When it comes to why Gothic was very popular in countries like Poland for example and not so popular in other countries is a fact that Gothic received a full Polish localization and at the time when it happened it was extremely rare to have a game fully translated (and on top of that voiceovered!!!) therefore it naturally gathered a huge following and became a widespread classic amongst Poles. It even sparked a huge Polish TH-cam machinima scene with hundreds of people doing their own parodies/music videos/edits using Gothic :)
Just a question about the dialogs are they as gritty,raw with a passive aggressive I dont really care a shit about you but I'll help you after you did enough shit for me to ignore the full distrust for 2 minutes to help you
Just a question about the dialogs are they as gritty,raw with a passive aggressive I dont really care a shit about you but I'll help you after you did enough shit for me to ignore the full distrust for 2 minutes to help you
@@theRobson0908 Polish speaking English may sound impolite because sometimes it raising tone at the end of the sentence is indictor of trying to sound nice and Polish language doesn't have that habit and that makes speakers sound rude
Playing Gothic as a kid probably was one of the main reasons I'm so into masochistic and frustrating games as an adult, there's just something special about a game breaking you down to pieces until you stop being frustrated, adapt and become part of the world. I love it. I hope you'll be back, long time fan of your work
@@Blox117 I feel you there, spent a whole day trying to get Gothic to work on Win10 and I still failed. Thankfully although its unorthodox, I just got a virtual machine of Win XP on my PC and there Gothic worked fine. Well, mostly fine. It still crashed occasionally like it always did.
Friends and I started the fan website 'World of Gothic' shown in minute 4 back in 2000. It's crazy the site has still the same design today haha. The devs of the game were awesome, they invited us to their office pre-release to playtest. Thanks for reviving great memories!
Man you and your friends are a legends. That website is so important to the gothic community. Vielen Dank Jungs. Dank euch ist Gothic noch so am leben und hat so eine geile Modding Community
As a central european myself, I've spent lots of hours of my childhood playing these games, especially Gothic 2. Thank you for covering it, it feels pleasantly nostalgic.
What people don't understand about Gothic 1 is that a very important aspect of the game is the art direction, atmosphere and immersivity. This is what the rest of the games got wrong. The coherence in visual along with music and sound design really transports you in that world.
I do think the same way. In germany we have the expression "the atmosphere is so thick, you could cut it with a knife". I played Gothic 1 for the first time well after witcher 3 or dark souls 3 and others, but is was the thickest atmosphere I ever encountered in any game.
@@Bernard_Marx Yes, you are right. I did not think about it. Dead Space also had immense tension and immersion. And a great ui decision. I never understood, why there aren't more games using something like it. But it was, as you said, another gerne, so I was mostly immersed in horror and fright. Not so much the world or its characters. Also more linear and did not have an interactable environment.
Looting many interactive items was what probably inspired Skyrim loose interactive items. There's items left there that tell a story and not there to really balance the gameplay out. Like a bow would be nice to have to fight a certain monster but there's no bow there but you find some arrows for instance. Not going to give you a weapon you really need at that point.
you have no idea how much your videos mean to me. i was in a horrible place in my life and stuck in my car for almost 2 years almost the entire day and I kept playing the audio of your elder scrolls videos whenever life got unbearable. I can honestly say they kept me sane. this might come across a bit weird, but I just wanted you to know
I've found that there is always that one TH-cam voice that is calming during hard times. For me, who that is has changed throughout the years, but there is always one. My uneducated guess is that there is always a voice that resonates with us, because it reminds us of someone who once gave us as sense of security. Or we're just fkn weird people, I have no fkn clue tbh.
Gothic was very popular amongst post ussr countries. But at the time pirate copies was the only option for people to play. Growing up in the 90s early 00 in Russia gothic was everything people talked about, even in relatively small cities. Even today gothic is still an icon amongst many.
Unfortunately everyone I know also played the pirate version of the game, incl me. They desever to be paid more than these modern micro transaction games that rip ppl off.
Yep, got the pirate version too by chance back in 2001. Everyone was talking about this awesome but obscure RPG. Admittedly on PC it was normal back then to get most of your games in pirate version.
Same here in India. Before the launch of digital storefronts, getting retail version of games of really difficult in most parts. I've since purchased every entry of the series, but haven't found the time to revisit them.
I just want to say it here, I won’t speak for anyone else but I love your content here, it’s seriously fascinating to me hearing retrospectives. I hope, regardless if this is your last video or one of many to come, that no matter what you end up doing you enjoy it. I found this channel through the fallout retrospective and have watched it full through twice as a massive fan of the franchise and since I have watched almost every video of yours. I hope life leads you well. -sincerely, a random viewer
As a die hard Gothic fan (I love all 3 of the original games to bits). It's pretty sad to see Piranha Bytes and their new games. It reminds me of the stereotype of that person that used to be the cool guy back in highschool, but never moved on. As you come back to your hometown every year visiting family he slowly ages, never matures. Until he is endlessly stuck doing an impression of the Steve Buscemi how do you do fellow kids meme. I tried playing Elex, tried playing Risen, but that just can't capture the magic of the early Gothic series. Once again people outside of central europe will probably never understand, but this was THE series for a long time. This was Witcher 3 before Witcher 3 for most of us...
Mostly agree, except for me Risen did capture the magic of early Gothic. And I did like Elex 1. But I recently finished Elex 2 and the sense of someone stuck in the past, like in an endless loop, was extremely strong. It's like all heart and creativity is gone from PB and they only go through the motions now.
Ironically, the same goes for the audience. Instead of moving ón to a different subgenre of games or a different hobby altogether, people try to compare everything PB does to Gothic istead of seeing the games as their own entities which are being made for a new generation of gamers. Everything modern looks worse when compared to a vision of the past seen through nostalgia-goggles.
Long time lurker here, if this is your last video just know you've had a fan in me. Your videos and commentary were an amazing thought provoking experience and I've appreciated every moment.
I picked up gothic 2 for $5 when i was a kid and had no idea what a pivotal game it would be in my life. Seriously one of the most immerssive game designs to date and still has that magic whenever i decide to replay
There was a German interview with the developers of the Remake a few months ago and the things that they had to say regarding the feedback to the demo and the way they're doing things on the project now sound REALLY promising, so I'm looking foward to it! Also, Kai Rosenkranz, the original composer, is back on board, which is awesome! Good look on your future endeavours and thank you for this top notch video.
I’ve been watching your videos for around 3.5 years now and I’ve watched most multiple times. I hope that you keep making videos, but if you don’t, I just wanted to thank you for the many, many hours of entertainment and joy you’ve given me. Seeing a new video always brighten my day.
You may be surprised that as a Canadian, Gothic was a HUGE part of my PC gaming upbringing. Gothic 1 had an extra special place in my heart as a novice PC gaming enthusiast
The end of the video absolutely wrecked me. You one of my absolute favorite content creators (and easily the best reviewer on TH-cam) and I’ve watched most of your videos 4 or 5 times. You have an undeniable talent at what you do. There will be something missing from my life when you’re gone.
Ooooh! Gothic is my jam! ❤️💀🦖 Want to add. Found Gothic in 2002. Dad said I could get a game, I was in middle school discovering my love for goth girls. I got Gothic. Shared it with my nerd friends and we all loved it. Thing is we had never heard of it! There was just zero advertising for the game. *Southern US
Dude tries to see some big goth tiddies and ends up buying one of the best games ever, which coincidentally contains like 4 women from whom you'll never hear anything but: "Shh. You are not allowed to talk to us!" Never saw the goth girls, but I bet you still gained unforgettable memories and heaps of fun nevertheless.
Gothic 1, 2 and Archolos are at the very top of my best rpgs ever made, even beating out recent titles. It is a testament to how good Gothic is when 20 years later some 40+ polish devs decide to band together and create a masterpiece. You rarely see that if ever and I am happy to have witnessed such a miracle.
@@JRUDK Archolos is better quality imo. Which isn't surprising, considering modders nowadays have better development tools and knowledge about the engine than the devs did. The English translation is also not perfect but it's good enough
Thank you for this awesome recap of the series. What i find emblematic of how popular this series in Germany still is, is that often in online forums and social media, someone will make a quote of the generic stuff the NPCs would be talking about, or lines the main character used, and it would evolve into a chain of Gothic quotes.
