Gothic 3 - Gothic 3: Reviews @ TGSN & Dark Zero

Two new English reviews of Gothic 3 have hit the 'net.  Let's start with TGSN, with a score of 8.5/10 and plenty of Oblivion references:

Oblivion, which I’m afraid is the inevitable comparison just as every modern free-roaming shooter gets compared to GTA, has a huge game world, varied environments, but relatively little going on in them. Gothic 3 however is four times the size of the underwhelmingly massed Gothic 2, and although it is still not as big as Oblivion, there is much more life, and indeed fun to be had in the wilderness. Don’t get me wrong, there’s not the wealth of dungeons, castles and caves that Oblivion has, but it’s the outside, the grass, the trees, and the wildlife that brings the game to the front of the pack.

Meanwhile, Dark Zero's critique scores 7/10 but starts with an interesting disclaimer:

First things first, DO NOT take any notice of the score given to this game. It’s one of the most pointless numbers that’s ever had the chance to exist, and it can’t be stressed enough how insignificant it is in this case. Seriously, just read the text rather than be an idiot and base your opinion of the game on a number selected almost at random. You’ll see what I mean.

Right then, now that that’s sorted, let’s get down to business. Gothic III, the third (obviously) game in a highly acclaimed series to date, is finally upon us, as the Unnamed Hero returns from the island of Khorinis to the mainland, where he finds that the orcs have invaded and enslaved most of the population. Working under their God-like reputation in Germany, granted upon them by their multitude of devoted fans there, Piranha Bytes have been busy crafting this next instalment with the weight of massive (so tempted to put damage here) expectation on their shoulders. You’d think the recent release of Oblivion, with all the success it brought, would perhaps tempt them to subtly mimic a few of the ideas in the hope of riding on the popularity spike left in its wake, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s obvious that this game was developed with pure intentions, unblemished from outside intrusions, simply because of its unique charm and character, and the way in which, when working properly, everything fits together so well, giving the feeling that it shouldn’t be any other way.