Which RPG ?

i hope so! i wish the year would be good for adventure games as well, last killer adventure game i had grim fandango. oh longest journey was really good too. they should make more adventure games of that quality

 

Diablo 2 FTW. While it may be an old game, there is still a great community of players and the multiplayer online is great.

Now if only they released D3 already

 

the thought of diablo 3 is exciting

 

These are old school games but if you take a look for them, you may really like them.

Quest for Glory Series
StarControl *I think you can find this game online now
http://sc2.sourceforge.net/

 

I'm more into 3rd person RPGs so my advice is somewhat limited to them. As such I have to endorse Fallout 2 (imo the greatest RPG created), Baldur's Gate 2, 1 is pretty good as well, Diablo 2 and both NWNs. The Witcher seems really good, I haven't had a chance to check it out yet and I just started Oblivion, which is dope as far as 1st person RPGs go. Not to mention Fallout 3 which will come out at the end of the year, God and Bethesda willing. I almost pissed myself when I heard it was being taken up again. I woulda preferred Black Isle to do it, but Bethesda seems to be sticking pretty close to the older Fallout methods, or atleast giving us the option to play it that way.

 

Fallout 3?? Awesome! But end of the year? Man that's quite a long wait

 

diablo3? you mean titan quest fallout 3 is just as enticing as the rumored baldurs gate 3... forgive me if i stay rather cool till the games hit the shelves, as there are a lot of areas developpers may simply ruin... and i'm yet to hear a developper of a reedition not say "we will not ruin everything, it will be a marvel, keep saving for the upcoming title etc.".

 

You could check out Two Worlds if you like Oblivion. I also loved Titan Quest, but it is much better if you have someone to play it with. I found it got a bit boring on my own, but had a really good time playing it with my buddies.

For MMORPG's, Everquest is a classic. I was just talking to someone the other day about how I would love to see the less guided quest system from EQ make a comeback in a future game (What task // as opposed to follow the !'s and click through the answers).

Personally, I really really liked Vanguard, but quit because my friends hated it and left... I think gameplay experience for people in this game might have something to do with class choice. I went for the Bard and found it to be one of the most inovative classes I've ever played in any MMO, whereas my brother in law played a sorcerer and basically said 'this game is WoW with turbocharged graphics... lame'.

If you are into the sci-fi stuff you should check out Tabula Rasa. I played it in beta and absolutely loved it - it's designed by the old Ultima people - but due to the lack of a good computer (sold my gaming rig in December and am just replacing it with a laptop now) I have not played since release. It is very very fun though.

Two other sci-fi games to watch for the future are The Agency, which looks promising to me as a fun 'take a break' type game to pass the time, and Stargate Worlds, which is promising some really innovative squad based and terrain affected combat systems. If they can deliver on their promises this game might be able to set a new standard for MMORPG style combat. The graphics aint half bad either.

Hope that helps!

 

actually i did have two worlds and can say just these two things - the game was abruptly cut of many options they promised to deliver, and it's therefore weaker oblivion clone... lest the races, quests etc.

two worlds give you actually only one benefit over stock oblivion - your "rides" - a few options besides plain horses... nah, playing elf mage assassin (with little vampiric help ) i could easily outrun all the horses in oblivion, even shdowmere for me therefore two worlds was just a big disappointment...

 

Nope, me thinks he means "Mythos"

http://www.mthos.com

is the spiritual sucessor to the Diablo series, as it was made manily by the developers of Diablo 2.

Oddly enough, this game, with a "free play" busniess model, appears to be a better game than Hellgate: London.

 

How is the Phantasy Star series online?? I remember LOVING that game for the old 8-Bit Sega Master System...like 20 yrs ago LOL....

 

damn....not much love for WoW in this thread it seems...
I have played almost ALL the above mentioned RPG games...and the only one that still holds me interested in playing is WoW.....great game and great community (which can become awesome if you have real life friends playing it too) and best of all...no matter what kind of player you are, you find the stuff to do as you like in it.
Sure...its a timesink if you wanna be competitive at the end game....but honestly...since the expansion, Blizzard has eased that a lot also since the gear gap was reduced....!!!

The only other RPG that held my interest till the end was SW: KOTOR I and II....NW series and little bit dungeon seige (hack n' slash).

A lot of people like Oblivion and God knows how much i tried to LIKE it but in end it was just tttttoooo boring and dull for me...i like open endedness of a game but that was little bit too extreme. I like to know how, where, why, what I am doing in a game.

Mass effect looks to be a promising game...I'd give it a try when it comes at around May '08.

 

@theholyangel - did you try to use some mods + join certain guilds/organisations? cause the mage/warrior guild is really boring (imho of course), just like somewhat whimpy main quest storyline... but then you get the thieves and the servants of the night mother btw there is a very big project on the development stage focusing on making the colour of the night more explored... dark brotherhood mod was it called i think. it's kind of a compilation of smaller mods + a really big quest-tree along with intriguing story that's prepared by the fanatics and the community...