Not going to lie, hearing you are taking a break legit upset me. You are my absolute favorite TH-camr ever and it's not close. Good luck with your new projects and I hope everything works out! Love you man
I highly appreciate that you keep on creating Gothic-related content of such high quality! Words cannot express how much I love this series and want its ideas to thrive in the mainstream.
As someone who has worked plenty of 24 hour shifts I just wanna say your long videos have been a godsend, your smooth as butter voice has a very ASMR feel and makes the hours fly by. Thank you for all the work you put in and take all the time you need to enjoy your break!
I'm 29 and I've got a Gothic 2 CD box standing in my apartment to this day. Goes to show how endearing this game is to me. It has captured a true mythological atmosphere, dark, foreboding of an inevitable doom in the war, the knowledge that everyone is just being used as pawns of the three gods - all followed by truly immersive background music... That is a good artistic and narrative design. Gothic never had a good story per se, but it had a majestic way of telling that simple story through many little details. When it comes to mechanics, to this day I hold Gothic 2 as a benchmark for combat, level progression and map design. It has only been equalled and surpassed by the Witcher 2 and 3 and the Souls games when it comes down to those things. It's a simple, intuitive, easy to learn, easy to use design which makes your time playing the game enjoyable because of how hard actually the game is because of it. It is a gem of European gaming and just a beautiful game overall, both with and without the nostalgia points.
> "When it comes to mechanics, to this day I hold Gothic 2 as a benchmark for combat, level progression and map design. It has only been equalled and surpassed by the Witcher 2 and 3 and the Souls games when it comes down to those things." Whoa, whoa, whoa. :P Witcher 3 commits the same design sins as Ubisoft RPGs. It has arbitrary enemy levels and a map filled to the brim with question marks. You start the game fighting lvl.5 drowners and lvl.5 griffins and you end the game fighting lvl.50 drowners and lvl.50 griffins. It's a pretty mediocre system.
I discovered my love for CRPGs through your channel, and your DA retrospective got me to play the first and second games and fall in love. I'll be hitting up the second channel for sure, hope life treats you well in the coming years Never.
Before even watching I have to express my appreciation for NeverKnows covering these games. They were a big part of my life in my teenage years and just hearing the soundtrack again brings me joy.
Its hard to thank you enough for these video analysis. Some are games that i never played or will play, but watching these i feel like i am part of a legacy i never actualy lived. We know how much the algorithim hates these long videos. Huge respect for always doing what you like and what you are passionate, and specialy how you are not afraid of spending countless hours on relative "niche" games. Good luck on whatever you embark on. If you ever return i am certain there will always be an audience waiting.
Whatever you decide to do in the future, I just want to thank you for your contribution to the medium. You are my favorite videogame analyst/reviewer hands down, and your videos have brought me a great deal of joy. Even if the callous tendrils of TH-cam keep you from making a living doing this, your essays have been eye-opening and fascinating in a way they wouldn't have been if you had compromised. I hope for your success and happiness, and I will follow you no matter what you decide to make.
I have not seen your content before, so the algorithm has thought that i might like it at least. You've done a impeccable job of condensing the series and off-shoots into a surprisingly short, but also accurate video about the series and I'm very grateful for this. It brought up some memories of my childhood that i haven't though about in a long time, which was a nice experience. This is such a great video, thank you! I wish you the best on your future endeavors.
holy crap, thank you for bringing attention to this series, these games were my childhood and I still have very fond memories of gothic 2. there is just something about these piranha bytes games that makes them very enjoyable. I know they're often called "euro jank", and they are certainly clunky in a lot of ways, but the world building and atmosphere in these games is fantastic. (edit: I know he also mentions elex, but I do want to mention that it's the most I've enjoyed a piranha bytes game since Gothic 2, I highly recommend it)
Because it was handcrafted, unlike the copypasted nonsense of for example Crapthesda, were ultimately every cave, every interior and large landscapes look the same.
@@ShadowAngel-lt8nw Gothic 2 came out 4 years before Oblivion. At the time I could not believe how much people were praising Oblivion when the world it presented was so unbelievably bland and copy/paste compared to Gothic 2.
This was an incredible watch. Growing up in Germany, Gothic was a household name here - friends in school played it, we'd compare things we'd discovered back in those early internet days before every puzzle was solved, every item found, every quest completed. I played the first two games (plus NOTR) for hundreds, if not thousands of hours, and you've brought up almost every point I've ever made about the series. The hype and then disappointment of Gothic 3's release. The outsourced follow-ups (we do not speak of them). The incredible community, with modders keeping the games alive well after their use-by date. Your video was emotional to watch, which is something I never expected from a retrospective of a game I really like. There are a few things I'd like to add. I've always had trouble recommending the games to friends who only speak English, as I find both the translation and most of the dubbing unbelievably bad. The localisation feels like it was done with no direction in an afternoon. This ties into the characters you found unmemorable, as I think this is a place where voice talent goes a long way. The four companions in particular are carried by their VAs in the original dub, along with their dialogue being more subtly tailored to them than in the half-baked English translation. I'm glad you addressed the gender representation in the games as well. Unlike many of my fellow gamer dudes I don't think representation in video games is a bad thing, but Gothic 1's setting as a penal colony is particularly male-focussed. In Gothic 2 many of the women you meet are clearly downtrodden and unhappy with their lot, but there are also shrewd and cunning women who have clawed their way up the social ladder and attained positions of privilege and power. There are nurturers, free spirits, master thieves, ruthless informants, influential merchants and more. Female representation in Gothic 2 is not perfect, but it's varied and believable. So seeing that representation so drastically slashed in Gothic 3 rather than built on felt like a step in the wrong direction. I found you through your video on Lovecraftian games and watched every one of your other videos in short order. If this turns out to truly be your last one, I think it's fair to say you've done what Piranha Bytes didn't, and ended on a high. So as you say "thank you for watching", I reply: Thank you for the videos.
I unironically remember being on the phone with a friend and talking about loot we found in Gothic 2 (and where we found it) for like hours, good times. Due to the handcrafted nature of piranha bytes games, somehow their "tiny" worlds (compared to modern open world games) still feel subjectively "bigger", like, there is always something actually new to discover right around the corner. When I play modern open world RPGs I already know what is right around the corner: the same bandit camp I've already cleared 35 times, and it is marked on my map (along with 250 other point of interests that are also just copy & paste shit that gets boring after an hour)
Gothic also had a sizable fanbase in the UK, and sold well. I played all three games on release or shortly after. However it did not have an active UK community due to locational disparity and the relative infancy of the internet, the only online community for UK players and the handful of other English speaking players was on English language subservers of German forums. Most of us never found them. It was never a forgotten game, unlike in the US, instead it was mainly the series that gamers in-the-know would recommend to Elder Scrolls players to look savvy.
Aw, that ending was so somber. I am glad that a year later your channel is still growing and you are still making videos. Have only recently found you and been watching your reviews slowly but steadily and with increasing appreciation for all the work and time you have poured into them. Thank you for everything.
You don't know how much this video means to me. Gothic was a huge part of my childhood and youth 20 years ago and still is as an adult. Still love the first two games and Risen. And although Piranha Bytes hasn't quite managed to fuel my hype with their latest games, I still hold them in high regard. Greetings from a German Gothic fan :D And also: if this really is your last video on this channel, thank you for all the videos and all the hours of content you provided me and everyone else. Especially with this one very special video (at least for me). May you find joy and happiness in whatever you decide to do!
1. I loved this video 2. I love your old videos 3. I hope you find a balance between algorithm/passion 4. Thank you for all you've done, your videos made me and many others happy. I hope you find joy in what you do, NKB!
I only just recently found your channel and was heartbroken by the news at the end. I've been binging your videos for a week and absolutely love your content! I sincerely hope you find the passion to continue, though if not, I wish you the best, and I thank you for what you have contributed to the world.
It's so sad. 😥 By far the best game analyst, at least on TH-cam. So important for us "niche" gamers or what I should call us, who value sophistication, depth and complexity and who aren't impressed with the bells and whistles of modern gaming. I am sure Neverknowsbest opened the eyes of thousands of people to better understand the value of this deeper style of game design. It can only make gaming better. It's so important that the more deep, serious games are still being made for us, in parallel with all the mass market AAA hits.
Ah fuck off with the sophistication thing, having cheeto dust under your fingernails dosen't make you a connosieur, capitalism ruined gaming just like any other idustry, but "gamers" or should i say westerners won't swallow this fact because of all the burger patty that is stuck in their front lobe.
