Gothic 3 needs a lot of machine to run as intended. The game has some absolutely amazing visual elements to throw at the player, but bit by bit, many gamers have to tweak and switch off these features until the game runs smoothly.

There are also some major technical glitches that can hinder gameplay, the most serious of which is your player becoming stuck under an object with a low ceiling, or on top of something you accidentally climbed. Thankfully, there is almost always a way to wiggle yourself out.

Finally, amidst rumors of memory errors and crashes on Dells, I tested and was sad to see that the game would not run on either of the older Dells we have lying around. On an old Dimension 3100 and a Latitude D610, a memory error prevented Gothic 3 from starting at all.

Seriously though, keep reading.

Notwithstanding shortcomings and bugs, Gothic 3 is actually one of the best open ended adventure games I’ve ever played. It’s a bloody shame that even the most dedicated gamer might get turned off before even swinging a sword, because there is a good nonlinear game under the hood with a barge full of replay value.

The game begins with a staple adventure game cut scene; the king is under siege and the mages scramble to channel their power on the defensive. The mighty orcs have conquered and enslaved most of the human race in the land of Myrtana. You, the unnamed hero, are one of the few free humans left, and with that freedom comes choice. Do you rebel against the orcish oppressors or stand with them against your countrymen? Or do you say “the hell with it,” and go off and live by your own rules?

The action begins immediately as your comrades arrive in the occupied village of Ardea, and the orc garrison immediately attacks you. The true nature of this game becomes apparent very quickly. When you engage the orcs, the human slave population rises up with you. If you’re good, and you pummel the Orcs quickly, most of the human slaves will survive and praise you as their liberator. If you get knocked down a few times and fight a long, bloody battle, almost all the slaves can be killed and you’ll be left with a barren wasteland of a town with a few people here and there. Fortunately, the population will replenish eventually.