 

Nox! Whooo! Why hasn't anyone recommended Nox yet?

EDIT: And yes, mods bring a whole second life to any game, completely transforming it. Take Half-Life 2 for example. There's a great platformer out for it called Flipside. For Oblivion, there are two great mods I highly recommend: Nehrim. Looks amazing.

 

Baldurs Gate 2 ruined RPGs for me, I havent enjoyed a single player one since.

That said, looking forward to Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

 

try gothic it's quite unique.

 

Only Oblivion & Neverwinter Nights are the standout games out of that list, I'd recommend Fable, good fun, not complicated, & original.

 

NWN1 or NWN2?

 

I still dont think you can beat Daggerfall... Much as i like Morrowind and Oblivion, they are still hollow feeling vs TES II.

Other good games include, NWN 1, Baldurs gate (1/2), Fallout (1/2), Planescape tourment. Sadly great RPG's are a forgotten art it would seem.

And dont even try saying MMORPG's are RPG's... only UO and maybe shadowbane, all the others have very limited RPG value.

 

Both. NWN1 is a bit more hack and slash, but the OC storyline has a truly epic feel. You can get NWN1 + all xpacs pretty cheap now in NWN: Diamond.

NWN2 has much better graphics, and an upgrade to the 3.5 ruleset. Almost all of the conversations are voiced, and there are some great player-made mods for it out now.

To the others in the list:

EverQuest - Don't bother. It was a great game that I played from release until a few years ago, but the game has reached old age for MMO's. There are so many expansions out now that you will be playing a constant game of catch-up with the players that have been in since day 1.

World of Warcraft - I love this game, mostly because Blizzard tries to mitigate the time sink problems most MMORPGs have. I manage to stay relatively competitive end-game with only a few hours a week (PVP/Arena). Big plus over other MMORPGs, you can completely solo from level 1-70. (In everquest the biggest slow down for leveling was finding a group).

Oblivion - Excellent RPG. It's completely open ended... you can play for hours without ever touching the main quest, or you can go straight through the story line from the beginning. It scales encounters to your current level, so you won't stumble into something on accident that's too tough or too easy. Min/Maxing on this game can be tough though.

Fable was mentioned, and as Microsoft games go, it's not too bad. The experience system for the game is intuitive, but rather unique. I played through twice, once with the evil path and once as good. After that it gets old.


Edit: Just wanted to add, Baldur's Gate 2 is still by far the best CRPG I've ever played. Also, for MMORPGs, keep an eye out for Warhammer Online when it comes out, should be pretty good.

 

-blink- What's the second?

I was pretty hooked on WoW for a bit, but it got a little boring. Plus, I hope you're not planning to raid; serious raiding pretty much wrecks any hope for a social life you may have. I mean, hey, WoW is nice and all, but 4/5 nights every week? Ehhhhhh. Too much of a grind.

I'd go with Oblivion, with mods slapped on. Other great RPGs to consider are the Baldur's Gate series, Neverwinter Nights, Planescape: Torment, Fallout and maybe Final Fantasy, if you swing that way; I was never really into jRPGs.

I've recently just picked up a copy of The Witcher, but am waiting on a new platform to play it on.

 

I would agree with that. Raid content for any MMORPG is going to be a timesink, but WoW offers PVP content as a viable alternative for gear advancement, and it's more skill based than time based. You play at least 10 games a week in competitive arena, your rating goes up when you win, down when you lose, you get points to buy gear based on rating. 10 Games takes maybe 1-3 hours a week depending on how many other teams are playing.

 

Ugh! Sorry, I forgot to add the second. =[

Here it is: Northlands

 

What mods would you recommend for NWN2. Also, is it true that many people prefer NWN1 over 2? If so, why?

 

I quite enjoyed nwn1, but could never get into nwn2. The same holds true for diablo. I still play diablo, but just never quite looked at d2 the same way. I mean, it's ok and the skill system is cool, but it just never caught my attention the way diablo did.
JJ

 

People prefer the original because it was made by BioWare. The new one is made by Obsidian. It's almost identical to KOTOR 1 and 2, in that these two companies made the first and second respectively. I have no doubt that BioWare is superior.

If you want a great NWN1 mod, try Layonara Online.

For Neverwinter Nights 2, I'd recommend this: The Otherside Chronicles.

 

+1000

Bioware is indeed superior, in my opinion they are the best RPG makers on Earth.

Baldurs Gate 2 and Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) are still my two favourite RPGs of all time.

Hopefully "Dragon Age" will be a fantastic game, but I can't say for sure... all bets are open right now.

 

I used to be an Everquest fanatic (not EQII). Now though, not many people play.

 

nooo....

I gave up after closing a couple of gates/portals....i am not really a free thinker i guess...hehe....just followed the main story line....and didnt get to explore around much.

I have always been a big fan of blizzard's game (WC/SC/Diablo)...the Lore and storyline of their games combined with the dynamics of PvP in WoW makes me love that game everyday....