Thank you Never for everything you have given us - while analytics are important to know if you're growing, you can never really quantify how many people you have touched the lives of with your loving and deep-diving retrospectives. Seeing a new video from you was like getting a warm hug, I always knew I could find some solace for an hour or two. I wish you all the best, truly, and while I wish you wouldn't go, Never DOES know best after all. Thanks for everything
I loved Gothic, there was a lot of potential for Gothic 3 that was never realized but still I liked the way they were trying to have an even more in-depth faction system in such a varied world. There still aren't many open-world games with deserts like it.
In 1 and 2 I still feel that the factions matters. They are really unique and stand out. The Brotherhood will always be my favorite, though the New Camp has the coolest armor, and by extension, the mercenaries in 2. Dragon Hunter armor with the cross bow looks great. Was never a fan of the Paladin armor, despite being the best in the game iirc. But in 3, the factions to me just felt too generic and irrelevant. Not to mention how it played out pretty much exactly the same each time. Do enough quests for either the Orcs or the Rebels, finish it with a big battle. Repeat a LOT. And it certainly didn't feel like anything changed at all whether you wiped out the Orcs or the Rebels. And in the south, it was the exact same thing, just different names. The druids in the desert were clearly unfinished, in fact, the whole desert felt unfinished. The north was either the same, or always meant as a pure hack and slash zone. I like the south and the north zones. But I think I would have preferred it if they instead picked one, and focused on making that solid and believable. The world of g1 & 2 felt both more alive and realistic. I still enjoy g3 now and then to be sure. Simply because it's so massive. And I like the exploration aspect of it. Always have. So I won't say they didn't try. But I wished they hadn't, because they failed miserably.
I actually like Gothic 3 tbh.. even if it's clearly the worst one out of the three mainline titles.. something about the exploration in that game hits me just the right way. Combat is clearly it's worst part but still.. It's fun to play.
A lesser known fact than that Gothic was somewhat of a cultural phenomenon in Poland, is that in Poland this game laid ground to quite a huge machinima scene. Engine of Gothic 1 and 2 is fairly easy to mod and it's very easy to manipulate the gameworld to create any scenes you want. First it were Germans who created "Gothic Der Film" in 2006, basically an in-game movie potraying the story of Gothic 1. In following years it exploded - mostly in Poland. Started with silly YT poops and parodies made with voice synthesizers, and then progressed to complex stories filmed entirely in Gothic 1 and 2, some of them hours long. With amateur voice acting, some stories in the world of Gothic, some completely original stories. You can find it all on TH-cam, unfortunately - to most - in Polish. Some of it quite impressive.
You will be missed and I really hope you're coming back someday because your videos are something else. I watched pretty much all of your videos and loved them. Thanks for the good time.
I usually do not post comments, but had to stop to say I have watched all the content and enjoyed every minute of it. Your dedication and writing skills are incredible. I played the gothic series 7 years ago the first time when I was 23 years old and despite the graphics I had an amazing time and really loved the experience, but the way you described it was perfect. Congrats
As a German, gothic was my first action RPG and entry into what became a lifelong appreciation for the genre. What a perfect christmas gift to enjoy while wrapping myself into a blanket. Thanks for the nostalgia NKB
I'm not a long time fan, I saw your exorbitantly long Skyrim video and I've been hooked ever since. But I am really thankful for what you have done. These past few months have been incredibly hard and your voice has kept me company through a good chunk of it. The work you put into researching, editing, and voicing these videos is astounding. If you're gone for good, then good. Enjoy your life! Have fun and feel rested. If you're ever back, we'll all be here to listen together again.
As someone who enjoys games, studies game design, and aspires to make a great one, I just want to say I genuinely appreciate deep dives/video essays like these.
Amazing tribute for an amazing game. I loved Gothic 1 and 2 growing up and recently played through 1,2 and 3 again (as a child I was too bad to get far😅) Really well done showing the strengths and the flaws of the games. Also nice that you covered all the "successors", to get an idea of what they were about. Great video, enjoyed every second of it!
It's obvious you put your heart into these, so as much as it pains me to hear the news, I'm glad you follow your passion as it always manifests into a better content. Wish you THE BEST and see you on Knows Best Never.
You're one of the channels and creators on this platform that have gotten me into watching retrospectives as a whole and this was a genre of videos i never really liked or even cared for really say 4-5 years back, however the quality, depth, enjoyability, scripting that you always deliver in with each video makes your, well videos all the more fun to watch. Whatever your choice is, if this really is your last video, thank you for all you have done NeverKnowsBest and i genuinely wish you all the best! I've seen so many creators struggle on this platform cause TH-cam is less than pleasant so it's definitely understandable.
As others have said, hope to see you come back, Never. You're one of my four big "video game commentary" channels, others being Luke Stephens, Joseph Anderson and Noah Gervais Caldwell. You are very gifted at what you do but I understand wanting to spread your wings to other horizons. Blessings for the future and hope to see you back!
Was one of the most underrated and surprising games I ever played - found Gothic 2 randomly on a shelf in a second hand shop - loved the hidden stuff everywhere and the progression to specialise in different skills - especially loved the music
One of the main reasons I'm very excited for the gothic 1 remake is that its been confirmed by the developers that they have gotten SureAI to help work on the game! The same people who made Arktwend, Nehrim and most notabley, Enderal: forgotten stories. All of which took huge inspiration from the gothic franchise and are incredible games so with a team like that helping, my hopes are high!
If this really is the last video you make here, then I'm personally glad it was Gothic. A great game series covered by a great game retrospective TH-camr. Hope you'll return eventually, but in the meanwhile best of luck!
24:10 That's pure poetry right here, describing the key difference between Gothic and RDR2! And it's probably something that an NPC in Gothic would say. Thanks for making this, the Gothic series is still so special because despite being medieval fantasy, it has such a different vibe and grit than e.g., Witcher 3 or Elder Scrolls.
I only just discovered your channel and absolutely loved this video and others, thank you for the time and effort you've put into everything. In the end though you have to follow your heart and do something because it is what you want to do, not just to appeal to an algorithm. That kind of honest content will always be the best. Take all the time you need, and if you don't come back, then you owe us nothing. Us viewers are the ones who owe you for the hours of fufilment you've added to our lives. Again, thank you. As for me, I'll be hopping over to that second channel now!
This style of video is certainly the best on the platform. There are very few people who make full length movies about video games in the same way you do, and i hope that you make a return at some point. Best of luck man, been a slice, love your videos!
Although it makes me sad but thank you for the content you have provided us, this channel is possibly my favorite youtube channel. Its just different. Hope you do get back to it sometime and get the recognition you deserve.
Gothic became very appreciated in my country (Italy) when it was given for free bundled with a gaming magazine a few years after the original release. I totally felt in love with it.
Wasn't ready for that ending, and this is the first video of yours I'm watching. *Thank YOU* for all you've done. Gonna do myself a favor and put your whole channel in my watch later, and chip away at it over the next while.
If this is really the last video, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your thoughtful essays on these niche and underrated games, you'll be sorely missed.
Thanks for all the great content. You gotta do what is best for you. Hope you come back one day, but if you don't, know that what you did was appreciated.
I have never heard of you, NeverKnowsBeast, but this video was absolutely stellar. The (almost) 2 hours it took to view this went by so fast, I never would've guessed it was 2 hours if I couldn't see the runtime on the TH-cam-player. As strange as it may sound, I'm sad to see you step away from this channel, but be sure that I will follow you over to the other one (as well as sub to this one). The quality, love and care you've put into just the one video I've seen so far from you is just radiating, and I would love to see more. :)
Thank you so much for consistently delivering such high quality content. I am sorry that you have grown disillusioned with TH-cam, but I do not blame you and I wish you the best.
I started this video when it came out and only finished it today many months later. This has been my favorite game critique/analysis channel on the site and I'm glad to see you're still uploading. I still admire how you bring attention to games I haven't heard of before such as Gothic and make me care about them even more than some of the games I've actually played through just one video. I really hope you keep going and find the results you're looking for. On to the next one.
