Jowood’s Gothic 3, which has sold more than 900,000 copies to this day is getting its first standalone expansion in Q4 2008. Two years after the success of Gothic 3, Forsaken Gods takes the player into the Gothic world once more, where new quests, monsters, riddles and characters await. Players will also recognize old friends and foes from the previous game.

JoWood and developer Piranha Bytes are promising a totally new gaming experience, including:

• Lively and interactive environment which reacts to the player’s actions, creating a very intense and realistic atmosphere
• Improved graphics quality thanks to updated engine technology
• Enhanced user interface
• 15-20 intense hours of gameplay
• Improved combat system with new combat rules
• Plenty of new weapons, armor, monsters and quests

What’s interesting is the improved combat system. Gothic 3 has previously been criticized for its rather repetitive and easy combat system where the best technique often is to click the mouse as fast as possible, until the enemy is slain. The expansion is said to emphasize carefully timed combinations of strikes, so hopefully it will be more truth in that statement this time.

Gothic 3’s reception wasn’t very consistent, Eurogamer gave the game 8 out of 10, compared to Gamespy who said the game was “a complete miss”. Let’s hope Forsaken Gods will be what its predecessor didn’t quite manage to be.