....weelll....almost everyday...there are some days when i hate it coz i dont have enough time to play other great games out there....

 

Ok, but WHY is nwn1 superior? The story? gameplay?

 

NWN1 has a much more complete feel to it. The writing is better, and the characters feel more real. When Obsidian made NWN2, they focused more on frill and less on content. It's still a good game, and the graphics and voice acting are very nice, but what you gain in eye-candy you lose in story.

I still very much enjoyed NWN2, but if I had to give one up forever in favor of the other, I'd keep NWN1.

 

KOTOR 1 and KOTOR 2 are amazing games that anyone should play. If you crank up the resolution they still look really good.



May the force be with you...

 

wow...this has turned into an awesome thread...thanks to everyone for all the suggestions...I picked up NWN1 today and will pick up NWN2 in May when they release the ultimate pack with all the expansions. I'm also going to pick up Oblivion this week. Thanks again - lets keep the conversation going.....what are anyone's thoughts on Phantasy Star? Anyone remember the ooooold days on the Sega Master System and Sega Genesis? Whats it like on PC?

 

There's a way to play it for free online through Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst. They shut down the servers for the other versions, but BB has all of the same content. You could also try Phantasy Star Universe, but that costs money.

Don't forget the plethora of free games you can play. There are plenty of places to look for it. You should check out this thread that me and a few others helped make. It's basically a compilation of a lot of different free-to-play titles. There's a lot of RPGs and MMORPGs on that list. Check it out.

 

I'm not exactly a star fan of Phantasy Star; haven't been into it for... 10 years, maybe?

Do you have a preference for cRPGs or jRPGs? IE, D&D versus Final Fantasy, and such.

 

Calling games like Final Fantasy RPGs is really a misnomer. They're still great games, but there is very little room for you to build the character as you'd like, very few actual decisions you make about how they develop.

A true RPG will allow you to play a character as you want it, it won't force personality traits, classes, skills, or relationships on the character. The best ones try to limit forcing plot driven decisions on the character as well, although this is difficult to accomplish in a cRPG.

The jRPG genre should really be called FSBG, Fantasy Story-Based Game.

 

Well, there are still open-ended jRPGs out there. Take a look at Star Ocean, Thousand Arms, Seiken Denetsu 3, Shin Megami Tensei...

Of course, looking at PC games, you definitely have games like Deus Ex, pretty much any MMORPG (my favorite is Final Fantasy XI), both Fallout games, the Baldur's Gate titles, Godfather, GUN.... the list goes on.

 

I really enjoyed the Final Fantasy series from years ago on the consoles and I also love the whole D&D style....can you define the terms cRPG and jRPG for me?

 

common definition for RPG is the ability to customize its character. other than that anything goes. does it matter how we classify the genres? who cares what we call it as long as it's not misleading people. a great game is a great game. just because it's open ended and you can customize the heck out of it doesn't make it a great game.

 

umm...I just wanted to know what the "c" and the "j" in front of RPG stood for lol...I guess after being away from gaming for this long...I really am a Neophyte

 

well CRPG used to stand for console RPG but now it's loosely used for computer RPG. JRPG is just japanese RPG like Final Fantasy.

 

Actually I think cRPG stands for CLASSIC/CHARACTER role playing games i.e. those based on the D&D rulesets with fantasy settings. The Baldurs gate series and NWN games are examples. jRPG as already mentioned are RPGs created by Japanese developers which are different in style and gameplay.

 

I have a question with regards to Oblivion, where can i get good mods for improving the standard graphics etc.

OB

 

Here are a couple, OB:

Qarls Texture Pack III -- This guy always does the best job in implementing graphical updates to games. This one is no exception, and on the mod's profile, he even provides side-by-side comparative photos to help justify the download.

Django's Unique Features Mod -- Basically adds facial modifications to NPCs, such as scars, wrinkles, tattoos, etc.


When all else fails, visit ModDB.com (plug!)

 

True. And no, it doesn't really matter how the games are classified, I was simply pointing out, for someone who does not have experience with "jRPG" games, that they're a bit different than standard RPGs.

I love most of the final fantasy games, but for completely different reasons than I liked the BG/NWN/TES games. If you buy final fantasy looking for Baldur's Gate, then you might be disappointed.

 

Thanks Ridley, i want to load them when i play the game for the first time, i've seen the original pictures online and the upgraded versions of the game are much better looking.

OB

 

anybody played that game "hard to be a god?" Really stupid title for a game IMHO (although it IS based on a book), but i've heard it is a decent rpg.

 

Actually, I heard a lot of bad things about the game, that it was just trying to bank off of games like Oblivion. I heard that the story is confusing, the camera is terrible, not polished whatsoever, and bad production values (like with the graphics).

However, there have been people who think it's an above-average game, even a great one. I personally believe the publisher paid money to CNet or whatever to get the buzz it got; otherwise, it wouldn't even create a murmer in the community. lol