As always it is sooo extremly weird to hear the english voices for these games. gothic 1 and 2 will forever be embedded in my brain with the fantastic german voices
As someone who played Gothic 1 and 2 very early on after their releases and having played modern games as well I can say that will insist that this is one of the best Open World / Adventure RPG of all time. The atmosphere, the sound design, the day and night cyrcle, I could go on. The controls were indeed strange back then but I'd like to argue in favor of them is that they are VERY intuitive after you get used to them, especially since you can remap the keys in the original.
I just finished the video and I am honestly going to miss your retrospectives. They're one of my favourites and you should be more popular than Salt if I'm being totally honest. Loved your work throughout the years and I hope you have fun with the videos on the other channel!
Your video reviews are some of the best i have seen on this site and i could listen to them for very long hours and im really glad to see you finally covering this series before your break from this channel, regardless i wish the very best for you in your future endeavors.
Gothic 2 was my favorite game of all as I grew up (the only one that could rival it was Arcanum). And this has been a most nostalgic video to watch.... An amazing game-series described and discussed in detail in an amazing video by an amazing creator. It could honestly not been better. One could really feel how much time, effort and thought that had been put into making this video. Thank you very much for making this NeverKnowsBest. It's been a pleasure to watch it, and I truly mean that.
thank you for everything you have done content-wise, I am very grateful for the entertainment and ideas you worked so hard to put into your videos. do what you need to do, and you know there are many folks that will be happy to see what new things you put together.
Did I just space out, or was G3: Forsaken Gods passed over? Outside this, I have enjoyed your channel and content, ad thank you for putting these worthwhile pieces into the space, into the conversations. I would not have dipped into some of these topic nearly as deep as you have, so these glimpses -- hell, _gazes_ -- are appreciated, and I would hope are looked back on or reemerge as the years go on. Gonna sub to that second channel, and look forward to whatever may come out. "Passion over profit", here's well-wishes that your path in this world affords the latter enough to keep the former, and wishes that we, your audience's paths may have the pleasure to intersect again.
Time always goes by really fast when I watch these videos. They're always really enjoyable to kick back and listen to/watch. Thanks for the work you put into them!
also massively popular in ua and ru this masterpiece of a game. should have highlighted it on the map! all in all i was not expecting this at all, so huge shoutouts and appreciation for you, brother. legendary.
I come from a southern european country, which means that here nobody knows about Gothic. When I started working abroad in an international project it was fascinating to me that every guy that I met from western slavic countries had played, or a least heard about Gothic being awesome. For the first time in 20 years I had found people which in their childhood had played Gothic. Most of these dudes were either Polish or from Czechia. To this day I still play the Gothic games (mostly Gothic I and II, although I love the 3rd as well) and I cannot wait for the remake, the teaser captured the essence of it in my opinion.
You're one of the favorite content creators. No one else does video essays like yours. If this is your last video, then sincerely thank you for the work you've on this platform.
Sad to hear you're taking a break as I've been very much enjoying your content for the last 3 or so years. But you do what you must! If you'll ever come back, though, I'm certainly here for it :)
Thank you for all the fantastic videos, they have brought me immense comfort and I hope this isn't the last upload I see from you on this channel. Your potentially last video here being my first love in the gaming space feels very bittersweet. I'll make sure to give your other channel a chance. Best of luck NKB
I remember replaying Gothic 2 a few years ago. I wasn't sure whether pickpocketing would be worth going for, so I googled it and found an old forum entry on WoG, describing exactly what I was looking for. Then I noticed and recognized the signature at the end, I realized that I had just read a post that I had created and completely forgotten about. That's how long this game has been in my life.
I do not usually comment on youtube, but watching this and your channel update has made me wish to do so. I see I am hardly the only person who views you as their favourite content creator. Still, another voice doing so may be appreciated. I adore your videos and always try to catch up when I have time. I will be sure to follow your 2nd channel as I certainly would adore the content regardless of the subject matter.
Y'all know how hard it was to have Gothic be your first rpg you played as a kid? Other games in the genre felt stale quickly and it took years and years to find games that come close to this first impression. You could say ofc, it was your first game and nostalgia is to blame, but no it was actually a hidden gem of game history, and by that time those were the standarts I kinda measured everything else with - rarely to my satisfaction... Thank you for this video it stirred up quite some memories
Yeah I got Morrowind after gothic 1 and it just wasn’t the same. Like morrowind felt dead in comparison. Something like learning how to skin animals and finally earn some money, was more impactful then most skills you can learn in most rpgs to this day. Like in the beginning that is a valuable skill. And how many games have live bands playing an awesome song out of nowhere.
An incredible video for Incredible saga. I'm so grateful that I discovered Gothic 2 in a pawn shop as a kid. It's been my favorite game until today. You've done an excellent overview.
I love Gothic 1-3 to death but G3 really needs all the fixes and main mods that turn it into what PB wanted it to be if they had more time. Alternative AI is no problem against many enemies when you free a town because in the fixed game you can ask the rebels for more support which only makes sense and makes it rather easy. Optionally you can just become a dual wielder and do the spin2win
I genuinely hope you rest well. I've been watching and enjoying every videos you've made for the past year or so. You will be missed, but by all means do take your time.
as half german half polish thank you for covering our most important cultural milestone. looking forward to watching that
Ik its fucked but i think there was a much more important milestone for poland and germany in the 1940s
@@gibby3767 nah
@@emoforsen lmao💀
@@gibby3767 yes creating uber-human race called Silesians, was a huge step forward
@@histhoryk2648 XDDDDDDDD
When it comes to why Gothic was very popular in countries like Poland for example and not so popular in other countries is a fact that Gothic received a full Polish localization and at the time when it happened it was extremely rare to have a game fully translated (and on top of that voiceovered!!!) therefore it naturally gathered a huge following and became a widespread classic amongst Poles. It even sparked a huge Polish TH-cam machinima scene with hundreds of people doing their own parodies/music videos/edits using Gothic :)
Just a question about the dialogs are they as gritty,raw with a passive aggressive I dont really care a shit about you but I'll help you after you did enough shit for me to ignore the full distrust for 2 minutes to help you
Just a question about the dialogs are they as gritty,raw with a passive aggressive I dont really care a shit about you but I'll help you after you did enough shit for me to ignore the full distrust for 2 minutes to help you
@@theRobson0908 yeah the polish voice acting is a bit uneven but mostly really good and is now considered iconic by many
@@jakubromanowski1207 this sounds nice so i don't have to feel bad when i ask a polish friend to play narrator and translate it 🤣
@@theRobson0908 Polish speaking English may sound impolite because sometimes it raising tone at the end of the sentence is indictor of trying to sound nice and Polish language doesn't have that habit and that makes speakers sound rude
Playing Gothic as a kid probably was one of the main reasons I'm so into masochistic and frustrating games as an adult, there's just something special about a game breaking you down to pieces until you stop being frustrated, adapt and become part of the world. I love it.
I hope you'll be back, long time fan of your work
most frustrating part is that the game crashes before i can play it
@@Blox117 I feel you there, spent a whole day trying to get Gothic to work on Win10 and I still failed. Thankfully although its unorthodox, I just got a virtual machine of Win XP on my PC and there Gothic worked fine. Well, mostly fine. It still crashed occasionally like it always did.
@@Blox117 Where did you buy it? Always buy old games on GOG.
@@Coolerx2x I find all your issues perplexing. My G1 and G2 works perfectly fine and I bought it on GOG.
Great addition to the game was shapeshifting scrolls. You could overcome early obstacles by just using one of these scrolls.
Friends and I started the fan website 'World of Gothic' shown in minute 4 back in 2000. It's crazy the site has still the same design today haha.
The devs of the game were awesome, they invited us to their office pre-release to playtest.
Thanks for reviving great memories!
Legendary website, I spent many an hour browsing it. You have my respect for that.
Thank you for the website from Morocco
Man you and your friends are a legends. That website is so important to the gothic community.
Vielen Dank Jungs. Dank euch ist Gothic noch so am leben und hat so eine geile Modding Community
Thank you and your buddies for creating the site.
Absolutely legendary website. Still go to it when replaying gothic
As a central european myself, I've spent lots of hours of my childhood playing these games, especially Gothic 2. Thank you for covering it, it feels pleasantly nostalgic.
I still haven't fully explored Gothic 2 world that's how good it is.
What people don't understand about Gothic 1 is that a very important aspect of the game is the art direction, atmosphere and immersivity. This is what the rest of the games got wrong. The coherence in visual along with music and sound design really transports you in that world.
