: Mature

Release Date: August 22, 2001

Platforms: Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 95

Media: CD-ROM

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Features

Automatic character management features let you delve into the quest at hand for action-oriented players.
Explore a huge game environment, with dozens of cities, dungeons, and towns to find.
Meet more than 300 unique characters and 280 different monster types across the land of Arcanum.
Multiple paths to victory abound in the scores of quests surrounding the main storyline.
Accurate day/night cycles affect the gameplay, from combat to thieving skills.

 

Product Description

Most role-playing games are set in a fantasy world, and if they're not directly related to Dungeons & Dragons, they at least follow the blueprint of the D&D rules. Not so with Arcanum. Set in the world of steampunk--a genre of fiction that puts forth the idea that computers and other advanced technology existed back in the late 1800s--Arcanum's world is fantastic and instantly recognizable at the same time. The game begins with the crash of the L.F.S. Zephyr, which you were aboard. Things go from bad to worse as assassins try to kill you. Meanwhile, you struggle to understand why people think you are the reincarnation of "The Living One."

Developed by Troika Games--which is staffed by many of the people who created the excellent Fallout games--Arcanum takes the conventions of the RPG genre and turns them on their head. Instead of binding players to a specific character class, such as Paladin or Barbarian, Arcanum lets you create a completely unique character. Experience points can be distributed in any area, so you can create a character that's a thief, magic user, and gunslinger all in one. In addition, you can specialize in either magic or technology, which will impact how the other characters in the game deal with you.

The world of Arcanum is simply massive, and the story is extremely detailed. The main plot will provide you with 30 to 40 hours of gameplay, and the side quests will add another 10 to 20 hours to that figure. The quests run the gambit from fetching items to finding a cure for lycanthropy, and they're all well designed.

Arcanum is viewed from a third-person isometric view--similar to Diablo II and Baldur's Gate II--and the graphics easily compare with any other RPG on the market. The characters are modeled nicely, and the backgrounds and structures are very detailed and really add substance to the game. Unfortunately, even on a high-end system such as an Athlon 1.33 GHz, the game suffers from long loading times, and will occasionally slow down during combat.

Those minor problems aside, Arcanum is a sensational game. The open-ended nature of the character-creation system guarantees replayability, and the setting and story will offer relief for anyone tired of Diablo II's dungeon crawls. --Kilmic Robbins

Pros:
  • Great story
  • Numerous quests
  • Ability to completely customize character
Cons:
  • Long loading times
  • Interface can be overwhelming at times
 
Average Rating: 4.0

Product Reviews

Rating: 4 StarsGreat game, terrible price

If you like Baldur's Gate and the early Fallouts, this is a game for you. I like the steampunk setting with swords and sorcery alongside more modern firearms. The interface contains a lot of information, maybe too much, but you can tailor your player character in innumerable ways. However, the vendor Hitgaming Video Games is ridiculous with their prices. I don't know why Amazon sponsors this grossly overpriced vendor. I got my copy as a download from [...] for $[...]!!! It runs fine on Vista with none of the problems mentioned in other reviews (stuttering, long load times, crashes, etc.)

Rating: 5 StarsAmazing

Normally, I don't do reviews on anything, but after reading so many negative comments on this game, I felt inclined to.
First of all, I would like to acknowledge that the graphics aren't the most amazing thing ever, but other features of the game make up for this. The game is something that can be played for hours, and if you like games that have good story lines and lots of options to make our character a true individual, than you will love the game. It is the only game that I know of that you can truly build your character to be exactly who you want him/her to be to this amazing of an amount. There is so much to do and so many different options to choose from, just like in real life.

You don't have to only start as a warrior to get far. For instance, I almost always choose to play a supermodel half elf. Not much strength there.

I also played it on a very average computer, and yes, sometimes it was slow, but not to the extent described.

I highly suggest buying this game.

Rating: 4 Starsgood but with problems

To start out with its really a fun game, has a very cool story. Its 2D overhead like Fallout or Balders which is what I like personally. Problem is that the thing has lots of bugs in it that drove me crazy trying to fix just so I could play it. The combat system is a little funky and not ballanced very well if you ask me. But the story and atmospere makes up for it. What ever you do, make sure you patch it before playing.

I would also like to add that its got the best re-playability I've yet to see in any time.

Rating: 4 StarsGreatest RPG I've played

The variables in the game play make this such a unique game, each time you create a new character the posibilities are endless and throughout the game play (in turn based or real time) the results of your actions are never the same. If you create the exact same character and try to play the game through the same way the game is always different

Rating: 5 StarsShort Review

This game is very long, is very open-ended, and has a VERY HIGH replay value. If you like Diablo (2) or Baulder's Gate (2) then this is probably for you.
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