Arcania: Gothic 4 vs Mount & Blade
Arcania: Gothic 4
Arcania: Gothic 4 returns as the fourth and possibly the final installment of the Gothic series. This time, you take on the role of a nameless hero who just had his village destroyed by the king's paladins. However, as you set off on your quest of vengeance, you gradually realize that this event is driven by a malicious hidden power. The storyline is so much better in this installment due to the many surprises, plot twists and cliffhangers, and it does have a pretty nice combat system.However, many players put some flak to this game mainly because the game isn't exactly "Gothic" but pretending to be by using the "Gothic" name, but partly because the game does have some boring quests. That said, the game is still a pretty decent RPG.
Mount & Blade
Mount & Blade is the first game in a highly popular game franchise that boasts of being an RPG with one of the most sandbox-like gameplay ever. In this game, you can play as anyone you like be it a lone adventurer, a military commander or even the "mayor" of a small town in Calradia. The game also provides a rich and open world, allowing you to travel anywhere you like and discover all manner of points of interest ranging from farm villages to massive castles. You even have the freedom to interact with hundreds of characters, some of which will likely be hostile towards you. Due to this, the game provides you with an intuitive combat system that includes both sword-fighting and fighting on horseback that you can use to dispose of the hostile.Mount & Blade is an old game, and as such, its graphics may be a bit dated and its controls feel rather clunky. Thus, the game by itself might not be worth the money, but if you can get it along with Mount & Blade Warband or Mount & Blade With Fire and Sword - the two other and much better games in the series, then it'll be worth getting it.