I do think the same way. In germany we have the expression "the atmosphere is so thick, you could cut it with a knife". I played Gothic 1 for the first time well after witcher 3 or dark souls 3 and others, but is was the thickest atmosphere I ever encountered in any game.
Different genre but Dead Space is also good between art style, enviroment immersion and a very atmospheric sound design.
@@Bernard_Marx Yes, you are right. I did not think about it. Dead Space also had immense tension and immersion. And a great ui decision. I never understood, why there aren't more games using something like it.
But it was, as you said, another gerne, so I was mostly immersed in horror and fright. Not so much the world or its characters. Also more linear and did not have an interactable environment.
Looting many interactive items was what probably inspired Skyrim loose interactive items. There's items left there that tell a story and not there to really balance the gameplay out. Like a bow would be nice to have to fight a certain monster but there's no bow there but you find some arrows for instance. Not going to give you a weapon you really need at that point.
If I remember correctly one of the lead art directors died of leukemia after Gothic 1, the series never really recovered from that loss.
Dear NeverKnowsBest, you will be sorely missed. Do what you have to. Thank you for you service. Looking forward to your triumphant return.
Lol, why did you write this
@@DonutSwordsman bc of the end of the video
@@Carlossa-619 oh shit, thanks
Love these videos. What is the 2nd channel? Link in the description is not working. Take care NNB
@@TheAxebitten His second chanel here: th-cam.com/channels/wQ_s_wmilldqBVZnBPcM5Q.html
you have no idea how much your videos mean to me. i was in a horrible place in my life and stuck in my car for almost 2 years almost the entire day and I kept playing the audio of your elder scrolls videos whenever life got unbearable. I can honestly say they kept me sane. this might come across a bit weird, but I just wanted you to know
I've found that there is always that one TH-cam voice that is calming during hard times. For me, who that is has changed throughout the years, but there is always one. My uneducated guess is that there is always a voice that resonates with us, because it reminds us of someone who once gave us as sense of security. Or we're just fkn weird people, I have no fkn clue tbh.
😢😢😢Is Bro ok?
@@AC-hj9tv yes now he is
@@makiimedia yooo!! My man!!
Gothic was very popular amongst post ussr countries. But at the time pirate copies was the only option for people to play.
Growing up in the 90s early 00 in Russia gothic was everything people talked about, even in relatively small cities.
Even today gothic is still an icon amongst many.
True
Unfortunately everyone I know also played the pirate version of the game, incl me. They desever to be paid more than these modern micro transaction games that rip ppl off.
Yep, got the pirate version too by chance back in 2001. Everyone was talking about this awesome but obscure RPG. Admittedly on PC it was normal back then to get most of your games in pirate version.
Same here in India. Before the launch of digital storefronts, getting retail version of games of really difficult in most parts. I've since purchased every entry of the series, but haven't found the time to revisit them.
i like how you guys have weird but good taste in things for random reasons
Well, this was emotional. Gothic has been a huge part of my childhood and continues to pop up to this day. Thank you!
I just want to say it here, I won’t speak for anyone else but I love your content here, it’s seriously fascinating to me hearing retrospectives. I hope, regardless if this is your last video or one of many to come, that no matter what you end up doing you enjoy it. I found this channel through the fallout retrospective and have watched it full through twice as a massive fan of the franchise and since I have watched almost every video of yours. I hope life leads you well. -sincerely, a random viewer
Singularly brilliant content. Agreed.
PatricianTV roasted the hell out of this dude wdym?
@@henrycrabs3497 I wasn't aware of that.
@@henrycrabs3497 oh well if another TH-camr thinks his channel is bad then it must be objectively true
@@MeatSnax Stan, why you so mad?
As a die hard Gothic fan (I love all 3 of the original games to bits). It's pretty sad to see Piranha Bytes and their new games. It reminds me of the stereotype of that person that used to be the cool guy back in highschool, but never moved on. As you come back to your hometown every year visiting family he slowly ages, never matures. Until he is endlessly stuck doing an impression of the Steve Buscemi how do you do fellow kids meme.
I tried playing Elex, tried playing Risen, but that just can't capture the magic of the early Gothic series. Once again people outside of central europe will probably never understand, but this was THE series for a long time. This was Witcher 3 before Witcher 3 for most of us...
Mostly agree, except for me Risen did capture the magic of early Gothic. And I did like Elex 1. But I recently finished Elex 2 and the sense of someone stuck in the past, like in an endless loop, was extremely strong. It's like all heart and creativity is gone from PB and they only go through the motions now.
Risen 1 was pretty good I think, there will never be another game like Gothic 2 (my favorite), but I think we need to accept this..
Elex 1 and Risen 1 were great, but Gothic 1 and 2 remain unsurpassed.
@@jaikee9477 I recommend Archolos, a giant Gothic 2 mod.
Ironically, the same goes for the audience. Instead of moving ón to a different subgenre of games or a different hobby altogether, people try to compare everything PB does to Gothic istead of seeing the games as their own entities which are being made for a new generation of gamers.
Everything modern looks worse when compared to a vision of the past seen through nostalgia-goggles.
Long time lurker here, if this is your last video just know you've had a fan in me. Your videos and commentary were an amazing thought provoking experience and I've appreciated every moment.
haha he said lurker.
Can't even describe how proud I am of you for avoiding talking about Forsaken Gods.
Yeah, but he discusses Arcania, so he lost point there.
Gothic 2 was without a doubt one of the most immersive games I've ever played. Such an under-rated classic.
only gothic I played and finished
I picked up gothic 2 for $5 when i was a kid and had no idea what a pivotal game it would be in my life. Seriously one of the most immerssive game designs to date and still has that magic whenever i decide to replay
Under rated? Bs, everyone knows gothic
@@Nothingforever192 Risen 1 is a pretty good start. Too bad it was the only good one of the series.
@@endlessstrata6988 I hate that Piranah Bites always tried to make pirates happen for some reason.
There was a German interview with the developers of the Remake a few months ago and the things that they had to say regarding the feedback to the demo and the way they're doing things on the project now sound REALLY promising, so I'm looking foward to it! Also, Kai Rosenkranz, the original composer, is back on board, which is awesome!
Good look on your future endeavours and thank you for this top notch video.
That’s awesome ! Music wasn’t just an icing on a cake, it was Gothic’s soul
I’ve been watching your videos for around 3.5 years now and I’ve watched most multiple times. I hope that you keep making videos, but if you don’t, I just wanted to thank you for the many, many hours of entertainment and joy you’ve given me. Seeing a new video always brighten my day.
You may be surprised that as a Canadian, Gothic was a HUGE part of my PC gaming upbringing. Gothic 1 had an extra special place in my heart as a novice PC gaming enthusiast
Man has me listening for almost 2 hours about a series I've never heard of due to his scripting and voice. Well play NKB.
Play it!
you should give it a try
Definitely try it out.
7,50 for the original trilogy on gog right now. Do it! And 2,50 for the first Risen. Get that also. :P
@@keinname1896 wasnt that last week?
Serbia here... Fell in love with Gothic (all of them) immediatly when i played it back in 2001...
The end of the video absolutely wrecked me. You one of my absolute favorite content creators (and easily the best reviewer on TH-cam) and I’ve watched most of your videos 4 or 5 times. You have an undeniable talent at what you do. There will be something missing from my life when you’re gone.
He’s special
@John Spartan nobody gives a fuck
@@TheFreshTaker Is that bad? Were you trying to enter his comment into a spreadsheet of yours or why would this be an issue?
@@imatreebelieveme6094probably has a touch of the 'tism
@@toastedt140 I have a touch of the 'tism myself and I still have no clue what their problem is.
Ooooh! Gothic is my jam! ❤️💀🦖
Want to add. Found Gothic in 2002. Dad said I could get a game, I was in middle school discovering my love for goth girls. I got Gothic. Shared it with my nerd friends and we all loved it. Thing is we had never heard of it! There was just zero advertising for the game. *Southern US
Dude tries to see some big goth tiddies and ends up buying one of the best games ever, which coincidentally contains like 4 women from whom you'll never hear anything but: "Shh. You are not allowed to talk to us!"
Never saw the goth girls, but I bet you still gained unforgettable memories and heaps of fun nevertheless.
