Things I've missed: there is a Gothic Comic that tells the story of some of the side characters. There is a polish LGBT mod where you can go to an In Extremo concert. Support the channel: / warlockracy
I think the main reason why this game didn't catch up in the west is the terrible english translation. The dialogues are written so much better in Polish, and the voice acting has metric tons of character.
In Post USSR Russian speaking countries, this game was a blast. Mainly due to the atmosphere and the story, but as well the gameplay. Russian voice was insanely good which has contributed a lot to the popularity.
The fact that improving your skill with weapons actually changes your combat animations, making them smoother and easier to use, as opposed to just increasing the damage you deal, alone makes Gothic I + II amazing in my book.
The game was also very popular in Czechia. I myself was (am) more of a Morrowind fan, but otherwise I'd say that Gothic is the more popular of these two here.
I remember picking up Gothic on a whim here in California... and man. The jank was real. The running, the awkward combat, the horrible tedium... I loved every second of it. The world felt enormous and real. The music hooked me. The story was awesome. I adore Gothic.
It is a crime that Piranha Bytes hasn't received a Nobel Peace Prize yet for the greatest act of reconciliation between Germany and Poland in post-WW2 history.
Here, in Poland, Gothic series is still legendary and nearly every dude knows the games, characters and even some specific dialogues or quotes. I was a kid when the second game was released and I remember the excitement and hype, though it was my elder brother who had played, not me personally.
