Parents need to know that Arcania: Gothic 4 is a fantasy role-playing game that focuses heavily on combat. That said, the fighting isn't gory -- players see only a small amount of blood.

Arcania turns out to be a passable RPG, it has pleasant enough locations and plenty of quests to get stuck into, even if they do feel a bit similar to each other. The timing of such a generic release couldn't have come at a worse time however, and with Fable III and Fallout New Vegas also vying for...

Pleasant vistas and surroundings; Plenty of quests to find and complete; Simplicity makes it approachable

The story isn't compelling; The voice acting unappealing; Quests are very generic and similar

For a long time the PC crowd has looked down on console games as inferior or simplistic and they maintain that cross platform games cater for the lowest common denominator. Perhaps the first console outing for the ArcaniA franchise will finally disprove that myth.

Arcania: Gothic IV is no different, and while the story might have issues with pacing, it won't distract you from the experience. It lets you play at your own pace, with plenty of great looting objectives and a very detailed and lively world.

Boy, the RPG scene sure has changed since the first Gothic game. There was something captivating about that game and I could never understand why I felt compelled to spend so much time with it. Gothic 2 still remains one of the best games I've ever played.

Looks and sounds very nice; it's easy to get into and there are plenty of items to toy around with

Besides the lush environment; nothing motivates players to stay in this world; simple gameplay and simple quest structure; awful English subs (or voiceovers if you will); uninteresting story and characters; there's nothing challenging about this game

The Good: Stunningly beautiful realm The Bad: containing a lackluster and somewhat dull adventure The Ugly: which I hesitate to call an RPG as most contemporary role-playing elements are missing I am likely not the best person to be reviewing Arcania: Gothic 4.

Gothic 4 is an over-the-shoulder-camera RPG much like Oblivion or Mass Effect, but it leaves much of the role-playing activities out. The result is a game that would ordinarily be action heavy, like a graphically superior version of Torchlight, had the overall story and action not been so dull.

If you read my ‘impressions' of the demo version of ArcaniA, you know that even though I pre-ordered the game I had several hesitations about the potential for the game to be any good, and even more reservations about it being a ‘good Gothic game'.

Solid graphics; lots of stuff to kill; familiar names and faces

Simplistic gameplay; dumbed-down skills and crafting; quests are idiotic; writing is lousy; non-living world; poor use of old friends and no new ones to care about

In a week with the release of Dragon Age: Ultimate Edition and Fallout: New Vegas, I'm reminded that I personally have yet to play either series, not to mention Mass Effect or Elder Scrolls.

You ever get the feeling that a game arrived just a bit too late to the party or maybe was a bit ahead of its time? That does happen every now and then and Arcania: Gothic 4 is one such example.