Gothic 1, 2 and Archolos are at the very top of my best rpgs ever made, even beating out recent titles. It is a testament to how good Gothic is when 20 years later some 40+ polish devs decide to band together and create a masterpiece. You rarely see that if ever and I am happy to have witnessed such a miracle.
How the fuck can you say Gothic 1-2 and Archolos are even remotely similar in quality is beyond me
@@mrivarv17 can you explain?
I'd rather replay Risen 3 than any other modern open world game. Risen 3 is criminally underrated
@@JRUDK Archolos is better quality imo. Which isn't surprising, considering modders nowadays have better development tools and knowledge about the engine than the devs did. The English translation is also not perfect but it's good enough
@@JRUDK Archolos feels like a shitty fanfic that’s in universe, it has zero of what made Gothic special
Thank you for this awesome recap of the series.
What i find emblematic of how popular this series in Germany still is, is that often in online forums and social media, someone will make a quote of the generic stuff the NPCs would be talking about, or lines the main character used, and it would evolve into a chain of Gothic quotes.
Not going to lie, hearing you are taking a break legit upset me. You are my absolute favorite TH-camr ever and it's not close. Good luck with your new projects and I hope everything works out! Love you man
Woah! I moved from the US to Germany about ten years ago and until now I never understood why everyone talked about gothic. Thanks:D
I highly appreciate that you keep on creating Gothic-related content of such high quality! Words cannot express how much I love this series and want its ideas to thrive in the mainstream.
As someone who has worked plenty of 24 hour shifts I just wanna say your long videos have been a godsend, your smooth as butter voice has a very ASMR feel and makes the hours fly by.
Thank you for all the work you put in and take all the time you need to enjoy your break!
It’s the voice honestly 😂 it’s just super listenable and chill.
24 hour shifts? are you working in the ore mines of khorinis or something?
I'm 29 and I've got a Gothic 2 CD box standing in my apartment to this day. Goes to show how endearing this game is to me.
It has captured a true mythological atmosphere, dark, foreboding of an inevitable doom in the war, the knowledge that everyone is just being used as pawns of the three gods - all followed by truly immersive background music... That is a good artistic and narrative design. Gothic never had a good story per se, but it had a majestic way of telling that simple story through many little details.
When it comes to mechanics, to this day I hold Gothic 2 as a benchmark for combat, level progression and map design. It has only been equalled and surpassed by the Witcher 2 and 3 and the Souls games when it comes down to those things. It's a simple, intuitive, easy to learn, easy to use design which makes your time playing the game enjoyable because of how hard actually the game is because of it.
It is a gem of European gaming and just a beautiful game overall, both with and without the nostalgia points.
He didn't include us, but Gothic was pretty popular here to. Also in Russia, but now,now, we don't wanna spoil the party
> "When it comes to mechanics, to this day I hold Gothic 2 as a benchmark for combat, level progression and map design. It has only been equalled and surpassed by the Witcher 2 and 3 and the Souls games when it comes down to those things."
Whoa, whoa, whoa. :P
Witcher 3 commits the same design sins as Ubisoft RPGs. It has arbitrary enemy levels and a map filled to the brim with question marks. You start the game fighting lvl.5 drowners and lvl.5 griffins and you end the game fighting lvl.50 drowners and lvl.50 griffins. It's a pretty mediocre system.
I discovered my love for CRPGs through your channel, and your DA retrospective got me to play the first and second games and fall in love. I'll be hitting up the second channel for sure, hope life treats you well in the coming years Never.
Before even watching I have to express my appreciation for NeverKnows covering these games. They were a big part of my life in my teenage years and just hearing the soundtrack again brings me joy.
Its hard to thank you enough for these video analysis. Some are games that i never played or will play, but watching these i feel like i am part of a legacy i never actualy lived. We know how much the algorithim hates these long videos. Huge respect for always doing what you like and what you are passionate, and specialy how you are not afraid of spending countless hours on relative "niche" games. Good luck on whatever you embark on. If you ever return i am certain there will always be an audience waiting.
Whatever you decide to do in the future, I just want to thank you for your contribution to the medium. You are my favorite videogame analyst/reviewer hands down, and your videos have brought me a great deal of joy. Even if the callous tendrils of TH-cam keep you from making a living doing this, your essays have been eye-opening and fascinating in a way they wouldn't have been if you had compromised. I hope for your success and happiness, and I will follow you no matter what you decide to make.
I have not seen your content before, so the algorithm has thought that i might like it at least. You've done a impeccable job of condensing the series and off-shoots into a surprisingly short, but also accurate video about the series and I'm very grateful for this. It brought up some memories of my childhood that i haven't though about in a long time, which was a nice experience.
This is such a great video, thank you! I wish you the best on your future endeavors.
Gothic was also big in Eastern Europe. Some very fond childhood / teen memories. Thank you and looking forward to the remake.
I'm Polish and Gothic 1 and 2 were loved by all the gamers from my neighborhood. Thanks for your analysis!
holy crap, thank you for bringing attention to this series, these games were my childhood and I still have very fond memories of gothic 2. there is just something about these piranha bytes games that makes them very enjoyable. I know they're often called "euro jank", and they are certainly clunky in a lot of ways, but the world building and atmosphere in these games is fantastic. (edit: I know he also mentions elex, but I do want to mention that it's the most I've enjoyed a piranha bytes game since Gothic 2, I highly recommend it)
The open world of Gothic is unparalleled. It feels so vivid and worthy to explore.
Because it was handcrafted, unlike the copypasted nonsense of for example Crapthesda, were ultimately every cave, every interior and large landscapes look the same.
@@ShadowAngel-lt8nw Gothic 2 came out 4 years before Oblivion. At the time I could not believe how much people were praising Oblivion when the world it presented was so unbelievably bland and copy/paste compared to Gothic 2.
@@PacisJusticiaaaAaaaaaaaaaaaaàààÀàQ
This was an incredible watch. Growing up in Germany, Gothic was a household name here - friends in school played it, we'd compare things we'd discovered back in those early internet days before every puzzle was solved, every item found, every quest completed. I played the first two games (plus NOTR) for hundreds, if not thousands of hours, and you've brought up almost every point I've ever made about the series. The hype and then disappointment of Gothic 3's release. The outsourced follow-ups (we do not speak of them). The incredible community, with modders keeping the games alive well after their use-by date. Your video was emotional to watch, which is something I never expected from a retrospective of a game I really like.
There are a few things I'd like to add. I've always had trouble recommending the games to friends who only speak English, as I find both the translation and most of the dubbing unbelievably bad. The localisation feels like it was done with no direction in an afternoon. This ties into the characters you found unmemorable, as I think this is a place where voice talent goes a long way. The four companions in particular are carried by their VAs in the original dub, along with their dialogue being more subtly tailored to them than in the half-baked English translation.
I'm glad you addressed the gender representation in the games as well. Unlike many of my fellow gamer dudes I don't think representation in video games is a bad thing, but Gothic 1's setting as a penal colony is particularly male-focussed. In Gothic 2 many of the women you meet are clearly downtrodden and unhappy with their lot, but there are also shrewd and cunning women who have clawed their way up the social ladder and attained positions of privilege and power. There are nurturers, free spirits, master thieves, ruthless informants, influential merchants and more. Female representation in Gothic 2 is not perfect, but it's varied and believable. So seeing that representation so drastically slashed in Gothic 3 rather than built on felt like a step in the wrong direction.
I found you through your video on Lovecraftian games and watched every one of your other videos in short order. If this turns out to truly be your last one, I think it's fair to say you've done what Piranha Bytes didn't, and ended on a high. So as you say "thank you for watching", I reply: Thank you for the videos.
I unironically remember being on the phone with a friend and talking about loot we found in Gothic 2 (and where we found it) for like hours, good times. Due to the handcrafted nature of piranha bytes games, somehow their "tiny" worlds (compared to modern open world games) still feel subjectively "bigger", like, there is always something actually new to discover right around the corner. When I play modern open world RPGs I already know what is right around the corner: the same bandit camp I've already cleared 35 times, and it is marked on my map (along with 250 other point of interests that are also just copy & paste shit that gets boring after an hour)
> The four companions in particular are carried by their VAs in the original dub
Same goes for Polish & Russian dubs.
Gothic also had a sizable fanbase in the UK, and sold well. I played all three games on release or shortly after. However it did not have an active UK community due to locational disparity and the relative infancy of the internet, the only online community for UK players and the handful of other English speaking players was on English language subservers of German forums. Most of us never found them. It was never a forgotten game, unlike in the US, instead it was mainly the series that gamers in-the-know would recommend to Elder Scrolls players to look savvy.
