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Awesome game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: March 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

After I first finished the demo, I knew that I had to have this game. At this moment it has lost quite a bit of its replay value, but I believe that is only because I played it so much. It took me two years and about 40 different characters to do that. Overall, if you are into RPGs with less fighting (not to say there isn't any fighting) and more role-playing, this game is for you.

Entertaining, if challenging role playing game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'd recommend searching Google for a walkthrough and using it while playing. This game is difficult, even impossible to finish, if your seemingly sensible choices are in fact ill-fated. And only someone who's finished can tell you if they are! I quit playing after investing scores of hours in the game because I didn't want to go back and undo some of the early role playing choices I'd made, though I'm tempted now and then a year after I quit to start all over again--this time with a walkthrough. No shame here. I just want to finish the game!

Good rpg similar to Baldur's Gate 2

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Arcane it is indeed with plenty of depth and a nice original setting. Have to say it's slightly flawed by not quite perfect design and balance (e.g. guns aren't much use) but overall it's a still great game. I was obsessed with it for quite a while, and the world it's set in is created in exceptional and original detail (lore). Loved bits like having combat gear and city gear and the many ways to go about quests and such, similar to Fallout by the same team. Some things were wrong but quite funny like the way the other guys in your party would suddenly attack you like mad dogs if you inadvertently caused them any damage or the way they would pick up things you dropped like newspapers (just put them in the bin). None of these were major flaws though. I also loved the way different traders would act differently and the gaining of blessing of as many gods as possible based on an arcane understanding of them. Overall a great game, if a little dated now.

Adventure For The Ages!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: December 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Pros
Engrossing atmosphere, beautiful soundtrack, intuitive controls, great story and side-quests, just a great game.

Cons
Difficulty at some points, dated (but beautiful) graphics, on-line play, a few bugs.

The Bottom Line
It is my personal opinion that Arcanum is one of (if not THE) greatest RPG adventures of all-time. I recommend this game to any and all RPG fans.

Arcanum, by the now-defunct Troika Games (Fallout, Greyhawk: TToEE, Vampire: TmB) is by far my favorite computer role-playing experience of all time. I first played the unfinished demo version of Arcanum obtained from a Computer Gaming World demo disk, and was quickly drawn into the world of Shrouded Hills (the first town you encounter, filled with all types of characters from traders to thieves). I found the controls rather intuitive and the story quite engrossing. The NPC interaction was beautifully scripted (if not a little buggy in afterthought) and each character had their own uniqueness (who can forget the likes of Doc Roberts or the tormented soul of Charles Bregho? I won't get into specifics, as it may give away integral plot-lines). I only bought the game later in the year (some while after it's release) and found the game as whole to be the most satisfying computer gaming experience I have ever had. Filled with adventure, intrigue, mystery, suspense and surprises, Arcanum rarely failed to keep me on the edge of my seat. I still feel this way about Arcanum, and the game never fails to give me a thrill every time I replay it (and re-buy it, due to damaged disks - I'm bad that way).

The point-and-click gameplay is simple, and combat is a sinch for Diablo and Baldur's Gate type players alike. Just clicking on something you wanted to pick up, or click on someone to immediately talk or attack. Spells and skills (such as your magickal skills or technological abilities) are easily accessed on the main interface through shortcuts as well. The main storyline as well as numerous (that's an understatement) side-quests will keep your attention all the way through the game. The character creation and customization is another of Arcanums shining spots. You can literally create any character your mind can imagine - from Half-Orc Air Elementalists to Human Pirates and Dwarven Shotgun-wielding Necromancers.

I personally have nothing bad to say about this game except for the difficulty. At times it can be more challenging than needs be, but this is easily overcome with some extra leveling/questing. I never found the soundtrack to be repetitive or boring as some have suggested. In my opinion it is a beautifully composed orchestral symphony which adds multitudes to the atmosphere of Arcanum. The graphics, though isometric (almost top-down) and 2-D pixel-based and considered to be very dated, draw you into the world. The effects used, such as spells, explosions, etc. are done very well and look convincing. Every item and person seems to have been given care during the creation of the game, made apparent by the wide variety and beauty of in-game weapons, armor, gems and even necklaces. I highly suggest this game for ANY RPG/CRPG fan (especially those of games like Diablo, Baldurs Gate, Fallout, Morrowind, etc). This is a rare gem that every RPG fan should not go without even trying.

The demo version is still available online (though most likely not for much longer) at [...]for your playing pleasure. The world of Arcanum has absorbed me, let it take you away as well.

Recommended:
Yes

Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magic Obscura, or Archaic & Obscure

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: March 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm a long time fan of the similar title Fallout, and, expecting another gritty, quirky, and entertaining romp through an alternate universe as promised by the magazine ads and relation to the Fallout series of games I was disappointed. I found many flaws that where rather unexpected to say the least.

The interface was not intuitive, with many of the controls simple in theory but difficult in practice. The character creation was difficult and with many options that are vague as to their actual in game consequence. The graphics are disgraceful, a simple look to the 6 month old Fallout Tactics shows far superior character models and terrain.

_However_ there is a good RPG to be had here for those who are able, by boredom or determination, to get past these initial difficulties with the game. There are many interesting and entertaining possibilities, with multaple solutions and the ability, should you decide to do just about anything to just about anyone. From mosying into town and laying waste to all you see to happily interacting with NPCs and helping them with whatever quests they offer you. The magic and old-fashioned mechanics are also two interesting systems, though both are rather obscure.

