User Reviews (1 - 11 of 130)

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dumb game, with some entertaining gimmicks

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: September 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game has some interesting ideas, but they aren't very well executed. The story is mildly interesting at best, the dialogue is dull, and the graphics are wholly unimpressive. The game can't handle a resolution higher than 800x600 (only slightly better than Diablo I, II, and Baldur's Gate I. Why can't RPG's follow the example set by Baldur's Gate II, which can handle 1600x1200 in 'experimental mode').

It is really easy to acquire experience and get to the 50th level in the middle of the game, after which you can progress no further. Having reached this point (as well as playing a little further), I gave up on the game. This game lacks innovation and style, and feels very much like it is simply the next product churned out by a major company than anything memorable. As evidence of this, the game comes full of bugs.

Are there good qualities to this game? yes. but for me the final judgement is that the game is simply not worth finishing, and a role-playing game that is no better than a film that is not worth watching all the way through.

Frustrated Former Customer

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 46
Date: April 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Well it looks like Sierra has decided to take it's time in makeing this game. In the meantime I'm afraid there going lose their customer base if they keep pushing foward the deadline.

If memory serves me correct, Sierra was going to publish this game last year (I think around September). Then they decide to release it this May. Now it's once again been pushed back to September.

I was very interested in this game when I first heard about it last year. But now I'm just fed up with Sierra. In fact I'll be suprized if I buy the game when (and if) they publish it.

I honestly think that anyone out there who was interested in this game ought to just not buy it. ... the game. Maybe then Sierra will respect their customers and their deadlines.

It is out of fustration that I give this game, which still hasn't been published, a 1 star.

..........Another Sierra flop.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 14
Date: September 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Stuttering graphics, severe slowing during actions, cheesy graphics you'd expect from about 5 or 6 years ago......[PRICE]Not only that, multiplayer is practically nonexistant, the patches are extremely unreliable, game freezes AFTER the patches............

Take my advice.........stay away from this and all other Sierra Products. Keep in mind, this is the same company that came out with the little gem Rage of Mages.............

Horrible... Simply Horrible!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 12
Date: September 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Ugh!... First of all, the graphics are really dated and have no business being in a ($) game. Second the combat system is really bad in both turn-bases and real-time. The voice acting and NPC interaction is very poor.

The only good point about the game is that it supposedly has a lot of depth. But, you'll never experience this depth since the game is so bland that you'll stop playing it after a couple of hours.

Last point. This game is NOTHING like Fallout and in no way is it better. To even compare it to Fallout is a crime. Arcanum is quickly headed to the bargin bin of hell.

Awful

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 32
Date: November 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is the worst I've seen in years.

It makes Fallout 1 look like advanced technology.

The graphics and sound literally look like something out of 1992...

The idea that anyone would release such a piece of unmitigated [junk], in the age of Diablo and Neverwinter Nights, boggles my mind, and I urge you, nay, I ABJURE you, not to waste your money on this.

It's easy to quit playing...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 17
Date: April 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

It has that bulder's gate blahh feel to it. Very slow moving. I have an extremely high-end system and it moves very slowly, just as bulder's gate does. What is the fascination with that style of game??? Sure it uses ad&d rules but it does it so gruelingly slowly!... Anyway, I played Arcanum for a day and the novelty of the ability to fire a gun in an RPG wore off due to the terrible interface. Top that off with the ... quality of the Sierra name (it's become apparent they rush developers into releasing buggy low-quality software with cool packaging - cheers to their marketing company!) and you're looking at one crummy game. Don't waste your time or money on this one.

Full of Annoying Bugs

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: January 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game had so much promise. The other reviewers are right--the developers spent a lot of time on the details and history of the game. Your character can be endlessly customized and you get the sense that there is a lot of depth to the world. There are tons of quests and a lot of quirky details in the game.

However, the bugs make the game a very annoying experience. I have a Pentium 3 1 gigahertz computer, a 16 meg video card (good enough for most games out there), and 384 megs of ram--way more powerful than the minimum specs. I also downloaded the latest patch. Despite all that, I spend most of my time crawling through the terrain. For whatever reason--even when nothing is happening in the game--my character starts moving in slow motion. I don't know why--cause the graphics seem to predate IceWindDale. The game isn't accessing the hard drive and there shouldn't be any hard number-crunching going on, but periodically the game slows to a crawl. Half the time things are fine--then bam!--my character can hardly move.

The cities are nightmares of slowdown. Even moving down the street can be a chore. The game would be so much fun if I didn't have to constantly pause for a couple of minutes while my character tries to walk past a building or vainly attempts a conversation with a key npc.

I will return to the game when they patch it properly. However, I wouldn't recommend playing it now--and I certainly wouldn't recommend paying more than ($) for the way it is now.

Gosh! Could this game BE more confusing??

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 10
Date: February 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I paid way too much for this game when it first came out. I should have opted for Anarchy Online at Fry's where I instead purchased the tedious Arcanum. Steamworks really appeal to me, as does fantasy roleplaying and gaming in general but this game was a true disappointment. I created several characters and generally anything aside from a warrior is going to get trounced right off the bat. Perhaps I'm just not that skilled with magick-users and such but sheesh! I really hoped for a good experience with this game but even in (especially in) multi-player it's time-consuming and bug-ridden. Oh, well - live and learn! It might be worth its current price but don't expect to much from it and be prepared to endure alot of headache searching for items to survive with. Overall, unfortunately, its a waste of your cash.

Delays

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 33
Date: May 17, 2001
Author: Amazon User

It is very annoying that Sierra has repeatedly postponed releasing this game. They should do something to make it up to customers who pre-ordered the game and then were left waiting.

we already have baldur's gate & every thing else it spawned

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 31
Date: May 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Sierra just needs to go make space quest 7.

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