I'm happy to see people like you who still take so much out of their time to make a comprehensive overview of this old series!
Aw, that ending was so somber. I am glad that a year later your channel is still growing and you are still making videos. Have only recently found you and been watching your reviews slowly but steadily and with increasing appreciation for all the work and time you have poured into them. Thank you for everything.
You don't know how much this video means to me. Gothic was a huge part of my childhood and youth 20 years ago and still is as an adult. Still love the first two games and Risen. And although Piranha Bytes hasn't quite managed to fuel my hype with their latest games, I still hold them in high regard.
Greetings from a German Gothic fan :D
And also: if this really is your last video on this channel, thank you for all the videos and all the hours of content you provided me and everyone else. Especially with this one very special video (at least for me). May you find joy and happiness in whatever you decide to do!
1. I loved this video
2. I love your old videos
3. I hope you find a balance between algorithm/passion
4. Thank you for all you've done, your videos made me and many others happy. I hope you find joy in what you do, NKB!
I only just recently found your channel and was heartbroken by the news at the end. I've been binging your videos for a week and absolutely love your content! I sincerely hope you find the passion to continue, though if not, I wish you the best, and I thank you for what you have contributed to the world.
It's so sad. 😥 By far the best game analyst, at least on TH-cam. So important for us "niche" gamers or what I should call us, who value sophistication, depth and complexity and who aren't impressed with the bells and whistles of modern gaming.
I am sure Neverknowsbest opened the eyes of thousands of people to better understand the value of this deeper style of game design. It can only make gaming better. It's so important that the more deep, serious games are still being made for us, in parallel with all the mass market AAA hits.
Ah fuck off with the sophistication thing, having cheeto dust under your fingernails dosen't make you a connosieur, capitalism ruined gaming just like any other idustry, but "gamers" or should i say westerners won't swallow this fact because of all the burger patty that is stuck in their front lobe.
Yeah we get it. You like Gothic. That doesn't make you superior to other people.
@@kentknightofcaelin4537
That was not the point.
Thank you Never for everything you have given us - while analytics are important to know if you're growing, you can never really quantify how many people you have touched the lives of with your loving and deep-diving retrospectives. Seeing a new video from you was like getting a warm hug, I always knew I could find some solace for an hour or two.
I wish you all the best, truly, and while I wish you wouldn't go, Never DOES know best after all. Thanks for everything
Thank you for your vulnerability and showing so much emotion in the end of the video. I could really feel that! 🤗
I loved Gothic, there was a lot of potential for Gothic 3 that was never realized but still I liked the way they were trying to have an even more in-depth faction system in such a varied world. There still aren't many open-world games with deserts like it.
In 1 and 2 I still feel that the factions matters. They are really unique and stand out. The Brotherhood will always be my favorite, though the New Camp has the coolest armor, and by extension, the mercenaries in 2. Dragon Hunter armor with the cross bow looks great. Was never a fan of the Paladin armor, despite being the best in the game iirc.
But in 3, the factions to me just felt too generic and irrelevant. Not to mention how it played out pretty much exactly the same each time. Do enough quests for either the Orcs or the Rebels, finish it with a big battle. Repeat a LOT. And it certainly didn't feel like anything changed at all whether you wiped out the Orcs or the Rebels.
And in the south, it was the exact same thing, just different names. The druids in the desert were clearly unfinished, in fact, the whole desert felt unfinished.
The north was either the same, or always meant as a pure hack and slash zone. I like the south and the north zones. But I think I would have preferred it if they instead picked one, and focused on making that solid and believable. The world of g1 & 2 felt both more alive and realistic.
I still enjoy g3 now and then to be sure. Simply because it's so massive. And I like the exploration aspect of it. Always have.
So I won't say they didn't try. But I wished they hadn't, because they failed miserably.
I actually like Gothic 3 tbh.. even if it's clearly the worst one out of the three mainline titles.. something about the exploration in that game hits me just the right way. Combat is clearly it's worst part but still.. It's fun to play.
yeah they really managed to pull off the desert feel of varant , i really liked exploring that place
A lesser known fact than that Gothic was somewhat of a cultural phenomenon in Poland, is that in Poland this game laid ground to quite a huge machinima scene. Engine of Gothic 1 and 2 is fairly easy to mod and it's very easy to manipulate the gameworld to create any scenes you want. First it were Germans who created "Gothic Der Film" in 2006, basically an in-game movie potraying the story of Gothic 1. In following years it exploded - mostly in Poland. Started with silly YT poops and parodies made with voice synthesizers, and then progressed to complex stories filmed entirely in Gothic 1 and 2, some of them hours long. With amateur voice acting, some stories in the world of Gothic, some completely original stories. You can find it all on TH-cam, unfortunately - to most - in Polish. Some of it quite impressive.
You will be missed and I really hope you're coming back someday because your videos are something else. I watched pretty much all of your videos and loved them. Thanks for the good time.
I usually do not post comments, but had to stop to say I have watched all the content and enjoyed every minute of it. Your dedication and writing skills are incredible.
I played the gothic series 7 years ago the first time when I was 23 years old and despite the graphics I had an amazing time and really loved the experience, but the way you described it was perfect. Congrats
As a German, gothic was my first action RPG and entry into what became a lifelong appreciation for the genre.
What a perfect christmas gift to enjoy while wrapping myself into a blanket. Thanks for the nostalgia NKB
Iss mal ne Wurst, Bruder!
@@Transgender-ProphetMohammed German = 卐
@@henrycrabs3497
You are a strong & independent woman.
@@Transgender-ProphetMohammed projection
Great game mate! Great series - Successor is Risen from what i know, that one is nice too, the first one at least.
I'm not a long time fan, I saw your exorbitantly long Skyrim video and I've been hooked ever since. But I am really thankful for what you have done. These past few months have been incredibly hard and your voice has kept me company through a good chunk of it. The work you put into researching, editing, and voicing these videos is astounding. If you're gone for good, then good. Enjoy your life! Have fun and feel rested. If you're ever back, we'll all be here to listen together again.
As someone who enjoys games, studies game design, and aspires to make a great one, I just want to say I genuinely appreciate deep dives/video essays like these.
Amazing tribute for an amazing game. I loved Gothic 1 and 2 growing up and recently played through 1,2 and 3 again (as a child I was too bad to get far😅)
Really well done showing the strengths and the flaws of the games. Also nice that you covered all the "successors", to get an idea of what they were about.
Great video, enjoyed every second of it!
It's obvious you put your heart into these, so as much as it pains me to hear the news, I'm glad you follow your passion as it always manifests into a better content. Wish you THE BEST and see you on Knows Best Never.
Love from Korea. Whenever your video was uploaded, it was an event for me, i would make time to watch em. Thank you, thank you.
You're one of the channels and creators on this platform that have gotten me into watching retrospectives as a whole and this was a genre of videos i never really liked or even cared for really say 4-5 years back, however the quality, depth, enjoyability, scripting that you always deliver in with each video makes your, well videos all the more fun to watch.
Whatever your choice is, if this really is your last video, thank you for all you have done NeverKnowsBest and i genuinely wish you all the best! I've seen so many creators struggle on this platform cause TH-cam is less than pleasant so it's definitely understandable.
As others have said, hope to see you come back, Never. You're one of my four big "video game commentary" channels, others being Luke Stephens, Joseph Anderson and Noah Gervais Caldwell. You are very gifted at what you do but I understand wanting to spread your wings to other horizons. Blessings for the future and hope to see you back!
Was one of the most underrated and surprising games I ever played - found Gothic 2 randomly on a shelf in a second hand shop - loved the hidden stuff everywhere and the progression to specialise in different skills - especially loved the music
One of the main reasons I'm very excited for the gothic 1 remake is that its been confirmed by the developers that they have gotten SureAI to help work on the game!
The same people who made Arktwend, Nehrim and most notabley, Enderal: forgotten stories.
All of which took huge inspiration from the gothic franchise and are incredible games so with a team like that helping, my hopes are high!
If this really is the last video you make here, then I'm personally glad it was Gothic. A great game series covered by a great game retrospective TH-camr. Hope you'll return eventually, but in the meanwhile best of luck!