So cool!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: May 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After playing this game i came to one conclusion,
This is the best role playing game ever.
I had played "Diablo II" and "Dungeon Siege" but I must say that this game is much more entertaining. It is alotlopnger than any other role playing game and has the element of having to think.
I would reccomend this game to anyone who enjoyed "diablo" and Dungeon Siege"

Load times aren't that bad

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: July 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Ok let me start by saying this is a very good game, you have tons of quests and your charter is very customizable.

Ok ived read alot of reviews on this site and they all seem to say this game has long load time well it dosen't. It dose however have alot of stops in the game(while your battleing or try to cast alot of spells in a row) but if you have alot of ram you won't have that problem.(when i first got the game i had only 256 mb ram and had alot of stops while playing, but after i upgraded to a 1 gb of ram i didn't have the stoping problem anymore.)So if you computer is decent like mine you shouldn't have any major problems playing this game.

The game concept and the anticipation is what entices.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: May 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Note: As of this review, Sierra recently pushed Arcanum' release to September, 2001.

A consolation to those who await Arcanum's eventual release:

When working on an ambitious project such as Arcanum, with its intriguing storyline and intricate gameplay concept, the developers want nothing but the best possible product for their players. So, it surprises me not to see the release date pushed back repeatedly. True, we hope that the game avoids Daikatana's pitfall--overhyped and underdelivered after years of wait--but look at the development team masterminding this game:

Formerly of Black Isle studios, we see the original designers and developers of Fallout and Fallout 2, published through Interplay. As many of you remember, the games industry hailed Fallout as a ground-breaking game in a very narrow genre--post apocalyptic, science fiction RPGs. Truly, how many science fiction RPGs can we name, anyway? Now, Arcanum envisions itself as a game that ventures into an even less-explored realm--that of steamfantasy. Similar to steampunk (a blend of cyberpunk and Victorian England), steamfantasy takes elements of H.G Wells' Time Machine and mixes it with J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Now, who can say they know of a game such as this? Enticing, no?

What keeps me patiently waiting for Arcanum is the promise of a new genre of gaming rarely seen in computer games, and the knowledge that the developers behind its making are renowned for producing games that make bold ventures in unfamiliar terra...and succeed phenomenally. What keeps me from giving five stars is, of course, the long wait and repeated delays, but when Arcanum finally arrives, I know that I will purchase it without hesitation.

For previews about Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, read the July 2000 edition of Computer Games Magazine and the September 2000 edition of PC Gamer.

Again, the game concept and the anticipation is what entices. Hopefully, the game fulfills--indeed, surpasses--its expectations. We hope that it follows the path of Diablo II, rather than Daikatana, in fulfilling its expectant players' collective cravings for its arrival.

Buggy in the Extreme

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: January 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game seems to me as if it'd be a good game, however, it's buggy in the extreme in multiplayer.
The solo play adventure is pretty good about stability, but the multiplayer is NOT up to Sierra's usual standards of excelence.
First off, the main multiplayer chat interface itself is buggy, often returning games that have nothing but 0's for stats, like ping, players, up time, et cetera.
The chat menu's lobby list tends to pop up over other nessessary things at times.
It crashed a few times while trying to make a new character.
And consistantly crashes whenever I try to log onto a multiplayer game, sometimes after just giving me a split-second game view, sometimes not even letting me get that far.

So much potential, so many flaws...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I hope that Sierra makes some sort of sequel for this game, and addresses the issues from Arcanum, because they have a potential legendary game on their hands. But this game fails to live up to its potential. Arcanum is fun, but it's disappointing in some areas too.

The highlight of this game is its innovative skill point system for character development and enhancement. It is kind of overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, you will really like it. Your character can spend skill points in a ton of different attributes and abilities. They basically center around basic world skills like haggling and lockpicking, technology skills (which allow you to build weapons and potions from junk), and magic (i.e. casting spells).

The technology skills are especially interesting. You buy a gallon of fuel, find a rag in the garbage can, and if you have the expertise, you combine it into a Molotov cocktail. Or, you find a couple of roots and make them into a healing potion. With the technology skills, you are basically finding or buying low value items, and making them into high value items. The items that you can build increase in usefulness as you allot skill points to them. So, at the beginning of the game, you can only refine ore, but later on you might be able to build a fancy set of plate mail.

I was very happy with the nonlinear plot line, and the huge world with its numerous sidequests. This game rivals Baldurs Gate in those fashions. I also enjoyed the music. It is perfect at setting the 19th Century role-playing scene.

But, I found a few things to be very disappointing about this game:

1. The cosmetic aspects of the game, like graphics, animation, and sound effects, are very mediocre. This game underacheives badly for one that is so young. Normally, I don't care all that much, but it this case, it really detracts from the game. The detail level of the characters and scenery is minimal. Every building in almost every city look largely the same. Cinematic cutscenes are nonexistent. Somewhat dated games like Baldurs Gate and Planescape:Torment still have much better cosmetics. If you didn't know better, then you would think that Arcanum was released five years ago.

2. ... This is especially annoying for this game, because utilization of junk like metal springs and tobacco leaves plays such an integral part, so you have to carry tons of stuff with you. Even simple tasks like switching weapons with one of your followers are tedious if your inventory is getting full.

3. You can't control the actions of your followers, nor can you control how they develop. This was the biggest disappointment to me. Half of the game's strategy goes out the window here. You can't build up one guy to be a thief type character, and build up another guy to be a battle tank. Even if you could, your followers just rush head on into melee at the beginning of every battle, so clever tactics go out the window too. This means that ranged weapons, like bows and guns, are hardly useful. Pretty much ever battle ends up as a melee hack-and-slash fest. After a while, the battles in this game get very repetitive.

I hope that Sierra makes another Arcanum, with some of these issues addressed. It is a creative game. It just has a few things to work on.

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