I grew up in Romania 🇷🇴 and Gothic was a big part of my childhood. It still represents the benchmark for RPGS
24:10 That's pure poetry right here, describing the key difference between Gothic and RDR2! And it's probably something that an NPC in Gothic would say. Thanks for making this, the Gothic series is still so special because despite being medieval fantasy, it has such a different vibe and grit than e.g., Witcher 3 or Elder Scrolls.
I only just discovered your channel and absolutely loved this video and others, thank you for the time and effort you've put into everything. In the end though you have to follow your heart and do something because it is what you want to do, not just to appeal to an algorithm. That kind of honest content will always be the best. Take all the time you need, and if you don't come back, then you owe us nothing. Us viewers are the ones who owe you for the hours of fufilment you've added to our lives. Again, thank you.
As for me, I'll be hopping over to that second channel now!
You just made my evening A LOT better.
Love it, gonna enjoy this
This style of video is certainly the best on the platform. There are very few people who make full length movies about video games in the same way you do, and i hope that you make a return at some point. Best of luck man, been a slice, love your videos!
Although it makes me sad but thank you for the content you have provided us, this channel is possibly my favorite youtube channel. Its just different. Hope you do get back to it sometime and get the recognition you deserve.
Gothic became very appreciated in my country (Italy) when it was given for free bundled with a gaming magazine a few years after the original release.
I totally felt in love with it.
We really should mention Kai Rosenkranz's incredible music for the Gothic series. The soundtrack is amazing.
Wasn't ready for that ending, and this is the first video of yours I'm watching.
*Thank YOU* for all you've done. Gonna do myself a favor and put your whole channel in my watch later, and chip away at it over the next while.
If this is really the last video, I just wanted to say thank you so much for your thoughtful essays on these niche and underrated games, you'll be sorely missed.
The ending of this video and the link to the second channel being dead already are breaking my heart. Thank you for this video.
Thanks for all the great content. You gotta do what is best for you. Hope you come back one day, but if you don't, know that what you did was appreciated.
I have never heard of you, NeverKnowsBeast, but this video was absolutely stellar. The (almost) 2 hours it took to view this went by so fast, I never would've guessed it was 2 hours if I couldn't see the runtime on the TH-cam-player. As strange as it may sound, I'm sad to see you step away from this channel, but be sure that I will follow you over to the other one (as well as sub to this one). The quality, love and care you've put into just the one video I've seen so far from you is just radiating, and I would love to see more. :)
Thank you so much for consistently delivering such high quality content. I am sorry that you have grown disillusioned with TH-cam, but I do not blame you and I wish you the best.
I started this video when it came out and only finished it today many months later. This has been my favorite game critique/analysis channel on the site and I'm glad to see you're still uploading. I still admire how you bring attention to games I haven't heard of before such as Gothic and make me care about them even more than some of the games I've actually played through just one video. I really hope you keep going and find the results you're looking for. On to the next one.
As always it is sooo extremly weird to hear the english voices for these games. gothic 1 and 2 will forever be embedded in my brain with the fantastic german voices
As someone who played Gothic 1 and 2 very early on after their releases and having played modern games as well I can say that will insist that this is one of the best Open World / Adventure RPG of all time. The atmosphere, the sound design, the day and night cyrcle, I could go on. The controls were indeed strange back then but I'd like to argue in favor of them is that they are VERY intuitive after you get used to them, especially since you can remap the keys in the original.
I just finished the video and I am honestly going to miss your retrospectives. They're one of my favourites and you should be more popular than Salt if I'm being totally honest. Loved your work throughout the years and I hope you have fun with the videos on the other channel!
Whether you come back or not. Your videos have always been and will remain top quality and absolutely worth the time. Thank you and good luck.
Your video reviews are some of the best i have seen on this site and i could listen to them for very long hours and im really glad to see you finally covering this series before your break from this channel, regardless i wish the very best for you in your future endeavors.
Gothic 2 was my favorite game of all as I grew up (the only one that could rival it was Arcanum). And this has been a most nostalgic video to watch.... An amazing game-series described and discussed in detail in an amazing video by an amazing creator. It could honestly not been better. One could really feel how much time, effort and thought that had been put into making this video.
Thank you very much for making this NeverKnowsBest. It's been a pleasure to watch it, and I truly mean that.
thank you for everything you have done content-wise, I am very grateful for the entertainment and ideas you worked so hard to put into your videos. do what you need to do, and you know there are many folks that will be happy to see what new things you put together.
Did I just space out, or was G3: Forsaken Gods passed over?
Outside this, I have enjoyed your channel and content, ad thank you for putting these worthwhile pieces into the space, into the conversations. I would not have dipped into some of these topic nearly as deep as you have, so these glimpses -- hell, _gazes_ -- are appreciated, and I would hope are looked back on or reemerge as the years go on. Gonna sub to that second channel, and look forward to whatever may come out. "Passion over profit", here's well-wishes that your path in this world affords the latter enough to keep the former, and wishes that we, your audience's paths may have the pleasure to intersect again.
Time always goes by really fast when I watch these videos. They're always really enjoyable to kick back and listen to/watch. Thanks for the work you put into them!
using Oblivion as a "standard of polish and quality" really speaks volumes about Gothic 3
also massively popular in ua and ru this masterpiece of a game. should have highlighted it on the map!
all in all i was not expecting this at all, so huge shoutouts and appreciation for you, brother.
legendary.
Hello, friend
@@cyberninjazero5659 Cheers, my man.
I come from a southern european country, which means that here nobody knows about Gothic. When I started working abroad in an international project it was fascinating to me that every guy that I met from western slavic countries had played, or a least heard about Gothic being awesome. For the first time in 20 years I had found people which in their childhood had played Gothic. Most of these dudes were either Polish or from Czechia. To this day I still play the Gothic games (mostly Gothic I and II, although I love the 3rd as well) and I cannot wait for the remake, the teaser captured the essence of it in my opinion.
You're one of the favorite content creators. No one else does video essays like yours. If this is your last video, then sincerely thank you for the work you've on this platform.
Sad to hear you're taking a break as I've been very much enjoying your content for the last 3 or so years. But you do what you must! If you'll ever come back, though, I'm certainly here for it :)
Thank you for all the fantastic videos, they have brought me immense comfort and I hope this isn't the last upload I see from you on this channel.
Your potentially last video here being my first love in the gaming space feels very bittersweet. I'll make sure to give your other channel a chance.
Best of luck NKB
I remember replaying Gothic 2 a few years ago. I wasn't sure whether pickpocketing would be worth going for, so I googled it and found an old forum entry on WoG, describing exactly what I was looking for. Then I noticed and recognized the signature at the end, I realized that I had just read a post that I had created and completely forgotten about.
That's how long this game has been in my life.
How can one man never miss? Every video is a banger
I do not usually comment on youtube, but watching this and your channel update has made me wish to do so. I see I am hardly the only person who views you as their favourite content creator. Still, another voice doing so may be appreciated. I adore your videos and always try to catch up when I have time. I will be sure to follow your 2nd channel as I certainly would adore the content regardless of the subject matter.
Y'all know how hard it was to have Gothic be your first rpg you played as a kid? Other games in the genre felt stale quickly and it took years and years to find games that come close to this first impression. You could say ofc, it was your first game and nostalgia is to blame, but no it was actually a hidden gem of game history, and by that time those were the standarts I kinda measured everything else with - rarely to my satisfaction...
Thank you for this video it stirred up quite some memories
Yeah I got Morrowind after gothic 1 and it just wasn’t the same. Like morrowind felt dead in comparison.
Something like learning how to skin animals and finally earn some money, was more impactful then most skills you can learn in most rpgs to this day.
Like in the beginning that is a valuable skill.
And how many games have live bands playing an awesome song out of nowhere.
An incredible video for Incredible saga. I'm so grateful that I discovered Gothic 2 in a pawn shop as a kid. It's been my favorite game until today. You've done an excellent overview.
I love Gothic 1-3 to death but G3 really needs all the fixes and main mods that turn it into what PB wanted it to be if they had more time. Alternative AI is no problem against many enemies when you free a town because in the fixed game you can ask the rebels for more support which only makes sense and makes it rather easy. Optionally you can just become a dual wielder and do the spin2win
I genuinely hope you rest well. I've been watching and enjoying every videos you've made for the past year or so. You will be missed, but by all means do take your time.